Back in February, one of my favorite STL Moms, Lauren, was a guest on St. Louis Mom’s Podcast, Moms of the Lou. As she was talking with Rebekah about coping with seasonal depression, Lauren asked, “What if we embraced the slow or the cozy?” She then shared with Rebekah that this year she has really tried to “tap into [her] grandma-self”.
And suddenly I was seeing so many posts and blogs on social media encouraging us to “embrace our inner Grandma” – and apparently I took this “call to action” to heart because I am fully embracing my “Grandma Era”.
If you’re not sure what it means to “embrace your Grandma Era”, it’s when you incorporate activities and behaviors into your life that are often associated with “grandmas”. I think this trend has gained such popularity with moms who aren’t actually grandmas yet because in 2025, not only are we overwhelmed by the normal aspects of parenting, but we can also often suffer from digital fatigue. The “Grandma Era” trend is about finding joy in simple things, and it encourages us to find relaxation and comfort in a slower lifestyle.
Now, I’m not an expert in being a Grandma or anything, but I do have 5 cats, I just bought a bird feeder with a camera, and one of my main hobbies includes dressing up a goose statue on my front porch, so I DO feel qualified to share some recent “Grandma Era” hobbies that I have recently started enjoying.
Reading and Joining a Book Club
Full transparency, I have always loved reading – honestly, it has probably been my only consistent hobby throughout my life. But earlier this year, I joined a book club in my area, and it is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Being part of a book club has allowed me to take my introverted hobby and make it slightly more social by meeting up with others once a month. I am really enjoying the camaraderie of the book club, and there’s something really reaffirming about hanging out with other people who love something as much as you do.
If you’ve been considering joining a book club too, I’d recommend searching on Facebook or MeetUp. Also, the Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves and Main Street Books in St. Charles both offer various book clubs!
Quilting
Growing up, I remember that my Grandma was a quilter and had an entire room dedicated to her sewing endeavors. And then for the past year or so, I have watched as my friend Sherry shares her quilting creations on Facebook. Somehow I convinced myself that this was something that I wanted to try too, so I signed myself up for a local beginning quilting class. I barely knew how to use a sewing machine prior to the class starting, but I learned so much during my class. I am currently finishing up my first quilt top, and already have numerous future quilting projects planned.
If you’re looking into learning more about quilting, here are some local quilt shops:
- The Quilted Cow (St. Peter’s, MO)
- O’Sew Personal Quilt Shop (O’Fallon, MO and Collinsville, IL)
- Jackman’s Fabrics (Creve Coeur, MO and Fairview Heights, IL)
- City Sewing Room (St. Louis, MO off Arsenal St)
- Sew Hope Community Sewing Room (Florissant, MO)
- Sew Silly by Sharon (St. Charles, MO)
- The Quilted Fox (St. Louis, MO off Craigshire Dr)
- Heyde Sewing Machine Company (St. Louis, MO, off Tesson Ferry Road)
- Your Quilt Shop (Arnold, MO)
- Warm N Cozy Quilting (Columbia, IL)
- All Things Quilty (Greenpark, MO)
Gardening
This is a hobby that I just started this past March. I love beautiful things and gardening literally transforms the outside of your home into an aesthetically pleasing environment. This is a hobby that requires planning and experimenting and time, but ironically, that’s what I am enjoying the most about it; I don’t get instant gratification from gardening, but I know my effort will be worth it when my flowers start to bloom.
I am just starting out but have learned lots of great info from the following “Gardening Influencers” on Instagram:
- @thekrislife
- @johns_plant_adventures
- @gardenbychris
- @joesgarden.official
- @helenlikesplants
- @inthecottagegarden
- @greenfingeredcityboy
For future “Grandma Era” endeavors, I would really like to learn more about pickling and canning fruits and vegetables. If none of the above interests you, here are some other “Grandma Era” hobbies to try out: baking, crochet, knitting, macrame, needlepoint, embroidery, candle-making, soap making, word puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, scrapbooking, and bird-watching.
