{guest blogger :: The Outdoor Wife}

Nish from The Outdoor Wife is today’s guest blogger, and writes about herself:

PS. be sure to visit her blog, it’s GORGEOUS!!!!!

I believe it. Deep down, all the way to the center of my bones and down to my toes, I believe that summer brings the incomparable promise of joy. The warmth of sunshine on your skin, sunscreen, flowers, sand, chlorine pools, good novels, sunglasses and adventure… I love it all. If I could pour summertime into my body, I would take it in gallons.

Something happens to me in the summertime. I become relaxed, mellow, and my free spirit flies just a little higher than usual. In a way, I become a little bit like this guy. Yeah you know him. The one whose limbs can be yanked and twisted and turned and molded? Yep. My insides look like Gumby. I’m flexible.

Almost too flexible.

Schedules, timelines, deadlines and self-discipline seem to fly out of the nearest open window at the first sign of summer’s arrival. I find that keeping any sort of perceived balance is incredibly difficult. I mean, really… who wants to fold laundry during your kid’s nap instead of lay out & work on your tan? Why would you vacuum the house when you can go to the river? Why would you spend time writing when there’s an obvious game of frisbee waiting to be played?

Where’s the balance? How do you maintain everything while trying to soak up every moment of summer’s joy?

I’m not sure I have any answers. But I can say that I’ve been working on finding a happy medium over the past few weeks… and I have found some things that work!

1. Envision your day. What does your day look like when you wake up? Is it a pretty easy-going day? Do you have people coming over for dinner? Where do the kids need to get shuttled to? How busy is your work day? The sooner you can get a handle on what your day might look like, the better you can…

2. …Prioritize! This goes with anything in life, to be honest. But, it comes in handy when there’s SO much you want to do in a small amount of time! Do your baseboards REALLY need scrubbing today? Or is it one of those days where your house can be “Clean Enough?” (This post by Melissa has helped me so much!) How badly do you need to blog today? You posted twice yesterday, so maybe you could skip a day and spend the afternoon at the pool. Haven’t written in a couple of days? Maybe skip the pool, get some writing done, then take a shorter trip to the park afterwords. You could have the greatest list of a ton of things to do, but maybe your kid decides that his/her nap was actually optional. Prioritize what NEEDS to get done vs. what you’d LIKE to get done. This allows some wiggle room in your day in case something goes sideways.

3. Make time to do something fun in the sun EVERY day. Even if it’s just walking outside and tending to the garden for a few minutes in the morning. It doesn’t have to be much! Totally slammed at work? Maybe take your lunch break outside. I am a huge believer in the power of the sun. Even just a short 15-30 minutes in the sunshine can lift spirits and relax the tightest of shoulders. Have kids? By spending a long morning at the pool, you’re almost guaranteed a longer nap in the afternoon. Sunshine energizes, uplifts and has the magical power of wearing out even the most rambunctious kids.

Again, I’m no expert at finding the balance of managing life. But, I have tried to apply those three simple things and it has helped me tremendously. It keeps me on track, helps me get things done, but still allows me to enjoy my time in the sun, soaking in all of summer.

Oh, also? Don’t forget your sunscreen.