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A Day in the Life… 2023

ByRebekah Hoffer
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Every year on January 18th I take one picture every hour from the moment I wake up until I go to bed that night. I end up taking pictures of the ordinary – supper prep, silly kids, trips the library, a cup of coffee, my computer screen.

These ordinary pictures are actually quite extraordinary. They are my everyday. They are my here and my now. They are a day in my life.

I’ve given myself an amazing gift to be able to look back at a typical day from the past years and see the changes from year to year. The gift of being able to see the extraordinary in my everyday routine because the truth is simple: today’s routine will not be the same for long. My children will grow. My jobs will change. These routines will not remain.

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A Day in the Life of Rebekah – January 18, 2023

7:30 AM – My days are ruled by school drop off and pick up this year. I’m heading out the door with Grace (7th grade) for the first drop off of the day.

Grace wears Christmas socks almost every day. She also took over packing her lunch all on her own initiative.

8:30 AM – Almost time for the second drop off of the day with Noah (5th grade). This boy lives in athletic wear. Unlike Grace, he buys lunch most days.

9:30 AM – Now it is just Isaac and me home for the morning. He is on a big Uno Attack kick, and we play almost every day.

10:30 AM – One of my favorite winter luxuries is having a warm towel waiting for me after my shower. I am especially grateful for it right now after having some major furnace issues and replacing it about 10 years ahead of schedule.

11:30 AM – I am working on some podcast prep for Sorta Awesome. Also pictured is a paint by number I gifted myself and one of our dining room chairs that was originally owned by my grandparents.

12:30 PM – It is time for the last school drop off of the day. Isaac and I walk to his school most days, and holding hands with him is one of my most favorite things.

Isaac is in half day kindergarten – one of the few half day programs still around. It has been a good fit for him, but it makes for a brutal schedule for me.

1:30 PM – Meg and I are all set up and ready to start recording for Sorta Awesome. I have been recording in my bedroom closet for years.

2:30 PM – Meg and I are still recording. I warned Meg before we hit record that I was nervous. This episode taps into a vulnerable place for me.

I strongly believe in the power of sharing our vulnerabilities. It is worth it. This community and the Awesomes are worth it. You can listen to the episode “The Pandemic Broke Me” here.

3:30 PM – I already picked up Grace, and she is on her way to pick up Isaac – which he considers a special treat whenever that can happen.

I just picked up Noah. One of my favorite moments of every day is the smile he gives me when he walks up to the car. I tried to catch it on camera today, but I missed it. Instead, you get a car selfie. I cried off most of my makeup while recording the podcast, but I’m still smiling.

4:30 PM – After school screen time in our somewhat cluttered living room.

5:30 PM – While we wait for Grace to finish her dance class, the boys play basketball. Sometimes I walk to get in some movement, run to the grocery store, read, or do some work on my phone.

6:30 PM – Supper tonight is cheeseburger soup (leftovers from last night) and salad. Isaac is looking off towards Noah and cracking up. No one laughs at Noah the way Isaac does. LOL

7:30 PM – I am testing out a new dress for a fundraising event. Nate approves. The dress is from Target and no longer available.

8:30 PM – While listening to Spare by Prince Harry, I painted my nails with Olive & June’s Lippy – which is one of their quick dry collection. I’m a huge fan of the quick dry formula!

I am thinking about making it my goal to read 100 books this year. If that is going to happen, I’ll need to make audiobooks a bigger part of my reading routine.

9:30 PM – Grace is always sneaking in those last moments of reading before bed.

10:30 PM – After too much TikTok scrolling, I’m also reading in bed. This book is a romance novel set on a prison planet. I love it. LOL

Reflecting Back on my 2023 Day

One of the biggest changes from this day compared to last year, is the absence of COVID. Things were starting to feel a little more normal last year, but there were still masks in some of my photos and I was ordering COVID tests.

This year, I only mentioned the pandemic briefly because we were reflecting on how the pandemic changed us in our podcast recording.

The other biggest change was Isaac going to kindergarten. The logistics of my days are ruled by the school schedule. 3 kids. 3 different schools – all with different start times. Plus half day kindergarten. No bus to help with transportation. It. is. a. lot.

I would love to say that Isaac being in school every afternoon has freed me up to get more done, but that time goes by so fast. Plus, he was napping or having quiet time every afternoon last year – so it doesn’t feel like a significant time increase. The real change will happen next year when he is in school full day.

Other noteworthy things from this year:

  • Grace is forever reading a book. I think she has been reading in A Day In The Life photos almost every single year.
  • My own reading has come up more as I have been reading for escape more than watching TV these past couple of years.
  • Isaac and Noah are playing sports together more and more. They truly keep each other entertained.
  • Grace got a phone for the first time this year, and can be seen using it in the 4:30 photo.
  • I am wearing Harry Styles merch that I bought at his concert this past fall.
  • I’m still painting my nails with Olive & June!

This was January 18, 2023. I look forward to seeing what changes come next year.

Thank you for following along on my 13th annual “A Day in the Life” project.

Take a peek back in time!

Thank you for sharing a day in my life!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. Thank you for supporting Simply Rebekah!

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