(Photo above: I pulled a couple of items from my desk at my daytime job - a collection of my favorite things, including a new card I got from Paper & Rice Co.)
It’s June! As I’m writing this, my mind feels like it’s finally coming out of the deep fog that hung over most of this year so far. I hope this mental clarity lasts for awhile. I spoke earlier this year about going through burnout, which thankfully I was able to work out mentally. Soon after, we faced a seemingly endless cycle of sicknesses - covid, pneumonia, stomach flu, hand-foot-mouth, you name it. While no one person/kid was sick for too long, it was the biggest mental game for Stephen and me – how to go to work, who takes care of who, is the next kid going to catch it? It’s exhausting, to say the least. Meanwhile, I try to somewhat stay updated on global news, mostly the horrific events in Gaza, sometimes more domestic issues like our food access/sovereignty problems, Farm bill updates, etc. What a juxtaposition of life events.
I missed out on a few holidays and events that I typically do well on in terms of sales - Mother’s Day, AAPI month, and now, Father’s Day. I had hopes and goals to design more cards and market them, but few of those things happened. At the moment, it was hard and I felt disappointed. But now, I’m learning that it’s all really okay. I am still, with every comment that comes through on social media or the small handful of direct or whole sale orders, incredibly appreciative of the support and still really proud that I have this tiny business.
There are many highlights over the past months, so here goes.
-
Small trips! - my brother and cousin’s marathon in Humboldt made for a great excuse for all of us to do a little cabin trip, which was so, so fun - to be together with the people I grew up with; my mother-in-law’s 70th birthday was another great excuse for us to go to Monterey and Carmel
-
Emmett’s singing Cantonese songs!
- Read Real Americans by Rachel Khong. My kids being sick forced me to stop doing some of the busy business tasks. Instead, while they were asleep, I picked up this book. Not only was this book so incredible (highly recommend!), but it also made me realize that I can carve out bits of time to read again, something I thought I just wouldn’t be able to do.
-
Brought my boys to watch their first dragonboat festival the other day. It’s so nostalgic for Stephen and me…the feeling of the drum that helps set the timing for the boat, the adrenaline on race day, but really, it’s the fact that that’s how we first met, at the parking lot behind the MU, figuring out rides from Davis to Alameda for practice. <3
- Nathan has been eating solids so well that now I can give him mostly the same foods as Em, with slightly modified texture. These are the little changes that ease up my day.
- Connecting with friends, on and offline! It’s hard to believe that in my 30-somethings that I would be making new friends and rekindling old friendships, a lot because of motherhood and this creative space with other makers. I have so cherished many 1:1 conversations whether over IG chat or in person. It’s been so special.
