January Monthly Review
All the highlights from the month, including what I read, ate, bought, and accomplished
The White Cape is a newsletter that shares the interests, evolution, and changing perspective of my little white Cape Cod-style home, and the people (mostly me) inside it.
January is by far my least favorite month. It is peak sad, dark, cold, wet, windy season and I hate every second of it. When I lived in New England I used to allow the weather impact my general disposition. Moving further south has made an enormous difference to my happiness, but January is still January and winter is still winter.
This month felt extra challenging, as I’ve tried to navigate elevated responsibilities at work, while keeping an energetic toddler entertained, and trying to find moments to rest my pregnant and exhausted body.
Still, the joy found its way to me. I accomplished real, big, capital-G Goals, I heard my daughter shriek with pride after using the potty for the first time, I saw my dog get his skip in his step again while on a walk in the woods. The big things are great, sure, but the culmination of the small things are what make life worth living.
I came across
’ phenomenal writing, and could not stop feeling delighted by her favorite poem of the year.Joy certainly found me again even in the dark days of the year. This month was full of great reads, great eats, great watches, and great moments that will stand out for a lifetime.
This was the snowiest month in years in the DC area and I was brought back to my childhood through the eyes of my daughter. She loved getting bundled up and exploring her way through knee-high piles of snow, and it was delightful to watch. The snow stuck around all month long thanks to very cold temperatures. It made running and walking a bit challenging as I was afraid of falling, but we made it through.
Books
This month I finished three books:
The Women by Kristin Hannah - Set in the 1960s-70s, Frankie leaves her wealthy California upbringing to enlist in the Army as a nurse after her brother is killed in action in Vietnam. She spends two tours becoming a skilled and impactful surgical nurse, saving the lives of hundreds of soldiers and civilians. When she returns home, she is floored by America’s lack of respect for and acknowledgment of the impact of women in the war. She struggles with mental health and addiction for years, ultimately crawling her way out of heartbreak and sadness. Hannah did what she does best in this book—take the reader through a period of history through the eyes of the ones who lived it.
- - Los Angeles in 2060 has developed into an omnipresent tech-focused metropolis, and stepping outside the city walls is nearly impossible to survive. Maggie embarks on a multi-week wellness retreat in the middle of the Pacific ocean, while her fiancé, back at home, needs to figure out a way to save her.
I'll Have What She's Having: How Nora Ephron's Three Iconic Films Saved the Romantic Comedy by Erin Carlson (Audiobook) - Carlson examines the interwoven details of Nora Ephron’s impact on the romantic comedy film genre through the development of her three iconic films, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless In Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail.
Motherhood / Pregnancy
Motherhood was motherhooding this month. We threw ourselves into dance class (!), potty training, and working on communicating our emotions. Her dance class is for 2-3 year olds and they do “ballet” and “tap” which is hilarious to watch. I was a very intense competitive dancer for a lot of my life, and watching my daughter attempt to follow instructions is quite funny. She is too young for any sort of structure, and that is completely okay. We’ll see if she wants to do it again next year, and if not, then that’s just fine!
We also embarked on potty training during MLK weekend and she did great. We got this attachment for our toilet and she enjoys climbing up on the ladder. She got the hang of it after a few days and many bribes of “treats” once she went on the potty (M&Ms have done the trick). Having reinforcement at daycare has done wonders, too.
Going through pregnancy this time is worlds away from my first experience. Time seems to be flying by, I am almost half way through which is so shocking to me. My due date seems like it’s so far away, mostly because of the deep dark winter we are in, but I have a feeling it will come a lot faster than with my daughter. I’m also feeling a lot better than I did the first time, I have been able to continue running and exercising almost at the same level as pre-pregnancy, and I’ve had generally enough energy to make it through the day. I do crash at about 4:00pm each day, but getting up early and going full steam has a big impact on that.
I am struggling with body image at this stage, though. I am not obviously pregnant, but I am obviously different than I was just a few months ago. My legs and butt have grown the most at this point, which is challenging for me as someone who has struggled to accept my body for my whole life. I am continuing to remind myself that everything in motherhood—including pregnancy—is temporary. This makes me feel equally relieved and heartbroken, as I know this is very likely my last pregnancy and I’ll never be able to experience this again. I must embrace the incredible opportunity I have each day with this body and with this baby.
Food
We have embraced the cold outside and made warm, nourishing food. There was a lot of soup and stew, a lot of healthy baked goods, and a lot of roasted seasonal vegetables. A few standouts included simple baked ziti with ground turkey, winter minestrone soup, mediterranean salmon bowls, and roasted acorn squash. I took inspiration from (as always) and put the roasted squash in a yogurt bowl with oats, raisins, and ground peanuts. Amazing.
Purchases
This month I made some solid purchases, although clothing is really tough right now. I need to cut back on my spending, but with a changing body and changing needs, there are certain things that need to be purchased right now. I hate, hate, buying maternity-specific things because I know how temporary they will be, but I also can’t go unclothed for six months.
Some non-maternity things that I bought were a new leather work bag (a promotion present for myself as my old one was really hurting my shoulder) from Able. There is only one small interior pocket, so I also purchased a dopp kit for all of my odds and ends like pens, Airpods, glasses, etc.
After one too many spills I decided that it was time to replace my Stanley. I was early to the Stanley cup game, and had been carrying that big ass thing around since the end of 2021. After extensive research, I landed on a Hydrojug to meet all of my water needs: 40 ounces, fits in a cup holder, insulated, non-spill, retractable straw.
I also bought a few investment sweaters that are so gorgeous:
Emile Cardigan in navy and Gaspard Cardigan in sage from Sézane
Jackson Mockneck sweater in oat heather and Sunwashed Cotton Fisherman sweater in sea salt stripe from Faherty
Around Substack
Some of my favorite creators on Substack also published remarkable work this month.
I love Olivia’s annual tradition of writing a letter to her future self, and her reflection on what she hoped for in 2024 versus what happened in reality was incredibly beautiful.
once again dropped some bangers with the 2025 new book releases to keep on our radar (part I and part II).
shared a vulnerable introspection of her current relationship and how leaving each other was what they needed to find their way back together.
perfectly unpacked the state of social media and our seemingly collective understanding of its control over our daily lives.
In case you missed it - January posts
As a reminder, all previously shared White Cape Updates can be found on the newsletter homepage: White Cape Updates
Despite the darkness, despite the cold, despite the cabin fever, we made it through the toughest month of the year and for that we should be proud. The joy still seemed to sneak up on us, and I wouldn’t trade any of it.
As always, thank you for being here.
Kelly
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Thank you for the mention 🥹🫶