Day in the Life: Lawyer Mama Zhenia Kramnik is the Life of the Party (and Makes Her Own Vodka!)

From early morning workouts to family pool time and vodka-soaked cocktail nights, this mama knows how to pack in the weekend fun

In the series “A Day in the Life“, mamas submit snapshots of regular moments that occur throughout their daily routine. The idea is to show the wide variety of lives mamas lead in Singapore, whether you’re in the office, staying at home, or something in between.

Russian-American lawyer and mama of two Zhenia Kramnik has one of our favorite Instagram feeds due to her always-witty commentary, her never-ending adventures with her kids, and an epicurean appetite that gives homebodies an inside look at many of Singapore’s best restaurants and bars. So we were psyched when she agreed to share one of her typical (and typically jam-packed) Saturdays with us.

Read on to find out how this work hard (like, 6:15am workouts, on a Saturday!) / play hard mama makes it work, from raising her kids bilingual to training her son to be her sous chef, not to mention the benefits of a strict bedtime routine. Think we can all raise a glass of horseradish-infused vodka to that!

Read more Day in the Life stories here:

Entrepreneur and Shoe Designer Vrinda Gupta
Nadia Chan of CANVAS Cosmetics
Artist Charlotte Lane

I am up well before the kids and my husband (and the sun) this morning to make it to an F45 HIIT training session. It is unusual to see me here on a Saturday but I’ll go if I know I am going to have an especially indulgent evening, and my plans for tonight definitely fit the bill. As a side note, contrary to what the photo may look like, I am not a very athletic person but I have found my tribe at F45 Novena (shoutout to my fit fam!). They support me despite my negative attitude towards exercise. If you were to ask them they would tell you my photo title should be changed to “Rise and Whine.”

Typical Saturday coffee-fueled morning: breakfast, checking work emails, and FaceTime with family and friends in the States. Why work emails on a Saturday? Although we live in Singapore I am working for my Chicago-based law firm remotely, so my colleagues are 13 hours behind and it is still Friday evening at the office. I am a litigator and oftentimes things come in at the very last minute before close of business (opposing counsel, if you’re reading this, you know who you are <shakes fist in air>) and need to be reviewed and triaged.

This morning I am also FaceTiming my sister as we will be visiting them next month. Trying to schedule seeing everyone and visiting all the restaurants I miss (i.e. good Mexican and Ethiopian food) is a little overwhelming, but we are really looking forward to our trip!

Kids + Pool = Fun times all around! This is a great way for my husband and I to unplug and enjoy family time together. It also gets my 2-year-old nice and tired for her afternoon nap.

Note 1: This is a rare photo as my husband seldom takes photos of me with the children – I had to ask him to take this one for this “Day in the Life.” Anyone else have a phone full of pictures of their husband and kids but none of themselves? Ugh.
Note 2: My husband also despises social media so there are few photos of him on my Instagram. True to form, he won’t be making an appearance in any of these pictures either.

We’ve had our lunch and Simone has gone down for her nap. Because she is a champion napper, she will sleep for the next three hours <insert happy dance here>. Tonight I am hosting a Liquid Supper Club event for a group of 12. Liquid Supper Club is an organization that supports amateur bartenders who want to try out their craft with a supportive and friendly audience. My husband and I were both born in the Soviet Union and are Russian-speaking, hence our event is “Soviet” Liquid Supper Club. I have made some horseradish-infused and cherry-infused vodka, but now it is time to prepare the “zakuski”, or little bite sized sandwiches, to chase the alcohol.

David, my 5-year-old, is my best sous chef. We have been letting him use a knife since he was 4 years old – he started with a butter knife and now he has graduated to much sharper instruments. It helps build his self confidence and he loves helping mama and papa in the kitchen! My menu for tonight is quite labor-intensive so we are busy for some time.

Read More: Kids in the Kitchen Who Cook Family Meals

After dinner it is time to start the kids’ bedtime routine – bath time, brushing teeth, reading a book, and lights out. We have been doing the exact same routine since David was 2 weeks old and Simone was a baby. Sticking to this makes it easier on everyone, especially our helper or grandparents when my husband and I are out. I have included this “wefie” of myself and Marlyn, our helper, with the kids because I’ll be honest: without her we would not have the quality of life that we do and be able to devote as much time to our kids as possible. We are lucky to have her and I tell her that every day! She brings a different culture and life experience to our household and Simone is growing up bilingual with her “YaYa!”

Note: we only speak Russian at home with the kids. Simone was born in Singapore and has grown up with Marlyn speaking English to her so she is well ahead of her brother, who only learned to speak English when we moved to Singapore!

Soviet Liquid Supper Club is a great success! Here I am doing my best imitation of the Statue of Liberty, Russian-style, with my homemade cherry vodka infusion and a big steaming bowl of freshly made sour cherry dumplings! Cheers, and “za zdorovye!” (to health!)