Long time, no see, eh? My apologies for the delay in posting. I’ve been skulking around the periphery of my social media outlets, but my blog posts have been wanting as of late.
It’s not that there’s been nothing to write about -with this group, there’s ALWAYS something to write about- but the reality has been that although the material has been thick, the time has been short. Way too short.
It happens this time of year… by the time the last few weeks of school roll around, I’m running on empty. Things start to slip. You know. Things like:
- Running late to soccer practice. Every.Single. Time.
- Muttering the words, “Damn! He/she forgot ___ at home!” on the drive to school. Every. Single. Day.
- Buying new socks instead of attempting to whiten the socks that are grey.. from MY KITCHEN FLOOR.
- Misplacing library books that are so overdue that my picture is on the librarian’s “Most Wanted” list.
- Going to bed too late, waking up too late, and… rinse and repeat. Again. And again.
- Mentally composing my mom resignation letter each night to the sight of spilled drinks, toddler wailing, and cat whining…
- Informing The Captain of said resignation when he calls to check in at dinner time… from his car. Alone. On a coffee break. Every.Single.Night.
- Forgetting to pay my site’s yearly fee, and not even noticing for a week that it wasn’t even up… (oops!)
In short, there’s been too much to do, and too little ME.
June is always challenging. By the end of the school year, I find myself crawling toward the finish line. It’s usually busy, but this year seems to be even busier than usual. I’m aware that there are times when the demands will outweigh the supply (me), but I don’t handle the sense of falling short well. I hate feeling like I’m not keeping up, but it inevitably happens at times.
Here’s the deal, folks. I’ve been frustrated. And being stalled at Frustration Station makes me grumpy. And a grumpy Six Pack Mommy is not a funny one. But… part of why I blog is not only to share the fun, insane parts of our life, but the gritty reality of it. And the reality is, having a big family is not an easy task. It can be all-consuming. It can be draining. It can be painful, and overwhelming, and plain tedious sometimes.
In order to keep things running smoothly here, there are times when I need to circle the wagons and focus on the sagging home/family aspects. But putting aside things that I want to do in favor of things that I need to do is still really, really hard.
Is it a mom thing? Maybe. It’s that feeling of wanting it all. I want to be able to balance ALL OF IT. The home, the bills, the kids, the housecleaning, the marriage, the extended family, the friends, the blog, the hobbies.
Image Courtesy of www.pinandtonic.com
But unfortunately, it looks less like above, and more like THIS:
Image Courtesy of www.savorthesuccess.com
It’s important to make time for yourself, and to not become a martyr on the altar of family. And I get that, I do. But day to day, I’m still struggling to strike a balance between the two.
I love blogging, so much. But I found that in recent weeks, my full attention was almost entirely on the blogging, and its social media support, and not on the family that I blog about. In essence, it was basically:
“Not now, kiddo, I’m too busy writing about our life to participate in it.”
The good news is, I’ve regrouped. I’ve caught up on a lot of neglected areas; now that the school year is coming to an end, our outside commitments have slowed down.
The tougher aspect… climbing back uphill. It’s frustrating to have made progress with my writing, only to have needed to put it aside for a time. With six kids and a husband that basically works two jobs, the demands on me often seem endless. I’m still trying to perfect the alchemy.
But are there stories to tell? Of course. Can’t wait….!
I feel the same! I will be taking a step back for the next 7 weeks to enjoy summer with my kids. They need it and I most certainly need it. Good to have you back (:
Sounds like things over hectic (as always!) over there but glad you’re back! And hope you had a great birthday, friend!
I hear you! I’m going to be in your shoes in about 6 weeks, when my super crazy busy time at work starts. And that’s going to last through November. I’m gonna try to plan ahead so I don’t need to use the BANG HEAD HERE button 🙂 But you have 6 kids!! I’m super impressed that you are able to keep it all together like you do. Welcome back, and I’m excited to read more of your stories!!! 🙂
Welcome back and it would a pleasure to read more from you.
I know what you mean. I’ve been feeling the same way lately. Finding balance is so hard. If you ever find the solution don’t be stingy, share it with us please! Glad to have you back. It’s always a pleasure reading your work 🙂
When I started blogging in February, I had no idea the time commitment it would be! It is fun, but so hard to balance. I have been lucky to be able to stay at home and I am starting to understand this whole work/hobby/life balance thing. But, I am very happy to have something for myself again :). Thanks for sharing your story and glad you are back!
Lol. The library’s Most Wanted list!! Hehehe. I’m totally there with you. I hope you get a little bit of peace sometime soon.
I need to just copy and paste this post for my blog because I can relate to it word for word… including forgetting to pay the site fee (thanks for the reminder!). I typically have a new post up every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, but I’m lucky if I get to hit the submit button on two short posts a week because the time is just not there – but for good reason! This time of the year is INSANE. End of school. End of season sports. End of dance. And all the “end of _____” parties on top of it. I can’t wait for the summer so I can sleep in!
Ah… The overdue library books!! It has happened so many times， I think I have given a fortune to the librarian! I think it is hard to find balance but take your time to find it – it will come! Welcome back 🙂
I am SO with you on just about everything you said, I had the chance to go away for the weekend and spent the whole time writing. I have a four or five page list of things I want to write about IF I HAD THE TIME. I could easily put out a post a day IF I HAD THE TIME. And I always think summer will miraculously provide that time, but it doesn’t seem to. Glad you are back–I wish there were easy answers!
I know how you feel… I was doing so well and on top of a pile of blogging stuff then BAM! I was back to the beginning… I hate how this all rolls around sometimes… Although I have a new planning calendar which helps me become a little more “focused”… But alas life does get in the way… And kids need me, and pregnancy sleepiness is catching up… There’s always something… Welcome back! I look forward to reading more from you 🙂 keep up the good fight!
EXACTLY. Ditto to everything you said. I think I need to work on developing a planning calendar… if I can find the time to do so. 😉
Oh my, I can relate to this SO much. I feel like I have zero time anymore, especially for writing. I need to get a grasp on my schedule quickly!
Thanks, Thomasina. You and me both; I’m STILL trying to find time to get a handle on my blogging in the midst of the summer craziness!