Roots & Routines

Motherhood is messy, beautiful, exhausting, and full of surprises — often all before 10 AM. Today, I wanted to share what a typical day looks like for me and my family — no Instagram filters, no Pinterest-perfect moments, just a real mom’s typical day.

4:45 AM — Wake-Up Call

Yes, I’m one of those people who wakes up before the sun — my alarm goes off at 4:45 AM. (I know, it sounds wild!) But honestly, mornings are my favorite part of the day.

• Coffee first, always. This is my quiet moment before the house wakes up.
• Pack my daughter’s lunch for daycare.
• Pack her daycare bag with extra clothes, Theodore E. Bear for nap time, and whatever treasures she insists on bringing.
• Pack my own lunch for work (future me is always grateful).
• Prep my daughter’s breakfast and set it out for my husband to serve when she wakes up.

Then, it’s off to the gym for a quick workout. Morning workouts are my sanity saver — they energize me and set a positive tone for the rest of the day.

6:30 AM — The Chaos Begins

By the time I get home, my daughter is usually just waking up… and that’s when the real chaos begins.

• Diaper change (usually this is a fight she is such a wiggle worm these days)
• Breakfast — right now we’re loving Veggie Made Great muffins (a sneaky but easy way to get more veggies into her day).
• Getting ready looks a bit like a sprint — I take a quick shower, finish getting myself ready, help my daughter get dressed and brush her hair, then my husband and daughter head out the door for daycare while I get ready to head to the office

Midday Routine

My husband and I both work full-time, so the middle of our day is usually a mix of meetings, emails, deadlines, and squeezing in calls to schedule dentist or doctor appointments.

I try to leave the office by 4 PM so I can make daycare pickup by 4:30 PM.

Evening Routine

When we get home, my daughter usually has a snack while I get dinner going. We aim for a family dinner around 5:30 PM — nothing fancy, just healthy, easy meals that keep us all sane. (Let me know if you would like me to share our go-to weeknight dinners? They’re quick and toddler-approved!)

We found that having a solid evening routine has been a game changer since she was about six months old:

• Bath Time — usually by 6:30 PM. We let her splash and play for a bit.
• Story Time & Play — a half-hour of reading and quiet play.
• Bedtime — lights out by 7:30-8PM. When we stick to the routine, bedtime is smooth and usually takes only 10–15 minutes.

After the Kiddo’s in Bed

This is our time to unwind. Sometimes we read, sometimes we binge a show on Netflix, and sometimes we just sit in silence enjoying the peace.

By 10 PM, we’re usually in bed and ready to do it all over again tomorrow.

Takeaways & Working Mom Hacks

Being a full-time working parent is no joke — there are days it feels like there’s just never enough time. But a little planning and a lot of grace go a long way.

Here’s what helps us:

✅ Stick to a routine — it makes life run smoother and bedtime easier.

✅ Meal prep in batches — I prep lunches two days at a time so we have more family time in the evenings.

✅ Keep meals simple — our go-tos are Mediterranean chicken bowls, stir-fry, and grilling in the summer.

I’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite working mom hacks? Share them in the comments so we can all help each other make life a little easier.