Working Mama: Leticia

Happy Monday! Here’s the next installment of Working Mamas. Take it away, Leticia!

Name: Leticia
Age: 33
Children: Mikaela, 8
Occupation: Bilingual Teacher
Full Time or Part Time: Full Time
Work Location: I commute to an office

Where to Find Leticia

Blog: Run Around Hungry
Twitter: RunAroundHungry
Facebook: Running Around Hungry
Pinterest: Leticia O.
Instagram: letiortdur

How do you find time for everything you need to do? What falls off your radar?
There is only so much time in a day or week. Therefore, I do what takes priority first. These are usually the things that I NEED to do, and then if there is time left over (which surprisingly, there usually is), then I do the things I WANT to do.

Describe your childcare arrangement.
My daughter is of school age so she goes to school during the day. Lucky for us, my husband can make his own schedule so he picks her up when she gets out of school at 3:15pm and then they hang out until it is time to pick me up between 4:30 and 5:00pm.

What does the word balance mean to you?
Balance is fitting it all in…and doing all things well. I try to maintain balance in my life by doing the things that I can and am able to do well…and if I can’t do all things well, then that’s when I know that it’s time to take something off of my plate.

What is your best time saving tip?
Plan ahead! I sit down and make a weekly meal plan (as well as a weekly workout plan) and then try to get ahead by making whatever I can ahead of time and refrigerating (of freezing) it. Brown rice or quinoa, roasted veggies, chicken breasts, etc. I cook, then keep in the fridge for quick and healthy dinners.

What is your favorite go to meal to feed your family during the week?
Chicken breasts (or baked fish fillets), roasted sweet potatoes, steamed broccoli, and brown rice or quinoa salad with feta and roasted red peppers.

Would you like to take a nap?
Yes
No
I’m napping right now. It’s called multitasking.

What are your top two pros and cons of being a working mom?PROS
1) I’m a go-go-go kind of person so working keeps me crazy busy (and I like that!) and
2) I work as a teacher and have the privilege of having the same holidays as my daughter so I can still have lots of family time!
CONS – I honestly don’t see any. When my daughter was still young, before she started school, my husband took care of her during the day while I was at work…and I took care of her in the evenings/nights while he was at work. It was a sacrifice we both had to make…but it was definitely for the better of our family!

Did you pump at work? If so, what was your experience?
I pumped at work, and was fortunate enough to have had a fairly good experience in doing this. I simply went to the nurse’s office and pumped in her closet during lunch and my planning period…and then kept my breast milk containers in her fridge until after school when I picked it up before going home.

Do you have any advice for a new mom who is about to go back to work?
1) It’s okay to be nervous – I was sick to my stomach the night before my first day back at work after giving birth to our daughter. Once I got there and got into it, I was fine!
2) Ease back into it – you are in a new role now, and being a new mommy is definitely your new #1 priority. So take it easy at work and don’t try to take on too much responsibility; believe me, your coworkers will understand!
3) Leave “work” on your front porch when you get home – this was mu husband’s advice to me and it has been one of the wisest things he has ever said to me! Everyday when I get home I try my best to leave all of my work concerns/stresses/issues on the porch before I step through the front door. This allows me to keep my family/home life sacred! It doesn’t mean I don’t share positive/funny things that go on at work over the dinner table! My husband and daughter love hearing stories about the funny things that my students do and say!

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Thank you so much Leticia for participating in my Working Mamas series! Don’t forget to check out Leticia’s blog and show her some love!