I love this time of year, but it does get to be a little hectic. Like when you think you’re done with your Christmas shopping, but then you get an email from a store saying your order (pretty much the LAST gift you had to buy) is canceled. Just canceled. Can they even do that? See what I mean? Hectic.
It’s nice to stop for a few moments and think about a few things that keep me from losing it in moments like that. I’ve seen this idea on Modern Mrs. Darcy before, and they’ve also been doing a mini series on The Simple Show podcast: things that are saving my life right now. Here’s what’s saving my life right now during this busy, festive, sometimes chaotic time of year.
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| Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash |
{morning reading}
The way my day starts makes a huge difference for how the rest of my day goes. When I feel rushed and frantic in the morning, I have a hard time settling into a good rhythm for the day. For me, the best way to start the day is by reading. I’ve gotten into the habit of getting up to wash my face and brush my teeth when my alarm goes off, then getting back into bed and reading (usually something nonfiction) for 20 to 30 minutes. This doesn’t happen every morning (for example, when I’m up several times at night with a congested Violet), but I notice a difference in my day when I can make it happen.
{freezer meals}
I mentioned in Monday’s Live Your Best Holiday Life post that we’re in a good habit of making a large batch of something, like soup, and freezing half of it. I enjoy cooking, but no one at my house is in the best mood during that post-childcare-pick-up, pre-dinner-time witching hour. The kids want attention and Aaron and I just want to unwind after a long day of work. When I’m able to just reheat something homemade that I pulled out of the freezer earlier in the week, I totally feel like I’m winning.
{mascara}
So it may be ridiculous that mascara is saving my life right now, but hey, it’s the little things, right? Until about a month ago, I almost never wore mascara on my bottom lashes. Every time I tried to put it on, it smudged under my eyes and then I’d wipe off my much-needed under-eye concealer trying to get the smudges off. However, I finally found a mascara that is bottom-lash friendly, even for a make-up klutz like me: L’Oreal Telescopic. The wand is super skinny, so you can get those teeny tiny bottom lashes without getting mascara all over your face. Win! And I notice I look so much more awake when I take that extra step.
{puzzles}
On Thanksgiving weekend we brought a card table upstairs from our basement and started doing a puzzle on it. Well, since that weekend we are now working on puzzle number four. I remember doing a puzzle every year at Thanksgiving growing up, and I’d forgotten how much I love working on puzzles. It’s so relaxing, and having one out all the time means it’s easy to just sit down and work on it a little at a time. (Or in my case, a lot at a time… it is addictive!) Even Jona will sit down and work on the puzzle with us. I wondered if the puzzles we’ve been buying (mostly around 500 pieces to fit on our small-ish table) would be too overwhelming for him, but once we get it started he will sit and work on it for a surprising amount of time. He is a puzzle lover!
{robot vacuum}
For an early Christmas gift, Aaron and I decided to get each other a robot vacuum when I found one for a really great deal on Amazon. I love that thing, which Jona named Bob. Coming home to clean floors but not having to do anything… it is nothing short of wonderful. I freaking love Bob. Also, it cracks me up when we walk by it and Violet points and says “Bob”.
What’s saving your life right now?
