GIRLS! Happy Monday! I have a confession, I actually love Mondays lately (insert monkey covering eyes emoji). I’m so happy with what I’m doing for work these days (this, so thank you for your continued support!) that I kind of crave the routine come Monday morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love when all four of us are together on the weekends and I’m always bummed that Big B has to go back to work on Mondays but I’m also excited for the work week ahead. I love that first cup of coffee and getting us in the car on Monday mornings to drop B at preschool (which he LOVES) and heading back home with Gracie. We’re really getting in a nice groove of work and play and I’m enjoying it.
Some of you have asked what my day looks like as a SAHM/WAHM so I thought I’d break it down (and sorry in advance if this bores you!):
wake up at 6:30/7 UGH. This is early for me, I usually don’t like to open my eyes before 7 but Brian has been getting up in the late 6’s so I shamefully give him my iPhone and he watches whatever he watches, Little Einsteins, PJ Masks and the weird toy opening youtube videos (seriously these are the strangest videos but are like crack to toddlers).
7:30 I get out of bed, wash my face, brush teeth and throw on an acceptable drop off outfit. Grace usually wakes up around this time so we head downstairs and have breakfast. I make the kids smoothies every morning and something else like eggs, waffles, cereal, bagels whatever we feel like. Oh and COFFEE, all the coffee for me. I make daddy a to-go coffee and we send him off to the train to the Big Apple with lots of smooches and I love you’s.
I get B off to school and Gracie and I come home to straighten up the house and this is when I usually try and get some blogging and emailing done. Grace sometimes cooperates and sometimes not, it’s a total crap shoot. If she’s really not cooperating, I get her in the car and we run errands or go for a walk, go to the swings, etc… I pick up B at school at 12:00 PM and head home for lunch. Sometimes we have friends over at this time and sometimes it’s just us. I put Grace down for a nap after lunch and let Brian have a little quiet time with a show and/or book and I again try and get some work in.
G wakes up around 1:30/2 and we fill our afternoon with whatever possible until dinner time. Park, walk, visit to nan and pops, playdates, visit with our cousins, gym, crafts, driveway shenanigans, etc… you get the drift. Sometimes the afternoons fly by and other times they are really, really long.
I make dinner for the kids at 5/5:30 and then the tricky time begins. Everyone is tired and so is mommy at this point so we try and pass this hour quickly. They may watch a show or play with toys in the house and I put them in the bath around 6. Big Brian usually comes home around 6:30/7 (on a good night) and can either jump in at bath time or read a quick story before bed. I quickly try and prepare dinner for us at this time if I haven’t already (sadly we don’t eat together during the week but once our kids are older will definitely make this a priority).
Kids in bed at 7 and then we chiiilll. We usually have a glass of wine with dinner and catch up with one another and watch a show. I usually have my laptop out and am working on getting blog posts done while the shows are on. Right now the shows we’re into are Narcos and Ray Donovan, SO GOOD. We make it up to bed around 9:30/10:00 PM. I’m desperately trying to get into a reading routine but it hasn’t happened. By the end of our show and when my face hits that cold pillow, it’s lights out. I guess I could head upstairs a little sooner but I love that couch time with B and it’s nice for us to have that alone time.
Also, one very crucial piece being able to swing this whole work at home situation: babysitters. I usually have one or two mornings from 9-12 while B is at school to myself. We have an awesome babysitter who comes to play with Gracie (she also cooks us meals and folds laundry while she’s here) so I can shut the door and work without distraction. I get so much done at this time, and it makes my week so much less frustrating than when I’m trying to work and mother simultaneously. I’ve come to learn that it’s not fair to me or my kids to try and do this because nobody wins. They aren’t getting all of me and I’m not able to work thoughtfully. I still struggle with this because the work is always there and it’s literally right at my finger tips on my phone (damn phones!), but I’m doing my best to try and stick to the blocks of time when I do have the babysitter to get chunks of work done. The busier I get however, the harder this gets. I’m definitely still learning how to do it all, and how to find that balance, but aren’t we all?
Today I’m actually taking Grace to work with me. I’m going to shoot a couple of outfits with my favorite photographer (guess who?? my mom!) and she’ll be happy eating snacks and playing with her toys in the stroller. If she wants out, she’ll get in some photos with me.
Wow that was an extremely long post! Sorry if I bored you but happy if it was interesting to you!
