Pandelerium: A Day in the Life of Katie Rae

Ah, the life of Katie Rae—where every day is a delightful mix of organized chaos, questionable decision-making, and an unwavering commitment to keeping 3 other humans alive while maintaining the illusion of control. It's pandemonium and delirium at its finest: Pandelerium.

Annnd trying to be an author of romance and epic love.

Also... this is a general depiction of my day and does not include the boring details of spending thirty minutes looking for a sweater my oldest "borrowed" or the amount of time it takes my old and broken ass to get on and off the trampoline because there was a bug on it while my youngest is screaming loud enough I worry about the cops doing a well check.

With that said... let's do this...

6:00 AM – The Wake-Up Call

Just kidding, I don't wake up at 6 am. Didn't even know it was a thing.

7:00 AM – The Next Wake up Call

Nope, I'm still asleep

8:00 AM – Ok ok, I'm up!

I don't want to be, but most mornings, I pull myself out of bed at 8am. I guess for some, this is a "sleeping-in" luxury, but keep in mind, at this point in the post, I haven't made it to my evening hours yet.

I try to work while everyone else is sleeping. The 8am wake up gives me around 2 hours to answer emails, drink coffee, organize my daily tasks, write notes on my phone for things I need to remember later (such as grocery lists). This is the time of day I feel at peace, prepared, and ready to be a rock star.

1o:00 AM - 12:00 PM– Wake the kids up, its time for school

I wake the kids up at 10 a.m. Usually, I use the Find Me app on their phones and send a location alert so that I don't have to walk upstairs. Then, I text them to tell them it's time to get up and log in to their curriculums.

I spend the next couple of hours using a whole-ass pizza to explain fractions to an 11-year-old who is ultimately smarter than I am and is now pretty pissed that I've been giving her 1/16 of a pizza and calling all our slices "even" for years. Education is fun.

12:00 PM– Let's eat, then we have places to be.

School usually takes two hours a day for all core subjects and then lunch. But my youngest doesn't want lunch because she ate 3/4 of a pizza. And my teenager thinks coffee is a food group.

After we don't eat, I spend the next four hours practicing my Uber driver skills because that will be my career once this author thing fails. After all, I was too crazy to write words into my doc. Places I drive: Cooking classes, gymnastics, golf lessons, pottery class, the park to play with friends, back to gymnastics, teen volunteer events, a baking class thrown in on some days, and all this while they complain they are hungry.

Where is my husband, you may ask? He works his ass off, is always tired, and may or may not be available for comment when I say, "You know what gets on my nerves...?" 🤣🫣

5:00 PM– Chores

The girls have chores they must do every day. These are completed while I listen to my 11-year-old explain the differences between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Mutation and Turtles Forever. Not even sure she cares about this subject but she likes to talk.

Meanwhile, my 15-year-old has headphones on, listening to System of a Down (not sure if I'm proud or scared), loading the dishwasher, and gagging because SHE put a cup of milk in the sink the night before, and it's now a solid.

Meanwhile, hubby comes home from work, but he's pacing the yard while on the phone because he got a phone call on his way home, and some days... work never ends. 😑😑

6:00 PM– Dinner

Admittedly, I could handle dinner time differently and save myself hours, but I am a stickler for healthy eating and balance. So because my littlest had 3/4 of a pizza and my oldest had two cups of coffee, there are varying degrees of dinner options. Ultimately, I cook pretty elaborate but simple meals, primarily fresh veggies and lean meats that take a while to prepare properly.

8:00 PM– Time to work

By this time, everyone is fed, doing their own thing, and I sneak off to my office where I stare at my screen mindless for 22-27 minutes, thinking about that embarrassing thing I did in 2007. This is also the moment I decide if being an author is for me or if going to bed is more my thing.

Spoiler alert: I usually gaslight myself with decaf, pretend it's three shots of espresso, and power through the work.

Meanwhile, my family is showering, brushing their teeth, binging fave shows, going to bed, and loving their lives. I'm happy for them, truly.

1:00 AM– Bedtime

Just kidding, I have 1682 words to write to meet my daily goal.

2:00 AM– Bedtime

Just kidding. I may be in bed now, but now I am wondering where my birth certificate is and why my mom cooked canned salmon croquettes when I was younger because wtf is that?

At some point, I fall asleep and start over at 8 am.

My life is full, busy, and hectic, bordering on crazy, as chaos weaves into this basic depiction of my schedule. But I am sure this is how most of us get through a day!!!! Like so many, I am a mom first, a wife second, and an author third. I have to remind myself that it is OK to do things the way I do them, make the decisions that I make, and let failures happen.

Every day I am simply doing my best!

Hope this made you smile... time to go wake up the kids. Wish me luck!