These Days….

There is so.much going on around here (always?!) and 101% of the time, I have no time to really even process all that is happening in our lives. I am going to give a quick rundown and I really, truly (honestly) hope to expand on most, if not all, of these things going forward.

* Gianna started FIRST GRADE last week. We ended up moving her from Catholic to public school after a really long debate. I think we made the choice that made the most sense. The first week went well for her, so that’s exciting for all of us!

* Aleesia is officially 2.5 and she is THE SPUNKIEST ball of energy I have ever met. I’m lucky she is mine, but also, wow – she makes me tired!

* Being a full-time work at home mom for the past 6 months has been so great. And so hard. And so many things. There are a few things I can say for certain though. This wouldn’t be possible without my village – our nanny, my sisters, my parents, cousins, so many people who help out when needed. Being at home has been so fun and the flexibility I have is wonderful. But it is HARD to be “on” all of the time.

* We are going to the beach in a few weeks! We are going to Hilton Head for the first time and really looking forward to it. If you’ve been there – tips, tricks, places not to miss are all greatly appreciated! We are planning on vising Savannah as well while we are there.

* Our new house! Oh my gosh, so much I can say about our new house. We have a pre-drywall meeting this week and we are looking forward to that. I have pictures of the whole process and will hopefully do a few posts related to our building process (which has been really great). Things are moving along and I am ALL OVER the Pinterest boards with updates and ideas for decorating a house that is significantly bigger than our previous home.

* Vivian is such a sweet baby! She finally started to sit up on her own and can go from laying/crawling to sitting. She’s been crawling for at least 2 months so she gets all over the place and flashes her amazing smile at us! She is a bit of a mommy’s girl and she doesn’t love to sleep without touching me. It has been hard to get her in a sleep routine, but we’ll get there. We started to give her some baby food a few weeks ago and she is just now really getting the hang of eating from a spoon.

* I ran a half marathon last weekend, it was a great race and I had a pretty huge PR. I’m looking forward to my next one in September. I also finished my 4th (or 5th?!?) MBA class last week. I’m looking forward to finding some good books to read on vacation – any ideas for me?

Overall, I’m not ready to give up summer yet but also ready for the routine the school year brings. We have fun plans that will get us through the end of September and then our fall plans (and moving!!) start up in October! I don’t feel like I am as organized and on top of life as usual right now which is frustrating but somehow we are all getting through our days!

WAHM

I was so lucky to have been presented with the opportunity and ability to take a new position recently. This is a great opportunity professionally and I truly can't wait to begin working next week.

This also allows me to be working remotely nearly full time. So I can be home with the girls and have more flexibility during the week. I will be doing some light travel as well. Our nanny will be here 4 days a week which is awesome.

Here is where I need some ass-vice from anyone who wants to dish it out.

The home office.

We live in a little house with 3 bedrooms all of which are used as a bedroom! Before Vivian was born we reconfigured a bit so we could make better use of our basement as a family/play room. And now, office. Basically, I will be working alongside my adorable kids. Which sounds great and loud and is obviously not the best. But it is what it is and there is literally no where else to go! I am organized and not too worried about productivity. But from those who do work from home, what tips do you have? What are things I wouldn't anticipate that could be a problem? A dedicated office is high on the list for a new house, but we don't have a new house right now so we need to make this work!

Travel

I will be traveling on occasion. The first occasion being soon for on boarding purposes.  I have everything in order for the girls' care and now I need assurance that pumping on the go will be just fine. I will only be gone 2 days/1 night but I am nervous. Nervous I won't be able to pump enough, nervous TSA is going to be ridiculous, nervous V won't like me when I get home! Rationally, I know it will be totally fine. But if you've been through this, hit me with your best advice!

It is going to be a new adventure but I love  good adventure!

Friday Randoms

• Why don't people comment on blog posts? I can see how many page views I get and how little comments I get... I know when I actually take the time to (finally) read I try to comment too.  Hmmmm...
• Speaking of reading - I switched to Feedly and I'm not 100% convinced I love it. Although, I haven't tried the mobile app yet.  Anyone have a new reader they love that you can read online and through a mobile device? Bonus it it lets you get to the content easily so you can leave comments!
• There was a HUGE storm here the other day. And I left my windows down in my car. Because, well, I am a genius obviously.  My car seats are still drying out....
• We are part of a crop share and I LOVE it.  We split it with my sister's family and it is seriously enough food for both of us (and we use everything between the two of us so I don't feel like we are wasting much, if anything). 
• I plan to make some baby food with some of our produce.  Which means I should actually you know, make the food and freeze it for when she's ready for it.
• Related to that - we have tried three times now to start Aleesia on solids because she watches us eat and seems to be interested in the process.  Except when you actually try to feed her - she cries, pushes the spoon away, spits the food out, etc. At first I thought maybe she just doesn't like the cereal, but she was having no part of the bananas we tried last night.  I'm TOTALLY okay with this (feeding a baby is a lot of work!) just surprised! We'll try again after her half birthday in a few weeks.
• How in the WORLD is she going to be 6 months old soon? Sheesh.
• I need to prepare a teaching demo for Tuesday. And I haven't started it yet... I have no idea why I am slacking on this.
• Also slacking on doing anymore research on the PhD program I found.  Have I asked if anyone has experience with Capella University? If you do - can you comment/email me so I can pick your brain?
• Work has been going well and that makes me happy.  Little stress, many opportunities coming up - just the way I like it!
• I have been working out pretty consistently.  I finished the 30 day shred (and saw real results) and am starting the couch 2 5k program (if it ever freaking quits raining here) with some interval workouts on the "off" days.  If I can aim to workout 4 days a week, I think that will fit into my schedule well and won't stress me out too much.  I have a lot more to say on this topic soon! (I hope?!)
• I have been talking to my sister about my niece's first birthday. Again - how in the WORLD can her first birthday be approaching? Nuts!
• What's new with you - anything fun happening?

{working} mom problem #873: Sleepy

Clearly one of the less than fun parts of having a baby is the overnight portion of their programming – not a secret really.  I don’t know any adult who enjoys sleeping in two hour increments, but it goes with the territory. 

Aleesia is a very inconsistent sleeper – sometimes she sleeps until 6am; most often she wants to snack & party at 4am but is usually back asleep by 5am; other times she is up every two hours for her binkie and quick comforting.

And occasionally we are up at 3am to eat. then with reflux issues. And gas issues. And finally, for a cuddle.  Then again at 5:45am to burp and snuggle in for the rest of her deep, snore-producing, sleep.

This is all fine.  The snuggles are adorable.  On the weekend.

During the week? As much as I cherish this slumbering babe – I would also like to be snoring.  I am cranky when I’m tired and that doesn’t make for a pleasant work day.  It also means by 11am I need to hold my eyelids open with toothpicks and wonder if anyone would notice if I laid my head down real quick.  I regularly look like I could either fall asleep, cry, or start a wave of maniacal laughter.  I may or may not actually do 1, 2, or all 3 of these things at my desk daily. 

Not to say that being up all night is ever easy or fun, but if I wasn’t required to functionally use my brain until after 1pm on days like this would be so.much.easier.  And – I would love to just sit here with this (finally) peacefully sleeping girl until she woke up on her own.  Except I don’t know if that is an excusable reason to be late (it should be) & my pjs won’t quite pass as business casual – so I need to try and stealthily put her back in her crib and hope for the best.  Or, just wake up her daddy to take over.

It’s funny how much of the newborn fog I forgot about.  Also, G was a champion night sleeper early on so we didn’t have too many long nights.) I really do feel like I’m just pushing through this haze of sleep deprivation/work/life/etc. and I probably am which is okay  - I know the haze lifts eventually.

I am trying to train myself to be a morning person to combat and embrace the 4am party time.  Let’s just say it is a slow process with a steep learning curve. 

Until then – I am accepting donations of strong coffee, under eye puff-reducing lotion & sleepy baby tips.

{Working} Mom Problem #1927 Don’t Wear White

This is probably the biggest no brainer in the whole world, right?

I wouldn’t wear white if I was going to be home all day with the kids, but I figured what could it hurt to wear my new white shirt to work? 

I figured wrong.

By the time I sat down at my desk I noticed an unidentified red something on the bottom of my shirt.

A little later I noticed snot on my shoulder.

And I splashed breast milk on myself after I was done pumping.

All of that before noon.

Miss Aleesia also spit up all over me promptly as I walked in the door.

White shirt fail.

Thankfully I didn’t have a white shirt on the day I spilled an entire travel mug of coffee on myself in the car. On the way to work.

Or the day I shook the bottle of coffee creamer up and didn’t realize the cap wasn’t on all the way.

My life is so glamorous at all times, clearly.

The Do It All

Every day is a crazy whirlwind of Do It All

• Feed the baby.
• Get ready for work.
• Switch the laundry.
• Make sure Gianna has everything she needs for school.
• Do the dishes.
• Make coffee.
• Get lunch together for work.
• Remember pump, cooler, pump parts, etc.
• Find keys.
• Make sure Mike knows who needs to be where during the day and when.
• Work. work. work. Pump.
• Make doctors appointments.
• Remember to write down doctors appointments.
• Answer questions from Mike on where things are at home.
• Work. Work. Work. Pump.
• Remember to eat lunch.
• Work.
• Head home. Make sure I know who has the kids and where I am picking them up from.
• Feed the baby.
• Make dinner.
• Get the baby to bed.
• Get Gianna to bed.
• Pick up the house.
• Wash bottles/pump parts etc.
• Pay bills/respond to emails/catch up on the next days schedule.
• Pass out.
• Wake up a few times to feed the baby. Repeat.

That is just a wee bit of the chaos that is going on in my life right now. Except school is over for Gianna now and Mike is done with lacrosse, so thankfully a few pieces to our crazy schedule are lifted for a few months.

I can’t help but laugh during the day when Mike calls and asks me where something is, and I know even though I spend very few waking hours at home. Or a friend asks about a preschool event, and I know the answer even though I don’t do preschool drop off/pick-up.  It’s comical when I have to squeeze a last minute doctors appointment in for Aleesia and rearrange our whole day in the process. 

It’s amazing what goes on in my life every day, even to me sometimes.  I know I’m not alone in this – probably the majority of women (mom or not!) are the “do it all” in their family.  And I learned from the best one (thanks, mom)!

What do you do in a day? I bet it’s more than you think!

The Hap

Back to work full time.

Mike is in the heat of lacrosse season.

Gianna has a social schedule that I am slightly jealous of.

Aleesia is finally a smiley, talkative baby who remains quite petite.

Trying to maintain my milk supply (pumping is not going so well).

And of course the usual life stuff like trying to keep the laundry done (which I suck at), dishes done and the house is some sort of order.

It is sucking up all of my time, you guys. That is what is happening right now.

A lot of treading water, figuring out of new routines, making small people happy, making the husband happy,  trying to minimize the post-baby fluff etc.

What’s the hap in your neck of the woods?

Pump Pump (again)

Tomorrow is my first “official” official day back to work. Every day of the week.  Which, whatever, it’s fine – I actually like working and OMGAH we need to figure out a routine around this place.  I am going to miss the hell out of my kids (and my husband, for that matter) – but it’s part of life and I get to drink my coffee & eat my lunch in peace five days a week so it’s not all bad.

The past few weeks where I have only been working 2-3 days I haven’t been pumping what the baby has been eating.  But I had a decent freezer stash.  Or not. Because it is pretty much non-existent anymore – which happens when you take one bag out a day and don’t put anymore in.  We have had to supplement some with formula when I am gone but are obviously hoping to make that an occasional thing, not a rule.

Again, we still need to work on our routine during the day.  But I feed her before I leave for work and I try to feed her when I get home – but sometimes she can’t wait until 6 so I just pump and then feed her before bedtime.  So far it has worked out the best to pump twice at work, three times if I can squeeze it in, 15 minutes per session. I have my reminders set in my calendar so I don’t get scheduled for any meetings, etc. I realize that isn’t always when she eats, but it’s the best I can do at the moment. Before bed is always the easiest option – or it would be if I wasn't so freaking tired! But I am also throwing around the idea of pumping on my way to (or even from) work since I have a long commute.

It has also been a bit of a challenge to figure out exactly how much she needs during the day.  I have tried to do weighted feeds with her to see what she gets while she eats as a baseline.  Sometimes it appears she gets 2-3 ounces, sometimes it appears she gets 1/2 an ounce.  She nurses for a LONG time (25-40 min a side, thankfully she only eats on one side at a time!) and just likes to take her time.  Apparently she also enjoys pounding down her bottles since it is super easy for her. I am constantly hearing “well, she pounded down that X ounces and probably was still hungry” – I am loosely throwing around the idea of switching her to an even slower flow nipple.   Regardless of how long it takes, or doesn’t take, her to eat – she still takes more than I pump in a day so I know that I (begrudgingly) need to work to squeeze in an extra pumping session somewhere.

I am looking for any other tips on helping increase production!  I recently started massaging while pumping, and that has helped a little bit with production as well as leaning forward a little bit so I can use gravity to my advantage.  I also recently got pumpin’ pals flanges which are SO SO SO much more comfortable!  I haven’t used them enough to notice a huge difference in production, but I am hopeful.  I do have a hands free bra thing so that helps too.

I am also looking for any other tips related to efficiency when pumping!  I always feel like it is such a process to set up (even though I do leave my pump set up all day) and clean up.  I have some medela steam sanitizer bags which are really nice.   I think it is always just going to be a bit of a process, by nature, but any tips anyone has I’ll take! 

And lastly, and this is going to sound totally ridiculous – how do you dress for pumping? I am a dress person, which is obviously not the easiest thing to maneuver when you have to hook your boobs up to a machine several times a day and don’t necessarily want to get undressed each time!  Clearly shirts/pants/skirts are the easiest bet and I almost always wear a nursing tank.  Any awesome wardrobe tricks that make pumping (and direct breastfeeding, for that matter) less of a clothing challenge? 

There have been so many challenges to this breastfeeding journey in the barely three months of Aleesia’s life between her MSPI, lip/tongue ties, her being sick, my low output, a million blocked ducts (and now a milk blister. fun.) but I can’t quit it – and really, I haven’t even thought about quitting to this point.  It helps that there is so much support available though, so thank you for supporting me and entertaining my questions and neurosis.

Pump Pump

I don’t LOVE breastfeeding, but I don’t hate it and it is incredibly convenient. I think we are doing okay, I am constantly second guessing myself about if things are working right, but I think that’s normal.  Or I hope it’s normal.  So, overall, it’s okay and tolerable.

Except when I have to pump. Because I HAVE to pump since I am going back to work. (April 1st…only part time for the month, but still. ick)  I do hate that.  Especially double pumping.  But that is really beside the point right, because it’s a necessity.

So here is where I need some help or reassurance or something.

I try to pump once a day right now, usually in the morning, I get about 2oz from one side/3-4oz if I double pump.  That seems okay for now, but I obviously know she is going to need more than 4oz a day! 

What I really need to know/understand is how much I need to leave for Aleesia if I am going to be gone for 10 hours a day and how much I should be pumping while at work.  I have a masters degree but for some reason, this confuses the hell out of me.  Or it just intimidates the hell out of me.

I want to do this for her and I want to make this work for all of us. But I don’t want to be totally stressed about it either, because I know that’s not going to do anybody any good either.  I would guess that she will take 4-6 bottles while I am gone just depending on how things work out and what kind of schedule we finally establish once I am back full time.

Things I am worried about: determining a schedule that works for both of us, keeping my supply up (this non dairy/non soy diet is rough!), being able to pump enough at work, not losing my mind

help me out fellow working mamas, what do I need to know/do/understand etc about breastfeeding/pumping and going back to work?

Juggle

I am not a stranger to being pulled in what often feels like a million different directions and juggling a lot of responsibilities.  In fact, I am good at (for the most part) keeping it all together and do a better job when I have a jam packed schedule.

Throw a newborn into the mix of our already crazy lives and take me out of work for 8-12 weeks and I feel like I am totally in uncharted territory!

And the juggling doesn’t always feel like it’s going so well.  I am tired a lot, so that never helps anything.  I am also not used to being home so much – it is great, so please don’t get me wrong – I am ADORING spending this much time with my girls especially knowing this is such a finite experience for us.  It is all just very different from my “old” normal.

It is HARD to juggle the needs of an independent almost-four-year-old who still needs (& craves) a lot of mama time with the needs of a six-week-old who also needs a lot of mama time, and who does a lot of crying.  Add on top of that feeding said children (and myself), making sure the house isn’t overrun by toys, dishes, laundry and dirt and also making sure the children are not overrun by dirt and we have food in the cupboards - my head spinning a lot of the time.  It is getting  better (or I am caring less about certain things) and some days it is easier.  Other days – it is just pure chaos!

admittedly this whole 2 kids thing is a lot harder than I expected.  probably because I was SO used to our little routine and was away from the “newborn madness” for so long.  Aleesia is finally starting to get on a bit more of a “schedule” which is a huge blessing.  Gianna is finally starting to figure out her big sister role and how this all works – and that we all need to work TOGETHER.  All of these things make the juggling a bit easier, but I still pretty much always feel like I am forgetting something important.  Because I usually am.  I rely HEAVILY on my phone to keep me organized! Technology, FTW!

Part of me hates to start to feel any kind of “normal” right now though, because I know as soon as I settle in to a routine it’s going to change drastically when I go back to work.  I will be setting up my part time schedule next week (for April 1) and I am dreading it because I don’t want to go back yet but also looking forward to it in a lets-just-get-this-over-with-already kind of way.

Medical Drama Tuesdays

It’s apparently a new thing around our house.

You see, last Tuesday I got a call from Gianna’s preschool (which I missed. twice. because I was in a very long auditing meeting) saying “don’t worry, but we think she needs stitches”. And I instantly burst into tears – because my baby was just SITTING there crying in the office waiting for her mommy to come and get her. And mommy was at work.  So, we got to her about 40 minutes later and once I saw her – I knew that yes, she did need stitches.

She is quite graceful, my little girl.  Turns out she tripped over another kids foot and hit her eyebrow the wrong way on the table.

So we did the whole ER thing.

(because our Children’s urgent care doesn’t open until 4pm. clearly nothing urgent happens to kids before then.)

((and I got pulled over on the way to the ER. so that was fun.  bleeding children do get you out of tickets though, FYI))

(((Also, I had no band aids or other first aid necessities so I just let her little face bleed all over the waiting room until it was our turn. I did wipe the blood off every once in awhile, I’m not an animal after all.)))

It wasn’t so bad – she took the stitches like a champ and got a purple popsicle that matched her outfit to show for it.  Her stitches are dissolvable, which THANK GOODNESS we don’t have to go through the trauma of having them removed – because removing the band aid off her face was traumatic enough.

Yesterday, Gianna had a dentist appointment. And it turns out we are not so awesome at brushing her teeth and she is also an awesome apple juice guzzler so she has to go back a week from today to have 2 cavities filled.  And I won’t be there to hold her hand because, you know, work.  But daddy will be there and I am sure she will rock that experience out as well.

Which brings us to this Tuesday's medical drama.  Clearly baby sister was feeling a little left out, after all with her pretty medically uneventful gestation process she hasn’t really stirred up any issues like her big sister.  Until today.  I had some spotting over the weekend, but nothing crazy and I really didn’t think anything of it until I noticed some light bleeding/heavier spotting this morning.  Which ended in my OB squeezing me in for an ultrasound (all is good, she is going to have chubby cheeks!) and a really long time in the waiting room for the doctor to say – sometimes these things happen, take it easy, call us if anything changes.

Not any kind of BIG drama, thankfully, but enough to stir up the hormones a little bit. And to get my boss pretty anxious over the whole – well, she really IS going to be having a baby sooner than later and HOLY SHIT we have no idea when that could actually happen. Which, I totally feel his pain on that.  But thankfully, I work for super awesome people who let me go to appointments whenever I need to and offered to give me the rest of the week off (which, was sweet, but impossible considering I need to bank those vacation hours for when the baby does come).

I’m hoping after next weeks cavity filling we are done with this very unfavorable Medical Drama Tuesday trend.

Just your typical tuesday night randomness

I have so much I want to write about lately but such little time to do it in. So bullet points will have to do for now.

• I may have mentioned how forgetful I am lately before. But it gets worse every single day.  I have recently: went to the bank to deposit checks, without the checks. Left my lunch on the counter for the 29118 time. Put the dinner leftovers in a container and left said container on the counter instead of in the refrigerator. Misplaced a roll of stamps.  left the oven on when I left the house (I remember when I got to the car).
• I am SURE Mike could think of more things I have forgotten, but that’s all I can remember right now.
• Gianna had a sleep over last weekend with her 2 BFF’s in the whole wide world. It was adorable chaos AND I got 3 three-year-olds to bed by 10:30pm. In the same bed.  Of course they were all up by about 5:30am, but whatever. They all had fun.  Pictures to come. Someday.
• I want to talk about my Bradley classes and how much it is helping us grow and learn as a couple. I need to make a point of it, actually.
• The to-do list is sort of, a little tiny bit, shrinking. We at least got 2 major things accomplished with about fourtybillion minor things left to go.
• What do you do with ALLOFTHETHINGS your kid brings home from Preschool? I’m not a keeper. I can’t remember to use the artchive app I downloaded, but I don’t want to toss everything.  There are a ton of cute ideas on pinterest to display your kids artwork – has anyone successfully, and easily, executed any of these?!  What do YOU do with all of your kids crafty things?
• It’s thanksgiving week, and I don’t actually  know how that happened. As in, how in the heck is November almost over? Wasn’t it just May?
• Speaking of ALLOFTHETHINGS we need to do a serious purge of toys to a) make room for whatever crazy stuff G gets for Christmas and b) make room for some baby stuff. But she really does play with everything that she has out right now, which is making it hard.  We just have such a small space for everything to fit in to.
• I haven’t really started any shopping yet for Christmas but this week have scored some awesome deals at Victoria Secret and on a new otterbox phone cover on Amazon.  I am so thankful for sites like Raining Hot Coupons who find out about and post about these awesome deals, it comes in really handy!
• Also handy, Amazon Prime free trial!
• There are some things going down at my work, that will be really good for me in the end – but right now makes me stress a little bit.  Mostly because I want the good things to start now, but I know and understand why they can’t start until after I come back from my maternity leave.  There is also a work from home (and/or work from a closer office)possibility. Which I am trying not to get my hopes up about, but still, would totally rock my world.
• I will be 30 weeks pregnant tomorrow. THIRTY. Unreal.
• Also Unreal: the state of the foot swelling.  It has been really bad this past week. But my wedding rings still fit, so I consider it a win.
• And on that note, I am going to bed.  Because I am tired and I forget what else I wanted to say tonight.

Bullet Points, FTW

• How is it possible to be so exhausted from attending conferences? I don’t know but OMG it IS!
• Also traveling and having crazy early/late flights doesn’t really help the exhausted cause.
• But both things I attended last week were really educational and a little (or a lot!) bit fun.
• It’s pretty crappy to be away from your family for a week but technology rocks. FaceTime is pretty cool, in case you were wondering.
• Also – I am pretttty sure Gianna aged at least 6 months while I was gone – she just seemed so much older to me when I saw her Sunday.
• Work is nutso, it’s busy and has totally turned me off from wanting to even touch my computer in the evenings.  Which can be an issue since I often have OTHER work to do when I get home.
• Which in turn has pretty much taken away all of my blogging, blog reading, picture editing, and all other previously-held desire to look at the internet.
• I’m in major planning mode for my sister’s baby shower – things are coming along well and it’s going to be SO CUTE!
• I’m also heading into major planning mode for our Disney trip – I’m going to make a “countdown to the princesses” calendar with some fun things to do/open/etc. along the way.  Should be pretty fun and hopefully build the excitement for Miss G.
• Speaking of Miss G – she is going camping with my parent’s this weekend and is SO EXCITED! I know they will all have a great time.
• I’m totally addicted to House Hunters, you guys. It’s ridiculous!
• Fill me in on what’s happening – I have the best intentions to fight through my Google reader soon!
• OHH! and a huge shout out to Suzy for the awesome new blog design – I love it a lot! AND 100% of the proceeds from her blog design & Etsy shop (she makes awesome bracelets!) go toward their adoption fund. 

It’s been a while, huh?

Work has been out of control lately and life has been almost as equally out of control.

But Gianna is still as silly as ever, so don’t worry.

I am leaving for some work conferences and will be gone all week.  Heading to DC and DFW, 2 very fun (and oh, have you heard – hot!) places.  I’m looking forward to it, but I’m going to miss the snuggles I manage to sneak in the mornings.

And the husband too, of course.

BUT! I am also really excited to hopefully do some much needed blogging, watch some trashy TV and sleep in a big squishy hotel bed all alone!

Constant Never Ending Busy

I am well aware that life is a busy creature, and for us we are always operating at a steady state of Busy.

But lately, I have been finding myself on this cycle of Constant Never Ending Busy. 

Between my “real” job, my “fun” jewelry selling job, being a mom and a wife, managing the schedules of myself, mike, and Gianna and attempting to enjoy this gloriously hot summer with friends and family – on an average week 6 our of 7 days/nights involve something on the schedule.

It’s not all “work” related stuff keeping us on our toes and our google calendar on overdrive, but even the fun stuff still gets to be a lot to keep track of!

I feel like I am slacking on my communications with friends (sometimes I can’t even get an email written!), keeping up with the house and laundry, etc. is hit or miss and our yard/”flower beds” are a hot mess. 

But most importantly, and the thing that is really getting to me this week, is how much I miss my family.  I miss my girl, I DESPISE the fact that the majority of our family spends more hours with her a week than I do (I’m thankful for them, don’t get me wrong, but I want to be the mommy!). The past few days I’ve just wanted nothing more than to snuggle the crap out of her for hours and hours.  I miss my husband too, and he has been an exceptional SAHD these days.

I know the next 3 months are going to be more of the same GO GO GO YOU”RELATE type of deal, but we do have a family vacation thrown in there and I am holding on to that with all I have.  A break from this Constant Never Ending Busy right in the middle of The Happiest Place on Earth with my 2 favorite people in the world sounds like pure bliss right now.  (Next to sinking my ass in the sand and my toes in an ocean somewhere for a few days).

Some days I just need to get the frustration that comes with this hectic life off my chest and be a little jealous of people who don’t have calendars overflowing with STUFF TO DO.

But I know I would be pretty bored and a little lost without a calendar overflowing with stuff to keep me on my toes, I just need to work on keeping the balance along with the constant ebbs and flows of our schedules.

Working Mom Issue #189: Balance

I work full time.

And I have a small business.

And my husband has a small business.

And our schedules are a little crazy.

But it’s just our life and usually, it is perfectly, crazily balanced. Huge props to Google Calendar for helping us stay on track.

Except when it’s not.

Because it isn’t always as balanced as I would like it to be – a lot of the time work gets about 85% of my time, Gianna gets 13% and Mike gets 1%. Leaving 0% for taking care of the house, laundry, errands, friends, etc.  sort of the opposite of what it should be, huh?

this is one of those weeks and it just hit me on the way home from another really long day – I have not had a day off in 12 days or something like that and I have worked two jobs for like 8 of those 12 days. And all I wanted to do was snuggle my family, laugh with my family and just BE with them.  And that is exactly what I did this evening.

But I get in to this “work mode” where I just DO things – I don’t think about them, I just do them, because I need to. And I hate saying no to people, or missing work events. And it’s kind of like a black hole – the black hole of work and several cups of coffee.

This is not me complaining because all this work helps me to provide for my family and to eliminate our debt. But it is at it’s own cost.

This is me struggling to stay balanced.

My ideal schedule would be to only spend one week night away from home for work purposes and one weekend afternoon.  But that is, in all honesty, rare.  If I am actually HOME one week night, that is a good week.

And that just sucks when you have an awesome family that you miss every day.  and a little girl who says, at least once a day “I miss my mommy” because her mommy is working a lot. 

I know that life can get out of balance no matter what your schedule is like, or what kind of work you do – but what helps to keep it all balanced?  How do you help to keep your life in balance and juggle everything that is important to you?  Most of the time I think I have this figured out and then I have a few weeks in a row where I realize that I have a long way to go.

working mom issue #1

Weekend Rambles

• Zumba was SO FUN! I am excited to go back!
• I had my baseline ultrasound for this cycle on Friday. It was uneventful and Clomid started yesterday. But you know what sucks? The fact that my insurance pays for ZERO % of any of this. 
• It was kind of like, okay, so you started your period – we’ll see you in 2 days and bring your money tree.  Or at least that’s how it felt.  I just wasn’t prepared for the expense of multiple ultrasounds and HcG and Progesterone on top of everything.  It’s okay. Just a surprise.
• I also was not prepared for Gianna to wake up yesterday morning at 4am puking.  That was a terrific way to wake up on a Saturday.
• This is only the 2nd time in her life that she has actually vomited like an adult.  And it was really sad because she was SO confused at what was happening to her.
• I am thankful we do not have carpet. Because getting her to the bathroom or to aim was not happening.
• She must have either had the shortest stomach virus ever or ate something she shouldn’t have, because she was totally fine after she woke up at about 10:30am.
• I had a jewelry show yesterday and I am doing a training show for one of my new jewelers today. I think in the end I will have worked at least one job for 12 or 13 days in a row.  A lot of days I will have worked 2 jobs.  I’m already ready for a nap.
• Gianna went on a surprise pancake date with her Papa this morning, he is seriously her favorite person ever! She was so excited!
• Mike and I have been cleaning (operation organization!) the kitchen and living room – we cleared off the top of the refrigerator, took care of the bookshelf clutter and are working on finally getting out TV mounted on the wall.  We got the wall mount for christmas….
• I want to go shopping
• Because of yesterdays crazy – I was asleep before 9pm. And I slept until about 7:30 this morning – I so badly needed that rest!
• We have a really hard time scheduling time to hang out with our friends because of our crazy schedules and weekends – it kind of sucks.
• Yesterday I moved almost all of the 2T clothes out of Gianna’s drawers and packed it away.  How big my girl is getting. It’s almost unbelievable.
• Speaking of that big girl, I need to make her birthday invites!
• We still can’t decide where or even when to take a vacation this year.  Beach? Disney? Something completely different? May? October? So many things to think about!

Working Mom Issues: a series

I have always considered myself a “working mom” – I worked from home when Gianna was 2 weeks old, worked full time through her 18 month birthday, started my own business right after that and was “at home” and started back to work full time when she was about 28 months old.

I am sure her earliest memories of me have to do with meetings or going to work or something related.

But ALL mom’s work – outside the home, inside the home, for pay or not, full-time, part-time or somewhere on either side of that. 

That being said – I think most mom’s are going to be able to relate to a lot of my “working mom issues” – and I find a lot of days that I think “ugh, working mom issue” over SOMETHING that is going on in my life.  And what do I do when pretty much any thought crosses my mind? I blog about it – I figured it would be fun to share and you know, misery loves company and all that jazz. Feel free to participate no matter where you are in the “working mom” spectrum. 

ANYWAYS!

Working Mom Issue no. 1: Sleepy head

I am not really a morning person.

On work days, I roll my sleepy butt out of bed after my 3rd alarm (no, seriously, I have 3 alarms – I have a bad habit about saying “screw you” to the snooze button) and try to get dressed.

But the thing is, I usually change 2 or 3 times before I decide on what I feel like wearing for the day – not so good of an idea when you are already up later than you should be.

So once I pick something to wear, I have to pick shoes (again, not always easy, too many to choose from!). And do my hair. And makeup.

Except I SUCK at doing hair and am really too lazy to put makeup on 6/7 days a week.  And usually am running so behind that even if I wanted to spend time on those things, there isn’t any more time to spend. Because I HAVE to make coffee!

So I leave the house in a cute outfit, accessorized with good shoes and jewelry hoping that those things distract people from the hot mess that is my hair and naked face.

Am I the only one who does this?  Who really HATES waking up and being rushed to get ready?

This isn’t something I had to worry about for 9 months while I was home and let me tell you how MUCH I miss being able to wake up slowly while enjoying a cup or three of coffee while snuggled in a blanket watching Mickey Mouse with Gianna.  (I got to enjoy this luxury yesterday morning, and it was so wonderful)

And before that, I could wear scrubs to work – so who cares what my hair looked like when I practically stayed in pj’s all day long?!

What’s your routine in the am?

Do you rush around like I do and leave for work with sleepers still in your eyes or are you much more put together? 

Talk to me about your morning routine issues – because I have a feeling these things don’t just apply to working moms.

And since Gianna has my slow-to-wake up tendencies, getting her up and out the door in time for preschool next year should be good and challenging!

Adulthood: a new appreciation

Growing up, I KNEW my mom worked hard to make sure her girls were happy, healthy and well cared for.

I also knew that working hard meant her working several jobs at once, cutting back when necessary and making sure that we never felt the financial struggles that were a part of life.

And then I got married young. And incurred a ridiculous amount of student loan debt. Some credit card debt. A few cars and now a house with financial struggles of my own.

All the while, I was so thankful for the work ethic and financial planning skills my mom made sure I had.  Things might be TIGHT sometimes, but I very rarely feel strapped for cash (sure, there could always be MORE for this or that, who doesn’t feel that way?), and for that I am thankful.  I know how to budget (and stick to it) and how to withhold my urge for retail therapy.  And I know how to work – the do whatever it takes – kind of work that sometimes, is just necessary and doesn’t really phase me.

But I also know the value of items and time.  I never understood why we couldn’t always get the “good” ice cream at the store  or what the big deal about buying “real” pop tarts was.  But I SO get that now.  I remember calling my mom one day maybe a year-ish ago and being SO excited at how much money I saved at the grocery store.  And then I knew I was an adult.  And she laughed at me, I am sure. But I get it now. She did so much for us, and one of the biggest lessons I learned was the value of items – she used to relate large purchases to hours worked to help us gain an appreciation of what it took to purchase/do things – that sticks with me to this day.  Budgeting is a pain in the ass sometimes, but it is a necessary pain in the ass. 

More than anything else, my mom taught me the value of time.  I value my time at home – my time spent NOT working – so so much.  I know that my mom worked 2 or 3 jobs pretty much until about two years ago – but I never FELT that stress.  When she was home, she was home.  She was with us – making us laugh, cooking us dinner, making snack trays, just being our mom.  We made games out of chores and we all pitched in so that we could have fun together.  My childhood may not have been full of fancy vacations and name brand jeans, but it was overflowing with laughter and love (and many temper tantrums over not having name brand jeans, until I learned the AWESOME of the sale racks!) and while I appreciated it then – now, it’s a whole new perspective and level of appreciation.

In the days of 24/7 connectivity – it is REALLY hard for me to just put the work away for a while. To not be checking emails, texting with people about work-related things and all of that.  But the other night, as I was hanging out with Gianna while Mike was at work, it hit me – she is going to remember this.  And while I want her to understand and appreciate how hard her mommy works, I don’t want her to FEEL that hard work.  I want her to know that it happens but know that when we are together – that is all that matters - that we will laugh and love and experience life together without work mixed in.  Because the work that I do, it is still going to be there after she is in bed but the requests for more books and “can I just lay on your shoulder while you read to me” aren’t going to last forever.  And, that time together is worth more to me than anything else in the whole world. 

I know that the need to continue to work hard is not going anywhere anytime soon – but I hope that as Gianna continues to grow up that she appreciates the hard work and remembers the laughter and the love.

Funny the appreciation and lessons of our childhood that adulthood brings out of us sometimes.

Friday Night Leftovers: Lone Traveler Ed

• Remember the other day when I told you I was traveling alone for the first time? I’m back and I survived!
• My hotel was really nice. Very modern, but clearly a man designed the bathroom.  (A very short man, at that)

• I didn’t get to stay downtown, which I knew, but I did find time to explore a suburb of the city – Wicker Park/Bucktown.
• Lots of interesting art. Very cool stores.
• it was fun to walk around & be touristy even if I was all alone. I like my alone time, but it’s not really all that awesome to be in a strange place alone.  No one to share my snarky comments with.
• One observation – everyone wears headphones.
• 2nd observation – If I was single (or even married without children) I would LOVE to live in a big city suburb. Public transport close by, lots of things to keep you busy and you can’t beat the people watching.

 

• I rode on public transportation for the first time in my life. Alone. It was very intense. And not as dirty as I expected.

 

• I did get chatted up by some guy on the train on my way back to the hotel, so it was interesting. And, I have def been married for nearly 5 years when it took me getting OFF of the train to realize “OMG! That guy was totally flirting with me!”
• Loved sleeping in my own hotel room. When I got in on Tuesday I took a nap! I NEVER EVER EVER do that and it was fabulous!
• Also, my room had a Keurig – awesomesauce.
• The conference was VERY interesting – it got a little long, but overall, I feel like it was a worthwhile trip. Besides, I got to get to know the COO of our company a little better and some sales people – so that was nice. They also said several times how great of a company this is to work for, that is a great thing to hear as a new employee.
• I missed the CRAP out of my family. I just wanted my husband with me, I love exploring new places with him. And Gianna, I needed her laughter.
• I am already planning a return trip with my little family [or perhaps a 5 year anniversary trip!] so that we can check out what that city in the distance is all about!