As the Holidays Close | A Reflection on Intention, Motherhood and Grace

As the holidays quietly come to a close, there’s always a moment that feels suspended in time. The decorations begin to come down, the music softens, and the house returns to its familiar rhythm. It’s in this in-between space, before the new year that reflection feels most honest.

This past year, intention became our guiding word at Corduroy Farm. Not perfection. Not productivity, just in how we show up, how we love and in how we mother.

Letting Go of the “Perfect Mom” Myth

So many of us enter motherhood carrying an invisible checklist that includes; homemade traditions, perfectly balanced schedules, meaningful moments carefully curated and preserved. And while those things can be beautiful, they can also quietly steal our peace.

What this year reminded me is something both simple and profound: children don’t need a perfect mother. They need a present one. They don’t remember whether the cookies were bakery-perfect or slightly overbaked. What they will remember being is allowed to lick the spoon and their involvement in the process.

They don’t need us to manufacture magic, they find magic simply by being with us. The true magic of childhood is presence and curiosity. I found there is freedom in releasing the pressure to perform motherhood and choosing instead to live it, messy, tender and real.

Intention in Marriage

This year also asked for intention in marriage, an intention rooted in gratitude rather than perfection. Gratitude for commitment, for shared responsibility, for the steady presence of someone choosing to build a life alongside you, day after day. Marriage is often made up of unseen moments: early mornings, late nights, logistical teamwork, quiet sacrifices that don’t make it into photographs. And yet, these moments are the foundation.

Choosing intention in marriage meant noticing what is working, honoring effort even when it looks different than expected, and appreciating the stability that allows a family to grow. It meant choosing patience, respect, and thankfulness for the life being built together.

The Quiet Ache of the Working Mother

There is a particular ache that lives in the heart of many working mothers, especially those balancing full-time corporate roles with full-time motherhood. The constant switching of roles. The mental load that never truly clocks out. The quiet yearning to slow down, to be home, to be fully immersed in the small, fleeting moments.

Loving your career and longing for something different can coexist and gratitude and grief can share the same space. If you feel pulled in two directions, know that you are not alone. An intention I have for the coming year is to be able to be secure and be home with my children full time. 

A Softer Measure of a Good Year

As this season ends, I’m choosing to measure the year not by what we accomplished, but by how we lived. Did we love deeply? Did we create safety and warmth? Did we choose presence when we could?

Intention doesn’t demand more from us, it simply asks us to come home to what already matters. At Corduroy Farm, we believe childhood should feel slow, secure, and deeply loved. And motherhood? It deserves gentleness too.

As we step into a new year, may we carry less pressure and more grace. May we trust that our children are happiest not because of what we create for them, but because of who we are to them.

Here’s to softer expectations, fuller hearts, and the quiet beauty of simply being together.