Working Moms support Jan2012

Options
2»

Replies

  • Elizabeth2point0
    Elizabeth2point0 Posts: 15
    Options
    I'm a mom to two- ages 3 and 5.. I work 25 hours per week, go to school (online - I'm currently challenging my way through a few semesters), and my husband works in another province, so I do things on my own all but 5 days a month.. I currently only have 2 hours per week that I can slip to the gym because of the way I have my daycare set up (I don't want to pay for after school care..)

    My fitness goals are not weight related, but on strength and "toning".. I'm currently doing 1 hour of yoga 5 times per week to youtube videos, getting whatever time in I can with my kids (tobogganing and such), and doing strength training at home - pushups, squats, obliques, etc...
  • mstankowski
    mstankowski Posts: 32 Member
    Options
    I would be for a group like this. I have 3 boys 5,7,and 12. They keep me super busy with soccer, hockey and boyscouts. I am starting a new job on Tuesday after being unemployed for the last year. I am hoping to be able to go to the gym in the morning while everyone is still sleeping but we will see how it works out. I could use some support!
  • jules7664
    jules7664 Posts: 5
    Options
    HI!! Im a semi single (seperated but ex sleeps on my couch because he is getting on his feet) Mom of 3 Girls (age 4, 5 & 11) I work full time M-F from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and dont get home until 6:45 after picking everyone up from daycare and aftercare. I also help take care of my terminally ill Father... My 11 year old is ADHD and has major meltdowns with homework. The schedule is frantic at my apt almost everynight.

    If I get dinner on the table by 8 it is a good night.

    If the little ones get a bath it is a good night.

    If the little ones are in bed by 9 it is a good night.

    the 11 year old presents her own challenges and when I tell you we do homework for 6 hours I am not exagerrating. I am exhausted every day and never sit to eat with the family... I am always picking or eating waaay too late (after 10pm)
    after bedtime its packing lunches, snacks picking out clothes, cleaning and then maybe by 1am I can get to bed.
    , then up at 5:45 to start the day...

    After my 2nd was born I did WW and lost 60lbs really easily. I did not exercise just changed the food I ate... Now that I am older and have had 3 C-sections I am finding it so hard to lose even a half a pound & it is frustrating. I had a bad week but am hoping today will be a good day for me!

    Hitting 40 has been stressful along with all the other thigns going on and I started drinking a glass of wine to get to sleep at night... I realiazed that my "glass" of wine was really more like 3 because the glass is as big as my head lol...

    my motivation right now is to be able to fit on the rollercoasters when I take my girls to Disney in April... (I got kicked off a ride @ six flags NJ over the summer because the lap bar wouldnt close) HOW MORTIFYING!

    I hope all you ladies reach your goals with no obstacles, but if you do, I will be here if you wanna chat! Im sure to have some horrible days at the beginning but am really looking forwad to successful days weeks and months ahead!

    GOOD LUCK!!!

    1st of all YOU ARE AMAING!!!!!!
    I was a single mother for 1 year before my 7 year old son passed of meningitis and although that year was the longest year of my life due a miserable divorce, I would do it over again a million times!! and that was with 1 child, being a single mother is 2 full time jobs!!!
    2nd the teacher in me can not help but to comment on your ADHD child. I have had a lot of my parents whose children are ADHD always come and ask how i manage to get their middle school child to concentrate on math for 90 minutes. You may have already tried these things, but i feel they are worth mentioning.
    1. I KNOW your routine is tough on everyone in your family, but the one thing i know for sure is my ADHD students THRIVE as well as the rest of my kids because we have a routine, flexible but routine.
    2. Short span= short time assignments ex. set a timer for 10 minutes and have him work on 1 subject. timer goes off, short 2 minute break, the repeat in each subject he has homework in . this process takes a bit, but it should cut down on the melt downs due to frustration because he is not able to focus for long periods of time and or understand the concept...
    3. If he has an Individualized education plan, his assignments should be shortened and modified due to his ADHD that should also help with the meltdowns.
    4. tangible immediate rewards for each section of homework he completes.
    5. ADHD world is kinda like turning up 4 radio stations, the tv on full blas then asking a person to focus on a subject at hand and be able to concentrate.
    6. I hope you are not offended at my suggestions, my heart just breaks when i hear parents in your situation, I teach Math and in aa colaborative setting over 50% of my students are students with special needs. if you have any questions I would be glad to volunteer anything i can do to help you. the end of the homework breakdowns...may open up a small window for you to squeeze in some time for you....good luck and God Bless!!!
  • sapphirechic77
    sapphirechic77 Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    Hi, everyone. I just happened to stumble upon this board and had to share my two cents :-) With school, work, home remodeling, and raising the kiddos, I know a little bit about being pressed for time. I have several workout videos, but little time to complete them. Tonight, I pulled out my Jillian Michaels 30-Day Shred dvd that had been packed for a year and completed workout 1. It was a 20-minute continuous workout with modified exercises for beginners and advanced athletes. I absolutely love it. It's the best workout I've gotten in a long time. My arms and legs are still twitching, and I feel a small knot in my stomach. I expect to be a little sore tomorrow. Long story short, if you're pressed for time and still want an effective workout, I would highly recommend this video. It's really inexpensive. I paid around $10 for it at Walmart. Hope this helps!!

    April
  • Bikini_Bound150
    Bikini_Bound150 Posts: 461 Member
    Options
    I consider myself a mom BECAUSE I am raising my sister. She is 16 and I am 22. I have all of the motherly responsibilities as everyone else. I am a care giver to a man with special needs and there is just NO time in my day to do anything else. It's difficult, I'm glad I don't have little ones (YET) because my days are solid....
  • timadotcom
    timadotcom Posts: 674 Member
    Options
    I consider myself a mom BECAUSE I am raising my sister. She is 16 and I am 22. I have all of the motherly responsibilities as everyone else. I am a care giver to a man with special needs and there is just NO time in my day to do anything else. It's difficult, I'm glad I don't have little ones (YET) because my days are solid....

    good for you!! You make my life sound easy:)
  • timadotcom
    timadotcom Posts: 674 Member
    Options
    I have a beautiful baby boy, he just turned 2 this month. I wake up at 5:15 am to get myself to the gym. I'm at work by 8:30, work until 5 and then go home to be with my boy and my husband. I'm married to a chef, so I have forgotten what cooking is like. But if you think i'm lucky, think again. I never get to pick what I want to eat and am not allowed to complain about food, Oh and if he is mad at me I go hungry..heehee. Anyways, I get up early and am always sleep deprived just so I can be with my son at night. As you ladies would sure agree, being a mom is the best thing in the world and it can be the worst.

    Good luck to you all.
  • cabaray
    cabaray Posts: 971 Member
    Options
    I'm a married mom of two (10 & 12 year old girls). My husband works second shift, so he is not home in the evenings with us. I work day shift from 8-4:30. I also teach college part-time (3 online courses, 1 course on campus). I get up at 4:40 every morning so that I can ride my stationary bike an hour before I have to get the kids up. One Tuesdays, I teach my on campus course. I get up at 4:40, work 8-4:30, leave work, grab Subway and eat in the car. I go straight to the campus and teach from 6-9. I get home around 9:30. Needless to say, Tuesdays are long days for me. The only way I get the exercise in is to get up before the kids and get it done. Also, when the weather outside is decent (40 degrees or above and no rain), I try and go for a walk in the evenings. My oldest rides her bike and the youngest walks with me. I'm able to get in some additional exercise and I'm teaching the girls a healthy lifestyle which they need as they are both a little overweight (not bad, but I'm trying to stop it before it gets out of hand like it did with me). We live next door to my parents and they are such a help...I couldn't do it without them!
  • msafeatthird
    msafeatthird Posts: 2
    Options
    I can't seem to find motivation right now, or energy is a better word. I'm a single mother that works and does school. I work 10 hour days watching a 7 month old and I have a 2 year old of my own. They are both on separate schedules, never napping at the same time. The baby leaves at 6 then I feed and bathe my son and have him asleep between 9-10(he has always had trouble sleeping). At that time I begin to do my class work that usually lasts until 12-1 am. By that time I'm exhausted and just want to sleep. I don't know how so many mothers are able to meet fitness goals, every day is exhausting. So much to juggle and not enough time in a day to do it. When do all of you prefer to work out?
  • brinak2005
    brinak2005 Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    I love this post!! I'm so glad there are others who understand how crazy I feel sometimes running around like a lunatic! :smile:

    I am married, have 1daughter that 5 1/2 yrs old (always have to put that 1/2 in there). My husband works nights, 12 hour shifts. So when he gets home in the mornings, we literally kiss each other in passing on the front walk as I'm heading out to drop our daughter off at school and go to work. I get home 30 minutes before he leaves for work. One thing that has helped me is cooking dinner for the next day and putting it in the fridge. When I get home (5ish), we have dinner together, he leaves for work, my daughter and I go over schoolwork, I do my workout video for 30 minutes to an hour, take a shower, get daughter bathed and everything ready for school the next day, put her to bed, cook dinner for next day, do a load of laundry in there somewhere, clean kitchen from cooking, I go to bed around 11:30-12.....all in that order except on Fridays when my daughter has gymnastics at 6.
  • Nsdnjbl
    Nsdnjbl Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    Heller there ladies!,
    I'm Norma, mom to 3 kids. Oldest had Chromosome abnormality, so lots of delays. I work as a Professional Assistant in the school district. I have to leave the house by 7AM and I get home normally around 4. Breakfast and lunch are very difficult for me, I usually bring leftovers but that isn't always a good thing. I usually have plenty of time to cook dinner but my kids certainty don't want to eat my healthy food. And, who wants to cook 2 meals?? My husband works all kinds of wacky hours--- so I can never commit myself to Zumba or Spinning ( which I love). I have a half working treadmill, looking for a new one. And some motivation to get off my fat ase!
  • busyPK
    busyPK Posts: 3,788 Member
    Options
    So happy to fine this post. :smile: I have two handsome sons - one just turned 2 this month and my baby is 4.5 months old. I work a FT job, but I am only 8 minutes away from my house so I'm able to go home over lunch to see my boys. My husband stays home with our sons during the day and works some nights and weekends. I get up 3 days a week at 5:10am and go to the gym. I then shower and get ready for work there and am at work by 8am. I work til 5pm and then head home. I do 90% of the dinner cooking in my house so I try and make things ahead and have leftovers or use our crockpot. The biggest struggle right now is my 2yo doesn't go to bed until 9:30 or 10pm. He is a great sleeper when he doesn't get tired, but he has so much energy. And my 4.5 month old is still young so his sleeping is all over the place, lol.
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    Options
    Sleep is probably more important for you than exercise. Lack of sleep will contribute to weight problems, lack of energy, etc. So you may do best just watching your calories and getting as much sleep as you can.

    My workout time is 5:30-7:30 a.m., walking to the bus after work, and maybe a short workout at 9:00 p.m.

    Pam
    I can't seem to find motivation right now, or energy is a better word. I'm a single mother that works and does school. I work 10 hour days watching a 7 month old and I have a 2 year old of my own. They are both on separate schedules, never napping at the same time. The baby leaves at 6 then I feed and bathe my son and have him asleep between 9-10(he has always had trouble sleeping). At that time I begin to do my class work that usually lasts until 12-1 am. By that time I'm exhausted and just want to sleep. I don't know how so many mothers are able to meet fitness goals, every day is exhausting. So much to juggle and not enough time in a day to do it. When do all of you prefer to work out?
  • Jessie_Dawn
    Jessie_Dawn Posts: 169
    Options
    If I get dinner on the table by 8 it is a good night.

    If the little ones get a bath it is a good night.

    If the little ones are in bed by 9 it is a good night.

    I SO get this!! LOL :)

    Hi! I'm a single mom of 2, 4 yr old girl, 20 month old boy... been through a lot (my son's father passed in September) and I'm 100% on my own, working a full time job, get home around 6, dinner, baths, bed, then cleaning (dishes, never ending laundry pile (how do two kids creat SO much laundry?!), etc).... It's tough, but someone's gotta do it, right?!

    I've always focused on everyone else but me and have realized if I don't start focusing on me, I'm not gonna be around for everyone else!! :)

    I love that this support group for working moms is here!! Thank you! :flowerforyou:
  • orchid13
    orchid13 Posts: 1
    Options
    I am a single mom in school and looking for a part time job. The ideal time for me to work out is after my daughter goes to sleep, but by that time I am way too sleepy. All I want to do is fall into bed and worry about it tomorrow. I have just began to train for a poilce exam-the one where you have to run, do push ups, sit ups and bench press a certain amount. I am thinking I will give myself 2-3 months to get into shape. The problem is when I start running, my ankle feels like it is being stabbed with a sharp object. I have bought new running shoes and I am not pushing myself past what I can do. If anyone has any suggestions please let me know.

    Thanks! :flowerforyou:
  • KaciWood19
    KaciWood19 Posts: 553 Member
    Options
    I was actually just talking about this last night! I'm a 22 year old stepmom :) I struggle the most with not having any family time. Right now, my son goes to his biological mothers Friday-Sunday. When my son comes home, he is exhausted from having a good time with his mom and step siblings and goes straight to bed. So basically, my honey and I only have time with him monday night-thursday night. He is in kingergarten til 3:30. Now we add in my honey's work schedule. He is a fireman and works 48 hour shifts so during the week he is only home either Monday, Tuesday and Friday or Wednesday Thursday Friday. So 2 nights a week, I am basically a single parent. I work full time, monday-friday 8-4 40 hours. I don't get to the gym until 445/5, get home around 630, and still have to cook dinner, clean up from dinner, do some homework and fit in some fun family time. It's exhausting. I have never ending respect to single parents, I have such a hard time just doing it 2 nights a week!!! throw in swim lessons, or doctors appointments, and the whole night is a crazy free for all. My biggest tips are having a schedule and freezing cooking. You can find out more about freezer cooking by visiting OnceAMonthMom.com. It is a life saver, especially if you are trying to cut back on eating out and want to eat something homemade. Having a schedule and a routine is the only way I get anything done. It's hard to make the sacrafices to fit the gym in. I used to really struggle with feeling selfish for making time to go, because it caused stress for my family. But i've come to terms with the fact that it is OK for me to do something for myself, especially when getting that work out in means I am healthy, and can keep up with my son, and will be around for a long life.!!
  • Nsdnjbl
    Nsdnjbl Posts: 66 Member
    Options
    Bump

    What's for dinner
  • pdworkman
    pdworkman Posts: 1,342 Member
    Options
    Taco salad!

    (A favourite around here, one that I still manage to adapt being vegetarian, grain free, and dairy free!)
    Bump

    What's for dinner
  • dragonfly334
    dragonfly334 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    Totally agree with all of the working moms here. I am a mom of two boys , ages 7 and 10. I am also a fourth grade teacher (which I consider my daily workout) LOL It is very hard to do it all! I have realized to just do what I can, and try to be with my boys as much as I can. One of my struggles is that by the time I get home, I just want something quick, so usually go for something frozen rather than taking the time to cook. I spend a lot of time with the boys doing homework and doing my own "homework". I don't exercise at all during the winter. I can usually get outside for walks once it gets a bit warmer (I am in Massachusetts). I would love it if some people would add me! I am a great cheerleader and could use some support!:smile:

Categories