It has certainly been a big year in the Wild Things household. All three of my children are flourishing in Houston, making good friends and excelling in school. As their personalities continue to take shape, I find it remarkable how different three kids from the same gene pool can be.
My oldest is clever, funny, and very responsible for a twelve-year-old boy. He rarely complains when asked to help out and has started supervising his siblings for an hourly fee. While I am disappointed he doesn’t babysit as a charitable contribution, I am thrilled he is so trustworthy and grown up. He was recently named student of the month, which he’d never heard of until it was bestowed upon him, but did recall that when we win awards we get to choose a special dinner, and put in a request for Chipotle. Nothing says vague good student/citizenship certificate like oversized burritos.
My middle son remains extremely bright and extremely particular. He, like other great visionaries who prioritize efficiency, relies on a uniform of his favorite color (sage green) to ensure he spends his days learning, building, scheming, and online shopping and not choosing his wardrobe. He serves as an ambassador at school, facilitating the car rider drop-off in the mornings, where I’m sure he rules with an iron fist. He is a leader and not a follower, which is good for his future but challenging for his mother, but he’s about a semester away from being able to do my taxes, so the patient shall have their reward.
My daughter is, of course, universally beloved. At home, we know she’s tender and sweet, but when we go to school, there’s a receiving line of staff I’ve never met calling her name and reaching out for hugs. People who have never taught her in the classroom know her well enough to ask if she is nervous about speaking at the assembly (she is) or if she’d been practicing for the Holiday Concert (incessantly). Based on her performance at that concert, there will be a lot of musical theater in our future. Santa was not prepared for a Fosse walk from the top of the bleachers.
This year their dear old mother turned 40. I had a list of things I wanted to do before that fateful day, and the biggest one to check off my list was starting my own business. I am the owner of Fresh Edit, a professional organization company here in the Houston area. I specialize in decluttering and downsizing, and offer virtual decluttering coaching, too. All I can say is please be kind to small business owners – most of us are doing the work of every employee in a regular company even if our skills do not include social media prowess or spreadsheets. Every bit of technology-related work takes me ages because I am old and need my twelve-year-old to show me how to use my computer, and it’s only a matter of time before he starts charging for that, too.
Longtime followers of my blog know I’ve been a minimalist almost a decade, and the book that started it all was The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. Another item on my pre-40 checklist was completing Marie Kondo’s course and becoming a Certified KonMari® Consultant. Marie takes certification very seriously, and I even got to meet her via Zoom in one of my classes, which did indeed Spark Joy. I took her course in November and was certified a few days before my birthday, sneaking that goal in just under the wire.
I vowed to expand my writing skills this year and took a course online through Cornell that I mentioned in a previous post, but then rarely sat down to write. A little bit chaotic life and a little bit of imposter syndrome, perhaps, but I hope to submit articles in the coming year in my capacity as an organizer and KonMari® Consultant for publications I love. I also have three first drafts of very different books locked away (but neatly organized, of course) that have been neglected for years, so perhaps 2026 is the year I at least open them again.
It has been a challenging year, but I am hopeful the toiling and building of 2025 will prove fruitful in 2026. Having three children is never easy, and neither is owning a small business, but I have a good network of support around me that seems to genuinely want to see me succeed, and that is an incredible feeling. Taking a leap is easier when you know there are hands outstretched to catch you.
I have never in my life sent a Christmas card or written a newsletter, but here we are. I hope the past year has been good to you and the ones you love, and that you’re entering the next year with your head held high. I have been reassured by many people that my 40s will be the best decade yet, so here’s to another year together full of blog-worthy updates and pre-birthday bucket lists.
Cheers, and Happy New Year!
Wild Things Blog 
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