Settling In

Now that we're home from weeks of travel, after weeks of running without pause, I'm ready to settle in. Settle in for the month, settle in for the winter, and really, settle in for the year.

Settling in for the month looks like keeping our calendar pretty clear for a few weeks. It looks like taking time to do some house-keeping paper work and make some phone calls, ones that have been on my to-do list for months. It also means reorganizing all things boys - toys, clothes, baby stuff - and letting go of some of it.

Settling in for the winter means expanding my repetoir of warm-belly-healthy-tummy meals.  It meant getting some snow boots for Atticus and passing the orange hunters down to Phin. It meant finally pulling the trigger on a few rugs for warm toes and lots of floor play. Perhaps most importantly, it’s meant growing our pajama collections and maybe wearing them more than our actual clothes.

Settling in for the year means being really mindful of the rhythms we are making time for now. One of my favorite CS Lewis quotes talks of now being the most important moment, because now is all we have that touches eternity. Similarly, what we are doing now is what we have that will affect what we are doing in a year. I'm moving all of my work hours to the afternoon so that I can spend my early mornings reading, praying, and planning. I want to get stuff done this year. But that won't do me or anyone any good if I'm not in a good place starting the day.

I'm feeling good about this winter in Chicago. And, honestly, the last 2 winters (and our only 2 winters in Chicago) have been rough. Like, move me to LA I'll live in a studio, rough. But my heart is much warmer to Chicago now, and I'm sure that not having a baby will be a huge help in getting out of the house. I’m also grateful to have friends who live close by for quick visits when nobody wants to be in the cold for too long.

How are you feeling about settling in for the winter now that we’re past the holidays? I’m hoping to enjoy it instead of just waiting for it to pass.