A Day in the Life of a Working Mom

5:00am: 1st alarm goes off. This is suppose to give myself a gradual wake-up period.

5:30am: 2nd and real alarm goes off. Time to get up.

5:45am: Actual wake up time. I now have about 35 mins to shower, get dressed, do hair, makeup and make bed (a must!)

6:20am: Time to wake the baby. Also, dress him and give him breakfast of cereal, toast and jam or fruit. Put on shoes. (A must!)

6:45 - 6:50am: Leave for work

7:30am - 4:30pm - Working.

4:30pm - Leave for work and head to daycare.

5:15pm - Pick up child. Head home

5:45pm - Arrive home. Change into comfy clothes, make a snack while child is usually playing.
This is when the 2nd shift starts and its more rigorous.

5:45pm - 7:45pm - This time is a flurry of several things. Its making dinner, for myself and for the child. Hubby usually gets in a bit later so I don't wait for him. Since I am usually starving the moment I walk in the door, I tend to fix myself a plate and eat it quickly while standing at the kitchen island.

My son is usually running back and forth throughout the living room, dining room and kitchen, sometimes happily. I may then sit with him with some flash cards or a book or let him watch some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or Star Wars Rebels while I try to multi-task and empty or load the dishwasher, get a jump on packing my lunch for the next day, wipe down some kitchen counters or if I am tired (which is many nights) try to relax a few with my tablet and some Facebooking/YouTubing or other social media.

But its short lived when you have an active, mobile toddler jumping on the couch, throwing pillows, balls, or toy cars at everything including the windows, TV, or straight in your face or trying to play on top of the icky trashcan, opening and slamming kitchen cabinets, hitting or playing in the window blinds, making a grab for remote controls (which are forbidden), tablets or any gadgets nearby, climbing stairs or storage bins or, making a dash for the bathroom to hide behind the door to play hide - n- seek, unravel toilet paper or serve as company for anyone who thought they could pee in private. Jokes on them!

This time is also precious because its really the only time I have to spend with my 22- month old and in that short span of time, I am 1) tired after working all day and being up since 5-ish am (in fact, it really hits me soon as I get in the door. I seem to lose about 50% of my energy level the moment I walk in the door and remove my work heels), 2) have a good list of things I need to accomplish before bed and 3) it feels like a race against time to get things done so I can have some me time. The more I have to do, the less time I have to myself before bed. Some nights that means NO time for just me.

After dinner, he either gets a bath or its time for bed. I have a routine of preparing him for bed which includes getting his sippy cup of milk ready and waiting upstairs (warmed in the colder months), pulling out his PJs, night diaper, wipe and putting his toothbrush out with toothpaste, his wash cloth damped and ready and the baby monitor turned on. I do these things with him downstairs with his father as its more work to try and do it with him in the room. Its key that he does not see the sippy until he gets it otherwise he'll whine and cry 'til he gets it.

The bed routine is the most physical as I have to wrestle him out of his diaper and into his PJs, block him from grabbing things on the changing table and throwing them and sometimes hold him still to keep from kicking everywhere. Teeth brushed and all settled, lights go off (he gets to hit the switch) and its time for "night night". I sit him in the rocking chair while he drinks his last milk and rock a bit to calm him. Truth be told, sitting in that dark room rocking for so long, I usually end up nodding off myself.

After he finishes and after some time (some short as 10 mins some long as 20 -30 mins) he settles down and I put him in his crib and tuck him in.

FREEDOM!!! - Well, no not yet.

Now I gotta get to that list of stuff I need to do that I couldn't do when he was awake. But now I have lost another 15% of energy in the bedtime routine. *sigh*

8:30pm - 9pm - This is typically when I handle the nightly 'chores of life', which include:

• packing his daycare bag (his lunch, 2 snacks and 3 sippy cups of milk and water + spoon)
• packing my own lunch
• washing sippys for the next day
• straightening up the kitchen
• putting toys away in the living room
• cleaning the cat's litterbox; refilling the automatic food bowl
• tidying up the living room, dining room and putting away clothes and shoes I wore that day
• if need be, cooking or preparing meals for the next day

9:15pm to 10:15ish p, FREEDOM, no for reals this time!!

After all my regular nightly chores are completed, I finally get some free time to myself for A WHOLE HOUR!!!!

This is finally the time to pursue whatever other interests I may have including workout out researching recipes, reading, browsing the internet, doing my hair, blogging (like right now!), other writing, gaming, doing nails/toes, spending time with the hubby, etc. Yeah no, can't fit all that into one hour. So I may choose one or two things per night (such as 30 mins to workout and the rest to write or read before bed). And then there are many night where I am just too tired to do anything but pour a glass of wine and take my butt to bed early with a book in tow. I am usually passed out and snoring loudly around 10:30pm and often times after having only read about 2 pages of whatever I am trying to read.

And that is my Monday through Friday. Because of this new mommy schedule, its been impossible to keep up on the latest TV shows and movies. I can't really watch anything without distractions until after 9pm and 9 out of 10, I am nodding off through it. Where I use to be a pretty prolific and regular blogging, it now takes me sometimes weeks to complete just one because that one hour a day goes by soooo fast and I have so much I am trying to cram into it. The energy levels quickly drain.

Weekends are calmer but it also means running after my toddler for 10-12 hours a day so the actual free time is still limited and again, usually hindered with the same lack of energy as during the week.

But that is not to say I am complaining. While the day-to-day dealings with a toddler comes with MANY challenges, some I never saw coming, my reward comes in spontaneous, little packages throughout the evening, such as watching my son's face light up when he realizes Mommy is there to pick him up from daycare and comes running,  both arms outstretched shouting "Mama!!" and slams me me with a big hug; when he holds up his cute little arm to offer me a piece of his cheese, anytime he bumps his little applehead and its me that he comes running to for comfort and love but the best part of my day, the moment that keeps me going, is tucking him into bed at night, getting that big hug and a sweet, slobbery, droll-juicy kiss and that final "I yuv yoo" to end the day.

Its the perfect end and reward for a long day. And totally and completely worth all the craziness it contains.

Thanks for reading!

Toddler Life: Signs You Have a Toddler

One day your sweet, cherubic-faced angel is cuddled up in your arms, content to sleep and eat the day away. Then the next (or seems like it), that same adorable ball of cuddles is suddenly a walking, babbling, tyrannical ball of energy, thrashing through your house, leaving a trail of toys and sometimes food in his wake. You're not going crazy. That tiny time frame of babyhood has gone by and your lil boo boo now has a new attitude complete with his/her own wants, likes, desires, and dislikes and the ability to start expressing this. Here's some signs you may have a full-blown toddler:


Bedtime on a weekend is still 10pm. Cause toddlers still keep crackhead hours and the minute they are awake, its time to play! Pretty much instantly.

And eventually, they won't wait for you to get them up.

Sleeping in is sleeping til 8am...if you're lucky.

Solo bathroom trips? Don't plan on it. Peeing apprently is a group sport.

Thought you could eat a whole cookie by yourself? Yeah, unthink that. They will let you know whatever you eat, is also theres!

Living rooms are now playrooms and the toys just grow and grow.

There is always some sort of smashed food on the floor. Note: banana gets concrete hard if left awhile. Keep a scraper handy.

Socks? Shoes? Yeah, no! The toddler will decide how long to wear these things.

Toys on the floor is life. Watch your step!

No more TV-14 entertainment til after 9pm. You can chance it...until they begin watching and repeating things.

Naptimes are hit or miss. Some days are good but on others, you wonder if the ball of energy will ever go down and for how long. Some days you'll be lucky to get in one full hour.

Running errands revolves around naptimes and whether you can get a stroller in that store or if they have carts. You may forgo going to a store at all if none of these options are available.


Shopping trips also mean constantly picking up things they grab off shelves and throw on the floor, reminding them they can't touch things and then rushing to the checkout before they have a meltdown. Because they can't touch anything.

Diaper changes become wrestling matches. Apparently some tots have no issue sitting on a poop patty.

You cross your fingers while preparing meals in the hopes that your efforts aren't rejected. And some foods that love one day, they despise the next.

Your Netflix suggestions are suddenly flooded with kids programs. All cause you watched Handy Manny that one time!

You know all the words to all the songs your kids toys plays whether you like it or not and you've gotten this theme song stuck in your head more than once:



Your kid has made a habit out of throwing things, then immediately having a fit...because its no longer in their hands. So you retrieve it, only for them to throw it again. Meltdown again. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Letting them fall asleep in the car, big mistake!

You've been slapped in the head at least 3 times by a tiny hand or a flying toy. Your bob -n-weave is improving.

Tantrums. Tantrums. Tantrums. Mood swings vary by the minute and the same cuddly, adorable tot can instantly transform into a tiny, screaming, monster on a whim!




If this sounds like you, take heart. The toddler stage is just another phase among many.They will eventually grow out of it and move on to bigger things.

Or so I hope!

DIY: Homemade Baby Food

So soon as my son began chewing at around 11 - 12 months, we started experimenting with different foods and were buying Gerber and Earth's Best baby food for his age range. I was happy with that for a bit but after awhile decided to try and make his food at home.

Looking at the ingredients on the baby food jars. It seemed really simple. Most were just "peas, water", "carrots, water", "apples", etc. So I figured this was doable and maybe a bit cheaper than spending $.72 to $1.50 per jar, where baby boy was quickly eating 2-3 jars a day.

I started off simple with fresh fruits and veggies: sweet potatoes, apples, peas and corn, green beans and peaches. Many of the very things I was buying in a jar.

The process went like this:

• skin veggies
• chop
• boil (to soften and kill off germs)
• puree in food processor
• portion out
• store in fridge or freezer

The first try was a bit daunting but I quickly got the hang of it. To create the portions, I used the same 6 oz jars of baby food that were saved and used then to measure. Once portioned, my hubby had the great idea of storing them in freezer bags for space-saving. That way they could be flattened and stacked, like pancakes, saving room in our already packed freezer. Once they were frozen hard, they can be set oupright for even more room.

I like to flip through them like a book!

I do have to note that while this may be healthier for the baby, it definitely takes up more time! In fact, I have easily spent 2+ hours just preparing baby food. But I would do it on a weekend and make enough for the entire week. As some time went on, I did found ways to cut some corners, like buying frozen veggies to eliminate the skinning and boiling time and buy already peeled and cut fruit. 

Since my son attends daycare, I pack his meals for the next day, the night before. So I thaw and spoon the food in baby food jars but had added chalkboard stickers to them and label them with a chalkboard marker (available at any craft store like Michael's or Target). It's probably not necessary, but its kinda fun to label your own jar of homemade food. 

For his home meals, I simple pull the frozen portions out the night before and leave them in the fridge and they go right in the bowl to microwave for eating.

Things I Learned

While I originally thought it would save some money, in the end, it didn't really. Fresh foods do cost more and I found what I was spending on them was coming to about the same as the jarred food. But prep and cooking time was obviously a lot longer. Also a lot messier. But there is still a lot of satisfaction in knowing your baby is eating something you created and even better, loving it!

Tips

• To keep food moist, I'd added purified water.
• Make sure to buy freezer bags as they are meant for this. Others have had success with ice cube trays and other freezer containers.
• If using a chalkboard marker, make sure its really dry before you write on it and let it dry after. Otherwise, it can smudge right off. It smudges easily in general.
• Ditalini is a great pasta for babies who are able to chew. Its just their size. 
• One cup of brown rice (not the instant but real brown rice) can create a lot of food. I've made 4-5 servings of food with it mixed with veggies.

Some of the meals I've created include:

• brown rice & peas
• brown rice & zucchini
• apples
• peaches
• spinach
• creamy spinach from Birds Eye (sooo good)
• peas & carrots
• carrots
• green beans
• peas & potatoes
• brown rice & squash
• artichokes and asparagus (Wegman's)
• Ditalini pasta & cherry tomatoes

So that's it. Now if only I could put as much effort into my own meal planning! 

Got any other great recipes or meals for toddlers. Leave me a comment!

Things That Surprised Me Most About Having a Baby

While pregnant, I thought I did all the reading, watched all the YouTube videos and consulted with all my birth board gals and fellow preggos about life after baby. So I thought I pretty much knew exactly what was coming and how things would be.

But, of course, there are always surprises.

The Lack of Sleep
Duh!!! Right! Well, maybe I was too optimistic but I honestly thought you bring the baby home, you get up in the night often for maybe the first 2-3 months and that somewhere, somehow, the baby would fall into a nice routine and it would be over by like, I dunno, month 3.

I don't know where I got this idea that the lack of sleep would only be in the very beginning because as I type this, my son is 10 months and 2 weeks old and he still does not sleep through the night most nights. Yes, sleep training got him sleeping better and going back to sleep better but he still sleeps very inconsistently.

Of all the things I was worried about when I was expecting (breastfeeding, money, time, etc.) I didn't really think my #1 issue would be lack of sleep. I didn't know how obsessed I would get over sleep. I was sooo naive!

The Lack of Energy
Another one of my new-mom naivete's: I actually thought that after a few initial months, of losing sleep, I'd jump right back into my former routines. I'd put baby to bed, then go workout, do some chores, pack lunch, play on the computer or whatever, til I went to bed at my usual 11pm.

11pm!! There's still an 11pm? Cause for the first 6-7 months, I could barely stay up past 9pm!!

What I didn't account for was how incredibly tired I would be, for months and how ready for bed I would be immediately after putting the baby down. For the first 6 months, after the baby was asleep, I was in a mad dash to get some house things done so I could finally get to the most sought after place in my life, MY BED at around 9-9:30 PM!!! 7 days a week! When my friends were going out, hitting movies, watching all the good TV shows, my butt was curling up in PJs dying, begging for a good 4-5 hours before that middle-of-the-night wakeup call. What workouts? What computer time? None of this stuff existed anymore.

Yes, I saw this meme on Facebook and thought it funny but I didn't take it seriously!

Some Babies Aren't Good Sleepers in General
Maybe because I had friends whose newborns were sleeping through the night at 6 weeks, 2 months etc. and babies who seemed to sleep most of the day that I got the idea that babies, well sleep a lot. And some do. But some don't.

My dearest baby boy napped well in the beginning. You'd give him a bottle and he'd pass right out for a good 2 hours, several times a day, leaving me with precious time to do anything else. Then something happened and around 3 or 4 months, he stopped doing that. His naps became shorter and shorter. Some days he'd be down for a mere 20-30 mins. I became lucky if he napped for a full hour. All day!!!

But the worst sleep habit by far was the middle of the night party sessions. Around 6 months old, my son stopped falling back asleep in the night after a bottle and began not only staying wide awake but was ready to play and party for the next 1-2 hours. If you put him down, he'd scream bloody murder. So there we were holding this kid for an 1+ every night, while he kicked, hit, laughed, and played and I sat there stewing, waiting for him to pass out so I could return to my warm bed. This went on for about 3 months!!!

Thankfully, in time, with some sleep training and as he gets more active during the day, my little one is sleeping better and some days so am I.

How Comfortable You Become Handling Poop
This one just occurred to me last min but before baby, the thought of handling poopy diapers seemed, well, icky! After baby, I was surprised at just how easy it was to adjust to handling daily poop and how nonplussed I've become with the whole thing. Got it on my finger? No biggie. Some onmy clothes? yeah that happens? I can even look at a poopy diaper and determine what food baby had the day before. Oh yeah sweet potatoes! (I decided not to post an accompanying pic. Your welcome!!)


The Good Surprises!

My body bounced back fairly quickly, even after a C-section. Being a new AMA ("advanced maternal age") mom, I honestly thought bouncing back weight-wise was for 20-somethings. I expected to gain a good amount of weight and carry it for the year. But I was pleasantly surprised when most of the weight fall off during the first 6-8 weeks postpartum and by 3-4 months, I was back in my regular pre-pregnancy clothes. Skinny jeans and all. (I will blog more about how I got my tummy down later.)

Beautiful Nails (for awhile)

Not sure what postpartum hormones I had coasting through my body but for 3-4 months, I had the longest, strongest nails I ever had. It was wonderful...while it lasted.








Lack of sleep and energy aside, it has all gotten better with time. And I am sure there will be more surprises as time rolls on.

What things surprised you as a new parent?

Why I Let My Baby Cry It Out and How It Improved His Sleep

For the first four months of my son's life, night wakings went like this: he'd waking up crying, I'd change his diaper, fix a bottle and feed him while rocking him in the chair. After his bottle, he'd be milk-drunk and couldn't even keep his head up. I'd carefully place him back in his crib and it was nighty-nighty til next feeding or morning.

Then around the 6 month mark, something changed. He'd wake, I'd do my usual but this time instead of the milk-drunk sleepiness, he was now wide awake. Jumping, hopping, hitting, grabbing, laughing, babbling, you name it. 2am, 3am, 4am, he did not care. He was wide awake and ready to party. For no less that an HOUR. EVERY NIGHT! Sometimes up to 2 HOURS!!! Worse was he did not want to be put down or be put in the crib or he'd scream and cry. So for 1 - 2 hours a night, my hubby and I held him while he partied his butt off and decided he was then ready for sleep.

This went on for nearly 3 months. Then I got fed up. Because jobs aren't really that understanding when you can barely keep your eyes open at work.

So I began reading up on the Ferber Method, also known as the "Cry It Out" method.I was ready. This baby was not going to break me. Basically what it entails is after you have established a strong bedtime routine and have taken care of your usual for the baby, you put him down in the cry, while sleepy but still awake and the baby has to learn to soothe himself to sleep instead of relying on you to soothe them.

So after an hour of sitting up with him at 2am one night and finally getting him to sleep in my arms, I gently put him in his crib and like he often did, he popped right back up like a piece of toast and went from snoring hard to sitting up and crying in a nanosecond, I said enough! And goodnight!! I patted his back, told him goodnight and I left the room.

And he cried. For 25 mins. Then he got quiet. He then fell asleep. I did this the next night and again, he cried for 25 mins, then passed out. Then next few nights he slept better but as I read more about the method, I realized I wasn't doing it fully. I was still rocking him to sleep while putting him to bed. What I read is that babies get used to certain patterns in going to sleep and get so accustomed that they can't get back to sleep without them. Just like how I rocked my son to sleep every night. He would not go to sleep unless rocked.

So I decided to stop rocking him to sleep him while putting him to bed. It was a Thursday in March when I told my husband we would try not rocking. I did my usual and fed him his bottle and when he turned to be held and burped, I burped him, held him for a few, kissed him and held him tight and while he was sleepy but still awake, put him right in the crib.

He began to fuss and I left the room. I grabbed the baby monitor fully expecting a 25 min crying spell and was prepared to go in at the 10-min mark to rub his back.

But something happened I didn't expect. At 3 mins, his crying died down. And at 4 mins, he was asleep. And that night, he slept through the night.

The next night, same thing. Slept through the night. By Night 3 of this, when he woke in the middle of the night, when put down he cried for only 2 mins before falling asleep. In the first 8 days, he slept through the night 6 of those nights and the other 2, he was back asleep in under 15 mins of being put in his crib. He was learning to self-soothe and put himself to sleep without me. 

One month later, my son goes to sleep immediately after being put in the crib 90% of the time, without any rocking and he is sleeping through the night about 70% of the week. The other days, when he wakes, he usually is sleepy right after a bottle and sleeps shortly after being put back down. 

Teething and colds have caused some setbacks. I forgo this method while he has been teething or if he's not feeling well and go back to rocking him to sleep. But he falls back to sleep much quicker and easier than before. I also think his crawling has helped tired him out more during the day. But overall, he has much better sleep habits, which I hope continue.

Every parent needs to asses what may be better for them and their baby so there isn't one method that will work for everyone. You may also find that you may need to tweak some things for your particular situation.

Sweet dreams!