In less than a week I will be starting work. Work that doesn’t involve wiping bums.
It has been a long time in between water coolers and this will be the first time I will be able to call myself a “Working Mum” No big deal, there are countless Wonder Women who have gone before me. It can’t be that hard? Can it?
I spoke to three Working Mamas to  muster up some advice for making the transition to work as easy as possible.  Thanks to Sarah, Amanda and Jaime for the wonderful insight and advice. I hope this will be useful for other Mamas who are making the transition back to work.
1. Gets Things Ready the night before
” Pack your bags the night before. Your bag, your child’s bag. If there is anything left in the fridge, write yourself a post-it note or there is a good chance it will get left behind.” – Amanda
“Until you get in a definite routine, give yourself more time than you anticipate to get out the door.” - Jaime
Sometimes slow is a saviour
2. Buy a Slow-cooker
“I would encourage any working parent to get a Slow-cooker. Love the magic of throwing a frozen corned silver-side in in the morning and have it be fabulous at 6pm.” – Sarah
“We, as mothers are amazing creatures who manage to make ourselves guilty over anything. My first day back at school was a professional development day with the whole staff. I had such a terrific time and wasn’t worried about my little one at daycare at all. Well, didn’t I feel like a cow that night when I realized not only did I cope being without him, but I actually enjoyed being at work. He, incidentally had a great day himself.” – Sarah
Working Mum Sarah with her three children (and one on the way!)
4. Make a conscious effort to maintain Adult-talk at Work
“I don’t mean this a nasty way, but don’t talk about your baby/child constantly. I prefer to be not thought of as a mother while I’m at work. If anyone asks, I’ll say “fine thanks” and back to work. I like to keep it professional.” – Jaime
Working Mama Jaime with her two children
5. Go Easy on Yourself
“Don’t try to be Wonder Woman, she is a Comic Character for a reason. If you try to give your all everywhere you will just feel as if you are letting every-one down, and in the end will let yourself down. Do what you can, as best you can.” - Amanda
Amanda and Parker. Amanda says she is a better Mummy for finding time to miss her son
6. Enjoy Adult-ness
” I really enjoy my three days in the ‘adult world’ I get to drink a whole cup of tea while it’s still hot and discuss current affairs, plus the days away from my son make the days with him much more wonderful. It’s weird but missing them makes you that much more appreciative of how quickly they grow and change and I think I’m a better Mummy for missing him.” – Amanda
Are you a Working Mama? Do you have any advice to add?
If you found this handy, please stay tuned as I am writing a series of things to know for Stay At Home Mamas.
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5 Comments
I remember when I went to work at 24 after having my first two kids. My boss didn’t realise for two years that I already had children! I definitely agree with keeping things at work professional (unless of course, you meet some great new friends).
Great post, Sharni.
I would highly recommend investing in a cleaner. Whilst it may stretch the family budget. It frees up so much more time to spend with your family and makes your home a more enjoyable place to be (when clean and tidy).
This couldn’t have come at a better time. I am starting work full time in 6 weeks and have already started part-time, busy getting everything in order. What a scary change this is for me after not having ‘worked’ for 10 years!
Great tips here!
When I returned to work, pre-planning my work outifts was a god send.
Before I returned back to work (or on a weekend when my partner was around), I spent hours going through everything I owned, and mixing / matching into outfits I could wear to work, inclusive of accessories. I then took photos of these, and printed them all off.
The pictures were stashed in my wardrobe, and each morning I’d just flick through and choose something that suited my mood.
This may sound anal, but it really made a massive difference to getting ready in the morning, and also, knowing that I had a great outfit ready to go made me feel more confident.
I still do this now, even though I work from home, and have simplified it a little…I keep an old digital camera in my cupboard, and whenever I get dressed in an outfit I think ‘works’ I photograph it. When I need inspiration on what to to wear, I ‘shop my wardrobe’ via the pics in the camera. I swear, I am getting so much use out of different items in there now!
(For more tips on navigating motherhood in style, I’d love you to pop by FoxInFlats.com)