A Balancing Act- House/Kids, Me Time, and Fitness

Whether you are single, married, have kids, have zero kids, or are an empty nester, we are ALL balancing different things.

I rejoined the forces of working moms everywhere and I am dying adjusting to new routines.

However, I am struggling.  I wouldn’t be human if I wasn’t.  

I very much enjoy what I am doing BUT my routines from the last 8 years as a stay-at-home mom have blown out the window.  My house is a mess, I have ZERO time to myself, and I am bouncing back and forth with my fitness routine, trying to figure out what works best with my new schedule (I could have written this as a SAHM, too- ha!!!!).

I am not complaining by any means. I am very happy to be working again- the job kind of fell into my lap.  I enjoy what I am doing, something totally different from before (kids).  I am beyond grateful to have the best of both worlds- working and bringing in a paycheck yet having a job (and a boss) that gives me the flexibility I need at times with having three children.  I am home to send my kids off to school and I am home (barely) when they get off the bus after school.  

I am trying to find that balance between all that I need to do, want to do, and have to do.  These are a few things that are working for me so far.

House/Kids

• Clear the sink every single night.  It makes waking up a little easier when you know you won’t be facing a mountain of old, crusty dishes that need to be scrubbed.  I can’t say much more about the house because I am failing in this area currently.
• Pack kids’ lunches the night before or better yet, have the kids pack their lunches the night before!
• Sign ALL of their homework/paperwork the night before.
• Pack MY lunch the night before.
• Menu plan.  I am still working on this one.  Luckily, my kids are pretty go with the flow when it comes to mealtime but still, I want to nail this one down so I am not scrambling at dinnertime.

Me Time

• GET OFFLINE.
• Go to bed earlier to get enough sleep, and good sleep at that.
• GET OFFLINE.  OK, this is a difficult one for me.  I am still trying to balance this one out.  The only time I have for writing stuff here and for handling the running Facebook page is in the evenings.  Then, of course, I want to see what’s going on in the world and whatnot.  But then, there is the wasteful time spent on the computer, not really doing much of anything, except reading random things or watching silly videos.  Hmmmm, I need to ponder this more.
• As I write this post, it is becoming obvious to me that I don’t have much me time and need to make this a priority, STAT!  By me time, I mean time to read a book (I love to read), or scrapbook, or talk on the phone with family and friends, etc.  Most evenings are spent folding laundry (I guess this could be considered me time- ugh), cleaning or picking up messes, getting ready for the next day, managing the family calender/social obligations, preparing for upcoming events (like birthday parties, dance recitals, sports games, etc), sometimes paying attention to my husband, and whatnot.  I am sure you guys are picking up what I am putting down- I wish I had more hours in the day!  I am so off on a tangent- sorry about that.
• GET OFFLINE : ).

 Fitness

• On a weekly basis, schedule out what fitness stuff I will be doing, for example, what days I will run, what days will be for strength training, and what days are *expendable* if necessary.  Exercise = endorphins = happier woman
• Plan to meet up with a friend when you can.
• Coordinate with your husband if you need to.
• Be flexible.  There have been a few days of late where I had scheduled strength days at the gym but work got the best of me and I just couldn’t make a gym workout happen. Instead, I did some research of at home strength workouts and I have been doing those.  It’s working out quite nicely!
• Rest when your body is telling you to.

This is by no means a comprehensive list, just what is working (and obviously not working) for me.  Please share your individual tips and ideas in the comments below!