day in the life.

four-forty.

up and at'em!!  

my day starts about 4:40am when I am up and heading to camp gladiator.  finding time to get in my workout has been the toughest transition into having four kids.. especially when 3/4 of them aren't sleeping through the night.  early morning at 5am is the only really good time for me to get in about 60 minutes, but its also the time Brady is waking to eat.  there has been a handful of times that he's slept through until closer to 7am, but most mornings Jordan will feed him a bottle and I'll pump when I get home around 6am.

6am is when I hit the ground running.

I usually get my coffee and breakfast the moment I get home.. Im starving by the time I finish bootcamp and need something asap.  if Brady has eaten already I'll take this time to pump while I eat my breakfast and catch up on emails or style a handful of stitch fix clients.

I shower up, rarely wash my hair, and attempt to get myself "ready" in the morning. 

the babes slowly start to trickle in, usually Parker or Baker first.. then Jolie, and if Brady isn't awake already he's in the bathroom with me!

 I usually lay out the kid's clothes the night before.. even if we aren't going anywhere and its literally a tank top + yoga shorties, I have a plan for what they are going to be wearing for the day.  and then there are those days that their clothes sit on the floor of their room all day and we stay in our pj's instead:)

the twins are able to dress themselves and Baker, that sweet girl, really tries her best but ends up stuck in her shirt sleeve and with two legs in one side of her shorts.

I finish getting myself "ready".. usually just minimal makeup (foundation + bronzer are my lifelines) and if I didn't wash my hair I blow dry the dampness out from workout, tousle it with dry shampoo and touch up the curls with my flat iron.

seven thirty.

if it is a day that I am working, I throw on my scrubs and I hit the door.. but on a day that I am home (usually I have one or two days off during the week!) our days are literally filled from start to finish! 

 playtime happens all day long.  my house is a mess moments after the crew wakes..and I usually only pick up and organize after they are down for a nap or after dinner while the girls are winding down for the night. I've been trying to find fun things for the girls to do this summer that don't require me going out and spending a ton of money..and its so darn hot outside.  that sort of limits what we are able to do outside when I have an infant in tow.  

ten o'clock 

mornings usually consist of errands.. picking up groceries (I order online and pick up at the store.. seriously changed my life!), running to Costco or making quick shopping trips for whatever we need.  I end up putting together a list every week as the things come up of "things to do" and so my days off are FULL. I'll usually pack a lunch for all the girls and we eat on the go.  BUT I am not beyond a swing through the drive through for chicken nuggets for Parker, a jr. burger for Jo, and a grilled cheese for Baker. 

two-thirty

I try to make it home by early afternoon so that Baker can take a nap.  afternoon nap for Baker has fallen in line with Brady's long nap of the day (he takes one morning and one afternoon nap everyday) and even though the twins don't usually nap anymore, they have quiet time and color, watch a movie, or read books in their room.  

I'll usually take this time to style more stitch fix clients, blog ahead for the week, or catch up on emails. 

four o'clock 

::I'm on my way home from work if its a "work day" for me:: 

these warm afternoons of the summer are spent at the neighborhood pool, in the backyard on the patio with scooters + mini trikes.. and occasionally I pull out the blow up pool.  earlier this summer Jordan and Papa put together a swing set, so we spend a lot of time playing outside in the backyard.

six thirty

after a couple hours of playing its time for dinner.  I usually cook on the nights that Jordan is at home (not at the fire station or on shift at the hospital). I plan our meals the week before and create a mini meal plan schedule which helps me to make sure I have the ingredients on hand to cook a meal for the family.  on the nights that its just me and the kids dinner often looks like boxed mac + cheese or baked chicken nuggets or even breakfast for dinner.  we usually have left overs from the night before and Jolie is a big leftover eater but Parker and Bake aren't, so I kind of just make whatever sounds good to everyone at the time. 

seven fifteen 

the bed time hustle takes forever right now.  by the time I get everyone bathed.. usually I stick all three of the girls in the shower while I bathe Brady in the tub, its a solid forty five minutes before everyone is in their jammies.  on nights that Jordan is home we divide and conquer and he reads books to the girls while I feed Brady and get him down for the night.  when I am solo Brady just hangs out with us while I get the girls in bed.  getting them in bed first seems to be much easier on me than trying to get Brady in bed while they are still awake.. we play a game of in and out of his room and Brady never really seems to settle down enough to fall asleep and it takes forever!  

eight fifteen 

my goal is to have every one down before 8:30pm.  lately, since starting the sleep coupon + reward system with the girls, its been a much easier time of day. bedtime easily could be my most stressful time of the day. 

after the kiddos are in bed I usually hop back on the computer to finish my stitch fix clients, blog for the next morning or do absolutely nothing at.all.  I try really hard to be in bed before eleven, but sometimes its midnight or I get in bed when the kids are finally down because I'm completely whipped.. and then sometimes Brady wakes before I even get in bed at night and I'm up for another couple hours..

life is full these days. 

transition into having four babies hasn't been seamless, but we are managing. one thing that we've talked and prayed about for a couple years now is my staying home full time. I have about a 45 minute commute to the hospital in the morning and sometimes over an hour coming home. Jordan works about 35 minutes away from home.. the twins are starting kindergarten next year and being that far away from home sort of stresses me out.  about a year and a half ago the application for stitch fix fell in my lap and I feel like the Lord was laying ground work for me to be able to finally be home full time with the babies.  I didn't see it then but looking back it was clear as day the plan that He had for us.  after Jolie started struggling with health issues and Parker's anxiety hit an all time high the value in being home with my kids became most important than anything.  

that being said.. being a SAHM is freaking hard.  my days off with the kids can be EXHAUSTING and so I need ideas!  cheap ideas to keep these babies entertained! this is all new territory for me, so I need all the advice I can get! 

photography by: b faith photography