I was very lucky and stayed home until my LO was 8 months. I've been back to work full time for two months now and I still don't feel like we are in the swing of things. Maybe I need to accept that our lives are just going to be crazy? My husband takes her to daycare in the morning, usually around 7am. I do laundry, get dinner ready (usually in the crock pot) and get ready to work and leave around 8. I pick her up, feed her, give her a bath and get her ready for bed. My husband gets home anywhere from 6:30-8:30 depending on the night. Here's the thing, when am I ever going to work out? I guess I could take her for a run/walk some days after daycare? I don't see it happening before work and at night I have too much to do and I'm tired!! Maybe 1-2 nights my husband is home to put her to bed, but most nights I do that too. Would love to hear how other WOHM's do it.
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Umm it's really effing hard. I work out after LO goes to bed. I do 30DS. It's less than 30 minutes and I can do it at home so I don't spend time going to/coming from the gym. I don't do it every night, but I try to do it at least 3-4 times/week. I have to do it right after I put LO down and before I eat dinner, otherwise it won't get done.
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Somedays I feel like life is just one giant hamster wheel!
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@brady80: I solo parent Mon-Thur (DH travels) so we get home, I feed her really quick, we play, bath time, bed time. After she is asleep I workout, make my lunch for tomorrow, prep her dinner for the next day, cook and eat my dinner. I start laundry when she is eating, so by the time I am done I can fold it. Then I watch a little tv and then bed.
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I bring E to daycare in the morning and pick him up after work. D works later hours, so he's never home for bedtime. We have a half hour commute, then it's dinner, bath, play/book/sing, bed. I would have no time after work to go for a run or go to the gym or anything...it just doesn't work with our schedule right now.
We have an elliptical machine in our living room now, though, so I throw on a television show and get on for a while after E goes down. I try the 30DS, but I'm really not disciplined enough to do it every day without a distraction (like a TV show).
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During the week, there is no working out. Luckily for me I live in the city and do a lot of walking and also carry LO to and from daycare in the beco so I totally count that as exercise!
But yes, we are all exhausted and overwhelmed all week. There is no down time and it's all I can do to get dinner on the table for me and DH before 9pm.
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We bought a rower but for DH. Every night I have to make a decision between working out, homework or chores. Working out rarely wins.
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if you can find an answer, i'd love to hear it
i feel like it's a daily struggle to find time to do anything and working out is at the bottom of our list. we both work full time and are constantly juggling schedules. if we make it through the day with laundry done, dishes washed, floor swept, dinner made and everyone happy - that's a success in my book. if we can fit in a walk - bonus points. i used to find time to go to a workout class at the park next to our house, but with my new job (much longer commute) the timing doesn't work anymore. i wish the times were different so i could still do that - i feel like stress melts away when you exercise.
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I don't work out right now. DH works out of town so I'm solo parenting most of the week, while teaching. Luckily we are on summer break right now, but I swear it's been harder since being off work. I have to lower my standards some and remember that I need to pick up when I have the chance. When LO gies down, I need to take those precious moments after she is in bed and do a lot of stuff rather than just sitting in the recliner. I'm already working on stuff for next school year so I can be 'ahead' of the game. When school was happening, it helped to meal plan and shop only on the weekends. I knew u had certain times to get things done.
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I don't.
I feel fairly on top of the housework/parenting/working situation but I have no time whatsoever for anything "for me". I had my hair cut on Saturday for the first time in six months because I had a job interview yesterday - but I had to take DD with me (DH was working) and it was seriously stressful.
Working out isn't even on my radar!
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Organization is the key to everything for me! I plan all my meals on the weekend and do my weekly grocery shop on Sunday morning. Then I prep as much as I can on Sunday, including making my lunches for the week.
In the evening, after DD's in bed, I work out, shower, then prep my breakfast for the morning and snacks. I pack everything (my lunch, breakfast, DD's milk and water for daycare etc.) the night before and, where possible, pre-pack the car. I also lay out DD's and my clothes for the next day.
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It's hard. It's really hard. We just set up a routine and stick with it. Once she is asleep (6:30 bedtime) I can do whatever I want. Normally I get dishes done and dinner cleaned up and then I plop on the couch because I'm so exhausted.
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I don't work out. It sucks. I was going to a work out class on Saturday mornings at least, but that ended. My problem is exhaustion rather than time---I *could* find 30 minutes to work out after LO goes to bed and DH is home but I am just too tired. Plus working out at night makes it hard to fall asleep for me, so that makes my sleeping issues worse.
It's definitely a hamster wheel.
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I don't work out anymore. I keep telling myself that once LO can STTN, I will wake up a little earlier and work out then. I have gotten in a few workouts here and there on a weekend, but nothing consistent. Luckily for me, I have a walking commute so I haven't missed it too much.
One thing that might help you is to plan meals that you can eat for two days in a row. We do that at least twice per week, so that we don't have to cook every single night. Simple things like chili, stews, casseroles, etc.
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It's not easy. You're always going to be tired. You just have to make a plan--carve out the time for yourself--and stick to it. Regardless of how you *feel* . . . I do all daycare drop offs and pick ups, and do the dinner/bath/bedtime routine solo during the week. After she is down for the night (around 6:30), I immediately get my workout in (cardio and strength at home). Then I can make dinner for myself and DH, do a couple of chores, and get ready for the next day. I generally don't stop moving until around 8:30/9ish, when DH and I sit down for a few minutes to eat. Then I can finish up whatever needs to be done, and try to get in bed by 11ish
Just like with your investments/savings, PAY YOURSELF FIRST. There is no other chore that is more important than my taking good care of myself. NONE. So it's first on my daily *to do* list. Period.
If I know I am going to be busy during the evening, I will get up extra early to get a workout in. And even when I don't want to (like last night, for example), I tell myself that if I feel like stopping after 15 minutes, then I can. But you know what, I never do. By that time, I am ready to push through and complete what I have planned. And, a couple of weeks after working out regularly, I am not nearly as tired as I was before I got back in a routine.
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Some weeks I feel like supermom, other weeks I feel like a lazy cow.
I usually work out during the week after DS goes down (730). Dinner I usually have prepped when I feed DS dinner (530/6) or we all eat at DS' dinnertime, it depends on the weekday and our work schedules. Shower and sleep around 11/12.
When I first started in January I was on a workout kick and going 4-5x a week. I've scaled back and now go 2-3x a week. Sometimes I don't go at all. And need the break.
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I leave the house for work at 6am and don't get home with E until 6pm. I make him dinner, playtime, bath, bed and he's in bed around 8. Then I prep dinner and put it in the oven and either do a work-out video or go for a walk around the neighborhood (DH works from home). Dinner is usually ready about the time I'm done, so we sit down and eat and then I get to bed around 10. I don't work out every night, and it sucks not to have more time, but you have to decide what the priorities will be. I feel better when I get a little exercise in, so I try to fit it in.
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My son is taking longer and longer to fall asleep (last night it was 9:30) and we already wake up at 5:15, so I feel like there's no way to fit in working out, but I know I have to do it to make a difference in my health.
Part of my plan involves asking my husband to pitch in more.
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It's rough, I won't lie. And something's got to give.
Staying organized and planning ahead are HUGE. Like many others on this thread, I do most of the child care and household stuff on my own during the week because my husband works long hours. We get up at 6:00 am (DD usually gets up at 7:00-7:15) and trade off days at the gym. While I am on the treadmill, I catch up on my tv shows and plan out my day, down to what I am wearing and what I am making for dinner. While DD eats breakfast, I do kitchen chores and make my own breakfast (usually a green smoothie). I pack lunches and DD's bag the night before. She plays in our room while I shower and get ready, and then drop off is very close to our house.
I leave work earlier than I am really supposed to (although getting my work done within the allotted time is no problem), but it's the only way I can run an errand if need be and pick DD up on time (by 5:45). While she eats dinner, I put away her lunch dishes and prep dinner. DH gets home around 6:45, and we play until bedtime (7:15). Then DH and I eat and the whole cycle starts again.
Meal planning, bigger trips to the grocery store, doing as much as possible the night before, and making time for yourself are all key to making it work. Check out this thread from yesterday for some more ideas:http://boards.hellobee.com/topic/tell-me-1-small-change-you-made-that-improved-your-lifehealthroutineetc#post-1673571
Also, my work situation has to change. It's the one piece that is really not working right now, and it kind of throws everything else off...
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I just went back to work last week. Here is the schedule we worked out for the time being: I go to yoga on Wednesdays at 8pm and Saturdays at 9:15am. My husband goes to the gym on Monday evening, Thursday evening and Sunday morning.
I get home on Wednesday at 6pm and spend about 1.5 hours with my son (including his last nursing session before bed) before handing him off to my husband. I won't get home til almost 10pm, and I will be eating a very late dinner, but at least I will get to go to class.
And then on Saturdays we just nurse before I go to class. My husband can use my freezer stash if I am gone for too long and the baby needs to eat again before I get home.
I don't know if this will be sustainable in the long run, but it's our starting point. We've only done it for one week so there is still plenty of opportunity for it to fail.
And honestly, I don't think we could do it if we were using daycare or if I had to deal with preparing meals. We have a nanny, and she takes care of a majority of the baby-related chores during the week including laundry. Plus my son is still exclusively breastmilk-fed, so we don't have to do any meal prep for him yet other than pumping. We live someplace with a ton of takeout and delivery options, plus my husband loves to cook. So, I don't really deal with making dinner at all.
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i used to go to yoga or walk on my lunch break. it was the only hour i was guaranteed to have for myself. some of my coworkers go to the gym on their lunchbreak. i work downtown so yoga studio and gym are a short walk.
i feel like it's a daily struggle to find time to do anything and working out is at the bottom of our list. we both work full time and are constantly juggling schedules. if we make it through the day with laundry done, dishes washed, floor swept, dinner made and everyone happy - that's a success in my book. if we can fit in a walk - bonus points. 
Working out isn't even on my radar!
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