So after my return to swimming over the summer, I now need to plan how I am going to keep up the swimming once schools are back.
I was so fortunate where we used to live, being 5 mins or 15 mins from the pools I trained at, plus we trained late 8.30-9.30pm and 8-9.30pm so husband would be back to look after the kids.
So come 23rd Aug I need to leave home at 7.30am to get bigger small child to school. My nearest masters team is a good 30mins drive and practices 5.15am-6.30am, so I'd somehow have to get out of the pool at 6.30, drive through the rush hour traffic (albeit kind of against the traffic, but still..) get home have 2 small kids breakfasted, dressed and out the door all within the hour.
Husband is currently heading up some global finance project which means conference calls at all hours, so while he may be around at home, he may also have a 7am call with Europe, so can't rely on him to help out - and if he doesn't have an early call he would leave the house at 8.30am and likely stay in bed until 8.15..GRRR...
Plus by the time lunchtime comes around I'd be pooped - getting up at 5.45am this summer saw to that, so I have no idea if my body could cope with a 4.30am wake up. Smaller small child is 3 and will start pre-school 2 mornings per week, so will need entertaining the rest of the time (can't just pack 'em both off and go back to bed)
:blah::blah::blah:
So just how do you moms with small kids do it?
I do have a couple of other options to get some lap swimming in, but being coached and swimming with the team would obviously benefit my swimming the most.
Well, I didn't get to swim when my children were small, partly because we couldn't afford a second car, and partly because I was too busy just being a mommy. I've noticed now, though, that the mothers who work outside the home seem (believe it or not!) to have more flexibility in getting in their swims, because they already have their childcare set up!! One of my training partners is an attorney, and she is able to break away at lunch 3-4 times a week to swim. That's when our local "lunch bunch" has a great workout & people for her to race. How cool is that?
When I started back swimming again, baby #5 was only 18 months old, and this really nice lady from church felt sorry for me & would come to my house to babysit for me (the other 4 were in school) twice a week. Pretty soon I got addicted, and then she moved away!! Then I had to find someone else to watch the kids and that was hard - friends from church would swap with me though, other young mothers need to get out of the house too! My sister is a runner, same kind of problem, and she watches her friends kids while they swim or bike or dance, and they watch hers while she runs. So I'd recommend finding someone you trust to swap childcare with!
Well, I didn't get to swim when my children were small, partly because we couldn't afford a second car, and partly because I was too busy just being a mommy. I've noticed now, though, that the mothers who work outside the home seem (believe it or not!) to have more flexibility in getting in their swims, because they already have their childcare set up!! One of my training partners is an attorney, and she is able to break away at lunch 3-4 times a week to swim. That's when our local "lunch bunch" has a great workout & people for her to race. How cool is that?
When I started back swimming again, baby #5 was only 18 months old, and this really nice lady from church felt sorry for me & would come to my house to babysit for me (the other 4 were in school) twice a week. Pretty soon I got addicted, and then she moved away!! Then I had to find someone else to watch the kids and that was hard - friends from church would swap with me though, other young mothers need to get out of the house too! My sister is a runner, same kind of problem, and she watches her friends kids while they swim or bike or dance, and they watch hers while she runs. So I'd recommend finding someone you trust to swap childcare with!
