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1st year homeschooling. I love it. Things are going so well. I actually just got back from the Florida Homeschool Convention. It was wonderful.

 

But, I was one of those moms that worked our every morning just after I dropped my kids off at school. That was my time with my friends. I enjoyed my workouts...weights, cardio, pilates classes, spin classes, and even a yoga class here and there.

 

Now, guilt. Morning is when we do "school". I say I will work out in the afternoons and it does not happen. I get up in the 5 o'clock hour to do cardio...and I am exhausted by 3.

 

AND, fast food has made it's way into our vocabulary. For 9 years no McDonalds. My kids had no fast food. Now, I can't say that. My goal if for my kids to eat healthy meals. Now I need fast, easy, and cheap. It was a HUGE leap to buy store made pasta sauce. Don't judge...that's what I loved doing for my family!

 

So, 8 months homeschooling...20 pounds heavier. I am so sad. The kids get plenty of time at the park, playground, and other activities. I sit and chat with my friends. My life is very sedentary. I can't go for a run or go to the gym like I used to...

 

SO, I have got to lose weight. While I am homeschooling. I don't think there is a law against that. I need to get to the gym everyday. We need easy and fast meals.

 

I just need a plan. And support. So, welcome anyone who struggles with this!!!

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Now - I was not as good about going to the gym and avoiding fast food as you have been. And, I have been over weight for a few years anyway - however, I get totally what you are saying. I am ashamed to admit that my daughter and I hit fast food far too much. It is an excuse to get out of the house, and an easy way to get lunch out of the way.

 

What I have been trying to do is schedule some time for myself to get to the gym. I signed up for a Zumba class about 2 months ago - and that went great, the nights I didn't miss it. But it made a difference. Also, I have been terrible about doing REAL cooking at home lately. I don't think one has to whip up things from scratch all the time. However, its been too many pizza nights or taking the fam out to eat because I am wiped.

 

It is very important that parents never forget to take care of themselves. Once thing that concerns me is that if you are hanging out at the park- sure you are chatting with friends - but does this mean you don't get to see the friends you would work out with? I don't think you need to sacrifice other time on friendships 100%. Especially with friends that you hang out with that have NOTHING to do with the fact you both have kids.

 

One thing I did last month was schedule a "girls night out" with some friends from a philosophy group that I have been attending (I guess this could be considered "church friends" for those that go to church). No kids are allowed, and no husbands either haha. We hope to have one in June and July - once a month if possible.

 

Regarding fast food - its tough - but I have found that when I do a better job planning and executing the grocery list, we have less trouble in this area. Also, perhaps you could plan one day a week where you take your child(ren) out to lunch. This would make it special, save you some money, and help you avoid them keeping on a fast food track. My daughter and I like to go to The Corner Bakery or Prince Bistro every now and then, because we can linger there, and although the food is more expensive, there are much healthier choices, and room for her to bring some school work. It is very relaxing for me.

 

I keep saying I am going to start making meals in bulk and freeze them for during the week - haven't done that in a long time. But for those with the energy and freezer space, I think this would help as well.

 

I am interested in seeing what others offer for advice.

 

By the way - DON'T FEEL GUILTY! You have recognized the weight gain - which is good - I wish I had early enough years ago. 20 lbs may feel like a lot, but it is just a set back. Make getting to the gym - or other activity part of your weekly plan. Even if it is just making the minions walk with you, or have the husband or someone else sit with the kiddos so you can go with a walk with your friends. Start small - you can do it!

 

1st year homeschooling. I love it. Things are going so well. I actually just got back from the Florida Homeschool Convention. It was wonderful.

 

But, I was one of those moms that worked our every morning just after I dropped my kids off at school. That was my time with my friends. I enjoyed my workouts...weights, cardio, pilates classes, spin classes, and even a yoga class here and there.

 

Now, guilt. Morning is when we do "school". I say I will work out in the afternoons and it does not happen. I get up in the 5 o'clock hour to do cardio...and I am exhausted by 3.

 

AND, fast food has made it's way into our vocabulary. For 9 years no McDonalds. My kids had no fast food. Now, I can't say that. My goal if for my kids to eat healthy meals. Now I need fast, easy, and cheap. It was a HUGE leap to buy store made pasta sauce. Don't judge...that's what I loved doing for my family!

 

So, 8 months homeschooling...20 pounds heavier. I am so sad. The kids get plenty of time at the park, playground, and other activities. I sit and chat with my friends. My life is very sedentary. I can't go for a run or go to the gym like I used to...

 

SO, I have got to lose weight. While I am homeschooling. I don't think there is a law against that. I need to get to the gym everyday. We need easy and fast meals.

 

I just need a plan. And support. So, welcome anyone who struggles with this!!!

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Yep - this can be a hard one. But on the plus side your kids are big enough to not need your constant presence by their side.

 

Come up with a list of things they need to do each day that takes up the amount of time you need for exercise. You can always have them do their "free reading" during that time. But they also should be able to do math, spelling, etc. - what we used to call the basics.

 

Make that time come first thing in the morning. During winter months you'll need to come up with an indoor plan. During nicer weather you all can move to the park or somewhere where you can be running around while your kids work (or play).

 

As for meals.....why can't you homeschool and cook from scratch? Sounds to me like you're doing too much homeschooling, LOL!

 

Give yourself a break - on all fronts. You've got the desire to change things, right? You'll figure it out.

 

Does your gym have an area where your kids could sit quietly and work? I could take my kids almost anywhere during those years....as long as they had work to do. You might not be able to linger for hours, but at least for 30 minutes?

 

Or is there an older neighbor who would sit with them for an hour twice a week? Or someone else to swap care with?

 

Do not fall into the trap that your kids are going to get "everything" now and you are going to get nothing. That's a recipe for a full-on disaster. Here's your "order of operations"

 

1. Family happiness: good meals on the table, house neat enough to survive in, basic shopping and chores done, appts. arranged, etc.

 

2. Marriage happiness: whatever it takes for you and dh to have a good relationship. That might be date night every Friday or it might mean that you're the one picking up his dry-cleaning - only you know.

 

3. Kids happiness - they're getting enough love and attention for healthy self-esteem

 

4. homeschool happiness - reasonable schedules, work is done, extras attended to

 

5. housekeeping

 

I hereby give permission for you not to be perfect!

 

4.

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Just a thought. I noticed your dear children are 9 and 7 yes old. Could you go for a run with them on their bikes? Or could you bike together? You could call it gym class.

 

Another area of exercise would be nature hikes. Do your boys like being outside?

 

Our local HS group has ice skating in the witer months and moms can skate too. I happen to be a talker.:blush:

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Are there gyms that have decent childcare for schoolage children? I'd love to go workout during the morning, but I assumed they wouldn't accept my kids during school hours since they probably most likely only see babies and toddlers at that time. We used to have a YMCA near us that maybe would have been okay with it, but here we just have the usual--Gold's gym, etc. Anyone have good experiences with gym childcare and them not giving you a hard time that your kids are too old, etc? I'd rather go during the day when they wouldn't be with older kids after school.

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Here's a thought for you. I'm not sure where you live but now that it is warm can you go for a jog while your kids ride their bikes? I saw a friend doing that one day and thought that was the greatest idea. I'm still waiting for my youngest to learn to ride a bike then I can power walk behind them.

 

Kelly

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Is that why my butt is so big? :001_huh:

 

I'm thinking back to the boys' first birthday, when I was at least 30 lbs lighter, and it's true that it was RIGHT BEFORE we started homeschooling. (I just figured twin nurslings - who have since weaned - had something to do with it... )

 

Good grief.

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yes, it is really hard to find consistent time alone to do things like work out.

 

For years, my only workout has been walking in the evenings when dh is home, and some in the mornings before everyone is up and dressed. At one point, I walked/jogged a circular path past my house and back in the a.m. so I could be within screaming distance if needed (my older dd was in charge of the others).

 

Just this year, I finally gave myself permission to take a yoga class in the morning when yes, we do school. I leave the kids at home.

 

I don't know why it was so hard for me to allow myself to do this. It is really a good feeling to go out and have this time.

 

It is really hard to find/make the time to exercise as a homeschool mom, but if we are creative, we can work something out.

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I take the kids (10yo and 6yo) to the YMCA 4-5 days/wk around 4:30 in the afternoon. We stay for a couple of hours. I use the slow cooker alot and try to plan our meals as best I can. This way dinner is hot and healthy when we walk in the door with little effort (and stress) on my part. When I don't use the slow cooker, I use the bar-b-que as much as possible. The Y has great programs for all of our family - there's literally something for everyone. This way the kids are active and entertained and I get to have my time in the gym. It's a win-win for all of us.

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1st year homeschooling. I love it. Things are going so well. I actually just got back from the Florida Homeschool Convention. It was wonderful.

 

But, I was one of those moms that worked our every morning just after I dropped my kids off at school. That was my time with my friends. I enjoyed my workouts...weights, cardio, pilates classes, spin classes, and even a yoga class here and there.

 

Now, guilt. Morning is when we do "school". I say I will work out in the afternoons and it does not happen. I get up in the 5 o'clock hour to do cardio...and I am exhausted by 3.

 

AND, fast food has made it's way into our vocabulary. For 9 years no McDonalds. My kids had no fast food. Now, I can't say that. My goal if for my kids to eat healthy meals. Now I need fast, easy, and cheap. It was a HUGE leap to buy store made pasta sauce. Don't judge...that's what I loved doing for my family!

 

So, 8 months homeschooling...20 pounds heavier. I am so sad. The kids get plenty of time at the park, playground, and other activities. I sit and chat with my friends. My life is very sedentary. I can't go for a run or go to the gym like I used to...

 

SO, I have got to lose weight. While I am homeschooling. I don't think there is a law against that. I need to get to the gym everyday. We need easy and fast meals.

 

I just need a plan. And support. So, welcome anyone who struggles with this!!!

 

Ok, I just finished our first year homeschooling and I gained 15 lbs. I haven't given into the fast food thing, but exercise is gone! Without it I just can't control my weight. I was never a gym person, but I taught tae kwon do and worked out regularly. I had to give these things up to homeschool and I haven't found a new regiment that works. Like you, morning is my best time of day, but if I don't homeschool then, school won't get done.

 

I haven't figured out the solution, but we are definitely on the same page!

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One friend of mine joined a kid-friendly gym. They usually go in the afternoon, before the child care area is too crowded. The kids' area has a play area and computers to keep kids occupied. She can also take them with her to the gym's pool and there are classes kids can be signed up for, some of them free with membership, others for additional fee.

 

I can't afford a gym membership. We also have only one car, so whether I like it or not, I get a workout riding my bike 2 mi. each way to work 3 times/week. I also take DD on my bike to any classes she has at the community pool (1/4 mi.) or the library (2.5 mi.), bookstore (1 1/2 mi.) or grocery store (1/3 mi.). Fortunately, she still (barely) fits in the child seat, so we can even bike/bus or bike/bus/train to downtown Tempe or downtown Phoenix. (or Mesa, for that matter). But we also have a trailer, for closer trips, and at the rate she'd going she'll be able to ride in it until long after she's old enough to start keeping up on a bike of her own.

 

I personally hate working out for its own sake. I need to be either doing something I actually think is fun, or getting somewhere.

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I buy denim jumpers that are not form fitting. You do have denim jumpers, don't you? :confused: It's a homeschooling mom's uniform, of course. :D

 

Seriously, I have my dh watch the kids in the evening, so I can work out. Most evenings my kids are participating in sports at our local sports park. There are also aerobics classes, step classes, yoga, and walking/running tracks. I do something physical while he watches the younger ones and the bigger ones are at practice. He works out in the morning, before work. It's important for our health, so we make time for it.

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The Y has great programs for all of our family - there's literally something for everyone. This way the kids are active and entertained and I get to have my time in the gym.
We do the Y Tuesdays and Thursdays (they have a nursery and a preschool gym class), work in the garden and go walking with the kids (usually on bikes) in the evenings, and I get up and go for a jog at 6 am every morning while my DH gets ready for work. At first it was hard to get up but now I crave the exercise. I am tired in the afternoon but it's worth it. And I sleep like a rock now. I used to toss and turn all night but now I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Sometimes I can't even recall lying down in the bed, I fall asleep so fast. And I sleep so deeply that I wake up rested without an alarm clock.

You really have to make exercise a priority. But I know what you're going through. The exercise only started about 6 months ago. I totally slacked during and after my back-to-back pregnancies.

 

And even if you don't get around to exercise you really need to cook your own meals. You'll cut calories DRAMATICALLY that way even if you don't cook "low fat". The amount of fat, starch, and sugar in restaurant food is astounding. We're big slow cooker and BBQ people around here. And whole grain pasta with tomato sauce is a staple. So is oatmeal with fruits. And a lot of sandwiches and salads.

And can't your kids help you cook? Isn't home economics part of their education?

 

And what about taking them for a jog with you? They're old enough to do 3 kilometers, at least.

 

When I lived in Germany I took the bike to work. That was great, especially with the beautiful bike paths they had. *sigh* We don't even have sidewalks here.

Edited by VanessaS
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We've been homeschooling for eight years now, and I still struggle with the sort of issues you raise.

 

I found meal sanity by planning two weeks of meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not that I'm tied to that, but it gives me a plan for what to cook. Breakfast is scones, waffles, puffy pancake, breakfast burritoes, or toast-and-eggs. For lunch mostly we eat soup, frozen pizza, burritoes, and mac-and-cheese with fruit and raw veggies. Sometimes we eat leftovers. And dinner is mostly done in the crock pot.

 

After some years of being able to get out and afford going to a gym, I bought equipment several years ago that I use first thing in the morning and take long walks several times a week. I miss the social part of working out, but it was a budget item that had to go and frankly I exercise more on my own than I did the last year I belonged to a gym.

 

And the reality is that when you homeschool, you have a full-time job. There just isn't time for a lot of things that stay-at-home moms can do after the schoolbus picks up their children. It's a season of life, and you just have to accept it. It's worth it though. ;)

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I subscribe to the weekly Scramble at http://thescramble.com/. I used to use the Saving Dinner subscription service, but my family didn't care for the meals. I love that I have a plan & shopping list ready to go each week, and that the Scramble allows for me to make my own custom meal plans/shopping lists if I need/want to substitute a meal. The food is tasty & healthy, and many of the meals only take 30 minutes to prepare. For me, the subscription cost has been sooo worth it. :)

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