And then, a few things happened. First, I got pregnant. Which was so long awaited and as thrilling as can be, but well, it made me tired. I still scrapbooked every night, but often for shorter amounts of time, and I alternated between standing and sitting down (I am generally ONLY a standing scrapper!).
A few months after that, I got a job. Which is when I discovered that sneaky truth of adult life will a 9 to 5 job, which is that by the time you come home from work, make dinner, catch up on laundry, and respond to emails, there's not a whole lot of time left in the day. So my scrapping continued, but on days when I was cooking for Shabbos I had to forgo my nightly ritual, and I struggled to spend at least as much time scrapping as I was spending on submitting and putting myself out there.
Fast forward another couple of months, and this little one came on the scene.
For a while, I lost all semblance of a routine, as day/night/sleep/nap/scream time became all meshed into one. I scrapped as my break during maternity leave, but once I came back to work it was a whole new situation.
At this particular moment, I'm the busiest I've been in a long, long time. I'm extremely blessed to have all of the things that keep me occupied, from the sweet baby to the fulfilling job to the brand new house.
But one of the hardest parts of this phase of my life is learning how to say no, especially to scrappy things that bring me so much joy. No, I shouldn't spend time submitting a layout right now when my boxes are still piled up and causing me stress. No, I shouldn't apply to this design team because I couldn't give it the time it deserves. No, this dream needs to wait.
I'm still keeping up with my current team, and I'm having fun scrapbooking whenever I get the chance to do it. I hope that when we unpack and settle into a new routine, it can happen twice a week or so. In the meantime, I'll keep sharing with you what I do have time to create, and the ups and downs of making time for this fabulous hobby of ours.
How do YOU fit creativity into your busy life?
hardly as much as i would like to. sometimes weeks pass and i have no time to create new layouts. too many distractions... oh well gotta live life before i scrapbook about life.
ReplyDeletecurrently, life is so busy, fitting scrapping in seems to be an after thought. Even when I have time, I'm too tired. Like right now. I should be scrapping, but I'm reading blogs :)
ReplyDeleteIt seems that I went through a dry spell for so long due to my dad's illness and death. Then I started having some health issues (nothing serious, btw). I recently had surgery and am hoping that after I am fully recovered that I will get my groove back and start creating. It's a major stress relief for me.
ReplyDeleteI can totally relate to this post mnus the DTs. I have only just got into a routine hat enables me to scrap most weekdays. Weekends are for family and I generally do no actual scrapping but I do take a lot of photos and persuade hubby to print the ones I don't order online. The game changer for me was my two year old starting pre school three mornings a week. It gives me enough time to keep on top of all the fun stuff like dinner prep, laundry and dishes and also use my daughter's nap time to scrap. I am lucky enough to be a SAHM at least for a little longer but the time to do something creative has made the time I spend with my daughter much happier. Hang in there, Keshet. They grow up way too fast and need us less and less at least physically.
ReplyDeleteYes, life continually makes us re-prioritize. But that's a good thing, one way God lets us know we're meant to experience more. I'm generally a Friday evening scrapbooker, occasionally I can squeeze something in during the work week but not often. However once a year I go on a weekend long scrapbooking retreat outside of the house. Hang out with great women, and eat great food. Getting away is good too, and a perfect no kid no dh getaway for me is scrapbooking!
ReplyDeleteIt's an ongoing challenge, really. It took me a long while since I discovered scrapbooking to make it a regular part of my life. I try to always have one project in the works, even if it takes me days to complete. And, I am new to applying to DT's and submitting for publications, but those deadlines also keep me going. I have gotten to a point, where if I don't do anything crafty for more than a week or so, I start to get antsy and cranky. But there are times, where I just have to say scrapping has to be last on the list right now. But it's always on my mind, and even when I'm not "feeling it" I force myself to keep making something, because I don't want to get to a point where I lose the habit of crafting regularly.
ReplyDeleteit's a challenge, for sure. it's all gonna be worth it. Kiss her for me please.
ReplyDelete*hugs*
hang in there~the time will come and it will be the right time!!!
ReplyDeleteLove this post... Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI totally feel you. :) I feel like I go through "seasons" of scrapping. Just wait until Ellie is a little older and you'll have more time and be getting more sleep...and you'll get back to that "scrappy" place. ;)
ReplyDeleteI carve out time after my DH goes to bed. I am retired so I can sleep in!
ReplyDeleteMy creative time is constantly changing. Right now the kids are home for the summer so I have to get up super early to squeeze a little scrappy time in. I definitely go through slumps and then find my way back:)
ReplyDeletei know it's so hard to find the time huh? I feel the same way - same with blogging - BUT i do have to say whenever I look back on pages or blog posts even if they are sporadic and there are gaps of time I'm glad Ive done it!
ReplyDeleteGirl I know EXACTLY how you feel. When I'm in school each semester, I rarely have time between doing homework at night and taking care of family after work to do anything scrappy. Now that I've had my little one I'm at home during the day, but there is so much to be done at our new house that I seriously STILL have no time to scrap. I'm depressed without my creative time, but I'm also happy to spend time with my new little one. Maybe today I'll make time to scrapbook, but I also need to make time to help my husband apply for a new job, coupon, get groceries maybe, sign up for my long awaited GRE, and just keep the house tidy in general. Ugh... wish I could afford to just stay at home, then I could make time for later or I wouldn't feel so bad putting things off for another day because I'd definitely have another day to do it :) oh well. C'est la vie!!
ReplyDelete-Gabi from Denton, TX