Month in Review: January ’23

New year, new car! I am now the proud owner of a 2023 Subaru Crosstrek! This change was a long time coming. I’d had my Hyundai Elantra for over ten years and still loved it, but for a variety of reasons (one of them being our local car theft problem), I told Taylor on New Year’s Day that I was ready to consider a new car. Eight days later, we went to Subaru so I could see and experience the different models (happy to share my thoughts on this if anyone is curious). I had been interested in Subarus for a long time – they’re the unofficial car of Midtown – so I didn’t really need to shop around. I knew as soon as I sat in the Crosstrek that it was the one for me. We put down a deposit that day, then waited about three weeks for the color and trim I wanted to arrive (Horizon Blue, Limited). Plenty of time to think about what we had just done. But so far I have no regrets! My only complaint is that it’s been raining or icing for the whole week since we got the car, so I haven’t really gotten to enjoy it. We’ve been iced in for days.

We celebrated a late Christmas with my sister’s family, who had to miss our planned big family Christmas because of Covid. I feel very bad for Debra that she didn’t get to meet our new niece (pictured bottom right). But we still enjoyed our time! This was the first time that C and Debra’s girls were all able to play at the park together.

Reading

Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am by Julia Cooke (4 stars) This follows several original Pan Am stewardesses in the 60s and 70s, including their involvement in Operation Babylift out of Vietnam. Really interesting!

Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops?: The Lost Toys, Tastes, and Trends of the 70s and 80s by Gael Fashingbauer Cooper and Brian Bellmont (3 stars) A fun, quick read about things from my childhood.

The World We Make (Great Cities #2) by N.K. Jemisin (4 stars) A satisfying conclusion to the story of the human avatars of New York City. Jemisin has said she had to pivot away from her original plot (and cut back from a trilogy to a duology) because it was too depressingly reflective of current events. I feel that.

Rivals (American Royals #3) by Katherine McGee (4 stars) I just love this alternate-history series. This episode focuses more on the relationships between the royal women, who are foils for each other in different ways. Looking forward to the final book this spring!

Laundry Love: Finding Joy in a Common Chore by Patric Richardson (4 stars) A lighthearted reference for everything you could ever need to know about laundry. I’ve already implemented some of his tips.

Movie Star: They Always Say They’re Single by Jessica Simpson (3 stars) A short story about an unnamed movie star with whom Simpson had a fling. Honestly it’s kind of a nothingburger, but that didn’t stop me from enjoying it.

You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith (5 stars) I rarely win Goodreads giveaways, but I hit the jackpot with this one. Maggie Smith’s upcoming memoir is a gorgeous, compelling story about the end of her marriage and how she and her family healed.

Listening

Ours is a Super Simple Songs household, but this month we discovered The Singing Walrus and have added it to the rotation! (Bonus: C often yells “Laaaaaaa” along with the intro.) They actually have a lot of bops. This is our favorite:

I’ve been neglecting all my usual podcasts to listen to Havana Syndrome. Obsessed.

Around Town

New Year’s Day was warm and pleasant, so we took C to Overton Park for the first time since he started walking. It was such a special milestone! He trotted all around, went down the slide, and looked at ducks (his obsession). Great start to the year.

My friend Lexie and I went to a Taylor Swift dance party at the Hi-Tone. It was such a welcoming atmosphere and within minutes of walking in, I was having a blast (despite being probably the oldest person there). There were lots of sequins, heart glasses, and of course a chant of “F Jake” after a showing of the All Too Well short film. Swifties are the best.

I love to go to the Grizzlies MLK Day game. Every year they honor four people in sports who have been doing good work for civil rights. One of this year’s recipients was Eddie George, whom I’ve always liked.

As most people know, we’ve had a hard month in Memphis with the murder of Tyre Nichols. He was killed by police across the street from the middle school I attended. By all accounts, he was a kind and gentle person, an artist. I’ve been praying for his mom a lot. Honestly it’s been a hard six months in Memphis, what with the high-profile murders, constant car theft and break-ins, random shootings every couple of days. As I told my brother, I am the biggest ambassador for Memphis, and even I can’t defend all this. But there are a lot of people here working to make things better.

At Home

It took me a month to complete this 1,000 piece Charlie Brown puzzle (with help from Taylor and my mom)!

On Monday nights, I make and take three mason jars of oatmeal for that week’s in-the-office breakfasts. I was weirdly annoyed by the traditional, two-piece metal jar lids, so I ordered some leak-proof plastic ones. I also got a pack of spout lids for sauces, dressings, and DIY coffee creamer. These small upgrades really help.

Baby Stuff

C is almost 20 months old, and his development has skyrocketed over the last couple of months. He’s gone from taking his first steps on Thanksgiving Day to walking confidently everywhere! As predicted, his speech has escalated along with the walking. He is communicating so much better, both with and without words, and I’m always surprised to realize how much he knows! He got a kid tablet for Christmas and can navigate it as well as the Roku TV. (I took this picture after he turned on the fireplace video by himself.) He’s very interested in shapes and is making attempts to read, count (every number is two), and sing (Twinkle Twinkle is a fave). He says a new word almost every day. It’s exciting to see this progress. We’re so proud of him! <3

My mom has started taking C on an afternoon adventure once a week. She took him to the library for the first time, and I was able to join in the fun on my way home from work! I look forward to lots of good times there.

My brother and SIL pulled out a Busy Baby Mat for my niece at a restaurant, and I ordered one for C before we left the table. He is deep in the “throwing everything” phase (when does this end?!?) and the bungee cords are helpful.

C also loves to get mommy’s phone and take a bunch of selfies like this one.

I moved him up to all 2T clothes this month. We saw some toddler Adidas on sale at the mall and had to get them for him, not knowing that my mom had just bought some very similar ones! I love how he’s pointing his foot here to model the shoe. Hilarious.

Eating

Also on the recommendation of my SIL, I tried Home Chef in January. I did two meals a week, and everything was delicious. We’ve put it on pause for now because it’s pretty expensive, but getting a “meal plan” with all the ingredients together and pre-portioned made my life much easier. Finding recipes isn’t my problem… buying all the ingredients in the right amounts (and getting over how expensive they are), pulling it all out, and putting some of it away is a mental load for me. Maybe that’s weird, but it is what it is. I know I have to figure out a structure for dinners, because taking one day at a time is not working, particularly on days I’m commuting.

Wellness

My nails have always been brittle, but recently they started breaking almost daily. I was also losing an alarming amount of hair (and it’s too late to be a postpartum thing). So I started taking collagen, and it seems to be helping. I got this bottle at Costco. I’m supposed to take 6 pills a day, but sometimes I only remember 3 (I break it into two doses). Worth it so far.

My friend Sarah invited me to a vision board party the first week of the year. I love these types of activities, and even though I’m not a big Law of Attraction believer, it was still a fun and helpful exercise. I was very intentional about all my selections!

Over the holidays I gained back most of the weight I lost last fall. I’m upset with myself and trying to figure out how I can work in more exercise (particularly strength training). I did a free trial workout at Curves – which is still a thing! – and liked it. A 30-minute HIIT-type workout close to my office is exactly what I need. Unfortunately, it’s expensive (especially since we don’t intend to drop our Peloton membership) and the MLM vibes are too strong for my comfort. Meanwhile, getting up before dawn to exercise at home is still no go while C continues to not sleep through the night. If I had a fully remote job, I could work out every day during the day like my body naturally wants to. But nope. The struggle continues.

Oh, and Taylor got me a weighted heating pad and a Sharper Image massage gun for Christmas! Both are now a fantastic part of my back pain routine (after a hot shower, warming CBD cream, and Advil). #old

Beauty

Lots to catch up on here!

Skincare: as a Gee Thanks Just Bought It listener, I’ve heard tons of raves about Tula and decided to start with their cleanser. It smells great and gets my face both clean and soft. I’m enjoying it! I also have a growing interest in cleansing balms to remove my eye makeup. Colleen Rothschild is a little out of my league, so I’m trying the Paula’s Choice version. So far… IDK. Maybe I’m not using it right.

Makeup: earlier this month I went to Ulta for a specific thing, and was struck by a dangerous mood where I just started grabbing everything I had wanted for months. This included the Colourpop California Love palette and Of Quartz palette. The grays are more appropriate for January, so that’s what I’ve been using and I’m very pleased. ALSO: after repeatedly watching some TikTok tutorials, I can now sort of use liquid liner/do a cat eye! Getting better!

Hair: in December I got trial sizes of some Curlsmith products during the sales. (They still cost more than a lot of full sizes.) When I tried to use either the conditioning cream or the style balm as a core styling product, it was too much and made my hair greasy. I later discovered they work great as finishing touches after I’ve put in my other products. But I won’t be spending that kind of money again just for that. I am currently using Mielle as my leave-in conditioner and Pantene Curls gel as my main gel. It’s a decent replacement for my now-discontinued Tresemme Bouncy Curls.

After wanting the Olive & June Mani System for literal years and not getting it for Christmas, I finally ordered it for myself. I chose the color Fig Ranch. That mani lasted 10 days. I then did another manicure with an old Sinful Colors color and all the other O&J steps… and it’s still on after almost two weeks (though it’s starting to look rough). I don’t know what devilry this is, but you heard it from me: Olive & June is legit.