First Week Lessons

Well, we made it through week one of work - and we are all still alive. A lot of this working with three kiddos will be trial and error until we get some sort of schedule down. Last week, I learned:

1. Penelope is stubborn. She did not suck on a bottle once! She just plays with it and she gets a few drops of milk in her mouth at a time. Matt said she maybe takes 1-2 ounces per feeding - way less than I think she takes when nursing. I met Matt over lunch to nurse her - I am thinking that might not have been the best idea, but it meant I didn't have to pump as many times, and I got to see her. But maybe now Penelope is figuring out she will get fed at lunch if she holds out long enough.

2. I have to do as much as I can the night before, or I forget it. That means, laptop, pump, snacks, lunch, purse, clothes for the next day, kids clothes (if they are going somewhere), and getting milk out to defrost.  And then anything that doesn't need to be refrigerated is put right at the front door so I would literally trip over it if I tried to leave without them.

3. Healthy dinners require planning - if I don't want to eat fast food for dinner, then I need to have something ready before I get home. This weekend I went to Weight Watchers and the leader said she has multiple crock pots going at a time on Sundays so she can get several meals prepped for the week. I got inspired and got my two crock pots out. As long as I have some different proteins made already, I think meals will be easy. This week we are going for a Mexican theme.

• Crock pot 1:  One cup of salsa, one can of black beans, 2 TB taco seasoning, and 4 chicken breasts on low for 8 hours. This makes a spicy chicken that is good for tacos, rice bowls or nachos. 
• Crock pot 2: Taco soup/Chili - ground turkey can go in uncooked - even partially frozen, and broken up later. It's an easy meal - mostly cans. Refried beans, diced tomatoes, green chilis, pinto beans, chili beans, taco seasoning and ground turkey. I am going to freeze half for another day. The taco soup can also be served over baked potatoes or rice with cheese and sour cream. 

4. I have finally trained my hair to go 3 days between washings - I am SO happy about that! When I am pregnant I really have to wash my hair every day because it is so greasy. But when not pregnant, I can usually go 2 days - add in some dry shampoo and now I am at 3 days. I think it's easier with my new haircut too. I have saved so much time on blow drying already. 

5. And finally, I learned that my co-workers, even women, don't really want to know about breast milk. Or see it. I forgot my little cooler one day and had to put the bags of milk in the office fridge. Awkward. I had to wrap them in paper towels so they were sort of hidden.

So, on to next week. It will get easier, and more like a habit to remember everything. Now to add in some time to exercise someday... I can hope, can't I?