My friend Nicole and I were inspired by Lauren Kirkham’s recent Hour by Hour project where she beautifully captured her family on an average day. Nicole and I have been working for weeks now and using our self-timers and phone alarms to get us in the photos more often and to capture more of the “in-between” moments. Lauren’s project was just what we needed to get out of our comfort zone and make it happen. 

These images were from a Tuesday at the tail end of school and in the midst of this crazy quarantine/pandemic. Here’s a peek into our day. 

530-615am: I wake up and take care of all the little things — feeding pets, dishes, tidying up, starting laundry, opening up some windows, lighting a candle, meditating and cracking open the laptop for some early-morning worktime.

6:25am: Zach has always been our early riser. He usually wakes up between 530 and 6am, hangs quietly for a little bit upstairs and then comes downstairs for hugs and either reading or “watch” (TV time) until I’m done with my morning work. I loved his outfit of a T-shirt *over* his robe, haha!

7:05am: I’ve got the Billie Holiday pandora station on and am knocking out some work for the Rising Tide Society and responding to e-mails. I’ve already re-heated my coffee twice, but I’m listening to the birds outside my window and all is well.

7:46am: Cow makes his first appearance — he’s Zach’s fav toy currently (and for a long time now) and he and Z-Man were playing so nicely in front of the window on the floor while I wrapped up work. Addie slept in until 830!

8:45am: The kids get their breakfast choices and I make my second cup of coffee. I love hearing their questions and having fun talks about our day together. A dance party happened halfway through breakfast, but I was having so much fun that I forgot to photograph it — oops! The kids always have a pretty big breakfast and in the past few weeks they’ve become more and more independent with putting it together themselves. Anyone else’s kid peel and eat the skin of a peach first? 

9:21am: There’s hair-brushing and cat-petting time before we get started with schoolwork. I have really loved the slower pace of our mornings recently.

9:27am: Zach gets started on his homework. We’re continuing with schoolwork even though the official work has wrapped up already. He’s made HUGE strides with math, thanks to the use of these colorful, fuzzy pom-poms. He did addition and subtraction on his own today! Woo-hoo! Addie, meanwhile, used her time to read a book outside in the yard on her pod swing. She looked so peaceful.

10:35am: Addie has the last video chat with her teacher and her class — so many of the kids talked about how much they missed their friends and their teacher. Their teacher read a book to them that was all about how she wished for more for them and I choked back some tears for sure.

2:20pm: After Addie’s class meeting, we did an early lunch and then I mowed the yard for a couple of hours. Oh my gosh, it was HOT. After a lot of water and some AC time, the kids were playing outside nicely and I took a few minutes to read a book (I’m not reading as often as I was at all, so this time was a real treat) in the shade on our back deck — it’s one of my favorite places.

3:27pm: Cow makes another appearance! Zach has been out on the front sidewalk playing by himself while Sis rides her bike with a friend. Everyone is pretty happy and enjoying the sunshine.

3:40pm: Everyone is hot and tired. It’s time for a break inside!

4:09pm: I have a work video call with Kait from the Rising Tide Society and we barely make it halfway through before I’m joined not only by a child but also a cat. Working from home is so tricky, but I’m grateful for co-workers and supervisors who “get it” and are patient and understanding.

6:18-6:45pm: Dinner is pretty chill tonight — Dad is running late from work and everyone is hot and tired, so we do some leftovers and the three of us eat together. The big excitement, though, comes when a couple of kiwis are brought out and sliced up by Dad as soon as he gets home. The kids have been asking for a kiwi for a couple of weeks so I made sure to get some in my grocery delivery. It was a BIG hit.

7pm: My walking shoes are on! I’ve been walking a few days each week and it’s made such a difference in my mental health and my overall happiness (not to mention my fitness!). Tonight, I met two friends in a different neighborhood and we did an easy and fun 2.5 miles.

8:37pm: When I get back home and get showered, we wrap up our day with some family time, tonight playing Littlest Pet Shop on the floor together before bed.

Our days are filled with a little of this and a little of that and they are fulfilling and heart-warming and really special. I’m grateful for so much.