Sometimes it is very hard to fit in working out, cleaning, play dates, e-mails, writing posts, meals, hair appointments, church callings, doctor appointments… along with being a full time mom. This is the one question I get asked most often, ”How do you do it all?!” The reality of it is… I don’t. I’m not perfect. No one is.

The key for me is to get help. Sometimes I find it hard to delegate or let go of some of the things in my life… but I’m learning that I can’t do everything. I’ve also learned I have to refocus my priorities often. A few days ago I drew this little diagram. It really helped me see  what my priorities are at this time in my life.

One thing that has really helped with balancing my blog is to set work hours. I have found time when the kids are asleep where I can focus just on writing. I not only write for my blog, but also for a few other sites so it really helps to have a few hours a week where I can dedicate to write and edit pictures.

I remember hearing someone say once…

When you’re with your business… whatever it is, focus on your business.

When you’re with your kids… be with your kids.

I agree… it’s important to dedicate time each day to be with your kids. Sit down on the floor with them for an hour and be in THEIR world. Their little imaginations are so fun. Gosh I love my kids! I’m so grateful to be able to stay home with them. It’s also important to remember that e-mails can wait… kids can’t.

E-mails are a daily battle because they are always coming in. I get 100+ e-mails I need to respond to every day. First thing in the morning I try to go through and organize all the e-mails I have received that day. I go through and delete all the ones that look spammy and then start going through the rest. I really do enjoy getting e-mails, but some days it is hard opening that inbox. I found it is a lot easier to answer the e-mails as you read them.  Readers’ e-mails are by FAR my favorite e-mails to get… and you better believe I have a folder for “happy” e-mails to go back and read when a “not-so-happy” e-mail or comment comes through. :) The best advice I can give is to keep on top of your e-mail. Make folders (such as guest posts, sponsors, etc.). I have also found it much better to have a separate e-mail account for my blog.

Another reason I have been able to do what I do is from the support of my husband. He is AMAZING! Really I couldn’t do it without him. He has been a HUGE help and supporter all along the way. He helps with the kids, laundry, and dishes whenever he gets home at night. This past year he has been doing more clinical rotations and has had more free time at night. Since we both realized the blog is generating part of our income he has agreed to take over the “business” side of the blog (my not so favorite part).  He sets up all the sponsors and giveaways. He also records all of the expenses/profits for the blog. We LOVE google docs for this. They keep us organized and we can easily share info with each other. At the end of each month Deric goes through and makes a spread sheet of all kinds of numbers as well. If you have a blog I encourage you to do this. You can see the growth you’ve had over the months and years. So for example, in our spread sheet we have all the months listed and then in the side bar we’ve created spaces to track page views, rss followers and all those kinds of numbers.

I also have contributors who help with feature posts and a virtual assistant who helps me with tasks as well. Really, I couldn’t do it with out all the help! I guess I could… but I wouldn’t be the mom I want to be.

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Also, if you have a blog, it is a good idea to be immersing yourself in social media. However, that’s one thing you want to be very cautious with. Social media (facebook, twitter, pinterest,skype) can drain away your time. Time after time I’ll be browsing pinterest and face book and realize an hour has gone by. Ah! Now I try and check my social media accounts 3 times a day. If you check your accounts in the morning, afternoon and at night (in 10 min increments) you’ll feel like you are keeping up with social media, but not letting it consume your life.

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I feel like the projects on this blog have been a fun thing for my little family. It really is hard to find time to actually create projects for a blog. I don’t work on projects every day like I used to… maybe once a week. I usually work on all my projects during nap time. I still have energy (vs. late at night) and I’m not taking time away from my kids. However whenever I have a project I know my kids would have fun with, I always try and involve them. Whenever I do a recipe for this blog my son’s little hands were right there helping me. He LOVES to help me in the kitchen. Whenever he hears me pull out my mixer he drops whatever he is doing and runs in saying “Can I help you?!” (with the biggest grin)

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I’m still struggling to find balance, as I’m sure many of you can relate to but I feel that true balance is paying attention to the things that matter most. Everyone’s situations are completely different, so I would encourage you to figure out what works best for you and your family.

To find the other posts from this series, you can view them here:

Who I Am

The when, how and why I started this blog

Happy Friday! xo

I’d have to say that Valentine’s is one of my most favorite times of the year. See, I’m a hopless romantic at heart. I loved the Twilight books because of the love story {I couldn’t have cared less about the whole vampire/werewolf thing}, I’ll watch Pride & Prejudice all day long if you’d let me, and I still have Will & Kate’s Royal Wedding still sitting on my DVR.

Since V-Day is a celebration of all things lovely and romantical, it only makes perfect sense that I would feel a connection with it. I’ve rounded up some fantastic Valentine printables that you can use to share a sweet setiment with someone special in your life…enjoy!

20 Sweet Valentine Printables

Printable Treat Bags from The Farm Chicks

Tweet Valentine Party Printables via Pizzazzerie

Valentine Wrapping Paper from Thirty Handmade Days

Valentine Prints from Daffodil Designs 

Valentine Party Printables via Catch My Party

Valentine Cards from The Rubber Punkin 

Valentine Print from Bonjour!

Valentine Banner from Whisker Graphics

Valentine Card from Mufn Inc. 

Tunnel of Love Print from Flamingo Toes

Valentine Gift from How Does She

Valentine Print from Sprik Space

Printable Valentine Gifts from Pizzazzerie

Valentine Print Trio from Sweet Rose Studio

Valentine Print from eighteen25

Love Print from Persnickety Prints

Valentine Cards via Living Locurto

Valentine Card from Kaden’s Corner 

Valentine Print from Less Cake {More Frosting}

Valentine Gift from The Diary of Dave’s Wife

And I, of course, have to share the Boys’ Valentines and Valentine Prints that I have over on my own blog {personal plug!}. I have oodles more Valentine ideas on my Love-ly Days and Printables Pinterest boards. I’d love for you to check them out!

Seriously I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had no idea where this blog would take me. I had NO idea how many blogs there were out there and I had absolutely no idea that you could make money blogging. Those  first few months I never really told anyone about my blog and it was more just for fun. I remember changing my backround and header a million different times. I was having so much fun with it all!

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Those first few months I had so much fun creating and sharing my ideas with about THREE of you (which was probably just my mom, best friend and maybe my sister). I really had no idea what I was doing (or getting myself into for that matter). I was just having a good time… it was fun  (still is btw :))! I realized after a few months that I had gained a few more followers. Whhhhaat?! I was shocked people would actually read my blog even though they didn’t know me. Then a few months later we did our kitchen makeover and I remember a bigger blog (wish I remember which one) featured my kitchen and my followers went from about 50 to 300 in a few weeks. I felt so much love from the blogging community. I really have met some of my greatest friends through blogging.

I felt like I finally found my “thing.”  My hobby. My passion. Growing up I always wished I had some amazing talent. So many of my friends could sing, dance and play the piano and I felt like I just wasn’t good enough at any ONE thing. I remember telling my mom one day I didn’t have any talents I could share in the talent show.  I remember her telling me I had so many talents. I have always been creative even as a youg girl and my mom always recognized those talents. But still… what was I going to do… scrapbook on the stage? Oh look here’s my 10 page lay out! ha!

So I guess what I’m try to say is blogging is my “thing.”  Some people really don’t get how I could possibly dedicate so much time to my blog every.single.day. Or how I could take pictures of every.single.step in a project… but it’s what I do and I ENJOY it. Everyone has their thing. Their hobby. For some it’s reading, for some it’s quilting, sports or games… but this is mine. And I really enjoy it. I LOVE that I can help some of you find your creative passion. So many have e-mailed me telling me that I had inspired them to create their own blog and I love that. I feel like anyone and everyone should share their passion with others.

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The first year of blogging I blogged whenever and whatever I felt like. Sometimes I do miss those days. But since then I have turned my hobby into a business. It’s official… I Heart Nap Time is now I Heart Nap Time LLC as of this year. :)

I started my blog on blogger (iheartnaptime.blogspot.com) and have since moved to word press on my own domain. Once I realized my hobby had turned into a buisness I knew it was time to make the switch. I would definitely say switching to wordpress has been a HUGE jump. I worked so hard to gain my google followers (over 6,000 of you). Google is now making google friend connect only available to google blogs, so I’ve decided to take my google friend connect down. I invite you to to follow me through feed burner or sign up for my newsletter on the side bar if you were following through google friend because you may not receive my feed after March 1st.

Anyways… if you’re blogging for a hobby I would totally recommend staying on blogger. It’s SO much easier and it’s FREE! If you’re looking to turn your blog into a buisness I recommend *eventually* switching over to wordpress when the right time comes. It definitely hasn’t been an easy adjustment (or a cheap one) but it has been very beneficial for my blog. I will go into more details later. Side note: If you’re wanting to switch over to wordpress choose wordpress.org not .com and hire someone. Save your self the head ache.

 So in a nut shell, there’s the when, how and why I started this blog. With any hobby/business there needs to be balance. I have learned that trying to keep up with posts, e-mails, social media, comment moderation, ads and the actual CREATING is very time consuming. Especially since I have had 2 kids under 2 this whole time with a husband in medical school.

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I have learned to find a balance that works for me and my family… come back tomorrow and I’ll share how I find that balance. xo

This year my son celebrated his third birthday! I asked my face book friends (here) when the terrible two’s would be over and you all said 3 is much worse. “Bring you to your Knees 3′s”,  ”torrential threes”, “horrible 3′s”, “tantrum 3′s”, “defiant threes”, and “ tyrannical threes” are some of the answers that I got. How can it get worse than this and this?  I’m doomed. ;)

I want my kids to feel *EXTRA* special on their birthdays.  This year I decided I would start the tradition of taping streamers to the door and filling the ground with balloons. My son LOVED the balloons! He was thrilled when he saw them and played with them all day long. Cheap entertainment I tell ya’!

He even carried EVERY-single-balloon out to the trampoline. He jumped with those balloons for a good hour and didn’t even stop for a cupcake.

This was our convo…

ME: Carson will you take a picture holding your Birthday cupcake?

Carson: la la la.. not even paying attention

ME: Do you want to EAT a cupcake?

Carson: Grabs the cupcake and gives me a cheesy grin… then hands back the cupcake. {Shocker!}

ME: Thanks!

Carson: Continues jumping while I take some pictures of the cupcakes. What a mom-blogger! ;)

Later that afternoon we headed to grammas and papas house to celebrate birthday time! We had pizza, roasted giant marshmallows and did some hot tubbing! Carson said he had the BEST Birthday!

See sometimes simple is better… and just so you know… those easy cupcakes were made with confetti cake! All I did was frost the tops, roll the sides in sprinkles, put a life saver on top and stuck a candle in the middle. Thanks Pillsbury for the great idea! I thought they turned out so cute!

So there you have

it… one of the best ways to celebrate a birthday! Balloons, cupcakes and family!

What’s your favorite way to celebrate?