Since I’ve been home with Annie, there really has been no such thing as a “typical day” in my book. But I have created some semblance of a routine & schedule these past four months. Before she was born, I was constantly on the go! And now that I have a baby, things haven’t changed a bit. Well, the shoes I wear totally have!
I am constantly opting for comfort when it comes to what I put on my feet each day. That doesn’t mean I have to sacrifice fashion! Like I would, y’all! 😉 Today I’m teaming up with Rockport to share what a (somewhat) typical day looks like for me & chatting all about how I styled these ah-mazing patent taupe oxfords.
First things first, let me tell y’all about these fabulous oxfords! I’m no stranger to this style of shoe, as a Catholic School girl, I lived in saddle oxfords growing up. Rockport’s trendy take on the style looks great dressed both up & down. I love how they look paired with skinny jeans & a simple top but they’re also so much fun styled with sundresses too! The Alanda Brogue Derby pair that I’ve got on also comes in a black patent & shiny silver.
Comfort is key when carrying a sixteen-pound baby in my arms all day long. These oxfords have an EVA sole and a sport technology heel cushion that absorbs shock. Can we pause for a second and say WOW!? They’re like shoes of the future, y’all. And great for a busy mom, like myself!
Shop the Look:
Speaking of busy, I mentioned briefly in this post that I’m now home with Annie every day and blogging full-time. Quite the leap from 2016 where I worked in marketing for francesca’s then switched mid-year over to Cheeky Vintage. In addition to blogging in the mornings & evenings + being pregnant, I was a busy busy bee for the majority of last year. The past few months have been quite the transition, I become a mom & had a huge career change. It took a little while, but I finally feel like I’ve got everything down and am juggling it all just fine. (I mean, some days at least!!) So while it’s still working for me, I’m sharing a peek into what an average day is like for this gal.
Mornings.
I usually wake up around 6:30 when Patrick is getting ready for work. At this point, I have about an hour to get done whatever I need to do before Annie wakes for the day. Sometimes its shower and make a big breakfast, other times (and most often) its skip the shower & answer as many emails as possible before the green lights on the baby monitor start flashing red. Once Annie is up the two of us hang out for about an hour or so – chatting, cuddling & just playing together. This right here is hands down my favorite part of the day!
Now that Annie’s a bit older, she has all sorts of colorful toys and play sets that entertain her for hours on end. Annie hangs out in those for a little bit and I most often work on that day’s blog post. (Or the next day’s if I’m reallllly caught up.) She usually likes to go down for a nap around this time too. Her schedule is still quite unpredictable so I cram as much work as I can into those minutes or hours as possible.
Once Annie is up from her morning nap, we have ourselves some girl time. It’s usually more playing, chatting & tummy time or a walk around the neighborhood if the weather is nice.
Afternoons.
By 11:30 I’m usually starrrrrrving. Turns out when you’re breastfeeding, you’re even hungrier than you were when you were pregnant! (This was a surprise!) Annie usually takes a shorter nap around this time and I then whip up my lunch as fast as I can. I multi-task & eat lunch while working on the blog, finishing up that day’s post or answering emails. Now you know why my posts most often go live in the afternoons. 😉
When she wakes up this is typically when I’ll get any errands done for the day. Whether it be the grocery, shopping for a shoot, picking up dry-cleaning, or even attending a brand/blog meeting (with a baby in tow! … & yes I’ve done this multiple times ha!) I usually schedule my blog shoots for around this time of day. (Most likely I’ll have one or two a week.) I try to do the majority on the weekends, so Patrick can watch Annie. But occasionally she’ll tag along on some with me. And then I can’t help myself from including her in the photos too!
And then usually, after this point, Patrick comes home to us. YAY!! (literally how I feel every day)
Evenings.
Once Patrick is home, I take a break from the blog and he and I hang with Annie. We may go on another walk or just lay on the floor with her and watch her kick in her play gym. I will say, this time of the day tends to be her “witching hour(s).” She prefers to be in our arms with our full attention on her at all time from 4-7pm. At four months, the block of the day is getting easier & easier. There are definitely fewer tears shed now than there were a few weeks ago!
Annie goes down each night at 7:30, sometimes after a bath & sometimes a quick book read. (We’re still fine-tuning the bedtime ritual over here.) Once she’s asleep, there’s a part of me that’s like oh my goodness I have time to myself right now and I still have soooo many emails to respond to. I need to work on tomorrow’s blog post. I could be promoting old content on pinterest. I could be setting up a newsletter. I could be pitching brands post ideas. I could be engaging on social media to grow my audience & etc. But then there’s a MUCH stronger part of me that’s like: oh my goodness I need to sit down and veg with a glass of wine, the television & Patrick.
Let’s be honest, the latter typically wins.
But really more often than not I’ll pick back up my computer each evening after a few hours of fun to finish up the last bits of work I want to get done for the day. It’s at this point that I realize how much housework I didn’t accomplish and will try to fit in the next day, along with everything else! It’s definitely a juggling act but I feel so fortunate to be able to be in this circus ring with a career I made for myself and my little family. (All while wearing the cutest shoes too!)
For those of you that also work from home while taking care of kiddos, what are your secrets!? Do you have any tips & tricks for balancing it all? Would love to hear!
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xo, alice
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Thank you to Rockport for sponsoring this post. As always, all opinions are my own. Thanks to you guys for supporting the brands that make this crazy life at home of mine possible.
