Thank you 2014... hello 2015

I have spent last few weeks creating a closure to the year of 2014 and dreaming up what 2015 might look and feel like in my life. I have used a kraft refill for Traveler's Notebook as a place to capture ideas, thoughts and inspiration. I love starting one blank spread page... and spending few weeks working on 1 specific theme on the spread (in this case... the transition between 2014 to 2015). It's satisfying to see how the page evolves with its own life over time and I never know how it would look like until I finish the page.

I am looking forward to inspiring and being inspired through life's journey... from everyday of the year in 2015.

Thank you for all the support and love throughout the year of 2014. I can't wait to share more with you when the new chapter opens! Let's make it a good one:)

Thank you 2014... hello 2015!

xoxo

-wakako

Let the time melt...

Time feels like it melts away when we are away from all the noise... and that's how it felt like yesterday with my family. This Christmas week has been very fueling for me. I never want to be absent from the studio for too many days but when I step away for a few days... I get so fueled with new ideas and energy.  

Christmas day to connect...

Merry Christmas evening!

I hope you had a sweet day. We took morning easy at our home then drove to join my family in Orange Country. Amazing food made with love by my mom (I am officially not allowed to cook at my parents' house because her food is so much more incredible), family talking and laughing about nothing and everything, and our girls getting to know them more... feeling comfortable playing in and around my parents' house. We shared gifts that were thoughtful... I loved and appreciated all the thoughts that went into picking something special with stories. I was worried that the whole gift exchange process might overwhelm the girls but they held up well. Coco found a box (which one of the gift was wrapped in) and made her very comfortable. She felt rather fine in there with some books and her favorite stuffed animals. Satchi helped to distribute gifts to everyone playing a family Santa role. My favorite part of the day was helping Satchi to sleep. She wasn't quite ready to head to bed at her usual bed time. Instead of feeling frustrated, we talked about how I sometimes do not want to go to sleep when day is so special. She gave me a surprise look with a brief relief and I felt connected to her feeling... She spent next 30 minutes playing a board game with Frido, then little quiet time by herself... and Frido talked to her about the day and what made things so special... and was ready to fall sleep.

A day to connect...

Experimenting with Traveler's Notebook Weekly Vertical as my bullet journal / to-do list (and loving it:)

As I go through the month of December, I have continued to fine tune my analogue system from where I started in October. I love where I am now with my little ecosystem of life:)

One thing I decided to do as a new experiment was to use the TN Weekly Vertical (also available as 2015 dated Weekly Vertical) as my modified bullet journal / to-do list. I already have a monthly refill as a planner, Kraft notebook as a place to capture my idea as well as 1.61 [Essential] as a wallet so I was worried if my Traveler's Notebook becomes too thick to carry... but 3 notebooks + one leather insert still seems to work as a compact system.

I use the weekly spread of the TN Weekly Vertical as a place to capture running to-do list as how I used to use Bullet Journal. Often I don't finish everything I put on my list on the specific day so it has been nice to be able to see the entire week as one open page. If I don't get things done during the week, I simply write the item again on the next week's spread as Bullet Journal suggests to do each month. To me... weekly update to the list is more realistic than monthly update of the list since they are mentally updated more frequently and I actually get things done by needing to write (and re-write) the same points each week. Sometimes on Sunday night I spend time going through the lists of things that did not get done during the week (and actually take time to finish them at the spot) just so that I don't have to re-write it again on the next week's spread page!

And there is something nice (and comforting) about knowing I have my list with me at all time.

The 2015 Weekly Vertical starts from next week and I am thrilled to add a pop of color to my trusty Traveler's Notebook (which will officially turn 6 years old in a few days:)

Keeping it simple... and doing what we love:)

I know that the holiday "feel" is everywhere in the world right now... but I am glad to share that we are keeping a "business as usual" with a little twist of Christmas at our household instead of overwhelming ourselves with holiday check list. Satchi and I did the last bike ride of the year on Sunday followed by a big chunk of time at a park. It was so nice to step away from the noise of the holidays and just focus on enjoying the time with the little ones outside.

We love watching our Christmas train every night before girls' bed time, opening an advent calendar and reading Christmas stories from library. The biggest highlight for me and Satchi will be going to the Nutcracker performance for the first time. I am hoping that the performance will inspire us and that it will be our annual ritual that is close to our hearts.

I hope you are having a lovely holiday season that is meaningful and unique to you and your family:)

His and her way!

The obsession of planners and calendars are apparently contagious. Here are few ideas that came out from Frido and Satchi... how they would use MD Daily Notebook for 2015.

Frido told me that he would use it either as a sketch-a-day notebook or give as a gift to me with some pre-written dates for anniversary and special days (which I thought was a very sweet gesture); otherwise, use it as a daily appointment book.

Satchi suggested that she would use it to draw one special event from the day. She is bit too young for being consistent about the vision (a whole year!!??) but I appreciate her enthusiasm:)

Monthly calendar = visual index for the everyday

Some journals and planners start from December of the previous year. I think it's brilliant! Like getting a taste of the new year little ahead.

I have been documenting the girls' everyday in a little notebook for last 5 months and I have loved the process so much! It has really helped me to be present and not miss little things that makes everyday ... a life. Initially I thought I would stick with a small format but ended up choosing MD 2015 Daily Diary in A5 size from MIDORI. I love the simplicity of their layout. It feels so meditating to be looking at a blank pages in this notebook.

And since the monthly notebook starts from December and daily page is undated..., I decided to tap into the notebook yesterday as a little birthday present to myself:) I really adore it and I am sure that I will be sharing more about it in the near future...

So far... my favorite thing to do on this notebook is to use the monthly pages as a visual index to the daily page. Since I am not using this notebook to plan my day (I have my Traveler's Notebook Monthly Calendar (TN/017) to do this), I can really have a lot of fun doodling in the little box on the monthly page that highlights the day for the girls.  I have very little pressure to "make it perfect"... so it's all fun and really spontaneous.

I have a good feeling that I will write a lot with my pen in this coming year.

to nurture.

We had a free day as a family today. It's rare to have an entire day unplanned. We thought of all the things we could do... checking out an inspiring holiday market, a treasure hunting at flea market, a bike ride... but ended up staying at home. Organizing, cleaning and tendering home. It felt so nice. Away from the noise in the world

Filling my happiness cup

I had a little chat with my friend about how difficult it is for many of us to fill our own happiness cup before we devote our energy to our family and other things we dedicate our lives to. Especially this year I have felt that I pushed my personal priorities aside over many other things that are so important to my life... Baum-kuchen, kids, family... 

One thing I stopped doing around the mid-year was to eat real lunch. If you have little ones, you know how challenging it is to put food in our system. Kids eat... but we don't. On the days when I am with our girls, I often end up munching on some left over bits and pieces of food Satchi and Coco leave on their plates. On my work days, I never had enough time to take a lunch break because there were simply more to tackle for the hours I was at the studio. By the end of the day, I am totally exhausted and drained. If you know me personally, you know... that it's so not Wakako! 

So came December, I told myself that I seriously needed to start eating real food during the day to get through the busy month. I try to take time to make lunch for all of us when I am at home... and step out of the studio for 30 minutes to grab real food (often at Lemon Poppy Kitchen) when I am at work. I am still fairly exhausted by the end of the day (who knew that parenting can be like a work-out?) but I definitely feel the difference. It also gives me a chance to recalibrate the day by looking through my notebooks, to-do lists and ideas and dreams I wrote down before. I am really looking forward to taking care of myself little bit more next year...