A day in the life of us.
It’s a day in the life of us!
About twice a year, I document a day in the life of us…because, these are the days I want to remember the most. I know when I look back later in life, I’m going to miss these regular old uneventful days more than anything.
At the beginning of the month, I picked a random day to post this and then I backed it up two days and marked it on my calendar to document…so, what was supposed to have been a boring old Tuesday actually turned into a really full/weird/crazy/kind of eventful day.
Here you go, a day in the life of us (from Tuesday, February 16, 2016)…
Good morning! Grabbing coffee and making my commute to work ;). Thankfully it’s a short commute (i.e. my office) and pajamas and slippers are allowed as work attire.
First up, publishing my blogs for the day. On this particular day, it was Santa Fe Soup and Show & Tell Tuesday.
Next up, I read my One Year Bible for the day and did my quiet time. I love this!
After this, I worked until 5:30. Work included travel agency stuff, book stuff, blogging stuff…I only had a short time to work on this day, so I planned a few things knowing I wouldn’t get a full day in (because you’re about to see that my day gets busy!).
At 5:30, I emptied the dishwasher and made myself breakfast.
Spinach smoothie and an English muffin with almond butter.
At 6:30, I woke up the kids (I was fully dressed at this point, because I had to leave the house earlier than usual).
Good mornin’ sunshine!
Laundry is the bane of my existence. After years of trying to figure out how to make it easier, I realized that there is only one real way to make laundry easy…keep doing it and don’t let it get piled up…
…this is leftover from the night before. I don’t always follow my own rule of “don’t let it get piled up”…
Here I am! Ready to go!
Andrew takes the kids to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, so here they are about to head out. Love these three!
Right at 8:00, I got Miss Ashby out the door and dropped her off at Erika’s. Erika takes to preschool on Tuesdays and I pick up (and then we reverse on Thursdays).
And off I went…for a mammogram. Insert groan here. I had an 8:30 mammogram appointment, so here I am about to head in. This was my fourth mammogram in 12 months…which is a lot of squishing! My doctor advised me to have a mammogram last February and then they weren’t satisfied with the results, so I had a second one later that month (and an ultrasound). They were satisfied then but wanted me to have a follow up in August (which I did) and then they told me that I needed to have another one in February 2016 and should make them annually from that point forward…so, that’s what that’s about. I am young (34) to be having annual mammograms, but if that’s what they think I need, then that’s what I’m going to do. Gets your girls checked friends!
By 9:30, I’m at one of my favorite spots in my favorite store…our neighborhood grocery store. I love this view: flowers, wine, gourmet cheeses oh my! I have my typed grocery list (don’t judge) and am about to conquer my weekly shopping. Tuesday mornings are my favorite time to shop!
I was in the check out line when I glanced down and saw my brother and sister-in-law on the cover of People magazine. That’s weird, right?! 🙂
Home…with a carload of groceries. Unloading groceries is not one of my favorite things to do.
I typically eat an early lunch (right at 11:00), but on this day, I knew I was going to have a late lunch, so I snacked while I unpacked the groceries. I am a huge fan of cold-pressed juices, so I had that along with a combination of plain almonds and honey almonds.
I did some more laundry. #ihateyoulaundry followed by about 45 minutes of more work.
Then, I drove up to my big kids’ school and got them out early. #whatwhat
Both big kids needed to visit the eye doctor, so I timed their appointments to where they missed recess and lunch (kinder and 1st grade go to recess and eat a late lunch together) and then we could go straight from their eye doctor’s office to pick up Ashby and Bowen from preschool (because they’re directly across the street from each other). I never get alone time with just the two big kids. We decided to make it special!
The eye doctor and preschool are by our town square, so we headed there for lunch at one of my very favorite places, Snug. They were lovin’ their time away from school.
And look who showed up to meet us!
They turned their napkins into little pants for Sean and Catherine’s baby. It’s never dull friends.
And then I proceeded to have my favorite lunch EVER. This is what’s on my sandwich: homemade pimento cheese, peach jam, bacon, candied jalapenos, lettuce and tomato. I mean…friends it’s unreal. I had that with a spinach salad and coffee (because hi, my name is Shay and I’m a coffee addict.)
Heading back to the car with these two.
Now, here we are at the eye doctor. One child wanted glasses so much! She just loves accessorizing and realllllllly had her heart set on glasses. The other child told me “if you make me get glasses, I will stomp on them in the parking lot”. So, there’s that. Two kids, two different attitudes.
We discovered during Smith’s eye exam that he is…far sighted. Sigh. Bless his heart. He tried so hard not to tear up, but he was really disappointed. The doctor said that he’ll only need to wear them for reading, iPad watching and when he’s focusing on things up close (like building Legos). So, he doesn’t have to wear them all the time (or even the majority of the time). He was all sad when we went to pick out his glasses until he saw this one pair that had lime green on the sides…and then he perked up. So, beginning next week, he’ll be sporting some black and lime green glasses from time to time…and I bet he’ll look adorable :).
Kensington was devastated. Not only does she not need glasses, Smith does. I mean…she just thought the world had turned against her. That kid.
Leaving the eye doctor with two sad kids. You have to laugh!
Okay…so, I didn’t tell Ashby that the big kids were going to be with me to pick her up from school because I wanted her to be surprised. I just knew she would be thrilled. So…we walk in, we walk up to her class, there is squealing, there is hugging, hugging turns to wrestling, all three of my kids are on the ground, Bowen is yelling at them to get off of Ashby, I am now carrying two backpacks and two nap mats while simultaneously trying to get three kids off of the floor and keep an eye on Bowen…it was business as usual.
We drop Bowen off at home and then head to our house to work on homework. This is also when I empty out backpacks and make lunches for the next day.
At 4:00, we’re back in the car to drop something off at Manda’s house. At this point, I’ve ditched my booties, my jacket, my jewelry and have put my hair up. Annnnd…I have on my trusty Sketcher’s Go Walks that I keep by the back door for outside time.
We were back home by 4:15 and the kids wanted to play outside. Winter completely forgot about us this year (which stinks) and so we have had plenty of time to play outside in the yard.
Ashby could ride her bike all day, every day.
Backyard fun is the best!
The creek that runs through our yard was dry, so the big kids crossed it to the other side. They climb trees, build forts and get all kinds of muddy.
Ashby loves to swing 🙂
I really want to stay healthy, so I make sure to eat fish every day. 🙂
I munched on a few of these while I prepped dinner.
This one came for a kiss.
The big kids were so muddy and gross that they went straight to the shower before dinner. I love kids in jammies!
I make dinner 5 nights a week and typically three of them are new recipes for either a blog post or book and two are repeats. Tacos are a favorite around here, so that’s what we had. The kids had their tacos in shells and Andrew and I had ours like this…
Like a big salad.
I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner when Smith asked if he could have a piece of candy out of his Valentine’s bag from school. Andrew said sure and he bit into this big piece of chocolate…or a heart-shaped brown crayon. Sigh. This is him rinsing his mouth out. The kid ate half a crayon. Yuck!
After dinner, a doggie named Ashby followed me around…
…and Andrew watched Smith finish off this Ghostbusters Lego set.
I then proceeded to fold all of that laundry. Boo.
Kensington’s room is now officially a library (according to her), so I stepped lightly around the stacks of books.
Smith showed me his completed Ghostbusters car. I was so proud!
I then went and put away the downstairs laundry while Andrew got the kids’ teeth brushed and into bed.
I went to say goodnight to the kids and met up with Andrew in the upstairs hallway. The kids were all in bed! Woohoo!
Andrew and I headed downstairs to watch educational television…or Vanderpump Rules (which will educate you on nothing) and eat a brownie. This is our downtime every night and we LOVE it.
Around 9:15, I took a shower and climbed into bed to watch one episode of King of Queens.
My final screenshot before calling it a day.
Whew! That was a day in the life of us!
On my foodie blog today, a delicious dinner your whole family will love…
xo
I love love love my kids (and know you do too) but that moment when everyone's in bed is like sweet success!! I get it, friend! Completely!
i remember the days of wishing I needed glasses! they were then followed by a few years of desperately not wanting them… I now have them for tv/driving and they don't look as bad as I thought they would!
The glasses story…hysterical. Smith eating a brown heart crayon….hysterical. Bowen fearing for Ashby's life…hysterical. I laughed a lot during this post! 🙂
We moms are busy ladies! Congrats on making it through a busy day 🙂
I am betting Smith is going to be adorable in his glasses!! Also, love that you went to our favorite eye doctor!! You deserved that brownie after your crazy busy day!! 🙂
Love your blog! You always have the best outlooks on things
Awe glasses aren't bad at all! My 6 year old has severe farsightedness. He has Nike glasses (of course since he's Mr. Baseball) that look like Squints from the Sandlot, or as adults tell him Wild Thing from Major League. Not that he has seen the movie, but he loves the Cleveland Indians so it works! 🙂 I bet once he wears them & can see clearer, he will love them. 🙂
Would love to hear what's in your smoothie! Always looking for new smoothie recipes. 🙂
Love your educational TV–mine is about the same….the Kardashians, Real Housewives….I'm learning so much haha!
Sarah at MeetTheShaneyfelts
What a great day!!!! The best photo is of the two sad kiddos in the eye dr office. Lol. And, girl, I am with you on the laundry. I told my family to stop wearing clothes so I can get caught up. Lol.
Too funny! I might try that.
No doubt smith will be adorable in his glasses
Do you have a brownie every single night? What's your exception? Same recipe as always? 🙂 Thanks Shay!
OMG 4:23 am? Tell me you sleep later on the weekends! I'm up at 5:20 every morning and that's tough stuff.
What a great day! (Except for getting your breasticles squished. That part was just okay.) The post-appointment optometrist pic is hilarious! 🙂
I love posts like these! Smith is going to look so cute in glasses, I can't wait to see him! That's a cute new pup that you have there! 😉
Oh the laundry! I have to do at least a load a day to not lose my mind! Much to my mothers dismay, I quit sorting years ago. Works for play clothes and school uniforms just fine – and saves me loads of time!
Thanks for sharing your day! Always some of my favorite posts!
❤️ Brit (mom of many littles aged (9,8,7, and 7)
Oh my, that sandwich? Sounds amazing! Snug is the name of the place? Also, please tell Miss Kensington that I have glasses and they can be kind of a pain and they get dirty and you can't lay down on your side because they get all wonky, and she's really better off ❤️
Oh my, that sandwich looks and sounds soooo yummy!!!!!! Send me one- lol!!!
LOL!! Between the pictures from the eye doc's and reading your post, I can so relate!!! My daughter wanted glasses so bad, she was popping the lenses out of sunglasses and wearing them as glasses- and yes it looked bad LOL!! My son would have the same reaction if he had to have glasses too!
I'm going for my first mammo in a few months, and I'm a little nervous, not sure why?! But I know it's important!
When I was in kindergarten, I had to get glasses and thought they were the end of the world too! I know Smith is going to be so precious in his!!
Poor Kensington! I always wanted glasses as a kid too ?
My middle has glasses too and sports some Ralph Lauren ones that sound very similar to Smith's. I'm sure he will adjust fine…the only thing it took Brody a while to remember was to grab them from school every day. He left them all the time and it took both his teacher and me reminding him to get in the habit.
I loved hearing about your day…the funniest thing to me is how you take your jewelry, shoes and jacket off in the afternoon and pull your hair up. I do the same thing and just said the other day I was changing into my "after school clothes." : ) And you're right about the laundry…going from 2-3 kids made daily laundry a necessity! Have a great day!
I enjoy reading about someone else's day and you are right – these days are the ones you will want to remember the most:)
I would love some of your smoothie recipes, too.
I wish winter had forgotten us here in Iowa! I'm getting a little tired of snow, but it is pretty when we are all home together and I watch it coming down.
Have a great day and keep up the good work!
What a day!! I LOVE these posts!! My William came in while I was reading and wanted to know all about Smith William. He is pretty impressed that you live in Texas!! 🙂
Day in the life posts are some of my very favorites–thank you for sharing! Poor Kensington, bless her heart, she has plenty of time for her eyesight to deteriorate! You should do a blog post on how you get your husband to watch Vanderpump Rules–hahaha. I always end up watching things like crab fishing and car rebuilding with my spouse. Boo, hiss. familyoffoley.wordpress.com
He's sweet. He likes to be in the same room as me, so by default, he's watching it :).
We just learned my 5 yr old son is far sighted too and had to get glasses. He has to wear them all the time though. So just wondering what was Smith's vision test and what was his prescription strength? Barrett's was 20/40 and his strength is a +5 and other eye a + 4. He was sad too.
I love King of Queens!
You've got some awfully cute kiddos. Sounds like a great day!
I need a nap after reading your day!!!you were busy!!! And I think I need to go visit Snug next week. Yum!!!
I so laughed at the stomping of glasses in parking lot. & what a cruel world he is the one who needs them. I'm sure he's going to look ADORABLE in them!
What a fun hectic life you have 🙂
I had a hard time focusing on the rest of the post after seeing you are awake before 4:30!
Shewholongstobe.blogspot.com
I loved hearing about your day. The most impressive part is the time you wake up. I don't know how you do it.
You will need to know the trick of other Moms whose kids just had to have glasses but did not need them. Go to Claire's and let them buy a pair that look real. After a week of trying to keep up with them and pushing them up their nose all day, the thoughts will vanish lol!
We did this too! #workslikeacharm
Please use reusable grocery bags 🙂
This post made me giggle a lot!! Specially the after doctor's picture!! I too wanted glasses when I was in 8th grade just because Mary Anne from the Babysitter's Club needed them to read so I wanted mine to read too. Lo and behold I found out I needed glasses but not just for reading, for ALL THE TIME. Now I can't stand them, but I have to give it to her, they sometimes do make cute accessories. 🙂 When does Andrew go to sleep? Doesn't he get up super early too?
My 7 yr old daughter loves the Katie Woo books too! Have y'all read the Kylie Jean books…they are so cute and make great beginner chapter books!
That is my favorite sandwich in the whole wide world! I find myself daydreaming of it sometimes 🙂
Meet me there for lunch sometime soon friend!!
I am exhausted just reading that!! I start at 6.30am and stop at 10.30pm so you only get an hour more than me in a day yet you seem to accomplish so much?? Maybe my coffee isn't strong enough?!
You are one busy lady!! And goodness gracious, I don't know how you live on less than 7 hours of sleep a day! I would be a grouch!
Sometimes, I am!
I agree! How do you survive on such little sleep? Do you ever hit snooze??
Do you have the link for the sketchers I can't find them! They look very comfy!
I bought mine off of Zappos!
What a day! That post eye doctor's picture is hysterical! I am curious – what kind of mulch do you all have around the playset?
It's rubber mulch!
Do you ever get a cleaning lady? Maybe she could do your laundry. Works for us.
I do need someone to come do my laundry! I also need to teach my older kids. I know they could probably do it…I just need to teach them and make them ;).
We started my oldest at age 7, she is 8 now. It is a pain to bug her to do it but has helped so much!!! We have a top loader so we had to wait until she was tall enough to not fall in while reaching for the clothes. I did have lessons first, on each step. We don't separate colors but use the color catch sheets. My husband actually can't sort clothes!!
You should have K read fancy Nancy spectacular spectacles…Nancy's friend gets glasses and Nancy is jealous until her mom reminds her to be thankful for good vision. Can u get K fake glasses? I've seen then at children's place and even Wal-Mart. 😉
Ordering it now!! Thank you Michelle!
I am literally in awe of you! I always wondered how you do it all and your day in the life is no joke! You are complete and total #momgoals 😉
Xox Dana Ivy // http://www.iadorewhatilove.com
Girl…I'm tired. I should do less and sleep more! xoxo to you too Dana!
Should I be telling you that I'm totally fanning out at the fact that you just responded to my comment?!? Ha. Keep doing what you're doing because it's obviously working 🙂 There definitely aren't enough hours in the day though, that's for sure!! With that being said, g'night Shay! Xox
I need to try that sandwich!
My 6 year old and I can relate to Smith…I picked his black and blue ninja turtle glasses up today. He has to wear them only for reading, TV, ipad, and PlayStation. The doc is confident that wearing them will correct his astigmatism, our fingers are crossed too.
I went through an ear piercing stage in college. I have 2 holes in my left ear and four in my right. I keep in a stud in hole #3 all the time…just because :).
That was a very full day! I did actually laugh at Smith and Kensington after their eye doctor appointment. Well, I didn't laugh AT them, but found it so funny that they were both sad for completely different reasons.
The jacket! Is that the one your grandmother gave you or a newer one? I love it so much.
-Bradley Lindsey
I remember I wanted braces so bad when I was younger! Can we talk about how delicious that sandwich looks from Snug?!
Have you ever considered doing a post about when you started blogging, how to get started, how you determine your schedule, etc.? I love reading your blog and I would love knowing the ins and outs of your brain when it comes to this topic!!!
Love this post 🙂 whenever you're in the market for a new washing machine they have ones that do two loads at a time now!
You are amazing – I don't know how you do it! Such a great mana, with such cute kiddos! Loved this post. What's in your spinach smoothie, I love smoothies & could use a new recipe to change things up a bit.
What a great day! I LOVE your outfit, especially your jacket!
You probably hate unloading groceries because you use the plastic store bags! Good reusable bags changed my life (I bought mine from Wegman's because we live in NY). I now load those bags to the max and make about two trips into the house. A cart full of groceries typically fits into about 3-4 bags but I still put meat into the plastic ones just to be sure there's no leaking. It took a little training to remember to bring them into the store but now I'm angry when I forget them (which is pretty rare!).
Aww poor kiddos! Poor Smith is sad he needs glasses and sweet Kensington is sad she doesn't need glasses. Isn't that how it always works? I love that book suggestion from a person above. I have glasses (well contacts) and wish wish wish I didn't need them! That book sounds perfect 🙂
Love that your kids read, "Katie Woo"!!!
I love love love your day in the life of posts, I hope you do more than a couple times a year! xo
I just started adding spinach to my shakeology shakes, and love it! can you shsare your recipe for your spinach smoothie? thanks!!
I love your day in the life of posts. I felt so bad for Smith and Kensington when they both got want they didn't want to happen at the eye doctor. I love Kensington's library. She has some great books!
Thanks for sharing these posts with us!
Amy @ http://befilledwithj0y.blogspot.com/
These are my very favorite kinds of posts! 🙂
What a wonderful day! Would you mind sharing your spinach smoothie recipe?
What a fun post. I am wondering if you have looked into thermal imaging rather than traditional mammograms that emit so much radiation…the mammograms can actually cause breast cancer. I'm sure you have done your research but just thought I would put it out there that there are some alternatives.
What a busy (and productive) day! Love these posts:) Just got back from visiting Dallas this week and our new neighborhood that we are moving to (from CA) has a Snug cafe inside it! Excited that I can walk down to the cafe with my babies and grab something yummy for lunch:)
I'm exhausted just reading your day!!! And can't believe you crank out TWO blog posts everyday in just a couple of hours!!!?? I am clearly doing something wrong!! You rock!!
One of the things I have loved getting to know about you is your realistic balance with a healthy lifestyle! From how it appears, you aim for a healthy lifestyle, but are not afraid of indulging in sweets or using a cake mix to simplify things sometimes – I really love that! All of that being said, I'm wondering if you do go through seasons where you watch what you eat more? Is there a reason you two skipped the taco shell? That sounds so silly, but I'm just wondering 😉 Thanks Shay!!
I would say we pretty much eat consistently throughout the year. Neither of us ever diet, we just always try to maintain a balanced diet. We eat tacos all the time, but sometimes, we just like a big taco salad. It wasn't for any particular reason…just how we assembled dinner that night.
Thanks for your reply! I used to be super strict with my diet and fitness routine – when I stumbled across your blog, I was really encouraged! This girl is healthy, enjoys working out, but has an everyday brownie? Makes fun food for dinner and bakes? I loved it! And it has encouraged me 🙂 My family thanks you too! 😉 We now have so much fun in the kitchen baking and preparing meals together! Thanks Shay! Just through your blog, you've helped show me how to attain a healthy, yet realistic and fun lifestyle!