Hobonichi Weeks – 12.16-12.22

Christmas is this week! We have everything that we’re going to buy and it’s all wrapped up, so that piece is finished. There’s still cleaning and cooking to do, but at least we have until Wednesday and my husband is off until Thursday. It will be a team effort!

I did my best to soak up the quiet last week while my oldest was in school and my middle had his therapies. Everyone will be home this whole week which hasn’t happened in a long time so I’m bracing myself – I know that all of my pockets of quiet, which are so important to me, will be filled. I’m trying to get up even earlier to ensure some time for thinking, but that’s not always easy or practical.

Last week I just gave up on the bathrooms and decided that I’d give them an extra hard scrub this week. They need to be their shiniest for the holidays anyway, right?! But other than that, everything moved along as expected. I even managed to clean under the couches, which is a miracle.

It was also a good writing week! I woke up early enough every day to do a bit each morning and I’ve started going to the library for an hour on Thursday mornings. By myself. I hope it’s something I can continue into the new year. And despite having everyone home this week and the holiday, I’m going to do my best to keep writing!

I have made some changes while planning my holiday week. I’m not going to set myself up to do laundry every single day — that’s just too hard to do with everyone here. Instead, I’ve selected some targeted days (Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday) to do some bigger-than-usual loads (and I have a Harry Potter audiobook to keep me company!). And on Wednesdays I usually wash the linens on my bed, but I’m planning to do that on Friday instead so that I don’t have that extra task on Christmas day.

I love having these little rhythms to my day and week. I love plotting out a plan and then inching towards completion. I love being able to stay home to focus on the “mundane” tasks of cleaning and making a home. They’re not mundane at all, it’s been such a spiritual time for me. I feel so lucky.

I’ve been clutching at my notebooks more lately, trying to figure out where I want to spend my time in the new year. What I want to dive into deeper, what hasn’t been been serving me, and what has done the most to fill my bucket. I’m still not sure what that’s going to look like, but I’m planning to take it one day and one goal at a time!

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I sincerely hope to be in this space this week in the same little rhythm I’ve created – Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. But if something happens and I fall into a rabbit hole, then I wish you all a very happy holiday. Stay warm, cozy, and content!