A Day in The Life With Emily of The Oyster's Pearl
Balancing life with six month old, Amos, running a busy Etsy shop and design business, and making time to take a break from it all with her husband -- Emily Weckesser, has conquered the work/life balance. I'm so excited to share a peek into a day in the life of this momma bear as she juggles the many hats of boss, wife, artist, and new mom from their beautiful home in Ohio.
By The Numbers
The Daily Grind
5:30 am: My 5-month-old son Amos stirs, and my husband Brad gets up with him for a diaper change and what they call "Guy Time" in the morning. I shut my eyes for a little bit of precious uninterrupted sleep before the day begins!
7:00 am: I wake up for the second time to the sound of our dog howling, Brad throwing a log on the fireplace, and Amos letting us know he's ready for breakfast! We snuggle in bed for a morning nursing session while I read or scroll my phone and have a cup of coffee. As soon as he's done eating, we turn music on and have tummy time and cuddles in bed for a bit while we both wake up. This is easily my favorite time of day with him!
8:00 am: Two cups of coffee down the hatch, and time to get dressed! Working from home, I keep it simple and comfy with leggings and a tee (our "Adventurer" and "Mama Bear" styles on heavy rotation around here!). Makeup is minimal, and hair starts out down but quickly ends up in a top knot so my little guy doesn't pull it all out.
8:30 am: Next up is Amos, who gets his diaper changed, wiped down from head to toe, and put in a cute outfit - probably the first of many for the day. Brad heads in to our studio downtown to screen print and package orders.
9:00 am: The day's barely begun and Amos is already ready for his morning nap. As soon as he's asleep, I grab something - anything! - I can find from the fridge and sit down to eat breakfast and catch up on emails and Etsy messages.
9:45 am: Amos is up (blowout alert! outfit change!), and he joins me in the sunroom for some time on his activity mat in front of the big mirror. Today he found the little metal closure on the guitar case and has been making me laugh while he plays with it. The activity mat has been such a lifesaver, keeping him stimulated, happy, and occupied so I can get some work done!
9:50 am: I rotate through a long to-do list, texting my husband back and forth about orders, deadlines, and other business details with the occasional photo of our son or pup. We work together full-time, so we're in constant communication even when apart. Thank goodness for technology! Early day priorities include editing custom stationery designs, preparing documents for screen printing, creating custom artwork, keeping up on social media, sending and tracking pages, and other computer and business-related tasks. I feel so fortunate to be able to do so much of our work from the comfort of a home office!
11:30 am: Time for a break! Amos has exhausted himself on his mat, rolling over, gnawing on Sophie the Giraffe, and looking at his handsome face in the mirror. We're both a little restless so we head to his nursery to play with some stuffed animals and read a couple books.
12:00 pm: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and A Sick Day for Amos McGee (of course) are on repeat.
12:15 pm: Lunch time! Brad comes home and we all eat together. Amos is always thrilled to see Daddy midday, and I always welcome the second set of hands! Brad makes us each a spinach and fruit smoothie and some turkey and gouda paninis. We check in with each other on the day's progress, outstanding orders, and any other work topics demanding our attention.
1:00 pm: Back to work - and Amos is sleepy (again!). Since he's been born, he takes an afternoon nap right in my lap on our Boppy pillow. He happily nurses to sleep and I continue working right over his head at the computer! Not gonna lie, I love the cuddles.
2:00 pm: Working on the internet all day is so distracting! With Christmas music playing and the holidays on my mind, I order a couple little Christmas gifts for Amos. 'Tis the season!
3:00 pm: Brad's been working all day, but is now ready to hang out with Amos for a bit so I can buckle down and get my creative work done in peace. Usually he'll take our dog and Amos for a long walk at the park. I turn on a focused playlist, light a candle, and make a cup of tea to set the mood for my alone time and then get to work. It's easiest to whip out the watercolors or calligraphy supplies when Amos and his curious little hands are out of the house.
5:00 pm: The guys are back, I'm wrapping up the days' projects, and it's time to get dinner ready. Quinoa with cheese, roasted broccoli, and baked chicken is our go-to lately. Amos goes in his Solly wrap or bouncy chair while Brad and I do food prep.
5:30 pm: We sit down as a family for dinner, and Amos is in his high chair (the Ikea ANTILOP is so great - lightweight and easy to clean!) banging toys around and grabbing for our cups. He's recently obsessed with all of our food and drinks, which cracks us up at every meal! After dinner, he gets mesmerized by the fire and we let it keep his attention while we tidy up.
6:30 pm: After dinner clean up, we do bath time in the kitchen sink. Amos loves the water and I am such a sucker for our chunky, wiggly, splashing little boy. Fortunately he enjoys bath time and the process is pretty easy - and so sweet. He wraps up in his hooded raccoon towel and I fall in love with him all over again.
7:30 pm: Jammies are on, lights are dim, sound machine is going, and I feed Amos one more time before bed and get him to sleep. Then I sneak out on tiptoes and get ready myself ready for bed. This is when Brad and I finally put work totally away and focus on each other - having dessert or a glass of wine, cuddling up and watching Netflix, and catching up about the day. We try to have boundaries and stop any business-related discussions once the work day has ended, so that we can focus on being a family and a couple at night. It's a hard balance, but we're figuring it out!
10:00 pm: Lights out! Amos still wakes up some to eat throughout the night, so I get as much shut eye as I can in order to feel rested for the next day.
Connect with Emily
Instagram | The Oyster's Pearl Esty Shop | Blog
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