Any mommys out there ???

I'm a mom and have balanced things pretty successfully. My kids are teens now so it's not like how it was when they were little. They're more independent in the day. Finally do not need a babysitter anymore. Downside is they do not have a bedtime...so time to myself is catch as catch can whereas when they were young I knew I'd be able to workout after bedtime if all else failed. How old are your kids? ( just asking because kid friendly recipe sort of depends on the kids ages as well as pickiness). I still make separate meals at times as the youngest one is still quite picky.

Also should me tion I am trying to get the kids off so much sugar and my hubs too. I know how hard meal planning for everyone is. My kids are 14, almost 3 and 5 months lol
Everyone's food needs are so different!

I am a SAHM(at least for now). 3 kiddos(7,5(preschool),2.5). I really needed some me time, I love cardio and found it difficult to find time on my own. So I got a Y membership and they have daycare. I get an hour to workout and my 2 year old gets to play with other kids(she gets upset when we don't go now). It has worked for us so far. On the weekends when the weather is good, I run outside in the early kornings(that is when hubs is home). If I have something going on in the morning and can't get to the gym, I try to go as soon as husband gets home or after the kids are in bed. Summer is coming so things are going to change. My rest day is Monday usually so only 4 days at the gym. I hate to have the kids there four days during the week over the summer because my son likes to chill in his pjs on days off of school in the morning. I have a feelin there will be resistance from him. So my new plan of attack is Tuesday, thursdays, and Friday (maybe unless it's not well received) to go to the gym with them. They can be in the daycare and after we can swim in the pool. That way it is something fun for the big kids to look forward to. Weds or possibly Friday I will workout when my hubs gets home. Sat and sun will continue as usual. I'm trying to figure out something flexible and fun for them but also allow me to have some time for myself.

Hi all, what are the moms up to for the weekend? I don't know about anyone else but I'm exhausted.

We had a bit of a bum day today, we did go get groceries(all 5 of us). I did my website job today(worked 6 hours) while the hubs played with kids/made food/did housework. Tomorrow we plan on getting the sprinkler and kiddie pool out since it will be hot. I gotta get another 8 hours in with the website job(just a part time at home thing I try to get 15 hours a week doing). All this last week I took the kids on adventures because all three of them were home for the week, my oldest starts summer school Monday. I wish my husband was more motivated to take them to like a splash pad or children's museum while I work but he isn't as motivated to do such things on his own with all three of them like I am. It's still good to play at home though, all they care about is spending time with us/doesn't matter where.

They want to bake something tomorrow too and do some sort of art project. So probably banana bread and some painting and/or sidewalk chalk.

It might be a combination of 2 cups of coffee I sip throughout the day and I just have crazy amounts of energy when I regularly workout. Except when I was overweight, I'm usually not the type to just sit around all day either. I gotta keep moving, especially with 3 kids and a house to take care of. Not that I don't sit and relax, I just can't for very long/always something to do.

I almost skipped this because I don't call myself a mommy. Women I meet who describe themselves as mommies instead of mom's or parents tend to build their lives around trying to acheive perfect motherhood instead of, ya' know, a well-rounded life. That makes it easy to see healthy eating and exercise as "to e not being a perfect mommy" instead if "getting my act together to ensure I can play with my grandkids" in 30 years.

*Off soapbox*

I end up being a short-order cook. My preschooler loves plain chicken breast and veggies luckily, but I need more spice and love the cruciferous veggies he doesn't love. So yesterday, for instance, I grilled marinated chicken breasts for the adults, but poached plain chicken breast for him. We all had steamed green beans, but I made low-fat coleslaw for us, so I gave him mixed veggies (from frozen.)

This isn't ideal, and sometimes he doesn't get a balanced or healthy meal. But I am doing what I need to do to eat right and getting him vitamins while working full-time. I keep some Lean Cuisine on hand for him when I just can't get two meals on the table if we run out if something he loves.

He lives shredded poached chicken, green beans, corn, peas, carrots, meatballs (even low-fat turkey), sliced turkey from roasted or deli, blueberries, bananas, and pineapple. I try to prep done protein from the list, and have fresh fruit and canned or frozen veggies on hand. That way, I can throw together a kid-friendly meal in a pinch, if our meal us too spicy or weird. Yogurt (lower sugar) canbe an emergency protein with no guilt.

He loves casseroles and soups, because the meat falls apart, so I sometimes cook his stuff longer to make a meal go from being refused to him wanting more. (At 2, he ate two servings of goulash because it was do tender.) If your kids do better with soft stuff, this is an option.

I try to hold off on spices so he can try something at the table and decide whether to have it. If he wants it, I can spice ours only.

And yeah, we have had some nights when he refused to eat, trying to hold out for something that won't happen like a completely different meal or candy instead. I don't buckle. I give him a list of ready options (like deli turkey or yogurt) and he eventually relents and eats when it becomes clear there are no snacks in the offing if he refused what is available.

I do talk to him about healthy choices, to explain why we aren't buying candy or getting ice cream, etc. He is finally getting it. I am taking three massive bags of clothes to Goodwill today. He asked if I would go buy new baby-sized clothes to replace my big clothes.

I am always struggling. Today the little turds (10 and 13) thought it was funny to come in and mess with me while I was exercising. I ask for 21 minutes a day and a 1 hour show a week.

So I yelled at them and they grabbed the iPad and looked at google earth. We'll work it out.

@wellnesschaser I totally forgot eggs! When he was really little, I would scramble eggs with cottage cheese. The texture is great, and it increases the protein and calcium. More importantly, it is ready in 2 minutes!

@Numericmama373 just tried to message you, but MFP ate it. (Probably didn't log it either.) I can't wait to hear what happened judging by your posts' humor.

It's always a struggle when you have kids. It's so hard to make time to take care of yourself. I do better some days than others. It helps that my hubby supports me by eating what I eat and doing lots of grilling for me. One of the big things we do is cook a few batches of food on the weekend so we can just heat up the leftovers during the work week. If you're looking for MFP friends, add me.