we had some beautiful and gorgeous sunshine the last few days and the girls and i could not resist getting outside and soaking up those rays!  i tried really hard to forget all my to do lists and the things i have cluttering up my mind and just hit the sand and surf with my wee ones.  in true mackenzie style we decided to collect rocks and other seaside treasures (we collect them in jars all over our house) in a bright pink purse.  heck who says we can't have a rock purse right? lol.  we also love color in our house and i'm sure you could not miss us in our bright stripes, colored boots and girly attire fit for the beach.  i purposely had a load of wash ready to go in as soon as we got home so i wouldn't fuss over the girls and i getting sandy and dirty (i am known to do this..haha) and it is def something i will do again.  i'm always worrying about the mess and forget about the fun and it's something i'm working really hard on getting over a tad this year.  wanna see what we got up to?  can you feel the ocean breeze?


ever since that weird dream i had last week about amy butler telling me to make sure to take time and enjoy life i've been trying really hard to do some serious time blocking and really focus only on the girls when i'm not working.  i've been using our microwave clock timer (the hubs idea) and now set times so we know how long mommy has been working etc. for and how long we have till play time.  that way i don't go over if i have something i need to do (hello, when i get sewing i lose all track of time and end up in time warp saying just 10 more minutes and then it's been a hour!! eeek!) and they know exactly how long until mommy is all theirs.  i can't be theirs all day but i sure can set up fun things for them to do while i do work and while i do things like cook and clean.  then when the timer goes they get mommy for a whole chunk of time to do with whatever they like.  it seems to be working quite well and with these next few months being the hardest of our year the hubs and i are hoping it will make the transition that much easier for them.

so  is it just me or have you all been feeling pulled in all sorts of directions too?  do you have an ongoing conflict between creative me time and fun mommy time as well?  i know i need me time to function as a mother and a wife but i also don't want it to take away too much time from my mommy time...finding that balance...well, it's an ongoing battle isn't it.  one i find that blue skies, red boots and pink rock purses can ease the stress away from for a while.  sometimes answers come to us when we set our minds free and let it all go for an hour or two.  i need to remind myself to do this daily (or at least every few days) or i find myself losing that battle to find that precious balance.  it's there...i can see it...i just need to reach out far enough to grab it :)

what are your thoughts? i'd love to hear them! what's on your mind my friends...let's chat! it's monday - come visit, pull up a chair and grab a cuppa jo and join me <3