Has this been the most January of Januarys? On some level, I’m okay with it. Over the years, I’ve settled into the quiet and cold that comes with the start of the new year. I’ve learned how to cope with the shorter days and frigid, unpredictable weather and have found ways to keep moving along. We’re so programmed to be on and want to feel great, but it’s also good to lay low, cozy up at home, and focus on planning and dreaming for the year ahead. With that said, let’s dive into this month’s favourite things.
watching:
I don’t watch much TV. By the time we’re done bedtime for Mikhail and spent quality time with the older two, it’s 9pm-ish. At that point, I feel like retreating to my room, washing my face, getting into my pjs and reading. Even if I do watch a show, I need to read for at least 10 minutes before I close my eyes. Ali finds it odd and comical that no matter what the time, even if we’ve just watched a 2 1/2 hour movie, even if we’ve come back from a late dinner with friends and I’m exhausted, I need to read before I sleep.
Anyway, we started season 3 of Only Murderers in the Building, which I’m loving. There’s something about the tone and setting of the show that I find comforting in that curling-up-with-an-Agatha-Christie-novel sort of way. The Beckham documentary and season 6 of The Crown are two other shows I'm currently watching.
This episode of Sheer Luxe with celebrity stylist Alexis Foreman was such a fun and inspiring watch. I’m fascinated with the curated wardrobes of creatives; hers was both functional and fabulous.
reading:
I spent most of January slowly reading Demon Copperhead. The guilt of putting it down last year was eating away at me, and I forced myself to read it. It was an interesting and sad story, but thankfully, it had a satisfying ending that I didn’t see coming. I appreciated its message about the impact of history on poverty and suffering. Still, honestly, I feel like I’m not in a phase where I want heavy reads. After an entire evening of kids and everything that entails, I want my bedtime reading to be slightly lighter in tone and subject.
I’m halfway through Romantic Comedy, which is fine, not great, and I’m excited to read Hello Beautiful. Maame is also on my TBR list, along with Tom Lake by Anne Patchett, but in earnest, I need to do some research to find the kinds of books I’m interested in reading this year. I’m also flipping through The Pivot Year by Brianna West as my non-fiction read; the type of advice I need most days.
Oh, and our bookclub picked Cassandra in Reverse for our March read which looks fun.
In cookbooks, I recently bought The Comfortable Kitchen by the Defined Dish, and at my local BMV Books I found One Tin Bakes Easy for 9 bucks! There are so many easy peasy baking recipes in there I think the kids would love, and I’m definitely going to be making several.
using:
I had some great beauty finds this month. One is the Sensibio Miscellar cleansing oil from Bioderma, which is a dream to use. The texture is luxurious, it takes off minimal makeup easily, and it’s really great if you want to do a facial massage while you’re at it.
I picked up another tube of Embryolisse because the application is so smooth and creamy, and it works beautifully for daytime. I will forever have a tube on my bathroom counter. This month in skincare was an ode to French pharmacy!
cooking:
I've been following a low-FODMAP diet for several weeks. It's definitely not easy, but it’s been backed by loads of scientific research to help those with IBS. I won't bore you with the details, but the gist is that you remove loads of triggering foods and then slowly reintroduce them. The problem is that key among those ingredients are garlic and onion (insert shrieking emoji), the cornerstone of my cooking. I've been experimenting with ginger and scallion-based recipes and cooking with garlic-infused olive oil.
A few good things I made were:
yellow and red lentil dhal, via my blog
Ali Slagle’s Ginger-Dill Salmon, a punchy, bright recipe that’ll wake your senses
Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free Pancake Mix, but amped up with a dash of vanilla (always) and chocolate chips or berries
I did make this SUPER simple tomato sauce while Ali was away for the kids. Not groundbreaking, but a good backpocket recipe to have.
super simple tomato sauce
ingredients:
olive oil
1 jar (680ml) tomato passata*
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp tamari (optional)
kosher salt
freshly cracked pepper
directions:
In a medium-sized pan on medium heat, drizzle enough olive oil to create a thin layer. Add in chopped onions and cook till translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in minced garlic and cook for 2-3 mins.
Pour in passata. Then, add 1 cup of water to the passata jar, close the lid, and give the jar a good shake to catch the remaining sauce. Pour that water into the pan as well. Add a tsp of tamari, salt and pepper to taste, gently stir in, and let it simmer for 30 minutes on low heat. Check and stir occasionally. If the sauce is getting too thick, add a little more water. After about 30 minutes, the sauce will turn a deep red colour, and the olive oil will shimmer on top. Taste for more salt or pepper and turn off the heat.
I would use this sauce to toss with penne and parmesan, as the base for chicken parmigiana, and the sauce for meatballs. It stores well in the fridge for several days and freezes perfectly.
*I love passata because my kids are OFFENDED by whole tomatoes and tomato skin. But if that’s not a thing in your family, then an equivalent amount of canned tomatoes, crushed with the back of your spoon, would also work.
wanting:
Spring still feels really far away, especially for us Canadians. Somethings I’ve been researching are cute boots for fall/winter/spring. I’m holding out for the right pair and am totally fine to wait till next year if I need to. A brand I’ve been scouting is Vagabond. Their prices are mid-range and they offer high quality products. Their Delia flats are also drool worthy and might be my spring shoe.
I also have the Sézane Clyde trench on notification. It’s sold out right now, but I do want to try it out when it comes back in stock. It feels timeless, yet the silhouette is a touch oversized and of the moment.
planning:
After years of struggling with reaching my goals, I started experimenting last year with different formats. I now genuinely believe in vision boarding and goal setting. The nature of my life as a stay-at-home mom with multiple passion projects is that my day is a bit of a blender. There are so many moving parts, and I have a lot of pressure on me while my husband builds his business. My kids are my top priority, but I’ve also learned that boundaries with your kids are healthy. Over the years, they’ve gotten so used to having me available to them that it’s hard for them to understand they need to be more self-sufficient or that I need blocks of uninterrupted time.
I could write more on this, but the point is that creating a defined, tangible vision board along with actionable goals keeps me on track with the things I’m working towards. I look at it every morning (seriously) and check in multiple times a month to assess if I’ve lost track or need to course correct.
I’ve looked to innumerable resources for this, but a few that come to mind are:
this YouTuber for her goal-setting and monthly resets
TBM podcast and online platform for all things manifestation (it’s not as woo-woo as it sounds, more like goal setting, but at a deeper level)
I also ran a vision board “workshop” with the family on Jan 1st (still a teacher at heart), where I had them brainstorm what they wanted for their life in the coming year. I created categories, such as school, friendship, personal, and spiritual, and they wrote down several points. Then we found corresponding images, and they stuck those on a piece of bristol board; Ali made a digital one for his laptop. It was an intentional and creative way to start the year. They all loved it.
following:
Some fun accounts for fashion and home inspiration:
@lucywilliamshome for notes on her own whimsical and eclectic home reno, along with inspiration images
@gabrigofis - she’s the cutest, and eventhough much younger, I love her laidback style and easy personality
@monikh - the coolest, undone style
@abimarvel - wicked fits
dreaming…
of a summer trip to the Greek Isles
of a solo trip to Paris ~ this guide is a mix of tiny stores and boutiques that I would LOVE to spend hours perusing. That, along with quiet museum visits, is somewhere in my future.
of a sleepy island holiday on Majorca…oof, how stunning would that be?!
It may be years before these travels come to fruition, but I believe that you should never give up dreaming of big adventures.
That’s it for January’s favourite things. Leave a like if you enjoyed it, and as always, I would love to hear from you in the comments.
X
Sana