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Balancing Today

Learning To Balance It All

  • Ashley’s Life
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September 2013 Goals

September 2013 Goals

For whatever reason, we have it instilled in us that “fresh starts” only begin on either Monday or on the…
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June 2013 Goals

June 2013 Goals

In May I … Started the 7 Week Challenge Talked about what’s beautiful in the eyes of a teenager Started…
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May 2013 Goals

May 2013 Goals

In April I… Went to opening day Transitioned to spring Talked about either being on a diet or breaking my…
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April 2013 Goals

April 2013 Goals

I’m really excited for April to be here! But first, I have to wish my mom a VERY happy birthday!!…
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March 2013 Goals

March 2013 Goals

I’m really excited to be starting a new month and to be moving into March. Spring is right around the…
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February 2013 Goals

February 2013 Goals

Last night while on Facebook I came across a photo of a person I knew back in college.  I was…
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AHH It’s March!

AHH It’s March!

Commence freak out!  It’s March, which means my graduate school capstone project is due in 15 days, my bridesmaids weekend…
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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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“Turn and take a picture momma!” Treasuring t “Turn and take a picture momma!”

Treasuring these days! So thankful for my little photographer.

Side note - I really need to hang things on our walls!! Hold me to it.
Today was an absolutely beautiful day. This aftern Today was an absolutely beautiful day. This afternoon while the kids were having some downtime I sat on the deck with Theodore and planned out the week ahead. It was heaven.
Easter looks very different than my childhood and Easter looks very different than my childhood and early 20’s. I am forever grateful to have left a cult masked as a church. It’s been 12 years, and though I still very much believe in God, I find him in nature, in the fruits of the spirit, and in his grace. So today, I am spending Easter morning at the park, with my kids and my journal.
Someone said this the other day and honesty, I hat Someone said this the other day and honesty, I hated it. At first I felt discouraged. Thinking about years wasted and some things I wish I could go back and change. 

But then I swung to the other side. She was right! There is no redo. So what am I going to do to make the most of today? What am I going to do this year to make myself proud and to live boldly. 

As I near 40, I’ve experienced this spectrum of emotions. Wishing I had used some of my past years differently but being excited and grateful for the years ahead of me. 

What I’m learning now, more than ever, is all that matters is this moment. All that matters are today’s decisions. All that matters are the people in my life right now. 

I don’t want to waste any more time and I don’t want any regrets. The past is the past and today is today. There’s no redo.
Before March 2020, I was so focused on the grind a Before March 2020, I was so focused on the grind and our routine. Getting the kids out of the house and to daycare, commuting 3 hours total each day, working 8...9-5...:30, and getting the kids to bed so I could get back to work or tackle things before my own bedtime.

It makes me tear up thinking about it. 

My top priority was work and I was so lonely and depressed. I had put myself and my family on the back burner. All because I thought I had something to prove. The harder I’d work, the more valuable I’d feel. The harder I’d work, the more purpose I’d feel.

What this year taught me is that it’s all a lie. I had it all backwards. I knew I had it backwards but I fell into the system that told me to pour myself into my job. That work held the keys to my future. 

What I lost was my health. What I lost was time with my kids. What I lost were all the little moments that make life great. 

I’ve always known the life I want to live, but I was so far from it!! I’ll never stop working hard, but it was time for me to reprioritize my energy and focus. 

This moment on the beach, when my daughter called me over to see what she had done, was a beautiful picture of shifted priorities. I’m so thankful and look forward to all the days to come!
Time off is good for the soul. Time off by the wat Time off is good for the soul. Time off by the water is good for the mind. So thankful for time to rest and recharge, especially by the water.
One of my hidden talents... 🌸 👑 So thankful One of my hidden talents... 🌸 👑 So thankful for this distraction free time to play outside and play pretend.
Today was an extraordinary day. We are on vacati Today was an extraordinary day. 

We are on vacation. A vacation that was paid for entirely by the money I made back in January thanks to my little side business.

That little side business is the same side business I was terrified to start. I was nervous if I could be successful in direct sales. I was worried about what people would think and say. 

Deep down, I knew I wanted this, I knew I needed this, and I knew I was capable of this. 

I said yes, because I needed more extraordinary days. I needed more joy. I needed more time with my family. I needed more money. I needed more friends. And most importantly, I needed to prioritize me! 

Today, just 3 short months after joining Green Compass, I was promoted to Director!

I am forever thankful for my leap of faith and for all of the people I’ve been able to help these past few months. 

The hopes I had for myself before joining Green Compass are becoming a reality, and I can’t wait for all the extraordinary days to come!!
I want to be the best I can be for her. I want to I want to be the best I can be for her. I want to be an example. I want her to look back when she’s my age and say “my mom was a great mom”.

What I don’t want is for her to look back an say, “my mom was working all the time”, “my mom wasn’t really around”, “my mom didn’t really play with me”.

This year opened my eyes to the path I was on in my pre-pandemic life. I allowed work to take whatever I was willing to give, and for me, it was myself. 

I raced to get my kids out of the house, having them eat breakfast in the car, just so I could get to work as early as possible. I worked a full day, having my kids stay at daycare right up to closing time. Some nights I was back on my work computer in those few hours before my kids went to bed and then worked until my own bedtime.

I thought my worth was determined by how much and how hard I worked. And what did I have to show for it? Nothing. Instead I lost time with my kids, my health was in the gutter, and I was still trying desperately to be heard and valued at work. 

Though I’m still learning, I will never go back to being that person. My family and my health will be my top priority, no matter what. 

I am forever grateful for this slow down and opportunity to prioritize my life. I am doing this for her (and Neal and my son), but also for me.
Today we slept in, made breakfast, went on a drive Today we slept in, made breakfast, went on a drive to see the house I lived in in Yorktown, VA when I was in the 6th and 7th grade, played at a park, went for a long walk, ate lunch and took naps, played in the hot tub, and now we are enjoying the shore before dinner. Vacation is so good for the soul and so good for our family. We needed this time together and I am thankful!

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