It is an understatement to say that my days are full. (I'm guessing yours are too.) Granted, I feel incredibly blessed that my busyness happens here, at home, alongside Pete and our kids. It's real and satisfying – but it's still allot. Balancing two children, homeschooling, keeping house, preparing meals, running a home-based business, and writing and managing a blog successfully keeps my days full. I love it all (well, except cleaning the bathroom) but sometimes a break would be awesome.
I rarely go off alone to rebalance myself. But I need it. We all do.
Last night I whittled out a sliver of time for myself and took a sunset walk – alone – while Pete put the kids to bed. I saw my neighborhood through fresh eyes and drank up the silence.
Today's goal is to stay away from this computer, laugh, play, and enjoy what the work of my days is made of. I'm going to maintain balance. I have a list made for what we'll get done. It's balanced I think. Some errands, some projects, some hanging with friends, some eating of bread and honey (Lupine added that one).
After that I'm heading to the sewing room to finish the project I started last night.
How do you keep your life in balance?
Oh – thank you for those gorgeous images of our community. So lovely.
finding this balance is something I am constantly struggling with and I’ve come to terms that sometimes in order to achieve such balance means letting go of something. If I need to write, then my floors go unswept; if I need to knit, the laundry piles continue to grow; and if I need to play with my kids, then I need to ignore the responsibilities that scream to me. My grandmother, who had 8 boys all a year apart told me, after the kids, take care of you first, the house after because no house is a home with an unhappy mama. And sometimes that means me walking the dogs in the early morning or even going grocery shopping with my iPod…ideal, no, but close enough.
thanks for sharing such beautiful pictures. Happy weekend.
Focus and limiting my time on the computer, which go hand in hand together. I am setting time limits on myself for writing/blogging, web reading, e-mail etc. In turn I need to be truly focused during the time I do spend on this tool. Then I move away and re-enter my life as homemaker, homeschooler, mother, gardener. I have found this so freeing.
I will scribble notes in a notebook, or make a note to to e-mail so in so through the day but being focused during my time on the computer has been a real way for me to balance my life and truly appreciate and be present with my children, in the kitchen, washing dishes, hanging laundry etc..
I’m able to do this because my kids are old enough that I can say “no interruptions for the next 30 minutes”. Other people, like yourself at husbands at home running home business’ so you can tag team (I’m assuming).
As for getting away from it all. I do that on our weekend hikes,
a day in the woods to process life.
Meant to post this link:
http://fimby.tougas.net/hiking-to-process-life
I hear ya. During the day is kid/homeschooling time, evenings after boys go to bed I do my design work and volunteer projects. My husbands works full time days, plus usually 7 nights/week so is always busy! I only get out of the house by myself a few hours a year – for a haircut or Dr. appointment. So, for me, my way to find balance is finding peace and quiet in the moments in between. I work in the garden in the evenings while the boys play with neighbors in the yard and alley. I make cheese or bake bread or can things during times of the day when the boys are focused on their own projects. I read a LOT of books, usually at 1AM when everyone in the house is asleep (ahhhhh). I meditate every night after I do my spine PT exercises to focus and re-center. I take photos everywhere we go, looking for beauty in the moment. There are not enough hours in the day, but I know these years with young boys who need me a lot are precious and soon enough they will be off on their own doing their thing and I will have more time again to work on my paintings, my writing, to sing, to write music. It is all good. 🙂
Beautiful evening neighborhood photos!
Husbands plural. Ha! If only… ;0) HusbanD.
Thanks, D. It was sweet to be out there, wandering at my own pace.
xo
Rachel
Meagan,
Thank you for your (and your grandmothers) wisdom. Its true – always a trading here for there. I read somewhere when Sage was a baby I have 100 things to take care of today and only one of them has feelings. Perhaps we add ourselves to that and say only two (or three, or four…).
xo
Rachel
Renee,
Limiting computer time is HUGE! I didnt realize until this month how much of my focus and time were absorbed here, in this tiny office space. I have to physically shut off the computer to keep myself focused on my family, my tasks, and our life. I love the idea of keeping a notebook handy for the computer tasks. (I also love the idea of husabands. Oh, the projects wed get done in a weekend!!!).
🙂
Rachel
Denise in Madtown,
So true. This moment is fleeting. And you – like me – find the magic in the everyday. We baked bread today. We hung laundry. We played and gardened. It is balance somehow hidden within that big swirl of our days. And before we know it – POOF – theyll be grown and well be wondering where the years have gone.
xo
Rachel