BUSY MOM NEEDING HELP!!

esmomma

I am a mother of two and I work full time (40+ hours a week because I am looking to take over the family business soon) and my husband just got a job working 10AM to 9PM Monday through Friday. If I am not working I am taking care of the kids, cleaning, cooking, or sleeping. I have become an emotional eater and I do not know how to get myself out of this... I really need help! How do other busy moms find time to cook healthy meals or get a chance to go to the gym and work out? I am starting to get winded walking up the stairs and I can't be doing that with a busy 2 and 3 year old! Any advise would be GREAT! Thanks in advance!

gooiyw

Totally understand your problem. I'm a mom of 3 and time for myself is scarce. So I try to go to the gym (or pool) before the sun is up (urgh on many a mornings), but its either that or another day wasted. Working out at dawn also helps to wake me up (surprisingly). Since your husband only goes to work at 10am, how about you try that? Leave the kids to him for a couple of hours. I:) As for food, I try to pack what I need to eat for breakfast and lunch (to work) to make sure I don't overeat, because if left on my own to find a meal when I'm famished or stressed is a recipe for disaster! LOL.

mmk137

you have to make time to exercise.

I wake up at 5.30 in the morning to workout b4 the kids wake up.
Do i like waking up at 5.30am, no, but I do it because if I didn't then it wont get done the rest of the day.

Meal planning also really helps.

how old are you kids? are they able to help out with some of the chores?

Switty_Kitty

Im a single mom of two, work full time, and am taking a course for the next 5 weeks, one night a week. Doesnt sound like much, but tied in with the fact that I hate cooking and can't seem to bring myself to plan meals ahead, its often overwhelming. No gym in the area means I play on the wii when I get the change. Great cardio workouts playing just dance or zumba. Don't know if that would help you at all!

Hope you find that balance! You're doing great on your weight loss! Keep it up! :flowerforyou:

pollypocket27

I don't have any kids, but I was doing house work for my boyfriends mother. Everyone would be gone when I was there cleaning and would find myself munching on chips watching tv. Being at the end of my rope I decided to make a list of things I needed to get done, and have some random things that didn't matter if they got done but would do them anyway. Taking care of their laundry alone was a HUGE workout. I would be taking all 6 of their hampersof clothes from the upstairs all the way down to the basement... Then back up. Even while doing dishes and sweeping I would dance. With having that much time at work maybe try to keep moving if possible. Good luck! (:

riverabeth

I tried something new this weekend: after grocery shopping I washed all my fruits & veggies & portioned them into ziplock bags so they are easy to grab & go for work. I did some prep work for our dinners this week (chopping veggies & merinating meat). I am trying several recipes from the website 400caloriesorless. Also (though very reluctantly) have begun waking up at 5:15 to go jogging before I have to get the kids up for school. Good luck! Hope we get some good ideas from others

riverabeth

I tried something new this weekend: after grocery shopping I washed all my fruits & veggies & portioned them into ziplock bags so they are easy to grab & go for work. I did some prep work for our dinners this week (chopping veggies & merinating meat). I am trying several recipes from the website 400caloriesorless. Also (though very reluctantly) have begun waking up at 5:15 to go jogging before I have to get the kids up for school. Good luck! Hope we get some good ideas from others

Colbyandsage

I would try working out before or after the kids go to bed or before hubby goes to work. I have a 3 and 6 yr old. Plan ur meals in advance n buy fresh produce so u make it before it goes bad. Good luck! I finally said enough and put me on our schedule. I am a better mom n wife because of it.

Kahlan_sw

Well I can somewhat feel your pain I am also a mom of two and my husband travels about 25% of the time for work so one week out of every month or so I single parent. I also work full time although luckily I don't have far to commute (15 mins)

Some of my tricks are:
I pre-chop veggies on Sunday (my shopping day). I get home and chop everything up and put it in the fridge. If I know it is going to be really crazy... I buy pre chopped.
I pre-marinate meats - I buy bulk at costco, then separate out the meat into raw portions, add all my spices and vacuum seal it. This way it marinates while freezing and defrosting and I don't have to think about it. I pull out the meat to defrost and while that is happening I make a salad or prep my side. throw the meat on a grill and voila! dinner
Omelettes are also an easy dinner and a nice all in one dish kinda meal
I also sometimes pre hard boil eggs so I can throw together an easy meal for myself if I need something healthy and the family is having a more indulgent menu

As for exercise.. I find early is better. If I don't schedule it.. I run out of time and it doesn't happen. so I often get up at 5 to exercise. shower and get dressed 6-630, kids up at 6:30 to get dressed and have breakfast while I pack all our lunches. then we are out of the house by 7:30 to drop the kids off at daycare/school before I start work at 8. It's a whirlwind of a morning but I love getting to work knowing I've done my bit.

I also go to the gym a couple of nights a week. When DH is home I just leave him and the kids. When he's out of town I take them to the gym with me (they have child care there). I go for zumba classes because I need a little fun in my workouts

oh and as for cleaning. pfft. I don't do as much of that as I probably should.. the house isn't a disaster but it certainly isn't guest ready unless I KNOW i am having guests. I'd rather eat healthy and exercise and be a good example to my kids than stress over a messy house.

It was certainly harder when my boys were younger (mine are two years a part) but it is still doable. worst case scenario exercise with them. My kids love to dance (zumba or if you have a wii... my kids love the dancing games) and I still get a good workout it. my youngest looks for dumbell look a like toys and "lifts weights" with me and always has. Exercising in front of and with them is a lifelong habit that they can learn from you

Good luck.. I know it's hard!

nursenessa1

Hmmm I'm not a mom but I am an emotional eater. You have to find something else that soothes you. I give myself a manicure when I want to eat, I also paint with water colors, take a walk, deep breathe, bubble bath. With kids I bet you are laughing at me but I know of mothers who do the same. If you ask them how they do it they say the make the time. Period. No matter what. Can't take care of others healthily if you can't take care of yourself. Trigger times when I really need something I usually have a small sugar free candy or small peice of chocolate. 40 calorie chocolate is a small sacrifice for sanity.

Also I think about why I am stressed, rationalize it and ask myself if this will matter in 20 years. It's all about perspective

Organizing really destresses me. I love to organize a drawer a day, do 1 load of laundry a day, sweep one room a day. Take your life a few things at a time is less stressful than say laundry day or cleaning whole house day. I pick a room a day and give it 10 minutes. You might notice, on excersises, cooking and cleaning are choices for excersise and count as a workout of a sort. 20 minutes of scrubbing a bath tub adds up. 10 minute walk with kid after supper really adds up over the week and its good for them too.

Healthy foods are easy if you can plan them. I do a certain food on a certain day for supper. M W T W TH F S S. Mondays supper is chicken, tuesday is pork, wednesday is vegetarian, thursday is free day, friday is beef, saturday is pasta etc. Plan four meals for each day of the week and you have the month. I stock my pantry items x4 each and replenish weekly so you can have a back up food for a financially lean month. Shop weekly for groceries to replenish my "4" count and get that weeks meat, fresh produce. Stocking my pantry took a while but is soooo worth it. It saves a lot of time and guess work and can be thrifty.

Example Monday 1 chicken and rice salad Monday 2 Barbecue chicken and mashed potoes green beans, Monday 3 Chicken fried rice with vegetable, Monday 4 chicken quesidillas Vegetarian 1 beans and cornbread, 2 eggplant tomato pasta, mexican bean rotini,bean burritos

Good luck

qtiekiki

Yeah you definitely just have to make for exercising. I have been doing mine after the kids go to bed because I am not a morning person and I wake up at 5:30 for work already. If mornings work better for you, then do mornings.

As far as cooking, I would suggest either pre-cutting and packing ingredients into freezer bags that you can put in the crockpot to cook while you are at work, or making big batches on weekends and freezing them to be reheat when you get home.