Okay, peeps.
It probably shouldn't come as a surprise to me that it's been nearly 10 days since I've managed a post! For several reasons...
First, it's always, always a bit of a Hot Mess Express when our family of five (six with our fur baby!) tries to regroup following any kind of travel. The laundry, alone, is a horror show. The crankiness, the sleep deprivation, the exhaustion, the makeup life we have to tackle, and just...all of the things.
Needless to say, t takes a bit of time for us to level out.
That said...just as we returned home from our glorious Mohonk trip and I felt the weight of real life pulling me under, I started to encounter several wonderful messages in random places that spoke directly to me.
No surprise, these messages all centered around the crux of November:
Harvesting an Attitude of Gratitude!
I love this month for that, alone. It's like the best mental reset between all the unhinged fun of Halloween/October and all of the Tradition/Beauty/Chaos of December. For me, it's always been a perfect sort of mental palette cleanser to get my mind right before I dive into the true Reason for the Season, but, I'm not gonna like: it's a struggle.
With so much on all of our plates this time of year, shifting to an attitude of gratitude feels like an uphill battle, but I'm feeling, firsthand, how the hard work bears fruit, and I am here for it.
Our incredible family photographer has a passion for women's ministry and shared the loveliest e-mail to kick of November, and it encourage all of us Mamas to set the tone for our households.
Happy Wife, Happy Life is a saying for a reason.
So is If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy.
Amiright???
Welp. I've been working to set a more positive and thankful tone for our household--beginning with a simple Gratitude Jar that we created when we returned to town.
We keep it on the kitchen table, along with pre-cut strips of paper and a pen, and every night at dinner (or any other time of day that a family member feels so inclined!), we write down something we're thankful for, and I'm loving this small way to keep gratitude top of mind!
Additionally, I've been playing a little mindset game that corresponds with the Gratitude Jar. Anytime I feel overwhelmed or negative about something, I try to mentally redirect my thoughts toward something positive. OR, I try to flip that negative thought on its head and play Devil's Advocate (or, perhaps, Angel's Advocate, yes?).
It's a small mental trick, but it's helping me, immensely.
And, honestly, when I stop to think about the Big Picture of our holiday season in totality, there are so many things to be grateful for. We're in the midst of a very unique season that involves being away for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and I don't think that's ever happened for us.
Additionally, we broke the news to Little Man a couple weeks ago about Santa (that's a whole other post that involves a lot of surprising and complicated feelings!). And, though it's a little bittersweet to know my youngest is now privy to all the behind-the-scenes magic of the season, the full disclosure of it all makes a lot of things--dare I say?--so much easier!
No Elf on a Shelf (unless we decide to do it for fun, without pressure)!
No double gifts (Santa plus parents)!
More freedom regarding our Christmas travel and the ability to tackle family gifting beforehand!
Perhaps (and this might be wishful thinking), more gratitude from our children who are old enough to understand how much effort--and money!--goes into their glorious Christmases, and that no legitimate elves have ever been involved!
And, lastly...being away for every holiday this year means freedom from hostess duties (though, I kind of love those kind of duties). No massive meals to plan and prep. No laundry and cleaning duties before and after guests. No outings and adventures to organize and large groups of people to keep happy and fed.
In addition to all of the above, I now have two kids in middle school, and only one left in elementary--which means just one class holiday party to throw (and, by now, I've done about 2,743 of these, so I know the drill), and fewer elementary school teachers to buy gifts for (alas, the kiddos are usually too self-conscious to give to their middle school teachers).
Needless to say...I've been spending a great deal of mental bandwidth looking for all the new and fun and different of this particular holiday season, and there's a lot to be found!
In additional to spending some time decking our halls and being merry about it this past week or so, I already had a lovely evening with my Pure Barre ladies for a light Friendsgiving. Only appetizers and a happy night of chatting. But, again, I put on my Gratitude Hat and realized that I hosted our last Friendsgiving, and the joy of visiting someone
else's home, instead, was
real. :)
Blurry on-the-way photo to represent that fast and furious pace of the season. ;)
The kiddos have just five more school days until Thanksgiving Break (how wild!), but Chica completed her Cross Country season the day before we left for Mohonk, today was Little Man's final soccer game of the season, and Chicklet will complete her final Wednesday Confirmation evening, this week, before she breaks until January.
So. Many. Good. Things.
I'm excited to challenge myself to keep this positive mindset over the next few weeks as things grow increasingly chaotic, and I can't wait to see what vibes it brings!
Okay, peeps. Coda girl is begging for her walk, so that's all for now.
More catch-up posts, mañana!
Over and out!
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