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JoplingNutrition

Pinch of Yum 5 ingredient banana chocolate muffins highly recommend as a snack option (made with oats and dates and can add some ground flax to bump up the fiber some more), add ground flaxseed or chia seeds to smoothies, Nature valley muffin bars, whole grain waffles with peanut butter and berries, popcorn, whole grain cereals with 3+ grams a fiber per serving

FeedingFamilies

Fruit! Bananas, Apples with skin on, Pears with skin on, Berries (especially berries with seeds like Raspberry, Blackberry, Strawberry)
Add Peanut butter and you have an additional 1.5 grams!
Anything with oatmeal, healthy oatmeal cookies, yummy oatmeal balls!
Popcorn!
Carrots and snap peas!
Seeds like sunflower or pumpkin!

JeanneReillyRDN

One of my favorite meal planning tools is Prep Dish. It's an affordable subscription and they send a variety of menus to choose from each week depending on your needs: super fast prep, low carb, paleo, gluten free, etc. The shopping lists are laid out by section in the grocery store, so it makes that part super fast & simple. The menus are designed by a Registered Dietitian & chef, and once you get into the flow of taking 1-2 hours, once a week, to do your prep, meals on a weeknight take only 15-20 mins to put together & be ready to serve! Check them out here: https://ai282.isrefer.com/go/lpof15/rp1131/

JeanneReillyRDN

Here to echo what everyone else has suggested and add: prioritize getting help with what feels hardest for you and what fits into your budget. Sometimes baby is a great sleeper, so a night nurse isn't the greatest pain point. Finding a "Mother's Helper" who is willing to be part of the family and get involved with any type of task you need help with (not JUST childcare) is such a gift. If you end up going this route, don't be afraid to be VERY specific in your job description when you are posting online or sharing with your community about the type of person you need. Ex. Some mother's helpers may not want to help with laundry, but if that's one of your pain points, make sure you include that in your job description so the applicants you get know up front everything you are looking for. Finally, as someone who was in a mother's helper role throughout grad school, it was very helpful to know what my duties were and what they were not. Ex: I did dishes, but I did not scrub toilets - they had a house cleaner for that. Hope this helps and happy to be a resource if you need help with how to find the right person for your family!

bwdtravel

Hi @AhMummy!! Family trips are my favorite In Mexico it's hard to beat Mayakoba or Punta Mita with kids. July will be hot! @Purple-Animal has a great thought with the Mountains. There are lots of family friendly dude ranches in Montana and Wyoming that my clients love! My favorite little mountain town in Colorado is Crested Butte. I'm happy to help either of you with more info anytime! brynne@kjtravel.com

FeedingFamilies

Hi! All the responses are amazing and great ideas!
Figuring out easy, affordable meals the whole family can enjoy is a struggle for most. A couple of tips I give to every family:
Automatize: 2 options, make the same meal every Monday, or every other Monday, then do the same method for every or her night. Build in easier meals for harder/crazier nights! Or choose a protein for each night and then Base the meal off that. This allows you to mix it up more but still takes a lot of the mental labor out of it!
Frozen food is your friend! Frozen food, especially fruits and veggies are such a great option bc they are frozen at their peak nutritionally. Frozen allows you to use just the amount you need, no waste, no spoiling! It also means you can use a larger variety of fruits and veggies which is awesome and makes sure everyone is happy!
I highly recommend crockpot, air fryers, slow cookers, sheet pan meals! Anything that makes life easier and means you are having a home cooked meal over fast food, is a win!!
Batch cooking is a great way to make life easier. This has already been mentioned but cooking a lot of protein at one time and then using it in several meals through out the week will help tremendously. If you think of your fridge like a mini chipolte, subway, or CAVA, where everyone in the family can choose their toppings for whatever meal you decide that night, everyone will be happy! Think about making rice bowls, pasta bowls, personalized pizzas, tacos, quesadillas, or salads. Everything that goes in or on this types of meals can be prepped and stored and then use later, it's just about adding the right spices or sauce for that meal!
Hope this helps. It will feel like a lot to think about at first but once you get your weekly grocery figured out, you will save time and money!

SustainableMama

I wanna validate that most (if not all) moms struggle with this. So you are not alone mama. 🫶️🫶️.
As far as where to go from here - seek support! I know it’s often the last thing we moms do (thinking of helping ourselves) , but if Don’t take care of ourselves, we won’t be able to help anyone else in our family. So whether it’s asking a friend to help you with the carpool, or having the in-laws watch your kids for a weekend, or seeking out a counselor or parenting coach, I hope you find the support you deserve

dockatiept

We drove from Austin to Gulf Shores last year. Stopped at Bass Pro Shops near Baton Rouge both ways which was a hit with our toddler, we also made stops at sporting goods stores, Chick-fil-A, Buc-ees, etc. it was a lot slower than our usual pace, but we made it .

Also thought about stopping at the aquariums in Biloxi or New Orleans, but our timing of getting to those places didn’t sync with nap time so we skipped them

WorkingMamaReset

First of all—congratulations on your third baby! ️ Returning to work, especially with travel involved, is a big transition, but with some planning and the right systems in place, it can be manageable. Here are some tips that have helped other working moms in my program with similar situations:

Scheduling & Managing Home & Work:

Time-block your calendar: Schedule dedicated work hours, pumping breaks, and buffer time for transitions between work and home life.
Delegate where you can: Whether it’s meal prep, housework, or daycare pickups, lean on your support system (partner, family, or even paid help).
Sunday planning: Take 15-30 minutes each weekend to map out the week ahead—outfits, meals, childcare logistics, and work tasks.
Streamline the mornings: Prep clothes, bags, and lunches the night before to avoid chaos.

Traveling for Work:

Set your husband/partner up for success - things like laying out the kids outfits; meal prepping lunches/dinners; reviewing the calendar and activities; solicit help from family or babysitter.
Find Connection, Even Though You’re Away - Things like making bracelets with your kids and each wearing them while you're gone. When your sad or miss each other you can look at the bracelet. There's teddy bears you can buy on amazon that let you record your voice, and your child can hit the button to hear your voice before bed. Writing notes that you put into the meal prepped lunches. Of course, facetiming in the morning and evening each day so your child can see your face and hear you. Word of advice, depending on the age of your child sometimes Facetime can make it worse if your child is young because they won't understand why you can't hold them.
Find Connection, Once You Get Home - You can cut out a "flat stanley" and take pictures of your trip and show them to your kids when you get home. One mom even started to draw a comic of her adventure that she read her kids to make it a fun way to learn about different cities/places.
Ditch the Guilt - Use the time on the flight or in the hotel as a way to catch up on work, so that when you get home you can be fully present and maybe even cut out early to be with your kids.
Enjoy Time Alone - Work travel is an opportunity for you to get extended periods alone and without interruption. Read, write, pray, mediate, and quiet your soul. Take a deep breathe in and "just be".

Breastfeeding While Traveling:

Shipping milk: If traveling for multiple days, services like Milk Stork can safely ship your milk home.
Plan ahead - Find a hotel in advance that has refridgeration options in the room.
Pack the Essentials - Bring a portable, battery-operated breast pump that fits into your bra directly to ensure you can pump anywhere (ie. the Willow). A manual pump too for a "just in case" item. Pack enough breast milk storage bags, extra pump parts, cleaning supplies, and a cooler with ice packs or a portable fridge.
Be early to everything - Show up early to airports - so you can pump before take off. Reserve early check-ins at your hotels to facilitate pumping on arrival.
Be early to everything - Show up early to airports - so you can pump before take off. Reserve early check-ins at your hotels to facilitate pumping on arrival.
Stay Hydrated - Drink plenty of water and eat nutritious meals to maintain your milk supply.
Keep a regular pumping schedule - Stick to your usual pumping schedule to maintain your milk supply and avoid discomfort. Aim to pump every 3-4 hours.

Most importantly—give yourself grace. Transitions are hard, but you’re setting an incredible example for your kids.

You’ve got this! ...... and you’re not alone! If you ever need someone to bounce ideas off of or just a little encouragement along the way, I’m here for you. I help working moms navigate these exact challenges—balancing career, home, and everything in between—so if there’s anything I can do to support you, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Wishing you a smooth transition back to work!

~Lauren

Katieabney

This is very normal and can be a common area of conflict between kids and parents. A few things to consider:

parent expectations may need to shift
usually if they are in a school sport they have to keep their grades up to play (which can be an external motivator)
is your child being challenged enough at school? Smart kiddos can often get bored in school and it can look like they don’t care
talk to the teachers and see what they are observing
look into getting child assessed for any learning difficulties to see if they need any additional support at school (ex: adhd)

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