Today: Minute by Minute

Today, I’m trying something a little out of the ordinary and giving you a glimpse at my day. I hope you enjoy!

7:00 am – The alarm on one of the boy’s tablets goes off. It’s quite. I barely hear it, but Dean gets up to turn it off, which is his usual weekday routine. He comes back to bed, and we both fall back asleep, fully expecting to sleep in this Saturday.

7:30 am – The bedroom door opens, and I hear a sleepy, “Mama?” as my three-year-old, Ezrah, makes his way to our bed. This is a common practice most mornings. With blankie and water cup in hand, he climbs into our bed and settles into the middle, right between Dean and I. I’m still half asleep — somewhere between complete sleep but with a hint of awareness of what he’s doing and where he is at. Once he’s settled in and snuggled in close to me, we both fall back asleep.

7:45 am – Like clockwork, or maybe it’s from being awakened twice already, I’m up and really craving a cup of coffee. Coffee is a non-negotiable in the mornings. I don’t drink a ton of it, but I always want a hot cup to accompany my devotion and morning writing time. Judah, my 9-year-old, is up. He’s snuggled into one of the leather chairs across from the woodstove, covered in a blanket, playing his tablet. After saying, “Good morning,” I go to make coffee then head into my office for a quick devotional time.

8:00 am – Today’s devotion is a quick one. Morning devotions are something I’m trying to prioritize in my life, but I’ve got a lot I want to get done today, so today’s will be short and sweet. I grab my Bible and journal, flip open to what I was reading last, which was on the power of words and using the tongue for good or evil, quickly skim my notes, and let the Spirit lead me where He will. Devotions always consist of reading the Word, prayer, journaling, and some meditation. It’s one of the best ways I know of to start my morning.

8:15 am – Time for some quick writing. I’ve got two main things I need to do today where writing is concerned. My daily blog writing (which is what I’m doing right now) and writing my Letters to Natural Mamas email that will be sent out tomorrow morning. Today’s blog writing — journaling my day — is an idea I got from another lifestyle blogger that I follow. I thought it sounded creative, challenging, and fun so I decided to give it a try. I’m sure it will not only benefit me, but it will help you get to know me in a more personal way. Creating community is a big part of blogging, and that is one of my main goals when it comes to why I write here at Growing Up Herbal.

8:30 am – All the boys are up so it’s time to make some breakfast. They all want bacon, eggs, and pancakes this morning which is typcial for a Saturday morning breakfast.

9:00 am – Now that breakfast is made and everyone is eating, it’s time for me to get ready for the day. We’re going to hit some antique shops in town this morning!

9:30 am – Breakfast is finished, dishes are in the sink, the table’s been wiped down, and we’re all dressed and ready to go. I skipped breakfast earlier but now I’m hungry so I’m making a quick blueberry muffin-in-a-mug for on the go.

12:00 pm – We’re back from antiquing. We found a centerpiece for our dining room table and some rustic coat racks for our mudroom. The boys are ready for lunch. I’m heating up some leftover soup from dinner last night for lunch. Dean is off to work at the shop for a bit. He’s working on some side work he’s doing for a company this weekend.

12:30 pm – I’m finally getting around to outlining my Letters to Natural Mamas email, but first, I’ve got to get the boys started on some school work that needs finishing. Since they go to a homeschool co-op on Mondays, we always have some school work that we end up needing to do on Saturdays.

1:00 pm – Time to put Ezrah down for a nap. While I’m away from the computer, I’m going to start a load of laundry. I’d like to get all the bedding washed today, if possible. I’m also going to quickly sort through the spring/summer clothes I bought for the boys this week and put those away. Right now, I have bags of clothes piled in my living room floor just waiting to be put into bins and stored back in the attic. I also need to sweep the floors and start the dishwasher. 

2:45 pm – The boys have finally finished with all of the school work for the day, and I’m almost done with chores. There are just a few changes of laundry to do, and then I’ll need to fold and put away all the clean clothes. Now, on to writing this email!

3:30 pm – Ezrah is up from his nap and the boys are asking for a snack. Time to take a break from writing and get some more chores done. The bathrooms need to be cleaned, the dishwasher needs to be emptied, and clothes need folded and put away.

5:30 pm – Whew! All the cleaning is finished. Now time to make dinner. We have a lot of leftovers from this week so we’re having a hodge-podge meal, as my mother-in-law calls it. All leftovers will be pulled out and prepped so everyone can pick and choose whatever they want for dinner.

6:30 pm – Dinner has been eaten and cleaned up, and the dishwasher has been reloaded. I have a friend that I haven’t seen in a while dropping by for a bit so I’m going to quickly make some peanut butter cookies to enjoy while she’s here.

8:30 pm – My friend just left. It was so nice to spend some time catching up with her! And yes, the peanut butter cookies were healthy and delicious! Everyone was a big fan of them. Now it’s time for a quick clean up before getting the boys ready for bed.

8:45 pm – The boys are in bed, and I’m back at the computer. Now to get to work on this email! I’m so behind!

9:30 pm – Dean is home from work, and as is our evening ritual, we’re off to watch a couple shows and relax together before heading to bed. It’s not looking like I’m going to get this email out like I thought I would. Bummer! I suppose that’s life, though. I’ll have to finish it tomorrow evening after church and send it out then.

So what about you? Did you do anything extra special today, or was today a day like every other day? Both are great, of course! I’d love to hear about it in the comment section below!