tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911002765024660833.post5841884951613265776..comments2020-04-30T11:47:06.641-07:00Comments on Laura's Louisville Life: new mom questions... dinners and house cleaningLaurahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994084985163251792noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911002765024660833.post-46002102187774665672010-09-15T14:15:02.974-07:002010-09-15T14:15:02.974-07:00Thanks ladies! You both had such encouraging word...Thanks ladies! You both had such encouraging words :) Gretchen, I think I'll try to have one "chore" per evening because I too would love to enjoy my free days with sweet Moriah without filling them with other to-do's. We'll see how it goes, I think it will be helpful in the long run for sure! I will be pumping at work (I get to nurse on my lunch break, but will otherwise pump and store it for the next day) so I'm sure you're right about all the little things that add up in the evenings. Here's another question along those lines, do you always sanitize bottles after each feeding or can they just be washed and sanitized less often? Just curious... I did get a microwave sanitizer so it's not too hard, but I just wasn't sure!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09994084985163251792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911002765024660833.post-35287790358407811642010-09-15T06:06:52.318-07:002010-09-15T06:06:52.318-07:00Sorry for the multiple comments, but I keep thinki...Sorry for the multiple comments, but I keep thinking of more I want to say. :)<br /><br />Just want you to know, Laura, that I will PRAY for you as you go back to work. Every woman handles it differently, but for me, I felt like my heart was ripping out. And I had GREAT care for her (a dear friend to babysit or she was with her daddy). I will pray for your heart and mind to be joyful in all circumstances, and that you will not entertain thoughts of jealousy or discontent. I especially had a hard time (and I still do to a large extent) hearing SAHMs complain about all the time they are "cooped up" with their kids because I SO longed to be in their position. . . This battlefield of envy is very real, and though I pray it will not be an issue for you, I can see how likely it will be that you may be tempted to that (the tempter takes a good desire in our hearts and tempts us to make them into idols). <br /><br />Bless you!Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02485310328441248086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911002765024660833.post-5856306755066664012010-09-15T05:59:50.675-07:002010-09-15T05:59:50.675-07:00Oh, and one more thing . . . :)
One thing I did n...Oh, and one more thing . . . :)<br /><br />One thing I did not anticipate was how much of my evening time would be filled up with just preparing for the next day -- washing my pump (will you have to pump even if she is right there, or can you nurse her on breaks?), preparing her bottles (I'm very thankful that I never had to substitute formula, but it is a lot of work to make sure you've got enough BM ready), packing diaper bag and lunches for you and your husband. It can be exhausting just tackling all those little extra things, so just give yourself a bit of a break on other commitments or how perfect your house needs to be. I would have to consciously tell myself "it doesn't matter if it doesn't look like Martha Stewart lives here, you are doing the most important things first, caring for your baby and husband." <br /><br />I gave up a few other extra things when I returned to work, including my blog and teaching children Wednesday nights at church (both of which I have now picked back up since I moved to part time!). My reason for this was that I knew my spare moments ought to be free to just snuggle my daughter or play with her, or collapse with my husband. I'm sure you've already thought about clearing your plate from extras, but if not, maybe as you get back to work, things will become apparent. DO NOT feel bad about this! It is a season. You are doing the most important FIRST. And in another season, you may have time to cook like Giada and have a gorgeous home like Martha Stewart. At least that's what I'm still telling myself. :)Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02485310328441248086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911002765024660833.post-69849244353460825652010-09-15T05:48:17.444-07:002010-09-15T05:48:17.444-07:00Laura,
I totally didn't know you were going b...Laura,<br /><br />I totally didn't know you were going back to work, but let me just encourage you with what has worked for me -- of course every family and household is different, so you can certainly feel like skipping my ideas. :)<br /><br />As for household chores, I assign one job to each day. For example, grocery Monday, laundry Tuesday, clean bathroom Wednesday, vacuum Thursday, and so forth. This has moved around a tad as our schedules shift, but in my mind, I know I can handle doing that ONE JOB each day. I do not prefer to spend my only whole day I have at home (Saturday) doing everything. I'd MUCH rather feel free to use that day spending time with my fam and making memories. Of course, if we are hosting on Sunday, or I have extra laundry to catch up or something, I can always jump in and do a few extra things that day, but generally I leave it as free as possible.<br /><br />Sounds like you have great meal planning ideas. The only suggestion I would add is to stock up and keep a few things on hand that would be easy for your husband to prepare quickly. For us that usually means having a box mix of red beans and rice or a frozen pizza on hand, or maybe eating scrambled eggs and toast for supper. Josh is great about making supper once a week (at one point it was a little more often than that). If you make it easy for him, that can be something he can easily take off your plate.Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02485310328441248086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5911002765024660833.post-19751435274772994982010-09-13T20:32:53.866-07:002010-09-13T20:32:53.866-07:00Laura, these next few months will be a major time ...Laura, these next few months will be a major time of transition...not only with you starting back to work, but also with Moriah. Their development changes SO much in the first year, but I feel like the first 6 months is the biggest. While it is good to have structure with your cleaning, looking back I wish I would've been more realistic about my expectations when he was so little. Jason was great to point out the reality, and the things I WAS getting done, but I still felt like a failure as a wife/keeper of our home. When you have those days where you feel like you've failed in all areas, remember these two things...1-this too shall pass, and quite quickly and 2-you're not alone. Life as a mother is all about balance, sometimes the kid waits for you to finish the dishes and sometimes the dishes wait.<br />I'm loving 'watching' you become a mother!The Blackley Tribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07206487369663817982noreply@blogger.com