Hello There!

Hello there! Yes, I am still here.

I know that it has been some time. It honestly has been a tough and insanely busy past few months, but also an amazing and beautiful time for our family. Juggling work, the kids, keeping food on the table, spending time with my husband and my own mental health has been all consuming.

Something that has been exciting and wonderful news for me is that I started a new role at my job in January. It has taken everyone in our family some time to get adjusted to our new normal. Mommy mainly works East Coast hours so I start before they are awake most days. Daddy always works late. I’ve had a hard time carving out “me” time the past few months. I looked up and realized I hadn’t ridden my Peleton in over a month and had barely been out for a walk in weeks. That doesn’t work for someone who’s main stress reliever is exercise and movement.

My back went out a few Monday’s ago. I knew it was time to put my life mask on. I needed a plan. On Sunday’s I started looking ahead at the week and blocking out 30 minutes to an hour daily to exercise or take a break. I told my two cousins who I normally text with about fitness that I needed help and motivation to get back on track. I started doing the little things that bring me joy – like taking a nice bath before bed and actually saying what I was grateful in morning before tending to everyone else. None of this happened every day, but I started feeling better. And I started feeling more balanced and aligned.

I also started getting serious about the need to find a helper around the house for after school. I am so grateful that our kids have been in preschool most days since September and I know we are lucky in this regard. But my husband and I both have very demanding jobs and during the pandemic, we’ve had zero consistent outside help. The lack of breaks or extra hands was taking its toll on my husband and I. We also saw the kids yearning for a level of attention when they got home that we weren’t always able to give them. We, thankfully, found a very nice college student through my best friend. She comes about 12-15 hours a week. Her presence has done more for my sanity than I could have ever imagined.

I am back and I can’t wait to push some great new content out as we ease into Spring.

Blessings to all!

Hilary