Day in the Life: Children’s Author Hema Nataraju

What does your daily routine look like, mamas? Tell us, we want to know!

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.

Today we feature Indian-American fiction writer Hema Nataraju, who’s recently moved to Singapore from California with her husband and 4-year-old daughter. Having only arrived about five months ago, we were interested to hear how this work-from-home mama was adjusting. Hema is currently working on two different books — a children’s picture book, and a YA sci-fi / historical fiction novel. You can check out more of Hema’s writing at her blog Mixed Bag, where she experiments with various writing genres and styles.

If you’d like to be featured in this series, mama, drop us a line at [email protected] with “Day in the Life” in the subject line!

Read more Day in the Life stories here:
Artist Charlotte Lane
Dentist and Travel Writer Dr. Sylvia Tan
New Luncher Founder Catherine Lesselin

I try to wake up before my four-year-old does so I can have a few minutes of sanity before the day begins. My daughter is usually up by 7:15- 7:30. My husband makes breakfast while I get her ready for school. We have our breakfast together. I really savor this one meal we have as a family, so breakfast time is very special.

My husband drops our daughter off at school most mornings on his way to work. Once they’re out of the house, I treat myself to a strong cup of coffee before I head to my writing desk. Shortest commute ever!

I make a list of what I plan to work on. I then switch off from the Internet so I can get some distraction-free writing time. Some days I take breaks to go grocery shopping, clean the house or run other errands. We live in Novena. We chose this area because it’s so convenient and close to school and work.

I practice Iyengar Yoga for about 45 minutes every day at home. When I’m writing and especially on the days that words flow, I end up sitting for hours! So I now set a timer which reminds me that it’s time to get up and get stretching.

Lunch is usually something simple and easy. My favorite is Kimchi Fried Rice. I usually eat at my desk because the muse is fickle. Somedays I find my writing inspiration as soon as I sit down to write. On other days, I have to go after it with a club.

Where did all that time go? It’s time to I pick my daughter up from school. From then until about 7.30, it’s  a flurry of play time, dinner, bath time and bedtime.

My husband and I catch up over dinner. We talk about our day. I show him what I’ve worked on. He’s my beta reader, so he gives me his comments. We take turns doing the dishes, as we’re still getting used to not having a dishwasher. I’ve come to realize that it is actually a calming activity. I get some really good ideas when I’m mindfully doing the dishes.

Living in the U.S. has taught us to do everything around the house by ourselves, which is probably why we haven’t wrapped our heads around the idea of having a full-time helper yet. Although I’ll admit that it would be awesome to have someone share the burden of chores around the house. Maybe if I end up going back to work full-time, we will find a helper, but we’re happy the way things are right now.

Netflix and chill before finally going to bed by 11pm. And then the madness starts all over again!