A Week in Our Life: School Runs, Therapy Days, and Business in Between

People often ask how I manage to run a business, raise four kids, keep up with therapy schedules, and still find time to plan a wedding. The truth? I don’t “manage” it in the polished Instagram sense — I just keep moving, drink a lot of coffee, and celebrate the little wins along the way.

Here’s a peek into what our week really looks like — the chaos, the routine, the meltdowns, and everything in between.

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Mornings Are the Hardest

The day starts at 5am.
Not because I’m a super-organised morning person… but because Mr 1 has set his internal alarm clock to “mum never sleeps in.”

I jump in the shower first, and right on cue, Miss 6 is waiting. She’s very water-sensory, so 20 minutes under the water is her perfect mix of wake-up and calm-down. It’s a daily therapy session disguised as play, and it works.

Mondays are a little more… intense. The boys don’t have daycare, so I start with getting them dressed while Miss 5 begins her “I hate school, I’m not going” speech. Then it’s breakfast for the boys, and I move on to getting the girls involved in dressing themselves.

While the girls eat breakfast, I make their lunches — and yes, I know I could make them the night before, but Miss 6 won’t eat it unless it’s freshly made in the morning. She’s very particular, so fresh it is.

From Tuesday to Friday, I also get the boys’ bags ready for daycare. Thankfully, daycare provides all the food, so it’s just a couple of changes of clothes and their drink bottles.

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The Packing & Hair Wrangling Stage

Next comes bag-packing:

• Girls get their lunch boxes, homework folders, and drink bottles.

• Boys get their change of clothes and drink bottles.

While the girls are still eating, I do their hair — because if I leave it, I’ll be brushing knots in the car. Then it’s the boys’ teeth, the girls’ teeth, and shoes all round.

And this is where the meltdowns roll in:

• Shoes going on with no socks, because the socks were repurposed as puppets that morning.

• Screaming matches over who sits in which car seat… even though they’ve all had their own seats forever.

• Tears because the banana was “too bendy” or the cereal “looked at me funny.”

It sounds quick when I list it… but somehow we only get into the car at 8:20am, looking like we’ve already done a full day’s work.

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Drop-Off Circuit

Mondays: The boys come with me to drop the girls off at school — “fun” doesn’t even cover it.

Tuesday–Thursday:

1. Drop the boys at daycare first (LOVE them so much).

2. While I take the boys inside, a daycare educator stands by the car to make sure the girls don’t get out and make a run for it.

3. Girls’ school drop-off with my subtle parting words: “Don’t be naughty today.”

Fridays: The boys go to daycare, Miss 5 goes to school, and Miss 6 and I head straight to therapy.

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The Rest of the Week: Everything in Between

Once the drop-offs are done, the “rest of the day” depends on what’s happening:

• Errands — groceries, post office runs, picking up orders from suppliers.

• House upkeep — endless laundry, dishes, and tackling Mount Clean when I can.

• Ruby time — taking her to the dog park for a run, practising her training, and trying to keep her from digging up the yard.

• School and daycare events — assemblies, sports days, parades, morning teas, and parent sessions. These usually mean rearranging my workday (and sometimes my sanity).

If it’s a quieter day, I’ll pack orders for Sensory Planet, update stock quantities, upload new products, and reply to customer messages.

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Fridays: Therapy Day

Miss 6’s therapy sessions are usually back-to-back — speech, OT, or assessments — so I pack a bag like we’re going camping: snacks, drinks, and a couple of sensory fidgets to get us through waiting times.

Some weeks therapy day feels like a win: she engages beautifully, and we leave with that “we’re getting somewhere” feeling. Other weeks… not so much. Tears, refusals, meltdowns, and the drive home feeling like I’ve been through the wringer.

Either way, Fridays remind me why I run Sensory Planet — because I know first-hand how much difference the right tools, spaces, and strategies can make.

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Afternoons & Evenings: The Second Shift

School pick-up is its own marathon.
Miss 5 often bolts like she’s in a getaway chase — negotiations to get her into the car can involve bribery, tears, and sometimes calling dad for backup. On bad days, we don’t leave the school until nearly 4pm, with me drenched because the sky opened up mid-negotiation.

Once we’re finally home, the girls eat and shower while I try to answer emails, schedule posts, and maybe remember to eat myself before the next round begins.

From Tuesday to Friday, I pick up the boys after the girls are settled — with another educator guarding the car like a lion stalking its prey to make sure no little escape attempts happen.

Back home, it’s the dinner scramble: some nights I cook, other nights it’s “thank goodness for pizza delivery.” Dad gets home, showers for the boys, books, bedtime, and finally — silence.

Then it’s my turn to reset the house, jump back on the computer, and prep for tomorrow.

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Life here isn’t neat or quiet, but it’s ours — a mix of chaos, love, and small wins.
If you’re juggling your own version of this madness, know you’re not alone. You can always reach out if you need a listening ear, a laugh, or a tip that’s worked for us.