I mentioned in my last post that if it doesn’t help pay the bills or raise my children, I’ve had to let it fall to the wayside. The weight of responsibilities is real, and as a result, I have had to seriously take a step back and re-evaluate what I spend my time on.
I also mentioned that there is a third category that has squeaked it’s way onto my priority list ~ the things that fulfill me and make me tick.
**Disclaimer: Taking care of my family is something that truly makes me tick and is often when I’m at my best. BUT there are still things that I enjoy doing and things I want to accomplish on a personal level. And when neglected, there is a noticeable void.**
I realized in November that I was drowning and had some serious potential of being flat out overwhelmed. I know a lot of it was likely due to my role as Litter mom of 8 puppies (a role I absolutely LOVED), and the resulting lack of sleep. But even still, I felt like I was on the verge of something not pretty ~ haha. I was simply surviving (and honestly had been since even before the puppies came), which as someone who is used to thriving, was difficult. I decided that if I could make that kind of time to care for the puppies, I could devote at least half as much once they were gone, to the things that make me tick. The things that are easy to neglect when life gets busy.
It was so busy but I loved every minute…and I sure miss these sweet little ones
I had already simplified most things to really focus on my kids, but there were a lot of things on my personal to do list that just weren’t getting done. So I decided to change that.
I started doing even less and spent even more time organizing my life so I could tackle the list ~ but first I had to figure out what I was missing and make one.
Here’s what I came up with:
*Sewing {so much fabric~so many projects~so little progress}
*Blogging {Oh how I’ve missed it}
*Listening to music (Strange perhaps, but it’s something I miss)
*Doing even more things with our kids
*Training and building better relationships with the pooches
*Trying more recipes
*{My} Happiness Project: I know that finding and buying that book was no accident.
*And basic tackling of a few nagging projects {not just a January goal} to help in the house organization
The biggest one glaring at me was sewing, because there are so many projects on my to do list. So I got my sewing room organized and got to work.
I couldn’t believe how rejuvenating it was. Immediately I could feel myself improving – in fact fast forward to the night before the kids’ Christmas concert when I decided to whip up a pair of comfy pants and a tank for Brooklyn’s costume. Both items took me about an hour to complete and afterwards, despite it being 1130pm and having to work the next day, I was WIDE AWAKE! I was beaming, feeling accomplished and rejuvenated, and just plain happy.
I impressed even myself lol
Anyways, as the last weekend of November approached I could feel myself needing a major break. From everything. The nagging feeling would not let up, so I made a major decision and cancelled the weekend. Friday I was supposed to go to Tara’s for an American Thanksgiving dinner (she’s American), but I cancelled. Saturday the kids and I were invited to a morning Grinch party, but I cancelled. Sunday was church (3 hours because we’re crazy lol), but I cancelled for us. And Sunday evening was dinner at my parents, but once again I cancelled. If I had kept it as planned, Monday morning would have arrived before I had time to breathe. So to keep it simple, I cancelled everything and declared it #hibernatingweekend without any plan to leave the house, not even once. Luckily there was a huge snowstorm and it was FREEZING so staying inside was not difficult.
Here’s what we did:
I had the time to just sit and enjoy some puppy snuggles
We decorated for Christmas
Ah yes, the sewing!!!!
The lounge pants that weren’t…huge flop!
The Redemption Skirt ~ this fabric was pricier than I normally buy, but I had to have it!
Because, why not?!
The second skirt…still needs some modifications
We successfully stayed in the entire weekend ~ not going out even once. Oh wait, I lied…I had to run out to start the vehicle on Sunday just to make sure it would start for work Monday morning ~ yes it was THAT cold!
The kids were happy, I was happy, the dogs and puppies (Zoe and Chewbarka) were happy and got lots of extra attention. We played, snuggled, decorated, got some things done, and did nothing all in the same weekend. It was perfection.
It’s precisely why we’ve *hibernated* several times since then. Not necessarily to the same degree, but enough where we get to spend some time refocusing and being together.
What would you spend your time doing if you cancelled the weekend?
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