#103. Everything about January
sunset hangs, new purchases, and other joys of January.
Hi friends,
One month into 2026 and I already want time to slow down. This is my mat-leave year with my son. He’s two and a half months old, and I can’t quite keep a lid on how obsessed I am with him.
I have so many favourite parts of being a mother. Taking him out of his sleep swaddle every morning, and greeting a slowly waking, smiling baby is at the top of the list. They are the most delicious and adorable at this time of day.
At the same time each morning, I’m faced with watching development happen right before my eyes. He’s heavier, fuller, chunkier than the morning previous.
I like watching these developments unfold, but they are truly bewildering at the same time. From the simplest things, like smiling and laughing, reacting to loud noises, to slowing losing their newborn startle reflexes… watching a human develop in real time feels incredibly special. It’s emotional. It’s an honour. There’s really nothing that compares to it.
Having a baby and a mortgage to pay can feel really scary. This year will have to be a balance of being financially responsible and getting creative with how to stretch a dollar (slash make some extra dough), while still being able to say “yes” to fun opportunities that present themselves. It’s also quite an anxious and vulnerable time for women in regards to their careers in general, and I’m no exception. I wonder and worry what will happen when I return to the workforce. Will I advance? Will I be as ambitious as before? Will I even get my child into daycare?
All these questions and more have circled my mind in those hours I’m up in the middle of the night with him. They are especially cruel when they don’t allow me to just fall right back asleep, as soon as my son does.
“A lot of the time men are just donkeys who imagine themselves as horses” — this line made me chuckle a lot when I came across it in my book the other night. I had to text it to a friend, who responded so perfectly. Women are such forces of nature.
I hope you’ve all had a great start to your year. Here’s what I’ve been up to this past month.
15 things about January
1. READ —
Last year I set a goal of reading 24 books, which I did not achieve. Clearly, I have not learned from my mistakes, because I’m setting the exact same goal again this year. Two books a month feels very doable, especially now that I’ve learned the art of reading one physical book while listening to an audiobook at the same time. That’s exactly how I got through Julia Fox’s memoir Down the Drain alongside the philosophical I Who Have Never Known Men.
Here’s are my thoughts on the 3 (starting off strong!) books I finished this month.
📚 Hotline, Dimitri Narsrallah
I really adored this book. It’s about a single mother immigrant who arrives to Montreal with her son after fleeing the civil war in Lebanon. She hopes to find work as a French teacher, but faces systemic barriers that prevent her from using her training. With few options, she takes a job as a hotline operator at a weight-loss centre, where she spends her days listening to strangers share their personal struggles. This book had a lot of emotional depth and I don’t remember the last time I was rooting for a character so much.
📚 Down the Drain, Julia Fox
When this was initially recommended to me by a friend, I was not very interested. The only things I knew of Julia Fox was that she was in Uncut Gems and briefly dated Kanye West. I even mistakenly thought she was the chick that showed up nearly naked to the Grammy’s with Ye — she was not. That was Bianca Censori. Anyways, this book completely blew me away. I was engrossed in Fox’s harrowing stories and tales of growing up in New York City and going down a “bad path” starting at a very early age. This book had me on the edge of my seat the entire read. Hot Tip: it’s free to listen to if you have Spotify Premium.
📚 I Who Have Never Known Men, Jaqueline Harpman
I feel like I know exactly what kind of person will love this book, and what kind of person will not. If you are into stream of consciousness reading and can get lost in a book that doesn’t have a strong plot but does have a strong philosophical elements, you will love this. If you need something zippier to hold your attention, maybe this is not for you. I personally really enjoyed this read, but will say that it was quite repetitive and ultimately unsatisfying at the end.
2. WATCH —
With the Oscars coming up, I’m on a mission to watch as many nominated Best Picture movies as possible. So far I’ve seen 6/10: Sinners, Marty Supreme, Hamnet, Bugonia, and most recently One Battle After Another & Sentimental Value. I thought One Battle was delightfully hilarious and seriously cool. Like, the movie had swagger. Paul Thomas Anderson is just so good at what he does. I liked Sentimental Value, but I wasn’t fully invested. If you have yet to see Worst Person in the World (same director), I promise you it’s way better. Still on my watch list: Train Dreams, The Secret Agent, and Frankenstien (I’m skipping F1, it looks boring, sorry Brad!!!).
3. WEAR —
I’m still thrilled with my very affordable and very comfy pants from Uniqlo. The barrel shape gives them a relaxed but stylish look. Even though they are baggy, I still feel put together and chic when I wear them. I got them in dark brown, and would definitely get a second pair in white for the upcoming warmer months ahead. They’re just a great, easy pair of pants to have in my repertoire.
4. EAT —
One of my “New Year’s resolutions” is to give more time and honestly, more heart, back to cooking. I’m not quite where I want to be yet in terms of effort or ambition, but I’ve shifted my focus to meals that are simple and realistic to make with a baby on my hip. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with super buttery scrambled eggs, piled onto a baguette with more unapologetic amounts of salted butter and a sharply aged cheddar. It instantly takes me back to the morning I landed in Paris years ago, when my brother made this exact breakfast for me while he was living there. The baguette came straight from a boulangerie and the grocery store cheese outshone anything we have in our grocery stores, but it’s easy enough to recreate on any given morning and it’s deeply satisfying.
5. LISTEN —
I’m into the new Harry Styles song, Aperature. It feels a lot more experimental than his previous pop-forward music. I’m seeing it described as “lightly psychedelic” and I think that’s spot on. I like it a lot. The music video is also delightfully odd and feels like a The Matrix x Dirty Dancing mash up.
6. One day, I finally had enough and the urge to purge every old, hard and occasionally questionable-smelling towel in my house completely took over. After going down a deep towel-brand rabbit hole, I mostly learned one thing: good towels are really fkn expensive. Brooklinen ended up being the most “affordable” option among the luxury brands I looked at (Tekla, Baine, Parachute, etc.). They were having a sale on their towel bundles, so I pulled the trigger and I’m very glad I did. They’re extremely plush and fluffy, which is a bit of an adjustment, as per Robby Hoffman’s standup bit!
I also upgraded my shower curtain to one that has way more charm, and I really think it makes a big difference in my ensuite.
7. After a record-breaking amount of rainfall in December, January surprised us with a stretch of crisp, clear, sunny days… the kind that produce the most lovely sunsets. We took full advantage, heading to the beach each evening we were gifted that weather. We’d bring the propane fire, grill hot dogs, and watch the January sun sink into the horizon around 4:45 pm, bundled up, grateful to live where we do, and completely content.
8. I saw the sweetest baby craft idea on Instagram and decided to try recreating it. I lucked out and found the exact linen paper at a little art shop downtown. They didn’t have any for sale, but the man working there cut me a piece from a frame backing they had. I had high hopes that my “art piece” would turn out just like the inspo… which was naïve of me, because it turns out getting a two-month-old to keep their feet still is actually really hard. Wes’ foot slid around a bit as we made a pitiful attempt at getting his footprint on the paper. That said, I still absolutely love the idea and plan to try again. If anyone has tips for how to do this more successfully, please share 🙃
9. This is my first month back to working out since giving birth. Seeing my body change throughout my pregnancy and now in my postpartum has been really profound to me. I am in awe of how much it can stretch and grow and then slowly find its way back. Since giving birth, I’ve become more curious about the true potential of my physical self, and I want to explore that more this year.
So far, strength training has felt the best for me, while cardio has taken the biggest hit. I mentioned this in last months dispatch but I plan on getting back into running this year. I’m starting very slowly — run/walking for 30 minutes total — and once I can comfortably hold a ~5:45 min/km pace for at least 30 minutes, I’ll build from there, or enlist ChatGPT to build out a program for me. I’m aiming to sign up for the Royal Victoria Marathon in October, which gives me plenty of time to prepare.
I’m also on the hunt for a new running shoe, so if you have strong opinions, I’d love to hear them in the comments.
10. Poppy Barley has been a longtime brand partner that I’ve loved working with. Over the years, I’ve been fortunate to try many of their shoe styles. Not everything they make is totally my style, but the ones that are absolutely hit, and I REALLY like them. Here are my top 3 picks of all time:
Laid Back Loafers: the newest pair I’ve added to my collection. Extremely comfortable.
BLVD Mary Jane: so easy to wear with just about any outfit.
Toujours Boot: I love them in the black and the snake print. They look best with a wide leg pant, or long ankle length skirt.
I’ve been getting out of the house for long stretches most days, mostly because I genuinely find it easier than staying in. My son loves his car seat and seems to magically fall asleep the moment he’s strapped in. When he’s napping, everything feels more manageable, and I happily take advantage of that quiet window by heading to a coffee shop with my book. One afternoon I lucked out with a window seat at Tourist Café (right next door to the restaurant) and had the most peaceful time, matcha in hand, flying through a few chapters. I’m fully leaning into this phase while it lasts.
file under things I find indescribably charming: reading your book solo at a café. One of my favourite weekend activities is to drive up island, getting some farm fresh milk from Promise Valley and hitting up the Thrift stores up island. There is one shop in Duncan that is particularly good. I’m talking $1-$10 a pop good. This time around, I scored a royal blue windbreaker for one dollar that looks super similar to a K-Way jacket. My friend walked away with a basically brand-new jean jacket, complete with a cool Hard Rock Café Kona, Hawaii logo on the back, for four dollars. For context, we popped into another store on the same street right after where denim jackets were priced at $140. The contrast was… hilarious.
love the vintage 80s feel to this windbreaker. Ok I’m here to tell you that the viral yogurt and biscoff trend is so good. It’s not exactly cheese cake, but a great high protein treat that’s extremely simple. I also tried the tiramisu spin on it and it was EVEN BETTER.
Since I’m spending so much time in my bedroom these days, I’ve been feeling a strong urge to upgrade it and make it feel more considered. I had an Article Tessu bedframe from a few years ago that my cats absolutely destroyed. As much as I love the look of a fabric bed frame and think it makes a room feel cozier, I’ve accepted that it’s just not realistic for me while I have cats. The fabric gets dirty quickly, shows wear, and starts looking tired fast.
I ended up finding this exact bed frame on Facebook Marketplace for $400 and snagged it immediately. Now I need a great 8×10 rug to anchor the bed. This rug is my gold-standard designer inspo, and this one is a really solid, more affordable alternative.
the inspo rug. Public Service Announcement - LMNT electrolytes are now at Costco. And apparently so is Maserati, lol.
10 things on my wish list:
As seen on Brianna ChickenFry AND Kirsty Godso aka I NEED IT.
I’m really into camo right now.
I think I’m the last person on the internet to hear about this trendy eyewear brand and I can’t decided which frame I like best for a blue light blocking pair — this IG Reel is helpful!
2026: the year I start wearing a belt.
I just threw my old one out because the paint was chipping off, and like the look of this sleek stainless steel one.
Essential piece for the capsule wardrobe, imo.
The skirt of my absolute dreams.
Best deodorant I’ve tried, trust me. I’m on my third order.
Down for anything with an exaggerated turlteneck these days.
I love the defined square neckline and gorgeous halter straps on this sports bra.
5 Grab Links
Don’t dress up to go for a run; an arguments for wearing old and weird workout gear to train.
Tips to help delete digital and mental clutter.
Celebrity stylist Allison Bornstein takes us through how pregnancy and postpartum reshaped more than her body.