Maternity leave really is such a crazy time. I mean first of all you have a whole new family member to adapt to, get to know, welcome to the world and love. Then you have any of the after effects of having the baby no matter how it happened. You have the battle of feeling like you should be doing more with your time off, yet not knowing how to make it possible or even if you really should. And then before you know it, it is over and life is just supposed to resume back to normal.

Funny isn’t it? Because in the few short weeks that we get that is all kind of a lot. And let’s face it your life is way different now.

Both of my maternity leaves were very different for different reasons but one thing remained the same. Well I guess two; I had a new amazing addition to our family who literally made my heart burst both times and preparing to go back to work and adjusting our family to it was something I very much dreaded. After all it seemed too soon.

The second time around I so hoped it would be easier to return to work. I worked for a better, more supportive company this time around. Plus our family had a plan and one that we knew would work.

In my mind though I started to panic, picturing my new little one screaming her head off for her caregivers all day. Trying to calm her down by showing her pics of me or even facetime. I think I was ultimately giving myself way too much credit. My husband quickly reminded me that I’ve already done this once before and we all survived. My oldest had the chance to develop the best relationships with her grandparents, she even got to go to school and make friends. We all developed a routine and our own little lives away from each other only to enjoy the time we had together that much more. Ultimately my new little one would do the same.

So the time has come for me to switch gears and get back into manager mode. Would I be the mom who works or the boss who has kids? Did I have to choose? Had I before? How would we set up a routine with two now? More importantly how would I just get us where we need to be when we need to be there? One thing I knew for sure is that I wanted this transition to be as easy as possible… for all of us.

The biggest difference for me this time around is a very busy 3 year old. We had pre school and dance until the end of May and summer camp in June and now we have nothing until preschool starts back up in September. With P being so used to schedules and activities I can tell she’s getting bored… fast.

To help out my mom who is taking the girls for my first week back I am putting together little craft packs for the week. We bought our purple craft caddy at Target for about $3 and each night I plan to fill it up with craft supplies for the next day; paint, crayons, markers, glue stick. It will be an easy go to for both my mom and P all using supplies we already have.

I am also looking forward to our next KiwiCo shipment (not an ad). I could not have timed this better as our next Koala crate is ready to arrive just in time for next week. We started it this summer and I had no idea how much I would love it! You can choose a subscription (we chose 3 months to start) and you pick your age group. P is receiving the Koala crate for ages 3-4. The crate contains all of the supplies you need to make 2-3 activities and let me tell you they have been absolutely adorable, educational and so easy for me! They come with a cute booklet with little stories and activities that relate to the projects you do. You’ll even receive emails periodically with even more project ideas to try at home.

In trying to keep our household running nice and smooth, P and I did a big grocery trip to make sure we are stocked up on all of her favorite foods and snacks. I also planned out easy dinners for us each night. This is something we started years ago and has been a huge sanity saver. Each week my husband and I plan out our dinners for the following week so we know exactly what we need to get from the store. This helps eliminate multiple trips throughout the week and makes it quick and easy at night to prepare. Needless to say next week is a lot of pizza and tacos as we try to set up our new routine. 

As for the new baby, well they tend to have their own agenda each day. This time around I am lucky to have the little one who is sleeping and actually somewhat sticking to a daily schedule (as I type this I am thinking how magically this will all manage to change next week when I go back to work…when she figures out like her big sis that if she doesn’t sleep at night she gets more time with mom ). So for those of you getting by each day on the 2 hours of broken sleep, I know your struggle and trust me one day it gets better. And for those who I thought used to be stretching the truth that they were getting sleep…wow it really is possible! So for now if grandma sticks to the schedule of eat every 3 hours, play for about an hour and nap it should be easy…right?

I’ll be sharing more about how I plan to get myself ready to go back to work and how this time around I am trying to be much easier on myself. I’d love to know what are some techniques that have worked for you? Or what is something you wished you had done differently? Can’t wait to hear from you and share some ideas!