A Week In Central Minnesota On A $135,002 Joint Salary

Occupation: Library media specialist
Industry: Education
Age: 28
Location: Central Minnesota
Salary: $69,319
Joint income: $135,002. My husband, K., works an average of four hours overtime a week, bringing his gross income to $65,683. He works as a health inspector/coach for restaurants across the state (basically, first-level defense before the state comes in for their inspections) and the first and last hour of his drives are unpaid. All finances are joint and we make all large financial decisions together, other than a set amount of personal fun money each month.
Assets: Checking account: $2,912; HYSA: $52,800; HSA: $10,299; Roth IRA: $27,910; pension plan: $24,480; 401(k): $1,837; stock: $2,720; home equity: $130,000; vehicles: $16,000.
Debt: $221,620 remaining on mortgage at 4.25% interest.
Paycheck amount (twice a month for me, every other week for husband): Me: $1,932; K.: $1,790.
Pronouns: She/her

Monthly Expenses

Housing costs: $1,679 (mortgage, insurance, and taxes).
Loan payments: $500 extra towards mortgage principal.
Health insurance: $115.22
Dental insurance: $105
HSA contribution: $540
Pension contributions: $442
Husband’s 401(k): 8% gross + 6% match (roughly $700 combined monthly — he just started contributing to this).
Husband’s company stock purchase: $150
Roth IRA: $580
Union dues: $96
Internet: $76.77
Gas: $74
Electric: $82
Phones: $108
Car insurance: $112
Netflix: $7.49 (with ads).
Daycare: $1,200
Charity: $500

Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
There was an expectation that I would have at least two years of college. In Minnesota, you can attend college for free your junior and senior year of high school. My parents encouraged us to get our generals done while we were still in high school, and all six of my siblings and I have done the program. Because I have so many siblings, my parents were not able to pay for college for any of us, but they did help us with applying for scholarships, grants, and loans. They also let us live rent-free and paid for food if we chose a college close enough to home and were able to commute. I was able to graduate debt-free by saving before college, working two or three jobs at a time while attending school, living with my parents during my undergrad, and becoming a graduate assistant in grad school, which gave me partial tuition reimbursement. I worked an average of 30 hours a week during the school year and 50-60 hours a week during the summer. I recently took several graduate-level courses to bump myself on the teaching pay scale to a master’s +30 level, which we cash-flowed. My husband received a full ride academic scholarship to his college, and he was able to graduate without loans as well.

Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent(s)/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
There was a big emphasis on saving money and not “wasting” it. Money from birthdays (my grandma would give us $10) was put in savings accounts, with the intent that we would use it for college or to buy a car. My parents talked to us about earning money and not letting our expenses exceed our income. For a few years, we made practice budgets as part of our curriculum. I only remember receiving an allowance once, for a few months, and we were expected to donate 10%, save 30%, and could spend the other 60%.

What was your first job and why did you get it?
My first job was at 12, refereeing soccer. I received $20 a game and paid my parents $5 to drive and wait until the game was done. I reffed for a few years and also babysat starting at 12. My first job with regular hours was working as a library aide in the public library when I was 16. I got the jobs to save for a car and college.

Did you worry about money growing up?
I never worried extensively but there was always the knowledge that money was finite and we didn’t have a lot for extra things. We were a one-income family of nine: My dad worked as a high school teacher and my mom homeschooled us, so the budget was always tight. We ate out only a few times a year, and used mostly secondhand items and hand-me-down clothing. We never had our utilities shut off and the bills were always paid on time, but I’m sure my parents struggled to afford everything.

Do you worry about money now?
I’m not sure I worry but I definitely think about it a lot and constantly run through different scenarios in my mind. It’s hard to feel that the money we’re making now is permanent. I spent so much of my life saving every extra cent and not spending on anything “frivolous” that seeing the amount we make now doesn’t quite feel real. We are able to save a good chunk every month and theoretically have more money to spend, but I still sometimes feel a need to save. Our daughter S. died as an infant three years ago, and I’ve learned not to take anything for granted. I think a lot about how to balance saving for the future or an unknown and using the money we earn now to live well and enjoy life.

At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
I got married a few months before my 21st birthday and moved into an apartment with my husband, K., at the same time, so I would say then. We paid all of the expenses ourselves, except health insurance. I was still on my parents’ health insurance and K. was on his parents’ until my first job out of grad school at 23, at which point I paid for health insurance for K., our daughter T. and me. If either one of us lost our job, I know we would be able to manage on one income, but things would be very tight. My parents would let us live with them if we needed it, but I’m hoping we never do.

Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
No.

6 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I wake up in a stressful haze, after a confusing work dream in which I was late to everything. My husband, K., gets up right away because he has to leave earlier than usual. I tuck a white puffy blouse into a high-waisted denim maxi skirt, and layer on a cropped navy sweater vest, which I pair with Mary Janes. Our 6-year-old daughter, T., gets dressed by herself and plays for a bit before we have to leave. She doesn’t have school today since it’s Veterans Day, so she’ll be going to daycare with her 1.5-year-old sister, B. I finish getting ready by applying moisturizer, sunscreen, mascara, blush, and lipstick, then pack my lunch of a PB&J, carrots, and an apple. I also make some instant coffee and throw a granola bar in my bag for breakfast. K. leaves around 6:45 a.m. so I get B. up and dressed, then run around trying to make sure the girls have everything for daycare and I have everything for work.

7:10 a.m. — We leave for daycare, and I drop the girls off before heading to work. Once at work, I quickly eat breakfast before heading out for supervision duty. My morning lesson/homeroom goes well, and I’m amazed as usual at the range of energy and emotions that middle school students can have on a Monday morning. I switched schools in January 2022 and like teaching middle school for the most part, but the hormones have taken some getting used to.

8:50 a.m. — I have an English teacher in the media center each hour, which is filled with teaching a lesson on AI algorithms and student book checkout. I really enjoy days like this where I can actually teach, although I appreciate the flexibility and downtime that my job as a media specialist can provide. I sub for a different teacher over the English teacher’s prep, so I don’t really get a break today, but I don’t mind.

12:30 p.m. — I eat my lunch in the media center, and try to simultaneously work while having conversations about books with students. Lessons continue for another two hours, and then I have afternoon supervision duty and bus dismissal.

3:30 p.m. — I leave school and pick up the girls from daycare. T.’s bus drops her off at B.’s daycare, which makes things a lot easier. Our daycare provider this year is a neighbor, L., who has a daughter about the same age as our daughter who died. In a completely bizarre coincidence, their daughter has the same name as our deceased child (it’s not a common name at all). L’s husband also has the same name as my husband. We met them for the first time a few months after our baby had died, and it was a truly out-of-body experience. L. and her husband have experienced infertility, and we feel a special connection to them. When we get home, I cuddle with B. and read books to her and play vet with T., which consists mostly of me urgently calling the vet with outlandish stuffed animal problems and her prescribing even more outlandish methods of treatment.

5 p.m. — We have a hodgepodge dinner of leftovers, including roast chicken and vegetables, peas, sweet potatoes, and one slice of pizza. As I’m cleaning up dinner, K. calls and we chat for a few minutes before I have to really get down to business getting the girls ready for dance. Despite a last-minute outfit change for B. (why are toddlers always sticky and wet?), we make it to dance on time. It’s really just dance for T., but B. always tries to join in, with varying success. I corral B. out of the way for most of the lesson, and bribe her with an applesauce pouch to sit on my lap when she gets really antsy.

7 p.m. — We get home and I get the girls ready for bed. Usually K. does more of the nighttime routine, but he’s working late tonight. I get B.’s jammies on, teeth brushed, and read her a book before bed, then go make sure T. is on the right track. While T. gets ready for bed, I read her a few pages of Triss by Brian Jacques (my kids are going to love Redwall if I can help it) then do her prayers and read her a page from her daily saint book. After lots of cuddles, she’s finally down for the night. I change into leggings and do a 30-minute strength workout video. K. gets home almost at the end and does a few awkward squats with me.

8 p.m. — I throw in a load of laundry, and grab some Greek yogurt and clementines to snack on while I go downstairs to snuggle with K. on the couch. He picked up dinner from Jimmy John's ($11.62) and wants to relax by playing Mario Brothership. I read A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, which I surprisingly don’t enjoy as much as the show — this rarely happens. I chalk it up to the main character being a dishrag in the book, while the show directors gave her more teeth. Our fluffy gray cat, M., makes biscuits on my lap while I read. Eventually I go upstairs to journal and shower before bed. K. comes up and we talk for a bit and watch an SNL video. The video is about the challenges of talking to dads, and we laugh that it’s so real, then talk deeper about K.’s mom. She died two years ago from leukemia, and it’s been so difficult. Despite being in bed around 10:15 p.m., I don’t fall asleep until after 11 p.m. $11.62

6 a.m. — My alarm goes off, and I’m dreading the day with the tiredness I already feel. B. was up several times during the night, and is sure to be in a mood today. I read the New York Times morning newsletter, do the Connections puzzle, then get out of bed to start getting ready for the day. I wake up T. and start making her breakfast (oatmeal, her staple breakfast since she was 2), and make sure she’s ready for the bus. I get dressed in a burgundy floral knee-length dress, black cardigan, leggings, and platform combat boots. While K. gets B. up and ready, I make my coffee, pack my lunch, and make peanut butter oatmeal for my own breakfast. B. is having a terrible morning, and needs lots of extra snuggles and hugs. When I tell her it’s time to go to daycare, she weeps and tries to hide behind a living room chair.

7:10 a.m. — I head out the door for daycare dropoff and work. L. promises to give B. some extra attention today, and I feel slightly less guilt for having to work and leave her behind. My morning class, or homeroom, also runs the weekly school news show, which is a whole production. Students come up with special features and there’s regular weekly segments, like weather and sports, and it has to be all filmed and edited in the span of a few short days. The final product ends up being between seven and 10 minutes, and is shown to the school on Fridays. Every September I feel like we’re starting from scratch with remembering how to use editing software and working together, but usually by this point in the year things start to come together and students become more self-sufficient (or at least as self-sufficient as middle schoolers can be).

8:50 a.m. — With my homeroom class done, I work on the myriad of tasks on my to-do list, including promotional posters, various video editing, and reviewing books for purchase. Throughout the day, students come in to check out books and for help with their science fair projects.

11:30 a.m. — I break for lunch and eat with one of the other teachers in her classroom. I’ve brought a chickpea and cucumber salad and an apple, and we talk about our families and how the year is going. After lunch, I get back to work and place the book order I’ve assembled so far. I also spend some time in the afternoon trying to memorize student names and faces. I’ve set myself the challenge of knowing every student’s name by the end of the year.

3 p.m. — Bus dismissal and then a student behavior meeting, which runs long. Like most middle schools, we struggle with student misbehavior and this year it’s been especially tough.

3:40 p.m. — I leave school to pick up the girls from daycare and then we head to the library. They have a few books that are due, and I was hoping my books I requested were in (they’re still in transit).

4:45 p.m. — At home, I start making beef stroganoff and broccoli for dinner, placating the girls with a few Graham crackers until it’s ready. K. gets home around 6 p.m., and then I bathe the girls while he starts getting dinner cleaned up. More Triss, more snuggles, and both the girls are in bed around their usual time.

6:45 p.m. — I do another few workout videos (upper body tonight). I’m exhausted and have to push myself to get through them, but I know the next few nights will be busy and I won’t have time, and I don’t like skipping too many days in a row. After, I shower and wash my hair, then snack on candy corn and dry roasted peanuts while reading more of my book while K. plays his game downstairs. I also end up texting my parents almost simultaneously — it’s my dad’s birthday (he was busy when I called earlier) and my mom wanted to check in.

8:30 p.m. — I can’t really focus on my book and I’m tired, so I go upstairs to journal and finish getting ready for bed. K. comes up soon after and we talk for about an hour before heading to bed.

6 a.m. — My alarm goes off and I allow myself a few minutes to just lay in bed and do nothing. I wake T. up, get her breakfast, and see her off to the bus. I throw on a balloon-sleeve striped black and white blouse with a pair of fantastic high-waisted raspberry vintage trousers and my Mary Janes. It’s giving slight party clown, but I’m here for it. I boil water for instant coffee, pack my lunch, and make a quick protein shake for breakfast.

6:55 a.m. — I head out a little earlier today because I have a meeting. K. has a rare later start today (he gets to leave at 8 a.m.), so he will take our toddler to daycare. I do most of the daycare pickups and dropoffs because I usually leave a few minutes later than him and get home earlier than him almost all the time. At work, I head to my meeting, then go outside for morning supervision.

8:10 a.m. — I head inside to my morning class. We finish up filming for this week’s features and most of the students give me their parts, although some still need to be edited. I have another English teacher in the media center for classes today, similar to Monday’s lesson but modified slightly for sixth grade. One student tells me that she spent 19 hours on TikTok one weekend, and another says her record is 13 hours in a day. Sadly I believe them both. During the teacher’s prep, I edit more footage and finish up some of my tasks from yesterday.

11:30 a.m. — Lunch today is leftover roast chicken with veggies, pretzels, and an apple. I eat in the teachers’ lounge and the conversation centers around yesterday’s behavior meeting. Managing student behavior is never-ending and at times seems futile when we don’t get the support we need. Back in the media center, I finish up another three rounds of lessons and book checkout, then head out for afternoon bus duty.

3:30 p.m. — I leave work and pick up the girls from daycare. B. is having a wonderful time coloring, and throws the mother of all toddler fits when I tell her it’s time to go. She apparently only had an hour-long nap today, so it will be a tough night for her. She’s still crying when we get home, and no amount of cuddles or books really helps. Dinner tonight is leftovers from yesterday, plus Greek yogurt for dessert. B. doesn’t eat a ton of the noodles, so I’m happy she at least eats the yogurt.

5:20 p.m. — K. gets home from work and I immediately hop in the car with T. to bring her to religion class. I bring a snack for me and T. for after religion (green tea and spekulatius cookies). Usually I have to bring both girls and then entertain a toddler while T. is in her class, but luckily K. is able to watch the little one tonight. It’s raining and foggy on the way to religion, and T. coaches me on how to drive safely in the weather. Her 20-minute commentary includes such gems as “Good, good, keep focusing. The fog won’t last forever if you keep trying,” “Stoplights are good for the car, they let the engine take a break,” and “If you can’t see where you’re going, just follow the red lights of the car in front of you.”

5:50 p.m. — After I drop T. off at religion, I drive to the library to pick up my holds (Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim, What the River Knows by Isabel Ibañez, and Where the Dark Stands Still by A.B. Poranek). Then I head to Aldi to get groceries, including blueberries, apples, bananas, broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, celery, bagels, tortilla chips, cheese crackers, oatmeal, peanut butter, chickpeas, macaroni noodles, chicken sausage, breakfast sausage, and cat food. $74.55

7 p.m. — Back at church, I pick up T. and we head home. When we get back, K. is doing training for work and scheduling, so I quickly put away the groceries and read a few pages of T.’s book to her while she gets ready for bed.

7:45 p.m. — I decide I’m way too tired to exercise so instead I fold and put away Monday’s laundry and finish cleaning up the kitchen. K. continues working until 8 p.m. His work not only requires him to travel to different locations each day, but also keep up with all the training and schedule all the locations before each deadline. He’s had to work really long hours lately and is getting burnt out, but it should get lighter next year when another team member gets trained and his territory shrinks. Although I do more of the day-to-day care of the girls, K. works longer hours and does the pets and floors, so it somewhat balances out. I’m positive that no household is ever really 50/50 — there are times when he does more work and times when I do. He’s certainly better at balancing my emotions than I would be myself. After K. gets done, I join him on the couch downstairs with Beasts of a Little Land (I don’t have the fortitude to power through A Discovery of Witches when I’m not really enjoying it). More cat snuggles.

9:10 p.m. — Back upstairs for my nightly routine, shower, journal, etc. I’m extra exhausted right now — daylight savings time is always a difficult adjustment — so I go turn the lights off around 9:40 p.m. K. comes up soon after and rudely sticks his cold toes on my toasty legs. I always complain loudly but secretly don’t mind it too much.

6 a.m. — I spend my first morning minutes reading yesterday’s Money Diary. Yay for another librarian! It makes me miss my time in the public library. I pull on a red sweater with a midi-length black and white gingham skirt, white ankle socks, and my Mary Janes. T. up as usual, breakfast, and bus. K. gets B. ready. I make my coffee, peanut butter oatmeal for breakfast, and pack my lunch.

7:10 a.m. — Out the door with B., daycare and then the district office. We’re in the middle of a program review for media, so it’s a lot of sitting and talking about standards. I always appreciate the opportunity to connect with other media specialists in my district, and am glad that this district supports us so much.

11:50 a.m. — Another nice thing about program review days is the hour-long lunch. I use it to drop off some donations at the thrift store, then quickly browse inside but don’t find anything. I run to a nearby grocery store and grab a bottle of kombucha, as I always get sleepy in afternoon meetings. When I get back to the district office, I warm up my lunch: leftover stroganoff, broccoli, and an apple. $3.98

12:45 p.m. — Back in the meeting room, we continue to work for the next few hours on standards and integration across all content areas. I’ll be seeing spreadsheets in my dreams tonight.

3:30 p.m. — I leave to go pick up the girls from daycare. When we get home, I prep dinner while playing science lab with T. and B. T. has a cart with drawers for science books that she reads out of, and also a beauty salon set that she uses to give makeovers. B. especially likes pretending to spray perfume behind her ears.

5:30 p.m. — K. gets home from work just in time for dinner: split pea soup and sweet potato fries. I love making sweet potato fries in the air fryer — it’s the only thing I consistently use it for. After dinner, I give the girls a bath while reading a few pages of Triss out loud, then get them into jammies for a quick K-pop dance party. T. always requests her favorite girl group, TWICE. This counts as exercise, right?

6:30 p.m. — Leaving K. to finish the nighttime routine, I head out the door for my weekly adoration hour at church. To put it simply, adoration is sitting quietly in the presence of God, and I am so grateful for the silence and reflection.

8:30 p.m. — Back at home, I call my younger sister and we talk for a bit. She’s going to visit my older sister in Arizona this weekend, and I wish them well. My older sister has lived in Arizona for a few years and I’ve only been able to fly out once, but hopefully that will change in the future. I get ready for bed and read a few chapters of Beasts of a Little Land. The writing style was hard to get into in the first chapter, but I’m mostly enjoying it now. 

10 p.m. — K. comes up and we talk about my character design for a tabletop adventure that we are doing with some friends. He insists on keeping the lights on so he can see me while we talk, and says otherwise I’ll get sleepy. We also talk about the girls and some of the funny things they’ve done lately. Lights are off around 10:15 p.m., but we stay up later talking.

6 a.m. — Morning routine as usual, T. has breakfast and gets on the bus. Today’s outfit is a vintage black floral overall dress layered with a burgundy thermal long-sleeve and platform combat boots. I pack lunch and a banana and granola bar for breakfast. After dropping B. off at daycare, I head into school. K. has a slightly later start for work today, and he’s going to clean the bathroom and do some other chores before he leaves.

7:35 a.m. — A coworker tells me that one of the other teachers is looking for me. He borrowed a baby bassinet to use for their infant who’s now outgrown it, and he’s returning it today. He returns it with a very sweet note from him and his wife, and a completely unexpected Culver’s gift card. During morning supervision I have to physically break up a fight between two students, which is jarring. It rarely happens when I’m on duty, and thankfully both students seem to be fine. I don’t know who started it, but admin (and the helpful security cameras) will be able to take it from here. My morning class is easy because there’s an assembly, but when I make it back to the media center slightly after my class, I see they’ve taken over the smartboard and are attempting to watch a CoComelon video. Since they usually get a fun Friday video, I allow the abomination to continue for the last minute until the bell rings.

9 a.m. — Finally get a chance to eat my breakfast. I also have coffee delivered by a student from the special ed department. One of the teachers has started a program to help teach the students functional life skills, and the kids are all so sweet. The cost is $1, but it comes off a prepaid punch card. There are classes coming in today for book checkout, and I spend one of the hours this morning subbing for a science teacher. 

12 p.m. — I eat lunch at my desk: split pea soup and a mocha cookie another teacher made. More students come in to talk to me as I eat. One student opens up a container of colored sand on my desk while my back is turned and tries to eat it, apparently thinking it’s sugar. I’ve had the container for over a year so I suppose it was just a matter of time before the inevitable happened. The kids are honestly the best thing about my job. The energy of middle schoolers can be quite chaotic, but they’re just so fun.

3:10 p.m. — After more classes and more work, I head for daycare and home. On Fridays we get to leave early since we’re here early on Wednesday mornings. The weather is warmer today and the sun is shining. It’s a spectacular fall afternoon, and when I get to daycare L. and I decide to take the girls on a walk. We go around the neighborhood and talk. 

4:20 p.m. — When we get home, T. wants to play book club, which consists of us reading different books by the same author in different rooms “so we don’t get mixed up.” Once I start reading to her little sister though, she comes over to snuggle and listen. After a while I start to get things together for dinner, which is veggie fried rice. K. calls on his way home and lets me know he’s picked up some things from a game shop, part of one of our friends’ Christmas presents. $29.69

6 p.m. — K. comes home and three of our friends come over for dinner and game night. After dinner, K. and I clean up the kitchen and get the girls to bed. We’re starting a new tabletop campaign, and tonight we’re finishing our character sheets and trialing initial roleplay and combat. I also make brownies and we have them with ice cream for dessert. We’ve been having Friday game night with this group of friends for about three years. It’s so much fun to be able to get together with friends in person and I’m appreciative to have them in my life.

10:30 p.m. — Our friends leave and I get ready for bed. I intend to only read for a few minutes, but end up reading for longer. We finally go to bed around 11:30 p.m.

6:20 a.m. — I’m awake and can’t fall back asleep. After a bit, I start talking to K., who’s also awake, and we watch a few SNL videos together. Our daughters wake up a little before 7 a.m., and K. gets up to take care of them. He gets them breakfast and brings them downstairs for Saturday morning cartoons, leaving me to luxuriate in bed. I roll around in the warm sheets and appreciate life, and browse the internet for a bit.

7:55 a.m. — Finally out of bed, I start a load of laundry and get dressed in jeans and a crewneck sweatshirt. I clean out the fridge and make myself a bagel with cream cheese and blueberries and a cup of tea.

9 a.m. — We bundle the girls into the car and head to my parents’ for a visit. I try to go see them at least once a month and talk to them each week. We wish my dad a happy birthday in person and talk for a while. My dad used to be a teacher and every conversation is an opportunity for a lesson. Before we leave, they give us some eggs from their chickens and various produce, and I purchase a few pounds of ground beef from their steer. We bought an eighth of a steer last year but have eaten it all, and the eighth we’re purchasing this year won’t be available until December. $20

11:15 a.m. — On the way home, K. stops to get a glorified milkshake from Caribou. I always tease him for his coffee preferences, but he gives me a few sips anyway. Once we get home, we have lunch of leftover soup and sweet potato fries, and then B. goes down for her nap. I do some laundry and then decide I also need a nap, so I set a 30-minute timer and lay down. $7.65

1:30 p.m. — Awake and feeling much better, I make a cup of tea and journal before working on some things I didn’t finish on Friday. I do some more laundry and read before B. wakes up. T. helps me make banana muffins.

5:30 p.m. — I make hash with chicken sausage, potatoes, onions, bell peppers, and steamed broccoli for dinner. We eat and then I bathe the girls while K. cleans up the kitchen. More reading to the girls and bedtime as usual. After they go down I do an exercise video.

7:30 p.m. — I eat an apple and some peanuts and then wash my hair in the sink (better water pressure, and I don’t want to waste all the hot water). I put in deep conditioner and take a long bath, reading A Discovery of Witches on my Kindle since I don’t want to get library books wet. K. is running an online tabletop campaign for our larger group of friends, so he stays up late while I go to bed around 9:30 p.m.

7 a.m. — I listen to T. play in her room until we have to get going. I give the girls breakfast while K. showers, and then finish getting ready for church. Today I wear a long green ‘90s babydoll dress with ankle boots.

8 a.m. — We leave for church. After, we head to Target for a few things: mechanical pencils, tape, eggnog, bagels, shredded cheese, tofu, kale, and a bunch of kitty litter since there’s a sale ($20.84 food, $59.53 everything else). On the way home, we stop for gas ($25.80). $106.17

11:20 a.m. — I make myself some coffee and we have breakfast sandwiches and salad for brunch. When B. goes down for her nap, I do a workout video and then journal and read some more Beasts of a Little Land. T. and B. are playing a Pokémon video game, so I bring my book downstairs and sit with them. Our cat, M., has a field day making biscuits on my lap and drooling.

2:30 p.m. — I start making chili — it’s better when it has time to simmer. When B. wakes up, we all go for a walk outside, and have banana muffins when we get back for a snack. I also place an Amazon order for oil for our car ($29.09), a Squishmallow surprise box for part of a friend’s Christmas gift ($16.05), and a new journal for myself from Peter Pauper Press ($9.98). I love the cover designs from this company and the paper is thick enough that my pen won’t bleed through. $55.12

5 p.m. — We have chili and cornbread for dinner. B. loves the chili and tries to drink from her bowl, covering herself in beans and sauce. The girls get a bath, and after we have another dance party and read some more before their bedtime.

7 p.m. — K. and I share a giant bowl of popcorn and settle on the couch to watch Love is Blind: Habibi. It’s absolutely ridiculous and makes us laugh. It’s been a while since we watched reality TV together — usually it’s action or drama. Sunday evening shows have been our tradition for several years, and it’s a nice way to relax before starting another busy week. We head to bed around 9:30 p.m.