Friday Things #553

1. Watching this boy do normal kid things will never, ever get old for me. He has gotten so strong since finishing treatment, and the gratitude I have for being able to enjoy a holiday season at home with all of my people under one roof is unexplainable. I will never forget two years ago when we had to spend the first 10 days of December in New York for treatment and scans, and two days after we got home, Dominic was admitted to the hospital here for pneumonia. Then we found out his scans showed a possible spot of progression, so he was switched to a different treatment, which required us to leave again on Christmas Day for another week, and drive back home on New Year’s Eve. I know there are families right now experiencing this same type of December we did; please say a prayer or offer up good thoughts for all of them during this season. It’s so very hard.

2. I finallyyyyyyy finished my Christmas shopping yesterday, phew! Now to wrap! I’m hoping to knock out a big chunk of that this morning before I go volunteer for a class Christmas party this afternoon :)

3. Today is the last day of school before break and everyone is VERY excited for a nice long stretch of time off. Their break always feels like a bit of a break for me, too… no heading out the door early every morning, no homework, lots of snuggly downtime, nothing on the calendar… I’m very into it.

4. A little snippet from a James Clear newsletter:

“Two simple rules:

1. You get better at what you practice.
2. Everything is practice.

Look around and you may be surprised by what people are "practicing” each day. If you consider each moment a repetition, what are most people training for all day long?

Many people are practicing getting mad on social media. Others are practicing the fine art of noticing how they have been wronged. Still more have mastered the craft of making plans (but never following through).

But, of course, it doesn’t have to be that way.

What are you practicing?”

5. I loved reading through this list >> 50 Things I Wish I Had Started Doing Earlier in Life

6. Christmas is in five days, and I have yet to bake a single cookie! Anyone else? I’m hoping to churn something out today (maybe orange cookies? or M&M cookies?)… the kids are excited to make and decorate sugar cookies over the weekend!

7. I forgot to mention that I finished reading Beartown a couple of weeks ago and really, really enjoyed it. It was some tough material, but a great story. I’m currently on The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez; it’s a light and fun read, though I feel not quite as good as her trilogy that I devoured earlier this summer (Part of Your World, Yours Truly, and Just for the Summer).

8. What did you think of the Yellowstone finale, if you watched? I really liked it, I thought it was a great way to end the show well; however, my husband didn’t like it at all. Would love to hear what you think!

9. Wishing all of you the merriest Christmas and a beautiful holiday week, xo

10. TGIF! I’ve never met a dog who could make herself cozier than Judith 🩷