Tuesdays are chill...said no small business owner with kids, ever.

Here's how it really goes.

Wake-up time is sometime between 5:00 a.m. (because my boys get up so freakin' early, man-like why) and when my alarm gives up on me. I should be up by 6:15. I'm not. I usually drag myself out of bed around 7:05 because that's when my kids start yelling at me that we're going to be late. Adrenaline is the only thing getting me vertical at this point.

Between 7:05 and 8:10, I somehow manage to get myself dressed, get them ready, wrangle Rocky, and heard everyone out the door. I drop the boys off at school ( Watson Elementary - shoutout to the traffic gods), and if my daughter's with me that week, I also drive her to G.W. Graham. Then it's off to the store.

I get to the shop around 8:45 and immediately go into high-speed set-up mode: lights on, pin pad charging, till open, Rocky fed and watered (and litter box handled, if he's feeling extra generous), speaker plugged in, bag in the back. I'm usually half-dressed, over-caffeinated, and already behind on my list.

And then comes the best part of Tuesday: Coffee with Harold.

Harold has worked for the Chilliwack BIA for 26 years. We've become friends, and every Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. sharp, we meet for a coffee at Smoking Gun across the street. Emphasis on sharp. If I'm late, he leaves. No drama. Just poof-gone. Harold does not wait for chaos. But he will show up for the coffee. Every time.

After that, it's go time.

I'm open 10-2 on Tuesdays, which sounds like a short day until you try to cram a week's worth of content, photos, and business tasks into those four hours. I'm usually trying to drink my coffee, eat something, review my plan for the week, realize I forgot ten things, and rewrite the plan. Then try to take photos, update Shopify, write posts, upload stuff, schedule content, maybe do a Reel if the gods allow - and that's before customers start showing up.

And when they do show up?
We talk. We laugh. Sometimes we dance. We all pretend we have more time than we do. And I wouldn't trade it...but it definitely adds to the time crunch.

Right around 1:40 - when I should be winding down - I usually get the "real shoppers." The ones who come in with energy and questions and adorable toddlers right as I'm supposed to be locking the door. I almost always leave the store late and get to school pick-up ten minutes behind schedule. Every. Single. Time.

Then it's home time.

Cue after-school chaos.
I check planners, chase backpacks, break up small sibling wars, feed starving children (who literally ate an hour ago), and try to prep dinner while answering homework questions and uploading content at the same time. And don't forget reading practice, bedtime routines, and the occasional " I need a shower" curveball. I Also try to check in with my older kids - because teenagers have big feelings too - and make sure they're still breathing and emotionally intact.

By 8:30 (hopefully), the boys are in bed. Which should mean I get to rest. Except...no.
That's when my brain decides to turn all the way on. Suddenly, I'm writting blogs, making lists, planning new ideas, editing content, and trying to force myself to stop so I can have one hour of alone time to watch a show that has nothing to do with children, business, or budgeting.

And that's just Tuesday.
Wednesday? Looks almost exactly the same. Same hours. Same scramble. Same last-minute shoppers rolling in at 1:40. The only real difference is that it's one day later and I'm slightly more tired.

But Thursday and Friday?
That's when things really shift.

I'll tell you about those next.

Still standing, 
Still caffeinated,
Still trying to figure out what day it is,
Dee