Restarting Career With Two Kids

Discussion in 'Working Women' started by revathi83, Jul 12, 2019.

  1. revathi83

    revathi83 New IL'ite

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    Dear All,

    I am a mom of 4 year old and and a 2 year old and i am restarting my career after a break of 4 years. I have my in-laws to support me at home and they take good care of kids too. I have to pack my elder one to school at 8 in the morning. I too have to leave to office around the same time and i will be away from home for around 11 hours considering the travel time as well. I have to spend some time with kids in the evening, spend some time in the kitchen and also have to take them to bed between 9-10. I would like to have tips from fellow working women who are also in the same boat on how you manage the kids and work at home.
     
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  2. SinghManisha

    SinghManisha Platinum IL'ite

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    I just got back to work after a long break to raise my two sons.
    Have a schedule and stick to it. I plan my entire week on the weekend. Clothes are ironed, food is made etc etc. over the weekend, so weekdays are less stressful. Plan so that cooking does not take time away from the kids . I have idli batter in the fridge plus idli made and refrigerated for the week with sambar or chutney ( MIL’s tip). I also make masalas ready for the week. ( my menu for the week is already planned).
    Dinner is a normally with kids / husband helping out to put the plates out etc, we spend time that way. ( my kids are older). My elder one has started helping with dishes too. We catch up with the kids this way ( No TV time after 7.00 p.m)
    Make it a point to spend atleast 30 mins to 1 hour with them before they go to bed. You can also catch up with them in the morning if you and the kids are early risers.
    Don’t hesitate to get help with food etc if you are India. Make your life easier .
     
  3. sumzaya

    sumzaya Gold IL'ite

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    I also restarted my career with 2 kids (ages 10 n 5) ,no in laws or anyone to support. Just me n my Hus. Weekend preparations of currys/ masalas , batters for idlis n appams , saves kitchen time.Ironing uniforms and attires saves dressing time :)
    Every 2 days , Early morning as soon as i wake up i wash my clothes (washing machine) /folding of clothes I do while I teach my kids or while helping them in home works. Thus reduces too much workload in clothes at weekend. Packing of tiffins is a great stress for me as my kids r too choosy n picky eaters. So i plan these while traveling back from work and write on a small white board in my kitchen. So that i wont forget the menu next morning. ;). I prefer cooking at night than early morning some currys for breakfast like chickpeas , greenpeas etc... As it might take loong time than i might guess... So i just reheat next day.
    The main thing to keep in mind is if the kitchen countertops n pantries are organised n clean u wont find cooking very stressful ..
    I also play music while am in kitchen so i know how much time i am taking as most songs are nearly 4 or 5min and it even soothes our mind. I prefer hearing some songs which reminds my college or school life...
    I use the flat mop type brush for sweeping the floor.. so that i can easily clean the floor than broom or brush as i dont like seeing mess in my house.

    There is fixed time for studying, eating n sleeping .. no matter wat happens that is fixed.. eventually kids will also follow it. No worries.. they will like it later..
    Then very important i always need a "me" time for me... That is a time its just I , me , myself. Even if its just 10 mins i'm entitled for that... No one dares to disturb me.... .

    Dear watever u do just try to enjoy n do... It will be stressful in the beginning but gradually u will find it going in a much better way than u thought of.. so chill.. enjoy...
     
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  4. Angela123

    Angela123 Gold IL'ite

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    I agree with the weekend planning for the week ahead. I cook all the food ahead and plan the breakfasts for the week
    Example - Dinner and lunch is usually indian style so I made 3-4 stir fries and 2 curries. I have to make Rice/chapati only in between. We eat oats (with curries) too. No cooking mostly on monday-thursday except for simple breakfast stuff. I go with easy healthy breakfasts - Whole wheat bread and peanut butter, or whole wheat pancakes, scrambled eggs. If i make Indian breakfast like idli or dosa, I go with chutney which is the easiest or I make sure I have the the curry made day before.
    Friday specialty food day so I cook which will be enough for saturday. Sunday morning is my cooking/prep time. And the cycle goes again. Since I plan my menu, it is easy to shop as well. I pick up the groceries on Thursday or Friday so I dont have to spend my precious weekend time for grocery shopping.
    Hope this helps!
     
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  5. armummy

    armummy Platinum IL'ite

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    If you are in India first hire help. Don’t try to be a super woman by trying to everything yourself.

    The priority should be spend time with kids. Increase nap time in the afternoon for both kids if possible or atleast the younger one , so they are awake when you are back and they can have increased time with you. This worked well for me
    Outsource any work which you can to hired help , cooking washing , ironing anything ... obviously need to look finances and see how much help you can hire. But believe me any help will make a huge difference .

    Once you come back from office and Weekends - take over all activities related to kids , this will help you mitigate any guilt feelings you may have.
     
  6. KavithaUS

    KavithaUS Silver IL'ite

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    Don't plan to save entire salary!
    Be ready to spend on hiring help. Outsourcing is the key. The initial period of your career is super crucial to establish your credibility in the organization. You should strive to go above and beyond in office until trust is established.
    In order to do that you need tons of help in managing family/kids and house work. Do not attempt to manage all alone. I repeat do not. Also outsourcing helps you to spend quality time with your family. Your time is valuable, so choose and spend your time with family and yourself.

    Otherwise you will end up in overwhelming yourself, might result in being miserable in both career and family front. So do not think of spending money on hiring help/outsourcing as a waste of money. It's ROI is invaluable.

    Above experience is of mine, happy single mom( DH outstationed), kids 9&7 year old with a decent career.
     

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