Grey Owl

About the only time I have to myself anymore is my commute to and from work. I actually look forward to an hour of drive time each day just to veg. (Well, as much as possible, considering I am operating a moving vehicle . . . but you get the picture.) As a treat, sometimes I listen to an audiobook to pass the time—I love to read, but I have zero leisure time right now, and the only “reading” I have time to do comes in the form of assigned texts or research for my latest term paper(s)—that makes audiobooks a real treat. However, when life gets way too noisy, I sometimes choose to listen to nothing at all.

Well, I figured I wasn’t the only one out there looking for a little “me time,” so I went searching the blogosphere for inspiration. That’s when I stumbled across LifeWorks’ article, This Week’s Wellness Challenge: Make Time For Yourself Everyday. I found a lot of great suggestions for carving out a little me time, but one that I think I can commit to each day is “sitting in silence”—even if it’s just for two minutes right now. I’ll work up from there. Check out this blog if you are interested in exercise, fitness, nutrition and “you time.” It has a ton of great resources.

Thirty minutes a day? Like I have that much time to myself! My daily routine is as follows:

6:00 AM – Homework

8:00 AM – Make sure my daughter has checked her sugar and eaten breakfast

8:30 AM – Daughter catches the bus and I leave for work

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM – Commute to work

12:30 PM – Lunch break (30 minutes spent scarfing down a quick lunch and catching up on homework)

7:30 PM – 8:30PM – Commute to home

8:45 PM – After scarfing down a quick dinner, more homework.

Anywhere between 10:00 PM and 3:00 AM (hit the sack)

So finding time to exercise is not easy. Unfortunately, I am past the point where I can afford to make any more excuses. I sit so much that I am starting to FEEL old, so I have got to find a way to get some exercise in.  On Memorial Day weekend, my family headed out to Silver Falls and made the 5.9 mile loop; that was a start, but boy did I pay for it the next week. After spending so much time in the seated position, several hours of walking up and down the trail woke up a few muscles that hadn’t been used in awhile . . . and, boy were they pissed!

Since I can’t make it out to the falls every day, I went in search of inspiration for busy moms and came across the following blog, Work Out Mommy. It has inspired me to go out and purchase a couple of kettlebells. Now, if I can just get them out of the box!

I love finding helpful household tips in regards to cleaning, organizing, or just making life a little more efficient.  With work, school, a family, home, and a barn to look after, my time is short (and precious).  That is why I have The Daily Buzz bookmarked. Check out their 25 Clever Ideas for Making Life Easier, which includes simple tips for things like coring strawberries, keeping cut apples from browning, and disguising scuffs and scratches on your fine furniture. (Bet you never thought of securing a nylon stalking over the end of your vacuum hose to find small lost items, now did you?) Go. Now. Check out their site. I promise it won’t disappoint!

When August rolls around, we know it’s time to start planning the annual summer party—a tradition since my husband and I first exchanged our vows almost a decade and a half ago.  It is a time to gather old and new friends alike, share some great food, a “friendly” game of softball or volleyball, maybe a water fight or two, and a lot of laughs. Some come for the day; some stay all night. Food and drink are always on the house, but everyone knows if you are going to pitch a tent at the Krautscheid’s, you’ve got to B-Y-O-T!

It is also a chance for me to put my design inspiration/creativity to use.  And, I just “love me” a new project. Nothing compares to a truly productive DIY weekend. Whether it’s building new vegetable garden beds, a fire pit from scratch, extending our deck, or really defining and bringing purpose to our outdoor entertaining space, I’m all in.  And while I don’t find much time for myself between work, school, and keeping up with the family…getting ready for our party is one thing I look forward to all summer.

Usually, I have a few creative ideas saved up that I am just dying to try out—from food and cocktails to decorating.  At last year’s BBQ, we threw a couple of old barn doors across the back of my ‘66 Ford pickup (may as well use it for something since it still doesn’t run) and created a quaint little “bar” as part of our outdoor setup.  So what if it was based loosely on something I tore from a home decorating magazine at the dentist’s office. (Don’t judge . . . everyone does it!)

So, if you are DIY challenge, or are just looking for some inspiration, check out this party planning blog: Hostess with the mostess®_. The Get Your Grill On theme is adorable.

In anticipation of the next visit from my adorable nephews, Owen and Chase, I have been searching around for some more fun “boy projects” to have on hand. I am thinking about taking the summer off, instead of taking another full load, and then starting up with classes again in the fall. But, I haven’t committed to this just yet. If I did, it would mean I would have more time to spend with my family. And, that would mean more fun DIY projects with the boys! I ran across this My Wood Art project on IKEA HACKERS (submitted by stratis-art), that would be just perfect.

My Wood Art courtesy of http://stratis-art.blogspot.com

I figure we could start off by tooling down to the beach for the day, take a couple of great candid shots at the water’s edge, and then head back home to make these great frames to send home for mom and dad. Sounds like a plan, right?

So, the jury is still out on what my plans for the summer will be, but, if I do end up taking the summer off (from school, not work), it will give me more time to snatch up my nephews and take them off to the beach for the day.