A Day in the Life of This Author
Some days, I’m not sure how I get anything done. Others, I’m kind of a rock star. But usually, there’s a lot of panic to-do list checking, followed by some downtime at night. I’ve tried planners, calendars, lists—you name it, and I’ve thrown them away by March each year. It turns out we kind of thrive in spontaneity and mystery when it comes to our days in the Padgett household. That said, here’s a peek at what is usually included in our day.
With a firefighter husband, our schedule changes A LOT based on whether he is home or at work. His shifts last for two to three days, so there is quite a bit of time that I am alone with my daughter. Those are more structured days, so we’ll go with that.
We get up in the morning, and our routine is pretty standard—all the hygiene stuff, let the dogs out, feed everything alive in the house, clean up, then jump into homeschool. I’ve homeschooled my child since pre-school. It’s been a huge learning curve for me (I went to public school), but it’s been worth the effort. We adore the Harbor & Sprout curriculum, and we do some supplemental subjects to fill in where it is lacking.
When school is finished, we do lunch and then chores. Usually dishes, laundry, general cleaning—anything that doesn’t get done during the weekly cleaning. Sometimes we go shopping, other times we visit the grandparents. There’s outside play and exploration, reading time, and all of the fun stuff before Mommy has to work.
Work time for me means something different each day. If my husband is working, I can’t really have the quiet, alone time necessary for writing, so my kiddo is usually doing art projects or playing quietly while I work on the “business” part of my work. This includes social media batching, writing blogs, fussing with ads, joining promos, responding to emails, formatting books, etc. If the hubby is home, he usually tries to give me an hour or two to write with the office door closed. That doesn’t always happen, but that’s okay. If it doesn’t, then writing time comes at night.
By dinner time, we’re ready to settle down and spend some more time together. When it’s just the kiddo and me, it’s an easy dinner followed by snuggle time on the sofa (usually watching a movie or Veggie Tales, something like that.) Then there’s the bedtime routine which only seems to grow as my daughter gets older—hygiene, ten minutes of quiet playtime, story reading, bible reading, and lights out.
I’m a night owl, so I’m usually up writing until eleven or twelve. If I’m not inspired to write, I try to read a little before bed.
Obviously, this schedule isn’t exactly a schedule so much as a to-do list for the day, but it works for us. One day I would really love to add “feed the chickens, collect eggs, play with the goats, and tend the garden” to that list… but it’s a work in progress.
