Goodbye 2023 & Hello 2024!
Wow, what a year! Not only did I publish my first children’s book, but IT IS ACTUALLY IN A STORE!!! I never thought I’d go beyond online sales. I’m unsure how many have been sold at stores - it’s unlikely I’ll know until some time mid-January at the earliest - but I DO know that I’ve sold some online, including Amazon.
While it wasn’t the first full year of “normal” for the little guy - he was masking to school until after March Break - I went mostly maskless. We also hosted a birthday party for him, his first “real” party. He went to other kids’ parties in the 2022-2023 school year. Two, if I recall correctly. He has an October birthday, so we weren’t really sure if people were even doing them. And by the time we found out people did, we were no longer able to book a decent venue!
Jr. Mintz also has settled very well at his new school, a much bigger place with amazing amenities. It’s not in a shared space like his old school and he’s able to stay there for the long haul (the other school only goes up to the lower elementary grades). And best of all, he made a BFF the first week, another boy who was new. Senior Kindergarten isn’t a grade where there are many new students, after all, and my husband and I were really nervous for him, worrying that he’d be ostracized. He seems to play with more than that child and has his little gang. We’ve only managed to have playdates with the BFF, but hoping to set ones up with other kids too.
We had a normal summer for him, sending him to several day camps. Most were good, but some were not as great. It’s sometimes hard to find good day camps for four and five year olds - many are very general. However, the “good camps” were all theme-focused, including a STEM camp and one for art. I think the art camp piqued his interests in being more creative because I’m constantly seeing him drawing pictures now!
So what are my hopes for 2024? Well, for me, hopefully a successful year with my book. I plan to go all out with promoting some time in January, leading into Lunar New Year, which starts on February 10. I’m going to be sending out emails/Instagram messages to parent blogs and podcasts I follow and listen to, as well as library systems (I’ve already set one out to Markham’s library system, since they have the demographics (at least on the Lunar New Year side) and will need to follow up. I still can’t send to the Toronto system after that hacking incident. Will need to contact Vancouver, Calgary as well as some systems in the US, including New York and San Francisco…anyone have any other suggestions? Schools seem to be more complicated). I’ve also talked about it on my podcast, Cynthia Talks Life. I’m still going to be recording shows, but the next one might not go up until the spring (though I may drop a special around Lunar New Year).
Of course, I’m also hoping that my son will continue to do well at school (he is working on losing his “kid” pronunciation/accent, especially “th” and “l” sounds), to have happiness and health. That goes for everyone in my family and my friends! As for the economy, who knows? I’ve heard so many different things. The market was excellent, especially towards the end of the year, and anything lost in 2022 was gained back in ‘23. Everyone seems to have a different perspective on where things would go in 2024. I think it would be fairly moderate. I mean, it’s been way too fast, right? I also hope that the US election and global conflicts won’t cause too many issues with the market, and to people too. It’s a scary place out there!
Anyway, happy new year, everyone! Again, wishing all success, health and happiness!
First image courtesy of: Thesamphotography/Shutterstock