A few months ago I realized I have very few hobbies that are just for ME! Most of my day revolves around my kids, which is just reality we can fall into as moms of small kiddos. My husband encouraged me to think about what I could do for myself, that isn’t productive, that doesn’t involve my kids.
So here is my list of fun things just for me.
Mahjong
A few years ago I played Mahjong with a group of ladies and it was so fun. But the scheduled time didn’t work out for me so I couldn’t keep attending. I need to reach out to them and see when they are meeting and if I need to arrange childcare to go, I’m going to.
Libraries near me also have times to play so that is a great option too.
A Mahjong set is on my Christmas list (I love this, this, this) but I would love to get back into playing this fall before I commit to a set. They are pricey but so so beautiful.
Tennis
I played tennis in middle and high school and really enjoyed it. I have a few friends who play in leagues and I have reached out to them to see how I can join. It’s tricky here to find leagues that aren’t part of a country club (and I don’t plan to join one since we have no idea how long we will be living here, military life!).
I love walking with friends and I feel like tennis would be a great addition to my cardio and socialization plans 🙂
Film Photography
For months I have been considering buying a film camera because I realized I barely ever print anything I take on my phone. It’s just so difficult and all my photos just disappear to Google Photos to die/never be seen again. So I purchased this affordable film camera and am on my first roll. I found a local developer and can’t wait to finish the roll of film and bring it in. Film is super pricey now so it’s not something I can just throw away with random photos. People have been asking if this is for my kids to use and nope, it is just for me.
I think that forcing myself to print things to see them is amazing – my kids love looking through photo albums and I want them to have albums of their childhood. Also, using a film camera means I really need to think about the pictures and not just take 100 that are all random and pointless. The camera is small enough to fit in my smallest purses so it just comes with us.
If I continue to like this hobby I would love to invest in a Canon AE-1. We will see.
Quarterly Girls Nights
I hosted a summer girls night and it was so so fun. I love everything about hosting. From the cleaning to the preparation to cooking and shopping – it’s all part of the anticipation for me. I created a fun invite in Canva and texted it to all my friends and had probably 13 people show up. It was so fantastic to spend time with friends from my different parts of life!
My goal is to do this quarterly or seasonally just to have a reliable time to be social with my friends. Life gets so busy and if I don’t plan things, they just don’t happen.
I’ve also realized that many women want to be social but they don’t want to host or feel like they don’t want to plan something. I am happy to be the person organizing and planning because it truly brings me joy! I waited last year to get invites and now I’ve realized I need to be that person – it is one of my gifts and I’m just going to lean in.
As a side note – my house is not the largest or fanciest. I’m hosting in 1900 square feet with 4 bedrooms and 3 kiddos. But my house is clean, centrally located, and easy to host in! So here’s to more social events!
I am excited about this list and will definitely check back in a few months to share how it is all going. Wish me luck in scheduling and finding childcare for all my newfound hobbies 🙂
