Life update: I am a mom, losing my job, currently reading

I managed to post last month, and in January, I am so proud of myself. The reviews that went off were written during the start of my maternity leave. I think I have said something about being pregnant in one of my posts. Well, in case you missed it, I am now a mom. On the 26th of December, we welcomed our son, Gael, and I am so happy! He is such a cute little human, and I love him so much! However, it does mean that since his birth, I have not been writing anything, no social media posts, no blog posts of any kind.

Talking about motherhood

Today I finally felt like writing again, as we have started adjusting to our new life. Which started with a bang. First of all, celebrating the birth of our son, this is my first child, so everything is brand new to me. I am enjoying every minute of it, seeing how our little boy grows every day. I never thought I would be like that, talking like I do now, but it is true.

I am still on leave, and we have found some semblance of routine. Which gives me the headspace to start writing again. Another thing I have been enjoying these last few weeks is the Olympic Games in Milan. I have been watching daily how our Dutch team is performing in the Short track and speed skating rink. I used to skate as well, so the sports have a special place in my heart. I am also enjoying the other winter sports, as I love the views from the mountains, love freestyle skiing, and snowboarding. It takes my mind off things, as the year started with a bit of bad news as well.

Losing my job

Last month, I was called in to work, and they told me they would not renew my contract. I had a one-year contract, which is common when you start a new job here in the Netherlands. Usually, you get one or two temporary contracts after which they will have to offer you a long-term contract. The news came as a shock to me; I had not seen it coming at all. There was no indication that they were unhappy with my work.

I have been working at our local library since last April, and I have been enjoying myself so much. I love working with my coworkers, enjoy helping people find books, and the high school students coming to the library. So, as you can imagine, I was pretty torn up when I found out I couldn't stay in this job. They gave me a bull shit reason for not renewing, and there were some things said that rubbed me the wrong way. That is putting it mildly.

Next steps and business update

Instead of returning to work in April, I will have to start looking for a new job, something I did not expect to do for a long while. Especially, not now that I am a new mom. Starting a new job will take me away from my little boy longer than I planned initially. I am now left with the question, what in the world am I going to do now?

I ofcourse also have my company Arcane Archives, the online bookstore specialized in secondhand fantasy and science fiction books. I am steadily growing this; however, I do not have enough orders a month to generate a salary from this. This is ofcourse, the goal; however, I had hoped to grow it slowly and steadily over time, to make a name for myself. To become the store you will think of when you think of fantasy and science fiction books.

Now that I know I am not returning to my former job, I have started putting more effort into the store so I can start generating income from it sooner. If you would like to support me and are based in the Netherlands or Belgium, I would love some more orders, so I don't have to return to working for an employer! You can find me at: https://www.arcane-archives.nl/.

I have also decided to do some book markets, I will be at the Deventer Boekenmarkt, the Utrechtse boekenmarkt and the Dordtse boekenmarkt. I am excited to do more events as I have enjoyed the Deventer boekenmarkt last year so much.

Job Coaching

Another new thing I am doing is taking my time to figure out what I would like to do. I have gone from one job to another, never feeling like I belong anywhere. Plus, a lot of jobs I have had in the past turned out badly. Either I did not like the people, there were major flaws that nobody was going to address, or they had unrealistic expectations. Most jobs I have enjoyed for a little while, but in the end, there was always something that drove me to look for another job once more.

This last job was the first job in a while where I truly enjoyed myself. It was the right job at the right time for me. It is what was right for me at this point in my life. And this time it was not my choice not to say, I think that is why it hurt me so much. I really did like working there.

To figure out what my next step will be, I contacted a job coach to look at who I am, what my qualities are, and in the end, it will give me a profile with which I can start looking in a new direction in the work field.

It is very hard for me to look at myself, to see my qualities, especially. A question, for example, which kind of things do your friends and family ask you for advice on, gives me a blank look. I don't really know, as I have always felt like nobody wanted my advice. I am still sorting through a lot of emotions, which thoughts, truths, and qualities, or weaknesses, are truly mine and which ones don't serve me anymore. I think this has been a very useful experience, and I hope the profile will give me a direction.

What I am reading

Currently, I am reading two fiction books and two nonfiction books. The first two are A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness and Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas. Both are very chunky books, both over 6 hunderd pages, this is going to take me a while to finish, me being a slow reader. I am enjoying both books. I like the fast pace of Empire of Storms, which counteracts the slow pace of A Discovery of Witches.

I have been watching A Discovery of Witches as well, an am now at a point in the series where things are not explained very well. I was so confused, I thought I would start reading the series, so I could fill in some of the gaps the TV series is leaving me. This book will not be for everyone, it is very slow going, I am about the half way point a not much has happened yet. There is a lot of eating, though. Even with the slow pacing, I am enjoying the characters and the world-building so far.

Empire of Storms is another story; this book starts where we left off in the previous, which I always appreciate. There is excitement from the start, as the characters are at war. Many events are happening at the same time. I am not as far into Empire of Storms yet, it is very addictive, and I want to do something productive at the moments the baby is sleeping. If I were to grant myself the time, this book would definitely consume me. When I have finished the Throne of Glass series, I think I will finally be getting on the A Court of Thorns and Roses hype train, as we are also getting more books in the series! I am always down for more Sarah J. Maas books. I have been enjoying her writing.

The two nonfiction books I am reading are both about business. The first is a Dutch book, about selling on Bol.com, which is the Dutch version of Amazon. No, it is not owned by Amazon, just in case you have misunderstood my meaning. So far, I am not finding much I did not already know, except for the psychology of selling, which is intriguing.

The other book is What's Your Dream by Simon Squib. I have been watching his videos on YouTube for a while now, very inspiring stuff. So I couldn't help myself, I just had to read the book as well.

How have you been? Is there anything exciting you would like to share? Let me know in the comments!

If you can't get enough of my content, consider finding me on my other websites. If you are interested in music, I write about it on Finding Flight Cases. If you love collecting books, I have started a secondhand online bookstore, Arcane Archives, I would love to help you find your next fantasy or science fiction read.