THE END IS IN SIGHT!
and I’m ready. While it hasn’t been unbearable, I just need (NEED) a break. Knowing that at any minute — and throughout every night — I just might be paged is fine for a few days, and then it just starts to get hard.
Luckily, there are only 2 more nights left! This was an annoying weekend in that I was on call (and had new consults both days) and Josh was on call too, for the afternoons and overnights. Note to self: never attempt to do that again without childcare. It was too stressful and too tiring.
On the plus side, we had some lovely family moments. And I survived a trip to a party 45 minutes away by myself with both kids (WITH a last minute Whole Foods stop to pick up the components of a cheese plate). I have to say that bringing both kids with me pretty much anywhere still makes me anxious.* Will this wear off . . . ever?
In other news, I think I might try something radically different this week and attempt evening workouts, just as an experiment. I know I said that I “couldn’t” do them, but several of you made the excellent point that it’s a lot more predictable that both children will be asleep at, say, 8:30 pm compared with 5:30 am. The only downside is that I probably won’t want to run outside in the dark, but seeing as our morning weather looks like this right now:
. . . I wouldn’t really be missing out on much.
Tips? Those of you that exercise at night, do you eat dinner superlate (like 9 pm)? If I do that I will need to eat something pretty substantial before that or I cannot imagine having the energy to do anything.
I work out in the AM after just coffee, but I’m never that hungry at 5:30 am.
* About what, you might ask? That one of them might have a crying fit/tantrum, that one of them (A) might try to run off, that one of them will fall or hurt themselves while I am dealing with the other one, that one of them will make some horrific mess (on themselves or someone else), that I will be without something essential — continue ad nauseum.
————————————————————————————–
workouts: 3.6 miles (in the above weather) on Saturday at 9:35/mi average, 30 minutes of a barre3 workout today
interesting: A Diet of Distraction
positive: I got in lots of lovely snuggle time with C today.
picture: The blur doing a somersault on the mat is Annabel! I’m so proud 🙂
11 Comments
I eat dinner late – like sometimes as late as 9. I usually will eat some sort of granola bar or something like a half hour before I work out though.
It is funny how going out alone with one child, two children, however many children you happen to have goes from being quite anxiety producing to almost enjoyable at times. I know this is true for me as a SAHM, but may not be the case if you already have plenty of childless time outside of the house and are able to run errands sans kids. I remember thinking I am NEVER going anywhere with all five. Now I do it just to get out of the house and if I keep the trip short enough it usually isn’t too stressful. And as a bonus I have become skilled at wearing baby, pushing a cart with a car seat in the basket and a todder in the seat, and pulling another cart/helping Madeline steer another cart that actually has our stuff in it. I am a traveling circus these days, but whatever. Other than enduring 37 people telling me, "You sure have your hands full!" it is manageable 🙂
Love little A doing her summersault! Way to go A :)!!
What about a treadmill run while watching something enjoyable on TV? I think it would be much easier for me to get motivated to do that than drag myself outside in hot, humid weather.
I do a big snack after work, and then a lighter/quick dinner after working out. My biggest tip would be don’t stop moving or think about it too much. I get home and immediately change into my workout clothes, have a snack while the kid is eating dinner, and do as much of the bedtime routine as possible before passing it off to my husband and walking out the door. The more I keep moving without actively thinking about the fact that I’m going to workout, the less likely I am to come up with reasons why I should sit on the couch instead.
I really like this tip! Too much ruminating = fail.
I’ve not really done evening workouts as I worry it would rev me up — but I guess this would fall into the category of something being better than nothing. Instead of doing a hard work out, do a very light one and see how it goes…
Almost done! Yay!
I eat dinner with the family at 6-ish if I run after they go to bed. I could never make it until 9!
It is funny (or creepy? Don’t take it that way!) but I was thinking of how we used to post on that forum and how great it was to be accountable and also interact with so many like minded people about running. I actually miss that. It was very motivating. I am trying to train for a marathon again, and it feels more lonely this time. Nobody but me to care about if I do get out and do that long run, you know. I wish I had a similar online community now. Do you know if there are any good ones? RW seems to have slowed down too?
not creepy at all, i know exactly what you mean! i wonder if there’s a Facebook group of sorts? Or a running forum for moms (not that I’m ONLY interested in mothers but there are definitely unique challenges with the combo).
I think there may be some kind of community/board type thing on the app strava. Maybe I’ll post about this and ask!
I have to eat something before an evening workout or else I just feel hungry the whole time. I may or may not eat after too. I recommend treadmill or exercise video. Even if you just end up walking on the treadmill it would be much better than doing nothing.
I also find it stressful to take Dyl out. It’s almost always just fine, but things take forever, and I worry that she’ll dart off into traffic while I’m trying to load the car or something. The logistics can be challenging. Also, many people are just not very helpful, and obviously find children to be annoying. What works best is just tuning them all out. If there’s a really annoying person, I just imagine he/she’s one of my patients and I get to put her to sleep. 🙂
Often one of us will run after the kids go to bed. If I know I will be doing that, I just eat a snack (aka nibbles of the kids’ dinner) around 5:30. Then I will eat dinner around 8. The most I can do at night is 4-5 miles because of time and usually when it gets dark out. Most of the year, it’s too dark so it’s on the treadmill for me. I just try to suffer through with a good show on Netflix.
Oh and I almost never go anywhere with my two alone! Daycare drop off and pick up is about all I can handle.