stepping away {for a bit}

 {This photo was taken five. FIVE! year ago.
My little Hyrum is little no more. He’s nearly nine now.}

I’m taking a mommy break.

The last month has been a whirlwind of work & activity & I feel it’s time to pull back from working & blogging & really focus on my kids.

I mentioned a few weeks ago how I would be scaling back during the summer, posting less.

Last summer, I took a complete three months off (no blogging, no social media, nothing–it was a fabulous, rejuvenating, creative time).

As mothers, bloggers, workers, live-ers, we need breaks!

It takes courage and maturity to realize when we need time to step away. To unplug & focus on taking care of the small & often unnoticed aspects of our lives.

This is where I am.

I worry that I spend to much time doing ____ or ______ & not enough time tickling, hugging, loving, playing with my kids.

I need to step away, to really relish time with my kids, to focus on being a fully present & focused mother for a while.

If you’ve been reading bring joy for any amount of time, you know that being present, & intentional is an important character trait for me. Not just as a blogger, but more importantly as a wife, mother, & friend.

Not sure when I’ll be ready to come back & post again. I’m not going to say when I’ll be back, other than to say it will be when I know I’m ready.

In the interim, I hope you’ll find time to swim, play, relax, & rejuvenate too.

Step away from the devices & computer & make time for what matters most.

P.S. To stay in touch over the summer, I will still send out my occasional free email updates. You can sign up for them HERE.

P.S.S. To my fellow bloggers, take it from one who knows: 
I think bloggers, especially newer bloggers, are afraid to spend some time away from blogging. They worry their readership will dwindle or won’t come back after they decide to return. I know from lots of personal experience, that breaks from blogging are absolutely essential. I took a full three, THREE months off from blogging last year. Did my readership crumble? Did my social media accounts evaporate? Did my blog cease to exist? No, no, & no. What did happen is I gave myself space to refresh & rejuvenate my brain, & I came back full force, with lots of great ideas & real life inspiration.

Blogging is like any other job.

You need to take vacations. You have to be able to step away from the social media, from the blog, from everything else for some amount of time on a regular basis, otherwise your creative coffers will not be refueled. You will be burned out & resentful towards blogging & all that it entails.

So take a break, enjoy it, & don’t feel guilty.