A Day in My Life: Jennifer

Today I’m so excited to be featuring a guest writer in our “A Day in My Life” series.  (You can read about a day in my life here.)  Jennifer is a friend from my church who also battles an autoimmune condition, lupus.  She has learned to combat her disease with lifestyle changes–diet, exercise, managing stress, and rest!  Recently she went 20 months between flare ups!  Hooray!  To meet her, you’d honestly never know that she’s in a constant battle against a disease.  She is characterized by grace and selflessness, as you can see by a day in her life–she is present and available for her family first and foremost.  

Take it away, Jennifer!

7:11 am – my alarm goes off. Ever since I was a kid I never wanted to set my alarm for a “regular time” like 7:10 or 7:15. I don’t know why – maybe it was my one rebellious action contrary to my rule-following behavior. I’m the last one in the house to wake up. John already has an hour of work completed and my teenage boys set their own alarms based on how their mornings look and if they need to do any last minute studying.

I wander, bleary-eyed, to the kitchen and immediately start making lunches without hardly a hello. I’m not a morning person so all the men in my life give me a little space and usually laugh at my bedhead. I’d like to say that the lunches I pack are filled with salads and vegetables, but alas they are not. We have tried a wide array of lunch options but it turns out that the only thing that keeps my kids full all day is a sandwich. I do include one fruit, one vegetable, and one salty-starch because we all seem to crave salt. I realize I could easily pass the lunch making chore off to them, but I don’t mind doing it and I like the control.

7:28 am – My boys are putting on coats and backpacks. By now I’m chatty and I go through the typical “Do you have your phone?” “Do you have your running gear?” “Are you coming home right after school?” I shout, “I love you!” as they walk out the door and head to the car. I sometimes get a response but I say it anyway no matter how rough the morning started. My oldest son, age 17, has his own car and his license so he drives them both to school. There is a brief glimpse of freedom mixed with sadness as they drive away.

I quickly transition to my morning routine. I gather up my phone, ipad, Bible, and notebooks. I start by checking my phone for messages because I have my phone set to go silent every night from 10 pm to 7 am. I recommend this little high-tech trick for everyone, but especially for those that have friends and family in other time zones. I check emails next and respond to anything time sensitive. I read my favorite blogs next. I highly recommend the app Blogkeen if you are a blog reader. It allows you to make a list of all your favorite blogs and then it is a quick and easy way to see if there are any new posts since the last time you checked. My natural inclination would be to go to Facebook next, but thanks to some insightful words from John Piper, I now refrain from checking FB until I have checked in with God by reading my Bible. This year I’m doing a study plan that includes outlining the new testament in a year.

I try to make sure the first thing that goes in my body each day is 8 ounces or more of water. If I’m really hungry I’ll make a green smoothie about 8:30 or I’ll just eat a half of banana. I found that I can’t eat much before yoga or I get nauseous. Don’t worry – I pack in the calories later in the day.

9:10 am – I change into my yoga clothes, fill my water bottle, grab, my mat, and head to Bikram yoga. I am spoiled that the yoga studio is only 1.5 miles from my house. I can be there in as little as 3 minutes if I make the light. Bikram Yoga is practiced in a room that is warmed to 105 degrees with 45% humidity. You do the exact same routine every day and it lasts for 90 minutes. This is a huge time commitment but the benefits are unbelievable.

I’ll list just four of the many improvements I have gained from this practice.

1.  Every single muscle in my body is stronger from my fingers to my baby toes.
2. The inflammation in my body has decreased significantly.
3. The heat and the sweat make my skin feel amazing all day.
4. The tension and stiffness I constantly battled in my neck and back is vastly improved.

When yoga is over at 11 am, I feel tired but energized at the same time. I shower and then make my lunch. I usually have a spinach salad and today is no exception. Today I top the spinach with a diced fuij apple, feta cheese, sprinkle on some cranberries, slivered almonds, and poppyseed dressing. And I must have something salty so I grab the tortilla chips. Lately Wednesdays include a lunchtime bonus – I get to watch the most recent episode of “This Is Us” on the NBC app.

1 pm – I do a few things around the house like clean up the kitchen and start a load of laundry. I listen to the latest episode of the Happier podcast by Gretchen Rubin while I’m moving around the house. I try to sit down and read/rest for about 30 minutes before my kids get home. This gives me a chance to recharge and prepare for their return because the day can get a bit nutty.

2:45 One kids gets home – we catch up while he eats a snack

3:30 Next kid needs to be picked up from running practice, I leave, get him, return, we catch up while he eats a snack

Next I try to plan dinner and find out when my husband will be home.

Kids- homework – texts – walk the dog – sign something – dig up some cash for something at school – look through college flyers that arrive daily – etc. It is a constant turnover in the kitchen.

Greek yogurt is an easy snack. Sometimes I’ll make popcorn or a smoothie. We don’t keep soda or sugary drinks in our house but we do keep Ultima Replenisher on hand. It is an all natural electrolyte powder and it is a nice addition to water after yoga or a long run. My runner usually has a glass of this after his snack.

5:15 pm – I start dinner. Tonight it is Mango Chicken stir-fry and rice.

I eat a gluten free/low inflammatory diet so I try to make a dinner that works for me but we can all enjoy. I have made this recipe many times and it never lets me down.

6:00 – Yeah! We are all home for dinner! Schedules just don’t allow for this to happen every night so we try to give thanks on the nights we can all eat together.

7:15 pm – I get ready to leave for Book Club. Once a month I get to relax with friends and stay up past my bedtime. Seriously! I’m almost always in bed by 10:15 but I stay out a little later for Book Club and make up for it the following day if needed. My boys go to Young Life and will be home by 9:15 and then get ready for bed.

So there you have it. I try to spend as much face to face time with my guys are possible.

“The days are long, but the years are short” – Gretchen Rubin

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