Sunday was a good one in the Fagan household, for no particular reason other than that we totally neglected the laundry, cleaning and stroller assembly we had on our to-do list and instead decided to take the day to see a matinee movie, relax and spend some time outside.
Since long walks with Sadie are out for me right now, Ryan and I decided to try to take her paddle boarding with us on Sunday morning, thinking that might be a good way to get all of us outside without intensifying my sacroiliac pain.
Since we are nowhere near good enough on paddle boards to bring a camera along on our adventures, that’s the only picture we have of our morning on the water, but we lasted about 90 minutes. Sadie was pretty much the worst paddle boarder in all the land and kept hoping off one of our boards and swimming to the other. Indecisive doggie!
I ended up sitting down on my board for the second half of our adventure so Sadie could sit in my lap and be a little more comfortable. I’m sure we were quite a sight!
We made it back home around 11 a.m. and our stomachs told us it was time for lunch so we quickly changed and drove to Chipotle to satisfy a craving.
I’m not sure what was in my burrito bowl that made it so spicy, but it was on fire. There must have been some kind of pepper in there that normally isn’t in my preferred toppings because it was waaay spicier than usual. Phew!
With full bellies, Ryan and I did a little shopping in Birkdale Village.
Ryan was a trooper and headed into Victoria’s Secret with me so I could exchange a bikini top I ordered for a larger size. (I got this one in Brazilian Teal/Neon Lemon.) Aside from my bikini top, we also left with something quiiiiite sexy. A comfy oversize t-shirt. Oh yes!
And then it was movie time!
We saw an early afternoon showing of Jurassic World! I really wanted to see the movie because I loved the book Jurassic Park and the previous movie, so my hopes for this one were high. Ryan and I both liked it a lot and it definitely kept my attention the whole time.
After our movie, we drove home, picked up Sadie and took advantage of the sunny day by boating for a few hours before dinner.
We got take out for dinner and ended up eating on the couch while watching the Women’s World Cup Final game which was awesome. I’m not really a huge soccer fan (Ryan loves it), but we both got really into the World Cup this year and have had fun cheering for the Women’s National Team. I was really looking forward to watching the final game and they absolutely killed it last night!
It was definitely a fun game to watch… Even if Sadie didn’t think so…
And yes, whenever we are chilling on the couch, Sadie must be touching us somehow… Even if it’s just my foot!
Hope you guys had a good weekend and that Monday is flyin’ by for you!
P.S. If you are a work-from-home parent, I’d love to hear your advice regarding how you balance working from home and caring for your little one(s). I’m hoping to share a blog post full of your top tips, as it’s something that’s been on my mind since I’ll be in a similar situation soon (balancing blogging + teaching at the gym when I am cleared to exercise again + being a mom)! Please feel free to weigh in below (or shoot me an email at pbfingers@gmail.com) with any advice you may have that you wouldn’t mind me including in my post. I really appreciate it!!
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I went to Jurassic World with my hubby a couple weeks back and we absolutely loved it! So good!
I did microbiology research in a lab, but worked from home analyzing the data when my son was a baby. I utilized nap times as much as I could. Unfortunately he would only nap for 20-30 minutes at a time, so my husband would take him out of the house on the weekends for hikes or to the park and I could use that time. I eventually started putting him in daycare for 2 mornings a week, that gave me a couple good chunks of time to get the bulk of my work done.
haha when I read your first sentence in this post I read it as “manatee” and not “matinee” – oh Mondayyyyy
I totally did that too!
Meeee toooo!
I did too!!
haha!
I did the same thing!!
Paddle boarding is so much fun! I’m so sorry long walks are out of the mix right now, I know that has to be frustrating! So do you feel like you’re all set, registry item wise for baby boy? Have you finished having showers?
Showers are all done and I feel pretty good about what we have for our little one so far… There are still some odds and ends I want to pick up, but I think we’re in a good place. I hope all is going well for you!!
I would say my biggest advice is don’t be hard on yourself because not everything will go according to plan. Always schedule some me time in with work and taking care of your little one, even if its a 20 min bath, its worth it. Try and do as much as you can during nap time but if you need a nap too, feel free to take one 🙂 you’ll find a good groove once you and your little one start a routine, however that may happen in time. you’ll make it work Julie!
I think it’s hilarious that Sadie has to be touching you at all times. Our dog, Ella, is the same way! My husband says he feels like furniture because she’s always using him to prop herself up.
Punkin is the same way when we watch TV! He needs to watch it with us. Crazy cat.
Whenever you post a chipotle bowl, my little 14 week lemon suddenly craves one! Thank you ha!
Also I don’t know if you read the Blog The Lean Green Bean but she has done a couple day in the life posts. She had a baby about 8 months ago and she talks about how she she usually runs her day. Check it out.
I work from home with two little ones. At first, I had my daughter in childcare three days a week when she turned two and needed more activities. Right now, I just work part time which helps out because I work early in the morning when they are both sleeping, during naptime and sometimes take 30 minutes while my daughter is doing a craft then when they are both asleep. My son is easy because hes only two months old, it gets harder when they get older but my daughter is a starting school in the fall. I agree with the comment below…dont put too mucb pressure on yourself. Good luck, girl!
I work in an office, but I do work a few hours from home on Fridays while my daughter is napping. I think working at home with a newborn is different than with a toddler. You can baby-wear and work while they nap when they are really little. Eventually, you may want to consider having a babysitter come a few days/week for a few hours at a time so you can have dedicated work time. Bonus that you are extra motivated to get stuff done because you are paying for that time. Also, once baby is old enough for a 7pm bedtime you can sneak in work after he goes to bed. And perhaps if your gym has child-care you can utilize that while you teach during the day?
My best advice is to take as much time off when baby first comes as you possibly can. Don’t check e-mail during your maternity leave either. It really can all wait. They are so needy at first and you are figuring out your new life all while you are lactating and going through the postpartum healing and emotions. Try to step away (I know it’s hard) and enjoy those first few weeks. You’ll never regret taking that time off, and things fall back into place when you return.
Looks like such a great Sunday! I would love to go Paddleboarding again sometime soon. I forgot how much fun it is.
Take out twice in one day is heaven. Now I am craving Chipotle 🙂
Have a wonderful night!
I had a Chipotle salad on Thursday and it definitely had more of a kick to it. I get the mild salsa and I think there were larger chunks of jalapeños in it.
I am a new mom with the option to work from home occasionally. Can’t wait to read your post because right now it seems like it would be impossible to take my attention away from my little guy so I choose to go into the office instead for now.
Sometimes you just have to ignore things like laundry and go with the flow! I love the oversize t-shirts at Victoria’s Secret too. The BEST.
I’ve had some “free lance” projects to work on while on maternity leave, and other than working during nap time, the other thing I’ve done is take the baby and my work to Starbucks. When she woke up from a nap, I’d feed her, then head right there. I’d also bring a little toy for her to play with, and if she got fussy, I’d just rock her in the car seat and she’d fall asleep. I found that she was more able to “occupy” herself when we weren’t at home, so I got about an hour or two of work before she needed to be fed again.
I have worked at home with kids for just over 10 years now. When my first was born and I was going back to work (for a company from a home office), I hired a nanny who came to our house. She cared for him while I was working, but was able to bring him in to me to nurse (I breastfed both my kids until they were about 1 & 1/2.) This worked out so well for us because we had a wonderful nanny. If your kiddo will take a bottle, all the better. I will echo others advice to take your maternity leave without working though, as much as you can.
Working from home with kids can be challenging, but there are a couple of things that I’ve found helpful. When my youngest was just born, I would wear him while I was working because he would sleep longer that close to me but my hands were free. Now that I have a toddler, I try to always wake up a few hours before him, and I use nap-times to my advantage also. I try not to work when he’s awake, but when I have to I set him up with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and some snacks, and take my laptop into the playroom with him so he doesn’t get into any trouble. The biggest advice I’d give is be prepared to be flexible, and never leave anything until the last minute because the silliest things will disrupt a baby’s schedule and mess up your plans.
At first it was easy to work from home cause he was little and slept a lot. Then it got pretty difficult between like 5 months and 9 months – his naps were like 45 minutes tops and I was super tired from being his sole caregiver, so I would go to bed with him and sleep until he woke up. But right around 9 months everything kinda settled down and now i can get up a couple of hours earlier than him & he takes much longer naps. (He’s 15 months now.)
Random, but my brain read that you guys took in a “manitee movie” and I was thinkinh, well, Jurassic World is about dinosaurs and manitees look really old….
You guys had quite the day! Ugh, you have now sparked my Chipotle craving again! haha. It is right around the corner from my work, I could literally walk to it! <–bad news bears I love that Sadie went paddle boarding with you guys!! How fun!
Sadie is way too cute!!
Hi Julie!!
I am a work-from-home mom of two little girls, ages 3 and 1. I’ve been freelance writing and editing from home since before my oldest was born. I’m able to balance working from home while raising my girls because I have them on a strict schedule!! Naps are a MUST!! 🙂 When super busy, I work in the mornings before they’re up, during nap time and again in the evening (either after they go to bed or my husband will watch them while I work).
Six months ago, I decided to put them in daycare part-time and that helped immensely!! Now, I’m able to get everything done during those 10 hours/week and nap time. No more working at night or early in the mornings!!
Best of luck to you!! Just remember not to work too much as you can’t get that precious time back with your little one 🙂
I want to see Jurassic World–sounds good!
I teach fitness classes super part-time, but I’d just say to use the gym’s daycare if that is an option! It has been so wonderful for both of us–I get endorphins, she gets supervised play with other kids, and we both leave happy.
At the beginning definitely take off as much time as you need–don’t be hard on yourself and give yourself permission to have that time away from ‘normal life’ so you can soak up that newborn time!
I worked from home full time for 5 years and for 6 months after my baby was born. I had a management position with a corporate company. I would imagine with blogging you could totally work your day around whatever routine the baby is in and work during naps, in the morning, before bed and extra on the weekends when Ryan is home. I do however think it’s important to point out (if you’re doing a blog post with tips) that if you work full time or part time for a company then you really need reliable childcare just as you would if you were going to work. Your company is paying you to work and taking care of an infant is a full-time job. It’s really challenging to successfully do both. My job was very flexible and many times I’d wake up early do get a few hours in and take a much longer lunch break to nurse and cuddle but we still has a full time nanny. Working from home with a baby is challenging.
Do not work in the evenings if it’s the only time you have with your husband after the baby has gone to sleep. Putting work before your relationship is a terrible idea. It’s too much strain especially with all the stress that comes with a newborn.
Instead, take the advice of others and find childcare for when you need to work. Working from home is not the golden pass to not have childcare. If someone is paying you to do something, they want your attention on that.
Treat working from home as a job like you do now without a child.
I’ve been working from home 2 days a week since my now 19 months old was 3 months old (and 3 days a week in the actual office). While it is tough some days, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I get that much more time with her every day. As others have said, a newborn or infant vs. a toddler are two very different things. I could get a lot done when she was really small by strapping her in the Ergo or Moby wrap. She’d be happy and sleep and I could get quite a bit done most of the time. I also got really good at nursing and typing simultaneously 😉
Once she was more mobile it became tougher. I get up and start working earlier in the morning because I know at some point she will take my attention. I really make sure to power through work when she’s napping. I often end up working later than I normally would. I try to plow through as much work as possible when I’m physically in the office so I can set myself up for an easier day at home. Now that she’s older, she likes to sit next to meet at the desk or table and play with books or playdough while I work. It’s actually really sweet.
My husband works from home one day a week, and his mother often comes up and plays with her for a few hours while I powers through work.
It’s hard, and it’s not for everyone, but I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Try to set up the schedule that works best for you and your family. People sometimes just don’t understand how I can get work done with a toddler running around, but I do and it works for us. If you want to and you can figure out what works for you, you can do it.
Hi Julie! I work full time from home in a sales position. It’s a pretty high stress and demanding job. When we had our son, I really wasn’t ready to put him in daycare so I would wake up extremely early, work through his naps, and burn the midnight oil. I did this for 14 months until I decided it was time for daycare and did a small in home daycare where he is thriving! With our daughter I put her in the same home daycare as my son, at 7 months. She stayed home with me up until then. My husband is extremely hands on and has some week days off so he has been a huge help. We also have a babysitter who comes in one day a week so that I can keep both kiddos home and have some help.
As stressful and sleep deprived as I’ve been the past few years I wouldn’t change it. I would say my biggest piece of advice through the whole parenthood process is that you have to do what works best for you and your family unit. All of the advice I received was so great, but ultimately I went with my gut and did what worked best for our children and my hubby.
My daughter just turned one yesterday (!!!) and I have been working from home full time since the day I came back from maternity leave. My biggest advice would be to take your time to figure out your baby’s natural routine, and start to build your own routine around that (nap times, feedings, etc). Don’t be too worried or anxious to start a strict routine, you will be stressed enough trying to figure out the whole new motherhood thing! Go easy on yourself – The happier and less stressed you are, the happier your baby will be! If your work from home job allows – Take the time to soak up the snuggles. The infant stage is SO fleeting and enjoy every moment you can. The laundry, the dishes, and everything else… It will all get done, I promise! Focus on your sweet new baby boy, follow your instincts and you will do great!!
Hire an Au Pair! 🙂 Being an Au Pair was one of my most memorable experiences. The people applying for these positions are always young, hard working, and enthusiastic, and wouldn’t go through the trouble if they weren’t truly interested in child care 🙂 There are many services that help you find an appropriate ‘match’, like Au Pair World (https://www.aupairworld.com/en) It’s a win-win situation, the au pair gets an incredible experience to work in a foreign country or state and you get around the clock help for really cheap! I remember not wanting to get paid because the experience in itself was so exciting (I worked in Paris 😉 ) I’m happy to any questions you may have if you’re interested! 🙂
As a sahm with an online job, finding a balance is that – a balancing act. When my son was itty bitty he didn’t sleep through the night for a long time and often woke to nurse so that often made it hard to do anything but survive at first! However, we love babywearing- I used a wrap and ring sling at first and a soft structured carrier once he could support his head which was amazing for cooking, house working, and going on walks with my toddler. I would also highly recommend babywearing for errands, lugging that bucket seat in and out is horrible! My day starts at 5:30,when I workout and make breakfast for myself and have some “me time”. By 7:30 my kids are up, and I watch them play while working on my computer after breakfast. We go do fun or educational things to wear them out until nap time, and then they both nap for 2 hours when I can clean and work more. I do a lot of work at night as well so I can spend my days with them. Just find a balance that works for you! It’s often hard at first when you become engrossed in the trenches of new motherhood, but once you own that new role you will figure out how it fits in with the current “you”. Sorry for writing a book, time reader but probably one of my first comments. 🙂
Glad that you had a great weekend!! Totally random but I love your backsplash in the kitchen. Do you know the name of the tile? I am in the process of a kitchen remodel and that is the perfect color!
I’m sorry but I have no idea! The kitchen was redone before we moved in… I’ll see if I can dig up the info though!
What did Sadie think about getting on the SUP? I can imagine my dog being freaked out by them! Did she risk capsizing you guys when you were on the water and she switched boards?
She was definitely apprehensive! Her legs were a little shaky at first and she honestly seemed pretty uncomfortable on the board until I sat down and let her sit in my lap — that definitely helped!
Did you notice the guy in Jurassic World who grabbed his margaritas before running from the dinosaurs? I laughed so hard!
YES!!!! Haha! I pointed that out to Ryan, too!!
I work from home part time with my daughter, and it is definitely doable to work 10-20 hours/week during naps and after bedtime. I used to work for an hour before she woke up, then 2-3 hours during naps, then 1 hour after bedtime. Sometimes I had to catch up on the weekends when my husband was home. I recommend sleep training (katheats has a great step-by-step post on this that we followed, it was easy) around 6 months old so you can have a reliable evening routine. Also I suggest looking into a Moms Morning Out program, some churches offer them (Methodist is common). Once my daughter was around 10 months old, that’s when it got REALLY TOUGH to work with her at home, b/c she was craving more stimulation when she was awake. She didn’t start preschool until 16.5 months old, that was a HUGE relief to us, even though she was only going 2 mornings a week for 3.5 hours at a time. We never did daycare, but part-time preschool is such a blessing. The kids love it b/c they make their little friends and the parents love it b/c it gets you a break. They’re usually very affordable too. My daughter goes 3 mornings a week now for 3.5 hours, it’s $240/month. Also church preschools and MMO programs might not be as well-advertised online since they don’t spend as much on marketing as the big chain daycares / childhood development centers, so you might just find out about them through word of mouth.
I also know a mom who joined the YMCA just for the childcare & wifi. It gets you two hours a day of babysitting, for about $100/month. Since you work with a laptop, this could be a good option for you. Plus if you’re very busy, you could go to one YMCA in the morning, go home for naptime, and go to another one in the evening, so that’s 4 hours a day.
Julie, my blog is NOTHING like yours so the time it requires is not the same. However, when I had my first I was in grad school and that required a lot of work. When they are babies, it is not difficult because they are not mobile… once they get mobile it is over. I do a lot of my “work” during nap time which can be hard because other things need my attention too: house, laundry, dinner, etc. I don’t workout during nap time because my time at the gym is my “me” time and I need it for my sanity. Find a gym with great daycare. When my first one was born, I did do a lot of at-home workouts, but not with the second. My 2.5 year old goes to Parents Day out each week for 4 hours and that is helpful. My advice is to be flexible… some days you will get it all accomplished and some days you won’t. You will NEVER look back on this time and say “I wish I would have worked more”, but you might look back and say “I wish I would have worked less”. I am excited to see how you manage it all.
as long as you don’t make Ryan carry your purse in the mall it is fair game IMHO — everytime I am driving and put my purse on Kevin’s lap I sing the line from the Brad Paisley song.
Hi Julie! Sounds like a really lovely way to spend a Sunday! My fiance and I have now seen Jurassic World twice and we loved it! Definitely a very entertaining film! Hopefully it distracted you a bit from your sacroiliac pain!