March Mummy's - waste time with me

[Rhio92]

OH told me not to make anything for when baby is here, he said he'll do the cooking. But it's his first child, so don't think he realises what it'll be like and how exhausted we'll be. I may do a few stews

 

[northern_me]

I didn't do this last time and I really, really regret it. I'm going to soon start making the following:

Smoothie Packs and Breakfast Burritos (because with a newborn and a 6 year old to get off to school, I see breakfast making time being extremely limited)

Lasagna, Vegetable Soup, Mac and Cheese and I'm going to do some sweet and sour meatballs to serve over rice. I'm also going to slice and freeze everything for chicken fajitas, and maybe a Shepherd's pie. If I can stick a salad with it, I'm making it.

 

[SarahBear]

OH told me not to make anything for when baby is here, he said he'll do the cooking. But it's his first child, so don't think he realises what it'll be like and how exhausted we'll be. I may do a few stews

Tell him to make it ahead of time and put it in the freezer

He probably won't want to be cooking either once the baby comes!

So much easier to just be prepared.

 

[Betheney]

I want to make meals ahead of schedule but we just don't have enough freezer room

I keep begging hubby to buy me a chest freezer but he won't

 

[SarahBear]

I would like to get a freezer, but not a chest freezer. I hear that it's easier to get to and use things if they're in an upright freezer with a regular door. I'd like something like that. We have minimal freezer space, but we managed last time, so we can manage again. You could probably manage to squeeze a couple things into a freezer. Even a couple things would be better than nothing.

 

[northern_me]

Yeah we have an upright freezer. Freezer chests are a pain in the ass!

 

[MrsKChicago]

I'm glad to hear that having frozen meals really makes a difference and I'm not wasting my time

 

[Betheney]

I probably could fit in a couple of meals, not many though. Do i make meals for myself or for the family ;-) I'm vegetarian, they aren't.

I want a chest freezer because they're smaller and cheaper.

 

[MrsKChicago]

I'd make vegetarian meals they can eat or easily add to. Like mac and cheese, they can just add hot dogs or something if they want. Don't think I'd waste my time cooking things I can't eat.

 

[Betheney]

I'd make vegetarian meals they can eat or easily add to. Like mac and cheese, they can just add hot dogs or something if they want. Don't think I'd waste my time cooking things I can't eat.

That's a good idea! I didn't think of that because it does irritate me when they do it. I assure them the meal tastes the damn same without the meat in it. Lol. But it would be a good idea for these frozen meals post labour and birth idea.


I'm a bit worried about hubby and work. We've known his branch has also been closing for about a year now, but never really knew when. I told him he needs to tell them he has to be out by early Feb so he can move back to the local branch and be close to me. Of course he kept saying that was unnecessary and silly. So they've finally told him last day at that branch will be 28th of Feb and I'm due 2nd of March. He works 45mins-1hr away and his work car is used as a delivery vehicle during the work day. So if i went into labour he'd have to call the delivery driver to return his car before setting off home. I have really quick labours and am stressed about him not making it home and me giving birth on our lounge room floor. Not to mention now that the week leading up to the 28th is the closing down the branch week he's told me he's not going to be able to take time off, so he'd obviously leave work for labour and delivery but being branch manager he can't take work off for the whole week or anything.

I feel like I'm going to have to call my mum and ask her to come and stay but we got into an argument this morning so i don't particularly feel like asking. Lol

 

[MrsKChicago]

Ugh, that sounds stressful! Is there anyone other than your mom who you can call? Mine is probably the last person I'd want staying with me and attending me during labor...

 

[Betheney]

I have a friend who i could give the kids to should i need them to go somewhere. But she's got 3 kids of her own so she's not going to be able to come over and help out if i have the baby and need some help post birth.

My mum isnt too bad on the 'pain in the ass' front. Lol. I mean she can be a bit painful but she would also cook every meal, clean every square inch of the house and look after the kids. But she would have to take her long service leave and I'd feel guilty using it, i think her and dad planned on using it for something else. She already said if i needed her (prior to our fight) she'd come. NB. In Aus if you've been with a company over 10 years you get 12 weeks bonus paid leave called long service leave.

I kinda just don't want to even think about it all and live in this fairy land where I'll go into labour on a friday evening with hubby home 2-3 weeks before baby is due and hubby will take 1-2 weeks off

 

[MrsKChicago]

Just have a little chat with the baby, I'm sure he'll cooperate

12 weeks paid leave.... I can't even imagine. I consider us lucky by US standards that DH can take a week or two off unpaid when the baby comes.

 

[brittany12]

I don't have paid maternity leave and was still planning on taking about 6 weeks off and using our tax money to supplement for my income.. turns out no tax money for us which means I have to go back after a max of 2 weeks. luckily I get to bring her with me because I work for family and it'll be just me and my MIL in the office. So hopefully things go well with delivery and hopefully she'll be a great sleeper! Better yet, hopefully something will come up and i'll be able to stay home with her for at least 4-6 weeks

 

[northern_me]

Oh my god, I feel terrible for those of you who aren't able to take time off . I'm currently on "modified bed rest" and will be off until baby comes, and then get 50 weeks of mat/parental leave. That is ridiculous and it should be a basic right to have time to look after your baby.

 

[Betheney]

Just have a little chat with the baby, I'm sure he'll cooperate

12 weeks paid leave.... I can't even imagine. I consider us lucky by US standards that DH can take a week or two off unpaid when the baby comes.

Hahahaha yeah I'll maybe do some positive mind work, and go to bed each night willing the universe to make a friday evening labour happen.

We gets 4 weeks paid leave per year as standard, he's clocked up over 8 weeks though, he has leave to take and he will take 2 weeks paid leave when baby is here, he could take more if he wanted but 2s good. But it's just the whole being branch manager thing, he can't take time off while they're shutting down the branch.

Do you get a certain number of paid leave days per year? Annual leave? It varies from job to job but generally it's 4 weeks. Then there's maternity leave and what not, you could always take as much unpaid maternity leave as you want but not many people want to seeing as it's unpaid. We also get 2 weeks per year paid sick leave, my work however used to make them drop off after you had earnt up to 2 weeks. So you could never have more than 2 a year. My hubbies accumulates like his annual leave does. I can't remember if it's paid out when you quit though, some jobs do and some don't.

Long service leave takes 10 years to qualify for. Lol. So its a long process to get. Most people leave their job before then. I think hubby is 10 years next year so he'll get his. Lots of people don't use their long service leave but cash it in when they retire or quit.

I don't work at all and haven't for 4 years so there's no worry for me. Lol. In fact when i went on my 12 months maternity leave with my daughter, unpaid leave of course except for the first 5 weeks paid from annual leave I'd accumulated. You didn't really get paid maternity leave back then because the govt just paid you something called the "baby bonus" i think it was like $5000. Anyway I took 12 months maternity leave so was still an employee at the company. After the 12 months i quit but discovered i was still accumulating annual leave so 12 months after baby was born when i quit i was paid out 4 weeks of work. Haha. Not bad.

Then there's a whole bunch of other payments. I think we'll get a permanent $150 per fortnight increase to our current payments for the next baby.

 

[MrsKChicago]

Sounds nice. DH used to get a week or so at his old job, but he's at a small business now with no paid leave at all. Not even sick days At least he has some flexibility and can take unpaid time if he needs it. Like your husband with the moving issue, though, there are some times when it would be really difficult for him to take off if it wasn't an absolute emergency.

I work from home and make my own hours, so I don't have any kind of "leave." I just don't work if I don't want to, and then I don't get paid. I'd love a job with real maternity leave, but it's not a bad setup for a stay at home mom, which is what I'd like to do til this guy and any future siblings start school.

Overall, the US doesn't seem to care much about worker well being. As long as the CEO is making money, who cares if the employees can't be there for the first weeks of their kid's life?

 

[Tmb0047]

Sounds nice. DH used to get a week or so at his old job, but he's at a small business now with no paid leave at all. Not even sick days At least he has some flexibility and can take unpaid time if he needs it. Like your husband with the moving issue, though, there are some times when it would be really difficult for him to take off if it wasn't an absolute emergency.

I work from home and make my own hours, so I don't have any kind of "leave." I just don't work if I don't want to, and then I don't get paid. I'd love a job with real maternity leave, but it's not a bad setup for a stay at home mom, which is what I'd like to do til this guy and any future siblings start school.

Overall, the US doesn't seem to care much about worker well being. As long as the CEO is making money, who cares if the employees can't be there for the first weeks of their kid's life?

Curious what it is that you do from home??!!

 

[MrsKChicago]

https://www.lionbridge.com/careers/ but there are a couple similar companies. I don't remember the name of the other one.

It's not great money or full time or anything, just a little supplement to DH's income. I wasn't making too much working out of the house when we factored in commute expenses, so it made sense to just do this from home.

 

[SarahBear]

I probably could fit in a couple of meals, not many though. Do i make meals for myself or for the family ;-) I'm vegetarian, they aren't.

I want a chest freezer because they're smaller and cheaper.

For yourself. The rest of the family can deal or make their own!