And so we begin another year of my monthly “things” posts. Up first: My January 2026 things. I hope you like reading these because I sure like putting them together!
Has your 2026 been off to a good start? If you’re starting to come out of diet January or no-spend January, let me help you ease back in with my best recommendations!
January 2026 Things
Food
I always like to start off by sharing what I’ve been eating and my January 2026 things post is going to be no different. It was a good food month.
Old Standby – Taco Rice
OK, so the name of this dish is a bit misleading. You see, there isn’t actually any rice in my taco rice. It’s riced cauliflower. But if I called this dish taco cauliflower, my entire family would refuse to eat it, so taco rice it is! Taco rice is a staple in my house because I love that it adds another veggie to my kids’ diets and they love that they get to eat tortilla chips for dinner. Everyone wins!
Favorite New Recipe – Polish noodles
My mom gets the credit for introducing us to Polish noodles. When they were visiting over the holidays, she was poking around and came across the recipe for Polish noodles and thought my kids would like it. Polish noodles are essentially just noodles with cottage cheese and a little sour cream. My kids love cottage cheese and I love when I can get them to eat a meal with protein. I was game to try them, but a little skeptical. Happily, everyone gobbled them up. My son had four helpings! Although this recipe isn’t anything exciting, it’s a keeper.
Biggest Food Fail – Beef Bourguignon
I want to make it abundantly clear that beef bourguignon was a fail for my kids, but definitely not for me. This rich beef stew was heaven and just about as easy as can be. You sear some beef, chop some veggies, and then throw it all in the slow cooker with beef broth and some red wine. I spooned it over mashed potatoes and feasted like a queen. My children, on the other hand, refused to even try it. They missed out!
Dessert – Grapefruit Cake
My beloved Miami Hurricanes made it to the college football National Championship game for the first time in a very long time this month. It didn’t work out for me to travel to attend the game, but I wanted to make watching it at home an event. I bought myself the good beer (Hitchhiker’s Subtropic) and made a grapefruit cake to have the flavor of home while I watched. Although the game didn’t turn out as I hoped, the cake did. It was the perfect reminder of my home state.
Breakfast – Protein Cinnamon Toast
As I mentioned above, my kids love cottage cheese. I get tired of just eating it plain or with some fruit chopped up on top, so I look for ways to get creative with it. This month, I discovered protein cinnamon toast, which is essentially toast, whipped cottage cheese, and cinnamon sugar broiled in the oven. The kids liked it, my husband liked it, I liked it, and it was quick, easy, and filling. If you’re looking for a delicious way to get your day started with protein, give this toast a try!
Books
I am so happy to report that I am out of my reading slump! The book section of my January 2026 things is full! It’s been a while, I know.
Best Physical Book – Maggie Moves On
Sometimes you just need a light little rom com to get you out of a reading slump. At least that’s usually what I need. This time, Lucy Score’s Maggie Moves On came to me at just the right time. It is about a YouTube star who had a rocky childhood and runs away from connection by moving from city to city flipping homes. When she lands in a small Idaho town to which she vacationed as a kid and meets the landscape architect she hires for the job, she starts thinking about putting down roots. I inhaled every cheesy line of it. If you’re looking for a light, quick, pleasure of a book to read give Maggie Moves On a try.
Not My Favorite – The Last Mrs. Parrish
I love a rom com, but I like to mix up what I read too. After the success of Maggie Moves On, I decided to pick up a thriller that had been languishing on my shelf for a while – The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. In this book, Amber is obsessed with Daphne’s perfect life and will do anything to get it. But is it really that perfect once she gets closer to having it? If you like a thriller and you don’t get turned off by infidelity or abuse, this is a fast-paced, twisty ride. I am not a fan of reading about infidelity (find another plot device, people!), so this wasn’t really my cup of tea.
Best Audiobook – The Fort Bragg Cartel
My audiobook consumption also picked up in January, so I had a few audiobook titles to choose from as my favorite of the month. This is probably a niche selection, but I couldn’t stop listening to The Fort Bragg Cartel by Seth Harp, which uncovers the mess that is the exclusive Special Operations division known as Delta Force. You see, we used to be stationed on Fort Bragg and became acquainted with a fair few Delta Force operators during our time there. Luckily, none of the individuals known to me show up in the book, but it was so crazy to learn what was happening all around me. If you have any connection to the Army, it’s worth a listen.
Media
With all my reading this month, my TV consumption took a nosedive. There’s really only one item that’s worth mentioning as part of my January 2026 things.
College Football
The U is back, baby! What a wild ride of a season. Although a loss in the National Championship was ultimately disappointing, the University of Miami Hurricanes went on a heck of a run in the postseason. This run included two games in January – a nail-biting, heart attack-inducing Fiesta Bowl and a heart-breaking home game that ended with runner-up status. Here’s hoping Coach Cristobal can continue to build a program to be proud of in Coral Gables.
Clothing
When I was thinking about my clothing-related January 2026 things, everything was coming up boring. It’s freezing where I live, so I have set aside fashion for warmth this month. If you’re faced with a similar struggle, here are some cold-weather items I’ve been reaching for daily.
Wool socks
I told you my clothing picks were boring this month. I’m not sure you actually believed me, but here I am starting things off with wool socks. But if you live in a cold place, especially if it’s been super cold lately like it has been where I live, socks are important. To really make sure you keep those toes cold, wool is key. My favorite wool socks aren’t made anymore, unfortunately, but I’m very interested in these socks from Smartwool when my favorites eventually give up the ghost.
Long-sleeved T-shirts
With the bitter cold that’s been hanging around this month, base layers have been essential. My favorite thing to use as a base layer up top is a long-sleeved cotton t-shirt. I don’t like to spend a ton of money on these because they tend to wear out quickly, regardless of how much they cost. The Time and Tru women’s long-sleeved t-shirts fit the bill.
Jeans
My husband was in dire need of new jeans right after Christmas. We found a pair he thought he might like at Old Navy, so I ordered a pair of jeans for myself to get us free shipping. I ended up really liking the OG Loose Jeans I ordered. They’re somewhere between a straight leg and a wide leg, which is perfect for those of us millennials who are recovering from the skinny jean era.
Products
I really had to cull my general product January 2026 things. I had a lot of options and picked only the best of the best!
Cuticle oil
With all the cold weather we’ve had lately, it’s also been bone dry. Although I’ve figured out how to handle the dry weather so that the skin on my face and body stay hydrated, my nails have been a mess. To attempt to keep my nails from peeling and cracking, I’ve started applying cuticle oil daily. Essie’s on-a-roll cuticle oil makes application easy so I’ve actually kept up with it. If your nails are dry and gross, I highly recommend cuticle oil!
Stain remover
If you have young kids, you likely rely heavily on stain remover so you don’t have to buy your kids new clothes every two weeks. I had always defaulted to the classic Shout stain remover, but my neighbor recently gave me a tip about a product that worked better than Shout – Miss Mouth’s Messy Eater Stain Treater. On her recommendation, I slipped a spray bottle of this stuff in my stocking at Christmas. After about a month of use, I can now confirm that this stuff is a miracle. Any stain I’ve attempted to remove with it has disappeared, even before I throw it in the washing machine. It’s pricey, but it’s worth it.
Bottle lid brush
Another little item I slipped in my stocking at Christmas was a bottle lid brush. I am swimming in a sea of water bottles at my house, and they all need to be cleaned. The actual bottles themselves are relatively easy to clean, but the lids can be tricky to keep free of mold. I’m constantly failing to stay ahead of water bottle lids getting yucky, so the bottle lid brush was worth a try for me. I’m happy to report that this little tool has been extremely helpful. It contains a few little tools in one, each of which serves a specific and useful purpose. If you are constantly cleaning water bottles, it’s worth the small investment.
Experiences
As usual, my January 2026 things highlights were all experiences. I specifically planned lots of fun experiences for cold, dark January and I’m so glad I did!
Neighbor brunch
My original plan was to have my neighbors over for a holiday brunch, but you know how the holiday season is. We just couldn’t fit it in! Instead, I planned a brunch for the first weekend in January and it ended up being a really nice way to kick off the year. I used my easy brunch formula for casual food and drink, the kids played, the grown-ups talked, and we had a lovely time. Neighbors, be warned – I will do it again!
Other get-togethers
My family went to a ton of get-togethers in January. People must have taken my advice to heart! What I noticed across these get-togethers is that they’re getting so much easier as the kids get older. The adults can actually visit instead of chase kids around! Because they’re getting easier to manage, the success of all of these January get-togethers has me itching for more get-togethers in February and beyond!
Take your children to work day
When I was growing up, we were constantly dropping by my dad’s office. I knew what he did, who he worked with, and where the receptionist kept the candy for the jar on the welcome ledge. My kids’ dad works in an operating room, so they can’t just drop by his work. Luckily for them, the operating room staff hosts a family day every year to let the kids come in and see what their parents get up to in the operating room all day. This was my first year going and it was such a cool experience. My kids got to play with a heart and lung machine, use a surgical robot, and ventilate a dummy, among other really cool things. They had a ball! My only concern is that my son was a little too good with the surgical robot – he’s not allowed to be a surgeon!
Kid stuff
If you have young kids and you live in a cold place, my kid-related January 2026 things are for you!
Ski gloves
We’ve had quite a bit more snow this winter than we have the past few years. I’m not thrilled about this, but my kids are. They love to play in the snow! For years, we got by with cheap gloves, but they just didn’t cut it this year with all the snow. You can’t make a snow ball or go sledding with cheap gloves on! To keep their hands warm and dry, I got them kid-sized ski gloves that have been a game changer. If you live in a place with snow, get these. They’re cheap, but they work really well!
Headband
My daughter is in her ponytail era. I’ve been in my ponytail era for almost 40 years, so I see no problem with it. Well, maybe one problem. It’s hard to get her in a winter hat that keeps her ears warm when she has her hair in a ponytail. Years ago I found that the solution for me wearing a ponytail in the winter was an ear-warmer headband, so I decided to give a kid version a whirl for my daughter. I’m happy to report that it’s just as great of a solution for her as it is for me! Now I just wish I could find a rainbow version in my size too!
Barbie closet
Seemingly out of nowhere, my son declared that he wanted to get his sister a Barbie closet for Christmas. I found one on sale, so I bought it. I never could have imagined the amount of play a Barbie closet would get. Both my daughter and my son are obsessed with this thing. They play with it as a closet for Barbie, of course, but they also get their imaginations flowing and use it in other ways. It’s often an ice cream shop that sells shoe-shaped ice cream in flavors like vanilla (white shoes), strawberry (pink shoes), and blue raspberry (blue shoes). If you have Barbies around your house, I definitely recommend getting your kids a Barbie closet and just watching what they do with it.
Blog posts
If you missed any blog posts this month, you’re in luck – I’m dropping links to the most popular posts from this month below for easy clicking!
What were your favorite January 2026 things? Share down below or over on Instagram @sarainseason!