Here’s a snapshot of what life is like as a stay + work from home Mom. I’m lucky enough to do both, despite there not being enough coffee in the world to get me through some days!
Life with an 8 month old and 22 month old is far from boring. Or consistent. I’ve seen many bloggers do a “day in the life” series or post and I decided I should too— especially since 4 out of 7 days in our week are pretty similar schedule wise. I’m hope you’re ready and awake while reading this. Because you’re about to be exhausted by the end of it! And if you are on SnapChat chances are you’ve seen the documentation firsthand [So find me on there! My username: Katie Serbinski].
Points to consider as I share my first Day in the Life:
- Anthony is 8 months old and loves crawling, trying new foods, laughing, and napping inconsistently
- Joey is 22 months old going on 16. He loves girls with long hair, Paw Patrol, his red wagon, and Sheepy [his stuffed animal sheep].
- It’s end of summer/early fall, so we are outside, A LOT
- Mom is a consultant registered dietitian + blogger who typically gets “out of the house” for work once a week
- Dad is ALMOST done with the busy season for his job
4:00am-6:00am: Anthony wakes up to nurse. He will usually fall back asleep until around 6:30am. Usually is the keyword.
6:30am: I get up with Anthony. I make coffee and turn on my favorite morning show, Mike & Mike on ESPN, which is slowly becoming Anthony’s favorite show too!
7:00am: Joey wakes up and then proceeds to wake up Dad. TV goes off. Dad takes the boys for a run or workout upstairs [home gym] so I can keep watching Mike & Mike and do work— emails, social sharing, MAYBE catch an extra hour of sleep.
8:00am: Dad makes smoothies for him and Joey. I feed Anthony cereal. Joey will also eat a piece of whole-wheat toast or French toast with his smoothie.
8:30am: Dad goes to work. Mom and the boys say “farewell” and read a few books and play with trains.
9:00am: Anthony goes down for his morning nap. Joey and I do one of two things: 1. Quickly change and head outside [with the monitor and another cup of coffee] OR 2. Joey watches an episode of Paw Patrol so I can have another cup of coffee and do my hair and put on mascara without an audience. Priorities people.
10:00am: Anthony wakes up and nurses. I usually have my breakfast around then too [cottage cheese and fruit]. I change both boys and we head out for an activity! Activities include open gym, a playmate with friends, story time at the library, a trip to the Detroit Zoo, errands with Mom [the boys love this one], OR I might have a sitter so I can get some work done. We typically have a sitter one day a week [this summer it was Tuesday’s] in the morning.
12:00pm: Lunch for the crew! This typically includes hummus, cheese, crackers, and veggies for dipping. A hummus snack plate almost every day!
12:30pm: Wind down before naps with Paw Patrol, books, and then nap time prayers.
12:30pm-3:00pm: Joey naps. If we do not do an activity in the AM, then this nap is much shorter. Hence why the activity is KEY! I can’t even tell you what Anthony does during this time other than some days he naps and other days he sleeps for maybe 30 minutes. IF BOTH boys are napping, I’ll do a quick workout, check email, do some social sharing, or work on a blog post. OR I’ll prep our dinner! The possibilities are endless during naptime….
3:00pm: Everyone is UP! Joey gets a snack and Anthony nurses again. We usually load up the stroller and walk to one of the many parks in our area. If we are lucky enough we meet up with friends and I get a Starbucks coffee.
5:00pm: We head home and I start making dinner. Joey either plays with trains and trucks or if he is in meltdown mode that means another Paw Patrol.
6:30pm: Dinner for the family! Anthony watches. Or sometimes gets nibbles off of Mom’s plate.
7:00pm: Baths for the boys. I take Anthony, nurse him and do his bedtime routine post bath. Dad does the same for Joey. Minus the nursing [he’ll love that comment].
7:30pm-8:00pm: The. Kids. Are. In. Bed. REPEAT AFTER ME! Here Ted and I both enjoy a glass of wine or beer. We’ll watch TV and both do some emails, social sharing, etc. This timing is such a game changer. I would say the first 6 months of Anthony’s life I never knew when he was going to sleep. I’m so thankful we have some consistency now…
10:00pm: Dad in bed. Sometimes I follow… but other times I like to watch Conan, which always makes for a long next day!
So when does the blogging happen? Sometimes at night if I’m not pooped from the day. Or during naps like I mentioned above. Or else I really try to take advantage of days when Ted is home to do writing and recipe development. I’m lucky that he does “guy” things with the boys on the weekends so I usually have some me time. Which doesn’t always include stuff for the blog… I’ll go for runs or walks with friends. And catch up on Mike & Mike podcasts. Or heaven forbid get a haircut!
I do have goals for the blog and my business… especially in terms of consistency with writing and sharing. But as you know, life with small children isn’t always the same and some days I don’t get to my to-do list. But the good news is most people and readers get it. My children are a part of this business too, and they are much more important than any list or email or blog post. So thanks for joining me on this wild ride me, no matter what the day might bring—- the kids say thank you too!
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