What do you do all day?
I'm feeling a little cynical tonight (it was a long day with tired children and a bored mommy), but I ask the question genuinely. For those of you who are stay-at-home moms, and those of you who aren't, what kinds of things fill your time? I've been feeling a little bored lately, and after reading three books in three days I'm trying to figure out what else I could be doing with myself. Most mornings I wake up, help the kids get ready and get myself ready, and get S-Boogie off to school. Then I usually spend about an hour washing dishes and cleaning the kitchen and most days start some laundry. After that, I tend to spend the next five or six hours until S-Boogie gets home reading a book and trying to keep Little Dude from driving us both crazy. Sometimes he'll play with toys; lately he really likes to do art projects, play with Play Doh, or do puzzles. After S-Boogie gets home from school we have some snacks, sometimes she has homework, and I cook dinner while the kids play. While occasionally we have other obligations, most of the time right now our lives are pretty free-form. I've been cooking a lot more lately, but to be honest there's only so much food four people can eat, especially in the form of baked goods. I try to limit my grocery shopping trips to once or twice a week because I just don't have that much money to spend.
So I know that in just a few short months I'll have a newborn and my free time will be gone. I also know that there is more cleaning I could be doing in my home, and that I could probably add some exercise to the routine. But I am also curious about how other people fill their time. I've thought of getting my sewing machine fixed and doing some more sewing or crafts, but again it costs money. Maybe what I really should do is get a job. Then I'd have some extra money. Of course then I'd have no free time to spend it in.
So I know that in just a few short months I'll have a newborn and my free time will be gone. I also know that there is more cleaning I could be doing in my home, and that I could probably add some exercise to the routine. But I am also curious about how other people fill their time. I've thought of getting my sewing machine fixed and doing some more sewing or crafts, but again it costs money. Maybe what I really should do is get a job. Then I'd have some extra money. Of course then I'd have no free time to spend it in.
Comments
You might try asking women in your ward or neighborhood if they have extra fabric or craft supplies or whatever. There has to be at least one with more stuff than she can use who'd be happy to share with you.
When we lived in Orem, I'd sometimes go to the humanitarian center and pick up things to work on. I don't know if they still do things they same way, but I could pick up fabric for quilts or balls or whatever and take them home to work on. That's a fun way to work on something without spending any money, but you're also doing something worthwhile.
It isn't that I don't have lots of hobbies, it is just so easy to log in and check out.
I think we also need to get out of the house more; I keep forgetting about free stuff like the Bean museum and storytime (we go to the library one afternoon a week but I like to take both the kids). I'm sure in a few months I'll be writing a post about how busy my life is :)
BTW, if anyone has tips on how to store homemade bread I'd like them. We don't eat much bread, but I like to make it. Unfortunately it's usually easier to buy a loaf from the store because then it will last the week it takes to eat it.
Listen to your mom, this is the calm before the storm. Having three kids has made me exhausted all the time and longing for the days when I might have a few hours to myself each day in which to work on some sort of project. >sigh<
One thing I love to do is take a class. I have my piano teacher training classes every week which I love, and I'm going to take a quilting class after the first of the year. It's fun to have an excuse to learn something new and have the accountability to keep working at it, and I can work on my "homework" during the day.