February 2025: Paid Edition

Lessons in Marriage and Motherhood {Galentine's-Inspired Romance, Postpartum Intimacy, Scheduled Resets, and More}

Welcome to The CJO Review.

The CJO Review is a bi-monthly newsletter. It’s a casual, straightforward look at what I learned, wore, used, and consumed. Here, I also share the latest at Chelsea J. O’Leary, Wiley Canning Company, and elsewhere.

This segment in particular, Lessons in Marriage and Motherhood, is written for paid subscribers and focuses on intimate, shared experiences with my partner, Jared, and sons, Sullivan and Ellis. You can view my first segment here.

Now, to review…

Photo by: Zachary Gray

My girlfriends and I recently celebrated Galentine’s Day by enjoying a homemade taco bar, cocktails, mocktails, and a decadent cake. Can you believe this cake? Our host encouraged us to dress up, writing, “Get flirty with it!” She also planned a white elephant gift exchange and asked us each to bring a sweet, romantic, or smutty book, wrapped and ready to share. Our books ranged from Alison Roman’s Sweet Enough to Ruby Dixon’s Bull Moon Rising. We laughed and laughed, shared our favorite self-care products, and inevitably discussed intimacy, partnership, and sex. (I learned of Dipsea for the first time.) What is more fun than this kind of night with close girlfriends?

Our conversation ranged from hilarious to deeply meaningful, and I left our celebration feeling inspired to protect the romance in my life, as well as create more of it.

Serendipitously, Jared’s 41st birthday celebration took place a week later.