first, i am assuming that men aren't actually reading my website, so if i'm stepping out and stepping on toes in the process, i apologize. secondly, i am mainly wanting info from other at home mamas. and the reason i'm singling you out is b/c i don't work outside of the home on any kind of regular basis and haven't in some time (does that one day a week i was working for the last year count??) and because of that, i have no idea what the WOHMs think on the subject. but you certainly aren't banned from commenting. (i may find it's just a woman/mama thing, not having anything to do with where you do your day to day duties.)
anywhooooo, all of that to say this...I AM BORED!!! i know you are probably wondering how a woman with 3 kids all under the age of 5 could possibly be bored. yes, i have plenty of things i could be doing, cleaning or playing, but otherwise, i am finding that i am completely and utterly bored. and i am beginning to think that it's not in my nature to go for such a period of time without being intellectually stimulated in some way. (who knew? i just KNEW i was programmed to be lazy. i always felt like i was, anyway.) the things i do from day to day are mindless. and when i take up a new hobby (like sewing or blogging) it consumes me for a little bit. but i get the hang of it and get bored. and i do have a project coming up after we move (can you say EMBROIDERY MACHINE???!!!) but i just don't have the time or space at the moment. {that will help me intellectually (b/c apparently i have to know more computer stuff to go along with it), creatively (b/c i am my mama's child) and i will get some validation from that.} plus a good 3-4 hours of my day are dedicated to feeding someone right now. so i need to be able to be interrupted...like every 5 mintues. and i have rambled on and on to ask...does anyone else feel this way? i have absolutely everything i have ever wanted. i am doing what i always wanted to do by staying home with my kids. but i feel brain cells vanishing by the minute some days. there have been many days in mommyhood that i have wondered if i should try to work part time. at first i thought it was because i wasn't quite as satisfied in mommydom as i had originally hoped. but now, after weeks of thinking about it, i am figuring out...I LIKE A CHALLENGE!! i like to use my brain and feel smart. (i'm assuming i was smart once. i mean i passed the hardest test i have ever come across on the first try and had every single solitary question on the blasted thing!!) problem with part time work is childcare. i don't have a regular babysitter. not one that we have to pay anyway. and i'm not gonna work a couple of days a week to do the daycare thing. NOT an option. will never be an option. don't suggest that option to me.
so how do i do what i love to do, and still feel challenged? what can i do? scrapbooking comes to mind. i mean, i could sort of say that i would be challenged intellectually, creatively and one day will get some positive feed back for all the work i put into it. or...i could get out my "nursing school in a box" and start from the beginning. i don't know. suggestions???
5 comments:
Becky, I go through this same thought process a lot and I wish I had some answers. I am like you in that a few days a week of childcare is not an option and I won't suggest it. Are you involved in a bible study with other woman or do you have friends that stay at home too? I have found this summer because my children (6 months and 23 months) are able to get out that meeting other moms at the park or pool helps. I enjoy conversating with them about topics other than children. This is the first time I have felt getting out with the kids and other moms that I have had time to conversate rather than chase and hover over them. I am not in a play group but we do spend a lot of time with our neighbors kids and cousins. Don't know if this helps but if you find a good suggestion from someone, please pass it on.
Well I am not a SAHM but speaking from the experiences I've seen others go through, scrapbooking is tough. If you really get into it, by the time you get all the stuff out, it will be time for the kids to get up and you will have accomplished nothing. I won't lie, that was my first thought but I think it would be more frustrating in the end. Brandi had a good idea about bible study or meeting at the pool or the park would be good for you and boys especially. Nobody was born knowing how to be a parent. You learn as you go! Sorry I'm not much help!
Candi
Not a SAHM either, but I have a friend that was nurse and wanted to stay home with her 2 kids. She now teaches prenatal classes at night once a week and sometimes on the weekends. It gets her out of the house and allows her to be just Mary instead of somebody's Mom. If teaching isn't an option, try to get a group of girls together and start a girls night out. We have a group in my neighborhood that goes out once a month. Just out to dinner, but it makes a big difference in your day to have an outlet away from home.
girls night out once a month (or twice actually), check. pretty limited on taking the kiddies to the pool due to the fact that they can't swim on their own yet, plus AC. not a lot of moms in my area that are home. mother's morning out will save us come fall. that keeps us busy. there are some MOPS meetings in my area. but can you girls believe that IIIII have actually become a little shy over the years?? i have. but it's not so much the adult interaction i am after. after 5 years, i'm used to that and know how to get my fix. it's the intellectual stimulation. but i'm listening! i went and bought puzzles today to see if that would help. i'm crazy...i know!
are taking online classes an option? i took one this summer and had to read articles that had "big" words in them :). while teaching 2nd grade you don't read a whole lot of big words!
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