A week from today, I go back to work full-time. Eli will start going to his sitter's all day, and I will be an emotional wreck. That's my prediction: the next couple of weeks are going to be a full-on shitshow of feelings.
I'm trying to make the transition as easy as possible for our family, and in true "fail to plan, plan to fail", Type A fashion, my little brain is working overtime to try to foresee problems and issues and come up with solutions before all hell breaks loose.
Here are some of the things I've come up with to hopefully, fingers crossed, make things easier for us and help us all to be more efficient:
I'm trying to make the transition as easy as possible for our family, and in true "fail to plan, plan to fail", Type A fashion, my little brain is working overtime to try to foresee problems and issues and come up with solutions before all hell breaks loose.
Here are some of the things I've come up with to hopefully, fingers crossed, make things easier for us and help us all to be more efficient:
- lay out our outfits the night before. This way, we can wake up in the morning and not have to hem and haw in our closets (because that's EXACTLY what Eli does every day) and debate what to wear.
- plan meals for the week and shop for groceries on Sundays, so there's no last-minute scrambling or "what are we going to have for dinner?" "I don't know, what do you feel like?" dilemmas mid-week.
- set the timer on the coffee maker before I go to bed. Having caffeine at the ready when I wake up will get me off to a better start.
- make my lunch and Eli's snacks when cleaning up from dinner. Not preparing lunches in the morning frees up valuable time and it'll be easier to throw some leftovers and a couple pieces of fruit into a container in the evening.
- pack our bags in the evenings: my work stuff, Eli's daycare stuff, my gym bag. Again, just cuts down on last-minute scrambling before we have to get out the door.
- go to the gym at lunch when time permits. I'll be getting up at 6:00 as it is. Getting up at 4:30 to go to the gym in the morning is not happening, and I'll want to spend my after-office hours with Eli and Peter, not surrounded by gorilla juiceheads and Zumba bunnies slogging away on the treadmill.
- spend 15-20 minutes at night (MAX) cleaning up around the house, just doing the day-to-day tidying up, Swiffering, etc. to keep things presentable.
That's all I got. These are no-brainers, for the most part, but I'm hoping they help us make the best use of our time and maximize our time together as a family.
Any busy mamas (or dads!) have any hints or suggestions for us?
