It’s finally happened, I am going back to work starting next week. With a lot of states and businesses opening back up, offices are trying to get back to a somewhat ‘normal routine’. My office has instituted a 2 days/week policy; they’ve actually been open since the beginning of June, however, attendance was voluntary. The office management has done an amazing job of making sure we all feel comfortable once we are at our desks. About a week ago, each department had a conference call to discuss the new safety measures & protocols that are now in place so that we all know what to expect. We were also asked to offer any other suggestions that might help us feel more comfortable while being in the office, these ideas were taken and some of them were even put into place.
Obviously, for a lot of us, the main concern is not actually being in the office, it’s in how we are getting to the office. Most of my co-workers (myself included), usually take public transportation to get to work. While I’ve heard that the trains have been completely empty (DUH! that’s because most companies are still encouraging their workforce to stay the eff home), I am not 100% comfortable with the transit system I take. Therefore, I’m hoping to see if it’s possible to drive in on the days that I would have to go in.
I have been working from home since mid-March and I will be the first to admit that working from home with a toddler has been a real struggle. I found myself working until late at night or on the weekends because that was the only time I could be uninterrupted. So, the idea of being back in an office setting even for just two days a week sounds amazing but on the flip side, I have really loved being at home with the little guy.
Conflicted Feelings
Seeing him grow and change daily and not in just photos was/is amazing. If you were to ask me “Are you happy being home?” My response would be similar to Charlotte from the 1st Sex and the City movie, “not all day every day but every day”. I’m pretty sure every parent of a toddler will agree with me, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. Some days you get the angel child and some days you get the gremlin and you are counting down the hours until bedtime.
Yes, working from home full time is stressful, here is this little person, who depends on you pretty much every minute of the day but also at the same time, you have a job that also depends on you. I constantly felt like I was being pulled in so many different directions and I was feeling more burnt out than I was as a brand new mom. It took a couple of weeks to get the us into a new routine and it is still a learning curve…it changes every day, depending on the weather, his mood, my mood, my or my husbands workloads…
The mom guilt was/is SUPER strong (at least for me it was). If you’ve met me, you know that I put 100% into my job (into anything I am doing), I am insanely passionate about what I do…so with being at home, I felt like I wasn’t giving my job my full attention and that my work suffered. But then on the flip side, I also felt that I wasn’t giving my little guy enough attention either. I am constantly moving and doing something that some days I just felt like giving up. Shout out to the mama’s that do this all day, every day
Then, because I would be putting so much energy into work and taking care of the toddler during the week, my weekends are jam packed with house stuff. I have tried to keep to keep myself to a routine so that I stay somewhat sane but let me tell ya, it’s rough.
Now that I am going back to work, there is that much more that I need to do. I have to figure out so many things, it’s actually giving me anxiety.
What I’m doing to Prepare:
My to-do list has just expanded greatly. First on the agenda was to complete a test, in order to actually be allowed back to work, I had to take a test and show a negative result; as I am writing this up, my results are still pending. However, I am taking this next week to prepare myself and my family for my eventual return to the office.
Next on my list: Figure out childcare options…before the whole pandemic hit, Cameron was in daycare full time. They reopened earlier this month but obviously with both of us still home, we opted not to send him. We discussed him going back but since I am only going to work 2 days/week, we don’t think it’s reasonable. Especially if the daycare is going to charge us a full month for what adds up to only 6 days. I’ve e-mailed them to discuss options. However, if daycare is out, then I start my search for a babysitter to come 2, possibly 3 days a week.
If we have someone come in for the 3rd day, that will help me out while I’m working from home the other 3 days/week because then this person can occupy Cameron while I get either do some work or house chores. I’ve just started that process though, I am thinking of using care.com (this is not sponsored, just my thoughts).
Next up, I have to get my self into more of a routine, since being home, the extent of me getting ready has been super simplified. Most days, I don’t even shower until well after the babe wakes up. I will now have to get myself used to waking up earlier, showering & getting ready, actually get dressed (in something other than leggings & a tee-shirt). I also have to start meal prepping because I do not plan on going outside of my office once I am actually in.
Finally, I want to get my house in some semblance of order and to get myself on a routine that will hopefully help stay on top of ‘chores’. This way, we aren’t stuck trying to pack as much ‘things to do’ on the weekends during nap time.
So here I am, about a week away from being a commuting, working mama once again. Stay tuned for my next post on my commuting essentials!