I never considered the importance of hobbies before I had my son and, frankly, I didn’t really have any. But in the aftermath of his birth and my subsequent depression I discovered I needed something just for me. Identity can be a really big issue for parents as our lives are changed so drastically when our children arrive, and this can feel so unsettling at best and frightening at it’s worse.
I believe it’s completely vital for parents to find footholds that keep them connected to who they were before children, and who they still are now, outside of the mum and dad label. This might be achieved by work, regular child-free time with friends or your partner and hobbies. Cultivating adult interests is key in my opinion and it doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. Here are just five super simple ideas for “me time” activities:
Colouring
I’ve lost count how many times I’ve promoted adult colouring. The benefits are huge – peaceful, great for practising mindfulness, you can do it with your kids, it’s cheap and you can do it on the go. Click on Six Reasons Adult Colouring Is Good For The Mind and check out this lovely range of reasonably priced adult colouring books.
Card Making
You can see my very beginner efforts on this Pinterest board or here. Card-making doesn’t need to be expensive and can actually save you money in the long run if you buy supplies in bulk, plus your friends and family will love the personal touch.
Watercolours
This is something I’ve recently got into as an extension of card-making. So far I’m not great at it but I’m learning and it’s really fun to practice. I expected watercolouring to be an expensive hobby to start but beginners can source student grade supplies really cheaply. These watercolour pads, brushes and paints are more than good enough for anyone starting out.
Cooking
I must have over 100 cookbooks at home and my collection only continues to grow. Despite getting lots of inspiration from You Tube and Pinterest nowadays I still can’t resist a glossy book. Many can be very expensive but I usually get mine from The Works who have a great range of titles you may not have seen elsewhere for less than half the RRP. (For all my family-friendly recipes click here)
Reading
This is something I’ve always loved and have managed to find the time to get back into fiction now that Caterpillar is a little more independent. I’m currently reading In The Unlikely Event by Judy Blume (remember her from your teens? She’s back and writing for adults now), I’ll be reviewing it in a future post.
As an avid reader, cook and crafter The Works is my go-to store for a huge selection of books and card-making supplies at incredibly reasonable prices. Not to mention the fact that they are fabulous for children’s activities too. In the lead up to big holiday periods I love to shop their extensive range of themed craft activities for kids, and their activity books are a must for travelling. Enter below for your chance to win a £10 gift card.
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I’d love to get a new cookbook!
we love the slow cooker! did you know you can make cakes?!
I always cook it really relaxes me and I love how everyone benefits from the end product! we like to cook cupcakes because decorating them lets everyone go wild and have fun!
At the moment it is flapjack!
Card making is a great way to express your creativity. My mother-in-law used to make cards and always had orders from her friends for birthday / Christmas cards.
we make cupcakes, we make them for cake sales to help the local school
We like to make cupcakes and biscuits.
I love The Works because it has so many beautiful adult colouring books at very low prices
love making cakes with the kids x
I have just started to teach my son to cook and we make something together every weekend.This weeks recipe was cheese scones and a cherry cake.
I love cooking meatballs. Its fun and messy.
Cupcakes for us, we enjoy making and decorating them together
favourite thing to cook has got to be a banana cake
Banana Cake and carot cake are our favourites
Love the adult colouring books at The Works
I’m never far away from a book, and a lovely soak in the bath (with a book) is very soothing!
We like to make cupcakes and brownies.
Reading – takes me away to another world for a while.
I dress make, cross stitch, knit and read all very relaxing.
love to make cakes – especially chocolate
making treats with my two boys
I like to do card making
The Works is great for all kinds of hobby based books! We’ve had some great ones including paper plane tutorials, language books and crochet ideas. I took up crochet after having children and like you say, its something just for me (though I’m usually making something for them!) and I find its great for de-stressing,
i’m currently making a crochet blanket from granny squares, i do from 1 to 3 a day depending on how i am feeling!
Love gardening – find it so peaceful and relaxing x
I love reading!
I loove adult coloring books!
Book Folding
I like to do anything creative really. Cooking, photography, anything to make me feel calm and focused.
I love walking – either in the park or on the beach. Nature is very calming and relaxing – even when the weather isn’t perfect. I also enjoy watercolour painting and origami.
Reading often calms me and I love to curl up with a good novel. Also going on long walks.
I love to draw, I’m still learning but it’s very therapeutic
i love to read
I like to craft or read =)
I like to walk a lot and also read when I can.
I enjoy colouring and making cards for birthdays
I make jewellery at the moment but like crochet, drawing and painting and making things with my 3 year old grandson
Reading and walking
Entering comps chills me out. Visit the Works regular with grandson we always buy something to entertain him, great prices
baking 🙂
Nice prize
I like to walk the dogs 🙂 I love walking without anyone else, it gives me chance to collect my thoughts (or lose myself in them!)
i love reading to relax
i love reading
Make cakes
Adult colouring books for me
I love reading historical novels x
Running for me
walking and entering competitions
I like the canvasses in The Works, good value and great for my resin paintings!
love baking lemon drizzle cake
I love to bake bread cakes rolls you name it i bake it
I enjoy card making and it is something that you can do with the kids 🙂
Gardening because it is calming and soothing!
I love cooking and home crafts. I find them very relaxing. <3 xx
i love gardening , reading and adult colouring
cross stitch is a huge help for me when it comes to relaxing. seeing the finished project at the end give me a sense of pride!
I knit…. very therapeutic.
I would love some new cook books and recipes to try
I like walking and swimming, it helps me to stay active
My number 1 is definitely reading, it transports me to somewhere else for a few hours! Also, I like planning and listing, we will organise a day out and I will spend hours researching the area, what to do etc.
Cooking and currently making party bunting with my little girl
Using nice toiletries, and listening to music.
Having a relaxing hot bubble bath and jumping into bed with a good book! Bliss
Doing a jigsaw puzzle helps me unwind and relax.
Baking xxx
Reading such as self help books, autobiographies etc.
I love doing the adult colouring books when I am colouring with my daughter and we also love to bake together
Fitness dvd’s if I get a chance!