I was organizing my Google Drive the other day when I came across the responses from my winter 2018 Reader Survey. In it, I asked what types of new posts you guys were interested in seeing (in addition to style content) one of the most common answers was a ‘Day in the Life’ post.
I was excited for this reminder, because I think it’s a fun way for you guys to get to know me a little better. I always enjoy reading these types of posts/articles because I love a good peek inside someone else’s life.
Our days are pretty ordinary for the most part, often filled with piano lessons, soccer practice, homework and groceries. But I’m learning to embrace the ‘ordinary’ and ‘mundane’ because that is where life truly happens. I desire to make the most of the day-to-day routine, listening, helping, guiding, looking and being. I’m so grateful to have these moments with my kids, I love the ages and stages they’re at (4,7 and 9). However I can feel time slipping through my fingers. I can see the teenage years looming near so I’m constantly mindful of how fleeting this time is. As cheesy as that may sound, it helps push me to be more present and less distracted by temporary things (my phone).
I did my best to keep these photos as un-curated as possible because, honestly, the internet needs less curations. Here goes!
[ Wednesday, January 9, 2019 ]
6:49 AM – Rise and shine! This is the absolute latest I can wake up and get everyone out the door on time, though the latter is questionable. For the last five weeks or so Mr. Seasons and I have been getting up regularly at 5:45 AM to get a workout in, and it’s felt great. This week I haven’t been feeling as motivated because I am fighting off a yucky cold and a bit of back/neck strain from Friday’s workout. I am not a morning person, and to me it feels near criminal to be up before the sun. But once I’m awake, I love early morning time.
7:15 AM – I’ve roused the sleeping kiddos, guided them through getting dressed, and breakfast is served. We’ve had many evolutions of our breakfast game plan over the years (baked oat bars, overnight oats, etc.). I am always trying to stuff them with something substantial and nutritious before they head out the door to school. This school year we’ve been making large batches of protein-heavy waffles and keeping the freezer stocked with them. I usually top them with peanut butter and pure maple syrup. Five months in, and they haven’t gotten sick of them yet!
7:45 AM – I’ve finally closed the door and everyone is safely tucked into the car with Dad, along with their coats, lunches and backpacks. My husband takes the kids to school each morning and for that I’m very grateful. He enjoys the one-on-one time with them, and I get to enjoy a few minutes of quiet before my day shifts into high gear.
Almost every single morning I turn off all the overhead lights and I sit by the fire and drink my coffee while the sun rises. I usually take that time to pray for my kids as they head to school and anything else I feel like God puts on my mind. It’s a great time to orient myself for the day. I try to do a little bit of Bible study too. I’ve been (slowly) working my way through a reading plan from the Bible Project. I can’t say enough good things about this app!
8:50 AM – I’ve quickly showered and pulled myself together for the day and am driving my husband to work. Part of our morning arrangement is that since he takes the kids to school, I drive him to work. His office is near downtown, where parking is limited, so biking, public transportation or wife-uber are his transport modes of choice. I like driving him to work because I get a little extra (uninterrupted) one-on-one time with him before we part ways for the day.
9:30 AM – I’m back home for the day and decide to take my OOTD shot while I still have my coat and shoes on. I shoot a few more photos of a bag I am featuring on the blog soon.
10:19 AM – I’m finally sitting down to work. Today is Wednesday, one of my work days (MWF). On Tuesdays and Thursdays my son (who is 4) is at home with me. I try really hard not to open the computer on those days. I am feeling a little sad that he’ll be headed off to kindergarten in the fall, so I’m trying to soak it in while I can!
1:25 PM – Lunch break. Just kidding, there are no breaks here, just a continuation of my daytime hustle. My work week is pretty short, it’s only about 4 hours three times per week, so during that window I am pretty strict about sticking to the tasks at hand.
2:15 PM – My favorite time of the day, time to go pick up my kiddos. I always pick up my son from preschool first. He is the best greeter; he runs across the classroom to give me a huge hug. It’s one of those moments that makes me feel like I’m winning at life, haha.
2:45 PM – From his school we head straight to the bus stop to round up the rest of our crew. My oldest daughter is in 4th grade, and my younger daughter is in 1st.
3:10 PM – The kids are home, the dog has been greeted, and the coats and spilling backpacks are everywhere. This is when the hardest part of my day begins. The snack/homework/decompress/make dinner grind. I love my little people so much, but this is when we all seem to be at our least resilient for the day. During this time I talk to my kids about their day, and we work on chores and music practice in addition to the homework.
6:45 PM – Dinner time! Early on in our marriage we fell into the rhythm of having dinner together at the table every night. And it’s continued no matter where we’ve lived or how many kids we’ve added to our family. It’s become a nice daily ‘touch stone’ for all of us as our lives continue to get busier.
10:30 PM – The kids are fast asleep, the dishes are finished, and the hubs and I are sipping tea and watching Seinfeld in bed, my other favorite time of day!
Goodnight!
Andrea, I really love this. I have just (in the past week!) started working for myself at home, and am struggling to find the right routine. Husband also works from home, so finding the balance is an interesting task!! We don’t have children yet, but I’m looking forward to figuring it all out before we do… Your day (though I’m sure chaotic at times!) gives me inspiration… Your moment by the fire, watching Seinfeld (!!!) and the little joys throughout the day of seeing loved ones. It reminds me to have patience, and remember to see the joy! Thank you!
Ella thank you for such a thoughtful comment! Drinking tea and watching 90’s comedies is absurdly relaxing!! I am trying to remember to have patience too and treasure the ‘now’ instead always looking ahead. I hope you and your husband settle on a good routine of working from home! That sounds kind of ideal. :)
Thanks for sharing! This was so great. Have a great week!
Jodie
Thanks Jodie! I’d be curious to hear what your day to day is like as well. Your little guy is getting so big!
I really enjoyed that post. It was nice to have a little glimpse into your everday life.
I am also working my way through the Bible Project Plan. The videos are such a great resource.
Have a great week.
Thank you Charissa. Agreed, I LOVE the videos from the Bible Project, that guys that put them together are great theologians, and I love how they break things down. I actually just started a new study yesterday (putting my BP reading on hold for 7 weeks!) on the book of Job by Lisa Harper. So far it’s REALLY good.
I’ve been doing a large batch of waffles for my boys as well. Sometimes I add an over-ripe banana or chia seeds for extra nutrition. My question is – how are you defrosting, toasting, reheating? I’m not super pleased with my method yet, and I think the boys would like them even more if I had a better way of reheating. Thank you!
I love that! I do overripe bananas sometimes, but I never thought of chia seeds, how much do you add?
So I microwave for 20-25 seconds and then toast them. Everyone in family favors crunch waffles (except me), and they all seem pretty happy about this.
This was a lovely post. Thank you for sharing, my babies are 4 and 1 and I work similar hours/days so felt a lot of relation with your post. Thank you again.
Thanks Annie! I think the time working makes really appreciate the days I can focus exclusively on household stuff and kids.
This is a good post! I have a funny thing to share with you. You know how you said that once your kids are home from school, the hardest part of your day begins? I remember those days so well. When my kids were younger, after school hours were filled with gymnastics, swimming, piano lessons, etc. I would almost have to brace myself, take a deep breath and dive into those hours. I found them the most exhausting, partly because it was a lot of running around, a lot of sitting and waiting, sometimes visiting with other parents, sometimes arguing with my child that they NEED to go to piano lessons, darn-it! Then we would get home, launch into dinner and homework and bedtime and by the time 8 pm rolled around, I was beat! Now, my oldest daughter is away at university and my son is in grade 11. The activities have definitely slowed down, and even if there is something, my son drives himself to whatever it is anyway. BUT, every day, when 3:30 rolls around, I find myself still glancing at the clock, bracing myself for those “witching hours”, and then I realize, oh right! Those days are pretty much bygone! And then I kinda miss them. Ok, maybe not having to make small-talk with other swimming parents, but the time spent in the car from A to B, the dissection of the day… the days are getting quieter, less bustling. Pretty soon my son will be off to University somewhere as well, and then it will really slow down. And now, that is what I am bracing myself for. The quiet. And I’m not entirely sure how I feel about it.
Thank you for sharing that glimpse in to the future. My boys are 1, 4, and 8 and the days are long but the years are short is so so true!
Agreed with Sarah, thanks for the glimpse into the future a little bit Brenda. (I am right there with you on the small talk, it can be SO draining.) I do like that time spent in the car driving and talking. It’s a nice time that we all have each others’ attention (similar to the dinner table). I definitely dread the quiet days when they are all out of my house. But hopefully time and other transitions will prepare me for that. I hope it goes well for you when the time comes.
Loved reading about your day! I’m a sucker for these kinds of posts!
And man those last few hours are like a daily marathon. There are only so many tips and tricks you can try to apply but it’s still just a tough time most nights! I was just day dreaming about what it’ll be like when our youngest is 4.. I’ll have a 4, 8, and 12ish year old gaggle of boys. 
Oh the fun it’ll be though!!
Something about my youngest being 4 is killing me, it’s like a knife in my heart watching him get older! I don’t know why! :) Sometimes it feels like the marathon continues when we are cleaning up after bedtime. This year though I finally started having my kids make their own lunches – it’s a game changer! Someone once said to me something a long the lines of: don’t do anything for your kid that he/she can do for himself. Otherwise they don’t learn. I’m trying to keep that in mind!
I loved getting a glimpse into your day! (And this post is a reminder that we need to visit Portland sometime!)
Thanks Krystal! You do need to visit Portland. Summertime is best!
Love this post! I can also relate to the time leading up to dinner being the most challenging. I only have one kid (20 months old), but between him being a picky eater and also needing to be entertained, cooking feels nearly impossible! Thanks for sharing your day with us :)
Yep!! Why is dinner so hard?!?! The days when I do crockpot meals are so much more zen, haha.
My new favorite quote to a remind to be where I am (also usually with three young children): “It has taken a while, but I certainly do know it now–the most wonderful gift I had, the gift I’ve finally learned to cherish above all else, was the gift of all those perfectly ordinary days”– Katrina Kenison
Love this!! Thank you for sharing. <3