Working From Home

I'm fortunate enough to get to work from home one day a week. There are certain times of the year where there are restrictions on this... and there are other days where there just too much going on for me to work from home. But for the most part, I have one particular day of the week that I'm scheduled to work from home. The boys still go to school and daycare on this day, though when they get older this may change.

What do I love about Work at Home Wednesday? There are a few things I can't live without...

The footwear

The beverage service (that is Bailey's coffee creamer. Non-alcoholic. Delicious!!!)

The company... Though Miss Shadow usually has to retire to her crate when I have conference calls. And she HATES the mailman, so that gets a little noisy.

For the most part is just me and my laptop... getting projects done! All from the comfort of my dining room table.

Desperately Seeking Routine

I've survived my second week back to work. Whew. It hasn't been easy. It's a very busy time at work. I feel like I'm running non-stop there. Then there's the after work rush. What used to take me 25 minutes now takes me at least an hour. I live 15 minutes from where I work. But picking up two kids at two different daycares with two different bags o'junk to carry. Blech.

But we're slowly falling into a routine. Adam slept better this week... which means I slept better. Alex is just doing great with adjusting to big brother-dom. We're all adjusting. Monday nights mean swimming for Alex. And that means at least 25 minutes of running. YES! Hoping to figure out at least one or two more days when I can run. If winter ever ends, I might try getting up to run outside in the morning. (Yes, I heard the audible gasp from every person who KNOWS that I am not a morning person.) But I miss running. It helps me clear my head.

Dinnertime hasn't been too crazy yet. I have yet to dive into the frozen dinners that my mom and Craig's mom left for us right after I had Adam. I will probably use one next week. I'm also planning to take advantage of one of my favorite work perks -- take and bake pizza. Seriously, you can go to our cafeteria, place an order for a made-to-order take and bake pizza, and pick it up after work. Good pizza reasonable price. Doesn't get much easier!

I'm really glad it's the weekend. I want to finish my bookclub book. Get some cleaning up done around here. Maybe crochet a little bit. Weekends are the best. More time to just enjoy being together. To just breathe.

Back to Work Update

Monday, my first day back went great. Everything timed out perfectly. I was able to pump three times while I was at work to get Adam on track for bottles. Craig got off at a decent time and picked Alex up from his daycare, so I only had to pick up Adam. Took Alex to swimming, it really couldn’t have gone better.
(*Note: I am attempting to continue breastfeeding. My love/hate relationship with breast feeding will likely be another post altogether.)

Tuesday
NIGHTMARE. Adam got up twice in the early morning hours – once to eat, once to cry. Everyone was slow to get moving. I had to try to pump before I went to work. Was only able to pump twice at work, mainly because I actually have a lot of work to do.

The daycare pick up was stressful. I got out of work a few minutes late. Made it to Alex’s daycare only to find that he has (once again) lost a mitten. No time to search the daycare for it, lest we be late to pick up Adam at his daycare.
(*Note: yes the boys go to different daycares. Adam goes to Alex’s old daycare, a place that we LOVE. Alex goes to the daycare across from his school, which is merely convenient. This summer, they will both go to the same daycare.)

Zipped over to Adam’s daycare, at which point my bladder feels like it’s going to burst. Got both boys back in the car and to quote Homer Simpson… D’OH!!!! Gas tank is nearly on empty. Stop at the gas station to fill up.

Once we’re home, it’s a mad dash to get in the house… do I nurse Adam or do I pump? Wait, Alex needs his dinner first. Yay, Daddy’s Home! I need to go to the bathroom before I have an accident. Darn it Shadow… why did you have to puke? At least it was on the linoleum. Give Alex his dinner, sit down to nurse Adam. Sigh. Another fun day in the life of this working mom.

Which brings me to today…
Today is Ash Wednesday. I’m not giving something up. I’m going to try to be more positive to everyone around me. Less negative talk. More encouragement to myself, my family, and others. I will be more patient with everyone… especially my family and most importantly with myself. I’ll be heading to get ashes at church after work tonight.

Today started off great. I know we just need to get into a routine, but I’ve had a day where everything worked and a day where everything didn’t. At least now I have a baseline…

Oh… and one of these days I promise I will post more pictures of the kids. I just don’t have time right now.

Random thoughts for a random friday

• I think I've found a new favorite Starbucks beverage. I usually go with a non-fat mocha (Decaf for now...) or around the holidays I LOVE the peppermint mocha. But I recently discovered carmel lattes. YUMMY! I also love that I can get these in the Starbucks cafe at work for about $2 less than going to the real Starbucks!
  
  
• Why do people insist on parking their giant pickups, SUVs, and minivans in the compact car spots in the parking lot? This also happens in parking garages.
  
  
• Why do people who work in cubicles insist on having loud personal conversations during the workday? I don't want to hear about your mom/mother-in-law/best friends surgery/bitchiness/drunken escapades.... nor do I want to hear about yours. If you have to have a conversation like that, exit cubicle land and go to the cafeteria! Or find a quiet picnic table outside!
  
  
• I really wish we could go to an Iowa football game. I miss college football Saturdays on campus. Not for the drinking and crazy people, but for the sea of black and gold, the friendly people shouting "Go Hawks" and waving. Maybe I'm just feeling a little nostalgic. Maybe next year we'll get it together and pair up with my brother and sister-in-law for a little Iowa-Iowa State rivalry action!? I can dream!
  
  
• I don't know who had my work phone number before me, but she owes someone money. I keep getting calls for collection agencies. I let them go into voicemail. They don't even listen to my outgoing voicemail message. Why is that? If you're looking for someone who's name is XXXX, then why do you keep calling and leaving messages for XXXX on YYYY's phone???
  
  
• I can't even express how excited for this weekend I am. We are going to the Brewers game tonight! We've only been to one other game this season. This is really rare for us. Usually we get to at least 4 or 5 games a year, but for some reason, this year we just haven't gone to many games. Alex's only request for the game? Peanuts in the shell. But of course!!!
  And then tomorrow we're going to Chicago! CHICAGO! I love Chicago... anyone who knows me knows this. We're hoping to do the Shedd Aquarium, and have already bought tickets for a boat tour, and for the Sears Tower Skydeck. (I know, that other company now owns the Sears Tower, but for my 34 years on this earth (and 2 prior to that), that building has been called the Sears Tower, and it will always be the Sears Tower in my mind.) We want to hit the Lego store on Michigan Ave. too. (And any other shopping!!!) And stock up on Bears gear for the whole family, including baby#2! I will most definitely post pictures.

College Colors Day

My company had kind of a fun theme day this week. With college football getting underway, they held a "school colors" day. You could wear your college gear with jeans for the day. (obviously no tank tops or sweatpants, but sweatshirts, t-shirts, jerseys, etc were fair game).
Friday is normally jeans day, so since this was yesterday, it was a bonus jeans day.

The company I work for now is huge... 3500 employees between our two buildings. Even on Fridays, people still dress pretty nice... jeans and heels, jeans and button down shirts or polos... sweaters and blouses for the ladies.

It was really fun to wander around today and see where people went to school. Obviously a lot of midwestern schools were well represented. But it was cool to see some east and west coast schools as well.

I had a bit of a dilemma myself... I went to the University of Iowa for undergrad, but I went to Marquette University for grad school. Marquette is local... so of course there are a lot of alumni who remain in the area. I decided to represent my Hawkeyes. They are my first college love, after all. I only saw a couple of other Iowa folks wandering the halls today... but there are a lot of Hawkeye license plate holders in the parking lot, so there must be more of us here! I was also amazed at the amount of Iowa stuff I still have. I have at least six sweatshirts (obviously a little excessive and some of them are in better shape than others) a long sleeve t-shirt I bought at a football game last year (my first game in like 9 years!!!) and a bunch of random t-shirts. My Marquette paraphernalia is a little lacking in comparison!

How about you? Where did you go to school? Do you still support your team or school by wearing college gear? Do you get your kids in on the school spirit?

A Little Working Mom Frustration

Here are some things that have recently irritated me about being a working mom:

* 8AM-5PM dentist office hours.

* Alex not eating the lunch we pack for him.

* The surprise on the faces of the daycare workers at Alex's new daycare when I'm the last mom to pick up my kid... at 5:36PM. You're open till 6!

* The only sports offered for kids Alex's age at the Y are scheduled before 5 pm. Except swimming lessons. Which are fine, don't get me wrong.

* Morning meltdowns complete with tears and shouts of "don't go mommy!"

* Evening meltdowns complete with tears and shouts of "I don't like you or daddy!"

I know it's all part of the gig... plus the "growing pains" of Alex starting school. But let's just say I'm REALLY looking forward to my weekend!

Good Reviews

Everyone in their life should get a good review. Reviews are a necessary part of work life. In my past TV life, my biggest beef with reviews was that in 8 years at the station, I had 3 reviews. I should have had one a year. The first one was good. The second one was good. The third one was weird, then I left. I wasn't at my last job long enough to go through the review process.

So imagine my surprise when this week I was told that I was having an informal "half-way there" review. I admit I was nervous. I went from a doing PR for a decent-sized non-profit to doing PR as part of a team at a Fortune 500 company. Big change! I wasn't sure to expect, but was relieved that at the least it was informal.

To my great relief, the review was terrific! I don't mean to brag, but they love me! It was great to hear the supportive and encouraging things my manager had to say. She also gave me some great tips for improvement. It felt really good! It certainly doesn't mean a raise... my annual review isn't until next year. But I feel like professionally I'm in a really good place right now.

Add to that being in a great place personally (great husband, great kid, great extended family, and a baby on the way) and it's just icing on the cake!

While normally I would celebrate with a drink or a glass of wine... tonight... there is chocolate. WOO HOO!

Raising the Bar

I feel like I've raised my own intellectual bar the last couple of weeks. In my old job, I had to scan many local news websites, including the small community newspapers here, looking for stories of relevance to the non-profit organization I worked for... either about us or about our industry. It helped feed my need for news while keeping me informed about the industry in which I worked. Over lunch, I would then peruse People.com or UsMagazine.com. Guilty pleasures, but not exactly stimulating.

Now that I've changed jobs I've had to adjust my reading material. Once or twice a week I will have to prepare headline reports for executives, which means I REALLY need to understand my new industry (retail) and what would interest these executives. So now I'm reading the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Women's Wear Daily, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, LA Times... all online of course. But I'm absolutely wallowing in these publications like a pig in mud. It feels so good to be on top of current events again and be reading these hallowed publications. I feel smarter reading these.

The new job is challenging me on an intellectual level. I want to learn everything about my new company so I can represent it well. I need to be an expert on it, after all. I'll be representing the company in media interviews eventually, so I need to know my stuff (er... their stuff). I'm getting more excited the more comfortable I'm getting with my team. I still have a long way to go in terms of getting up to speed, but I'm definitely off to a good start!

Readjusting

So the new job is amazing. I'm learning so much about my new company and what my new responsibilities will be. It's a HUGE change from working for the local arm of a major non-profit to a major national business. But it's very cool too.

It's taken some adjustments. I realize now that I was very spoiled in my last job. I was able to exercise at work. I haven't worked out all week and I'm getting cranky. I'll be heading to the gym first thing tomorrow morning. I'll now join the ranks of everyone else trying to plan time to workout into their day. I'm just going to have to pick a day or two during the week and either go before work or after work.

I parked in a ramp at my old job. It was covered. And it took me maybe a minute and a half to walk into the building. Now, I park in a giant parking lot. It snowed twice this week and now it's bitterly cold. I believe that parking ramp fee was worth every penny.

My time in the evening is even more valuable. While I'm working the same hours, I'm still not even close to being in a routine. I had to run errands nearly every night this week, after being out of town last weekend. Groceries were needed and I had to get some Christmas shopping done. I haven't had any time to blog. And I'm not allowing myself to check personal email or surf my favorite websites at work anymore. (Trying to cure myself of some bad habits.) So I am so behind on reading blogs and checking my other favorite sites.

I also learned that my internal alarm is set for 6:30 a.m. Twice this week my alarm didn't go off. I flung back the covers at 6:30 a.m. screaming "What???" I need to be more careful when setting my alarm. I had to go into work early today and when I went to reset my alarm... it was set for 5:30 p.m.

So bear with me as I adjust to this new job (which so far, I LOVE!!!). I'm sure I'll get into some sort of rhythm and hopefully I'll be able to keep up with all my friends in real life and online.

Decisions, Decisions!

So a little over a week ago, I blogged that I had some big news... but it had nothing to do with expanding the family in any way. So I'm finally ready to spill.

I have a new job! It happened purely by chance and it happened so fast I was a little bit afraid that it was going to be too good to be true. I don't like to mention too many specific details, but I'll be working in public relations for a major department store chain. And I won't have to move in order to do this. If you're really smart, you'll be able to figure it out. I'll be working in store grand openings and charity. No travel, mostly PR and media relations over the phone.

I was contacted by a recruiter from this company through I website I'm on called LinkedIn. That led to phone interviews, an in person interview, and eventually a job offer. So I'll be starting this new position Dec. 1.

Now to my semi-frivolous decision... one of my nephews is selling magazines to raise money for his school. I want to start boning up on fashion, so that at some point maybe I can jump to the fashion department (Hello? Dream job!!). So do I subscribe to Vogue or Elle? Suggestions please!

Finally an Event Photo

It only took me two weeks, but finally, here's a photo of me and co-worker/friend Jess at our big, fancy event. I'm proud to say I bought this dress 5 years ago for my high school reunion, and it STILL FITS! Even after having Alex!

Finally Friday

We managed to test drive a car Wednesday night, thanks to my meeting being canceled. We drove a Honda CRV. Not bad... also looking at the Toyota RAV 4 and the Saturn VUE. So, if any of you want to brag about your car, please... by all means!!! Plug away!

My big event is tonight. The proof of the stress is in the two giant zits on my chin. I'll be dressed up (fun!), but working (not really fun). VERY much looking forward to a drink in the bar on the top floor of the hotel afterwards. (I promise to take/post pictures this weekend.)

The hard part about this crazy week has been getting home late. I won't be home till after Alex is in bed. I talked to Alex about this tonight as I was rocking him before bed.

"Sweetie, mommy's going to be home really late tomorrow night."
"But why mommy?"
"Because I have to work late. But I'll come in and give you a little kiss when I get home."
"But I miss you when you have to work late."
"I know, I'll miss you too."
"I'll miss you and I'll be sad and I'll cry."
"Oh sweetie. You won't cry, you'll have fun boy-time with daddy."
"Yes I will cry."
"But we'll have all weekend together."
"Oh. Okay. I love you Mommy."

-sigh-

Broke my heart just a little. But I also love these little conversations. It's a realization that he's such a little person now. I mean he really is having these thoughts and feelings and I'm just amazed. I'm amazed that he can convey these thoughts at just three years of age. I treasure these times! I also love that he's a snuggler and let's me rock him a little bit before he hops into bed.

In potty news... Alex has pooped on the potty every day since Tuesday. Thursday it was three times... including the one time he went in the urinal at school. I gagged a little at the thought of that, but the teacher claims it's actually happens every now and again. Blech. But I feel like maybe we've turned a corner!

The Home Stretch

The busy-ness continues. We had the first of our three fall weddings last weekend. Craig's cousin got married, there was cake and cookies at the reception, Alex was a dancing fool, a good time was had by all. Will post pictures once I get some emailed to me... we forgot to pack our own camera. But since about 400 other people had theirs, I'm sure we'll get one or two!

This week I have meetings Wednesday and Thursday, a black-tie gala that I'm helped plan on Friday. Craig will be gone for the day Saturday for a bachelor party-baseball game. Next week I have a haircut, dinner with my friend Erin who's moving to Florida, book club, and then we'll hopefully head back to Illinois so I can go to my friend Lacey's bridal shower. I figure round about November 2nd I'll be able to breathe.

Of note...
Alex pooped in the potty at school today. There was much rejoicing heard from the Northwest side of Wauwatosa.

Attempting to look at cars with a three year old is challenging. But hilarious all at the same time.

Completely swamped

I am sorry for the recent lack of posting and commenting. I wish I could blame it on all the work I've done writing, but that would be a half-truth. I can only blame it on work. I am completely swamped with work. Had a great weekend... as hoped for there was much time spent outside, lots of reading and crocheting (taught myself a new stitch and how to crochet in a round!), some grilling out and some dining out. But then back to work yesterday and WHAM! Smacked in the face with tons of work. Work that is invading every spare second inside and outside the office. I have a special event that is a week and a half away. Plus I'm planning another smaller event, a news conference, and a huge black-tie fundraising gala for November. BUSY is an understatement.

Add to this three weddings, a bridal shower, a bachelorette party, a good friend moving far away from me, a Brewers/Cubs game at Miller Park that is probably going to be extremely significant come the end of September, another 5K (Race for the Cure) and a three year old whom I adore and a husband whom I adore, and well, there's not much time for anything else.

I hope all of you in bloggyland are well. I will try to get caught up on reading all of you soon and get back into the swing of commenting.

The Morning Routine

I am not a morning person. Never have been. Getting out of bed is always hard for me, whether I'm in a good mood or not. But this morning, after a week of vacation, I was raring to go. I got up with little fuss, I made my lunch, had breakfast, heck! I even made coffee, which I haven't done in months, relying on the nasty stuff they serve in the breakroom or the instant stuff I get at the grocery store.

I showered, did makeup, hair, etc. Looked at my watch... it was 7:10AM. I finished getting ready a whole 20 minutes earlier than normal.

What was today's secret? Craig got up before I did.

Why does this motivate me? I have no idea. It's not competitive drive. I think it's guilt that he's up ahead of me, and I have to be to work before he does.

I may have to sit down with him tonight and discuss how his getting up before me affects my whole day in a positive way. Thanks, babe!

What a Way to Wakeup!

My alarm was set for 5:45AM. I vaguely remember hitting snooze. Then I sat bolt-straight up in bed and realized it was 7:42AM and my workday starts at 8AM! Panicked, swearing like a sailor, cursing every bit of remodeling mess in my way, I flew into the shower. What the hell happened to my alarm?? To make matters worse, I ran last night after work (I mean literally ran, with gym shoes, sweat band, a running buddy - my friend Lacey the works... no just "ran errands") and couldn't shower yesterday evening as remodeling hell is still a massive part of my life, so I REALLY needed a shower. Oh, and I felt like I had a hangover, yet I haven't consumed alcohol of any sort since Saturday night (and that pre-made pina colada found its way to my floor... so I didn't even get to enjoy all the pineapple-coconutty goodness that I wanted from it). I got out of the shower, dried off got dressed as fast as possible... no debating over what was going to wear today. There simply wasn't time. Threw my gym clothes in a bag, threw my makeup in there as well. Managed to prop up a mirror we never hung in the bathroom so I could at least throw together my hair, and by 8:15AM I was out the door. I'm thankful for several things...

1. A job where they don't care if I'm late as long as I show up and do my work.
   
2. A husband who pulls his weight in the family dynamic. If I would have had to get The Boy ready for school today on top of this mess, I would still be crying.
   
3. A well packed makeup bag and an office with a door so I could finish getting ready in private.
   
4. My bloggy friends who enjoy reading about my madcap adventures as a working mom.

Oh and I'm so glad Lacey came over to run last night! We are two weeks away from running our 5K. I think we ran a little over 2 miles last night. We're almost there! Hooray!

When it rains, it pours

These are the rainfall totals for the weekend. The 92nd and Capitol reading is the closest one to our house. Close to 8 inches of rain in two days time. Good grief!

Alex's daycare is closed for a second day... and I have a HUGE presentation tomorrow that I don't think I can reschedule. So I'm scrambling to try to find an alternative childcare plan. (Thanks for today, SARA!) This is one of the things I hate about being a working mom with no family in town... figuring out daycare emergencies. We've been lucky that these emergencies have been few and far between... but I can't even imagine how nice it would be to have Grandma or Grandpa be able to pop over for the day and lend a hand. Or even having a sibling or neices and nephews close by. It's a huge challenge. I'm really lucky I've got some great friends, and relieved that I have a new job that is so accomodating. Case in point... I left work early today and worked from home for a couple hours this afternoon. There's no leaving early in TV news... if anything it's always working late. Wish me luck!

A Day Off!

It's 10:45 a.m. and Alex and I are still in our pajamas. WOO HOO! This is the first Good Friday in ages that I haven't had to work. It's called a "floating holiday" for all you TV types out there. They have those in the corporate world.

I'm so glad I don't have to work today. For one, Alex's daycare is closed. It's also snowing like there's no tomorrow out there. That's right. Snow. On the second day of spring. We have several inches already, it's blowing terribly, and the road conditions are terrible. I'll try to take pictures and post them later this afternoon.

Chaos

I had to go to Hallmark last night to buy Easter and sympathy cards. Because Craig was working a later shift, I took Alex with me. Alex is just at the age where he doesn’t want to sit the in stroller, but you really have to keep an eye on him because he won’t stand still. As I’m looking for cards, Alex announces, “I need a card for Daddy.” I selected my cards, then we walked down the aisle so Alex could find just the right card.

First he grabbed a giant one with Shrek on it. Then he grabbed a Disney Princess one. We put both of those back. Then he found “THE ONE.” It was a card with a picture of a vacuum cleaner on it. Inside it says, “Sorry things suck right now.” I can’t believe a 2 year old picked out a card that sums up our last week or so. We’ve had a few sleepless nights, thanks to Alex having a cold. I’ve been fighting a cold/sinus combo for over a week. The house is a mess because we’ve been traveling so much. Craig and I have had crazy schedules at work. Alex’s cold and lack of sleep have made him whiny and clingy. When he’s like that, he ONLY wants me, which is frustrating (but understandable—who doesn’t want their mom when they’re sick???) because Craig really helps out a lot with Alex in the morning and at mealtimes.

So when Daddy got home at 9PM last night, the only thing that put a smile on Alex’s face was to give Daddy the card he picked out all by himself. Craig completely cracked up, and put the card up on his dresser. So cute!

--p.s. Yes, Alex was still up at 9PM. We had a horrible bath-time ordeal. It was not one of my shining moments of motherhood. Alex stood in the bathtub sobbing while I soaped him up and poured water over him. I told him I loved him… he said, “No you don’t! You don’t love me!!”

Working and Cooking

I think one of the many hard things about being a working mom is figuring out dinner. I enjoy cooking. It's theraputic, and unlike most areas of my life, I get to be in charge. I like to try new recipes, shop for all the ingredients, make lists, make a mess if necessary.
But when you're rolling in from the daycare pickup at 6PM and you've got to get your coat off, your 2 year old's coat off, pick up the mail, turn on the TV to entertain the 2 year old, then take the dog out and feed her... then you have to get the 2 year old's dinner ready because he's ravenous... then your husband walks in and it's 6:30... and you haven't even started making your dinner but thank god the two year old is fed...
Well as you can see it can get a bit chaotic.

Much to my own dismay, I've fallen back on convenience foods. Not in abundance. But I enjoy frozen pizza, the bagged Bertoli pasta dinners (though we usually need 2 bags, and only if they're on sale), and taquitos. They are used occassionally to buy me another night of not having to do the dinner time shuffle. The Pillsbury dough boy and Prego help me out occassionally too.

I do a lot of pastas with sauce, or ground beef dishes because they're easy and quick. I try to make my own spaghetti sauce most of the time. I'd say 75% of the time I make my own sauce. I also try to cook big on Sunday and/or Monday so we can eat on the leftovers for a couple of days. I also have to announce before we start eating that "This (fill in the blank with whatever I'm serving) has to last us 2-3 days... so don't snarf it down!"

A lot of people swear by their crockpots. I love mine (I have several) but I'm usually never organized enough to throw the contents of a dinner in there before I leave for work. Mornings are super-hectic as is... but that's a whole other blog! I enjoy a good crockpot meal here and there. I'm going to try to post a couple of my favorite throw-together-in-a hurry recipes here over the next couple of days. And I'd love to see some from other people as well.