Things I've Learned as a Working Mom

I've debated writing about my experience as a working Mom and haven't quite known how to tackle it. I want to be honest, and I'm also not quite sure how to put my thoughts into words. So I came up with some of the things I've learned. I hope you'll join in with some thoughts, whether your a working mom, a stay at home mom, a work at home mom or any other hat-wearing variation of Mom. But please - leave the judgement at the door - this is a supportive zone!

Things I've learned as a working mom:

It's hard. Like probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Balancing a job with a lot of responsibility, a home to take care of and my most important role as a Mom can really take its toll. I question myself daily.

Every moment matters. Other working Moms used to tell me it's the quality of time spent, not the quantity. I couldn't agree more, and though I often wish I could bump up the quantity, I ensure that every moment that I'm with my daughter is an important one, that I'm focused on her and not my phone, that I'm soaking up every second and giving her all of my attention.

I'm not missing out. One of the things that first bothered me about working full time was the fear of missing out on things with Penelope. I think that's a natural fear but one that has faded with time. I'll always be Mom, whether I'm with her 24/7 or not and to her, I'm irreplaceable.

I like going to work outside of my home, working hard and having responsibilities and a creative outlet separate from my family. It keeps my mind sharp, my being energized and excited for every day. Having my own bank account to spoil P as I see fit is pretty great too.

Bedtime time is more of a guideline. I get such little time with P at night that an 8:30 bedtime rather than 8:00 once in a while isn't going to hurt anyone.

It's ok to not do a 30 minute bath time every day. Every other day will suffice.

I think I'm a better mom because I work. This of course isn't the case for everyone. I'm ambitious and choose to work and find fulfillment there and it makes me happy. But it's a double edged sword for sure.

Sunday nights really suck. It's anxiety-inducing and I rarely sleep in anticipation of leaving my baby the next day.

Having other working mom friends is the key to my sanity most days. You know who you are and without you, I'd feel really alone.

It's never easy to leave my daughter but the absolute worst time is when she is sick.

I can do a lot of things and carry a lot of weights. Many more than I ever thought possible.

There is no joy quite like that of the moment of daycare pick up; a face of pure happiness at the sheer sight of my being there. A smiling face running toward me with open arms - there is nothing better in life.

There is no dread like seeing the daycare center phone number light up my phone screen.

I'm so very lucky to have a job that I love, that inspires me and that I'm happy to go to each day. This would probably be a very different post if I didn't.

Every day is, on some level, a struggle. To get myself up, leave the house in semi-working order, get Penelope up and ready and out the door on time. Some days I just want to get back in bed with her and watch Dora the Explorer on loop and pretend that's our only priority for the day.

I feel like a lot of my life is spent trying to catch up or to get ahead and never quite feeling like I have enough time.

But it all makes me feel like I can do anything.

And I'm proud of myself. I hope that Penelope is too.

PS: why i hate mom judgement

Toddler Closet Update

By far the most trafficked and pinned post on my blog is the DIY custom baby closet that we put into Penelope's room. Since we live in an apartment, every square inch of space is a treasure and when we started turning our second bedroom into a nursery, I knew one of the biggest challenges would be creating a closet with tons of space and function. After using the closet for over two years, I'm happy to say that it's still one of my favorite spaces in our entire apartment and though it's been updated in how we use it, the closet has all the space and function that I could hope for.

The closet shelves reach up to the ceiling. On the top shelves, which I cannot possibly reach, we keep items out of season or out of use. Moving down, I still love the double hanging bar for all of her jackets, zip ups and dresses. On the shelf in between we keep some blankets and her big diaper bag.

Her long things, like dresses, usually go on the bottom hanging bar. On the floor, we use the same bins as before, but instead of 3,000 baby wipes, we now also use these to corral extra diapers and wipes, and all of her crib mattress covers and sheets.

The inside of the door is still my favorite feature. These baskets provide so much extra storage, I can't even tell you how much of a difference it has made. We installed this inside door system in under 30 minutes, and though it wasn't cheap (from Container Store), it was worth every single penny. Of course, we've moved on from bibs and burp cloths, but the space is still very valuable. Near the top, I keep extra sunscreens, boogie wipes, her monitor that we don't use anymore, her music class books and really any other random items that I just don't know what to do with. I also have a basket for some of her smaller tote bags and her diaper changing mat.

We use the lower half to wrangle Penelope's many snacks. Our kitchen is overflowing at the moment, and so it's nice to have a space just for her little goodies. There is always a mix of fruit snacks (her absolute favorite, to my chagrin), freeze dried fruit (climbing the ranks to favorite), raisins, applesauce pouches, dry cereal and occasionally yogurt melts or gerber cheese puffs.

So that's how we are using her closet these days. It continues to be a great investment in her bedroom and I'm confident it will grow with Penelope!

I'm always on the hunt for kiddo organizing tips (toys, anyone? Helllp!), so tell me, what are your favorite ways to organize your kid stuff?

PS: the original baby closet/p's final nursery (which also needs an update on here!)/more baby talk

Playgrounds + Sesame Street

 

How was your weekend?

I enjoyed a nice, long hiatus from the blog over the holiday and it was honestly really nice to be free of technology for a few days. For today's Baby Talk Tuesday, I'm talking about some of the fun stuff we did with Penelope last week. P's school was closed for the Easter holiday on Thursday and Friday so I was home with her on Thursday and all of us were home together on Friday. We decided to stay in Jersey City and have some fun around town!

On Thursday, I knew this was my chance to get a lot of shopping and cooking out of the way for upcoming weekend festivities. P and I were up and out of the house early to hit the grocery store. Shaun and I had a lengthy list of items to prepare for the weekend, and Penelope was a champ in the store.

After we shopped til we were about to drop, I decided to stop at the park on the way home. It was just such a gorgeous day and Penelope was so excited to play on the slide and swings. She essentially did a circle of down the slide, up the stairs, down the slide, etc. Each time, she'd look at me and say 'One more time!' It was pretty adorable.

Pure joy. One of my favorite things about urban living is actually the playgrounds. They are mostly spectacular in Jersey City and there's just something about a beautiful park and playground smack in the middle of a city that feels very enchanting to me. It's also a great way to meet up with friends or meet new people. Penelope loves getting to run around and just play and I love watching her.

Eventually, I had to pull her away kicking and screaming, but we went home for a nice lunch and a long nap. My parents came over in the afternoon and we strolled over to Salumeria Ercolano for a very late (2nd) lunch before they headed into New York to see A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder --->they absolutely loved it, in case you are looking for a show to see.

 

On Friday, we were up bright and early and ready for a day at Liberty Science Center! LSC is a science museum right here in Jersey City. I remember going as a kid and have been really excited to take Penelope once she was old enough. They currently have an exhibit called Sesame Street The Body, which is recommended for ages 2 and up, so I was dying to get Penelope there while it was in town. Not only was I a super Sesame Street kid growing up, but if you recall, I also worked there when I first started my career, and so it has a very, very special place in my heart. I was really pumped to bring Penelope to her first museum exhibit at something close to home, and to see something really special to me.

The exhibit was nothing short of awesome. It was very hands on and perfect for P's age group and even a bit older.

We started at the mini mart, where P must've remembered her grocery shopping adventure (and apparently loved it more than I knew), because she was so into filling her basket with healthy fruits & veggies (fake) and ringing them up at the cash register.

The exhibit was set up into little stations for kids to participate. We visited the cafe counter where Penelope built herself a (wooden) sandwich.

P could measure her feet. Apparently they are about the size of Bert's.

There was a lung and heart station where kids could 'pump' the lungs with air, and 'beat' the heart.

She really loved the digestion station, especially the very end of the cycle ;)

We also dressed up Elmo for various weather conditions. Note she also wore her special Elmo sneakers for the occasion.

There was also a great animal exhibit that she absolutely loved. Turtles, reptiles, monkeys were there to see, and she also enjoyed viewing bugs through the microscope. Do we have a tiny scientist on our hands? That would be a new one for our family...

We had such a fun couple of days just finding fun things to do in Jersey City! It's great that Penelope is getting to an age where we can do these types of things and she loves them. We spent about 2 hours at LSC, which was plenty for her. Even P was ready to head home at this point. If you're in the area, it's open until May 3, so hurry up and get on over there!

What activities do you typically do with your kiddos?

Do you visit playgrounds with your kids? What's their favorite activity?