I always love reading "a day in the life" type posts on peoples' blogs,
so I thought it would be fun to post one here. This day happened to be
on a Wednesday, a couple of weeks back.
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6 AM: Wake up to the sound of our little alarm clock named Ingrid. Nurse
her and hope she'll fall back asleep for a bit. No such luck. Bring her
to bed so Kirk and I can talk & play with her for a while while we
wake up. Despite feeling so tired, this is one of my favorite times of
the day.
7:45 AM: Eat some greek yogurt with berries and granola at my desk while
Ingrid plays in her exersaucer a couple of feet away. Check my email
inbox quickly...
8 AM: Get myself and the baby bundled up to go on our walk. I feel
really lucky to be able to walk out my door and be in such beautiful
surroundings. We live on a hill that's covered with juniper trees and
home to many deer, rabbits, foxes, and other critters.
9 AM: Nurse Ingrid and put her down for her morning nap.
9:15 AM: Mean to get started on work right away, but instead get sidetracked by a package from
Green Mountain Diapers.
Start reading the packet that comes with them and quickly feel
overwhelmed. Had no idea that picking a detergent could be so
complicated! Look at the clock. Crap, a whole hour has gone by. Better
move on. Do some laundry and clean up the kitchen. Why does it feel like
I'm wasting time when I do housework? Get to my desk with enough time
to work up a quote and answer a few emails before the babe wakes.
11:35 AM: Hear Ingrid gurgling on the monitor. Kirk and I mock fight
over who gets to go in. Nothing is better than the smile she gives us
when we come to "rescue" her. Nurse her, then set her up in her bouncy
seat with some toys while I take a quick shower. Play with her for a
while and help her practice sitting up and rolling over.
1 PM: Kirk calls me into the workshop to see what I think about a new
color of yellow ink. It's too orange. Yellow is the trickiest color!
Ingrid sits on my lap and plays with the swatch book while Kirk and I
discuss. Towards the end of our conversation she starts yelping
impatiently.
1:30 PM: Nurse Ingrid and put her down for her afternoon nap.
1:45 PM: Make a grilled cheese and veggie sandwich. Fold a batch of
laundry while it cooks. Browse through some blogs in Google Reader while
I eat. My mom calls to ask some business related question. She's going
to start selling prints of her paintings on
Etsy.
Kirk calls me over to the press to consult on the registration of a
new print. Although I drew it, I've forgotten exactly how it's supposed
to go. I think the pear just needs to move over a tiny bit.
2:30 PM: Hear Ingrid again on the monitor. Oh no! I didn't really get
any work done during her nap. Guess I'll have to make up for it after
she goes to bed. Kirk and I go and get her, and then I play with her for
a while.
3:10 PM: Prop Ingrid up with a pillow on the bed and some toys while I
put away the laundry. Take a 15 minute break in the middle to nurse her,
then continue on with the laundry while she plays and I try to make her
laugh at my animal impressions.
4:10 PM: Notice a yellow stain seeping through the little one's tights.
Carefully bring her over to the changing table where I strip her, change
her, and clean her up. It's been two days since she pooped, so this
one's a doozy. Everything goes into the washer pronto and Ingrid goes
into the kitchen sink. She's just started feeling comfortable in the
water lately, so she kicks, squirms, and reaches for the faucet. My mom
pops in to bring us our mail (we live in my parents' downstairs
apartment) and visit with her grand baby.
5 PM: She's fresh and clean and ready for bed, so I take Ingrid
upstairs to say goodnight to my dad. He pulls out all the stops to get a
smile, but it's a tough crowd tonight. She's getting really tired and
just stares in a trance at the dog.
5:20 PM: Nurse Ingrid while Kirk reads us a chapter from the
scriptures. When he finishes, I say a little prayer for us, and he
kisses our girl goodnight. As I finish feeding her, I almost fall
asleep in the chair. Kiss her on the cheek, and put her down in her
crib. Her thumb finds her mouth almost instantly, and she goes to sleep
without a peep.
5:30 PM: Back at my desk and on the phone with our accountant. She
suggests we get Quickbooks. I dread looking into that kind of thing. But
maybe it would make our lives easier. We'll see. Pay some bills, look
over our bank accounts, and work on SSP's budget for the year.
7:30 PM: Realize that I'm starving. Make whole wheat pasta with zucchini
and mushrooms for dinner. Chop up a bunch of extra veg for tomorrow.
Sit down with Kirk to eat and discuss the day and what we need to
accomplish tomorrow.
8:30 PM: Work on the blog. Sketch out some new card ideas.
10 PM: Convince Kirk to stop working for the night and join me in the living room for some
Mad Men on DVD.
11 PM: Nurse Ingrid and go to bed.
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One year ago or even 6 months ago, my day would have looked completely
different. I used to work straight through from about 9AM to 8PM or
later. Sometimes much later. I definitely don't get as much done
work-wise as I used to. But I've learned to become more efficient with
my use of time (for the most part), Kirk has had to take on part of my
workload, and we've learned to let some things go. Somehow, it works.
Like many people before us, we are figuring out how to combine raising a
family with keeping a small business afloat. And you know what? I LOVE
the shape of my days now that Ingrid is here. Kirk and I both feel so
grateful for her, for each other, and for our work.
