intention – Laura Insley.

focus on the wins…

It’s not even noon and I’m worried that I’ve wasted the day.

I took today off from work to tend to overdue doctors’ appointments. Ethan will have his four-month check-up (He’s past five months now). And I will have a “new patient” meeting with a primary care physician (This was scheduled over a year ago and then I had to push it farther back because I was too consumed by work).

The word, neglect, has been running through my head for the last day or so. Ethan’s delay in getting to his well-check appointment was due to illness, so it couldn’t be helped. But I’m pretty sure everything else that overwhelms me right now is mostly my fault.

it’s time for you to be seen… (pt. two)

Recently, I reached out to Beth, a friend of mine from my days in the vintage resale community. I had just picked up a cuuuuute ’60s-’70s coat from the thrift store, and thought she might be able to provide more insight into it.

As the conversation evolved, we talked about how we are both stepping out of our comfort zones in many ways—that we’ve been feeling this urge to transform and begin again refreshed.

honor your energy…

I recently posted about how proud of myself I am for posting consistently for the last month or so. As I had always had a messy relationship with consistency, this was a big win for me.

To stay on track, I would normally publish something on the blog today. I had planned on finishing and posting the Part 2 follow-up to my last blog post, but ya know what?

how to best spend a friday morning…

Last Friday, I woke up early, wrote a bit, and helped get the kids ready for their day. The baby slept in, so I was still nursing him when Collin took the other kiddos to school.

Hunkered down on the couch with the babe, I began my usual social media scroll sesh. Within a few minutes, however, my phone died. LAME.

I decided to turn on the TV and see if there was anything on one of our streaming platforms to pass the time.

Then I saw it…

try out “self-care 7 o’clock” with me…

The other day, I was thinking about how hard it is to do anything consistently unless I pencil it into my agenda. If I’m not following a general schedule, then I sort of get lost. I get distracted too easily, or let myself linger too long on whatever it is that consumed my attention at the time.

Have you ever heard the saying “energy flows where your attention goes”? If your attention is not on something intentional, then you may be squandering your energy (or even creating a blockage). But by shifting your focus to something you deem important, you can create a positive change in your life or someone else’s.

how to add more time to your day…

I’ve never been a morning person. If someone tried to force me out of bed, I’d be pissed. Then I’d be irritable and on edge the rest of the morning (maybe even day).

On the other hand, if it was up to me to get myself up earlier than I normally would, I’d just hit SNOOZE… and keep hitting snooze until, of course, I’d take the few seconds to rationalize why I should just turn the alarm off altogether.

Staying in bed always seemed like the better option—especially in the winter months when it’s literally freezing, and the thought of being on the other side of my comforter was completely ridiculous.

Of course, there have been those days that required me to get up early. And you know what I discovered?

two quick ways to start the day…

The other morning, when my husband asked me what I wanted to accomplish during the day, I had no idea how to answer him.

It wasn’t for a lack of things to do, of course. There’s always SOMETHING.

I couldn’t answer him because my mind was mush. And it wasn’t mush for any particular reason—maybe just a lot of reasonS (plural)…

reset…

As I’m trying to figure out how to start this post, I realize that I have a lot going on in my head right now. My thoughts are scattered and nothing sounds right.

While this doesn’t sound too unusual for someone who just birthed a baby, brought a newborn home to sick siblings, is sleep-deprived and experiencing uncomfortable postpartum side effects, and riding an emotional rollercoaster… it’s still annoying.

when your body says “enough”…

How do you know if you’re stressed? Do you feel it in your body as it’s happening? Or do you only realize it after the damage has been done?

Alternatively, are you a person with their shit together who takes preventative measures in order to combat the physical, mental, and emotional drain brought on by stress?

Or are you a little bit of Column A, B, and C?

Yeah, same. I mean, we know better, but also… life, amiright?

short weekend message…

Take it easy this weekend, friends.

It’s a tough one for many.

Be kind. Refrain from ruffling feathers.

Lay low. And give yourself grace.

Use this time for healing/recovery/self-care, or to prevent burnout/illness/overwhelm.

It’s okay to say “no.” Embrace the JOMO (joy of missing out).

Sending you all love and comfort. 🙏🏼💖💫

<3 Laura

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