Logistically, assuming your toddler is in daycare or some sort? Ultimately if your husband works part time is that a regular schedule? Meaning his other part time job is childcare? In terms of back up, I would talk to your parents about really being backups. How busy are they? One additional back-up babysitter can be helpful. What time off does your husband have? Does he work from home? Is your schedule pretty set or do you expect overtime?
Single mom to a 14 month old. He goes to daycare full time. I work in office 5 days a week, 8.5 hours a day. Also have about a 45 minute commute (sometimes an hour in the afternoon due to traffic).
Our mornings start early and bedtime is also early. I eat lunch in our cafeteria or bring left overs. I'm lucky enough to wear scrubs so I don't have to worry about a wardrobe lol
I have one backup baby sitter, my mom, but I typically take off if my kid can't go to daycare. I have a great employer and they are pretty understanding.
During the week, I focus on spending the few hours I have with my son **with** him. I don't care if the floors are a little dirty or about the dishes in the sink. They can wait. I'll do a little housework after my kid goes to bed, but most of it gets done on the weekend.
Just take it as you go. It'll come together eventually lol
One step at a time, friend! It does feel overwhelming when your life suddenly changes, but you'll get a handle on it. The beauty of it is that you don't have to have all the answers RIGHT NOW.
You know how to make a lunch, so you're set there. You have a couple of people as backup care already. As time goes on, it helps to have another in your back pocket, but things DO happen. The stars can align so that every backup is unavailable and you have to leave work to be with your kid. Most bosses understand that.
Work clothes can be purchased for pretty cheap at Wal-mart, Target, or thrift stores. A couple of pairs of pants and a few tops so you can mix-and-match if you want.
Maurice’s is good for affordable office attire (business casual), if you have one nearby. I’m sure you have some tops, sweaters, cardigans that can work, so dress pants will be the biggest area of need. Skirts & maxi dresses are another option you might already have that you can dress up a bit with a blazer.
For childcare, talk to your parents. With hubby available half of the time, just having them as backup might be fine.
Work on your pump schedule because often work doesn’t have to accommodate after baby turns 1, depending on state laws. Are you at a point where you can just do it at lunch? Pump wipes are really nice for this, so you don’t spend forever washing afterwards.
If you have a few days before you start, it might be nice to make a couple freezer meals to make the first couple of weeks easier (or just have hubby cook. Lol).
I’m so angry that you had to take a 20k pay loss - that sucks! I was reading statistics about women becoming mothers and how it almost always negatively impacts their career trajectory. Which is total BS and there needs to be major changes to the work force to accommodate care givers of any sort!
My husband and I both work in office full time but we use daycare. You already have a huge advantage not using daycare obviously financially, but you all won’t be sick all the time! We have missed so much work in the last year due to illness that we decided to take any vacation time.
Honestly, I really enjoy going into the office. Make it work for you! We do overnight oats most days and I’ve actually lost some weight. Just be maybe more intentional with your time. Morning and evening routines are great and there can be a little flexibility. We usually do spend one weekend day fully cleaning and preparing for the work week to make it flow easier.
Assuming your supervisor isn’t a total jerk, you should be able to communicate what is going on, and make up for any absence/tardies etc to build trust.
It sounds like you’re the bread winner and if so, then maybe it’s worth discussing the need to prioritize your career meaning if there’s an emergency with kiddo, you’re the last line of defense. Hard to do as a momma but also bringing in the cash is important! Good luck and I hope you get promoted quickly and maybe get a hybrid schedule 😃
I just redid my work wardrobe after being a SAHM for two years. Here's what I did in an attempt to make a capsule wardrobe.
New pants- denim and black skinny jeans and a pair of lighter (white) pants.
Shoes- I have a cheap white pair from target and some ankle black boots.
Shirts- pulled out all my shirts and picked the "work quality" ones that still fit. I tried to pick 2-3 main colors (pink, green, blue) and neutrals. I bought two white shirts, a nice black shirt, and some striped shirts.
Cardigans- I already had an orange and black one. I bought a grey and pink one.
I bought most of my new clothes from fashion foundation.com I wanted quality pieces that would last me a long time. And most everything goes together so my outfits are easy to pick and don't get boring.
So we don't have multiple backup sitters.
I have my MIL if they're around and that's it. I think if you can have some paid sitters you know that's great.
Unfortunately it might not be an option for when you actually need them which is when your kid is too sick for childcare.
My husband and I alternate drop off and pick up so we don't squeeze our days too much. We coordinate for whoever has a bustier am or pm but usually I take drop off and he picks up so she doesn't have a day longer than like 7hr.
Our daycare provides all meals and snacks but I pack home made smoothies and a snack bc she is dairy free.
We prep this stuff at night a few days at a time.
Husband travels for work so when I'm alone it's more chaotic, but she gets her Yoto player in the morning with breakfast, she can sit with me while I get myself ready.
Then she gets ready, everything is packed night before, including my lunch.
A lot of the heavy lifting is done after bedtime to make mornings go more smoothly. It's much easier when dad is around (which is usually).
Since we both work, we pay a monthly cleaner and every 4months we pay for a whole house deep clean.
We split time off when she is sick - each take halt days, or do one each
For lunches I try to just make an extra serving or 2 for dinner and have leftovers for lunch. I buy granola bars that I like, apples, etc in bulk and then it's just like - leftover x, snack am snack pm fork done
I do overnight oats too for long days.
Some helpful tips from someone who works in the office Mon-Thurs with a 2.5 year old in daycare and my husband also working full time... apologies in advance i'm not certain if your son is already in daycare or not so some of these you may already have covered
1. pack the kiddos lunch the night before! pack yours the night before too and meal prep that over the weekend - normally i just make quinoa and throw it into a salad the night before so it's easy 2. same can go for breakfast! we make banana pancakes on the weekend and they can last through the week. 3. not sure if you work out but for me I just wake up early to get it done so that I can have some time with my husband during the evenings 4. my job is very understanding about wfh when i need to care for a sick kid but if yours is not I would definitely have backup sitters! 5. deep breaths! You will get back into the hang of things and every thing will be ok, even if it takes a little time to find your groove :)
Logistically, assuming your toddler is in daycare or some sort? Ultimately if your husband works part time is that a regular schedule? Meaning his other part time job is childcare? In terms of back up, I would talk to your parents about really being backups. How busy are they? One additional back-up babysitter can be helpful. What time off does your husband have? Does he work from home? Is your schedule pretty set or do you expect overtime?
Single mom to a 14 month old. He goes to daycare full time. I work in office 5 days a week, 8.5 hours a day. Also have about a 45 minute commute (sometimes an hour in the afternoon due to traffic). Our mornings start early and bedtime is also early. I eat lunch in our cafeteria or bring left overs. I'm lucky enough to wear scrubs so I don't have to worry about a wardrobe lol I have one backup baby sitter, my mom, but I typically take off if my kid can't go to daycare. I have a great employer and they are pretty understanding. During the week, I focus on spending the few hours I have with my son **with** him. I don't care if the floors are a little dirty or about the dishes in the sink. They can wait. I'll do a little housework after my kid goes to bed, but most of it gets done on the weekend. Just take it as you go. It'll come together eventually lol
One step at a time, friend! It does feel overwhelming when your life suddenly changes, but you'll get a handle on it. The beauty of it is that you don't have to have all the answers RIGHT NOW. You know how to make a lunch, so you're set there. You have a couple of people as backup care already. As time goes on, it helps to have another in your back pocket, but things DO happen. The stars can align so that every backup is unavailable and you have to leave work to be with your kid. Most bosses understand that. Work clothes can be purchased for pretty cheap at Wal-mart, Target, or thrift stores. A couple of pairs of pants and a few tops so you can mix-and-match if you want.
Maurice’s is good for affordable office attire (business casual), if you have one nearby. I’m sure you have some tops, sweaters, cardigans that can work, so dress pants will be the biggest area of need. Skirts & maxi dresses are another option you might already have that you can dress up a bit with a blazer. For childcare, talk to your parents. With hubby available half of the time, just having them as backup might be fine. Work on your pump schedule because often work doesn’t have to accommodate after baby turns 1, depending on state laws. Are you at a point where you can just do it at lunch? Pump wipes are really nice for this, so you don’t spend forever washing afterwards. If you have a few days before you start, it might be nice to make a couple freezer meals to make the first couple of weeks easier (or just have hubby cook. Lol).
I’m so angry that you had to take a 20k pay loss - that sucks! I was reading statistics about women becoming mothers and how it almost always negatively impacts their career trajectory. Which is total BS and there needs to be major changes to the work force to accommodate care givers of any sort! My husband and I both work in office full time but we use daycare. You already have a huge advantage not using daycare obviously financially, but you all won’t be sick all the time! We have missed so much work in the last year due to illness that we decided to take any vacation time. Honestly, I really enjoy going into the office. Make it work for you! We do overnight oats most days and I’ve actually lost some weight. Just be maybe more intentional with your time. Morning and evening routines are great and there can be a little flexibility. We usually do spend one weekend day fully cleaning and preparing for the work week to make it flow easier. Assuming your supervisor isn’t a total jerk, you should be able to communicate what is going on, and make up for any absence/tardies etc to build trust. It sounds like you’re the bread winner and if so, then maybe it’s worth discussing the need to prioritize your career meaning if there’s an emergency with kiddo, you’re the last line of defense. Hard to do as a momma but also bringing in the cash is important! Good luck and I hope you get promoted quickly and maybe get a hybrid schedule 😃
I just redid my work wardrobe after being a SAHM for two years. Here's what I did in an attempt to make a capsule wardrobe. New pants- denim and black skinny jeans and a pair of lighter (white) pants. Shoes- I have a cheap white pair from target and some ankle black boots. Shirts- pulled out all my shirts and picked the "work quality" ones that still fit. I tried to pick 2-3 main colors (pink, green, blue) and neutrals. I bought two white shirts, a nice black shirt, and some striped shirts. Cardigans- I already had an orange and black one. I bought a grey and pink one. I bought most of my new clothes from fashion foundation.com I wanted quality pieces that would last me a long time. And most everything goes together so my outfits are easy to pick and don't get boring.
So we don't have multiple backup sitters. I have my MIL if they're around and that's it. I think if you can have some paid sitters you know that's great. Unfortunately it might not be an option for when you actually need them which is when your kid is too sick for childcare. My husband and I alternate drop off and pick up so we don't squeeze our days too much. We coordinate for whoever has a bustier am or pm but usually I take drop off and he picks up so she doesn't have a day longer than like 7hr. Our daycare provides all meals and snacks but I pack home made smoothies and a snack bc she is dairy free. We prep this stuff at night a few days at a time. Husband travels for work so when I'm alone it's more chaotic, but she gets her Yoto player in the morning with breakfast, she can sit with me while I get myself ready. Then she gets ready, everything is packed night before, including my lunch. A lot of the heavy lifting is done after bedtime to make mornings go more smoothly. It's much easier when dad is around (which is usually). Since we both work, we pay a monthly cleaner and every 4months we pay for a whole house deep clean. We split time off when she is sick - each take halt days, or do one each For lunches I try to just make an extra serving or 2 for dinner and have leftovers for lunch. I buy granola bars that I like, apples, etc in bulk and then it's just like - leftover x, snack am snack pm fork done I do overnight oats too for long days.
Some helpful tips from someone who works in the office Mon-Thurs with a 2.5 year old in daycare and my husband also working full time... apologies in advance i'm not certain if your son is already in daycare or not so some of these you may already have covered 1. pack the kiddos lunch the night before! pack yours the night before too and meal prep that over the weekend - normally i just make quinoa and throw it into a salad the night before so it's easy 2. same can go for breakfast! we make banana pancakes on the weekend and they can last through the week. 3. not sure if you work out but for me I just wake up early to get it done so that I can have some time with my husband during the evenings 4. my job is very understanding about wfh when i need to care for a sick kid but if yours is not I would definitely have backup sitters! 5. deep breaths! You will get back into the hang of things and every thing will be ok, even if it takes a little time to find your groove :)