Good morning from the land of piles. As I sit on my couch, because the office is full of piles, I see to my left the dining room piled up with plates, glasses, and cookware. I see to my right piles of ski gear. I see in front of my piles of laundry waiting to be folded. Usually a scene such as this would make my eyes cross and roll back in my head, but I’ve mentally prepared for it so I’m breathing deep and embracing it. See, it signifies the beginning of change, which will be a common theme for the year.

Kicking things off is changing our kitchen! Demo begins today so we spent the weekend clearing out all the cabinets. Well, actually David began Friday with demoing the kitchen desk and switching the location of the electrical (he’s handy… swoon), then I cooked up Shepherd’s Pie, Enchiladas, and breakfast burritos to stock the freezer, then we cleared out all the drawers and cabinets. It was quite a process!

The kitchen desk will become an appliance garage and coffee station. Our kitchen table is getting the boot and our island is going to be extended. We’re replacing the stovetop and putting a hood above the stove. New sink, new countertops, new light fixtures… it’s going to feel so wild! I’ll be sure to share pictures when it’s complete.

We also leave to go on a quick ski trip soon. We usually are Utah people, but are stretching our wings and trying Steamboat this year. We are looking forward to it, and thank goodness for this ski trip checklist because I’ll take all the organizational assistance I can at the moment.

I’m crossing my fingers and toes we all feel well for it. How have you and yours been feeling? Kaitlyn had the flu (I’m guessing based on symptoms), then got over that, but now feels a little rundown again. She always seems to be the one most susceptible to viruses. I’d love to look into ways to boost her immune/gut health. So far (knock on wood), David, Hailey, and I have stayed well. I credit sleep, garlic, and wellness formula. My natural wellness cabinet.

We’ve been in a great homeschool rhythm so far in 2024. After relistening to Atomic Habits, I feel like a big part of that has been starting a new habit in a new location. Beginning our days at 9:00 in the playroom seems to get all our minds focused and it’s led to an effective and cozy start to the year. Hailey finished her IEW Structured Writing Course and now we’re going to switch things up with a themed unit. She is choosing Medieval History and is pumped about knights, Beowulf, and the renaissance. We also started Gather Round’s mini unit on the US Government. I figured an election year is a great time for the kids to learn about the forming of our government, the branches, and process. The unit so far is really enjoyable! Bite-sized (15 minute) lessons presented thus far in a storytelling format.

Life feels exciting right now. As a enneagram 7, it suits me. Does anyone still do enneagram? I don’t let it completely define me, but it is amazing to me how accurately it captures a lot of how I feel about things. Do you know your number? Does it suit you?

And now to tie things up with 5 memes I’ve saved lately that spoke to me. I hope your week begins on an inspiring note!