Simple Joys of the Month: February, 2025
OKAY MARCH, I SEE YOU!
When I signed my book contract back in early 2023 and was given a publish date of March 11th, 2025, I was horrified. It felt SO far away! Would my work even be relevant in another 2 years?!?
My agent and editor both assured me of two things:
The time will fly by (it did)
Women have been writing about this topic for over 75 years so yes, sadly, it will still be very relevant in 2025 (it is! SIGH.)
So now, here we are. I can hardly believe it and also, I’ve been waiting for this month for over two years, so I’m excited (and nervous) that it’s finally [almost] here.
Thus, as we close out February and get ready to jump into MY BOOK LAUNCH MONTH, here are some of my favorite simple, sensory pleasures from the past 28 days…
[New to SJOTM? Read the backstory here.]
PS. There are a few links to products in this newsletter. Please don’t buy any of them today in honor of the economic blackout/boycott! Save and buy tomorrow or buy from a small business. And when possible, shop locally! Thank you :)
Oh, this book. I’d been seeing it everywhere and finally got the chance to devour it this month. I couldn’t stop listening—I was immediately riveted and listened nonstop until I was finished! 5 stars.
Also playing nonstop in my headphones this month? One of my faves, Gracie Abrams.
Here’s another piece of entertainment that kept me COMPLETELY hooked over the past few weeks! I don’t watch a lot of TV these days, but I made every exception possible (including staying up WAY too late) for this show because I just couldn’t stop bingeing it.
For those who’ve seen the first 1-2 episodes but aren’t sure about it, please give it another chance! It was just what my rom-com loving self needed during these tumultuous times—a guilty pleasure and total escape. I watched all 7 seasons (25 min episodes) in about a month. Whoops and also, YAY.
As mentioned in last month’s SJOTM, I took January off from eating desserts because I’d gotten a little addicted over the holidays. But this month, sweets were back on the table (WOOHOO!) and I enjoyed some delicious cookies:
First, my dear friend Megan made me some of her family’s famous(?) Ginger Cookies (because she knows I’m a ginger addict) and then the kids and I bought some Thin Mints AT A KIOSK AT THE MALL BECAUSE THE GIRL SCOUTS AREN’T F*CKING AROUND ANYMORE. Good for them! And good for me! It had been years since I’d had a Thin Mint and they didn’t disappoint.
My hair has been REALLY flat and blah lately. I did finally get a haircut yesterday (thank goodness) but all of February, it was basically a static-prone, flat helmet that I couldn’t coax into having any body unless I used this texturizing spray that someone on Substack recommended (I wish I could remember who! Tell me if you know!). Over the past month I’ve used it many times to revive my hair before heading out or jumping on a Zoom call. It smells nice and really works!
[I need to tell you that this is not sponsored! I’m just a happy customer! Skylight gifted me a calendar to try for possible future collabs—not for this review—but now I’m obsessed and want to tell you about it. “Creator” life is WEIRD.]
The kind people over at Skylight sent me one of their Skylight Calendars last month. I’ve been wanting to get one for years but never got around to it because we weren’t utilizing a shared family Google Cal yet and I was worried that I’d spend a bunch of $$$ buying it and then it would just be more work for me (classic mom problem).
But, timing is everything, and right before Skylight reached out I had decided that it was time: we were ready for a shared digital calendar…and this thing is wonderful! It sits on the counter in our kitchen and everyone in the family can see what’s happening each week with the touch of a button. It’s color-coded so the kids can see what affects them and even Ben has become an active adder-and-remover of scheduling items (!!!!). We’re all converts!
*The only downside? There’s a great “chore list” functionality that the kids have become obsessed with. Here’s what it looks like when they “use” it:
HA!!!
BOOK LAUNCH EVENTS
I’ve got 3 in-person events and 1 virtual book event this month! All events are free (of course) but space is limited so please RSVP at the links below…
CAPE COD Event > RSVP Here (*Note that the location has changed so we can fit more people! Yay!)
BOSTON Event > RSVP Here
VIRTUAL Event > RSVP Here
ACTON Event > Details Here
Want to buy a book at the event?
There will be books available at each event or you can pre-order through the bookstore hosting the event (and they’ll have it waiting for you that night). If you can’t make an event but want a signed copy, you can order those through each bookstore’s link, too.
ONE MORE CALL FOR PRE-ORDERS!
I know every author says this ad nauseam, but that’s because it’s true: pre-orders are really, really important in determining a book’s success. So if you can, I’d LOVE for you to pre-order my book, either for yourself or as a gift (or both! Heck, buy one for every mom that you know!).
Any order placed through 3/10 counts as a pre-order and the links are below:
Thank you for reading and have a great weekend.
Happy almost March! Eeekkkkkkkkkk!
xoxo,
Mary Catherine
Can’t wait for mine to arrive!!
YAY!!! So excited for you (and to finally get my hands on this book of yours!!) and looking forward to seeing you at the Boston event 🤩