To all the wives/mommy's out there...HELP!!

i prioritize. kids are most important. food, cleaning.. i do what i can. make a schedule for yourself. use a timer if you need to . involve your kids in activiites so they can be part of it and help you too. like today when i stretched i had my daughter helping me. it gave us time and she learned a few things and i was so grateful for her help. you can do it. cook meals that you can stretch over the week. i love to make bean soup with tomatoes and rosemary and corn and carrots. i make enough for the week. make soups, rice for two days or three. boil eggs ahead of time. you can do so many things to cut time .

V - I am SO WITH YOU! Similar situation - Semi-stressful job, hubby does 2 jobs - manual labor, 4 kids

I've really hit a wall recently and weigh now 6 lbs heavier then when I first started MFP! I actually weighed 25 lbs lighter just 4 months ago and managed to gain it all back. (I'm an emmotional eater - I eat when I'm stressed to relax - ironic, huh?)

As a single girl, I too could just lose it fairly well. I would go on long walks and runs first thing in the morning.

I'm an all or nothing kind of person - when it is all clicking, I'm eating right, exercising well, drinking water, house is clean, kids are getting all their needed attention, and I am feeling in control and confident. But the other 50 weeks, I feel like a failure at all.

My advice to you and me, is to keep trying. I set my alarm everyday for 5:00am (I don't need to start the day until 6:00am) somedays I wake up to exercise, some days I decide cleaning is more important, most days I snooze. For me, another vice is TV. It is another thing I do to relax. It just gets in the way of all I want to achieve. I'm going to go home and delete all that is left on my DVR. Thanks for posting your story. You have helped me.

I wish I could help, but I have it pretty easy as a stay at home mom. I think your best bet will be to sit down and find a balance. Instead of going to the gym, take your son on a walk after dinner. Do your shopping on Saturday or Sundays, meal plan, and cook in advance. Being hyper organized will help you a lot. Schedule everything, and you'll be able to make it work.

I'm a married mother of 2 boys - 12 and 10 (and I've been working on this since 2004, so I know the struggles of younger vs. older kids -- best thing now is my kids can even help cook!!!). My husband works full-time. I work a full-time job and a part-time job. The long and short of it? You just have to figure out where you can squeeze it in. Some things that have helped me:

1) I'd die without my crockpot. For my birthday Hubs bought me one of the programmable ones and it's already about busted and I'm about to cry over it. You can set this in the morning and then forget about it until dinner time.

2) Batch cooking. I've done a lot of this in my day. I set aside one day a week to cook a TON of something that will keep in the fridge and I can use as a "go to" healthy lunch or dinner item. This can be anything from a big batch of vegetarian or ground turkey chili, a few pounds of ground turkey or chicken browned to be made into tacos or casseroles or whatever else, a huge thing of brown rice (yes, it can be reheated - just add a bit of water to the dish before you stick it in the microwave), chicken breasts grilled up, etc., etc.. There are a ton of sites online for batch cooking how tos and what freezes well and how to get started.

3) I involve my kids as much as possible. Even at the age of 3, you can certainly pull your child into your exercise routine. Go for a walk together or run around the yard or whatever. I promise you that if you keep it interesting, you'll wear out before they do. My 10 and 12 year old now talk about exercise as a regular thing and we go out all the time for volleyball, tennis, basketball, walking, biking, rowing, running, etc. as a family. Thirty minutes to an hour of quality time together and calories burned? Win Win!

4) Schedule. Schedule. Schedule. I know which workout I have planned for every day this month. I have to because I have no time to think about what I should be doing. Instead, I go to my calendar and see that it's a 30 minutes of ST day and off I go. Gets me in and out of the workouts quicker if I already know what the goal is and I can just get to it.

5) Have snacks on hand all the time. Because even though the lil one is popping a chicken finger, it doesn't mean it's all that great for you to eat if you're trying to watch your figure.

6) And, finally, I make my family eat like I do. Sure, every once in a while they get a guilty pleasure like ice cream or pizza or whatever...but for the most part I've taught them to really enjoy healthy dinners of chicken or fish with a ton of roasted vegetables and some brown rice. I've learned to adapt their favorite recipes into something I can eat without feeling guilty - I have a recipe for homecooked, baked "chicken nuggets" that my kids LOVE! - and I always make them try new things. When they don't want what we're having, I keep on hand a good supply of peanut butter (which I make at home - so much better for you!) and jelly and bread. They know what to do!

I feel your pain. I work full time as an ICU nurse- so I do shift work. I tend to do do my groceries after a night shift, while my kids are at the dayhome before I sleep for a few hours so I don't lose any extra time with them. Or they come with me and "help" me (They are 20 months old, and 3...so this option causes high blood pressure

My husband works a regular 8-5 job- but a lot of manual labor involved so he is also tired when he gets home. House cleaning is done together on the weekend so we can power through it quicker. Weekend I work, he starts it...I finish it on my days off.

For meals...I use my crockpot a lot...or I cook large quantities of things and freeze some, so that on another day I can pull out a quick but healthy meal.

My workouts either involve my kids...we have a gym and tv in our basement, so they will play in their toy room while I do a workout DVD, and they might come do some of it with me. My 20 m old does yoga better than I do. If I want to run- it has to be early morning before my husband leaves or after the kids go to bed, or done on a break at work. A family walk is always nice...you can get a pretty good calorie burn chasing kids around in a field or park! One trick...as soon as you get home from work...put on your work out gear. And the other one I do is post on MFP that I had a long day...stressful day...need to get motivated to workout and let my friends nag and push me to get up.

Alot of what the others have said is so true, I am a mum/wife- I have 3 children a 7 year old and 0month twins and have recently returned to work (4 full days a week, quite a bust role so sometimes leave late) It is very much a balancing act.

I get up with the babies and sort breakfast and packed lunches then aim to do at least 30mins of exercise (I say aim as this depends on the babies moods!) then get sorted for work. At least a few days a week I will prepare dinner- this can be something in the slow cooker so is easier when we get home from work. Then once the eves come I spend time with the children and once settled (and if I didnt get to do as much of a workout as I hoped) the workout is the next thing I do, then im setted for the night.

I very much agree, its a make time for it situation- I am a gym a holic and will openly admit to this so fitting in some kind of workout is a must- on a bad week I have 2 rest days, but not because I want/ need the rest more that I physically could'nt get it in. But when I work to get on to of everything in the day I feel I can do a workout guilt free. Hubby is good as long as Im not leaving him with everything to do and he also has his time (normally golf/ football) so we both have hobbies away from home to clear our head and destress. It works well for us.

I have finally got back into the small size of my wardrobe and am actually smaller than I was before I fell pregnant, (only by 5lbs but a result at 10 months post twins) Find something you like/ stay motivated and make you time-..... It works and you feel great and I think you naturally relax alittle once your near your goal as you know your close. Its hard but worth it.

It is super hard fitting everything around husbands and kids and im definitely not perfect and as my diary will show fall into the trap of eating the kids party foods…but most of the time I try and do something like this..

I have 3 boys, work 4 days a week and have a husband who gets home at the kids bedtime so it a busy day but I get up at 5am so I can go to work early, then I come home and spend the afternoons with the kids and then at 7.30 I go work out for an hour at the gym or walking round the block or something after the kids are in bed…then I come home and spend an hour or two with hubby before collapsing in bed!

It is harder to do than when your single (or at least I find it harder) but it worth it to feel more like I did when before rather than the frumpy mummy I felt like I was turning into! Good luck and feel free to add me, I have some super motivational mummies as my friend who help keep me on track every day! :happy:

It's hard. I've found that whole food, preped simply tastes wonderful. Stirfry's can be tossed together, and on the table in a 20 minutes. (Go light on the sodium based sauces... but try lemon juice, herbs, garlic, to flavor the stir fry). I also make up 2 of what ever 'preped' food I make. Lasagne (eggplant used to make the meat go much, much further 2 links for a full pan), I make 2 pans.. one for the oven, one for the freezer. Prep your slowcooker meals in zip top bags, and freeze. Makes it simple to prep supper then. Just pull the bag out of the freezer, and turn the thing on. (pinterest has many links for wonderful recipes).

As for exercise.. Early mornings, or nights... which ever works best for you. Watch craig's list, you should be able to get some good equipment for cheap. I got an elliptical, and a treadmill for cheap. Now, I'll be building my weight collection in my basement. I have my elliptical in my bedroom, where I have my DVR. I watch my fav TV shows will using it. And it's quiet enough that I don't bug anyone with it. The treadmill is in the basement, where I can use it, and turn on the kids TV, to entertain myself. I also find races for me to run. This gives me a goal to work towards, and a reason to get out and move. If I didn't have a race on the calendar, I'd find it easy to stay on the couch! Find a goal that you have to work towards... and sign up!

You can do it. I have 3 daughters, only 2 in the house right now, but the other is getting married in 2 weeks and moving across the country, so I'm constantly on the phone with her too...) Anyway, I work 2 full time jobs (40 hours a week for a company and my own full time business) and I'm proof it CAN be done.
1) I work out on my lunch hour 4 days a week.
2) I go back to the gym straight after work and do another 1/2 hour 3x a week.
3) I get up early on both Saturday and Sunday and go for a hike. I take whomever wants to go with me. Sometimes the kids or husband or just me and the dog.
4) We walk 3-5 times per week after dinner, all of us, for 30-60 minutes.
5) I also walk on my 15 minute break at work, 3-4 times per week.
6) I frequently "drop to the ground" and do 20 pushups right where I am, in the living room, a private ladies room, my cubicle if no one is there, etc...They are a fantastic whole body exercise that only takes 1-2 minutes.
I keep track of everything in Excel (I'm a statistic fanatic) and I average about 500-600 minutes of logged exercise every week. It all adds up. If you have to take your child with you, then do that. Even 10 minutes of moving is better than nothing at all. And it's good for them too. Like some other posters have said, scheduling helps. I can look at my calendar/excel chart and tell you exactly what I'm going to do on any day of the month. It's fluid and changes all the time, but I am constantly in there, changing things. If I have to miss a workout because of an appt, I find room for it somewhere else or make the hike longer or something. I only take time off for actual injury or sickness (mine or anyone in my family.) Remember you're not in this for the short term, it's the long haul of the rest of your life. So add in a little bit here and there, include your child and you'll be surprised how much fits in.

As far as food, I make sure on Sunday to make up my lunches for the week so all I have to do is grab and go. I'm not a breakfast eater anymore, but if I feel like it, it's something I can grab, like a Larabar. To be honest here, my husband does our dinner cooking, BUT in that same time, I am in the kitchen with him loading and unloading dishwashers, cleaning up, etc. Each night I clean the kitchen, do a load or two of laundry, work on my own business. I don't watch TV so I get a lot done at night. Other cleaning gets done on weekends (I'm not a neat freak, so if anywhere slides, this is it.) My kids aren't young anymore, but still need a lot of face time, especially as teens.
I think as women the biggest problem is viewing all OTHER women as "superwomen", like they do more than us. We don't realize how much WE do. You are a superwoman, just like the rest of us here on MFP. You can do it, I have NO DOUBT.

I don't have any children but I do work a stressful job and my husband works crazy stupid hours.

I made myself a weekly menu and plan my menus on a Sunday for the week, sometimes a bit tricky since hubby works late but slow cooker is invaluble.

Have you tried shopping online and getting some of your groceries delivered?

I set my timer for cleaning, when the timer goes off I am done in that room, makes you work faster!!

My biggest problem is excersise as if my butt hits the couch I don't get up again, but I am working hard to get it in!

All the best!!!

WE CAN DO IT!!!!!!!

I just have to remind myself that a happy mommy, means happy kids. I can't be the best mother out there if I'm miserable with myself.

I hear you! It's hard but it can be done. I have a full time job & a part time job, 3 kids and a hubby. Pretty much I get up at 4:30 every morning to get some "me" time. I start work at 7am and out by 4 in time to get kids to practices & games. So I have to work out in the morning. Dinner usually gets started the night before or I'll go home for lunch and start. I do my planning/grocery shopping Sunday morning since it's my rest day. Saturday is my cleaning day while hubby takes kids to practices. Believe me it CAN be done if you want it bad enough. I sacrifice a bit of sleep to work out but it makes me feel good and ready for the day!

Two words for an exercise tip... Mommy Olympics.

I have a 5 and 7 year old, and we do mommy olympics, and the kids love it! I lay on my back and do some of the following:
- Flying feats: have them lay on my feet and I slowly lift them so theyre flying
- Flying seats: have them sit on my feet and slowly lift them - burns the thighs
*both are lots of fun when a couch is nearby they can fall on

- tumbles: they stand at my head and I grab their waist, they lean forward into my tummy I slowly roll them onto my legs. They end up doing a somersault and landing on my feet. The slower the better the burn - works abs and arms
- reverse tumble: they sit on my feet and I roll them back toward my head so they end up where the "tumbles" started

- forward flip: they stand at my feet and lay on my legs with their head at my knees. I lift my legs and flip them up and over. Stabilize their shoulders at first and then grab their waist to finish the flip. Again works arms and abs and legs if they're heavy.

Sometimes I let them bounce gently on my stomach, or sit on me while I do butt lifts. I've tried the pushup thing, but I can't do regular pushups, so that just doesn't work.

The girls BEG for mommy olympics, I break a sweat, and (before we split) the hubby loved the view...

For me, another vice is TV. It is another thing I do to relax. It just gets in the way of all I want to achieve. I'm going to go home and delete all that is left on my DVR. Thanks for posting your story. You have helped me.

I cancelled all my tv accounts. I used to have cable, for my mom, but when she passed away, I didn't feeling like paying the bill, so I cancelled it and used netflix live account for all my TV watching. It was a TIME SUCKER!! About a month after deciding once again to lose weight, I deleted my netflix account and cancelled our xbox live renewal so I can't get any of the free movie apps either! (cuz I will eventually)

It was the BEST thing I ever did for my weight loss as well as my yard and my house and my kids!!! I have so much more time that I used to waist on TV. I still watch movies every now and again, but it isn't an all day event anymore, it is a treat.

By the way, I have 4 kids and a husband who works late house as a deisel mechanic, so I know where you are coming from, too. Just cancel the TV all together, you pocket book will thank you, too. My kids even said they are glad the TV is gone if for nothing else than they see their dad and me much happier.

Good luck!

Nysia

Why does it always have to be the super-moms? There are PLENTY of single 24/7/365 dads like myself that make the time. Because it's either you do it, or your don't