February Bucket List
Hi sweeties (cupcakes? sugar drops? it’s the month to test out these silly names 😅). In keeping with romanticizing our lives here, this month seems to fit perfectly. Are you ready for the February bucket list?! A month full of love, cold weather, and it’s also the shortest month of the year. It’s the month when spring is creeping up on the horizon. There’s so much to do to prepare for warmer and sunnier days. If you’re a fan of winter, it’s also a time to enjoy because the weather is still cold and the night sky is crisp and clear. This month’s bucket list explores love in many forms, through self-care, baking, and sharing it with others.
This site uses affiliate links which may result in a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for supporting Midwest & Wonder!
February Bucket List
- Make reservations for a Valentine’s or Galentine’s dinner. Things can fill up quickly so it’s better to plan ahead of time! (We usually like to eat a Valentine’s dinner but not on the actual day, to avoid crowds.) You can also treat yourself! Buy your favorite meal or go out to eat with a friend. Valentine’s day is what you make it 🤗 Also think about buying or making Valentine’s cards to send to loved ones. It’s so fun getting a card in the mail that’s not a bill!
- Decorate your workspace, home, or office with Valentine’s decorations. My go to are string lights, and I found them in pink, red, purple, and white and pink on white cords (makes it less holiday-ish). I’m obsessed with these colors because you don’t see them used often. Now is the perfect time to try it out! Make a heart out of the string lights (picture above)!
- Switch up your bedding. All winter long we use heavier blankets and flannels. Try something a little sexier this month like silk, satin or sateen sheets. Satin sheets are great to keep you warm and cozy while still feeling luxorious.
- Plan a week’s worth of Valentine’s outfits. I started doing this a few years ago when I really got into Valentine’s day. I have some cute red and pink sweaters that I love to wear. The newest pink sweater that I recently bought is this bright pink chunky cardigan. Not only is it fun to wear pink all week, but the colors cheer me up since it’s still grey and cold outside.
- February is Black History Month. Head to your local library, find community events, or research the celebration of achievements and African Americans role in U.S. history. Support black owned businesses, check out the Black History Month .Gov website which dives into further resources, and visit museums or local events to continue learning.
- Plan a Galentine’s day party or brunch for your girlfriends. Galentine’s day is a day to celebrate the love you have for the women in your life. It gained attention after being the plot line for an episode from the show Parks and Recreation. It’s usually celebrated on February 13th, but you can celebrate any day! I made a Valentine’s Day baking gift guide (with a few non-baking ideas) if you’re looking for a way to gift your friends or yourself!
- Shop ahead for candy and sweets to make a cute Valentine’s day sweets board! My household loves charcuterie boards and this year I’m trying to come up with all sorts of ways to have fun with them. I put together this candy and chocolates board which is also perfect for a Galentine’s day party!
- Get your nails done! Whether you go for a Valentine’s theme or something else, treat yourself! Get them done at a nail salon or DIY your own nails or use press on’s. These pink heart Valentine’s press on nails by the KISS brand are so cute! Or these French manicure nails with red hearts are simple with just a touch of Valentine’s day. My favorite press on’s are by KISS and usually last me a week when I’m taking care of them.
- Today is Super Bowl Sunday! My team, the Chicago Bears, were not having the best season this year. I’ll still be watching mostly for the food, commercials, and to get together with friends. If you need to bring a dessert to the game, I suggest these easy Oreo truffles. They only need 4 ingredients and taste so good! The recipe also includes a golden Oreo truffle if there’s a preference for white chocolate.
- Today is national cream cheese brownie day! YUM! Cream cheese brownies are basically your regular fudgy brownie with a cream cheese mixture swirled on top. This combination is so delicious!
- Find out what your love language is. Have you ever heard of the love language test? It’s a quiz that helps you understand how you give and receive love in 5 different ways. I took this test for fun and it turned out to have good insight.
- Make homemade Valentine’s desserts. Check out my Valentine’s inspired recipes and sugar cookie decorating list here. I’m working my hardest to add to this list as I continue to learn about recipe development!
- Happy Galentine’s day! Whether you’re planning a party, attending a brunch, or just want to meet up a friend for coffee, celebrate how much your friends mean to you! The community that we surround ourselves with matters a whole lot, and celebrating each other is a beautiful way to strengthen that.
- Happy Valentine’s day to you! I hope you have a lovely day filled with kindness towards others and yourself. Know that you are loved and you matter. The kindness and love that we share with the world can make each day filled with wonder. I’ll be celebrating by sharing homemade treats with family and friends, sending Valentine’s cards, and treating myself to a new baking gift, haha!
- Reminder to start planning now for your spring break trips! Whether you’re using the time to take kids on vacation or just need the break, nows the time to look ahead. Things start to fill up quickly for March and April so I always say the sooner the better. You could even start planning for summer or just start searching for ideas about where you might want to go.
- February is American heart month. It’s important to learn and follow a plan to take care of your heart health. Take care of yourself by eating a heart healthy diet, getting active, getting good sleep, etc. Check out more information about taking care of your heart. It’s important to take care of yourself and you can do that by learning how to incorporate healthy lifestyle habits.
- Plan a staycation. It can be expense to travel so try a staycation! Whether this is staying home, staying in the city or a nearby hotel, it can feel like a mini break. Really plan to stay off your work email, social media, and other distracting things. Search for a new restaurant to try, museum to visit, or an activity that you’ve always wanted to try but never have.
- Prepare a self-care day or evening. Set aside time to pamper yourself with love by doing things that bring you joy. This could mean many things to different people. Personally, a self-care day means eating a yummy healthy meal, taking a shower with my favorite bath products, wearing a matching pajama set, watching a show, drinking tea, and reading a few chapters of a book before going to bed (early!). I love the pajamas by Aerie, and own a few sets from them.
- Have a pizza party! Some of us are restless for spring and wanting to have something to look forward to. Planning a pizza night with friends could be just the thing! Really go all out and buy or make homemade pizza dough and ingredients to customize individual pizzas! Having an interactive dinner is always lots of fun and makes for a great night.
- Remember in January when we try to set new goals or focus on current goals to get healthy? Try to meal prep! I love meal prepping because it saves me time during the week. Often I make meals on Sundays and again on Wednesday because I don’t like eating the same thing throughout the whole week! Get creative and bake chicken that can then be prepared different ways. For exmaple, my go to is quesadillas, shredded chicken bbq sandwiches, and chicken, rice, and greens.
- Rest and recharge. I’m pretty sure that all of my bucket lists include a reminder to rest or have a self-care day. That’s because it really is so important! Even if you have to schedule it in, it’s really okay to rest. In fact, we need rest. Resting is not a reward for hard work, resting supports hard work and keeps us healthy.
- Make an London fog latte (also called an earl grey latte). This has got to be the most underrated drink for me. I used to shy away from this drink because of the infusion of bergamot. Since I created a recipe that has my perfect ratio of milk to water, I’m really in love with the aromatics of earl grey tea.
- Today is national banana bread day. Try my homemade banana bread recipe! Make a loaf for yourself or for a friend and enjoy it warmed up with a swipe of butter. YUM!
- Gift yourself some gorgeous flowers. You don’t have to wait for someone to give you a bouquet for an occasion. Buy yourself some flowers and pretty vase (if you don’t already own one) and put them on display so you can see them everyday. Bringing some nature into the house is a refreshing way to romanticize your day to day. Some grocery stores sell lots of varieties of flowers so you can mix and match and make a custom bouquet! I get my flowers at Trader Joe’s because they’re great quality and last a long time. Make sure to change the water every few days, and give the stems a quick trim the first day for longevity.
- Do you have your seeds yet?! Typically to start seeds indoors you want to begin 6 weeks before the last frost date. In Chicago, this year the last frost date is estimated to be in mid-April according to the Farmers Almanac. That means in early March I’ve got to start seeds indoors. They have an planting calendar about when to start seeds indoors, when to transfer seedlings, and more – all broken down by the crop type. It’s a great resource!
- Practice a yoga session. You can look for classes in your area or at a gym, or do one right in your home. Two of my favorite creators on YouTube are Yoga With Adriene and Yoga With Bird. Find a quiet space that has room for a yoga mat and let yourself have this time. It can feel like a challenge to slow down! Commit to this time for your health, both in body and mind.
- Take a winter walk and notice things around you. Is it sunny or grey? Are there birds chirping or is is quiet? Take pictures of interesting things that you see like patterns in the clouds or trees. Do you see any buds on trees? There is always so much going on around you when you stop to notice in wonder.
- Hang glass prisms in a window and watch how the light reflects a beautiful rainbow! We hung a prism in our kitchen and in the late-ish morning, it shines a pretty rainbow throughout the kitchen! It’s such a pretty way to recognize how light plays a role in our daily lives.
I hope February was filled with love, care, and wonder and this bucket list gave you some ideas! I look forward to seeing you in March!
