If coffee counted as my entire realistic hydration routine, I would be doing AMAZING. 😂 Coffee is easily my go-to drink, but I’ve learned that I have to be intentional about drinking enough throughout the rest of my day. Coffee is easily my go-to drink. It’s part of my morning, something I genuinely enjoy, and if you gave me the choice between grabbing a cup of coffee or a bottle of water… well, let’s just say the coffee would have a pretty unfair advantage. But I also know that I need to intentionally drink throughout the day. And while I can drink plain water, let’s be honest: plain water can get boring. Especially when I’m trying to meet a hydration goal and I’m staring at the same giant tumbler thinking, Didn’t I JUST fill this thing? 😂 Over time, I’ve found little ways to make staying hydrated feel less like another task on my to-do list and more like something that naturally fits into my day. Between being a wife, mom of three, homeschooling, working from home, creating content, and running a business, I need things to be realistic. Just like with My Realistic Skincare Routine as a Busy Mom & Licensed Esthetician, my hydration routine is no different. This post shares my personal routine and the products I enjoy. It isn’t medical advice or individualized hydration guidance. Hydration needs can vary, especially for people with certain health conditions or who take medications. Coffee Is Still Happening 😂 We’re going to get one thing out of the way immediately. I’m not giving up my coffee. And thankfully, having a realistic hydration routine doesn’t mean I have to. Coffee is part of my morning routine and honestly one of those little things I look forward to. Instead of looking at hydration as “I need to replace everything I enjoy with water,” I’ve started thinking more about adding hydration throughout my day. That mindset works much better for me. I can enjoy my coffee and still keep water nearby. I can have something different with a meal. I can reach for electrolytes when I choose to incorporate them. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing. And I think that’s something I’ve been learning in several areas of my life lately: a routine has to work with my real life if I expect myself to stick with it. Plain Water Is Fine… Until It Gets Boring I actually don’t dislike water. I’ll happily drink plain cold water. But when I’m trying to drink more throughout an entire day? That’s when plain water starts getting a little… uninspiring. 😂 That’s one reason I like having options. Instead of telling myself that every single drink needs to be plain water, I change things up throughout the day. Sometimes it’s regular ice water. Sometimes I add something to it. Sometimes I want bubbles. Having variety makes drinking throughout the day feel much easier for me. I Like Adding Electrolytes for Variety One of my favorite ways to switch things up is adding an electrolyte product to my water or using an electrolyte option I enjoy. Some of the ones currently in my rotation are Salud Paloma, Liquid I.V. Sugar-Free Peach, SaltStick chewables, and Drink ZYN. And honestly, flavor matters to me. If I’m trying to encourage myself to drink something throughout a busy afternoon, having a flavor I actually enjoy makes that bottle or tumbler much more appealing than forcing myself through another round of plain water. I don’t necessarily use the exact same thing every day, either. Sometimes I want one flavor. Sometimes another sounds better. Sometimes I’m perfectly happy with plain water. Again—realistic, not rigid. And because electrolyte products can contain different amounts of sodium, potassium, sweeteners, and other ingredients, I treat them as products I personally enjoy rather than something everyone automatically needs. Sometimes I Want Something Fizzy Listen. Sometimes water is not what I’m craving. 😂 There are days when I just want something cold and fizzy with my meal, and I am absolutely a Pepsi Zero girly. I also really enjoy sparkling waters when I want the carbonation without necessarily reaching for soda. For me, allowing myself those options actually makes the overall routine easier to maintain because I’m not creating these unnecessary rules around what I’m “allowed” to drink. I’m trying to build habits I can live with—not win a hydration purity contest. 😂 My Tumbler Is Basically Part of the Routine Can we talk about the power of a cute tumbler? Because apparently I am much more responsible when my beverage has a cute outfit. 😭😂 I love using larger tumblers that keep my drinks cold because I am significantly more likely to keep sipping when my drink is right next to me and still cold hours later. There’s also the visual reminder. If I’m sitting at my desk editing, answering emails, working on the blog, planning content, or homeschooling with the kids and I can physically see my tumbler sitting there, I’m more likely to grab it. Out of sight, out of mind is VERY real for me. So yes, the cute tumbler is aesthetically pleasing—but she’s also employed. 😂 Her job is to sit next to me and remind me: Girl. Drink something. I’ve Learned to Check In With Myself I’m definitely not perfect about hydration. There are still days when I get caught up doing a million things and realize I haven’t been drinking much. Sometimes I’ll notice that I’m feeling more tired than usual, foggy, or that I have a headache, and that’s when I tend to stop and think about whether I’ve actually had enough to drink that day. Those feelings can happen for all kinds of reasons, so I don’t automatically assume hydration is the cause. But for me, they’ve become a reminder to check in with myself. Have I eaten? Have I been drinking? Have I been sitting in front of this computer for six hours? Did I somehow survive the afternoon on coffee and vibes? 😂 Sometimes the answer to that last one is unfortunately yes. And that little check-in helps me become more aware of what I’ve been doing—or not doing—throughout the day. My Realistic Hydration Routine Isn’t Perfect If you’ve noticed a theme developing on this blog lately, it’s probably this: I am no longer interested in pretending that real life is perfect. I don’t hit every goal every day. I don’t drink the exact same amount at the exact same times. Some days I’m great about keeping my tumbler filled. Other days I suddenly look at the clock and realize I’ve barely touched it. But I’m getting better at building little reminders into my life instead of relying on myself to magically remember everything. Keeping a tumbler nearby helps. Making my drinks enjoyable helps. Having different options helps. And paying attention to how I’m feeling helps me remember to check in with myself. Making Hydration Fit Into My Actual Life I think that’s ultimately what makes my realistic hydration routine work for me. It’s not about forcing myself to love plain water all day long or following an elaborate schedule. It’s about making hydration easy to remember and enjoyable enough that I actually do it. So yes, there will probably always be coffee sitting somewhere nearby. There might be an electrolyte drink in my tumbler. There may be sparkling water in the fridge. And every once in a while, there is absolutely going to be a Pepsi Zero involved. 😂 I’m okay with that. Because I’m learning that taking care of myself doesn’t have to look perfect to still count. Sometimes it looks like a beautifully planned wellness routine. The biggest thing I’ve learned about building a realistic hydration routine is that it has to fit into the life I’m actually living. And sometimes it looks like me sitting at my desk, spotting my cute tumbler out of the corner of my eye and thinking: Oh yeah… I should probably drink that. 😂💚

As a licensed esthetician, you might assume that my realistic skincare routine isn’t very realistic at all—that it involves ten steps, expensive treatments, and a perfectly organized bathroom shelf full of products. It doesn’t. 😂 Over the years, I’ve learned that having a good skincare routine doesn’t necessarily mean having a complicated one. And as a wife, mom of three, homeschool mom, business owner, and content creator, I honestly don’t have the time—or the desire—to spend an hour doing my skincare every morning and night. My routine has changed plenty over the years, but one thing has stayed the same: I try to pay attention to what my skin actually needs instead of following every skincare trend I see online. Some days my skin needs more hydration. Sometimes it needs me to leave it alone. And sometimes I realize I’ve been so busy taking care of everything else that I haven’t been giving my skin nearly as much attention as I should. So this is my current, realistic skincare routine—the products I actually reach for and how I keep things simple enough that I can stay consistent. This is simply my personal skincare routine and what works for my skin. Everyone’s skin is different, so this isn’t meant to be personalized skincare or medical advice. My Realistic Skincare Routine in the Morning My mornings are usually busy. Between Bible study, coffee, getting the kids going, homeschooling, checking emails, filming content, and whatever else happens to be on the schedule that day, I’m not trying to squeeze an elaborate skincare routine into the middle of everything. My morning routine is intentionally simple. 1. Cleanse I start by cleansing my skin, and one of the products I use is actually one of my own handmade soaps from Teva’s Glow. Creating skincare products as a licensed esthetician has made this part of my routine especially personal to me. There’s something very satisfying about using something I’ve formulated and made myself as part of my everyday routine. And because mornings are about keeping things simple, cleansing gives me a fresh starting point without turning skincare into another huge task on my to-do list. 2. Moisturize Next comes moisturizer. One of the moisturizers I’ve been using is the e.l.f. Skin Holy Hydration! Daily Moisturizer. Hydration is something I pay a lot of attention to because I like my skin to feel comfortable and moisturized rather than tight or dry. At the same time, during the day I don’t necessarily want to layer a million different products underneath everything else. This gives me that simple moisturizing step I want before moving on to SPF. 3. SPF — Always And then we have the step I absolutely don’t want to skip: sunscreen. Right now I’m using the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun Aqua-Fresh Rice + B5 SPF 50+ PA++++. As an esthetician, sunscreen is one of those things I will always encourage people to make part of their daytime routine. And personally, I want an SPF that I actually enjoy wearing because realistically, if I hate the way something feels on my skin, I’m much less likely to reach for it consistently. And that’s it. Cleanse. Moisturize. SPF. My morning routine doesn’t need to be complicated to make me feel like I’ve taken care of my skin before moving on with my day. My Nighttime Skincare Routine Now nighttime? That’s when I’m a little more willing to give my skin some extra attention. 😂 The day is over, I’m removing whatever has accumulated on my skin throughout the day, and I can actually pay attention to how my skin is feeling. My nighttime routine also changes more than my morning routine because I don’t believe my skin needs exactly the same thing every single night. 1. Remove the Day If I’ve worn makeup or SPF, I like to start by properly removing everything before cleansing. One product I use for this is Dermalogica PreCleanse. Then I’ll follow with my cleanser—again, often reaching for my handmade soap. I personally like the feeling of knowing I’ve removed everything before moving on to the rest of my routine. 2. Toner When I Feel Like My Skin Needs It I also keep Dermalogica Multi-Active Toner in my routine. Notice I didn’t say that I force myself to use every single product every single night. 😂 There are nights when I use toner and nights when I keep things much simpler. I’ve gotten much better at looking at skincare as something flexible instead of feeling like I’m failing if I don’t complete an exact checklist every night. 3. My Treatment Products This is where my nighttime routine can change depending on what I’m focusing on. Currently, I have products like the Seoul 1988 retinal serum and eye cream in my rotation, along with hydrating products when that’s what my skin needs. And this is an important distinction: rotation does not mean I pile everything onto my face at once. One of the biggest things I’ve learned through esthetics is that more products don’t automatically equal better skin. Sometimes simple really is better. 4. Hydration & Moisturizer At night, I tend to want something richer than I do during the day. One product currently in my routine is First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Cream, especially when I’m looking for more hydration. I also use my homemade facial oil at times, depending on what my skin needs that evening. This is probably one of my favorite parts of nighttime skincare because once everything is done, my skin feels comfortable, moisturized, and ready for bed. I Don’t Follow the Exact Same Routine Every Day This might actually be the biggest takeaway from my routine. My skincare changes with my skin. There are nights when I do several steps. There are nights when I cleanse, moisturize, and call it a day. There are weeks when I’m very consistent with treatments, and there are weeks when life gets busy and I’m doing the basics. And I’m okay with that. I think social media has made us feel like skincare has to involve a beautiful bathroom, matching bottles, expensive products, and an elaborate routine performed perfectly every morning and night. Real life doesn’t always look like that. Sometimes skincare happens while I’m thinking about tomorrow’s homeschool lessons. Sometimes I’m doing it after filming content all day. Sometimes I’m exhausted and the victory is simply washing my face before I get into bed. 😂 That’s realistic skincare. My Weekly Skincare Extras About once a week, I’ll also incorporate a mask depending on what my skin seems to need at the time. That’s another area where I don’t necessarily stick to one product forever. If my skin feels dry, I may focus more on hydration. If I’m noticing something else going on, I’ll adjust accordingly. For me, that weekly treatment is less about following a rigid schedule and more about slowing down long enough to actually check in with my skin. And honestly, it doubles as a little self-care moment—which I will happily take. 😂 Being an Esthetician Changed the Way I Look at Skincare Becoming a licensed esthetician taught me a lot about skin, ingredients, treatments, and products. But one of the biggest lessons I’ve carried with me is actually pretty simple: You don’t need to do everything. You need to learn your skin. That’s also part of why I created Teva’s Glow in the first place. I’ve always loved the idea of skincare helping people embrace and care for the skin they’re already in rather than constantly feeling like there is something about themselves that needs to be “fixed.” Skincare can be effective while still being simple. It can be intentional without becoming obsessive. And it can absolutely fit into real life. My Skincare Routine Isn’t Perfect — And That’s the Point There are so many areas of my life right now where I’m learning that consistency doesn’t have to mean perfection. My skincare routine is one of them. I’m a licensed esthetician, but I’m also a busy mom who occasionally realizes it’s late at night and she still hasn’t washed her face. 😂 Both things can be true. What matters to me now is having a routine that is realistic enough for me to actually maintain. For my mornings, that’s usually cleansing, moisturizer, and sunscreen. At night, I give myself more room to customize things based on what my skin needs. And somewhere in between all of that, I’m learning to give myself the same grace that I encourage other people to give themselves. Because skincare shouldn’t feel like another place in life where we’re trying to be perfect. The biggest thing I’ve learned about maintaining a realistic skincare routine is that it has to fit into my actual life. Sometimes, simple and consistent is more than enough. 💚