What I’ve Been Up To: Books, Kids and a Reset

by Roxanne C.

What I’ve been up to recently is a whole lot of things but also not many things. As you may be able to tell, this blog post might be a little unorganised and perhaps even a little incoherent because it’s so different from the usual content I put out.

I’ve been getting back into the habit of reading. I used to love reading a lot when I was younger, of school/college-going age. Somehow along the way, around the time I started really looking into my career trajectory back in 2013-ish, I lost the inspiration to pick up a book. Today, seeing that I work in a publishing firm, both kids are finally sleeping well through the night and not getting seriously sick so often, I’ve managed to get some of my energy back from 7-hour-sleep nights.

Some books I’ve read include (a mix of books borrowed and bought) People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry (not really my type of romance novels), The Things You Can See Only When You Slow Down by Haemin Sunim (good for a restart) and more recently, Annabelle Thong by Imran Hashim (brought me back to my France days). I’m currently in the middle of a few titles: Bet on Yourself by Ann Hiatt, Paris by Starlight by Robert Dinsdale and Good Vibes Good Life by Vex King (recommend this). I’ve got a few others that I bought on impulse at Kinokuniya and Book Depository a couple of months back but have yet to get started on. Very tempted to read The Maid by Nita Prose too! Have I mentioned how amazing Libby is? Through it, I’ve even managed to borrow some books with narration and automatic page-turning for the kids!

In between despair, hopelessness, anxiety and optimism, I’ve been able to do some thinking and taking some actions as well. We all only have one life—this life—and if we don’t want it to suck, we better do something about it. What’s the worst that can happen anyhow? Also, what’s the best that can come out of it?

I told myself that this year, I’m going to start living in the present much more. It is going OK so far. I still catch myself thinking thoughts that go all over the place from time to time, but nothing a little mindfulness and chocolate fudge can’t solve. What I do find myself being successful at is being 100% present when I’m with the kids, so I guess I’m doing fine.

Covid has been such a Debbie Downer, especially more so recently. I’m getting quite sick of it but at some point, enough people would have gotten it so that no one’s left to get it again. Or at least it wouldn’t be a thing anymore. Right?

I haven’t met up with many friends since Kai came along (and Covid too, obviously), and I might have forgotten how to be social. Do we say hi before making eye contact? Do we hug anymore? Is waving a thing? How do I style my hair and what do I do with the crazy amount of post-partum baby hair regrowth sprouting all over the frame of my hairline?

I’ve decided to no longer focus so much on the struggles/challenges of motherhood, but instead on the brighter things in my life. I’m a firm believer of the Law of Attraction and the whole thing about vibes, and that if you want better things in your life, you need to first change your vibes to reflect that. It hasn’t been an easy journey but I’m glad for the books that are helping and friends who also believe in this with me. In any case, my shoulders feel so much lighter when I just let things go and breathe out all my worries away into the wind.

I’m hoping to find more time to indulge in blogging stuff, like unboxing videos, style tips and the likes. The fact that I’m even blogging now tells you I’m enjoying some quiet me-time and am feeling good enough to be writing (which hasn’t happened often, to be honest). So I’m gonna go and hopefully catch up on The Marvelous Mrs Maisel Season 4.