a wednesday in the life of
BRITTANY HARMS Fort Worth mom Brittany Harms has two little ones, Annistyn, 3, and Kenneth, 2. She works full time at General Motors while going to school part time to get her bachelor’s in kinesiology.
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:15AM Alarm goes off. I honestly don’t know why I set this alarm. I literally never get up to this one. 4:30AM Alarm goes off. OK, time to get up. I hit snooze and go back to sleep. 4:37AM I finally get up. My job doesn’t require any specific attire, so I throw on my usual running shorts, T-shirt and a baseball hat. I’m not a morning person, so this is a big perk for me. I shower and pack my lunch the night before, so my entire morning routine takes no more than five minutes. 4:45AM I creep into Kenneth’s room and grab him from his crib. All smiles—he’s so happy in the mornings. I love that. I don’t bother changing the kids out of their PJs since they go right back to sleep at their dad’s house. I load him in the car and run, literally run, to grab Annistyn, who somehow ended up in my bed last night. 4:55AM We get to their dad’s house, and I run Annistyn upstairs to her bed and then quickly run back down to get Kenneth. I
give him a couple quick kisses as I lay him down, and he’s back to sleep. “Sing to me,” Annistyn says right before I’m out the door. It will put me a little behind, but I don’t care—worth it. “You Are My Sunshine” is her favorite. I kneel beside her bed, and she rolls over and falls asleep before the song’s over. 5:10AM I’m back in my car and headed to work. 5:30AM Starbucks stop—a seriously bad habit I need to break (or at least make a healthier drink choice). Venti iced latte with two extra shots of espresso. I know; it’s excessive. 5:57AM I’m clocked in and headed to my area to get ready for the day. I grab my ice water, gloves, safety glasses, ear plugs, headphones and a protein shake for breakfast. 6:06AM The line starts, and I’ll be here until my first break. 8:00AM I get the first text of the kids’ day. They’re about to go to the park, and my sitter lets me know they are all hugs and smiles this morning. I love their relationship and the constant updates. 8:23AM More texts. Ella, Annistyn’s best friend, just showed up at the house. Yay! 8:30AM It’s my break time. I refill my water and grab a snack. 8:46AM The line starts, and I’m on my feet again. I’m lucky enough to have a job where I can listen to my recorded lectures on my headphones and occasionally glance at my textbook. I have to get studying in where I can. 9:30AM I pause my lecture to look at the pictures I just received. They’re picking out rocks from the park and going back to the house to paint them. My mama heart aches wishing I could be with them. 11AM Lunch. I sit and eat and spend the short 30 minutes browsing my phone. 11:30AM The line starts, and I’m back to work. 11:45AM More pictures. This time the girls are cuddling on the couch. Can’t. Get. Enough. They’re so cute! 2:06PM I’m off work now and head to pick up the kids. 3:20PM I get to the kids, and they’re all smiles and eager to see me. “Mama!” Kenneth is talking so much now, and his little baby voice is so adorable. I let the kids finish their snacks while I get an overview of their day, and then we load up in the car. 4:00PM I always try to get the kids outside for at least an hour every day, so we head straight to the splash pad to burn off some energy. On the ride to the park, we have as much conversation as a 2- and 3-year-old can have. 5:30PM Kenneth is not ready to go, so I’m forced to carry him back to the car surfboard-style as Annistyn walks beside me crying for me to carry her. 6:30PM We are back at the house with fajitas, and there’s rice and beans everywhere.
Diaries are penned by moms (and dads) in the Fort Worth area. The authors volunteer to share a day of their choosing and are not paid or endorsed by FortWorthChild. Send your diary to editorial@dfwchild.com. All submissions are subject to editing and may be cut for space. 16
august 2019 / fortworthchild
PHOTO COURTESY OF BRITTANY HARMS
real moms / R O U T I N E S