It was never my intention to take a month-long blogging hiatus but, well, life was busy.

Honestly, those last few weeks of the school year were hectic and emotionally charged – more so than any other year. I didn’t realise how stressful they were until the holidays arrived and I felt the relief wash over me. A profound exhale!

And then the necessary downtime, the anticipation for Christmas, the celebrations and the restful days that followed.

We heralded the new year with sleep and now here we are, meandering through the holidays, our days peppered with watermelon eating, late afternoon beach visits and a good dose of sibling squabbles.

Over the past week, with the season of obligation behind me, I’ve carved out time for the things that nourish and support. I’ve been on my mat each morning, following this class and waking up my body (specifically my spine that has curled from months of baby cradling and breastfeeding). I’ve purposefully let go of clock watching and screen scrolling and am attempting to embrace the spontaneity of holidays. I’ve been day napping with Marigold, reading books and come late afternoon when the sun is low and the crowds have gone, we’ve made our way to the beach.

Of course, we’ve got our big trip coming up which requires an indescribable amount of planning and preparation. At present we don’t have a caravan, haven’t packed a thing and have a long, long list of to-dos. We do have headlamps and cameras and dreams, though. Amidst the nerves are bundles of excitement and anticipation and the inclination to simply trust.

So, as summer continues, I’ll be cutting up fruit, hanging washing, clearing cupboards and sleeping under the fan. I also plan to be here more regularly, too; sharing plans and photos, talking yoga and frugal living and buying less plastic and reading more books.

Happy New Year, friends.