This post is a bit of a departure from my regular Wednesday outfits, but it’s something a few of you have asked about and I thought would be fun to do. Last week, I got this e-mail:
Alison, I love your blog, it’s really helping me find my style again! I have to ask though, how do you find time to get ready every day? Most days I’m still the “yoga pants mom”. I have three kids too but feel like my days are always getting away from me. I’d love to see what one of your typical days actually looks like. Thanks! – Jennifer M.
Great question Jennifer. The simple answer is I don’t get ready every day. 🙂 Even though I try to for my Daily Style Diary posts, I still have the occasional day when I wear my yoga pants most, if not all of the day. Especially on the weekends.
But most days, I do make an effort to get ready. Getting dressed helps me stay structured and that’s what I need more than anything. When I started working from home a few years back, I had a VERY hard time getting into a routine which is exactly how I ended up in my mom rut.
If you’ve read my e-book Get Pretty, Kick Butt!, then you already know about the time management system I use to plan and structure my days – the Power Hour and Kick Butt Routine. This system has worked for me almost every day for three years and counting. (If you want to find out more about the Power Hour, there’s a free download you can get by signing up HERE.)
Because Craig has been traveling so much lately, it’s become even more important for me to make time for the Power Hour and stick to the Kick Butt Routine. I have to get WAY more done and have a lot less free time.
Here’s what my Monday looked like.
5:45 a.m. – Alarm goes off. I get up, brush my teeth and grab my first cup of coffee before sitting down in front of my laptop to start my morning Power Hour.
5:55 a.m. – Sort through e-mail and open my two daily devotions. Read both of them and write in my prayer journal.
6:15 a.m. – Get a second cup of coffee. Visit some of my daily blog reads. Start working through blog e-mail, answer questions from readers and respond to comments that came in over the weekend.
6:30 a.m. – Answer my personal e-mail, sign up to work concessions at Devon’s track meet and start looking through scholarship opportunities at one of the colleges he’s considering. Check the online status of his first choice college application. Still no decision. 🙁
6:45 a.m. – Take the fastest shower in the world and throw on an easy outfit – my green popover with my favorite jeans and boots. I have a doctor’s appointment in Dallas at 9:30 and will have to go right after dropping Aubrey off at school. This is my only time I have to get ready before the girls get up.
6:55 a.m. – My Power Hour is up, time to wake Ava up to get ready for school. While she gets dressed, I make her breakfast and pack lunches for both girls.
7:10 – Craig calls to chat for five minutes. He tells me to say a prayer that he can resolve his work issues today and head home soon. He’s been gone for over a week.
7:15 – Devon pops his head into the kitchen to say goodbye on his way to track practice.
7:20 a.m. – Drive Ava to school. She’s having a bad case of the Mondays and doesn’t get out of the car on our first pass. I make a loop and drive by again, she spots her favorite teacher and hops out of the car to meet her. Crisis averted!
7:30 a.m. – Quick Clean-up – I make the bed, wipe down the kitchen, unload the dishwasher and tidy up the living room.
7:50 a.m. – Wake Aubrey up, make her breakfast. Finish my make-up and hair while she gets ready for school.
8:15 a.m. – Make my breakfast, a two egg scramble with red and yellow peppers and sliced avocado.
8:20 a.m. – Dermatologist’s office calls to reschedule my appointment, my doctor is sick. All dressed up with no place to go!
8:40 a.m. – Drive Aubrey to school.
9:00 a.m. – Return home with a block of time and nothing planned, dangerous combo. Waste time on the internet for 15 minutes.
9:15 – 10:30 a.m. – Decide to put my extra time to better use by editing pictures and working on Friday’s white jeans post. It’s a doozy, lots of information, but I love putting posts together. It’s one of my favorite parts of blogging.
10:30 a.m. – Even though it’s supposed to be my day off from working out, I think about going for a run on the treadmill to get through my mid-morning slump. Instead I make a to-go cup of hazelnut coffee and head out to run some errands. Definitely more fun.
10:30-11:30 a.m. – I stop by a local spa to get Craig a much-deserved massage gift certificate. He worked over 80 hours last week. I go next door to Michael’s to shop for a new spring wreath for our front door. There are no pre-made wreaths that I’m in love with so I buy supplies to make my own.
11:30-12:30 – Craft time! I get out the floral wire and hot glue gun to put together my new wreath. It’s been a long time since I’ve been crafty and it feels good.
12:30 p.m. – Finished with the wreath and it’s on the front door! It didn’t turn out exactly like I planned but I like it anyway.
12:30 – 12:45 p.m. – Social Media Time. Spend a few minutes scrolling through my personal Facebook feed. Go to my blog’s Facebook page and tout today’s post, then do the same on Twitter and Pinterest.
12:45 p.m. – Lunch! Left over rotisserie chicken on top of field greens with raspberry vinaigrette. I’m still hungry so I have a side of veggie chips. Didn’t work, still hungry.
1:00 p.m. – Back to e-mail. Answer blog comments that have come in since this morning and respond to e-mail.
1:30 p.m. – Craig calls to check in again. I send him a picture of my wreath, he says it looks great. He’s too nice. 🙂
1:45 – 2:00 p.m. – Afternoon devotions. I have two pieces of Dove Dark Chocolate with almonds – my daily afternoon “me time” treat.
2:00 – 2:30 p.m. – The calm in my day before the storm. I make a quick phone call to my mom. Soon all three kids will be home and I’ll be on the go all evening.
2:40 p.m. – Ava comes home. We chat about her day while I go through her backpack. She has homework to do and gets started. Devon gets home at the same time, he has double early release his senior year.
3:20 p.m. – Time to pick up Aubrey from school. We stop at Target on the way home for a few things that we’re out of. She has a snack and starts her homework when we get home.
4:20 p.m. – The girls and I head to the barn for Ava’s ride. We take the Gator out to the pasture to catch her horse, bring him back to the barn and help tack him up. Devon is at the gym to working out.
Braiding Clue’s mane.
6:30 p.m. – Bring Ava home from riding and get her in the shower. She smells like the barn and so does my car. I start preparing dinner while she gets cleaned up. We need something quick and easy so it’s a breakfast for dinner night – waffles, turkey sausage and fruit.
7:30 p.m. – Clean up the kitchen while helping Devon with a paper for his government class. Then I get a quick shower and put on my PJ’s.
8:00 p.m. – Sit down to watch The Voice with all three kids.
9:00 p.m. – Take Ava to bed. Craig calls to tell her good night. We end up having a nice long conversation, our first of the day.
10:00 p.m. – Aubrey turns in for the evening. I’m getting tired too but decide to do some online shopping for a new trench coat. I can’t decide between this one, this one or this one. Hard, right?
10:30 p.m. – I call Craig again to tell him good night and start to doze off. Devon wakes me a few minutes later by being noisy while taking out the trash. I’m just happy he didn’t forget. 🙂
E-BOOK NEWS
Speaking of my e-book, a lot of you have asked when it would be available in another format besides Kindle. My period of exclusivity with Amazon is over (woo hoo!) so I’m now able to offer Get Pretty, Kick Butt! as a downloadable .pdf. It’s still available in the Kindle version too. If you want more info on downloading the .pdf, you can get it HERE.
Next Wednesday, Aubrey and I will be back with the March installment of our mother/daughter style series featuring Kiki LaRue. We’re looking forward to it!
It’s Your Turn: What tips do you have for making time to get ready every day? Share them in the comments!
I FEEL PRETTY
It’s the day of the week at GYPO where we celebrate what makes us feel pretty. Whether it’s a new outfit, hairstyle, or makeup, the I Feel Pretty link up is about anything and everything that makes your life prettier. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still play along. Just tell us what made you feel pretty this week in the comments!
1. Follow GYPO. (Bloglovin‘, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest)
2. Link up your pretty post.
3. Link back to my blog (using the button above or your own link).
4. Visit other pretty peeps.
Getting my pretty on with The Pleated Poppy.
