balancing act ...

in case you haven't noticed lately ...
my blogging momentum,

my photo-taking mojo,

my writing groove ...
all of it ...

it's just not there.

definitely haven't been in blogland in any meaningful way
for quite a while now.

too many other demands each day,
too many balls in the air.
and since returning from march break,
this little extracurricular of mine seems to have become
a last priority.

it started out as simple brooding,
which seems to happen every year after my return.

as the post-vacation high wears off,
my energy plummets.
my heart laments the fact that it'll be another year
until i'm there with them again.

i stew over the 1,573 miles that separate us.

and i sulk over the injustice that my girls

are growing up so far away from their o.n.l.y. grandmother.

i miss my mom.
terribly.

and my brother.

and his awesome wife.

and their beautiful 2 year old daughter.
who is growing up so quickly.

but the ladybugs and i have been back for five weeks already.
the late-march brooding has long subsided.
and april has brought life back into full swing.

we've had april fools day, easter,
girl scouts, school, piano lessons,
ear infections, playdates, movies, sleepovers,
manbug's birthday,
a gorgeous early spring, taxes,
ice cream trucks, bike rides, and
even entered isabel in a doggie fashion show at the ymca!

yep, every ball that makes up my life is back in the air.

image from here

well ... all except one.

the blog ball is the only one still lying on the ground.

what began as post-vacation brooding
and simple time off from posting,
turned into weeks of silence.
why haven't i rushed back to blogland with arms outstretched?

it's balance, plain and simple ...
(yes, again)
every year when the frenzy of our winter schedule
crashes head-on into the bliss of our march vacation,
i'm always reminded of the importance of balance.

the balance of my time
the balance of my energy
the balance of my girls' privacy
the balance of actually being present in my own life
the list goes on ...

am i stopping altogether?
no.
not yet anyway.
i'd miss my blog friendships too much!

but i am definitely going to slow down.
and condense the time i spend here.
probably by quite a bit.

so i can find the right balance
between living my life as the mother of two lovely little ladybugs
and yet still finding the time to journal our ladybug tales.