Forget 9 to 5. Mothering knows no schedule—and often it feels more like 5 to 9 and everything in between. In this new series, we are looking at the hectic, messy, sometimes beautiful, often frustrating enterprise of being a mother—and maintaining a life of your own.
Consider it a "day in the life" for the most powerful women we know. Read our first installment, from Jemima Kirke , below. The kids have been with their father for the last few days.
So today I woke up 30 minutes past my alarm. I’m anxious. The kids are arriving today after school and I haven’t done groceries.
The cats make it awfully difficult to get out of bed most days. I’d organized the morning in my head the night before so that I’d have 30 minutes to get up, brush my teeth, wash my face, take my meds, feed the cats, and get a coffee. Then an hour to get ready for the Rachel Comey show.
I had the dress picked out. Needed the time choose the right underwear, a pair of shoes, jewelry and a potentially a belt. Now I have 45 minutes total.
But it’s ok. I have a system now and if I stay focused, forgo the coffee trip, I can probably get this done swiftly. I throw on my jeans and a sweatshirt and go to get the coffee.
Hot. Half and half. No sugar.
I grab a bagel too. Toasted. Cream cheese and tomato.
Clothes come off. The dress, and my breasts, need a firm and supportive bra with no frills. I wash my face with just water to save time.
I have a lot of makeup. Buckets of it. I bring both buckets to my full length mirror in the bedroom as it has the best light.
I put on a podcast about how to get people at a carnival to spend more than they wanted to. As told by a long time carney. And I get to work.
Foundation, blush (lots and lots because I love blush), eye shadow, mascara, the works. I don’t need all that makeup but I have so much of it that its just fun to use. Givenchy powder is exceptionally pretty.
I spill all my jewelry out onto the bed and select a pair of earrings by Paul Monroe and a 1970s pair of dangling scarabs. Then I notice that I'm wearing blue earrings and a red belt and I wonder if it all looks a bit campaign-y. But there isn't time.
I throw four different lipsticks in my purse with a $50 bill, house keys, and my trusty phone. Call an uber, say goodbye to Jayne, and I'm on my way. In car, I order some groceries.
The basics. As well as some sugary snacks to soothe the underlying guilt that comes with sharing your children. I arrive at the Rachel Comey show and discover that I'm sitting next to my friends, which is always nice.
The show starts and I make mental notes of the pieces that I will one day acquire or borrow. My Uber makes me walk two blocks to meet him. Which is bothersome because I'm holding a massive bottle of water, a banana, and a scalding hot coffee (another).
Back at home I free myself of the fancy clothes and throw on some reasonable day wear. Trousers and a t-shirt. Yesterday I bought a kitten for my friend who is healing from surgery.
Today, I plan to deliver him to her. I'm excited for the shock and the gratitude. I arrange to meet her later that afternoon at her place because Ill be “passing through the neighborhood.
” I enjoy darning, which is good because I buy a lot of old clothing, and the darning pile is enormous. I work on these late ‘70s kids jeans. I am a dedicated collector of children's clothing and proud to say I have two storage units full of it.
I do most of my work in the basement these days. A recent hobby of mine is printing things onto old t-shirts, which I tirelessly source. Keeping them neat and organized is a pleasure and an absolute waste of time.
But I must. I change the background color on a painting of said friend. The one who is to receive a cat later today.
She had cancer in her breasts and had it removed and we both agree that her scar and the new appearance of her naked body is something to behold. One of my paintings has black mold on it from sitting in my shed for too long. It’s a good one so Im not about to throw it out.
I've been putting it off for a while but today is the day I clean it up good. It wasn’t easy. My daughter texts me, asking if I’ll call her an Uber.
It’s hard to say no. But I do. My friend Jay Alaimo, a fellow writer and collector, comes over for a quick hang.
We talk about movies that should be remade and also where in my house I should sit and write today so as to change up the environment. I've been sitting at my kitchen table in the same spot for months. We agree that the roof of the shed in my garden is flat and easy to access.
It’s a nice and sunny spot. Perfect for writing the final draft of my story for The Moth . I end up writing at my kitchen table again instead.
This really should be my only activity for the rest of the day. After eight minutes of editing, spelling, and grammar the kids arrive home from school. They took the bus home together because this year my son started going to the same school as my daughter.
This warms my heart much more than it does theirs. We discuss homework. They eat the sugary snacks.
It’s time to deliver the kitten before my kids convince me to keep him. I pack up a bag of things like some dry food, a few sweaters, nail clippers, his documents, etc. I’ll hand this to her first and tell her it’s the present.
I also included a list of name ideas. My favorite is Dennis and Igor. When I get back I make mac and cheese and broccoli.
Quickly. Tonight I’m supposed to go on a date. A friend set me up with a guy she met at a gallery opening a few night before.
I consider cancelling. The kids tell me they want me to go. I’m meeting him at a restaurant nearby.
But there’s no time to change. On the way I text him to order me an extra large piña colada. Just to see what he’d do.
Upon arriving he tells me they didn’t have that here and asks is there anything else I'd like. That was perfect. He believed me.
Then he got the joke. We get our food to go because we like each other and I have to be home before 10. The kids have finished their homework, and I’m so grateful that they waited up.
They have done their homework. I try out face taping for the first time, pulling up various YouTube tutorials. I try them all.
The kids are somewhat disturbed. But we all pile into bed together anyway. They ask me about the date.
I said, it was great and thank you so much for making me go. I assure them that nothing is gonna change anytime soon and for now, it’s still just me and them..
