So it’s been two weeks since I officially became a working mother and…I am in awe of everyone that has gone before me. How do you have time for ANYTHING?
My day goes something like this.
2:00 a.m. Wake up, feed Wonderbug. Go back to bed.
Sometime between 5:30 and 6:30 – Feed Wonderbug. Get up. Shower with him in the bouncy.
7:00 – Eat breakfast while checking email on my blackjack.
7:30 – 8:00 – Drop off Wonderbug at day care.
8:15 – 11:30 Work, work, work. Twitter. Work, work, work.
11:30 – Pump.
12:00 – 4:00 Work, work, work. Get some coffee.
4:00 – Pump.
4:30 – 5:30 Rush to finish projects of the day.
5:30 – Rush out of work to pick up Wonderbug (He is notoriously the last kid there.)
6:00 – Wash bottles, prepare bottles for next day.
6:30 – Oh wait, what the hell are we going to have for dinner? Figure something out.
7:00 – Feed Wonderbug. Hubby gets home
7:30 – Trade off holding Wonderbug with hubby while eating dinner and watching TV.
8:00 – Wonderbug to bed.
8:15 – 9:15 – Time with my husband, TV watching, BREATHE
9:30 – 10:00 BED!!!!
I have yet to figure out how to get to the gym, much less the grocery store. Jason is in the midst of his busy season and doesn’t get home until late. I have all these things I want to do, NEED to do (ie. CLEAN MY HOUSE!) but it’s just not happening. I have finally decided on a monthly cleaning service (HALLELUJIAH! And a big thank you to my FIL for the first month), but I think I need to rid my house of all the CRAP everywhere so they can actually clean the surfaces. Ooops.
Advice? 🙂
If you can suck it up, make 3-5 meals on Sat. and Sun. and freeze them! It makes a world of difference. When I was working FT and had to get Chloe, I would get home about 6:30-7:00 and I would have 1 hour to fix dinner before she had to be in bed/get a bath by 8:00.It’s tough, but it helps if you can defrost a frozen meal during the day and just pop it in the oven or microwave when you get home. Good luck!
Hang in there! You’ll get your schedule down soon. We are constantly readjusting ours based on what’s going on at the time, and even staying home it’s not easy to get it all done. I’ve learned shortcuts for dinner like buying whole roasted chickens and just shredding and freezing the meat. It’s easy to make stuff when the ingredients are already cooked.
The first months back at work are really difficult, and draining. For me the hardest part of the day was just getting out the door in the morning. For a few months my husband did the cooking, and there was a bit of takeout. And cleaning didn’t happen. I’ve heard “the days are long but the years are short” and it is so true. Do what you can each day, and just remember that tomorrow is another day.
Not that I can really speak to the working mother part, but here are a couple of ideas: Get your crock pot out. Go to a Dish, Dash or Dinner Done type place on the weekend where you can prepare meals for a few weeks at a time and freeze them (No grocery shopping, no food prep, no cleaning….). Good luck!!!
LOL! I love it! I’ve heard it gets better…I’m still waiting…just kidding…it does get better! LOL! Although I still have not made it to a gym I pay for…I settle for a walk in the jogging stroller as soon as I get home….if possible! Hugs!