What do stay at home moms do to keep from getting bored?

Question

You can only play board games and watch Sesame street for so long before you brain gets fried. Cleaning the house is the only other option and that gets boring doing that day after day.

Answer 1

Crafts !!!!!!! I started doing crafts with my daughter at about 18 months and 9 years later, we are still doing it. Start an indoor garden. Learn a new hobby, sewing , painting etc. Answer yahoo q's . Be greatful you can stay at home. Volunteer, taking your children with you , as in a nursing home, keeping our elders occupied.

Answer 2

I'm not saying this to be snotty or to make myself look perfect. But I honestly do not know what it means to be bored. I'm so busy with the kids (we homeschool) and housework etc. that I'm never bored. When I do have a moment of down time I've got a long list of things that I enjoy doing. I read, go for a walk, surf the web, bake, exercise, call a friend, go out with a friend, head to the park, window shop, etc. I also do volunteer work from time to time. That is an option most people never consider. I volunteer at places that allow my kids to be with me.

I know this sounds really harsh but I once had a friend state that only boring people get bored. I really think there is some truth to that. If you stop and think for a minute there must be things you enjoy doing. What are your interests. When you're in the middle of a hectic day with your child what do you think about doing other than being mom? I'm sure there must be something.

Answer 3

There is so much you can do. I have been a SAHM for a little over 4 years now and I can say that I have never been "bored". There are SO many things that you can do.
Join a MOPS group
Join a playgroup (like Gymboree)
Go on walks and examine all the leaves, flowers, birds, clouds, etc.
Go to the park
Feed the birds/ducks
Have a picnic
Read books
Storytime at the library
Dig in the dirt
Fingerpaints
Blow bubbles
Scribbling with crayons
Go and volunteer at your local elementary school (I did at my daughter's school......this with 2 little ones ages 18 months and 6 months!)
Go walk around the grocery store or Wal-Mart and talk about colors, shapes, sizes, etc.
This list could go on and on
Kids are our excuse to act silly again, so go and be silly with your child!

Answer 4

I worried about this also. I have been home for a year now. I feel like I don't have time to get bored. I just try to get out of the house and go for a walk or if it is crappy out walk around the mall or library. I miss having adult conversation sometimes. I have even started conversing back with the old people in Walgreen's and welcoming the conversation because I talked to an adult that day. We don't have a lot of money to take classes, but our libraries have story time so we do that. Just try to get out of the house. As your baby gets older, you will be chasing her around the house all day. Keeps me pretty busy now. I feel your pain.

Answer 5

Start a playgroup once a week! If you've got friends that are stay at home moms as well it's super easy and if not there is this great website:
http://www.playgroupsusa.com/

It will give you a chance to socialize with other adults and trade stories/info/recipes/etc. as well as bring your child/ren together with others.

Also look into storytimes! They are a great way to break up your day...check out your local library or if there is a Barnes and Noble bookstore check there as well. Most of them hold story time at least once a week. It's all free and you can probably meet other moms there as well, I've found that most people go once and love it and keep going again and again.

Arrange playdates for your child, it will give them a sense of freedom and allow them to interact with other children. It will also give you a little time to yourself. Just be sure to check in on them now and again if they are old enough, or you can relax in the room they are playing in and read a book/magazine or catch up on other stuff.

Enrolling your child in a class in your community can also break up the day. We take classes at the community center as well as Gymboree and a music class. Look into those options as well, even a class once a week is great!

Here are a few websites that have fun things to do at home (cooking ideas, rainy day stuff, art projects, etc)

http://familyfun.go.com/
http://www.abcteach.com/
http://www.noggin.com/
http://pbskids.org/

Going for walks also is a good way to break up the day, I find that between 3:30 and 5:00 is the hardest time so I get everyone ready and we go for a walk, sometimes we have a destination other times we just walk. We'll look for nature items that we can collect, we'll make a little search and find list before we leave to make everything into a game. There are lots of things to do!

Answer 6

I read books and magazines, take the kids for walks and to the park. We paint and play playdough. I sell stuff on Ebay. The kids love to play @ the McDonalds playland. Or the climbing area at the local mall. I also am in a playgroup a couple times a month. The library has storytimes and the park district offers programs for moms and babies/tots to do together... Theres a ton of stuff to do w/ your child when your home all day besides cleaning and watching tv... Have fun & be creative.

Answer 7

I've only been home for three months and I feel so dumb and useful... I have a 6 weeks old and the only things I can do are baking, cooking, cleaning and nursing... that won't make one smarted, will it. I will check later if anybody gives you a useful idea what to do, because I don't want to start knitting or sewing and get more stupid than I am feeling now.

Answer 8

dishes and laundry are never ending tasks, they always need to be done especially w/ small children. I stay at home and very rarely do I get bored if I do it is usually at nap time. I read to them we have dance time, I put on one of the music channels and me and the kids shake our booty (thats my version of exercising lol) we play chutes and ladders, memory, watch dora. I live on base (my husband is in the military) so they have playgroups during the day they are usually about an hour long, we also have play dates w/ other kids that have sttay at home moms. we get errends done. There is plenty to do as a stay at home mom.

Answer 9

I'm only replying to this because I don't want you to feel badly because "Super" New Mom hasn't had one teeny tiny little boring moment in 7 whole months. It would have been nice if she could have helped you, or at least sympathized with you instead of making herself look so perfect. I think it's normal to get bored and I'm glad some kind mom's answered this question for you. Good luck.

Answer 10

What Jo said is good advise, it's better to be bored than sticking your kid in day care. Pre -school for a couple of hours at about age 3-4 is a good to help the child get used to being with other kids before starting kindergarten