I have a confession to make: I’ve been really slacking at life lately. It always happens to me this time of year, when the season changes and the weather gets cooler. It all comes crashing down because I’ve been running and running and as my mom says, “burning the candle at both ends”. I usually end up sick in bed and in need of a few days to let myself recover. This year though, I have a seven month old. There is no such thing as a break and no time to recover; I just have to suck it up and pull it together – and I want to, I really do!
Recently I’ve had some personal stuff going on, and have been running on empty and struggling to find time to do all of the things I want to do. Weekdays move at lightning speed, and weekends are jam packed with commitments and social plans. I haven’t had a good workout in weeks, I’ve been lazy with healthy eating and Casey and I crawl into bed earlier and earlier every night. It feels like we can never get enough sleep, and I know it’s because I’m not taking proper care of myself. I’m on the road each morning by 7am, work a full day and by the time I’m home it’s close to 5pm. The very last thing I feel like doing is heading down to our in-home gym and miss out on precious time with Dane before he heads to bed. Plus my very favorite time of day is between 5pm and bedtime – we get to play, giggle, eat dinner and relax on the couch with zero stress. It’s time that I cherish but it always goes so quickly.
I often preach about balance and making everything work, and even recently blogged about it for Lake Country Family Fun. I swear most of time I abide by everything in that blog post, but right now I feel like I’m stuck in a rut. I know for a fact that exercise (or lack of) is a huge contributing factor for me – especially since I’ve lost the baby weight… (This doesn’t mean I’m where I want to be, or healthy for that matter). I know I can’t justify missing out on my few hours in the evening with D, so morning workouts are becoming my only option. BUT HOW CAN I POSSIBLY GET UP AT 5AM?! It’s been incredibly hard to find the motivation, when the sun doesn’t rise until 7am, and our bed is so cozy and warm. How do you early birds do it? Teach me your wayyyyyssssss.
Something has got to give. Normally at this point, I would say, “I need a vacation” – but I know that it’s not about that. (I mean, if someone offered me a trip to the Caribbean, I wouldn’t say no… but…) It’s about getting my shit together and coming up with a realistic plan to better the situation. I don’t quite know what that is yet, but it needs to happen – and fast because I’m slowly becoming a slug.
Some people might say, “Duh, stop doing so much stuff. Take a break and just decompress” – seems like a viable option, and probably smart. But the truth is, I LOVE our crazy busy lives and I always put something on the calendar for the weekends, because it’s so important to me to foster relationships – with friends, co-workers and family. In fact, we thrive on busy. Last fall we purposely took some vacation time, with plans to do nothing, and we ended up being completely bored. Busy is good – I just need to do a better job at finding that fine line between boredom and overdoing it.
I wanted to share this with you guys because this is me being completely real. A lot of bloggers (myself included) can look “perfect” from the outside snapshot on Facebook & Instagram. I share a ton of happy things with you on a regular basis – and honestly, we do have so many happy things! We are blessed to have our health, and are surrounded by people who love us. I’m lucky to have a husband who shares responsibilities with me and allows me to pursue my passions: cooking (a LOT), this blog, and so much more. I want you to know though, that we’re all in the trenches, and struggle with stuff. I know that in reality, we have it really good and there are so many families juggling SO much more than we are. The most important part is supporting each other and being kind to others.
I posted this video to my Facebook page earlier this week and it made me ugly cry because it’s such a good reminder for working moms: You’re Doing Better Than You Think
Anyway, another crazy weekend is almost here and we have a full schedule (just how I like it). I am setting a personal goal this upcoming week of making exercise a priority, and focusing on being more consistently healthful. I might fail, but at least it’s something that’s present in my mind – which to me, is better than nothing!
Staying Martha 