lone parents housework / keep fit / healthy eating thread

[meglet]

We can only do the best we can. No point in going on housework threads if you're a working LP who never has a break from the kids. Or if you're a SAHM LP with small kids who can't get to the gym.

So, a thread for us to start the New Year with good intentions and to juggle it around everything else we have to do .

• I banned Minecraft today and tomorrow after some shocking behaviour (kicking each other in the supermarket) the dc's had a burst of enthusiasm, dysoning and tidying up to get back in my good books.

• I have managed to get out for a few runs over Xmas. We stayed with my mum for a couple of days so I went out then.

Here's to a positive start to 2015.

Hi, can I join please?

House: Sunday is cleaning day. Am also trying to keep on top of it during the week so that it's not so bad at the weekend.

Money: have joined Quidco and will be trying to save some money this year and reduce outgoings.

Health/fitness: am seriously overweight. Put on 3st in 2014. Have bought a trampette/rebounder from Argos and aiming for 20m/day. Will also be chucking all of the remaining Christmas sweets out today and will NOT be dieting (nan has anorexia, mum and sis borderline), but will def be eating healthily and cutting out chocolate and fizzy drinks. Apart from water, what is a fairly healthy cold drink, btw?

Work: will be looking for a new job that is either more local and/or less hours. Currently work 18m from he, FT, which means I'm out 7.30-6 weekdays. Am v tired.

Good luck to everyone in 2015!

Right, I'm preparing a giant vat of spaghetti Bolognese mix. Will be dinner tonight and freezer for the future.
Going to download YNAB this afternoon and get my finances back on track.
I've changed my bedding, and got the washing on.

I've had poor health for past 6 months and am just starting to be on the mend now, so it's time to get back to being organised!
Motivation levels are good!

(although it's also possible that my boyfriend going home today is leading to done wicked displacement activity...)

Can i join ye ? Am a lone parent for last 18 years so kids are all grown up (although 2 still live with me). This is the year i want to sort myself. Need to get my house, finances and health in proper working order!

Right have started healthy eating as from today (now that most of the Christmas biscuits and chocolate have been eating )

So far today have had 2 slices of marmite and toast (wholemeal), small bowl of cornflakes, beans on toast and a yogurt. Dinner tonight is salmon with rice and veg. Will try very hard not to eat anything else!! Am drinking sparkling water when feel like something sweet.

Exercise not much but might get my dds skipping rope out tonight - this is easy exercise when I can't be bothered with anything else (most of the time.)

Have sorted kitchen cupboards and taken a bag full of stuff down to the charity shop, anything I hadn't used in 2014 went!! Also sorted out a cupboard which had years of uni work in, chucked most of it as unlikely to ever look at it again thank God

Managed to clear my bedroom floor to the point I could hoover..A real achievement. I started to change my curtain rings in bedroom ...job planned to do about 4 months ago...Done one curtain however am about 8 curtain hooks short for the other curtain.( typical)

Wiating for Mary poppins to finish before I can do my wii Exercise.

phew shattered. I have been hoovering in the children's room. so far Ihave done under their beds. most of the books have been desanded and put back in neat piles under their beds. soft toys have been tidied. some of the jigsaw bits have been returned to the correct locations... there is still a lot ot do including sweeping up the sand and doing something with the old mattress that has been stuffed behind something by ex.

whilst I have been upstairs tidying they have been playing downstairs so that is messy.

it is like one giant game of plate spinning and I am constantly running back down the line to respin the plates at the beginning. it is really hard to see the difference.

a trip to th charity shop/friends to drop stufff off is urgently needed.

I need to join you!
Want to get a bit fitter, and be better groomed all the time, not just for work. Want a tidy uncluttered house and garden, and a new job.
So far I haven't done much about any of the above.

but you have joined the thread Guilianna

Well done guiliana for taking the first steps and joining the thread! Honestly I'm finding it really motivational. Hope you do too

I would have given up an hour earlier than i did if it were not for this thread, so come on in and set a small goal for this week.. and get on and do it. what bit do you think you can tackle first.

I also here the 31 days decluttering thing is starting tomorrow. waiting for a link to be posted in another forum.

Can I join in please? Have a crazy 4 year old who can untidy quicker than I can tidy and an 8 month old who screams like she's being murdered when ever she is not on me. Run my own business from home. Also DD wakes ALOT in the night and DS fights sleep every night so will often be up til 9 or 10pm. So I never feel refreshed and energised. :(

Ex is useless and no other family. Eldest at nursery 4 days a week 9-3 though. Am considering getting a cleaner or babysitter or someone to help for a couple of hours a week. What do you think?

I need to look after me, which means better nutrition, exercise and tidier home. Just finding it hard to find time and motivation. Most days I manage to achieve the sum total of nothing and it's very frustrating. Would love some support here.

Today was a 20 mile cycle and a bit of diy. (Dcs with dad)
We have restarted the token reward systemand the dcs went to bed without a fuss. Yay.

Tomorrow: get up earlier. Bin stuff. Tidy up. More things on gumtree. Finally get rid of snowboard gear. Face it I am not going boarding again!

Oh and return the library books!!

we also have a DVD to return to the library which I forgot we even had out till I received a text telling me it was overdue

llamalover i have a cleaner - a male one, which i quite like! - and it is so, so worth it. it feels like a ridiculous luxury, which i can't afford at all (he comes once a fortnight) but i see it as a way of buying myself some help around the house. non-single parents get to split the housework, at least in theory, whereas everything falls on the shoulders of the single parent. i would love to live in some kind of commune where the cooking and housework tasks can be shared but until i find this nirvana, a cleaner will have to do.

Another one wanting a tidier house, it never seems to happen though - downstairs can be got presentable quickly but my bedroom has become the dumping ground for outgrown clothes, old school and art work and so on.

I know what you mean about respinning the plates!!

I sorted out some of dds books and finally found homes for the rest of the Christmas stuff ystd, also put a few bits on fb selling page and sold two items

Today sorted my desk which was drowning under a pile of paperwork going back months, I have chucked what can be chucked and just a few bits left to file.

Exercise still not much happening unfort, I am at a 20 mile cycle ride, I consider myself super fit if I cycle into town which is about a mile also didn't do that well at not eating after dinner - gah!! Will try again tonight.

I forgot to check in yesterday but I promise I did do my 15 mins tidy and clear a bag of clutter from the house. I am pleased to report my bathroom cabinet is all tidy now .

Not sure what my 15 mins will be tomorrow because I'm at work.... ...... I'm going to smarten up the TV cabinet. There's an ancient rubbery childproof lock still hanging off the doors that I haven't needed in about 3yrs. And DD has crayoned on the side of the TV, I can clean it all up after work while dinner cooks.

I've found a great website with free workouts.

www.fitnessblender.com

It was recommended in the sunday times top 10 'click and get fit' sites. I've just had a peek at it and it looks like you can choose from loads of different styles and length of videos.

Back to work today for me today, so I haven't achieved anything much so far. Going to continue working on my budget plans this evening. Also need to work out the holiday rota for me and ex for the next year. I keep putting it off as it's such a huge pain in the arse....

Hi just checking in.

Back to work today.

Have done 15mins on the rebounder. I aim to inc by 5mins/week til I'm up to 30mins/5 x week. Am loving it, but have jelly legs when I'm done.

Washing is now regularly removed from airer and I'm just about to have a quick pick up of 'stuff'.

I had NO chocolate today (yay!) but had a fair bit of fruit.

Still have to sort my finances out,
but have allowed myself until the end of the month to do this.

Feeling positive!

Working as well today so not a great deal achieved. No wii as back is aching so giving myself a day off. Have made chicken satay in slow coker for tea and now cooking Thai green chicken so I can warm it up tomorrow ...

I have ordered our European medical card for Feb holiday tonight..Tried to do proper insurance wasn't sure if it was best to do it as a family so after 10 mins on hold I gave up as needed to put DS to bed.

Slow progress for me, 3 kitchen cupboards sorted but ds ill so cant go to school and i cant go to interview tomorrow because there's no one to look after him, I'm trying to get them to reschedule but they're not keen. Been at home picking at food all day feel a bit cabin fever was looking forward to seeing everyone at work and it was my birthday today, 2 cards one from parents and one from a friend. Feeling sorry for myself

Haven't checked in for a few days but have been keeping up! Sorted out financial paperwork tonight, and faced the terrifying of checking the credit card balance after Christmas!

Will check out the 10 minute workouts Meglet

Oh Onion Happy Birthday. Hope your son is better soon.
That's a pain over the interview. Keep looking, and hopefully something else will turn up soon.