2026 Rooted: Finding Peace and Functionality After the Holiday Hustle

To me, it always seems unfair to hustle through the Holidays—kids home, family to see, parties, friends, a big list of chores at the house—and then BOOM! It’s New Year! It feels like an intentional, delusional push.

Therefore, this year, The Rooted Home is not pushing for immediate new goals or grand resolutions. Instead, we are sitting with ourselves and remembering all of the things we accomplished last year. All of the projects we executed, the homes we made functional, and the families we worked for.

With each project comes a different family, different circumstances, different goals, different budgets, and different timelines. And with each one, we learn so much. One of my favorite things about my job at The Rooted Home is that I am always learning.

This July will be 17 years since I started my own business with the intention of helping women within their homes to find peace. As a young mother of 26, I set out to help people who didn't have the time to organize their homes or make them functional for their new work life and raising kids.

As life seems to get faster, with more expectations, I am constantly thinking about functionality within my own home, just as I do for my clients. Each Season brings on a reset—new organization, clothes sorted, spaces having everything that each person needs within the home. This is an extension of my intuition for each child, and each space.

You can do the same, by feeling into your space. What is serving you? What isn’t?

For example, I am really concentrating on my protein intake this Season after I realized I wasn’t getting enough. Today, I will plan a spot in my kitchen where we can access all of the health supplements more easily, as we have added many things over the last couple of years. To do this, I am going to need to reorganize my kitchen. I will inevitably need to get rid of things that aren't serving a purpose on a daily basis any longer, and downsize some of what we have—like the entire cabinet of storage cups.

Another example is my books and desk area in my bedroom. It’s time to clean it up and decide if I need more shelving for the books that I continue to buy, or if I need to downsize on my desk option. Currently I’m running two screens, a Cricut, and a printer. Visually, I need something cleaner, more inspirational, and styled.

I don’t think it’s spoken enough about how we live in these spaces—they are our homes. They should be what we need them to be. Sometimes that means making different choices of style, and sometimes it’s more about the functionality of surviving the goals we have set forth for ourselves and the people within our homes.

So, instead of pushing yourself to reach another extreme goal or extreme project this Season, take a deep breath and know that you're doing the best you can, and that’s enough. Tackle things as they need to be addressed; don’t panic.

To Root down into your own home means to accept what you have, where you are at, and be able to feel what you need. Let’s all grow our roots deep into the Earth and get ready to grow in Spring. For now, stay cuddled up, stay resting, stay breathing, and in deep gratitude for what you accomplished last year. You’re an amazing human and are capable of whatever you set your mind to.

I’m always here, one text away, if you need the design and organizational support of The Rooted Home! I’ll be revamping the website, finishing some tiny home designs that roll out this year, and doing what I can in my home to keep up with the demands of our life and children's ever-changing needs.

Light & All of my Love!

Melissa Walley, Founder of The Rooted Home

830-534-6077

www.therootedhomenb.com