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Life Lately

I’m sitting here in Nashville, in a quiet hotel room as my husband and kids sleep. We drove down to Nashville on Christmas day and have enjoyed spending time with all of Neal’s family. This holiday season has been really wonderful and I’m sad to see it pass. The holidays coming to an end also marks the end of my maternity leave, so I’m feeling a variety of emotions with that.

Kinnick
After Neal’s birthday earlier this month Kinnick and I traveled to San Antonio for a long weekend. It was really fun introducing Kinnick to my brother, spending time with my parents, and seeing my dear friend Stephanie. It was a very short trip, but it was so good seeing everyone!

Christmas Tree
The days leading up to Christmas were busy, through no fault but my own. Every year I have this plan to get ahead of the holidays, but without fail I’m scrambling up until Christmas Eve. I will say, Amazon was my best friend this year! Gotta love 2 day shipping and being able to buy anything and everything from one site.

Neal and Ashley
Christmas morning was magical and I will forever treasure these mornings with my family. We slept in our Christmas PJ’s, both kids slept until 7:30AM, and then we made our way downstairs. Magnolia saw her new rain boots right away and wore them all morning.

Magnolia
We talked to family, opened presents slowly, and I made from scratch cinnamon rolls. I’ve tried a different recipe each year and this year’s was by far my favorite! The fact that I made them from scratch Christmas morning and didn’t have to wait for them to rise… win, win!

Cinnamon Roll
After nap time Christmas day we loaded up the car and drove down to Nashville. The drive was super easy, though Magnolia hardly slept. Kinnick was a champ though! Magnolia made up for it once we made it to our hotel, knocking out while watching her new Amazon Fire (one of her Christmas presents).

Magnolia
The time here in Nashville has been really chill and a lot of fun! It has also given me some much needed time away from work and DC before the new year starts. I’ve needed the time to think, to talk to Neal, and to plan for 2018. I also got to visit the Franklin, TN OrangeTheory, which was really fun!

OrangeTheory Franklin TN
I’m really sad to lose the days at home with Kinnick starting January 8, but I’m also looking forward to settling into our new routine. It’ll be good to have Magnolia and Kinnick in school, that way I can drive back into work full time and then get back to leaving work at work. I have plenty to share as we move into the new year about having 2 kids, navigating a career while caring for a family, the work I’m putting in to lose weight, and making yourself a priority when time seems so scarce.

2017 was a wonderful whirlwind, but I am so thankful for the blessings 2017 gave us! I am really, really looking forward to 2018, to the new year, and to a new beginning.

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I'm Ashley, a full-time working mom who lives in the Washington, DC area. Balancing Today is all about learning to balance family, work, wellness, and most of all, life's simple joys! Read More!

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We often get lost in not being where we think we s We often get lost in not being where we think we should be. I wish I was making more money! I wish I lived somewhere else! I wish I was healthier! I wish I had more friends. 

Through all this wishing, we lose our connection to where we truly are in this moment. We lose our ability to assess and to take action towards change. 

Where you are going is still to be determined. If you want to make more money, consider a side gig. If you wish you live somewhere else, start researching where you want to go. If you wish you were healthier, start journaling your days and see where you can make small changes. If you want more friends, consider the ways you can during a pandemic (join the app Clubhouse, seriously).

You are in control of what you do next! Don’t get stuck wishing you weren’t where you are now. You can change your future. 

You are 100% where you are meant to be.
I’ll be honest, I’ve been holding my breath al I’ll be honest, I’ve been holding my breath all winter. I kept thinking my annual seasonal depression was around the corner, and guess what, it wasn’t! 

With spring officially a few weeks away, and 60 degree days on the 10 day forcast, I feel like I can finally shout from the rooftops, “I DIDNT HAVE SEASONAL DEPRESSION THIS YEAR”. And that’s saying a LOT considering my battle with infertility. 

So what made this winter different? Well, it was a few things. 

1. I took organic CBD twice a day, every day! CBD relieves my anxiety and depression and gives me the mental freedom to process the things that once brought me to tears or threw me into a depressive spiral. On CBD I am calm, relaxed, and in control. 

2. I joined Green Compass as an advocate. Having a community of people to talk to, being able to help other people find the CBD products to support their health needs, supporting my team to reach their goals, and making really good money lifted a weight from my shoulders. Green Compass has filled my cup in so many ways! 

3. I was home. I wasn’t commuting. I wasn’t getting in my car when it was dark, sitting in an office without windows all day, and leaving work when it was dark. I am forever thankful for being able to work from home this year. 

Without a doubt, I am healthier because of CBD. To have a winter without depression is incredibly powerful. If you have seasonal depression, daily anxiety, ongoing stress, or trouble sleeping, I’m here for you! Let’s talk.
With spring around the corner, I think we could us With spring around the corner, I think we could use some pampering!! 

To mark the start of this new season, I am personally gifting a Greek Compass self care bundle with some of our most popular products. 

☀️Shine CBD Roll-On
☀️Soothe CBD Topical Cream 
☀️3 CBD Nano Jellies 
☀️CBD Bath Bomb

FOR 1 ENTRY
-Follow me @BalancingToday 
-Tag 2 friends in the comments below 

FOR EXTRA ENTIRES
-Share to your stories and tag me (1 entry)
-Become a new Green Compass customer with me (2 entries) 

Winner will be randomly selected on Sunday, March 14, 2021 and announce here on my Instagram.
Confession. I love buying books but I’m horrible Confession. I love buying books but I’m horrible at creating the time and space to actually read them! The stack of books next to my bed (and on my bookshelf) is ever growing, so each morning I’m taking 15-30 minutes to sit down and read. I’m currently rereading Atomic Habits, which I HIGHLY recommend!!
Sometimes we are so focused on the end goal that w Sometimes we are so focused on the end goal that we lose sight of the process. The process isn’t perfect. The process isn’t clean. The process is just that, “a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end”. 

Allow yourself to live in the moment. To see and believe how this moment and this day is a step towards your end goal. No matter how today goes, it is a part of your growth and who you are becoming.
I’ve been trying to share more photos of me. Not I’ve been trying to share more photos of me. Not me 10 years ago, 3 years ago, or even 2 months ago. Me, today. 

If this life has shown me anything it’s that we are unbelievably hard on ourselves in the present moment but then deeply miss the person we once were. 

I don’t want to look back in 5 years and be like, gah, I miss the Ashley from 2021. I wish she wasn’t so hard on herself. If only she knew then that her body supported her through infertility and a global pandemic, skinny jeans would come back in style, and that Green Compass really did change her life.

I also don’t want to look back and say, I should have treasured x, y, z when I could have. This time has reminded me of loss and the importance of treasuring what and who you have in your life, right here and right now. 

So this is me. Waking up early to read and write before my family wakes up and our day begins. Taking time to invest in me and to value who I am today.
I’m doing a lot of change ups! One of those chan I’m doing a lot of change ups! One of those change ups is no longer using my phone as my alarm. The alarm wasn’t the issue, but within seconds of waking up I was looking at my work email, Instagram, and Twitter. Within moments I was filled with anxiety. It has been an awful way to start day each morning. Though I’ll still keep my phone in our room, I’m so excited to break this cycle. To wake up to an alarm and to distance myself from the things that stress me out. I splurged on the @hatchforsleep and can’t wait to tell y’all about my experience.
I woke up early yesterday, journaled, read, and li I woke up early yesterday, journaled, read, and listened to Clubhouse before my kids woke up. 

We all got ready for the day, I took my son to daycare, my daughter started virtual learning, and Neal and I started our work day. 

Our routine went well and the day was smooth, but after lunch I started feeling blah. No rhyme or reason, I just started feeling overwhelmed, inadequate, and discouraged.

A year ago, this wave of thoughts would have paralyzed me. Instead, I really thought about what was going on, what triggered me, and gave myself the space to process. Most importantly, I worked to stop the lies and story I was telling myself in the moment. I know that CBD is what allows me to be able to process everything now!

It isn’t always this easy, but I now recognize my thoughts and feelings. Yesterday, I wrapped up the work day, changed into my workout clothes, went for a run/walk, listened to Clubhouse when I was driving to pick-up my son, watched the sunset, and made a healthy dinner. 

I know I’m not alone in these waves of emotions. What helps you to turn your day around when you can?
Finding joy, peace, and healing in the little thin Finding joy, peace, and healing in the little things. For me, that’s usually found in nature. This sunset was the perfect end to the day light hours. I just love a good sunset.
Anytime I have to write a bio I struggle. Who am I Anytime I have to write a bio I struggle. Who am I? What is my identity? How do I best describe myself? 

Before I had kids, my answer was easy. I felt really confident in who I was and how to describe myself. 

When I became a mom, I wasn’t ready for the identity shift. I figured you’d just tack “mom” onto the front of your bio and the transition would happen seamlessly. 

Instead, it’s been 6 years of adjusting, learning, reconfiguring, and exploring. I’ve had to let go of pieces of me that used to be front and center and make room for new things. I wasn’t expecting such a huge identity shift, but here I am, 6 years later, and still figuring it all out.

All of this is to say, it’s ok if you don’t feel like yourself right now. Its ok to feel unsettled and uncomfortable. It’s ok if you don’t know exactly who you are anymore. It’s ok to still be figuring it out. It’s ok to miss the old you. It’s ok to want to break out and find yourself again. 

You’re not alone. I’m right there with you.

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