Working Mama : 1 Year After Maternity Leave

Today marks 1 year of being back at work after LM was born.  

To say that was a terrible, no good, sad day would be an understatement.  I was on the verge of tears the entire morning trying to get ready and I think I cried almost all the way to work.

My sweet neighbor met me in the driveway with a card and a Starbucks gift card, both were very needed and appreciated.

 (1 year ago...my last day of maternity leave)

That being said, getting back into a groove was good.  I missed LM like crazy and really just wanted to be at home with him, but it was nice to talk with other adults and put on real clothes.  It had been quite a while since I had done that consistently.  I left work on September 16th (not knowing I would not return for a while) and did not go back until February 2nd.  (Well I went back 1/2 days for 6 days right before he came home...that barely counted since I was only there for 4 hours and had to pump twice during that time.)

The advice I heard over and over again was to take it one day at a time.  And that is all I could really do and over time, it worked.  To all you mamas that eventually have to go back to work, I promise it works.  It sucks hard core but it does get better.  It makes coming home all that much better. 

My other big advice is to not start back on a Monday if you can help it.  I started back on a Thursday and only having to go in 2 days and not dread the weekend (if I had started on a Monday) made it a lot easier.

Even before we had LM I had the upmost respect for working mothers.  Now that I am one, I have enough more respect for fellow mamas (and papas).  It is hard work.  Plain and simple.  It is 100% worth it, but that doesn't mean it isn't hard.

It has definitely taking some adjusting and schedule wrangling but we make it work.

Our days are pretty much nonstop from the moment we get up until the moment LM goes to bed.

I get up at 5:45 (on days I workout) and about 6:25 on the days I don't.  

I start the coffee and get LM's milk ready.  I then speed get ready and by this time LM is usually awake and jabbering away in his bed.  Thankfully he is pretty good about chatting with himself and playing in his bed until it is time to get dressed.

By 6:45 I get him up, dressed and teeth brushed.  After that Mister takes over for milk time and off to the sitters.

It is our goal to pick LM by 5 (or before) from the sitter and rush home for dinner and play time.  It depends on the day of the week but usually he starts crashing by 6:30-6:45.  After pjs its milk and into bed.  

 As you can see, sadly my time with him in the morning is limited.  I have a bit of a commute so I leave as early as I can so I can in turn, leave as early as possible in the evening to return home.
It is my goal to be in the office between 7:30-7:45...barf I know.

But then I can leave around 4:15 and then we are able to maximize our time in the evening with him.

By 7:15-7:30 we all crash in some form.  LM in his bed and Mister and I on the sofa with dinner (terrible habit I know).  

Mister and I both have been pretty busy with work the past few months and often have to work in the evenings.  I do not mind this too much (I mean, yes I would rather be doing nothing ;) ).  However I do think it is important to set the expectations of those you work with and for if you are in a similar situation.  I've made it clear that I am okay with working in the evenings if necessary but refuse to do so while LM is awake.  Since he is only awake a few hours after we get home, I am not going to spend that time sitting on my computer. I did recently have to jump on a call when I got home and LM insisted on sitting in my lap (and I did not mind one bit) but let's just say thank goodness for the mute button.

Having 2 full time working parents is definitely new territory for us and is constantly changing but the groove we are in right now seems to be working as best as it can be.  Whether you work in or out of the house full or part time or your job is to be an amazing stay at home parent, you get all of my props.  Parenting is like 148 jobs rolled into one that you can't train for.  Throw that on top of normal life and craziness and jobs to boot...it can be a doozy!  I am guessing this is an area that we can all give ourselves a little bit of grace.  This is something that I am certainly working on.  

Thankfully Mister and I both work for companies that value family time and a work/life balance.  If LM has a doctors appointment or I need to leave early to get him, my office is great about letting that happen.  That flexibility means the world to us.  It makes a lot of difference to the balance we strive to keep.

I remember counting down the days until I had to go back to work and absolutely dreading it.  We are very fortunate that LM and we love our sitter he goes to.  While I'd love to hang out with him all day, I enjoy my job and he enjoys his friends and our setup is working at the moment.

I have a couple other thoughts on this subject and am thinking about starting a series around working mamas and how we make it work.  Let me know if you have anything you want me to touch on.

Pumping at Work

Now that I've been back at work about a month I feel like I am in a groove with pumping during the work day.

I talked about pumping at home here and here if you need a refresher. Or just contact me at any point in the day because generally I am either pumping, thinking about pumping or trying to eat and drink enough so I can pump later on. 

The long and the short of it is that pumping at work is a lot of work (setting up and repacking) but it is nice to have a break from my desk twice a day.

If I could give any advice about pumping at work it is to make sure you are prepared in every facet.  You essentially need to be a traveling pump gypsy with all of your things.  Think through your day and your pumping process and triple check you have everything you need.

To make sure I was ready and felt prepared, I went ahead and purchased 2 of all of my pumping essentials (besides a pump) to make sure that I always have what I need with me at all times.  The other key item is a bag to hold all of your things.  There are some really adorable pumping bags out there that hold your pump but I am actually just using a  diaper bag we received as a gift.  It's huge, doesn't look like a diaper bag and holds of my things, it's a winner.  

Through some trial and error I have a pretty well oiled machine of pump bag essentials:

Pump (duh)

Milk storage bags 

Sharpie (to date your bags)

Pump parts (bottles with lids, flanges, membranes, tubing)

Ziploc bag to hold parts

Hands free bra

SNACKS

Water bottle (I found a Gatorade type water add in I've been using and it's great!)

Lunch box/ice pack

Paper towel (for setting parts on)

Car charger (not needed for work but very handy for pumping in the car and it stays in my bag)

Travel size dish soap

My pumping schedule changes slightly every day but I'm currently on a 4 hour schedule it goes something like this:

6am: Pump and pack up pump

10am: Pump, package milk in storage bags and date

2pm: Pump, combine milk in one bottle and TIGHTLY secure with a lid

6pm: Pump, wash up all of my parts and repackage for the next day, make up bottles

I then proceed to check about 9 times if I have everything.

10pm: Pump

I try to get as much ready the night before as I can because I am pressed for time in the mornings and do not want to have to worry about it.  

I keep my parts in a lunchbox in the fridge and that has a dual purpose.  1- to keep the milk cold, of course and 2- so I don't have to wash my parts each time I pump.  This saves a ton of time and sanity. 

Any questions or items I don't have in my bag that I should??

Mama's Snack Drawer

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SpecialKGoodness #CollectiveBias

I am not quite ready to talk about it but I have to go back to work soon.

I'm doing my best not to cry about it but that may be inevitable. 

I deal with anxious or new to me situations by planning, thinking through what's going to happen and feeling as prepared as I can.

One area that requires planning is my snack drawer.

You would think I am kidding but I am not.

I eat approximately 97 times a day.  I seem to always be starving + pumping/nursing means I need to have ample snacks around me at all moments.  I often have a mid morning and mid afternoon snack amongst breakfast and lunch.  I get panicky and hangry if I don't have snacks around.  Just ask Mister, he witnesses it all too often.   

Last weekend Little Mister's grandma was in town and she let me sneak away to Target to pick up a few things.  (She didn't mind staying home to snuggle :) ).  I had been thinking about how I needed to stock up on some snacks that would keep me full and focused while readjusting back into the work place.

I was wandering down the snack aisle looking at options.

I spotted these Special K Blueberry Almond Quinoa Protein Bites.

Jackpot!  A snack filled with protein to keep me full and focused?
Yes please!  These are are also incredibly attractive to me because they are perfectly portable to pop a few in my mouth as I am running to a meeting.

I have always been a Special K fan, I have a bowl of Special K Chocolatey Delight every single night, so I know these will be perfect for my snack drawer at work.

The more I looked the more I found.  The Special K Cashew Pretzel Protein Bars were right next to the bites so I snagged a box of those as well.  I already broke into my stash and tried these out.  They are a great mix of chewy with a touch of crunch.  Plus with 8g of protein they are helping me get through the days when I forget to each lunch until 3pm.  Looks like I will have to head back to Target to stock back up before I head back to work.  Darn ;)

I also picked up a bag of Special K Sea Salt Crackers.  Because as much as I love a good protein filled snack, sometimes you need some salty and crunchy to get you through to the next meal.  

Now we were on our way to a well stocked snack drawer.

I would consider myself a champion snack drawer stocker.

I pride myself on my snack drawer building skills and here is how I do it:

1.  Pick up the goods: It is important to start the week on the right foot and not need to resort to the vending machine come 10am Monday morning.

I am generally at Target every week so it is easy for me to pick up my weekly snack needs while I'm there.  I add snacks to my list and check Cartwheel for any good deals they have that week.  Luckily Cartwheel has a Special K deal running right now, double win!  Click below to add it to your Cartwheel app!

2.  Have a variety: Part of my snacking repertoire involves having a variety of items to snack on.  I love snacking and I want to be excited about it so for that to happen, I keep it interesting with a lot of different elements.  Along with the Special K Nourish Protein Bars and Bites I like to make sure I have a jar of peanut or almond butter in my drawer as well.  Don't tell me you've never just stuck a knife in a peanut butter drawer for a quick pick me up?!  I think I went through an entire jar when I was pregnant...

3.  Add in some fresh:  To make sure I have a well rounded snack drawer I always make sure I have a few fresh elements to grab when I run to a meeting or a walk around the block.  My go to items are mostly apples and carrots.  

Both do not necessarily have to be refrigerated and will keep for a few days.  Plus apples and peanut butter are one of my favorite snacks!  I also like to bring in grapes, berries, nuts and humus to dip carrots in.  

So whether you are heading back to work, working on keeping up your New Year's resolutions or just like a good snack during your day, I highly suggest picking up some Special K Nourish Protein Bars or Bites to add to your snack drawer.  You won't regret it!  

Check out more great snacking options here to build the perfect snack drawer or snack basket for the car!

To Market To Market

Last week my office ventured to the great state of North Carolina for the Spring Furniture Market.
(Which is different than Mart from a few weeks ago.  Mart is more kitchen/bath and Market is more furniture.)

I've been to Market a handful of times now and it is always so much fun.

Exhausting and overwhelming but always fun.

My firm represents 100+ companies so Market is a great place to see all of those (+ more) all in one place.  It is great chance to sit in all of sofas, sectionals, chairs and pieces we specify for our clients.

My personal favorite is to see all of the new fabrics that are out!

We saw a lot of BRIGHT colors coming out for the Spring and some really interesting upholstery pieces.  

And if there's definitely one that was a take away...brass is back! Not your grandma's shiny brass but a bronzy brass and it is beautiful and I am a fan!

Every time we come back from Market I want to redo everything in our house.  Immediately.  

Here were some of my favorite items!

 Subtle pink bedroom...yes please. 

 How long do you think it would take for me to talk Mister into painting the house this orange color?

And on the third day of walking one million miles, I resorted to my new Chucks.  

It was a great Market once again...the yummy snacks, dinners and treats the showrooms always have out don't hurt either ;)

To Mart

Occasionally I get the chance to travel for work and earlier this week the destination was Chicago!

(I am also currently working on a sorority house out of town...talk about a fun project!)

We ventured up to the hustling and bustling city of Chicago to check out the Merchandise Mart.

One big building, full of interior design, kitchen and bath, plumbing, tile (and more!) showrooms and house all of the prettiest things you can imagine.

I was in absolute heaven!

If I could tile just about surface in our home I would.

There are SO many beautiful ones out there.  

The most wonderful pink wonderland.

That company had just finished a bathroom for the artist Pink and did a mock up version in their showroom.  You think Mister would let me do all that pink in our house?

Chicago never lacks any good food and we managed to snarf quite a bit of it up.

Spanish tapas one night and the most adorable champagne bar one night including THE best truffle fries in the WORLD.

I also managed to sneak a quick trip into Zara and picked up a few Spring goodies...including white jeans, finally!

It was a fun, exhausting and beautiful quick trip.  The one millions emails I came back to were not...but at least it is already Thursday! 

Barbie's Warbdrobe

Our office recently had the opportunity to participate in a unique install in Cincinnati.

We were given a single room at an art gallery and able to do anything we wanted with it.

We thought through a lot of options but eventually decided to base the room on 'Barbie's Wardrobe'.

We envisioned a New York socialites dressing room from the 1950s and 1960s.

A fun, flirty and glamorous room.

Full of glitz, sparkle and all things girly. 

We had so much fun putting the room together and creating such a girly space for our 'client', Ms. Barbie herself.

To complete the room we used a mixture of re-purposed, reupholstered, new and old items and items borrowed from some of our favorite vendors around the city.

We had the big reveal party last week and had a great turnout and a lot of support!

That. chandelier. I. die.

And a huge thanks for my sweet friends, Katie, Bethany and Autumn, coming out to support me!

I'm ready to move in, aren't you?

How I Make That Money, Honey

Aren't we all a little curious as to what everyone does all day?

Lucky for us, Lindsey is hosting a link up!

As much as I would LOVE to be a SAH(doggie)M and blogger...

that isn't the case.

What I do get to do every day is almost as cool

(If they would let me bring Floyd to the office,

it would as cool.)

But let's start at the beginning.

I started my college career at Butler University  

with a major in psychology

and attended there for 2 years.

Even though I met my bff's at Butler, 

school wise, psychology and I were not getting along. 

(can we go back to college please?)

That summer after my sophomore year I happen to get a job 

 at an interior design firm/store.
The light bulb immediately went off and

 I knew interior design was my calling in life.

By the end of the summer I had decided to switch
my major to Interior Design and transfer to IUPUI.
(Butler did not offer Interior Design as a major.)

The whole transition from one school to the
other happened very quickly.

But from my very first design class at IUPUI, 

I knew I had made the right decision. 

All of my friends still lived in Indianapolis and continued at Butler.

I was able to live with them and 

still have the Butler experience while attending IUPUI.

It was the best of the both worlds. 

Even though it took me 4 more years

(6 years total if you are counting), to finish 

school, it was definitely worth it.

After school I moved to Cincinnati and

quickly landed a job at an interior design/retail shop.

I was there for about a year and a half until my current job came about.

I won't go into details, but it wasn't a good environment for me.

Last September I started at my current job and I LOVE it.

I work at a small, boutique interior design firm.

We specialize in kitchen and bath remodels, 

but really do anything and everything concerning design.

From paint colors, to sofas and pillows, to total remodels,

we do it all! 

 (inspiration images via my Pinterest boards)

I love working with clients,

putting their designs together 

and seeing the final product come to life.
Our firm is very innovative and creative and makes the
process so much fun.  

I also do a lot of the front of office work:

checking on/placing orders, invoices, collecting samples for projects,

and generally keeping everything organized.   

(I also get to order all of the office supplies.

I know this is totally dorky but I love office supplies

and honestly get excited every time I place an order.

Is there anything better than fresh sharpies?)

So in a nutshell, that is what I do every day!
Now if someone could figure out how for me to

design, be a SAH(doggie)M and blogger full time, 

that would be great!

Now go link up with Lindsey and see what everyone else is up to all day!