There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor.
-Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
Dear friends, whatever kind of day you’re having as you stumble across this little blog, I hope you have yourself a good laugh at some point! It’s become common for my family to hear me declare around the house that “laughing’s my favorite!” (stolen from Elf, “I just like to smile, smiling’s my favorite”). 2024 has been a multifaceted year, like every year always is. There were rough parts and splendid parts, often simultaneously! It’s been my experience for a long time now that laughter is simply therapeutic, and I often consider it one of God’s sweetest gifts to us.
Laughter, and sunsets!
Look how those kids have grown! We indeed have three full fledged teenagers under our roof now. This season of our life has taken off, ready or not. I remember when my kids were really young and I’d see parents out with teenagers, and the parents always looked so sad/grumpy. Now I get it. It’s an unbelievable undertaking and honestly, very little return. Or rather, the return is TBD. A very gracious friend recently told me the words I just needed someone to say out loud: “You are indeed in one of the most intense seasons of parenting times 3!”
Is it making more sense why laughter is so near to my heart? It’s kept me afloat! We laugh a lot as a family. Seeing my teenagers, who by the very nature of being a teenager are more prone to taking themselves seriously, seeing them laugh? It’s all I need. And it’s such a tender reminder to me of how the Lord provides.
Which leads me to this tour I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you today! This house…it’s hard to express the depth of gratitude and thanks we feel for this place we’ve rooted for the past 14 years. Knowing nothing of the neighborhood, schools, or town, we settled in 14 years ago because it was what was available in our budget. Figuring we’d move after 3 years, we didn’t even drive up or down the street to check out the neighborhood, as most sensible new parents would do. All these years later, our neighbors feel like part of our family, and this town an extension of our home. This house is where I began my unintentional career in design, playing with paint colors, moving furniture around, folding in different styles. It was a blank canvas and one I constantly worked on out of curiosity. But now, it’s the calming backdrop to a whole lot of life happening! We are constantly in and out, and any extended time here feels like a true gift of rest.
So come on in and let me show you around! And while I do, I’m just going to pepper in some light-hearted ‘tips’ I’ve picked up in this season of life raising teenagers.
Parenting Teenagers Hack 1: You’re worth your effort, too. Put on an outfit you feel good in, get the tube of lipstick in ‘your color’, paint your nails. This season of parenthood can beat you down. Whatever helps you keep your chin up is worth it.
Link to my new favorite pants (I got in black and noir red)
When we decorated our home for the holidays this year, it was most satisfying to use only what we have. I’ve really enjoyed collecting festive touches throughout our marriage, and feel like we have about as much as our home can hold now. I want our home to feel like our home, just a little ‘extra’. What I don’t want is to feel overwhelmed by clutter that has to get packed up in a few weeks. For some people, that doesn’t stress them out and I really admire that! Sometimes envy it. But what is really fun for me is using what we have in new ways!
Parenting Teenagers Hack 2: Use interactive games as decor! Our coffee table always has something to do together. Previously, it was a gorgeous marble checkerboard with carved wood game pieces. Now it’s this ring toss game. You wouldn’t believe the amount of impromptu pick-up challenges that happen! Planned family games are a little harder to come by these days, so activities like this out in the open are really fun. They’ll get used!
When Matt was pulling our Christmas decor boxes out of the attic, he pulled down a big black hefty bag full of pillow covers I forgot I had. He asked if we could get rid of them and I said no. So then I felt like I had to use them, which is how we ended up with pillows in our dining room. Ha! But I love, love, love the cozy, velvety layer they add and the pop of rusty copper orange.
I don’t usually do centerpieces. I find them in the way when we sit down as a family. But I was intrigued this year to make our table feel a little more special from the normal. We’ve always been a family dinner around the table household, but this year has been more challenging to do that with our various schedules. It’s been a real treat to sit down around this table as a family and light the candles around this centerpiece. It’s not in the way, and it’s made family dinners last a little longer I think. And I used some wreaths I’d made a few years ago in this centerpiece rather than on the walls, and I much prefer them used this way!
Parenting Teenagers Hack 3: Even if it's infrequent, making your family dining table feel like a special treat to sit around goes a long way. I’ve noticed our sit-down meals feel like a richer, fuller experience together when we are able to sit around this table. And I have no idea if this is has anything to do with it, but I light the candles every time we sit down to eat.
Pretty tapered candles (I love the colors of these!)
Parenting Teenagers Hack 4: Similar to the interactive table games like the ring toss, don’t stop using the whimsical pieces your kids loved when they were little. Let them experience the nostalgia of seeing those things out; they may not say anything or engage with them as they once did, but it still honors sweet memories they may have.
Parenting Teenagers Hack 5: Claim your bedroom and make it what you need to find rest. Parents of teens get precious little time together. Similar to the idea behind the dining table centerpiece, make your room a special retreat so the time you do get feels like a gift. It doesn’t take much; small touches can be such a joyful addition to a room.
That’s a wrap! I’ve so missed sitting here and writing to you and hope to make more time for it in 2025! Design has never been a topic I’ve wanted to detach from family life and motherhood, and I love pulling the two together and sharing from that unique perspective.
I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and hope your holiday season is truly filled with joy and laughter.
