February 2026 goals

The last little bit of January and the beginning of February have been anything but regular – snow and ice have thrown our schedules into disarray, canceling plans, constricting work time, harrying normal rhythms. But, as is so often the case, these challenges have come with obvious bright sides: hours of sledding, neighbor connection, cozy domino games, and extra chapters of Goblet of Fire. I know enough to expect more glimmers and more challenges as we finish out the month – but maybe with a little less wild weather :)

On my calendar:
— The Olympics! I anticipate having it on in the background for much of the month and turning up the volume when figure skating is on. I’m especially excited to watch this guy. (gift link!)
— Valentine’s Day! It’s on a Saturday, but I’m planning to welcome the kids home from school the day before with a little surprise tea spread laid out on the table (likely store-bought, no shame there). Any excuse to use all those Southern Weddings cake stands ;) And the mailbox is still going strong!
— My birthday! I’ll be coming off a weekday work trip to Texas and so want to give some thought as to how I can help it feel special and restful amidst the chaos of travel and returning home.

What I’m loving right now:
— You’ve probably seen me mention jump roping a few times recently. I am attempting to get into it as a cardio option, and it’s been fun to do it alongside the kids! We have this rope for me, this rope for June, this rope for Shep, and this rope for double dutch.
— I shared these tiny gold hoop earrings on my Christmas wish list and ended up getting them for myself after trying them on in person at the Gorjana store in California. I LOVE THEM. I didn’t think anything could replace my beloved pearl studs (which I still wear!) but these just look so good with everything.
— Some friends recommended the podcast Dogood Detectives and our kids are obsessed. We listened to every episode on a long drive recently and all three were locked in.

As a reminder, you can find allll the things I’ve loved over the last few years neatly organized right here!

What you’re loving right now:

This is where I highlight a few items here that have been popular in the last month with fellow readers, based on my analytics. Here’s hoping this will help you find something you’ll love!

— This navy sweater jacket, my new favorite thing to wear. Sometimes I’ll layer a white tee underneath, but it can also be worn as-is, buttoned up. Ladylike but also somehow casual enough for weekday mom life?
— This eucalyptus + rosemary counter spray that continues to bring us all joy.
— The Amazing Generation, once again. No surprise, it’s a no. 1 NYT bestseller (YAY!!!).
— These very fun, very colorful shadow text notepads. I love a new notepad to start off the year.
— My beloved window candles. They’re a great weight and the dusk-to-dawn sensor works perfectly. Ours are still up in every window even though John thinks I’m a loon :)

Last month on The Connected Family:
— My tech-related goals for 2026 | 5 things I’m working toward this year
— The 2026 Annual TCF Screen Report | Our personal tech stacks, screen time numbers, struggles, wins, and more
— Why does a low-screen childhood matter? | More importantly, why does it matter to you?
— Our year in family traditions | Joy, gratitude, and service > performance and perfection

What I read in January:
— My Oxford Year | Good not great. My biggest takeaway was that I’d like to visit Oxford!
— Wild Dark Shore | Now this one – wow. “A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears.” I will be thinking about these characters – each so exquisitely drawn, including the landscape, which seems a character of its own – for quite some time.
— Romney: A Reckoning | This book which, among other things, is a walk through the last two decades of politics, was moving and so, so sad.

My reading list for 2026! I’m 1 / 24 so far.

Revisiting my January goals:
Finalize details and selections for our master bathroom and built-in projects (Made a lot of progress here! I have a meeting this week to make a few final decisions.)
Set up our 2026 budget (Done! We are trying out Monarch Money. It has been a learning curve, but I am committed to giving it a fair shake.)
Print 2024 + 2025 Instagram photos and photos for our Christmas album
Finalize the itinerary for June’s tenth birthday trip (A tiny bit of progress but mostly rolling over into February)
Brainstorm my affirmations and phrases for each family member
Learn all of the first jump rope routine (Learned half!)
Register Annie for kindergarten
Buy new glasses
Attend to the first clutter spot: the piles in our bedroom
Finish going through my phone screenshots (Some progress but not done yet.)

February goals:
— Finalize the itinerary for June’s tenth birthday trip
— Finish learning the jump rope routine
— Diligently complete daily exercises to help with my knee pain
— Record June’s birthday interview
— Finish going through my phone screenshots
— Attend to February’s clutter spot: our “library” on the first floor
— Enjoy celebrating my birthday
— Prepare well for my very first TCF podcast interview. I AM TERRIFIED. I have been practicing answering questions with John on our daily walks and it is so easy to feel discouraged. I prefer to write rather than talk, you know? I am believing I can get better with practice, however, so practice, I shall.

As a reminder, many of these are drawn from my 2026 PowerSheets goals!

Grateful for you, friends! Please feel free to comment on anything I’ve mentioned here or anything else on your mind!

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