A Day in the Life
I often get asked how I manage to juggle my days. Between family life, work time, me time, fitness, charity work and trying to squeeze in some time for friends, it’s a lot to manage and doesn’t come without careful planning and preparation. While I definitely don’t always have it down to a science, I’ve developed some key habits and routines that have helped me stay calm, focused and productive each day. It might not always be fun, but I do sneak in a glass of wine in here and there!
EARLY BIRD
One of the most important parts is how I start my day. It’s simple: I start early. Like really early. I get up between 4:30AM and 5AM every day. This may sound crazy to some, but it gives me a head start. Although some nights I have to stay up later to get work done, my early start means I usually hit the sheets early, too. I'm usually in bed by 9PM. I'm no fun like that!
One of the main reasons I’m up at the crack of dawn is so I can get a workout in before the day starts to slip away. Personally, I'm more motivated in the morning. I’ll make a quick Nespresso, then some days I’ll head straight to a Fitbody Bootcamp session at 5:30AM and then go to spin at The Sweat Lab at 8:30AM. Or I’ll switch it around and do spin at 6AM and boot camp at 8:30AM. Of course, if Jason is out of town (he’s a coach for the WHL Hitmen!) my workout schedule is different and I can’t go to the early class, but in that case I’ll sneak in an at-home workout - more detail on that in a different post to come!
After my first workout class, I come home, get the kids up and ready for school. I love my mornings with them. I make them breakfast (I usually prep their lunches the night before.) Breakfast is usually pancakes, bacon and fruit, or toast in place of pancakes. Lunches are pretty basic. Pizza, sandwiches or chicken, along with fruit, veggies and some fun snacks. They’ve been loving riding the bus, which is great and allows me more time for workouts. I love my workouts, and not only that, I NEED them. It helps with my anxiety and clears my mind for the day. Plus it burns my energy...I have a LOT.
DOWN TO BUSINESS
After workouts and getting the boys off to school, it’s work time. Over the last year, I earned my real estate license and since October I’ve been working as an associate with the team at Charles Real Estate in Calgary. If I’m not out doing showings with clients or meeting with another associate sharing tips, I’m usually working on the details and planning for my next charity event. Right now, I'm working on a spin event to raise funds for Janus Academy for April and my annual Boot, Scoot and Swing golf tournament for The Breakfast Club of Canada. More about those in another post :)
My day is always jam packed with work and errands. I like to get groceries and everything done while the boys are at school so that once they're home, I have time to focus on them. I miss them a lot when they're gone, it’s still so weird to have them both in full days at school!
HOME TIME
Jason usually gets home from the rink around 5:30PM. We have dinner (on a weeknight, I’ll usually make something simple like chicken or fish with veggies. My kids eat different meals than us (something we are working on), play with the kids, then get into their bedtime routine. The boys are getting better about being independent and having showers and cleaning up on their own, which is so awesome.
Of course after they go to bed, I'm not far behind them! This is one of my favourite times of the day - when the house is quiet I like to clean up, catch up with Jason and get a bit of work done, then wind down myself. I usually reserve wine for the weekends, but sometimes I’ll indulge if it’s been a long day. Another no fun thing about me: I don't really watch TV! I’m not someone who doesn’t believe in TV or anything, I wish I was more into it. Laying in bed watching TV sounds glorious, but I just never seem to do it!
And that’s my “typical” day! Of course, no day with kids is typical and some are more hectic than others, but I’ve found that sticking to a few key habits and routines has been essential to managing my own stress and being more present for my family. What are some of your keys to managing your daily routines? Let me know in the comments!
