January comes in with a loud bang and then silently falls into the background. It seems to want to hide away, luring you into a false sense of security where you feel like it's still holiday season, but yet sense in your soul that things have changed.
Suddenly the overwhelming thoughts that so much had happened the past 12 months of your life, are flooding with overwhelming thoughts of a whole new 12 months still before you. The possibilities are endless, but so are the unknowns and sometimes it's hard to navigate these first few weeks without feeling like a fish out of water.
I find, for myself, that the best way to approach this is to step back into a normal pre- holiday routine. The decorations come down, everyone steps back into school and work, and as a homemaker you also step back into the role of provider and carer, because you see, you have to not only get yourself back into the groove but your family as well.
Early mornings are back and with that means, no makeup, stumble around in the kitchen making coffee for hubby to take to work. As much as I struggle in the mornings, I do love this routine, it brings me a sense of peace and normalcy after a month of no schedules.
I gave the room a good clean, top to bottom, dusted, changed curtains, rearranged the bookshelf and just put my touches here and there.
I think next to the kitchen, my bedroom is my favorite place to be and I need it to be calm and not chaotic.
I removed the last few items of Christmas that were still laying around, some on the bookshelves that I totally forgot were that, so while in the middle of changing my slipcover on that little sofa chair, I spotted one and immediately grabbed it because I knew I would completely forget within the next 2 minutes.
Thank you perimenopause brain. My word, I can't remember anything.
There is something so wonderful about the house being set back to it's normal, usual self, after the holidays. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and all the decorations, the trees, the garlands and big paper snowflakes. I love family around and a crowded house with things just thrown here and there, reminders that a big family is living and enjoying the season.
But.....yes, butttttt, I would be lying if I didn't say that about a week before Christmas I start feeling overwhelmed and then just want it all over with so I can get back to normal. I know, strange creatures that we are.
Two days before my family arrived, my kitchen faucet decided to start leaking, and by the time they were here for a week, it was leaking to the point where it just wouldn't stop. We didn't want to get into any major repairs but it was necessary when you have 10 people using the faucet multiple times a day. So, off to Lowes we went, me, my husband and my brother.
I picked the faucet I wanted, we came home and then it took 3 plus hours to get it on because the old faucet and sink area hadn't been touched or updated in years (long before we even moved into this house), and everything had rusted, screws had stripped and it was a royal pain in the behind. It took screwdrivers, drills and eventually a chainsaw to be able to remove all the piping and the old faucet.
But it eventually came out and the new one went in.
By the next morning, the drain was leaking water undernearth, so back to Lowes we went. This time my brother and husband said to me "maybe it's time for a new sink, instead of trying to throw sealant on this old one and fix something that will eventually need changing anyway."
I conceded and decided to go with a single deep sink, one I had always wanted.
I will tell you that this was the best decision we could have made and I am in love with my new faucet and sink. I never realized just how tight and shallow the previous double sink was. I always got frustrated trying to fit everything in there and with just a few dishes it always seemed overflowing, but not anymore.
This Kohler sink is beautiful and it came with a cutting board and a drying rack, which for me is like a spaceship kind of feeling. I am not one to have the newest and bells and whistles, I always use things until the literally fall apart, so this is major.
Speaking of which, I had my old Samsung phone for almost 10 years, and it was in terrible shape, overheating, hanging and so on. My brother convinced me to get the new Iphone, and after weeks of talk, I decided to do it. Curt got it for me for Christmas, the Iphone 17 Pro Max and oh my goodness.
Again, I feel like a fish out of place with a super duper amazing phone. I don't even know how to use it completely, it has so many new functions for me. But I will get there with time.
I really do love the dish drying rack, and have even been using it to dry my mop pads and smaller dish towels. It's wonderful!
Getting back into routine also means cooking homemade meals every dinner, which I really, and I mean REALLLYYYYYY missed. There is nothing like food prepared at home, it's so much tastier and healthier than all the take out junk we were having.
I made delicious roast chicken legs and thighs, paired it with a garlic spaghetti for the boys, and I had broccoli and cauliflower mix. It was so good. I shared it on my Instagram stories last night.
One thing I also missed and am so happy to get back into, is my reading. I try to do it either early morning, or before bed, and if I don't get a chance, then I try to fit it in usually when I'm waiting for dinner to cook.
That's what I did today, just sat on the couch with my book and enjoyed 30 minutes of reading.
It is hard sometimes to find a moment to read, at least for me it is, I tend to push it to the bottom of the list and give everything else priority, which is not ok. As I mentioned in my previous post about intentional and purposeful living, reading is something I want to intentionally do more of in 2026. Instead of reaching for my phone and social media when I have spare moments, I will reach by my Bible or my current book.
Life is slowly falling back into place, routines are being reestablished, and I for one am very happy and very content.
Tomorrow morning it's back to the gym which I am so looking forward to, and then I think Curt and I are going shopping downtown, we both need new clothes and we also love looking around thrift stores, so we may do a lunch date.
I hope you're all having a fantastic Friday, enjoy your long weekend (funny story, I forgot it was a long weekend and was surprised to see Curt home earlier and even more surprised when he mentioned only returning to work on Tuesday hahahah). I told you, this brain of mine is non functioning right now.
Hurry up Menopause, let's get this over and done with!
