THE SLEEP DIARIES: EDITION FOUR
WITH may simpson OF sugardrop photography
Welcome to the latest edition of The Sleep Diaries, introducing you to the most incredible family photographer in Hong Kong - consider yourselves lucky to have her right on your doorstep! A few years ago, I had the pleasure of having May of Sugardrop photography capture our family moments, and I'm eagerly planning another shoot to preserve more precious memories! May's aesthetic style is truly wonderful, capturing candid moments that allow your family spirit to shine.
May entrusted me with the care of her second child as we embarked on a journey to establish healthier sleep habits for her family. It was an incredible and transformative experience, contributing to the positive development of her baby in a truly meaningful way. Witnessing their thriving and newfound focus on positive moments with renewed energy was truly heartwarming!
What's even more fantastic is the mutual benefit we've gained from each other's skill sets as mothers, business owners, and entrepreneurs. Together, we've formed a supportive community, championing women in our wonderful network. So, let's celebrate the beauty of family, entrepreneurship, and the incredible women who make it all possible!
Dive into a glimpse of May's family life in Hong Kong, and discover more about her inspiring business and family journey.
PLEASE TELL ME ABOUT YOU AND YOUR FAMILY, WHERE YOU LIVE AND HOW YOU LOVE TO SPEND TIME AS A FAMILY?
We're an Australian expat family who have lived in Hong Kong for 10 years now! We have 2 young children and we have a pretty cuddly and playful tribe. Day to day, we love chasing the kids around the house - it never seems to get old - we bike ride a LOT and have just realised that our kids love skiing as much as we do - YESSSSSS!!!!!!
TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY AS A PHOTOGRAPHER AND WHEN SUGARDROP PHOTOGRAPHY WAS BORN! AS SOMEONE WHO HAS HAD YOU SHOOT OUR FAMILY BEFORE, YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL!
Ahhh thank you Jade!!! I loved seeing a little slice of your family life! So I began my business when my son was born, and I felt so incredibly horrible, but still wished that I'd made the effort to get newborn photos done (anyone who knows me knows I'm baby-obsessed, so I was pretty upset I missed out on this). A few long lonely night feeds later, I figured I could probably do some on my own, I mean I had a camera and spent aaages on my phone just trying to stay awake... How hard could it be?? I followed a few accounts for inspo and practiced on my friends and neighbours and Sugar Drop Photography was born! I never intended or dreamed that this could be what it is today!
BALANCING BUSINESS, PERSONAL AND FAMILY LIFE CAN BE A JUGGLE. CAN YOU SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH THIS AS WELL AS SOME OF THE STRATEGIES THAT YOU HAVE LEARNT ALONG THE WAY TO MANAGE THIS BALANCE EFFECTIVELY? I’M SURE ALL THE MOMPRENEURS OUT THERE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ABOUT IT!
I have strict boundaries with TIME. Nothing is more important than living a life you want, and for me that means saying no when it's too much, and making sure I'm there for the important things - even the not-so-important things, like school drop off (I love this for some reason). No matter how much money you make, your time is more important and there's no point in having your own business if it's not working around your life, so leveraging and managing my time and knowing when to say no (and not feeling bad about it) has been my life saver. Of course I learnt this all the hard way.
HOW DOES SLEEP OPERATE IN YOUR HOME, WHAT ARE YOUR BOUNDARIES WITH IT, AND HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME ANY CHALLENGES RELATED TO SLEEP OVER THE YEARS?
Haha, what sleep?! Well it's pretty good now but both my kids were TERRIBLE sleepers! We have a very steady routine now and rarely stretch them beyond their usual bedtime. With our first baby, like most parents, we just had no idea, and suffered through shitty advice and even worse sleep for about three years. When number two came along, we thought we might have gotten lucky! ...Until the four month sleep regression, and as soon as I started to feel that PTSD I called a superbly talented lady called Jade – yes that’s you! (haha) who literally saved us. I never thought I'd be sleep coaching one of our babies and after our life-changing experience, I rave about it to any new mum who will listen. It not only helped us sleep better but everything else in our life just suddenly became manageable BECAUSE we were well rested!
WHAT ARE YOUR PARENTING STYLES AND BELIEFS, AND HOW DID THIS PLAY IN TO YOUR DECISION WHEN LOOKING TO HIRE ME AS YOUR SLEEP COACH? WHAT RESERVATIONS DID YOU HAVE, IF ANY, AND HOW DID THE EXPERIENCE SHIFT YOUR PERSPECTIVE?
I read a lot about progressive parenting techniques and love the emerging research on conscious parenting. Sleep training can often have a negative association because of the very dated "cry it out" method, and people don't realise that there is another meaning to "sleep training" that doesn't involve total abandonment of your child. I guess that was my view of it. People have very strong reasons for why they believe
what they believe, and that's great! - but when you don't feel like the best version of yourself then sometimes you have to just try. I mean no one books a sleep consultant until they're at their wits' end with sleep, so in hindsight I'm glad that we hit rock bottom because it forced us to challenge and evolve our "beliefs" on what "good" parenting was. We discovered that being better people - because of a good night's sleep - was going to help our family and life thrive rather than survive. And we're still so grateful that it was such a great experience as we were fully expecting several nights of torture, which it wasn’t!
WHAT ARE SOME STRATEGIES OR ROUTINES THAT HAVE WORKED WELL FOR YOU AND YOUR CHILD WHEN IT COMES TO ENSURING A GOOD NIGHT'S SLEEP?
Managing daytime naps and having a very strong bedtime routine. Game-changer.
WHAT'S YOUR ULTIMATE PARENTING HACK, TOOL, OR TIP THAT YOU'D LOVE TO SHARE WITH OTHER MOMS TO MAKE THEIR LIVES A BIT SMOOTHER?
GO WITH THE FLOW. I mean is there any other way to get through life with babies??
WHAT DO YOU DO FOR SELF CARE?
I like to make sure I have at least one night a week where I can do WHATEVER I want, and alone. Usually that means having a cup of sleep tea and journalling to clear my head after the kids are in bed. That always resets me.|
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR LIFE IN HONG KONG. WHAT DO YOU LOVE THE MOST ABOUT IT, HOW DO YOU SPEND YOUR FREE TIME AND DO YOU HAVE ANY HIDDEN GEMS TO SHARE?
We love Hong Kong - there's always something happening and such well-travelled, interesting people that you come across! I learn a lot from all the different types of people I come across! Hidden gems.... Ohhh I don't know.... I love finding hiking spots where no one is around, it feels a little more special when there aren't hoards of people there!!!
FINALLY, WHAT IS YOUR MOST FAVOURITE PART OF THE DAY?
Oh that's so easy. First thing in the morning, I have one baby snuggled in on one side and the other kisses me and hugs me until I'm properly awake. Absolute bliss and gratitude to start almost every day!!!
Thank you May for allowing us to take a sneak peak into your life and share with us the wonderful evolution of Sugardrop Photography . Your talent speaks for itself and I will look forward to our next shoot together sometime in the near future!