Blowing Off Steam

Having an ex adds a lot of undue stress in your life; have children with that ex and the stress multiplies by about a hundred…thousand…ok, it’s more like an infinite amount of stress that never ends with the signing of the decree. You’d think it get easier now that you’re not together, but it’s actually a lot harder when neither one of you is trying to make things work anymore. My ex and I try to keep things as civil as possible when it comes to Logan. I don’t want him to ever feel caught in the middle of his … Continue reading →

Exercise: It’s Good for the Heart

Most of us have already failed miserably at keeping our New Year’s Resolutions, according to the radio this morning at least 80% of us have given up on them already. This is pretty typical after the first week or two, but even if you’ve struggled with them a little so far, you have a whole year to perfect them so don’t give up hope! This year one of my many resolutions was to start exercising again. I, like most people, put on a few extra pounds during the holidays. When you have kids around there seems to be an endless … Continue reading →

Our Kids Need More Exercise

Are your kids active enough? We all need exercise every day, do your kids get enough? I was always concerned about Hailey’s activity level after I got divorced. When I was married we lived in a house in a nice neighborhood, I knew my neighbors, Hailey knew the kids, we had lived there since she was three. I felt safe letting her go outside to play with other kids. Once I got divorced that changed. We lived in a series of apartments and although they were always in what I felt where good areas, I didn’t feel safe letting her … Continue reading →

It’s Your Turn

What is last on your to do list? Chances are, like most single mothers, it’s anything you want to do for yourself. As mothers we always put our wants and needs last, when you are married your husband will often come to your rescue and give you the time you need for you, at least occasionally. When you are a single mother mommy maintenance is always at the bottom of the list. I’m not talking about the big things like doctor visits and the like, as mothers we are usually pretty good at taking care of the health of the … Continue reading →

I Must Exercise

In the hustle and bustle of my busy life sometimes I forget to take care of myself. Everyday it seems like my to do list gets longer and longer and time for me gets pushed farther and farther to the bottom. Winter is especially hard, I get a little depressed in the winter, nothing bad, just a little SAD (seasonal affective disorder) but one major downside is that I get very lazy. Everything becomes just too much work. My house falls apart, I don’t cook and I certainly don’t exercise. All I want to do is lay on the couch … Continue reading →

Exercising and the Single Parent

When? Being a single parent and finding time for just the basics is challenging in itself, but fitting in exercise to boot may seem virtually hopeless, right? Not really. You want to be physically fit for many reasons, such as health, being there for your children, and looking and feeling good about yourself. The question is how do you find the time? Fitting in exercise when you are a single parent is actually one of the easiest things that you will encounter as a single parent. Here’s How You spend time with your children anyway everyday so why not incorporate … Continue reading →

Exercising Together

Let’s face it—even though we know that exercise and physical activity is important, it can be incredibly difficult to carve out the time to do it as a single parent. One solution is to find physical activities that you can do with your kids—doubling up play and quality time with getting some exercise too. There are some classics that work well for single parents—riding bicycles together or going swimming, but you might also consider taking a yoga class or some other exercise class, or how about a dance class together? Hiking, camping, and bird watching are other ways to get … Continue reading →

What Type of Exercise Fits the Lifestyle of a Single Parent?

I have written before about how important I think exercise is to a single parent and with my conviction, you might think I am a big sporty sort. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. While I was definitely more active in my youth, I have found some pretty basic types of exercise work well with my busy and unpredictable life as a single parent. My exercise has changed over the years—when my children were smaller, we used to do a lot of swimming and bike riding since those were activities that we could do together. That was, of course, … Continue reading →

It Might Be Tough—But Single Parents Must Make Exercise a Priority

Time is a premium for single parents, and while we all know that we are supposed to exercise—that it is good for us, helps us de-stress, etc. exercise can be the first thing to go when our schedules get pinched. Single parents need to really put special focus on and carve out time to exercise. It is a habit, however, with multiple benefits. If you really can’t find time for yourself to get some movement into your day—include your kids. I recall when my own kids were 4, 5, and 6—we used to go to the YMCA 4-5 nights a … Continue reading →