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7:10 I wake to the sound of my  toddler clomping up the steps, yelling “Mommy, I’m ah-way-yake! Usually I’m an early riser, but I only got 2 or 3 hours of sleep Sunday night thanks to a puking child, so I didn’t even set an alarm Monday night so I could get as much sleep as possible. Mission accomplished.

7:15 I nurse Silas in bed. (Yep, still nursing.) We used to do this all the time, but haven’t since I started getting up early.

7:30 I come downstairs to find my husband just home from the gym and the other kids stirring. I hop in the shower but skip washing my hair–it takes forever to dry. I dry off and do my express makeup routine–eyeliner, mascara, nude lipstick. I pile my hair into a messy bun and I’m ready to go.

7:45 Breakfast time. I skip my morning coffee since I know I’m heading to a coffee shop to work soon. My kids have been helping make breakfast recently, so I set Jack to work on cooking his beloved hash browns and Sarah scrambles eggs for all of us. I wash the pans and then we head to the dining room to eat.

8:15 I help Lucy choose a sundress, and convince Silas that he really does need to wear clothes today, even though all his train shirts are dirty. It’s a hard sell.

8:26 Small victory: Lucy finds Silas’s digger shoes that have been missing for 6 whole days.

8:35 My mom pulls in the driveway and my kids start hollering and running in circles. We started this weekly day-out-with-Gramma routine a little over a year ago and it has been fabulous: happy Gramma, happy kids, very happy Mama. My mom and I chat and swap car keys. I help her pile my 4 kids into our minivan and wave goodbye.

8:55 I glance at my email and realize that my guest post went up at Introverted Church a few hours before. I’d forgotten all about it. I write a quick post about it for my faith blog, Anne With An E, and schedule a few tweets before heading out the door.

9:25 I stop by my friend’s house to drop off a book, and we spend a few minutes chatting about the book, blog world, and her upcoming beach vacation.

9:45 I finally arrive at Vint, my favorite place to write in Louisville. I can write from home, but I focus much better when I’m out. Besides, Vint has this fabulous drink called the Vint Julep, because this is the Derby City. It’s a latte-ish concoction with mild mint and bourbon flavorings. I know–it sounds nasty–but it’s fabulous. I get mine iced.

I settle in to work on my ebook and write a little of Wednesday’s post.

working on my ebook at Vint Coffee

10:30 Will calls to say he’s at the grocery for work–do I want him to pick up anything while I’m there? Why yes I do, thank you very much. We chat about shopping lists and last-minute plans for Lucy’s birthday tomorrow.

12:10 I stop by Target on the way home to buy a few odds and ends for Lucy’s birthday. I’m so relieved they carry maraschino cherries–the birthday girl’s special request.

12:35 I get home and stash the birthday presents, then grab some lunch from the fridge. I sit down to eat and glance through my email, which I never read while I’m working out of the house.

12:45 My mom brings my kids home. They’re tired but excited after a fun morning.

12:55 We wave goodbye to Gramma, and since it’s nice out we play in the yard for a bit. I push Silas on the swing, then throw the ball with Jack, while the girls pick berries and flowers and dig in the sandbox.

Lucy with her fresh-picked flower bouquet

1:30 Will gets home from work. He works a short day on Tuesdays so I can head into the office for a few hours in the afternoon. We chat for a few minutes, then I tell the kids goodbye and head off to work.

1:40 I arrive at the office where I play the role of real estate paralegal, and spend the next few hours reviewing files, drafting documents, and talking to clients.

5:10 I leave the office. Will calls and asks if I have any brilliant ideas for dinner. Nope. Maybe the steaks in the freezer?

5:20 I arrive home to find everyone happily playing in the shady backyard. Will and I chat while the kids play, and then we head inside to get dinner going. The steaks are already half-thawed, so I chop up some broccoli and start heating pans to cook the steak and some vegetables. While the pans are heating up, I grab my book in progress to try and get through a few pages. I’m determined to finish it before the day’s over.

6:15 We finally sit down to eat. The kids finish first, and they run off to play while we finish eating. We’re in no hurry to go inside: we’ve seen the forecast for the next few days, and we want to make the most of this lovely evening before the temperature climbs to miserable levels later this week.

7:00 I bring out some popsicles for the kids. (Aaaah, summer!) Then we head inside to get cleaned up and put on pajamas. But first, I take 10 minutes to read another chapter.

One more chapter after dinner. I clearly need to work on my “look natural” face.

7:45 After reading the kids a stack of books on the couch, I nurse the baby and plop him in his crib. Then I kiss the girls goodnight.

8:00 Jack brushes his teeth and heads off to bed. I pick The 500 back up and knock off the last two chapters. It was…okay. (And it definitely belongs on my Books I’m Afraid to Recommend list.)

8:30 It’s time to get to work, but I pop on to twitter first. Will grabs his laptop; he’s designing a few websites right now, so we can work side-by-side on the couch.

8:40 I open up my draft for Wednesday’s post. I thought this post would be easy to write, but it always takes me a long time to write posts that I feel strongly about. I’m fired up about this topic and I want to do it justice–which means it’ll take me forever to finish!

10:00 Wednesday’s post is done, and I schedule it to publish. It is past my bedtime and I am tired: time to brush my teeth and head to bed.

10:25 It’s too late to actually have reading time, but I read a chapter of A Homemade Life before turning out the light anyway.

***     ***     ***

I had no idea what day to share with you, because every single day of our week follows a different pattern. This Tuesday was especially unusual because I rarely have a morning to myself on the same day I work.

Our usual routine looks like this: Mondays vary greatly, I’m a paralegal on Tuesdays and Fridays, a writer on Wednesdays, and a stay-at-home mom on Thursdays. Saturdays are relaxed, but Sunday is my husband’s busiest work day. It’s hard to show you what my life looks like with a snapshot of a single day!

Do your days have a predictable rhythm? Or is every day different, like mine?

18 comments

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  1. Gretchen Wright says:

    What a day! It was fun to read…I’ve checked A Homemade Life out of my library but it was due before I could read it. I’m anxious to hear how you liked it! I also really enjoyed your Books I’m Afraid to Recommended list! I’ve got a few books that belong there too! Happy weekend! (Sundays are my Man’s BIG work days as well!)

  2. This was so fun to read! I have a feeling my life right now would be REALLY boring to read about. Maybe I’ll do “a day in the life” once school starts back up. 🙂

    This summer, our days follow pretty much the same pattern, unless I happen to have a cleaning job to do for someone (I houseclean for two older couples on a semi-regular basis). I like life. 🙂

  3. Tiffany says:

    I didn’t realize you live in Louisville. I’m just down the road in Lexington. Reading about your dedicated writing time makes me more determined to get some in each week for myself. Thanks for sharing!

  4. This was great, getting to know a little more about you! Thanks for giving us a peek 🙂

    My days follow one of 3 patterns: stay at home days (usually), go out for errands days, and Sundays. I don’t know, but my readers might find my life too boring… 😉

  5. Leanne Penny says:

    No, my days have no predictable routine and it’s driving me nutso, I know I need routine and a plan but the truth is that I attack most days without one.

    This change is on the horizon though, thanks for sharing this!

    • Anne says:

      Leanne, I strongly resist routine…but I function so much better when I have a solid one. So ironic and unfair!

      Good luck with your coming changes 🙂

  6. If I was more structured, I could have a very predictable rhythm to my life. BUT, as much as I’d like routine & structure, or the idea of them, I generally opt for more of a freeflowing sort of day. Kind of like, let’s see what kind of mood the kids are in, what the weather is like, etc. I probably should be a bit more committed to my approach, but I’ve never been successful at sticking with a rigid schedule.

  7. Hooray for Grandma time!! My M-I-L takes Eleanor for the morning every 2nd or 3rd Monday; plus my mom comes down every other Thursday. Sometimes they coincide, and I get 2 mornings off in the same week! That’s when I write and queue up blog posts like crazy. 🙂

    P.S. Don’t you just love A Homemade Life? So good!

    • Anne says:

      Jessica, I started reading it in the middle–and I liked the middle. Now I’ve backed up to the beginning to see what happened first. That’s not how I usually read but it’s working for this one (because the middle was so good!)

  8. It is so reassuring to see another mom balancing being a part-time SAHM, part-time professional. I stay home half the week and work as an attorney half the week, and I find myself frequently wishing for “all or nothing” one way or the other. While I envy the assistance and support you have from family, I am encouraged to see I am not alone in vocational multitasking.

  9. HopefulLeigh says:

    Love this glimpse! My days vary, as I never know what the work schedule will bring or when I’ll have a random day off. Today has been a lovely day off, complete with time at a coffee shop where I did not write nearly as much as I should have but enjoyed catching up with friends nonetheless.

  10. I love the glimpse into your day!

    My days are generally pretty similar, other than weekends vs. weekdays. Unless family is in town, in which case who knows what might be happening, other than a great chance for me to get projects done or just have some alone time (no grandmothers living within 1000 miles makes it a rare and special treat.)

    Love your ten-minute commute too – that seems like a great length; long enough to transition if you need it, but not so long that you’re spending gobs of your time just traveling.

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