Ahhhh... After a wonderful month of activity and fun and, let's face it, excess, I am happy to welcome January and the start of a new year. Taking the tree down, packing away the decorations, cleaning the house...As much as I love the holiday season, it always feels a little refreshing when it's over. The house feels lighter, and my focus shifts towards the coming year.
We had a wonderful Christmas, starting with a quiet time at home with my boys. We then got to spend time with family, and I got to hold my new and beautiful baby niece. We visited friends, ate too much, watched movies, played games, and did all the requisite holiday things. We then spent a few awesome days in Vermont, getting our first taste of skiing for the season. The boys are progressing, the weather was good, and we had a blast. Then back home for a few more quiet days, which made it easier to transition back to the school routine. No complaints here. All good things.
As I look back on 2013, all I can do is smile. It was full of growth, fun, and joy. As I look forward to 2014, I get excited. We have several fun trips in the planning stages, and the calendar seems to be filling already. 2014 will see my baby start kindergarten (!), and it may also see my return to work. Expect much more on that as I figure out what to do with my life. I am nervous about it, but I'm trying to stay optimistic that the right situation is out there for me.
There is time. For now, I'm going to enjoy my coffee, turn up the music, put the house back together, and reflect on how absolutely lovely my life is right now.
My boys
oh, I'm so glad that life is back to normal. I took down my tree and decorations the day after christmas, and my living room felt so huge after!
ReplyDeleteEmma starts kindergarten this year too. I'm trying not to think about it!
Happy new year, Mary!
What a lovely balanced uplifting post! I feel a little cheated out of the holiday happiness as we had a rather interesting and different Christmas. I kinda pushed myself out of our comfort zone going away, needing to change the status quo. But actually what I realised that is status quo is what happy family Christmases are all about! Its about taking stock and enjoying those around you and being still. Somehow doing two long haul flights at this time of year seemed odd. Anyway - on to 2014 - I am so excited to hear about your plans. We can do them in tandem. Maybe we need to have a brainstorm ;-) oh that corporate practice doesn't die easy. I am not sure I want to work again yet - but I do see that not working at all is not the answer for me either. I think it's also much to do with the age of your kids and I am sure you will find with your youngest at Kindergarten that you have much more time, but also conversely less time when contending with pickups and drop offs and school commitments as they grow. My challenge for 2014 will be to find the balance between them and me; at the moment I feel like I am in a kid's vortex - most of my decisions are about what they need, rather than what I need. Anyway - lovely to chat - hah and here's to much more this year. Lou x P.S. none of your trips are British are they?!! x
ReplyDeletei can always count on you for a lovely feel good post. love the photo. xoxox Happy New Year. See you soooooon!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous boys Mary! Kindergarten and the possibility of a job, I would say you have much to contemplate this year. I remember the feeling...and how surprised I was at how quickly my days filled up around school activities. Trying to juggle a part-time job, three kids and a 19 year old au pair was a challenge. The au pair was more work than the kids. I ended up leaving my job and letting go of the au pair. Some of the best memories from that point onwards....Good Luck! xx
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