Mindless Weekend Rambling: How to Find the Time

Welcome to my new blog event called Mindless Weekend Rambling where I will ramble on and on aimlessly about all the junk rolling around in my brain. Occasionally I might rant and rave about something that is bothering me or question the sanity of it all, or maybe choose to discuss my to do list or plans that I am making or maybe share something new I learned. The only thing I can guarantee is that it will be totally off the cuff. I hope you will bear with me and maybe get a laugh or two in the process.

 

 

So to start this weekend I want to know how on earth anyone finds the time for things, especially working mothers!

 

A couple of my friends have been pushing me to join a gym and now a few of my coworkers are getting together to join LA Fitness (to reduce the cost) and invited me to join them.  I have had to turn everyone down, its not that I don't want to loose weight or get healthy. In fact I would love to start swimming again! It is the fact that I have no idea where I would find the time in any given day.

 

Here let me give you a brief rundown of my daily/weekly schedule and see if you can find the time for me to drive to the gym, work out, get cleaned up and drive home or to work.

 

Monday - Friday

I get up between 6:30 & 7:00am - start warming Munchkin's milk, read him a book, change his diaper, give him the milk, let the dog out and feed the dog. Sit for a couple of minutes to watch the news and wake up (all while trying to control and keep a toddler and rambunctious dog quiet so hubby can sleep).

Now it is about 7:30am - cook munchkin breakfast and feed him (usually scrambled eggs or pancakes with fruit, or really whatever I can get him to eat that day). Pack Munchkin's lunch & pick out clothes for both of us and maybe find a minute to throw a lunch together for us.

It is now 8:00am - roll Munchkin's high chair into the living room and turn on Mickey Mouse and rush into the shower. Get myself ready (rarely have time for makeup and never to do more than throw my hair in a bun or ponytail).

8:30am - put the dog out again, get Munchkin dressed, shoes & coat on, let the dog in and put him in his crate & load everything and everyone in the car.

8:45am - drop Munchkin off at daycare with all his stuff.

9:00am - grab some breakfast for myself on the way to work

9:15am - walk into work late (yes I am late almost every day, thankfully I have a very understanding boss and one who appreciates the fact that I am good at my job).

9:15am - 5:00pm - work (I am great at multitasking so I manage to find time to read and write while on the phone or between files).

5:15pm - go pick Munchkin up at daycare (usually he has only had one nap and is cranky and doesn't want to leave).

5:45pm - get home, unload everyone and everything from the car. Let the dog out & in. Scramble to cook some dinner with a fussy, cranky toddler hanging off my legs.

6:00ish pm - Feed Munchkin dinner & maybe get a bite here and there myself if I am lucky.

6:30pm - push high chair into living room so Munchkin can watch Thomas the Train while being contained. Put leftovers in fridge, get munchkin's bedroom ready for bedtime (pick a book, put a cup of water in the room, fill vaporizer, pick up any toys, lay out pjs). Maybe get a load of laundry going depending on how fussy the little man is.

7:00pm - spend a little time playing with Munchkin or mellowing out watching his goodnight show depending on his mood.

7:30pm - let dog out & in, feed dog. Start the bedtime routine (pjs, lotion, brush teeth, wash hands and face, have a sip of water, read a story, another sip of water, look at pictures, lights out, sing a song and put him in the crib where he may fall asleep right away or scream for an hour).

8:00pm - Pick up toys scattered all over the living room, shut tv off, clean up kitchen and start dishwasher.

8:30-9:30 or 10:00pm - Nightly chores (Monday: set menu, shopping lists, clean litter box, take out trash and recycling, cut dog & cat claws & some laundry, Tuesday: pick up house & laundry, Wednesday: clean bathroom & go through mail piles, Thursday: clean kitchen & whatever project needs tackling, Friday: banking, bill paying, filing & take care of any business).

10:00pm - get ready for bed and lay down to read until 10:30 or 11:00

 

Weekends are then spent running errands on Saturday morning (of course with Munchkin in tow while hubby sleeps) and then doing any chores that require more effort in the afternoon (ie: sweeping, moping, dusting, etc.) and catching up on laundry again. Usually I am lucky enough to get out of cooking dinner on the weekends since Hubby likes to cook. Sunday morning finds me & Munchkin either vegging out and playing or at church while Hubby again sleeps. During football season we all gather and watch the games Sunday afternoons or if there isn't football on we might play some games, or do some more outside chores or go visiting.  Then the week starts over again.

 

 

So there you have it.  My insane schedule, I am on my own all week long since Hubby works the opposite schedule, so I can't have him take care of Munchkin or prepare dinner so I can work out.  The only thing I can think of is maybe from 7-7:30 am I could maybe squeeze in some pilates/yoga and then after Munchkin goes to bed maybe run on an elliptical for half an hour while laundry is running.

 

So I pose the question, how on earth do you find the time to exercise, let alone do anything else?! 

 

There is so much I want to do, I see all these fun things I want to do with Munchkin or crafts I want to make on Pinterest but in reality there is almost no spare time in my schedule.  I have even had to cut out TV from my schedule, I have stopped watching so many shows (NCIS, NCIS LA, Criminal Minds, Castle, Etc.) because the DVR was just getting filled up and Hubby was complaining there was no memory left for his shows.

 

So I will stop ranting and raving now.  Is there anything you wished you could find time for but just can't seem to squeeze in? Or have you maybe managed to find the time to do what you wanted?