Hi! I’m Ashley. I’m the mother of three young children and I am always running somewhere! Whether I’m chasing after my two-year-old with my craft scissors in his hand, hurrying to get dinner on the table after swimming lessons, rushing to finish pruning the bushes before racing to pre-school pick-up, or literally running for exercise, I am always on the go. And somehow it feels like I’m often running late! Many of my favorite daily tasks also have something else in common; scissors, or sKissors as our littlest one calls them. Craft scissors, kitchen scissors, garden scissors, children’s safety scissors, I’ve nearly always got one of them in hand.
So, if I’m so busy, why not eliminate some things from my to-do list? Why not delegate the yard work to a lawn service company? Why not stick a Stouffers lasagna in the oven or pick up take-out? Shouldn’t I just buy a baby gift instead of making it? Couldn’t I go for a 3 mile run instead of 13? Well, the conundrum is that I happen to actually really enjoy working in my yard, making healthy meals for my family, sewing, crafting and running long distance. And I take pride in doing them well. I spend nearly all of my time doing things for everyone else in my household. My main priority is to meet their needs. I work tirelessly to make my family happy but I also deserve to fit in the things that I enjoy. As they say, “Happy Wife. Happy Life.” And I like to say, “Happy Mommy. Happy Kiddos. Happy Mommy.” Life as a mother with young children has to include some balance in order to maintain some sanity. Not to mention that most of these tasks, especially the yard work and the cooking and housekeeping are part of my job description regardless. I’m just making the most of them, working on improving my skills and going the extra step to do them well.
Over the past several years, as our resident cook, gardener, children’s activities director, housekeeper, and Chief Child Wrangler, I have gained a good deal of experience and knowledge about all these tasks including how to do them rather quickly while still doing them well. I like to be precise and thorough (if I’m being honest with myself, I’m a “perfectionist”). But I will never accomplish these tasks to the level of detail that would satisfy Martha. Let’s be realistic. Who can? There’s simply not enough time in the day, especially for a busy mom who is being tapped on the leg every two minutes by someone asking for Cheerios, help putting on Barbie’s dress or to be wiped… you know what I mean. I get the jobs done, and I’m on the run.
On Running with Skissors I share with you my every day adventures in cooking, gardening, crafting, fitness and parenting. Join me as I strive to learn more and to challenge myself to become better at all of the things I enjoy while fitting it all in to a very busy schedule in a house full of craziness.
I may have put my Journalism degree on the shelf for awhile when I left my ad exec job seven years ago to take care of my babies full time, but I can say that I will always be a journalist at heart. I like to think I’ve been using what I learned in my photo-journalism classes to document the growth of my babies all these years through thousands of photos. I’ve also been growing my skills as a cook, gardener, crafter, and homemaker. Now I am excited to put on my journalist hat once again as I gather, process and disseminate information about some of my favorite things in life so I can get better at them and, hopefully, so that I can help you do the same.
