Friday, October 31, 2008

Hippo for the Holidays

As you can probably guess from the title, this has been another BAD week. Why is it that as soon as I PUBLICLY commit to weight loss, I go from doing okay to just blowing it constantly?

In my defense, and it is a pitiful defense, my life has just spiraled out of control. It has been right on the brink lately but I have managed to hold on to one tiny thread and keep going. Not this week.

I have posted in the past about my desperate need for a time management course. I even asked Tigerfan for a personal assistant for Christmas but he ignored me! Well, my lack of organizational skills has finally hit me smack in the face.

For several months now, my schedule has been something like this:
5:00 a.m. get up and do cardio for 30 minutes
5:30 a.m. breakfast and quiet time
6:00 a.m. shower and get ready
6:45 a.m. get the children up and begin the day, fix breakfast, do morning chores, etc. I also use this time as our "read aloud" time for school so while the children eat, I read to them from our current novel.
8:00 a.m. (hopefull) officially begin school. We usually begin by starting the laundry, doing pledges, learning a song for church choir, reciting our heart verses, and doing our Bible lesson. All of which I need to be present and involved in. Then, the children can choose what subject they work on next and we get started.

I assist with school where needed and try to keep laundry going. However, by keeping laundry going, I mean realizing one load is through, putting it in to dry and starting another...going to pull clothes I do not want to dry all the way...putting them in a basket to take upstairs to hang up to dry...getting distracted by a child needing assistance...realizing the dryer is through...putting clothes on the couch to fold...getting distracted by a fussy baby... by the days end, I usually have a basket of wet clothes weighing approximately 500 pounds and a couch so full of unfolded clothes that no one can use the living room!

11:30 a.m. we would break to fix lunch
12:00 eat with Daddy and then the kids take a break while I visit, clean, and probably find myself something to eat because in all likelihood, the baby needed to eat, then Tigerfan came home and needed lunch, and then the kids needed something, and soon everyone has eaten and left the table and I have a mess to clean and have not yet eaten, as a result in a frustrated and half starved craze...I grab whatever carbohydrate is close by and devour it. Most recently, that has been the Halloween candy stash! (this is not one of my prouder confessions)

Anyway...the rest of the day goes much like this. We often do not finish school until 4:00 at which time, it is time to fix supper, get baths, prepare for the next day, do night time activities...etc.

By the time the children go to bed, the house is a disaster, the laundry isn't done, I have not prepared for teaching at the tutorial, etc. So, I begin trudging through it all. Folding laundry, hanging wet clothes, ironing, ironing, ironing, cleaning the kitchen, preparing tutorial and on MWF doing my strength training. The result? Most weeknights, it is between 11:00p.m. and 1:00 a.m. before I go to bed and then it all starts over at 5.

I am not whining, I am not proud of this...it just is how it is. But this week, I have hit a wall. My body just physically can not take this much more. I am tired and cranky and stressed and my faith tends to waver a bit. The problem? What do I do? This week, I overslept 3 days! 3! That means no exercise and no quiet time and that means a scary mom! I know I am failing in certain things. I know the kids should have to help out more. But, usually, while I tell them they are helping that day, we get entrenched in school, and housework becomes undoable. By 4:00, they are tired, I am tired and the work involved in getting them to do chores then is just more than I can do!

So, here I am. The scale tells me I lost another pound (although one day this week it also told me I weighed 119 pounds). I do not see how that is true. Unless chocolate, muffins, and chips have become a healthy food group, I think there is a mistake! Regardless of my weight, however...I want to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle and I am not. I just do not know what to change or cut out to make life more manageable. And the busy season is just about to start!

I did not mean to make this post a whine fest, but I am REALLY frustrated. Any advice out there? I would love for it to include a weekend retreat with my husband and an unlimited amount of fat free, calorie free chocolate, so if you could incorporate that, it would be great! Hope all you other Hotties out there had a better week. And there is always next week, right? I'll get started on that...right after we celebrate the candy and calorie laden Fall Fun Fest at church tonight!

**I forgot to link to the host site! For more Fit Friday posts go to It's Almost Naptime!

8 comments:

Membership Required said...

Here are some thoughts. Do you have your kids in the homeschool program at the YMCA for PE and social aspects. If you do then while they are there you could be working out. Hence moving your workout time away from early morning might allow you more sleep which might allow you to have a more productive day. Also if your kids were at school they would have to pick up after their meal time so encourage them to clean up after themselves after lunch. Remember that even "teachers" get a lunch time and since it sounds like you husband comes home for lunch...let him be the lunch room monitor and you go and sit and eat in peace. That might allow you to decompress just enough to allow the second half of the day to go along quite nicely. Any how those are just my thoughts on finding more time or organization to your day.
On the fit friday thing....I love the new food category you were talking about...but (giggle)muffins would go straight to my butt. Pray about all of this and he'll help you to slow down and find the organization. Good luck.

Lisa said...

It's so hard to carve out time to eat amidst all the busy-ness with the kids!! I have the same problem! I try to make a large egg dish that I can freeze in squares and just reheat for breakfast. Premade salad for lunch, nuts for snacks and dinner is whatever I can shovel while the kids are screaming and whining about their food:) Hope your next week is a bit easier for you!

Posh Mama said...

Can I borrow your scale? hee hee hee
I agree that organization would prolly help you out a lot. Also, maybe one night a week you could have some quiet time.

The Smiths said...

Balance is hard for a mom. Perhaps pick a few mornings a week to work out instead of every morning and use those mornings to catch an extra 30 minutes of sleep. Also, find exercises you can do with the kids.

Rach@In His Hands said...

You are a busy Momma! I agree with "The Smiths" advice. Hopefully this week goes better for you!

Sarah said...

Maybe instead of doing the same exercise in the mornings you change it up. I exercise four days a week, and each day the exercises are different. I like this because it changes things up. I tend to get bored pretty easily.

Another thing, you get the maxim calorie burn if you do strength and cardio moves together. I recommend Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD. They are 20 minute workouts and there are three different levels. I really like them - especially on a busy day!

Missy said...

Number one, quit being so hard on yourself. I think you are doing amazing. I do not know how homeschool moms do it. There is no way I could manage it.

I read this and I think, you have just GOT to get more sleep. Got. To. You keep going on 4 hours and you are going to get sick and then no one will be happy.

Let those kids sleep in a little. Around here, Daddy gets up with the kids, and I sleep in a bit and then do my qt (i mean, ideally that is the way it is supposed to work.) Isn't one of the greatest parts about homeschooling that you do not have to start at 8am??

Have you been to the blog Preschoolers and Peace? I think she has her homeschool schedule online. I know lots of other moms do.

As far as laundry - sister. It just never gets done. It breeds at night and you just can't stay ahead so quit getting discouraged about it. It is what it is.

Altho I might try telling the kids they have to earn their food by folding and putting away laundry. The kids could totally be doing it for you. And they could probably use the break from schoolwork.

CJ, The Purple Diva said...

Your sense of humor cracks me up!
This would explain why I haven't heard much from you this week!
Woman, you are trying to be WONDER MOM! Been there done that got that t-shirt.
I'm almost 50 now. I've been where you are...well, except I haven't weighed 119 since I graduated from HS! But that's not what we are taking about!
Find some time for you! You need some break time. Let daddy and the kids help you. You're a family...families work together. It's a team effort...not a MOM do it all effort.
Give yourself some credit. You are doing the most wonderful job you can be doing right now with those kids. But you really do need some time for you. You are important to that family making it-so you need to take care of you.
I like the suggestions that have been given already. I'm tired and my brain is fried so I wanted to come and see what's going on in your world before I went to sleep.
Hang in there mom.
God knows you are doing the best you can do. Tell yourself that and pray for his help. He'll give you the answers you need!
Hugs to you!