A little bit of this & a little bit of that

There's no such thing as a typical week for me. They change constantly! Since my husband does shift work, we are fortunate that he has every other weekend off and some days off during the week.
Some weeks I book in clients and some weeks I don't. Some weeks we go on mini family adventures and some weeks we stay put.  I like it that way. I like change. And I especially like that we don't have to do grocery shopping on the weekends!

So here is a brief look into my life - it's a little bit of this mixed with a little bit of that.

I have been on a bit of a quest to brighten up our dark dining room. So I painted the Whatnot and the writing desk. (Those of you against painting wood - you may want to look away)

 Before

 After

After

I have been out of brochures for a while and finally got around to creating some new ones. I kept them very simple and I think they turned out alright!

Doing some styling for a client and friend Jill over at say yippie

 I LOVE hanging out with my friends. When we heard that our friend Emily was playing AND there was a BBQ, we were there!  Here I am enjoying my burger at Pan Chancho for their Back Yard BBQ & Band Series. (Yes, my jeans match the topping on my burger)
Great food, great friends and great music!

 Shenanigans! Always up for a challenge.

 Having a great time at the Princess Street Promenade. A fun event that turned our main downtown shopping street - Princess Street, into a pedestrian only zone.  Stores and restaurants opened their doors and moved out to the street offering discounts, promotions, food, drink, along with lots of special events including music, bouncy castles, climbing walls and face painting.
 My girls LOVED it and it is forever called Opposite Day since they were allowed to walk on the street.

Dancing and singing. 

Enjoying the cooler weather on our front yard swing.

 Birthday Party fun. Celebrating Braeden's 4th birthday.

How could we NOT sit here!

Going for a family walk at Lemoine Point.

Since when did Andy start drawing faces?!

 Making paper peace lanterns at Skeleton Park for Hiroshima Day.

Now...I wonder what this week will bring?!

the art of busy

When did life get so busy? It's crazy. I feel like I am constantly on the move. Getting things done and yet, at the end of the day, I still feel like there are a million things I have yet to accomplish. Why is that? Have our lives really gotten busier? Or are we trying to do to much?

I know that I will always struggle to find balance. First and foremost, I am a stay at home mom. So my days are spent running around with the girls. Going to parks, appointments, play dates, dance class, gymnastics. Not to mention the household duties that need to get done. Then, when time allows, I work on my business. Which unfortunately doesn't get as much attention as it deserves. But of course, as my girls grow older - {Ryan will be 4 in a week and a half and will be off to J.K in September!!} - I will have more time, to put more time and energy into my business. And, inevitably, find something else to keep me occupied. Fulfilled. Busy!

Now, I don't have a problem with being busy. It runs in the family!  My parents are the busiest people I know.  But what I have realized, as I get older, I am harder on myself if I take a break. Have too much down time. I feel guilty. I think this runs in my family too. It all comes back to balance. How to balance the pushes and pulls of life along with the much needed down time. Because, more often than not, down time fuels our creativity. Making relaxation extremely important.

I love being on the move. Thinking ahead. Getting outside. Going places. Learning new things. I don't think I am running from anything but hopefully towards something. Something that makes me a better person. Something that challenges me. Something that makes me excited to get up and get started! Maybe that is why I like to be busy. My mind is constantly on the go, now I just need to find a way to catch up to it! 

What about you? Are you too busy? Trying to do too much? Is this something that you are used to and have accepted as being a part of your life? What do you do to relax? De-stress? Refuel?