As much as I love being a mom, it can get really old. Day after day it’s eat, play, clean, nap, repeat. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good routine, but recently I found myself feeling very negative. I decided I needed to set aside some time each day for my hobbies.
I’m usually the type of person who when asked what my hobbies are, can’t think of anything I like to do besides binge watching Gilmore Girls and eating. BUT my Pinterest boards say otherwise. Something I’ve always liked but haven’t done enough of is sewing. My grandma, who passed away earlier this year, gave me her sewing machine and I’ve hated seeing it sitting there unused. So I found a super simple bib pattern and went to work. It wasn’t pretty at first, but it was so fun! I couldn’t believe what a difference it made in my day to spend a little time on myself, doing something I really enjoyed.
I think as moms we feel the need to always be doing something to contribute. If it’s not doing something for someone, why should I do it? That’s not right! We work so hard – we deserve to have some fun. I can’t tell you how many projects I have pinned on Pinterest but because it’s going to take too much time or isn’t something that I’ll use a lot I don’t make it. That needs to change. You don’t even have to be good at your hobby. It’s about having fun and taking a break. So even if your watercolor comes out looking like a drowned rat, if you enjoyed making it, it’s worth doing!
As moms, so much of what we do is for others, it’s easy to lose ourselves. There is so much to learn and so much to do, life can feel overwhelming. After I had my first daughter, it took almost a year before I felt “myself” again. I wish I would have done more things for myself back then. I think it could have eased a lot of the anxiety I felt as a first-time mom.
So, mama, get yourself a hobby. Take some time for you, and most importantly, have some fun! You know you deserve it!
