Welcome to The Everymom Before 9am, where we’re exploring the challenges of weekdays and shedding light on all that goes into mornings with kids. We’re asking mothers how they manage their mornings, from the time they wake up until the time they leave the house (if applicable). We hope by sharing a variety of stories, maybe we can help each other find hacks, shortcuts, and, at the very least, support in knowing we’re not alone.
Today: A pregnant business owner, stay-at-home mom, and Barre instructor who is teaching virtual classes from her house in Boston while her husband works from home and her mom—who lives across the street!—looks after their toddler son.
City: Boston
State: Massachusetts
Relationship status: Married
Age: 35
Gender Identity: Female
Job Title: Business Owner and Stay-at-Home Mom
Work hours: Full-Time
Work location: Both at home and outside of the home at my Barre studios
Awake time: 6:30am
Number of cups of coffee drank before 9am: 0
Partner’s age: 35
Partner’s gender identity: Male
Partner’s work hours: Full-Time
Work location: Usually outside of the home but now working from home
Child 1 age: 2.5
Child 2 age: 25 weeks pregnant with baby #2!
Childcare: My parents live across the street from our home, so they watch my son when I have to work or teach Barre classes. He is usually enrolled in preschool three days per week, but he’s now home full-time.
6:30am: “MAMA! Maaaama!” Wake up and go into my son’s room to get him up. “Hi Mama!” he says before telling me about his dreams, which usually include dinosaurs. I change his diaper—and hope he didn’t wet through to his PJs—take off his blankie, and take him to my bed to watch cartoons with Daddy.
I head down to the kitchen to get our son a banana, which is requested every morning. He holds it while he watches TV. Eventually, he eats it. Some ends up in our bed.
I inevitably fall back to sleep because I am 25 weeks pregnant and am 100 percent a night person.
7:00am: Throw in some laundry. Wash my face, brush my teeth, and do my hair and makeup to be quasi-presentable on camera. Put on workout clothes and sticky socks. I usually add a scrunchie with a bow to be cheerful during this time.
7:30am: Head downstairs with baby boy to play, usually with his Paw Patrol firetruck. He typically plays pretty well in the morning and isn’t into his toddler “running” mode yet.
Wash my face, brush my teeth, and do my hair and makeup to be quasi-presentable on camera. Put on workout clothes and sticky socks. I usually add a scrunchie with a bow to be cheerful during this time.
7:45am: Make breakfast for the little guy and at least start to think about what to make for myself. Eventually, I eat something light before my class.
8:00am: Welcome my mom over to our house and set up her computer for my son’s preschool Zoom call circle time. He eats breakfast with Nana and loves that time with her.
8:15am: Convert our guest bedroom from my husband’s at-home office into my makeshift Barre studio. Record a mic and audio soundcheck for my morning class. Hope that all of the wires and sound mixers are set up correctly. Check my work emails and touch base with my Barre instructors from the studios I own.
8:30am: Review my playlist and choreography for my first class while my husband starts his workday from our bedroom.
8:45am: Start a Zoom meeting video call and welcome clients logging in from all over to take my virtual class.
9:00am: My morning online Signature Barre class begins! 🙂