January Life Lately

Hello and even though I’m past the window of it being okay to say Happy New Year…Happy New Year!

I hope you and yours have been doing well! We are finding our groove back in Connecticut after visiting family for 10 days in Wisconsin for the holidays. Here’s a look at life lately!

FROM INSTAGRAM

I shared some snippets of my morning routine this past week along with the energy I’m bringing into 2023. This is very new from the end of last year into the beginning of the new year where I really started to prioritize myself again. It’s been such an energy boost to start the day on my own terms and have dedicated time before the kids wake up.

Bala Bands (1 lb.): These were a Christmas gift that I’ve been using regularly since we got home.

Milk Frother: I feel like I’ve been keeping a secret from you all. While I still use the handheld mixer, I bought this last summer after staying at a friend’s house and using it. I love it for my chai teas, and I use it at least once a week in the winter to make the kids hot chocolate. No more messy stirring in this house.

Ice Face Roller: Instant wake up in the morning! I loved Grace’s post on the benefits so I’ll send you her way instead of trying to type it out as well.

I’ve also had a few successful Target trips; however, I’m reminded of why drive up orders are good for my bank account so that I don’t add random items to my cart. Having a kid-free vacation on the horizon has been helping me put stuff back on the shelves or remove items from my digital cart so we can save for fun dinners and drinks.

Here’s what came home with us:

This lumbar pillow is so much prettier in person (as seen in the top photo)! It looks like there are some negative reviews since it’s labeled as peach / orange but that was why I liked in more in person. It gives more of a mauve / brown hue in person. I also got the green for our blue couch and some pattern continuity across our living and family rooms.

I grabbed two of these baskets for my office to store paperwork and book orders.

New artwork for our bathroom. I haven’t done much for that space since we added the new vanity last year.

And another pillow for our sectional.

Artwork for my office.

I swapped the lamp shade on this lamp for this pleated shade in our dining room.

Here’s what I passed up to put towards our vacation fund:

This lounge pillow was adorable and thought it’d be fun in the kids’ tent or for movie nights but we definitely didn’t ‘need’ it.

I had this stripe throw in my cart for the end of our bed but again didn’t need.

WHAT I’M COOKING

I still refer to this post every weekend to see if I want to pick at least one of the meals. This week, I’m going with the BBQ meatballs. I’ll also do an easy mostaccioli with Rao’s sauce but want to switch up our regular pasta routine. There will be a breakfast for dinner and a takeout night given our schedules.

Last week, we cooked and loved:

Here’s a link to everything we have and use for the kids’ lunches. I’m really trying to not overcomplicate things and pack leftovers, cut fruit on Sunday and use different utensils to keep it fun.

WHAT I’M WEARING

LAKE was kind enough to send Liam and me a Valentine’s gift, and I have been living in my nightgown since it arrived. I had never really tried a nightgown, and I’ve worn it every night since it arrived and have the midi in my cart. Meanwhile, Ainsley and Liam are loving their matching heart sets. They’re perfect for Valentine’s Day but will also be adorable year round.

If you’ve never purchased from LAKE before, I have a highlight on sizing saved here. For the Pima Cotton pajama sets, I size up for myself and the kids. For the nightgown, I sized down. They are such an everyday luxury that I started treating myself to when I was pregnant with Ainsley and haven’t looked back since. They’re such an amazing gift as well.

You can tell what phase of life I’m in since I really haven’t purchased many new clothes but have prioritized new pajamas. I’ve been shopping my closet and am slowly working through clothes to sell or donate. These jeans, sneakers and any of my Dudley Stephens turtlenecks are on heavy rotation. I’m working through a fun packing list for Turks & Caicos in March though and hoping to add some more color and prints to my closet.

I’m signing off to go finish meal prepping and our grocery list for the week and hopefully will get outside to run around with the kids today! Have a great day!

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