Well, here we are near the end of November, poised on the edge of the Christmas hustle and bustle. We awoke this morning to several inches of snow. It’s nice to get enough snow for a beautiful wintry scene although a bitter, driving wind has since scattered it from the trees. My boys spent much of their day shoveling for neighbors, an elderly couple and some single women in our neighborhood. It’s nice to have them out serving.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Thanksgiving weekend and am struggling with the idea of getting back in the swing of things tomorrow morning. Can’t I just keep my kids home like this until January? I have loved the slow pace and the freedom to do whatever we want. I really want this Christmas season to be calm and nourishing to our hearts. I’m not sure how I’m going to do it, but I’m certainly going to try.
This week’s report: 89 steps.
Highlights:
1. I spent a great deal of time with this little cutie, helping her master the use of the bathroom. I’m happy to say that in 8 days she has had only four accidents, day or night. She’s sleeping in her cute little underwear and doing a great job. I’m very proud of her.
2. I got most of my Christmas shopping done before Thanksgiving. I am NOT a Black Friday shopper.
3. Because we were hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I got a lot of little housekeeping things done. You know, cleaning out this drawer, hanging that thing, etc.
4. I chose the paint color I’m using to refinish my dining room chairs. I hope they turn out how I want them to.
5. Something happened today that tugged at my daughter’s heart. As I watched, I remembered the same thing happening to me when I was her age. I remembered how I felt. It was good to relive those feelings and I hope it helped me respond well to her expression of disappointment.
6. Still teething, my youngest has had a tough week. She had a terrible night a day or two ago and I ended up holding her for almost 4 hours. I feel sorry for her pain and hope that these molars will come in quickly so we can have our happy little girl back.
7. Yesterday I got my Christmas cards designed. Now I only need to make 150 of them, and convince my family to get our picture taken together. Sound fun? (And yes, I know this should have been done a month ago. Oh well.)
8. On Friday night I attended a bridal shower for an amazing young woman. It’s been such a pleasure to watch her grow up. I came home with a heart full of memories and feelings about my own journey through the stage she’s now in. Lots to think about.
9. I figured out how to make something that I’m really excited about, and am hoping to steal a few minutes to complete it.
Tonight we enjoyed a feeling of calm and relaxation as a family, something we relish in this brief season without sports schedules eating up our time. In fact, it’s a feeling we’ve had a lot over the past 4 days. I’m trying not to think about the countless tasks that will hit this week. They’ll still be there in the morning.
I hope that your Thanksgiving holiday was a fantastic one and wish you well in all your activities and plans for December. I can hardly believe I have only one month left in this One Step journey of mine. Doesn’t it seem like we just welcomed the year 2010? It’s hard to believe it will soon belong to the past.
Have a great week!
Jennifer
