I hope you had a good week.  Mia got hand foot mouth disease last weekend, which made for a rough start to the week.  She is doing much better even though she still has some sores remaining.  I am so thankful that Naomi didn't get it since it's highly contagious.

Naomi has been acting so grown up lately (even though she still LOVES her blanket).  It really shows in these pictures.  Isn't she the cutest?!?

Mia always finds a way to spruce up the outfits I pick out for her.  : )

This is my last week of work...it's so crazy how fast the last 9 weeks have gone by. It's definitely bittersweet, but mostly sweet. : )

The girls and I went to the zoo on Saturday and it was the best day.  The weather was little cold and rain was in the forecast, which meant the zoo wasn't very busy.  

We got there right when it opened and had a lot of the animals to ourselves.  The three of us have so much fun.  After we left, I was happy that none of my friends were able to join because we needed the time together.

We are definitely getting into the swing of things with our new routine.  We'll have it down when I'm done in two weeks. : )  

Working has definitely helped me appreciate those special moments with my kids like going to the zoo or park.

I needed this trip to the zoo to remind myself how much I enjoy hanging out with them.

Seeing them when I'm rushed in the morning and when they're hungry and cranky after school isn't always enjoyable.

Even though, those times are WAY easier now than they were 6 weeks ago.  

On Saturday, there were no meltdowns, no fighting, no arguing.  Just fun.  Exactly what I needed.

Gosh, I love them.

Here are some pictures from the week.  We had some super warm days last week and were able to go to the park after school. Mia kept yelling, "it's summer!!"  : )

Don't you love Mia's outfit?!?  I've been trying to take pictures of her outfits everyday to put on the blog.  Hopefully, I'll get that up this week.

Before going back to work, I was mostly nervous about how my girls would adjust.  What would they think when I left them for 9 hours each day?  Would they be scared? Sad? To help me them adjust, I went on the hunt for some books about separation anxiety.  These 6 books were my favorite to read the weeks coming up to me going back to work.  I don't know if reading the books helped Naomi but they definitely helped Mia.  All of these books are toddler/preschool friendly and really emphasize how much mommy loves you whether she is with you or not, which is the main message I wanted my girls to know.

Llama Llama Misses Mama and Mommy in my Pocket are also great books for a child who is starting preschool.

Happy Reading!!

Being a working mom is HARD.  I feel like life is going 100mph until 8pm comes around and I pass out.   Joe has been traveling a bunch but has been SUPER helpful when he is home.  

Even though I love teaching, I don't love rushing my kids out the door in the morning.  I don't love being so exhausted after work that I don't have the energy for my family.

I am so thankful for the experience though (I still have 4 weeks left).  It is showing me that yes, I do love teaching but I am in no rush to have my own classroom.  I might do another maternity leave but for now, I can only think about being home with my girls.

On the positive side, they are doing so great at daycare.  Mia is thriving in a structured learning environment and Naomi loves her teacher and classmates (even though she still cries every day I drop her off).

With me working our schedule is obviously very different, which is challenging and fun.  Mia is longing to go the zoo and Children's Museum (deprived, right?). HAH.  My favorite part of our new schedule are the family trips to the library on Sunday after naps.

Lucky for us, our library is AMAZING and has a ton of toys and dress-up clothes.

Also, Joe has been getting creative with exercising to spend more time at home.  

Naomi is determined to keep up.

 

The girls miss each other so much throughout the week since they are in different classrooms at daycare. (I think they might even miss each other more than they miss me.)  When the weekend comes around, they have so much fun playing together.

Mia even gets weekly (optional) homework, which she loves to do.  Since Naomi wants to be just like Mia, I always create homework for her too.

Sorry for neglecting you but this momma is tired. I promise to be a better blogger going forward as I'm slowly figuring out how to balance life.  I must say, working moms are amazing. (I can't even imagine how tired my mom was as a single, working mom.)  Actually, all moms are amazing. The selfless act of raising little people is so challenging but yet rewarding. No one fully understands the emotions that go into motherhood until they are one.  I love being a mom and I must say, it's my favorite job I've had so far.