On a mission to find some rummage sale donations, I found some of these... my old hobbies.
As I dug through our big basement closet for a tote full of garage sale left overs, I came upon my old
high school sketch pad. As I looked through it I was surprised by how good I was. Over the years I've bought new pads and pencils, planning to draw again, and out of about 8 pads I've used a grand total of 0 pages. Not for lack of wanting, mostly just a lack of time or at the very least timing. The kids make up for it though, using every page - so at least those $10/50 sheet pads of paper aren't wasted...As I dug deeper, I found a half finished needlepoint, a whole tote of yarn, a box of oil paints, brushes and a half finished canvas, a box of VHS aerobics tapes. There were probably a notebook or two of poetry in there too. A whole closet of things I did when I had nothing to do.
And yes, I do realize I have the hobbies of an older middle-aged woman. I also have a collection of decorative plates, what does that say about me? If I had a half dozen cats and 25 days worth of ugly Christmas sweaters I could probably inspire a skit on Saturday Night Live. Luckily I derailed the crazy cat-lady train when I got married and had kids.
That's also when I realized that free time is taken for granted in the pre-kid years. Meals aren't timed by impending tantrums. You can pick up a book and spend an hour reading without interruption. You might even just slip on your shoes and take a walk, without a plan, supplies or a half an hour spent looking for one small shoe.
I didn't intend to quit my hobbies when the kids came along, but it was just easier than trying to do them while being interrupted...every time. Juice splatters on the sketch pad, tiny hands trying to tip the turpentine and not a single second of silence to ponder poetry or read a book. I traded wilderness photo shoots for candid baby shots, and aerobics for 100 reps of "pick up the toy and return it to the child in the high chair". I still get to be creative with birthday cakes, decorations, and Halloween costumes, but all my hobbies now have a kid element.Some parents manage to keep their hobbies post-kid, I get a mini guilt attack going for a walk and leaving the bedtime duties to dad.
Hobbies make people interesting, they give you something to talk about, to share with others, and since I don't have time to squeeze in some glamorous activities to make me seem cool and worldly, I decided to make some of what I have to do everyday my new hobbies, including:
- Professional Driving.
Whether I'm headed to school, the store or back home, the kids are loaded and locked, the radio is under my control and nobody can get into anything, what's not to love. - Repeating Myself.
If I say it once, I say it 4 to 8 times. This hobby is a bit tedious, I'm considering giving it up and getting a parrot or digging a large valley between the living room and the kids bedroom so when I yell "Clean your room!" it will echo a few times at their end and I won't have to do it myself. - Yelling.
I think before I had kids there were years in a row when I didn't yell once, now with just a few years of practice I'm able to reach volumes and tones beyond my wildest imagination. I can also project not only sound but a sense of urgency loud enough for the neighbors to hear.
- Making PB&J Sandwiches.
I challenge anyone on Food Network to take on my PB&J skills. Of course, I'd lose because JIF, Welch's Grape and Target brand white bread does not a Next Food Network Star make, but the efficiency of my sandwich assembly is a sight to be seen.
- Saying NO.
From the simple "No" to more sarcastic "Ahhhhhhh No." and occasionally the rapid machine gun firing "No no no nonononono NO!" My faves include the "interrupting no": "Mom can I.." "No." and "read my mind no": "What do you think...." "No?" "Right." The "Art of the No" is an ancient one, but a challenge worth investing some time into. - Reading the same books over and over and over.
Which leads to other hobbies just to cope with the 14th night in a row of "Little Blue Truck", for example: singing books that weren't intended to be songs - if it rhymes it's fair game. And reading books with accents and changing the words - Oh, you didn't know Curious George was Italian? Now you do. - I said.... Repeating Myself!
Sorry... it's just a habit. - Questioning kids' cartoons.
Why does Mickey wear pants and Donald wear a shirt? Why is Goofy a dog that acts like a person and Pluto a dog that acts like a dog? Why does Daniel Tiger's home have tiger patterned window curtains. If I had human skin pattern curtains people would be totally freaked out, but PBS must think this is fine. - Clock Watching.
10 minutes to lunch... that'll keep them quiet for 7 minutes. 3 hours to bedtime, I can do this. I. Can. Do. This. - Karaoke.
Because sometimes I want an audience that isn't picking their noise, telling me to be quiet, or interrupting me at my favorite part of a song every single time. And I don't have a real mic at home. - Thinking about wine way more than I actually drink it.
I wish I could be more dedicated to an actual wine drinking hobby, but since it's one of the more expensive ones I want to make sure to give it my all - so I don't drink when I'm tired or when I know I can't finish the bottle, so that's pretty much not a lot. - Sharing my kids mischief, mistakes and occasionally their cuteness and achievements for all of social media to enjoy.
I figure, since I made them I own the copyrights to everything they do and say until they are 18 and I better take advantage of it while they are still too young to retaliate.
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