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.

Comments

Amira said…
When my kids were your kids' ages, I did some sewing/crafting. I also did a lot of blogging and reading and the day always went better if I got out on a long walk. Sometimes it was hard to think of things to do all day. The days I was bored were the worst.

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.
I am more of a time waster now than I have ever been. My papers exhaust me and moving my computer into the kitchen has been good because even when I'm on the computer I'm in the middle of things. But I'm on the computer A LOT.

It isn't that I don't have lots of hobbies, it is just so easy to log in and check out.
Jenny said…
I read, make meals, run errands, go to the library, playdates, bake bread. I feel like I have no free time and all these things I need to do but don't have time. Enjoy the lull before the storm.
Earth Sign Mama said…
Well, one thing you may not have factored in is that you ARE very busy--growing a baby. And sometimes that takes quite a bit of inaction. Seriously--you should take a nap every day. You should take a walk every day. Eat, relax, charge your batteries. You will be over-exended soon enough. (And then they all grow up and leave home in the blink of an eye--sob.)
brinestone said…
It sounds like Little Dude does more on his own than Lego does (they're only a couple of months apart in age, if I remember right). And I do have two at home right now, so it's a bit different. Still, we spend our time going to the park, going to library story time, playing with friends, hosting play group, doing crafts, cleaning, cleaning, doing errands, coloring, making forts, watching some TV, and so on. I do teach piano 4.5 hours per week, so there's that too (I hire babysitters to watch the kids while I teach).
BurkeAndEmily said…
Evelyn requires me to be RIGHT NEXT TO HER the whole time, otherwise she'll pull out her lines and that would be a nightmare. Something I look forward to doing though when she's a little older - and Little Dude might just enjoy this - is going to the Bean Museum. Kids from about 2 on up tend to love it. You can call and see when they have presentations going. They pull out a live boa constrictor and reptiles for the kids to see and touch. It makes for a fun day.
skyeJ said…
I love the Bean Museum!! My FHE group went to the presentation once and it was cool.
FoxyJ said…
Thanks for all the tips guys. I need to find out how much it will cost to fix my broken sewing machine; I think some craft projects would be a good idea, and I like the suggestion of doing stuff for humanitarian purposes. I also realized the other day that I only have two baby blankets and they're both blue and very 'boy' so it would be nice to make some stuff for the new baby.

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.
Earth Sign Mama said…
My mom used to freeze half of the six loaves she made. I've heard of people who cut it into slices and freeze them in bags of five. Also, have you considered making it into the loaves of dough and freezing the dough? You can buy it that way, why wouldn't it work with homemade bread?
Lady Steed said…
Sleep. Whenever there is down time, I sleep. Or shower. It sounds like you are doing a lot already. Frankly, I am amazed that you even find time to think you might be bored. I'm jealous.

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<
Kristi said…
I'm a happier person if I get out of the house once a day or at least every other day. I know they say to try to group your errands together on one day to reduce gas usage and stuff - but I figure my mental health is more important. When it's nice outside, it's easy to just take a walk to the park. When it's yucky outside, I'll go see a grandma, go window shopping, grocery shopping, to the library, to the bank, etc. We've also started going out to lunch one day a week as a family, which is fun. Have you tried Mama Chu's at the mouth of Provo Canyon? Mmmmmmmm, and it's pretty cheap for lunch.

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.
Desmama said…
One thing I did a couple times this past year was take online Independent Study courses through BYU. I took a gardening class and a family finance class, but they have tons. They have a few free ones but most cost around $30. It's my goal to do a few more in the coming months.

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