Top | Denim | Heels | Sunglasses | Handbag (similar) |Watch (similar)
Happy New Year! I know we are already a week into the new year, but I hope 2019 is off to a great start and that it will be a wonderful year for you. I’ve been MIA on here as well as social media for the past couples of weeks and so thought I would take a minute to recap the my time away and share why I felt the need to take a step back.
I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with social media and wanted to take a short break. Well, that short break unintentionally turned into a two week break. It was something that I needed and it felt good to not feel so pressured to be posting on social media.
Once my kids started Christmas break (mid-December), I was wanting to do some fun things with them {we squeezed in so.much.fun.}, but I also needed to finish up things for Christmas, plus get things ready for our vacation which was two days after Christmas. Being present with my kids, attending to the wants/needs that comes with being a mom of four, and trying to get the ‘extra’ stuff done in time was taking a toll on me. Not to mention left me with virtually zero time to get myself photo-ready, much less go out to actually take photos.
Aside from all of that, blogging and staying present on social media takes a lot of time. I felt like I didn’t have a minute to think until my kids were in bed and by that time I didn’t have much left in me. I was feeling discouraged when scrolling through Instagram and stressed about all of the things I was feeling like I ‘need’ to do in order to succeed with Small Town Fancy. In this area of influencers, it is most certainly saturated. I struggle with so many aspects of what it takes to do this. I am constantly reminding myself to not compare myself to what, or how, others do their thing. Just be me and do things how I do them, without over-thinking every step.
At church yesterday morning, a friend was talking to me about bloggers and when I said I was feeling overwhelmed by it all, she told me not to be and to keep doing what I’m doing. Sometimes, a simple comment like that gives me the motivation I need to push forward. I love blogging and I love sharing my style on social media. I’ve missed it over the past couple of weeks. I’ve missed the interaction that this platform as brought. I’m so thankful to have you follow and support me. Your positive and encouraging feedback is always greatly appreciated. My prayer for 2019 is that God uses me here to help encourage you by being authentic and inspiring.
While I was away from Small Town Fancy, we stayed busy! We crammed in as much fun as possible before Christmas. We baked and decorated cookies, went to look at Christmas lights, went to the movie theater to watch the Grinch movie, had school parties and programs, Christmas with extended family, and so much more.
On Christmas day, we all woke up and opened presents. The kids were so excited and I felt like we kept gifts reasonable this year {I love gift-giving and tend to go overboard}. After all of the gifts were opened and we started to cook breakfast, I suddenly felt awful. I ended up back in bed by 10 a.m. and stayed there all day. I was sick with a stomach bug. Thankfully, it wasn’t too terrible and I was fine the next day, but I was so sad not being able to enjoy the time with the kids actually using/playing with their gifts.
The day after Christmas I spent doing all the things I would have done Christmas day. Such as clean up all the clutter, find a place for all of the new things, and pack for vacation. I will say, Caleb did a great job at taking care of the kids and not letting things get too out of control while I laid in bed, but I’m OCD and type-A about everything.
On December 27th, we woke up early and headed to the airport for our 3rd annual family ski vacation. This year we went to Utah and skied in Park City. We had never been to Utah, but it was beautiful! Maddox, who just turned four in October, skied for the first time and I was so proud of him. I will post recap of our trip on the blog soon!
We came home on January 1st and Caleb was back at work the next day. I’m glad the kids still had some time out of school. They got to enjoy sleepovers and play dates, which included me having SEVEN kids (age 9 and under) at my house one day. Today, we are back to alarm clocks and routines as the oldest two are back at school and Maddox will start back on Wednesday. My mom’s twin sisters are currently in town visiting (one from New York and the other from Virginia), so we’re enjoying some extra family time, too.
It was such a nice Christmas break! So many fun memories made and some much needed non-scheduled days. I’m happy to be back and excited to see what 2019 will hold for my family and Small Town Fancy.
Thank you for your continued support and for sharing with your friends!
~ Amy