Intro to the world of working Mums.

vlong4 · August 2013

Hi ladies. I'm going back to work after four years of being a SAHM. I've loved every minute of it but its time for me to head back to work. This was a tough decision but its the right one for me and my family. It's time for me to put a well earned undergrad education and three masters degrees to good use! We've hired a nanny who'll watch our toddler during the day and pick up our pre-k daughter after school. For the first four months it's a nanny share. Any one been in one before? Pros or cons?!? The other family lives a block away and we live in NYC. Our son is almost potty trained. Bit nervous that he'll regress. Second question. How does every fit in work outs? Being healthy is important to me and I feel it sets a very good example for our daughter. Last and final question. Dinner tips and suggestions? Is it easier to pre cook on Sundays and reheat? Slow cooker? HELP!!! Looking forward to getting to know everyone.

LoCarb · August 2013

Welcome! What do you do for work? I'm impressed with your degrees.

No advice on nanny share.

Workouts-I exercise during my lunch break, quick shower and return to my desk to eat lunch.

Dinners- I usually meal plan for the week and prepare as much as I can the night before. Or Sundays, I will portion out vegis/fruits.

GL!

jd614 · August 2013

I am also working in NYC but live in NJ. I work out at night after DS goes to bed. In the warmer mos ill jsut go for like a 20-30 min jog at 730 at night, but I also like Jillian MIchaels workout dvds-they are 30 min and i think they are effective. If i didnt have to be at work by 630am tho, i would definitely work out in the am and get it over with! is that an option for you?

as for dinner prep-i do a lot on sunday. i usually cut all my veggies for the week on sundays..and i cook something sunday that we can have enough left over for dinner on monday so that knocks out one night of the week. Then Tuesday same thing-i cook enough for tues/wed. thursday is usually something more simple (roasted veggie sandwiches/brrakfast for dinner, etc) and friday is either pizza or go out. Crock pot meals have also been a life saver and skinnytaste.com has a whole section of crockpot recipes..my favorite is the santa fe chicken. good luck!!

KL777 · August 2013

Welcome!

I too am impressed with your degrees! As background info, I SAH too (3 years) and enjoyed the first two years immensely. When I went back to work, I stopped working out. DS just started kindergarten so I made a commitment to myself to start working out again. I went to my first Zumba class last night and it was excellent!

It is definitely easier to cook on the weekends and then warm it up during the week. I do make a few crock pot meals as well. As far as tips go, make sure your DH does his fair share around the house now that you're back to work, and be sure that you get enough sleep, because being a WOHM is a totally different ball game than being a SAHM.

Congratulations on the job!

NicoleWI · August 2013

Good luck with the change and welcome back to work.

Nanny share--no advice on the share, but we do have a nanny. My only advice would be to be very clear up front about how you like things done. It's really hard to go back and make changes once you are too far into the new routine. I'm not a micromanaging type at ALL, but you almost have to start out a little that way before you see how things go. I.e. rules re: computer use, TV, whether/when kids should get outside, what they can/should eat, what to do if they are crying, when to call you (some will err on side of NOT calling when I wish they would have called), etc. Spell out things you don't think you have to, i.e. "kids should wear sunscreen when they go outside."

I'm not working out at all, which is super bad. I try to get out for some walks. Seems like with each child, I haven't been ready/able to really fit in a workout until the baby was just past a year old, so I cut myself some slack on this. The only time I could do it would be in the early morning, and I am NOT a morning person, especially while still waking up in the night with the baby.

Meals: Crock pots are awesome, for sure. We also end up doing a frozen pizza or scrambled egg/pancake night almost every week. Hot sandwiches in the sandwich maker. Make soup/chili and plan for leftovers to have during the week. Tacos, spaghetti (with endless variations). Turkey burgers. Fish/shrimp are quick. Big salad with chicken strips in it. We definitely eat leftovers, so if we have a crockpot meal, we probably have a second dinner out of that too.

I hope everything goes well.

sweetsunnyc · August 2013

Welcome and good luck with the transition-

I do have experience with a nanny share- overall it was pretty positive, but my 5 year old DD did have a hard time over the summer. The family that we share with has two children- one DD's age and one a little older. The nanny had been with that family since their children were babies, so I think that there was a little bit of favoritism going on. We were able to work it out and we still do the nanny share twice a week (she picks up kids twice a week after school) So the Pros: works really well financially and DD is establishing great relationships with the other children that she spends time with. Cons- there can be personality conflicts and when there are just a few kids, one may feel left out

For working out- I always bring my lunch and use my lunch hour to run. I also try to get one weekend workout session in if possible.

For dinners- I do plan meals in advance, but DH always cooks. He works from home so we are pretty lucky in the department. We also use Thursdays as left overs/ sandwhich nights and Friday we always order pizza.

Good luck!

FemShep · August 2013

For your nanny share, have you discussed what will happen if one of the children is sick, or if the nanny is sick? I find it's always best to discuss contingencies before there's a problem.

I've been a miserable failure at working out, but finding a way to do so before work or during lunch hour sounds like a wonderful dream.

For dinner, coming home to something in a slow cooker is amazing. It's fantastic to walk in the door, smell something great, and know that dinner is taken care of. Real Simple has some great slow cooker recipes, and both Real Simple and Cooking Light are good sources of quick, healthy meals.

My best piece of advice to you is to remember that this, too, shall pass. No matter what goes wrong, no matter how much your DS regresses in potty training, no matter what crud you realize is on your suit after you've given the big presentation.....it'll pass. As the immortal Scarlett O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day." Hang in there, and remember that it'll get better!

FemShep · August 2013

@katiechanning, many slow cookers have a timer that will allow you to set a specific cooking time; once they've finished the cooking time, the slow cooker turns down to "warm".

NicoleWI · August 2013

Slow cooker--also, we just cook a lot of things longer than it says and usually they are still fine.

Kewii · August 2013

katiechanning said:

@femshep - thanks, I guess mine doesn't have that option. maybe it's time to buy a new one.

You could also just get a timer, like you'd use for Christmas lights. I think you can get one at Walmart

plusoneblog · August 2013

Working Out - This is one thing I have been trying to do more of, but it is difficult to fit in on days I work. I usually get in a small work out during my lunch break. Theoretically I could also workout after DD goes to bed, but by that time I am usually too tired.

Meals - I do a cook a few times a week, but haven't been able to make it work every day. I will often cook on Sunday, and then again on two weekdays, such as Tuesday and Thursday. I usually make enough to have at least one left over meal, and other nights we just eat things that are quick, such as pre-made frozen meals or take out. I do like cooking, and in an ideal world I would do it each day, but realistically it takes away from only two evening hours I have to spend with DD before she goes to bed.

9fraulein · August 2013

Working out: going for a brisk walk at lunch...2 miles takes about 35-40 minutes. I try to do this everyday with my coworker friends which is a nice time for socializing too. Meals: we cook a few times per week. The rest of the time we eat leftovers or take out.

JJ_13 · August 2013

Regarding nanny share, I think it often gets too complicated and preferences become difficult to work through, etc. What we've found is really working for us. We take LO to our "nanny's" house just the way you would take your LO to a daycare and there is one other family who takes their LO too. So it's like a nanny share in that there are just two babies, but it's at the nanny's house, so there's no figuring out the back and forth, sleeping/crib issues, the different houses, people's preferences, etc. She basically runs it like a daycare except it's much more laid back, more one-on-one attention, and we love her to bits (as does our LO), which helps. I realize that what we've found is fairly unusual, but it has been wonderful and we just found her on care.com. It's cheaper than our old daycare too, though not by a whole lot.

Working out: I don't. But I have plans to start again. I go for a walk in the evening if there's time, but otherwise, it hasn't happened much. My LO is almost 9 months.

Food: We have a weekly menu of simple meals. Things like fish tacos, veggie burgers w salad, some crock pot meals, omelets, etc. If I'm able, I'll cook up a big pot of something on a Sunday to use for lunches, etc. Otherwise, it's simple meals. We usually get take out on Friday and cook something nice on Saturday.

costa2011 · August 2013

Don't know anything about nanny shares. We have a nanny but don't share her, lol.

Working out: no time...but I don't have time to eat either so steadily losing the baby weight anyway, haha. (DD is only 3 months)

Food: I meal plan for the week. I use a service called PeaPod by Stop & Shop that does the shopping for you so all you need to do is pick up your groceries. I highly suggesting seeing if you have something like this in your area.

laurakaz13 · September 2013

Hi there! No experience with nanny share or being a SAHM. Never had the desire.

However, I am a workout fiend and have not let up just b/c I had a child. I work out in the early morning or evening on my treadmill and lift/do cardio a few times a week at work during lunch. When the weather is nice I also take DD out in the running stroller. I'm a distance runner and this is really fun for both of us.

We cook simple meals during the week. We grill out, stir fry, steam veggies, make salads, make simple meals or sandwiches, etc. I've never been into cooking much, so this isn't a huge deal to me. I just want us to eat healthy, but it can be simple.

Divallyn · September 2013

Meals: We meal plan. Prep the night before most often. We usually do two easy dinners: breakfast, soup and sandwiches, two crockpot dinners, leftovers other nights, etc. Workout: Treadmill intervals in the am for 35 minutes. Long bike I rides on the weekends. Try to remember to weight train in the evenings while watching a show. Other: Housecleaner!

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Intro to the world of working Mums.

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