Ok, I love my life. I love to blog. I love my kids. I love to homeschool. I love my husband. I would love to have a clean, de-cluttered house (I think, I have never had one;). I love to hang out with my friends. I love church. I love to serve at church. I love video games and comic books. I love politics. I love to read. I love to cook. I love to craft.
So with all this love I am sure you are wondering what my problem is. Well, apparently there is only 24 hours in the day and I can’t make any more hours appear;). I want to blog for a living but I have a bunch of responsibilities. And then I have a bunch of things that I just desire to do. Even in my most ideal world, I can’t do everything I want to do. So that means that choices have to be made. I don’t get to play the video games I want to play or do craft projects that would be fun. That is just real life. But sometimes it feels like Sophie’s Choice. Ok, maybe I am exaggerating a little bit.
I am a yes girl by nature. Which means if there is something to do I will do it if it is physically possible, especially if it is a 1 time thing. So up until this semester it seems the thing I have always neglected is the house and doing projects with the kids.
But something had to change. My God, my family, my house and my blogs are my real priorities and they were all being short changed! So this semester I chose to give up my Thursday Bible Study. Before you all think that I am abandoning God, I have another Bible study that I am in. By giving up Thursday it meant that there was a day that we don’t have to go out at all! And do you know how valuable it is for homeschooling and blogging to actually be home? And I thought that would fix all my time and priority problems.
Then life got in the way. I started getting headaches. I have been having really bad headaches for about a month now. So I haven’t been writing the way I want. I have been doing projects with great companies but I haven’t been posting like I want because of the headaches. Then I got the flu and I got it in a way I have never had it before. I was dehydrated and shaky and miserable. To the point that I couldn’t even read my emails much less form sentences to return them. Then I barely got healthy enough to stand and I was off to Women’s Retreat.
I came home with a new outlook. I am in a season of NO. Do I want to go to a homeschool seminar this weekend? No. Do I want to host something at my house? No. Do I want to go to coffee (just for fun, not because you need to talk)? No.
Now this doesn’t mean that I am quitting things I already do but I am not taking anything else on without it being super special. Maybe this will bring some sort of clarity and peace to my crazy, mixed up bloggy life. And maybe I will go to the doctor for my headaches.
How do those of you who balance it all, how do you do it? Can I actually clean my house, teach my kids, play with them and be a successful blogger? Help a girl out!
None of us can do everything we want to get done in one day. Just today my sister and I were talking and agreed that days that we are negligent with our time, even just a little bit of it, we end the day stressed out that we are so behind. But on days where we are responsible with our time, sometimes even neglecting the to-do list in order to tend to matters that are truly more important, we end the day with confidence that we made the most of the day, even though we didn’t get it all done, and often see God scratch things off the to-do list without us.
My wise husband also pointed out to me today the difference between things that you should do versus things that you could do. He’s all for the “should”, and against the “could”. I, like you, often opt into all the “coulds” as well as the “shoulds”.
Don’t know if any of that actually answers any of your questions, but those are my thoughts. And my essay. 🙂
When you figure it out…let me know! I know that the good Lord gave me my precious husband because I, personally, can’t say NO! And I NEED TO! God has recently given me an incredible peace about being where I am and doing my top priorities…if I can squeeze in other things…amen, if not, I’m good too. Hang in there. Saying “no” will probably at least free up some time to sit down, pray, and see where God wants you! I think it’s a GREAT idea!
People ask you to do projects because they know you will get them done. “If you want something done, give it to a busy person.” (unknown). But, if you keep saying “yes” to all these projects, you are taking the opportunity away from someone else. Sometimes when we take on too much it is a distraction of the devil. If he (the devil) can keep you busy and overwhelmed then you aren’t any good for God’s work. Sometimes when we take on too much it is because our ego gets us in too deep. We know we can do it, and do it right, so we take on yet another project. Sometimes when we take on too much we are keeping someone else from stepping up and showing the world they have gifts,talents, and abilites too. Or we are stunting their growth in the area where God has asked them to step out, but have been afraid.
Think of saying “no” as giving another person the opportunity to step out in faith and say “yes’.
I don’t balance it all. I have been doing reviews – I am on the edge of seeking out revenue generated from the blog – but for now, I can turn town reviews, blog when I want. I am fearful that if I have sponsors, I’ll have to treat the blog as a job, instead of as a hobby . . . . maybe later. For now, Beach time, Blog Time, School Time, and if we have time – quick cleanup here and there. 🙂
Stopping by from the HHH and I completely understand! I have so many things I want to do and am kind of in a season of “no” right now as well. Lots and lots of prayer has been helping me and strangely enough, making lists. (I’m not a good list-maker but as long as I don’t go crazy overboard with it or get too detail oriented, they actually do help.) I want to write & blog a lot more but I just do what I can because my kiddos and hubby are more important and will always come first! *hugs*