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Friday, June 29, 2012

The Illusive Thing Called "Time"



Time is totally the operative word when these 4 kiddos are around! I don't have a lot of time or energy for that matter to do much besides take care of their cuteness!

But I have been trying to find time to myself. This week has been challenging because We went to a ball game on Tuesday as part of Oswald's Father's Day present, Wednesday I went to another ball game with the youth at my church, and then Thursday was a surprise party for one of the women I work with at church. So there has not been much "Jennie time" and I need my "Jennie time".

"Jennie time" helps me to recover and rejuvenate my spirit. It helps me to remember the things I love about myself and what makes me who I am. Sometimes my "Jennie time" is far more important than exercising. But, if I'm lucky, I can do both at the same time!

When I exercised on Monday, that was my "Jennie time". Tuesday we walked and walked and walked the ballpark. Wednesday I exercised in the pool for 2.5 hours playing with my kids...talk about exercise. I throw them, I catch them, I swim with them on my back, etc...  I get a lot of exercise on "swimming days". Thursday we did not swim and I did not have any "Jennie time". Thursday I was worn out and my nerves were shot. Probably because I did not exercise.

So what works the best for me, is when I take my kids with me to exercise. Either they ride in the John Deere while I push a stroller and walk or we swim. We all get some good exercise and get to be outside. Now, it is super duper hot here in Georgia, but that shouldn't stop me...that's why we live in a neighborhood with a pool, right?

I need to do this for myself. I need to do this for my kids. I'm a better mom and wife if I have some "Jennie time". But here is one of my problems...I am not a selfish person. Never have been. It's hard for me to buy things for myself. It's hard for me to ask for things. It's hard for me to think about myself before I think about others. But I think I need to be in order to be a better me. I really want to be a better me, but it's going to be a struggle.

I will have to get over myself to be the best me. So if y'all are willing to work with me on this...I'm going to accomplish everything I want. I'm going to be a better me and take a little time to become a better me!


What do you do to find "me time"? How do you juggle kids and exercise? What time do you have the most success working out?

10 comments:

  1. Love the post first of all!!! Me and Amy E. are trying to figure this all out too! I feel like some mommies don't value the importance of rejuvenating so that you can be a better you, wife, mom, and friend. We (Amy and I) are trying to exercise in the morning even though we aren't morning people. It's amazing how quiet the house is and it often leads to time for me to do personal scripture study, shower, and get dressed before the kids are even awake! We have also scheduled once per month girl's nights and some craft nights. This schedule makes me happy because I'm getting projects done with friends:). So there you go! My plan is to exercise in the a.m., have "me" time after bedtime, have scheduled girl's nights. Keep us posted! Erika:)

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    1. Erika!
      I think that having someone (who does not live in your house) exercise with you helps you to be accountable!! It's awesome you have a friend do do this with! I have been thinking about doing this, but it seems like everyone has a darn gym membership!!

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  2. Jennie, I think it is very important to have "me" time even thuough you may feel guilty about putting yourself first. But the truth is, you are putting your family first because you are making yourself a better wife and mother. Others may view things such as pedicutes, shopping, getting your hair done and even girls weekends selfish but I don't and never have. These are things that make me feel better about myself, which, in turn, makes me a happier Mom and wife. Exercise especially isn't an activity that you should feel is interferring with your kids. I think its wonderful that you've figured out a way to include them into your daily exercise but there are many days I lay my youngest down for a nap and put on a show for my boys so I can get my workout in. And there is nothing wrong with that. I feel fantastic afterwards and I have more energy to be with my kids the rest of the day. Everyone wins when you find the time to do things for yourself otherwise you wind up worn out and even sometimes resentful. So go get your fabulous on and treat yourself as much as possible because YOU DESERVE IT!!!! :)

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    1. Lisa--
      You are an inspiration! You get back to your "normal size" while your baby is still young! I wish I had that drive!! I do need to take more "me" time. It's really important and I understand that, but I do feel guilty when Oswald is home and I am off doing something on my own because there are times when we hardly ever see each other. But you do have a very valid point, it does make us better wives and mothers.

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  3. Forgive all the misspellings. I was on my phone!

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  4. I have found for me I get that time early in the morning when I got out to exercise 3 days a week. I will admit my baby is almost 7, so it's easier now, but yes it is so important to have that me time.

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    1. Alison--
      I think that you're right to exercise early in the morning and I have big plans for that once school is back in session, but until then I have to do something...this belly is killing me!!

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  5. oh, and I LOVE your baby's expression in that picture. so cute!

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  6. i think this is an issue that all moms face and will always have problems with. i recently had a friend who asked me the exact question. i agree with lisa. i am also a firm believer that i need to have my own hobbies/talents/skills/interests that i can do to take my mind away from mommy stuff, challenge my mind, and connect socially with others. i don't want to wake up one day and my children are all grown up and out of the house and i have no idea what to do with myself.

    now time, it helps that my husband is a huge supporter of me having "me" time. he always offers to take the kids in order for me to work on my projects or go out with friends. and i also have all my kids go down for quiet time (coordinates with baby's nap time) where i get about 2 hours in the day for me to clean, craft, blog or whatever i need to do alone. and i try to do stuff after they go to bed at night. nate and i try to work together in the same room so we can still chat while we work on our individual projects (because nate needs his time too). and weekends are big family time where we do fun stuff together all together.

    exercise. that has always been my worst enemy. i am not fond of my postpartum body. in fact, i am in the process of trying to drop 20 pounds to get my weight back what it was before i had any kids. i had the same thoughts as you, i didn't want to join a gym, i didn't want to leave my newborn baby at child care, i didn't want to pack up all my kids and haul them to a gym several times a week, i am still nursing so i couldn't exactly stop eating food, etc. but nate helped me come to terms that if i want to exercise to lose weight, it has to be on the top of my priorities and i need make time for it and have a sense of ownership. i workout better in a class because it pushes me (I'm a exercise whimp, especially by myself. i give up as soon as it starts to hurt). i need someone to show me if i am doing things correctly, and it's just fun. (btw, this is not to get you to join the gym). i tried to workout at home but it's impossible with the kids. and once the kids are sleeping, i usually want to do something else rather than workout. and i found an app on my phone that helps me keep track of my calories and weight loss. so rather than dropping lots of calories to lose weight fast, my goal is 1 pound a week. i eat about 1730 calories a day and that hasn't affected my nursing at all.

    so… it's a journey. you are doing amazing. you are such a great mother to your children. your family is completely adorable. your kids are happy. your husband is happy. you should be happy too - about your wellbeing and life. and you look great for having a baby just a few months ago! i just keep reminding myself that my post-baby body is not pretty at all but i have to appreciate and love it for what it is. i try to make the best of it.

    sorry for the rant. oh, last thing, i have a bunch of exercise videos if you want to borrow them and try them out at home. they are pretty fun!

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  7. Tiffany--
    I would love to borrow some DVD's! I am always looking for a new way to kick my own trash!! :)
    1730 sounds like a doable amount of calories. It seems when I am really cautious of what I am eating then I go to far and it impacts my milk, but when I eat a few more carbs or something then I have what I need. I guess I need to be more diligent with counting then just trying to guess.

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