Birthdays are weird, right?

Simple epiphanies, magical trees, and more cowbell

Oh hi there!

I hope you are doing well this holiday season. I let myself take a much needed break so Aaron, Annie, and I could settle into our new home in Washington. And as I return for the final newsletter of the year, I’m feeling so grateful for YOU.

Normally I’m a person who has a plan before diving in, but this year, I gave myself the permission to start this newsletter before knowing what it is. The process has been rewarding in so many ways.

One big reward has been the connection I’ve felt with you and others who also value sitting at the kid table. Thank you so much for your support. Because of your recommendations and shares, we are now a group of over 500 subscribers!

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Thanks for putting up with me as I’ve experimented every which way to discover what I actually want to do with this space. Sometimes I’ve felt lost, but I’ve also had a lot of fun (and I hope you have too).

After all this wandering, I finally stumbled upon a simple truth about this newsletter. I know I’m onto something when complicated things become simple. It always feels like a DUH DOY moment, but important all the same.

Here is what I realized:

I want to cultivate kid table vibes (wonder, playfulness, creativity, connection) in my own life because they make me a happier person. And I want to celebrate and share those kid table vibes with others because I think it will help them be happier too.

That’s it. That’s the epiphany.

All this means for you is that the newsletters will now be organized around those kid table vibes. The same fun energy but a bit more focused.

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Alright, so let’s wrap this up with a flurry of kid table vibes, shall we?

This month at the kid table

I laughed about some funny things we found in our house after moving in.

We discovered this guy in the front yard FACING our house. Dun dun dun!

Seriously, what is with these arms???

The previous owner also decided to leave this plastic cow and bells above the front door as a parting gift. At first we laughed about how it wasn’t our style.

Then we named our internet MORE COWBELL.

Then we bought the cow a holiday hat.

So yeah…it’s officially become part of the family.

I sat my butt on every single couch in every single couch store.

When we moved, we decided we wanted the comfiest couch in the world. The kind that feels like you are falling into a cloud. So we spent many hours bouncing on couch cushions this month. If that doesn’t scream kid table, I don’t know what does! We found what will hopefully be amazing but…we won’t know until February when it finally arrives. Hah.

I felt some Christmas magic when selecting our first ever REAL Christmas tree.

Both Aaron and I grew up with artificial Christmas trees and this year we decided to go for the real thing. It was kinda stressful but also meaningful and every time we look at the tree, we smile.

Here is me holding a saw the proper way because I know things.

Also it was pouring rain the whole time and, when we put the tree on the car, we realized just how small it was. (Annie was NOT happy.)

Yes, the tree is a lil’ guy and a bit crooked, but that’s why we love it. So much personality! (And the perfect triangle shape in my humble opinion.)

I stumbled upon a first edition copy of The Agony in the Kindergarten by William Steig and bought it immediately.

In a world that often idealizes childhood, this book honors the pain of childhood. It is very sad but also validating as it portrays the ways adults diminish kids. I wouldn’t say it is really FOR kids, but every time I read it, my inner child feels seen.

I was too lazy to take my own photo but this is what google says it looks like. (In this particular case, google is right.)

I wandered through magical woods.

I could show you majestic mossy trees with pink skies. I could show you interesting mushrooms and patterned leaves. But I want to show you this.

Cuz it’s amazing.

I celebrated my birthday.

Birthdays have always been weird for me. Maybe it’s because I was born a week before Christmas and, especially in a dysfunctional family, things got very intense around this time of year. Or maybe it is because I get anxious about unclear expectations and birthdays are filled with them. But strangely enough, it has never been about getting older for me. Anyway, whatever the reason is, I’m just accepting I’m a birthday weirdo and doing things that I can enjoy while also feeling weird. So we went on a hike, visited bookstores and vintage shops, ate seafood (yum, lobster rolls!), and finished off with a delicious dessert.

As we roll into the final holidays of the season, I just want to say to myself and any of you who need to hear it: if you feel weird, that’s okay. If you need to put some solid boundaries up with toxic people, that’s okay. If you need to drop some traditions that don’t serve you, that’s okay.

Last, I got bangs!

I didn’t cut them myself like a true kid table participant would, but oh well ;)

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Thanks for being here with me AT THE KID TABLE.

See you in 2024! I’ll save you a seat right next to me ;)

Your hoping-your-holidays-are-restful-and-nurturing friend,

Rachel