Stay at home moms?

Question

What do you enjoy doing without the kids? What hobbies do you have? Since having kids I do not have any hobbies. All I do is clean clean clean. I went to the library once to check out a book and by the time I got around to actually read it the book was over due. My kids are getting a little older and less needy i would like to find a hobby for myself when I have the time. Both of my kids are very independant 23 months old and 4 yrs old. Or is there any hobbies that the kids and I could do together? Any tips to get me started would be great. Thanks!

I want to thank everyone for your answers. I will let you vote amongst your selves. It will be to hard for me to just pick one.

Answer 1

I went through the exact same thing you are going through. I love going for bike ride with the kids. We all get some exercise and enjoy the fresh air, not to mention the fun time together. I also take them with me to paint pottery. They're proud to see their works of art and I use the time to relax. Hope this helps....have fun with your kids!

Answer 2

I know what you mean! I haven't read a book for MYSELF since I was pregnant. =P And even watching movies at home is difficult sometimes unless she's napping or asleep for the night.

My daughter is only 12 months old (but as a preemie, her adjusted age is more like 9 months old), and my days are usually filled with playing with and attending to her, cleaning our home, and then during naptimes I catch up on email or do this. =P My daughter is still too young to actually do crafts and stuff, but we do occasionally take walks. But we also have two physical therapists we see for her each week and there are doctor visits at least twice a month. So our time is often kept busy with things!

You could always get outside with your kids...visit a local park or place like that? And for fun and new crafts, check out familyfun.go.com. They have crafts for all ages. Building indoor "forts" is also a lot of fun. Or have a tea party or a picnic.

What are you or your kids into? That also makes a difference. You could try visiting museums. If you're looking for something more for JUST yourself...I don't know what you're really into, so I can't help yah much there. =P I personally don't have much time at all for myself these days, but I used to enjoy surfing and swimming at the beach, reading, writing, knitting, crocheting, learning new languages, etc. As my daughter gets older and more independent, I'll be able to resume these things...and even teach them to her as well.

Answer 3

I have a classical art education, so I enjoy drawing and painting my 1 year old daughter for practice. One of the best things for learning to draw effectively is to sketch live horses in the field, because they never stand still. For this reason, kids are good for sketching practice. Then, in the end, you might end up with a drawing you would like to keep.

I absolutely love to cook things that my family loves, so cooking uses up a lot of my time. If you want to "absorb" a book or learn a new language, try books on tape. You can listen to them when you are driving in your car.

You could always get an excercise video that involves your kids. I know there are videos available to enjoy with your 23 month-old, where you do calisthenics holding the baby.

This is about the time that you could start sprouting some flowers indoors. I think at Kmart, Martha Stewart has some "kits" where you can start some seeds indoors, so they will be ready to be planted outside in April or May. Your 4 year old can watch them growing over the weeks, then when the weather gets warmer, you can take him/her outside to plant the sprouts. (pick some flower seeds that take several weeks of indoor sprouting).

Stop cleaning so much, and enjoy yourself. Buy some fingerpaints for the 4 and 2 year olds, and paint a little yourself.

Do you have a pet? If you are ready for a 15 year commitment of caring for a dog, maybe adopting a dog would be good. It keeps you busy, and takes another dog out of a shelter.

Check your local recreation center....sometimes they have classes for parents and kids together, plus you can get to meet other moms/dads and other kids this way.

Good luck!

Answer 4

I like to embroider, which is something I can do while the kids are around, or after they go to bed while I watch tv. My 3 year old and I are learning sign language together. If you enjoy sports, you could try a league at your local YMCA and put the kids in Child Watch while you work out. I totally understand about the cleaning. I swear I spend 90% of my time in the kitchen.

Answer 5

i know exactly what you mean, for a while it seems like you have absolutely no time to yourself. a few things i do for fun: crocheting, you can learn how to do it on various websites, its pretty easy and a cheap hobby. another fun one is painting. even if you have no artistic talent, they have these paint by number kind of things at hobby lobby or maybe even Michaels. they are meant for adults to do, they are very detailed and very pretty when you are done. they are only around $15 and you get the canvas with the design on it, the paint, and a paint brush. you could also try scrapbooking.

Answer 6

You could always listen to a book on tape while doing all that cleaning :)
I always liked taking my son to fun museums (like the Maryland Science Center) or the aquarium.
I am not a scrapbooker myself, but that seems like a do-able hobby because you can work on one page at a time...

Answer 7

SCRAPBOOKING!!

It's great because your four year old can do this too. And, your 23 month old can at least glue the stuff to paper. I use my scrapbook stuff to make cards. It's really handy when at the last minute I realize I need a birthday card or this year I need a Valentines Day card for hubby and was snowed in.

Answer 8

I love making cards, and my 21 month old is looking like a budding artist so I'm going to have help soon.

Anything arty and crafty is great for children of all ages!

Answer 9

try some crafts sence my daughter is only 11 mths we sit and play. dance to some music. pack up the kids and go to the park that way you will get time to read that over due book

Answer 10

I sew it relaxes me and then when my kids were young i used to make them clothes. now i am teaching my 6 yo granddaughter to sew we make pillows and bean bags easy stuff. my kids played in the backyard a lot especially the boys they had so many little cars and were always making dirt tracks for them to drive on. as a family we used to get in a circle and kick the ball around or play Frisbee and bicycling was always a big thing for my kids. if you have cement patio you could get them skates to go on the patio.