Welcome to a Day in My Life…

I wanted to hop on here and quickly re-address what it really means to be a solo business owner, mom, and wife.

Contrary to what social media might make it look like, owning your own business is a little tougher than some people think. Sure, my schedule is more flexible than a traditional 9-to-5, but that's exactly the catch—I don't have a defined workday. There isn't a clock to punch in or out of. The work simply gets done whenever (+ however) I can make it happen.

Between the invitation suites and wedding day details you see on Instagram, there are school drop-offs, night feedings with my 4-month-old, coordinating with my nanny so my boys have everything they need while I squeeze in focused work time, answering emails during nap time, and yes... more cups of coffee than I'd like to admit.

And on the days I don't have a nanny—which, hey, happens more often than you'd think—I'm juggling client meetings, entertaining two little boys, designing, admin work, laundry, snacks, and trying to keep everyone (myself included) happy.

Don't let Instagram fool you. I loved my years in corporate America, and I'm incredibly proud of how far I've come since leaping to work for myself. But this business wasn't built overnight. It took years of late nights, learning as I went, and believing in myself long before it felt comfortable.

And honestly? I'm still figuring it out.

I'm still learning how to balance motherhood, marriage, entrepreneurship, and showing up as the wedding designer and stationer you see online. Some days I feel like I've got it all together. Other days, I'm answering client emails with a baby on my hip while one of my boys asks for another snack.

And somehow... it all gets done.

So for those that constantly ask me (and yes, I’m asked all the time), here’s what a 9-5 can look like in my life. Let’s do this, friends… A day in the life of a solo business owner + mom, and what I like to call controlled chaos. 

6:00 AM - 7:00 AM: LOL if you think I actually started work at 6 AM, you’re hilarious. We’ve been up since 6, and today was Nick’s morning off. Which meant: getting Walker up and ready for camp, getting the mini dude fed, comfortable, + calm, and trying to get myself ready and caffeinated before the nanny arrived. Today was quickly shaping up to be a 3-coffee kind of day… mostly thanks to the tiny human who decided sleep was optional last night. 😂

7:45 AM: Some fun news came in: our nanny was calling out sick thanks to the lettuce plague that’s going around. What does this mean? Oh, you know… We’ll just wing it + figure it out. But alas, we still have to get Walker to camp, which can be a journey in itself. Some mornings he’s STOKED to go. Other mornings? He suddenly has major FOMO and would much rather stay home with us. This morning? He was stoked. A small W, we’ll take it. 

8:30 AM: Joke’s on me. 😂 We parked, and suddenly the excitement disappeared. He freaked out, had zero interest in going inside, and we had ourselves a little (okay, big) tantrum.

Long story short: we got him inside, and decided to treat ourselves to a Riposo coffee because LORD knows I earned that one.

9:15 AM: We’re back home. Nick made his way back. We have silence + we’re focused. We’re ready to get some work done. What did this look like? Organizing a seating chart, checking on some deliveries for this weekend’s wedding, and tackling some admin work. And this week’s fun project? Assembling 150+ branded matchbooks by hand.

If you’re wondering how we got ourselves into this position… the answer is actually hilarious. One of my wedding orders landed in limbo (🙄), which unfortunately happens even to the best of us. So now? We’re pivoting, problem-solving, and making it happen with a plan B. 

12:00 PM: Mini nap break (hey, mom of two, don’t judge me). Then it’s time to grab Walker from camp + pray he’s excited to come home. P.S. Mamas reading this: how do you get your little ones excited to go to + from camp? Send me all the tips, please + thank you. 

2:00 PM: It’s just absolute chaos right now. No nanny, we’re trying to work while in tandem trying to entertain two small children and Dock. Let’s never forget about Dock. 

4:00 PM: My favorite part of the day–my sanity coffee time. This is a real thing. A scheduled thing. A ritual I take very seriously. If the kids are occupied? Even better. Half those reels you see on social are my 4:00 pm coffee breaks. 

6:00 PM: Next up: a quick trip to my local printer to pick up wedding labels for the matchbooks. And can we talk about vendor community for a second?. I am SO grateful for the people I get to work with who are willing to help + literally leave my labels waiting outside for me when I’m racing over ahead of closing. The best of the best. 🤍TRULY. 

7:00 PM: Last stop, as I’m literally trying to beat the rainstorm that’s en route… Stop & Shop to pick up a few hundred mini matches needed to assemble this weekend's wedding favors. The rest of the supplies, including the mini match boxes, will be arriving tonight via my saving grace… Amazon, IYKYK. 

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8:00 PM - 10:00 PM: Chaos. Chaos. Chaos. Baths, bedtime, feedings, and finally… getting ready to assemble. At this point? Coffee would be wildly inappropriate, and a glass of wine might have me questioning every career choice I’ve ever made. 😂 

We love, love, LOVE what we do — but there are definitely moments where I look around and think, “Okay… how exactly did I get myself into this?” And then I hear my mama Jo’s voice in my head: “You’ll figure it out.” Any time I start to question something, I think of her saying that, and somehow it’s exactly the reminder I need. Because she’s right — we always do. So, now we’re ready to rock and roll, literally.

Shout out to Nick for jumping in and helping me assemble about 100 matchbooks in just a few short hours. Does every bone in my body hurt? Yes. Am I exhausted? Also yes. But do I feel accomplished? Absolutely. BUT, We’re in motion, we’re making it happen, + we’re getting this done.

And that’s about the time I ultimately decided to “clock out” for the night. This, my friends, this right here is the part you don’t always see on Instagram. The late nights. The problem-solving. The pivoting. The people behind the scenes who help make it all happen. The vendor partners who show up when things get chaotic. The childcare that allows me to focus. The husband who steps in and assembles 100+ matchbooks with me. The caffeine… because come on, you didn’t think I wasn’t going to give credit where credit is due. 😂

Building a business isn’t always glamorous, but it’s mine. And when I tell you this job is definitely not a simple 9-to-5 desk job, I mean it. But this life + this business, the flexibility, the crazy and the beautiful chaos is exactly what I hoped to build.

And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.