Don't get me wrong, my kids keep me busy, my husband keeps me busy, but there are very few things that I "get" to do that are just for me.
Generally, by the time I have time to actually do anything, Andrew is at work and the kids are in bed. This means that I can't go out and that I have to stay semi-quiet until about 8:30 PM, which is when they seem to not be bothered by noise at all (generally speaking). There are days when bedtime rolls around and I am relieved to have my day over with, but other days, I just feel lonely and the boredom starts to feel a bit depressing.
Here's the sad part:
At this point, I can easily be doing my hobby; scrapbooking, but, somehow, I don't feel creative enough for that. Then of course, there's an excuse for everything; I'm too tired to clean, too sore to exercise and I have a headache so I can't read. So what do I end up doing? I'm sure I am not the only one, I bet you can guess!
I SIT ON MY A** AND WATCH TV!
Thinking back on all the time that I have wasted away in front of the tube just sickens me. All that time I could have spent exercising and having the body of a supermodel, or cooking healthy meals for my family, and I spent it in front of the t.v!
Unfortunately, television is one of the few things that temporarily satisfies my need for entertainment (sad how we need that, eh?). I don't have to work or be creative to do it, I even have the full use of both of my hands, once the kids are in bed.
So, here are a few things (other than television) that I sometimes do to stop from being so depressingly bored, this should not be offensive to you if you would rather sit in front of the t.v, because, guess what? I DO TOO!
1. Sleep : As a mom of 2, this is something that does actually help me a lot. When a mom sleeps, even if it's in the middle of the day, it should never be considered lazy (even though, in my case, it sometimes is) because being a mom is extremely tiring and sometimes escaping into your dreams during a powernap can give you just enough adventure that you can wake up feeling refreshed and entertained.
2. Blog: That's right. Boredom is the number one reason I started to blog. Truly, a 21 year old shouldn't have so much to talk about, but keep in mind, I am a 21 year old WOMAN, haha. I know I don't know it all, but I like to pretend for about a half hour a day by writing about things I really don't know much about! It helps me to find ways to relate to other moms that might be like me: a bit anti-social and glad to be stuck in the house, somedays!
3. Call my brother: I bet you think this is kind of weird, to be calling my brother after the kids are in bed and sometimes even talking for a few hours at a time, but he's my brother. My brother is probably one of the few (maybe even the ONLY) people that I can be entirely myself with. So when I have a chance to talk to him, I am quite happy to and will often spend a good 2 or 3 hours on the phone with him. Sure, we may spend most of that time cracking jokes and being silly, but having a good relationship with my siblings isn't exactly a waste of time, is it? My sister also lives near my brother, but she seems to be the only one of us who gets tired enough to sleep before 2 or 3 in the morning!
4. Make plans for next out-of-town trip: Seems a little silly to do this when you are months away from going out of town again, but I just love to do this. For those of you who don't know me, I live in a small town that only this month got its very own Tim Horton's. Everyone around here makes the five hour drive to Winnipeg for various things, like shopping or doctor's appointments. For some reason, I like to spend a few weeks before our next trip looking up which locations in Winnipeg have coupons for free meals or side dishes, I look up hotels to see which ones are the nicest at the best value and I even check where they are located to make sure our car won't get vandalized.
5. Sing and dance obnoxiously: Once that 8:30 mark hits and the kids are sound asleep and pretty much impossible to stir, I will sometimes crank up the music and sing and dance pretty much as loud as I can. I don't know why it feels so good, but sometimes it's just what I need to get the last of my energy out to finally force myself to sleep. Although people didn't know it until now, this is why I ask that people call before they visit!
Anyhow, those are just a few ideas of how I combat Boredom. I'd be quite happy to hear what some other parents do when no-one is looking!
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