Me: I'm making fried rice for dinner, because I need to make a fast dinner after karate class.
Colin: fried rice is the best for karate class!
Me: ?
Colin: well, fried rice has rice. and rice is Chinese. And Chinese people are ninjas. So fried rice is the best ninja food.
no. no stereotypes at all in that conversation.
Monday, February 18, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Cara's first sentence
Colin was sick today. So I threw together some good Chinese kid sick food. Congee. But, Cara inhaled it. And to our surprise, the beast who usually grunts said in a polite and almost mousy voice, "Mo jop jop?" translation: More congee??
ah, of course her first sentence would be regarding the replenishment of her food. of course....
ah, of course her first sentence would be regarding the replenishment of her food. of course....
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wild Thing
Cara is a wild one. A beast, and silly to the bone. In fact, it was just 2 nights ago I was lamenting how mischievous she was. After we had put both the kids down, we had return to their room 3 times.
We knew trouble was brewing when we saw the lights flick on/off and heard giggling, so Joe just said with a stern voice from below, "Lay down. Go back to sleep." No sooner than 5 minutes had passed, I heard some noise over the monitor. Not crying, not snoring... a rustling of some sort. I went in to check, and there she was, mangling the blinds on the window. After the light switch and the blinds, I literally pulled her crib out into the middle of the room so she couldn't touch anything within arms reach. I had also noticed she had taken her sleep sack off. I put it back on.
Third time. Noise. Giggling. It was Joe's turn. He goes in, and finds the beast completely naked. She had taken her sleep sack and her sleeper off this time.
She's a sweet girl, really. But she's just wild.
She loves to jump off stairs, flip upside down, get tossed in the air as high as Daddy can throw her. And she loves to climb on you, and balance.
I was on the computer, and she usually climbs up on the chair with me to stand and hang on to me (much like a pet monkey). This time, she decided to get between me and the computer, and stand on my legs.
She kept trying to balance, taking her hands off while standing on my legs going "whoooaaaa, whoooooaaaaa". But eventually she would fall, and I would catch her and we'd smile and giggle.
She's loveable, but wild.
We kept doing that, and she kept falling, and I kept catching her. Then, I started thinking - one day, her risk taking and wild ways will be more than I can handle. She'll be taking emotional, academic, social and other physical risks. And as I thought, I'm going to always be there to catch her. No matter the risks. I'm her mama, and as hard her falls may be, I made a promise to her right and then - that I would always catch her.
We knew trouble was brewing when we saw the lights flick on/off and heard giggling, so Joe just said with a stern voice from below, "Lay down. Go back to sleep." No sooner than 5 minutes had passed, I heard some noise over the monitor. Not crying, not snoring... a rustling of some sort. I went in to check, and there she was, mangling the blinds on the window. After the light switch and the blinds, I literally pulled her crib out into the middle of the room so she couldn't touch anything within arms reach. I had also noticed she had taken her sleep sack off. I put it back on.
Third time. Noise. Giggling. It was Joe's turn. He goes in, and finds the beast completely naked. She had taken her sleep sack and her sleeper off this time.
She's a sweet girl, really. But she's just wild.
She loves to jump off stairs, flip upside down, get tossed in the air as high as Daddy can throw her. And she loves to climb on you, and balance.
I was on the computer, and she usually climbs up on the chair with me to stand and hang on to me (much like a pet monkey). This time, she decided to get between me and the computer, and stand on my legs.
She kept trying to balance, taking her hands off while standing on my legs going "whoooaaaa, whoooooaaaaa". But eventually she would fall, and I would catch her and we'd smile and giggle.
She's loveable, but wild.
We kept doing that, and she kept falling, and I kept catching her. Then, I started thinking - one day, her risk taking and wild ways will be more than I can handle. She'll be taking emotional, academic, social and other physical risks. And as I thought, I'm going to always be there to catch her. No matter the risks. I'm her mama, and as hard her falls may be, I made a promise to her right and then - that I would always catch her.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
New Beginnings
I've been praying. I'll be honest though, I'm not very eloquent in my prayers, but on this 3rd day of the New Year, I've found myself spontaneously praying a lot more.
I don't make resolutions, but I'm thinking that talking to God is a good start. My life isn't perfect. My marriage isn't always happy, my insecurities are always creeping up on me, my dysfunctional family frustrates me, and my kids - well, they're kids - what more do I need to say.
I'm finding that in all these imperfections, I can only look up and in the moments where I can give thanks to God for giving me the life I am living. I've always said I can't be the supermom that everyone strives to be. I'm not trying to be her - I've given up on that (image). I want to be the mom that's real, knows my weaknesses, and am not afraid to show them - so that others can be strengthened and empowered to know they're not alone.
I want to be a good wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. There are serious weaknesses in every area of my life, and I feel like I need an instruction manual for life. I need chapters like "What to say when you're wrong", "How to not be lazy", "When you feel like giving up", "How to care more", and a chapter like "How to find the Apple TV remote' would be really helpful too. God is my guide. I need to constantly go to him for instruction to weave through this thing called life in a completely sane matter.
Praying doesn't automatically solve all my issues. Praying just allows me to reflect on them, and brings awareness of my ownership in each area. I feel transparent, and real - but I find myself giving thanks more than anything though each time I pray, because I feel so blessed and loved. The love that God has for me, is far beyond my understanding, but because I am loved like that, it flows through me and is poured upon my family. And the best thing I can do for my family, is to love them unconditionally.
I know I am rambling (re: eloquence issue), and my prayers are for the most part like this. And God doesn't mind.
I don't make resolutions, but I'm thinking that talking to God is a good start. My life isn't perfect. My marriage isn't always happy, my insecurities are always creeping up on me, my dysfunctional family frustrates me, and my kids - well, they're kids - what more do I need to say.
I'm finding that in all these imperfections, I can only look up and in the moments where I can give thanks to God for giving me the life I am living. I've always said I can't be the supermom that everyone strives to be. I'm not trying to be her - I've given up on that (image). I want to be the mom that's real, knows my weaknesses, and am not afraid to show them - so that others can be strengthened and empowered to know they're not alone.
I want to be a good wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend. There are serious weaknesses in every area of my life, and I feel like I need an instruction manual for life. I need chapters like "What to say when you're wrong", "How to not be lazy", "When you feel like giving up", "How to care more", and a chapter like "How to find the Apple TV remote' would be really helpful too. God is my guide. I need to constantly go to him for instruction to weave through this thing called life in a completely sane matter.
Praying doesn't automatically solve all my issues. Praying just allows me to reflect on them, and brings awareness of my ownership in each area. I feel transparent, and real - but I find myself giving thanks more than anything though each time I pray, because I feel so blessed and loved. The love that God has for me, is far beyond my understanding, but because I am loved like that, it flows through me and is poured upon my family. And the best thing I can do for my family, is to love them unconditionally.
I know I am rambling (re: eloquence issue), and my prayers are for the most part like this. And God doesn't mind.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Old People
Colin: Why is PoPo [grandma] Chinese?
Me: Because she's from China.
Colin: Why is Tai Tai [great grandma] Chinese?
Me: Because she's from China too.
Colin: Why are all the old people from China?
He makes a good point.
Me: Because she's from China.
Colin: Why is Tai Tai [great grandma] Chinese?
Me: Because she's from China too.
Colin: Why are all the old people from China?
He makes a good point.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Men. It starts early.
Colin: Mommy, can I have a playdate with Eric?
Me: Sure. I can talk to his mommy tomorrow, and I can see if you can play with Eric.
Colin: Okay. Who's Eric?
Me: .... (men.)
Me: Sure. I can talk to his mommy tomorrow, and I can see if you can play with Eric.
Colin: Okay. Who's Eric?
Me: .... (men.)
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Colin Has a New Roommate....
His annoying little sister! Lucky little boy. I kid, I kid. She's not annoying all the time.
Yesterday, Joe and I bit the bullet, and moved the crib back upstairs. I've always had it in my head that the kids would share a room one day, but with imminent house guests arriving shortly after our trip, we wanted to have a good adjustment period for Colin and Cara to get used to this new living situation.
Well, folks, it may seem crazy, but the more I thought about it, I started making more sense to myself.
Colin is 3.5, and Cara is 1.5. Sure, they're different genders, but even if we had 4 or 5 bedrooms in this house, I think I'd like to give sibling roommate thing a try regardless. Why?
Bonding
They have a good relationship, they don't beat each other to a pulp (yet), and in fact are very kind and enjoy each other's company. I want them to be able to develop this relationship, outside of my radar ultrasonic mommy range. (I'm lying, there's a baby monitor in that room still). But to them, Mom and Dad are not there, and they are able to develop a bond special to themselves. Which, I hope, will come in handy when Cara starts dating.
Sharing
Well, now that they're physically sharing the same space (which is probably the hardest for adults to learn to share), it will probably be easier for them to share other things. Not just with one another, but with their friends as well. I don't want them to each have a room, full of just 'their' things, and get this idea that they own it all. Cause honey-pumpkin-doodle-bugs... you don't. Entitlement is not something that magically happens when they're 23, and looking for a real adult job. All things are learned at young ages, and I'm going to snip that entitlement virus as soon as I can. Why not start with - 'darling, everything is not your's'. If they want to earn it, they have piggy banks, and can buy it. But for now, if Mom and Dad got it, it's shared, and it's for the family.
Responsibility
I'm not so sure about this one, but I'm hoping that they'll learn what they do, affects other people. Roommates will teach you that very quickly. And, also, just putting up with someones else's crap. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?
They're young once
One boy, one girl. We will have to separate them at some point, but they're at an age where this makes sense for us to open up space for another room. Why not take advantage of their ages, and let them enjoy being around each other - because there will come a time, when they will want to shut the door in each other's faces. You'll know when that time comes, when all my updates are regarding 'door renovations'.
Bunk Bed? Hell Yeah!
Not only is a bunk bed the coolest thing ever, it's... the coolest thing ever. And if you have parents that want to relive their childhood dreams, then you're in better luck. We wanted an excuse to buy a really cool bunk bed when the time came. If our children were not sharing a room, then the world would know that we bought a bed with slide/stairs (do those come in Queen sizes...?)for ourselves, and that would be, well, embarrassing (but still really fun).
The dream. And no, I'm not talking about the 3 kids.
Yesterday, Joe and I bit the bullet, and moved the crib back upstairs. I've always had it in my head that the kids would share a room one day, but with imminent house guests arriving shortly after our trip, we wanted to have a good adjustment period for Colin and Cara to get used to this new living situation.
Well, folks, it may seem crazy, but the more I thought about it, I started making more sense to myself.
Colin is 3.5, and Cara is 1.5. Sure, they're different genders, but even if we had 4 or 5 bedrooms in this house, I think I'd like to give sibling roommate thing a try regardless. Why?
Bonding
They have a good relationship, they don't beat each other to a pulp (yet), and in fact are very kind and enjoy each other's company. I want them to be able to develop this relationship, outside of my radar ultrasonic mommy range. (I'm lying, there's a baby monitor in that room still). But to them, Mom and Dad are not there, and they are able to develop a bond special to themselves. Which, I hope, will come in handy when Cara starts dating.
Sharing
Well, now that they're physically sharing the same space (which is probably the hardest for adults to learn to share), it will probably be easier for them to share other things. Not just with one another, but with their friends as well. I don't want them to each have a room, full of just 'their' things, and get this idea that they own it all. Cause honey-pumpkin-doodle-bugs... you don't. Entitlement is not something that magically happens when they're 23, and looking for a real adult job. All things are learned at young ages, and I'm going to snip that entitlement virus as soon as I can. Why not start with - 'darling, everything is not your's'. If they want to earn it, they have piggy banks, and can buy it. But for now, if Mom and Dad got it, it's shared, and it's for the family.
Responsibility
I'm not so sure about this one, but I'm hoping that they'll learn what they do, affects other people. Roommates will teach you that very quickly. And, also, just putting up with someones else's crap. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger right?
They're young once
One boy, one girl. We will have to separate them at some point, but they're at an age where this makes sense for us to open up space for another room. Why not take advantage of their ages, and let them enjoy being around each other - because there will come a time, when they will want to shut the door in each other's faces. You'll know when that time comes, when all my updates are regarding 'door renovations'.
Bunk Bed? Hell Yeah!
Not only is a bunk bed the coolest thing ever, it's... the coolest thing ever. And if you have parents that want to relive their childhood dreams, then you're in better luck. We wanted an excuse to buy a really cool bunk bed when the time came. If our children were not sharing a room, then the world would know that we bought a bed with slide/stairs (do those come in Queen sizes...?)for ourselves, and that would be, well, embarrassing (but still really fun).
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