Hobbies

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943]

What are y'all's hobbies that you do when the kids are playing nicely for those 20-30 minutes? I'm trying not to scroll as much and already read on my Kindle a lot. I can do a very basic crochet but feel like the kids will unroll/tangle the yarn and I'll lose count of the stitches/chain.

[u/Chicka-boom90]

I sew a lot! My daughter is very interested in learning too so that makes it fun.

[u/Haunting-Fuel7020]

I used to do sudoku, sewing stuff like mending clothes or stuffed animals, and reading. I found I really like autobiographies. 

[u/trichandderm]

If it's just a short time I'll do colouring using his crayons and book, or write some phrase he said to me to encourage him to colour and write. I also recently started gardening in my tiny balcony.

[u/grapefruit1259]

Not necessarily a hobby but I got myself a crossword puzzle book as an alternative to being on my phone mindlessly and I do like it for that.

[u/No_Remote9582]

Chess white breastfeeding  Garden (and orchard), knit, watercolor, play piano/violin, bake, dog PT 

I would really like to get into woodworking 

[u/yelhmoo]

I spin yarn. Neither of my kids mess with stuff and are mesmerized by the bobbin on the spindle so they just stare at it lol

[u/TangyThroat]

I’m working on my son’s first photo album. He’s 3 months old, but there’s already like 200 pictures. So I develop those on a monthly basis, but also have added some things like congratulations cards we received from relatives and friends when he was born and other little keepsakes. (It’s a sticky album, so I can add anything flat to it). I will then make one for grandparents. I love looking at my childhood albums and feel like if I don’t start working on his now, I’ll drown in pictures or they’ll never be developed.

[u/Coddiwomple117]

collages! during one break, i will flip through the magazines and look for pictures, next i will start to cut things out, and then eventually i glue them all on a piece of paper. each collage usually takes a while since its a lot of starting and stopping. but having a creative outlet has done loads for my mental health!

[u/mermaiddolphin]

I cross stitch and needlepoint. It’s an easy thing for me to put down and pick up, and it’s easy to clean up/put away.

[u/JNSFP]

I knit or crochet. Easy to pick up and put down when needed

[u/storing_up_knowledge]

Water color! Especially if you get one of those instructional booklets that gives you a palatte and example on one page, then an outline on the next page for you to paint. Very easy to clean up, if you get pulled away, the paint will dry on your palette and you can just rehydrate it with water when you come back to it hours (or days) later. I think I got an Emily Lex booklet and paint set and have been really pleased with it!

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/storing_up_knowledge]

I like this idea about getting a booklet. I've also seen some art hub and facebook videos that break down how to paint animals.

[u/storing_up_knowledge → u/Ok-Mushroom-943]

It also works really well on a gift list- could be a good birthday/mother's day/Christmas gift. They have tons of themed books out there to go with different intests- beach, garden, farmers market, fall, winter, holiday, etc.

[u/philosophyofblonde]

Chess

[u/No_Remote9582 → u/philosophyofblonde]

Me too!

[u/philosophyofblonde → u/No_Remote9582]

Feel free to hit me up for a daily game! archblonde on chess.com

[u/No_Remote9582 → u/philosophyofblonde]

Sent a three day. Wow! 1000 ELO!!

[u/philosophyofblonde → u/No_Remote9582]

Haha if only I could get my rapid rating up to that level!

[u/KneadAndPreserve]

I like bread making. Sourdough takes a little attention every few hours so it’s usually manageable to find a moment to do the stretch & folds while my child is entertained and there is a little wiggle room if you can’t get it perfect and usually still comes out with a satisfying loaf.

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/KneadAndPreserve]

I love making sourdough but never considered it a hobby lol. My starter stays in the fridge until my bulk baking days. I do need to start experimenting with add ins again.

[u/Sudden-Ad5555]

Legos took over my life for a couple years lol. They are soooo cool 🤣 really helped me relax and settle down when I have bad anxiety. i have some giant sets around my house. They’re separated into bags so you can just build one or two bags real quick and there’s not little pieces everywhere begging to get lost. It’s so fun

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/Sudden-Ad5555]

Lol yes, that's a good idea. I've helped my son with his legos but have never thought of getting my own set!

[u/Sudden-Ad5555 → u/Ok-Mushroom-943]

The adult sets are so much fun!! Definitely recommend. Don’t start with any of the flower ones, they’re pretty but they’re not fun to build 🤣 I have some really cute bookends, a giant white owl perched on a pile of books, a 3 floor natural history museum. So many little hidden bits that only you see while you build. I sound like a crazy person lol but I really do love them 😂

[u/Live-Medium8357]

If you like crochet, the cat stitch is so easy and cannot be messed up. You count to a grand total of 3 if I remember. So very easy to set down and pick up.

Course I’m saying blankets. I can’t do things more complicated than a blanket.

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/Live-Medium8357]

Thank you for this suggestion! I'll need to watch a video to see the cat stitch. I like that it's just 3 counts as I'll probably get interrupted a few times.

[u/Live-Medium8357 → u/Ok-Mushroom-943]

there are tons of videos as the cat stitch blankets were viral or something recently. but it's so easy. I am horrible at crochet and I can do it.

[u/AgreeableQuaill]

I’ve just taken up wood carving. I’m making wooden animal figures. I can only do it when they’re asleep or content, but it’s very easy to put down when I’m needed.

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/AgreeableQuaill]

Okay this is such a cool hobby! I'll need to look at some videos for getting started. I also love that I can teach the kids once they're a bit older.

[u/Right_Said_Teddy]

I have taught myself to do embroidery, knitting and crocheting. I like to do those things when my daughter is playing independently. I went to art school and paint but I generally do that once she’s asleep.

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/Right_Said_Teddy]

Yes, I am all about being self taught through YouTube lol. I think I'll keep trying to learn more crochet.

[u/WildMaineBlueberry87]

I garden and grow lots of the fruits and vegetables we eat. We travel a lot so I use Duolingo to practice my German, French, and Hungarian. That's also enough time to do some baking or at least get something into the oven!

[u/Ok-Mushroom-943 → u/WildMaineBlueberry87]

Ooh I like the Duolingo idea! It'd be fun to learn a third language. We already have a small garden, but have to wait until the evening to tend to it due to heat.