a day in the life of a 30 year old
I've been thinking about turning 30 all month. I gave it a few passing glances this past summer. Mostly after Nick turned 30 in July. I realized, I was next. I thought about making one of those 30 before 30 lists. But the more I thought about it I didn't think I could even come up with 30 things to put on that list. I've lead a pretty adventurous and fun life to date and don't feel like there's anything I've forgotten to do or missed out on as a 20 something. Then Thanksgiving hit (a time that usually falls on or shortly around my birthday) and it sank in. I'm gonna be 30 on Monday. Nick was so sweet and thought of lots of fun sweet ways to entertain me all weekend (including seeing the new Twilight movie). All weekend I kept thinking - holy crap I'm 30 on Monday.
For some reason I kept comparing turning 30 to the episode of Friends "The One where they all turn 30." I kept thinking - I'm pretty sure they all looked older on that episode than I do now. This clip literally has been on repeat in my mind all weekend.
I mean, I know that 30 isn't OLD. I don't feel that old. I just feel like up to this point life has gone by at just about the right pace. Some moments calculated, some moments and events planned, lots of unplanned fun, spontaneous surprises, up and downs, all of which have gone by at what feels like an appropriate amount of time. Then pretty much as soon as I had my second baby - time shifted for me. It no longer moves at that gradual beautiful pace it has for the last 3 decades. It now moves in WARP SPEED. My days are packed to the brim with to do's as a mom of two, a wife, a photographer, a sister, a friend and a daughter. It pretty much feels like from the minute I open my eyes to the moment I lay down at night went by in a blink. This new warp speed living is really what has me in a panic. All month, all weekend, all day my sadness hasn't been with being 30 or feeling old. My sadness has been with what's about to happen next. I just know from this point out - this is what people refer to when they say "it all goes by in a blink," Every time I look at my babies I can't help but hear those words from all those older than me. "It goes by in a blink." I keep hearing these words and having little moments of sadness.
So once I pushed passed all this sadness and self pity - I realized what I needed to do to document turning 30. A day in the life of 30. Today, on my 30th birthday, I'd document everything I did in one day. I know none of my days are the same as the last and some days don't look like this one. But I just want to have this to look back on. When I finally am 40 or 50 and those days have gone by in a blink. I wanted a snippet of time to remember where I was and what 30 looked like to me. I did the best I could to jot it all down. I just kept my laptop open all day with a giant stickie note open and kept jotting things down as the happen (I'd like to think I only wasted about 20 minutes of my day total in doing so but it's worth it).
So here we go - a day in the life of 30:
8:30am - wake up to Caden on his monitor crying
8:40am - peel myself out of bed - go get Caden from his room
carry Caden from his room to Liv's nursery - get her too
8:45am - change alivia's diaper
change caden's diaper
9:00am - let dog's out to go to the bathroom
9:05am - make alivia's bottle
turn on team umizoomi for caden
9:10am - feed alivia bottle
let dogs inside
9:30am - done with bottle. put her in her chair.
make instant coffee
make caden's breakfast - put in highchair
make dog's breakfast
pick alivia back up from crying
make my breakfast
first sip of coffee. reheat coffee.
10am - get caden more orange juice
get alivia settled in nap nappy
sit down to eat toast and sausage.
second sip of coffee.
10:05am - laptop out while eating, check all emails and texts and voicemails
10:10 am - get caden more orange juice.
sip coffee.
begin answering emails
get caden down from highchair, clean him off, brush his teeth
stop caden from unwrapping all of xmas paper from their rolls and playing with train under tree
back to computer, sip coffee. reheat coffee
finish eating toast and sausage.
enter food in weight watchers app on phone
let dogs out to potty again
1030am - finish reading all emails and responding to a few
turn off tv/team umizoomi over
change alivia's diaper - get her dressed
get caden dressed
1100am - get alivia down for her first nap
take shower
get dressed --- SOUND BITE FROM CADEN ---- "momma do adults have hair on their butts and drink iced teas?" WHAT?!
stop to help caden put some trains together
1130am - back to computer to respond to more emails.
sip coffee. reheat coffee.
finish a mock up for client christmas card
send said christmas card to client
notice a cyber monday special at bath and body works - stock up on the soaps we use in our kitchen and all bathrooms
12:00pm - alivia wakes up - go get her
change alivia's diaper
make bottle
let dogs out
change cadens poop diaper, put on his shoes get him in car
get dogs in house - in their cage
get alivia in her car seat - grab diaper bag and bottle
12:15pm - go to central market - order lunch for us and my mom. find seats by playground and let Caden run off to play.
sit down and feed alivia bottle while caden runs around on play land
12:30pm - buzzer goes off foods ready. while carrying alivia and my purse and feeding her a bottle go get food from counter. mom shows up just as I'm getting the tray (perfect timing).
eat lunch with caden, alivia and my mom. try to catch up with mom on life. Add salmon salad to my weight watchers app.
1245 pm- caden and alivia play with mom on playground while I grocery shop (the woman is a saint I tell you).
1:00pm - finish grocery shopping - go back to playground, grab kids and head back to car.
1:20pm - get home, unload groceries, get kids out of car, let dogs out to potty
hold alivia and play with caden outside in the driveway with cars
145pm - change alivia's diaper, change cadens diaper
take quick picture of the two of them being cute together.
150pm - alivia's now crying. caden wants fruit snacks in exchange for his picture being taken (a common bribe for photographs).
200pm - start nap time routines. read books to kids in cadens bed, wash hands, faces, etc.
230pm - both kids down, neither are asleep yet
235pm - pick up toys, let dogs out. pour out morning coffee make new cup.
2:45pm - clients respond about ordering cards. place their orders.
create 2 client invoices
start design of client album
3:25pm - alivia wakes up. make bottle.
realize low on formula
feed alivia - try to work on album at same time with one hand
350pm - alivia finished with bottle & burp.
put in nap nappy chair
back to more album designing
405pm - alivia fusses - i pick up and hold while album designing
4:20pm - lightheaded from coffee. must eat snack.
4:35pm - upload album mock up to web & email link with mock up to client
440pm - caden wakes up crying
carry alivia up and get him up
carry both downstairs at same time. with sprained ankle. ouch.
445pm - get caden a snack
change alivia's poop
put alivia down for nap
help caden eat applesauce with minimal leakage
let dogs out
455pm - scan room. house is a diaster. begin to pick up
456 pm- caden says he'd like to play outside before the sun goes down.
get his shoes on. fight/cry for almost a full minute about not wanting to wear a jacket.
have headache. take advil
go outside
Go get mail. Realize I have both pumpkins and a frosted snow wreath on front porch. Note to nick put pumpkins to curb tonight. Crap never photographed pumpkins. Go grab camera and photograph pumpkins. Then photograph caden holding pumpkins. Now Caden wants more fruit snacks for taking more pictures.
Get fruit snacks. Make fun game out of selling Caden fruit snacks at the store (I'm so clever).
Caden is now cold and wants to go inside.
535pm - take Caden to his room and start to decorate his personal Christmas tree
536pm - alivia wakes up crying
537pm - nick gets home (praise lord)
540pm - back to decorating tree. So glad Nick is home to join in on the fun! see LAST YEAR'S decorating :)
In state of tired frustration and self pity blow weight watchers for the day and decide to order birthday Chinese take out.
600pm - give bottle to liv, nick orders chinese (I love him).
while feeding her instagram pics from the day
620pm - alivia finishes. burp her, coo over her
visit with nick and discuss our days while he unloads the dishwasher & feeds the dogs (i love him so much)
630pm - open up mail, bills & insurance stuff. try to decode.
hop online and remember to purchase cadens last two xmas presents before the cyber monday sale ends
waste 20 minutes on jcrew factory's website due to awesome cybersale email. site doesnt work i tire of trying and close out window
650pm - start cleaning up from the day. toys, laundry, dogs, etc.
715pm - food arrives . put alivia down for nap.
eat dinner and socialize with the family
730pm - lay on the couch with caden and daddy watching the some football and relaxing with each other
750pm - i go back to cleaning
slash putting out more xmas decorations
nick gives caden bath while i take out all the trash and clean up dinner mess
830pm - make alivia's last bottle (Shes starting to wake up)
make caden's lunch for tomorrow and pack his backpack
845pm - give bottle to alivia
855pm - hand off baby and bottle to Nick
talk to nick while i fold and put all our laundry away
915pm - sit down and edit these photos and write this blog post
1045pm - while editing photoshop continually crashes - therefore only edit some images- and SCREENSHOT the final shots so i can finish this post
computer eventually crashes all together. move to Nick's PC and finish post.
1120pm - hit "publish" - get ready for bed. make tomorrow's to do list. attempt to fall asleep before midnight.