Tomorrow is Chinese New Year. We’re heading over to my parents’ house for a feast. I can’t wait. I baked some almond biscotti tonight to take over tomorrow. It’s a family favorite, but it takes me about 3 hours to make from start to finish, plus the cleanup is heinous, so I don’t make it nearly as often as they’d like.

I count Chinese New Year among one of the coolest benefits of being Chinese American; I get to celebrate the new year TWICE. This year all I’m hoping for is something a little better than what I’ve been feeling: overworked, underpaid, and perpetually sick. I’d also like to have a few moments of clarity, pretty please.

My first semester back in school has made me question my sanity. Why am I taking on this intense obligation, both in terms of time and money, when all three of my kids are young and we’re constantly counting our pennies? About half of my classmates have grown children, and many others have no kids. These people think I’m insane. Frankly, I think I am too.

Despite all this, I still have hope. I have a conference presentation I’ve been stressing over, but as of next week it’ll be done. I’m going to see a new doctor in a couple of weeks, so maybe my health will improve sooner rather than later. I’m working on incorporating a bit of meditation into my day, which should help in many ways. I just discussed our budget with Kevin, and we think we should be able to survive until our furloughs end, whether it’s one or two years from now.

On that note, I wish you all a happy Year of the Tiger. May you eat lots of good food and prosper in the new year!

Categories: budget, chinese, school, work-life balance
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Kevin and I both going back to school + temporary pay cuts for both of us, courtesy of the California state budget = It’s going to be hard the next 12 months. Really, really hard.

I’ve been working on my coupon queen skills as well as my cooking skills. So far I’ve had great luck with creating shopping lists based on supermarket sales ads and cooking a mixture of ready-to-eat microwave food and from-scratch stuff. I’m hoping this routine sticks after I return to work full-time in September.

To end this post on a positive note, here are some fun things 15-month-old Angie has been doing:

• She knows how to wash her hands. When I take her to the sink and turn on the water, she leans over and puts first one hand and then the other under the running water.
• When Kevin comes home, she runs to the door to greet him.
• She hugs and kisses her big brother and big sister all the time.
• She likes to draw: on paper, on the floor, on herself, etc.
• She LOVES music. Anytime she hears a beat, she starts dancing.
• She likes to play “Angie says.” She likes to watch us copying her movements.
• She loves to eat cheese, popcorn, pretzel sticks, rice with sauce, and Chinese dumplings. She’s not fond of baby food anymore. Too bad I still have over 20 jars left.
• She likes to flip through books.
• She likes to put things in the trash can. Unfortunately it’s sometimes stuff that I would like to keep.
• She likes to play ball. Mostly we just roll balls across the floor at each other, but sometimes she picks the balls up and hurls them at us with great zest.
• She LOVES to play with clothes. Tonight she slung about 10 pairs of my underthings over herself and paraded around the living room like a little baby supermodel. Hilarious and adorable!

Categories: angie, budget, school
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