Time Saving Mom Contributor: Interview

Hello friends!  I hope you had a good weekend!  Mine was pretty laid back.  My husband took my daughter with him to play with her cousins while he helped to lay sod at his brother's house on Saturday morning so it was just me and my 2 year old.  Sometimes I forget how to hang out with one kid, you know?  I get so used to having both kids around and they just play with each other all day.  My kids definitely get bored more quickly when their other half is gone.  Although running errands is a million times easier, so I can't complain there.  Sunday was relaxing with going to church and having our monthly dinner with my husband's family and just basically recharging for the week ahead.

Today, I'm sharing some fun news about a blog called Time Saving Mom (TSM).  Amanda is in a Facebook group that I am a part of and she was looking for contributors to her blog after rebranding.  I'm always interested in saving time and a lot of what I do in terms of cooking/baking and crafts/DIY falls into this category naturally because I've got two kids at home that demand a lot of time.  Well, I am happy to announce that I will be a regular contributor on Time Saving Mom!  This means that at least once a month, I'll have an abbreviated version of whatever post I'm putting up on TSM here on Sunshine & Munchkins with a link to the full post on TSM.

And today is my first post!  I did a little interview with Amanda about myself and how I save time in the different areas of my life.  I am by no means perfect at this, but it's something that I work at and I hope that I'll be able to save you a little time in your life through my tips and experience.  So go check out the interview today on Time Saving Mom and feel free to leave comments here or there.

Thanks for stopping by!

**UPDATE 12/17/16**

Amanda has decided she is no longer going to be running the Time Saving Mom blog so that she can focus her efforts in other areas.  She offered to let me move my content from there to here so that nothing would be lost.  Below is the post that originally appeared on Time Saving Mom on October 10, 2016.

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Tell us about yourself

I am a stay at home mom to 2 kids (a girl and a boy) so my days are filled with them.  I started blogging as a way to share my thoughts, opinions and tips with others, but I also really enjoy writing and feeling like what I'm putting out there is helpful to someone.  My degree is in Marriage and Family Studies (a pre-counseling major) and I've loved applying the information and tools I learned in school into my own life.

How do you manage life?

One of my favorite tools for managing my life and my family's life is my planner.  I have a regular paper planner that I write everything down in, from blogging tasks, to daily household tasks, to appointments and meetings.  The other tool I use is maintaining a routine throughout the day.  It helps my kids know what to expect, which makes my life easier, and it helps me accomplish what I need to (hopefully).

When do you find yourself overwhelmed?  What do you do about it?

I find myself overwhelmed when I do not have a routine and something that I am working towards accomplishing.  I also get overwhelmed when I haven't taken time to take care of myself.  To combat feeling overwhelmed, I try to take a step back and gain some perspective about why I'm feeling that way.  It could be something as simple as needing to eat or going to bed early.  I also find that taking some time for myself to recharge is really helpful.

What is the most important thing to you?

The most important thing in my life is my family.  If money or time were no object, I would love to go places and allow my kids (and myself and my husband) to experience new things and create memories for our family.

What are some tips you could offer to someone who is in a state of overwhelm?

When you are overwhelmed, it's important to take a step back and try to look at your situation from a larger point of view.  I've noticed that my own attitude plays a huge part in how overwhelmed I am.  If I am grumpy or tired and I let that dictate how I view my current situation, then I'm more likely to get even more overwhelmed because smaller issues don't roll off my back as easily.  When I do an attitude check and make the conscious effort to try and view my situation in a positive light, it makes the load easier to bear.

What do you do in your "free time"?

My list of things to choose from when I have time to myself is long, but I usually lean towards reading a book or working on a craft purely for enjoyment.  I also love to dance and currently attend a weekly class.

What books or products help you?

I haven't read much in the way of self help books, but I've found that when I put first things first, my life is much more enjoyable.  When I put God and my family first, all the other stuff falls into place because I'm taking care of the essentials.