In with the new and back to the old

January ushers in such a wave of new that it's easy to forget that it also brings with it a return of the familiar.

It's a new year, a fresh batch of resolutions, a blank calendar page, a clean slate.

But it's also a return to the familiar - back to the usual rhythms of work and school, everyday routines, quiet evenings.

The excitement and whirlwind festiveness of Christmas and the new year are fun, but so are the things that happen between the bold-lettered holidays on the calendar, like:

new teeth

new stories from a little girl who is always staging a production somewhere in the house, including the shower

spur-of-the moment baking projects during Peanut's naptime

Sunday morning newspapers and coffee (reality check: this winds up being afternoon or evening newspapers and coffee more often that not, but still welcome reading time)

The return of the everyday has also brought with it something I'm not sure I would have believed just a few months ago: time for the two adults in our house to start pursuing projects of our own. Hobbies! Intellectual stimulation! Creative outlets! The husband is further along the path of pursuing his new project than I am, but it's such a luxury to even be in the plotting and thinking stages. We may not have hours on end to spend yet, but it's a start, and it's been such a long, long time since we've been able to take time for ourselves like this.

Here's to a new year filled with everyday moments, with an ever-growing side of creative time on the side as well.