A THOUGHTFUL FRIDAY
May 30, 2014
Lately I’ve been feeling a little run down– torn in too many directions. Balance is constantly a battle for me. Between raising Ruby, making sure she is my focus during the day, blogging, shooting and producing videos, renovating, following other opportunities and Jon working like mad basically since November, I find little time for simple things like hitting the gym or buying lipstick. It sounds trivial, and I am so grateful for all of the things that demand my time, but I feel like I need to pull things into balance a bit.
Part of my problem is that one of my best friends recently moved out of state (wahhhhhh!!!) and our almost daily routine of mom/tot activities have now become a duo of just Rubes and me. And while I think I’m a generally outgoing person, I’ve found stay-at-home motherhood to be a bit isolating. Tell me I’m not alone in this.
I’ve made an effort this week to plan a bunch of activities for us, and we gave the daycare at the gym a go today with much greater success than in attempts past, so I’m feeling confident about my reunion with Pilates in the near future and we have a schedule full of a slew of learning/growing/playing activities for Ruby and me together.
I know, I know, we all have as many hours in the day as Beyonce…. just without the personal trainers, chef, nannies, maids, glam squad, and assistants. That entourage surely buys her a few more hours than I have, right? At least one hour. Oh what I wouldn’t give for an extra full, uninterrupted, productive hour.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Mine will be filled with working on a huge project in the family room, filming some upcoming videos, and squeezing in some family time with my two favorites.
xx,
Leave a Reply
back to top
@jenniferstagg
shop
We're a full-service design firm and home furnishings shop built around the philosophy that a well-designed home should be beautiful, personal, cohesive, and complete. We think home is the most important place on the planet and when you live in a home that is perfectly you, it changes your life. Don't believe us? Stick around. We're confident we'll change your mind.
hello there!
Follow Along
@jenniferstagg
Hey, let's be friends
Exclusive projects, discounts, and extra goodies all in your inbox. And don’t worry- your email is for our eyes only.
You are ABSOLUTELY not alone in this. I found myself in a similar situation when my two best girls (and their babes) moved away. I don’t have a great answer for you other than the things you already mentioned…but I can tell you from experience it’s really just a matter of putting yourself out there. Speak to someone new at the park, chat with someone at pilates, you get the picture! It seems a little forced at first, but I found that other mamas are sometimes just as isolated looking for a new friend too. You don’t need to be bff’s to get the girls together for some fro-yo. Hope you find what you are looking for…and soon!
Xo,
Traci
Thank you so much, Traci! Fro-yo sounds diving 🙂
Thanks for sharing this- I struggle as a stay at home mom daily, and I think some of it’s compounded by my bestie living an hour away, not having any other friends with children (and I’m pushing too close to thirty! For my liking!), and expecting our second this August. And you work from home too- not sure how you do it!! It’s crazy for me to imagine as I can barely walk around to get anything done without my little one trying to climb up my legs. I actually miss my job, mostly because it meant I got a break! Good for you for working on finding more time for you. I need to do this too but don’t even know how to start.
You’re so sweet, Alicia! Thanks for sharing your thoughts! I feel the same way.
I understand how you feel and I’m a much older Mom. I have a grown son and a 13 yr old daughter and as a single mom I never have time for me.
I’m an optimist and appreciative of everything I have, but a full-time demanding career, a very active daughter and home projects to blog about for a newer blog, take so much of my time. I hate to tell you but your time flies by even quicker as your child grows and becomes involved in activities, school and friends. But… it’s all good and I and probably you won’t have it any other way.
Hang in there and just try to grab small snippets of time for yourself. And… don’t feel alone with this issue.
Omg! It’s so funny I came across this post today because I feel just like you! You are definetely not alone! My husband is out of town sometimes for over a week and when he comes home, it’s just for a day or two and, of course, he’s exhausted! So it’s just me and my little 18 month old baby boy. I moved here four years ago from Brazil, so all my family and friends are there… I have one friend that has kids my son’s age and we do play dates but other than that, I really don’t have good friends that I can count on yet. I don’t want to sound whinny but sometimes it’s just hard. I still work part-time and that keeps my sanity haha That’s my time to have some kind of adult social life! Sometimes all I want is to be with my husband, or family and friends that are so far away, that I end up sometimes not even wanting to be with anyone else, just because I miss their company so much. But I think what Tracy said is what we should do, just put ourselves more out there! Hopefully we will all find a balance!
P.S I love your blog and Ruby! She’s so adorable!
Thank you so much for your kind words, Nadia!