Posts Tagged: working mom
Busy Moms: How To Survive Summer
Summer is the time of year that everyone is allowed to be lazy and be carefree. But, it is also the time of year where kids get restless and desperate for different summer activities. For busy moms, it is important to establish daily routines for the kids and organizing different activities to keep the kids entertained. Here are some tips to achieve this.
White Board of Activities
The summer season is the time of year where kids expect different activities to fill their day. Letting them know what to expect in the day will help you get organized. This is where your whiteboard of activities help. You can make this a daily routine for your family. You can write on your whiteboard the activities that you have planned for the day. A simple list of activities can help organize your schedule and the things that your children will do. This will also keep things exciting for your kids.
The “Bored” Basket
Nowadays, it is become more difficult to keep a kid’s attention as their attention span is becoming slimmer and slimmer. In the summer, it is important to keep them entertained even at home. To get this done, have a basket ready with different toys, craft supplies, and puzzle games. It doesn’t matter how big or small the toy is. If you know what makes your children tick, then it would be easier for you to grab new toys from the store to keep them entertained the entire summer.
A Ready “Go Bag”
Having a backpack stocked with the things you need for an impromptu hike or an impromptu trip to the beach will definitely help save you a lot of time. Pack a bag filled with insect repellant and other things that you need for a family camping. A bag filled with the necessary things for an unplanned beach get-away will also make your life easier. Pack all-purpose baby wipes, sunscreen, lotion, beach towels, change of clothes, goggles, and other things that you think is needed in the beach. You can prepare separate bags for different getaways. Having “go bags” ready will keep things smooth and easy.
Keep Your Coolers Cool
If you have a cooler laying around the house, make sure that it is ready for a getaway in the summer. Keep it somewhere you can easily grab it. Packing your own lunch and snacks will make things convenient and affordable for you. You can easily throw in snack bars, sandwiches, juices, or milk boxes in your cooler whenever you decide to go out for the day. Having a ready cooler will also save you time finding food or drinks whenever your kids feel hungry and thirsty.
Create Your Summer Bucket List
Before the summer season starts, it would also help keep the ball rolling. You don’t have to get fancy when creating your summer bucket list. Make a simple list on a piece of paper. You can place this list next to your whiteboard so it will be easy for you to list the “activity of the day”. You can also brainstorm with your children and family to find out what activities they want to do in the summer. It can be like going for a bike around the lake, or berry picking in a nearby farm. The activities do not have to be complicated or extravagant. All you need to remember is if everyone in your family will enjoy doing the activity or not.
With these five ideas in place, it will be easier for you to plan your summer and your family’s summer activities. Rain or shine, spontaneous trips or not, having things organized will help keep things on track. Enjoy your summer!
Moms, Here’s How You Can Pamper Yourself
Moms do it all. They manage houses, they sooth wounded knees, they kiss any pain away, and they cuddle all nightmares away. If you ask any mom if they still have any time to themselves, you would probably hear most them say that they don’t have any left to pamper themselves.
With busy schedules that a lot of mom handle, especially for working moms, it would be very impossible to find a free weekend all to themselves. Most moms still have to manage their households in the weekend. If you are a mom, then you would experience the same busy weekends as other moms. But, you should also give time to yourself. A 10 or 20 minute off your busy schedule is all that it takes to give yourself some relax time. Here’s how:
- Allow yourself to waste time. Multitasking is something that busy moms are very familiar with. One hand is busy carrying a baby, and the other is busy checking off each item on the grocery list. But, moms, you are also allowed to waste some time all to yourself. Try to insert this 10-minute or 20-minute of “wasted” time in your busy daily schedule and mark it as “ME TIME”. You can do whatever you want in this 20 minutes. You can read your favorite magazine, eat your favorite dessert, or have a very nice bubble bath. The most important thing is that you do whatever makes you happy and relaxed.
- Call your person. The allotted weekly me time of 10 or 20 minutes would not be a lot of time to meet your most favorite person for a cup of tea or coffee. But, it will give you time to speak to him or her over the phone and just catch up. Talk about the things that you both like. Try to avoid talking about house chores, kid sports, or any activity that your kids are doing. Make this time about you and your friendship. Use this time to connect or reconnect.
- Have a foot massage or get a new Mani-Pedi. There are a lot of places in the malls or private salons that offer a 10 or 20-minute foot massage. The same time can also be used to having new manicures and pedicures. To do this, find that one salon that is nearest you. If you have a favorite salon, then you should go have your me time there.
- Get bubbly. You should make this a weekly routine to have a bubble bath. This is not only relaxing, but very rejuvenating. If you are having a busy week, adding a bubble bath to your weekly routine would make you feel awesome. If you can, add this to your daily routine. It would not hurt to have a bubble bath before you say goodnight and get your good night’s rest.
It is very important that moms also give time to themselves. Not only are you busy managing your own careers, but also busy managing your family’s daily routine. A 10 or 20-minute of me time will really help you relax, reenergize, and rejuvenate yourselves.
Making Working and Breastfeeding Work
Many mothers already have a hard time breastfeeding their babies. But what if you’re also working? We are now seeing a growing number of women forgoing the norm of being plain housewives and actually joining the workforce. And when these women have babies, they are faced with the dilemma of continuing work or giving it up and just staying at home to take care of their child. If you’re one of them, here are some tips to help you make working and breastfeeding work.
- Many employers have made their offices child-friendly; some allow mothers to bring their baby to work, while others offer an on-site daycare for their employees’ children. Explore your options and make the best out of them.
- Make your breast pump your best friend. Learn how to effectively use one so you can efficiently pump enough milk for your baby before you leave for work. Your baby can have enough supply until you can get home.
- If you can, squeeze pumping during your work times. There are hands-free pumps available today so you can extract milk while working in front of your computer or filing paperwork. Your office mates won’t even notice.
- Be flexible and prepared to constantly change up your schedule from time to time. Babies can be quite unpredictable; the routine that works for them today might completely change the next. Re-evaluate your lifestyle and, if you can, explore other work possibilities.
- If you cannot bring your baby to work, you can spend quality time with your baby at night after work. Use this time to breastfeed and bond with them. Also make the most of those days when you don’t have work.
- Mothers who cannot pump enough milk can opt to mix feed their babies. This means feeding them formula as a backup for when they cannot extract enough milk. Ask your doctor for the best way to go about mixed feeding.
- Finally, make sure that you also take care of yourself. All the initial stress of adjusting might leave you too tired to set aside time for your well-being. Eat properly, get some exercise and allow yourself to enjoy small luxuries and pampering once in a while.
Breastfeeding and working truly are hard to do simultaneously. Unfortunately, many mothers have to do it. But with the tips above, these tasks should be a lot easier and manageable. If you have any more questions about breastfeeding, talk to your doctor now. He should be able to give you more tips to ensure that you efficiently do your work while giving your baby optimal nutrition and care.