A Picture An Hour - The Progress Of Writing A Cookbook, Writing A Blog, Running A Home

So I figured I'd give you guys a little fun run down of what a typical-ish day looks like in this household. It changes often as you can imagine, but lately, this is pretty standard. The photos are pretty candid---- and the house, maybe a bit messier that usual (she's been extra squirmy with all these extra rain we've been getting ever.single.day), but still accurate.
8 am. Marlowe wakes up. (Really, 7:40 is the usual wake up call I get. She wakes up, comes in, and asks me for breakfast. I get up with her, Alex follows about fifteen minutes later. On this day, she slept in until 8:10 or so, so Alex and I woke up first.)

I open my computer and make sure blog post goes live (or I finish it up if I didn't already schedule it). I share on social media networks and answer back any urgent emails. Alex makes (delicious) coffee. Other than cereal, M usually gets fruit. Alex and I (always) have coffee and sometimes fruit. &about 3 days a week, we make smoothies.

9 am. I continue to work on my computer, they go to play. Or she plays and he heads outside to garden, depending on weather. I figure out what recipes I'm doing and get into kitchen.

Usually around 10 - 10:30 am I can expect a body or two to pop into kitchen.

11:30 I'm still cooking and I usually begin setting up my photo table with "props" or whatever. I begin plating food and photographing. Marlowe pulls out an activity book while I take photos. It's a fashion one--- cause she's still obsessed.

12:00 We sit to eat lunch. Which, not surprisingly, is whatever I've been working on. Marlowe finishes and asks to eat Alex's plate, he says yes, because he's typically on seconds anyway. Alex and I cuddle up on couch before he has to leave-----the kid talks and talks and talks and finishes her food slowly.

1:00 Alex gets ready for work. I'm back in kitchen cooking. He leaves for work. Sometimes I sit back on the computer again to moderate comments or do a quick email check if I'm waiting on something. Marlowe runs into her room after lunch, runs back out in a tutu and decides I "need to watch a ballet performance". I "watch quietly not to bother the dancers" while responding to emails. Typically I'm still in the kitchen.

3:30 or so, I realize I've completely forgotten I'm doing a picture post and we take a "grumpy" selfie in car after an eventful trip to the craft store for supplies. Note: a great way to make your toddler stupid amounts of happy is allowing them to wear a tutu to the craft store. (my necklace).

We come home. I'm back in kitchen. I start something new or finish up whatever I'm making. Clean up/set up photo table again and take more pictures. Marlowe plays in her room.

5ish. I have now (hopefully) finished another recipe, snapped more photos. I begin a DIY post.

I begin to tidy up home, empty dishwasher, load it again, and clean down countertops. I make a quick vegetable pasta dinner since we ate all other "meal" type foods and Marlowe cleans up.

6 ish. We sit and eat together and talk about things like the statue of liberty, fort building, or what we can do when Alex has off.

6:30ish. we craft. She colors creepy doll mask thing and makes a pretty awesome necklace. I make canvas flowers.

7:00 pm. my dirty toe child gets a bath. I dress her, she plays a bit more or sometimes gets "a movie" aka a 20 minute kid show on netflix. I clean up from dinner and clean up our craft project. I sweep and vacuum house. I make/grab marlowe a snack. If I have time, I shower.

8:00 pm. I help her clean up rest of room. She gets book. Tonight it's pink-a-licious *side eye* and she gets tucked in.

I head into *my office* I begin uploading photos, answering emails, inputting recipes, and editing photos for next days post. In no particular order, the things I must work on between 8 pm and 2 am: emails, uploading photos into computer, editing photos, uploading photos into post and formatting html (aka, trying to figure out html), invoices, organizing files or photos (food/recipes and for blog posts), writing blog post(s), typing out recipes, planning next day recipes, write book manuscript, answering questions on blog, instagram, twitter, more emails, figuring out other random paperwork (contracts, campaign projects, blah blah blah), smiling, cause it's my favorite.

9 pm. I decide I should get a snack now, because if I don't I'll end up starving and eating at midnight. (I got this wonderful late night snacking quality from my mom. Also eating dinner at 6 pm and going to bed at 2 am without snacking might be crazy). My snack is typically popcorn, wine (yes, thats a snack) with popcorn, or toast/chips/usually something carby--- never sugary, tonight is the exception. Melted chocolate on a graham cracker--- fancy, I know. I continue working. It usually takes me around an hour or more to answer emails (Yes, I do reply to all of them). Recipes and photo time depend on what I've accomplished before (I'm not anywhere close to having the photos done for the book).

10 pm. I typically start uploading photos and adding text to my post. If I've finished most of the text and only need to worry about photos and html, I might throw on some really trashy tv. It doesn't happen everyday or even half the time but it does make my night feel more vacation-y. Because with trashy tv you only have to pay attention 20% of the time, and its still amusing every time you look up.

11:13 Alex texts me to say he's packing up. This depends on the night of the week, but between 11-11:30 is pretty standard for this text. I'm usually, hopefully done with my blog post and working on other projects. But for instance, it's currently 12:32 am tonight, and I'm still here typing.

Midnight. Alex is home. We both make pooped face at each other. I'm working on my DIY project, he opens up a beer. He typically puts a show on the computer, I insert recipes or work on whatever else. He crashes at 1 am. I join or lately, I'm up until 2 - 3 am ish, typing, editing, emailing, formatting, planning, doing. Hey night owlsssss whats up, lets hang.
I lay my head down. BED BED BED. &repeat ;)

notes:
-I swear I shower.
-We're rearranging the shelves of the built in, I wish I had magic powers I could sit here and make the objects float to wear they should go.
-I don't know where my obsession with floors came from, but I am not relaxed if the floors are not swept and vacuumed.
-This was a monday.
-Today I'm going to the dentist *tear*

pre book: see what a day without marlowe looks like: HERE ;)