The past couple of months have stretched our family in ways we never could have imagined. We’re no strangers to the natural ebb and flow of life—every season brings its own challenges. But when you’re a small, family-run business, life and work aren’t two separate lanes—they overlap, intertwine, and often pull at each other in ways you can’t plan for.
Instead of one thing at a time, life came at us all at once—layered, unexpected, and unrelenting. And what we’ve been reminded of through this season is that personal setbacks don’t stay confined to the personal. They touch everything. Energy, creativity, timelines, routines—every part of our little ecosystem feels the impact. And the reality is: when you run a small business—especially one made by hand, with heart—there’s no separation between the personal and the professional. There’s no “team to pick up the slack,” no backup department to keep things moving. When life demands everything from you, the business feels it too. And these past months demanded more than we had to give.
When Life Asks for More
It all started with Cory breaking his wrist in September—something small on the surface, but big in the daily rhythm of two parents who normally share the load evenly. Suddenly, everything shifted. I was carrying the full weight of our home, our kids’ routines, our meals, our errands, and trying to keep the business moving at the same time.
Then in October, I was in a car accident. Rest, recovery, countless appointments, and lingering pain that continues to dictate my capacity day by day. There was a full week where work simply wasn’t possible, followed by navigating doctor and physical therapy visits and trying to keep order in a life that suddenly felt anything but orderly.
Then we got the phone call we were dreading: our only vehicle was a total loss. Replacing it (while battling with the other driver's insurance company) became another unexpected priority, layered with all of the logistics, the paperwork, the back-and-forth—and the time it took (and continues to take).
And while we were still in the thick of all of that, Cory experienced a sudden medical emergency in November. Actually, two in the same day. It was the kind of experience that doesn’t just interrupt your plans—it shakes something deeper. It forces you to pause. To see everything in a different light. And a month later, it’s still ongoing, impacting our daily life and the way we approach both our family and our business.
Does this sound like a movie? Because honestly… it feels like one.
Why We’re Sharing This
Not because we want anyone to feel sorry for us, but because this is real life. And when you run a small business that’s built into the fabric of your home and your family, real life doesn’t stay in the background. It changes your pace. It changes your capacity. It changes your priorities, whether you want it to or not.
We’ve been learning, slowly and tenderly, how to show up for our family while also trying to hold our business together in the background. It’s meant pressing pause, shifting timelines, and accepting that even the strongest rhythms can stumble when real life intervenes.
This season reminded us just how intertwined our family and our business truly are—and how important it is to honor that connection rather than push against it.
Choosing a Slower, More Intentional Path
We’ve always run our business with intention and simplicity at its core. But this season pulled us even deeper into that. It asked us to slow down, focus on what matters most, and forced us to let go of the things that don’t.
Through all of this, you may have noticed many of your favorite products are out of stock on the website (ICYMI—each and every Urban Oreganics product is handmade by me, which means restocking takes time, care, and focus). With life asking more of me lately, my priorities had to shift temporarily. Balancing production, social media, blog posts, newsletters, along with everything else simply wasn’t possible. I’m working hard on a restock this week, with December 15 as the cutout for holiday orders, and I’m so grateful for your patience and understanding.
This year, I had to make one of the hardest decisions in my business’s history: to forgo our Black Friday/Cyber Monday sale. My family needed my attention in a way that couldn’t wait, and I knew I had to prioritize that, even though it meant stepping back from something that usually carries my business through the year. It was a humbling reminder of what matters most, and your support—simply for showing up and being part of this journey—has never felt more meaningful.
Making the choice to step back from the sale wasn’t just about a single moment—it set the tone for how we want to move through the rest of this season. It reminded us that slowing down, protecting our energy, and honoring our family and well-being isn’t optional; it’s essential.
Heading into the holiday season and the new year, we’re choosing:
- A slower, gentler pace
- Space for healing
- Boundaries around our time and energy
- A business rhythm that supports our life—not the other way around
This isn’t a retreat. It’s a recalibration—and we’re deeply grateful to have you with us on this journey.
Gratitude, Always
The thing that continues to ground us through all of this is you—our community. Your support over the last 12 years has carried us in ways you may not even realize. Every order, every kind message, every ounce of patience as we moved through this season—it matters.
We’re emerging from this chapter a little humbled, deeply grateful, and more committed than ever to creating products that come from a place of integrity, care, and genuine intention.
Thank you for holding space for us while we held everything else together.
Thank you for choosing our family, our values, and our small business—through every season, especially this one.
We’re stepping into the new year with a steadier heartbeat, a clearer purpose, and so much gratitude.
