Balanced Routine Pt. 1
Something I found that has really helped me manage all that life brings to me is having a relatively set daily routine. When I know what to expect in my day, it really helps me stay focused, motivated, and not overwhelmed by what my day has set in store for me.
A philosophical, scientific article on NPR writes how science concludes that “habit plays a basic role in making sense of what we are.” When you have a consistent and steady routine, their research shows, it can help your brain and mind development greatly!
Social media is a fickle area. Often, I get assumptions that I must not sleep, let alone shower with all I do. You’d be surprised to know, I get 8 hours of sleep a night, and eat three times a day. It’s been a lot of trial and error to get to this point, but it’s been important to me that I compartmentalize my days so I can be the best mama and wife I can for my family.
With that said, here's a peek into my day to day, for both my times of rest and times of work.
Workdays-
As a very part-time swim coach, my workdays start at 5:20 am. I wake, dress in comfy work clothes set out the night before, make myself some decaffeinated Ningxia tea, and head to work. Every day, I catch the radio ministry sermons and get to listen to one of my favorite radio pastors, Dr. David Jeremiah teaching on Turning Point Ministry. On my return, I eat a balanced breakfast with my family. Sometimes, I have the opportunity to sneak to my room with my coffee that my sweet husband has prepared to have my time in the Word.
That is the most crucial part of my daily routine, being soaked in God's Word. While I do a tiny bit of housework in-between jobs, I usually will be listening to either the Dave Ramsey show, apologetics teachings or sermons Youtube, or other testimony stories on youtube (Subscribe to my Youtube here!).
On workdays, I try not to stay too occupied with housework, as I dedicate Mondays to deep cleaning. It's really helpful for me however to have a clean sink and tidy spaces to be able to better focus on the tasks at hand. I usually set my kids up to play in their nursery after their breakfast while I tidy up our living spaces. During this time I also may do some simple work tasks such as updating the calendar, paying off some bills, making phone calls, or other little tasks that can easily be done for my kitchen counter.
I stop for lunch with my kiddos every day, sometimes working through lunch if I eat after them, but oftentimes I make a point to put away my electronics and play with them or eat with them. Usually, I am tired enough that I need a nap having started my day so early, so at a minimum I will rest for 20 to 45 minutes during my children's nap time, before I get up to work on more tedious work tasks such as managing my finances for my businesses, uploading content to social media, writing out blog posts, filling Hippy and Spice orders, or taking longer phone calls or video chats.
We don't do a lot of screen time in our house for our kids. Usually, it's only on Saturdays, but sometimes, if I have an important phone call or meeting, I will allow them about 40 minutes to watch TV while I finish up some work. Whether in the morning or the afternoon, we take time to play outside.
I have finally gotten into the habit again of making time to work out, making sure I take 15 to 30 minutes to move my body vigorously and get my heart rate pumping at least 2 times a week!
Around 5:00 I get dinner started so that we can have some fun family time and Dad gets home. Since I have such early mornings it's imperative that I get to bed about 9:30 pm on the DOT so that I can be assured to have an energized day the next day.
Rest days
On the days that I don't some coach, I call them my “rest days.” These days are slower, I can sleep in about an hour, and I reserve them for deep cleaning and visiting friends or having time to myself. I will make space to have coffee with friends or set up a play date. I try to make sure we get out of the house and do something besides working and cleaning. I really enjoy these days because on Fridays it sets me up for the weekend, and on Mondays, it helps me prepare for the week ahead. I've learned that in this phase of motherhood I can just get plain-old tired, and I need some space to be able to have adequate rest, especially if I want to continue on with my work at hand and the ministry I've begun. I also realized that breaking up the weeks this way helps me work against the feelings of monotony that I can experience from being and stay-at-home mom.
Well, there you have it! An average day in life! Stay tuned for parts two and three, as I’ll get in-depth about my cleaning hacks, eating clean, making time to work out on a budget (and with littles!), and more! I told you, I’m not as trendy as Instagram might make me seem!
