Working moms with multiple kids...how do you do it?

I have two kids (4 1/2 & 11/2) and constantly trying to figure it out. I find that I cook a lot on Sunday and stick whole meals in the freezer so that I can pull them out easy and throw in the oven, especially on nights when we have dance or swim class-I did all the thinking on Sunday so I know that they are full of healthy goodness, fresh veggies, ect. Workouts can be more difficult because I usually do it when they go to bed--I find that if I don't take a multi vitamin than sometimes I lack energy...but when I take it I have more energy. I also do workout dvds-P90X and Jillian Michaels mostly--and I got my 4 yr old 1lb weights and she LOVES to do it with me. When she gets tired or doesn't want to anymore, she loves playing the role of my "trainer." My one year old likes to imitate me some jumping and stretching...and mostly just plays in the same room. I like having them see me workout because it feels like a good example, we laugh a lot and it makes the workout go by quickly!

As far as cleaning goes--I actually have been doing a pretty good job I think! I pick like 2 things to stay on top of each day.ie/ dust and clean all sufaces on tuesday..vaccum and bathtubs weds....bathrooms thurs...ect ..and always do a general "pick up" everyday. Furthermore, I put "laundry" on my daily to do list--seriously, I write it!--and I almost always do a minimum of a load a day, often two. I do NOT always get it put away, or even sometimes folded...but it is easier for me if it is at least clean!

I make the girls help pick up toys before dinner, and my 4 year old is getting very good at being super helpful. I think it works to have a system....she always puts her coat in the same place, shoes go in the closet, backpack too, ect. Her toy storage is pretty organized--I labeled stuff with pics so she knows where to put things. Organization and a common and commujicated system helps!

when you figure it out, do share your secret!

My house doesn't look as nice as it once did. I've learned to shut up and put up with it when laundry isn't folded the way that I would have done it. Once I got planning and tracking under control, it became pretty much second nature and doesn't really take a lot of extra time and energy. I am among those who would rather not work out if it means spending less time with my family. I do work out often at home when kids are in bed and DH is busy, but I have also focused on things we can do together, with regular family walks and, now that DD is old enough, family bike rides.

Not as easy as it was before motherhood, but I also want to be a good example for my family.

Good luck and hang in there!

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great thread....
I work full time, have 2 boys and a dog and my husband works a 24hr shift. I find my to long do list and responsibilities overwhelming a lot of the time. I am learning to break down the problems and barriers to focusing on me and making life better for me and my family.
I find logging my food helps keep me accountable and planning food for the day, support from great friends here, breaking down my goals, For exercise... being open to best time of day - even if it may not be your first choice, and flexible i.e. maybe you can't get out to a gym but can do a workout video at home.

For me, it's all about organization. I have 2 kids, 2 and 4 and am in the midst of busy season at work. I make sure to pick out everyone's clothing and pack my lunch the night before. If I bring my food to work, it is so easy to stay on schedule. It does help that all of my coworkers are health nuts as well so we don't have things laying around the office. My New Years resolution was to get fit. For 6 weeks now I've been getting up at 5am to work out downstairs and have been doing the p90x program. Having a program to follow has been a godsend. I don't want to have to repeat weeks or get behind schedule so it's helped to keep me motivated. I live 20 minutes from a gym and my hubby leaves at 6 for work so it's my only option. The first few weeks were brutal and I wanted to quit so badly. But, I kept pushing, and boy, after about 3 weeks, it was a joy to get that hour and a half to myself. I also enjoy getting it out of the way. I find that I eat much cleaner throughout the day if I've gotten my bum out of bed early to work out. The housework gets done when it gets done. I won't be winning any clean house awards! I decided a healthier, happier me was way better than a clean house anyways!
Good luck! I really hope you find something that works for you. It is a struggle but if you can find your groove, so worth it.

Number 1...set realistic goals. If you are not a morning person, don't say you are going to get up at 4am every morning and go to the gym. This equaled failure for me every single time.

I work outside the home full-time and have 4 kids ages 5-11. It took me several years to figure out that for me, the best time to work out is immediately after work. The husband takes the kids to karate 2x/week anyways because he gets off work earlier, so now instead of meeting them there half-way through or beating them home and starting dinner, I use that time to work out and then meet them at home and start dinner then. No family time missed, no guilt for mom!

I also eat healthy for breakfast and lunch. Dinner, which is often made by my husband, is what I get. Often I'll add a salad or take more veggies, but I've learned that dinner is my downfall and sometimes out of my control (I will not make a whole separate meal). I also incorporate healthier things into dinner for the whole family, such as whole-wheat pasta, more veggies, etc.

We also implemented a family chore chart, so now everyone helps a bit more with the daily housework (unload/load dishwasher, take out bathroom garbage, clean bathroom mirrors, vacuum, etc.) and I don't have as much to do! Most chores are quick little ones but if 6 people do a 5-minute chore each, that is 25 minutes of my day saved!

At one point I was a single mom of two under two and I'd take the kids on walks to fit in exercise, or walk on my lunch hour. That half hour adds up! I've also taken them to the park and while they played, I did hot laps around the playground instead of sitting and watching.

The little things add up, park further away, do the wii with your kids, get up and get your own XXX instead of asking someone to grab it for you. Make movement a family event...go for a walk, hike, etc. (weather permitting...)

And I follow this rule over and over....a XX minute work out is better than a ZERO minute workout. Just because you only have 20 minutes doesn't mean you can't work out. Do it, even if it's a quick walk, squats at your desk, etc.

Add me to the list, I work FT outside the home and have 3 kids ages 14,10 and 6. My DH works part time mostly nights and weekends. Most of the time we feel like we cross each others paths saying "Tag, Your it". I still am able to prioritize working out 6 days a week. I made a decision a few years ago that if I wasn't going to improve my health and lose some weight my kids were going to be growing up without a Mom, so I decided I had to make myself a priority too. I am fortunate in that I just recently had my office open up a gym so I can work out on my lunch break, but honestly that is hard to do. I joined my local YMCA because it is family oriented and I can bring the kids while I workout at night and they go to the activity center and have fun with kids their own age and it's a good environment, not just a childcare drop off. I am sure I could have gotten some of this weight off a lot sooner if I didn't have kids but slow and steady is my path and it is working for me.

You can do this, make a few changes and see what feels right. If it has to take a little longer than originally planned then so be it. It's a move in the right direction.


I recently rejoined MFP to get myself back on track. My total weight loss since I started in Oct. 2009 is over 100 lb's.

Quote: We husbands are only used as props in the house!


Hehe! That's hilarious! Don't worry, I'm sure you are appreciated. I do appreciate my husband, it's just that he works long hours and isn't always home to help out. Though I did come home to a sparkling house yesterday. Best Valentine's ever!

Mother of 2.. work 9 hours a day.. i wake up at 3:45am (roll out of bed around 4am) do a 30 min work out get ready then get the kids ready and out the house by 6am.. then get home cook dinner and i set aside one day to go running with our 7 month old lab... and now that the husbands home from deployment ive been trying to find time for everyone at night.. but like alot of people have said plan meals out and cook ahead.. i normally cook a bunch of chicken breast for lunches and cut veggies helps.. for things to grab and go! but good luck!! )

We husbands are only used as props in the house!

Hehe! That's hilarious! Don't worry, I'm sure you are appreciated. I do appreciate my husband, it's just that he works long hours and isn't always home to help out. Though I did come home to a sparkling house yesterday. Best Valentine's ever!

My opinion has ALWAYS been the same on this: ALL moms need an hour a day to themselves. Come hell or high water. If not, everyone in the household will eventually suffer!!! So SO's should find a way to relieve mom's for at least an hour a day.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I have three children (age 7 to 15 months) and I work full time. As long as everyone is healthy and therefore sleeping through the night (a real struggle this past month), I get up by 4:30 am and head to the gym before the family wakes up. I also spend some time with food prep on the weekends. I feel like a better cleaning/chore schedule and meal planning/prep would help a lot. My housework suffers the most.

I let life get the best of me last year and gained back everything I lost plus some (that was 30+ pounds) . My suggestions are to log in everyday - keep track of your food, schedule exercise in just like any other appointment, find things to do with the kids - kicking a ball around - doing the WII, only buying healthy food - instead of chips, cookies and coco puffs - buy pretzels and cut up veggies and cheerios, find easy healthy things to make so you can eat on the run , pre-pack your serving sizes, good luck!

Hi there! I am a full time working mom of 2 kids. A 2-1/2 yr old and a 10 month old. Believe me, I know how hard it is to get anything done for yourself. The was that I have found that works the best for ME is preparing meals on Sunday that way I can just grab them and not have to think about it during the week. The other thing was finding the right at home fitness program that I enjoyed because it motivated me to actually push play. Turbo Jam and Turbo Fire is soooo much fun. Plus I have my totally aswesome shake that I drink for breakfast everyday. It is completely all natural and gives my lots of energy and fills me with all of the right nutrients that I need to keep the process moving. I would love to be your friend if you'd like to add me! We can do this together!! :flowerforyou:

I have 3 boys ages 6, 3, and 1. I am a full time professional as is my husband. I would NEVER make it to a gym so I started using the treadmill that I bought 5 years ago when I did Weight Watchers. I got bored with it so I saved (and saved) until I could add in an elliptical. I am able to justify it because if I had a gym membership I would spend that much money on that over time. I get up at 5am most mornings (I strive for 6, but end up with 4) to work out before the kids are up. I find working out in the morning helps me make better food choices because I don't want to lose all the hard work that I had already done. Lately I have been trying to get back to the basement for another 20 minute work out after the kids are in bed, but with cleaning, lunches, and laundry that is difficult. The other thing I do to keep my eating on track is I make my lunches up for work. On Sundays I make four salads (I eat one on Monday night for dinner) for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday lunch. I also make my son's lunches then too for those days. Then on Wednesday I make up Thursday and Friday. Making ahead makes me feel as though I can spend more time with the kids in the evenings. A good friend of mine told me though that your kids aren't going to remember even 1 week from now that Mommy missed 1 hour a night from them 2-3 nights a week.

I work full time, have 3 kids (12, 9, 6), and a husband in the Navy who lives in a different state. I work out on my lunch hour. I'm lucky to have a fitness center in my office building. I try to keep the junk food at a minimum, but it's definitely a challenge. I log everything and eat semi clean. I can't wake up any earlier to work out before I leave and the last thing I want to do when I get home is exercise. So I do what works for me. Good luck!

If it's important to you, you'll find a way. If not, you'll find an excuse. I try to tell myself it's important to me every day.