Hi there. Happy Monday!
We're struggling here... After a lovely weekend, Sam is g-r-u-m-p-y today. (Ok, ok, I get it... No more Grace's Pizza for mom. Tear.) We are doing a lot of bouncing and head rubbing and pj wearing today. Goodbye productivity - we'll try again tomorrow. :)
Speaking of productivity, have you seen the previews for the new movie I Don't Know How She Does It starring Sarah Jessica Parker? (I'm feeling a girls night this weekend.)
It seems to be all over the media circuit these days, and it is striking a little too close to home for this new mom... I have only THREE weeks left of maternity leave, then it's back to the grind. I'm trying to soak up these last weeks; but, I'm beginning to freak out a little. I can barely get a single thing done when I'm home all day, much less working full time too...
Here are the five things that are important to me and I'd like to be able to maintain most days once I go back to work:
1. Spend sweet time with my baby boy.
2. Spend quality time with Jeff.
3. Exercise.
4. Cook & eat healthy meals.
5. Keep my house relatively clean and laundry up to date.
Am I crazy? I don't feel like these goals are unrealistic, but it is honestly SO overwhelming to think about right now.
I really don't know how I'm going to do it; except, I know many of you already do... It's got to be possible, right?
So, tell me, how DO you do it all?
I'd LOVE some tips and advice - pretty please! :)
And, in other news, congratulations to KittyKerri for winning the Stella Jewelry giveaway!
Thanks to everyone who participated... I loved reading what you love about being a mom - those are things I need to remember on these kinds of days. :) (Girl, email me to claim your prize!)
Yay...thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard about the new SJP movie but I definiately want to see it!
I never managed to achieve a proper balance, but here's how we try to eat healthy while working full-time: every 3 months my husband and I will spend a Saturday or Sunday in the kitchen making HUGE batches of freezable, healthy meals {soups, stews, chili, etc.} - we throw these bad boys into the slow cooker and voila! dinner's served. This also frees up spare time to spend quality time with your fam and/or do LAUNDRY :S
ReplyDeleteA friend just sent me your blog and I love it!!! I have a 2 year old and am a middle school English teacher. It's possible, but difficult. I have to remind myself not to beat myself up if I spend more time with my little man than doing dishes. And ask for help! My parents live nearby and I typically talk to my mom and pick a day every couple weeks for her to pick him up from daycare so that I can either go exercise with a friend, go grocery shopping, get a head start at home with whatever I need, or run errands. She loves it and it's that little bit to make me feel ahead. Also, freezer meals are a great idea for meals. All in all, know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! :):)
ReplyDeleteMy first days going back after maternity leave were difficult. The thing that got me through the day without feeling guilty or just sad was focusing on the feeling of seeing my son at the end of the day (which is by far the BEST part of my day) instead of just missing him and being sad. This reminded me that I needed to be efficient with my planning time to get everything done to leave on time... I hope this helps a little!
I will be honest with you. Being a teacher (so a semi-stay-at-home-mom as I put it) I get so much more done around my house when I am working than when off on summers. I think during summers I get into such a lazy, care-free mood that I put everything on the back burner. But when school is in, I know things have to get done or it will be pure chaos with two of us working full time and managing the kids and house. You will be surprised at how much of a routine you will get in once you are back at work.
ReplyDeleteP.S. This looks like a great movie...I hadn't heard of it yet, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI just made the return to work a few months ago so I will share what works for me!! I highly recommend for the first two weeks or so having frozen meals or take out planned. It helps, you are tired from going back to the grind, slightly overwhelmed with the big change and its a tab bit easier not having to worry about dinner. If you can survive the first two weeks back to work it gets easier!
ReplyDeleteAt this point its my home organization notebook that keeps it all together for me. I plan our meals out the week in advance and do a lone shopping trip saturday morning (grab a coffee and it is so peaceful). For cleaning, I have everything spread out Monday through Friday and only do the assigned tasks on the assigned dates, I feel like having my notebook to tell me when to do it keeps me on schedule. Every other Friday I leave Rowen for an extra hour or two at daycare and get some of my big things done, like the wood floors. To ensure we get chill time every night, after we put Rowen down to bed, Rudy and I do a quick pick up around the house, get Rowen's stuff ready for the next day, and then have a little time to ourselves.
As far as working out goes, I let that one fall off for the first few weeks, I felt it was more important to get in my groove first and then add exercise back in. Now I try to get it done before picking Rowen up because I would rather he have my undivided attention when we are at home.
This is just how I do it and I realize it might not work for you but its just some ideas to bounce around!! Good Luck!!
I just went back to work today (sob, sob) after a 16 week maternity leave. I have no advice yet. It is super tough and sad. I try very hard to remember why I am a working mommy ...to provide the best we can for our baby girl. Good luck! Enjoy your last few weeks!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some words of wisdom but I have yet to figure out how to get it all done. I do agree with picking up the house right after the kids go to sleep. It is amazing what you can accomplish in just 15 minutes. I keep saying I'm going to start running with my kids when I get home, or at least go for a walk and that would be my workout but it hasn't worked out yet.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your last few weeks! I found that I missed my kids while I was at work but I am so busy it kept my mind off of missing them. I'm guessing that being a teacher too you won't have much time to think about missing your little guy. But be sure to have pictures at work, they help too.
My Beautie, You can do it !!!!! Love you lots,Auntie D :)
ReplyDeleteI wish I had the magic answer but I don’t. I have 4 small children and it never gets any easier saying good bye for the first time. This made it a little easier for me. If you can, let your husband do the drop off the first couple of days. Saying good bye is really hard but once you know they are building a little life for themselves at their new hang out, I became less worried and sad. Try working a few short days in the beginning if you can and allow some one-on-one time with the baby before the rush of the evening sets in. And above all else, don’t put pressure on yourself to maintain a clean house or have the laundry all done. Ease in and just breathe. It will get easier. I’ve learned to just give up on the small stuff that really in the big scope of life doesn’t really matter and focus on the time you have with your family. Good luck and love your blog.
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