A Monday in September

This post is #16 in my September Writing Project. Details are here.

Prompt: Write a day-in-the-life post.

I wish I had a more exciting day to share in such detail, but most of our weekdays aren’t filled with adventure or intrigue. Here’s a look at Monday, September 16.

Getting Started

5:45 “Need you, Mommy!” This is my son’s most commonly used phrase right now. Sometimes he says it jokingly with an impish grin on his face. And the sometimes, he shrieks it as though he’s terrified. That was today. I ran into his room, scooped him up, and settled into the armchair in his room to snuggle for awhile. I was hoping he’d fall asleep again. Nope.

6:15 Dude was restless in the chair. T had already left for work and Bean was asleep in our bed. I took Dude into our room, laid him down next to her and headed to the bathroom to get ready for work. Just kidding. I calculated in my head that I could lay down for about 12 more minutes so I did that instead.

6:45 Everyone’s up. I’m straightening my hair and telling Bean to put on her jumper and stopping Dude from making a mess. By 7:15, we’re all downstairs. The kiddos eat breakfast while I pack up my work bag. I am terrible about doing this the night before and I don’t know why. 

7:30 T’s mom arrives. She watches the kids three days a week and I’m honest-to-goodness not sure what we would do without her. A few minutes later, Bean and I are on our way to school. A recent development in school drop-off is that she no longer has me or T walk her to the classroom. We take her to the parking lot crosswalk and she runs the rest of the way on her own or with friends. (We can see her the entire time and there are tons of teachers and other kids around.) It’s an adjustment, at least it is for me.

8:15 I get to my parking garage. My podcast has 4 minutes left so I sit and listen to it while scrolling Instagram and debating lipstick. I pass because it leaves marks on my coffee mug… which I now realize I’ve left at home. Lipstick goes on and I head into the building.

8:30 I start clearing out my inbox. I wasn’t on-call over the weekend so there’s not too much waiting for me to clean up. I skim a few news briefings and then I then grab 45 minutes with our team’s visual design expert to talk about a possible project. Before long, it’s 10:00 and time for our editorial meeting.

10:30 I can’t put it off any longer. I start looking at the budget. I don’t love managing the department budget, but I can concede that I’ve learned SO MUCH by doing so. 

11:30 My lipstick has worn off and the caffeine-deprivation headache has arrived. Down to the cafe for a macchiato. It’s so good. Back to work.

Moving Ahead

1:00 I’m finally hungry so I zap my lunch and eat leftovers while browsing real estate listings. I always do this for fun, but my dad has recently mentioned that he might be ready to downsize to a condo, so I’m keeping an eye out for good options. 

1:30 Back to work. I have a bunch of small things that have been languishing on my to-do list for awhile and no pressing deadlines for anything else so I decide to tackle the list. It takes the rest of the afternoon, but I get 8 things checked off my list and my inbox is down to 12, so I feel good about it.

5:00 Time to head home. I text T to confirm he’s picking up dinner with the kids. Our daughter’s school is having one of those fundraisers at Chipotle where they donate a portion of whatever you buy back to the school. I am always happy to support our school, but ESPECIALLY when it’s a fundraiser involving food. By the time I get home at 5:30, there’s an enormous burrito bowl waiting on the table for me. I scarf it down and then shout to Bean that we’ve got to get ready and go.

6:00 Bean and I arrive at her dance studio. This is her fourth year taking classes and she still seems to enjoy it. My favorite part is the last 5 minutes of class when they let the parents come in to watch. Given that it’s only week #2, it was an adorable disaster. I spend the hour reading Busy Philipps’ memoir This Will Only Hurt A Little.

Winding Down

7:30 We get home and it’s clear the kids are DONE for the day. I had hoped to sneak downtown for the last hour of the Girlboss Events mixer, but it’s not going to happen. I am very particular about the kids’ schedules, especially where their sleep is concerned. I get Bean in bed while T puts Dude to sleep.

9:00 On the couch with T watching season 5 of Schitt’s Creek with a cupcake and a beer. We’re so into this show. We get through three episodes before the day ends just as it began—“Need you Mommy!” We head upstairs and end up putting Dude in our bed. It isn’t long before Bean is in there too. It is crowded and every time I move I get kicked or nudged. I wake up a few times with a child sleeping on my neck. 

But it is wonderful.