the approach of spring//chatting treasured pastimes and hopes for springtime

There is something about the approach of Spring that makes me feel inspired to take up favourite pastimes once again. Blogging is one of them. Reading is another hobby I have been enjoying lately, and I am fairly itching to get into the garden and feel the dirt between my fingers and the warm sunshine on my back.

Of course, I am not able to do everything I used to be able to do now that I am a busy mama and homemaker. But I am trying to keep my expectations very low and find small pockets of time here and there to devote to these treasured pastimes...

One way I do this is to be very intentional about my day. I like to block out time for each task and then work towards having time during Nicholas' nap to work on the things I enjoy.

I am also being diligent about putting my phone away in the evening and reading a few chapters of my book instead before switching off the light. My hope with this is to not only to get more reading in, but also improve the quality of my sleep, which, after a year and a half of chronic sleep deprivation, is pretty messed up.

One thing I know I need to be better about, is training Nicholas to keep himself busy when I am working on things such as gardening or sewing.

Both these activities delight my heart and fill my soul, but they also bless my family, so I know I shouldn't feel guilty about giving him the opportunity to learn to entertain himself while Mama is busy. I plan to spend some time preparing a couple toddler activities to do with him for half an hour or so each morning before I head into the garden to fill up his little tank first.

I know I can be over ambitious when it comes to gardening, especially in this season of life, but I am hopeful that I'll be able to grow a lot of the food my little family need. And perhaps Nicholas will discover that he enjoys helping mama, too...although I think at this stage he might be a bit too excited about helping to pull up weeds and pull up all my little seedlings in the process!

We recently shifted our house around, so all my sewing paraphernalia is lying dotted about each room.  I need to spend an afternoon gathering and organizing everything so I can tackle a few small sewing projects when I feel so inclined.

I am longing to make pretty things for my home, as well as some of the more practical things, like curtains for my big kitchen, and turn a double duvet cover into a 3/4 size cover for Nicholas' bed. I thrifted a cream and beige check duvet cover over a year ago, and have yet to get around to making it usable!

And of course, Springtime calls for a touch of Spring cleaning, and this big old house could most certainly use some scrubbing and polishing! Windows need to be washed, and shelves organized. I have been doing a bit of purging too and selling a few items we no longer use, too.  And Spring is also a wonderful time for adding a few fresh decorative touches here and there and making my home look and smell lovely with little posies and vases of blossoms.

And that, my friends, concludes this rambly post. Nicholas is now awake and there is absolutely no way I can write with a busy toddler around!

Oh, and my fellow mama readers...if you will, do leave any tips you have for doing the things you love without neglecting your home or little one in the process....

Most of the time I feel inspired to find creative ways to still do the things that bring me joy in amongst motherhood and keeping my home, but sometimes I get so down and discouraged because the energy is simply lacking and all I want to do is take a nap myself or watch YouTube...and then I feel even worse because I didn't make use of naptime and work on my hobbies! I would truly appreciate any advice or encouragement you have to share!

With love, Kelly