The Day in the Life of Me – A Local Blogger

Today I want to tell you a little bit about my life as a blogger.  I started this blog with hopes of helping other local Utah County moms find things to do with their little ones.  The blog has changed me as a person but I only want it to change me for the better.  So with this blog post, I want you to see how normal my day actually is – I know a lot of people think I spend most of my day on the computer or on my phone on social media but it’s quite the opposite.  Even though I am a Utah blogger, I like to make sure my family comes first.

It was 2010, I had a 5-month old daughter, and I was looking for a very specific blog.  I didn’t want to just know the general events in Utah Valley, but I wanted to know the free events and activities in Utah County.  I wanted to know where I could find free food.  I wanted to know where I could take my 5-month old other than the mall or the park.  Community events and activities in Utah Valley are so important to me but I felt like I wasn’t getting the updates I needed.

So of course I complained to my husband and within 30 minutes, he had me all set up and running.  And I was off.  It was rocky at first and very on and off.  I had a job, plus my 5-month old, and was lacking sleep.

However, it’s been 5 years and I feel like I have a handle on life.  Currently I have a 4-year old and a 2-year old.  Family is important to me.  I try to not do any work things while my kids are awake and at home unless someone calls or texts me which is extremely rare.  I risk sleep to make sure that family stays number 1 in my life.  And as if I didn’t squeeze blogging into every spare second I have enough already, I also more recently decided to start Salt Lake Moms, United Moms Network, and help head Davis County Moms.

So here’s a day in the life of me – a local, family-friendly Utah blogger.  (Scroll down to the end to watch the video.)

3:30 am:  I wake up and have to use the restroom … and hopefully I go back to sleep because unless I keep my eyes almost all the way closed, I will probably think too much and not be able to go back to sleep (which is actually what happened this morning).

6:00 am:  I wake up, head downstairs, turn on the computer, and look at Facebook.  Then I think, “why am I on Facebook?! Get going!”  So I look at my list of to-do’s on my phone which is a compilation of ideas and events I’ve put onto my calendar to remind me to add them to the blog.  I quickly link to Utah Valley free activities and events and create posts about them if I don’t have much else to do.

6:30 am:  I pull up my email and go through it.  From the previous day, I have all of the important emails starred.  Hopefully I make it through my list.  Sometimes it’s requests for blog posts, sometimes it’s reminders of events, and sometimes it’s local businesses requesting to work with us.  I take care of the blog posts first.  By the time it’s 7:00 am, I try to make sure I’m wrapping up emails.

7:00 am:  My kids will be up any minute so I take 5 minutes and schedule my Facebook posts for the day.  Depending on what mood I’m in, I’ll either schedule them to end with “0” or “5” (like 7:00 or 8:25) or if I’m just hurrying, I’ll just choose random times.  But thank goodness for scheduling.  I don’t know how I’d get by on Facebook and Twitter without scheduling.

7:05 am:  If the kids still aren’t awake, I’ll spend a little more time on the blog.  It might just be editing, it might be seeing how I can better link posts or create new posts, or it might be pins.  But if I have nothing else that is urgent, exercise is next on the list.

My daughter usually wakes while I’m exercising and will sit and watch me exercise or she’ll run off and start doing crafts.

8:00 am:  Breakfast time – I don’t like eating cold cereal so we only eat cold cereal once (until the box is gone) every few months.  It’s problematic because it’s so easy to get them a bowl of cereal.  I just can’t stand to eat it very often.  So usually I’m stuck making them something or most of the year, we eat yogurt and fruits for breakfast with eggs.

8:30 am:  Getting the kids ready for the day and making sure we read some books.  Sometimes we’ll also clean during this time.  Depends on how grumpy I am – the grumpier I am, the more cleaning we do.

9:00 am:  Errands, exercise, or playing at home.

11:30 am:  We eat lunch.  Sometimes if I’ve seen my emails come through and I am stressed out about getting back with everyone, I’ll write some people back or check on blog things while the kids are eating but it usually consists of me making food for the kids while I plan out the rest of the day with them.  Sometimes I read to them if we’re not too pushed for time (if I read to them, they eat pretty slowly).

12:00 – 2:00 pm:  I have extra time from school and nap time for the kids.  If I happened to sleep in, this is the time I’ll work.  If I didn’t, I’ll respond to emails or do a little work if needed.  As I’m still adjusting to another blog and a half, usually I use this time to catch up with those blogs.  I email my sweet friend who is working on Davis County Moms if needed and I usually read through her posts as well … as a stalker and then think, is she better at this than me?  Usually concluding with yes, I head on to my next activity.

2:10 pm:  Notice how it’s 2:10 in the afternoon and I’m still not ready for the day?  Yeah, that’s because everyday around this time I finally make my way to the bathroom.  It’s embarrassing to go to errands, neighbors’ houses, into schools, etc not having cleaned up for the day but hey, at least the kids are alive and well.  For the next 10 minutes I’ll probably stand in the shower with my phone while catching up on favorite blogs, looking through Instagram, or reading the news.  Then I’ll realize it’s 2:20, I only have 20 minutes until I need to go pick up my daughter, and so I’ll quickly get ready with just enough time to drag the dog to her kennel where she’ll stay while I’m gone and then to pick up my sleeping son off his bed and quietly put him into his car seat.  If I don’t hit his head or slip down the stairs, I usually call it a good day.

3:05 pm:  I’m sitting in a line to pick up my daughter from school so I’ll check my email one more time.  It’s the last time I’ll probably check it until after the kids go to bed so it’s one last chance to get everyone written back.  I’ll also check Facebook.

3:30 – 5:00 pm:  Who knows.  Dance?  Errands?  Sitting on the front porch while watching my kids get pin worms and nearly fall out of trees?  Go on a run with the kids after they beg me for 5 minutes straight to take them on one (they actually like to run and I don’t so it’s a battle every time)?  Head over to a neighbor’s house?  Craft?  Chase the dog around the house?  It’s different everyday but one thing is for certain, I feel like I can finally celebrate because I basically made it through the day.  I’m at the home stretch before the husband comes home.  If they scream and cry, they can just read books in their room until he gets home because I’m good – I’ve made it.

5:00 – 6:15 pm:  Making and consuming dinner.  I’ll admit, sometimes I might check my social media while I’m waiting for things to heat up or cool down or cook.  But I refuse to work unless absolutely necessary.  Or I have nothing else to do.  The kids are great while I make dinner.  Once every week or two they might get to watch a television show or part of a movie while I make food but usually they play outside or run around the house chasing the dog and/or each other.

6:15 – 7:30 pm:  This is our family time.  We might go shopping, we might go to a local event, we might go out for ice cream, we might go do some service, or we might go to the park.  This is also different everyday but the main thing is that we’re together.

7:30 – 8:15 pm:  At some point during this time, on any regular day, we’re getting the kids ready for bed and into bed.  Some nights we stay out late but if we’re home, it’s time for bed.

8:15 pm – ?:  It depends on the day.  Friday nights are game nights for my husband and I.  We have to play a game (unless we don’t want to).  Tuesdays and Thursday nights are on-our-own nights which means that he does something he wants to do and I do something I want to do.  These are great nights for girls nights, catching up on “The Bachelor,” watching endless television shows on Netflix, or blogging.  I don’t like to push blogging on myself because as soon as I do, I don’t like blogging anymore.  But if I have a post or two I really need to finish or really want to finish, I’ll take those nights to kick some out and schedule them.  All of the other nights of the week are time for my husband and I to usually watch television shows together or have a date night.

And here’s the video of my very average day (note, this day didn’t happen quite the same as listed above but it’s pretty similar. Also, if you’ve ever received food from me, I promise I’m much cleaner and put up my hair to make your food!):

So what about all of those times I reply to a Facebook post?  Post to Instagram?  Pinning on Pinterest?  Starring emails?  Well, that my dears, is done while I’m in the bathroom or sneaking some self time in the corner of a room.  These moments don’t last long but I do cherish them.

This post is a series of bloggers talking about their days. Take a look.