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A Day in Crystal’s Life – January 8, 2026

A Day in Crystal’s Life – January 8, 2026

Welcome to a peek into my life! Last Thursday, January 8, 2026, I chronicled my day on Instagram stories. So many people loved it, that I wanted to share it here on the blog, too, for those who missed it.

4:07 am – Good morning! My Hatch alarm starts getting light around 4:05 am and I usually wake up sometime between then and 4:25 am. I love how gentle it is to wake up to and have loved it so much since Jesse got it for me for my birthday!

I get my workout clothes on while oil pulling and then wash my face, moisturize, brush my teeth, and sit down to read a devotional from this devotional Becky Keife and my current She Reads Truth study. I eat half a banana for my pre-workout snack. (I use this amber light to read so that my body slowly and gently wakes up without harsh lighting.)

4:40 am – I leave for the gym for my 5 am class. While driving, I pray over my day and pray for each of my family members. I love this early morning time when everything is so quiet!

5:00 am – I go to the GTX class which is held 6 days a week (I usually go to 4) and is a mix of strength training and cardio and target different muscle groups each day.

We spend some time on the treadmills and some time on the floor with weights. I love that it’s different every day!

Here was today’s workout.

6:00 am – I drink an Orgain shake most mornings after my workout. It’s 30 grams of protein and I think it tastes delicious. (Also pictured: my fave Owala bottle and gym bag that goes with me every day to the gym!)

The best part of post-workout: showering at the gym in peace and quiet. If you have young kids, I am guessing you might understand!

6:25 am – headed home from the gym! Wearing my @actsofsourdough Sourdough Season sweatshirt that I bought from one of her drops recently.

6:30 am – I drive home from the gym while listening to worship music and watching the sun rise. This song has been on repeat for me recently.

When I get home, I stay outside and get some sunlight and read a devotional from New Morning Mercies + a chapter from this book by Nicole C. Mullen

6:50 am – every morning when I get back from the gym, I sit in the car and go through emails and post a round up of the best deals on our Facebook page. I usually work for 30 mins while Jesse helps the kids inside get ready for school/have breakfast.

7:20 am – one of my favorite parts of the morning – going into my happy kids all ready for school.

We lay out their clothes the night before (Kierstyn is in charge of hers and I help Micah with his) and then the kids get up, get their teeth brushed, get dressed, take their vitamins, and Jesse helps them get breakfast. They are usually really cheerful in the mornings and as long as we have everything laid out the night before (including back packs and lunches), mornings are really smooth.

7:30 am – I fixed Kierstyn’s hair and helped the kids get loaded in the car and grabbed the rest of my pre-workout banana and we head to school.

8:30 am – picked up a few things we needed + some markdown at Kroger!

9:30 am – came home and did laundry, a quick house pick up, talked with Jesse, and fed my starter so I could bake sourdough tonight. And made my daily red raspberry leaf tea with Nutpods creamer.

10:00 am – did a Facebook live and TikTok on the groceries I got at Kroger and put the groceries away.

10:30 am – headed to the gastroenterologist for the first time ever: My functional medicine doctor wanted me to go as we are trying to get to the root of my chronic anemia (that I’ve had for 20+ years) + have a few other issues she wanted me to check on.

11:00 am – I was so impressed with the doctor and the clinic – everyone was incredibly kind and I couldn’t believe I was only there for an hour! They scheduled me for my first endoscopy and colonoscopy in February. Fun times! (I’m reading The Only Woman in the Room.)

While waiting, I posted a mid-day round-up of the best deals on Facebook and edited and posted my video on TikTok.

11:45 am – I head to the mall after my appointment to take a bunch of pics and videos for the blog and Facebook and our deals Instagram account @msmdeals to promote the Semi-Annual sale at Bath & Body Works (crazy good deals!!)

12:15 pm – I sit in the car and eat a snack (see below) and answer emails/message/check Facebook/check our team chat/do a Facebook live on the top 5 deals from today.

Here’s what I brought for a snack. (I love these IQ bars. Have you tried them?)

1:45 pm – back home and recording a podcast with Jesse on my Fun List for 2026 (it comes out tomorrow!)

(Jesse picked up Micah from school and he fell asleep on the way home so he’s taking a nap while we record.) Also – had another snack of Quest Cheese Crackers. I was hungry today!! Also, had a Banana Chocolate Chip Muffin not pictured.

2:00 pm – I had a Zoom call with a few other women entrepreneurs. It was such an encouragement!

2:45 pm – Jesse left to pick up Kierstyn and Micah. I made a big salad and sourdough toast for a late lunch and watched When Calls the Heart while I worked on some different editing projects, emails, and Facebook.

3:30 pm – This guy woke up and wanted to join me so I turned on a kid’s show while I worked and he snuggled with me. I went over my calendar and to do’s for the next few days, answered urgent emails and went through messages on Instagram, posted a round-up on Facebook, picked deals for the hot deals enewsletter, and uploaded all the Bath & Body Works pics I took.

6:00 pm – Dinner time! (Jesse got home with Kierstyn and David around 4:30 pm and the kids got to watch a show and play independently while I worked and Jesse worked on projects. I whipped up dinner in about 10 minutes because we just used leftovers fro the last two nights.)

Jesse’s plate: rice topped with chicken, roasted sweet potatoes, veggies and salsa.

Dinner time with these three is never quiet right now, but we are working on table manners and making slow and steady progress. (Kaitlynn and Silas had dinner with friends tonight.)

6:45 pm – They got their jammies on, took their vitamins, and brushed their teeth and then read together while I got everything ready for the morning.

What I get ready every night to set the next day up for success:

My Bible study stuff including red light and pre-workout banana.

My gym bag with my outfit for the next day, my protein shake, and my electrolyte water in my favorite Owala water bottle!

Backpacks, folders, lunches.

My complete workout outfit including shoes and socks.

7:00 pm – I snuggled with the kids and read with them.

7:15 pm – Making sourdough! I timed myself and it took me 12 minutes to mix up the dough for two loaves.

Dough is done – I’m letting it sit on the counter for an hour and then will do a few stretch & folds before bed. I’ll shape and bake one loaf in the morning and will stick the second loaf in the fridge to bake in a few days.

Lunches/snacks for tomorrow – chicken, avocado, applesauce, raspberries, pumpkin chocolate chip muffin, Bobo’s bar.

7:30 pm – Headed downstairs to wrap up work – answer a few messages from my team, do a Facebook live, schedule something on Facebook, and make a reel. See the reel I made here.

I decided this year to just have fun with Instagram and create/posts I want to make – even if they aren’t the kind that the algorithm will likely show to a bunch of people. It feels so freeing.

8:15 pm – Stretch & folds – these literally take 30 seconds!

8:30 pm – I was planning to go to bed around now, but she surprised me by calling to say she was coming home to spend the night and could we do a late night run together?? OF COURSE!! So, we went out and ran a mile and a half together.

9:00 pm – I took a quick shower, got ready for bed (wash face, moisturize, Neilmed sinus rinse), and took my vitamins/supplements with some OJ. Plus, applied the progesterone cream.

And that’s a wrap – thank you for hanging out with me today!! It’s SO fun to get to share my life with you all! Since I’m going to bed later than anticipated and I did the run tonight, I think I’ll skip the 5 am class at the gym tomorrow and go on Saturday morning instead… that way I can sleep in until 5:45 tomorrow to make sure to get 7+ hours of sleep!

Would you be interested in me sharing A Day in My Life here occasionally? If so, I’d love to have you comment or email me to let me know! And if you have any questions about my day above, let me know and I’ll do my best to answer them!