I must confess, I completely forgot to post this at the end of the month. I hope you still enjoy, despite the delay!
Yet again, Capitalism rears his ugly head and plasters every store with pink hearts and ridiculously overpriced chocolates and red roses which will, of course, be long wilted by the 14th. I roll my eyes, mentally mocking the absurdity of it all - all while planning out precisely which flowers I’d like my husband to buy this time. I’m a complete hypocrite.
The truth is, I absolutely love a holiday - a season, a celebration, anything at all. I’ll fully immerse myself in any and every season, and Valentine’s day is no exception. I’ll dig out my heart-patterned pyjamas, swap out all the Christmas mugs (finally) for the pink ones and the ones with hearts, and plan out as many at-home date nights as possible before Valentine’s day. I love love, I love being in love, and I love showing love.
So, that’s been my intention for this month - to show myself a little love. And it’s also my intention with this month’s reflection - to share some of that love with you. My only apology is that I’m not sure on how each of you likes to receive love - whether you prefer acts of service, or gifts, or words of affirmation - so I’m afraid that my version of it will just have to do. Enjoy!
What I’m Trying:
To feel better, and to do better. Honestly, February started out tricky - I was overstimulated, incredibly burned out, and I seemed to be betrayed by my nervous system at every turn. After Valentine’s Day, I realised just how much I was struggling. Thank goodness my husband was off work for the week, so I could fully reset. We spent every moment intentionally - we visited the farm wit our toddler, went for ice cream despite it being just above freezing outside, had far too many coffee dates, and cooked our favourite meals. We even went as far as choosing a movie in the evening rather than doomscrolling - can you believe?!
This leaves me, at the end of February, feeling more reset than I have done in months. It has showed me the importance of loving oneself, of taking time to do things simply because we enjoy them.
And it’s given me clarity - I know now, which things make me feel better, and have been trying to incorporate all of these into my daily routine:
walking for at least 40 minutes (aiming for an hour)
drinking at least 2 bottles of water
take time to make a wholesome, comforting, feel-good lunch
writing/journalling after lunch, during toddler nap
2 minute ‘house reset’ - pick up/move clutter etc.
AM and PM skincare routine
A quiet moment - reading and coffee, no music
I don’t want to come across as one of those people that says “look at all of these amazing things I’m doing for myself, aren’t I good!” because honestly I’m only managing a few of these per day. But isn’t that in itself an improvement? Even if we can sprinkle in little things which help us to feel better, it helps.
What I’m Doing:
Skincare - Are you really going through a ‘self-care’ era if you’re not looking after your skin? My skin, for as long as I can remember, has had one thing or another wrong with it. Dry. Oily. Cystic hormonal acne. Fine lines. Irritation. I’m tired. At the start of the month, I decluttered everything I was using, cut out anything that was unnecessary (toners, I’m looking at you) and threw out anything that contained anything I was suspicious of - especially things that are comedogenic1 (pore clogging). I was left with a minimal routine, which I’ve supplemented with things to support my skin barrier.
All that to say, if you’re looking for a new ‘non-comedogenic’ moisturiser, please try The Ordinary Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA - it’s literally the entire reason I’ve written this section. Hands down the best moisturiser I’ve tried. For years I’ve used the Neutrogena Hydroboost Water Gel, but it just wasn’t cutting it and I needed something that was going to actually nourish my skin with good, not just moisture - especially as I’m also using tretinoin. Sorry to be that cliché skincare girlie, but my skin is genuinely glowing and it’s all thanks to this change.
And she is so affordable. We love her.
Outfit Planning - I have this vision of me being a MILF. A cool mum. I’m not like regular mums. Last year, I spent an awful lot of time clearing out my wardrobe and really focussing on finding my ‘uniform’ - outfit combinations made up of go-to pieces, which I can wear again and again in different combinations. I’m almost always in wide leg jeans or linen trousers, a fitted tee, and an unbuttoned shirt or cardigan. I’ve made it my mission this year to add very few pieces to my wardrobe, but those that I do must bring either fun, interest, or colour to an outfit. Think red ballet flats, polka dot trousers, barrel leg jeans. I’m down to try new things and have fun with my outfits, but I absolutely must stick, as a general rule, to my ‘uniform’ to make sure iI’ll actually wear these pieces. Let me know if you’d be interested in seeing my outfit planning process (I have a specific app with over 80 planned outfits!) or outfit roundups (like I used to do on TikTok!).
What I’m Eating:
I asked for some Valentines Day/date night dinner recommendations in my subs chat, and boy oh boy did you guys come through! In the end, I made this ‘Chicken over Onions’ dish, as recommended by Rion Ashley. I’ve made some small additions (noted within the brackets) but this dish is a delicious combination of roasted chicken and jammy onions cooked together in a cast iron pan, and served with mashed potatoes. Simply delicious and has immediately been added to my ‘go to meals’ list in my notes app.
Rion’s Chicken Over Onions
Ingredients:
spatchcocked chicken
4tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 medium onions, sliced
6 whole garlic cloves
8oz chicken stock/broth
1 small glass wine (optional)
generous pinch dried thyme (optional)
Method:
Preheat oven to 200C/400F
Heat a large cast iron pan on the hob, and melt butter and EVOO. Pat chicken dry, season with salt and pepper, and place skin side down into the pan. Leave to brown 2-5 minutes, then remove.
Add sliced onions and garlic to the pan, fry until onions are softened. (OPTIONAL - add a small glass of white wine and a generous pinch of dried thyme, simmer until wine reduces by half).
Add chicken stock, place the chicken back over the onions, and roast in the oven for an hour.
Other Recipes I’ve loved this month:
Doeshebakedough’s Sandwich Loaf - minimal ingredients, and little to no effort or skill required! The perfect everyday bread (especially if you’re not a fan of the chewy crust found on sourdough/boule loaves).
Sweet Potato Burger Bowls - still a solid fave, and i like to pretend I’m healthy when I have this because it feels like a salad bowl…sort of. It’s literally just diced and roasted sweet potato, topped with beef mince (fry diced onion, add beef mince, fry for 5 minutes, season with smoked paprika, garlic powder, a little tomato puree and water, simmer for 10 mins), ‘american’ cheese slices, shredded lettuce, and burger sauce (mayo, ketchup, mustard, diced pickle).
Truffle Parm Chicken ‘Caesar Salad’ Bowls - I can assure you that no part of this whatsoever is ‘caesar salad’, it just sort of looks like it. I developed this recipe becuase I don’t actually like caesar salad, and I very much enjoy anything truffle parm flavoured. Working on the recipe still, but it will more than likely be included in next month’s post! if not, it will be on my insta numberfoureats.
What I’m Watching:
Anne with an E - Someone told me a while ago that both my personality and my writing remind them of Anne, in both the book and the series, and honestly I knew nothing of either so I had no idea whether to be flattered or offended. Now that I am 2 seasons in (no spoilers!) I suppose it’s a little bit of both. Anne’s character is complex in the most beautiful way - a troubled history combined with a wild imagination born out of necessity for escape. She is bold, quick witted, and questions almost everything she encounters, yet remains the typical girl she ought to be, obsessed with romance and her own looks. It feels a little vain, to compare oneself to a book character, but I’ve truly never related to a character more.
What I’m Loving:
tulips in a jug on my kitchen table
pyjamas with a cardigan over the top
cosy socks
spotting springtime creeping in
snowdrops
blue skies on freezing cold days
muddy walks
foraging ( haven’t found any wild garlic yet, but it’s a little too early still)
candle lit bubble baths
Posts I’ve loved:
I feel Swallowed by caroline cherry
Caroline’s work always manages to resonate deeply with me, as though she occupies a small corner of my mind, observing quietly for patterns of thought which mirror her own. We might actually be the same person altogether. In this piece, she mentions that she has “…always been better at writing metaphors than saying the real thing.” which is exactly me. If you’re yet to read anything by Caroline, I cannot emphasise how important it is to do so.
pocket reverie: the weight of air by Dayana
Dayana is simply magical with words. Her writing has a way of enchanting you under a spell whilst simultaneously feeling more seen than you ever have. I feel incredibly blessed to be able to read her work, and often find myself revisiting posts again and again because they simply speak to me so familiarly.
Battle Cry by Marie Rose 🥀
Why can’t I be the poet ? Why must I always go back to the knight ? Is my peace of mind the cost to pay to be able to brush my fingertips against the passion that sets my soul ablaze ?
Marie has a gorgeous way of being vulnerable, a beautifully painful honesty that feels like complaining about the world with a friend over coffee which is far too strong, but you gulp it down anyway. She will not hold back the truth, questions everything, and uses her voice as loudly as she can - all while uplifting others to do the same. She is fierce, an icon, and I am truly in awe of her.
There’s a lot of research and discussion on whether anything can be totally non-comedogenic - and the answer is pretty much no. You’re looking for products which are ‘low risk’ and exclude heavy, pore clogging ingredients, rather than something which is totally ‘non-comedogenic’ (because that doesn’t technically exist…I think?).
Ah yeah I just recently swapped to some Korean skincare! My skin feels so much better I have cystic hormonal acne too! It’s so hard to get a handle on! 😅 I’m glad you have found so much joy! 🤩
Love this!!!