Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it. — Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I do these day in the life posts every six months or so. They seem so ordinary when I write them, but looking back it’s incredible to see a peek into the regular day to day- a snapshot of life at that moment. I encourage you to journal, either through pictures or words, an ordinary day in your life! And if you’d like to read about our day to day at a different age and stage, I’ve listed all my day in the life posts at the bottom of this one.

A Tuesday.

I never know which day of the week to choose to highlight because they are all so different. It’s one of the things I love most about homeschooling– how the days are our own to map out how we see fit (while still navigating appointments, activities, and commitments of course ;)). So this is a peek into our lives on Tuesday, February 11, 2020.

5:10 AM: My alarm hasn’t gone off yet (it was set for 5:15), but I hear David in the shower so I started to wiggle my fingers and toes to wake myself up, like coming out of savasana. I turn off my alarm, throw on my robe, chug the water next to my bed and head to the kitchen. I’m usually a tea girl, but David just bought a vanilla coffee option for the Nespresso, and I was suckered in by the flavor, so I make a cup and take it with me to the office. I map out some partnership delivarables, send a couple emails, touch base with my VA, add a new blog post idea to the editorial calendar, and work on writing a couple upcoming posts. 

This quiet and focused time is some of my favorite. David gives me a quick kiss and heads out the door and the whole house is quiet. I’m always freshest in the morning so my head is full of ideas that are bouncing around energetically (probably with a little assistance from the coffee because caffeine makes me feel a little crazy and jittery).

7:15 AM: I change into exercise clothes. David and I have been on a working out together kick almost daily, but I know the way this day is set up that it’s now or never to get in a workout. I run a mile on the treadmill in the garage then complete a lower body workout from the Madeline Moves App. I’m being extra gentle with my neck right now because it’s still sore from three days ago when I turned to the left and pulled it somehow (this is 36). I have an introductory appointment at the chiropractor tomorrow so I’m hoping they can help.

8:00 AM: I hop into the shower and a minute later Kaitlyn wanders in saying she had a bad dream. She curls up in my bed to wait for me to get out then tells me about the wolf that was chasing her at the playground in her dream while I get dressed. We snuggle for a minute until she says she’s hungry. She heads to the kitchen and I go open up Hailey’s door. I gently tell her to wake up (10 minutes later that gentle nudge turns into a “RISE AND SHINE KIDDO!” shout from the kitchen) while I make breakfast.

9:00 AM: The girls empty the dishwasher and I put our food on the table. I eat my breakfast (dairy-free yogurt, blueberries, pecans, banana, and chia seeds) then read a chapter of Harry Potter while they inhale their food and proceed to eat three pieces of toast each (another with avocado and two with butter). I wonder if I should switch from Dave’s Killer Bread Thin Slice (which I’ve always loved for kids) to the real deal because they can put away some avocado toast.

9:45 AM: We switch into school mode. I generally start with math. Kaitlyn goes to get dressed and brush her teeth while I work with Hailey (currently on “borrowing” for subtraction, multiplication, and measurements). Then we switch and Hailey gets ready for the day while I work with Kaitlyn (currently on addition, clocks, and ordering). We do handwriting and language arts/grammar, too (currently working on parts of speech and consonant blends in spelling). Next year I know I’ll have to get more serious about a science and history curriculum, but right now we just piggyback off what they do in co-op (space and medieval times). 

11:15 AM: I let them hop on Hailey’s computer to check her email and play on CodeSpark while I dry my hair and fold and put away a load of laundry. Then we meet back up and we work on memorizing their poem for our Valentine’s Poetry Tea Time party we have on Friday. I make them a snack plate (peppers, pretzels, Sumo citrus mandarins– so so delicious- olives, and turkey) and myself lunch (leftover kale and walnut salad, turkey, peppers, and more olives than are pictured) then read a little more Harry Potter.

12:45 PM: We leave the house for my appointment at Lake Norman Med Spa. I am getting another IPL laser treatment. Linda kicks the intensity up a notch this time to get up a couple stubborn brown spots and smooth out the birthmark on my forehead. It’s not the most relaxing experience, but I’m excited about the results, so I deal with it. The spots should rise up over the next 7-10 days then flake off. The girls sit outside the room and watch a Magic School Bus episode on the iPad (Science class! ;)). 

2:00 PM: We leave the med spa and run by Michael’s to grab a couple craft items we need, then we head home. The girls run right upstairs to play Barbie’s (their current obsession) and I go to the kitchen to cook dinner… at 3:30 in the afternoon. Ha. I snack on a few pretzels and a Zevia while I listen to podcasts and cook the chicken cacciatore. It smells so good! At 4:10 we are out the door for TaeKwonDo. Kaitlyn has been doing it for several months now and I really like the structure and reinforced discipline it provides. Plus, she looks so dang cute in her uniform!

5:15 PM: David and I have a meeting so the girls come with us and watch another Magic School Bus on the iPad. The meeting takes longer than we anticipated and we don’t end up getting home until 6:30. Thank goodness I cooked earlier! When we get home I put on a big pot of water to boil and turn to oven to 425 to roast the broccoli (that I cut and washed on Sunday- high five for food prep).

The girls play Barbies while David and I pour a glass of wine and chat while I cook, pack lunches, and feed the sourdough starter. I can’t tell you the last time we’ve had a drink on a week day, but last night we had a lot to chat about and it just felt right. YOLO.

7:05 PM: We all sit down to dinner and the usual antics ensue. The girls’ current favorite dinnertime game is an improv scenario they do in theater class. It’s fun for a little while but then we switch over to our go-to dinner games to keep our sanity.

7:45 PM: We send them up to brush their teeth (which, per usual, takes a few “I don’t think you can talk and brush at the same time!” shouts to keep them on track) while we clean up the kitchen. The girls come back down to fill up waters for bed, then we follow them upstairs to tuck them in, which is always a drawn out process because inevitably Kaitlyn jumps in Hailey’s bed to snuggle, then wants to be carried to her room, then hugs for all, discussions about what tomorrow’s plans are, etc, etc. 

8:10 PM: The girls are in bed, the kitchen in clean, and David and I sit on the couch to chat a little longer. He turns on the TV to try and find a funny show for us to watch but we can’t find anything worth watching lately. We try a new show and I quickly realize I’d rather sleep (or find a new book- I just finished Winter Garden by Kristin Hannah and loved it!). So we go and wash up and head to bed, where I’m sound asleep by 9:15. Party. Animal.

As I type out this ordinary day I can’t help but to feel overwhelming gratitude. Our days are full, but they are exactly what we want to be doing and fit our priorities at this age and stage. I’m a believer in working towards designing a life that you love. In my experience it takes a lot of trial and error, as well as some growing pains, but it’s all worth it.

In my annual blog survey I asked what your dream life looked like and so many of you said you felt like you were already living it, which made me so happy to hear.

What makes your current life your dream life?
And if it’s not your dream life, what area would need to change to get your closer to your dream life?

For more day in the life peeks, check out these posts:

6 Weeks Old
14 Months Old
2 Years Old (25 months)
2 Years Old (and me, 5 months pregnant)
2 1/2 Years Old and 6 Weeks Old
3 Years Old and 6 Months Old
3 Years Old and 7 Months Old
3 1/2 Years Old and 12 Months Old
4 Years Old and 17 Months Old
4 Years Old and 20 Months Old
4 Years Old and 2 Years Old
5 Years Old and 2 Years Old
5 Years Old and 2 1/2 Years Old
5 1/2 Years Old and 3 Years Old
6 Years Old and 3 Years Old
6 Years Old and 3 1/2 Years Old
6 1/2 Years Old and 4 Years Old
7 Years Old and 4 Years Old
8 Years Old and 5 Years Old