I’ve asked some of my favorite creative mamas to help out while I’m away with our new baby. Today we get a look behind the scenes at a day in the life of one of my favorite retailers – and mama of a sweet little boy – Erin Austen Abbott of Amelia! –Nole
4:30 AM
My day starts really early…. I wake up and sort of take it in. It’s the only “me” time in my whole day. I might just sip on my coffee and watch a little TV, go for a jog or answer emails that came in over night. Sometimes, I just get on Pinterest and get lost for an hour. Lately I’ve been working on a writing project each morning, which has been productive. Whatever the case may be, I try to make it relaxing.
5:30 AM
My son, Tom Otis, begins to stir. I let him talk to himself for a bit and really be ready to get up. We all have our different ways of waking up and his is a slow start. I can hear him talking to his favorite stuffed animals, saying good morning and random words sound out through the babble; school, park, venture.I make his breakfast before going in to get him because he is READY to eat first thing out of bed. We sit together while he eats and talk about what he dreamt about or what the day might entail. We watch for birds out of the kitchen window and enjoy the stillness of the morning together.
6:00 AM – 7:30 AM
Tom goes to Montessori school, so we usually play a bit before getting dressed. We read books, stack blocks, color…. all the sorts of things a toddler loves to do. Lately, we are on a big hide-and-go-seek kick. We play it several times a day. We are packed up and ready to hit the road by 7:30.
7:30- 8:25 AM
The drive to school takes awhile, as we live a town over from the school. Tom usually gets a little snack in the car and we listen to the radio, signing along to whatever SIRUS XMU plays. We look for animals, like deer or wild turkeys and big trucks on our drive. Tom usually spots the trucks from pretty far away (he’s all boy). Waiting to go into school, Tom gets in the front seat with me and we cuddle a bit while watching the PBS app on my phone. What is it about Curious George?? Saying goodbyes. Not the easiest part for me, but I know he’s getting such a great education and I do have to get to work after all. I wish I could be with him more, but I do love what I do. I feel torn about this all the time…
8:35 – 10:00 AM
Starting work before the shop opens. I treat this like office hours. I grab a coffee from Oxford Canteen, the restaurant attached to the building Amelia is in, then start in on my writing deadlines, I get my next rounds of designs ready for Otis & Co or the Amelia brand leather bag collection. I contact Amelia Pop Up Party representatives about their parties and upcoming news, I respond to emails, I work on orders, I frame photos if I have a show coming up, etc…. A lot gets packed into that hour and a half.
10:00 AM
Open for business!! Amelia opened five years ago and I’ve been working behind the counter ever since. When Tom was born, I started getting a little help, but I’m still here, 10-2PM each day. When there aren’t customers in the shop, I continue working on my various projects and do all the store ordering and package up the daily online orders.
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM
My employee, Shelby gets to work and I run to mail the online orders. I like to get them out as fast as they come in. I can’t handle that weighing me down, so I stop by the post office each day. Then I head to pick up Tom and his friend Josie, that I care for each afternoon, after school. We might head to the park or to the local children’s book store, Square Books jr. just depends day to day.
4:00 – 5:45PM
The drive home. Tom is usually spent from the day, so he just plays with a small toy in his seat and we take the scenic route home. Once home, Tom and my husband hang out and Tom usually gets his second wind since his fun daddy is there to play. They might build a fort or play more hide-and-go-seek or watch Curious George. Sometime they go for a walk, while I make dinner for Tom.
5:45PM – 6:45PM
Toilet, bath time, more hide-and-go-seek, reading, prayers, night night. This is my favorite time of my whole day. It’s a solid hour where we can be focused solely on family time and laughing with Tom, reading to him while he bathes, telling jokes (he’s at the stage where he gets it), and just having genuine togetherness. After bath, we sing the same song, that I wrote, that I’ve always sung to all the kids I’ve nannied for (I started my first nanny job when I was ten, 28 years ago and didn’t stop until I was 7 months pregnant with Tom).
“This is the way we brush our teeth.
Brush our teeth. Brush our teeth.
This is the way we brush our teeth.
Every single day.
We brush them to the left.
We brush them to the right.
We brush them up.
We brush them down.
We brush them all around.
Hey!
This is the way we brush our teeth.
Brush our teeth. Brush our teeth.
This is the way we brush our teeth.
Every. Single. Day. Hey!”
Afterwards, Sean and Tom hide. I find them. I hide. They find me, followed by getting Tom into his pj’s. He picks out a book to read, we cuddle up together, read then say prayers. I get him as “snug as a bug in a rug”, turn out the lights, close the door. We get “I love you mommy, I love you daddy”, through the closed door for about a minute before he’s already close to being fully sleep.
6:45- 9:00 PM
The full day is winding down and I now start making dinner for Sean and myself. I’m so tired by this time, so we usually just eat around 7:30, while watching a movie or TV show. By 9:00, I can’t stay awake much later, so I head to bed. I try really hard to get all my work done early in the day so that from 5:30 until 9:00, I can be fully tuned into family life. Of course, that’s not always feasible, but something I’m certainly aware of and make an effort to do.
Thanks for following along in my day to day. It is busy but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love my job and creative freedom. And most of all, I love savoring time with my son. He gets to see both of his parents doing what they love and I think that’s really important. We should all love what we do for a living, right?
