Last week was the tenth anniversary of #OneDayHH, an annual Instagram challenge created by one of my favorite writer/podcasters, Laura Tremaine! I’ve always recapped the whole day in a blog post, and am still doing so even though I now have a public Instagram for this blog. It allows me to go more in depth about various details that are fun to revisit later. I would have had this post up sooner, but have been too sick to function for most of the week since… as foreshadowed in the below.
Past years: 2013 // 2014 // 2015 // 2016 // 2017 // 2018 // 2019 // 2020 // 2021
Monday, November 14, 2022
6:15 am: My son, 17-month-old C, wakes up. I turn on his morning cartoons (Super Simple Songs) to keep him happy while I slowly start my morning. As usual, Rufus the cat arrives for pets the moment someone is awake. I pet him while doing the day’s Wordle.
6:30 am: Stumble into the bathroom and run some water for Rufus to drink. He will only drink fresh water from a faucet.
6:35 am: My actual alarm goes off while I’m starting the coffee. I have different alarms for office days and WFH days – today is the latter, so I can be more relaxed. The weather will be chilly.
I randomly got a bag of Peanuts branded coffee at TJ Maxx a while back, and, when it was empty, just couldn’t throw the label out and taped it to my coffee canister. I realize this is something both my mom and late grandma would do. Meanwhile: my friend Jenny and I exchange Wordles every day. She consistently does hers first thing, whereas I sometimes forget about it until afternoon.
6:45 am: Quick tidy-up sweep through the living room.
6:50 am: Current product regimen for freshly washed hair. I love the smell of the Kristin Ess products, but this leave-in cream is too light for me and doesn’t bind my curls together well. I’ll be going back to a heavier product. I forgot to take a picture of my morning skincare, but it’s a swipe of Pixi Glow Tonic, followed by Kiehl’s Vitamin C cream all over and a moisturizer under my eyes. I am constantly getting sample undereye creams in my Ipsy bags and may never need to buy one again. Brands currently in rotation are Yensa, First Aid Beauty, and H20+.
7:15 am: L’Oreal Pro-Matte was my full-coverage foundation of choice for years, but when I ran out recently, I decided to see what else is out there. I am now using Tarte Face Tape (I went to Ulta to find the right shade in person). I like it, but it’s definitely a dewier finish than I’m used to. Today also includes Anastasia Magic Touch concealer (one of my best Ipsy gets ever), my go-to NYX eyebrow mascara, Cover Girl Perfect Point eyeliner, IT Cosmetics Lash Blowout mascara (Ipsy), It’s a Date blush (Ipsy again), and a Tarte palette that’s no longer available.
7:35 am: Dress C and brush his hair. He loves hair brushing and putting on socks and shoes. He doesn’t love getting dressed in general, and I have to chase him around.
7:40 am: Log in to my work computer to ensure nothing is on fire and no one has called an 8:00 meeting.
7:50 am: Normally C would be at school by now, but today isn’t a normal day. We get to have breakfast together, cooked by Daddy! He devours his eggs and pancakes. Yay!! We just moved his high chair here from the dining room, and he seems to like it better.
8:00 am: We have our first appointment with someone who’s going to help C with walking and speech. She is fantastic and we feel encouraged after the meeting!
8:40 am: I drop C off at school. For the first time, I help him walk into the building from the car instead of carrying him. Everyone is so excited to see him walking that it’s like dropping off a celebrity. I love his teachers.
8:45 am: My mom got me this Dagne Dover phone sling last Christmas. It’s perfect for my mom-of-toddler life. I can wear it as a crossbody, or take the strap off and use it as a wallet. (Any tips for cleaning it??)
9:00 am: My week ahead. Time to work.
9:30 am: My at-home #OOTD, all favorites: Lucky Brand Ava jeans, Skechers, and my favorite old Mossimo v-neck from Target. It was uncomfortably snug in the spring, so I’m excited that it fits again.
10:30 am: Water cup and favorite hand cream.
11:45 am: Taking a short break to unload the dishwasher and eat lunch.
Today’s lunch is leftover Thai curry soup, a staple for me in the cooler months.
Current reads. I basically have one Kindle book and one physical book going at all times. I have a lot of physical copies of books I want to read, but Kindle is my only option for reading while rocking C to sleep, or any time my hands are occupied.
12:45 pm: Taylor goes to the store for us a couple of times a week. I send him my list of immediate needs.
2:00 pm: I used to get excited about cooking Thanksgiving dishes, but this year I’m not feeling it. Last year I got food poisoning on Thanksgiving Eve. We were hosting, I couldn’t eat anything, and I’m still kind of traumatized. We’re kicking around some alternative ideas. (Later in the week, we decided to order our whole meal from Fresh Market. I’m already thanking myself for this decision.)
2:15 pm: Feeling chilled and kind of bleah (FORESHADOWING!!), so I wrap up in this afghan knitted by my late grandmother, as well as this Banana Republic sweatshirt wrap that I got at thrift and refer to as an “adult swaddle.”
2:45 pm: Kitty is also feeling cozy.
3:00 pm: Afternoon snack, and texts from my sister and her best friend about the Taylor Swift ticket presale the following day. This is even funnier now that we all know how that went. Thanks to Erin spending her ENTIRE DAY online, we did get tickets to one of the Nashville shows!!
3:50 pm: Taylor has picked up C from school, and they’re now having their daily juice and snacks time together while I finish my workday. <3 I throw a spaghetti squash in the oven to roast.
4:45 pm: Squash is out of the oven. Aaaaand it’s dark. I will say that working from home, in this bright, south-facing room, helped my SAD tremendously for the last two years. We’ll see what the impact is this winter when I’m back in the office three days a week.
5:10 pm: One of C’s current favorite activities is taking spice jars out of their drawer and putting them back again. This keeps him busy while dinner is being prepared. For months after he started solids, I prepared him lovely plates of healthy, homemade food, all of which he loudly rejected and/or threw on the floor. He doesn’t want whatever I’m eating either. So mealtime is a daily stress and struggle. If you also have a toddler who’s not a baby-led weaning model, you are not alone.
5:30 pm: Predictably, C was not cooperative about dinner, so I’m eating my spaghetti squash standing up to keep him away from things he needs to leave alone in the kitchen.
6:00 pm: Family together time and play time in the living room. C finds his hairbrush and brushes his own hair for the first time, looking pensive. Then he initiates a game of hide and seek with the brush.
6:30 pm: I take C up to his room to wind down. He doesn’t need a bath tonight. We play quietly with his shape sorter drum. He likes to put in only one shape, then have me take it out before he moves on to a different shape. He has most of them down now, except for the star. A few weeks ago I had to hide the drum because he got so frustrated at himself about the star. My child? You think?
7:00 pm: Bottle, books, and rocking to sleep with our bedtime playlist.
7:35 pm: On Mondays, I get on the Peloton as soon as C is in his crib. I’m still not feeling 100%, so I choose the new LOL Cody ride, which is more focused on fun than output. I’m starting to think about what I’m going to do for my upcoming 100th ride!
8:10 pm: Post-workout stats. Didn’t close my stand ring today. Are you guys ever up walking around for an extended time, then the moment you sit down, your watch tells you it’s time to stand? I blame this glitch for every day I don’t hit my goal.
8:15 pm: After the hot shower I’ve been thinking about all day, I put on the new Old Navy pumpkin pie pajamas I treated myself to in September. I waited until it was cold to wear them! Meanwhile, Swiftie discussion continues, and I decide to take a covid test since I’m feeling increasingly bad. Negative! (Spoiler alert: IT WAS THE FLU!!) On Monday nights, I cleanse with a special enzyme cleanser and follow it with this collagen cream. I got a facial last summer and the aesthetician gave me these samples. She also taught me about skincare cycling before TikTok did.
8:30 pm: Time for meds. They have saved my life over the last year. I’m pretty sure literally. Also: results continue to come in from the election almost a week ago.
8:35 pm: Time to prep for the in-office stretch of my week. I move my Dagne Dover wallet to my “real” purse, and prep oatmeal jars to take to the office. (I would end up not needing any of this.)
8:45 pm: Finally relaxing in the kitchen with some pumpkin bread, Tik Toks, and People magazine (which I get for free for unknown reasons).
9:00 pm: Normally, at this point in the evening, I move to the living room to spend the remains of the day with my husband. I usually work crossword puzzles and pay moderate attention to whatever he’s watching. But tonight, it’s raining and he’s out in the gazebo listening to the rain. So I decide to go ahead and get in bed.
9:11 pm: Bedside must haves.
9:50 pm: I can no longer stay awake. Good night and thanks for joining me!
Be First to Comment