Picture an Hour: November 2026
5:15 a.m. Coffee + Work Time
We’re officially smack-dab in the middle of that time of year when I dedicate a lot of extra time to creating my annual gift guides. Since I’m still managing my usual work stuff on top of that, this means the first few hours of the day before the sun comes up are dedicated to gift guide curation so that’s exactly how I began my day. My gift guides are such a labor of love for me. They take up so much time but I love doing them and feel immensely protective over every single one because I want every single item mentioned to be selected and vetted by me. I hope they’re helpful for all of you again this year!
6:45 a.m. Boys’ Breakfast + Get the Kids Out the Door + More Work
Ryan took the boys to school yesterday but before they all headed out, it was time for breakfast, packing up lunches and backpacks, filling water bottles, etc. Then it was back to work until Comet made it crystal clear he was ready for a walk.
7:45 a.m. 2.5 Mile Walk with Comet
Comet was O-V-E-R my work time and more than ready for some exercise a little after 7:30 a.m. so I leashed him up and we covered our usual 2.5 mile loop. It was a great way for both of us to move our bodies, though Comet grabbed a massive stick he thoroughly enjoyed swinging around into the back of my legs. (He had no regrets.) My walks with Comet are a highlight of my day every single day, especially this time of year because I cannot get enough of the cool, crisp fall weather right now.
8:30 a.m. Moves Challenge Workout
(Sneakers: adidas / I’ve had these in 3-4 different colors over the years and come back to them all the time. They’re a great sneaker for workouts that have a a bit of everything — cardio, power, strength, mobility, stability)
Once Comet and I were back from our walk, I did a home workout and followed the workout of the day from the Move Together Fall 2026 Challenge I signed up for through the Moves app. I gotta be honest with you guys, I am all-in on the workouts but not even kind of following the nutrition guidelines. Sugar is calling to me like crazy these days… any tips for someone with a perpetual sweet tooth? Because mine is raging.
9:15 a.m. Breakfast 2.0
I had a latte and an ALOHA bar (the white chocolate peppermint bars are back in stock for the season!!) after I woke up around 5:30 a.m. so I was hungry again but not in the mood for something too breakfasty after my workout. I opted to reheat a bowl of the chicken pot pie filling we had for dinner on Monday night and it hit the spot.
10:50 a.m. Work + Shower
(Sweater: Quince / Jeans: Target / Booties: Nisolo (gifted) / Bag + Strap: Clare V. / Initial Compass Necklace: Oak & Luna)
I spent the rest of the morning working before grabbing a quick shower and heading out the door!
11:45 a.m. Lunch
I knew I wouldn’t have time to each lunch until after 3 p.m. so even though I wasn’t overly hungry, I threw together a quick lunch to eat in the car on my way to the boys’ school. I had a Caesar salad and grabbed a cup of yogurt as well for a little boost of protein. Caesar salads were my hyperfixation lunch over the summer and apparently that’s bleeding into the fall, too.
12 p.m. Volunteer at the Boys’ School
Two moms and I held down the fort in Ryder’s second grade class so Ryder’s teachers could enjoy a teacher appreciation lunch with other teachers and school staff. It very quickly became clear that this group of second graders needed entertainment outside of just eating their lunch so “guess the picture” came to the rescue. Fun fact: I began college as an education major and sometimes wonder “what if.” I enjoy children and the classroom setting so much.
1:30 p.m. Coffee Shop Work Time
Once the teachers were back from lunch, I walked to the coffee shop near the boys’ school to sneak in some more work time. I ordered a hot matcha latte mainly because I wanted to use the coffee shop’s wifi so I could work away for about 90 minutes until it was time for pickup.
2:50 p.m. School Pickup + Snack
After picking up the boys from school, we ate some snacks I had in my purse as we drove to the library. I cannot overstate just how much I love the new caramel PROMIX puff bar flavor. It’s crispy, buttery — those little caramel pieces on top are heaven — and doesn’t taste the least bit artificial which makes sense because the ingredients are stellar! The boys love them, too! (PBFINGERS10 saves 10% if you want to try them.)
3:10 p.m. Library Stop
We returned a handful of our recent library reads and the boys’ audiobooks during our library stop. We also spent some time browsing at the library and left with the haul pictured above. Who Would Win? books, Weird But True books and animal encyclopedias are always mega-hits in our house so we hit the jackpot! I also picked up a couple of cookbooks to try for dinner inspiration.
4:15 Snack Platter + After-School Debrief + Backyard Football
Once we were home, the boys unloaded their backpacks and lunches and I threw together a snack platter since their car snack yesterday was just a small bar. We also chatted about the school work they brought home before they headed into the backyard with Comet to play backyard football until dinnertime.
5:45 p.m. Dinner
Dinner last night looked like cottage cheese baked pasta, a win in our house for the 1,000th time. It’s easy to make and the ultimate cheesy comfort food (with 42 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber per serving)!
6:30 p.m. Puzzle Time + Bath/Shower + Pajamas
With the time change causing the sun to go down much earlier (such a bummer for outdoor play!), we opted for puzzle time after dinner before the boys took baths/showers and changed into their pajamas.
7:45 p.m. Stories + Bed Time
With no activities on the agenda yesterday, the evening flowed well and Ryan and I had the boys upstairs and started their bedtime routine before 8 p.m. We used to have a fairly firm 7:30 p.m. bed time but those days went out the window as our kids got older and activities bled into the evening hours. We read with the boys before saying prayers and goodnight and heading downstairs for the usual evening cleanup circuit (kitchen tidying, laundry, dishes, etc.).
Chase is our night owl and he’s allowed to come back downstairs after Ryder falls asleep (this usually happens within 20 minutes) for a little extra reading time in our bed with me and Ryan. Chase and Ryan recently finished reading the Five Kingdoms series together and just started in on the Ranger’s Apprentice series. Reading is how we all ended our night which is just the way I like it!
The boys are out of school today in observance of Veteran’s Day but we have a few plans sprinkled in the mix that will keep us busy. For those of you who served our country who may be reading my blog today, please know how grateful our family is for your service. We hope you feel extra appreciated and loved today!
I plan to be back here on Friday with my usual roundup of favorites but until then, I hope you all enjoy the rest of the week!!
![\"Quantcast\"/](\"//pixel.quantserve.com/pixel/p-1e3-7hOJ_U8Bg.gif\")
Leave a Reply