Hobbies for stay-at-home mums

Thirteen years ago I'd just found out I was pregnant. I spent time reading about pregnancy and readying myself for being a first-time mum. 

At around 5 months pregnant, I left work and began my maternity leave and at the time I had no idea how my life would change. The Hubby (the boyfriend then) worked in an office which meant I would be at home alone every day. 



Having spent most of my time up to then working I didn't know what I would do but I decided to do a little research into hobbies. Over the years I've been through a few hobbies, some I've enjoyed and some I gave up pretty quickly. Below you'll see just a few hobbies you could try.



Cross-stitch


I had a friend at the time (someone I worked with) who liked doing cross-stitching and she suggested I try it. I bought a magazine with a free cross-stitch and tried it out. Sitting quietly with the threads and plans to one side while I stitched away was therapeutic and I enjoyed it a lot. From that small free cross-stitch I progressed (over the years) to larger, more complicated ones eventually buying a huge one from Walt Disney World. 



These days I spend a lot less time cross-stitching but I still find it therapeutic and it's a great way to relax.



Build a dolls' house


Ever since I was a little girl I wanted a huge dolls' house; one with perfect victorian decor, moving doors, beautiful furniture, and dolls (of course). I never had one as a child but while on maternity leave I learned that there were places you could buy kits to build dolls' houses! 

I found one I fell in love with and bought the kit, it was expensive but I figured I would spend time painting and decorating the house while the baby (BP) slept. I imagined how amazing the house would look when it was finished and how wonderful it would be to pass on to my daughters should I have any. 



But then I had two boys and realised just how much time being a mum takes up, I couldn't dedicate enough time to the house.

In the end building a dolls house turned out to be a bigger job than I imagined and the half-built, half-decorated house lives in my office at the moment. 



Sketching


I love sketching



The boys have lots of 'how to draw' books and I'll often try to encourage them to draw by getting one of the books out and starting to draw myself. Before the boys were born I spent time sketching and it was great to have the time to do it. 



Crocheting


I have never tried crocheting but I hear it's very popular. You can create little creatures or make useful things like scarves or hats. It may even turn into a small business if you find you enjoy it enough.



Writing


This one turned out to be a biggie for me, I write every day. I began my writing journey when LP started nursery 5 years ago and it became the thing I spend most of my spare time doing. Writing has allowed me to be me again, it gave me an outlet I didn't have before. 



This is just 5 out of a list of hundreds of things that you could spend your time doing while your children are at school. 

Would you choose one of these or do you have your own hobbies?