For the Love of Blogging

Now that I'm a mom, continuing to do things that I absolutely love (you know...the things that light you up from within and make you feel ALIVE and ENERGIZED!) is really, really HARD.

It's amazing how in my before-mama-life, I thought I had little time to do things for me, but when I look back, boy,  was I wrong!

Even after all the responsibilities that filled my day, there was plenty of time to do whatever my heart desired and no one was stopping me! 

Sure, I was tired from teaching 2nd grade all day.

But, once the day was over (and, yes, I did take lots of work home with me) I'd go home and watch Oprah, run to the store for groceries, workout,  take a nap, talk on phone to a friend and so much more.

Now that I'm a mom, I realize I should have appreciated that time more.  Right!?!? :)

I struggle with finding time for ME now that I have two little ones.  (I struggled when I only had one kiddo, too!)

I absolutely LOVE my kids.  They're my #1 love.

But, somedays, I wish I could have my before-mama days back so I could have MORE time to replenish myself and ignite my inner fire to pursue all things that I love.

Well...since those days won't be coming back until my kids go to college, I've had to figure out new ways to do what I love.

My friend, Mara, who is a mom of 3,  texted me this the other day...

"I promise that what you love and enjoy will always find a way to get done even with lots of babies." 

It made me realize, that, yes, finding time for yourself as a mom is super hard, but when you're driven by what you love, you'll find a way to make it work.

Sure, we all know the advice for moms of not putting yourself last and taking time for yourself, like a hot bath or  hanging out with your friends, but still, it can be tough, right?

Well...it is for me.

Because my ME TIME is SO limited, once I get a moment to myself, my mind goes on overdrive...

Should I mediate? Do yoga? Take a bath? Read my book? Take a nap? Paint? Color? Read about photography online? Catch up on blogs? Surf the Internet? Sit outside? Clean the house? Prep dinner? Call my friend? Blog? Edit pictures? Have a glass of wine? ;)

It's crazy how hard it is to pick onebecause I just wanna do them all.

But, I've learned that I have to pick and choose the one thing that I'm truly needing to feel happy, energized and ALIVE in that MAMA ME TIME moment.

I never had to look at it this way before mamahood.  It didn't matter because I could do them all, for hours!

But, now, it matters.

Being forced to choose in this way is pretty incredible, because there used to be a time when someone asked me, "What do you love?"

I'd answer with one or two thingsand then go blank.

Being a mom has made me connect more this question because I've learned that doing only the things that truly bring me joy and fill me with the most amazing, happy chills is the most important thing I can do for myself and family. (and, I also learned that these inner feelings...those inner happy chills are the key indicator to finding out what you truly love...if you get happy tears...even better!!)

You know when your kiddo or hear another kiddo yell out, "I LOVE ORANGE CHIPS!!!"  (this is the exact quote from C's little cousin when he saw Dorito's at my grandparents house...lol.  So awesome!! lol.) well...that's exactly what I've been able to do now.  Well, maybe not orange chips...but I can yell all the things I LOVE.

Kids are the best teachers because they come into the world very focused on what they love. They're very connected to it.  And we adults were once connected in this way, too.

So, yeah, when I read that text from Mara, it was an ah-ha for me because I have been finding time to do things that I really love (which is VERY hard to see when you're SO busy taking care of others).

I've realized that this IS exactly WHY I blog.

It can be super easy to look at other blogs, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest and start thinking to yourself, yeah, I suck.

I've done this a lot.

I've looked at so many amazing posts on all of those sites and then thought to myself...

"How in the heck are these moms doing it when I can't even keep my house clean????"

"How are they finding the time to continue to do what they love all while taking care of not one, but two, three and four kiddos?"

Since having my baby boy, I've connected more to the answer to these questions.

They're driven by their inner passions...the love...the pleasure.  So they create time, even if they're kids are screaming for them or destroying the house, because if they don't, they'll never stay connected to themselves, and at the end of the day, they won't be as happy as they should be and neither will their family.

When we pursue the things that light us up...energize us...make us feel ALIVE and help us to stay connected to ourselves, we're modeling this to our kids, so they can grow up always staying connected to what their inner most passions are.

This is SO important for moms (and dads!) to do, too,  because it's very easy to disconnect to all the things that create inner happiness for yourself when you're taking care of others. (at least it is for me)

So that's my intention here.

To blog all the things I love, because it helps me to stay focused and connected to ME, which in the end, helps me to be a much happier mama.

Between all the things that I love about being a mom (being there for my kids, watching them learn and blossom, getting the best hugs ever, hearing them laugh together and bond) and all the things I don't love (meltdowns, always having to be needed for EVERYTHING, sleep deprivation, racing around doing laundry and cleaning the house) I LOVE having my blog.

My blog is my ME TIME.

My blog helps to create more positivity in my life.

And, now, when I read other blogs, I see, too, that those people are blogging what they LOVE, too!  (We all have different loves and excel at different things, but when we share those things we love we inspire others at the same, which is pretty awesome, in my book...and the very best way to live!)

So when you see me posting recipes, food photos, my kids photos, anything photography related, anything personally related...it's all because I LOVE it!  (And, trust me, it's taken me a very.long.time. to get to this point!)

And, of course, I LOVE sharing it here with you.

So, tell me...

Is it easy for you stay connected to all the things you love, or, do you find yourself struggling just to figure out what it is you truly love?

Either way, I hope you'll stick around and be inspired by all the LOVE I have to share, and, of course, I'll be sharing HOW I find the time to share it, too! :)

Until next time..

Life IS what you love...SAVOR it!