I’ve learned the hard way that making time for fun should be a non-negotiable element of being a mother. Too many times I have prioritised the tasks, the ‘setting the stage’ necessities that allow everyone else in the family to thrive but only seemed to build another insidious layer of resentment in me.
The tasks only seem to grow – laundry that moves in circles through the house and back again; dinner that needs to be prepped, cooked and cleaned up; not to mention the endless snacks, permission slips, and homework monitoring… I could go on.
The thing is, if you don’t prioritise any kind of fun for yourself, there’s no one waiting in the wings to step in and tap you on the shoulder, leading you away in slow motion to an afternoon of pampering and a massage (or is there? I’m very jealous if so!).
The reality of being an adult is that ‘adulting’ is always required, and that dream we had as kids of being able to do whatever we want, whenever we want,…well, it didn’t really come true.
Lately, I have made it a specific goal of mine to look out for moments of fun. I wanted to feel a sense of anticipation, have something to look forward to, I wanted to live a life that was enjoyable as well as meaningful.
Another thing about me is that I really don’t like spending money. Out of the two of us – I’m a saver, Dave is a spender. Part of the thrill of finding fun activities was to make sure they either cost nothing or very little, because that factor happens to vastly increase my enjoyment.
Your list might look very different to mine, but I hope it serves as a springing off point to start you thinking about what you might put into place for this week that you can look forward to.
1. Do online yoga
‘Ummm, this is EXERCISE, not fun!’, you might be thinking, and yes, you are right, but I find that yoga works on a lot of levels. From releasing the inevitable stress build up that occurs when you have to herd a pack of wild children out of the door every morning to allowing space for you to just ‘be’ in the midst of the craziness… yoga is my happy place and I make time for it every single day.
I know that some people attend yoga classes and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that – the change of location and accountability might be a necessary element for your enjoyment. What I love about my yoga practice is that is completely, one hundred percent free.
I’m sure there are many options on YouTube for yoga instruction, so I’m sure you are more than capable of finding your own flavour but I’ve found that Yoga with Adriene is the perfect fit for me. Ivy loves Cosmic Kids and I have to leave my mat out for her after I’ve finished so that she can do her own routine.
2. Bake up a Storm
Does anyone else spend their spare moments dreaming up delicious new desserts or borrowing towering piles of recipe books from the library to try and replicate at home? Baking might not exactly be free but compared to the price you pay for the basic ingredients, the end result is a remarkably great trade off.
I used to view baking as something I did out of obligation because lunch boxes needed to be filled, but that really took all the joy out of it. Now, I spend the day eyeing off the ingredients in the pantry and mulling over how I could bring them together into a batch of muffins, a slice or a decadent layer cake.
Recently, in a week and a half I went through three whole cartons of eggs, making three different types of muffins (lemon poppyseed with a lemon glaze, breakfast muffins with apple and carrot and an oat topping, and spiced chai muffins with a brown sugar swirl), a hot gingerbread cake with egg sauce (more delicious than it sounds); a lemon raspberry and ricotta cake, a lemon weetbix slice and a walnut cream cake. It was so much fun and our freezer is filled to the brim with lunchbox options now! (If we all start expanding, you’ll know who to blame!)
How do I fit it in? I’ve started tacking baking onto the end of dinner prep. While I would already be in the kitchen preparing the main meal and the space is already a chaotic mess, I pull out the necessary ingredients and pop the cake into the oven while we eat. This means only one clean up which is always a bonus. (Plus, with the kids having their screen time while I’m doing dinner, I get the whole zone to myself and don’t have to twitch as I watch pieces of eggshell splatter into the batter. Not that I’m controlling or anything…. )
And you will find that there is never any such thing as too many baked goods. Friends and neighbours will always be happy to take those goodies off your hands!
3. Reading
There is something so magical about books. I mean, think about it – you either get to download an entire life’s work of condensed learning in a few hours (for non-fiction) or you get to travel into another world of someone’s imagination and meet wonderful new characters and live vicariously through them.
What’s not to like?
I know that life can be busy but if you start looking for moments, I promise you will be able to fit reading in. Maybe it is waiting in the carpark line for school pick up, or perhaps you create space in the afternoon for everyone to have some quiet playtime (we swear by rest time), or those ten minutes before you fall asleep at night (it turns out that with six minutes of reading you can even increase your quality of sleep). Before long you will be itching to get back to the pages and time will unfold itself.
If you need science to convince you – the research shows that reading really has a myriad of benefits to provide.
Need some good titles to get you started? Here are two of my lists:
4. Learn a Language
It turns out that there are a lot of benefits to be gained from learning another language, but for me it is the sense of achievement that can be had by a mere 5-10 minute investment. I have been learning French for 580 days for free now on DuoLingo (#notsponsored) and I love it. The challenge is enjoyable and I go to bed each night knowing I have learned something new.
And, if I ever do visit France one day, I’ll hopefully be able to at least read all the signs!
5. Learn something new
We live in an age where information is literally at our fingertips. Within seconds you can pull up any ‘how to’ walk-through guide on YouTube – whether you want to learn how to crochet, decorate cakes, manage money better – the opportunities are endless! If you don’t have enough time to watch a video, search for some podcasts and put on some headphones while you are doing the dishes.
There are so many benefits to learning a new skill – from an increase in brain power, to building confidence, improving memory and making you more productive.
…
Looking for other ideas?
I have a couple of friends who love foraging for mushrooms and other wild ingredients. Or perhaps the life-changing magic of tidying up is your jam and reorganising a wardrobe or drawer will bring you alive. Maybe you could pull out the guitar and try to remember those chords you learned in your youth… or open up a document and begin that book you have been thinking about starting for ages.
Whatever it is, look for the clues – the moments when time flies by and you forget yourself for a bit, or reach back to the childhood delights that captivated you. That child is still inside you somewhere… It’s time to get reacquainted!
What do you do for fun? I would love to hear about it down below!
