WWDW Number 8

Time for WWDW Number 8.

In case you forgot what these are, they are a daily snapshot of what we did. The last one I did was on April 6, 2017 – WWDW Number 7.

WWDW stands for what we did Wednesday, and today is Friday so clearly it’s not a what we did on Wednesday, but this time I’m sharing how the day played out yesterday, Thursday. To keep it simple and consistent, I’m just running with WWDW, still. You follow?!

 

My friend and photographer extraordinaire @makaylaraephotography posted this. Had to regram because currently my feeds all over the place are filled with self-indulgent or super negative (or both – the absolute worst) people and ideas. So cheers ???? to standing on your own and being something lovely because the world needs more of you. ????✨ . . “You will never influence the world by being just life it” #beunique #beyourself #findingmyself #standtall #dailyinspiration #quotestoliveby #makaylaraephotography #lifestylephotography #weddingphotographer #weddingphotography #newbornphotographer #newbornphotography #lovemyjob #justkeepswimming #dailyreminder #beridiculous #bepassionate” Photo credit @makaylaraephotography Reposted with @plannthat #quotes #quotestoliveby #quotesaboutlife #quoteoftheday

A post shared by For Paleo-ish Inspiration ✨ (@paleoishmama) on Jan 25, 2018 at 6:06pm PST

While “a day in the life of us” is totally relevant to change and how our lives have completely changed, I’ll tell you the real reason I wanted to do it today.

After I wrote “Good Enough is Enough,” someone commented on the post, “Dude you just said you have nanny. Nuff said and end comment.” You can read the post, comment, and my response for yourself, but I’ll also just share with you my public response to it here:

Hi! I didn’t even want to approve this comment because it made me feel so horrible, and that’s just not really anything I want to entertain. Then I realized that you didn’t put a real name or email so you could hide behind the comment. I understand. It’s okay….you’re totally right. I have a nanny, so it “must be nice.” http://agutsygirl.com/2017/06/19/must-be-nice/ (Also, for the record, most daycares cost as much as, if not more than, what it costs to have a nanny. I have a nanny **because** I work at home and **so that** I can see the babies whenever and however I want.)

After I replied, I thought about the term “nanny,” and the negative connotations it carries. But by definition, a nanny is simply: a person, typically a woman, employed to care for a child in its own home.

And that’s what we have, a nanny. There is nothing over-the-top and fancy about it. There are women who hire nannies and then workout and shop and cook and bake and go to mommy groups all day. That’s great, and that’s their prerogative and their life is nothing any of us should scoff about because it might not be “so nice,” and/or they might also be helping the world in other ways.

That scenario is not me, though. 

We have a nanny because:

1. Ryan and I both work full-time. In fact, if you want the truth, we both work far beyond full-time.
2. I work at home (at least until I find my own space to rent), and I love the fact that, on any given day or at any given moment, I can see the kids.
3. Do the research. Whether you’re in a small town or huge city, sending a 1, 2, and 4-year old to daycare is just as expensive, if not more, than having a nanny.

(Also, for the record. Moving forward I’m just going to say Katie instead of “nanny.” I hate that word “nanny” anyways. Her name is Katie, but because this is my blog not hers, I don’t share all her details out of respect and privacy for her.)

Now that we have cleared that up, here is what our day looked like yesterday.

WWDW Number 8

1. 3:20 am. I wake up. Yes, seriously. I woke up then, and since I had fallen asleep around 8 pm on Wednesday night, I decided to go for it, and start my day.
2. 3:30 am. I make coffee, take my WP Thyroid, let the Great Dane out to go to the bathroom and give her water. She’s been extra-thirsty lately, and I’m worried her major health problems are starting to begin. 
3. 3:45 – 4:30 am. I finish There is No Dishwasher and start this post.
4. 4:30 – 5:30 am. I check on my Beautycounter business and answer any and all incoming new consultant + product inquiries. I also check in on any urgent client emails, and finally look at all the questions and work my VA has around The Gutsy Girl’s Bible 3.0 (we are trying to finish it up to launch for you….it’s over 400 pages and a beast of awesome goods)
5. 5:30 – 6:30 am. Get my workout stuff on and walk on the treadmill for 40 minutes.
6. 6:30 am. Samarah is awake. I click “save” on this post, and pack my stuff away to take with me once Katie arrives.
7. 6:30 – 7:50 am. I do miscellaneous things to get everything set for the day….feed Reagan, gather trash and put trash outside for garbage day, get Isaiah up and changed, do Samarah’s hair, feed both Samarah and Isaiah (though Isaiah isn’t very hungry yet), fold and put away a few dish towels, start my car (I let it run for 15- 20 minutes before leaving), and get Samarah ready for the morning at school.
8. 7:50 am. Katie arrives. I let her know my plans for the day, and Samarah and I leave.
9. 7:50 – 8 am. I drive Samarah to school and take her in. (Wait, you have Katie and still do that? Um, yeah. Maybe I’m not the worst mother ever after all. I do this almost every single day.)
10. 8 – 10 am. I work at a local coffee shop, Tracy’s coffee shop. While there, I sit at the table where her picture hangs high above. I had not seen it before yesterday, but immediately when I did, I had to sit there. I’m finishing up a campaign with one of my clients, so I work on that and sift through all the emails. So. Many. Emails. 
11. 10 – 10:40 am. I do a super quick workout at the gym across the street. I haven’t gone to the gym yet this week, so I made it a priority. I warmed up for 15 minutes and then did Jess’ Week 5, WOD 4. Love it. So hard, quick, and effective. (During my workout, Katie texts me to ask if Maya has been eating and drinking for me. I tell her “no,” and then decide that right after I pick Sam up from school, I’m taking Maya back to the doctor because something is not right.)
12. 10:45 am. I pick Samarah up from school and drive her home. It takes, literally, like 3 minutes. Love it.
13. 10:50 – 12:40 pm. I take Maya to the doctor. Turns out she is pretty sick. (That’s a whole other story for a different day.) I bring her home so she can rest, while I head back out to the store to get her antibiotic and ice cream for her, Isaiah, and Samarah. They need it, and I wasn’t complaining. Ice cream all around y’all!
14. 12:40 – 12:50 pm. I get home, give Maya her antibiotic and grab leftovers for myself because I’m starving (Jade Pearl Rice, root veggies, chicken and turkey, green beans, olive oil, salt – totally been digging on Redmond Real Salt lately).
15. 12:50 – 2:40 pm. I was supposed to do a photo shoot yesterday afternoon, but that didn’t happen because I felt bad leaving Maya after just getting home. So I stuck around our house in case anything came up. During the first couple hours at home, I worked on some new content for a client. I wrote and wrote and wrote, and sifted through emails from the team. 
16. 2:40 pm. Ah. Yeah. I just realized I had yet to shower for the day – life, y’all, life. I take a little break to shower and grab a bottle of Kombucha. And then I head back to the office (aka my kitchen table).
17. 3 – 5 pm. I finish up for the day working on another client project which included some writing, some researching, and a little taste-testing. Best way to end the workday.
18. 5 pm. Katie leaves, and I get a quick dinner ready for the kids. Late afternoon, my in-laws stopped by to bring the jumbo batch of Lotus Foods White Jasmine Rice I had cooked at their house. I wanted to make dinner super easy so I reheated some of that as the base to their dinner bowls. I sauteed ground organic beef and some swiss chard and tossed in the bowl with melted Nutiva Organic Buttery Coconut Oil, Redmond salt, and “mommy’s special cheese” aka nutritional yeast. Both Samarah and Isaiah had two bowls, and even sick little Amiya had a small bowl full. 
19. 5:30 pm. Samarah and Isaiah go downstairs to play so I can start cleaning up the dinner mess. Amiya starts yelling, screaming, and crying from her high chair. I get her out, and just as I do, my mom shows up.
20. 5:30 – 5:50 pm. My mom stays briefly. She brought me some Delighted By Dessert Hummus (client) because I need to do some fun pictures with it this upcoming weekend. In return, I gave her some pumpkin bars my mother-in-law made for my mom, dad, and other family we have visiting from out of state. We make small talk because she has to run. She leaves, and I wish she could have spent the night.
21. 5:50 – 6 pm. Maya tells me, “Nigh night.” She will always tell us when she wants to go to sleep, and when it’s time, it’s definitely time. I give her the second dose of her antibiotic and some Zarbees night cold medicine (I buy the day/night set all the time.) I take her to her room, change her, give her a hug and kiss and say, “Nigh night, Maya the bee.” She is out cold by 6:02 pm.
22. 6 – 7 pm. I wash the dishes, clean up the kitchen, and tell Samarah and Isaiah that they must clean up at least something in their toy room if they want any chance for an ice cream party with me before bedtime. I do my part, but they hardly do theirs. I help them a little (at least throw all the stuffing they have taken out from their ginormous stuffed elephant), and then tell them to get seated for ice cream. They have ice cream and water, and then I give them their antibiotics (they are almost done with them) and their doses of Zarbee’s. They both had strep last week, but now I think they have nasty, little colds. (It’s been never-ending since we moved.)
23. 7 – 7:20 pm. I change Isaiah and put his jammies on. Samarah goes to the bathroom, and then I put her jammies on. We all walk downstairs and sit on the couch to assume our nightly book activity. They get to choose 2 stories for me to read to them. Currently, Samarah picks the same two stories every night: Monsters Inc. + a Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck sleepover one. 
24. 7:20 -7:30 pm. I take them to their rooms, and by 7:30 pm, not another peep is made. 
25. 7:30 – 8:30 pm. I check in on client emails that have come in from 5 pm until now. I see if any personal or other business emails are urgent enough for me to address tonight. I respond, and mark “unread” for those I’ll do first thing tomorrow morning. I write in my Bullet Journal, and most definitely in the Gratitude Journal part. Know what I wrote for my daily gratitude? “Coffee with Tracy at The Daily Grind. I felt her everywhere.”

And then I go to bed. Because I have chosen to work and do personal things super early in the morning, I go to bed super early, too. The house is still a disaster. There are still 100 too many boxes everywhere. I have umpteen unread emails and tasks that need to be completed. But I am completely done and exhausted for the day, and 4 am (or earlier) will be here before I know it.

Before I fell asleep last night I thanked God for everything. 

To the reader who called me out on “having a nanny,” I even said thanks for that, too, because it made me realize just how little people really know about each other’s lives even when they blog a large portion of it.

I have never been ungrateful for the things we have, but I also don’t sit around and act like it’s all due to “luck.” If you’ve never read “lucky,” check it out.

I sure am glad it’s Friday, you?!

Xox,
SKH

If you don’t have time to read these posts daily, but don’t want to miss them, be sure to follow via Bloglovin’ and/or join my personal e-newsletter HERE. I am doing my best to send a once per week email recap of prior week’s posts.

These posts will all live under “Wellness+Lifestyle” and also tagged with “101 Days of Blogging.” The 101-day series runs from Monday, January 8, 2018, through Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

If there is a topic surrounding change that you would love for me to include in this series, please just CONTACT ME.

Previous 101-Day Change Series Posts

1. Beginnings are Scary
2. Change Pain Point
3. Making Sense of Change
4. Gratitude Journal
5. Love Your Baby Girl
6. Little Things Add Up
7. House and Home
8. Sunday Reflections
9. Two
10. Chocolate Shake
11. 3-Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Shake
12. Chaos is a Temporary State
13. Thirsty Thursday
14. Month One
15. The Nudge to Connect
16. 11 Favorites from 11 Years in California
17. One Box at a Time
18. Good Enough is Enough
19. There is No Dishwasher