8:47pm.
It’s not quite the end of the day, but we can feel it nearing. And my best friend, Mandy, and I both find ourselves with kids (mostly) in bed, tidying up kitchens, emptying backpacks and resetting our homes for the next day.
It was an ordinary Tuesday for the two of us, selected at random to document a day in the life of moms. Two different moms in two different states, one who stays home and one who works full time. On this day, we both accomplished a lot. We both loved our families hard. We both proved that while our days are full of different activities, at the end of it all we are more alike than we are different.
| Full Time Office Job Mom | Full Time Stay at Home Mom | |
| 4:45am | Opt out of gym-time in favor of an hour of sleep. Oops! | Zzzzzzzz. |
| 5:45am | Woken by babbling baby in crib and 3 year old toddler in face. |
Zzzzzzzz. |
| 7:15am | Headed out the door for daycare dropoffs with 2 of 3 kids, after explaining for the 672nd time why hair has to be brushed. | Woken by her 3 year old alarm clock with a 4 year old already in bed. |
| 8:22am | Starting on some PowerPoint revisions while her robovac cleans up the breakfast crumbs. (Can I get an A-MEN!?!) |
Feeding breakfasts after 12 outfit changes and eventually admitting defeat to mismatched outfits.
|
| 8:57am | Just fixed a snack while restarting her computer after losing her work in PowerPoint 3 times in a row. S*&^. |
Should’ve left 10 minutes ago for preschool dropoffs but everyone took their shoes off and needed snacks. F*&^. |
| 10:00am | In her first of 4 meetings for the day. Hey, Shawn, aka best boss ever! |
Works in time to workout while the two oldest are at preschool. |
| 11:23am | In meeting 2. Ever wonder how the coffee at the hospital gets there? BOOM! I can tell you. Super fun stuff… | Headed home from the gym which feels way too easy with “just” a one year old to haul around. Next up, Lowe’s. |
| 12:30pm | In meeting #3. This one’s about iced coffee, which is starting to sound reallllyyyy good right about now. | Lowe’s, Schmowe’s. Household chores and toddler wrangling trump errands. |
| 1:47pm | Finally has meeting-free time to review a video and two decks, revise 52 digital banner ads and write a tradeshow banner. | Finally breaks away from the house to swing by a friend’s house AND knock out Lowe’s! |
| 2:30pm | Forgot to record what I was doing but it was likely the same thing as 1:47. | Gathering objects that begin with “F” for preschool tomorrow (curse words not acceptable). Received text that soccer was cancelled due to inclement weather. Trying not to happy dance in front of children. |
| 3:45pm | Planning what I’ll have to finish tonight vs. what can wait until tomorrow before 4pm meeting. | Dinner prep, and lunch prep for tomorrow while kids likely destroy other areas of the house. |
| 4:45pm | Wrapping up meeting 4 for the day, running around like a chicken with my head cut off gathering gym clothes, snacks and a bottle before picking up kids from 3 locations. |
Playing with the kids. Carefully selected the role of sick baby who has to lay on the floor without moving. |
| 6:00pm | (Barely) made it to gymnastics where one child participated and one refused. |
Text from husband: home late. Spaghetti for the kids and a protein shake for mom it is. |
| 7:15pm | Get home, shovel dinner, skip baths. Kids in bed for ipad time before sleep. | 3 year old spikes fever, goes to bed early. |
| 8:07pm | Kids are in bed. Catching up on work emails and sitting with my feet up. | Daddy makes it home just in time for the other two kiddos to head to bed. |
| 8:47pm | See above. | |
Whatever you did today mama, know that it was enough. If it felt mundane, you’re probably doing it right. If it flew by, you’re probably doing it right. If it left you tired and disheveled, you’re probably doing it right. Keep up the good work.
