From: jberetta@lib.uwo.ca (Janet Beretta)
Subject: Re: Birth Announcement
Organization: University of Western Ontario, London
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1992 20:48:00 GMT

In article <1decdqINN9oq@male.EBay.Sun.COM> valjorge@leapyear.EBay.Sun.COM (Valerie Jorge) writes:
>
>I have just started back to work and again have access
>to this group (which I really enjoy, by the way).
>
>My son, Kevin Robert Hayes was born
>Thursday, May 28, 1992, 7lb., 5oz, 20.5 inches.
>He is now a happy and healthy 5 month old,
>14lb, 8 1/2oz, 28 1/2 inches.

Congratulations!

>
>We enjoyed being home together for 5 months,
>and being back to work, with Kevin in daycare,
>has been a change I am trying to deal with.
>
>Need some helpful hints:  How do all of you
>manage working full time, cooking, doing
>laundry, picking up, dropping off, ( also
>have a 9YO stepdaughter who lives with us)
>and still have time for sleep?
>
>Any advice on your "routine" would be greatly
>appreciated.

You asked!

Get a cleaning lady! What a difference *that* has made to my life! I
have them (2 young women) once every two weeks. They come in and do my
bathrooms, dust, wash my floors and do my kitchen from top to bottom.
All the stuff I spent my entire Saturday doing! I pay only $40.00
(quite competitive) per visit. It is worth every penny. Now on
Satudays, we go to the market, the park and go swimming (Kinderswim!).
I *now* don't feel guilty taking Rachel (20 mos.) to daycare on
Monday, and *I* actually get a weekend. I've been back to work now for
10 mos and am just figuring this all out. Rachel has been in daycare
since then.

Another tip about cooking! Forget it! I love to cook and felt guilty
about not putting a homecooked meal on the table every night. SO, I
cook alot on the weekends, make lots of stuff we can freeze and have
leftover. I bake muffins, and cook up batches of vegies and freeze
them in small portions so that I can quickly micro them for Rachel at
5:30 when she's hungry. We usually don't eat until 7. I depend alot on
a wonderful food chain we have here in Canada that sells boxed meats
and prepared foods, and all are very high quality and reasonably
priced. They sell prepared lasagne, cabbage rolls, stuffed chicken
breasts (kiev, Italian, etc.) meat pies. etc. They save my life during
the week. Our freezer is stocked!

Next, if he isn't already, make sure your hubby/s.o./mate is pulling
his/her load. Put in the odd load of laundry. Bite the bullet and send
out his shirts. And DON'T save it all up for the weekend. It gets you
down if you have to do 5 loads on Sunday. Throw in one small one every
evening. Babies are laundry intensive! (as if you already didn't
know!) 

My last piece of advice is: get exercise! Unfortunately, it took me 6
months to figure this out after I got back to work. I was so stressed
out I was going to lose it trying to balance everything. The exercise
alleviates stress;.....well it enables me to cope anyway. I am a
different person. I was falling into bed at 9:30 I was so tired. Now I
have so much energy, I can easily stay up to 11:00 and you NEED that
extra time to get everything done. Personallym I chose running (my
first time ever) and it's great because it's quick (30 min) I can do
it anywhere, it's outdoors and there's nothing like it to get you back
into shape! I thought I'd never see a flat stomach again! Well, after
just 3 months I have one (3 mos. of running that is.)

Well, sorry this went on. Good luck, keep your chin up, and remember
you *too* can be supermom!

Janet 



>
>Keep posting!
>
>Valerie


-- 
*  Janet Beretta                  | " Sometimes I feel like I can't   *
*  University of Western Ontario  |   even sing 		      *
*  Libraries			  |   I'm very scared for this world  *
*  jberetta@lib.uwo.ca            |   I'm very scared for me."  R.E.M.*