Picture an Hour: A March Tuesday
6 a.m. Coffee + Devotional
I was up a little before 6 a.m. and began my day by letting Pepper out before making myself my usual whole milk latte. I am very sensitive to caffeine and love the organic Balance Blend by Purity Coffee, as it has 1/3 the amount of caffeine but it still gives me that cozy-comforting feel I go to bed excited to experience the next day. Maybe that sounds crazy but when I was in Scottsdale, my friend Michaela and I talked about how coffee is almost like an experience for us in the morning. It is just like a warm hug of a drink and one of those super small things that kicks my day off on a good note.
Another thing that continues to kick my day off on a good note? Not looking at my phone until after Pepper + coffee + my devotional time. Many months ago, I mentioned how I moved my phone across our bedroom so I wouldn’t be tempted to grab it and start my day scrolling in bed and while this sounds dramatic, it does wonders to improve the way I start my day. As I sipped my coffee, I went through the Bible study I’m doing with a group of friends from now through Easter for Lent.
7 a.m. Breakfast + Read with the boys + Workout
Once all the boys were awake, we ate banana bread protein pancakes for breakfast while I read them a couple pages from their devotional. (I cannot recommend this children’s devotional enough for anyone with little ones who love nature, animals, science and God.) Then we switched to reading a Bird & Squirrel graphic novel, a recent library find our kids all think is hilarious.
Ryan then finished showering after his workout and we said goodbye to Ryan, Chase and Ryder as they headed out for their school drop off. A little after 7:30 a.m., Rhett and I rounded up some toys and the boys’ Tonies to bring into our garage. Rhett played beside me while I took myself through a biceps, triceps and back workout that looked like this:
It was a basic one but a good one!
8 a.m. Shower + Get Dressed
(Sneakers: Adidas / Top: Amazon / Jeans: Frame / Crossbody bag: Amazon / Belt: Amazon / Large bead necklace: Amazon)
After my workout, I had about 30 minutes to quickly shower and get dressed before it was time to head off to Rhett’s preschool drop off.
9:30 a.m. Coffee shop work time
With all the boys settled at their respective schools, it was work time for me. I worked at a local coffee shop within walking distance of the big kids’ school because I only had a little over an hour to cram in some work time before I made my way to Chase’s classroom.
10:45 a.m. Volunteer with Chase’s class
I spent the next hour and a half with Chase’s class, walking to a local assisted living facility and watching the kids perform a few songs and celebrate Mardi Gras with the residents. It was adorable and I love any chance I get to be in Chase’s class with him.
12:15 p.m. Walk + Work
Once I was done in Chase’s class, I had about 40 minutes of weird “dead time” before I had to pick Rhett up from preschool. Since the weather outside was gorgeous, I opted to walk and work and walked just over 2 miles while updating my Amazon storefront. Amazon recently added the option to create “Curations” to a creator’s storefront and I love this feature, as I think it makes things a little easier to find.
1 p.m. Preschool pickup + Lunch + Gardening
After picking Rhett up from preschool, we headed home and I reheated leftover lasagna for lunch while Rhett ate a snack (he eats lunch at preschool). We then did a little gardening and Rhett had fun cutting the leaves off our kale plants.
This year marked our first attempt at winter gardening and we ended up with broccoli, kale, carrots and cilantro, which made us quite happy since our expectations were rather low. Once we made it back inside, I did a little dinner prep while Rhett played and then the beautiful weather called to us once again.
2:15 p.m. Tractor Walk with Pepper
On the days when the big kids have later pick ups due to after school activities, we try to take full advantage of a little extra home time and sneak in a 2-mile walk with Pepper. Rhett loves driving his tractor (the battery life on this thing is amazing and we’ve taken in 3+ miles before) while I wear my weighted vest and follow along with Pepper.
(Sweatshirt: Amazon / Sweats: Amazon / Weighted Vest)
We also typically stop to visit a neighbor’s dog which makes Pepper’s whole day!
3:45 p.m. Karate + Art Club Pickup
After our walk, we headed out to pick up Chase and Ryder from their respective after school activities. Anyone remember when Ryder lost a tooth after a playground incident when he was 3 years old? at 6.5 years old, he finally has a left front tooth again!
4:30 p.m. Chill time at Home
By the time we made it home the boys were ready for some chill time and ate snacks, hung out on the couch and poured over the Guinness World Records 2025 book I ordered for them earlier in the week. Chase in particular has been obsessed with this book and I think I’ve heard him call out, “Hey Mom! Hey Mom! Guess what!?” about 100 times since he started making his way through this one. It’s clearly a 9-year-old’s jam.
5:45 p.m. Dinner (High Protein Broccoli Cheddar Soup)
The boys entertained themselves inside and outside while I finished up dinner for our crew. The boys ate together a little before 6 p.m. and then I ate with Ryan about 45 minutes later. I cannot tell you how much we are loving this high protein broccoli cheddar soup! It’s so deliciously creamy, flavorful and satisfying.
6:50 p.m. Family Dodgeball
One of the absolute best things we did when we built our home was put down cheap carpet to resemble an indoor soccer field in our unfinished storage room. We don’t have a basement or attic so this room is basically our version of a the two combined. It functions as both a storage space and a “do whatever you want” kid space where the boys play soccer, football, dodgeball… basically anything we’d prefer them not play in our living room. Ha! Lately family dodgeball has been a nightly occurrence we all love, as it’s a great way to get some last-minute energy out before bed.
7:30 p.m. Bedtime + Stories
(Ryan ordered this giant human dog bed for our evening story time with the big kids and I cannot tell you how much we love it! It easily fits one adult and both big kids and is so comfy. Just give it 48 hours to fluff up if you order it.)
Ryan handled Rhett’s bedtime last night while it was my turn to read with the big kids. (We typically swap every night.) For anyone with kids who love graphic novels, Chase and Ryder are super into the Dragon Kingdom of Wrenly series right now. After stories and prayers, we said goodnight!
8:15 p.m. Read with Chase + Watch Paradise
Once Ryder was asleep, Chase came back downstairs to read some of his “big kid book” with us. (No photos for the rest of the night because I plugged my phone in across the room.) We’re about halfway through Artemis Fowl and I had the highest hopes for this one. The reviews are so, so good and Chase seems to be mostly enjoying it but it’s not roping us in as much as we hoped. Eventually Chase headed back to bed and Ryan and watched the second half of the first episode of Paradise. It literally took us three days to finish one episode but we like it enough to keep going!
9:15 p.m. Reading
After Paradise, Ryan and I then read our respective books until we could no longer keep our eyes open. For me this meant I read until 1 a.m. Whaaaaat. I got completely sucked into The Light Between Oceans which had me feeling so incredibly sad, conflicted and stressed out. I’ll share more about this book on Friday but phew it was a tough one to get through even though I could not put it down.
As for today, my plans for the day blew up a bit because Rhett’s preschool is canceled due to weather. Intense thunderstorms and 50 mph winds caused his school to be canceled for the day so it’s time for me to log off and hang with my little guy! I hope you all enjoy the rest of your Wednesday!!
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Julie, Just wanted to say that I also made your broccoli cheddar soup this week and we have been loving it! I didn’t add the bacon just because I was in the mood for all veggies and it is still delicious! Very filling and taste is great! Thanks for the recipe!
This makes me so happy! Thank you for trusting my recipe and I’m so glad you liked it!
I have also started leaving my phone across the room while I drink my coffee in the morning and read and it’s AMAZING! I don’t need to know what everyone is doing first thing in the morning. Plus it makes the time feel so much longer and luxurious.
Yes x 1,000!!!
Episode 2 of Paradise is definitely a bit slow (though apparently it picks up in the episodes after that!) My husband and I are planning to watch episode 3 this weekend!
I love having a show both of us like & heard great things from so many people about this one!
Hi Julie! What time of alarm do you use with your phone farther away?
Hi Brooke ~ I started using a Sunrise Clock from Walmart (not Hatch ~ too expensive) and I really like it. Most of the time I wake up before the Alarm goes off and I feel so much better using it. Less groggy. I know that sounds weird. ha!!
anything to feel less tired and groggy in the AM is huge!
Good morning ~ what weight of vest do you use?
A friend recommended The Light Between Oceans to me when I was pregnant with my first child. Talk about traumatizing!!! Definitely needs a trigger warning. I stay away from certain topics since having children.
I’m going to check out that weight vest!
Also, have the boys read any of the Pea, Bee, and Jay graphic novel series by Brian “Smitty” Smith? The first one is called Stuck Together 😀