6:45am: The biohazard alarm goes off at 6:30am. “Hi mummy,” in a warm-breathed whisper of a hovering toddler is my second alarm clock. Maelaña has an infectious energy that begins at 6:45am. She’s very compassionate though, so she will usually come in our bed for a quiet cuddle or get herself dressed for school while we finish sleeping. I untangle myself from Mario’s two-thirds of the bed and let her take my spot when I get up to start getting ready.

7:15am: I get dressed based on the day ahead. My closets are organized so I know where things live by type. I’m semi-conservative with a twist - think vintage blouses with slim fitting trousers and a waistcoat, but dark jeans and a jumper if I’m going on site. I don’t always know what the day will hold, so dressed up is my default. I tend to go in later in the morning unless I have a meeting so that I can see my girls. With the commute in the evening, it’s not guaranteed that I’ll see them before their bedtime. I usually make breakfast, prep and season food for dinner, catch up on the happenings of my pre-kindergarten daughter, Mario’s businesses, or the babble conversation with Marcela, my younger daughter, and fix my face so I look less tired. My daughter once asked if I “fix my face” because it’s broken. Jury is still out.

8:15am : Abuela (Mario’s Mum) is our nanny - she arrives for the day with so much positive energy and a daily update on weather, current events, and traffic conditions. She is absolutely the glue that makes this all possible as Mario and I pursue our careers with two little girls in tow. Talk about women supporting women.

8:30am: My commute is about two hours, between getting the bus to Port Authority and the mile walk crosstown to my office. I use the walk to listen to music or a podcast or audible that gets me fired up for the day ahead. This walk is also my minimum source of exercise.

10:15am: My firm has a flex hours policy that allows all of us to be present in the office during the core hours of 10am-3pm, and figure we figure the out the rest ourselves based on workload and other commitments. As a working mum it means a lot to have this flexibility available to me. I still tend to work from 10am to 6:30pm most days, hyper-focused without many breaks. It’s a work in progress.

1:00pm: I’ll usually remember to eat around this time and eat something quickly. I can do without much sleep, breakfast and dinner, but I cannot skip lunch. It’s my main and really, my only real meal of the day and usually looks like a dinner, complete with dessert. I’ll either bring it or buy it at the smorgasbord down the road from my office. I eat between calls at my desk or with my friends.

Danei on a panel at the AIA NY Center for Architecture

3:00pm: This is the part of the day where I rationalize what else I can tackle before I head out. I have a lot of post-its that outline my tasks. I’ll rearrange based on priority and focus in on my self-imposed deadlines. Relaying information to my team or the client is the bulk of my job.

5:30pm: Still going. At this point I have a sense of whether or not I’ll make it home to do bath time and bedtime for the girls, and give Abuela a heads-up accordingly.

7:30pm: I usually get home, let Abuela go home, and I begin with the next part of the day. I throw whatever I prepped In the morning into the oven to cook while I take the girls upstairs to bed if they aren’t already asleep and catch up with them. Nightly sing-song with my girls is my favourite part.

9:00pm: Mario gets home then walks our dog, Ninja. We chat about our days over dinner (him eating, me watching) or in the shower. He always makes me laugh about something.

12:00am: I feel like it’s always midnight in our house, as if the last few hours of the day move at warped speed. We will usually watch a Game of Thrones episode (getting ready for the new season!) and then go up to bed by 1:00am.

A Day With WALLEN+daub's Danei Cesario