Nish from The Outdoor Wife is today’s guest blogger, and writes about herself:
“Nothing beats a great weekend spent outside in Creation, except maybe a good snuggle with my little boy and my man. I write to encourage women and to bring glory to my Lord, Jesus Christ.”
Nish and I are bloggy friends — soon after we met online we realized we have a real-life mutual friend, even though we live about 1,700 miles apart {Nish is the Oregon wilderness; I’m in Minneapolis}. Nish is the sweetest gal and I love her adventurous, honest spirit. Tag along on her via Twitter? :]
PS. be sure to visit her blog, it’s GORGEOUS!!!!!
“In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me, there lay an invincible summer.” -Albert Camus
I believe it. Deep down, all the way to the center of my bones and down to my toes, I believe that summer brings the incomparable promise of joy. The warmth of sunshine on your skin, sunscreen, flowers, sand, chlorine pools, good novels, sunglasses and adventure… I love it all. If I could pour summertime into my body, I would take it in gallons.
Something happens to me in the summertime. I become relaxed, mellow, and my free spirit flies just a little higher than usual. In a way, I become a little bit like this guy. Yeah you know him. The one whose limbs can be yanked and twisted and turned and molded? Yep. My insides look like Gumby. I’m flexible.
Almost too flexible.
Schedules, timelines, deadlines and self-discipline seem to fly out of the nearest open window at the first sign of summer’s arrival. I find that keeping any sort of perceived balance is incredibly difficult. I mean, really… who wants to fold laundry during your kid’s nap instead of lay out & work on your tan? Why would you vacuum the house when you can go to the river? Why would you spend time writing when there’s an obvious game of frisbee waiting to be played?
Where’s the balance? How do you maintain everything while trying to soak up every moment of summer’s joy?
I’m not sure I have any answers. But I can say that I’ve been working on finding a happy medium over the past few weeks… and I have found some things that work!
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1. Envision your day. What does your day look like when you wake up? Is it a pretty easy-going day? Do you have people coming over for dinner? Where do the kids need to get shuttled to? How busy is your work day? The sooner you can get a handle on what your day might look like, the better you can…
2. …Prioritize! This goes with anything in life, to be honest. But, it comes in handy when there’s SO much you want to do in a small amount of time! Do your baseboards REALLY need scrubbing today? Or is it one of those days where your house can be “Clean Enough?” (This post by Melissa has helped me so much!) How badly do you need to blog today? You posted twice yesterday, so maybe you could skip a day and spend the afternoon at the pool. Haven’t written in a couple of days? Maybe skip the pool, get some writing done, then take a shorter trip to the park afterwords. You could have the greatest list of a ton of things to do, but maybe your kid decides that his/her nap was actually optional. Prioritize what NEEDS to get done vs. what you’d LIKE to get done. This allows some wiggle room in your day in case something goes sideways.
3. Make time to do something fun in the sun EVERY day. Even if it’s just walking outside and tending to the garden for a few minutes in the morning. It doesn’t have to be much! Totally slammed at work? Maybe take your lunch break outside. I am a huge believer in the power of the sun. Even just a short 15-30 minutes in the sunshine can lift spirits and relax the tightest of shoulders. Have kids? By spending a long morning at the pool, you’re almost guaranteed a longer nap in the afternoon. Sunshine energizes, uplifts and has the magical power of wearing out even the most rambunctious kids.
Again, I’m no expert at finding the balance of managing life. But, I have tried to apply those three simple things and it has helped me tremendously. It keeps me on track, helps me get things done, but still allows me to enjoy my time in the sun, soaking in all of summer.
Oh, also? Don’t forget your sunscreen.
visiting from Freckled nest:
I keep myself in balance by remembering to take time for myself. No matter how busy I am during the day, I always take a few moments in the evening after my son’s in bed to just breathe and relax.
It’s hard to maintain balance, especially as a working mother with a 4-year-old and a 3-month-old. Since our new addition 3 months ago, I’m still trying to find balance during this transition. All I want to do is cuddle my baby all day :) But sadly I have to work out of the home. Thanks for this post.
Visiting from Freckled Nest
Oh you have so many adorable things…. I love that umbrella print wristlet! So sweet!
ps… I was sent from Freckled Nest. =)
Just came from Freckled Nest. So many adorable things.
I LOVE The Outdoor Wife’s Blog and was so excited to see her as a guest blogger today. Excellent tips on finding balance during the summer. I’m going to do these for sure :)
Great post from The Outdoor Wife’s Blog! I must admit, I do not prioritize time to get outside in the sun every day. I really need to do that. :) Hope you’re having a great time on your trip!
xoxo,
jenny-lynn
(over from FN)
To keep myself balanced, I make sure to remember who I am. If I forget my needs for personal time, I stress out. I easily over schedule myself and then freak out because I forget I need time alone. :) Great post.
Love and Turtledoves,
Jaco
Great guest blogger!
Ahh, I feel exactly the same about summer. I just don’t feel truly myself until it comes around. ;) Not a fan of winter…
And what a wonderful quote. :]
hang out with my husband! sometimes we get so caught up in our blogs and businesses, we forget to hang out with each other and just cuddle.
such great tips. i try to live by these each day, but it helps to see them written out in front of me. :)
Great tips!!
PS I love the items in your shop!
I usually have a pretty hectic day with an 22 month old and a 3 month old. But I try to take a little me time to balance out my crazy day!
I love your bags! Great blog, enjoyed the read!
Visiting from Freckled Nest.
I love guest posts ! this was great!
This is a great post. Balance is so difficult. I try to get up and walk every morning with a friend, and that starts me off right and active for the day.
also over from fn. I just visited your shop I love how you use so many colors patterns. Also the baby/doll blankets are absolutely gorgeous and vibrant. It’s so hard to find non pastel baby things.
Hi, I found you via Freckled Nest – You have some Awesome Crafty Things! I love the ruffles they really are unique to your designs. You have made me want to sew again! I am so Inspired!
WOW! This guest blog was so great!! I honestly woke up today wondering ‘How will I ever keep things straight and get things done this summer?!’ I’m just so happy LA pointed me this way! I’ve been admiring your work for a while… (by admiring I mean that one of your ruffly purses is at the top of my wish list) and now I’m happy to let you know that what you do is a very beautiful thing! It’s so encouraging to see someone take their creativity and run with it! KEEP UP THE AWESOME!
You things are amazing. I see your things from time to time on other blogs and ooo..and ahh…at most of them.
Yay! Your in another giveaway! I love your creations, love the ruffles! :) :)
xx, Jamie
Just came from FN, but I’ve been watching your blog for awhile. You have a lot of fun things!
Also visiting from FN. Obviously, I LOVE your products. I live in good ol Oregon as well and a something I do is get outside every single day. It’s a great way to keep your energy level up, mind peaceful and baby(ies) entertained. This is my very first summer as a mom and its been a bit more hectic to get out there and do the outdoor things I have always done, but as long as I get out there that’s all that matters :) Enjoyed this post! Thanks!
found you from freckled nest! great advice…and freeing too
What a great post! So inspiring!! :o)
what a great, helpful post!! i totally agree that things like keeping the house perpetually cleaned should become wayy less important during the summer. we only have a few months to enjoy warmth and sunshine, we might as well enjoy them to the max!! in the long run, we won’t remember whether the baseboards were clean but the memories that were made in the great outdoors!
I’m visiting from Freckled Nest.
I love all your ruffly stuff, super cute :)
i really do need to prioritize my days better!! i think i might spend too much time blogging! :( sometimes i even turn down going out with my friends, eeks!!! but i love the idea of doing something fun every day too, great tips!
Balance is incredibly hard for me. I have a full time billing/med rec job and single mom of 3. I would come home shove food at the kids cut out clothes while i did home work and sew while they were taking showers, etc…Ive recently rented a studio so I could move my 20 yrs of sewing stuff out of the house and it has made SUCH a difference…every ones attitude has changed and it has created a balance on its own – best decision ever – just wish id made it sooner!