True Working Mom Struggles

What do you do when your babysitter does not show up and you HAVE to be at work?  It is a question no working mom wants to face.  On Friday I had to deal with just that.  W's nanny got a new job and she started last Monday.  Our plan was for her friend to watch W at her house (she has a playroom all setup for him).  She started Monday and all was going well until Friday when she didn't show up.  She didn't call, didn't text and she wasn't answering her phone either.

I ended up taking W with me to work for a few hours.  He had to come to a meeting with me (where I chased him around the office).  Then we hopped in my car to go to my office when I scraped my door when I cut a turn too sharp coming out of the parking garage.  At that point I just lost it and started bawling in my car.  I called my mom crying.  I couldn't take much more.  We arrived at my office and he was SO well behaved.  I ended up working a half day before I took him in for a doctor's appointment.

This week, my mom, who lives three hours away, drove out to watch W all week and help us save in daycare costs and next week he will start at a daycare.  I'm really not looking forward to sending him.  His original nanny was so great with him and overall awesome.  We were so blessed to have her watch him for more than the first year of his life.  I know having him in daycare will only help him to be better socialized, but we are going to miss her!

Top 5 Disney World Tips from Kendra Thornton

Hello everyone! Last week I was contacted by Kendra Thornton (former director of communications for Orbitz, travel expert and mother of three). You may recognize Kendra from one of her many tv appearances on Fox News, ABC, CBS, NBC, or the CW. Kendra has traveled the world and has been the go to source for all things travel. Without further ado, here is Kendra's Post!

Top Five Disney World Tips 
“Ways for Mommies to Maneuver the Parks with Breeze this Spring Break”

While a trip to Walt Disney World Resort will certainly be a highlight of your young child’s life, preparation is key to helping parents enjoy the experience as well. Use some of these insider’s hints to make the most of your Disney World vacation:

 1. Breakfast with a favorite Disney character will delight your children. Arrange to have Cinderella or one of her princess friends greet your child while dining at the Royal Table restaurant in Fantasyland at the Magic Kingdom. To ensure this surprise, book advance reservations here or at one of many restaurants in the resort that offer character dining.

 2. Take a ride on the monorail. Bus trips are long and boring, but the swift monorail transports Disney guests straight into the park. If the kids get tired and cranky after a fun-filled morning in the park, the monorail can help you get them back to the hotel and down for a nap quickly. Since the monorail operates all day long, you can easily hop back on and return to the park after the kids have rested for a couple hours.

 3. Enjoy a ferry ride between the Magic Kingdom and Epcot Center. The trip is more relaxing and interesting than a bus ride, and the ferry will transport you straight into either park so that you can avoid lines and congestion upon entry.

4. Don’t forget the stroller. If you can’t bring your own, Disney has them available for rent, along with toddler-friendly amenities to make your visit as pleasant as possible. Air conditioned baby care centers in each of the Disney parks offer rocking chairs for calming upset little ones, a place to get out of the heat if your child needs it and basic necessities such as diapers for unforeseen emergencies.

5. Plan ahead. Before you arrive at the Walt Disney World Resort, amongst some of the top hotels in Orlando, do a little pre-planning and schedule each day for maximum enjoyment and minimum exhaustion. Convenient apps that give approximate wait times for each attraction are available to download on your smart phone.

 Keep in Mind! A FASTPASS can be purchased to allow you and your family to bypass long lines. Do your research beginning several weeks prior to your trip, and let the kids participate in order to build anticipation as they prepare for the most exciting time of their lives.

~Kendra Thornton

Thank you again Kendra for guest blogging today.  All your Disney tips are super helpful and if my readers are anything like me, they are already looking to book their flights and hotels for a family vacation!

Resources:  Kendra Thornton

Image courtesy of:  Kendra Thornton

Mommy Wars

Earlier this week a reader directed me to an article posted on the National Nannies blog. The article, A Mom’s Guide to Balancing Work and Family, was a very good reference for those mothers who have already gone back to work or are getting ready to do so. In reading the article, it reminded me of some of the things I need to work on. One of the things I really need to focus on is carving out some 'me' time. I really hate dropping W off at his Nanny's house when I have a day off, but sometimes it needs done. I took this past Monday off from work and dropped him off. While he was there I was able to check so many things off my to-do list. My biggest achievement was scrubbing down the kitchen. I'm talking about a move the refrigerator and stove and clean behind them type of clean that takes a few hours. It felt so good to get that deep cleaning in both my kitchen and first floor bathroom. I'm already contemplating taking another day off in the near future to do the same to my living room, bedroom and upstairs bathrooms. I also need to work on the mommy guilt. Some days I feel so guilty dropping him off, but I really need to remind myself why I do it. I do it so he can have a roof over his head and all the financial security we need when it comes to raising a child. I've mentioned it before, but I really think the guilt is at its worst during the work week when our quality time together is at an all time low. I highly recommend other working parents take a look at it. I want to thank Carol Watson for sending me the link. Have a great weekend everyone!

Operation MILF: Slim Thighs in 7 Days

You know those bazillion of work-out ideas you pin on Pinterest and never look at again? I started pinning to my 'Operation MILF' board when I was pregnant with my son almost two years ago, but I don't think I ever actually read or put one of those pins into action. I finally started going through my MILF board and today I tried one of my pins when I went to the gym at lunch. This pin was Slimmer Thighs in 7 Days. After three of the exercises I felt the burn! I was not coordinated for two of the exercises, but I tried my best (and looked like an idiot). If you decide to try these moves beware of the Crescent Kicks and Slim Skater (you will look like a fool). My goal is to try this workout for two weeks and then see if I actually see results. One pin on my MILF board down, 57 to go (until I see something else I just have to pin to that board).

Quickest meal yet!

It will haven taken me longer to write this blog than it did to make dinner yesterday. This is perhaps the easiest quickest meal I've made yet. Yesterday morning I pulled out my mini slow cooker and found some meatballs in the freezer. I took the meatballs and added them to the slow cooker with some pasta sauce then I let it cook on low all day. It does not get much easier than that. PLUS that gives me at least two different meal options. My husband opted for a meatball sub and W had meatballs and pasta. Here's what my little guys dinner looked like last night.

Meatballs, wholewheat pasta, cucumber, tomato and some homemade apple sauce (also made in the slow cooker on Saturday). YUM!

Sunny Sunday

I am so sick of all this snow and cold weather.  I REALLY need a few nice warm days and sunshine.  Preferably on a beach while W plays in the sand.  I know that is not happening anytime soon so to get myself out of this winter funk I'm going to start posting Sunny Sundays and each Sunday share some beautiful sunny place I would love to be at this very moment.


If any other bloggers are interested in joining me on Sunny Sunday please leave a link to your blog below and I will add you to the post.

This Sunday I propose a visit to the French Countryside.

 How Sound of Music-esque would feel to run through that beautiful field of flowers?  Seeing that picture I would love to pack a picnic and bottle of wine and cloud watch all day.  This may sound silly, but I can feel my shoulders relax just thinking about it.

Have a great rest of the weekend everyone!

Friday Night Dinner - Made!

I am a HUGE fan of the slow cooker.  Anytime have the time and ingredients available before work I try to throw something in the slow cooker so dinner is ready be the time I get home.  This morning was one of those lucky mornings.  I had 15 minutes while W was eating breakfast to put something together in cock pot.  Here's what I had:

Two Boneless Pork Chops
Red Potatoes
Frozen Veggies (peas, green beans, carrots, corn, broccoli, cauliflower and squash)

Easy enough.  I put all those into the slow cooker, but now what do I season it with?  I always keep packets of onion soup mix on hand, but I just wasn't feeling onion soup flavor today.  When I reached way back in my spice cabinet what did I find?

 Some spices for the grille.  It smelled really good so I hope my meal turns out yummy!  Dinner is one thing I can cross of my list tonight.