Monday, December 3, 2012

Trial & Error Routines: Work-Day Routine



Some of you know, I started "back to work" in October.  I say that with quotes because..
#1... I only work two days a week at this job
#2... I started waitressing in the evenings when Raegan was 6 weeks old.

Even though I had been working for months, starting back to a daytime job meant some major routine changes for us.  Raegan goes to a daycare center while I am at work.  Landon stays with my grandparents after he gets off the school bus and until I get home from work.

Working during the day means rushed mornings, packed lunches, and less time to clean the house while everyone is gone.  It also means I am even more tired than before and I started getting migraines.

It was rough for awhile.  Routines go a long way in helping me keep my sanity.  Our routine has finally settled in enough that I can share what we do to make our mornings and evenings go smoothly.

7:00 am - Wake up, nurse Raegan, make beds, showers, breakfast.  Depending on when Raegan wakes up, sometimes I nurse her before I get up.  Sometimes she isn't hungry because she ate earlier in the morning.  Landon makes his own bed. Landon eats waffles that I make up in big batches.  I just reheat 2 for him each morning.  I make myself a breakfast shake/smoothie.

7:30 am - Get dressed, get kids dressed, pack lunches.  I wish I could get into the habit of setting out clothes the night before.  But, I don't.  Most of this time is spent looking for Landon's shoes.  I pack him pretzels or cereal for snack, and a large apple for lunch.  I know, that's a terrible lunch, but he doesn't even finish the apple.   If I pack more he brings most of it home uneaten.

8:00 am - Take dog out, feed the dog, and leave for bus-stop.  Landon feeds the dog while I take the dog out for a potty break.  We start out the door at 8:00 and somehow, everyday, it takes us at least 10 minutes to travel 4 blocks to the bus-stop.

8:30 am - Hit the road.. I have a fairly long commute.  But, I budget enough time that I get to work at least 15 minutes early most of the time.

9:00 am - Drop Raegan off at daycare.  She takes about 6 oz of expressed breastmilk and 2 bottles (1 is an extra).  She rarely drinks more than 1 oz as an afternoon snack.  They also make her rice cereal with some of the milk she brings.  The day care provides baby food that she eats for morning snack, lunch, and afternoon snack.  She uses disposable diapers at daycare that I send in.  If she happens to have a cloth diaper on in the morning, they just put it in her wet-bag for me and I take it later.

9:10 am - Arrive at work.  This time varies depending on how quickly Raegan settles in to play at daycare.  If I have time, I try to pump before the workday starts.  Sometimes I don't get anything.  Sometimes I can pump 4 oz.  I also have to check my email before I start to see if anyone has cancelled their appointments.

11:30 am - Visit Raegan, lunchtime feeding.  I have been making shakes and taking them for lunch so I don't have to go eat lunch myself.  I can drink them while Raegan is nursing.  Then, I can either rock her to sleep (if she hasn't already napped) or play with her for a little while.  Her teachers are very friendly and they make me feel very welcomed in her classroom.

1:00 pm - Back to work.  This is actually my first appointment slot.  I'm usually back in the office before 12:30, unless I need to run errands or actually stop to eat lunch.  I try to answer emails again before my next appointment.

2:30 pm - Pump break!  Pumping is so unpredictable.  Sometimes I get 6 oz, sometimes less than 1 oz.  I have enough milk saved in the freezer that I don't stress about how much I get.  It only takes me 10-15 minutes.

4:30 pm - Last appointment.  Email check.  Leave.  Sometimes it takes more than a hint for my last appointment to realize time is up.  I check my email one last time, file my paperwork, and pack up the for day.

4:45 pm - Pick up Raegan.  Raegan is usually sleeping when I get there so I try to gently pack her into her carseat and she sleeps the whole way home.  Her teachers give me a record of her diaper changes, feedings, and naps.

5:30 pm - Pick up Landon.  Go home. As soon as we get home, Landon starts his homework.  He does most of his math homework alone, while I let the dog out, clean up the kitchen, and get dinner ready.  Then, he does his reading homework with me (while I nurse Raegan) and we practice his spelling words.

6:30 pm - Dad comes home.  Eat.  Sometimes Chris, being the amazing husband that he is, stops to get groceries on his way home from work.  Once he's settled in, we eat dinner, then we veg out together in the living room until Landon goes to bed at 7:30.

7:30 pm - Pjs, Devotions, Bedtime.  I cannot believe my second-grader goes to bed at 7:30, but if it's any later, he is a huge grump!  We read from the The Adventure Bible Book of Devotions.  He turns on his radio and snuggles up with his one real dog and countless plush dogs.

10:00 pm - My bedtime.  Raegan still sleeps with me.  I nurse her when I'm ready for bed and she sleeps for awhile.  If she's really sound asleep, I put her in her crib and she sleep.  Otherwise we co-sleep and she nurses throughout the night.

I rarely get any housework done on the days I'm working.  If I do, it's a full dishwasher that doesn't get emptied.  On a really good day, I can do a load of laundry.  That has happened once or twice.  But, I think I've found my rhythm.  In this series, I'll share my routines for the weekend and the days I'm "off".  Don't miss a post!!  Subscribe to Trial and Error Homemaking.

What time-savers do you use to make your day go more smoothly?

1 comment:

  1. I went back to work full time for 8 weeks. I would wake at 6 shower, dress, then get owen up and ready. I would leave for work at 7:15, drop Owen off and then clock in. Clock out at 5:45 and go pick Owen back up and sit in traffic for an hour. By time I got home I wold make dinner, bathe Owen, put him to bed, and then do school work and got to bed. I felt so miserable and guilty that I did not have much time with him, and to boot I was not bringing enough home to make it worth it so I quit. I am so glad I can stay at home and spend every minute with him. Being a working mom is definitely a juggling act.

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