I can hardly believe it, but this blog is 10 YEARS OLD! To celebrate 10 years of inspiring fabulousness, I gave the site a redesign (thank you to the incredible work and great customer service by Laura at Pixel Me Designs – check it out at the new homepage and browse around a while), and I am sharing some of my tricks to making it all work for this long.
When the site started (as ramonaruby’s fab finds on BlogSpot for those of you who may remember the original branding), it was truly a way for me to give inspiration back to the internet and blogosphere that inspired me so much. Maybe it was the journalism training in me, or my career in marketing and communications, but I felt (and still feel) compelled to share information and inspiration with others. I just couldn’t keep something to myself if I felt it could benefit someone else. I had a blog on the website The Knot where I shared lots of details about planning my wedding, and when that planning process was over, I needed an outlet to share all I was learning about adulting, including home décor, DIY projects, my favorite recipes, travel tips, and fashion trends. Though my photography skills (and camera) have upgraded over the years, as I look back to those early posts I am happy to say that the spirit of this blog is still the same.
As life got even busier for me after having my kids and moving into our first home, I felt torn about continuing the blog. On one hand, life was busy as a working mom also trying to live the Pinterest life, so it was tough to balance documenting it all and maintaining a blog and social media schedule. But at the same time, whenever I found great life hacks, easy recipes, tips for traveling on a budget, and shortcuts for throwing a Pinterest-worthy party, I felt (again) compelled to share it with others and show them that this lifestyle is not out of reach – that having fabulous things was entirely possible through balance and prioritization. It wasn’t until just two months ago that I was able to quit my corporate job to work for Fab Everyday full-time, so there were years of trying to balance it all. Today, to celebrate 10 years of Fab Everyday, I’m sharing 10 tips for how to “do it all.”
10 tips for balancing it all
- First tip on how to “do it all:” don’t. This is the most important thing I can share. People frequently ask me how I do it all. The truth is I don’t. I learned after having my first son that I could still have the things that were important in my life, but I couldn’t have or do everything. So I learned to prioritize the things that were important to me, and let go of the rest. Not everything in my life is as perfect as it may look, and I am 100% OK with that.
- Don’t be a martyr. It is the God’s honest truth that I wouldn’t be able to do all of this without help and support. A partner should share in parenting and household responsibilities. There’s no “man’s job” or “woman’s job;” instead split the load based on your respective strengths and bandwidth. And when a friend or family member offers to help set up for a party, or a hand with anything, don’t be afraid to accept. Just make sure you pay it forward when you see an opportunity to offer someone else a hand.
- There is no shame in shortcuts. In fact, I feel like you should find a shortcut wherever you can. Don’t have time to bake cupcakes from scratch? Get the pretty good store bought version and top them with your pretty DIY toppers. We live in a very demanding time and should forgive ourselves for not doing everything by hand or from scratch when so many hacks, printables, and pre-packed food options exist.
- Make time for self care to reduce the possibility of losing your sh*t. For me this can mean getting my hair or nails done (and, by the way, I feel way more confident and at peace personally when I feel pulled together), maintaining a fitness routine (I do easy, short, at-home workouts), meditation, or being outdoors.
- Decide what is more worth it to buy vs. DIY, and vice versa. We are way more connected than ever before, therefore working more hours of the day. The problem is that the day is still the same 24 hours, so something’s gotta give. Think about what is worth spending money on to trade off for the time and stress it would take to do it yourself. For example, a house cleaning or lawn service, having a professional do your nails, even a fluff and fold service at your dry cleaner. Or maybe it’s having Amazon do your gift wrapping, or using a meal kit service. I personally get my hair blown out once a week to save literally hours doing it myself each week (also, self care!). If you can find one thing to take off your plate and save your sanity, it may be well worth the cost investment.
- Plan ahead and space out your to do list. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is a good party. The longer in advance I know the party theme, the sooner I can take on little tasks to prepare. Because I usually don’t have time at the last minute, I often start planning my kids’ birthday parties two to three months in advance so I can do little things when I have time. This way when life (inevitably) gets in the way, I’m already well on my way with the party tasks.
- Meal planning. This may sound small, but it makes shopping, deciding what to eat, and cooking more efficient. Plus it saves me a lot of money, as I barely waste any food and shop for exactly what I need. See how I do it in this post on meal planning like a boss.
- Take regular vacations. Even if it’s a staycation, you need to take a break from work and the usual grind at least once a year. It puts things in perspective, and when you are back, you often find that the little things that frustrated you before are actually not that bad. It’s a great mental re-set.
- Coffee. And lots of it. Coffee is life.
- Don’t compare yourself to others and think you’re not good enough if your life doesn’t look exactly like theirs. Fabulousness has a different meaning for everyone, so focus on the things that make you happy. And don’t forget that what you see on Instagram is someone’s highlight reel, and beyond that pretty feed is a real life where someone spilled a box of LEGOS on the living room floor, and a forgotten load of laundry is being washed for the third time. Case in point, you can’t imagine how long (and how many frustrating outtakes) it took to get these 5 halfway-decent balloon shots. Things are not always as they seem, and even inspiration should be taken with a grain of salt.
For my readers, followers, and friends, old and new: Whether you’ve been here for 10 years or have recently discovered Fab Everyday, thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your support. I am looking forward to the opportunity to inspire you for another decade, and hopefully even more to come.
Xoxo, Ramona
RAY says
Great site. Great advice. Great inspiration.
Thank you.
Ramona Cruz-Peters says
Thank you very much!
Crystal Cawile says
Love you and all the advice, tips, and sharing for the past 10 years! Thank you, and wait to see what the next 10 years brings!!!