Need some Idea's for busy Mom with Gymnastic Daughter

**KimZ** · 09-22-2010, 03:04 PM

Here's my issue.

DD does Gymnastics Mon, Tues, Wed and Friday from 4:30-8

Which means she is at the gym for dinner. Her Gym is 20 minutes away..(hehe I feel like I am creating a math problem) She is dropped at the gym by another parent (Except Tues) and then I bring her dinner at 6:00(I work until 5) - and then I stay until she leaves. She's in school all day or I would send the dinner with her but that's not possible..... She takes the Bus from school at 2:10 to afterschool at 2:50 does homework and has a light snack and then is picked up at 4ish.

Can anyone help me think of a way to get my DD her dinner and not have to wait? or at least help me feel like I am not wating time? I feel like I am wasting gas and time if I come home 20 min back 20 min and back home again 20 min... that's 40 minutes on the road!

OK Frugal Minds.... I know someone out there can help me solve this math problem!

**sunshine** · 09-22-2010, 03:18 PM

You take her dinner in the middle of her gymnastics class? I'm confused. . . .

I'd send some non perishable snacks for her munch on, then have dinner when she got home (that's how we did it, when my kids were in football, gymnastics, etc.).

Granola bars, cheese/crackers, PB and apples, etc.

**sunshine** · 09-22-2010, 03:21 PM

Oh . . .and I didn't leave my kids at gymnastics -- I stayed with them as well (always afraid of injuries, etc.) I used that time to do menu plans, cut coupons, balance the check book, read a good book, etc.

**KimZ** · 09-22-2010, 03:21 PM

They get a 15 minute dinner break..... when they get to this level it's tough because basically these girls eat, live and sleep Gymnastics. If she doesn't eat then she doesn't get dinner... by the time we get home it's 8:30 and she is only 10 so I try to make sure she gets enough rest. Sounds crazy I know but with the schedule we have it's crazy anyway!

**KimZ** · 09-22-2010, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by sunshine

Oh . . .and I didn't leave my kids at gymnastics -- I stayed with them as well (always afraid of injuries, etc.) I used that time to do menu plans, cut coupons, balance the check book, read a good book, etc.

Can you imagine sitting there all those hours......... The menu planning, etc sounds like an idea... last year it wasn't so bad because I took her to gym and I would just bring dinner with me to work

**sunshine** · 09-22-2010, 03:29 PM

Yes, I can imagine it -- I lived it for years. . . . all 3 of my kids were gymnasts. . my oldest son at one time was the #1 male tumbler in the USTA. Seemed like they never had classes at the same time either- each kid was there on different nights/hours. I understand living/breathing/sleeping gymnastics.

I never left them there - until my youngest was old enough to drive herself. . . finally got the dreaded call in May of this year -- come quick. . . dd has been injured. No more competitions for her, no more professional dancing for her (her college major was in performing arts). . . .

**KimZ** · 09-22-2010, 03:39 PM

Originally Posted by sunshine

Yes, I can imagine it -- I lived it for years. . . . all 3 of my kids were gymnasts. . my oldest son at one time was the #1 male tumbler in the USTA. Seemed like they never had classes at the same time either- each kid was there on different nights/hours. I understand living/breathing/sleeping gymnastics.

I never left them there - until my youngest was old enough to drive herself. . . finally got the dreaded call in May of this year -- come quick. . . dd has been injured. No more competitions for her, no more professional dancing for her (her college major was in performing arts). . . .

I have no choice to leave her when I work (Summer she has daytime practice) and at night I don't like it but I need to think of a more economical way to get her dinner and still get my stuff done. My DD is a USA/AAU Level 7

and Yup that's her(in my Avatar) at Nationals last September she ranked 5th in the country

for her age and division....

I'm sorry you DD got hurt

**frugal is fun** · 09-22-2010, 04:09 PM

what do you bring her for dinner, a hot meal?

i'm thinking you can pack her like two lunches, sandwiches or something that will stay until dinner time.

Dinner can be healthy without it actually being "dinner". It can be fruit, cheese, crackers, sandwiches, granola bars, raisins, cut up veggies, yogurt (ok maybe yogurt won't keep all day), but you get the idea.

I'm sure if you search lunch ideas for kids you'd get a huge list of things you can give her that will stay in an insulated lunch bag all day.

Good luck!

**hollyhill** · 09-22-2010, 04:25 PM

I'd stay too.

How about bring a laptop and find a free wifi... and visit here?

**Mom2-3** · 09-22-2010, 06:49 PM

We have the same type of problem here. We are lucky that the gym is closer to home though. I try to grocery shop one of the days or run errands. It does get boring driving back and forth.

As for dinner, my teen can't eat till after practice. Homework and dinner is done after practice. I do bring a snack for the drive home.

Can you bring her soup in a thermos? Or a small cooler with fruits and cheeses?

What do the other parents do?

I guess I'm not much help

Sorry

**zakity** · 09-22-2010, 09:50 PM

Does she go home between school and gynastics? If so, why not have her eat a hearty snack/light meal while she is doing homework. You could have another snack/light meal in the fridge for her to grab and take with her to gymnastics.

**Missy** · 09-22-2010, 10:00 PM

my son's pediatrician would prefer my sone eat five small meals a day as opposed to 3 regulars. Would it be possible to have the larger meal be breakfast, and the lighter meals be later in the day. a healthy sandwich and such sent for lunch at school, then maybe a package of HM Lunchables (cheese cubes, crackers, water or juice in a water bottle, etc). to take with her? Or could you get with the mom who picks her up at fourish and each week give her a bag with foods to take with for your dd each day. would the coach let you put things in the fridge there for her? just trying to brainstorm...

**shortstack** · 09-22-2010, 10:35 PM

I agree with the five meals a day. We eat here as soon as we get up, 10am,12pm,2pm and dinner. I have hypoglycemia so the five small meals are a must.
Just brain storming....
Do you have a fridge at work? Could you make something(wraps,sandwiches,homemade lunchables etc...), put it in your fridge and take it to her when you show up? Do they have a microwave? Could you make homemade frozen meals and pop them in the microwave before her break? If they have a microwave could you boil noodles in a thermos (boil water in a cup and pour into the thermos full of noodles), drain and then pour marinara over the noodles? How about Talking to the other parents about each of you taking turns cooking for everyone? That way you only have to worry about it every so often.

HTH a little

**JessieMom** · 09-23-2010, 10:57 AM

My DD is a dancer. Last year my DS drove so DD would take the bus home & as soon as the bus pulled in they were off to dance (20 minutes away) there she stayed for 4 or so hours (only twice a week thankfully). By the time she got done (8:30, so 9 by the time we got home) it was really to late for her to eat a big meal. I would send DD with a lunch box type meal like fruit, sandwich or crackers & cheese & chicken or ham chunks, sometimes she would take those panini type sandwiches from the freezer, sometimes leftovers from the night before. since she stopped home quick before dance she would just pull the lunchbox out of the fridge & run. the year before that I had to have a babysitter pick her up from school & bring her to dance so she would bring things that would fair ok with a cooler pack for longer timeframes or things that didn't need to be kept cool at all.
I know some mom's would stop in for the girls breaks with mcd's & such (my dd was always jealous lol) but that really isn't good for them to be wolfing that stuff down. She always did the best with small portions of different types of food that she could grab during quick breaks.
Luckily (maybe) she is now dancing with an older group of girls (she starts later) plus my work schedule changed so now I am able to feed her before she starts and by the time we drive there its digested enough that she is ok. when we get home she has a quick snack before showering & heading off to bed.
I understand not wanting to wait around 4 days a week for 2 hours and I wouldn't do the back & forth thing either (on the day my DD only dances an hour & 45 min I stick around and either read, do meal planning or pick up my groceries so I don't have to waste the gas of going back & forth) I would just try to pack her an extra meal that she can take with her to school & then on to the gym. also you might want to try talking with the school, they may allow her to leave her extra lunch in the fridge there during the school day - if you can get them to do that it would broaden what you could pack her. Even having her pack a couple days a week would help you.
Good luck to your daughter- that's a great picture of her!

**KimZ** · 09-23-2010, 12:01 PM

Originally Posted by zakity

Does she go home between school and gynastics? If so, why not have her eat a hearty snack/light meal while she is doing homework. You could have another snack/light meal in the fridge for her to grab and take with her to gymnastics.

No she goes straight from afterschool