Sara and Melissa Talk About...A Day in Our Lives

We've been running a column series to get more personal with our readers. This month, we're sharing what a day in each of our lives is like. As you can see, we don't only write book reviews. ;)

We're always open to topic suggestions, so please don't hesitate to share those in the comments. We'd also love to know if you can relate to anything we've said or hear your own thoughts on the topic. So don't be shy. :) We look forward to getting to know you as much as we're letting you get to know us. You can find our previous columns here, in case you missed them.

Melissa Amster:                                                                                          My daily routine has changed a lot over the past year. It used to involve getting my kids to school, either by car or by waiting for the bus, and then driving to work. I'd pick one of them up from school in the evening, as well. Then there was dinner, relaxation time, and the usual bedtime routines. 

Back then, I got up at 5:45 a.m. to get started on my day, since I always exercise in the morning. The pandemic has afforded me an extra hour of sleep, so I now get up at 6:45 a.m. to exercise. Sometimes later, depending on my husband's schedule. I either do the treadmill first and then a workout video with my daughter or vice versa. Then I get my daughter breakfast and get my sons out of bed. This is around 8:00 am now. Sometimes I have to do the treadmill after making sure everyone is up and having breakfast. 

After that is all settled and I've freshened up and gotten dressed, I have breakfast. Most days, it's Special K vanilla almond, but sometimes I treat myself to a bagel with butter and strawberry jam. Then I work on blog stuff and any other housekeeping needs, before I start on the other work I am now doing. A year ago, I was still working from home for the non-profit job I held for over ten years. However, the pandemic changed that plan too, but now I'm dipping my toes into the publishing industry, gaining some new experiences along the way.

On some mornings or afternoons, I am either ordering groceries through Instacart or going to the store. Around 12:30 p.m., I usually have my standard lunch of a salad, fruit, and a granola bar. Then I get lunch for my daughter. My sons usually make their own lunch or snack a lot throughout the day. In the evening, either my husband or I will make dinner for everyone. On Mondays, we have meat leftovers from Shabbat. Tuesday through Thursday is usually dairy items. Friday, we have meat once again for a new Shabbat meal. After dinner, it's usually relaxation time, most of it spent watching TV (most recently Love, Victor, Manifest, The Bold Type, and Workin' Moms). Then I get my daughter settled into bed, as my sons end up going to bed a lot later and don't need to be tucked in anymore. I spend the rest of the evening getting more blog stuff done or replying to e-mails before going to bed myself. 

The only night that is different is Friday, for Shabbat. We don't have dinner until later in the evening, after I have lit candles and my husband has finished his prayers. We spend time talking and joking around, as well as relaxing and reading. We also will play board games, but usually that happens more on Saturday.  

There you have it, a day in my life. It's pretty standard, but I'm glad I could give you a glimpse! I'm hoping we'll get out a bit more this summer and shake up our routines!

Sara Steven:                                                                                                                                            Lately, the patterns in my days have been pretty similar to one another, given an upcoming move for my family later this year. It feels like we’re spending a lot of time on packing, staging, and taking boxes and other household items to our storage unit. It’s like the movie Groundhog Day over here--only with packing paper and tape. 

There have been a few breaks from monotony, though. Like the virtual writer’s conference I recently attended through the Martha’s Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and an evening spent with baby goats and an alpaca that silently judges everyone, by way of Goat Yoga. My ten-year old is on the swim team again through our local YMCA, and had his first meet of the season on Saturday.

My sons at Goat Yoga

The writer’s conference was an amazing opportunity and a valuable tool in getting back into the habit of writing again, and Goat Yoga with my family was so much fun. And I loved seeing my little guy in the water again, after a year break from competing. But none of it is a typical day for me. My days (like today) usually go a little something like this:

5:30 a.m.--I wake up. Even if I don’t want to. The Arizona sun is unforgiving and is full-blown bright around this time of the morning. I usually do a little reading to get me going in the mornings; my latest read is Ruthless Women by Melanie Blake. I’m really enjoying it. 

   

6:30 a.m.--If I’m to do any running outside, it has to be an early morning thing. After I water my plants and get myself ready, I’m off to San Tan Regional Park for a trail run. I’ve got my Osprey water pack on my back, along with a phone in my hand and headphones plugged into it, so I can listen to a mix of tunes while I’m pounding dirt, rock, and gravel.

9:00 a.m.--check Facebook/Email/Twitter.

9:30 a.m. --I pick up the house if it needs it, take care of my cat and dog, and if the kids are up, I make sure to get things rolling on their breakfast. I like to watch my guilty pleasure shows while I do what needs to be done around the house, like laundry, dishes, etc., and today it was Extreme Sisters. What a crazy show!

10:00 a.m. (ish)--Packing. Since we’re moving, I’ve been working on getting a lot out of the house and into our storage unit, so we can stage the house for sale. Today’s target was an area of the house that’s been designated for the kids, and their bathroom, too. 

Noon--Lunch time with the kids and husband, who works from home. 

After lunch, it’s back to packing. But this time, I’ve enlisted the help of the teenager to work on his room. There are so many loose papers, change, Lego pieces and bottle caps he’s managed to collect and hold onto...I’m not sure why. 

3:00 p.m.--I sit down to work on my “A Day in the Life” post. 

Later this afternoon, I’ll try to do a little yoga; it’s something I work on daily, in order to stretch out and relax before making dinner. Sometimes I make the kids do yoga, or make dinner with me. I might watch another show. It will probably be the recent episode of 90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After.    

After the sun goes down, we usually take the boys out for a bike ride, or we’ll go for a walk. And, I usually try to get some reading in before bed, which is almost always before 10pm, because I can’t seem to stay up past that time anymore. Nearly every day, I also take the time to reply to Melissa--we have a long-standing message we send back and forth to one another. I think I “talk” to her more than I talk to anyone else!

Even though it feels like Groundhog Day right now, it’s the calm before the storm for me. Soon, I’ll start my full time class load at Arizona State University for the fall semester, with five courses to contend with. So for now, I’ll take the redundancy!

What is a day in your life like? Tell us in the comments!