Monday, June 7, 2010

Summer: Let the Games Begin! (and taking my best shots)



I know summer is officially a few weeks away, but in our house summer begins in earnest with the opening of the neighborhood pool. Add to our daily pool routing lots of cooking out doors (the husband has a new smoker/cooker that he is passionately involved with these days) and house guests visiting, it feels 100% like summertime. I love the pace of summer when the days seems to climax with dinner on the patio with goods from the farmer's market and reading novels seems the height of ambition. But I am also aware of this shift in our daily routine that I have so carefully crafted and there is a level of anxiety about losing track of those activities I need to keep me balanced: art journaling, crafting, writing, playing with my photographs. Ironically, I can think of lots of things I want to explore here when I have very little time available for blogging. In fact, I am working within a window of 10 minutes before I have to get dinner started and while Cowgirl is away at a swimming lesson and our guests are napping after a day spent at the zoo.




The challenge for me will be to strike a balance with my need for routine and summer's spontaneous character. Vacations are planned, interrupts will be occurring on a regular basis and I want to be open to enjoying the carefree quality of summer without losing the momentum of my art-filled life. This blog feels like my touchstone: coming here connects me to what I want to play attention to in my life. And while I am busy living my life, I find myself anxious about losing touch with this life. I find myself wondering what others are up to; I want to check in on Flying Lessons; I want you to know I appreciate each and every comment and I feel so guilty when I fail to immediately get over to your home space and chat.


an outing to a favorite ice cream shop






Here is how the craziness looks around here:














So tell me: how do you find balance in the crazy days of summertime? Any secrets besides having a gin and tonic on hand? For more on this subject, check out today's Best Shot by Tracy Clark.

Is this how all mommies feel?




5 comments:

  1. Hah - TOTALLY! You expressed everything perfectly...through words & photos.

    I needs me some of those glasses! :)

    (No advice, sorry. Just as hectic as it seems you are...or as "off schedule", I guess!)

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  2. I am going to do what I did last year - I get up at 5:00 (that's A.M.) so that I definitely have an hour (if I'm lucky a little more) to myself for art. Other things like working out gets put on hold until September, but I don't give up my yoga. The routine means an earlier bedtime for me, but I kind of like being up while the rest of the house and the neighborhood is still sleeping.

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  3. Dear Lis-I know how you feel!! Love those crazy shots with the google eyed glasses!! So much fun!! Seriously...FUN!! Also-love the pic with the 2 girls-aaah...friendship. Is there anything sweeter than those innocent faces? I know they are keeping you busy!!
    I know just what you mean about being behind in class!! There is just so much to read -especially the nuggets of info in the comments! About the 3 column template-we were talking about it last week-Kelly has one on her blog and I think Holly used to have one. It gets more info in-like you can add a best books list or if you want to accept ads later or monetize it. I tried it out so I can add more info but I am still tinkering with it. Now the sides look too white so I may have to do something about that! I think your blog looks fine! It just depends on what you want to do. Try to take look at your fave blogs and see what they have.
    Oh-if only there were more hours in the day!! I have not done a BSM in acouple of weeks-no time!! xxx

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  4. Love your photos, especially the glasses photos & the one with both
    girls. So beautiful! I need to get back to best shots Monday but I'm
    having too much trouble keeping up with just the ecourse & reading my
    fav blogs!

    Time management is a huge issue for me. The only time I get to do
    anything is when my baby takes her all too brief naps and then I'm
    torn between doing all the housework or something more soul
    fulllfilling. Housework mostly wins. I feel so guilty taking any time
    for me! Then I end up feeling frazzled :(. It's something I really
    have to work on! I need to learn to balance everything better. It will
    probably only get more hectic as Nora grows and we hopefully add
    another baby to our family. I'm exhausted thinking about it!!

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