Although this post is a day “late,” I can’t move in to full holiday mode without taking a minute to share some words about being thankful.

Finn is REALLY into Christmas this year, having a child really does bring back the magic of the season, and this year especially! I am quick to hop on the Christmas train – from music to decorations to all the Christmas books, it was tempting to jump right in. On the one hand, the season feels so short to begin with, that by getting in the holiday spirit in early November feels like a good extension. But on the other hand, I feel really strongly that Finn learns that Thanksgiving is it’s own holiday, just as special as Christmas – not just somewhere in the middle of Christmas season.

We try to talk a lot about the things we’re grateful for all year long – not just on Thanksgiving. This has been a practice I’ve tried to adopt the last few years, especially after I went through my yoga teaching training course. (Yes, I’m a registered yoga teacher – but I don’t teach!) We don’t have a formal “daily gratitude” practice, although it’s something I’m working towards for the family.

Focusing more on what I’m grateful for has truly shifted my mindset and perspective in many facets of my life. It was a slow process I’ll say, but a focus on what brings you joy has so much power to “unlock the fullness of life” as this quote reads, and bring renewed perspective that gets threaded into daily life if you keep practicing.

This year I’m especially grateful for this space. It’s been a little over a year since I’ve been “blogging,” and the community that’s been built both here and on Instagram is one of the things I’m most grateful for this year. I’ve had such incredible feedback and support from so many of you, and I mean it when I say it truly fuels me to keep creating new content. It’s 8:30 in the morning on the day after Thanksgiving, and there are a million other things I could be doing, but sitting down to write this post was my choice. Cleaning the toilet and organizing the pantry (two things I really need to do) while Adam and Finn play can wait, because this is one of the things in my life that is truly important.

At 34 weeks pregnant I feel like I’m slowing down (!), but I’m going to do my very best to keep popping in here every week or two. I have SO many ideas for this website and my business, but I’m coming up on a season where my focus will be elsewhere, and it feels so right. Well Beyond the Kitchen isn’t going anywhere, I have the rest of my life to make the dreams I have for this space a reality.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and relaxing holiday season. And let me remind you – take time for YOU. Whether it’s a weekly bath, a facial mask, an extra cup of tea or a solo walk – plan these things just as you do all of the other items on your calendar during this busy time!