Do you ever feel sort of just bogged down by daily life? I have been feeling that lately. I am trying hard to find gratitude in the everyday but sometimes it is difficult. My day is so busy and still things don't get done that I want to do. It is even harder when I add the fact that I am a working mom and also run (part-time) three other businesses. And, my need and desire to spend as much time as possible with my kids everyday.
We all have crazy lives but everything changes too. I need to remember that this really is just one phase of life and things will shift and I will miss all of this. Just like I miss the kids Little Kicker games and Calliou, and science fair (OK, maybe not the last one). I am trying to be grateful for this routine---as it gives me time for work, hobbies, my family and working out. Too soon the kids will be driving and won't need me to drive them places, they wont want to work out with me and won't need me to wake them up or make them food. I need to savor this time. In an effort to do that, I wrote out my daily routine. Interested in our crazy life? Read on.....
I get up at 5:20 am. I roll out of bed, put in my contacts and brush my teeth and head to the living room to open the curtains to welcome the day. It is still dark as I wander into the kitchen to put water on for our French press coffee.
I start to wake Sawyer up at 5:30 am. An alarm does not work for him--he sleeps right through it--so it take gentle shaking at 5:30, 5:35, and 5:40 to finally get him out of bed. If he isn't out of bed by 5:45, I walk in and turn on the light. Not the nicest tactic but sometimes I have to resort to evil measures.
As he is getting himself ready, I start to make lunches. Sawyer usually gets peanut butter and honey sandwiches, Clif bars, some type of fruit and whatever else I can find that he will eat. Nova always wants something fancy, like little tea sandwiches or Ceasear salad. She never eats her lunch anyway so I just throw a few things in her cute little lunch bag. Today it is baguette with cheese, satsuma oranges and a Clif bar. I make myself a lunch too--usually leftovers from recipe testing or dinner the night before. Sometimes it is just a piece of fruit and a string cheese....and a hope that there will be snacks at the office or time to go out to lunch.
At 6:00 am, I wake up Nova. It takes awhile for her to get up and get ready--plus she almost always has homework that she needs to finish. She is still asleep when she gets into the shower and sometimes actually falls back to sleep in the shower. I have to remind her to finish up quickly---there is only so much hot water and I have to get myself ready too.
I get Sawyer his breakfast by 6:05---usually I make him eggs and veggie sausage. Nova will be happy with a few bites of yogurt or a satsuma. Not the best to fuel her day, but it is the only thing I can get her to eat in the morning. I try to take a few minutes to look through emails and drink my coffee while Sawyer eats breakfast.
At 6:20, Aaron and Sawyer leave to get dropped off at the carpool. Nova is working on last nights homework and I have just a few minutes to take a shower. On a good day, Nova can work on her homework alone. On a rushed morning, I need to work with her--usually on math assignments or helping prepare for a test.
I am out of the shower at 6:30 and if I am not helping with homework, I have a few minutes to work on this blog, the business or my new venture. I really only have a few minutes to do this because by 7:15, I am prepping the evening's dinner, and getting myself ready for the office. My morning routine consists of showering, brushing hair and teeth, maybe mascara (if I can find it), and putting on whatever outfit I didn't wear yesterday. It doesn't take me long. I look amazing at the office everyday. (I hope the sarcasm is detected.)
By 7:35 I am reminding Nova to feed the dogs, begging Aaron to take out the dogs and trying to clean the kitchen up a bit before we rush out the door. This is usually when I hear about field trip forms that need to be signed or other responsibilities the kids have signed me up for.
We arrive at Nova's bus stop right around 8:00 am and then wait for about 15-20 minutes for her bus to arrive. It is supposed to be there at 8:01 but is late EVERY DAY. We talk about the latest Bratayley's news or she shows me Instagram videos of super talented gymnasts. If we are really in a pinch, we are cramming to study for a test.
8:15 Her bus arrives and I kiss her goodbye. I load up a podcast on my phone and start my 45 minute commute to my office.
9:03: I FINALLY roll into my office and feel as if I have been up for an entire day. I am hungry and eat my lunch within minutes of arriving at my desk.
AND THEN THERE IS WORK.
I don't even want to get into the banal details of my regular job. Lots of meetings, lots of time spent writing, lots of time wondering if this is really what I am supposed to be doing. There are good parts too. The feeling of accomplishing a big task, talking to fishermen about their livelihoods and meeting up with friends. My work day is jam packed and I feel that I can almost never get caught up.
I leave the office between 5:00 and 5:30. If I was lucky, I was able to go grab something for lunch with a friend. If not, I am starving. I usually have a Clif bar or something that I can snack on in the car.
My commute takes about 45 minutes in the evening too, unless for some reason traffic builds up. Usually that is not much of a problem. I talk to my mom on the phone during my evening commute---every. day. Sometimes we have a lot to talk about and the time passes quickly. Sometimes, we don't. Sometimes I get irritated with her and sometimes she helps me work through some of my problems. That's what mom's are for--right?
I arrive back in town around 6:15pm and head to CrossFit, where Sawyer is waiting for me, having already arrived to take the 5:30 class too. Class starts at 6:30 so I have a few minutes to change, use the foam roller and mentally prepare for the physical onslaught that I am about to face.
After class, Sawyer and I head home and arrive back around 8:00. I have about 20 minutes to get dinner together--I prepped earlier so that is good and we usually have very simple dinners during the week. Things like burrito bowls, bean and cheese burritos or giant salads. I only have about 20 minutes before I have to go pick up Nova from gymnastics.
We are home just after 9:00pm and I serve dinner. I hate eating late but it is the only thing that works for our family especially since I really want us to have dinner as a family.
By 10:00, the kids and I are brushing teeth and getting ready for bed. We have goodnight hugs and conversations while laying in bed and lights are out by 10:30. Aaron usually stays up later to clean up the dinner dishes.
I sleep soundly until my alarm goes off at 5:15 am and the whole process starts over again.
For the most part, this is the daily routine. It changes a bit when I work from home (no commute=more time!), or when Aaron is around to help a bit more. I didn't even include all of those little things that need to get done--like, making doctor's appointments, paying bills, cleaning the house. Honestly, I am not very good at any of those and just try to fit it in where I can.
In the spare moments, I try to take time to make lists and jot down ideas and thoughts about my businesses. I make shopping lists and menu plans at some point in the week and use the weekends for recipe development, photo taking, and post writing. I listen to business podcasts during my commute to work and try to stay motivated. It's not ideal--I would love to have more time to work on my businesses and to be with my kids but it is our life and we make it work. I am finding the gratitude in that.
Are you a working mom? What does your routine look like?
Leave a Reply