It has been a struggle throughout this year (hahahaha not just this year) to take care of myself. I am used to self-care falling last on the list and since becoming a mom the struggle is more real than ever. Continue reading
Blogging
I don’t do it all, My life is a mess.
I have several posts halfway drafted that time has prevented me from posting. So if there’s suddenly a flood of posts, you’ll know why. But for now, I wanted to write a post addressing the fact that several people have asked me since starting this blog how I “do it all” and I wanted to make it very clear: I don’t. Continue reading
Bardology: Gender and The Tempest Cross Post
A week or two ago, one of my blog posts was shared on the Brelby blog to help their audience understand some of what I was going through as a female theatre artist working while bringing my baby to the theatre. Today, I am sharing a blog post my husband and I wrote for their blog. And because that’s the only blogging I had time for since the move… that’s what you get cross posted. here. Here’s my favorite excerpt:
There are many fantastically talented women in our local theatrical community and we don’t want to contribute to the frustrating statistics of how women are underrepresented in this business. We are trusting that the audience has enough imagination to accept that the actress playing Prospero is playing a man just as they are willing to accept that the actress playing Prospero is playing someone who has magical powers. So we aren’t changing the gender of the characters to match the gender of the actors.
Becoming Organized + My first GIVEAWAY!! (Giveaway now CLOSED)
Hi everyone! Only one post this week because we have been on VACATION! This post is a good one though… we have received a ton of unexpected blessings recently and so I’ve been wanting to do something to pass those blessings on, so today’s post includes a giveaway at the end 🙂 But before we get there…
Thanks to my friend Erin for this gorgeous family photo at Disney’s California Adventure!
Building: A check in on this month’s theme
This month has been… busy. Beyond busy. And much of it connects with the theme for the month. Continue reading
Blogging: On Not Blogging. (At least until Sunday…)
I’m in tech for Anatomy of a Hug. And Dan and I are still trying to revise and/or write 2 other shows and cast another. So sleep and the blog are taking a back seat. Don’t worry, I’m not throwing my attempt at taking care of myself and breathing out the window, having to put a hiatus on the blogging I had planned for the week is a part of that. But since I’d hate to leave you with barely a paragraph, here’s a quick list of Continue reading
June’s word of the month: Breathe
Can you believe how FAST the year is flying by? I feel like we’ll blink and it will be December. As we start in on the 6th month of the year, I’m happy to realize I’m right on track with my baking goal of 42 projects in 52 weeks as project #21 is up this week (not sure what that will entail yet…) And if you follow this blog regularly or if you follow me on Facebook, you may have picked up that I’m in a busier than usual season of life right now. My husband and I are juggling a lot of plays all at once plus parenting and usually when this kind of season comes up, my self care disappears slowly or all at once. I put myself last in the long to-do list which means I never get there. Continue reading
Follow Your Bliss
See what I mean? Perfect ocean peace… no mention of riptides or sharks…
There’s a very popular saying of “Follow Your Bliss” that comes up a lot especially on Pinterest, in hand lettering, and in self help books or life classes. And while I’m pretty sure I agree with the spirit of the saying- that your passions will lead you to your vocation, I don’t love this Continue reading
Expressing gratitude for a blissful birthday
I have a confession to make- I’m kind of bi-polar about social media. I’m always trying it figure out how to use it well while falling prey to as few pitfalls as possible such as it becoming a crutch, a timesuck, or whirlpool of negativity. I, along with most people in my generation, am still negotiating how much the lives of myself and my family should be shared publicly and how much should stay private. I have gone through pages where I purged my Facebook friends count by over half- just across the board cuts. I’ve given up Facebook for a day, a month, a week at a time. I’ve had unplugged weekends and experimented with when I should and should not have my phone. I still have no concrete answers. But you know what I can’t fault the internet and social media for? Making a person feel pretty damn awesome and appreciated on their birthday. Continue reading
Lent: Mary & Martha & Hard to Measure Goals
***Originally Posted on 2/19/15 This is the last of my old posts crossing over. new content from here on out!***
I went to a great session of my church’s MOMS group last week. The topic was Lent and it left me with a lot to think about. Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Lent is, perhaps surprisingly, my favorite part of the liturgical year. It has been a time to reflect and pray and make major changes in my daily and spiritual life. I usually go into Lent having a pretty clear idea of what I need to work on the most to draw closer to God, but I was extra appreciative of my church group last week because this year I am at a loss.
My favorite Ash Wednesday meme…
Since becoming a parent, so much has seemed to change and get thrown up in the air. I can feel on top of the world one day and at a total loss the next. The shenanigans questions of “balance” and “having it all” are constantly nagging at my head. I’m a multi-tasker by nature and suddenly I feel like I need to get all that multitasking I used to do done AND take care of my child AND contribute to start saving up for the next big life event. Everything is very full speed ahead and it has left me with very little time or mental space to really sit and contemplate what I need most in my spiritual life.
Luckily, one of our MOMS group facilitators suggested checking out this website and I ended up getting the Lenten journal that website came up with. The journal is called Only One Thing and it seems to be the perfect thing for me right now. The title comes from a passage in Luke about Mary and Martha. Those of you who are not familiar with this story, Martha is a lot like most of us- she is trying to do ALL THE THINGS, especially because Jesus is visiting her and she wants it all to be perfect for him. Her sister, Mary, is sitting at Jesus’ feet, being with him, listening to him, not necessarily doing anything the world would judge as “productive” which of course makes Martha angry. She asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things: there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”
So I’m going to prayerfully work my way through this journal which gives you one word a day to focus on with the day’s readings. The focus of my Lent this year is scary for me because it seems the things I’m supposed to abstain from are over-commitment and guilt. It would be much easier to keep track of giving up chocolate or hot sauce. It’s scary because the world won’t necessarily see or understand these sacrifices as they would with a good natured teasing session when people aren’t eating hamburgers on Fridays. It is scary because odds are good I will fail multiple times over these 40 days, and I REALLY like to succeed. I like being the straight A student. I like being able to check something off my to-do list and those things need to be easily measured. I like having visible, outward indications of my achievements. I am such a Martha.
Trying to break this way of thinking…
I am excited and nervous for what this season will bring. Lent is a beautiful time of reflection and sacrifice and change. I wrote in some comments earlier that perhaps the surprise “B” in my year of Bs is Bravery. It takes a lot of bravery to let go of the plans you have, to be uncertain about what is next, and to trust that God will take care of it and will love you as much through your failures as your successes.
Alphabet Resolutions 