Bonjour lecteurs. It might sound like January 2023 is a distant memory now, but I only recently reflected on it. Hence why my first Monthly Highlights this year are a bit behind. Did you take some good resolutions and stick to them? Or did you not bother with those? I have set of new goals for 2023. But I also decided to be gentle with myself. So that I would not feel the January blues. Well, c’est un succés! Indeed, January 2023 was a great start where I felt strong and successful. Yet, I also took some time to enjoy moments with my loved ones and look after myself!
A Slow Start
The start of the year is usually a bit slow; a time when we recover from the Christmas festivities. 2023 was not magical straight away.
I worked most of the days and I was even unwell, food-poisoned. While everyone was partying on NYE, I was at home in bed by 10 o’clock! It was truly a first in the house ? But I took this time to relax.
And eventually, I got better so that life could take its normal course. We were back in the country, walking and stopping by nice places like Eastwell Manor with my tribe.
Stanley was aussi happy to be back to school after a lovely break with all our family.
A Weekend in Camden
The second week of January 2023 was when the fun really kicked off with a beautiful weekend in London.
We took le train to Saint Pancras to stop by Yo Sushi before heading to the Wesley Camden Town. The hotel recently opened in London and it was lovely to check it out.
En plus, walking around Camden Lock and Camden Market made me feel so nostalgique! That’s where I got my first tattoo, but also we had so many parties in my 20s.
The capital has so much to offer and it’s always fascinating to see how areas can quickly change.
Kensington Palace
And to add to the fun, we prolonged our weekend to make it to Kensington Palace and its beautiful suburbs on Sunday.
Posing in front of the fameux palace, walking around the stunning neighbourhood…
Or again stop by Holland Park and its beautiful playgrounds where Stanley could let out some steam.
After such a fun afternoon, I was more ready than ever for a delicious dîner at the stunning Milestone Hotel in the heart of Kensington.
We already tried its Festive Afternoon Tea in December. And once more, the beautiful hotel didn’t disappoint with a sumptuous meal.
If you fancy a treat in London, I recommend you book a table or even stop by the bar for a drink. It’s stunning.
And I got to wear my newly bought Maje dress. Such a great evening!
Local Gem
The following week, I wore red again in preparation for the New Lunar Chinese Year and we stopped by another local gem: Boys Hall.
We enjoyed some drinks by the fire and relaxed in the beautiful decor.
But it was also a weekend full of sad news. Grumpy Boyfriend found out that one of his friends from uni passed away very suddenly, in his 40s.
It was a shock, but also a scary reminder that we are not eternal.
Birthday Boy!
But I did not have much time to ponder it all because… We had a birthday to celebrate!
With Stanley turning 7, we decided that we would have a small party at home with some of his school friends.
Imagine, a stressed Frenchie Mummy and 8 boys playing in the house and dreaming of Minecraft.
Oh boy, it was like running a marathon ? No kidding!
But Stanley had a blast with his friends and they all went happy and in one piece. So happy days! I am glad we did it.
Soon The End Of The Month…
And just like that, January 2023 was nearly over! I can’t believe how fast it flew by. Is it me or it’s faster each year?
The rest of the month was all about work and more walks in the country.
I took it slowly and I did not meet all my goals if I am being totally honnête. But it was worth it.
Starting The Year Feeling Balanced & Strong
I think often in January, we run the risk to want to do it all. And we get ourselves stressed out and overwhelmed for no reason.
Actually, I talked about it (among other topics) with the beautiful Toks Aruoture from the Baby Cot Shop on Instagram if you fancy catching up.
And it made me want even more to slow down and savour what I had already achieved.
As I said in the intro, I wanted January 2023 to feel successful but not stressful. So I put techniques into place to be gentle with myself.
I purposely added up some ‘me time’ in my diary.
Because otherwise, mamas tend to forget themselves. I had a couple of baths, and relaxed at home with Stanley, even if I had deadlines.
And I also made it une priorité to go to bed earlier and read more.
Already 6 books down the line and getting stronger than ever!
So not so bad after all. Even better, January 2023 felt like a beautiful start to the year, where I listened to my body and prioritised what was really important.
What about you? How was the start of 2023 for you? I hope it was a good one despite all the gloomy news we can witness each day.
Disclosure: This post might feature some sponsored content I recently published but it is merely a list of my highlights of the month! This a post where I share some reflections as a mum in the country and in London. I hope it will inspire you to get on more family adventures.
Another interesting month for you despite a not too good start.I’m afraid it was not a good start for my family. My brother died on New Year’s Eve and the funeral wasn’t until the 30th January so are slowly getting back to normal
Author
Oh so sorry to hear. Thinking of you
I also started the year quite ill! I broke my rib xmas eve, diagnosed Covid xmas day and also had MRSA, even now I am struggling to regain full health! 2022 was a good year for me, I lost 2 stone, fixed my insomnia with help from a university study testing a new course to help NHS, started therapy to help my anxiety, and got a date for my total knee replacement surgery which is NEXT WEEK!!!! so 2023 new knee = new me!!! then they will be replacing the other knee by the end of the year, then I can hopefully wave goodbye to my wheelchair! YAY!!!
Author
Wow for the operation! Good luck with it all
You never stop do you? Haha. And I love that. That energy and positive vibe you radiate. It’s also very good for things to get better rather than get worse. That food poisoning never stopped you from having great adventures and even though your partner suffered from such a great loss, it is another reason why we should all live life to the fullest and have no regrets and I think you’re doing great at that.
Good to see that you are making a great start to 2023
Great way to start the year!
I always find January a bit of a struggle as it’s so dark when I leave then house for work and return!
I’m looking forward to the lighter evenings again!
Sounds like you’ve had a busy start to the year ❤ I’m trying to make some “me” time a priority this year, and also want to try to be more adventurous.
What a busy month – onward and upwards for march
I always feel January starts off a bit glum. All the sparkling lights and decorations are gone and things feel a bit bare and empty. January for me seemed such a long month. Although once I was back into a routine I felt much more in the swing of things again.
Great blog
I love the info. Thank you so much!
What a busy start to the New Year, mine was definitely a bit slower!
Sounds like you had a great time in Camden. Lots of ideas for things to do too.
You managed to do such a lot and January went by quicky. I suppose I did too but January seemed to have 131 days!!! (whereas February seemly had only 10)
definitely good idea to start the year off well
Hope this year starts getting better for everyone