Do your hobbies/sport/exercise massively impact family life?

[Hop27]

Might just be feeling a bit overwhelmed but, our week for a family of 3 looks a little like this ....
minimum of 16 sets of training clothes to be washed. Not including anything else.
3 early starts, up at 5:30 out the door at 6, straight to work home at 7.
3 evenings taken up (including a Friday)
6:30am start on Saturday.
7:30am start on the occasional Sunday
3/4 hours on a Sunday taken up, time varies. We are all active, and all enjoy it, but I am
beginning to think its getting a bit excessive!

Wow. I'm naturally quite lazy . I facilitate my DC doing hobbies/sport but I wouldn't take one up personally and make my life any more tiring. Good for you though!

Do you have to do quite so much though?

Cant you buy more kit & just do one wash?

Get DH to wash the tupperwares and the kits on alternate days then, problem solved.

I’m not following / understanding

Why are you washing 20 Tupperware?!

DH & I are both sporty (cyclists) and DC is only 3. It can make life tricky. We’ve just had a couple of weeks where we were both a bit ill and it actually made life easier not trying to fit in exercise

Are all three of you sharing the sports laundry and extra dishwashing equally?

We're a bit of a mix. My boys do the same sport so one evening and one morning a week. They both go so it's actually quite easy and the washing isnt too bad. We go surfing/kayaking at least one weekend a month but that's all together so family time.
I'm self employed so I go to my exercuse after dropping them at school and stuff just goes in the washing basket. A load every 2 days and washing is under control.
We all play an instrument. We do individual practice whenever we want and we play together so it's quite nice actually.
The other thing is board games which have always been my hobby, and they've been brought up doing it so it's another night a week but we do it together.

I guess things will change as they get older but a decent chunk of our family time is actually doing those hobbies together.

*exercise

We have horses (very fortunate to have them at home with us) and my daughter competes and yes it takes up a huge amount of time and resources but it our way of life. My ds plays football and I support him with that too, as well as both parents having full time jobs. We love it

It's a mindset more than anything.

For example, 3 evenings taken up (including a Friday)
it's not "taken" when you enjoy it. My day is taken by work - got bills to pay, can't just walk out. My free time spent exercising is a choice, I don't see that as being taken.

The idea of slobbing in front of the tv instead depresses me.

Re: the laundry, I have to say that living in a wet country where outdoor sport means "mud" sounds exhausting but when you clean as you go, it's not so bad. I hose down the worst of it before washing, and use the garage for sports clothes and shoes.

As long as you are happy, have enough of a life and time to work, it's not excessive.

Why are you washing 20 Tupperware?!

Yeah that's odd

Agree with the tupperware. If I do need to take anything beyond a water bottle and a banana or cereal bar then I'll take an insulated lunchbag. These clean out really quickly and you can leave them to drain dry overnight. One bag each for three of you shouldn't be a problem?

Wash the Tupperware in dishwasher, remove and place on dish rack thing to dry like if you had washed it by hand. One problem solved.

@MiddlesexGirl

Agree with the tupperware. If I do need to take anything beyond a water bottle and a banana or cereal bar then I'll take an insulated lunchbag. These clean out really quickly and you can leave them to drain dry overnight. One bag each for three of you shouldn't be a problem?

So you would just whack a few spoonfuls of pasta salad straight into an insulated lunch box and then just dig in with a fork? That's not something I would be doing.

It goes in a Tupperware, which then goes inside the insulated lunch bag.

@Niconacotaco

Wash the Tupperware in dishwasher, remove and place on dish rack thing to dry like if you had washed it by hand. One problem solved.

I was going to write that. I do it with water bottles too.

Our life revolves around our horses, however it is a whole family thing and our lifestyle.
I imagine if you're the driver, launder and supporter (and don't participate) it would be incredibly hard.

Why are you washing 20 Tupperware?!

I want to know that
(Though I do the same as @Niconacotaco when I have anything like that, that doesn't dry in the dishwasher)

Now you've broken down that 3 of you are doing different things, it doesn't seem so bad. I mean - the washing machine does the washing, it's not like it is hard labour.
I've gone through doing the washing for 5 of us, when different folk were doing swim training / rugby / football / climbing / hiking etc.

Also, as pps have indicated, going out to do something you enjoy, isn't really like going out to work. Your schedule wouldn't suit me as I don't like getting up early, but that sounds like you are choosing to do that for yourself, not getting up to take a dc to swimming galas etc.

The problem is pretty obvious. You’re doing all the grunt work for the other two family members to enjoy their hobbies.

One of my sons does football, two daughters do dance and youngest two children have swimming. All know, right down to dd5, that kits or uniforms get stripped off and out into washing straight away. When it’s done eldest two collect their own kit and fold it/put it into bags to be ready.

If I was organising everyone’s washings and lunches including DH I wouldn’t have time to enjoy anything.

I do 5 sessions a week most weeks. But no one else does!

Why are you the one that does all the washing and washing up? Spread the load. Definitely don't wash clothes and tupperware of any other adult in the house.

Can you buy spare sports gear and do two big washes at the weekend?

Teach your partner and child how to use the washing machine. 16 sets of sports clothes can't really be that time consuming to wash: putting them in the washing machine and hanging them out can only take 10 minutes tops. No need to iron or even put them away properly if you're using them that regularly.

Put the tupperwear in the dishwasher on a quick cycle, then open the door and pull out the tray when it's done. They'll soon dry.

Or buy more sports wear and just wash them all together at the weekend/a specific day. If they get stinky from not being washed straight away then soak them in water with some vinegar in before washing the next day.

Sounds exhausting. Is it any fun at all?

In the summer holidays DD has to come to the yard with me twice a week when I'm riding my horse and she isn't I am not popular on those days - so it's the other way round here. My hobby impacts her. It's only an hour and a half but she acts like I'm dragging her over hot coals.

Tough monkeys.

I dont get why exercise/activities are causing so much tupperware

Also sportswear for the activities you describe is usually thin & quick to dry, just bung it all in one wash at the end of the week.

Feels like maybe an element of this is a meal being made out of it

Kids pack own snacks and wipe out own tupperware each time? You and dh do their own? Better for life skills anyway.
I am training for a marathon but I fit it around things. If I have to give a child a lift in the middle of a long run so be it, or I get up earlier or run wherever they are going. But been there done that got through it with the schedule. Try and have a few weekends or weeks off out of season and don't get burnt out.