I'm back!

So sorry to keep everyone waiting. A lot has happened in the last few months, and I have to say, my fashion journey has gone out the window while I work on myself first. I'm nearly 30 days into Power 90, and I feel great. That's actually why I'm up this morning - although feeling great isn't happening because I've been pretty sick for 3 days. I'm also super addicted to Pinterest now, and that's the other reason I'm up right now. I'm about to whip up a blueberry breakfast cake, do my workout while it's baking, and then sit back with some hot cocoa an enjoy the snow. Weather is calling for 3-6 inches and my older daughter is thrilled! I am secretly too - this is the reason we moved back east!
So I'm going to see if this pinterest pin is worthy - talk to you soon!

Sky High!

So today, as with every Sunday, I stare at my closet of "Sunday's Best" and reminisce about the days when I didn't have to figure out how to pull my boobs out of a dress.  In my case, it my be easier than those of you with smaller ones, since anything low cut I'm pretty much falling out of it anyway.  Yes, I know.  I'm a size 6 on a 5'1'' frame with a "nice rack".  That I hate because my arms are shorter than most people and all the stuff I want to do my boobs get in the way.  Ok, rant over. Here's what I finally went with:

I actually spent time on my hair and makeup today, so didn't really have time to accessorize.  This dress has a cowl neck and it's stretchy so I can pull it down to feed.  Dress is White House Black Market (on sale for $40 from $160 - SCORE), sky-high pumps are BCBG.  Yes, I wore 4" heels to meeting because it's only a few hours long and I don't stand a lot.  Word to the wise: if you have a fussy  baby, don't wear sky-high heels!  Remember that you will be up and walking around to settle them.  Oh yeah, I definitely regret all the walking I did while pregnant, it is definitely my baby's preferred method of soothing!  Do you also see that I managed to style my baby today too?  All pink and frilly!  Here is my hair:

I saw an actress with her hair like this and I really like it because it solves the issue of having to wear an entire thing of bobby pins in the back of your head when trying to pull off a side 'do.  Must look pretty nice, as several people came up giving me compliments on it!  Talk to you later in the week!

Ahhh! Made a mistake!

Ok, so don't laugh at me.  I told you in the beginning I am not a fashion expert, and the title even says this is a JOURNEY!  Here I am today:

After having my trusty photographer (brother) take like 6 pictures of me, I realized it wasn't the background, lighting or angle that was making this outfit look bad.... IT WAS THE OUTFIT!  I've wished for so long that I could pull off the leggings and tunic look.  Now I'm pretty sure I will just retire that idea.  Maybe I need more accessories?  Maybe just no hat?  Maybe just no boobs?  I got it - no FAT!  I've always had this pouch on my thighs and boy do I hate it!

I do have an excuse though, after having the flu since last week, I'm not thinking straight!  Today was my first day back to work since being laid out after my glucose test last Friday - no call from Dr means I'm good right? - so I just kind of grabbed "comfy" from my closet and tried to make it look good.  Oh well.  This is what happens when I'm lazy!

The Ultimate Mama Accessory!

Hello all! So excited today because I remembered what I was going to tell you!  If you can't figure out what top is going to work for you - put on your ultimate accessory - YOUR BABY!  :)  Feeling casual today so I just put on my boyfriend jeans, an Old Navy nursing top and embellished tank.  Complete with my fav Nikes and I was ready to go!

This opens up another topic of discussion for me - my Moby wrap.  LOVE IT!  I had a Bjorn with my first daughter and I barely ever used it.  But the Moby?  I wear it all the time.  Really.  All the time.  It's so easy to just wrap it around and put baby in it.  I especially like that I got this gray one with the owl, a lot of people compliment me on it.  I was pretty confused on the wrap technique at first, but now I pretty much use the hug hold pictured, Olivia didn't like the newborn one for very long (she likes her legs free).  I've tried the front facing one, but she's still a little young and she winds up with her head down sucking on the fabric.  I'll probably get her in that one when she can hold her head up all the time.  Anyone else out there take advantage of their baby as a fashion accessory?

Monday Funday!

It's another Monday and back to work I go!  I went sans make-up today but I did do my hair!  I read an article yesterday that random funky braids are in, and you can't see it here, but on the right side I've got a braid that goes into a low bun.

Otherwise, I was pretty simplistic today.  Jeggings are still the reigning pant in my life (I keep trying on my old jeans but my hips just are not wanting to be contained!).  I paired them with this great nursing top from Motherhood Maternity.  I love this top because you can lift the top panel up and separate the fabric underneath so that my entire belly and/or entire boob doesn't show when I feed my baby.  Sadly I only have one of these tops because they are just too expensive to justify multiple colors - which is why I created this blog BTW.  I don't feel you should be pressured into believe you only need nursing tops to be able to feed baby in public.  Threw on my brown flats and ran out the door!

Happy baby today - isn't she just so cute?

Branching out....

I did it!  I branched out today!  Mind you, I usually shy away from the trends that involve rolling or cuffing jeans, anything that makes a capri out of them.  Mainly because I am petite and I've always been told it makes me look shorter.  However, I decided to buck that thought I try it out.  And I get compliments!  How much more affirmation do you need?

Tip of today - check the weather for tomorrow and set your clothes out that night.  I'm glad I did because it's been rainy and chilly, but today it's rainy and warm!

So today I decided on my jeggings, cuffed with nude pumps.  I layered my camis since I'm still stuck with the black bra, and completed the look with another NY&Co necklace that I felt brought out the nude accents in the rest of the outfit.  What do you think?  Not bad huh?

I apologize for the very unhappy baby.  We tried to get a smile but she wasn't having it.

Rolled Jeans? No way!

Yep - that's what I used to say, but here's how I found myself today:

I decided to be a little rocker-chic today - see the studded belt?  I told you I'd try to do better!  That's right, I wore snakeskin Steve Madden heels, rolled my boyfriend jeans (AE again) AND wore a studded, tooled belt (Ariat).  I even got 2 compliments today.  One on my shoes and the other on my jeans and the rolled look.  Pretty awesome!  Sorry about Olivia, she's a little camera shy today.  Oh - I forgot the top.  You can't really tell, but it's one of those that sort of puddles - what's that called?  Anyway, it's awesome because I could just pull the fabric down to nurse!  Moral of today?  Don't be afraid!  You can do it!  

Pre-pregnancy jeans!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have some very exciting news to share.  Almost 2 months to the day, and with lots of hard work, I finally fit into my pre-pregnancy jeans!  I've also lost 14 lbs in the last 2 weeks.  Plenty of motivation to keep up with my workouts, protein shakes and breastfeeding!  If you're interested in my routine, let me know!  Here's today's outfit:

I do still have a little bit of belly over these, so I did my pre-pregnancy, bloated on my period trick, which is to wear a belt one hold loser than what actually holds my pants up and evens out the bulge.  Did it work?  I went black and white today with a pop of blue in my necklace.  Have I mentioned that, although I hate the logistics of a tank under a nursing/wrap top, I do really like that if I pull the tank up underneath the shirt and pull the wrap over, I still get a decent amount of coverage above and below?

Shirt - Target, Cami - Old Navy, Necklace/Bracelet - NY & Co, Jeans - American Eagle, Belt/Shoes - Ariat

Manic Monday

Ok - back to work and fashion.  Here's my latest attempt at looking decent despite nursing AND being fashion clueless:

I hope you read the last post because I'll be referencing that research material!  I was a little limited this morning because the only fabulous nursing bra they had in stock was black and animal print.  So stuck in the dark top section of the closet.  I did have to work today so I wanted one of my easy access tops that I can quickly feed Olivia when I need to.  In comes the black Banana Republic wrap top.  It's sleeveless so it was a great match with this argyle sweater.  Also, I'm still rocking the earrings I told you about and a NY&Co necklace.  I'm also loving those jeggings I mentioned in the last post (American Eagle - I don't really "shop" here anymore, but I just love the fit of their jeans).  Oh yeah - loving the stretch!  And then I've got my trusty BCBG black flats.  They are due for a good conditioning.  I'm still working on branching out with belts and such, but without expanding my closet further, those choices will have to wait because I fit into only about a quarter of my closet.

I'll get better, I promise!

I have a secret......

Whoa what a day!  Busy busy.  I was running late this morning, so I barely got to take advantage of my "alone" time in front of the mirror to practice putting on my make-up.  I agonized over what to wear, despite picking it out the night before.  I second-guessed my choice until the last possible second when - I decided to wear what I picked out!

However - I was a bad blogger and did not take a picture.  So!  Let me clue you in to some nursing mama truths I have recently become reacquainted with:

A. You can nurse in pretty much anything, just remember that if you aren't able to access from the top, you will have to lift up.  Despite the great nursing covers they have out there, you will have a nice triangle of back (fat) showing to the world.  Stay tuned for my new invention - a nursing CAPE!  :)

B.  The grip of a 6 week old baby is STRONG.  See my baby's grip over to the right.  It can rip, grip and take apart.  Be wary of the flailing hands that grab onto necklaces, earrings, hair, etc.  That would be why I insisted previously on non-danglely earrings and am now informing you of this wonderful thing I just found out.  Lean in....closer....CLOSER......  At New York & Co, they will exchange broken jewelry!!  So they have great stuff AND it doesn't matter if that little sweet baby of yours rips it apart - you can take it back!

C.  When jeggings were invented I hated them.  Now that only my pre-pregnancy boyfriend jeans fit, and not a single other pair of jeans does....jeggings are my new best friend.  Buy yourself a pair.  A well-fitting pair, it may be a size up from what you were before, but do it.  Just one pair - bring yourself out of the sweatpants.... embrace the jegging.

And I'll leave you with that... embrace the jegging..... embrace the jegging.....  Have you got a pair yet?  Talk to you soon!

Casual Friday

I'm still working into full-time status at work post-maternity, so I had today off.  Yay!  I meant to go through my closet and get some stuff together but instead spent my day with a variety of other tasks.

1 - I read my Mom's blog Over Forty Style and found she had discovered a better way to put on foundation.  I'd already decided to do some shopping later today and thought why not look nice doing it?  And then I discovered a brilliant idea for those short on time - TAKE ADVANTAGE!  :)  My husband is home today as well, so he sat with the kids watching Disney Jr while I spent time upstairs perfecting my makeup application techniques.  As mentioned in my first post, I've never really been into clothes or makeup, so I have to practice at it.  I think I did an okay job.  My mom liked it, which means I must have!  So my plan is to take advantage of my husband's time at home, which will mostly be weekends, and do my hair (not today) and makeup.  I figure if I have some time to perfect and practice the task, I will get better and faster at it and then I will be able to do it at 5 am before the kids wake up (ok, ok - 7am which is the latest possible time for me to wake up and be out the door almost on time - but the GOAL is 5am so I don't have to rush).

2 - Take a look at my picture again.  See the earrings?  I usually hate non-dangly earrings.  But, as with most nursing moms, I've got a baby grabbing at anything close to her, so... not so much.  But do you know how hard it is to find non-dangly earrings that aren't hearts, butterflies, words, etc?  I just wanted something understated that will go with anything and weren't pearls.  I like these because they are not covered in crystals, not obviously flowers, and silver so they'll go with most of my jewelry.  Oh yeah, they also will work for dress up or dress down.  Here's the close-up from Target:

3 - Since Harrisburg, PA is void of a Nordstrom or Nordstrom Rack, I had to find a specialty lingere store to find nursing bras (or even regular bras) in my size.  I drove all the way to Camp Hill and was AMAZED at the service offered by Kim at Underneath It All.  She was just fantastic!  Two seconds to measure me and about the same to pull down a nursing bra that fit and separated the girls!  How fantastic!  She ordered a few more for me too since I intend to breastfeed until at least next year.  Please please please get a fitting ladies!  Even if you have no special considerations like my small ribcage, large boob situation.  I thought I knew my size, but that was after being measured 2 years ago.  Alas - they have grown even more. 

I should also add that because I was out only a little bit, I rocked the ponytail and yoga pants today - compression style does wonders for the pooch left by Baby Olivia.  I will definitely need to amp it up tomorrow because I've got service in the morning, a couple's date and then a baby shower to attend!  Till tomorrow! 

Day One

I spent yesterday trying to think of what essential pieces a nursing mom must have to create some semblance of a fashionable wardrobe.  If you're anything like me, you've been wearing yoga pants since the day your baby was born.  You may or may not be like me and lost all the baby weight and then some without even trying (don't hate me yet, did you read my first post and how it took 2 years to lose all the weight from my first baby?)!  But now that we've hit 5 weeks, I find myself in public more than ever, and yoga pants just aren't cutting it.

So I spent all day yesterday perusing multiple malls for essentials.  My goal: skinny jeans in my new post-partum size, a nice-looking cardigan, a nursing bra with underwire and whatever other nice nursing-friendly tops I could find.  The take?  Jeans - check.  Cardigan - check (although a little expensive for what I've been spending, I wore today and it is comfy and good quality).  Others - 2 colorful necklaces, 1 chunky bracelet, a black pencil skirt and a pair of earrings.  No go on the bra (they had a nice selection at Target, but not even close to my full-of-milk cup size).  These are the things I feel will get me through this transition period until I get back to my old clothes.  What, you say?  You can't fit into your old clothes despite being lighter than pre-pregnancy?  That's right, gained all the weight in my thighs, and my hips apparently spread to the ends of the earth!  :)

As part of my post-baby transformation, I've begun Power 90, a Beachbody program, and I've started to get my life together in the form of preparation and accountability.  Part of this is getting together everything I need for the next day ahead of time (usually the night before).  So I laid out everything I wanted to wear and managed to leave like this:

Cardigan, Nursing Tank, Earrings - Old Navy, Jeans - American Eagle, Flats - BCBG, Bracelet - New York & Co

Of course, I spent the day looking like this:

And even worse, most of the time I had my Moby wrap with baby inside, to make me look even more frazzled!

My intention was to have time to do my make-up, hair and experiment with tucking my tank in, leaving it out, putting a skinny belt around my waist or a wide belt in belt loops on jeans.  I also wanted to wear my oh-so-cute Steve Madden nude pumps, but in my rush out the door, ALL of the above was forgotten.... oops.  Oh well - Baby Olivia had everything she needed and my big girl Isabel was fed and ready for preschool.  Priorities people!

Oh - before I leave, I wanted to point out a few things.  1 - I apologize for the droopy uniboob the nursing top creates.  I'm placing my faith in Zappo's to get my new nursing bras in asap.  Unless you are tiny in the chest area, I suggest getting at least one underwire nursing bra, it helps the silhouette.  2 - Can you even see the bracelet I'm wearing?  It's stretchy, which I love because I have small wrists and I can't stand the sliding of a bangle.  It also doubles as a marker for which breast is next for the baby, I just switch it every feeding to remind myself.  Looks a little better than the hair tie I've been using, eh?  Alright - baby's crying - got to go!  See you tomorrow when I discuss the rest of my "essentials".

To Breastfeed or Not to Breastfeed?

What a question!  I bet if this is a current debate for you, you haven't even considered your wardrobe.  Well, I'm here to tell you to start preparing now - because I'm 5 weeks postpartum today and I find my closet lacking!

First of all, I am not a style maven.  I love fashion and have started to read some style-yourself type blogs, but I am not a very creative person.  I'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl and always have been.  Maybe it's because I spent my teen years riding horses in faded jeans, riding dirtbikes in dirty boots and gear or at the beach in a swimsuit; not much time for developing style there.  Then there's my body type.  Although as a young woman I still felt like I had the biggest boobs and hips you could fit on a petite frame, I appreciate the figure I had then as a 27 year old mother of two now.  Either way, the pairing of patterned pants with a certain top, belt, hat, shoes and hairstyle still elude me.  Don't even ask me about makeup!

However, having spent the first 2 years post baby #1 trying to get my body back, only to decide to try for baby #2 once I did, made me realize that a change is due.  Not only do I need to get back in shape, but I want to feel pretty in the clothes I wear, something I've never really felt in an everyday outfit.

I looked around online for some help, and found some great blogs and tips.  But not a single one was of a petite, nursing mom.  There are lots of unique challenges for the nursing mother that have not been addressed, and I intend to find a solution to every one. This blog will be a tell all of my journey into a more fashionable future.  I'll take you through the ups and downs, successes and failures of my nursing mama fashion efforts.

So here goes......

Let's Be Honest...

In light of recent articles regarding pregnant working mothers - Yahoo's New CEO Is Pregnant - I've really been questioning my motives for continuing to work.  If you are a first time mom, this has probably been on your mind for a while.

There's a couple of factors that I think weigh in when you try to decide - What Kind of Mom am I?

• Do I want to stay home?  This is probably one of the hardest things to consider, and depends a lot on how you were raised, what type of job environment you currently work in, and how you value yourself as a person.  For me, I grew up with a stay at home mom of 4, I was the oldest.  My mother was fantastic, the epitomy of all things "stay at home."  She baked, cooked, cleaned, taught (we began homeschooling when I was... 14?) and I still admire her for the strength she had to do so, especially with my dad in the military and deployed often.  So, there is a part of me that wants to provide this type of childhood (and not miss out on it) for my children.  But there is also another part of me that remembers the stress she went through, being around kids all day long (don't get me wrong, some people LOVE kids, but I value my adult interaction time).  Granted, I only have 1.5 children, but I'm just not sure me and my little monster ;) would get along all day every day.  I do still feel the pull to be home, but I love my job and want to keep at it.
• Can I stay home and our family remain financially stable? This is the biggie for a lot of families nowadays - is staying home even an option?  Remember when you are weighing the pros and cons to really dig deep to come up with all costs associated with staying home/working.  Remember you will need someone to take care of your children while you work, depending on where they go - there may be extra costs such as gas.  Often, daycares do not allow sick children (ie., What will you do if your child is sick, take off from work?  How will your employer handle that?).  Does your employer require a certain level of dress (ie., will you be able to shop for suits from discount stores or is Nordstrom the norm?).  Just some things to consider if you said Yes to the first question.

So - the whole reason I even headed in this direction was to talk about cost savings.  Unless you are Mrs. Yahoo CEO (see above article link), you are probably working to stay this much ahead of where you would be if you stayed home.  And in that case, cost savings is always on the mind.  Stay tuned - maybe I'll actually get around to posting about what I do in less than a week!

Approved!

So - after talking with my employers, they've approved my proposal for coming back to work with baby!  Fantastic!  Step one out of the way!  Shower is in 2 weeks, we'll see what we get then and what I need to bring to work with me.  I may be able to get some of the costs shared, since most employers are required by law to provide a place for a woman to breastfeed/pump that isn't the bathroom.  I'm thinking I'll need a nice plush rocker for that:

Nice huh?  We'll see, maybe I can find one on craigslist or ebay for considerably less.  I was also thinking about donating one to our meeting hall.  We have 3 women due in the next 6 months and no breastfeeding amenities!  Boppys, rockers, changing supplies.  I think I'll build a stash there AND here.

On another note - I know not everyone is as fortunate as me in being able to bring baby to work, or even get a decent amount of time off to bond with baby.  In case you've been looking for info, check out the working moms group here: http://community.babycenter.com/groups/a185/working_moms.  There are probably lots of other moms asking the same questions!

PS - If you are interested in more detail as to what/how to present to your employer who may be interested in allowing baby at work, feel free to message me and I'll be happy to share!

Leaving you with another Izzy @ work photo:

Childcare, Childcare, Childcare!

So here we go again - to my constant subject of childcare.  We're really getting down to the wire (I'm due end of August) and we still can't really decide what we want to do.  I'm leaning towards bringing baby in to work with me as I did the first one and keeping Izzy at home.  All preschools in this area are a little cheaper than what we pay my brother, and Izzy doesn't turn 4 until Nov anyway.  Plus, there's the "risk" factors.  Many childcare places will not take your child when they're sick, not past certain hours, etc.  And unfortunately our lives are just too unpredictable.  My husband works 3 hours away so I have no back-up if she should need to be picked up for whatever reason.  My brother said he'd be willing to stay on another year, which is great.  We are going to give her a little more structure and see how things go.
As far as bringing the baby into work, I was thinking of this:

• Four weeks maternity leave
• Come back to work alone 2, 3, 4, 5 days per week to extend over first month back
• Start bringing baby in for 5 days a week, 1st month
• 4 days a week 2nd month
• 3 days a week 3rd month
• 2 days a week 4th month
• 1 day a week 5th month

By this time baby will be 6 months old and I think I'd be ok leaving her with her sister and uncle at that point. I will be breastfeeding the whole time, so I'll probably voluntarily extend my hours to cover the extra time spent with baby.  Also hoping that my brother will have his own vehicle by then, giving me a little freedom if she needs to be picked up.  With this in mind, I now need to get together my proposal for employers.  They were so wonderful last time I really want to just lay out everything this time to show I am committed to my new duties and what to expect from me with the baby.  We have a few empty offices here, so I am going to ask to turn one into a nursery (and then I just freaked out because we don't even have a nursery ready at home yet!).  So I need to think of the things I will need to have here:

• Diaper Pail
• Diapers
• Wipes
• Breastpump
• Swing
• Extra Clothes
• Crib/Pack N Play
• Bouncer Seat
• Toys

I think I need to add some things to my registry!  I do think we have some stuff still in basement from Izzy, maybe those things will do for office items.   Oh dear!  I better spend the next 10 min or so looking over what I've got.  Meanwhile - here is a great pic of Izzy at the office when she was little, and yes, she is sitting in a file cabinet (it's work-themed Anne Geddes style):

I'm blaming work for this one.....

I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes last Thursday. Guess the glucose test brought out a weakness. But, I realized that I've found another challenge of being a working mom. Balance! I know we all try to balance everything, but how often do you get the time to make sure YOU'RE eating healthy? I've always made sure my daughter gets what nutrition she needs, and I really just try to get my husband to add a little variety (although I am very proud of how far he's come in 6 years, he still has a ways to go). But me? I try and try with diets and workouts and it never works. Something always comes up. I'm always too busy, never have time. With this pregnancy I thought I was doing much better food wise, but after truthfully admitting how often I grab a bag of chips, eat cake, cookies, etc, I can see its improved but isn't that great. And I've decided to blame it on work! :). Obviously we all know that working in an office environment can be detrimental to your health. You're supposed to get up, stretch, eat healthy snacks, drink lots of water, yada yada yada. I let myself get sucked into my work so much that I skip breaks, take lunch in front of my computer, and often forget to drink the amount of water I should. BUT! I've realized that I have been overlooking what could be just what I need! At work, although I am busy, during my breaks, I have little interruptions. My 1/2 hour lunch is a perfect amount of time for a short walk or a quick round of prenatal strength training in an empty office. No toddler whining at my feet, no dinner to make, no house to clean. Could I ask for a better environment to get in the exercise I need? And diet-wise? Well, I'm still at a disadvantage there. All the guys I work with are junk food snackers. So there's a kitchen filled with chips, cookies, sodas and candy. Not so good for the diabetes. BUT THERE'S ANOTHER BUT! With all these junk food snackers, I can open a bag of chips or cookies, eat a very small amount to satisfy a craving - and then GIVE IT TO THEM! How awesome is that? Eat what I can have and the opened package isn't sitting on my desk staring at me or making me cringe when I throw away the rest! Win-win! Of course, I also need to be more proactive at home, setting aside the time I need to prepare healthy snacks and meals to bring with me to work. Speaking of which.....I should probably get going. Need to boil some eggs!

I know, I'm a horrible blogger....

But you know what? I have a full time job, family, house and I try to keep a little time to myself, sooooo I don't feel THAT bad. Besides, today is payback, I'm sitting at the doctors office taking my glucose test. Yuck! I guess if you like orange fanta it might not be so bad but I really can't stand the stuff. Update on baby? She's doing well, quite the kicker already. Izzy is really starting to understand and last night she even had her own mini toddler panic attack about the baby. We recently brought her old crib into Izzys room and were going to set it up but we forgot. So last night Izzy grabs me and says, "mommy, what are we going to do? The baby's going to come and her bed is not set up!". I assure her we have plenty of time to set up the bed :) Today's topic? Where is the prenatal support in Harrisburg!? I'm really slacking on my workouts and wanted to sign up for some classes. Lo and behold - there is one place that offers prenatal yoga and it's in Camp Hill! When we tried to get a 3d ultrasound? Closest place was Lemoyne! I believe there is a mommy group, I'll have to do a little more research in that area. Maybe I should start my own pregnancy support center? For the time being I suppose I will have to just keep trucking along at home. Squeezing in what I can. Anyone out there know something I don't? Oops - got to get going. Time to see the doctor!

Back from the desert....

Well - I'm back from my vacation in the desert - enjoy the random photo from the pool and the gorgeous pic of the mountains on my walk to the restaurant for dinner.  Yes, I'm back.  And I am exhausted.  Did I mention it was my bright idea to bring my 3 year old to San Diego to stay with close friends while I skipped over to Palm Desert?  Although the trip over was a breeze - the trip back was full of cranky toddler behavior begetting cranky mommy attitude.  Along with her and I being on west coast time and not sleeping until past midnight, this return to work on Wednesday is really dragging me down!

I always feel more accomplished after resting for a bit - a renewed sense of vigor pushes me to do more than I usually manage to get done.  But alas, I was welcomed home to 2 full days of emails, a dirty house, and nearly-dead plants (which I've been trying so hard to keep alive!).  So here I go into cleaning, planning and overload mode where I try to get as much done in the next few days until my husband gets home on Friday,  so that my daughter and I can spend quality time for the 2-3 short days he is home.  After work - it is straight home to clean house, car, room, etc.

Ever since my daughter was born I have struggled with this balancing act.  Work at first was a part of every minute of my day (see previous post), but now consists mostly of my 8am-4:30pm day, with 10-15 minutes on each side for travel to and from.  I try to leave work behind when I get home and focus on whatever is needed there - first is usually dinner since I am soooo hungry.   My brother is pretty good about having dinner ready by 5, so after eating it is my choice - relax or clean.  Tonight is going to = clean.  Kitchen needs to be cleaned up, old food taken out of fridge, stock taken of what food we have so we can make a menu and grocery list for the next week.  That means tomorrow evening will be taken up with couponing as I try to find the best deals in my area (unfortunately my local grocery stores are not covered by all the do-it-for-you couponing sites).  The last few weeks I've found some great deals and have stocked up on bathroom essentials enough that I can wait until prices are down to 80% off before buying more!  Yay!  Anyway - looks like my break is up.  Will let you know how my plan worked tomorrow!

Long Needed Vacation

Well, I'm already slacking on my blogging. I intended to get to this at least 3 times a week, and I'm already behind! Such is the life! A lot has happened personally in the last week, giving me the urge to take my "baby moon" early and with my mom. Sitting at the pool in Palm Desert for the time being. Going on 6 hrs, and it feels good. Having some means for a nice few days out here has given me much needed R&R. I think this is a widely overlooked aspect of any mom hood profession. Take a break! And don't feel guilty about it! I work my butt off for my company and I do my best to keep my household happy and running smoothly. Turn it into a vacation for the kids - Funtime at grandma's or aunt's house where they can be spoiled. If your spouse is available, go together! If not, go with a friend! Just take a breather, have some good food, a good time, and come back to the everyday grind with a fresh and clear mentality.

Daycare, Nannies and Au Pairs - Oh My!

When you are a working woman and get that "+" on a stick, one of the first choices you have to consider is will I continue to work?  Although the question seems simple in nature, it encompasses every aspect of your lifestyle and personality.  There are so many different options out there for childcare that it can just boggle the mind.  I am fortunate that my employer allowed me to bring in my daughter Isabel from 2-12 months.  Because of my dedication, and my husband's busy job (he was a drill instructor for the USMC at that time), I was at work for about 12 hours everyday.  I ate all 3 meals at the office. I had a crib, rocker, swing and baby toys in my office.  Although they would never ask me to work 12 hours straight, I had no problem giving that time to them considering my honest assessment of time spent with my daughter throughout the day, and my desire to repay my employer with a full 8 hours of time since they were extending this special circumstance for me.  It was a busy time, but I really felt reassured that I knew what my daughter was doing and where she was at all times.

When she reached a year old, I was finding the time I spent occupying my daughter was outweighing the time I spent actually working.  I originally made the decision to quit.  I gave the company 30 days, which turned into 60 and 90 until I reached another solution.  With horror stories abounding about daycare centers and abused children, I had a hard time even considering this as an option.  I approached my teenaged brother and came to an agreement.  He moved in and became the "manny".  When we hired him at my company, I was stuck again, but extended the offer to another one of my brothers.  He did the same and still watches her to this day (she's 3 1/2).  There were time periods in between where I had to bring her in to the office or find close friends/grandparents to watch her, but we managed it.

With baby Olivia arriving in late August, I am faced with a whole new set of questions and scenarios for the same question.  Do I want to go home?  Work part-time?  Send Isabel and Olivia to daycare?  Extend my brother's contract for 2 kids (if he'd even want to)?  Take just Olivia in to work?  Each solution has it drawbacks and positives.  To keep things simple, I am leaning towards bringing Olivia in to work with me like I did with Isabel.  No problem right?  Well, I still go through the whole "Mommy why are you going to work?" every morning with Isabel.  How is she going to feel when the brand new baby taking over everything else now gets to go to work with Mommy too?  And now that my husband has a less demanding schedule and I would have another child at home, working extended hours wouldn't be a realistic option to ensuring I am fulfilling my 40 hours a week.

Speaking of that - lunch time is just about up.  Think I'll get back to it, reflect a little more on options, and hopefully come up with a good solution before the baby comes!

Hello!

Good afternoon all!  Inspired by my wonderful mother HiLoKim (check out her most recent endeavor - OverFortyFashion), I've decided to create a blog where none (that I've seen) existed before!  I'll be dedicating this blog to other Work At Work Moms that can't attend play dates, deal with childcare, have to make up their own mommy & me classes AND deal with the everyday stresses of corporate america.  I hope to share with you my ups and downs, tips, tricks of the trade, etc.  I also welcome any input or commentary from others in my situation.  PS - Sending a shout out to SAHMs or WAHMs, I know these situations carry their own complications and stresses, we're all in this together!

Me?  Happily married mother of a 3 year old daughter with a baby girl due in August.  Welcome and stay tuned!