re-centering exercises before the holidays

Breathe in. Breathe out.

Relax your shoulders.

Now relax your calves.

Shrug your nose and smile (relaxes your lips).

Repeat after me:

I (I)

Will (will)

Not (not)

FREAK (freak)

OUT (out)

about (about)

the (the)

holidays (holidays).

—-

Got that squared away.

But really, I do get tense about the holidays for all the wrong reasons.

Instead of focusing on how wonderful it will be to spend Thanksgiving weekend here for a change of pace, I’m worrying about trying to get my pie crusts done this week and into the freezer. When I contemplate Christmas, I start the mental jigsaw puzzle of where everyone will sleep in the house when family arrives and try to make a mental checklist of which gifts I’ve gotten already and which I need to still.

What I want to think about is my wonderful family. My family who helps play and love our children. My family who travels long distances when my sis-in-law is uncomfortably in her third trimester (with her toddler!!) to come and be with us. My sister who will set aside her busy business in peak insanity and come and let loose her kids on my kids’ toys. My nieces who will shriek with joy and trembling at all the insanity of our household with three little ones. My brother who came for a long weekend with his son so we could get special time as they can’t come later for the real holidays.

You know how the holiday stress builds for you. One girlfriend encouraged us in a fb group last year saying this is our magic time, our Super Bowl, our time as moms to pull the magic all together and make the meals happen, the clean up, the later bedtimes, the naps in new places, the thoughtful gifts. When you think about Thanksgiving and the cascading into Christmas or Hanukka, do you freak out?

Golly I hope you can avoid it this year. I hope I can. I’ve embraced a new (read: low) level of organization around here with three kids, four and under. I’ve embraced a simpler version of gift giving — second hand, hand-crafted, art work, the like. I’ve embraced that I’m going to focus on enjoying the meals we make from scratch, and not worrying if some of them end up terrible and we have pancakes for dinner. I’m going to just love my family.

And love this time with them. We’re young, our parents are healthy, our kids are beautiful, and we only have this moment. This very moment. This very special holiday season will never happen again just like this.

Own it. Embrace it. Do not give in to the freakout demon on your left shoulder.

I’m gearing up for holidays at my etsy shoppe. I have no idea what I’m doing. Do I set a deadline for orders as most things are made-t0-order? Do I just lay down and snuggle in these new tribal knits? Someone tell me what to do. Free shipping has been determined: HOLIDAYSHIP for free in the US of A.

{trying to take my own advice early. someone make me a hot cocoa, please???}

Last year thinking about Advent.

Two years ago thoughts for Thanksgiving.