{4:00 AM} Wake up call!!! I’m awoken from a deep sleep by my 7 month old. Until recently he has been waking every 1-2 hours for comfort. After a long month of on and off sleep training we’ve landed at waking once per night. I’ll take it.
{4:30 AM} Back in bed but wide awake. Should I just start the day now? Get a jumpstart on my inbox? Considering the options has made me sleepy again and I drift off into a light sleep.
{6:00 AM} I hear my husband’s alarm go off. It takes him a few seconds to hit the snooze button but every millisecond of that time all I can think is “shut it off! Don’t wake the babies!” Our 7 month old twins are currently sleeping in our bedroom as we wait for the day we move into a house with a separate bedroom for them.
{6:30 AM} Twins are both awake (they must have heard the shower). All three of us lay in bed as I feed them. I pause for a moment as I hear loud and quick footsteps outside our bedroom. Our 3 year old is now awake and hoping to cuddle in bed with me and the babies. These are some of the best moments of my day. All of my sweet peas cuddled up in bed together. Everyone is happy and ready to start the day.
{7:15 AM} My husband kisses us all goodbye and runs out the door headed to work. I peel myself out of bed as I negotiate with my preschooler to get herself dressed and complete the morning routine– hair brushed, teeth brushed, shoes on. She of course resists, trying to persuade me to let her wear her Batgirl costume to school. After a few minutes of a power struggle we settle on mismatched skirt, pants, and long sleeve top. She’s in a phase where everything has to have long sleeves... even in 90º weather.
The urge to check my phone is strong but I try to resist. All it will do is distract me from our morning routine and focusing on being a mom. Maybe just Instagram? No…. put it down and walk away.
{7:30 AM} After strategically placing the twins on the floor surrounded by support pillows and lots of toys I quickly jump in the shower. This is where the whole twin thing really helps me out. They love hanging out together and will play for a minute or two while I speed wash.
{7:45 AM} I’m able to throw on some clothes and decently style my hair. My beauty routine is so swift and straightforward I could probably do it in my sleep. I consider adding a touch more makeup to my face just as the babies start to cry and my preschooler is suspiciously quiet. Every parent knows silence is never a good sign.
Sure enough she’s found her art box and has begun working on a masterpiece made out of glitter glue. I hope that glue isn’t all over her shirt. I can’t go through another outfit change!
{8:30 AM} Just as I sit the twins in their highchairs and prepare breakfast (pears mixed with banana today), our nanny arrives to help out with the twins.
I wrangle my preschooler out the door and pray she doesn’t realize she’s not in the mood for school today. “Yes sweetheart I understand that you’d rather visit the Aquarium today but it’s Monday and you’ll have so much fun with your friends at school!" Said it my most convincing voice.
{9:15 AM} I’ve successfully dropped my daughter off at preschool and am actually kid-free. Coffee run!!
{9:45 AM} Finally back home and able to sit down and get to work. Let’s be honest, I checked my inbox and Instagram the second I left my daughter’s classroom. Can’t help myself.
As I answer emails and jot down my to-do list I try not to be distracted by the adorable sounds the twins are making. I’ve been working from home since they were born and though I have office space, I’m drawn to being close to them during the workweek. I glance over and see baby boy beaming back at me with a huge smile. Quick kiss on his gorgeous little head and then grab the headphones. I truly do need to focus.
From content planning to design development to accounting, my day is always multifaceted. Even though it's sometimes hard to stay on-track with one project at a time, I love it. I love having my hand in every part of the business. It's exciting to know my days will never be the same and I'll never be bored with my work.
{12:15 PM} Where has the time gone!?! Literally just looked at my phone (what I thought was 30 minutes ago) and it said 10:30 AM. I better shift into over-drive if I want to get through this to-do list today. Graphic design and photo-editing are always a time-suck. At least I love it :)
Lunch break? Nope. No time. I've found myself in a pattern of working through lunch, usually noshing on last night's dinner leftovers. I know I need to stop and let my mind rest for 20 minutes or so but it's hard to do so with my to-do list staring me in the face.
{2:00 PM} Working from home is great but sometimes presents challenges. Our home is pretty close quarters at the moment so if I have to take a call I usually take it outside in the driveway. If only they knew where I was calling from!
Conference call completed. Check! I’m feeling inspired by our marketing campaign this year and can’t wait to see how it develops. As I walk back to the kitchen table (aka: my desk) I make a pitstop to play with the babies for a minute or so. Baby girl is looking extra adorable today in her hand-crafted headband so I quickly grab my handbag (complete with ToteSavvy) and stage a little photoshoot. More content for Instagram. Check!
{4:15 PM} Phew! I actually made it through most of my action item list and have 15 minutes to spare before I absolutely have to leave to pick up my daughter from school. Victory dance! Snapchat it? If only I had that type of confidence!
{4:30 PM} I arrive at preschool feeling the need to check my phone one last time before I switch hats to mom again. Of course, there’s an important email…. it will have to wait. No way am I responding via iPhone and loading my message full of typos.
{5:15 PM} We arrive home and immediately my preschooler runs to her brother and sister, making them let out the deepest belly laughs. It warms my heart how much they adore her <3
{5:30 PM} Everyone says goodbye to our amazing nanny as she heads out for the day. Naturally the energy level amplifies as I try to keep everyone calm and happy while preparing dinner. Our twins hang out in their highchairs as our preschooler runs around them providing the entertainment. While simultaneously spoon feeding two 7 month olds and preparing a “snack” for my oldest (I call it a snack otherwise she won’t eat it– no matter what it is) I browse the internet for a recipe and ultimately land on one that takes the least amount of time with the least amount of clean up. Cauliflower and black bean quesadilla’s again? Sounds good to me!
{6:15 PM} The twins are clearly tired and don't look like they can stay awake much longer. I draw a bath to get another 20 minutes of of them. Our target bedtime is always 7:00 PM otherwise the routine is compromised and all hell breaks loose.
{6:45 PM} Both babies are clean, fed, and in their jammies. Woot!! Clearly this is the perfect time for a flying object (thrown by my preschooler) to hit baby girl in the head and cause a colossal meltdown. Sweet.. I didn’t want a peaceful, drama-free evening anyways.
After calming all three kids (yes all three. See baby girl is crying because she was hit in the head with a plastic tomato. My preschooler is crying because she threw it and is trying to gain sympathy points. Baby boy is crying because… why not?!)
I turn off the lights, turn on the sound machine and quietly place each baby in his or her crib as I quietly tip-toe out the door. My preschooler loves to “help” and has decided to shut the bedroom door in the form of a slam. Fantastic.
{7:15 PM} Somehow we’ve managed to reach 7:00 PM and my husband walks through the door. He’s disappointed to have missed putting the babies to bed but he knows I’ll literally make him sleep in the driveway if he wakes them up.
{7:30 PM} I prepare dinner as he plays with our preschooler. Every time her laughter reaches a certain disciple I wince and hope the babies haven’t woken up. Everyone use your quiet voices!
Dinner is followed by the long negotiation to get our preschooler in bed. That negotiation is followed by every stall tactic imaginable to delay bedtime. Her quick thinking makes me proud and completely terrified at the same time.
{8:30 PM} With all the kids in bed we quickly tidy up the house. Hahahaha .. no we don’t. We park ourselves on the couch and watch one of our recorded shows as we both open up our computers and jump back into work. At least we’re in it together :)
{10:30 PM} I have an internal debate with myself about whether or not I should go to bed early or continue to work on completing tomorrow's to-do list ahead of time. This dilemma generally makes me sleepy and I crawl into bed just shy of 11:00 PM.
Ready to do it all over again tomorrow.
Find me on Snapchat (@totesavvy) to follow along with my daily life :)