Monthly Roundup: January Favorites
Hey look, ma, I made it… to the end of January!
Every year, I feel like January is forever long but this year felt even longer. I think because it gets dark by 4:30 mixed with the facts that we have no plans and I’m staying home 98% of the time makes it feel like the days drag a bit. A lot of the days feel the same and I joked to Luke the other day I feel like Mr. Incredible in The Incredibles where he wakes up, goes to work, drives home, sleeps, repeats.
Although the days seem to blend together, I try to have one thing to look forward to every day. Typically that’s my 2:30pm tea or coffee and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
Before we head into February, I wanted to share a few favorites from January because surprisingly, there are quite a few.
{ONE} The Friends Experience
I talked about this last week but one of my highlights of the month, and probably the entire year of 2021, was going to The Friends Experience in NYC. If you missed that post, you can check it out here.
{TWO} Bookstagram
I’ve talked about bookstagram before but I truly love the community I’ve discovered through it. Bookstagram is basically a giant community of book lovers on Instagram and they share book recommendations, reviews, and help each other find new reads. My 2021 book goal is 75 books so Bookstagram has definitely helped me discover new books to add to my TBR pile. (You can follow me @readwithkeri.)
{THREE} No-Spend Month for Coffee
The last time I bought coffee was January 1st in NYC. Which means, come February 1 (Monday) I will have gone one full month without purchasing coffee. It’s a miracle. Going a month without buying coffee has been on my 101 in 1,001 Days list and I decided, you know what? January is the month I’m going to do it. It’s the small wins, you know? I was definitely tempted several times and am excited for February 2nd so I can order myself a venti anything to celebrate. Cheers to little victories!
{FOUR} No TV Resolution
Luke and I sat down before 2021 began and wrote down goals we wanted to achieve separately and goals we wanted to achieve together. One of our shared goals was to avoid watching TV during the week. Last year, one of our nightly rituals was watching TV before bed and although we didn’t want to admit it, we both knew it wasn’t the healthiest habit. The first week of 2021 was a bit difficult but now I love that most nights we’re relaxing together, reading, playing with Lucy, and not looking on yet another screen.
{FIVE} Nailed It on Netflix
So what do we watch on the weekends, you may ask? Well, we discovered Nailed It! on Netflix and are semi-hooked. It’s a baking competition for amateur bakers and it’s hilarious. We only watch an episode or two at a time but it’s fascinating and makes you think, “That doesn’t look difficult. I could totally do that.”
{SIX} Bullet Journaling
This will be my third year bullet journaling and yes, I’m still hooked. I started a brand new bullet journal this year and I love it. (It’s this one if you’re curious.) There’s something about starting a brand new notebook, ya know? If you want to learn a bit more about bullet journaling, check out this post from last year, “Habit Spotlight: Bullet Journaling.”
{SEVEN} Lucy’s 1st Birthday
Lucy is ONE! I have become the person who celebrates dog birthdays. And I’m not ashamed. Although Lucy officially joined our fam in March 2020, her 1st birthday is January 21st (1-21-21). Her birthday landed on a Thursday and it was just like any other day, except I ordered her a “Birthday Girl” bandana and gave her extra treats. I don’t think she had any idea how excited I was to celebrate her birthday but she did reluctantly pose for a birthday pic on Instagram and I’m glad she did…And then she shook it off and the bandana became her favorite chew toy. So there’s that. (Also, she’s getting a haircut next week, thank GOODNESS.)
