February Highs & Lows

Another month has come and gone. February seemed to pass by 10 times faster than January. So many good things happened this month, it was actually pretty hard for me to think of any "lows!" Here's the round up:

Highs:

• Going back to work this month was definitely a major highlight of this month. I don't mean to sound snotty, but everyone was so dramatic about my plan to return to work after maternity leave and it made me really nervous. I think some people doubted whether I would go back at all, and some people thought I would go back and be miserable and quit immediately. And to be honest, I had those concerns, too. LUCKILY, none of those thing happened. I wrote about this a little bit already, but I have really loved being back at work. It's more than just "getting out of the house." I feel really in my element at work. There are projects with concrete deadlines and meetings and big ideas. It hasn't been a perfect transition, but overall I've been really happy and I hope things continue this way!

Just a picture of me casually working! Lol!

• Valentine's Day! I feel obligated to mention Valentine's Day even though it wasn't necessarily the most notable part of my month. I tried to decorate a little this year and that made me really happy. Cob was a sweetheart and bought me flowers (even though I told him he didn't have to), and we went to The Greatest Showman and got sushi. It was a perfect day.

• Peter's baby blessing. After putting off Peter's baby blessing for the entire month of December (don't get me started) we decided to bless him at my parents' home in Salt Lake. There was a fairly small crowd there, but it was absolutely perfect. Cob and I talked a lot about what we wanted to give Peter and what Cob should say in the blessing, and these are some of the things I remember.

Peter was blessed to be:
-Optimistic regardless of circumstances
-A bright and noble spirit
-An example to his family
-A close friend to Jesus Christ
-100% responsibility for his life
-Married in the temple
-A receiver of Priesthood and posterity
-Generous and full of desire to share his abundance

• Anything and everything to do with Peter. Guys. I am OBSESSED with this baby! He is so sweet. He sleeps through the night (usually 8-10 hours), he rarely cries, he smiles often, and he makes the cutest little sounds! I can tell that he loves me because his face just lights up when he hears my voice or sees my face, and it melts my heart. Having a baby is hands-down the hardest thing I have ever done, and I am terrified to do it again, but the love I feel for my Peter is absolutely overwhelming and empowering. I love being a mom.

Lows:

• Pumping at work. Let me tell you something: Pumping at work is THE ABSOLUTE WORST. I bought a hands-free pumping bra (look it up, it's ridiculous) and that has helped me a lot, but I haven't been able to really get a great pumping routine so I end up with no free time and clogged ducts and spilled bottles of breastmilk on my lap and sore nipples. My office has a mother's lounge with a nice recliner and a little fridge, but it's still a little icky. I'm glad that I've been able to breastfeed for so long, but I can't wait to be done.

I cropped the breast pump out of this picture #yourewelcome

• Work-life balance. I know I made it sound like going back to work has been perfect, but there have been some definite challenges. One is the fact that I used to have (almost) unlimited free time and now I only have about 5 hours a day of unstructured time. I'm also struggling with making the most of my time at home. I get home from work in the evenings and even though I would like to do something with Cob and Peter, I'm usually so exhausted I just collapse on the couch and veg for a few hours. I would really like to maximize my time with my family and do one meaningful activity every day. Yesterday I did some "Mom & Baby Yoga" but today I just sat in bed and watched The Office. Balance, right? Ha! I'm sure I'll get better at it.

• Social media. I know I talk about social media wayyyyyy more than I should, but I just can't decide how I feel! This month has been bad for social media. On the one hand, I've been really happy with what I've posted and I feel like I have a better idea of what I'm all about. But I've felt really discouraged following so many people who post affiliate link after affiliate link and one million "Like It To Know #LITK https://li.tk//" captions on their posts. Nobody shares anything important anymore. Nobody can just post a picture of their family or their kids. It's all about products and tutorials and coupons and crap that I don't care about! I'm slowly, slowly unfollowing accounts I don't care about and spending less time on social media altogether. I'll let you know how it goes.

February has been a great month. I feel overwhelmed when I think about all the good things that have happened this month and all the people that have looked out for me and helped me make adjustments in this new season of life. March is going to be great!

♡♡♡
Rebecca

Creating a "Daily Bread" Routine

I've been meaning to write this blog for WEEKS and I just haven't been able to make it happen. So today I'm setting a timer for 30 minutes and when it's over, it's over. Here we go!

Since going back to work a few weeks ago, I've felt just slightly out of whack. If I'm being completely honest, I've felt less out of whack than I thought I would feel, but there's still some big adjustments happening with my schedule and my time. For the first few weeks, I was comfortable operating in survival mode, but after a while, I started to feel like I wasn't in control. There were things I should be doing regularly (like showering) that just weren't happening and it was making me crazy.

I decided I needed to get back to basics. I looked critically at my schedule and all my responsibilities and identified the most important things to do every single day. I love to brand things, so I asked Cob to help me come up with a catchy title or phrase that would help me remember these things and internalize them. Cob, of course, is brilliant and came up with the perfect phrase:

DAILY BREAD

In the scriptures, Jesus Christ refers to "daily bread" as help and sustenance from the Lord. Sometimes it's literal bread, and sometimes it's physical or emotional strength. Daily bread is anything necessary for our physical and spiritual survival.

“It helps at times not to think too far ahead. Just do what the day requires. ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ We’re not anticipating the hardship or suffering that might be entailed. Sometimes just have to break it down to this moment; this day. While deliverance might not be immediate, you’ve got enough for today.”
-D. Todd Christofferson

Right now, my daily bread includes spiritual tasks (reading the scriptures and praying) as well as physical tasks (taking my medicine and showering). I'm hoping that thinking of these things as "daily bread" will help me remember how simple and necessary they are for my short-term and long-term success.

Because I just wouldn't be ME without some kind of visual, I made a Daily Bread Printable, which you can download here.

♡♡♡
Rebecca

6 Tips for a Great Graphic Design Interview

As a hiring manager, I've interviewed dozens of designers for different design positions. I love talking to designers and seeing different personalities and different styles of work. As a manager, it's important for me to know that the designer(s) I hire aren't just good at design, but they're good at TALKING about design. I want to know that they can take criticism and give feedback and defend their design decisions.

With that in mind, here are my best tips for nailing your next design interview.

♡♡♡
Rebecca

The End of Maternity Leave

I went back to work today. After 12 weeks of slow, quiet maternity leave, I went back to my full-time job as a graphic designer. To be honest, it's been better than I could have even hoped. I woke up, got ready, took Peter over to the babysitter's, and drove to the office. I wore a new shirt and curled my hair and walked into work feeling excited (and a little nervous). Everyone at work was SO NICE. One of the girls on my team brought me flowers and my boss bought me an office plant and a card welcoming me back. I felt extremely appreciated and loved.

The decision to come back to work after having a baby was simple and complicated at the same time. On the one hand, I knew that I wanted to come back because I didn't want to be home by myself all day (please don't @ me about how on having a baby isn't the same as being home alone. You know what I mean), but at the same time, after the baby was actually born, I felt really strongly that it was important for me to be home, to be present, and to be a very engaged mom. So, even though I had pretty much officially decided to come back to work, I still had a lot of doubts about making it work.

But I did it! Obviously, it's only been one day, but I'm giving myself credit where credit is due. I went to work, I pumped breastmilk, and I didn't even cry. Everyone kept asking me how I was doing, and I told them I was feeling really happy, which (gratefully) was the truth!

I think being back at work feels good for a few reasons. One, I feel like I appreciate adult conversation so much more now that I've spent the last few months at home. I've always known that I'm an extrovert, but today I was reminded how important it is for me to talk to people and share my thoughts and feelings almost constantly. Two, it feels good to be in my element. Before Peter was born, I was doing my best to be motivated and organized, but I just didn't feel good. Now that I'm not pregnant, I have my energy and zest back, which makes work much more enjoyable. The last thing I liked about going to work was actually coming home. I was so happy to see Peter and I felt like I was able to engage and play with him for a few hours without being distracted or getting bored/frustrated. I know not every day will be like this, but I'm happy with how today turned out, and I'm hopeful about the future.

♡♡♡
Rebecca