New Routines

The start of school is really my New Year. There is something about the new academic year that feels more like a time to reflect and reset more than an arbitrary date on a calendar. In addition to the new daily routines and organization systems we set as a family this fall, I'm really trying to take a bit more time to take care of myself. I often found myself collapsing by the end of the week, and with the kids doing more housework, I'm finding it easier to keep up with the daily "stuff": laundry, dishes, paperwork, etc. So...I have set a new nightly ritual for myself, and it ends here:

Once the kids are tucked, the laundry put away, and the dishes done, I find my way to my yoga mat for a 20 minute bedtime practice and meditation. I wash my face, brush my teeth, and tuck myself in bed with my cozy corner. I make good tea in my good tea pot. Sip it from a good tea cup and saucer. Diffuse lavender. Read by my salt lamp and candle light. And I go to sleep by 10:30. It's lovely.

I wake up when the alarm goes off actually ready to get out of bed, and I'm learning to love that little bit of respite at the end of the day. Now to just continue to preserve this little space...