I need HELP!!!

Amber42803

Hey everyone. Some of you may already know I am a mom to five wonderful, beautiful, awsome, beautiful, smart, sweet, beautiful, AWSOME, and did I mention beautiful children. Which is now my problem. I have three of them home with me full time, 4 mon-fri, and all 5 in the afternoons Mon-Fri. Sat & Sun I have 4. My problem is that my hubby works nights, so when he comes home, he goes straight to bed, and I find it very difficult to get in some excercise while the kids are up. During nap time is my cleaning time. I do laundry, sweep, dishes, vacuum, and whatever else needs to be done during those two hours. I can't find time in the day to get my excercise in anymore. My son has Tee Ball practice on Thursday evenings, but starting this Saturday...he has games three nights a week! My schedule is becoming very hectic very fast. In the mean time I'm preparing to have a yard sale ( a lot of stuff in the house :grumble: ) and planning and preparing for two birthday parties ALL THIS WEEK! My daughter is turning one...which is a pretty big deal, and my oldest son is turning 6 and having his first ever party where friends are coming over. Between shopping, and regular daily stuff, I can't fit my excercise in. I can't even fit in a walk. I'll take time in the morning to dance around with the kids for 30 minutes, but they're getting tired of dancing. I've turned on the Tae Boe videos...they love to do that, but there's not enough room in my living room for all of us to do it, and I can't very well tell the kids to sit down while mommy's works out ( almost one year old, 2 yr. old, and 4 yr. old .) They simply don't sit still well enough. I've tried putting on a movie or something, but as soon as they see me up and moving aorund, they want to too. I hate to say it, but they're in the way. It's actually not their fault though. It's having such a darn small house. I would do it after they go to bed, but by then I'm so worn out, and my feet are sooo swollen that I just can't bring myself to do it. It hurts too much. :sad:

SO given all that drama...any suggestions? I could really use some advice! Thanks guys!

ALC


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Amber42803

Hey everyone. Some of you may already know I am a mom to five wonderful, beautiful, awsome, beautiful, smart, sweet, beautiful, AWSOME, and did I mention beautiful children. Which is now my problem. I have three of them home with me full time, 4 mon-fri, and all 5 in the afternoons Mon-Fri. Sat & Sun I have 4. My problem is that my hubby works nights, so when he comes home, he goes straight to bed, and I find it very difficult to get in some excercise while the kids are up. During nap time is my cleaning time. I do laundry, sweep, dishes, vacuum, and whatever else needs to be done during those two hours. I can't find time in the day to get my excercise in anymore. My son has Tee Ball practice on Thursday evenings, but starting this Saturday...he has games three nights a week! My schedule is becoming very hectic very fast. In the mean time I'm preparing to have a yard sale ( a lot of stuff in the house :grumble: ) and planning and preparing for two birthday parties ALL THIS WEEK! My daughter is turning one...which is a pretty big deal, and my oldest son is turning 6 and having his first ever party where friends are coming over. Between shopping, and regular daily stuff, I can't fit my excercise in. I can't even fit in a walk. I'll take time in the morning to dance around with the kids for 30 minutes, but they're getting tired of dancing. I've turned on the Tae Boe videos...they love to do that, but there's not enough room in my living room for all of us to do it, and I can't very well tell the kids to sit down while mommy's works out ( almost one year old, 2 yr. old, and 4 yr. old .) They simply don't sit still well enough. I've tried putting on a movie or something, but as soon as they see me up and moving aorund, they want to too. I hate to say it, but they're in the way. It's actually not their fault though. It's having such a darn small house. I would do it after they go to bed, but by then I'm so worn out, and my feet are sooo swollen that I just can't bring myself to do it. It hurts too much. :sad:

SO given all that drama...any suggestions? I could really use some advice! Thanks guys!

ALC


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Amy_B

What time do they get up? Could you do something in the morning? I've found that's usually my best bet.

Amber42803

What time do they get up? Could you do something in the morning? I've found that's usually my best bet.

I've tried getting up before them, but it does no good, no matter how quiet I am, the ALWAYS sense I'm awake, and one right after the other they're up too. I've even tried geting up at 4 and 5am. THEY ALWAYS KNOW. It's so scary...they have some kinda mommy radar. It's CRAZY!

ALC


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hushmonkey1234

What time do they get up? Could you do something in the morning? I've found that's usually my best bet.

I agree I have to wake up extra early to get in my exersise, between three kids, work, school, and taking care of my husband and house the only time I have is in the EARLY morning!

My husband used to work nights as well and would usually take about and hour to unwind when he got home. I would get up early to exersise and spend time with him. Could this work for you??

ngwife4life

Whew, I think I just burned some calories READING about your day! Is there any way you can go for a walk while your son practices? Not sure where the other little ones will be but that's always an option. My Mom and I used to walk around the whole baseball field while he practiced so we could exercise but she wasn't leaving him to be babysat by others since she could see him the whole time.

While I don't condone not exercising, maybe you need to give yourself a little bit of leeway this week? I mean, promise yourself you'll do so much time worth of exercise and just leave it at that for this week. Anything else you can manage is just bonus. Don't kill yourself trying to figure it all out!!! Just be extra careful about your calorie intake and start anew next week with a plan on how to work out as many times as you need to. My daughter does really great to go for a walk with me when she's getting restless and I don't know what your outdoor situation is like but maybe they would play outside with you? That's always a good way to get things moving, too! I guess finding a way to incorporate them into your workouts may be best if you aren't willing to wake up before the rest of the household. Though, if your kids are like my daughter, she can sense when I'm awake and feels she should be, too!

Oh, and my husband used to work nights, too. I completely feel your frustration!

Amber42803

What time do they get up? Could you do something in the morning? I've found that's usually my best bet.

I agree I have to wake up extra early to get in my exersise, between three kids, work, school, and taking care of my husband and house the only time I have is in the EARLY morning!

My husband used to work nights as well and would usually take about and hour to unwind when he got home. I would get up early to exersise and spend time with him. Could this work for you??

:laugh: :laugh: LOL. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I HAVE actually tried to get my hubby to stay up...he won't do it though. I used to work graveyard myself, and I ALWAYS, had to have at least an hour or two to wind down, but not him. He's just...I love him to death, but... he's so lazy! When he gets up he doesn't do ANYTHING, I have to fight him to take out the trash :grumble: . He's reasoning, "I work all night. I shouldn't HAVE to do anything when I'm at home" He'll help out on his weekends, but the days he works, he sits on the couch and eats. So, he's no help, unless it's his day off. Which means I get to work out (at this point) two days a week. NOT ENOUGH!

I feel like I'm making excuses, but it's all true. This is so frustrating. :mad:

ALC


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Amber42803

Whew, I think I just burned some calories READING about your day! Is there any way you can go for a walk while your son practices? Not sure where the other little ones will be but that's always an option. My Mom and I used to walk around the whole baseball field while he practiced so we could exercise but she wasn't leaving him to be babysat by others since she could see him the whole time.

While I don't condone not exercising, maybe you need to give yourself a little bit of leeway this week? I mean, promise yourself you'll do so much time worth of exercise and just leave it at that for this week. Anything else you can manage is just bonus. Don't kill yourself trying to figure it all out!!! Just be extra careful about your calorie intake and start anew next week with a plan on how to work out as many times as you need to. My daughter does really great to go for a walk with me when she's getting restless and I don't know what your outdoor situation is like but maybe they would play outside with you? That's always a good way to get things moving, too! I guess finding a way to incorporate them into your workouts may be best if you aren't willing to wake up before the rest of the household. Though, if your kids are like my daughter, she can sense when I'm awake and feels she should be, too!

Oh, and my husband used to work nights, too. I completely feel your frustration!

Now, that walking around the baseball field MIGHT just work! My other children generally stay at home with my husband while I take our son to practice. Currently that's only one day a week. But... it IS an hour! I'll do that. The outside play sounds good too! BUT today it won't be an option, the yard is still too wet, but it should be dry enough tomorrow. (We had a lot of rain over the weekend). As much as they love being outside, it should be easy. Especially if I play with them on the trampoline...they love that!
Thank you ngwife4life! I don't know why I didn't think of it. DUR :glasses:

Anyone got anything else they can throw my way?

ALC

MyaPapaya75

why cant u excercise during your kids practices? and why cant u extend your day by 30min in morning and 30min in evening to get in an extra boost??...sometimes and im not saying you but in general we have to give up things like tv..and even cleaning in order to get ourselves together..cant u clean every other day?..just some ideas also try walk away the pounds or a portable dvd player and do the workouts in the backyard

hulkj

My husband worked nights for 15 years and he also came home and went to bed. My son was a little boy and I exercised a lot, but remember I had only one. Your entry made me tired! You are a wonder woman! I bet you are burning a lot of calories running around after children! LOL Anyway, we did a lot of walking and riding. He had his bike and I walked or we went to the park and played. I would jog around to each swing set and monkey bars. I most likely looked like an idiot, but I kept my weight off back then! Do you have a friend that could help that also has children? Other children entertain other children well! When my son played ball, I would walk around the field while he played too. Hats off to you my friend! You are great!!!:bigsmile:

tig3rang3l

Can you put two in the stroller and go for a walk? It will tire them out so much you might even get them to take a longer nap so you'll have more mommy time:flowerforyou:

Good luck!

MyaPapaya75

Hmm I just had an idea Im willing to bet there is a Mom in your neighborhood with the exact same issue..perhaps u could place an ad somewhere and do like playdates and u and her take turns walking around the block or jogging while the other one watches the kids...

dclarsh

How about this... make sure your activity level is set to "light" and count the time you spend cleaning as some exercise? It would be great if you could fit in some other kind of exercise a couple times a week, but if you can't, at least you can count what you're already doing.
Or - now that the weather is nice, can you take the kids to the park and kick around a soccer ball or something? I know the kids are young, but if they can walk, they can run around, right?
Just remember that exercise doesn't have to be conventional to work. You just have to be moving.

Amber42803

The only stroller I have is a little umbrella stroller, there's NO WAY I could fit two in it.

My son usually lives in PA w/ his mom, and we don't have a double stroller anymore.
Before nap time I usually do some heavy play time, inside I tickle, and dance around, or piggy back ride to wear em' down. When they get to go outside I chase em' around the yard.

As far as postponing the cleaning...yeah...no, that's NOT a good idea. I have 5 kids 6 and under! Could you imagine that? What the house and dishes would look like if I put them off. I've done it before, and TRUST me it's not worth it to put them off. Granted the cleaning makes me sweat, but I have a bad back because of a car accident I was in, and if I bend too much or lift too much I can mess up my back very badly. So I have to watch out for that too...or else I'll be down for a week!

Also...no friends. Sounds sad doesn't it? I live in Oklahoma...out in the country, and I'm actually from CA, the only friend I've got is my hubby. My mother in law is always busy herself, and she's been having ... complications that make me not want to bother her with it, because I don't want my kids to complicate things for her more. Poor woman! I love her so much!

I'm definately going to try that DVD outside thing though. LOTS of room out there! Maybe I'll even dance with my dog Phantom...he's a Great Dane...big boy...very gentle...loves to dance!

Thanks everyone! You're all so awsome!

ALC

Families_R_Forever

Can you put two in the stroller and go for a walk? It will tire them out so much you might even get them to take a longer nap so you'll have more mommy time:flowerforyou:

Good luck!

This is what I vote for!!! My kids LOVE to go on walks to the park and it takes us 25 mins there so I pack a lunch and rest while they play and then walk home. This is what I do if I can't get to the gym during the day. I have 4 kids of my own and I watch a baby so my time is limited as well. Good luck!

Amber42803

Hmm I just had an idea Im willing to bet there is a Mom in your neighborhood with the exact same issue..perhaps u could place an ad somewhere and do like playdates and u and her take turns walking around the block or jogging while the other one watches the kids...

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I don't mean to laugh, but there ARE no other mom's in my neighborhood. I live in the Country, and my closest neighbor is a really old man. He's very grumpy and I think if I attempted to ask him for help he'd pull a shotgun on me! That's a great idea though! :flowerforyou:

ALC

sonjavon

You can TOTALLY get a workout while cleaning... do you have ankle or arm weights?

When you vacuum, do deep lunges.
March in place while you dust (with arm weights on)
Leg lifts while doing dishes
Try folding laundry with arm weights on - I guarantee you'll feel it!
If you "move" aerobically while cleaning - you WILL burn calories. How many? I don't know - maybe invest in a HRM to see.

Remember - kids don't "work out" but they can generally outrun even the healthiest adult.... they play. Play with your kids. AND - as a bonus, if you get them good and worn out - they may sleep longer in the morning, regardless of whether mom is up or not.

I was a single mom when my son was little. While I certainly wasn't working out then - I did need quiet time to myself. I required him to have 2 hours of "quiet time" each day. I'd put him in his bed and set books and small, quiet toys next to his bed. Then I'd hang a red flag from his door. The red flag meant that he had to stay on his bed. After 2 hours I hung a white flag... which meant that he could come out. Sometimes he slept the full 2 hours.... othertimes he entertained himself for part of the time. I credit that practice with my son learning to entertain himself to this day.

Stacey82

I understand where you're coming from! I'm a stay at home mom of three. I live out in the sticks and don't know any of my neighbors. I've found that having the kids "help" Mommy gives them something to do and actually helps get some stuff done. This leaves me for time for things while they nap. Doing most of my housework while they're up leaves me with less to do while they nap and after they go to bed...which gives me more time to exercise, I even sneak in a bath sometimes! I usually do most of this without my husband's help (he works out of town frequently). My girls just turned 2 and 4, they help get laundry switched from washer to dryer, out of the dryer to be folded, rounding up all the dirty clothes, they help pick up their toys. When taking care of groceries they help unpack bags and put stuff where it goes, they help unload the dishwasher (handing me dishes). At this age they love to help and just do what Mommy's doing, so why not take advantage of that? They can help with dusting, my 4 yr old likes to fold laundry, so I let her do towels and washclothes. You may have to relax your standards a little, but the end result (a little more free time) is definitely worth it. Even if it only buys you an hour a day. It has been very beneficial for my family, the house stays picked up, the kids feel like they have an important role to play, and I manage to have some free time while they nap and after they go to bed.

Get creative, you'll find lots of ways to let them help, which can only benefit your family!

Good Luck!

Amber42803

I understand where you're coming from! I'm a stay at home mom of three. I live out in the sticks and don't know any of my neighbors. I've found that having the kids "help" Mommy gives them something to do and actually helps get some stuff done. This leaves me for time for things while they nap. Doing most of my housework while they're up leaves me with less to do while they nap and after they go to bed...which gives me more time to exercise, I even sneak in a bath sometimes! I usually do most of this without my husband's help (he works out of town frequently). My girls just turned 2 and 4, they help get laundry switched from washer to dryer, out of the dryer to be folded, rounding up all the dirty clothes, they help pick up their toys. When taking care of groceries they help unpack bags and put stuff where it goes, they help unload the dishwasher (handing me dishes). At this age they love to help and just do what Mommy's doing, so why not take advantage of that? They can help with dusting, my 4 yr old likes to fold laundry, so I let her do towels and washclothes. You may have to relax your standards a little, but the end result (a little more free time) is definitely worth it. Even if it only buys you an hour a day. It has been very beneficial for my family, the house stays picked up, the kids feel like they have an important role to play, and I manage to have some free time while they nap and after they go to bed.

Get creative, you'll find lots of ways to let them help, which can only benefit your family!

Good Luck!

:bigsmile: :bigsmile: :bigsmile:

I like that! Thanks! I'll have to do that! The only problem left is keeping my (almost) one year old from making a mess of things. She likes to "help" too. Unfortunately her idea of helping, is pulling anything and everything out of it's place, and dragging her toys from the bedroom to the living room. I'll figure it out. I may have to just break out the old play pin again, give her a bunch of toys to play with while my other children and I clean up. It's so obvious...WHY ON EARTH DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?! :embarassed: :huh:

Thanks for the advice! :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Thanks again!!

ALC


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Stacey82

Happy to help! It'll take a little figuring out to see what will work best for you, but in the end it's worth it. You'll be teaching them responsibility and that being part of a family means helping. You'll get to spend some qualtiy time with your kids and they can learn so much while helping. I use the opportunity to sing with my girls, we talk about EVERYTHING (I even talk to them about smoking & drinking), we do colors and counting, the alphabet, shapes and sizes. The is no end to the possibilities!

I hope you'll enjoy the new fun that comes from doing these things as a family. :flowerforyou:

sarabear

What time do they get up? Could you do something in the morning? I've found that's usually my best bet.

I agree I have to wake up extra early to get in my exersise, between three kids, work, school, and taking care of my husband and house the only time I have is in the EARLY morning!

My husband used to work nights as well and would usually take about and hour to unwind when he got home. I would get up early to exersise and spend time with him. Could this work for you??

:laugh: :laugh: LOL. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

I HAVE actually tried to get my hubby to stay up...he won't do it though. I used to work graveyard myself, and I ALWAYS, had to have at least an hour or two to wind down, but not him. He's just...I love him to death, but... he's so lazy! When he gets up he doesn't do ANYTHING, I have to fight him to take out the trash :grumble: . He's reasoning, "I work all night. I shouldn't HAVE to do anything when I'm at home" He'll help out on his weekends, but the days he works, he sits on the couch and eats. So, he's no help, unless it's his day off. Which means I get to work out (at this point) two days a week. NOT ENOUGH!

I feel like I'm making excuses, but it's all true. This is so frustrating. :mad:

ALC


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My DH used to not help much, he goes to the gym after work and ju jit su and muay ti (sp) classes, and so he had the same excuse of I'm tired I worked blah blah blah, so I said well, if I keep gaining like I am and don't do anything about it, you'll have to do even more because I won't be living much longer, that got it through his head, he helps a lot now! He was even vacuuming the other night when I got home from the gym. Is there anyway that you could go to the gym while the kids are sleeping in the morning when you DH is asleep?