 This year, my little family was blessed with the opportunity of taking a 2 week summer vacation! We hadn't been able to do this since I was pregnant with Emma so two kids under 3 years old made this a true ADVENTURE full of new experiences and new stresses! Our first stop was St. Augustine, a truly magical place, immersed in history and so much nostalgia for me as this was our vacation destination growing up. As the kids affectionately call it, our time in the "Blue House" was filled with countless days by the pool, a spectacular personal fireworks show by Uncle Matt, and delightful escapades exploring the ice cream shops in downtown St. Augustine. If you were o ask our daughter, Emma, a highlight for her was catching a glimpse of a REAL LIFE pirate ship sailing in the bay. This would probably be tied with strolling through the Alligator Farm.
 After bidding farewell to St. Augustine, we headed to Ormond Beach to join my husband's family. The laid-back atmosphere provided a much-needed change of pace. Days in Ormond Beach were divided between relaxing beneath the family tent on the beach and the refreshing waters of the pool. The children splashed in a homemade pool and built sandcastles while the adults enjoyed the warm sunshine with no shortage of chilled beverages. To escape the summer heat, we alternated going to the pool where Emma learned to swim like a professional in her Puddle Jumper and jumped into the deep end with no fear. I hope she always meets challenges with so much bravery. Although the vacation was at times stressful and far from restful, the opportunity to spend quality time with loved ones was truly priceless.
As I reflect on our summer adventure and how despite the stress of having young babies, managing nap times and navigating play the the beach, I am reminded that the joy and love shared with family is truly priceless, leaving us with a treasure trove of memories that will endure for a lifetime.  xoxo, Lindsey
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1. Embracing Minimalism
With the arrival of another child came the arrival of all of his stuff! I suddenly found myself with double the kids, double the clothes (or even triple at times because let’s be real newborns need 2 to 3 outfits a day at minimum), quadruple the diapers and a HUGE mess. I needed something to be easy in my life and I needed cleaning routines and household chores to become easier. The fact of the matter is, the more stuff you have, the more stuff you have to take care of. With having a new little human that depended on me 24 seven and nursing around the clock, I had to have a change because I was always looking around the house seeing things that needed done. It was overwhelming and taking away from my kids. I decided to cut down our material items in the house by 2/3. This was actually easier than I thought it would be. I started with seasonal decor, things that I hadn’t used in years and either decided to donate, sell or made a trip to the dump. Next was kitchen items. I had so many dish sets, plates and extra pots and pans. These were old things that we had accumulated from our first apartment, so much stuff. Who needs all of this? I mean do I ever use 5 sauce pans at the same time. No. Again, another trip to either Goodwill or the dump. Various China sets and things I put away for later or sold on Facebook marketplace. I love Facebook marketplace as a side note. I made a stark change in decor style. I wanted something more simplistic, neutral that I wouldn’t have to feel like I needed to keep up with the design trends. Also, EASY to clean. I sold antique rugs that I had collected because they also collected a lot of dirt and were very hard to keep clean. as I saw everything on them. I sold old artwork that was a part of studio sales. I sold all kinds of antiques and things that I had accumulated, but no longer felt like they were me or I would use them in the future. I sold A LOT. With the cash, we were able to make some easy to clean swaps and I am so thrilled. My 10 min before bed cleanup takes just that, 10 mins (Kitchen included). 2. Dry Brushing and Gua Sha Both are apparently supposed to drain you lymphatic system. Now, I am not sure I buy so much into that mainly because would I know what that felt like and or be able to tell the difference, no. Why do it then? It feels so nice. I love dry brushing for its exfoliating purposes. It is a tiny luxury that lasts 30 seconds prior to each one of my showers. For me, it’s scrubbing the day off and has done so much for the texture of my skin! Gua Sha is more of a massage in my opinion. In the mornings, somewhere after my 2nd cup of coffee and before the kids start screaming (unless Sammy has a hard night) I try to get some sort of facial oil (liking this one right now LINK) and Gua Sha my face and neck. This just feels so good and wakes up my skin. It releases any kind of tension I had from a previous workout and it’s just one of the small little rituals I can do to help start my day. Being officially closer to 40 than 30(OMG) I will take all the glow I can get. 3. Diet and Exercise Keeping with the year of Lindsey theme, I have been begun working out and monitoring what I eat. I have always LOVED exercise, so much I have a bachelors and masters surrounding health and movement but after going through 4 years of infertility treatments and then having two kids in 3 years, my body is NOT where it was nor do I really expect it to be! Luckily, I know what works for me and I have been implementing that for the last month with great results. I know intermittent fasting works. I also know that working out while in a fasted state is also best for me so that is what I'm doing. Unfortunately, the only chunk of time I have been able to carve out between in the morning hours during my fast is 5:30AM-6:30AM so that is my workout window. I am loving it. I am also tracking my calories through a basic fitness app and allowing myself one day a week to not beat myself up. Thus far, so good. Stay tuned! 4. Specifically Carving out Time for ME We as mothers tend to take care of everyone else before we take care of ourselves. I have started purposefully carving out pockets of time that nourish me. Do not think these are extravagant things. They are things as simple as completing. 15 minute meditation when I am stressed, allowing my husband to hold or care for the toddler or babe when I’m done being screamed at or even just taking a shower by myself. I have also made a change in my studio practice. Prior to having Sammy, Emma would give me solid naps of two hours which were dependable and easy to schedule in studio time. Now with the new babe, naps for everyone are all over the place and I haven’t been able to rely on a set time frame so I moved my studio to the kitchen for the time being. I find that on days when I am able to express my creative self, I am a happier person and happier mother. 5. Practice Kindness Towards Myself as an ARTIST My new mantra towards my creative practice is DO LESS. In regards to my creative practice, this means doing less reworks, less overthinking, being less critical of my work and less of a perfectionist. Just allowing myself to get into the creative flow and having faith that the work I make is worth it and will turn out fine. I’m also slowly becoming okay with the idea that not all work IS good and that’s ok. It serves a purpose. It was practice and that’s wonderful. In the past, I have fallen so much into the comparison trap as we all have. It's time to like my work, like my process and know life happens in seasons and this one is pretty great. |
