Morning rituals + a giveaway
I absolutely love my mornings with Livi. She’ll wake up happy as can be singing in her crib, and I’ll go upstairs to get her. Usually she’ll hand me whatever doll she slept with last night and we’ll sing the “Good morning” song before going downstairs to begin the AM rituals. Breakfast is probably our favorite meal, and we’ll have a mix of fruit, eggs, and oatmeal or pancakes most mornings. While I make our meal, I’ll usually pack up our snacks and water if I haven’t done so the night before. This way, as soon as we’re done, we can get dressed and set off on the day’s adventures. This is usually our routine, unless groceries are getting low… then we’ll have a little breakfast date together. 
Panera is one of our standard options. We frequent there for lunch – especially on the days they have black bean soup – but we also love the breakfast menu. Bagel and smoothie for the little miss: 
and egg sandwich for me.
We share everything. 😉 
I especially love the fact that the ingredients are fresh. The breads are baked that morning by a baker and they crack the eggs as the breakfast sandwiches are ordered. (No microwaved eggs!) Even though I love the food, the company is even better. 
Looking around the restaurant most mornings, you’ll see many types of people. Families, students, professionals, grandmothers, athletes, and in our booth: a mom and her baby laughing with some friends.
Panera was kind to offer a $100 gift card to a lucky reader. Here are the details for this fun giveaway:
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
Leave a comment with your usual morning rituals. What is your favorite way to start the day?
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 11/13/13 – 12/8/13.
Be sure to visit the Panera Bread’s page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
<3 xoxo Gina
Thank you to our friend Matt (Sasha‘s husband) for taking these photos!
This post was sponsored by Panera through a campaign with BlogHer. To learn more about the fresh meals at Panera, check out Panera’s head baker backstory. You can also enter The Panera Breakfast Backstory Challenge, which allows you to learn about Panera’s passion for baking while you gain chances to win great prizes, including a chance to win an all-inclusive, culinary experience trip to New York City for two. Thank you so much for supporting my blog and the sponsors who help make it possible. xo
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My morning ritual is wake-up at 4:30, drink something warm and watch a little TV, head downstairs for a run on the treadmill and then hit the shower for work and getting the little one ready for school. Great giveaway with Panera!
I start off with a cup of coffee and then sit down to read blogs 🙂 cute pictures!
My favorite morning ritual starts off with breakfast of some sort and a nice mug of hot coffee, followed by some quiet time with God. I love the mornings:)
Wake up Bright & Early, Eat breakfast with a HUGE mug of coffee. Feed my little guy & play until we decide what we are going to do for the rest of the day 🙂
My morning routine is usually get up and ready then Wake up my daughter, we snuggle in bed for a few then I get her ready and we’re off to daycare/work.
Monday through Friday…..up before the chickens are….have my cup ‘o joe while I watch the local morning news….shower….dress…..fancy up my face and hair…..kiss my handsome husband goodbye and head to work!
Saturday & Sunday…..leisurely get out of bed and have my coffee while I watch some of the shows I DVR through the week…..shower, dress, and fancy up when the time feels right. 🙂
My morning routine varies depending on the day, but it almost always includes COFFEE! yum! During marathon training, my running group goes to Panera every Saturday morning after our long run, so the whole group would love it if I win that gift card!
My morning ritual includes waking up and heading out for a run with a large cup of coffee waiting at home before heading off to work!
The only thing getting me out of bed in the morning is the idea of a big cup of coffee and some sort of toasted carb with butter. Then it’s out the door to class!
I always take the dog for a walk before I go to work in the morning. At 6am, it’s very peaceful out and a great start to the day for both of us!!
I (try) to start my weekday mornings with a workout. But my most consistent morning ritual always involves coffee.
my morning consists of praying that the puppy doesn’t want to wake up before my alarm goes off (always fails) walking him, and making a pork roll egg and cheese (a NJ favorite!) which i eat while the pup eats his breakfast, then going to wake up the hubby!!
My morning ritual is pretty similar to yours actually! A little coffee, short workout and a delicious breakfast. Breakfast is my favorite too! It starts the day off right:)
I tweeted about this giveaway: https://twitter.com/kristy_joy/status/401378286820798464
Oops that link didn’t work: https://twitter.com/kristy_joy/status/401378708394496000
I love weekend morning routines best, so I’ll talk about those. Sleep in a bit till 7:30 or 8am. Hot water. Run and walk. Smoothie & Bread with jam or pancakes. 🙂
My morning ritual is quite like yours: I get up, get some coffee (which is my motivation for getting out of bed) and fit in a quick workout — yoga by the TV, some weights or a run with the pup — then get ready for my day. I love Panera!
Coffee and a quick work out are part of my morning routine! ALWAYS coffee!
I love to get up before everyone else and have my first cup of coffee alone. I used to love a morning run which I still do sometimes but am finding more and more that the quiet coffee time is what I crave before I wake my girls and start pestering them to get ready. We all love Panera! I’ve been wanting to try the black bean soup, I usually go for the tomato.
My morning ritual is get up and get showered… get the boys up and ready for school… breakfast and on out the door by 7am. It is fast paced but love the time I get with the 3 boys before school!
my morning ritual is to wake up, eat breakfast and then go back to sleep for a little bit. Sounds crazy, I know…. but I find that I feel a little more ready for my day with an extra little bitty nap.
My morning ritual also involves a big bowl of coffee! 😀 I’ll then sip the coffee while getting caught up with emails and blogs. I end my morning with a workout.
I always wake up an hour before I have to leave for work because I love the whole process of showering, making coffee, then sipping my coffee in my robe while doing my make up and watching the morning news. I really enjoy that time where I get to prepare for the upcoming day and have some time to myself. 🙂
My morning ritual is to get up and get dressed immediately for work, put the dog out on his run while I get a cup of coffee ready and pack my lunch, let him in and snuggle him for a bit while I enjoy my coffee. Then I almost always realize I’m running late and rush through the rest of getting ready and run out the door to work.
I let my puppy out in the morning, play with her, feed her and then shower and off to work!
My morning ritual is COFFEE, then get my baby up and ready for the day, then take him to daycare while I head to work. So boring.
My morning ritual has evolved over the past year…these days I wake up at 5am, drink my smoothie, head to the gym for 6am class, shower, dress for work and hope to make it in by 9am. I pack my breakfast and eat it during the morning. I love Panera, especially since they have the nutrition calculator online. I watch my carbs and protien very closely and I appreciate all restaurants that are transparent about the nutritional value of their foods (beyond calorie numbers).
My morning ritual starts with slippers! I put on my slippers, walk downstairs and greet my 2 1/2 year old Goldendoodle, Louis! If his dad (my husband) hasn’t taken him for a walk, I do that first! Then it’s time for espresso (with cream and cinnamon)! Breakfast is made for the pup and I, then email is checked! I don’t love mornings, but mornings with a pup and caffeine are more bearable 🙂
My morning involves taking care of the dogs and getting myself ready and out the door as quickly as possible Monday through Friday! Weekends are a different story…leisurely enjoying coffee and a light breakfast (love a bagel and eggwhite sandwich), followed by an indoor cycling or barre class. Love!
During the week, I get up, have a sip of coffee, go for a run and make sure I’m back by 6:30 so that I can get my little guys up and ready for day care before I start getting ready for work. My 2 year old says the most random, funny things right when he wakes up and I never want to miss what that morning’s will be!
Love Panera! My ritual starts with making coffee, feeding the cats and putting together lunches and snacks for the family. Then I enjoy my cup of coffee while spending a few minutes of quiet time with my baby girl (cat) on my lap before jumping into getting dressed and out the door. Breakfast is usually at my desk. Either a smoothie or some yogurt and granolas. I wish there was time to hit Panera on the way to the office!
Panera is my fave! My ritutal begins with an early 4:30am workout while my husband, 2 dogs, and 4 month old are still asleep. Then I shower, get mine and the hubby’s eggs/toast/bagel ready. Wake him up with his breakfast while we watch Mike & Mike on ESPN in bed. Then we wake our baby up with tons of smooches and get her ready for daycare. I just love our little family mornings.
Our rituals are similar to yours because I have a little girl almost Liv’s age! Coffee and eggs for me and usually a banana, milk, and eggs or berries for her. Then off to the park or library! I love mornings the most with my little girl.
I like to start my day with quiet, weekdays its a dog walk before anything else, Saturdays I like to go for an early morning run, usually ending at the bagel place, so that I can get coffee and a bagel ( <– its perfect, walking home with hot coffee is a great cool down!)
Love Panera for their soups ( butternut squash is my fave) and bakery items!
My morning ritual begins with a coffee, oatmeal and water before getting ready. I take a little time to get caught up on the news before I head out to work.
My morning ritual is getting to the gym for a workout first thing! Then, home to pack kids lunches and put in a load of laundry. It is amazing what can be done before 6:30am!
I love this idea for a contest! I think morning rituals make or break a day! I usually start my day at 5:15 am and get in a nice workout before the world is awake. After coming home and showering I usually let my dog out for a quick walk and get him fed. Then I make my breakfast (usually eggs and fruit or yogurt) and get my coffee ready for work. (I have an amazing thermos that keeps it warm forever!). And then I usually pack my lunch if I haven’t done it the night before. This usually gives me just enough time to take the dog for one more quick walk before leaving for the day or I get some time to read a chapter in my most current book and watch a little GMA before leaving for work.
My morning ritual is getting up, brushing my teeth, getting dressed and then getting to work… all done as quickly as I can so I can have more time to sleep in 🙂
My morning ritual is a quick workout and a pot of strong coffee!
My morning routine M-F includes waking up extra early to sneak out of the house without waking the little one! It can be quite the task with creaky wood floors, but I have a 90% success rate so far. After that I fill my coffee mug and head off to work!
I work from home so I start my morning by cooking my husband and I a little breakfast. I make myself a large cup of coffee in the process. I finish my coffee while checking emails and catching up on blogs. Once he is out the door I clean up breakfast, start some laundry, then get to work. It is nice to be able to spend a little time together in the mornings before we start our day!
Morning Rituals:
Turn the alarm off twice….get out of bed at last possible minute that still allows me to be at work on time. Shower, makeup while watching ESPN2, hair, get dressed, breakfast, pack up lunch, annoy boyfriend to hurry up and get out of bed already, give kisses to said boyfriend and puppy dog and head out. Super boring, but I’m a creature of habit and I dont do well with change. I wish I could be one of those early morning enjoy the sunrise and workout people….maybe that will be at the top of my New Years resolutions 😉
My morning ritual sounds pretty much like yours, but with a 2.5-year-old. Oh, and minus the fruit, because she wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. Can you tell us where you got the leggings in the photos??
I take a shower immediately. Then coffee. Unless I am going to 6am spin class, then I come home, shower, and then comes the coffee 🙂
The morning blur: 5am wakeup, 1hr workout, shower, take dogs on a walk, drag 13yr old daughter out of bed & shove food in her face, then do a little house cleaning before running out the door & biking to work. Woosh!
Grab a hardboiled egg and a piece of fruit or yogurt to eat at my desk once I arrive to work.
My mornings are usually pretty quick. I’ll get up at 5:50 (ughh so early), get ready for work, pack a few amazeballs and munch on those throughout the morning. Get all of that done in 20 minutes, taking a shower at night helps speed up getting ready for the day.
i went to panera and had such a bad experience. i got a tomato mozerella and it was super greasy and made my stomach hurt. and my friend got soup and it was alot the same. but you kind of have me thinking maybe i should try going again. im vegetarian and i dont cheese anymore, so can you reccomend something youve enjoyed there thats vegan?
My morning ritual is toget up super fast before the baby stirs. I relish my morning shower. Like you by the time the baby is up I am excited to go in to him. We then get changed and o downstairs to eat and start out day!
I love my quiet morning weekday ritual. I wake up around 6 am and immediately start my coffee. I throw in a load of laundry and check my personal emails for the first hour. This is my favorite time to an email to a friend or family member – a goal of mine is to keep in better contact with long-distance friends and family. By 7 am I’m off to the races – getting dressed for the office, making breakfast, blending a smoothie, packing my lunch and my gym bag. I know some people think I’m a little nutty for waking up a couple of hours before I leave the house but I wouldn’t change a thing. It works for me!
i’m definitely a morning person. i love waking up early and enjoying a quiet cup of coffee while watching the morning news before everyone else is awake in my house. 🙂