I’m sitting here at the kitchen bench overlooking the yard while three little ladies fuss over our chooks. Benny the big Labrador watches on lazily from the deck, contemplating joining in the fun but deciding the sun and a lay down is the preferred choice. We are settling back into a nice little post holiday rhythm. I’ve said before how wonderful it is to holiday in the caravan for an extended period of time and arrive home to a feeling of renewal. I especially love the last picture of my little Blossom, on the cusp of becoming a school girl (and finally having the confidence to snorkel like her big sisters) but not quite ready to let go of her cuddle blanket.
There is no denying the lead up to Christmas and holidays this year was a little too frantic for my liking. The spending, consumerism and run of busy weekends left me feeling frazzled heading into the break. And so, we made our way to the beautiful South Coast of NSW to just be. We snorkeled (a whole lot), lazed the days away in the sun and watched a million sunsets. I re-discovered sleep and was always the last to rise each morning, cosy in the caravan with a good book and cup of tea.
The man and I take stock on a year that was and use this time as an opportunity to talk about how we plan to live the year ahead. Holidays are brilliant for encouraging reflection. Last year we talked about living our lives more fully and simply and listed our hopes and dreams for 2012. I loved how this encouraged us to continually focus on what we wanted our life to provide us with but struggled with the fact that much of this was a reaction to what life threw at us over the course of the year. I really struggled with the ‘more freely with less busy’ desire for 2012 and especially with the fact that the busy was focused on maintaining some kind of balance with work and family. Two aspects of my life I love so much.
And so…
The focus does not necessarily shift for 2013 but it is strengthened as we work towards building a happy home with a strong foundation of authenticity and love. This year we plan to live more deliberately, still thinking about how we want our life to be, but this time putting clearer steps in place to help us get there.
I want my life to provide me with:
A reason to smile each day
A home that is both productive and creative
A strong family unit that supports and encourages every one of us, when things are at their best and more importantly when things are not.
The belief that I can be both a good homemaker and fiercely passionate about my work outside the home.
More harmony and contentment.
More opportunity to share happiness, friendship and kindness and ways to nurture this in my children.
A lifestyle in which we can live more simply and sustainably.
I’m sure there is probably so much more I could add to this list but for now, it’s a comfortable start. Happy 2013 friends.
You can take a peek at more of our holiday snaps here and this is also a good opportunity to confess to not leaving a single happy home anywhere over the past few weeks, I’m raring to go now as we make our way towards 400 happy homes!
I look forward to sharing the year ahead with you xx
Home 374: Hens - Vic
Follow 1000 Homes of Happiness