Back To Work After Baby

Photo from SheKnows
Decide on child care
We found one 3 months prior to my return to work. Two weeks before, I hung out with Missy Miu for two to three hours over a few days. The following week... it was project "cold turkey". I dropped her off for six hours. The first two days were tough. On day three, I was shown pictures of her playing. (insert angels singing here)

Have a back-up plan
With little one going to child care, there is no doubt they will get sick. Make arrangements between you and your partner about how vacation and sick days will be managed. We also made arrangements with my Mama to take over on occasion in case Missy Miu becomes ill.

Share responsibilities
While at home on maternity leave, it made sense that I take on most of the household responsibilities. Now it is an even playing field. Well sort of. Negotiate a chore list and discuss what you and your partner can handle. You'll be less stressed.

Prep! Prep! Prep!
Get as much ready the night before. This is one rule I live by. Baby's and my clothing is picked out the evening before. Diaper bag is packed and my lunch is made. I have created a meal plan since I have less time to stop for fast food and (sigh) less money to spend on it. I have to work on a housekeeping schedule as it is no fun doing all the chores on the weekend. Uhm... I even make two days of breakfast so I can pop it into the microwave oven at 4:30 am. (I am aware that you just rolled your eyes)

Get some sleep
It was in the news the other day that once our little ones sleep through the night, we don't sleep through the night. Momsomnia (look it up). Getting back into the work routine will be hard on the mind and body. Try to get into bed at a reasonable hour. Establish a routine where you can grab a shower, change into some comfy sleep wear and get into bed. You don't have to sleep at that point. Grab a book, watch your favourite program. You'll probably fall asleep in your relaxed state.

Keep your Mama friends
No doubt you probably made some Mama friends while you were off. Make a pact to keep those friendships when you return to work. We compared notes on baby during maternity leave... You still have things in common as your little one grows and /or as your return to your career.

Now that you're back
Embrace your new role- You are providing for your family and showing your little one that Mamas can wear many hats. You also benefit with fulfillment that comes with your job. I more empowered being back at work. Especially now that I am bring more money our household.

Use you lunch time for time to get some time yourself.

Don't feel guilty if you enjoy the work / life balance.

Focus on the positives. I really cherish the time I spend with Missy Miu and now we can easily save for our first vacation with her.

So Mamas... Do you have tips to add?

Thankful Friday

Now that I am back at work I can honestly say I am thankful for my job and the money I make. Through heavy duty saving and planning we made it through my 1.2 years off of work. But we could have planned better.

Going forward I would like to demonstrate my gratitude by not being as frivolous as I once was with my money. It is important (especially now that we have a little one) that my husband and I provide more responsibly our family.

We have created a budget that will build our savings and all things emergency. And of course I would like to have fun with my family through vacations etc, but I look forward to it being paid in full.

What are you thankful for today? 

Wordless Wednesday

Can't wait! 

September Happenings

I Maternity leave is now over for Lexi and myself. As we now juggle with our little ones, work, school and family life - - we are determined to maintain The Mamalicious Mamas Social Network. Currently we are 157 Mamas strong.

September is jam packed with Mamalicious events:

* Get Mamaliciously Fit with Heike
* PYO Tropical Vegetables
* Java / Tea Adventures
* The Zoo
* Anything FroYo
* Lots of Walks
* Indoor Playdates
* Bellydance Workshop ( Mama Only)
* Menu Planning Info Session

Are you a Mama or a Mama-to-be? Then The Scarborough Pickering Mamalicious Mamas is for you. Let's venture out of the house and enjoy the day.

Starting A Meal Plan

In September we have arranged for the Mamalicious Mamas to attend an information session on Meal Planning at the Loblaws Cooking School. I will not be able to attend, but I've decided it would be a good idea to explore for our own household.

I have been Googling various sites on the topic and so far I like the concept of theme dinners. This is what I have written for the week:

Monday: Pasta and left over chicken
Tuesday: Steak
Wednesday: Wraps steak
Thursday: Stir Fry
Friday: Take-out
Saturday: Barbecue anything goes
Sunday: Chicken

I also read that you can repeat your detailed menu bi-weekly. So if you have lasagna on Monday, then feel free to serve it in two weeks.

Returning to work is leaving me a little overwhelmed with time management. An area I always have trouble with. Yeah… Yeah…. I have been told I have a tendency to over think things. But my commute is 55 kilometers from away. I need to feel that my time after I get home is quality time with my family. Not to mention I have to spend time behind the scenes of the Mamalicious Mamas.

Oh. And there is my hobby of cake decorating that garners me an order every so often.

Hubby and I used to spend a pretty penny on take-out. Yes, I am back to work getting (thank goodness) a full wage, but daycare takes a chunk out of it. Meal planning for dinner will also provide for lunch the next day.

Most importantly, I would like Missy Miu to eat healthy. I am looking forward to seeing her assist with dinner after daycare. Right now she eats the paper napkins. It will be pretty cool when she actually places them on the table.

So Mamas… Do you do any form of meal planning in your home?

Wordless Wednesday

Missy Miu and Dad

Adventures in Babysitting

We have secured a spot for Missy Miu in a daycare for over a month now. I've had a few Mamas ask me about my experience. So I thought I would share.

When Missy Miu was 4 months Hubby and I started to look around for daycare. We were surprised  at how expensive it would be. The costs were from $68.00 to $73.90 per day. (say what?). We were looking at possibly paying almost $1500 per month! A friend pointed out that it was a mortgage payment. (crap!)

Unfortunately we do not have any family to help with Missy during the day. Paying for a provider was our only option.

I decided to check out a licensed home daycare provider. After doing some research, this seemed to be the best option. Monitored by the Ministry of Education the cost was less expensive due to the fact that this was in the provider's home. We were looking at a cost of $48.00 per day / $960.00 per month.

I filled out the online application and received a call within two days from the Scarborough franchise owner. I let them know the area we were interested in. It had to be easy accessible for Hubby so he could continue on to the GO Station. I was told that there were four providers within our area of interest and that I would receive a call back in April, four months before Missy's official start date.

April came fast and the in home daycare and I connected (actually in May). I paid $50.00 for the setup of the interviews. They set me up with two. Even though there was supposed to be four. We went to one and the next day the other. This one was perfect. It was across the street from The Rouge GO Station. We knocked and rang the doorbell for ten minutes . No answer. We were not impressed. On the way home I left an irate message on the answering machine of the main office.

I received an apologetic call the next morning from the office. Turns out the provider said she was unable to do any interviews because her daughter was ill. She had told the office previously, but they had forgotten.

I accepted the apology and waited for another opportunity for the interview as well as others. Two weeks passed. I followed up and left a message. I received a voice mail back that they would contact me when the provider could accept interviews.

The next day the main office called and told me the provider had decided not to offer daycare in her home anymore. Hmmmmm... I thought so. I asked about upcoming interviews. The person seemed a bit flustered on the phone and I was told I would receive a call.

I decided to phone on my own the next day. I expressed my disappointment that $50.00 got me only one interview. I hinted that perhaps I receive some if not all of that money back. They didn't bite.

Later I received a call back. They had a provider by the GO Station in The Guild. We visited her and she was very nice. Missy Miu liked her. But she was not looking after any other children. It is important for us that Missy interact with other children her age... Not hang out with an adult all day.

Sigh... Now up to two interviews we did not receive any follow up calls.

A bit miffed I called the office back. I told them that they had a lot of nerve to assume that I have decided to go with them. I am a parent who has to plan and was returning back to work soon. I ended the conversation with "well my husband will give you a call soon."

Within minutes I received a call from the franchise owner. She told me of another provider who was located between The Rouge and Guild GO Stations.

We visited, but not still not quite impressed. We received another call from the franchise owner asking me what we thought of the last interviewee. It seemed like she assume that we decided on the last provider. I told her we liked her but had other interviews.

Hubby and I went on a site www.godaycare.com. We found a babysitter by the Guildwood GO Station. She was very nice. A former teacher and she had a resume. She charged $45.00 per day. We just felt that she didn't have any structure to the day.

We finally came across a daycare that charged $73.90 per day. They were five minutes from home. We toured the facility and liked what we saw. They had two infant rooms that would hold 10 babies each up to 18 months.

It was a spacious facility with a couple of empty areas. This
daycare had space due to the full-time kindergarten brought in by the Liberal Government. All daycare centres had to close down spots that had children in this age range. Full day kindergarten was affecting the business of daycare. Because of this we lucked out. This daycare provider matched the daily rate of the licensed in home provider.

We were relieved that Missy Miu would benefit in a centre and interact with many other babies her age.

I would advise you to :

- start looking for a provider at the 4 month mark
- put your child's name on as many lists as you like. When you decide on one call the others to remove your child's name
- if a provider doesn't offer good service from the get go... walk away

So Mamas... Do you have any Adventures in Babysitting to share?