I Dont Think I Have Time for a Hobby?

look for another gym...most where i am take them at 12 weeks and up.
also maybe join some playgroups for when the bigger ones are in school. i only have one but when i did that with her when she was 9 months-2 years old I made great friends and time flew and I felt like an adult. we'd sit around make jokes and hang out and the kids would play

I would invest in a treadmill or elliptical to use at home when you are home with the kids. I know not ideal but once the kids get older you can probably have a little more time outside of home to pursue this. Also exercise videos or just turn up some music and dance with the kids. Or maybe take one nigh a week for yourself after your husband gets home.

If you have the space and the cash... invest in a treadmill. It is my 'sanity' and my "downtime" each night. We have a tablet and wireless, so I download movies and watch them while working out. It's great! This way, you don't have to account for travel time, babysitting, weather, etc. It's right there in your basement, bedroom, den...

We have ours downstairs in the basement. I can literally close the door and escape for the 30 whole minutes a day!!

On Saturdays (after he gets home) & Sundays, have him watch the kids & take 30 mins to go for a walk or peruse a local store just to have a look around. No spending needed.

-Do you have a stroller that will accomodate all your kids? If so, go for a brisk walk during the day for 20-30 mins near your house.

-Buy a cheap workout DVD and do that for 20-30 mins three days a week.

You def don't have to ignore your hubby but you do NEED some time for yourself. Just try & take 15-30 mins per day when & where you can.

Sometimes when hubby gets home, I will take 15 mins in my room after dinner to sit quietly & get some things done.

Find a local sitter - I'm sure that there's someone in your area who would watch your child for an hour a couple of times a week for a reasonable rate, right? Do your school-age kids have any friends with an at-home parent? Trade some baby-sitting with someone who is in the same boat as you.

It sounds like you need a baby-sitter! If you don't have one already, you should start looking, because you need time for yourself, too!

Once the older ones are in school, why not walk or run with a jogging stroller?

when mine were that little, they were my hobby. Sorry. That's kind of how it is. I poured my creative energy into taking care of the kids and family. I made cooking for my husband my hobby. I still head to the kitchen to destress. I make a game of looking for free or cheap ways to have family time and make memories.
A hobby is meant to renew you. If it's that hard to find time to do it - to the point you are either sacrificing sleep or time with loved ones - it's counterproductive. It doesn't renew your spirit. It just becomes another obligation to try and fit in.
Once they were big enough to go to the gym with me, working out and nutrition became my hobby. Now that they are in school and I still work full time, my hobby has become reclaiming old furniture. I find whatever discarded furniture my neighbors leave on the curb and make them into something new and cool. I love to repurpose, refinish, paint, stain, drill. It's my time to zone out.

I miss taking classes at a gym!! Once kids came into the picture I could no longer justify the expense and it was hard to fit it into my schedule. Do you have a friend in your neighborhood who would walk, jog, whatever with you when your husband gets home? Or, would you enjoy doing that yourself? I used to walk all the time - it really helped clear my head.

Don't you have any friends? Neighbors? Other moms with kiddo's? Those are people who you would get to babysit. Plus you can find a bunch of Mothers Day Out Programs if you just look around.

Getting your child watched should be the least of your issues when it comes to finding something to do. i hope you can find something you like.

My husband travels 10+ months out of the year and we have no child care budget. My salvation? My gym has daycare from newborns up. I have been taking my three kids regularly since the first was born. I do sometimes fill in with DVDs at home if a child or two is too sick to take to daycare-even with the kids distracting me-it's better than nothing. I can't run or walk outdoors with kids these ages and no sitter budget.

You don't have time in your schedule if you can't do this while you have the kids. But you do have plenty of time if you can do it while you have the kids. Switch gyms to one with daycare for one year olds, work out a child care swap with a friend for the one year old, or get used to working out at home for the next year. It can be done-lots of moms do it! You can do it!

- There are mom'n'me yoga/Pilates classes here through the community center. On e the kids are in school, take the wee one to a class like that (research what's available in your are)... That is mom'n'me for MOMs instead of for the wee ones

- 30 minutes seems "close" to me. That's how far my mum is from me, and she's watched my son one afternoon a week at minimum for apx 10 years. If they're willing, and it's just that you don't want to be half an hour away, look at gyms (or other things) in their neighborhood.

- Find a better gym closer to you

- take your kids with you. Baby in jogging stroller, kids on bikes/scooters/whatever.

- Again, in a few weeks when school starts, you'll have fairly consistant nap times. Yes, you can clean/cook/whatever faster during Neptune but those same activities can be done with little ones. It helps teach them a LOT. Both academic (colors, directions, shapes, numbers, etc.) but it ALSO gets them in the habit of naturally helping. So work while baby is awake, and take some personal time during naps.

- School. If you don't have your degree there is no law that says you have to take a full load. One class per quarter, and campus daycare.

I ended up dropping they gym when my kids were little because I just didn't like the child care there. It was kind of nasty and the providers were a little sketchy.
I just did work out videos at home! Most of them were 20 to 30 minute target videos (cardio, core, stretching, etc.) I'd pop one on while the kids played nearby. I also took the kids to the park, sometimes with a friend, we'd load up the strollers and walk there. It was a good thirty minute walk each way, so two kids and all their gear in a double stroller was an excellent workout.
Other ways I busied myself (besides laundry and housework) while the kids were home were gardening (when we still lived in the condo I didn't have a yard but I had several pots full of flowers, herbs and strawberries) reading, and decorating. I loved finding old pieces of furniture at the thrift store and refinishing and/or repainting them. I also bought a sewing machine and taught myself how to sew (sort of, lol!) and I spent time working on my photo albums.
You don't really need a babysitter to spend time doing the things you enjoy. Your kids should be playing independently most of the time, they don't need you to constantly entertain them. When they want you to play with them, invite them into what YOU are doing, would you like to help mommy plant these flowers? can you help mommy sandpaper this table? let's make some cookies! Little kids often want to spend time with you, but that doesn't mean you always stop what you are doing to cater to them (not a good habit in the long run, trust me.)
It's good for your kids to see you as a whole and interesting person :)
And try to take some time for yourself every week. Just going grocery shopping alone on a Sunday morning can feel like a real treat!