Working From Home During a Pandemic

Not too long ago, a little over a month ago let’s say, I used to love working from home. I have a traditional corporate job and would spend four days in the office and work from home one day a week. I would drop the kids at daycare, pick myself up a coffee and knock out a bunch of work the rest of the morning. At lunchtime I’d go for a run or do an at home workout and take my one uninterrupted shower of the week. I’d finish working in the afternoon and spend the time my commute normally would take me picking up the house. The house was silent the entire day and it was glorious. Fast forward to the recent weeks where I am working from home full time and caring for children full time. It’s hard AF. I’m here to share some tips that I’ve learned these past few weeks as it looks like there may be quite a number more that we will continue in this way. I am by no means “winning” at this – just surviving…which leads me into my first tip.

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The Peloton Digital App

Alright now before you dismiss what I’m about to say, hear me out. For almost two years I went to Orange Theory pretty regularly. To be honest, I absolutely loved it. I felt it was a full body workout in an hour that left me feeling strong and like I had accomplished something. For those that don’t know it’s a combination of cardio (treadmill & row machine) and strength (weights). The hardest part of the whole program for me though was fitting it into my schedule. Classes are at specific times and at my location were full…a lot. When I started doing fertility treatments this also complicated things because I couldn’t go for periods of time and I still had to keep up my membership. Then I found the peloton app.

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5 minute face

Whether you have kids or not everyone’s busy. Mornings are pretty chaotic around here and the minutes I have to make myself look presentable always seem to get shortened. I’ve gotten my make up routine down to 5 minutes and here’s how.

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Valentine’s Day treat bags

Holidays at daycare are tricky, it’s either a nut-free food option or non food items. The past few years I’ve gone with non food items but since most Moms shop at the same stores, the girls received multiples of the same thing. This year I planned ahead and hopped on Pinterest for ideas. That’s how I found these super cute love bugs! These are adapted from the many different variations I’ve found and I thought I would create a step by step on how to make them since I couldn’t find one!

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Morning rush – How we leave the house on time

One of the hardest and most overwhelming things about having kids is getting out of the house. I have a set working schedule and need to be in the office at the same time everyday but having to be anywhere at a certain time and factoring in children can be challenging. Most mornings it’s just me and the girls due to my husband’s work schedule, which adds another layer of complexity. Here are a few tips on what I’ve found works to get to daycare/work in the morning, but these can easily be applied to any situation where you have to be somewhere on time.

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What you need most as a new mom

We all know there’s no handbook on being a mom, but sometimes I wish there was. Having my first child was very overwhelming and I constantly felt like I was failing. Trying to navigate through picking the best products, establishing routine and going back to work were tough transitions and I felt like I didn’t have the knowledge others had to get through it. Then I found a mom group on social media.

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Time away

This past weekend my husband and I drove to Milwaukee for their annual Summerfest. The fest is right off of Lake Michigan and a huge outdoor area with food, music and great views of the city and lake. They have a range of music, from free shows to huge headliners like Florida Georgia Line, who we were lucky enough to see. While Milwaukee is about an hour and a half away from us and we were only going for the afternoon/night coordinating the weekend was a huge ordeal. Time away from our kids doesn’t happen often but it’s definitely important for our marriage. I really believe in family time but it’s easy to lose sight of marriage time with busy working lives and two young children.

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Summer bucket list

Today I realized it’s almost mid-June and I feel the summer months are already getting away from me! My girls are in daycare year round and I work full time so we are not on a traditional summer break, but we only get so many warm months in Chicago I want to make the most of it! I feel if I write down my top ten items it will not only inspire you but hold me accountable! Plus, I’ve heard so much about putting what you want to do out in the universe to make it happen, so here goes!

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Daycare series – Summer camp

I remember the first time I received a note home from daycare about “summer camp.” At first I thought it was a cute idea, to change the schedule up a bit in the summer and have camp activities, then I saw the extra cost on top of tuition and got a bit weak. In addition to cost, it means extra clothes at daycare for your child to participate fully. After scrambling to find what I needed that first year, I’ve rounded up five essential items to purchase so you’re child can enjoy the activities and you can feel comfortable they are safe and protected outside!

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They call me Mom AKA…

If you would have asked me the definition of the word “Mother” before I had kids, or even 6 months ago, I would have given a very different answer than I would today. I’m also positive in 6 months my definition today wouldn’t be the same. Truth is, the hardest part of motherhood is that you’re constantly learning and things move so quickly.

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