Guest Post: Stephanie from Gum Drop Pass

       I just want to thank Stephanie for helping me out while I am away.  If you haven't read her blog yet you should definitely stop by and check it out. I love hearing about her family and her honest point of view and I know you will too.

                                                                 

Hi there to all of Jessica's lovely readers!  First I want to thank Jessica for letting me have the opportunity to be a guest writer for her while she's busy doing fabulous things.  :)  So thank you!

My name is Stephanie, and I spend my time on my little blog called Gumdrop Pass.  After a move six hours away from my friends and family, my husband (Jake), 2 year old (Logan), and two pups (Yogi and Boo Boo) are just settling in to our new adventure.  I blog about EVERYTHING - openly and honestly. 

But enough about me... let's get to the post...  (Thanks again, Jessica!).

Hobbies for Mommies

I don't know about you, but as soon as I left college, got married, and had a child, my "me-time" kind of went out the window.  As time went on, and I got used to this new crazy lifestyle, working out schedules and learning how to prioritize, I found that I had a little bit more "me-time" available.  However, I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT TO DO WITH IT.

I wrestled with this for a long time.  It was kind of depressing, actually, having to admit to myself that I had no interests that were all mine.  Of course I enjoyed spending time with my family and friends.  I, OF COURSE, loved going shopping.  But do these things really qualify as hobbies?  I decided that for me, the answer was no. 

I had to really ask myself:  What do you like to do?  How weird is that!  A few years ago, I could have produced a bazillion answers to that question.  However, "Predrinking at Mary's," "Going out in Cape," (my college town), and "Day drinking at the baseball game," were no longer suitable answers.  (I swear - I was still a good student! lol).  I then started to ask myself:  What COULD you like to do?

My answers all fit the "Creative" category.  Now, this is SO FAR from everything I have been known for in my previous years.  I was an athlete, a tomboy... I had never given much thought to anything else.  BUT.  I had always loved to write.  My English professors had tried to get me to switch my major (I kind of wish that I had!).  So I got back into blogging.  Doing so really made me want to make my blog LOOK prettier.  SO I started researching how to do this.  I broke down and bought Photoshop and found my love for digital design.  I am still QUITE the newbie with this, but I have been having so much fun putting things together!  I do intend to share some freebies soon, but for the time being, I'm enjoying my new hobby.  My creativity is s-l-o-w-l-y transitioning itself from the digital to the physical world.  THIS I am nervous about... but also quite excited!  It's like a whole new world to me - I'm tapping into a side of myself that was dormant for so long!

I guess what I'm saying is - I got myself out of my rut by thinking outside my comfort zone.  I hope that there aren't (but I'm sure that there are) other mommies out there who have lost a sense of themselves and might feel lost as where to begin to even look.  My advice is to think outside of what you "used to do" and start thinking of what you CAN do.  It's terrifying and unfamiliar, but you might just find something that you absolutely love!

What about you?  Have your interests and hobbies changed since becoming a mom?  What has worked for you?  Please share - I'd love to hear all of your experiences!