Help from my mother

My mom just left to go back to Japan. She came all the way from Japan to here just to help me after the baby was born, all by herself. I'm so proud of her. She stayed with us for 3 weeks. Older 2 kids had a lot of fun with their grandma. I got a lot of rest. She cooked a lot of yummy Japanese meals for us. She cleaned the house and did all the dishes. I mean, all. I don't remember touching any dirty dishes this past 3 weeks. I'm so spoiled. It was like having a magic wand. We put dirty dishes in the sink, and Poof! They were gone! When I woke up from naps, there were nice hot meals ready on the table with wonderful aroma. Oh, it was so nice! I think kids' Japanese skill improved too.
It is so brave of her to travel this far all alone. But she is a world traveler now - a petite Japanese grandma in First Class with a lap-top. Pretty cool, huh? She told me today right before her departure that she determined when I was born (30 some years ago) that she would come help her daughter when grand-babies were born. Well, I don't think she was counting on traveling this far. Should I make that promise to my daughter? Maybe. I'll think about it.
Thank you so much, Mom!

Our new addition

It's about time to update my blog.
Our 3rd child joined our family on November 29, 2009.

He was the best Christmas gift of all.

Picture taken by my friend Kristin.

"Nesting" project

My mom has been asking me when I was going to make curtains for the living room for about 3 years now. Yes, our living room has been pretty neglected. But my due date approaches, which means the day my mom flies in approaches, plus my "nesting" energy kicked in, I got myself to work, finally. Thanks to the world of internet, I found an instruction on how to make hidden tab-top curtains and thanks to the perfect timing of JoAnn's sale, I got clearance fabric at 1/2 off price with additional 10% off. I cleared out all of the red suede fabric they got in the clearance section, but it gave me enough to make 5 panels (only 2 are shown here), 4 good size pillows, and some left to make bindings for coordinated pillows.

As a result, our living room looks from this:

To now this:

Woohoo!!

Because the fabric is so heavy, I didn't do lining, which saved me time. But because of the thickness of the fabric, it keeps our room warm. I'm sure the color adds the effect too, but, I'm just happy about how it turned out. Too much red? Maybe. But I like it. I'd love to replace those blinds to bamboo shades, but that's another time.

Happy pregnancy

It hurts so bad to type because of carpal tunnel, but I wanted to write.

I'm so grateful for this happy pregnancy. I have been happy and healthy throughout, mostly. I didn't know being pregnant can be a happy thing till this one. I was so sick with last one that I don't even remember much about or I didn't want to remember what it was like to be pregnant. I just survived. Because I was so sick, my mind was sick too. But I remember wishing for a happy pregnancy, which I thought it would never happen to me. I wanted to be able to be a normal pregnant woman, but I was giving up on it. I didn't think I could survive another pregnancy. But I felt so strong that I have to bring out one more child to this world. I prayed, pondered, debated...I wanted to be absolutely sure before I headed to the rough road. Then, it happened. I was rough at first, but with much help of medicines and J's sweet daily prayers, I have been actually enjoy being pregnant. My dream came true! And I'm now 34 weeks, as due date approaches and feeling somewhat nesting (I have been busy cleaning and organizing), I wanted to keep a record of what I feel now.

I am grateful that I am able to bear my own children. What a blessing that is.
I am grateful that we are blessed with 2 healthy children.
I am grateful that I can drink water and actually enjoy the taste.
I am grateful that I can eat and don't have to throw up. I have been gaining 1 lb/week.
I am grateful that people around me are happy for me and my pregnancy. It is so wonderful to know it is okay to feel happy being pregnant, not feeling sorry or shamed being pregnant because of coming up maternity leave.
I am grateful that I have been able to function as a wife and a mother while I'm pregnant. I was so afraid first. I was not sure if I would have been able to survive, because I was really sick at the beginning. But I am able to cook and bake the things my family love and enjoy.
I'm grateful that I can be home with my children and take care of them and myself.
I'm grateful that I can enjoy being pregnant, even when it hurts so bad to get kicked and stretched from inside. I can feel a life inside of me. I can feel the strong bones. I can feel his hiccups.
I am grateful that I am a woman and I am a mother. What a beautiful thing I am blessed with.
I'm grateful for my family and their love, especially my husband's understanding and support.

I am really looking forward to meeting with this little guy. I wonder how he looks and what kind of personality he has. We are all excited for him. What a beautiful thing. A loving family.
I am so lucky.

Look at my belly!

Is not what exactly what I said. Well, I intended to take a picture of me being 33 weeks pregnant, thinking "Hmm, I don't think I have taken any belly picture this pregnancy...." It's amazing how things get relaxed as you have more kids. It's number 3. I don't count days, I know the due date. We haven't come up with name yet, but we have some ideas. I haven't washed baby clothes yet, but they are at least sorted to sizes (I just did it last night!).

So this is our first shot of me with big belly. I love this pink sweater my mom sent to me.
What a sweet mommy and daughter picture!

Then, Daddy said "Well, that one didn't really show your belly. Let's try more."

And, this is what was captured....

"Look at my belly!!"

Yap, I can see your belly, my princess.

Halloween

I did not have much energy to make costumes for kids this year, but luckily they came up with easy ones for me. One is play dress-up dress and the other is pajamas! With a few added accessories...done!

Our Princess Belle at Halloween Party

J as Batman

Day of Halloween
Batman pulling a wagon with sleepy princess in.

Kids went out trick-or-treating with Daddy while Mommy sat on the porch handing out candies to other trick-or-treaters. Obviously, Daddy was not pulling the wagon quick enough for Batman, so he decided to take over. Between Batman running and pulling the wagon faster, and the princess's charm, they got A LOT of candies in a little over hour of trick-or-treating. I guess those college girls in this neighborhood loved them so much that kids were getting handful of candies at a time. House role here? Kids get to eat 1 candy a day. Me? I'm enjoying all the chocolate they got!! Um, I mean, it's called Mommy Tax, right?

Kids' Birthday Party - yes, it was almost a month ago!

It's about time to update. Something about being pregnant and easily get tired, things are a little slower here...
Kids had fun time with their cousins, aunts and uncles, grandma and papa, and grandma-great for their birthday party. Papa (my father-in-law)'s birthday is a day before M's (she missed it by a little over an hour), so we celebrate 3 of them all together.

Here is J's request - Fire truck cake
It looks like Disney's old motion picture ones as it leans/slides/or is about to collapse....

And, of course, I had to make a princess castle for our little princess...

They were well eaten. Kids got a lot of toys. I was able to complete my mission (i.e. decorating 2 cakes). It was a good birthday. Oh, I'm so glad this number 3 is not an October birthday kid. Making 2 cakes in one day is enough work for me!

The first visit from Tooth Fairy - my 100th post!

Tooth Fairy came to our house for the first time this morning. "How did she get in our house?" J asked. I said, "I don't know. What do you think?" He said, "Well, Tooth Fairy has a magic wand, so she can come in." Actually, more concern for him was Tooth Fairy NOT taking his tooth this time...

J went to a dentist yesterday for his first dental procedure. He had a cavity. Yes, a cavity, a big hole, in his baby tooth. I felt like a bad mother...but, that's another story. So, my dear husband took a day off and took J to a city 1 hour away from here for his dentist appointment, where they removed a tooth, cap another one, and drilled and filled another - total 3 tooth fixed in over an hour!

J didn't cry and he was very proud of it. He asked Daddy, "Daddy did you hear that I didn't cry?" Daddy was a bit confusingly said, "You mean, I didn't hear you crying? No, I didn't hear anything. You didn't cry, did you? What a big boy!"

Another thing he was proud was his little treasure box that his tooth in. So, here is where his concern comes from. Usually, Tooth Fairy takes a tooth and leaves some money, But also, usually, those teeth are the ones come off naturally, not taken out by a dentist, in J's book. So, this was a very special tooth for him. He wanted Tooth Fairy to come and leave him some money, but he did not want her to take his this special tooth away. He debated for a long time, and also worried about it for a long time before he went to bed.

When the morning came, J found that Tooth Fairy was nice enough not to take his tooth and left him some money - 41cents - a quarter, a dime, a nickel, and a penny. He was so excited and so happy! His very first visit from Tooth Fairy went pretty good - she gave him what he wanted, both tooth and money. Tooth Fairy is "a very nice person," he says. Yes, she is, isn't she?

"You are the best mom ever!"

As I was coating marinated chicken pieces with mashed potato flakes and bread crumbs, J came into the kitchen and watched what I was doing. He wanted to smell everything I was using, the chicken marinade, the seasoning salt, etc. Then he said, "Mom, you are the best mom ever!" Honestly, I was tired (maybe possibly something to do with pregnancy), and tired of making meals everyday. But J changed that whole thing. He was jumping up and down and hooraying over the dinner to come, praising me how good of a job I was doing coating the chicken and placing them on a baking sheet, and loving the smelling coming out of the oven. He even found a shape of a heart in one of those chicken wings, and wanted to save it for his friend (It was Audry, for those who know who she is). He gave me a big hug while I was cleaning up the kitchen, and the big smile and a thumb up for the delicious dinner according to him. He thanked me many times. I think that comes from his Daddy, who treats his wife like a princess.
I am such a lucky girl.

Joy of Motherhood

Today was a tough day. To lighten up myself, I did some search on some encouraging words, and I came across with this.

"As mothers, our work is not washing diapers and mending holes in jeans—that is what we spend much of our time doing, but it is not our work. Our work is rearing children; but it is much more than that, for we rear our children to fulfill their potential...They (our work) are tools that we may use to develop our own divinity and help our children develop theirs....Motherhood is joyful. It is exciting, challenging, and fun; it demands all our best efforts. Motherhood is creation of children and of the homes to nurture them in.."

I'm spending alone time with my daughter this evening as my husband took my son out with him. I went to grocery shopping with her. We bought fruits and vegetables, and some cookies to share after the shopping trip. Now she is playing quietly with her doll house I painted. She is learning to be a big sister, and eventually a mother herself. I did dishes and vacuum this morning, and now I remember J was helping me cleaning up. I guess I did an okay job today as a mom.
Okay, I'm feeling a lot better now.

My personal gallery collection

This past few months, my house has been decorated with many pieces of arts. Our dining room wall is now my personal gallery. (I have been meaning to post this for a long time)

Thanks to IKEA for the big roll of drawing paper, this is how it started in early August. If you walk this gallery with the artist, he'll tell you a story behind this piece.

This is absolute my favorite. "Mommy and the baby in mommy's tummy."
I love her smile. (August 2009)

This is the latest version of the same title. I love the smiles on both of us. I now have actual trunk and baby is inside of my body. Plus the baby is getting bigger just like my belly is too.

(September 30, 2009)

"Oh, no! We got a mouse living in our house!!"
"Mice are living in the wall with a little hole," J says."When Sun is out after rain, you can see a rainbow and a flower comes out!"
The flower is, of course, for his mama. How sweet!

"Book of Joshua"

The amount of papers with drawing in my house was getting out of control. I did not want to throw them away because each of them had stories. So I decided to make a binder. Each page has a little sticker with explanation. Like the one on the right page was his first drawing of a butterfly (July, 2009). I actually forgot what it was. Good thing it was recorded. Whew.

These papers are accumulating daily and I am having a hard time keeping up with it. Papers, papers, everywhere. But I love the fact he enjoys drawing. And it is improving tremendously each time. I can see "evolution" on his doodle guy's (or his mama) details, face and body, even only in a few months period. It is so fun to see him growing. And I'm so happy to be right here with him to witness that.

Good-bye, Summer. Welcome, Fall.

Finally, I decided to sit down with my computer and organize some pictures. I don't know what I have been doing this past few weeks, but this was the last picture I took (partially because I didn't recharge batteries for a long time). It was dated on September 15, only a few weeks ago.
It was nice and sunny. Kids played in the backyard, splashing water, and decided to have lunch outside. Menu: hot dogs, chips, oranges, and juice. It was a nice day. I wanted to note that. Now summer is gone. Leaves are changing colors. Farmers' market has been full of apples, pumpkins and winter squashes. And even that will end this weekend too. Fall is here. But I like Fall. I've enjoying apples everyday, not an apple, several apples. It must be one of my craving items with this baby. Paula Red, McIntosh, Honey Crisp, etc. Maybe I can convince my hubby to take us to an apple orchard this weekend.

Good-bye, Thumb!

J has been known to suck his thumb since he was a baby. Pacifier, you can cut it, toss it, hide it...you can do a lot of things to get rid of it. But, his own thumb. I can't cut it or hide it. It just doesn't go anywhere but his mouth. I have tried covering with a bandage, putting nasty nail polish on, talking him about teeth being pushed and hurt, etc. Nothing worked. But, one day, he decided to stop it. The key was a comment from his friend K, who is 8-year-old and J looks up to.
His comment: "You know J, if you suck your thumb, it'll melt away. Did you know that?"
That's it. J must have believed it and got scared. He has been very conscious about it, and I don't think I have seen him sucking his thumb for at least a few weeks, if not longer.
My son graduated from thumb sucking! Yay!!

Backyard cooking

The other night, I wanted to eat something good, but something easy and quick. Somehow the previous days were all tomato base - grill cheese sandwich and tomato soup, chili and corn bread, chicken gumbo (my sister-in-law's homemade. Ymm!), etc. So, I went through my recipes and pondered.

What do I want to eat???

To get out of my endless struggle of finding menu for the night, I went to my backyard to check my garden for inspiration. And tada! Look at this broccoli!!! I planted way back in the beginning of June. It has been such a small skimpy thing and I didn't even dream that it would produce a head of broccoli. But somehow, I didn't even bother to pull out and just let it stay in his own spot.

Now, look at that!! Just beautiful!!

So, I picked a few other produce from my garden. Oh, I love fresh produce!!!
Then cooked with canned venison meat that my hubby butchered last winter.
I cheated with my sauce - good ol' pre-made stir fry sauce in the freezer.

And tada!

It didn't even take 20 minutes to cook the whole thing (well, after countless minutes of pondering). My tummy and baby were very satisfied after all.

Annual family campout, yes, it was 2 weeks ago...

But, I love this picture. I'm not a photographer, and lighting and stuff is probably not so good. Still, I love this picture. My daughter M and her cousin A. Total 40 people (17 adults, 23 kids, including 4 babies - my hubby's parents, grandma, all of his siblings and their kids) gathered and we had fun. Older kids looked after younger ones, just like the picture below. It was cold, but it was filled with warmth of love - love of family.

I love my OB doctor!!

My OB doctor just called me on my cell phone, on Friday night. He called me to let me know that the last ultrasound showed that my placenta has moved up! I was told I had partial placenta previa last month. I have been worried. But now it's moved up and I am under no restriction! And he called me on Friday night to let me know! What a doctor!! He has been a wonderful doctor for me and kids ever since I started seeing him (I used to work at the hospital and did a lot of research on which doctor to choose). Now, he passed to another level of awesomeness. Oh, what a blessing!!! I love you, Dr. S!

Rainy day entertainment

How are these pictures for a rainy day entertainment?

This image was made possible by generous contribution of my boss - my boss provided these funny nose glasses to everyone one the last day of our co-worker. Thanks, Deanna, we still enjoy them, as you see.

Summer Goodness - fresh produce

From my garden!!

My garden started producing more and more goodies! Those yellow tomatoes are called yellow pear tomatoes. And they are so sweet! After I took this picture, I just ate them all!

And the zucchini had a full life - enjoyed by kids in this phase (I couldn't find the bowl after I pour the zucchini bread batter in pan. Then I found it here.)

And, of course, in this phase.

Mmm Mmm Mmm!

Summer goodness - spray park and local ice cream shop

It's been such a cool summer here this year, but it's been nice and hot this week. So I decided to take kids to a spray park in a city where their cousins live. Their great grandma and their 3 cousins joined us and we had a good time! J has not been a big fan of water in the face. But this time, he was soaked wet from head to toe, going over and under water. Of course, they fell sleep on the way home - it was a good 40 minutes nap for them.
After dinner, we headed out to our favorite local ice cream shop. As part of our local libray Summer Reading Program, every 10 books kid read, they receive rewards. Our (ahem, it's more like my, ahem) favorite is the free coupon for small soft serve.
It was a perfect summer day. I love it.

It's a boy!

I had ultrasound this Monday. Before the appointment, we asked J if he thinks it's a boy or girl. He said, "I want a boy, but it's probably going to be a girl. And I'm okay if it's a girl." Then we found out that it's a boy! Baby showed the "proof" pretty clear to us, even though he was very wiggly the whole time. Everything looks good and he seemed to be growing healthy. Kids really enjoyed the view of their baby brother on the screen. What a amazing technology! See you in about 4 months, babe!

Third generation Scoutmaster

My husband is now a Scoutmaster, third generation in his family. So is one of his brother. Third generation Eagle Scout, too. I am so proud of him. He will make a good leader for those teenage boys. I'm sure he'll enjoy camping with bunch of boys as outdoor is his love. He left today for the annual boyscout camp after work. I won't see him till Saturday afternoon. I don't think we have ever been apart for this long (yeah, I know it's only for a few day). Kids and I will miss him. Well, we already do. My friend's husband is an assistant scout leader and he has been there since Monday! I guess I can't complain... She and I will have "Widows' Club" on Friday - nothing fancy. It's just a play date for kids, and for us, well, it's more of stress relief as we'll have adult level conversation (i.e., girls' talk).

What kids have learned lately

Kids and I went to a local farm for strawberry picking, once last week, and again yesterday. They have learned;
- Hand-picked strawberries taste so much better
- J learned to become very good at finding sweet ones
- Some strawberries have funny shapes, some are big, some are small
- And some taste good, and some don't
- Raspberries grow in very poky bushes
- Unripened raspberries have lighter color and they don't taste as good
- They don't come out as easy as well-ripened ones
- Sweet peas come in shells, and they taste actually sweet
- Strawberries cooked in a pot with sugar and lemon juice would eventually turn to be jam
- Mommy's home-made jam tastes like the most delicious thing in the whole world

Ninja!

I confess. I am Ninja. Well, only to catch a fly. Usually by a single swing. No, I don't use a fly swatter. In fact, I don't own one. I use a magazine, usually a Better Homes and Garden one - not so thick like a phone book, but thin enough that I can roll it, and I don't get the black ink like I get from new papers. Today, there was a fly in our living room. I was getting ready to swat that guy. I had a magazine ready, but J wanted to do it. He said confidently, "I can do it!" Yes, he can do a lot of things, but killing a fly? He needs at least another 20 some years of practice, I thought. Oh, I was wrong. He swatted the fly on the living room window. One shot. The fly was dead. Wow! He is Ninja! Good ol' Japanese blood. Fly swatting skill must be engraved in the gene or something. Maybe I can retire from fly swatting.... or maybe I will go to a next level - catching by chopsticks....Nah, I'll let J do that.

Entertainment of the day

J called me loud from our small half-bathroom, "MA-MA~!!" I knew what was going on - J just finished pooping. Ever since he has been potty-trained, he has to show me what his body can produce, every time. He is a very good eater and has a very very healthy body, I mean healthy GI tract. Without going into too much of detailed description, I must say he has clogged toilet more than I ever have in my entire life. And, tonight, I simply just didn't want to move out of couch. So, I asked my husband. He was eating his late-dinner on the couch, and of course, he refused (I would too!). We told J that he had to wait. In a meantime, his sweet little sister went for us to check it out. Then we heard, "Wow! Josh Ooooooookki Unchi-chi!!! ("HUGE poop!" in Japanese)" She was quite fascinated by it and repeatedly reported to us (Thanks, M). We told him to wipe and flush, but J replied "I think it'll probably clog the toilet again." *sign* Oh, boy. I was almost praying it would flush. J gave us a live report on the water level status and we thought it might clog, again. But it flushed! YEAH!!! We all exclaimed! Whew! M waved and said good-bye to it as she went, "Bye-bye! Luv you." Who would have thought such love can be created! Well, to me, I don't have to plunge or clean the floor, so I'm pretty happy about that. And yes, it is very nice to have a child being fully potty-trained. Life is good, isn't it?

Good read

I just checked out a book from our library titled "In praise of stay-at-home-mom" by Dr. Laura. It has been very encouraging and reassuring for me to know that I made the right choice - to become a stay-at-home-mom. I have struggled with guilt, identity and all kind of stuff since I resigned from my full-time job 2 1/2 years ago. But I am finally at the point that I can proudly say that I am a stay-at-home-mom and raising my own kids. And I am loving it. But sure it was a rough path to get here. I couldn't have made it here without my very supportive and understanding husband and my stay-at-home mom friends. I almost wish I had known Dr. Laura earlier....but this is really a good read. I'd better post on my goodreads.com account, (I don't do too often, but I am not really a fiction reader either...).

My little innocent girl....

My sweet innocent girl, M, has discovered her inner strength, maybe. We were at a park yesterday. She and her friends found a Caterpillar. She sat down, looked at it curiously, observed very carefully....then, "Ya! Ya!" She STUMPED on the poor little caterpillar! "I killed it!! I killed it!!" She exclaimed....oh, boy. Well, I guess, at least she was not scared of it, but, that was not exactly what I thought she would do....my little innocent girl is sure growing.

I'm rich!

Too bad that I can't download some pictures because my computer is still down (hint, hint, honey!). But J has been playing a banker lately, just like his Daddy. But this banker is a bit different. He "prints out" his money (strips of paper with green marker outline and some circle with 'a person' in it), and gives out.
:Mama! Here you go. I have 100 million dollars for you!"
What a generous banker!

Happy Mother's Day

Many of you may have heard this before, but I still love it and wanted to share. Happy Mother's Day.

Before I was a Mom,
I never tripped over toys
or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not
my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind
and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom,
I never held down a screaming child
so doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night
watching a baby sleep..

Before I was a Mom,
I never held a sleeping baby just because
I didn't want to put her down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces
when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small
could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom,
I didn't know the feeling of
having my heart outside my body..
I didn't know how special it could feel
to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond
between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small
could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom,
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night
every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth,
the joy,
the love,
the heartache,
the wonderment
or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much,
before I was a Mom .

Beauty of brotherhood

J wanted to sleep with Leo last night, I mean, with him on the floor (I'm so glad that I vacuumed yesterday). Leo usually sleeps in J's room, but this was his first time actually sleeping with his brother on the floor. I bet it was very warm for both of them.

My super hero

J wanted to be Batman. After some on-line research and pondering for material sources, I made batman (well, sort of) mask out of black craft form and rubber bands. Here is a picture of Bat-kids. Two of my kids and their friend.
But, of course, the mask itself didn't satisfy his heart. So he wanted to have a whole outfit. I challenged him to think about how he can do it, and here is what we came up with. J had all the ideas, and my husband and I did assembling part. The spiky gloves were tricky, I thought, but J already had idea in his mind and walked me through it.
Oh, after this picture, he corrected me to put the bat logo on his chest, not on the belt.
Now he is ready to protect us!

my contribution to make it possible

A good friend of mine is part of development group for a local children's museum. There will be a fund raising event in April, and this is my contribution to make that dream possible - making jewelry for silent auction. She and I went to a craft store one day and picked colors. I had so much fun making them. I hope someone will find these jewels worth something and help dream of the children's museum come true! (Too bad that I'm not a photographer....)

PAY IT FORWARD!

THE RULES:
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to Leave A Comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me. (it will be a surprise but I promise to make it something fun)
(See instructions below as to how to "Leave A Comment"

2. Winners, you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will "Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift for the first THREE bloggers who Leave A Comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Counts!

.....................................................................................
My comment: I usually don't sign-up for this kind of things, but I liked the idea of spreading good deeds - spreading sunshine, smiles, and happiness! So, sign-up!!

He's got my genes

J had a rubber band taped up on the tip of a pencil. He tried to explained to me that he wants to make a thing like Ashitaka uses in Princess Mononoke. He used every gesture imaginable to explain what he wanted. "Ah! I know exactly what you want!" I exclaimed. He wanted a bow and arrows! I remember when I was a kid, I wanted to play "knitting." No way knowing how to knit, I made my own pretend-knitting tit - 2 pencils taped up with a piece of fabric. Hmmm, it sounds familiar? He's got my genes! So, I got out a few more rubber bands, scotch tape, a couple of disposable chopsticks, toilet paper roll, card stock paper, and a ribbon...and Voila! Scotch tape makes anything possible! J loved his own bow and arrow set. And I loved being a kid again making it. It was fun to see J's eye just glowing as he saw what those random items becoming to be.

Believe or not, this arrow really flies!

J was happily pretending to be Ashitaka

As I write this, J said "I want to be like Batman using this" handing me a handkerchief. Oh, boy. Okay, I'm coming!

Life is good

As I was about to spread a freshly laundered linen table cloth on our dining table, my husband walked in. Daddy came home! Kids screamed "Daaaadddddyyyy!!!!" I couldn't help smiling. What a happy family I am in. How blessed I am. Life is good.

Massage Therapy

I went to get a massage today. It sounds luxurious, but it is more therapeutic than anything else. My massage therapist has become a good friend to me in the past several years. After an hour-long massage and some good therapeutic talk with her, I feel so much better. She really helps me understand and appreciate who I am as a woman, a wife, and a mother. I was feeling stressed and frazzled lately, but I feel calmer and more "put together" now. It's like oil change. You need it every so often for a good maintenance. My oil was getting bad, but now I'm good for another 3000 miles! Thanks, Pat!

Bedtime snack

We came home from Grandma and Papa's (my in-laws) around 9 pm tonight. M fell sleep in the car on the way home, so she went strait to bed. J, on the other hand, was still awake being hungry. So were Mommy and Daddy. We had consensus of having oatmeal for our bedtime snack tonight. I cooked it on the stove. Three of us sat at dining table and each had a bowl of oatmeal. It was very nice. I think J enjoyed it - special time with his Mommy and Daddy, their attention all to himself. No fight for attention. We do spend time alone with him time to time, but usually only one of us at a time, not both of us with him alone. That was probably the best bedtime snack we had in a while. I don't know if it's oatmeal or the time together, or even both, but I feel so calm and peace. I think I can sleep good tonight.

A day trip to a children's museum

We went to a children's museum about 1.5 hour drive from here. We played all day - bubbles, Legos, magnets, all kind of noises, mirrors, play bank drive-through, play restaurant, etc. Kids had a good time. Hubby and I had a good time. There were many crying kids at the end, including ours, who did not want to go home. It was fun. J showed us his new skill (no pic) - a flipping a pancake on a flying pan without using spatula, just like a chef. Wow, where did he learn that? Maybe he watched Curious George and Man-in-a-yellow-hat doing it one time. But it sure was pretty impressive.

Creation of the day

The fanciest dinner of the week - pancakes. Letter-shape ones, to be specific. There were many snake-shape ones from tempted "S"s and "J"s and some unknown shape ones. But kids loved what they had on their plates (above). Thanks to my friend Cari for the idea. I used an old ketchup bottle instead. It worked great. J ate all the "failed" letters and wanted to keep the good shape ones for later. Pancakes have been not so popular for kids lately, but I think this technique brought them back to kids' favorite food list.

Theme "Creation" update

Creation of the day - A memory.
J was drawing some pictures this morning. I was very happy to see arms and legs coming out of his little doodle guy. I sent the picture to my hubby at work for him to enjoy. He thought it would be nice to have some drawings of J's posted in his office. So, we decided to take some drawings to his office and have a lunch with him. I packed a loaf of banana bread, sandwiches, and chicken noodle soup for our lunch, and we headed out to Daddy's work. It was a beautiful sunny day for a drive. I believe it is important for kids to see how and where their Daddy works. And it's good to have a memory that they had a special lunch with Daddy at his work place.

Theme "Creation" updates

Update from yesterday, "Creation of the day" - Burrito dinner, from scratch. Tortilla, beans, Spanish rice, and the meat. I will post recipe on my recipe blog site soon. If you would like to be a contributor, let me know.

Today's "Creation of the day" - a clean kitchen. It sounds lame, sort of, but it "created" a calm and peace in the kitchen. That's still a creation, right? Starting with normal washing dishes routine and around the sink, counter top, then onto to stove top, to over the stop vent, and fridge wall. No, I didn't mop, but it was good enough creation for the day. Oh, I baked another batch of french bread. That counts too.

I've got a mail!

From my hubby. Titled: "PSSSSSSSSSssssssttttttt..."

The contents: "Love you."

How sweet! I love you, my love!

Creation

I am having a theme this week - creation.
"...Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty.....Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter..." is quoted by Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
It's true. When I make something and see the progress or result, I get a sense of satisfaction. And because, somehow, almost every year, this almost-end-of-winter-but-not-quite-yet-in-Michigan weather in March is so hard for me. I needed something to perk me up.

So, that's the theme. Creation. Doesn't have to be anything fancy, but I'm going to try to create something this week.

Yesterday, I created a memory with my daughter, making pizza from scratch - dough and 2 kind of sauces. No pic, sorry. I'll post another time. M "helped" me rolling the dough and poking with folk. Mostly, she was next to me playing with water in the sink, but it's a start of creating memory in the kitchen with mom, just like I remember with my mom in her kitchen. By the way, I believe I just made the most delicious home-made pizza - I got thumbs up from J and "Mmmmm!!!" from my hubby.

Today, I baked a french bread, the pic below. They were so beautiful, and tasted yummy. And J and I baked cupcakes. I measured, and J poured them in a mixer. We created yummy cupcakes and green frosting together - a good memory of being in the kitchen together. I hope kids will remember these things coming out of Mommy's kitchen, not from a box at some store.

I just checked out a book, Just Like Mama Used to Make. It's a recipe book, but also talks about traditions and things in this Italian family. She talks how her mom is the kitchen all the time - cooking, canning, baking, etc. I thought "that sounds like me!" I really love being in the kitchen making things. One point in my life, I had thought myself as less of a mom because I don't sit down with kids to play much, or bring painting stuff out for kids to make a mess. But that was silly of me. I do enough with kids in my kitchen. That's our playground - with flour and sugar and water and all kind of unorganized matter. We put them into our hands and mold it into something of beauty. What a beauty.

Good ol' technology

I remember when I was in 1st grade, there was a homework - a drawing of future. I was supposed to draw what I would picture as "future." I don't remember if I came up with anything, but oh boy, did I ever dream that I would be talking to my parents through computer 20 some years later (ahem), from here to Japan, with 14 hour time differences?? Wow! I'm amazed! (yeah, I know we are little behind in some technology....) Kids enjoyed "meeting" with my parents. My dad had never seen M in person, so he was thrilled! Thanks to Skype. We had a good time.

Did I mention I love my husband?

We went out for a date last night. Thanks to Papa (my father-in-law) for baby-sitting. It was nothing extravagant We went out for a dinner (thanks to my dh's co-worker for a gift certificate), rented some movies, and went to Tim Hortons. Oh, it was great! We talked and ate and talked and laughed and talked and giggled and talked and laughed. I laughed so hard I even got some ab work-out! He is such a funny guy. So much fun to be with. And I love him dearly. It was a fun date night. Thanks, honey. You make me laugh and, of course, happy, very much.

Facebook

I feel like an old lady, you know, not keeping up with latest things such as iPod and facebook and what not. And I was okay with that, but I was invited to join a group by my boss and I finally signed up today. And I already found so many families and friends. It's nice to be connected. It's fun.

Spring is coming soon....please!?

It's still cold here, but we see more and more sun shine. I have a hope! Spring is coming soon!
We went to post office to pick up a care-package from my parents in Japan yesterday. It was so nice! It was only like 15 degree F, but it was SUNNY! Still too cold to play at park, but it was a perfect weather for a drive. So we decided to drive a little further than post office - we went to see Daddy at work. It was a good surprising visit for Daddy, but he loves to show off his family :)
And thanks to my parents for the care-package. They send us ones quite frequently. We have Christmas so often!

Doodle Dude

It's funny to see the differences between my 2 kids - a boy and a girl. M would just sit and happily colors with crayons for quite a while. On the other hand, J is all about actions - car crash game with riding toys, ghost hunting with his PVC pipe marshmallow gun, rock 'n' rolling with his pillow, etc. So I don't think he's got much of drawing practice per se. But his doodle guy has now have eye brows and eye balls! This guy below is a "Pirate Ghost" with "skeleton" body.

This is what it was like till only a couple of weeks ago

Yay!