A Day in the Life of a Working Mom who Somehow Made it to Bedtime

A day in the life of a working mom of three who somehow made it to bedtime!

Morning

5:30am – showered and got dressed

6:00am – worked through our morning routine with the kids

• Packed lunch, snacks and water bottles (mom)
• Served and managed breakfast a.k.a said “eat your food” 100x (dad)
• Got them dressed, brushed teeth, wiped faces, and administered medication (mom and dad)

7:00am – left the house for school drop-off at two different schools (dad)

7:00am – made coffee and set up for the workday at home (mom)

7:30am – started my workday by reviewing financial reports; meanwhile, my husband arrived back home with our youngest who was having a very hard morning, and opted to let him skip preschool for the day

8:30am – attended meeting #1 for a workgroup I am on for the university

9:00am – attended meeting #2 with a direct report

10:00am – attended meeting #3 with school staff and our dean

10:30am – left my 10:00am meeting early to pick up my Kindergartner

11:00am – got my youngest two settled with snacks, tablets and legos in the living room

11:15am – attended meeting #4 with a direct report

Afternoon

12:15pm – left to pick up my first grader while my husband prepared lunch for the kids

1:00pm – attended a two-hour meeting #5 with a new direct report

3:00pm – responded to several direct report questions via MS Teams chat

3:30pm – checked in with my husband and kids; worked on weekend plans/reservations with my husband; sat on a chair in our living room totally overwhelmed, overstimulated and exhausted

Evening

5:00pm – started work on financial reports that have been long overdue to my second dean

7:00pm – my husband brought dinner into my office while I continued working

7:30pm – sent the reports via email and immediately started homework with the kids; 2 out of 3 completed their homework packets for the week, but we left the 3rd incomplete to avoid a battle – the reality of life slightly outnumbered on a short school week

8:00pm – set out school clothes for tomorrow while my husband helped the boys change into their pajamas and get into bed; baked cornbread muffins for a work potluck tomorrow

9:00pm – sat down to quickly write this blog post

What a day!

In many ways, today was a typical day – working from home with kids, pausing work throughout the day for school pickups, temporarily stepping away from a Zoom meeting to redirect their play or open a snack.

In other ways, this day was full of irregular things – more meetings than I typically schedule in one day, our youngest home from school, working in the evening.

I missed time for myself in this day – my bible study, journaling and/or workout. I missed time with my husband whom I spoke to probably less than 15 minutes total, much of which was interrupted by the kiddos.

I write this, because I want to remember these days where I wasn’t sure I was going to make it to bedtime, but I did. The days that were full and chaotic but still good and blessed.

I will sign off here, because I have certainly maxed out my brain for today. I need to package up those muffins, drink some water, pray and head to bed. Asleep by 10:30ish? We shall see.

To all parents out there:

You are rockstars, showing up each day doing your best in all areas of your life as you carry invisible loads. I end this day praying for your spiritual, mental, and physical rest and health. Some days I don’t know how we do it, but we do. Celebrate it!