hobbies

I googled "hobby."

Here's what wikipedia says about hobbies:

A hobby is a regular activity or interest that is undertaken for pleasure, typically done during one's leisure time.

I *think* that I used to have hobbies. You know, like, before my kid arrived.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE my son. I super duper love him. And I love being a mom.

But my baby is almost one. And I recently turned 30. And I decided it was time to have some hobbies again.

I had to think kind of hard to remember what I used to like to do.

Here's what I came up with:

*Reading

I used to read. A LOT. Then I went to seminary and I read a bunch of books that made me smarter. Then I had a baby and I got way dumber. I realized that, in the past 12 months, I've read a gazillion books about getting your baby to sleep, what to feed your baby, and how to create a healthy & happy kid. I've also read Brown Bear, Brown Bear and The Very Hungry Caterpillar but I don't think board books count. I DID read the Hunger Games books (thanks Carrie!) and LOVED them, but they're written for young adults so I'm not sure I should feel super proud that they're the only books without pictures that I read last year. (If you have recommendations, send me titles!)

*Running

I used to run. Before I got pregnant, I trained for and ran a 10K. That's 6.2 miles. It's also the number of miles I've run since Milo was born. (Ok, not really, but close!) I'm afraid to say it out loud, but I'm on the fence about signing up for a half-marathon and trying to train for it.

*Scrapbooking

I know, I know. Scrapbooking is totally a stay-at-home mom thing to do. But, actually I haven't scrapbooked AT ALL since Milo was born. Which is really sad. Not only because I miss it, but because this blog is the closest thing to a baby book that Milo has and I don't know if I want him reading all my "mama confessions."

Also, I think there are some new hobbies I'd like to pursue. Things I've never done or am not very good at but have decided that I should try anyway because life is too short to be afraid of failure.

For example, I'd really like to take swim lessons. Yes, I can swim. But not very well. And I don't want to be a super star swimmer, but I really would like to be a better swimmer. And this hobby is really scary to me because I have to a.) get in a bathing suit and b.) not be embarrassed about taking swim lessons even though I'm 30.

Also, I want to take Spanish. I took 3 years in highschool and used it when I was a teacher but I've forgotten most of what I used to know. My new job will give me lots of opportunities to speak Spanish and so I want to become more fluent.

Finally, I haven't said anything on the blog, but I've been thinking for awhile that I would like to become a certified labor doula. I've had the joy and privilege of walking with a couple of friends as they transition into mamahood and have discovered I have a real passion for pregnancy, birth, and babies.

So there you have it. The hobbies I'm hoping to reclaim and the hobbies I might try on for size. I'll keep y'all posted!