January is the month to ...

clean up and catch up. I’ve realised I may not have a chance to do these things later in the year.

So, I’ve been Spring Cleaning. I’ve vacuumed under the beds and cleaned the windows and sorted through our stuff and taken lots to the op shop (seriously depressing exercise to walk into an op shop overflowing with stuff. And I’m a little more anxious about letting go of my things that I should be - I want that dress to go to someone who will LOVE it, and I want those shoes to be displayed on a shelf and not thrown into a tub - but it is out of my hands...) It has been a good exercise to take stock of what we have - trying to know, love and use everything in the house - I'm starting with 'know'. And a good exercise to finally let go the dresses and shoes I haven’t worn since I had my first child nearly eleven years ago. I guess I’ve accepted that my life will never be like my pre-mothering life again. That is, flat shoes and sports bras from here on.

I’m taking the opportunity in January to catch up with friends. I’ve noticed that if we don’t see people as part of our weekly schedule, that is, we don’t go to the same school, pool, or dance class, then we just don’t see those families. Last year I hosted a few Sunday lunches where I invited a few families over at a time, which took a lot of organising to work out who was available when. This month I’ve announced we’ll be hosting Sunday afternoon teas every week in January and I’ve invited all the families I don’t usually see in the course of our everyday lives. The families we might run into at the shops and say, ‘We must catch up’. Most families in Sydney go on holidays in January, so it is very tricky to keep track of who is around when. For those who are home, and might be looking for something to do, come on over. Those invited can come every week, or the one week they want to, but we’ll be home, ready to welcome two families or ten. If there are ten, the older kids can play at the park. The parents can sit around drinking iced tea or champagne. And catching up. And if anyone wants to stay for dinner, we can order pizza. Perhaps it is a bit slack, but it is manageable, sociable and I’m trying to keep people in the loop (I do like to connect people with similar interests) and not falling off the radar. Perhaps in a few years we’ll graduate to dinner parties, but for now, this will do.