Just a Sliver
It arrived, the fat envelope of back-to-school registration information. I sit staring at the mountain of paperwork to be filled out and it hits me, summer is almost over. Somehow, it went from being this magical thing stretching out lazily before us to being a memory – and I’m not quite sure how that happened so fast.
As my boys frantically squeeze in all of the adventures they’d planned to have during their vacation, I budget for back-to-school shopping and eye my calendar warily, knowing it will soon be dictated by something entirely different than the joys of summer. Every year, whether my kids are home-schooling or in public school, I approach the back-to-school season with a mixture of apprehension and excitement. It’s funny how something things don’t change.
As much as I know my mornings and evenings will now be nearly frantic, I also know that there will be a window of silence in between the two. And while those hours always manage to fill themselves with work, housecleaning and errands, the fact remains that they – for the most part – are mine to fill. I get to choose if I spend them writing, building fences or buying groceries. In theory, anyway.
I realized the other day that I’m always telling myself I’ll have more time when the next season hits. As in, “when school starts, the house will be quiet, so I’ll make more progress on that next book.” Or, “when summer starts, the school schedule will let up, and I’ll get that fence finished.” Somehow it never happens that way.
I’ve decided that, this year, rather than making myself completely crazy with the frantic pace of back-to-school, I’m going to block out at least of sliver of my day for me. I’m going to read that book that’s been on my TBR list for two years, I’m going to take a long bath with my favorite soap, and I might even go crazy and finish remodeling my bathroom, even though it’s a room guests never see.
Life has a crazy way of slipping by whether I make time for that kind of stuff or not, but I’m going to try really hard to stake my claim on even just that one little sliver of my time.
I’m probably not the only one struggling for that sliver of time, so I’m running a giveaway to encourage you to treat yourself once the kids are back in school, whether it’s by kicking up your feet with a novel, crafting, or prettying up your space. Entering is easy and prizes include: Mason jar soap dispensers, an artisan yarn bowl, a complete ebook set of my books, an assortment of handmade goat milk soap from my local farmer’s market, and one $50 Amazon gift card!
