When to stamp?

[GIL]

I am a stay at home mom with 2 very young kiddos close in age. I feel like I never have time to stamp during the day. I am either busy with the kids or cleaning the house, making meals, etc.. At night when they finally go to bed, I am too tired and only want to sit and watch the tube! How do you all find the time to work stamping into your day? I was even thinking of signing up to do a fall craft fair-but I don't know if I will have enough time to make enough items to sell?? Help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

I can't help, but I sure can relate! I have three kids, so stamping during the day is practically out of the question. I work part-time in the evenings so when I get home I either wanna veg out in front of the TV or get on the computer. For some reason I prefer stamping during the day. My creative juices are flowing more then. Or I'm more focused on "how can I make this better?" than "how lazy can I be tonight?" lol
Sorry, no help from me! Shouldn't I be stamping?!

[danssister]

I'm a sahm, and I stamp late into the night, when I'm in a stamping mood. Doesn't help me in the morning, but I really appreciate having just "me" time. Once in awhile, I just go downstairs and sit for awhile, then come back up and go to bed. :rolleyes:

[kristransue]

I have maximized my "tube time" by assembling my Christmas cards or watercoloring images. I feel like I am doing something stamping related, but not breaking out all my supplies and making yet another mess that needs to be cleaned up.


I colored this card's flower one day while watching TV and it made for a quick assembly later on:


Gallery at Splitcoaststampers

[malindaplace]

When my kids were that age, DH and I would plan "daddy outings" for him and the kids so I could have some time for myself. It was often something as simple as taking them for supper to a nearby Burger King with an enormous play-place. He'd sit with a book or gameboy for a couple of hours, enjoy the free soda refills, and let the kids play until they were ready to drop. It was really good for them and me.

[Toy]

I'm probably no help either, but I sure can relate! Although my kids are "older" now and don't need as much 1 on 1 time with me.. I surely did not take enough "me" time when they were little and now at 43, i'm suffering for it.

If stamping is your passion.. or whatever your passion is, you need to nurture that the same as you nurture your children. If we don't "grow" as parents, what do we offer our children by example?

Ugh.. I need to follow my own advice. I haven't stamped in days!

I hope you find your "me" time.. and please share when you do!

Peace!

[LateBlossom]

Been there, done that! I promise it gets better. Mine are almost 7 and just turned 4, and I now have no problem taking an hour or so out of my day, even in summer. Of course, it isn't uninterrupted time, but it's mostly so, and that's good enough. My eldest is in first grade (started this week). My little one starts a pretty intensive preschool program as a part of his treatment for developmental delays, which will mean at least a little uninterrupted daytime stamping. At least when I'm not running him around to therapists or volunteering in either boy's class!

I highly recommend that you find a babysitter who can take your children away for a few hours each week. DH is in the military, so I took advantage of a military-approved in-home daycare one day a week when mine were both little. Now, I have a college student who comes one day per week to the house and will even take the boys to the YMCA or park to give me time alone at home. If you live near relatives, this is much easier and less expensive!

Or try a regular babysitting trade-off with another mother. It's free, and if you don't mind watching another person's children, it can be fun for everyone.

Whatever you do, carve some time out for yourself--even if it's going to a stamping event in the evening when your DH can watch the little ones. You need this and it will make you a better mom. Well, it makes ME a better mom (DH knows when I haven't gotten my creative fix lately bcause I get grumpy!). If you're feeling grumpy, too, it might work for you, too!

Good luck! HTH!

This too shall pass!

[Susannk]

I can totally relate to this. I have 3 kids and have no time to stamp. I will try to find some time here and there will even stamp in front of the tv when the kids go to bed but sometimes I am just to tired. My oldest just started 1st grade and my younger two will be starting preschool in a week so I am hoping once I do the 900 other things I want to get done....I will have time to stamp.

[Mothermark]

I am a major morning person. I get up every morning, weekdays and weekends alike, at 3:30 am. Then I stamp until about 6:00 until I have to get ready for work. Work 8 hours and then come home, cook dinner, do the dishes and I am pretty much history!

Works for me.....

[nmslmomto3]

I had this too..I found I had to leave my stamp area messy so that when I got to stamp, it was all out and ready for me. I also had to set aside one day during nap time to stamp, as I could only clean so much and it got dirty again anyways, so I found when I devoted one nap time to stamping, I was a better person and mom because I got to do something for myself. Taking care of little ones and cleaning house is a pretty thankless job. Sure you may hear it once in a while that you did a good job or such, but that's about it, so make some time for youself, you will be glad you did. I also had to cut way back on my tv time to make time for stamping, but that is just me. I tend to have the tv going in the background while I stamp but I don't really pay attention to it much.

[Shelley Davis]

I never made time when I had my "first" children. I was always super mom. Clean house, perfect children, dinner on the table when my husband got home. But now at 50 I have realized that everyones happiness is not dependent on my houses appearance. The neighbors don't care, and if friends drop by they don't mind a managed messed.
Having said that. I am a stay at home mom again we have two babies (we're foster parents) ages 11 months old and 9 months old. We are now adopting our 11 month old. So here I am again no time as you can imagine. Well I decided that my stamping can move out into the kitchen. I have plastic tubs set up that I can scoop away the mess at a moments notice and put it back in my stamping room. If I have ten minutes, it's ten productive stamping minutes. It's not out of sight, out of mind. I get allot done. Weekends it's back in the stamp room. My husband doesn't mind. I'm so much less up tight and happy.
Shelley~

[Joan B]

You have to make it a priority or it will not happen. I will get up at 4 am if that's the only time left in the day. Do they nap, do they watch TV (world won't end!). Can they play in your stamp area?? I hope you are able to carve out some time. If all else fails tell your hubby that Saturday morning is time for you to stamp -- you need 3 uninterrupted hours of me time!! also, consider finding another mom to watch your kids for 3 hours a week and you do the same for her. Stamp then.

I so hope you are able to find some time for yourself

[Tah Dah!]

My kids are 20 months and just over 3 years, so I totally hear ya! I agree with what many others have said - you have to MAKE time for yourself. I need the creative "fix" that I get from stamping, and so I find moments here and there. Our kids watch Sesame Street, so once a week during that stretch I play! I also sketch out projects, cut paper, or watercolor on the rare moments when I sit and watch TV in the evening. I also swap "Mommy time" with another friend - each week, one of watches the others' kids for 2-3 hours. I must admit that I usually use that time to run errands, but occasionally I use the blessed quiet to get inky.

[wendykins]

I get up early-between 4:30 and 5:00 am. My youngest isn't allowed out of his room until 6:00am(long story, but he would be up before me, if given the chance). I stamp or whatever until 6 and then they all start getting up and getting ready and then off to work for me at 8:30. Sometimes after dinner, if my husband is home, I can get about one hour in before the kiddo's bedtime. After 8 pm, I am too tired to even think about anything buy vegging out.

[aridg]

I have a 2 1/2 yo and a 4 mo old so I hear ya!! Sometimes if I am itching to stamp I will stamp during nap time in the afternoon instead of veggie (I'm still doing something for me) or I will stamp in the evening. Stamping in the evening usually happens when DH is away on a business trip. I'm usually not making to many cards that I can fit it in during nap time.
Hope you find time to stamp!
Alexis

[chrise16]

I have 3 kids and am blessed to only have to work part-time, so when I get home from work at 1:30, I have a couple of hours to commit to stamping, cleaning, or just vegging out. I also have an extremely supportive and cooperative husband, which makes life even better!

When everyone is home, I usually will take some time to "spread out" at the dining room table (my stamping station is in the dining room), or bring my supplies into the family room. We have a large coffee table, so when everyone else is watching tv, I can be stamping (This works great for my knitting, too!).

The kids are 7, 8, and 13, so sometimes I give them a blank card and let them stamp away! I plan to get them the kids ink pads, too, because the boys are both ADHD and just can't seem to grasp the "clean the stamp before you put it in another color" concept. They're getting better, though!

[arcopes]

I'm with the late night crowd. I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 7 week old. I try to get the baby down by 9:30-10:00 and then I'm off to stamp for a couple of hours. However that doesn't always work. For instance last night I just sat there and stared at ink and paper, the whole time thinking about my pillow. But I was at least in my stamp room!

It isn't easy, but I just try to carve out little niches of time for myself.

Good luck!
Alison

[vbcaser]

I hear ya. But as you have heard from others - you gotta make time. Make an appointment with yourself just like you would to see your friends, doctors, or DH (you do go out sometimes right?). Well it's the same idea, start once a week with an appointment with yourself, hire a sitter if needed and make that your stamp time (not clean time not tv time), not anything but you and your stamps. I tell this to people all the time - it's beginning to catch on.

[robynstamps]

I have 4 chilren and one on the way so I know what you are talking about. My two youngest, 21 months & 4 1/2, are here with me all day long. What I have done in the last month was make a family schedule. I get up 1/2 hour before my children, shower, and get ready for the day. Then at night they are in bed and lights out AT 8:00. I go to bed at 11:00 and get up at 7:00. My oldest is in 3rd grade so this bedtime still works for me. I stamp during my baby's nap while I have my 4 year old either watching TV or working on his own craft. I bought him a huge pack of construction paper yesterday at Wal-mart for only $1.50. He just likes cutting it in a million pieces. I also have a DVD player in my stamp room so I can sit and stamp, watch a movie, all while I am making sure my children are in their beds. My stamp room is right inbetween my children's bedrooms.

Don't give up. It is possilbe. I'll probably be on here in a few months asking how to do it again because I will have a newborn!!

Robyn

[olivia'smom]

I think what you are gonna find here is there are more people in the same situation as you than you may have thought. My husband and I do split shift day care between me and him for our daughter, which means I get home at 3:15 and he is off for a 40 minute ride to work and I don't see him again till 11ish. Most times when my DD is in bed I am reading. I have three very fun hobbies for me, reading, stamping and quilting. I am trying to split my time between them all. Oh yeah and I play The Sims 2. Never enough time but then when I have "mommy" time I usually mope around the house and clean.

[GWTW Junkie]

Housework??? What is this "housework" of which you speak???


LOL. My husband probably would NOT laugh at that. But here's my suggestions (I have a two and a four year old and I feel your pain):
1. leave your stuff out if you can, so you can get working immediately rather than waste precious time getting out/putting away.
2. Use a baby gate to keep the kids out, but you can still see them and they can talk to you and you can referee.
3. stamp during naptime if you can get them both to go down at the same time (every mother's dream).
4. Make careful use of PBS and educational videos. In moderation, TV can stimulate the imagination and teach, not just babysit.
5. Have a stamping friend with kids over and let the kids play together while you stamp. Kids are happy, mommies' happy.
6. Babies--pull their high chair or busy seat right next to you and sing and talk to them while you work--doesn't have to be a conversation, can be a play-by-play of stamping techniques.
7. Make a game of housework so that you can do it while the kids are awake--so that the moment they go down, you can head to the stamp room without feeling guilty.
8. Get a sand box. My kids will spend hours out there and I can see the fenced backyard from my dining room. Door open to listen for trouble.
9. Enlist Daddy's help--send them on a walk, wagon ride, trip for ice cream, errand run, library trip, whatever--then do one household chore and take the rest of the time off without guilt.
10. Become a Stampin Up DEMO!!! Then you can say, this is a my job, I HAVE to stamp... and no one will argue : )

Hang in there, honey! They grow up SO fast. My GF had a baby yesterday and I can't believe MY babies are so gigantic.

[GIL]

Thanks so much for all of the help/support! It is amazing when I look at all of the different places everyone is from--and yet we can all relate to the same problem! I will keep you updated and hopefully I will be stamping more!