It’s officially summer break and I am super excited to share that I will be featuring a guest blogger series with Northern Virginia businesses!
First up is none other than a fabulous mama (based out of the Chicago area, but read on) who has helped me grow both professionally and personally since we started working together over a year ago. She is passionate about helping other busy moms transform their businesses and achieving their dreams while also understanding the unique challenges a work-at-home-mom faces. Through Skype chats while the kids play and her private Facebook group, Kim is present for her clients (except when The Bachelor is on!) and sets the perfect example of a healthy work/life balance. So even though she isn’t technically local, we can all still learn so much from her and I’m thrilled to share a Day In The Life with Kim below.
Day in the Life: June 6th, 2017
Hey, pretty momma! I’m Kim, owner of Kimberly Haydn Consulting. I help moms turn their passions into plans so they can run a business they love without sacrificing their sanity. Because working AND being a mom is freaking hard. I’m passionate about showing women how to work smarter, not harder, so they can get more done in less time which means they can make more memories with their loved ones.
Blaire shared what a day in her life looked like on my blog here, so I was SO excited when she asked me to do one for her! I have to admit, it was harder than I thought. I found myself forgetting to pull out my phone to document our day (sorry photographers, I’m an iPhone camera kind of girl!) and it kept giving me anxiety!
A typical day for me starts early, ideally around 3:45. My guy, Mike, works crazy hours and isn’t home for many of our waking moments (some days we don’t see him at all), so with two kids I have to steal time from anywhere I can. Usually, that is in the morning before they wake up!
Today I’m up (kind of) writing a blog post and writing a few emails for my email list.
I say kind of awake because though I’m getting things done, I’m looking like this (I literally roll out of bed, chug the bottle of water next to my bed and move to my computer desk so excuse the not brushed hair):
Before the girls get up and our crazy morning begins, I try to take about ten minutes on the porch drinking some tea and preparing mentally for my day. Myla’s up at 5:50 today and our hectic morning begins.
I have two daughters, Dakota (11) and Myla (12 mos). I find that the most difficult part of having two kids so far apart is that they’re both in such different stages, and need completely different things from me. I get Myla ready for the day, and then have to drag Dakota out of bed (she’s so not a morning person) so she can get ready and pack her backpack for school.
I try to make something for breakfast each morning, and try to keep it fun. Luckily my oldest still enjoys my efforts and once she’s over it, at least my little one will think my unicorn themed pancakes are totally cool.
Next, I have to tackle lunch. This morning I opted to keep it simple and do a mock Lunchable. PS if you don’t use Planet Box lunch boxes you’re missing out on all the fun. They’re the best ever and I’m pretty sure Blaire uses them, too!
I forgot to take any pictures of school drop-off because we were running late (which gives me total anxiety). We made it in time…phew!
Typically Mike works at either 1PM, or 3PM and because he gets home crazy late (usually between 3-5AM depending on what time he started) he basically sleeps until he has to get ready to leave. If we’re home, I’ll bring the baby in the bathroom and we hang out and chat while Mike showers and while he’s getting ready. Many days that half hour is all we see of him until the next day when we do it all over again.
Because his schedule is so wonky and getting work done well while being home with my youngest is harder than I anticipated, I try to get a sitter to come spend a few hours with her in the morning once or twice a week so that I can head to Starbucks to get some things done.
I find I get more done in three hours sitting at Starbucks than I can get done in a whole day while I’m with the kids!
This morning, I have two client calls and a few miscellaneous things I want to tackle during my quiet time. I also try the new Pink Ombre drink. It’s pretty darn good!
When I get home, my youngest is napping so I take the unexpected free time to clean the bathroom and throw in some laundry. Every day of the week I tackle a few specific things, so it has become routine and the house stays (pretty much) clean. Tuesdays I clean the bathrooms and wash all of our bedding.
I sit down at my computer, thrilled to knock a few more work tasks off of my list, but only get 20 minutes in before Myla is ready to rock.
While I was at Starbucks, Dakota called from school asking me to bring her flute because she forgot she had a lesson in the afternoon. I normally say no when she asks me to bring her things she forgot because I want her to learn that there are consequences and be responsible for being organized, but this is her last week of school and she has her final 5th-grade band concert Friday so I agree to drop it off.
I’m on the hunt for a wreath for my powder room, so on the way home we swing by Home Goods. My best friend in the whole world is my Grandma; I try to get over to her a few times a week and make sure to call her nearly every day that I don’t see her. We chat on the way and she wishes me luck on my wreath hunt, which apparently worked because I finally found one!
I make it a point to spend at least one hour of undivided time with each of my girls. I put my phone in the other room so I’m not tempted and because Dakota is in school, I can spend time with Myla before she gets home and spend time with Dakota after Myla goes to bed.
We spend an hour playing with blocks and reading.
Tonight is garbage night, so I have to go through the fridge and clean it out before taking out the trash. Which usually means throwing out a bunch of fruit that I bought because we really should eat it, but never do. Myla decides playing in the fridge is super fun, which makes the whole chore extra annoying because after we’re done I have to clean up spilled pineapple off the floor and Myla is a sticky mess!
At 3:45 Dakota is home from school, so after she has a snack it’s homework time. Her teacher isn’t giving homework since it’s the last week of school, so we do flash cards instead. You can get an idea of how much fun that is.
Dakota has a softball game, so we have a quick dinner and start getting ready for that. I plan our dinners out for the month, which makes shopping and making dinner a lot easier for me because I don’t have to think much on a day to day basis about what we’re eating. I usually plan out our breakfasts and lunches, too.
I was given specific instructions not to even think about taking a picture of Dakota while she was eating her dinner. Because tween, and that would just be SOOOO embarrassing.
After dinner, I get a half hour workout in before we have to go to the game. I typically workout in the mornings at the gym, but because I had client calls first thing I had to adjust. I totally despise working out at home because I don’t feel like I get into the mood outside of the gym and I don’t feel I get as good of a workout, but it’s better than nothing! I love workouts from Booya Fitness! They have all kinds of workouts and I can usually find something short and sweet to squeeze in.
I finish up and we’re off to softball. I drop Dakota up for warm ups and run back to Home Goods because the wreath I got was too small. Luckily they had a bigger size, so I snag that and run back to the field in time for the first pitch.
Remember when I said having two kids so far apart is hard because they’re at such different stages? Myla usually goes to bed around 7, and since Dakota’s games don’t usually start until 6:45 it can be rough. It’s important to me to be at every single game, so we push through, but that often means I’m running after Myla and trying to keep her from having a meltdown so I miss a lot of the game anyway! But at least Dakota knows we’re there and I hope that counts for something.
Luckily, Myla is in a pretty good mood today and is happy crawling around, ruining her pants. Another one bites the dust. I feel like I throw out 2 pairs of pants a week because my kid hates grass and insists on crawling on the sidewalk. She has little interest in walking and I’ll be grateful when she decides to do it because her poor little knees are looking rough (plus, I hate throwing out cute pants).
Dakota gets a few awesome hits and even steals a base! She’s really good at softball, but she doesn’t love it. She’s decided this is her last year and she’s looking forward to switching to golf once she’s finished softball!
We get home around 8:40 and run through Myla’s bedtime routine: bath, books, bed. Once she’s down Dakota and I snuggle up on the couch and chat about our day, and watch her new favorite sitcom, Imaginary Mary. She showers and hits the sack around 10:15.
Once the girls are in bed, I usually take a little time to tackle some random project around the house. I love finding old wooden chairs at the flea market to use in the kitchen (because they have a totally Fixer Upper type vibe and I’m obsessed with Chip and Joanna), and because one broke last week, I needed a new one. I found one over the weekend but need to spray it white to match. So I do that tonight.
It always amazes me how sweet my kids look when they’re sleeping. My mom says that when we would drive her crazy as kids, she would feel so badly at night looking at us asleep looking so peaceful knowing she lost her cool with us during the day. It must be a mom thing because I totally know what she means now.
I opt to get some reading in instead of turning on my computer and working. I recently joined a book club with some ladies in my moms group, which is SO fun because I’m a total bookworm. This month we’re reading The Girl Before, which is pretty good! I read a few chapters of that in bed until the iPad hits me in the face because I’ve fallen asleep reading, which is my signal to call it a night.
Most days, things are structured enough that they don’t feel completely overwhelming. I thrive on lists and order, so when I get lazy and don’t make plans things get totally chaotic. I do not do chaotic well, not even a little. So it’s important to me to stay organized and focus on the most important thing, which is my family.
I know being a working mom, whether you work from home or elsewhere, can be so hard. It’s like we have to wear so many different hats at all times, and being pulled in so many different directions can be exhausting.
I find the most important thing is to figure out what balance looks like to you, so you can design your life accordingly. I’ve put together this handy guide to figuring out what balance feels like to you (because everyone’s idea of balanced is different!), so you can start feeling more joyful and less overwhelmed. You can download it instantly, here!
Remember, you can be an amazing mom and still chase your dreams. It’s not easy, but it’s so very worth it.
About the author:
Kim is a business and branding strategist determined to empower mom’s to run successful, profitable businesses that are not only stress-free, but fun. She is passionate about finding ways to work smarter, not harder, so she can spend more time with her family. Kim is a self-proclaimed organizational queen that couldn’t live without Lip Smackers chap stick, fresh flowers or dark chocolate. Her true obsession lies in branding; she is every business owner’s biggest cheerleader!
Business and Branding Strategist at KimberlyHaydn.com, where hustle meets heart.
Kimberly HaydnThanks so much for having me, Blaire! It I as so fun documenting our day and doing it really made me more aware of how we spend our time!! ❤️❤️