Help!

Stacimfit

How do you work out at home with a two year old? Its only her and I here not even two full days a week so I feel like I'm tripping over her and not spending time with her. Then I'm yelling because she's tearing the house apart and I'm tripping over stuff. I'm so unmotivated, I just want to sit on the couch and watch TV and talk to her, maybe play a little bit. Then I'm so tired that I can't even find time to make food, I'm a mess!!!!!! I work about 30 hours a week and the mother in law doesn't let me leave, she keeps me over there feeding both of us nothing but junk food. I learned to tell her NO thanks but she feeds my daughter junk and says to shut up when I say its no good for baby. 'your daughter knows what she likes, let get have a mind of own' I'm so angry, 'hello, my kid wouldn't know what sugar was if you never showed her!!!' An i wrong? I'm not saying she can't be a grandma I'm just saying she has nothing but JUNK in the house. Donuts, candy candy candy, donuts. That's not the point of this post. I guess I'd like to know how to work out at home with a toddler when you work?? Or what are your stories?? I'm so mad right now. I wish I could change my entire life..

maryannelk

Hi! You sound like you are dealing with a lot!! And yes, you can change your entire life eventually, but the best plans start with a few small steps.

Take it from me...get out of it with the MIL. Your spouse is the one who needs to calmly and firmly set the rules. If she's helping you out by babysitting, you can definitely be appreciative of her support. She may feel defensive about her choices. Anyways, her child is the one who should explain the nutrition plan. If it's not what she has around the house, then maybe you will need to pack a lunch.

Working out with a toddler can be fun!! She's probably a great weight to lift, Put her on your back for squatting and lunging! YOu can make a great circuit. If you are looking for cardio, stick her in the stroller and bundle up. Have her throw the ball and you chase it. Get her involved and it will be something that you can do for yourself that builds her relationship with you and helps her build exercise into her life.

I hope this is helpful!

Stacimfit

Thanks for the reply:)

I am way to appreciative to the baby sitting. I say thanks allot and redid her entire living room. I painted the ceiling, walls, and did new trim and carpet. I always offer to buy her things after work like food and diapers but she always had it covered. I have a hard time buying food as it is BC she always goes and says she has it covered. There's no way I can pack a lunch, she would feel degraded. I am just confused, my husband lets her run everything and I'm the bad person for not going with it. I never get my way anyway. So in the end, im down about it all. I want to get us parenting class or marriage counseling but no time. He is never home, he works 60+ a week around the clock, I'm usually stuck at his parents.

The working out with toddler part was a big help I just wish I had some me time some times.

Stacimfit

That sounded like allot of excuses when I reread it.

daisiemae123

My little guy is almost 2 and the easiest way I find to exercise is to include him. We play "chase you, chase me" out in the yard when it is nice outside. We dance around the living room to his music or around the kitchen when I am making dinner. I am trying to get him to dance while Mommy does a Zumba routine because he loves the beat of the music. It is very hard and yes he is underfoot but I find myself not getting aggravated if I make it into a game for us to do together especially since I feel like we have so little time home together. You'll find something. It doesn't have to be structured to burn calories. As far as food, I make him the healthiest choices possible when we are home to help combat the not so great stuff he sometimes gets other places.

tiffanyheth

My boys are 4 and they are very very busy! I feel guilty when I get home from work, haven't seen them all day, and then I need to spend time working out. They actually enjoy watching...or trying to do it, too (P90X is what I'm doing right now).

Anyway, I remember the 2s...so busy! I'm not an advocate of tv babysitting, but perhaps for the 30min-1 hour that you're working out you can put a show on for him.

Does she take naps? Why not try it during that time? What about pushing her in a stroller outside?

As for your mother-in-law...make a firm stance...NO JUNK! You call the shots!

Stacimfit

You guys are helping me feel better

Im trying not to get angry at her. I will try hard to make it a game, but I've always been active with her just don't lose weight, but just when I get Wii fit or zumba, im trying to concentrate... So I get irritated. So yes when/if she naps, sounds good and when she watches a show, good idea to.

Stacimfit

As far as food, I make him the healthiest choices possible when we are home to help combat the not so great stuff he sometimes gets other places.

Yep bc the mil does not listen!

heatherloveslifting

Yeah that whole working out with a toddler thing never worked for me. If you don't have anyone available to look after her for an hour finding a gym with child care or waiting until she is napping are probably your best options. And know that she won't be 2 forever! Good luck!

ETA also putting in music and dancing around together might work- my daughter would do that with me for a little while at two, but usually not long enough for a "real" workout.

skinnyinnotime

Workout when she naps or after she's gone to bed at night.

I have 3 kids, work 55 hours a week and make time to workout.

As for your MIL, your child, your rules!! It's not her place to tell you to shut up and how to raise your daughter.

Crochetluvr

..........my husband lets her run everything and I'm the bad person for not going with it. I never get my way anyway.

No......your HUSBAND is the bad person. Your child will end up overweight as well, if this keeps up. Doesn't he care about his daughter???

Sorry, this just makes me boil! Your husband needs to grow a pair and set Grandma straight. She is putting your DD on a path to bad health.

LYNN8SUPERSTAR

I use my little girls as a wieght , she sits on my back while i do my plank poses, we have wii dance for kids which she loves the music and the songs and dances get me a great workout!! she loves it!She actually wont let me stop!!

charityann76

I agree with having your child workout with you I can remember when my son was younger we would do the dancing around the house thing it was not only a great time to workout but a great way to spend time with him. Now that he is older (15) we go to the gym together not only do we get a chance to spend time together and get healthier he is my motivation. He is the one that says Hey Mom aren't we going to the gym tonight. so he keeps me on my toes.

HappyNinjaStar

I have a 2 yo and work full time. I have tried to include him in exercise routines, but it never really works for us, about the best I can manage where I actually get a benefit is going outside and chasing balls, or me putting him in the stroller and going for a walk to the park (about 1/2 a mile away) and back.

What I do to really exercise: I wake up about an hour before my husband leaves for work (which sometimes means getting up at 4:30 in the morning) to go for a run. If I can't make my morning run, or hubby just has to leave too darn early, I try to do it in the evening. The evening typically doesn't work too well, because I have to do the whole cook dinner/feed the kid/put the kid to bed routine, and I really don't like to run after eating. And again sometimes my husband gets home too late to make this feasible. If I've gone a couple of days without squeezing in a run, and I can't rely on my husband to be home with the kid, I'll do a work out dvd when the kid is sleeping (either in the morning or evening, or nap time if its the weekend).

As far as the MIL problem, I have a similar situation, and I know I didn't have any luck with trying to cut out the junk over there. So I try to feed him as healthfully as I can and hope that it still builds healthy eating habits.

MaraDiaz

Bench press the kid. They think it's hysterically funny. :laugh:

tbresina

Actually, I am a grandma and I do respect their ideas on parenting but the expect me to do everything exactly like they do and I refuse. I am not mama #2, I am grandma and that means sometimes I spoil with a few naughty things here and there but of course I would never go overboard. I am lucky that they have come to understand that I am going to spoil thats what grandmas do, if I wanted to raise another child I would have had one my own! Anyway, with that being said I would get up 30-45 min earlier than your daughter and get the time in there. I do that now and I don't have small children anymore. Where there is a will there is a way, its just as easy to do a few squats in front of the tv as it is to watch tv with a 2 yr old in my opinion. Do you have a park or a place to run and play with her, that is also exercise, be creative. I take my grandson swimming every other week and play in the pool, there is always something you can do to move your body.

Stacimfit

Thanks everyone, I've gotten some really good ideas.

Tbresina- I think you would be an awesome grandma! My mil is just different and says Rude things. i think I would be a little more comfortable if before I had my daughter that she didn't do the things she did. I've learned to forgive and love because that's the right thing to do... But I have a hard time with her because I have a sister in law that is married to my hubs twin brother, so they hated me since day one. I was never accepted as a person until my daughter came and now they want me there all the time for my daughter. Weird situation I didn't ever want to be in. But I love my mom, she's great and allot of other awesome grandmas who respect wishes and don't do things just to spite some one.im going to have to get creative if I want to work out, I'm finding it hard to do right now starting off. Yes, getting up early a great idea.. But not staying up because I'm usually to tired.

tbresina

Thanks everyone, I've gotten some really good ideas.

Tbresina- I think you would be an awesome grandma! My mil is just different and says Rude things. i think I would be a little more comfortable if before I had my daughter that she didn't do the things she did. I've learned to forgive and love because that's the right thing to do... But I have a hard time with her because I have a sister in law that is married to my hubs twin brother, so they hated me since day one. I was never accepted as a person until my daughter came and now they want me there all the time for my daughter. Weird situation I didn't ever want to be in. But I love my mom, she's great and allot of other awesome grandmas who respect wishes and don't do things just to spite some one.im going to have to get creative if I want to work out, I'm finding it hard to do right now starting off. Yes, getting up early a great idea.. But not staying up because I'm usually to tired.

I definately have to exercise in the am, if I try to wait til night I will usually not go because I am too tired, except for the cardio pump class I do once or twice a week. You have a crappy situation with your mil, do you have to take her there so much, is your mom able to watch your daughter once in awhile too. Maybe if she asked you why you don't bring her over more often you could tell her you don't want her eating too much junk, she would get the picture. I was very lucky while raising my 3 boys, I work straight nights in a hospital, only 3 nights a week so I was there days for them and had plenty of time to work out when my hubby came home. My boys are grown now so I have more time on my hands that I need, your day will come. Good luck