Q&A Part 3: My Routines

This week's Q&A is all about me (how's that for a self-absorbed opening?!): my routines, where I shop, what a working day looked like for me during the school year, and what my daily skincare and makeup routines are. While I initially felt funny doing a post like this, I realized I secretly love reading other people's posts about their routines and tend to get ideas that work in my own life from them. So I guess I'll get over it and just answer your questions. ;)

For Q&A Part 1 on marriage, click here. For Q&A part 2 on blogging, click here.

What a typical day looked like when I was working:

I prefer mornings over nights. I'm an early to bed, early to rise kind of girl. During the school year, I would wake up anywhere between 4:30-5:15 depending on the getting ready situation for that particular morning. Most of the time, I'm a night showerer (made up word), because getting up is easier for me if I've already made progress toward getting ready. I would either go to bed with my hair loose and wet and wear it curly the next day (just put in some gel in the morning, maybe blow dry out a few unwieldy pieces or sections), or go to bed with it wet in a pony tail and blow it dry and straighten it from a damp state the next morning. I really despise blow drying my hair when it is soaking wet. The faster I can get ready, the better.

So, when my alarm would go off, I would lay in bed and check email and IG or Pinterest for about 10 minutes. (I noticed that I can't be on my phone before bed... especially on Pinterest or social media because my mind gets all stimulated... so I transferred that time to the morning to help me wake up)

Then I would take about 20 minutes to get ready- hair, clothes, and most of makeup (more on that later). Since I get up earlier than Matt, I keep a drawer of socks, underwear, bras, etc. in our closet that's off of our bathroom so that I don't have to walk back and forth between the bedroom and bathroom and risk waking him up. It's also nice to have all of my "getting ready materials" in one general area.

Once I was ready, it was time for the next part of my pre-work morning: coffee and "quiet time."

I'm a one cup of coffee a morning person, and Matt doesn't drink coffee, so the Keurig is the perfect coffee maker for us. It's quick, easy, and quiet. You can read more about our Keurig and my favorite flavor pods here.

"Quiet time" is a common churchy phrase used to describe time spent reading the Bible and praying. For me, I like to do this in the morning- I feel like it sets my perspective for the day and refreshes me in the morning. I usually start by reading the current day's devotional from Jesus Calling and My Utmost for His Highest, and then read the correlating scriptures in my Bible. Sometimes I'll go through certain books, read one Psalm or Proverb/day, or play a worship song or from YouTube as part of my quiet time. This time lasts anywhere from 2-20 minutes depending on the day.

Then I would usually spend the next 30 minutes to an hour blogging. Again, I'm a morning blogger. My mind is most fresh in the early morning and by the time I would come home, I'm too much in "go-mode" to sit down and focus on writing.

Speaking of "go-mode," after work I would typically run a few quick errands (grocery store, returns, etc.) and be home on most days by 4:00 the latest (the beauty of being a teacher!). Once I was home, I would eat a small snack, get our neighbor's dog to come over and play with Tally in the backyard, start laundry and dinner, and do a Jillian Michael's workout while dinner and laundry were going (multi-tasking gives me a strange sort of satisfaction). ;)

Sometimes the working out part would have to happen right when I walked in the door to give me that necessary second-wind for the second half of the day or de-stresser from the first half of the day. I love Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred because it's short (26 minutes). I don't feel like I would have devoted an entire hour to working out during the work week- certainly not consistently!

Matt would get home around 6:00 and usually start his workout, which gave me another hour or so to finish dinner and laundry before we sat down to eat. On days where the weather was nice or when Matt did a workout over lunch, we would take Tally for a walk at the park or around our neighborhood before dinner.

Dinnertime for us happens either at the kitchen table or in the living room. Granted, this is pre-kid us. I know when we have a family, dinner-table meals will be a priority. But sometimes, for now, we like watching a show while we eat and winding down from the day.

We go to bed anywhere between 9-10 and usually read for a bit before we go to sleep. On other nights we'd finish watching a game or show on the TV in our bedroom (again, another thing that some people don't agree with, but we quite like having a TV in our room to snuggle up and watch before sleep!)

Before I move on, let me point out that these routines were pre-pregnancy. During that first trimester especially, waking up and working out were NOT easy or consistent and an afternoon nap (even a short 20 minute one) often replaced my laundry, cleaning, dinner-making, working-out time. ;)

When I'm planning to return to work:

Being a stay-at-home-mom has been my life-long dream since I was little. It is why I switched my major early on in college from sports marketing to education- the hours are flexible (if and when I do go back) and the salary isn't one that's terribly missed when it's gone. ;) And I LOVE kids and always have and felt like teaching was the best kind of parenting practice a person can have.

I get that it's hard, and more of full-time job than the one I'm leaving behind.

But to answer the question, our plan is to take me being a home one stage at a time. I kind of love the idea of being a SAHM for the long haul and having the chance to be room parent for kids classrooms and carpool mom and being the house the our kids' friends come to hang out at after school- even (if not especially) in middle school and high school.

So we shall see. But for now, I don't have any plans for going back any time soon. :)

Where I shop:

I have to be honest. This questions cracked me up. In fact, I read the full question out loud to Matt when we were on our way to the beach because the sweet person who asked it said she, and I quote, "loved my style." Ha! I said to Matt, "Hey listen to this, this person thinks I have a style!"

I laugh because I have never considered myself fashion forward. A day where I can match an outfit by myself is considered a success in my book.

During my working days, Matt literally gave me the go-ahead on outfits before we went to bed (I guess I didn't mention that I pick out my clothes the night before- pretty much always) to avoid me wearing something that completely did not go together. I'm not kidding.

But apparently (thank you oh sweet reader!), I've had enough outfits put together for me that I'm starting to get the hang of it. ;)

SO- where I shop:

Most of my clothes come from the Banana Republic Outlet. I kind of shop like a boy- twice a year for my main items- so I like to wait until they're having the store-wide sale and then buy in bulk.

I also love Ann Taylor LOFT, Target, Gap, TJ Maxx, Nordstrom Rack, and occasionally Ross.

Oh, and I've been known to buy clothes off of eBay. Especially designer jeans. Try them on in a fancy store, get the style number and brand, and search for the same thing online for less. Works like a charm.

For shoes (which I happen to despise shopping for), I tend to hit up Marshalls, Target, or TJ Maxx. I do love Dillard's shoe department, but don't love department store shopping in general, so I tend to stick to the other shops the most for shoes.

My Skincare and Makeup Routines:

(whoa this is a long post...)

Skincare:
I went over this in my recent post on treating melasma during pregnancy. I really have a pre-pregnancy and during-pregnancy routine, but it may be easiest to share generically what I do and then share some of my favorite products.

Nighttime routine:

1. Wash face with a gentle cleaner (Pretty Mommies', Mary Kay's, or Arbonne's) using my Clarisonic Mia.

2. Toner (love Arbonne's toner)

3. Night serum (Pretty Mommies', Arbonne's, or Mary Kay's)

4. Night cream or moisturzier (Arbonne's night cream and MK's moisturizer are my faves)

Morning Routine:

Cleansers and toners are the same, and then I use one of three moisturizers: Pretty Mommies', Arbonne's, or Mary Kay's day solution and then moisturizer. 

2-3 times per week, I use Mary Kay's microdermabrasion in the shower and follow up with the step 2 replenish serum in place of my night serum.

I also do a mask 1-2 times per week. My favorites are Arbonne's SeaSource Mud Mask and Mary Kay's Even Complexion Mask

                        

My other favorite skin care products are Mary Kay's eye makeup remover. This takes off eye makeup SO easily! I use it with cotton pads instead of cotton balls to make the product last longer.

I also love their Indulge Soothing Eye Gel. This stuff is my cry gel or allergy-eye gel. I keep it in the fridge and use it after a sad movie (I've been known to pack it in my purse when I know a movie is going to make me cry) or in the mornings during allergy season. It is the BEST and feels so good when you put it on!

Makeup:

In the morning when I'm getting ready, I do everything but my eye makeup- so foundation, powder, blush and eye-lash curler. Right now I use Mary Kay's CC cream, Rodan + Field's Mineral Peptides Powder, and Mary Kay's cream blush. You can read more about these products here.

I do my eye makeup, concealer, and lip gloss in the car at red lights. I know, I know... I just don't like taking forever to get ready, so multi-tasking at a red light feels like a good use of my time.

I use Mary Kay's beige 2 concealer (read more about this here), deep brown eye liner, black ultimate mascara.

For lip glosses, I am currently loving Mocktail Hour from Victoria Secret (who knew?!) and these Stila lip glosses from Sephora.

For Pretty Mommies skin care- enter the giveaway to get a set for yourself for FREE!

For Arbonne products, contact me and I'll put you in touch with two of my good friends who sell it.

For MK products, email me and I can order them for you with free shipping and a 10% discount.

For R+F products, contact my friend Mel- she is super sweet and will get you just what you need!

Whew! That was intense. Hopefully you found something new to try! Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions. I'll do my best to answer with a less novel-like response. ;)

And don't forget to enter the Pretty Mommies giveaway!