A Typical Day in the Life of P&J

Excited to be linking up with Shay and Erika today for Let’s Look. This month is all about a peek into our typical day.

Typical? Not sure there is such a thing in our lives. From kids at all sorts of ages (Jeni’s are 11, 8 and 3, Paige’s are 12, 10, 7 and 3) stages, schools and activities to running businesses that have no actual day to day schedule, we just have to ride the life choo choo wherever it takes us.

You can read a little more about what our days normally consist of here. For today’s post we are going to focus on the things that get us through each day and play a big role in our routines.

Jeni: Dry Shampoo and coffee are definitely at the top of the list. But in no particular order here are the things that I use every single day and wouldn’t want to live without.

1. Klorane: Most of my days include dry shampoo because let’s be real, no one has time to wash & dry their hair everyday. Long before Paige did her post on the battle of the dry shampoos I was already a huge Klorane fan. I really love this stuff and if your hair is super dirty try the non-aerosol version. It’s like a giant poof of powder that will take even the greasiest of greaseballs and make them look presentable. I plan on showing this on stories soon because sometimes you just gotta see it to believe it.
2. Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides: I use this stuff religiously. Never miss a morning scoop in my cup of coffee. Have my nails grown to Kardashian lengths?! Ummm, no. Someone told me that you have to stick with it for two giant bottles worth and then you will start to see all of the glorious results. Sticking with it I am, but the jury is still out.
3. AirPods: I’ve never liked earbuds before these. They all made the inside of my ear ache and I couldn’t understand the appeal. These are just lovely and allow me to watch my trashy reality TV when little ears are around. Just to make me feel like a more decent human I also listen to the Bible binge podcast. There, I feel better now.
4. MacBook Air: This is my very first laptop. I love the convenience of bringing it along with me to get things done….I’m sitting at my hair appointment now while typing this. Multi tasking is a must for this busy mom. But in reality I also really like watching Bravo on demand from my cozy bed.
5. Rae Dunn Mug: my friend Kari introduced me to these mugs and they quickly became my fav too. You can find them on the cheap at your local TJ Maxx or Ross. They are the perfect size and come in a variety of semi cheesy inspirational words. If one of these is clean it will be the one I grab Mamacita is my personal favorite but Queen will do.
6. Trunk Organizer: Real life soccer mom here. But really, we are in the car a lot. I hate the sound of sports equipment crashing around in the trunk. I also have heightened anxiety when my car is a mess and I start to feel like my whole life is falling apart. I have issues. The trunk organizer helps them.
7. Jura Coffee Maker: I asked for a Jura for Christmas a few years back. My mother in law had one and I would dream about the coffee from her home in California. It was like the perfect cup of coffee that you get while staying in a fancy hotel with overpriced room service and plush robes and chocolate on your pillow at turndown service. My Kerig wasn’t cutting it anymore and I wanted freshly ground coffee everyday. Plus I heard a horror story about a friends Kerig that was a breeding ground for cockroaches. Nope. So I dropped a lot of subtle hints and probably promised a few favors & must’ve been a very good girl because I got my wish on Christmas morning. I’ve had it for 2 years now and I still look forward to that cup every. single. morning.
8. To-do List Notepad: I tried REALLY hard to be one of those Erin Condren girls with their adorable planners. The markers, the stickers, it all looks so cute. Fact is, I use my phone for everything…calendar, contacts, notes. But I love a to-do list and many times I need to visually write something for it to make sense in my head. Get your *ish together with this cute version if you like to check things off like me!
9. Hey Alexa: This thing does it all. Plays music, picks up where you left off in audible, tells me the weather, sets timers, plays games, drops into my kids rooms on their echo dots like a super up to date intercom system. I definitely use it daily.
10. Charging Cords: Not sure where these things go. Something that we use multiple times a day and still never have enough of. I buy them on Amazon where they are the cheapest because they inevitably break or get stolen by the 11 year old.
11. Cup Handle Thingy: After I drink my two-ish cups of coffee I make myself a big glass of water that I will refill for the day. I love this handy little handle thingy. Just something that makes life easier and only costs $6. If it’ll make me grab my water more often its totally worth it.
12. Giant Cup: To use with said cup handle thingy. This will keep your ice water icy even in the extreme Texas heat.
13. BEST sheets: I first bought these sheets three years ago. I am a bit of a sheet snob and cannot handle itchy linens. I stayed at my sis in laws house to watch one of her kids and I fell in love with her sheets. When I asked her about them the next day she said “I think Mike bought them on Amazon” this was before everyone bought everything on amazon so I was like whaaaaattt….then I saw the price and my mind was blown. Under $30 for a king set.
14. Sleep Mask: I’ve written about this before but this came in a gift set that my mom gave me for Christmas. I was super excited about the pillowcase but didn’t think I would use the mask much. Boy was I wrong. I’m a light sleeper so if Nick is working on his laptop at night this is my saving grace. It’s also supposed to be really great for those of us who have lash extensions.
15. Vitamins: I’m at the age where I know I need to take some vitamins. I hate taking pills. These taste like candy. I lurve candy. It is like a little treat to take these babies and now I never miss a day.
16. Wipes in BULK: Literally not a day goes by that I am not using these to wipe up a mess in the car, tell a child to blow their nose, wash sticky hands off or other obvious areas. Great for hands, faces, spills and bottoms. I buy in bulk and prefer the sensitive ones which have a nice scent. The blue ones smell like slobber to me and eww. Delivered monthly so its one less thing I have to think about, mom win!

Paige: Hi. The following items are sponsored by Paige’s sanity. Two things I should have added but did not: wheat thins and blankets. Other than that, this just about covers my most used daily things.

1. Curling Iron: Not your basic hot tools from the CVS. This is the type the stylists use. I have to use it every day if I want my hair down and wavy and want to go in public. After I do my hair for the week, yes the week, I just touch it up with some curling iron waves. Eventually it gets bad enough to put in a ponytail or bun for another day or two. I like the 1.25 inch barrel. Also this is on sale currently.
2. Hairspray: My favorite kind.
3. Tinted Sunscreen: I try and apply this everyday. It’s tinted and is great under my normal BB cream. Jeni and I both lurve this stuff.
4. BB Cream: I have the light medium shade. This feels so light on, is buildable, and so easy to wear.
5. Dry Shampoo: Like Jeni said, it won the battle. It’s kind of starting to brag too much, but we will turn a blind eye because it’s that good.
6. Hair Dryer Brush: Using this make me feel prettier as well as more coordinated, both contributing to a confidence boost. A blow out at home wasn’t possible until this stepped on the scene. Get it. It’s the perfect easy way to touch up hair in the mornings. For me and the clan of daughters.
7. Bralette: Comfy and my go to. I have mediums and larges and prefer the larges. These are seamless and I have like 10 of them, currently on sale for $12.99.
8. Frother: I could go without ever hearing that word again, but this makes the world a better place. I put coffee mate in there and when I travel and don’t have it, I send it a postcard to let it know it’s missed.
9. Collagen Peptides: I put a scoop in my first cup of coffee. I think it kind of adds a nice dirt mixed with protein powder taste. It doesn’t take long until you don’t even notice it though. Hair and nails are growing fast, I need to revisit this topic when I have gone through another can for a better review.
10. Spiral Hair Ties: Good for messy buns and ponytails toward the end of my hair do life. Doesn’t crease.
11. Coconut Mocha: I’ve been on this kick for a long time.
12. Lip Balm: The best I’ve ever had. The minimal makeup look loves this.
13. Bum Bum Cream: My favorite lotion of all time. The best smell and the best overall. I have never given two craps about a lotion and I have recommended this to everyone who tells me I smell so good and anyone else who will listen. If it happens to tighten and smooth me, then even better!
14. Yeti: I try to drink water throughout the day. I don’t like a huge yeti. I like this size and have several.
15. Home Chef: The biggest life hack I have. No meal planning, grocery shopping or thinking. Pull a bag out of the fridge and in less than an hour you will be eating the most delicious meal. This may be one of the best and most life changing things I have ever done for myself. We used to eat out most nights and I was 15 lbs heavier and felt ick. Click here for a $30 credit.
16. Big 0: This helps me keep up with my keys. They are much easier to spot.
17. Pill Reminder: I fill this up for the week and don’t have to call my photography manager and ask her if she saw me take my pill.
18. Wrist Squisy: I get wrist problems from using the mouse too much without this. With this, they magically disappear. I’m obsessed.
19. To Do Board: Hanging on my wall by my computer. I jot down stuff for my studio manager to do on one side and myself on the other. Simple, but effective.
20. Lumbar Support: I use this in my computer chair when I’m sitting. It helps my lower back a ton so I deal with how ugly it is in my cute modern chair.
21. Potty Bells: I am so glad I didn’t give up on bell potty training. Waffles jingles the bell to be let out to go potty. She doesn’t abuse her privileges and we have a good thing going with this.
22. Wall Calendar: iPhone calendar is a must so I can coordinate with Jeni, my husband and my studio manager. However, the wall calendar is something I could never give up because I can just look up and see everything I have to do. I don’t want to hunt and peck through my phone for that. I also get much satisfaction ripping off the page of the month when it’s over.
23. Stand Up Desk: As a recent convert, I’m a believer. I don’t want to stand up all day, but I don’t want to sit down all day either. This one makes it easy to pick which one you feel like doing and then when you are sick of that, lower it or raise it. It’s kind of what all the cool kids are doing.
24. Charging Station: When the day is done, the iPads go to their home for the night. It’s organized, It’s out of my kid’s rooms and it avoids that moooom I only have 3 perceeeeent whining BS when they finally find it under a bean bag chair or something. Every family needs this.

I’m about to take my pill in my little Tuesday section, drink my last bit of water out of the perfect size yeti and dream about my delicious coffee in the morning.