Hi there!
My name’s Stacie and you should probably
know that it took me over a week to write up this seemingly simple post--
partly because I get distracted/interrupted easily, and partly because my days
vary so much from day to day, that I didn’t really know where to begin!
A little about myself, I was born and
raised in Arizona, and I run a small clothing business from my home called
Alice + Ames. (#plug!) My super supportive husband works with me full time, and
together we have three daughters who were my inspiration for creating the brand
from day one. Working from home alongside my family has always been the dream
for me, and I feel so incredibly grateful that we’re able to pull it off. Sure, some days are completely crazy-town and
a more traditional, less-self-employed lifestyle sounds nice, but 99% of the
time I’m pinching myself. (Good health insurance is overrated anyway! ;)
Our weekdays start by getting our older two
off to school, which is a day’s work within itself. They are most certainly not early risers, so
getting them up and at ‘em by 8:00 am requires a 1:1 adult to kid ratio, lots
of pancake-eating during hair-brushing, and a brisk walk to the bus stop that
would get even an Olympians heart rate up.
Once the older two are off, we can relax
and start our (slightly) less frazzled morning routine. With only one left at
home, it’s a lot of back and forth depending on our individual workloads. I
typically have more day-to-day to deal with, so Geoff will take our youngest to
swimming/tumbling/the rec center while I plow through emails and my to-do list,
and then we’ll switch off as needed. We typically break up the day with lunch
and an errand together, or a drop-in to our warehouse if needed. Some days are
go-go-go depending on the week, and others I’m still in my sweats on the
computer at noon. By some miracle, Frankie is still humoring us with three hour
long naps, so we’re able to get a nice chunk of work done within that window as
well. (Oh please bless I didn’t just jinx that!)
We try to have most of our work done by the
time the big girls get home, so that we can be ready for the after school shuffle
of friends/dance class/tumbling/piano lessons/etc. While Geoff is typically
playing chauffer during that time, I’m usually prepping dinner. I grew up
sitting around the table with my family every night and those times are some of
my favorite memories as a kid. Being the youngest of a busy family of 8, I
loved being able to spend some quality time catching up, enjoying my Mom’s
delicious cooking, and fighting over that last dinner roll. I’m not half the
cook my Mom is, but I do prioritize family dinner and try my hardest to make it
happen every night.
After dinner, we usually walk down to our
neighborhood park to get the last of the days wiggles out, and to get as dirty
as possible before bath time. We have lots of little friends in the
neighborhood, so killing an hour each night at the park is very enjoyable,
especially during these beautiful Arizona winters! Next up is bedtime, which is
a total circus act in our house. Even though we try to keep it as consistent
and scheduled as possible, our kids still seem to be completely shocked when we
tell them that it’s time for bed every night. What is that about!? On a really good
night, our bedtime routine will take about an hour, and that will include about
25 drinks of water, 2-3 bedroom switches, and at least 30 minutes of reading or
story telling with each girl.
I try to go for a run every night, and each
time I tell myself I’m going to listen to a motivating podcast while I am, but
I always resort back to my favorite playlists. I’ve always loved running, but
since having kids I’ve realized just how much happier I am when I prioritize it
and get that alone time outside every day. It’s totally my therapy! When I get
back, Geoff and I usually work side by side on our laptops wrapping up whatever
we didn’t get to earlier that day, while re-watching The Office for the 7th
time or something. Before falling asleep, I like to mentally prep for the next
day by going over our schedule out loud (which I’m sure Geoff loves as he’s
dozing off every night!). As a type-A-list-lover, I just can’t fall asleep
without doing it!
No two days around here really look the
same depending on the season, the weather, or how busy work is for us that week,
but I feel really lucky that no matter how slow or chaotic life is, I’m able to
go through it all with my husband and kids very close by. (I know how cheesy
that sounds, but I mean it!)
Thanks for having me, be sure to reach out
if you have any questions about working from home, or any good bedtime tips for
that matter :)
Thanks so much Stacie!And thanks for saving us 10% on any purchase at Alice and Ames (coupon code is "dayinherlife10" and is good until Friday at midnight!)
Instagram - @stacielang + @aliceandames
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