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Mothering knows no scheduleand often it feels more like 5-to-9 and everything in between.
Consider it a day in the life for the forgotten hours.
Read earlier installments of 5-to-9here.
I am a snoozer.
Unfortunately, today I snoozed too long.
I am jet-lagged from traveling to the East Coast to promoteThe Order.
Was only gone three days and yet the early mornings for the promo have me beat.
Landed in LAX last night.
Ideally, I would have woken up earlier, properly set my day.
Meditation, journaling, read myJesus Callingbook, pray, drink some tea.
None of that happened.
This will be one of those days in which I must constantly remind myself to be kind to myself.
First attempt to wake Hunter up.
I find water calms me.
I have to shower first thing in the morning or else I will be groggy.
My voice is tired from the travel and interviews.
I tend to do my lip trills in the shower.
An actor habit, to wake up the voice.
I have more interviews to do later on so need to awaken the voice properly.
Walk into Hunters room again to wake him up.
Make an effort to not shout down the hall to Hunter because my voice isnt warmed up yet.
Take his clothes out and place them on the bed.
I landed too late last night to grocery shop or Instacart anything.
I make my morning concoction of tea and lemon in warm water.
Yes, I use all of these tea bags.
Hunter is still asleep.
One trick I use is to pull the blankets away and kiss his little legs.
He asks, mommy just five more minutes.
In fairness, he is tired because of my travel, yesterday.
Waking Hunter up proved more difficult than usual.
This gentle parenting style is not easy.
We will be late.
He also doesnt want to eat breakfast.
Lunch is packed and we are heading out the door.
He wants to check the ESPN app on my phone while we drive.
Calgary Flames now have more losses than the Vancouver Canucks.
That makes him happy.
Hunter gained a love for hockey this year, while I was shooting my Apple TV+ show there.
Oftentimes, my work travel takes us to new places.
To experience new adventures.
Its one of the blessings with what I do, he gets to travel and learn about new cultures.
Late but it is what it is.
Its one of those days.
I will be kind to myself.
I hate being late for his drop-offs.
Its part of the unspoken mom code.
Finish business calls in the car and finally walk into the gym with not much time to work out.
I forgot to charge it overnight.
I need Beyonce to remind me that Im that girl cause right now I dont feel like her.
Trying to be kind to myself.
Start the Zoom call.
Havent had time to do makeup for it or shower, change from the gym clothes Im in.
We begin to proceed with the meeting, which is regarding a film Im producing and starring in.
The filmmaker has put together a fantastic look book, which we are all jazzed about.
Call with my team re: a rights issue on a film Im producing.
Turns out the issue was resolved faster than we anticipated.
Still doing conference calls while texting the furniture delivery company to see if they are on their way.
My eye twitch has returned.
I know it happens when I am lacking sleep…likely need more magnesium.
I take my morning vitamins and fill up my water bottle.
I feel like motherhood is often about thinking 10 steps ahead.
Its the dance of servicing the needs of our kids, while trying to care for our own needs.
Some seasons I am better at it than others.
I take 10 minutes to do some breath work.
I repeat the affirmations a friend sent to me.
I remind myself to be kind to myself.
It feels weird even sharing this.
Staying in a state of gratitude amongst the chaos or fatigue helps me stay in alignment.
FaceTime meeting with my partner-in-crime, (and frequent collaborator) Misha Green.
Plotting, plotting, plotting.
Strategizing for our next project together.
Call with Dennis Lehane re our Apple TV+ show.
Hes excited about our showits always a good thing when the creator is happy with the work.
I finish interviews, and realize the piece of furniture delivered is not operating properly.
Will call customer service while driving to pick up Hunter from school.
Picked Hunter up from school.
Hunter is hungry so we came back home before going to play baseball at the park.
He wants his go-to…pasta with butter.
Why do all kids like this boring meal?
What is it about pasta and butter that is universally beloved by kids alike?
I tell Hunter its not up for debate, hes going.
I also want to expose him to environments that will help expand his mind and growth.
4:38 p.m.
Hunter is upset because I beat him in the baseball game.
Hunter doesnt want to take a shower, but thats not an option.
He complains that he doesnt want to go.
He wants to stay home and play baseball.
He doesnt care to go meet a governor.
I sit Hunter in front of the TV and comb his hair for the second time today.
Playing baseball outside left him with grass and dirt stuck in his curls.
He is tender-headed and hates getting his hair done.
Have 20 minutes to do my hair and make up and be out the door.
Ihopedhe could get himself dressed while I showered.
This is Hunters idea of getting himself dressed.
Ilovelayering a few different shades to create more dimension on my lips.
I like keeping the center lighter while building different colors around.
Ive learned a lot from working with makeup artists like Vincent Oquendo and Dana Delaney.
I loved this Stella McCartney suit so much I might have to repeat it.
My stylist Jamie Mizrahi styled me in it for the Drew Barrymore show.
She is a repeater!
We finally made it.
My godmother, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, introduces Hunter and me to the governor of Maryland, Gov.
He is quite an impressive leader in person.
I introduce Hunter to Mayor Karen Bass of LA.
He tells her, Mommy and I voted for you.
I feel proud that he remembers.
Its a habit I have now with Hunter.
I want to normalize voter participation for him from an early age.
I want him to be knowledgable about the political world and how it affects us all.
I want him to own his basic civil responsibilities and be excited about it.
Hunter is in awe of Magic.
He is a huge basketball fan.
Mayor Bass introduces Gov.
Hunter is in awe of the governors story.
Hunter has often had to adapt to new environments and circumstances.
That night when we return home, all he can do is ask questions about the governor.
We research his story online.
He particularly wants to understand why the governor was put in handcuffs at 11 years old.
Why are some Black boys treated like this?
These are the conversations I have to begin having with him.
The talk that every Black parent knows all too well when one is raising a Black son in America.
Tomorrow is the weekend so we will be able to sleep in.
No need to snooze.
