Saturday, July 6, 2013

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, Back to Work I Go!

by Lindsay

Once upon a time there was a mother who loved being at home with her three children. This mother knew that her time at home was temporary and that maternity leave would come to an end however she did not know how hard it would be. Yes, that's right. The third time returning to work after maternity leave would be the hardest. So, almost a month ago, that mother turned in her comfy clothes and ponytail for her dress pants and cardigan and went back to work.

The rest is a haze. Seriously, by the end of the day I am exhausted, the house is still a mess and I'm too tired to even catch up with friends by reading their facebook posts let alone actually see anyone face to face. But this story has a silver lining.

I requested to work part time which is almost unheard of in my mostly male profession. Approvals had to go up three levels of management, all men. I still can't believe they said yes! I am now officially working a 0.7 which means I will work three days one week and four days the next. I really think I am so lucky.

While I was off, I'd made some huge changes to my family's diet and one of my fears about returning to work was that I would fall back into some old habits. Mainly, that I would buy more pre-packaged, processed, and take out foods. I try to practice moderation on those types of foods for a few reasons. One is that I believe a whole food diet is the best choice for me and second is that it costs a lot more than making things from scratch. So I've decided the only way to succeed is to be prepared.


One day while making some pancakes, I decided to pre-mix a few extra bags with the dry ingredients. I also threw together a few bags for hamburger buns / dinner rolls (minus the yeast). I'm not going to suggest making bread is fast now, but if you've ever eaten a fresh bun out of the oven I'm sure you understand why I do it.

Getting back into the work routine is hard. The best tip I've gotten so far is to dress your kids for the next day after bath time, instead of putting them in pajamas. My first thought was "What?", and then it clued in. My kids wear comfy cotton shorts and t-shirts every day and there pajamas don't get dirty anyway. Genius, right? Thank you cousin Theresa.

Do you have any tips on being more efficient with cooking, cleaning, etc.?  Please share.



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