I’m a mom to two little girls; ages 5 and 1 year. I’m a wife to my husband of 7 years. We have two dogs and a kitten. I’m also an employer, a blogger, a friend, a daughter, and a sister. I’m a stay-at-home-mama—that keeps me busy, to say the least. I run our household, manage our finances, employ my staff of caregivers (which includes marketing, interviewing, hiring, training, budgeting, scheduling, and unfortunately sometimes, firing). And I volunteer as a mentor for Big Brothers, Big Sisters.
Adding To The Chaos
Back in January, I felt that having 2 kiddos, one of whom was still an infant, and one dog, wasn’t enough crazy in my household.
So we decided to adopt a bear.
Well, when I say a bear, I mean our Bernese Mountain Dog. Jameson Reid is now only 10 months old and weighs about 100lbs. He’s giant and manic and is absolutely more work than a child. (We love him, regardless of his antics.)
Then… as if that weren’t enough…we decided to sign up to host a foreign exchange student. And adopt a kitten. Oh, and did I mention we’ve been dealing with a nightmare of home renovations due to a flood we had back in May? Demolition and construction throughout most of our home has been ongoing for 5 months which has been just so fun… not. So, to recap: husband, 15-year-old exchange student, 5-year-old, 1 year old, older dog, psychotic bear-puppy, kitten, mid-construction house, team of staff to manage, and some volunteer projects that all require my attention.
Needless to say, I’m constantly occupied. My to-do list is never, ever complete. For some reason, though, I am the type of woman who thinks I am never busy enough. I’m not quite sure when this habit started, but it’s becoming a real struggle.
Throughout all the craziness, I get overwhelmed and unhappy. Yet, I push myself to do more. Why? It’s as if I need to prove something to myself.
Trying to Be Less Busy
I enjoy being busy. Seriously. But I don’t enjoy hectic days or weeks or months. I’ve decided that I can help myself by learning to say “no” more often. I can hold myself back from things that will inevitably frustrate me. I want to make it a point to fully think decisions through. I need to ask myself things like, “What are the long-term ramifications of this?” and “Will this make me happy or is it something that will bring unnecessary stress into my life?”
Another thing I want to work on is making sure that I make time for things that are most important to me. I want to make my marriage, my kids, and my friends a priority. Always. I’ve been trying to intentionally plan time for things like movie nights with the kids, dates with my husband, and checking in with my friends. Doing these things fill my heart with joy. Prioritizing them helps me feel less stressed.
Life is short. I’m working to make my life the happiest it can be.
