Day in the Life // One Month + Three Kids

Happy one month to Eden Rhys! I'm over four weeks in and still have very little idea how to manage everything. Instead, I feel like I've been along for the ride.

Here's a loose schedule of what my days are looking like lately.

7 AM -- Ada and Eloise wake up. Stephen heats up some instant oatmeal for them

7:15 AM -- Stephen leaves for work and I rush around getting any last-minute stuff for school (Ada) and preschool (Tuesdays/Thursdays for Eloise)

7:45 AM -- I tend to get Eden up for the day at this time unless she's already awake herself. Gives me time to change and nurse her before Ada gets on the bus. Also gives me time to get her ready if we're driving to preschool.

8 AM -- Ada's off to school

8:30 AM -- We're either home and I'm picking up the living room and kitchen or we're off to preschool and I'm running errands. This is where I sometimes and regretful that I signed Eloise up for anything. On one hand, it gives her something special to do when it would otherwise be difficult for me to take her places with the baby. On the other hand, it messes with the schedule and I don't really get much time out of it for myself. Oh, if we are home, I've been trying to prep dinner during this time. And by prep dinner, I mean toss a bunch of stuff in the crock pot.

9 AM -- Eden is taking her longest nap of the day. Hopefully. She naps really well for Stephen and not so much for me. But if all is good, she'll sleep 2 hours in her nursery in the MamaRoo while I check in on the video monitor. Eloise and I retreat to the basement to play.

11 AM -- Nurse Eden while Eloise watches TV. We hang out in the living room and I make Eloise a quick lunch. Usually a sandwich (PBJ or grilled cheese) and something quick for myself.

(((On preschool days, we leave the house around 11:15 to pick up Eloise.)))

12 PM -- Noon or so when it's about time for Eden to go down for another nap. Sometimes -- depending on the day -- this is later, more like 12:30. I love when this happens because I MIGHT have the opportunity for the girls to take simultaneous naps.

1 PM -- I take Eloise upstairs, we read a couple books and sing a couple songs. Then I cross my fingers that she'll nap. She's been OK about it lately, but we did hit a pretty bad patch in the last couple weeks where the nap was maybe 45 minutes to an hour at most. With a new nightlight, she'll tend to stay upstairs closer to two hours.

By the way: If I got the girls taking naps at the same time . . . I do absolutely nothing productive. I celebrate the small wins, right?

2-2:30 PM -- Eden wakes up somewhere in here and I nurse her. Then we hang out and wait for Eloise to wake.

3 PM -- Yay! Cross country season is over! Stephen can actually get home as early as 3 PM. Sometimes he'll stay and do his run after school. Other times, he'll come home right away and let me pass off the baby so I can get in a run. I've been sticking to just 3 miles until I have my 6-week appointment next week. It feels great to get out even in the cold weather.

4 PM -- Ada gets home from school. If I had gone running, Stephen will go out and get in his sweat session. I go through Ada's blue folder and school bag. I pack her lunch for the next day at this time. Eden may be sleeping around now. And Eloise is usually happy to play with Play Doh or paint.

5 PM -- Dinner for the girls. And lately for us. Generally, Stephen and I actually prefer to give the girls dinner earlier than we eat ourselves, but you'll see how our night shakes out and why this isn't necessarily working.

6 PM -- Family time. We've been enjoying fires in the fireplace. And generally hanging together. I'll be fully honest and say that this is the most chaotic time of the day. Ada and Eloise may be fighting. We may be trying to parent and having it not work very well. The baby is typically very cranky during this time. There's sometimes cluster feeding in here. I hate when that happens and may be crying a bit. There are baths in there some nights, too. Basically 6-7 is really hard right now.

7 PM -- Head to bed. We go upstairs with Ada and Eloise. Brush teeth. Read books (Stephen does Eloise, I do Ada with the baby, who is usually screaming). The goal is bedtime by around 7:30.

7:45 PM -- Usually feed Eden YET AGAIN. It drives me absolutely batty. But I know this period is relatively short, so I'm trying to stay cool about it. Right now we're having Eden sleep the first portion of the night in her MamaRoo in the living room while Stephen hangs/sleeps nearby. She had been doing a patter of four hours of sleep, three hours, and then another 2-3 hours. A couple nights ago she did a six-hour stretch! And then a seven-hour stretch the next night! Last night . . . it was a three-hour stretch. Sigh.

8 PM -- I go to bed upstairs. I have trouble sleeping with the baby in our room because of the constant noise. So, I head upstairs and try to get in as much sleep as I can. This is when Stephen and I used to eat dinner and talk. We haven't really had much time for that lately. Hopefully getting into a better nighttime routine within the next month that involves Eden sleeping upstairs in her nursery.

Feeding has generally been around midnight and then 4AM

So, that's the craziness that is life right now over here. Like I said, I crave routine and patterns . . . so the newborn days are hard for me. I'm looking forward to getting more and more into a schedule soon. Do any of you follow anything that works generally well for you? I know it's controversial, but a loose Babywise schedule actually did work well for us with Eloise. It was mostly the Eat, Play, Sleep pattern of it.

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Why We’re So Bad at Saving Money, etc.

I’ve been mulling over a lot since I last wrote about our budget and desire to get out of debt. At the time when I wrote, Stephen was still home for summer break, and I was basically milling my own grain to bake homemade bread daily, cooking up fresh batches of yogurt + cheese, and generally being a model homesteading mother. I love this stuff. It’s the stuff of my life that brings me a lot of happiness. As the pace of life has picked up (here's our day in the life) with the start of school and coaching season, however, I have had a lightbulb moment.

It won’t shock any of you. But I’ve realized WHY we are so horrible at saving money even when we have the best of intentions. When life is slow and time is, well, plentiful, we have lots of energy to expend. Energy equals dollars, quite honestly. When I have lots of energy, I’m able to keep my house clean, I’m able to cook homemade meals, I’m able to mix together all my own household cleaners. When I have more energy and time, I am able to think of more ways to save money.

Heck, I’m able to think, period.

When energy and time are taken out of the equations, that’s when convenience enters. Again, this isn’t mind-blowing by any means, but when you’re just surviving everyday life . . . it can be hard to pinpoint why exactly, say, you’re driving to get a bagel and coffee (and you don’t even like coffee) in a haze and then somehow also want to fork over $20 or more for takeout on a Wednesday evening. And then your mind is made up that you may never cook again.

Convenience has both good and bad connotations, doesn’t it? 

It means easy-breezy and comfortable. 

It also means waste (packaging, money, etc.) and laziness. 

What am I talking about? Well, packaged foods and beverages come to mind. Takeout and heat-up meals are another offender. Then there’s stuff like paper towels, which we actually have successfully broken the habit of using. Then there’s this grey area of just buying things -- no matter what they are -- in the moment because they’ll help you in some way. Perhaps this is my own emotional purchasing, but like buying a small toy because my kid won’t stop screaming due to teething, and I think it will help.

Where am I going with this?

OK. So, all this stuff costs money. Time equals energy to do things like making laundry detergent, baking bread, and generally being less wasteful. When I don’t have time, I spend lots of money for both practical and emotional reasons. And then it’s this vicious cycle that’s difficult if not impossible to break. Even harder because our society seems set up to drive us into consumerism by default.


So, how to combat this issue?

One thing would be to somehow get more time. Are you snickering? I am. I think all of us would love to find the magic that would provide this luxury. Getting up earlier has certainly given me more time, but I’m using that time for work and exercise right now. Alright, then there’s having more money. LOL again. How about getting more energy somehow? I know a lot of people drink coffee. I go in phases with the stuff. I’ve mentioned it before, but it actually gives me a headache, so I’ve tried tea . . . but it doesn’t give me much of a boost. I also don’t want to be dependent on some substance all the time.

In the absence of more time, money, and energy, I think all that’s left to do is to resist the urge to give in to all conveniences. Some, sure. But I think it’s a slippery slope once you get going. Or at least once I get going, it seems like one convenience leads to another. Resist is such a heavy word. It sounds difficult and laborious. And that’s exactly what it is. Beyond resisting, I suppose it's finding balance and also finding faster ways to do the things that will make all that homemade stuff more convenient.

I had written up a series a while back, Green in 15. I suppose I need to take a lesson from myself. As an aside, I’m sure you’ve realized by now that bloggers are no more expert at anything than you are. We just like to talk and take photos of things we often do for the first time and find groundbreaking. To be fair, there are plenty of things I’ve shared in this space that I’ve honed for years and years. But there are definitely a few I’m guilty of jumping the gun on sharing.

Back to my original thoughts:

A.) I can’t do it all. I need to give myself grace if I give in to things that make my life easier. Even if that means temporarily creating more waste and spending more money.

B.) Not everything has to take such a long time. Maybe there are even some smart hacks I could try on my old methods to make my favorite DIY stuff.

C.) I can look at one thing at a time. Maybe some weeks, I just need a clear goal. Like cooking all our meals at home could be first. It doesn’t have to be difficult. I could get back into batch cooking or freezer meals. After that, I could nudge myself out of the freezer aisle and stop buying more prepared foods at insane markups. The next week, I could try out a dry laundry soap recipe that takes less time than the one I mix together by boiling. Etc.

How do you deal with this situation in your everyday life? Have you triumphed over the time/energy trappings? I’ll be sure to report back on my progress. 

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Typical Day in the Life // Feeling Spent

I have to pause my planned content to share with you all that I am absolutely spent. Our lives seriously went from zero to 60 in a second flat, and I’m still gasping for air. There are times I wonder if I’m just deficient as a person. Am I lazy? Unmotivated? I see so many super moms getting everything done and looking good while doing it. Their kids are clean, well-fed, and they just seem to have it all together. I know images can be deceiving, though.

Regardless, we went from the luxury of all being home during the summer with really no plans (and I had scads of time to work uninterrupted during normal working hours) to being here, there, and everywhere. This schedule is our new normal, so we’ve got to get used to it somehow. I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but I’m learning.

// WEEKDAYS 

5:30 AM: Alarm goes off.

I immediately stretch to wake my body up and tiptoe downstairs to work on the computer. Working these days is writing for Healthline. I write clinical and lifestyle pieces of a variety of health topics. I love this job because the pieces have to be longish, well researched, and then reviewed by a medical professional. Anyway, today, I wrote an article about nyctophobia or fear of the night/dark. Sometimes I feel like I’ve written 1,500 words before I’ve woken up . . . as if I was in some weird zombie-like state.

On days I don’t have work, I try to get out and run ASAP. PS: I HATE running in the morning. I feel sluggish and tired . . . and I’ve just always been an evening runner by preference. But I’d rather run than not run, and this is often when I get the time. It’s just random which weeks I have lots of work, which weeks I don’t, and which it’s a mix. I have toyed with getting up at 5:00 AM, but I need to first get used to 5:30 and possibly shifting my bedtime. Sleep is weird these days, but I’ll explain that more later.

6:45-7:00 AM: Ada is usually waking up during this time. 

I try to get as much done as I can by 7 before I start turning the focus on her. We pick out her outfit, get dressed, brush hair, eat breakfast, pack her lunch, and I also just like to spend a bit of time with her before she’s gone from 8AM - 4PM each day. While she was done during this time slot last year as well, I still haven’t gotten used to seeing her so little during the week.

7:15 AM: Stephen leaves for work. Though last week he was leaving closer to 6:45.


7:30-7:45 AM: Eloise wakes for the day somewhere in this window. I get her up, changed, dressed, and give her a bit of a snack before we rush outside to wait for the bus.

8:00 9:00 AM: Bus leaves at 8:04. Eloise and I go inside to eat our breakfast together. 

She’s a slow eater and I also try to get stuff done while she’s in the high chair. I don’t think she’s actually in there for an hour, but it seems like we’re always done with breakfast/etc. by around 9AM.

9:00 - 10:00 AM: Run errands/get groceries/etc. 

Usually I need to run to the post office to ship out something for Poshmark, or I try to get us to the library to check out a few books. We’ll have a library reading hour coming up later in the month on Thursdays. If there’s nothing specific we need to get done in a day, we’ll take a walk or clean up the house a bit or just play. I may try going back to once-a-month grocery shopping to cut out the need to hit the store each week.


10:00 - 12:00 PM: Nap . . . I laugh. 

Eloise was consistently napping for two hours during this time. Now? Not so much. Something’s been going on lately with sleep (and I know these things go in cycles, so I’m not freaking out). She’s waking many times throughout the nights. Morning and afternoon naps are crap or amazing, and switching to just one nap was a disaster. So, we’re in a transition. As I type this it’s 11:15 and she’s waking up. I can’t complain. She slept for over an hour. It’s just hard to do what I would like and/or need to do.

Because usually during this time I would be able to finish freelance work or write for the blog or list items for Poshmark. If I wasn’t doing that stuff, I’d try to sneak in my workout for the day. Now, it’s a free-for-all, get as much done before she wakes. And usually when she wakes, she’s quite cranky. This, too, shall pass.

12:00 - 1:00 PM: Lunch time. 

Again, she’s not always in the high chair for this long, but I try to cook or clean while she’s eating and maybe watching some Daniel Tiger. I eat, too. I should do a post on the meals we eat most frequently. I feel like I cover dinner, but not breakfasts and lunches as much.

1:00 - 3:00 PM: This is a random slot of time. 

Sometimes this shifts if Eloise didn’t nap in the morning. Sometimes my parents come up during the week from PA to visit. Other times, I’ll have a play-date or friend-date scheduled. Other times, more errands and/or cleaning, which is proving futile with a toddler running around and climbing the dining room table.

I’m keeping it loose because I know once we go down to one nap that this is probably when she’ll be sleeping. Oh, this is also the slot of time that’s best to try to go to the children’s museum. We have a membership and it opens too late to go in the morning.

3:00 - 4:00 PM: Eloise attempts an afternoon nap. 

I try to get a breath, check emails, and just sit for like half an hour before Ada gets home. Occasionally I will have to finish more work from earlier if naps got in the way of finishing for a deadline.


3:45 PM: Ada’s home from school. 

I spend as much time with her alone as possible before Eloise wakes up. Then we all play together for an hour or so before dinner.

5:00 PM: I start/finish dinner. 

Ada is usually watching television in the living room (we originally got rid of the TV in this space, but it’s been helpful -- I’ll write more sometime). Stephen gets home anywhere between 5:15 and 6:00 PM. It’s much better during XC season than track season. With track, he has frequent meets during the week and may be home as late as 9PM sometimes.

It’s hard to plan family dinner as a result. Also: On Tuesdays we have gymnastics at 5PM. We have family dinner maybe 2-3 times during the work week. Otherwise, the girls eat and Stephen and I eat after bedtime. I resist signing up for too many activities for Ada’s sake (overtired) and my own sanity. I think one class is enough at this age. In a couple years we may add something like piano lessons.

6:00 - 7:00 PM: Daddy + daughter time.

Generally this is my only real guaranteed hour off for the day. The rest is a crap-shoot despite hot organized it may seem. Nothing ever really goes as planned, so I’m often scrambling.

Stephen spends time with both girls during this hour playing outside, taking a walk, or hanging in the living room playing guitar while they run around. I run if I didn’t have other time to exercise during the day. Sometimes we all take a walk together, get ice cream, or do something else as a family. Sometimes the house is such a disaster that I spend the whole time speed-cleaning.

7:00 - 7:30 PM: Baths, stories, bedtime. 

I think I’d like to start prepping for the next day more during this time slot. It’d make the mornings easier to pack lunch, set out clothes for school, etc.

7:30 - 8:00 PM: Stephen puts Ada to bed. I nurse Eloise to sleep.

8:00 - 10:00 PM: Adult time.

Stephen and I eat dinner if we didn’t have family dinner. We watch television, chat, or just generally zone out. Both of us are usually spent by this time of day. So, while I’d like to become more mindful of screen time and spending quality time together -- getting used to this routine is kicking my butt. So, if that means I watch YouTube, so be it!

10:30 PM: Lights out.

I try to get to bed by this time each night. But I’m finding that I’m very tired with how little Eloise is sleeping. I may try shifting this back to 10PM.

// WEEKENDS

This schedule is much the same on Saturdays, as Stephen is away at meets. But Ada is home all day, so any of the nap times are spent with her doing crafts, reading books, playing outdoors, going to birthday parties, or watching movies. We pick up our farm share several towns away, and this is a nice morning activity. Stephen leaves before 7AM and gets home between 3PM and 6PM from meets. There are a few that are away where he’ll be gone one or two nights as well. I have a goal to go to some of the home meets with the girls.

I’ll be honest that having a frantic week schedule and then waking up on Saturdays to solo parent again can be frustrating. I am thankful that Stephen has taken on additional responsibilities/gigs to make this WAHM thing work. It means I can take on slightly less work than I used to, which is essential now with two kids . . . no relatives who live nearby for child care and no real guaranteed work time.

Sundays we try to do basically nothing. Or just something very low key. On weekends, Stephen and I try to give each other some solo time to go out. We’ll take turns going to the movies (we both want to see IT this weekend). Or maybe seeing a friend, etc.

// Thoughts

So, that’s my typical day-in-the life. I am sure I am missing something or haven’t completely described a time slot . . . but I think you get it. I don’t feel like our days are any more busy than anyone else’s.

But I’ll be honest that sometimes I wish I could either just be a SAHM or a working mom. WAHM isn’t necessarily the best of both worlds. It’s just another world. With staying at home and not working, I feel like I could get a better handle on my household and have more focus -- be more present in what I am doing versus always feeling so frenzied. With working, I feel like I could focus better on my job tasks and carve out more sanity by feeling better organized.

What I’ve discovered through chatting with friends, though, is that there’s really no perfect life. We all do the best we can. And even those moms who seem to have it all together are struggling just as much as the rest of us!

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Day in the Life

It's been a long time since I've done a day-in-the-life post. That's probably because once we got into a good routine with Ada, we were on that same schedule for, like, years. When Eloise came into the picture, we had a rocky time getting used to the newborn craziness. It had been so long since we didn't know what to expect . . . and no two days were the same.

Now that Eloise is three months old, her schedule has ironed itself out on its own. I remember this happening with Ada. It's not like I have delusions that each and every day will be this way, but things have generally been taking the following pattern (on weekdays, at least):

6:00 AM: If Eloise hasn't woken on her own, I pull her in bed to feed her. She typically wakes naturally sometime between 6-6:30 and goes back down very easily -- knock on wood.

6:30 AM: By waking her, that means I can get up and out to go running before Stephen leaves for work shortly after 7. I can usually fit in a 3-5 mile run, which I do three times during the work week. The other two days, I use this early morning time to check emails and do a little freelance work.

7:15 AM: I get Ada up and start getting her ready for school. We do bath/shower routines at night, so it's just getting an outfit, doing her hair, eating breakfast, and getting in a little snuggle time.

8:00 AM: We go outside to wait for the bus. Then she's off until almost 4PM.

8:10 AM: Eloise usually sleeps again until around 8:15-8:30, so I use the time between the bus and then to read online or eat breakfast.

8:30 AM: Nurse Eloise again, get her dressed for the day, play just a bit, and then I take a short shower. By the time all of that is done, she's getting a bit cranky again.

9:30 AM: Eloise goes down for her morning nap. So far, it's been around 1-2 hours long. She's sleeping in her swing in the nursery with a video monitor trained on her every move (because I don't love that she's in the swing. We'll need to break this sooner rather than later. She's in her Rock 'n Play at night.).

9:30-11:30 AM: I usually use the majority of this time to do freelance and blog work. The last half hour, I like to see if I can sneak in some kind of mini-workout, like 20-30 minutes of Barre, yoga, kettlebells, or whatever else doesn't drench me in sweat (and that's another reason I love wearing leggings everyday, btw). If for some reason I missed my morning run, I'll do the treadmill.

11:30 AM: Eloise wakes again to nurse. I take her around the house with me and tidy up a bit. I'm not in a good housekeeping or cooking rhythm yet . . . but we do a bit of laundry, tidying up, and I may start making something for dinner.

1:00 PM: I've been trying to go out for the mid-day nap lately. It usually only last around an hour. So, I'll run things to the post office, get groceries, etc. I'll wear Eloise so she can snooze on the go. She fights sleeping while we're out. For a while, I felt really self-conscious when she would start crying, but she seems to settle after 10 minutes of general fuss. I think it's important to not have all her naps in her room in the dark.

2-3:00 PM: Depending on what happened that day (if we went out/not, how long the nap was, etc.), Eloise will either nurse two or three hours after her last feed. I'll try to watch her for signs of being hungry. Sometimes I really can't tell, so I just make sure it's within a 3-hour window.

3:45 PM: Eloise may be going down for another nap at this point or not quite yet. Either way, I need to wait for Ada to get home on the bus. So, sometimes I wear her while we wait. Sometimes, she's up for a nap.

4:00 PM: When Ada gets home, I really try to get Eloise down for that nap because it's my big chunk of time with my big girl. I know we won't always have uninterrupted hours -- but it's been important to me to try and spend some undivided attention time with Ada each day. We'll usually play outdoors with chalk or on the swing set. We'll go through her backpack and look at the stuff she did at school that day. We'll read books, etc. This is Ada-hour, basically.

5:00 PM: I'm usually nursing again sometime between 5:00-5:30, but I also try to get stuff ready for dinner while Ada watches a show on the iPad.

5:45 PM: Stephen gets home from work/coaching and we eat family dinner.

7:00 PM: Lately, we've been taking a short 15-20 minute drive each night as a way to decompress as a family. Eloise should be taking some sort of catnap in the evenings, but she can't seem to do it unless we're in the car. (So, otherwise, she's crying at the house.) We drive up near a few farms to let Ada check out the animals, admire the sunset, and sometimes we'll even get ice cream.

7:30 PM: Bath/shower time for both girls. Stephen usually gives Eloise the bath (Ada and I both help at the start because Ada loves helping.) I get Ada all ready, Stephen gets Eloise all ready . . . and then we switch off. I nurse Eloise usually sometime around 7:45 -- she takes her time with this feed, so I don't get downstairs until like 8:20-8:30.

8:30 - 10:30 PM: Thankfully, this has mostly been adult time lately. Obviously, sleep changes as the stages go, so I hope I'm not jinxing myself . . . but we can usually get in a couple hours of time to decompress. We mostly watch TV these days because we're tired from starting this new routine versus the summer. Eventually, I'd like to be doing sometime like cross-stitching or knitting. And I also use this time as work-overflow if I have pressing deadlines.

12:00 AM - 4:00 AM: At some point during the night in this window of time, Eloise will nurse again. She had been going all the way to 4AM most days . . . but lately, it's been at midnight or 1AM. I feel fortunate it's only been once a night, but I know the 4-month sleep regression is coming!

* As you might notice, there's not a lot of work time in my days. For the most part, I'm trying to shift my assignments to weekends. I didn't work when Ada was an infant until she was closer to 7 months old. But this is a whole different post for another day.

HAPPY FRIDAY!

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6/52: Day In The Life

Happy early Valentine’s Day! Stephen is off from work -- again -- today due to the wind chills. I guess they’ll dip as low as 40 degrees below zero between now and Monday. I don’t know. I like winter, but this is getting a bit much. And we signed Ada up for three mornings a week at preschool back in December . . . but I swear they’ve only had a week or two when school wasn’t canceled for some reason.

Anyway, we skipped the photo project last week, but I actually caught a great snapshot over on my Instagram account. This week, I took a different approach and filmed a day in the life piece for you guys. I love watching videos like these! It’s been a really long time since I’ve shared what we do on a daily basis, and I worked hard to edit this down to the right size for uploading, so some stuff is missing.

Does this look like your day?



Stay safe and warm, friends. And if you live where it’s warm, enjoy. I’m still kicking this cold, but I have a ton of stuff planned for next week. I may hop on here tomorrow with the Weekend Things post, since I meant to do that one today (this video was slated for yesterday -- but it wouldn’t upload!).

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

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Terrible Tuesday

MY KITCHEN.

Full disclosure: This photo is from days ago, but it looks very much the same on this sunny Tuesday afternoon. What that means is good stuff for you all, but we have loads of dishes to do by hand and in the washer tonight. It doesn't help that I have a bad habit of getting a new water glass every time I get up.

We all have our quirks, right?

I had planned to share with you a roasted sweet potato + black bean burger recipe today. Someone (cough, cough) ate the last one before I got the chance to photograph it. You may think I'm referring to Stephen in a coy way there, but I am -- in fact -- referring to myself.

So, I'll post the recipe tomorrow with lovely photos because I'm making these burgers AGAIN tonight. They are seriously that good. For now, here's the pre-cooked view of all the black beans + roasted sweet potatoes + walnuts + oats + spices and even more healthy, hearty deliciousness.

I think they'd be great for freezing, too. Double quadruple batch maybe? I'll try to throw in a dessert for making you wait, too.


I wrote about my weird lightheadedness issues yesterday. I feel totally normal besides having these strange moments of cloudy funk. However, the soonest I could get an appointment with a new GP was the 24th, so I decided the whole thing warranted a trip to the walk-in clinic. I hate feeling sick, weak, and otherwise shut-in -- especially when the cause isn't clear-cut.

Everyone was encouraged to wear a mask due to the recent flu issues around the area. (Making my best crazy eyes face there.)


In the end, my issue isn't sinus or ear-related. The doctor suspects anemia. I got three deep red viles of blood taken and should get the results tomorrow. I used to hate having my blood taken, but after enduring the 3-hour glucose test during my pregnancy -- it's a piece of cake. Fingers crossed we'll figure it out soon and/or the feeling will just stop.

I am ready to be back to my old self, please. Ready, too, to get out there and run some of the Freeze 10K series that I am dearly, dearly missing in all this madness.

Maybe this isn't such a terrible Tuesday after all. Just a busy and somewhat uncomfortable one. I've written over on Writing Chapter Three how I feel totally enthused to make 2013 the best year yet. I am hoping it's infectious, if you need some spunk.

Enjoy your afternoon! And if you're also on Day 3 of the Sourdough Experiment, don't forget to feed your starter!!!

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Newton's First Law and Tiramisu Oatmeal Bake

I gave myself the morning off. We had both accidentally slept in until 6:30 AM anyway, so it was the perfect excuse to take things somewhat slower than usual. You see, this past month has been exhausting. Normally, it's quite insane. But with PT added to the mix . . . I can't catch up.

Newton's First Law: A body in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an outside force.

I guess this morning, that outside force was my alarm clock. It didn't go off. Now, some of you were wondering what a typical day-in-the-life looks like for me right now. Here it is . . . in excruciating detail:

• Wake up between 5:30 AM and 6:00 AM.
• Bike at home for 30 min to an hour. Or aqua jogging at the Y.
• Shower and get ready from 6:45 AM to 7:15 AM.
• Eat breakfast, prepare lunch, and scramble to leave the house by 7:45 AM.
• PT from 8:00 AM to 9:15M.
• Rush to work. Stay until lunch around 1:00 PM.
• Errands (bank/post office/x-mas shopping/blogging) during lunch break.
• Stuff down a sandwich at my desk while answering voice mail and email.
• At work till 5:00 PM.
• Gym by 5:15 PM. Home by 6:45 PM.
• Shower. Make dinner. On the couch eating by 7:30 PM.
• Baking and blogging and TV time until 9:30 PM.
• Random before-bed stuff (cleaning, cat duty, etc.) until 10:00 PM.
• Bed by 10:30 PM.

Something's gotta give. Eventually. Or I may pass out someday. Someday soon. (I'm being completely serious!) I think I may need to modify my workout routine. When I was marathon training, a single run could suffice for my daily workout. I could get fit it in one big chunk of time. Now, I don't exercise at the same intensity, and I'm left feeling restless. But working out is taking up SO much time!

And two showers a day? Ugh. My skin is begging with me to change. Or buy a new moisturizer.

(Also: No, mom. I'm not addicted to exercise. Mostly, my schedule is a little gym-heavy because I'm trying to keep some of my endurance . . . and check to see if my knee is cooperating with running. So, sometimes I get two solid workouts a day. Most times, only one. I stretch and do my PT exercises when my knee hurts. And I take off two days per week.)


A.n.y.w.a.y. I gave myself the morning off. And it was glorious. I took a long shower. I took time blow-drying my hair. Using hairspray to keep a style! Putting on makeup -- eyeliner and all!

Then, I cooked breakfast in our sunny, bright kitchen.


TIRAMISU OATMEAL BAKE FOR TWO
(Printer-friendly version!!!)

What you'll need . . .

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1 large banana
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1 tablespoon coconut flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Method . . .

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. In the meantime, take the rolled oats, 1/4 cup water, and 1/2 cup almond milk. Mix together and cook in the microwave for around 5 minutes.
2. Slice a large banana into coins and set on a cookie sheet lined with tin foil. Spritzed with a bit of canola oil.
3. Mix together the cocoa powder, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then shake the mixture over the bananas and use a fork to poke into each and press into the powder to coat well. Set in the oven for three minutes.
4. When the oats are done cooking, pour in the extra 1/4 cup almond milk and the coconut flour. Stir in the vanilla and baking powder.
5. Remove banana slices from the oven. Save four to six of the coins for after the bake. But take the rest and mix into the oats.
6. Lightly grease two ramekins. Divide mixture evenly between them. Then bake for 10 minutes.
7. Turn on the broiler and broil for 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Top with the remaining banana coins. Sprinkle a bit more cocoa powder on top for extra deliciousness.

No. The oats don't taste exactly like tiramisu. So, don't be disappointed. The cocoa-covered bananas, though, do remind me of that amazing Italian dessert. Plus, the whole thing is so warm -- incredible on a day when the temps are in the 20-degree range.

YUM! Check out that steam!


How do you cope with a fuller than full schedule? Do you map out your time? Do you sacrifice any certain activities? For us -- we often leave cleaning for the weekends (boo -- because that's supposed to be our time!). So, our house is seriously messy mid-week. Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

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Reflections on the Life of My Stomach

Some of you may remember when I invited you all to live a couple days in the life of my stomach. If not, you can get caught up by checking out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7, and Day 8. But it's been a few weeks, so I thought it was time to check in and comment on a few things about how it went for me.

• Something cool: It was incredibly interesting to keep a food diary. It's something I hadn't really done before -- and even the few times I had written down my daily intake, I never took photos. What the picture taking did was make me pay more attention to (and visualize) portion size. I could eat for days without stopping, so knowing exactly what a 1/4 cup of nuts looks like . . . or a 2 tablespoon serving of peanut butter, etc. was certainly enlightening.
• Something not-so cool: Though I think it's good to be aware of portion size, I became slightly crazy about measuring my foods. I became ever-more conscious of the number of calories I was eating. Again, I think it's good to know in general . . . but I've remained the same weight (within a 5 pound range) for the past several years without knowing. Without stressing. Even now -- weeks later -- I find myself paying more attention than I feel I really need to.
• Something cool: I found some go-to meals that I know are nutritious and tasty. They take little time to make, too. For example, whole wheat English muffins are a new best friend. They can be used for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They can be topped with green hummus and cheese or chocolate and bananas. Sweet potatoes can be microwaved and topped with cheese and garbanzo beans can be combined with coconut milk for a healthy and easy at-work lunch. I like having easy meals fresh in my mind -- I never go hungry.
• Something not-so cool: I feel that the whole photo diary thing is a great tool. However, it's not realistic for long-term practice. I can't lug my DSLR and upload photos of every single meal I eat every single day. Not that I would, but I know some people find keeping a daily food diary extremely useful. It's also a method that is pretty disruptive to the whole meal time thing. Stephen wasn't a fan. So, for the long-term, the online food diary is not something I can (or want to) regularly maintain.
• Something cool: Through taking photos of my meals, I didn't only gain the knowledge of how much I was eating. I gained the knowledge of what kinds of foods I was eating. Whether or not I was in balance. Some days I did really well. Others, I was somewhat bread and nut-butter heavy. Even now, I carry with me a mental camera and each day I try to make sure I'm getting a good distribution of carbohydrates, protein, fat, etc. It's hard work, but I can feel the difference (more energy, zest for life) on days when I eat particularly well.

So, those are just a few reflections on the whole adventure for you all. Another good thing to keep in mind is that I didn't drop back and eat only the "best" foods for you all. I still had a hefty portion of pizza, beer, and ice cream. I developed a rather sinful double chocolate granola bar recipe -- and I enjoyed it again and again and again. I also learned that some things can be made with less sugar and still taste divine, just like the red zinger lemonade we stirred up one hot afternoon.


I've also been re-thinking my diet lately. (And on this blog when we say "diet" we mean way of eating, not way of restricting.) I'm becoming less vegan and more vegetarian. I eat eggs more frequently now because I can feel an increase in energy and fullness when I do. I started eating greek yogurt with fruit for breakfast. Previously, I stayed away from eggs and most dairy. But what I am finding is that with my demanding marathong training schedule, these foods help keep me powered.


I like thinking of my diet as a fluid thing rather than a strict, rules-bound way of living. What it takes to be healthy is different for you and me. So, it's important to remember that always. It's also important to just let go every now and again. Enjoy food. Enjoy life. And now we can all enjoy summer!

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Day in the Life of My Stomach: Chocolate for Breakfast

What did I eat yesterday? You won't see most of it, unfortunately. I got incredibly lazy with photography. Sorry about that. But, as you've likely noticed, I eat similar foods from day to day. So, for breakfast, I ate this amazing chocolate-topped English muffin with bananas. For lunch, I had Greek Festival food (a special event in the area) -- a hearty helping of spanakopita (spinach pie) and honey puffs (basically donut holes with honey and cinnamon). A high calorie middle-of-the-day meal, but the festival comes but once a year! For dinner, I had a smaller version of Wednesday's swiss-spinach-tomato sandwich on rosemary salt bread. For dessert I ate some dark chocolate almond spread. I also had a very watered down version of our new favorite -- Red Zinger lemonade.

Instead of focusing so much on EVERYTHING I ate, I thought I'd, instead, focus on my favorite eat of the day. Breakfast. I think I'm loving breakfast so much because Ashley over at Edible Perspective keeps tempting me with all kinds of delicious recipes. It inspires me to get creative -- even before my brain is fully functioning in the morning. Thanks, Ashley!

What you'll need . . .

• 1 English muffin (whole wheat)
• 1 medium to large banana
• 1 tablespoon almond butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Method . . .

1. Toast your English muffin.
2. Take 1/2 of the banana and mash or food process it together with the almond butter and cocoa powder. Spread atop the muffin.
3. Slice the rest of the banana and place atop the chocolate-y mixture.

Feel free to get a healthy dose of chocolate in the morning by adding a heaping tablespoon of cocoa powder to pretty much anything that will take it. Peanut butter. Smoothies. Banana mash. There are a million uses. I like the taste because it isn't too sweet. And get this -- a tablespoon of cocoa powder is only 10 calories! How GREAT is that?


Also, don't forget to enter our giveaway. You could win a $50 shopping spree at iHerb.com! And if you'd like to get caught up on the life of my stomach, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, and Day 7.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

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Day in the Life of My Stomach

No, I didn't eat KFC. That's just crazy. Kidding aside, this food diary is hard work, people! Having to lug my camera around all day is something I'm used to. Taking photos of certain foods I eat is something I'm used to. But EVERYTHING? I mean, how many photos can I take of apples and carrots? I've definitely hit my threshold. But, I still have a couple more days left showing you all what I eat.

What I've gained most from this little adventure is awareness. I'll take away a heightened awareness of how much I need to eat versus how much I want to eat. Distinguishing between the two is difficult.

Here's the day in pictures . . .


And here's the breakdown . . .

• BREAKFAST: Banana scramble sandwich (with 1 tablespoon of peanut butter mixed into the banana) with peanut butter.
• SNACK: Apple.
• LUNCH: Microwaved sweet potato with zucchini mash and cheese.
• SNACK: Carrots.
• PRE-DINNER: Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.
• DINNER: Swiss, spinach, tomato, and mustard on toasted rosemary salt bread.
• DESSERT: Coconut ice cream -- the best kind -- with cookie dough in it.

Overall, I'm happy with what I ate and the energy it gave me to power through the day (which included a HOT commute to/from work via bike). We waited until almost 8PM to eat dinner, though, and by then my stomach was screaming for BREAD. So, that's just what we got. Not the best kind to munch on -- the whitest of the white. However, a nice treat.

Everyone's been asking about these microwave sweet potatoes. I got the idea from Katie over at Healthy Tipping Point. She described the microwave sweet potato as the "ultimate healthy travel food." And since I'm basically eating an on-the-go lunch every day I'm at work, this translates into the ultimate work food, too.

It's easy, really. Just scrub a medium sweet potato to get all the grime off. Stab it with a fork or knife a few times to allow the steam to escape. Then set on a microwave safe dish (plate of some sort) and microwave on high for between 5 and 6 minutes. When the time is up, carefully remove from the microwave, slice in half, and mash.

I've made this very thing for lunch for days now. Just look!




I like to cover mine with a healthy serving of pepper-jack cheese. And yesterday I even topped it with a zucchini concoction that was simply 1/2 a zucchini processed with 1 tablespoon tahini (I made it before work). Then I topped it with the cheese, put back in the microwave for another minute or so, and enjoyed a "loaded" healthy-comfort food lunch made at lightening speed.

What else can you do with microwaved sweet potatoes? You'll have to check back later today to find out! While you wait, I'd love to hear what you're favorite on-the-go lunch is. Do you have something so incredibly irresistible, healthy, and sustaining that you just simply can't go without it? Let us know! Just leave a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Also, don't forget to enter our giveaway. You could win a $50 shopping spree at iHerb.com! And if you'd like to get caught up on the life of my stomach, check out Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, and Day 6.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

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