I’m so excited to have another post for our ‘Day in the Life’ series today, friends. I created this series to see how women who work for themselves structured their days. Adding motherhood into the mix brings a whole new element of navigating time so today’s post with Mara of M Loves M is such a treat.

I just have to start off by saying I’ve read Mara’s blog since she had her son Augustine and love her genuine heart and impeccable taste. I know you’ll love her content as much as I do if you don’t already! Without further adieu, here is a peek into Mara’s day:

Hi Friends! It’s such an honor to be sharing this guest post with you all! Jill is by far one of the sweetest and most inspiring women, so the fact that she asked me to share my A Day in the Life means so much! Our schedule has been a little different this year (thanks 2020!), and while some days look differently than others, this is mainly what we’ve been up to!
A little bit about me: My name is Mara and I have a lifestyle blog called M Loves M that I started in 2009 which seems like so long ago. Like when I started blogging there were no links at all. It was just a personal diary site. I started my blog as a way to document my relationship with my then boyfriend (now husband!) Matthew. It might seem a little silly to start and name a site after a boyfriend but I guess you could say I knew he was the one, and also I had no intentions of this being anything more than an online diary! My site has documented us getting engaged, married, adopting our dog Ginger, buying our first house, having a baby, and then another one! I’ve loved having a creative outlet to share my love of style (I used to be a stylist), and also recipes and home posts. With two little ones, it can be hard to find time to spend on my site, but it’s still something I love and I’m so grateful for the opportunities and friendships it’s given me over the years! Ok, so now let’s get to my day. It (usually) goes like this…

5:30-6am Wake Up – Trust me, if it was up to me I wouldn’t be awake until 8:30am/9, but I have early risers over here! Corinna (20 months) usually wakes up around 6am, although sometimes earlier, and we snuggle for a bit in bed. I’ve been doing a bible study through the First5 App and it’s become one of my favorite ways to start the day. I read the scripture and devotional on my app first thing in the morning, before any social media. I find that it helps so much to be grounded in the Word first thing and that helps carry me through my day.

6:30am-8am  Augustine (4 years old) Wakes Up + Breakfast Time – I love to cook, but Matthew has been on breakfast duty for the past year or so. He makes the best fried eggs with paprika and I’m not joking when I say I have them 6-7 days a week. That one day I don’t is usually because we ran out of eggs haha!

8-10am Get Dressed and Homeschool- Augustine and I have just started a homeschool program so we will usually read through some of the books, or do different exercises in the morning. Keeping Corinna entertained has been a little bit of a challenge but now she’s actually participating too which is fun! 
10-12pm Park/Playdate – I like to get out of the house in the morning so we usually will go to the park, take a big walk, or meet up with friends. Spending a little bit of time in the sunshine is so good for all of us. Augustine is very curious and a fun adventurer! 
12pm- Lunch – Lunch is usually leftovers for me, and a quesadilla for Augustine. Or if Matthew is home he’ll make him a breakfast sandwich. We eat a lot of eggs around here that we joke we need to get some chickens!

1-2:30/3pm- Nap time for the Kids and Work for Me- This is usually when I try to hustle through and do as much work as I can. When things are a little slower, or I just need a mental release, I’ll do a workout and listen to a podcast for 30 minutes. It’s been challenging to find a way to fit a workout into my schedule so sometimes nap time is the best time!

3-5pm – At Home Playtime/Errands – We usually play at home in the afternoons, finish up some of our homeschool work, or hang out in our backyard. We’ll go on walks around the neighborhood with our dog Ginger and chat with the families down the street. Pre-Covid, I would take advantage of this time to go to the store with them, or the post office, but I try to avoid that now just because it’s such a different experience. Sometimes I’ll make a smoothie as an afternoon snack. This smoothie is one of our faves!
5pm – Make Dinner while the Kids Play with Matthew – I love to cook so this is my time to make dinner! I try to make easy and healthy meals. Here are some of our favorite recipes and a little bit about our meal planning process!

6pm-8pm Dinner, Bathtime, Bedtime – Matthew and I juggle getting the kids bathed and in bed. I read stories with Augustine every night, just the two of us, and that’s one of my most favorite things. I love the chats we have before bedtime and we always talk about the favorite things we did during the day. We say prayers and then lights out!
8pm-12am – Work – This is where I get the majority of my work done! I try to go to bed no later than midnight, although unfortunately there are some 1am nights. I just work a lot better at night knowing that I’ll be uninterrupted. As you know, our mornings start early and I just can’t imagine waking up earlier than that! I try to carve out at least 1 night a week though where I don’t do any work. On those nights, Matthew and I will cook a later dinner together and maybe watch a movie. We need to get back to our more regular date nights, but we’ve been making the at-home ones special too!

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit more about me and my days! I feel so blessed to be a mother and while my days are long and often tiring, they are so rewarding and joyful. I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Thank you so much for having me, Jill!!
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I don’t know about you, but I genuinely left that conversation inspired. I think every mother across the board right now is dealing with a new challenge. Whether our kids are too young to be in school, are homeschooling, distance learning or attending school in a classroom, nothing looks the same this year. I’ve let a lot of things I want to incorporate into my days like a quick workout and nights off-reading this was just what I needed to remember it’s possible. I’m so grateful for Mara and she’s a light out there on social media and the internet as a whole. You can follow her on Instagram here and dig way back into the archives of her blog here.