Member Lifesavers

Honestly? I make use of the downtime in between tasks. I check email while the pasta water boils, I put makeup on in the car - ONLY at stoplights, and I put off answering texts or emails for when I'm waiting in line at the bank. But I also prioritize a little "moment of peace" time, if I only have a second. I just close my eyes and breathe till the toaster oven dings.

I allow myself at least 30 minutes of reading time before bed every night. No matter how tired I am. It helps me to relax. I love reading.

I am fortunate enough to have a best friend who's been in my life since I was five. Our mothers went to nursing school together, we attended the same small neighborhood church and went to the same school from Kindergarten through high school graduation, and were in each other's weddings. She knows me better than anyone else on the planet and vice versa. The kind of soul mates who can abbreviate an entire explanation using a single word or name from the past. But she lives 90 minutes away. So, every six months we meet in the middle for dinner to celebrate our respective birthdays. Just the two of us...no husbands, no kids, no interruptions...just two best friends laughing about the good times, crying about the tough ones, and swapping secrets. No matter how broke we are or how busy we get, we make this night happen twice a year. When I know I've got that on my calendar, I can get through just about anything!

I am the kind of a person who would pre-plan crazily and try to go by it as much as possible.I tend to get irritated and disturbed if things dont fall the way I intend to and strangely my life has somehow supported them:) Right through my pregnancy,I had been planning on how to switch between baby and work all at the same time.. Barely 2 weeks after my child was born,I logged onto my laptop and started keeping myself updated with what's happening at work.I even started doing a couple of reports and attending a few conference calls when the baby would sleep to swing into the work mood assuming life would be easier when I actually resumed work.Initially it was really tough but gradually I could manage it(my long stay at my parents' place really helped here) When I joined back work after 3 months,I could really sense a bit of relief when my pre-planning worked out to a large extent. Things to keep handy that could help: 1.A diary to note down plans.I usually attach a time to each task..For e.g. Getting up - 8:30 AM,Feeding and taking bath - 8:30-9:00 AM,etc. and try to stick to it. 2.Invest in a multi-rack stand for keeping baby clothes(tshirts,pants,cloth diapers,etc) to pick up things fast. 3.Multi-tasking is the key(A word of caution : Dont try to be a superwoman:) 4.Get a domestic help/cook (Cooking and cleaning take up a huge chunk of time that could be utilised to attend to your baby. 5.Try and convince your boss to agree on work from home for sometime.This will ensure some good quality bonding time with your baby in the initial few months. 6.Look out for a quality day care centre in the proximity of your office so that you can attend to the baby whenever required.. 7.Stay in touch with your day care caregiver over phone regularly.Volunteer to help if time permits like partnering to take care of other children in the day care at times. 8.In case the baby is sick,split the day and responsibilities with your husband,work from home if possible,get external help from family or relatives or save some leaves to take care of the baby yourself if nothing else works out. 9.Save the weekends to spend most of the time with your baby ,to unwind and relax 6..Try to keep an alternate plan if all your pre-planning fails (We are all human beings and can not predict the future)