Things are going to be changing a lot around here in the coming months, so I thought I’d try to capture a day in our lives right now. In one way I figured in would be fun for you to see a little snapshot of what happens around these parts and two, I’d love to be able to look back on this and see how much has changed. Every day can be different, with Garrett doing shift work and me juggling full time and part time work, but this is a little glimpse into what it’s generally like right now.
7:00AM – My alarm goes off. The dogs know right away this means they can jump up in bed for some early morning cuddles. On mornings when Garrett leaves before me, they hop into his warm spot as soon as he leaves. I linger in bed, catching up on Instagram, reading funny messages from my siblings in my family’s Facebook chat and giving the dogs some good belly rubs. I was up on and off the night before with Braxton Hicks, so it’s a slow start to the morning. I wish I could stay in bed longer but it’s time to get going. As soon as I’m up, the bed is made and it’s off to the shower.
7:30AM – Before we moved to the farmhouse I used to always putter around the apartment and then get ready at the last minute, but now I tend to stay upstairs and get ready for the day first before heading down. The dogs hang out with me in the washroom the whole time, especially when they can get some of the warm air from my hair dryer.
8:00AM – Breakfast time! I have a small bowl of leftover Cranberry Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal from the weekend, while the dogs munch on their kibble. I make a small smoothie to go as well (organic frozen strawberries, milk and spinach, with a scoop of protein powder and a swirl of coconut oil). I like knowing that I’m getting a healthy hit of nutrients in the morning, because I never know what the day will bring.
8:30AM – Garrett takes the chickens out their feed and water, and it’s my job before work to collect eggs and check that their light is off for the day and their water heater is on if needed. Teamwork! Usually we get about 3-4 eggs a day, but this morning only one chicken has laid her egg so far, so I’ll check back again in the afternoon.
9:00AM – I hit the office in time for my first conference call. It’s hard to believe that soon I’ll be leaving this desk behind for a year. I’m so looking forward to a year at home caring for our baby, but I’m going to miss all the hub bub of an office too. It’s hard when you like your day job and the people you work with!
10:30AM – Snack time! I munch on an orange at my desk while I check voicemails and go through my email. I spend the rest of the morning finishing the plan I’m leaving for the person covering my maternity leave. It’s harder than you think to pull everything out of your brain that you do on a daily basis and dump it onto paper!
12:00PM – Lunch time these days means something warm, followed up a walk around the neighbourhood to rev me up for the afternoon. I can’t seem to tame all the wisp pregnancy hairs on my head, especially on a windy day like today. It’s still chilly, so I’m wearing the DIY Knit Infinity Scarf I made last winter.
1:00PM – The rest of the work day is full of paperwork and a new project I’m trying to finish before the baby comes. It means I get to use the label maker…which is my favourite office organization tool (right up there with coloured binder clips). #iamadorkandiknowit
5:00PM – It always feels so good to be back home. An afternoon romp around the yard with the dogs helps them burn off some energy, and gives me a chance to let the chickens out in the big pen for some fresh air. As it starts to get dark, they’ll tuck themselves in for the night and we just need to go back out and get their food and water.
5:30PM – Garrett had to run errands after work, so I take advantage of the quiet house to work on a few blog things – responding to emails, editing the next day’s post and fixing a glitch on the front page. There is always something that needs to be done on the blog!
6:30PM – Garrett gets home and asks for an open-faced egg sandwich for dinner. We still get about four eggs a day with the chickens, so eggs are plentiful and really are our cheapest protein source. We eat them several times a week, whether it’s scrambled eggs, frittatas or easy sandwiches like this. I decided to have leftover Sweet Potato, Sausage and Spinach Hash from the night before.
7:00PM – Dinner is ready! Most nights, we sit and have dinner together at the coffee table while watching a TV show, unless we have company over. Right now we’re finishing up the first season of Outlander.
7:30PM – I clean up from dinner and pack lunches while Garrett sets up the chickens’ food and water for the next day. I absolutely love having a dishwasher – one of my favourite splurges we did right when we moved into the farmhouse.
8:00PM – Most nights Garrett works out in the garage for a bit, while I head upstairs to work on a special project for the nursery. We’ve in the middle of renovating the garage into the home gym of his dreams, but had to put the process on hold during the winter months. He’s already installed lights and outlets, had it framed in and added insulation. As soon as we start to get nice weather, he plans to get started on drywalling and installing new windows.
8:45PM – We cuddle up on the couch with the dogs to watch a little TV before bed and have some green grapes for dessert. I can officially balance bowls on my belly now, ha! We’ve been re-watching the entire 10 seasons of Friends during the pregnancy and are down to the last few episodes. Once I start mat leave, we’re going to switch to the next sitcom – Seinfield! For someone who loves TV, I feel a twinge of guilt admitting that I’ve never watched it much. Sure I’ve seen episodes here and there, but I don’t know if I’ve watched an entire episode start to finish.
9:30PM – We start to make our way to bed. The dogs go out for their last bathroom break and I tidy up the living room while we wait for them to come back in. Garrett and I are both big fans of Streamlining Our Mornings, including setting everything out that we need the night before. He sets up his coffee mug, vitamins and lunch bag on the kitchen counter. I lay out my clothes, and set out all the toiletries I’ll use in the morning.
10:00PM – I always go to bed with the intention of reading, but quickly realize that I’m too exhausted to focus on anything. Instead we lay awake talking to each other until one of us starts to fall asleep (usually me). Tonight’s topics: a funny story from work, what projects we still want to do in the nursery and brainstorming vacation ideas for the fall. Lights out!
