It’s officially 2022 and January is always a busy month for me. With a slew of family birthdays and setting the tone for the rest of the year, I’m excited for what the month has in store for me both personally and professionally.
Every first day of the year, we celebrate Christian’s birthday and my father-in-law’s birthday. It’s always such a blessing to start the year off celebrating those two and getting to see family. This month is also Caliana’s birthday as well as my aunty and brother in law.
January is typically when I get back to the basics. The house feels slightly empty with all the Christmas decorations but it’s also such a great time to purge and re-organize the house now that it’s back to its normal. I like to especially purge out our clothing – room by room – and reestablish where certain things belong. Doing the purging throughout the month on a Sunday afternoon while the kids have screen time, little by little versus overwhelming myself in one day always ends up being the best approach.
With the holiday decorations gone, the house feels a bit empty, so I’m excited to order some fresh flowers this week to make the house feel like itself again.
By the middle of the month is also the time to send out thank you cards (or texts) for holiday gifts. I think we underestimate the power of a genuine and personalized thank you through a handwritten thank you card. It will never get old to me. I also like to use January to touch base with those I meant to stay in touch with last year. A new year is such a great time to say “Hey, I miss you,” “how have you been” or even “I love you.”
For myself, I’m scheduling a massage in the middle of the month as a self-care surprise after spending the first week detailing + planning my year and getting back into the swing of things. Not that I ever need a reason to take a bath, but with National Bubble Bath day being this month, I intend to make my baths really count. (My favorite bubble bath right now.) I’m also going back to therapy regularly (on a bi-weekly basis) after not going for the last two months of the year due to a hectic work schedule. And while we went only twice last year, I’m making it a priority to schedule a monthly marriage counseling session for me and Chris.
Many people put pressure on themselves to plan for the New Year months in advance, but I think it’s fine to plan in the first couple of weeks. Ending the year with rest and starting the New Year with clarity while planning because you rested has become more my style as I’ve gotten older. Your year doesn’t become less valuable or meaningful because you started doing the work on January 15 vs. January 1. You’re more than enough even if you don’t have your entire year perfectly planned and mapped out by the first Monday of January.
Plus, I love how my friend Tracy puts it: “365 days could never ever measure the full extent of your worth.”
Here’s a look at my next 31 days in January 2022.
Saturday, January 1
Christian’s 2nd birthday
Daddy James’ birthday
Sunday, January 2
Get ready for back to school after winter break
Monday, January 3
Start 2022 planning for The Mattie James Company
Tuesday, January 4
Order groceries (I use Shipt to order groceries weekly)
Wednesday, January 5
Laundry service
Thursday, January 6
Purge the kids’ drawers
Order flowers
Friday, January 7
Date night – movie date: Westside Story
Therapy
Saturday, January 8
National Bubble Bath Day (I live for this matcha green tea Bubble Bath)
Family Movie night: Encanto
Sunday, January 9
Golden Globe Awards
Monday, January 10
My brother in law, Lance’s birthday
Tuesday, January 11
My aunt, Wannie’s birthday
Wednesday, January 12
Laundry service
Send out thank you cards for holiday gifts (thank you cards I recently ordered)
Thursday, January 13
Order groceries
Friday, January 14
Date night – dinner date: Canoe
Saturday, January 15
Family Movie night: Frozen
Sunday, January 16
Purge the master closet
Monday, January 17
MLK Day
Tuesday, January 18
Get a massage
Wednesday, January 19
National Popcorn Day
Laundry service
Thursday, January 20
Order groceries
Order flowers
Friday, January 21
Date night – Bowling
Therapy
Saturday, January 22
Caliana’s birthday party
Family Movie night: Vivo
Sunday, January 23
Purge the pantry
Monday, January 24
National Compliment Day
Tuesday, January 25
Caliana’s 4th birthday
Wednesday, January 26
National Spouse Day
Laundry service
Thursday, January 27
Order groceries
Friday, January 28
Date night – stay in & watch a movie
Couples therapy
National Lego Day
Saturday, January 29
Family Movie night: Home
My 12th year blogiversary
Sunday, January 30
National Croissant Day
Purge the garage + call junk removal
Monday, January 31
The Grammy Awards
Wishing you the best year of your life!
