My youngest child is now in her twenties and it is still taking some getting used to! I’m a mum of three now adult children. I have always been a working mum and like most parents I struggled for a very long time to find time for myself. Hobbies went out the window when the kids were little and I did my best to get in exercise and rest. Almost all ‘downtime’ activities were ones that could be done with the kids or while having to supervise the kids.

Reading time became time spent reading to the kids. Most exercise was walking with the kids or getting through household chores. I did spend time at the gym, but it was always rushed. Crafts was painting or colouring time with the kids. Anything that I wanted to do for me ended short as I always felt guilty that I wasn’t spending time with them or getting on with things that needed to be done.

It wasn’t until I discovered crochet that I was able to start incorporating craft time again. It is a craft that could be (and can be) taken everywhere if you choose your projects right. I learned to crochet when the kids were teenagers and we were fostering and it quickly became more than just a craft to me. But I still struggle to spend long periods of time crocheting. Even now that they’re adults and I’m not stuck in the every day of raising them, it is still hard to allow myself time for me. I’m getting better at it, but I still feel like I need to earn my crochet time.

Having a business that is all about crochet is how I justify most of my crochet time now. I have to design and create the projects so that my Hooked on Crochet members have the projects that they’re paying me for! If I didn’t have that, then I would find it harder to justify all of the time and money that I spend on the craft.

But it is one that I will always find a way to justify. Crochet is the perfect companion when your kids are grown and no longer need you in their every day life. Weekend evenings were the hardest for me to adjust to. Those nights just seem so much longer. You don’t have a long day of work eating into your evening. I enjoy watching tv shows and occassionally a movie, but I struggle a lot to sit there and do nothing with my hands. Without crochet my hands go to snacks and wine. Crochet is so much more rewarding than a growing waistline from too many snacks!

So if you’re looking for something to do with your time now that your kids are grown then I totally encourage learning to crochet. I have a number of resources that can help you get started. The first is my free Beginners Guide. I recommend my Square a Day Challenge though as it gives you access to my beginners course as well as some granny squares which are a perfect project to get started with. If you’ve crocheted before then you should really look at my Hooked on Crochet Club. Inside you’ll get access to lots of project and help from me, but also get connected to a wonderful community of women who are at a similar stage of life to me and looking for more to do!

Which one will you choose?!

Seona x