thoughts// prepping for maternity leave

so many of you have been so sweet as to check in on different aspects of work for jase and i, and i wanted to give a little update.

for us, every day holds a different list of things to do. we both have our hands in a variety of projects that we’re passionate about and love doing. for me, i get the incredible opportunity to work alongside brands i love, creating content, and connecting you all with companies i use and believe in. outside of that, we’ve been steadily working away on building our home in Idaho, which has been a full project that i will give an update on later as we get closer to the date of it being done. in addition to that, i have been working alongside our stranded team to bring you a whole new line of products, coming hopefully by summer.

with all that in mind, we’ve also been preparing for the arrival of our sweet babe. my due date is nearing at the end of march, and outside of personally preparing for the day, we’re also preparing with our work schedules and maternity leave.

it’s been hard for us to know exactly what to do with our maternity leave just because we’re both so lucky to be able to work for ourselves. while this comes with an immense list of benefits and blessings, anyone who has done freelance or owns a business knows that there can be some grey area when it comes to knowing how or when to take time away.

we don’t know what to completely expect during our work break since it will be such a new experience for us, but we did a few things to organize a framework of time off for ourselves.

while it will be different for jason, one of the things we did for me was set a specific amount of weeks on the calendar that i will be more offline than usual. in advance of this, we’ve mapped out a content calendar to have moments for continued content while i’m taking extra time focusing on baby, settling into a new routine, resting, and recovering with lots of snuggles! in addition to this, i know i will obviously have plenty to share of our little babe, too!

with this, i’m working on giving myself grace to have flexibility on the front and back end of this time. while putting a framework in place is so helpful, i am trusting myself that i will know when it is time to step away and step back in based on where i feel like i and my family are at.

throughout this process, i’ve learned just how important it is during this time to listen to my body and give it what it needs. i’ve also learned just how important it is to enjoy time at home, time with family, and what will be this precious new addition to our lives. we’ve really been preparing for protecting this time, even in these last few weeks, as we’ve stepped out of a busier season into a season of connecting and growing.

we're so excited and expectant for what’s ahead, and even a bit nervous, as we know it will change everything in the best way. and i’m looking forward to sharing more with you as we continue on this journey, especially including some of the sweetest family memories ahead! xoxo