It’s time for another installment in our Day in the Life series, and today I’m going to talk about my typical evening routine.
Dinner time often happens in shifts at our house; my husband and I usually eat when he gets home from work around 7pm, and then my daughter eats a light meal when she gets home from dance around 9-9:30pm. We’ll sit together while she eats and talk and watch a TV show; lately we’ve done all this in front of a warm fire since it just got super cold in our neck of the woods!
If I cooked, then I’ll let someone else do the dishes and I’ll take Harley out for his evening walk. Brontë usually joins us although she declined to be photographed on this particular day. Does anyone else have a cat who walks like a dog?
Once we’re back from our walk, Harley gets a treat and I make sure the kitchen is clean (for example, my dishwashers don’t usually wipe down the stainless range, so I’ll do that). If there’s laundry that’s still sitting in the dryer I’ll fluff it for about 15 minutes while I’m tidying and then I’ll fold it before I go upstairs.
I’ll also take my vitamins at bedtime because it’s easier for me to remember (and I don’t like taking them on a full stomach). I haven’t always been very good about taking supplements, especially calcium, but am trying to do better so I don’t disintegrate into a pile of bone dust in the near future.
I won’t lie that getting into my pajamas is one of my favorite parts of the day. This might sound strange, but I try to wear pjs that match rather than just any ratty old thing. When I read the Madame Chic books there was a section on that and it impressed me enough to toss out all my old college T shirts and sweats. (BTW, I’ll list all my sources at the end of the post if you’re interested)
(My Madame Chic books are below; one is currently on loan to my daughter’s friend Sarah since the girls are reading through them, too)
Some nights, Annabelle and I will have a cup of hot water with a lemon half squeezed in it (another Madame Chic idea), or decaf tea, before bed. Sometimes this happens before pajamas or after; it just depends.
My evening routine for beauty and skin care is always to take my makeup off, remove my contact lenses, and use my Clarisonic to exfoliate (I use it every other day during the colder months). I also use Retin-A alternating with Beautycounter’s night cream. I have a lot of bottles but the process really only takes about five minutes.
(Sources linked at end of post)
I’m still working on our bedroom and haven’t shared it yet, but I have to say that I do love our bed (you can read a review of the mattress HERE). I also upgraded my pillowcase to a silk one with a silk eye mask and that made a huge difference in my sleep quality. I always used to be able to sleep without any issues at all but that has changed during the past few years and I find that some of these small changes have definitely helped.
So, once I get in to bed, I’m still at least an hour from actually sleeping most nights. I try to at least get in to bed at the same time that my husband (the early bird) does, but I will read for awhile before I turn out the light or use the Kindle and Overdrive apps on my phone to read, usually a mix of nonfiction and fiction. If I’ve got a deadline then sometimes I’ll stay up late working downstairs because often the only uninterrupted writing time I get is after the house is quiet.
I also send myself an email almost every night with a to-do list for the next morning since apparently I do most of my best thinking in bed!
(I’m currently finishing THIS BOOK–and I definitely recommend it!)
When the kids were younger and not self-sufficient, I’d do things like pre-pack lunches and prep breakfast the night before, but thankfully we are past those days. Still, I think the takeaway is that an organized evening routine leads to a smooth start the next day. My top tips are: 1. Leave the kitchen clean, 2. Take time to unwind and care for yourself, and 3. Plan your morning the night before.
