Week 7 - Scottsdale

Living Off Balance...On Purpose

Since becoming a parent I have struggled with many adjustments.  A lot of the time the adjustment is temporary or something I eventually give into and simply make the adjustment.  The hardest and longest lasting one for me has been finding a balance between my daughter and my hobbies.  Earlier I posted an article about Mommy Guilt and this has  a lot to do with my dilemma.  I miss my hobbies.  I keep thinking --- when she can sit up, I will be able to get back to them.  When she can walk, I will finally be able to scrapbook (who am I kidding).  The minute I sit down to do my hobbies, I hear little grunts that remind me I should be playing with my little girl.  "She is only this little once," my conscience whispers.  While I play with her I think "How will I remember this!?  I need to scrap it, I NEED to record it."  When will I finally find peace.  When will I finally find balance?


I recently missed the National Trade Show for my industry (HVAC -WooHoo!!!) because Evie was sick with Bronchiolitis and taking a trip to chilly Chicago didn't seem like such a good idea.  One of our Manufacturers does a great job every year of introducing a motivational speaker.  This year they presented Dan Thurmon.  His words speak to me.  Maybe he has the answer....

We long for a sense of balance, a sense of completion, a sense where all of our efforts even out. Life balance is a concept that is intriguing, desireable, and I believe completely unrealistic. You will never achieve perfect balance, and neither will I which is why I’ve given up. And I am no longer living my life on balance. I’m living off balance on purpose…

Off balance is reality.

Notes:

§  Embrace uncertainty.

§  Those who are creating transformations are leaning forward into the changes, initiating…

§  If you think what you are doing is hard, try something harder.

§  If you live your life thinking you’re finally going to get to a certain level where you have peace and contentment, you will be forever frustrated. The only way to find peace and contentment in life is to find it in the process of living.

§  Take the stage with a little bit of uncertainty.

§  Take chances; make mistakes.

§  Success in life and in business is not determined by your circumstances or your ideas or even your vision; it’s about your action. If you action is not congruent with your words, it doesn’t really matter what you say.

I know his words were intended to speak to us on a professional manner... in regards to our careers, but it certainly applies to our personal life, it certainly applies to parenting.  I think  my husband has this down, he is way more flexible than I am.  I think my NEW new years resolution is to live off balance, on purpose.

Words Every Mom Needs to Hear

I remember at my baby showers, good friends sharing words of wisdom about the "joys" of giving birth that no one talks about.  Since, I have been to many baby showers were these words are then passed onto the unassuming preggers, sometimes by me!  Well, now we are talking about it.  But there are still things that women don't talk about.  I do believe we are scared to admit that motherhood and the process that gets us there isn't all rosy.  We like it to saying we don't love our children.  But far from it.  All these not-so-rosy things probably make us love these little ones that much more.  I am not a very good writer but i have recently read a few articles that just made me think "right on!"  So I thought I should share them with you.... so that we can now start talking about it.

I think Glennon Melton might be my hero!

Don't Carpe Diem

Mommy Wars

In the Beginning

I've been wanting to start this blog for like 6 months now and i never have.  why?  It never felt complete.  the name of the blog was never quite right, I can't get the dang menu right and i wasn't sure if i had a awesome witty story to start with.  it got me thinking of a song by Building 429 and yes- this is about to get deep - but nothing is ever really in place right --- we always feel a little out of sorts.  Something is always not what we want, where we want it or how we want it.  It's God's way of telling us that this is not where we ultimately belong.  Okay so not that my blog is a sign from God or anything but it made me realize i just need to dive in (Steven Curtis Chapman anyone?).

I started a blog once before, and i didn't do a very good job.  I thought that once I had a baby I would find all this amazingly funny stuff to blog about and i would just be dying to get to my computer to write about the latest thing little Evie did.  Then I realized --- I want to be there when she does these things... and then I want to sleep!

                                                    

So the first 6 weeks I almost pulled all my hair out.  Ah to be a first time mom again ..NOT AT ALL.  I had no idea what I was doing.  I wasn't working but I had no free time.  Trying to sneak in a meal before my little girl started screaming again.  Watching HORRIBLE day time television (I never want to go back -- thank goodness for DVR and internet tv - next time I will plan better).  Anyway, trying to type a blog single and left handed (you all know what I mean)  would have been impossible.  I do have friends who do it and I read their witty blogs with admiration (Whine and Cheez).

After 6 weeks, my little darling turned into an angle and I didn't want to miss a thing.  The idea of a blog seemed, well, silly.  That brings me to now... 4 1/2 months later and I realize again that I want to talk about my life.  I want something to look back on and laugh at how silly I was, remember why I said I would never do "that" again..and then did it again.  Most of all i just want to look back at what we (my family) did.  Besides, whose going to read this?  Probably just my husband and closest friends.  So here goes...  .