Hi, Our Reflection readers! I'm thrilled that my sweet friend, Laura, has graciously allowed me to take over her bloggy space today. What an honor!
I am a youth pastor's wife, a mama to a sweet & spunky two year old little girl, author of Mama Marchand's Nest, owner of Mama's Nest Designs, and a part time employee (but not for long!). To say I'm busy is an understatement. There is a reason why this mama has to have a ginormous caramel iced coffee first thing every morning! Our life is chaotic but it's also wonderful. We often get asked "how do manage it all?" Well, very carefully.
1.) We say no. We have to. We just can't be involved in everything we're asked to even though most of it is good stuff! I've had to pass up several incredible opportunities both with my blog and my shop but I have no regrets. The hubs has done the same because family absolutely comes first!
2.) We have family meetings. We literally sit down every weekend and go over our weekly calendars. You should see my Erin Condren planner, y'all. It is highlighted, underlined, and filled with globs of white out, filled with playdates, the hubs' ministry schedule, blog posts, and more.
3.) We schedule in spontaneity. Say what? As crazy as that sounds, we schedule in free time. It's our precious family time, time that we don't touch, time that's just for us to do whatever we want, just the three of us. You'll often find us at IKEA, eating cheap but delicious food and wandering the marketplace or at Target, checking out the dollar aisle for fun stuff to do. We LOVE going to the National Zoo in Washington, DC and we also love to just take off in the car and find a new place to explore.
These are the three top ways that our family of three stays sane AND connected. Tell me - what suggestions do you have for keeping track of your family's schedule? What kinds of things do you do in your family free time?
Thanks to Laura for the blessing of guest posting for her today! I hope you'll click over and say hello! *smile*
Thank you for such a great Monday post. I'm your newest follower. I'd love for you to stop by.
ReplyDeleteKimberly @ mypinterestreality.com
Hi! Just wanted to stop by an let you know that I'm your newest follower :)
ReplyDeleteLove & Whimsy
Following from the hop :)
ReplyDeletehttp://thelacquerfactor.com
Great blog! I'm here from the blog hop. I'm your newest follower and I 'd love to have you stop by my blog,
ReplyDeletedosmallthingswithlove.blogspot.com
Nancy
Stopping by from the GFC Hop. Just signed up to follow you. Have a great day!
ReplyDeleteGreat guest post!! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree - the calendar is a LIFESAVER! When I was younger, I still kept a written calendar, though I was also able to maintain a mental calendar that was accurate almost all of the time. Now - let's just say the mental one isn't as accurate! The times the calendar was most handy was the period when I had kids in high school (kids with lots of extra-curricular activities) and had a full time and a part time job. That calendar was the only thing between me and a complete meltdown of the system.....
ReplyDelete