This week, I am sharing a busy day-in-the-life style post.
The holiday season is usually absolute chaos, in my opinion, and while I love every minute of these merry and bright times, sometimes it can just feel overwhelming.
In those moments, I always return to my favorite organizational method: list making! It’s amazing how jotting down a list of everything you want (or NEED) to get done in a day can help you actually accomplish all the things.
Here’s how my crazy day went:
1. Wake Up: 4:50 a.m.
Likely because my mind was full of all I needed to accomplish, I woke myself up before my alarm on this particular day. I made a nice warm cup of chai tea, mopped my boys’ bedroom (since they were sleeping at their dad’s house that night) and the hallway, and folded a load of laundry.
Then, I was off to workout with Robyn. We did a full body strength training and a yoga video before setting off on a 30-minute walk with her dog. The sun was just barely rising and I already felt so accomplished!
2. Return Home: ~7:00 a.m.
After making it back home, I fixed myself a bowl of steel cut oatmeal (by making steel cut oats in the Instant Pot – a personal favorite preparation method) and logged in to check up on students in my online course.
Before my regular workday began, I prepped the batter for my father-in-law’s birthday carrot cake and helped my mom start our Christmas fudge.
3. Time for work: 8:00 a.m.
My normal workday begins at either 8:00 or 8:30 a.m. when I am working from home.
During my lunch break, I was able to prep potatoes to roast for dinner, clean my Instant Pot and toss in ingredients for a red lentil coconut curry, and thaw some brown rice to serve alongside the curry.
I also prepared the doughs for two different kinds of Christmas cookies so my mom could bake those with the boys in the afternoon.
4. Back to work and kids come home!: 1:00 p.m.
While the kids baked the cookie doughs I had prepared, I finished my workday. I also had them put away the laundry I had folded in the morning.
I then cooked bratwurst and finished the roasted potatoes to serve along with canned corn for a quick and easy dinner.
To finish off the carrot cake, I whipped up a vegan cream cheese frosting and iced the cake before sticking it in the fridge for our birthday celebration the next evening.
5. Dinner, Christmas Lights, and Bedtime: 5:00 p.m.
I wanted to bring the boys and my mom out to see Christmas lights after dark, so everyone bathed and put on Christmas pajamas and we ate our dinner early. Then, I whipped up a batch of homemade hot cocoa to pack in thermoses and take in the car with us.
The lights were anticlimactic this year, sadly, but I think we all still enjoyed the drive.
We returned home around 7:00 p.m. and read a few Christmas books before I tucked everyone in for the night.
6. Mom’s Bedtime Routine: 8:30 p.m.
I have been really trying to do a better job of washing my face and doing simple stretches before bed to help me unwind, so I ended my day following my routine before settling in to listen to a comedian.
Of course, I fell asleep before I even listened to half of the stand-up special. It had been a long day!
