Monthly Roundup: February Favorites
I know we have a week left of February, but technically this is the last Friday of the month, and you know what that means … My monthly roundup!
I have a love/hate relationship with February. I’m not quite sure why I don’t like it, because it’s technically the shortest month of the year, but I just feel “eh” when February rolls around. It might be because the new year excitement starts to fade, we’re in the dead of winter, and spring feels far away.
Nevertheless, this month I tried to look on the bright side and find small ways to add joy to the long days of February. Reflecting on the month, a few things came to mind. Here are my February favorites.
{ONE} Outside time
Vienna has a newfound interest in being outside. She points to the door and says “ow-sye, ow-sye” (outside, outside) every 5-10 minutes (no exaggeration). She loves being outside, and to be honest, I love it. She loves watching the cars and people walk by, pointing to trees and birds, walking in the grass, and generally just slowing down and enjoying all the little things I typically overlook. We bundle up in our coats and hats and enjoy the fresh air. It’s lovely.
{TWO} The Lazy Genius Podcast
This is not a new favorite but it does bear repeating: The Lazy Genius podcast by Kendra Adachi is a must-listen. The podcast recently joined The Office Ladies network, which doesn’t mean much to me but is exciting to know that more people are finding this podcast and experiencing its loveliness. Kendra’s motto is “Be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don’t.” It’s amazing.
Here are a few of my favorite recent episodes:
353: How to Plan a Project and Actually Finish It
351 - How to Lazy Genius Your Whole Life
341 - The Real Reason It’s Hard to Get Stuff Done
334 - How to Create a Relaxing Home Routine
{THREE} Touch Lamp from Amazon
This little desk lamp from Amazon is a cute addition to my home office setup. I’m fortunate that my office gets pretty good sunlight but on days when it’s cloudy or rainy, the lighting isn’t great. Enter this little touch lamp from Amazon. It has three brightness levels and is cute and petite, so it doesn’t take up too much room on my desk. I love it for extra light when I’m on camera during meetings or instead of my overhead light which can be too much sometimes.
{FOUR} Overnight oats
Confession: I usually skip breakfast. I know, I know. It’s terrible to do that and not great to drink coffee on an empty stomach. I KNOW. But I rarely feel like whipping up a giant breakfast every day, so I’d rather just skip it. That is until I recently discovered overnight oats. You guys, how did it take me this long to try it? It’s not complicated, it takes less than 10 minutes to prep for the week, and there are so many topping options you can add onto the basic recipe. It’s a busy/lazy girl’s dream breakfast.
{FIVE} Valentine’s Day
I’m a sucker for Valentine’s Day. I know it’s a “Hallmark holiday” but I honestly don’t care. I’ve always loved celebrating it and this year was no different. Luke and I celebrated early by going on a brunch date the weekend before (just us!), so the actual day of Valentine’s Day was pretty chill. We bought Vienna a special little outfit, a book, and a stuffed animal to surprise her that morning. Mom watches Vienna on Wednesdays so she brought heart-shaped donuts (thanks, Mom!), Luke had flowers delivered (!), and we enjoyed a nice dinner in that evening.