FAQ

In my last reader survey the #1 most requested topic was how I “balance it all!” I am always surprised to get this poll result/reader email request/Instagram message, etc. because I really don’t ever feel like I’m balancing anything well but am glad it looks like that from the outside! Today I thought I would address 5 of the most frequently asked questions around this topic.

When do you exercise and how do you maintain your weight?

Unfortunately, we really don’t exercise consistently or regularly at all. I usually get to the gym once a week if the stars align, preferably after work. Or I’ll workout at the hotel when I travel. However, when we’re feeling really motivated, I’ll go to kickboxing class at 6 am, then come home and Matt leaves for the gym (which is in his office building) and gets ready there and heads straight to the office afterwards.

As for my diet — two things. One, you only see me post unhealthy types (and quantities) of food when we’re on vacation (or date night). We LOVE to eat. However, I don’t eat like that regularly and you’d be bored if I posted all of the salads I eat. Secondly, Matt and I completed the Whole30 challenge in January in preparation for our vacation in February. Both of us lost and exceeded our goal weight. In fact, it’s the lowest weight I’ve ever seen on the scale which I was super proud of and worked very hard for! Since then, we have continued a low carb, low sugar and high protein diet during the week. And we enjoy our food on the weekends!

How do you coordinate your work travel?

This was of a huge concern that Matt and I shared when we were considering my big jump to my new firm. In my role,  meeting with my attorneys and attending practice group meetings in person is super important so I regularly travel to the other offices of my firm. Thankfully a few of our office locations are easy day trips. And for the most part (outside of standing team meetings) my travel dates are up to me and are are usually one night, sometimes 2 nights max. I typically plan my travel a month out, then I email dates to Matt to check his calendar for conflicts (hearings, trials, after work events, etc.). Although rare, if both of us have unavoidable conflicts we call Ms. Jamie (one of our former daycare teachers) right away to see if she’s available.

On the mornings I travel, I try to get on the road early so Matt usually takes the kids to school (I’m normally on morning drop-off duty). I try to pack lunches for him to take to the office so he doesn’t have to waste any time leaving for lunch on days I’m gone. For dinner, I’ll offer to throw something in the crockpot so it’s all ready when they arrive home. However, most of the time Matt takes the kids out to pizza when I’m gone. It’s become their tradition and the kids look forward to devouring pizza after school with daddy when they know I’m out of town. They all love it and it keeps things easier.

But as you all know, Matt is really a rock star daddy so although it’s exhausting doing it all solo, he can do it. And he can do it better than me.

How do you keep your house clean?

So I’m not gonna lie, Matt and I do keep our house as tidy as possible during the week (we’re a little more relaxed on the weekends). I always have to remind my SAHM friends who comment on our tidiness that NO little people are here all day destroying the house. And when we are home in the evenings, my kids are usually parked in front of the TV, not playing in the play room. Or now that the weather is warmer, we’ll all go outside for a little bit before dinner is ready, then watch TV (no TV shame here). But after dinner we usually move upstairs for baths then bedtime. The kids will definitely destroy the space upstairs during this time but we don’t care to keep that area clean. Same with our play room, it’s always a disaster, but I shut the door and ignore it. As for the areas we spend most of our time in (kitchen, bedroom, living room), those are usually picked up before we go to bed. And deep cleaning it outsourced. Same with our yard. Neither Matt nor I want to spend precious weekend time with our kiddos cleaning or mowing.

Mom hacks & things I couldn’t live without:

• Lunchables…at least once a week (usually Thursdays)
• Melatonin gummies for nights the kids are particularly wound up or I’ve run out of patience
• Scheduling regular time away with my husband (& a good sitter!)
• Sauvignon blanc by the case from Total Wine (best deal)
• Amazon prime anything that can cut out an errand
• If the kids won’t touch their dinner, cover it in ketchup
• Dinner on TV trays during the week, attempt dinner as a family on the weekend

The Hall Pass!  One more thing that has been huge for us is our weekly Hall Pass.  One night per week we’ll claim a  Hall Pass from wrangling the kids home from daycare, cooking/feeding them, bathing them and putting them to sleep. So one night per week Matt has the flexibility to do whatever he wants after work (usually he’ll work late and then meet the guys for pizza and trivia) and on another night that week I’ll take time to do things like workout, run errands, meet a friend for dinner, get a pedicure, take a long bath and/or camp out in our bedroom with a glass of wine and blog. This has been huge for us as we both struggle to find time for ourselves and the evenings can be extremely stressful after a long day of work and then rolling straight into negotiating the night time routine with cranky kids.

Will you write a “day in the life” post?

YES! I try to write this post annually and will probably start working on one soon!

If I didn’t answer your question, you may want to check out these posts:

Balancing It All

5 Tips for Two Under Two

And if I still didn’t answer your question, drop it in the comments.