I recently turned out some soft bug books on "craft night". Craft night is supposed to be every Wednesday. It ends up being about every other Wednesday due to sickness or general fatigue. But the idea is that instead of turning on the TV after babe is abed, hubby and I each go off and work on our own creative pursuits. It is nice to look forward to that time even if all I do is arrange fabric into stacks, rearrange those stacks into other stacks, and eventually shove it all back into the drawer it originally came out of.
I'm not sure blog land is good for my mental health. On the upside, reading everyone's blogs on my way to and from work each day makes the bus ride more palatable. On the other hand, it leads me to compare myself to others. On some days it seems like everyone is doing this parenthood thing so much more gracefully than me. I have to remind myself: I'm working four days a week. We have no family in town. We make the time to make healthy dinners at home instead of takeout. It's ok that the quilts are few and far between.
I talked to my grandma recently and she reminisced about a family member who would respond to the question "what are you doing lately" with "oh, just watching the children grow up!". That sums it up for most days. In an effort to get more sewing done I am baby proofing the craft room so the little one and I can both play in there. I also recently had a night of sewing at a local sewing studio with the Portland Modern Quilt Guild. I hope to make it back this weekend again. Being around other people who are excited about sewing and setting aside the time to focus on sewing is so infectious!
So what's bugging you lately? Do you compare yourself to other bloggers? And how do you mama quilters get it done?
3 comments:
I got NOTHING done quilty wise until Tyler hit....oh about 5 or so. Seriously. A baby takes up all spare time until they are about 2! Even now some days are hit or miss with all the stuff they are involved in. A lot of what I got accomplished was after the kids go to bed - they are ALWAYS in bed by 8, which gives me 2 hours to either craft or scrub the kitchen floor....lol (and due to my anal tendencies, it's usually the floor that gets scrubed)! Just remember - your first priority is Ellery - cause they grow up WAY to fast....
Hugs,
Kris
I know exactly what you mean about blog land being bad for mental health. I have had the exact same experience. I have also had people tell me that my blog makes them feel that way, which surprised my socks off. I guess blogs can be deceiving in a way, even if that is not the author's intent. This year I have done a major blog purging, unsubscribing from lots of blogs, just because I felt like they were taking up too much of my time. Any blogs that made me feel bad about myself as a mama were on the hit list. Because while they offer great ideas and inspiration, it's not worth it if they come at that price of feeling bad. I think your Wednesday night idea is great. My designated craft time is Tuesday and Thursday mornings, when Theo is at preschool. Per week it's 5 hours of crafty bliss, if I can stay off the computer and get my butt back to my studio. Other than that, I don't get much done, unless I have a deadline.
I agree with Kris. Feel good about "watching the kids grow up" (love that saying! might have to steal it!), because it does go way too fast.
Oh, I know exactly how you feel. I can't figure out how mamas of young babies get anything done. I honestly have days where I can't find a moment to pee, literally! My toddler has stopped napping, and my 1 yr old has only taken 1 1-hour nap a day since she was 6 months old, and she's on overdrive the rest of the time. I find that I can get a few mins here and there some days, there's that after bed time slot - if I sew then, the dishes and laundry don't get dome, and the house gets neglected - but sometimes that's ok (and I don't work out of the house right now!). Sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom and scream because I feel like I've got all this creative energy, and all I do change diapers. I'm going to try to get to Modern Domestic for as many of the Friday night sewcials as possible, it's the only focused time I can find to create. I'll be there this Friday, join me if you can!
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