The beginning...

Hello to everyone! I hope that this note finds you all happy and healthy! It has been a very long time since I've blogged, so bare with me; I may be just a bit rusty. Many things have changed since the last time I wrote... I'm coming up on my 7-year wedding anniversary (in August), we had our 2nd beautiful daughter this past Christmas Eve, we got a reliable car, my husband got a new job, and we have a new-found-appreciation for weekends and holidays now; seeing as they didn't exist at the old job. Overall things are wonderful; however, we find ourselves struggling to find a balance in life. One may beg the question: "How do you eliminate stress?" Simplify things... "How do you simplify things?" and that is the mother of all questions in my mind currently. How DO you simplify things? Not just material or tangible things, but everything. I look at my surroundings, and we have so much... stuff. That's all it is, is stuff! Of course, we have 2 small children, so a lot of the "stuff" that we have is not necessary persay, but it is very beneficial. We have a bouncy seat with soothing vibrations that is perfect for a baby who has been fussing for hours and won't go to sleep... we have a toddler-sized kitchen that occasionally gets played with, but is used more often for hiding food or sippy cups (we've thrown several away)... we have a cedar chest that holds keepsakes, but has toys and books stacked on top of it, so we can't be "reminiscent" on a whim... we have a coffee table, that catches dvd boxes and mail... 8 throw pillows for the couch that don't get used... and the list of these sort of things goes on and on... You could walk in my house and notice them all, but what about the things you can't "see?" Normal, everyday stress from the job (which includes stay-at-home mom for me)... anxiety about the things that always pop up at the most inopportune times (a brand-new tire needing a patch from running over a nail)... having a schedule, which is important, but it feels like it runs your life... the opportunity to plan things ahead, which, again, is a new-found-freedom, but ALWAYS having plans set... and last but not least, finding some quiet time for myself, and completely seperately, time with my husband - my best friend, who was there in the beginning, of this wonderful and crazy stage of my life. So, we can simplify tangible things in our life by purging and cleaning them out - have a garage sale! How about a garage sale for the mind... Maybe have a journal (or a blog as the case may be) to relieve some of that everyday stress from your job; have understanding, patience, and a touch of lacksidasicalness to realize that things like the patched tire are just a part of life and happen to everyone - always at the worst times; have a schedule, but throw something new in every once in a while - spontanaiety is still widely used and accepted; have plans - sometimes - but other times, just go with the flow; and most importantly, MAKE time for yourself and for you and your spouse; even if it does have to be scheduled, and always remember, to just BREATHE!! Stop and smell the roses, even if it's not in your plans - you might miss the beauty of the things that are right in front of you, if you don't MAKE the time!