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Hi, All! I have a treat for you guys and cannot WAIT to share it! I have a guest blogger today by the name of Katy Livingston, and let me just tell you - she has a GIFT, Ya'll! She is a talented writer (visit her blog!), and a devoted mom and wife. She is, in my opinion, a GREAT balancer, which is rare these days. She may say otherwise, though, as we women tend to do. But I'll let her tell you more: TAKE IT AWAY, KATY!
Hey all, I'm Katy, and I usually blog over here at http://livingaslivingstons.blogspot.com/. A HUGE thanks to Sheila for inviting me to this corner of the interweb! I have never “guest blogged” so to speak, so Sheila is taking a huge risk here. If you haven't met She, one of her biggest gifts is that people like me can't say “no” to her. I am filled with equal parts admiration and fear of her. It's a beautiful thing. So full disclosure before we get started:
On being almost 30 Without Finding a Domestic Pursuit
If you know me, you know this: I have the best parents in the world. My life growing up was pretty much cake (even though the recent release of Jurassic World has freshly opened the wound from when the original Jurassic Park came out in theaters and my parents wouldn't let me see it because it was PG-13 and I was probably 8. It's 5 years, guys! No one even follows those rules!)
Despite the awesomeness of having folks who loved us and even seemed to genuinely enjoy spending time with us, I recently discovered that I missed out on one key aspect of adulthood: a domestic hobby. My mother succeeded in all aspects except passing down a really cool skill that I can utilize now and bring with me into my golden years. I look around and see other ladies who have creative hobbies, and I feel left out. While I am totally at peace with the whole Stay-at-Home Mom gig, I just haven't even found my thing. I have friends who may use extra time alone to craft because it's “cathartic.” If I have some extra time to myself, I think, “I guess I could shave my legs or something...”
So far, my domestic hobbies are as follows:
• having babies
• making lists
• finding dessert recipes on Pinterest for my husband to bake
• blog stalking
• going to Kroger (I know this is weird. But seriously, grocery shopping is the best!)
Now, lest you think I have spent no time brainstorming other options:
• I considered learning to sew. I even made a sewing board on Pinterest, but as it turns out, I just like making boards, because it's the same as writing a list. My sweet friend tried to teach me how to thread the needle of a sewing machine, and I was just sitting there, sweating, trying to remember what she was saying. Why are there 4 steps just to put thread in there?! There has to be a better way. Add this to the fact that my Mother-in-law is literally a professional quilter, and I don't want to bother trying to live up to that level.
• Gardening: Maybe. This one is still a consideration. I can't see myself enjoying crawling around on the ground and getting dirt all over my hands, but I guess that shouldn't bother me since I spend most of my days in the cesspool that is kid germs. Also, it's blazing hot outside.
• Knitting/Crocheting: I don't know the difference between the two. I love the idea of sitting in a rocking chair and having a little project in my lap. But the counting. The counting. I can see myself losing count and ruining scarves that I won't ever have the opportunity to wear because of the blazing heat.
• Cooking: I generally prefer eating. Cooking is fine, but I don't love it. I also don't seem to have a knack for it. Plus, I don't usually try any recipe with over 5 real ingredients, 5 steps, and like 4 dishes to clean. I do love the Food Network, though.
• Photography: This is the last photo I've taken:
Please do not copy this photo - all rights (reservedly) reserved through Katy Livingston
#ExhibitA #nofilter
• Crossfit: because... I just can't, y'all. Also, I don't want to “Eat clean and train dirty.” I mostly just want to train a little bit dirty and not really eat clean at all. I don't need that kind of peer pressure in my life.
Here is where I have hit the dead end. But I would be lying if I said I didn't have one pursuit at all. I sort of do: reading. As a kid, I used to read in the car on the 4-minute drive home from elementary school. In middle school, I used to read a lot of novels about people with terminal illnesses, and my mom was worried I would need therapy or something. I forgot how to read for fun during high school and college. My friends who worked at a bookstore would give me book recommendations that never failed to stir up something in me and bring me back to the joy of a new book. Then somewhere along the way, I let myself fall into the mom trap of surviving the day and falling onto the couch for some mind-numbing tv before bed every. single. day.
But guess what? I just joined a book club. And I just started reading a real book, and I love it. I feel like a new woman. And I'm going to try to not be too awkward when I meet some new ladies to eat snacks and chat about said book. And I won't feel badly that I don't have a thing right now that allows me to make someone a gourmet meal or sew cute baby gifts or have a beautifully landscaped yard or homegrown vegetables or a sick body. I'll just enjoy those few minutes I have been spending every night immersed in a beautiful, new world by the glow of my Kindle light while my husband drifts off to sleep next to me.
Because that's enough for me right now.