How do you have time to blog?

I’ve gotten this question a lot – how do you have time to blog?  If you’ve read any of my kid-related posts, you know that I’ve seriously got my hands full.  However, I would not call myself a super-mom.  The truth is that my blogging (and cooking, for that matter) are things that I really enjoy doing and so I make time for them.  Everyone has things that they make time for – exercise, sleep, reading, Facebook, TV – no judgment at all on how people choose to use their time, but my point is that I choose to make time in my day for the things that make me happy.  These things, I realize, don’t make everyone happy – to some the thought of making dinner every night is a chore, for me, it’s a challenge, it’s fun and it feels great to feed my family good food.  Regardless of what you choose to fill your day, everything comes with a set of sacrifices or trade-offs.  For me, blogging each night after the boys go to bed means:

1) I go to sleep later

2) I do less housecleaning at night

3) I don’t watch as much TV

4) I spend less time on Facebook and Pinterest

There is really something to finding what interests you and going for it. I watched my husband find a love for getting fit and working out and saw how that made such a positive change in him.  When he first started and was at the gym every single night, I have to admit that a part of me was resentful that he had the opportunity for such an outlet, while I was “stuck” at home.  So I did some soul searching to figure out what would make me happy.  Lord knows it wasn’t going to be working out – so that was off the list!  But when I thought hard about it, I discovered that sharing my experiences as a parent (especially to those who can relate), sharing my love for cooking, and (one day, when I make the time) sharing my other creative ventures gets me jazzed up.  Wouldn’t you know, once I started writing and blogging, my attitude toward my husband instantly changed.  My resentment turned to admiration and understanding.  And I think because he gets it, he has been really supportive of my venture too.

So how do I have time to blog? I found some of the time hiding and I stole a little here and there.  Turns out that when you find something that really motivates you, it’s more of a question of how could you not have the time to do it?  You are in charge of your priorities – you get to choose what they are and the order in which they fall.  Blogging is by no means at the top – my family and my day job are certainly the frontrunners.  But the good thing is that I live in a world where you can truly have it all – and that, my friends, is what I am striving to have.