Being a parent can be quite a balancing act.
Since I had baby Ava in March, I started taking fewer clients. Instead of 2 to 3 photoshoots per week, I now comfortably take one client shoot per week, so I can dedicate enough time to each client as well as give enough attention to my own little monkeys. Decreasing my shoots to 50-33% is a change that has been difficult because I absolutely love my business, enjoy releasing my creative energy through photography, and am devoted to my clients.
But here’s another way I’ve been looking at it…
The limited shoots is temporary since kids grow like weeds (kids love that analogy – wink wink), so Ava won’t need me as much when she’s a little older, and my older two will both start school soon, so I’ll have more time for my business. So right now, I have the benefit of spending more time with my kids while they’re all so young and I can watch them do silly things!
Below are some photos from the past week to show you what I mean.
Fluffy and (Monkey) Mimi’s Party
Last week, I baked cupcakes and dusted off my bag of party supplies to have a birthday party for my kids’ favorite loveys!
It became a half day activity! The kids helped set up the party table, made presents and cards, and helped bake the cakes.
Mia and Ian absolutely loved the birthday party for their loveys. And for that day, I felt like the coolest momma around. 🙂
A Sweet Card
This is the birthday card Mia created for her toy cat. She spelled her name phonetically: fluf-e! And it looks like Flufe is a princess too!
It was so endearing to read her card that I took photos of it in case it ever got lost/torn/crushed/squished/stepped on/drooled on!
You Had Me At “I Am A Burrito!”
Every night, Ian insists on getting tightly wrapped in a towel after bath and will come looking for me. When he finds me, he smiles wide and announces in a cheerful voice that he is a burrito! I always tell him he’s the cutest burrito I’ve ever seen and hug and pretend to eat him.
Girlie Time Turned Photo Opp!
Picture this:
* My 5 year old is one of the girliest girls I’ve ever known. She loves all things Princess, flowers, butterflies, dresses, Barbie, etc.
* A few days ago, I told her I’d curl her hair and she was giddy with excitement. We’re talking high-pitched squeals kind of excitement!
So who am I to disappoint? 🙂
* My old College hair curlers looked like ancient artifacts in my little Princess’ never-been-cut baby locks. (I don’t think curlers come with those wire doohickeys anymore!)
* And the way they looked in her hair reminded me of old photos of housewives in the ’60s.
* So I asked her to wear rubber gloves and clean the kitchen for some fun photos!
Do you know how I got my girlie girl to do this? I told her she was Cinderella before Cinderella became a princess!
I am clever, aren’t I?! 🙂 I can’t help, but laugh every time I see these photos! Look at the gloves! It…is…just…TOO…funny!
The Moral of my Story: Life is a balancing act. And we sometimes have to make tough decisions to balance it. Just be sure you can live with the decisions you make.