Working Moms

Disclosure: This post is part our series in observance of World Breastfeeding Week and is sponsored by Woman’s Hospital.  High Lipase and Bottle Refusal: The Part of Breastfeeding and Pumping No One Told Me About When I was pregnant with my first baby, Lillian, I intended to breastfeed from the get go. Like many new moms, I wanted to do everything "right" (spoiler alert: there is no one set "right" way to do things when it comes to raising children), so I read as much as I could get my hands on in relation to breastfeeding and joined a breastfeeding support group on Facebook ahead of time. One of the things that I kept reading over and over again and hearing in the...

I used to be a professional. I used to be an incredible teacher. I used to come home from the classroom and KNOW that I just made a difference in the world. I used to wear high heels. I felt strong and my work was fulfilling. I used to be an artist. A creator. A knowledge seeker. My thoughts used to be in order. I used to be a good friend - the one who never forgot a birthday. The one who always remembered to call. The one who gave advice. The one who listened and knew what was going on in your life. I was organized, on time, well dressed. I used to have good skin and shaved legs (okay maybe...

“Work-Life Balance" We’ve all heard the phrase before. Whether you are a full-time or part-time businesswoman, you may have often struggled with what this phrase means to you as a new or seasoned mom. I always thought that work and motherhood should be separate, that the two should never overlap. But what if this type of thinking is flawed? What if happiness didn’t come from balancing the two on opposite sides of the spectrum, never letting them collide? What I learned about myself through two maternity leaves is that to be the best mom I can be, I need to work. I not only love what I do, I enjoy the creative culture and the people at my office. My 9-to-5 allows for...

A few weeks ago I was visiting a craft store and whipped out my teacher ID so I could get my meager discount. After the cashier asked me about my contents and explaining they were indeed NOT for classroom, he posed a very interesting question: “What do teachers do all summer?” In case you, your kids, or the person working the register at Hobby Lobby are wondering, here’s what we do. Catching up It’s finally time to do everything we’ve been putting off during the school year. That includes doctor / dentist appointments, trips to the DMV and in my case, finally unpacking the last boxes from our move six months ago. Yes, as teachers we get holidays but most of...

Motherhood is tough, no doubt about it. As if there isn't enough to worry about with our kids, we also have to worry about hiding the Tide pods from our teenagers, and I recently found out that there’s a condom snorting challenge?! On top of school violence, and oh you know, just the regular everyday illnesses that can affect our kids, I am over it!! This motherhood thing is so darn hard. I'm amazed that moms are not wandering around in some Apocalypse Now daze. It's hard to believe that some people actually question why moms are on anti-anxiety medication. You need them even if you haven't been medically diagnosed ... it’s called survival!! I got pregnant for my oldest son...