Friday, March 23, 2012

Tips for Returning to Work

Having recently gone  back to work after having a baby I thought I'd share a few things that I found to help make life easier.

1- Trust your child care provider. Make sure that your child care provider has an open door policy (you can stop by unannounced at any time to check in), and that you feel extremely comfortable with them. This is important for obvious reasons, but if you're not comfortable with the person keeping your child then you'll do nothing but worry the entire time you're at work.

2- Order staples online & in bulk. You'll find the best the best deals on staples like diapers, wipes, formula, etc. online. You'll also find that most online stores will ship these for free. This way you not only get the best price, but you also don't have to worry about remembering or having room in your cart at the store. Another time saver, if your child care provider allows, you can have some of them shipped directly to your child's daycare.

3- Get a quality breast pump if your breastfeeding. I started out with an inexpensive $80 pump that I thought was doing a good job until I managed to get my hands on a much nicer pump. There is no comparison! I'm able to get more milk in less time.

4- Make sure that you know your states laws concerning working mothers and your rights. For example a nursing mother has the legal right to take breaks to pump as well as a private area to pump that is not a bathroom.

5- Become a master multi-tasker. Many times I wash my face or clean the bathroom while my son is taking his bath.

Hope these suggestions help make your transition back to work a little easier!

The Working Bee Mommy

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Learn to Relax

I know that this is a new blog, & that this is my post, & everyone's probably looking for some neat trick to getting things done around the house better or faster. But, today I realized something that I felt I must share with all the other working homemakers out there on the "interweb."  Learn to occasionally take some time to relax.  I know that sounds ridiculous to some of you, but allow me to continue.

My little guy has not been sleeping as well lately due to some new teeth coming in. And with house training a new dog she is also getting us up during the night to go out. So, needless to say I've been exhausted all week long.  My parent's offered to take little man for the afternoon today so that I could rest I took them up on it! Now, like most of you reading this I began to mentally make a list of all that I could done around the house while I didn't have to look after the baby.  But after they left with him this morning I went to the kitchen to start one of those tasks & realized that I was too tired.  I spend 4 hours of my day napping, watching tv, taking a LONG shower, and yes doing a little bit of light cleaning, but mostly just relaxing & recharging my batteries.  You see, I have to go back to work on Monday, & I need to be as rested as possible to be able to have the energy to take care of my home & family as well as do my J.O.B. to the best of my ability.  So, take it from me; every once in a while take a break, relax, & recharge.  You'll actually get more accomplished when you're rested & relaxed, & your family will be more relaxed & happy if Mommy is relaxed & happy.

Just my thoughts, hope they help!

The Working Bee Mommy