My last A Day in My Life post was back in April. For kicks, I decided to quickly scan how that particular day transpired and the similarities are uncanny.
For instance: I wore the same pants (which is noteworthy since I haven’t used these particular pants in months and happened to pull them out of the drawer this October morning), served the same supper (we haven’t had chili in several months), and I woke up about the same time (before my typical 6:30 am). On both days – April and October – I walked the kids to school, did a load of laundry, read my Bible, and had eggs for lunch.
So much has changed in the last six months but also – apparently – so much has stayed the same.
Here’s how October 7th shaped up…
5:26 am – Awake. John is getting ready for work calls starting at 6 am, so he heads out to the kitchen to make a coffee. I prop myself up in bed to read blogs. I didn’t touch my laptop or phone on Sunday – in an attempt to return to some form of digital Sabbath – so I had a nice little collection of blog posts to catch up on, comments on my blog to respond to, and a quick check of personal e-mails (which includes the good news that the basketball scheduling conflict for Indy has been resolved – phew!).
6:16 am – I start going through work e-mails and knock off a few related tasks. There is one e-mail I’ve been putting off for a week. I have a brain spark about how to structure it more efficiently. Originally I plan to send it later in the day, but eventually decide to just get it done; it takes a fraction of the time I expected.
6:46 am – I open the curtains. It’s time to get the day started. I pick up some clutter in our bedroom and make the bed (the last person out makes the bed and today that was me.)
I do not approve of how dark it’s getting in the mornings. At least it’s not freezing cold outside. Yet.
6:53 am – I’ve pulled my hair into a bun, done a quick pass with makeup (with no official things on the docket, mascara isn’t warranted), put in earrings and it’s time to get dressed and leave the bedroom. Ready or not, here comes Monday.
6:59 am – I’m out. The kids were determined to put up Halloween decor on Sunday. This is about the extent of what we own, but it’s fun and festive. As I’m heading to the kitchen, a kiddo needs me for some emotional support. Breakfast prep will have to wait…
7:06 am – I’m in the kitchen and oatmeal is cooking (in the microwave) for the kids, and I start to prep some green tea. This is the best green tea I have ever had, and I’m down to three bags. A friend brought it back from Sri Lanka and I MUST search for some comparable tea here in Canada.
7:09 am – Indy is still in bed; he’s listening to an audiobook and enjoying a time of relaxation. Which would be great if it wasn’t a school morning. I give him a quick snuggle and we chat about his decorations. He decked out his bedroom solo, and this is the first time I’ve seen what he did to bring some colour and a spooky touch to his space.
7:12 am – Back to the kitchen. While the oatmeal finishes cooking, I start unloading the dish drainer and dishwasher. Technically, the latter is Belle’s responsibility but I go ahead and empty it, awarding myself a Mom Gold Star.
The next 30 minutes is spent wrangling everyone and everything. I finish prepping Indy’s lunchbox (he’s opting to take leftover pumpkin soup which requires pouring boiling water into his Thermos and heating the soup, neither of which I let him do yet). On our way out the door Belle’s backpack breaks for good. It’s been on it’s “last legs” for a while now but she loves this bag and has used it for five consecutive years. We have a last-minute scramble to put all her things in a different backpack for transport to school.
7:52 am – And we’re off! It’s a beautiful day. I love that our commute to school looks like this…
…and this…
…and this…
John and I walk home together and then it’s time for breakfast.
8:35 am – My go-to for the last few months: peanut butter, cottage cheese, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and cinnamon. We happen to have some fresh raspberries so I add those in for an extra treat. Delicious.
8:37 am – While I eat I take a few minutes to look at my planner and get a better idea of our schedule for the week. When I go to get a pen from my case, I discover a note from Belle! She’s been hiding notes for me lately; I left one in her drawer in the bathroom and this is the response. She even snuck in a Hershey’s Kiss! There were a few tough moments of parenting over the weekend so this note hit a special chord.
8:45 am – While I was finishing breakfast, I was also boiling water for coffee. Now that it’s ready, I head to the living room corner for my morning Bible reading. I have absolutely loved The Bible Recap (it provides a recap of the Bible in 365 chronological sections and has a short summary of each day’s text); I also remain a huge fan of the Mr. Pen gel highlighters.
8:58 am – Office time. I have to wait about a week after we turn the calendar to tackle month-end things (so credit card expenses have cleared), but now is the time to act. I put my head down and start working.
9:00 am – My background music is the new Coldplay album. Meh.
John is on work calls, so I listen via noise-cancelling headphones. When he has internal company calls, I work at my desk in the office; if he’s on more important meetings and/or external calls, I work from our dining room table.
I work for over an hour and make a lot of progress. Along the way I discover I made a clerical error when paying two employees. Thankfully, WE were the two employees and I don’t get too fussed at myself. I make the necessary adjustment to get things sorted moving forward.
10:12 am – I head into the guest room and strip the bed to make sure the linens are fresh for my father-in-law’s arrival this week. I also dust the end tables and run Eufy.
10:29 am – When I’m in the laundry room, I grab the dry clothes John laundered on Sunday and take them upstairs to be put away.
After I finish the laundry, I hear John calling from downstairs. He’s done his meeting; my work was stalled while I waited to ask him a question, so now we chat about what needs doing and I draft and send the necessary e-mails.
11:52 am – Lunch time. I have a rice cake with mayo, an egg, and ketchup. Easy and delicious. John and I chat about some more work things before he leaves for an appointment.
12:09 pm – It’s blog time! I start drafting this post.
12:17 pm – Oops. I forgot to take the chili out of the fridge. I prepped this on Saturday, and only needed to turn it on to simmer for the afternoon.
1:00 pm – I stop writing and grab a sparkling water and some homemade pumpkin bread with butter.
I honestly cannot remember how I filled the next few hours. I know I spent time talking with John when he got home, I think I did a bit of spot-vacuuming of the floors, and I know I spent some time on work e-mails. Eventually the kids walked through the door.
I felt low-level ennui all afternoon. I had tentatively planned to take Indy to get new Blundstones, but I just couldn’t summon the energy to leave the house. It was surprisingly hard – despite everything I’ve read about rest this year – to accept I wanted to just be home for the afternoon doing “nothing.”
3:18 pm – Belle and I head downstairs to finish watching Encanto. I had never watched the entire movie before and we started it again last week. I was determined to finish it. It was good, but I don’t think I’ll ever feel the need to re-watch it.
3:58 pm – Indy comes back from playing with a neighbourhood friend. He and Belle want to finish a Hallmark Christmas movie (from last year) they had started on Sunday night. While they load the movie, I look up the new Hallmark holiday schedule. Wow – the 2024 Christmas lineup starts rolling out SOON.
4:14 pm – I make the guest bed with freshly laundered linens.
We eat supper. I make rice in the rice cooker and cut up some Naan bread to go along with the chili that has been simmering all afternoon. I have made chili dozens of times and it always turns out well. I made it slightly differently this time and it was…fine. But definitely not amazing. That was disappointing, but no one complained.
5:35 pm – I do dishes and admire the changing leaves.
5:44 pm – Belle and John are playing games of Mastermind, and Indy wants me to come watch him play with his new hockey stick (the first he has owned; $5 last week at a thrift store). It’s fun to watch him have fun. Eventually he sees friends playing with their full-sized hockey net and heads down the street to join them.
6:32 pm – Despite me not wanting to do anything, Belle needed to be dropped off at her drama program. While I was out, I stopped by the grocery store, getting everything but the milk, cottage cheese, and bananas on sale!
6:59 pm – I do random chores around the house: decant some pumpkin seeds into a smaller container, add paper to the printer (I had tried to print something earlier in the day and got the Out of Paper error). I wrap two small gifts for my father-in-law who will celebrate his birthday while he’s visiting us. This does not start smoothly.
The first problem is that my gift wrapping scissors are not where they are supposed to be. And then the Scotch tape is not where it’s supposed to be. I have various backup stashes of tape and they are ALL empty. I finally find a roll and there is just enough tape to wrap these gifts. #Kids
7:04 pm – While I’m in problem-solving mode, I decide to change the battery in our basement clock. This clock drains batteries at an alarming rate. But I like this clock and I refer to it all the time and it had been stuck at 8:45 for about a month which was not particularly helpful for time management. Behold! A new battery! We’ll see how long it works this time.
8:09 pm – I take a hot shower, hop into something comfy and put Indy to bed while John gets Belle from drama. We read a few stories in The Action Bible (basically like a comic strip version of Bible stories), snuggle for a few minutes, and then I’m off to my room.
8:25 pm – While I wait for the rest of the house to wind down, I hop into bed and read a few chapters of my current e-book: Bad Mormon.
John and I finish the first episode of the current Great British Baking Show season, and then I turn on my Kobo and read more of Bad Mormon (it was…okay. I had no reference for who Heather Gay was and the memoir almost seemed like the first 2/3 and last 1/3 were written by different authors in terms of style).
10:00 pm – Final trip to the bathroom and lights out!
(I woke up at 2:15 am and finished my book, but eventually got back to sleep; because it was rainy outside the kids took the bus so I didn’t have to hop out of bed and rush around on Tuesday morning which was glorious).
Your turn. Do you like to read in bed at night? If scissors or tape are missing in your household, who is the most likely culprit? Who changes batteries in your household? Last song you listened to?
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Cattis
Whaaaat?! Do you guys live in Stars Hollow?
I didn’t enjoy Encanto, well I do love the style of it but I don’t want to rewatch it. Coming from a dysfunctional family myself made it hard to watch. Not everyone gets a happy ending when it comes to family. I did love the movie music though.
I always like to read, but when I read in bed I have to read either a book I’ve read several times before or something that doesn’t hook me or else I’ll be up until the morning light finishing the book in question. Every time I do this I think as it’s happening ”I’m an adult I can do whatever I want” but always regret it when I go through the next day as a zombie 🧟♀️😅 I usually read at least 100 books a year, aiming for 2 a week but not counting. I guess I probably read closer to 150 books but if I set that as a goal it stresses me out 😆 Keep in mind: I prefer to read instead of watching series or movies and I read really fast as well, my husband is always saying I ”cheat read” but I don’t event read my fastest 😉
Elisabeth
I’ve listened to the Encanto soundtrack so many times for my kids sake, I think I was tired of the music before watching the movie? But I desperately want Mirebelle’s skirt and blouse!!
It is hard to watch movies and read books that tell a different reality from our own story. I can so relate. I’m at the point where I very purposefully try to avoid media I think will be triggering in some way.
I struggle not to stay up forever finishing a book. Hence the demerit…sigh.
That’s a lot of books each year! I’m about 75-80. I skim some parts of books and read quickly and my husband will say “surely you didn’t actually read it that fast.” My father is a speed reader and I think I learned from him? Though he’s wayyyyy faster than me.
Michelle G.
I enjoyed reading about your day! The views of your walk to school and all the autumn leaves are so beautiful. And the note from Belle warmed my heart! I don’t read in bed very often, if scissors or tape go missing, it’s generally my own fault, and I usually change the batteries at home. The last song I listened to was Stargazing by Myles Smith.
Elisabeth
Everything looks infinitely more beautiful in fall I think, including our very photogenic wee town 🙂
Sara
I absolutely loooove day in the life’s. It’s always so fun to see a sneak peak into how people spend their time. Like for instance, I am currently starting our fall break at 5:00 because a little boy unbeknownst to me messed with his alarm clock. THANKFULLY I’m the only one who is awake for the day as a result. 😉
Elisabeth
Ugh about the alarm clock (that happened to Belle last week on her day off school – and she’s at the age where she finally wants to sleep in). I’m glad it didn’t wake you up!! Some peace and quiet might be a nice way to transition in to what is surely going to be a busy time.
Katie
Wow, what absolutely beautiful pictures on your walk. I’m inspired that you also have an older iPhone. I have an iPhone 8 and am slow/lazy/too frugal to update technology of any kind. I grew up in a small city without much nature so I love being surrounded by more of it now.
Do you take those boxes in the trunk into the store to shop? I’ve wanted to do something similar, but I’m not up for lifting heavy items quite yet.
Reading in bed is not even a choice for me. Been doing it since I learned how to read! Lol.
Elisabeth
Yup! I have an iPhone 8 SE.
I do take the green bins in with me. Only to a grocery store; if I’m getting something smaller I take a canvas bag. But I LOVE using these green bins for groceries. In fact, I bought a new one for $4.99 (-20%) at a thrift store last night!
Jessica
I loved reading about your day. My kids’ elementary school was in our neighborhood and we would walk to school. Now they are in middle school which isn’t walkable. I miss those morning and afternoon walks. I wouldn’t always walk with them, sometimes they liked the independence but it was a great way to start my day and a signal to end my work day.
On another note, you might have inspired me to change the clock battery in our basement family room wall clock. No one really uses it but I think the clock is very cool but hasn’t been on the right time for YEARS! We shall see.
P.S. I’m a longtime reading and I think this is my first time commenting 🙂
Elisabeth
Thanks for commenting. It’s always lovely to hear new voices chime into the comment section <3
It is a very nice way for us to start the day and I think it sets a nice tone for everyone + it's fresh air! And movement! Which are shown to be ideal for learning environments. Mostly they enjoy it, though occasionally they complain.
A clock that doesn't display the right time is useless (unless it still works and one does the math), but I just couldn't summon the energy to get a battery and switch it out. Why do I drag my feet so long on these short tasks? Anyhoo...now it's fixed!
Mary
You scissor and tape story reminded me of a tweet I saw recently which said “I never thought I’d have to hide Scotch tape in obscure places, but this is what parenting does to you, people” and it is so true. The amount of duct tape we go through is alarming!
Elisabeth
I could add a whole lotta things parenting does 🙂 But yes…I definitely have hidden things before!
Jenny
Oooh, I love DITL posts! I LOVE your slow and gentle start to the day. My alarm goes off at 5:30 (at the latest) but there’s no relaxing in bed, snuggling with kids, or leaving kind notes for each other. There’s a lot of rushing around, possible recriminations (like if my daughter can’t find a certain article of clothing) and then we leave for school when it’s still dark (ugh, hate that part!) This 7:30 am high school start is brutal.
I love it when Christmas starts to make an appearance, even when people think it’s “too early” (never!) And I loooooove reading in bed. But I don’t have a kindle, so I have an old-fashioned book light that clips to my book.
Elisabeth
I would be a shell of a human if I had to get up abruptly early every day. As it is, I hate that mornings feel rushed. Thankfully, Belle’s high school next year will start close to 9 am. I can’t believe schools are still doing the super early starts for teens? There is so much evidence that it is hard for them to learn/function properly that early in the morning. I’m sure there are reasons…?
I have a reading light too; have to admit the Kobo is so much easier (though I bought my father a reading light for Christmas!)
Karen A.
I have to read in bed every night or I don’t sleep well. My usual routine is to watch some Criminal Minds on my tablet, then switch to reading. If I’m particularly fortunate, our cat joins me and snoozes while I read.
I just ordered the exact same type of CrockPot you have, to replace the fancy-schmancy digital one that I got four years ago and have come to loathe. Looking forward to no loud BEEPS when I turn it on, and no loose panel sliding slowly off because it was glued on and the glue has melted due to the heat of the pot. Seriously. Glue.
Elisabeth
A cat and a snooze sound like a lovely way to transition to sleep.
I’ve had that Crockpot since we got married. An aunt and uncle bought it for us and I use it regularly! (I have a smaller one too and use them both quite a bit – for different things). I’m not typically a fan of bells and whistles; they seem to be more trouble than they’re worth!
Suzanne
Love a day in the life! Your “we are the two employees” revelations gave me a good giggle. Glad you figured out the error, though!
If scissors or tape goes missing, the culprits are always my daughter… or me. LOL. I am way better about it than she is, but I’m still not perfect.
Elisabeth
That’s why we need lots of tape and scissors I suppose and TAPE IS NOW ON MY TO-BUY LIST…
NGS
I’m 100% sure that other people have really insightful things to say, but my comment is THAT’S YOUR ENTIRE LUNCH?!?! That would not work for me, particularly in light of (what I consider) your light breakfast. LOLOLOL. I am obviously a big eater.
Elisabeth
My breakfast is super filling and full of protein; I usually have two of those egg thingy’s but was kinda full this day. I had another piece of pumpkin bread later in the afternoon and chocolate after a bowl of chili and rice…so lots of food in the day. I used to not ever eat breakfast (for years), so I tend to eat a lot more at the end of the day than the beginning!
Gigi
I definitely (usually) read in bed at night; if I don’t fall asleep first!
If the tape or scissors go missing, The Husband is usually the culprit. That man couldn’t put anything back where he found it if his life depended on it!
Elisabeth
I wish books put me right to sleep. Alas, sometimes I get too intrigued and stay up much too late.
Teri
Just wondering about your choice of books? Could you comment on “Bad Mormon”? Why and what is it about?
Elisabeth
Hi Teri. Sure! There weren’t many books available for immediate borrowing for my e-reader but Bad Mormon was and I was intrigued by the title and always enjoy memoirs.
Here is my Goodreads review – hope this helps and let me know if you have more questions about it.
I am not a Mormon so don’t have the full context for what is being written about; parts of this memoir were interesting but I found the writing styles didn’t line up (e.g. it seemed like it was written by multiple authors), and it did seem quite repetitive. There is also a VERY sharp divide between her pre-marriage life, and her post-divorce life. She spends a lot of time talking about Beauty Lab + Laser which felt…odd and like distinct product placement.
I had no context for Real Housewives and had no idea when I picked up the book she had ended up in that role. Don’t necessarily regret reading it, but wouldn’t recommend it to others.
Nicole MacPherson
Awww that note from your daughter! I died. I am dead now, typing from beyond the grave. Dead from sweetness! Ah kids, they can really surprise us sometimes. Like, my younger son, usually if I say “I love you” he says “thanks Mom.” But once in a while he’ll say – in a monotone – “yep, love you too” and it’s the best.
Elisabeth
Ha! Kids keep up humble and drive us crazy and they can also be the absolute sweetest most fun humans in the world. Parenting is a trip for the head, but I feel extremely fortunate to call these two mine <3
M
Oh, I love your commute to the kids’ school! We had 3 years of being able to walk to school with my son, from his 4th grade to 6th grade. Prior to that, when we lived in another state, it was 15miles away. Then junior high and high school here in CA, his schools were also about that distance. The first day we walked him to school, it was such a great feeling! Before that, I always thought he was missing out on some core school experience by not being able to walk with friends to school! LOL
I didn’t realize you guys have/run a business! But yes, if you’re gonna mess up someone’s pay, it’s better to mess up yours instead of your other employees!
Oh, I love the note from Belle! It made me think of the notes I used to leave in my son’s school lunchboxes! Sometimes, I’d do riddles. Sometimes, they were just drawings of hearts or things that he was interested in. But he never wrote back! LOL I wonder if it’s a boy-girl thing as I just read Nicole’s son’s response being just like my son’s.
Elisabeth
It’s definitely a perk of living where we do. Lots of kids walk to school in our town and it’s a wonderful way to start the day.
Yes, I was glad it was our paycheques. No harm done ultimately, and I’m extra glad I double check everything at the beginning of each month. Having those “checks and balances” really matter and ever once in a while something would have fallen through the cracks without them.
I used to send notes more often in her lunchbox. I will admit I don’t do it very much anymore, but she is clearly enjoying this note phase. Maybe as a teen it’s easier to say something in writing than speaking it out loud? For a few years we had a notebook we would pass back and forth – usually leaving it on a pillow at night. That was really sweet and we kept the notebooks we filled with notes. I’ve let that slide…mostly because she was writing every night and I lazily felt a bit burned out by it. But I should try to start that habit up again, especially in these challenging teen years when she really needs to know she is loved and blessing. Gah – middle school is HARD.
M
Oh, and I found it for you!
https://www.amazon.com/Green-Tea-Gotukola-Herbal-Ceylon/dp/B0BKPKQ8MY/ref=sr_1_10?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9._2qPnROAyA2dYACpLEqLZNunyipMo3KA7mb2zq13kg3GeGXfyw8Hq5emkEIr8Da3AHd1ezpnFb-ZqiuKCkzEioLAIbygd-4b_MF070wt-i07qXIZj2cShholsPbHq9VN4tzszvqCRpSrUdI_I1dIZHdzC3VDk96rVFOanlDHHHM.XQVglsqqhKNuCgeSGkGfEcVERxJzA6UO17pvBOuPAxI&dib_tag=se&qid=1728576248&sr=8-10&srs=121138036011
Elisabeth
Thank you so much. I can’t actually source the one you linked to via Canadian Amazon but I found a larger packet I can seemingly get from Canadian Amazon. Fingers crossed because it is so, so good (better than any other green tea I’ve ever had). I will report back. Why did I never think of looking on Amazon? Yay – I’m excited!
Kyria @ Travel Spot
I love these posts. I mean, I want to blog in bed in the morning, and walk the kids to school.and eat PB and cottage cheese now!! I am glad it’s not too cold yet. I feel like it just cooled down a lot here; last week highs were around 23 C and this week, its closer to 13… And lows were around 3 or 4! It’s going to be (literally) freezing soon!! It’s okay in the day time but when I’m riding the mornings are cold for my hands and ears.
Elisabeth
I might be able to make your dream a reality. You can blog in bed, walk my kids to school and then we can come home and eat PB and cottage cheese and drink coffee for multiple days in a little over a week. Can you even??!! I am excited.
Brrrr. It was cold here today, mostly because it was windy. I think the lows were only 7 but it felt BRISK. I’m not ready 🙁
Diane
What?!?!? Hallmark Holiday season is starting soon???? Thanks for the PSA!!!
I find my afternoons are sometimes a blur too- I’m super productive in the morning then I just lose steam and focus after lunch and just putter until I need to pick the kids up…
Elisabeth
I swear it starts earlier and earlier each year?
I’m actually most productive in the evening IF I’m not exhausted. It was always my best time to study etc. But since becoming a parent, I don’t know my best hours! I feel borderline tired all the time? Ha.
coco
I do need to read something before bed, usually kindle, sometimes only few pages.
we do household chores equally, I don’t like the traditional division of labor, handy man vs. housewife, but when something is about fixing, usually husband does it because I don’t want to use the mental energy to figure it out.
hahaa… enjoy this post to learn about your day.
Lisa's Yarns
It does look like you live in the equivalent of Star’s Hollow!
I love that Indy decorated his room. So cute!
I read in bed every night typically for an hour but sometimes 1.5 hours if I can’t put my book down. If scissors or tape are missing in your household, an adult is probably the culprit as our kids don’t use scissors and tape much yet, but I am sure that day is coming soon! Phil is the battery changer in our house!! And the last song I listened to was probably a Taylor Swift song when I was in the car with Paul yesterday! I only listen to music in the car when I have a child with me. Otherwise I listen to podcasts! The exception is that sometimes if I am working on a project at work when I’m WFH, I will play a Taylor Swift album in the background.
Elisabeth
I knew you read in bed!!
I’m showing my lack of knowledge; I *think* Star’s Hollow is from Gilmore Girls? Am I right?
I listen to music in the car as much as possible. I prefer when I’m driving alone because then I get to have complete say over what songs I’m listening to!
Tobia | craftaliciousme
I keep thinking the same thing: Stars Hollow for sure. It must be such a wonderful place to live and grow up in.
Night time is a great way to read. I have started and finished books between sleeping. Thanks to insomnia. I love my kindle for it.
I loved reading through your day. It sounds a lot is going on but you tackle one thing after the other. And that clock is fitting perfectly on the shelf. I didn’t much care for Encanto either. It was an ok movie.
Elisabeth
We’re not Stars Hollow but there was once a Hallmark (or Hallmark-adjacent) Christmas movie filmed in our town. It’s a very picturesque part of the world.
Can you believe the battery already doesn’t work. So it’s clearly the clock being broken. Sigh. I love the aesthetic of it, but will either need to find a way to repair it or replace it.
San
It was so fun following along with your day… I haven’t done a Day in the Life post in forever (note: NaBloPoMo is coming up, so that’s an idea).
You seriously have the best walk to school – it must be great to start your day walking to your picturesque little town 🙂
And btw, your coffee color looks very much like mine (how much milk do you put in yours? :)).
I often read a chapter (or some pages) before I got to sleep. It helps me wind down and not stare at my phone any longer. Haha.
Elisabeth
I would love for you to do a Day in the Life post! It’s so interesting to see how people live out their “regular” lives.
I put in a healthy glug of creamer (the Silk half-and-half is my current go-to).
Kate
I absolutely LOVE DITL posts! Like so many other commenters have mentioned, your morning walks to school look idyllic (but it’s nice that the kids have the bus option in inclement weather). I can so relate to the pause for emotional support in the mornings. So hard to interrupt the go-go-go momentum to get people out the door with everything they need, but often it’s ultimately more productive just to stop and actually take the time to acknowledge intense feelings, even if it’s just 30 seconds of directed attention and support!
The tape!!! Ugh, in our house it’s tape, and scissors, and dry erase markers. I do hide the tape in a closet near the kitchen and I have a stash of dry erase markers hidden in a cupboard. Anything that “belongs” in the junk drawer is liable to grow legs. It’s an age-old problem … in my house growing up, we had a pair of all purpose scissors in our kitchen drawer and frequently my parents would call out, “Who has the orange-handled scissors?!?” Ha.
I do read in bed almost every night. Even if it’s only a page or two, it’s hard for me to climb into bed and just go to sleep without the ritual of reading. I was definitely the kid who snuck a flashlight into bed, so it’s almost a lifelong habit at this point 😉
Elisabeth
I did the flashlight trick too, though I always hated the stuffiness of reading under the covers!
It’s a very beautiful school commute, that’s for sure. Of course the kids are oblivious to how picturesque it all is…maybe they’ll appreciate it when they’re older?
Stephany
That is SUCH a picturesque walk to school. And seeing everyone bundled up makes me long for colder days. We *did* get a slight cold front after the hurricane – and by that I mean it was in the mid-70s in the morning and warmed back up into the mid-80s by the afternoon. HA. We are desperate for anything in Florida! (Well, especially now.)
I love reading in bed! I do it less now that I use a CPAP – so now I usually read in my reading chair and then get in bed once I’m ready for sleep. Since I have to get OUT of bed to put on the mask/start the machine, it negates the laziness of reading in bed before sleep lol.
Elisabeth
This is such perfect weather, Stephany. You’ll be the one smiling in mid-February when I am an icicle and you can still wear shorts and a T-shirt to run errands. I am so sorry for all the weather you, your family, and obviously your state has faced lately. What a horrible time for Floridians. So anything positive – even a cooler front – must feel like a win.