Baby Health in Winter
7 a.m. — My alarm goes off and brings me back to the reality of this weird new world we are living in. I hit snooze a few times and finally get out of bed closer to 7: 30. It’s a Monday morning so I am moving slow. Why do Mondays still feel like Mondays even though all the days are blurring together lately? I splash some cold water on my face as a ploy to wake myself up and then do my morning skincare routine (DermaE vitamin C serum and DermaE moisturizer).
8: 30 a.m. — I finish a short meditation on the Insight Timer app. Now for my fun morning task of dragging S. out of bed (yes, my grown-ass-adult boyfriend, not a child). I make myself a cup of decaf English breakfast tea with a splash of cream and settle down on the couch with my laptop. I read a Money Diary and then get started on work.
12 p.m. — I make myself a salad with leftover chicken, goat cheese, and avocado with a slice of pumpernickel bread on the side. I then have a sweet treat (Bon Appetit’s billionaire tahini bars that I made yesterday…I will eat many of these this week). I go for a 10-minute walk while on the phone with one of my aunts. It is in the 60s and beautiful today — I realize I forgot the first day of spring was last week.
5: 15 p.m. — I snack on some cashews and an orange, throw a load of laundry in the washer, and finish up with work. I shut my laptop at 5: 30 and do Day One of Yoga with Adrienne on YouTube.
9 p.m. — S. and I pretend to be responsible adults and do some chores. He cleans the kitchen and I fold our laundry while watching an episode of Grace and Frankie. We spend some time talking on the couch afterward.
Daily Total: $102.89” data-reactid=”27″ type=”text”>Daily Total: $102.89
7 a.m. — I wake up to my alarm. I creepily stare at S. while he sleeps and think how nice it is to be back in our apartment. We still consider it “our” apartment even though I don’t pay rent anymore. When I relocated, we decided S. would handle the rent on his own because it is the same amount he was paying for his own place before we moved in together and he makes more than double my salary, so I don’t feel guilty about this arrangement.
10 a.m. — S. and I decide to take 10 minutes to do a couple of things around the apartment. He vacuums and I change the sheets.
12: 15 p.m. — I get off a call and break for lunch, which really just means I eat lunch in front of my computer as I read emails. My company does not have a lunch break culture but when I work from home, I try to take 10 minutes to do something else a few times a day. I figure if I were in the office, I would probably be spending that time talking to a coworker or doing a lap around the floor anyway. Today is leftover adzuki bean rajma and rice that S. made last week. I top it with cilantro, pickled onions, and a dollop of Greek yogurt. I eat a billionaire bar after.
5: 30 p.m. — Done with work. I have a piece of cheese and cashews as a snack while I talk to my parents on the phone. I miss them, especially since before the COVID outbreak I had been spending a lot more time with them than usual. I tell myself I’ll do yoga later tonight (spoiler: I do not).
9 p.m. — I do an hour of work while S. bakes and then I hop in the shower. It smells so good when I get out, but I decide to wait till tomorrow to have a piece. I do my normal nighttime routine plus Retin-A. The kitchen is a mess, but I decide to ignore it and hope S. cleans it up tonight. I read a little and tuck myself in by 11.
Day Three
3 a.m. — I wake up when S. comes to bed. We have very different sleeping schedules and very rarely go to bed/wake up at the same time, but this is late even for him. I hope he was up later than usual because he was cleaning the kitchen.
8 a.m. — And….the kitchen is not clean. I feel like we are constantly cleaning the kitchen and as soon as it is clean it just gets messed up again almost immediately. I do a meditation, make a cup of tea (TJ’s ginger turmeric tea), and settle into work.
12 p.m. — Lunch is leftover pasta from Monday night. I stare out the window for a little bit just to remind myself that the outside world still exists.
3: 30 p.m. — I take a BBB (banana bread break). I also browse Zillow for unrealistic dream homes, one of my favorite things to do when I have a few minutes during the workday. What job does one need to have in order to buy a $5 million home anyway?
6 p.m. — After I finish up with work, I do Yoga with Adrienne and then spend some time on a workbook my therapist gave me. This winter, I decided that since I was saving a huge sum of money not paying rent it was finally time to invest in a mental health issue that has been a huge part of my life since I can remember. I am now seeing a specialist for disordered eating. It was huge for me to realize that there was not actually a problem with my body but with my mind. I plan to continue for six months to a year, so it will be a big financial investment, but hopefully, one that yields a lot of positive outcomes. This week my homework is to develop a mindfulness and meditation practice.
8 p.m. — After finishing another hour of work I stop for dinner. S. makes pork chops and green beans and cleans up the kitchen. I talk to my mom for a little and then my grandma. S. and I eventually go for a nighttime stroll.
9 p.m. — I am trying to build more holistic self-care into my life, but tonight I decide to do some cliché self-care. I draw myself a bath with Epsom salts and lavender oil, listening to a podcast on self-acceptance while I soak. (Am I the definition of #wellness yet?) I change up my skincare routine a bit tonight, starting with an exfoliating scrub from ACURE. Since my usual marula oil hasn’t arrived yet I use jojoba oil and my jade roller (I know, I know…I am but an impressionable millennial who is susceptible to influencer culture). Top it off with moisturizer and I feel like a new woman.
11 p.m. — Lights out after a little bit of reading.
Day Four
9 a.m. — My best friend since the day I was born still lives next door to my parents. She goes over and has her coffee on the patio with my mom (keeping six feet apart) and FaceTimes me so I can join. I have my tea and a piece of banana bread as we chat. While I love having extra time in DC with S., I also miss regularly seeing them, my dad, my grandparents who live across the street from my parents, and my brother who lives 20 minutes away from them.
12 p.m. — I take a break from work to go for a quick walk and talk on the phone with one of my aunts. She just got furloughed from her job and is in three different high-risk groups for coronavirus, so I want to make sure she is okay. I’ve felt okay going for walks as long as I keep distance from others who are out, but with the new CDC guidance to wear cloth masks in public I am now confused if going for walks is irresponsible. I don’t even know where I would get a cloth mask at this point.
2 p.m. — Work hasn’t been too busy today. My normal work schedule fluctuates. I tend to work between 40-50 hours a week, with some more intense 60-hour weeks very rarely. I am always online 9-5 but sometimes work outside those hours. I work on a team that supports executives who are very busy, so sometimes I will wait all day for something I need, get it at 7, and then have to work at night to get it back out for something happening the next day. I switched to this internal role after working in one of my company’s client-facing business lines for four years. I’m really happy with my new role and even when I work on nights and weekends, I still enjoy the job.
Below Deck Sailing Yacht and a few episodes of Kim’s Convenience. At some point, I shower and head to bed.” data-reactid=”53″ type=”text”>8 p.m. — S. finishes up work and we have a wonderful dinner of salad with a selection of Trader Joe’s freezer aisle’s finest — pork buns and kung pao chicken mochi balls. We settle in on the couch and watch an episode of Below Deck Sailing Yacht and a few episodes of Kim’s Convenience. At some point, I shower and head to bed.
Day Five
8 a.m. — I wake up to a glorious work-free Friday. I originally had today off for a trip but canceled it due to the COVID outbreak. I lounge in bed and cuddle up to S., then eventually get up and make a bowl of oatmeal.
4 p.m. — I break from my marathon to do yoga. I read for a little bit, snack on cheese with jam, and have a can of San Pelligrino aranciata soda while I wait for S. to finish with work. For anyone looking for new cheeses to try, I highly recommend unexpected cheddar from TJ’s.
7 p.m. — We open up a bottle of wine. Last weekend, S. surprised me with a wine delivery from Domestique, a local shop that was running a special where you order six or more bottles and tell them what you like, and they curate the box for you. We are trying to support as many local businesses as we can during this time, especially because neither of our incomes have been impacted. Dinner is bento boxes we order from Izakaya Seki ($25 but S. pays).
Daily Total: $0” data-reactid=”61″ type=”text”>Daily Total: $0
$74.70” data-reactid=”64″ type=”text”>1 p.m. — We head to Trader Joe’s with makeshift masks made from scarves. I want to stay calm and rational during this crazy time, and I am not sure if wearing a scarf over my face is necessary, but I will absolutely follow what public health professionals tell me to do. There is a line to get into TJ’s because they are trying not to overcrowd the store, and at the front of the line an employee squirts hand sanitizer into our palms before we can enter. We get lettuce, limes, lemons, bananas, oranges, basil, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, garlic, onions, green beans, carrots, baby carrots, shredded coconut, almonds, cheese, eggs, ground turkey, flank steak, pork tenderloin, frozen chocolate-covered strawberries and bananas, mini mint chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches, and can of La Colombe coffee ($74.70, I pay). $74.70
Uncorked on Netflix and then I fall asleep on the couch. (Billionaire bars were also consumed at some point.) S. convinces me to go up to bed around midnight.” data-reactid=”66″ type=”text”>7 p.m. — We open up a bottle of wine and drink it with some manchego cheese while we cook dinner. Tonight, we are making carne asada tacos and fried plantains. I bought S. a tortilla press for the holidays to encourage him to make tacos regularly, and it has definitely been a success. We watch the movie Uncorked on Netflix and then I fall asleep on the couch. (Billionaire bars were also consumed at some point.) S. convinces me to go up to bed around midnight.
Day Seven
12 p.m. — I FaceTime my brother for a while. We are polar opposites, but he is one of my best friends. I give my mom a call afterward to check in on how she and my dad are doing. He is a small business owner who will be financially impacted by the current situation and my mom was in the middle of a job search after resigning from her previous job at the beginning of winter. She assures me they have enough tucked away and don’t need any financial help from me right now. My parents are very comfortably middle class and I grew up with financial security and privilege. I don’t give my parents any money even though I am currently living with them because it is not expected, they would never accept it, and there is an understanding that I will take care of them when they are older. I fully expect my parents to live with me one day when they no longer want to or can safely live independently, and I factor this into my financial planning.
4 p.m. — S. lets me shave off his entire beard. I first make it a goatee, then a soul patch, then just a stash, and finally smooth as a baby’s butt…obviously taking funny pictures of the progression to send to everyone we know. We are clearly trying to find new ways to entertain ourselves these days. He also places a Fresh Direct delivery order of stir fry meat, shrimp, a whole chicken, beans, almond extract, broccoli rabe, chives, cilantro, mushrooms, broccoli, potatoes, and shallots ($66.51, he pays). We are going to try to limit our grocery runs to max once a week, and maybe even try to move to bi-weekly, so we buy slightly more groceries than usual this weekend.
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