EP. 004 - Margin

In this week’s installment of The Mayberry Moms Podcast, we dive into a topic that is on the hearts and minds of parents everywhere, all the time- margin. In a world that praises productivity, keeping your calendars full, and choosing rest last, we take the stance of encouraging rest and margin for ourselves and our families.

I think we have all been in the position where we have realized life is just “too much.” While we want to expose our children to all of the possibilities available to them and live the fullest lives we possibly can, part of this journey is realizing there is a time for adventure and a time for rest. Creating that space for your children and yourself is essential to cultivating a balanced life and home, as well as preventing burnout, tantrums, and other undesirable side effects of having no room to breathe.

We know all too well that there are seasons of life, or even a period of time within a year, where schedules are somewhat out of control, and that is okay.If you feel the tug on your heart to carve out space for yourself, your children, or your marriage, do that wherever you can, and work toward setting an intentional time aside for margin as often as possible until it becomes a routine part of life.

Here are some simple ideas to create margin for your family when it seems impossible:

-Get up five minutes earlier every day until you reach a time you feel is substantial enough for you to start your days off at peace. This may be half an hour, or two hours, as long as you feel ready to take on the day, that is all you need. The key to this time is not to fill it with tasks or plans that stress you out. Make this a true time of peace and margin to start your day off great!

-During days off, or if you homeschool, take 20 minutes after lunch to read to your children or simply talk to them. Your conversation can be about anything, even if you are just laying beside each other looking at the clouds, or telling silly jokes!

-Find, and if needed, assign, a time each day to reconnect with your spouse. I have found this is the most difficult period of margin to enforce, but it is also the most essential one to keeping the foundation of your marriage strong. This can (and should) be done whether your spouse is by your side or half a world away, and I cannot stress enough the value of these moments when it comes to the big picture of your relationship. If it’s 20 minutes a day, a date whenever possible, or sitting together in the backyard while the kids play…this all matters. Don’t be scared to get creative! Some of the best times of connection I have had with my spouse have been when I have leaned into his preferences, talking in the car when the kids have fallen asleep, or going on a casual walk after a full day.

We hope you love this episode on Margin as much as we do!

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