I get so many questions about how I “do it all” and honestly before I dive into any tips or my process I need to start by saying this: I CANNOT DO IT ALL. It may appear that way on Instagram, but behind the scenes, which by the way is not something I try to hide (it’s just not that interesting to show), I have a lot of support. I heavily lean on the help of others to achieve everything that needs to happen on a weekly basis. I’m only human, and to be honest, I struggle with productivity sometimes, so please do not be fooled.
MOM LIFE
Okay, so first and foremost, childcare. My sister Jess watches Capri 4 days per week. I have always been very open about this because I often wonder watching other people’s IG stories who is watching their kids while they go about their day showing whatever it is they are showing. It’s only natural to wonder and I see absolutely NOTHING wrong with having help. Call it a nanny, help, family, whatever. Support should not be frowned upon. The days that Jess isn’t with us are a lot less productive. We reserve the weekends for family time so it’s not a big deal to not get work done, but the weekday we have Capri alone is tricky. For the most part, Paul and I take turns working in blocks of time. The other hangs with Capri. I stopped feeling guilty about all of the work I’m not getting done. It’s my way of balancing out all the other days I am working all day and not spending unlimited time with Capri.
HOUSEKEEPING
I love housekeeping, believe it or not. I’ve always enjoyed taking care of my home, cleaning, organizing, styling things, etc. While cleaning my house is something I do daily, we do have a housekeeper who comes 2x per week. She cleans our house and also the backyard and now the office. Between all the people in and out of our house / office each day, Capri, and just living, we need the extra help.
On a daily basis, I start each morning by tidying up the kitchen after breakfast, wiping down the dining table, making the bed, and throwing in a load of laundry. After Capri goes to bed I make the rounds – pick up toys, tidy up the playroom, put clothes away, wipe countertops, clean the dining room, juj the pillows, etc. I really can’t sleep well with the house looking like a disaster.
COOKING
While I love to cook there are definitely days (and sometimes even weeks) where I am just burned out. If no one made it to the store, I’ve had a hell of a workday, or Capri is just needy and won’t let me put her down, we will order out. To be honest, it’s a relief to have that option but we are pretty over the options considering we have been in quarantine now for 5 months and not getting a break from the same 10 places.
In an ideal / good week, I cook 4-5 times and order / eat out (when we aren’t in quarantine) 2 times per week. It gives us something to look forward to and almost treat it like a little date night. Ordering from our favorite sushi restaurant and eating outside is a nice little luxury that we definitely do not take for granted.
SHOPPING
So my least favorite adult task is grocery shopping. I find myself needing to go just about every 2 days because produce and meat need to be fresh and I’m not always the best at mapping out the meals for the week. When quarantine started it was kind of nice because all of these delivery and pick-up options became available and also Paul took on the responsibility of grocery shopping. Not gonna lie, I’ve been to the store a total of 3 times in 5 months and I’m not mad at it.
We don’t do grocery delivery services (we prefer to pick our own foods) because we typically need things from at least 2 different stores so Paul and our assistant take turns making the weekly runs. We are obviously trying to limit the amount of store runs so I do plan the meals out better now. In terms of household necessities (Target runs) we have pretty much fully transitioned to Amazon. We wait until there’s at least a few different products needed and then place an order.
Aside from food and household items, I don’t think I’ve stepped into a store in MONTHS. If I want clothes, I’ll obviously shop online. I miss the farmer’s market so much, I cannot wait to resume that on the weekends.
WORK
Well, I’m not going to bore you with the details of my work life. As you can imagine, running a blog and 2 brands is no joke. Every day brings a different set of tasks and responsibilities. Some days I’m heavily focused on the brands and other days I’m more planted at my desk responding to email and writing blog content. Then there are content creation days, which hair and makeup, outfits, and driving around to locations is involved and on those days I’m tired AF and ordering dinner lol.
In terms of the team and support, as I mentioned we have an assistant. Paul handles logistics, legal, finances, and operational / supply chain stuff. I handle creative, branding, and design. We do work with a few graphic designers and I have a planner / scheduler who helps me stay organized and on top of the content calendar, newsletters, blog, etc. Surrounding launches for the brands there’s always a TON to do, so having the extra help is crucial.
We are in the process of expanding the team and I’m excited to bring on people who know more than me, can add value, and bring something different to the table. It’s a scary step but one that is necessary for our sanity and for the sake of our business because…I / WE CANNOT DO IT ALL.
If you haven’t caught on yet, I have help. My family, which isn’t exactly part of the weekly schedule, is here all the time. They love to visit Capri so on the weekends that’s when I sneak in some reading time or a TV show here and there. Because relaxing, self-care, and being lazy needs to be part of your life, too. It can’t ALWAYS be adulting. I mean, it can, but then you’re probably not having the best time of your life lol. So…make of this what you like, but this is how I get shit done. Hope this paints a better picture for anyone who was wondering how it gets done “behind the scenes.” Also, as I type this out in a document that has now spanned 3 pages in Word, I’m realizing that my life is hectic. It’s a lot, and some days I cannot even handle something as simple as making the bed without a struggle, but I always find motivation to keep moving forward (even with an unmade bed).