Now a days the house is quiet in a different way. It’s a softer hush; tiptoed walks, the soft thunk of a Medela, and the quiet sleepy coos of a new baby. Becoming a mother 20 days ago is literally the craziest thing that has ever happened to me, and even with the sleepless nights, the missed meals and the constant smell of milk, I’ve never been happier.

When I started planning 9 months ago (but really 2 years ago) I knew life would look a lot different. Nothing in my life would ever be as important as this baby girl. I knew that my hobbies would fall to the wayside, but I also knew that my main hobby of reading was an important factor to my own mental health and I needed to find a way to continue reading in a way that worked for me and my new schedule. While my Goodreads challenges have always been a strict competition against myself, I loosened the reigns and expectations this year and set myself a smaller, more reasonable goal.

So many new moms told me that I’d have more time than I thought in these early weeks, or at least time to listen to audiobooks while feeding in the night. But I’ve found I waste away the hours staring at my daughter (not actually a waste), and also love the quietness of the nursery in the early hours and hate to sully it with Netflix or sound. The first few days I struggled to stay awake during the night feeds but have found a great balance recently using my phone or kobo propped up in front of me to slowly read a bit each night. While the two of us cuddle and rock together I’ve found a way to stay awake and alert while maintaining our perfect nighttime environment.

I’m happy to put aside hobbies at this amazing time in my life, but mental health as a new mom is SO important. I’m so glad I’ve found a way to read a little bit each night. Check in on your new mom friends and see how you can help them maintain one of their favourite hobbies. It may not look the same anymore, but it may help brighten their day and lift their mood; so important as a new mom.

Do you have kids? What did you do for yourself in the early days?

Ever find reading is starting to feel more like a chore than an enjoyable hobby?

Ever find it’s taking you months to finish a book rather than just a few days?

What do you do when you just haven’t been into reading lately but want to be? (cause not wanting to read it perfectly okay too!)

Here are my tips and tricks for getting back into reading after a slump!

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I apologize, dear readers, for my lack of content over the last 6 months to a year. For those who know me personally, you know that it’s been a rough year. We’ve all had ups and downs through this crazy time we’re living through, and I’m sorry I haven’t been there to provide you with great recommendations through fictional escapes.

But fear not my friends! For here I come! I commit to staying up to date with my “What I’m Reading” page, and providing you new content and recommendations once a week (starting this Wednesday May 19th). Is there anything specific you’d like to see? Let me know! I’m so excited to be back in this small corner of the internet that I call my own.