The last time I gave you all a peek into our daily routine was two years ago while I was on maternity leave…with Caroline! Oh my, how times have changed!
So I’m going to do my best to capture what a “typical” day looks like for us right now, but know that no two days are ever the same with our unpredictable kiddos. Also, in full disclosure, it took me like a week to write this post and take all the pictures because well, a typical day is just too crazy to document it all!
6:30 am: Daddy is up and in the shower. Mommy sleeps in until she hears banging on the walls from one or both of the kids’ rooms.
7 am: Caroline is up but lucky for us she will sing and play in her crib for awhile before she starts calling for “Daddy!!!!” (Yes, it’s always dadddy). Meanwhile Thomas is rolling around his crib giggling or bouncing and slapping the wall. I hop out of bed and quickly brush my teeth, get my makeup started and pick out my outfit. I grab Tom Tom and take a little field trip to Caroline’s room so they can hug it out and play in her crib for a minute, or vice versa.
7:30 am: Both kids are glued to Elmo or Mickey Mouse in hi-chairs in our bedroom eating a banana or mandarin oranges with grits, or oatmeal or frozen pancakes, whatever daddy has whipped up. We also wrestle a patch on Tom Tom’s right eye. He removes it. We re-patch. Also during this time both Matt and I are attempting to get ready while keeping an eye on both kids who are now threatening to jump out of their hi-chairs.
7:45 am: Mom and dad are dressed and ready, sort of. Time to strip the kids out of their breakfast covered clothes. Either Matt or I will negotiate with the kids to put on clothes and lather them in sunscreen. The other packs the daycare bags and load the car. Once that battle is won we let them completely destroy the living room or jump on their bed for about 10 minutes while I fry up some egg sandwiches to-go for me and Matt. We also finish getting dressed and ready during these last few minutes.
8 am: Out the door by 8 am on a good day! Matt and I rotate daycare drop-off and pick-up depending on our schedules that day. We leave at the same time and take opposite turns at the end of our street. We sing all of Caroline’s song requests during the one mile ride to daycare.
8:10 am: Arrive at daycare. Unload kids. Spend way too much time supervising Caroline scrubbing in at the hand washing station. Two pumps of soap. Water. More soap. More soap. More soap. Rinse. Done. Hopefully. Sign Caroline in her class and say goodbyes. Most of the time she doesn’t care that I’m leaving but every now and then she’ll give an oscar-winning meltdown performance. Run across the hall to sign Thomas into class, play on the floor with him for a bit and then say goodbye when it’s time for his (second) breakfast.
8:30 am: Head to the office and stop for coffee on the way. If I am not on drop-off, I am arriving to the office at this time and grab coffee with my fellow bottomless mug friend.
9 am – 5 pm: A pretty standard day is filled with conference calls, meetings, event planning, compiling pitch materials, coffee runs and more. Most days I work through lunch but every now and then I’ll meet Matt or a girlfriend for lunch. I also use my lunch break to run any errands I prefer to do sans-kids (ex: Target).
5:00 pm: Pack up and head to daycare!
5:30 pm: Arrive to daycare and pick up the kiddos (the very, very, very best part of my day)! I love hearing about their day, reviewing their artwork and learning why Caroline received a stamp that day. Convince Caroline to get in her car seat with a snack bribe, usually a graham cracker, goldfish or yogurt melts.
5:45 pm: Arrive home, change and load up the wagon with dinner/snacks for a walk around the neighborhood. Daddy arrives home and changes.
Favorite on-the-go pre-dinner snacks and dinners include Uncrustables, Lunchables, string cheese, fruit and veggie pouches, cheerios, peanut butter crackers, raisins, string cheese, snack keepers of black beans, fruit, etc.
6 pm: Off for a walk! Most of the time we can get a very slow mile in before meltdowns begin but sometimes Caroline abandons the wagon at the furthest point from our house and is adamant about walking home at -2 mph.
6:30 pm: Arrive home. Provide leftovers for dinner for the kids. Play for ~15 minutes if the kids are in good spirits. If they are melting down we immediately begin baths.
7 pm: Bath time! I begin prepping dinner for me and Matt while he bathes both kids together.
7:15 pm: Begin bed time. Either Matt will put both kids down so I can finish cooking dinner or I’ll put Thomas down while Matt puts Caroline down.
8 pm: Kids down! Not necessarily asleep but definitely down after many rounds of books, songs, a sip of water, prayers and other random things that have fallen into the bedtime routine along the way. Matt and I finish cooking and eat dinner, pick up the living room disaster, pack lunches for the next day, flip laundry, clean the kitchen. I shower at night so I can sleep in as long as possible in the morning
*Note: Waiting to eat dinner with Matt until after the kids are in bed has been huge for us. This is sometimes the only time of day we actually get to catch up uninterrupted and without distractions. No TV, no work emails, just conversation over a quick dinner.
9 pm: On a good day we are collapsing into bed by 9, but sometimes even earlier! Fire up laptops to finish work for Matt or blogging (and sometimes work) for me! Watch 3-9 minutes of a TV show (that Matt usually has not agreed on) and pass out by 10 pm. Matt passes out way later.
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Like most of you, our days are filled to the brim! And as you can see, choosing to be a two-career family means there really isn’t that much time we get with our kiddos during the work week. However, we really embrace the weekends with our minis and try to cram in as much family stuff as possible while also catching up on laundry, grocery shopping, errands, etc.
I know being a working mama isn’t for every family but I’m really happy with how we’ve made it work for ours. I honestly owe most of the credit to my amazing husband for being such a rock star daddy, credit to my insanely understandable and flexible working mama boss and credit to our daycare facility and teachers who send me pictures, texts and updates throughout the day to let me know how loved my kids are.
I love this! It's so interesting to me to see how other working blogging mommas do it! Agreed with you on the early bed time – total game changer. Kourtney @ http://www.martinsandthemarines.com
What a very busy day! I'm tired just reading this
Love this post!! I am also a working mama (in Charlotte!) with two little girls (ages 4 and 2) and another little girl on the way!I'm super lucky in that I can work from home in the afternoons, so the girls are only in daycare for half a day. My hours are also flexible, so while my husband is super helpful when he's home, I do all the lunch-packing, daycare drop off/pick up, naptime routine, etc. I'm not quite sure what will happen once baby #3 comes along, but I just plan on taking it day by day. I have to say, I stayed home (freelancing) until my daughter was 2 1/2 before getting my FT job. I LOVE being a working mom! Sure, there are times I wish I could be with my kids more, but for the most part I love having my own thing, having adult conversations throughout the day, and of course having the extra income is super nice, too!Loved taking a peak into your life!! Hope you have a wonderful Tuesday!!-Sarah http://www.thefrugalmillionaireblog.com
You guys are awesome!! I definitely cracked up at "mama sleeps until their is banging on the wall." That will 100% be me. 😉
Love this glimpse into your life. You are WAY organized which is why I know that your family works like a well-oiled machine! Also, I sometimes have guilt that we don't do family dinners (except on weekends when we go out to eat or have a "family picnic" on the screened porch) but those M-F dinners that are just me and Ian are key!
This sounds like our daily schedule but we only have one! You are both amazing for doing it all every day, its so worth the craziness in the end! Anddd my son likes to "walk" too instead of ride and sometimes I think we'll never get back to our house!
As a fellow working-mama (2 year old and 6 month old), I loved getting a glimpse into your daily routine! I have been on the fence for awhile with switching up our dinner routine. We currently attempt a "family dinner" every night (always including the 2 year old….but the 6 month old may or may not join in). I really thought prioritizing family dinner would be a good thing for the kids…..but often it is a complete nightmare and my husband and I literally NEVER get to sit down and just chat during the workweek. I've been debating feeding the kids at the typical early time and then eating dinner with the hubs after they are in bed…I felt guilty about not encouraging everyone to eat together…but this gives me hope that maybe it would be a good thing to have some dinner time alone with my husband! It's so important to find those little "grown-up" moments alone with your spouse. Thank you so much – day in the life posts are among my absolute favorites! You rock, mama!
YES! YES! YES! So I LOVE the idea of sitting together as a family every night and we did that for about 6 painful months. But the reality is that this is just not the season of our life that we can realistically make it happen AND enjoy family meals. Caroline MAYBE eats 5 bites before she wants to run around and Thomas wants to throw his food on the floor. We end up scarfing down our food and spending the entire meal begging the kids to "eat one more bite." I know I'll get a LOT of eye rolls, but putting the kids in front of the TV or in the wagon on a walk to eat has helped us SO much. HA! They actually EAT their meal (and quickly without fighting us) and it makes our nights run much smoother! And then WE get to eat our meal HOT together! Highly recommend giving it a shot!
THANK YOU! I feel like you've given me "permission" to let myself off the hook about family meals in this season of life and NOT be a terrible mother for eating separately from my children! My 2 year old, Maggie, also tends to eat just a couple bites and then mealtime is a constant battle of trying to get her to eat! (though daycare reports that she eats EVERYTHING they put in front of her – why?!?!?!) I am definitely going to try your method! Thank you again – and, as always, love your blog 🙂
A SAHM mom jumping in late here, but when are kids were little, we did dinners just the grown ups. My husband travels often for his job, so when he was home and we had babies/toddlers, we loved our dinners just the two of us! Now, with school-aged children life flows differently and we have other opportunities for adult-only time, so we do family dinners, which are a great way to connect with older kids. But I wouldn't feel guilty for a second about adult-only dinners!
What kind of chair is Thomas sitting in for his bath? My boy is outgrowing his baby bath and I'd like to safely be able to put him in the big boy bathtub. Thanks in advance!
It's a Keter bath seat and I am pretty sure it's discontinued. I got this one on the black market (aka, mom friend). They are SUPER hard to find now but have been a game changer for bath times!
Love this! It's so nice to see the perspective of other working mommas out there. Leaving my little guy every morning is the hardest thing in the world, but I know it makes me a better momma during the time I do have to spend with him! I just keep telling myself quality > quantity! XOXO
I am exhausted just reading your post! LOL Sounds like you guys have a great routine down. It will become easier the more independent the kiddos become. Love you take walks with snacks upon arriving home. I remember the hour before dinner here always being what we called the "witching hour"…kids hungry, dad not home just yet, and dinner not complete.
Hi! I'm a relatively new follower and I love following along on your blog! And I especially really enjoyed reading this post today as that is my life but with 1 child at the moment! Thanks for sharing! It's so nice to know we aren't alone! Do you ever get anytime to yourself to workout of do things that you enjoy?
HA! Solo time is hard to come by, as is husband/wife time! For awhile I was using my lunch break to workout but fell off the bandwagon. Matt sometimes works out at 5:30 am when he's feeling motivated. I also like to take a long bath at night to scroll through my social media feeds! And for things like hair cuts and pedicures, I do those during the kids weekend naps so I don't miss out on their "awake time."
I love, love, loved this- especially hearing what your days are like with both kiddos being in daycare. Our days are currently similar to yours, but after Baby #2 comes we will become a daycare family for the first time and I am all kinds of anxious about it. It sounds like it's a great experience for you guys which is always reassuring for my anxious Mama heart 🙂
You are AMAZING!! It blows my mind to see Moms who are able to work full time on top of raising kids! Something I'll most likely have to do once we have kids. It absolutely amazes me how you do everything!! Moms are superheros in my book!
I love day in the life posts! Especially from working mama's who are rocking it – and you are girl! You are so blessed to have such a great tribe helping you raise your precious littles!
I love this and laughed out loud many times reading! It's nice to know we're not alone in the sometimes circus that is life with littles! While I'm not wishing away my little squishy babe, I do look forward to when Tell is a little older so that I can group him and L into some things together, like meal times and baths! (and they can entertain each other! ha)
I love these types of posts and kudos to you mama! You're rockin' the working mama role!
I loved reading this! You are truly an inspiration! You make it look so easy, which I know it's not! Keep up the inspiring work!!
Here is my typical day. My husband is out the door at 1:30am. My alarm goes off at 6:10, but someone hit it so it's actually 5:40. I let it buzz and hit snooze till it ready 6:30, or 6:10 actual time. I get up, rinse out sippy cups from the night before, fix breakfast for my 9 year old. Wake her up. Tip toe around the 1 year olds room. If I'm lucky, he'll wake up screaming. Change him, into the hi chair for cereal. Fight with my daughter over clothes for the day, scoot her into the bathroom to brush her teeth, and fight again over shoes to match the aforementioned outfit. Pack lunches for the kids. Get dressed myself. Just dressed. Wonder where something went missing. Clean up spilled cereal around the 1 year old. At this point, it's 7am. She has 10 minutes before the bus arrives. I still have to take the dog out, feed/water the animals, and dress the 1 year old. And brush my hair/teeth. If I'm lucky, this all gets done and she's on the bus in time. Most mornings, I'm not so lucky, and I end up chewing gum on the way into work so it knocks out the morning breath. But there's no mistaking the bags under my eyes because I didn't have time to put on makeup. On days my husband is home or goes in later, I don't budge from the bed unless I absolutely have to. He gets to endure the screaming and fighting while I stay cozy in bed. 🙂
HA! Oh we DEFINITELY have those days!!! 🙂
Love this post!! I'm constantly wondering how working moms do it and it sounds like y'all have it down 🙂 That's so awesome y'all have a great environment around you with daycare and work 🙂
THANK YOU for posting this!! It seems like a lot of bloggers are stay at home moms. Being a working mom myself, it's nice to know I'm not alone in the crazy day to day!
This was so fun to read!!! We are a 2 working parent family (with a lawyer Dad too!) but only 1 kiddo (6 weeks younger than Caroline)! It is certainly hectic but so fun!!
I'm a working mom too, so thanks for sharing your day. I honestly have been struggling with being back at work. I miss my daughter so much and hate leaving her. But it's necessary for our family that I work right now. Thank you for your positivity about being family with two working parents! It's encouraging.
You two do a great job managing it all, and it seems like you have a real partnership with parenting, which is so important!
High Five to you mama! Reading about your day makes my day seem easy and we know even stay at home mama's don't have it easy but I give you HUGE credit. I have said so many prayers for you, your dad, & Tom and I am so happy to read how happy your littles are…. & Matt def. deserves the best husband award!!
I've been reading for a year or so but love this, thanks for sharing! I just went back to work this week with a 10 week old and a 18 month old so it's great to know other people live the crazy life! We might have to implement the separate dinner time because its always such a rush when we get home to get something ready for my toddler to not even eat.
This is SO helpful to know!!! You sure manage to do a lot in one day!!!! Literally cutest babies ever 🙂
Y'all are rocking it…and I love seeing what an active role Matt plays. You are truly a team!
My favorite type of post! Love hearing about your day and your precious kiddos- way to manage it all with grace!
Loved getting insight into your day friend, and I am so proud of the working mama that you are! Love these pics too x
You're a rock star! I love the meals on wheels idea! Sometimes I have my 2 year old eat his dinner in a snack cup outside and we have "cocktail time" haha
This is a LOT like our day-in-the-life of two working parents. Minus one child, that is. Y'all are AWESOME parents! Yay Mama and Daddy!
Doing a little back-reading & after being at home for the last year & a half, am now on the job hunt. I'm so hesitant leaving my little guy full time & know our lives M-F will certainly be a bit more hectic (but structured as well). I keep thinking of you & Matt & other friends who have involved spouses & reminding myself, we can do it! It. Is. Possible. So, not only is it fun to have a peek into someone else's day, it's also refreshing to see it can be done!! (Which duh Bc so many people do & that's how I was raised but, you know, nice to actually see others succeeding with it)