Easing Back Into It

August is a crazy month for me. It’s not hard. Hard is not knowing where your next meal is coming from or where you’ll sleep. So, I don’t want this to come off as whiney. No, August is just crazy, as in, I simply don’t have enough time to get it all done.

For a brief time each August all my attention is squarely focused on my business, Best Tools for Schools. As a school supply business that provides customized school supply kits to busy parents, you can imagine that August is crunch time. In the past I tried to keep all the balls in the air and the people who suffered were the very ones I do all this work for….my family. This year, I took a different approach. I let the writing take a back seat. In fact, I let it out of the vehicle all together. I’m happy to report that my family exited August relatively unscathed and happy this year.

A reset in priorities was just what I needed. While it wasn’t easy knowing visits to Pleasantville were likely plummeting with each passing day, I took comfort in telling myself (perhaps falsely) that readers would return. Er, at least I hope they do.

The problem now of course, is jumping back into writing. Oddly enough, it’s harder than it seems. Right now, it feels foreign, like I don’t remember what I’ve been doing the last five years. I’ve been putting immense pressure on myself to start sharing again, and in the end it’s giving me writer’s block. So, I’m going to take a deep breath and ease back into it. I thought I’d start with what’s going to be happening this fall:

I’ll be back contributing regularly at ChildMode. Eternal thanks to Nadia for understanding that August is not my month for blogging. If you haven’t checked out the new look at ChildMode, go now. It’s incredible and I’m proud to say I’m a Staff Editor there.

Speaking of new looks, I’ll be making some changes in Pleasantville. This makes my stomach do huge flip flops. I love my site, but it doesn’t invite you to poke around and stay awhile. I want you to be comfortable in Pleasantville so I’d love your input on what I should change in this space, since I pretty much do it all for you anyway. Leave me a comment or send me an email.

In 15 short days I’ll be attending the TMS Family Travel Conference in Niagara Falls, NY. It is fair to say that I am insanely excited about this!

The more things change, the more they stay the same. I’ll also be back writing more regularly at YummyMummyClub under my See Mummy Juggle moniker. This is where I first started blogging five years ago. It’s my first home on the internet. There’s also a new role I’ll be playing within YMC that I’m excited to share with all of you, but can’t just yet. This is the equivalent of vaguebooking, I know. Sorry.

My youngest gets braces this month. Send good vibes please that we’ll only have to complete Phase I with the orthodontist and that her teeth will just fall into place. Kissing a new fall wardrobe, among other things, goodbye.

I’ll be at Blissdom in the fall and I can not wait to meet all the amazing Canadian bloggers who will be in attendance. I no longer need to stress about a costume for the Halloween party since the dates have changed, but I do need to stress about which pajamas I’ll wear at the Pajama Party! Ack.

My role as a Life Made Delicious Ambassador this year continues and I’ll be sharing some delicious recipes with you. If you’re looking for some recipe inspiration, check out my Life Made Delicious board on Pinterest.

In mid-October, I’ll become part of the SavvyMom Media Collective. I have a great deal of respect for Minnow and Sarah and I look forward to learning from them.

Finally, I’ll be joining five other amazing Canadian Bloggers in Florida the end of October and considering how our Canadian fall is shaping up, it’ll be just what the doctor ordered by then!

Who knows what November will bring, but I hope it’s more of the same. Looks like a pretty amazing fall so far. What’s on your agenda?