Mothering and the Corporate World

Mothering in the Corporate World

You know we really don't get or give enough credit to working moms. It's an extremely hard job to do and it seems everything goes in the opposite direction you need it to. 

This is the experience for some:

FIRST TRIMESTER:

First get pregnant

Then worry about when and how to tell the boss

Pretend morning sickness isn't happening and keep producing

Pretend that not having coffee in the am makes no difference while falling asleep in cubicle

Will this affect any chance of promotion?

SECOND TRIMESTER:

Ok go tell boss before getting written up

If it's the first pregnancy people may be excited at first, if it's the 2nd or 3rd you may hear "Oh not again!" in the breakroom

Go through pregnancy and work as if  unaffected.

"Oh office clothes are no problem!"

"Sure I'm comfortable"

"Going to the Dr during lunch break" (OMG I'm starving)

"Want to show husband/family new ultrsound pics. Guess it will have to wait until 7pm when the day is done"

Have to pee again during big meeting. What to do? (and OMG I'm starving)

THIRD TRIMESTER:

Getting big  hearing comments like the ones posted in "Advice I never asked for" 

and "Hey you're still here? Didn't have that baby yet huh? When are you coming back? Wow you're big!" (wearing flats doesn't help)

BABY COMES:

Moving on "Yay Maternity Leave"

But once you have your precious little one..your job is calling expecting you back 6-9 weeks later. 

"What am I supposed to do with my newborn? Leave him in a dresser drawer until I come home?"

"Or pay for daycare at $800 per month?" 

Figure it out

"Ok back to work."

GO BACK TO WORK:

NOW the Mommy Guilt kicks in..."What if a milestone happens?, Baby can't say how the day went, what if it was bad?

Baby was up all night but the office still opens at 9am sharp. So exhausted don't know how to make it through the day and still have co workers respect.

Then "Is there a room for pumping milk, What everyone uses the supply closet!?, Do moms have to tell their boss every time? Will people think nursing moms just take a lot of breaks?"

What if baby is sick and leaving early is the only option? Are mothers valued as employees here or seen as a liability?"
 

Working moms deserve extra pay for the extra job they do (and stay at home moms have a job that is harder than it looks. They deserve ANY pay since they get $0 for a 168 hour workweek) 

It's a tough job (but rewarding..motherhood anyway) and I would love to see a male CEO try even half of this one day.

Baby Poop

Yes it's true my daughter pooped in the bathtub. As a matter of fact BOTH of my daughters have done this and both have done it more than once!
Of course they were not teenagers or anything (still under 12 months old) But Geez!! Nothing in life prepares you for these things! I used to be scared to touch anything even remotely gross..well now I'm sure you all know the story.

Oh man...you should have heard me the first time. I was like "OH GOD, THIS DID NOT JUST HAPPEN TO ME!!!"

I was like not knowing what to do first! Get gloves, get baby out (but wait she's got poop on her), wash all the toys before she puts them in her mouth...seriously too much to handle..

You know after becoming a mom you never look at poop the same way as you used to. As a newborn it's an accomplishment (like yay I have milk baby is eating!), later you count them to make sure they do it everyday, then you get worried if they do it too much. Now I worry also during bathtime....


What unexpected things have happened to you since motherhood where you thought "I can't Believe I'm doing this right now"!?

Baby Blogging: Do other people's kids bug you??

Let’s be real here. We all like our own kids more than anyone else’s. But let’s not kid ourselves, just because you love your own kids and are positive they are the best thing that could be put on this Earth and are the smartest most talented kids you know, lol. Doesn’t mean you like ALL kids. Even a teacher doesn’t like ALL kids. And you don’t have to it’s fine.

Do you like ALL people? I know I don’t! So kids are just little people, some you like and some you can’t stand. The difference is with kids you can go tell their mommy if they do something you don’t like. (It probably won’t do any good though because their parents are the reason they behave the way they do) Any children's place I go (the park, indoor playgyms) there are always parents not watching their kids! I can't stand it because those are usually the kids that are throwing sand, or toys or pushing and acting crazy!

Why do parents use child friendly places as babysitters so they can read a magazine or text their friends? Has anyone else experienced this?

Don’t lie you know some of these have happened to you (or at least a couple)

Just admit it we aren't perfect! I'm not June Cleaver and don't walk around with a smile on my face while I lovingly clean up spit up and poop, while dinner is on the stove of my spotless house.

Ya right...I have two kids under 2 and if I see a shortcut I take it. We have all done something we wouldn’t tell our significant other or mother in law from time to time. Now don’t judge me I haven’t done all of these. Many are things my spying eyes have caught or confessions from others who didn’t think I’d post what they did. Now I’m only posting non serious things here..unfortunately I have also witnessed what could be classified as neglect but lets keep it light here:

1.       1. Oops the pacifier fell on the ground, I’ll just wipe it clean on my shirt baby will be fine                       

      2. Shoot! don’t want to mess up the manicure( that I finally got after three months of waiting), maybe baby will have to wait a few for that diaper change

     3. Baby needs a new diaper. Can’t reach the wipes. Oh well it’s just pee

     4. Feeding time! What?!! Why is all the food on the floor!! Well baby will just have to eat it anyway. This isn't a cafeteria.

5  5. Of course baby is hungry while I’m cleaning the house or finally getting ready to go somewhere. I’ll just prop up the bottle with a blanket                      

     6. Baby got really dirty while (you choose one) playing, spitting up, drooling, eating...good thing I have an extra change of clothes in my diaper bag. Oh..Darn it! too bad I forgot that its been in there for months and doesn't fit anymore

     7. Wiped baby’s drool with their own top when a burp cloth or bib was nowhere to be found.

8.   8. Baby pooped (they always wait for the perfect time huh?). I'm nowhere near a bathroom or all the ones nearby are gross with no changing tables. I'll change baby in the car. 

9.  
9. Oh you have advice I didn't ask for? Ok great, why don't you go take a number and have a seat. I'll call you when I want it.

W   Whats gone wrong for anyone else? I would love to hear it so we can laugh at it now that it's over!

Keeping mom feeling beautiful without a trip to the spa

Home Beauty Treatments!


I have begun to embrace at home beauty treatments. Pre babies I was a bit high maintenance and I can still maintain some of that for a lot cheaper while at home and I don't need a babysitter. I don't endorse any products I've just wasted my own money on the bad ones so you can reap the benefits of knowing the good ones. So here we go:

1. I love ProActiv facewash kit. It comes to my door right when I need it and I haven't gotten pimples in forever, even in my last pregnancy! If you want to save money just tell them to stretch out your shipments so they can ship to you every 12 weeks instead of every 6 weeks. And you can also ask them to switch what they send you. Like if you go through a lot of cleanser but not the lotion they can give you 2 cleansers and a toner and you can get lotion the next time. Its about $39 plus shipping


2. Daily Self Tanners. These are great because they don't smell bad and don't leave streaks. I like the ones by Jergens and Dove the most. Jergens makes an oil free moisturizer for the face too. You can find these at all drugstores or Walmart and Target. They each cost about $8.






3. Now some people may think I'm crazy for this one but I am in LOVE with my Epilator! Remember those horrible "Epilady" machines from the late 80's?
Well they have improved the technology and I have to say I'm in love. I save so much time by not shaving in the shower, I don't have to buy shaving cream or razors or do it in a rush because baby is crying. It's not messy like waxing so if I'm in the middle of doing it and someone calls or I have to take care of the kids I can just stop and start back up when the kids are napping.
Now I'm not gonna lie. The first time you do it if you've never waxed it will probably hurt like the dickens!!!!
But the results are amazing and in the long run you save money and time. I use the Braun Silk-epil Xpress Wet Dry. It also comes with trimming and shaving attachments. It pulls hairs out from the root and they come back very light and then barely come back at all. You need to exfoliate daily with a sugar scrub or loofah so you don't get ingrowns. I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond so I could use the 20% discount. It was $119 before the discount. But I also found www.Amazon.com had a good price. Trust me it saves $ in the long run.






4. Now for makeup I used to be a MAC junkie. I still have almost every eyeshadow color they make. But their foundation and powder run about $30 a piece. I was also using Lancome mascara for about $30 too. That's $90 on three products! So I asked around to see what people recommended. I found Covergirl Advanced Radiance foundation and pressed powder for about $10 each. they are oil free and have the exact coverage I was looking for. And I am crazy about Covergirl LashBlast Mascara you can get 2 for $10 at Target when they are on special. Its the best mascara I've ever used!







5. This product works really well on days you don't have time for your hair but want it to look great anyway. It also depends on your hairs texture if you need it.
It's by Scunci and it's called "Create the Perfect Pony" I found it at Rite Aid one day and I love it! It costs about $5. You just put the rubber insert in your ponytail and you have a full glamorous ponytail in a few minutes.

Scunci Perfect Pony Tool with 3 No Damage 4mm Elastics (Pack of 3)


6. This last one is the best antiperspirant I've ever used and I don't know why more people don't use it. Maybe because it's packaging looks really 80's but you know when your lifting children, babies, carseats, strollers and everything else it takes to get out of the house with a baby the last thing you want to worry about it sweating. And you can find it at Target or drugstores it costs around $5 unlike Secret Clinical Strength which is $14! You use Certain Dri at night and you won't need anything the following day or sometimes for up to three days! It's amazing!

Advice and comments you never asked for..

Advice and comments you never asked for..

Why do people do these things??


1. Someone you don't know comes up and rubs your pregnant belly

2. Everyone swears they know the gender of your unborn baby by the shape of your belly

3. Someone asks you if you're having twins when you're not. (thanks for the confidence booster)

4. Everyone wants to tell you all the horrendous labor stories they know

Then when baby is born......

5. No matter the time of year your baby is born there will be someone (probably much older than you) insisting your baby is cold or needs socks. If you listen to them every time you will probably be spending a lot of unneeded dollars on more socks because they always get lost anyway

6. Again someone you don't know comes up to your newborn and touches them. (Every time this happened to me they touched their hands which are always in their mouths. Thanks for the possible infection!)

7. When your newborn cries somebody insists they are hungry. If you are nursing you start to think you are starving your baby. Thanks again do gooders!

8. When you start meeting other moms they compare timelines with you. Bragging about how their baby crawled at 4 months and walked at 9 months leaving you wondering if you are doing something wrong. I've never met an adult that walked so impressively that I KNEW he must have been an early walker. It's nothing to brag about, get over yourself.

Useless Baby Products

Useless Baby Products

This is just because there are too many unnecessary things sold out there that are targeted to the first time mom who doesn’t want to forget to get anything essential. These things are usually overpriced and/or not essential.

1. Dreft Laundry Detergent. I know a baby’s skin is sensitive but they are still human and they can use laundry detergent that costs less. All Free and Clear and Tide make perfume less dye less detergents for less $$. Plus Dreft doesn’t even smell that good.

2. Bottled Water called Nursery Water that they sell at Babies r us. As if your baby needs special water only made for babies. Are you kidding me? Any filtered water is fine.

3. Bassinets. They can be used until baby rolls over and you need a crib or Pack N Play anyway. They are also too bulky to store in a closet and can cost way over $100. I would say this could be used for a maximum of 3 months depending on the size of your baby. There are a lot of products that may only last 3-5 months but they are not so costly.

4. Steam Sterilizers. You can sterilize just about everything in boiling water for five minutes and then you can wash by hand or put in the dishwasher.

5. Bottle Warmers. All I have to say is WHY? What will you do when your baby is used to warmed formula or breastmilk and you are out and about? Too much hassle when most babies are fine with room temperature formula and fresh breastmilk. Many even don’t mind it cold out of the fridge. To me it just means less $ spent and less time baby cries because you don’t have to sit and wait for the warmer to work AND make the bottle.

6. Bottle Drying Racks. I never had one of these because I used the Playtex Drop Ins and only had to wash the nipples. But all my friends that used them told me they just collects dust and the bottles don’t dry completely making you have to clean them again AND wash the drying rack. (As if you needed more things to clean)

That’s what I’ve got for now. Feedback on what you think is a Baby Unessential will be posted as well.

Help I have a Toddler!! Tricks for Survival...

When your baby was born they relied completely on you. Once the toddler months start coming around your little bundle suddenly starts having all kinds of opinions (which the answer to every question is "NO!" AND wants to do everything by them self. So fine you want to do it yourself? Go for it!

I know not everything works for everyone and all children are different. But the number one thing with toddlers is Distraction. These are things I do or products I brings in order to avoid meltdowns on both of our ends. :)

1. Food! Always have food with you wherever you go. Maybe even a lollypop or fruit roll up candy just in case of emergency or a Doctors appointment (now that they have caught on to the fact that this place isn't so fun). And make sure they can hold it themselves so they feel in control. In the early toddler stages a SnackTrap was my saving grace. She could hold her own food and not spill it all over the floor. They cost $4.99 each and you can find them at Toys r us and Target has them by the Munchkin brand.






2. Try to go to child friendly places. If you do you won't have to constantly be shushing and saying "don't touch that!". They can just act their age and everyone's happy.

3. Time your outings by your toddlers schedule. I know this is not always possible. And I've definitely been out at the wrong time out of necessity. But if any toddler is tired or hungry just expect a meltdown. You can bring comfort items with you to ease the frustration like a blankie or teddy bear but it's waay easier to just go out before or after meal and naptime.

4. Change your expectations: I finally decided that no matter what a feed my toddler she was going to throw it on the floor. Once I just expected it and didn't care anymore. I also expect all of her hair clips to get lost at school, for her to throw her pacifier on the ground when she sees something exciting, and for her to say no to every outfit I pick out for her. If you really look at the situation, they just enjoy that now they can have some control over things. We just have to set the limits. (and by the way each annoyance is just a phase and they move on to doing other things to test you eventually)

hey and if all else fails buy them a balloon. They love those things...

Starting Solids! How to make them yourself

Preparing baby food is fun, easy and saves a lot of money!

Starting solids is very exciting. Once baby has mastered cereal its time for veggies and fruits. But the first time I opened a jar or carrots for baby the color and smell was a little funky to me. I wanted to make something fresh.

Depending on how much room you have in your freezer you can easily make enough baby food to last a long time. It costs less and you know the exact ingredients since you made it. I still buy prepackaged baby food so I can grab something when I’m on the go but I don’t need very much. And I found that I love the WalMart brand called Parents Choice. They gave me the idea to mix veggies with fruits and it enabled me to give my picky eater some squash or peas even though she refused them when by themselves.

You can start off by either steaming or baking (wrapped in foil) individual fruits or vegetables.

You should peel anything with a tough exterior first. You can bake or steam until soft .

Then you just throw it into the food processor until you get your desired texture, you may need to add a little water to carrots or other firm vegetables.

Then spoon your baby food into as many ice cube trays as you need.

Cover and freeze.

Once frozen pop them out and put them in labeled freezer bags. (I learned this the hard way after mixing up yams, squash, peaches, carrots and pumpkin..is everything orange?!)

Then you can thaw them as needed either in the fridge or out on the counter. And you can mix them up if you want to try different flavors!

Baby Products to get you through the beginning smoothly!! And Baby products to KEEP OFF your registry!

Baby Products I Love!

1. Swaddle Blanket. These are so simple and you never will get frustrated trying to replicate the swaddle techniques the hospital nurses do.Kiddopotamus makes a cute little pocket to put baby in and then the sides velcro to make a swaddle. They range from $10.99-$15.99 Depending on the fabric.

2. Pack and Play. These are the best for traveling and using as a bassinet in the beginning then becoming a playpen. You mother in law doesn’t need her own crib with this! Many companies make them but here is a Graco one I've used personally. They range from $149.99 to maybe $199.99

3. Bouncer. These are so entertaining for most babies. You shouldn’t use them for extended periods of time but its great if you want to put baby somewhere fun and close to you while you take a shower or put on makeup. (Yes with two little ones I manage to do this everyday and because of this they are now used to my routine) Yay for mom doing something for herself! You can also take the toys off and feed baby there as just a chair. These average around $54.99

4. Boppy. I actually didn’t think it supported baby to well for breastfeeding and my back was hurting but it has many other uses. You can use it for feeding baby propped up, tummy time, helping baby learn to sit.They cost $29.99 for the pillow and starting at $9.99 for the slipcover design you choose

I used My Brest Friend for breastfeeding and believe it’s the best breastfeeding pillow out there. It supports your back and baby so you can just relax. And it has a pocket for your cell phone or whatever you want to use it for and start at $44.99

5. Medela Breast Shells: if you are breastfeeding these are amazing. You won’t be in pain       because nothing will ever touch your sore spots. Plus you can’t see them under your bra. They do make your breasts look a cup size bigger though so that could be a downside when your breasts are huge with milk anyway. But it’s not like you will be going out on the town while your baby is days old anyhow. Just think of it as a Pam Anderson moment. They cost about $13.50

6. Ameda ComfortGel Pads: These feel amazing when you are in pain from breastfeeding. You can alternate with the shells, then these and they last for weeks. Just stick them in the refrigerator and when you are ready for them they will make breastfeeding easy! They also stop embarrassing leaks. You get four for $27.95

7. Pampers Newborn Swaddlers with the wetness indicator feature. I am not a fan of expensive diapers but these (and Huggies does this too) have a yellow line in the front that changed to blue when baby is wet. It can be very helpful when you are a first time parent and aren’t sure. After you get the hang of it and they move up to size 2 I suggest using cheaper diapers. $0.34 per diaper for Pampers and $0.30 per diaper for Huggies

8. Kiddopotomus Snuzzler This is also the only head support product worth having. it supports the whole body of your newborn and their head won't wobble. And it's so soft and reversible!

All of these and more tested products for baby and mom can be found at Diamonds and Dirty Diapers Amazon List

Useless Baby Products

This is just because there are too many unnecessary things sold out there that are targeted to the first time mom who doesn’t want to forget to get anything essential. These things are usually overpriced and/or not essential.

1. Dreft Laundry Detergent. I know a baby’s skin is sensitive but they are still human and they can use laundry detergent that costs less. All Free and Clear and Tide make perfume less dye less detergents for less $$. Plus Dreft doesn’t even smell that good.

2. Bottled Water called Nursery Water that they sell at Babies r us. As if your baby needs special water only made for babies. Are you kidding me? Any filtered water is fine.

3. Bassinets. They can be used until baby rolls over and you need a crib or Pack N Play anyway. They are also too bulky to store in a closet and can cost way over $100. I would say this could be used for a maximum of 3 months depending on the size of your baby. There are a lot of products that may only last 3-5 months but they are not so costly.

4. Steam Sterilizers. You can sterilize just about everything in boiling water for five minutes and then you can wash by hand or put in the dishwasher.

5. Bottle Warmers. All I have to say is WHY? What will you do when your baby is used to warmed formula or breastmilk and you are out and about? Too much hassle when most babies are fine with room temperature formula and fresh breastmilk. Many even don’t mind it cold out of the fridge. To me it just means less $ spent and less time baby cries because you don’t have to sit and wait for the warmer to work AND make the bottle.

6. Bottle Drying Racks. I never had one of these because I used the Playtex Drop Ins and only had to wash the nipples. But all my friends that used them told me they just collects dust and the bottles don’t dry completely making you have to clean them again AND wash the drying rack. (As if you needed more things to clean)

That’s what I’ve got for now. Feedback on what you think is a Baby Unessential will be posted as well.

All of the recommended products and more tested products for baby and mom can be found at Diamonds and Dirty Diapers Amazon List