A Day in the Life: O'Farm Sr. Director of Sales Kristin O'Connell
Hello! I’m Kristin O’Connell, Sr. Director of Specialty Sales at Once Upon a Farm, and mother to two adorable toddlers. While every day feels completely unpredictable, we do try to follow a routine. Whether that routine is followed is a mystery that unfolds every single day.
So here we go, a day in the life of an O’Farm mom and Director of Sales!
5:57 a.m. – One of my kids, almost without fail, wakes up just before 6 a.m. Today, it’s Hayes, my 3 year old. He walks into the kitchen and yells to me from behind a baby gate that blocks off the hallway leading to our bedroom (something we had to institute after one too many nights waking up to him silently and scarily staring at us inches away from our faces). “Moooommmmmyyyyyyyy,” he sprightly hollers down the hall. “Coming,” I say as I quickly get out of bed, rubbing my eyes and putting on my glasses as I walk toward him.
6:03 a.m. – Once inside the kitchen, it’s time for breakfast. “Toast, oatmeal, or cereal?” I ask him. “Toast,” he replies definitively. I start toasting bread to make his preferred flavor – half peanut butter and honey, half butter and jam. We chat while we wait and I start on my favorite part of breakfast: French press coffee.
6:36 a.m. – We hear cries from my one-year old’s room and Hayes proclaims, “Oh! Maeve’s up!” We jointly open the door to say good morning and see her standing in the crib, holding her favorite bunny lovely, and erupting into a huge smile when she sees our faces. She lifts her arms for me to pick her up, and we head to Hayes’ room so he can play while I nurse Maeve.
6:42 a.m. – Both kids are occupied with the Duplo pieces scattered everywhere across the floor so I quickly go to fetch my cup of coffee and return to enjoy the sweet co-playing before someone takes someone else’s Duplo and I have to break it up.
7:06 a.m. – Dada is up, which means we tag team to change diapers, put daytime clothes on the kids, give Maeve breakfast, clean up any lingering dishes from last night, attempt to tidy up the house, and get ourselves ready for the day. For me that means brushing my teeth, switching from glasses to contacts, and putting comfy, but non-pajama clothes on.
7:45 a.m. – Our nanny arrives and as the kids hear her unlocking the door, they both drop whatever they are doing, and run to welcome her. She is greeted with big hugs and smiles. This joy lasts for only a couple of minutes because although my 1 year old has no problem waving goodbye to me in exchange for the nanny, my 3 year old begs me to “stay and play” and “don’t go to work mommy.”
8:00 a.m. – I’ve refilled my coffee, peeled my 3 year old from my leg, and stepped into the 5’ x 3.5’ guest bedroom closet, which is my work-from-home office. Time to start the workday!
8:01 a.m. – I check and reply to emails, always interested to see the Daily Sales Report and how we are tracking to our monthly deliveries goal. I check to see if the latest POs from my customers are reflecting in the report. Good news today, things are on track!
8:39 a.m. – Hayes comes into the office asking for a “thing for this” as he points to a long toenail. I go and fetch a nail clipper and give it to the nanny.
9:00 a.m. – Work on customer decks, planning, and summarizing performance. I continue to get slightly distracted every time a new email comes in. I’m my most productive and creative in the mornings, so I do tasks that require the highest level of thinking before noon. Afternoons are for admin, like providing deal numbers for trade promotions (sorry, Finance!).
11:00 a.m. – It’s Tuesday, which means we have a Fulfillment call. I hop on Zoom and see a bright multi-colored patchwork of fruits and veggies in the video backgrounds of my fellow O’Farmers as we chat through production and customer updates.
12:10 p.m. – I’m amazed I’ve made it this far in the day without a snack, but every foray into the main area of the house risks a toddler meltdown from seeing mommy and then having to say goodbye to mommy, so I’ve stayed in my “office”. The hunger is too great now, and I head to the kitchen to make some lunch. Something simple—open-faced egg salad sandwiches. I like a little something sweet, too, so I grab an Immunity Shot from the fridge before heading back to my room.
1:13 p.m. – I make a couple of calls to buyers that I’ve been pursuing. No one picks up, so I send a short follow-up email.
1:24 p.m. – After re-reading the weekly Costco performance update I started yesterday, I make the final changes and post to Slack.
2:53 p.m. – I can see the sun shining outside and know that my window for some exercise is closing. I quickly get my running shoes (an easy task as both kids are at the end of their nap window) and go for a 30 minute walk/jog in the neighborhood.
3:26 p.m. – I’m back at my desk feeling accomplished and energized after the fresh air and vitamin D. An hour of efficiently checking items off my never-ending to-do list ensues.
4:30 p.m. – I exit the “office” ready for the next phase of the day. We say “adios” and “muchas gracias” to our nanny for five minutes and then it’s time to start dinner!
4:36 p.m. – Sunbasket is on the menu tonight: Shrimp diablo tacos with bell peppers and queso fresco. I separate out some shrimp and bell peppers for the kids before adding the diablo sauce to the main pot. They eat some, but I still end up supplementing the meal by making a couple quesadillas and pulling cucumbers from the fridge.
5:32 p.m. – The influx of calories has Hayes amped up and it’s time for “rough housing”. He removes all the cushions from the couch and he and his sister run back and forth across the frame, sometimes jumping off and falling onto the pillows below. We manage to watch them for a solid 7 minutes before Hayes asks for our participation.
6:01 p.m. – Maeve’s inner clock says bath time and she takes my hand to guide us to the bathroom. Once there, she heads to the bottom drawer of the vanity where we keep the bath toys and motions for me to open it. She takes out her favorite cups and boats and starts tossing them in the tub. We hear Hayes and Dada gearing up for a scoot ride to expel some more energy.
6:36 p.m. – Pruney and happy, Maeve points to the towels hanging on the wall and alternates between saying “lie-un” and “dawgy” (lion and doggie). She always ends up choosing the doggie and I take her out, wrap her up, and give her a big hug. She loves brushing her teeth, so we find her toothbrush and she eats the toothpaste off before thinking she’s done. She’s not happy about it, but I help brush her to actually brush her teeth. Then it’s diaper and jammies.
6:49 p.m. – Hayes and Dada are back from their scooter ride. Maeve is starting to wind down, so Dada takes Maeve for a bottle and books, and I persuade Hayes to take a bath.
7:14 p.m. – Hayes is clean, his teeth brushed, his diaper and jammies are on, so I head to Maeve’s room to nurse her and Dada goes to Hayes’ room for books and snuggle time. A Once Upon A Farm pouch, some play time, three books, two stories, and 45 minutes of snuggling later, Dada sneaks out of the room. I straighten up the house after putting Maeve to bed.
8:35 p.m. – It’s finally time for us to get ready for bed ourselves and then we decide between TV or books. After a brief debrief of the day, we decide books are the better choice. We both read for about 30 minutes and then scroll our phones. I’m currently reading a copy of The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett from the library, and my husband is reading something finance related.
9:45 p.m. – We cozy ourselves under the covers and sink our heads into our pillows, exhausted from the day. In theory, we drift quickly off to sleep (if the random things popping into my head don’t keep me awake) and hope and pray we get to sleep through the night!
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