A Day in Our Life as a Family in Korea

Today we’re sharing a peek into a recent day in our life here in Korea. Each day is a little different—some are cozy at home, others are out exploring. This one leaned toward adventure.

Morning Routine

I usually wake up around 6, about an hour before getting my daughter up, to fit in a workout in our home gym. Having our own setup has been a game changer—I can work out for 45–55 minutes without worrying about commute time or a super early wake up. Even a small space with just a few dumbbells can make it easier to prioritize fitness with a young child.

Around 7:15, I got my daughter up after showering and getting halfway ready for the day. We started breakfast with her bowl of oatmeal while feeding our cat his wet food. She waved and blew kisses to daddy as he left for work. Then we made our daily smoothie (find the recipe here).

While I finished drying my hair, she played with her Duplo blocks. Then we did her hair—often inspired by fun Pinterest ideas. The secret to getting her to sit still? Disney music videos from Moana, The Lion King, Frozen, and Tangled (but only the songs—dialogue is a no-go).

Outing Prep

We played with her blocks a bit more together after. She loves to drive the little cars and say “room, room” (vroom, vroom) and always shows me the “El-a” (Elsa) doll going down the slide. We cleaned up while we sang the “clean up” song and then she grabbed her Gymboree Gymbo lunchbox to help pack snacks for a playdate at the Tayo Kid’s Café with friends.

She helped make her PB&J, pack edamame and bell peppers, and tried (unsuccessfully) to talk me into letting her eat her applesauce pouch and cheese stick right away.

Because the café opens at 11 and she usually naps at noon, I was a little nervous about timing. We decided to leave early and visit Boramae Park first. A friend told me the park has a great playground and some airplanes to look at. We had a 25 minute drive and 5 minutes before the park, my daughter started to fall asleep. We ended up redirecting to the café and parked until it opened.  

Kid’s Cafe Adventure

At 10:55, I woke her up and we *attempted* to head up to the 6th floor, but realized I’d parked in the building next door 🤦‍♀️. No free parking for us!

Once inside, we were blown away by the cafe’s size and variety. We played for the full two hours and had a blast. I’ll share a full review in another post, but here are a few favorite photos.

Afternoon

Traffic home took about 40 minutes. Once back, we read some of her favorite books before she dove into her beans sensory bin for about 20 minutes. It’s messy but manageable if I spread out a sheet and remind her that beans stay on the sheet or in the bucket.

Later, we visited a nearby GS-25 for drinks—yuzu sparkling soda for me, and a “juice” for her (water with a squirt of strawberry juice in an ice cup). She loved sitting on the patio watching for helicopters.

Check out some of our convenience store favorites here!

Dinner & Evening

Dinner was supposed to be the viral sweet potato, ground beef, and avocado bowls, but the avocados were rock hard. We pivoted to higher-protein quesadillas with a blended avocado sauce made from frozen avocado chunks. My daughter helped blend the sauce, expecting a smoothie—her disappointment was real when it wasn’t!

Her dad got home around 5:30 for dinner together. After dinner, she played with dad for a bit then asked for “hair tie” which is a game where we sit on the bed and shoot the hair tie for our cat to chase. They’re both obsessed with it and sometimes it’s the first thing she says in the morning when she sees the cat. 

Bedtime Routine

Around 6:45, we started her simple bedtime routine: pajamas, snack with dad, a couple of books, tooth brushing, kisses for everyone (especially the cat), and “taking her kitties to bed” (her two stuffed cats). We sing, pray, zip her into her sack, turn on the sound machine, and she’s usually in bed by 7.

Each day here is a little different—sometimes full of outings like this, sometimes slow and home-based. Either way, we try to make each one special (and full of lots of snack breaks). 
What does a typical day look like for your family right now? Share in the comments—I’d love to hear!