To Work or Not to Work

Working after having children is a big topic of debate among women, mothers & people in general. I love my career as a physical therapist. I've accomplished some great things, have wonderful coworkers, and have some helped some really amazing patients recover from terrible injuries & illnesses. Long ago, I always assumed I would go back full time, but somewhere along the way I changed my mind.

Twins. This was the major factor influencing my decision. Kevin and I talked about me going back full time for sure after our first kid, then maybe stopping after 2 or 3. Plans like that go out the window though when the ultrasound tech tells you there are 2 little bubbles on your screen. Hit fast forward on that timeline plan!

Our first UltraSound! 2 Babies, oh my!

The Stress. Before I got pregnant, and as I grew larger and larger along the way, work began to get more and more stressful. As Medicare changes and therapy requirements changed, there became a push to do more than we as a staff were capable of. This lead to many late days at work and frequent weekends working. After collapsing on my couch night after night after work before kids, I couldn't imagine how I could handle it all with 2 little ones to take care of at home too.

The Cost. Childcare is ridiculously expensive. It blows my mind how many people can even afford to work!! Ok, correction. 1 child in daycare is expensive, 2 is almost unmanageable. Since infants typically cost more that older kids to look after, I was going to have double cost at a higher rate! When I calculated out the cost my take home pay working full time, It seemed not worth it to me.

The Milestones. All those hours spent away from your kids has to come at a price, right? You could miss many firsts. The first smile, first roll, first time sitting up, first words, first walk. The list can go on and on and on. It made me sad to think of all that time away from the babes. I wanted to be there to sing & play, to go on walks and trips to the zoo. Playdates, and craft projects sounds like lots of fun!

Household Chores. I imagined rushing home from work, playing & taking care of my kids, then collapsing without dinner made, laundry done or anything picked up around the house. So far, spending time at home has allowed me to get these things done while they are napping or playing quietly.

So, after careful calculations, and lots of discussion, I have officially become a part time stay at home mom! Luckily, in my profession, working per diem is very easy to do. So with a combination of per diem work at the hospital, consulting work, and teaching at the college, I will get to spend all but 2 part days with my babies every day.

So lucky to hang out with these cuties!

I commend the women who are able to do it all and balance working full time with motherhood. I just know its not for me, and so far I am loving this new adjusted schedule. It gives me a chance to still use my professional skills, catch up with coworkers, and spend lots and lots of time watching my babies grow (and they grow so fast)!

Now I still need to fit in that exercise part!

How do you balance work/motherhood?

Where do you fit in your exercise?

Cider Donuts and Good Beer

It is official, I no longer have a full time job!

After 10 years, it feels strange but exciting to not be going back full time. Thankfully the life of a physical therapist make it very easy to work per diem (as needed), and pick and choose the hours I want. I'm starting at a new consulting job this week, and then will be starting the following week working part days on fridays at my old job. I am so excited that I will have this opportunity to still work a bit, while at the same time be able to spend more time with my babies and watch them grow up!

I still haven't ironed out that workout schedule, although Kevin and I talked about it.  He wants to make sure I can get back to running, triathlons without feeling overwhelmed. Our plan is to really work on getting our bonus room cleaned out so that I can ride on the trainer in there and do some strength training too. We've been able to get out for 3+ mile walks about 2-3 times a week, usually with other new moms that go to our play group on thursday mornings. At least I'm getting some exercise!

bundled up with a treat for our chilly morning walker

Over the weekend, we ventured out to get cider donuts. We stopped at Silver Bell Farm & Echo Hill Farm in Monson, then made a stop to Tree House Brewery before getting home. We had a long and busy day out saturday, which meant sunday was a day for catching up on things around the house. Its unreal how hard it is to get things done with 2 babies stirring. Even as I quickly type this out they are starting to wake up from their nap!

Our Tree House beer to take home!

I hope you all like my new blog design! It took me a while to find one I really loved, and finally I did find one on Etsy. Corinne from The Blog Decorator was great to work with and really made sure I had a new blog design and Facebook header I loved. I think it turned out great, I hope you love it too! Eventually I will blog a little more about how I made it through twin pregnancy and how I'm making it through twin life and link it all in the other pages on the blog so its easier to find. As I get back to racing, no worries there will be plenty of training posts and race reports again too.

What new things would you like to see on the blog?

Thoughts From the First Run Out

I went on my first post baby runs few weeks ago. It was amazing, but discouraging at the same time. Slugging along, I did a walk/run 2:1 for 25 min and was sore and exhausted following. As I struggled with my breathing, and my muscles wondered what the heck I was putting them through, the following thoughts ran through my mind.

I am a long way from half marathon shape, how will I ever get back there?

My achilles is still hurting? Shouldn't that have gone away with not running for 8+ months?

Walking is just as good of exercise right? Maybe I don't really want to run again.

Who am I kidding, of course I want to run again.

Remember when I crossed that finish line of my 70.3? I need to feel that again!

Wow, I am so slow, this is taking forever.

I have to remember that......

I should have been proud of myself just to have gone as far as I did!  No matter how slow I am going, I'm out there doing it. I did feel proud of myself, but I also felt so discouraged.  was a time where I was in such good running & triathlon shape.  Although leading up to the pregnancy, I can't say I was that committed. I poorly trained for and ran the Rock N Roll half in Savannah, GA with my husband (his first half marathon!), who helped make sure I finished the race. The twin pregnancy definitely kicked my butt more than I was thinking it would. I stopped running about 10 weeks in because I was just so tired and short of breath, I didn't feel right about it.

I know I have a long way to go. Finding the time to run with newborn twins is no easy task ( I haven't hit the pavement since that one run). If you know me, you know I like to set goals for myself, so for now I plan on figuring out a manageable schedule to help get me back into some kind of shape.

Wish me luck!

Blog Facelift Coming Soon!!

I know it has been ages since I have even made a blog post. I will be surprised if this even reaches any of my former readers anymore! A lot has happened over the last couple years, and I will try to fill you in as much as possible. For now, enjoy a couple pictures of my adorable twins and see what has been keeping me busy these days!

I am currently looking at completely overhauling my blog design, I've started instagram & twitter, and changed the blog name on Facebook too. If you have any recommendations for anyone that can help me out with revamping the blog layout/design, please let me know!

I haven't gotten out for a run yet, but we try to go out walking a few times a week when it's not too hot outside. So stay tuned to see what I've been up to and what I'm planning for the future.