The Stoner Mom Diaries: a weekly update on all things Stoner Mom.

The Stoner Mom Diaries | back to school routines

Last week my girls started back at school, and this week my step-kids start back at theirs. Altogether in casa de la stoner we’ve got a 7th grader, 6th grader, 4th grader, and 1st grader, all going to really excellent schools. Our oldest kids are in middle school, one being a school for advanced academics and the other a specialized art school with notoriously rigorous standards. In short, being back in school means busy, highly scheduled days, with afternoon hours being devoted to enrichment activities or homework. It also means several hours of alone adult time every day, so mama can get back her regular stoner mom work hours.

The Joy of a Good Routine

As I’ve been hinting at for weeks, back to school season is always embraced by me because it means a return to normalcy. Daily routines, a packed schedule, the season of watching the kids learn and grow and change. It always inspires in me a fall nesting ritual of organizing the house and analyzing my current time management style.

Every single year, actually, a few times a year, I will sit down and write out a complete daily schedule template to try to adhere to during busy times. Sometimes I have a few different templates for different types of days (kid free work days versus no school days). To start filling out a daily schedule I always begin with the routines: several tasks that happen during a time frame with regularity. You can have routines for many aspects of daily living; morning routines, beauty routines, after-dinner clean-up routines. Start with the basics like a morning and evening routine, then work on carrying out the routine regularly until it becomes an act of habit.

This year I’m trying a different morning routine where I get up earlier and do my beauty routine (what I call getting fully ready for the day) before the kids are up.

Last year I would do most of my morning tasks, including driving the kids to school, without showering or putting on makeup. While that routine meant some extra time in bed in the morning, it also meant getting a later start on the work day because I’d get home and have to get ready then. Plus there’s something really motivating in getting ready early, you feel fully ready to talk to anyone, and there’s less temptation to get back into bed.

My morning routine for school days:

5:30 – Alarm goes off. Take shower, wash face, shave legs, get dressed, apply basic makeup, do hair.

6:15 – Go downstairs where husband has made coffee. Check days schedule in day planner, assemble lunches in lunch bags (packed the night before), prepare hot breakfast for kids. Usually some combination of bacon, pancakes, eggs, toast, bagels, and lots of fruit.

6:30 – Wake up girls. They get dressed and ready while I finalize breakfast.

6:50 – Breakfast at the table. Girls are usually reading or watching a show on an iPad during breakfast. I sit with them and drink my coffee and go over the days plans with them.

7:10 – Leave for school drop off. I’m currently leaving really early for school because the parking situation is such a nightmare, but soon I’ll be transitioning to the hug and go lane in the morning so I won’t have to get there as early.

8:00 – Come home and walk Max. Max is my enormous St Bernard and Husky mix and being alone with him all day can be maddening when he hasn’t had a walk. Walking him first thing keeps me from going back to bed and keeps him from scratching at my legs all day.

8:30 – Social Media and Emails. The mantra I repeat to encourage myself to tackle this type of correspondence is “Engage, Respond, Reply”. That means taking a few minutes to engage with accounts I follow, respond to questions I’ve received, and to send reply emails. Hopefully by making it part of my morning routine I will get better at it.

9:00 – Work block begins. During the school year I work from 9 to 2, four days a week. I also have two Monday’s a month where I am childless and able to work well into the evening, those are usually batch filming days for me. I also work a lot on the weekends but that work is a lot less structured as we typically have kids at home, plus David is usually involved with my weekend work. It’s when we record our podcasts and film different videos. During the week my work hours consist of mostly writing, website work, photography, or filming videos.

Stoner Mom News | the business side of the stoner mom

Thoughts on The Stoner Mom Business

I hope it’s alright and not off-putting when I share work related stuff. No matter what I type of work I am involved with, it’s still a part of my life and something I’d like to be able to share with you guys, so I hope when I give you updates on the evolution of this site and how it’s become something that provides real income for our family, that you see it as it is intended; honest sharing of one aspect of my life.

Every month this little website and “brand” becomes just a tiny bit more successful and sustainable. Currently The Stoner Mom pays our mortgage and a few other business bills, but it took over three years after launching to get there. I’ve blogged continuously for FIFTEEN YEARS and this is the first site I’ve ever built that I was able to transition to full-time, bill-paying work. The Stoner Mom is a huge part of my life, and has a huge impact on my family, and it’s with wonder and amazement that I’m able to share its growth with you guys.

This is also the first job I have ever had in my entire life that has made a livable income. I have been married to a breadwinner since I was 21 years old and a stay-at-home mom since having my first child in 2007. I have been extremely fortunate and privileged to have always had a partners income to care for myself and my children. Being able at 35 to finally contribute financially in a meaningful way is completely new to me, and a huge milestone in my adulthood.

100 Podcast Episodes of Sesh’s with my Beloved

This week we are posting our 100th episode of Mom and Dad are Stoned, and really, I think that’s an accomplishment. The thing I am most proud of about our podcast, is that David and I did this together, every step of the way. To have evidence to look back at that he and I have shared this joy and hobby together for so long is very special to me. Hours upon hours of conversations with my dearest friend and partner. If anything, that’s a reason to start podcast!

Stoner Gear | a weekly roundup of cannabis products I’m loving

New Glass! Leafly Strain Tile Beaker Bong

My sponsors Smoke Cartel once again made my year with this incredible piece! This 12” beaker is made with such thick glass, it’s practically a home defense weapon. Let’s just say I know what I’ll be reaching for in the case of home intruders. This glass is no joke, and its hits are dense and copious. This is a lung buster of a piece and is on heavy rotation over here. It’s currently sold out but sign up for alerts on the piece and Smoke Cartel will notify you when it’s back in stock. Just another reason to love them!

Weedguide

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