Getting Out the Door

Are there any working mom's out there that actually get to work when they plan too?

I never do.

Monday - Teagan stayed home since here Daddy was off work. I got to work at a decent time

Tuesday - Teagan wasn't feeling well and was grumpy about everything. I had to battle her to brush her teeth, put on her coat and shoes, put her in the carseat, etc. You all know how this goes. I wanted to get in earlier but she had other plans.

Wednesday - I held Teagan while brushing her teeth. She was super loving and decided to give me multiple hugs and kisses. I could not pass up this moment. I took the time to let my little sweetie love on me. Work could wait. After I dropped her off at daycare, my gas light came on. Another delay.

Thursday - Miss Teagan was not happy. She woke up crying and didn't stop all morning. It was a heart breaking morning. I wish she could tell me what was wrong. I spent a lot of time cuddling and soothing her. Funny that she stopped crying when she got to daycare. I guess she knows how to milk me.

Friday - Off.

Some of my mom tricks to help the mornings run smoother
- Get my sleepy butt up early so I can shower and get ready before Teagan wakes up. I'm not a morning person, so I don't always follow my plan.
- If Tea is sleeping late, I get everything ready for breakfast, even eat myself, before I get her up.
- I put Tea in her carseat before I put my work stuff in the car, check the house, set the alarm, etc.
- I also put Tea in the car before I put my own coat on. Teagan likes me to wear only one coat. If I try to put on any of my other coats she gets upset. Conflict avoided if she doesn't see the coat selection process.
-On days I'm running very late, I skip blow drying my hair and put it up in a wet bun. Looks somewhat professional and its FAST.



Do you have any tips to make the morning run smooth?

She said it!

Check out this post from Pickled Blu's blog:

http://pickledblu.blogspot.com/2012/02/parenting-strong-willed-child.html

Wonderful parenting advice. I plan to mother by these values.

As a Child of a Working Mom...

I'm a child a of a working mom (and dad!). My mom was lucky and stayed at home with me my first year. I then only went to daycare part time. I forget how long. I have asked my mother this many times but have forgotten. I eventually went to daycare full time.

As a child of a working mom:
- My early memories are of my MOM: driving in my mom's car with the window's down being "cool," singing "Walk Like and Egyptian" and doing the dance, playing on the big metal slides in the park after daycare with my mom and brothers, and on and on.  (Yes Dad - there are many memories with you but I'm defending the working mom here. Don't worry you're the best!)
- My memories of daycare are of my friends: Mary and Lindsay and Bobby, oh and Stevie (my little boyfriend).
- I could barely tell you the names of the daycare workers or what they look like.
- My mom LOVED me and I knew this well.
-When I had a boo boo or was sad, I wanted my MOM.
- I never questioned why my mom worked. I knew my parents go to work and I go to daycare and play. I was a happy kid.

Those opposed of working mothers use the argument that daycare workers replace the role of the mother. From my experience, this is very untrue.

No one can replace a mom.

For my working momma friends struggling with being away from your child, take it from me. Its harder on you. Your child loves you and you will always be the mom.

If anything, your child will appreciate all that you do when he/she is grown (most likely when they have their own children). My mom is super mom. I'm impressed how she did it all. I hope to be half the mom she is.

Cuteday Tuesday

It snowed a couple of inches last week.

Here is Miss Teagan enjoying her first sled ride. The video is dark but listen to her laughing. Its contagious. 

Staying at Home Transition

I didn't even think about the transition to being a part time working mom. But I'm finding there is a little bit of a change. Things that I'm finding out...

(1) The SAHM world.
I feel like there is this whole secret world that stay at home moms know about. Sorta like a club. Tea and I went to a toddler class last Friday. Everyone sat in the circle and we sang songs - some with props, and read books. Tea and I loved it. There were so many mommas and toddlers there. They all knew each other. During the first song, we went around the room and sang one verse with each child's name. When it was Tea's turn, no one knew her so I sang "Teagan" by myself. The 2nd pass through people caught on though.

At the end of the class most of the mommas were gabbing with each other. I felt like an impostor. Teagan was very shy too. This is unusual for my outgoing little girl. I think she felt out of place as well. I made some small talk with a mom next too me. We plan on going to more classes. I know they'll know us by name soon and we'll be sharing stories. But for now I kind of feel like the new kid.


(2) Schedule
I have failed the last two Fridays with Teagan and napping. She was crabby both evenings. I do plan naptime in our day and she does sleep but I guess not long enough. I'm her mom. I should know her schedule, right? I feel like her daycare does a better job then me. I'm learning! I like to think Teagan is having so much fun with me that she doesn't want to sleep and it has nothing to do with my parenting skills...right?


(3) Spending Money
Its probably a good thing I only have 1 day off. We went to Target to buy shampoo and such but we came out with way more items. If I were a full time stay at home mom we would be broke. I might spend everything.

Who could pass up on such a cute fleece? Teagan chewed on the collar so I know she likes it.

Fridays with Mom

Last Friday was by far my favorite day off with Teagan. It was a great day. 

First off we went to a toddler class at our local library. Loved it! I can't wait to do more classes. Here is Tea afterwards. Why haven't I thought about the library before? Great place to take a book lover. 

In the afternoon we went to the park. It was such a nice day. So many kids were there. 

Baby girl can go up the stairs and down the slide by herself. I was not allowed to help. She would push me back and say no. She's growing up!

I love this photo! Pure bliss. 

The next two photos are me being artsy.

This is one of my favorite views. 

When Tea's daddy got home from work we went for a jog - outside! Our lungs were not prepared for the colder air but Teagan loved it. Its been months since she's been in the jogging stroller and I was wondering if she would still like it....yep! She even fell asleep. 

In the evening we were invited to bowl with some friends. Teagan couldn't wait to push a ball when she arrived. 

More photos were taken but they were all shots of my butt. Not something this momma wants on the internet. Here is the only approved one. 

Her daddy has a nice bum so this I will post :)

Such a funday Friday! We will have many more. 

What We've Been Up Too Through Photos

Penguin March at the Zoo:

Daddy helping Tea get a better look

Snow! Okay just some flurries. But still exciting to a toddler. Teagan has not played in snow yet. 

Oh!

So much snow! :P

Taking a little break from playing

Same pose from last summer

Teagan likes to chew on her chin strap

First trip to the movies!

Cuteday Tuesday

I caught one of Teagan's big smiles on camera - a very tricky thing to do. She's fast.
Sorry to my Facebook friends for the duplicate photo.

Here is Miss Tea playing in her Daddy's car. She thinks she can drive.

Have a happy Tuesday!

First Friday Off

So on our first Friday off Teagan and I slept in. While eating breakfast:

Teagan: "Dad! Where's Dad?"

Mommy: "Dad's at work."

Teagan: "N! Where's N?"

Mommy: "He's at school."

I guess I'm chop liver. 

We had a great day at home. We met her daddy and her uncle for lunch and made Valentines. 

Here's some photos from our day. Selfies with a toddler. Enough said. They make me laugh. 

The Hardest Part About Working

I've said this to many people but I realized I never blogged about the hardest part of working.

I believe the hardest part about being a working mom is sharing my child time.

The free time I have with Teagan is the same time that friends and family have to be with her too.  There have been evenings when I finally get to sit down and hold Teagan, someone else has their arms open wanting to hold her too. I have shown weakness. Sometimes I have said no. Then I feel guilty. Even when I am good and let other people play with her, I'm itching inside to love on her. Sometimes I'll leave the room so I don't feel sad. Others might assume this as I need a break. I want and encourage Teagan to have relationships with our friends and family.

There is the mom stereotype that we need a break from our kids. To me, this doesn't apply with working moms. I don't need someone to entertain her so I can get something done or eat a meal. I rather do something with Teagan knowing it will take me twice as long because I enjoy her company. And I eat plenty of meals without Teagan. I like having an interrupted or cold meal. It makes me feel like a mom.

Sharing is something I'm learning.

You know your a parti womom when....you dread Monday mornings less then a ftwm.

Kelly's Korner Connection

I linked up with Kelly's Korner SUYL today (http://www.kellyskornerblog.com/) for working moms.

I am a working mom of a cheerful toddler girl and I'm still trying to figure out the best work/life balance for myself and my family. I have always worked. I raised with the mentality "if you want something, you earn it." I started my first job at 15 (part time at good old McDonalds) and have never stopped working. I'm now a software engineer (think problem solver - more than tech geek) and I love my profession. I always knew I wanted to work, even while being a mom.

Then I had Teagan.

Being a mommy has changed my perspective on so many things. I never knew how much love I could have for someone. Working and being a mom has it set of challenges. I worked fulltime after Teagan was born and I found myself struggling to do it all. I started this blog to share stories of the life of a working mom. I recently (as in today) started to work part time. I'm now working 4 day weeks with Fridays off.

I hope you enjoy my journey.

Kim

ParTi WoMom

Today is my first official day off as a part time working mom! I have come up with ParTi WoMom for part time working mom. Too long? Another contender was Mom WHaT (Mom working half time). I searched the internet and I didn't find any acronyms for part time working mothers. I'll try out ParTi WoMom for a while.

A lot of people asked me what are we going to do on our first big day off? I was pondering getting stuff done off my todo list and thinking about places we could go. Its too cold to do much outside and there aren't too many indoor playgrounds near us. I was obsessing with what Teagan and I would do.

Then it dawned on me. We will do nothing special and just enjoy having a day together! Since Teagan and I will have more time together, I don't need to obsess with making every minute super special. So today we will just go with the flow. Maybe meet her daddy for lunch.

Sweet Tea

You know you're a ParTi WoMom when.... you stay up later during the week knowing your weekend will arrive sooner to catch up on sleep.

Cuteday Tuesday

Have I told you about Teagan's little friend N? I should clarify. I think he is more than a friend. He's really Teagan's little boyfriend. N is little boy that attends the same daycare as Teagan. He's about 2 months older than her. [N is just his initial]

Here are some conversations I've had with Tea:

Me: "Are you going to daycare today?"
Teagan: "N"

Me: "Are you excited to see snow today?"
Teagan: "N"
[Note we never got snow. Forecasters teased my hopes again. Teagan will be an adult before she ever sees snow.]

Me: "Are you going see Miss K today?"
Teagan: "N"

Me: "Can you say Miss K?"
Teagan: "N"

Me: "How was school today?"
Teagan: "N"


You get the picture.

The daycare owner calls them her Valentines. They tell me stories about how they hug and blow each other kisses all day. They get Teagan up from nap first, and she makes sure to point to N and remind the workers to get him up too. Last week Teagan kept asking "Where's N?" after he was picked up early. When I dropped Tea off today, little N saw her and starting running and squealing in circles. I find this so cute.

There is another handsome, friendly boy named T. He runs up and gives Tea hugs in the morning but she just pushes him away. When N comes over she starts to blush. I feel a little sorry for T. He's a very sweet young boy but he is not her N.

I wonder if Tea and N will cross paths when they're older and still have this connection. Some souls are meant to be together.

Off to the treadmill...its been two weeks. This will hurt.

BTW, I'm still working on a replacement for ftwm. Any suggestions?

Work Work Work, While I Sing This Song

Done!

With my crazy work schedule. And...starting this week I will have my Fridays off. :) :) :)

Week recap:

Down side: First day I saw daylight was Friday. Plus side: working early and leaving late has fantastic commute times.

I did not see Teagan at all on Monday. Sadness. I woke her up by accident on Tuesday morning when I checked on her. I just wanted to see her rosy cheek face. She clinged to me, and I had to leave hearing her crying. Ugh. I felt like my heart had been pierced.

Monday I gave another speech. It went well. Then I gave an impromptu second speech and I found myself not being able to catch my breath. I felt confident but my body thought otherwise. Thoroughly embarrassed. I hate showing weakness. I wanted to kick butt. I'm still working on getting over this.

There was an after work function Thursday that I didn't attend. I should have gone. I was a key player this week. I was so tired and really wanted to see my family. Are there any other working parents out there that have been put in this situation? Do you attend after hour functions or not?


Part time here I come!