Two months ago, Mr L.A. and I stood in our kitchen and looked over our schedules for the coming weeks. The pages of our calendars were crammed full of commitments and deadlines, including an oversees business trip and more solo parenting than I care to remember. I declared it ‘Crazy May’ and tried to concentrate on how good it would feel when we emerged on the other side.

Except Crazy May ran on into June and there’s no sign of things letting up in July. Being busy hasn’t left much time for reflection, but when we have had a moment to catch our breath, we’ve been struck by how much things have changed since the beginning of the year.

In the last six months, I’ve doubled my permanent social media clients and I’m currently booked for copywriting projects until the middle of August. Freelance life is unpredictable, and maybe things will be much quieter in the autumn, but right now I feel quite proud of the way things have flourished and grown.

Alongside this, Mr L.A.’s work is taking him away from home more and more often. Under normal circumstances, we function brilliantly as a team, supporting each other throughout the working week. I can cope when he’s away, but it always leaves me feeling like I’m treading water or wading through mud. I manage, of course, but I run myself ragged in the process. If life happens to throw me a curveball around the same time, like a sick child or an unexpected crisis, things start to feel very precarious indeed.

Ask any freelancer if they’re busy and a positive answer will always be accompanied by a disclaimer. ‘Not that I’m complaining,’ they’ll say, well aware that work could potentially dry up at any moment. While I’m thrilled that business is booming for both of us, the workload is much heavier as a result. Lack of time, energy and clarity of thought means we’ve been unable to manage the impact this has had on other areas of our lives. In short, we haven’t quite figured out the best way to cope with our ‘new normal’. Any advice gratefully received!

When life is as full as it has been in recent weeks, what I miss most is this blog. While I fully embrace the slow blogging movement, I do aim to post 3-4 times a week. At the very least, I think my weekend post should go up every Sunday without fail, but even this goal has alluded me lately.

Failing to document things here makes me feel disconnected from myself. It means I haven’t paused to reflect on what we’ve been doing or where we’ve been going. In her post ‘Half Way Through’, and in reference to her own lack of blogging, Emily Quinton perfectly sums up how I’ve been feeling.

‘I’ve been missing it because for me, writing my blog is a way of reflecting on what’s going on and keeping me grounded in the here and now, rather than always rushing to what’s next.’

I’m not sure how things will play out over the next few weeks, but I want to embrace blogging again. I want to slow down a little and catch up with myself. I need to come up with a plan to make our lives a little easier.

Wish me luck.

Love Audrey xxx