THE boots – Sofft Shoes c/o
Denim – Henry and Belle c/o
Piko Top : Kiki LaRue c/o (re-mixed here)
Shades: Ray Ban c/o
Watch: ALDO
We did end up making it up to the Georgia Mountains over the weekend to go apple picking. We were lucky to have a beautiful day to accompany the trip. (More pics here.) It was the very first day of fall, and I didn’t wait a day later to whip out THE boots I have been dying to wear. It made me so happy to see my little ones have such a fun time. Veronica was even brave enough to ride a pony. Made me so proud:)
I had a lot of time to think during our drive up. When you are surrounded by nature and its perfect goodness, its easy to have some deep reflections (especially we melancholics;)). I have a loved one going through some physical sufferings right now as a result of a good deal of stress. Its crazy how connected our bodies, minds, and souls are. Through her healing we are all learning new things. I started to think about how this world can glorify the BUSY life. My friend Kelli also wrote about this and admire how she is handling it.
Go go go, work and play, and do it all with a smile. I think in truth we were not meant to be so busy. Our bodies are not designed to handle loads of activity and stress. Sure, we may adapt and adjust and do just fine, but at the end of the day, the majority of us suffer as a result of putting all the BUSY in front of our own needs and our families real needs.
After you have a baby, your life naturally shifts and adjusts. You need to reassess every few months to see if every one is doing okay and if anything needs to change. After Max came along, I tried to juggle everything I was doing before he came and still give the best of me to each of my children and my husband. I am sure you can guess how that went. It resulted in a lot tears….from both my kids and I….and a breaking point which forced me to evaluate my full plate and what had to go.
I was working the same hours in my graphic design job which I loved, and was pulling in that extra income we needed. I was starting a new business, running the blog, and attempting to have the house clean and dinner made by 5:30. Every minute of every day was occupied. I didn’t take the time to rest that you should be doing after you have a new baby. Reality called.
Gabe reminded me that if I was losing my sanity in the process of “balancing it all”, than something was out of order. Our children just need love. They need the best of us….not our leftovers after serving everything else on our plate. Even if everything else on that plate are all good things, it can still consume you, and over take those things that are most important.
I since have parted ways with my graphic design jobs…even though I loved the work and the additional income was a security for us, I have to trust it will be for the benefit of my family. I have gotten back into a time of mediation and prayer in the morning, and exercise at night. These simple changes have freed my spirit and mind in drastic ways, and as a result, I am a more patient mama and a more present wife. Not perfect….far from it, but hopefully improving each day.
We all need maintenance every once in a while. A time to take a look at our lives and see what is front and center. I know if my God and my family are not the main part of my day, than something is off kilter. I am fighting. Each day I am fighting the temptation to be busy and overfill my day. I am learning to say no, learning that its okay to ignore my inbox sometimes, and learning to say yes to needing help more often. I am especially learning to just be. Hold my baby and stare at him as much as possible, have art project time with Veronica uninterrupted (she eats up the attention), ask Gabriel about his train station masterpieces he builds, sitting and listening about my Gabe’s day, etc. etc. Being PRESENT in our loved ones life is the greatest gift we can give them.
One day at at time, with as much heart as I can muster.
A lot can run through your mind when you are in the glorious mountains of the south, huh?
