Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

The Moment I Contemplated Suicide

~ Etc.

Starting several months ago, I had such a strong urge to share this message. It wasn’t until last month that I filmed myself, then it took me another month for me to get the courage to publish it.

It is so vulnerable and the message is really cheesy at times, I feel so cringey and awkward sharing it!

But I feel strongly that someone needs to hear this message so me feeling uncomfortable is worth it.

Have you ever felt hopeless? If you could go back to that time now, what do you wish you could know back then? What would you tell your past self?

And how has life been for you lately? Are you struggling?

Please stay.

Why I Stopped Praising My Kids – A New Way to Parent

~ Etc.

I’m super nervous to post this, so please be kind. Watch to see why I stopped giving praises to my kids.

I believe there are times praises are merited and empowering for the kids. I’m talking about the culture of over-excessive and constant praises we are taught to always say to our kids.

If we are constantly praising even for the littlest things, it becomes the “norm” and praises from us stop meaning much to our kids. And they don’t get a chance to ask themselves if they’re doing it because they really love it or they’re doing it to get validation from others.

So I’m not saying I will never praise my kids, I plan to at the right moments! Nothing is an all or nothing approach when it comes to parenting and use your intuition, that’s always the right answer.

This was done in one take, no preparation beforehand or using a script so I hope it makes sense!

Ever since I was little, my favorite subjects to talk about were the purpose of life, life after death, happiness, spirituality, and parenting. I always knew I wanted to be a mom so I’d eagerly read parenting articles and books since I was in Jr. High.

Since I don’t have a degree or an official education in psychology or child development or in parenting, I always felt I wasn’t worthy enough to post about parenting advice or tips I’ve accumulated over the years.

So when many of you DM me and ask me for parenting advice, I was always so baffled! Why would they ask me? I’d wonder.

Well, I’ve realized I’m an old, old soul who’s lived many life times and accumulated vast knowledge and I wanted to come to this life time to be a mother. Because I knew I’d be a really good one.

I make many mistakes and I have so much more room to improve, but one thing I am very confident in, is my close, amazing, uplifting and empowering relationship I have with each of my kids. And how I was so eager, passionate and excited to come down and be a mother to my 3 amazing kids.

So this is first of many more of parenting tips, life advice, deep thoughts and epiphanies in my life that has helped tremendously in my happiness and self confidence. Take it or leave it, it’s all up to you. I hope you enjoy.

The first part of the video might have sounded like I don’t say nice things to my children or build them up. The opposite is true! So I wanted to clarify.

While I don’t believe in excessive praises for every little action they do, I am a big believer in validating who they are, without tying their actions to their worth and value. I want them to know that they don’t need to prove anything to me, it’s their birthright to be loved, accepted and valued.

So call it praises, compliments or validations, these are my favorite ways to build them up. Because it’s telling them they’re not tied to an action they do, they’re whole just being themselves.

Did you receive validations in your childhood?

My Beauty Secret: 10-Step Korean Skincare Routine

~ Etc.

I started implementing the 10-step skincare routine a couple years ago and my skin has never looked better! Here are the products I use and some tips for you to take away for a better skin!

Watch the video below for my complete 10-step skincare routine and the exact products I use! Links to the products can be found below the video.

Watch to see why I fell in love with these Korean skincare products and just how amazing they are! I plan on using them everyday for the rest of my life, until the day I die! That’s how well it works and how much I love it!

So the secret is to start with the products that are the thinnest to the thickest. This way, the thinner products are able to absorb into the skin first and you build upon it, all the way to the thick creams and/or oils.

MY 10-STEP KOREAN SKINCARE REGIMEN:

  1. Oil-based face wash (this one I am currently using)
  2. Foam-based face wash (this one I am currently using)
  3. Aloe Vera (linked here)
  4. BEST Essence (first essence I use here, second essence I use here)
  5. Hyaluronic acid (linked here)
  6. BEST Ampoule (best ampoule I’ve used: full size here, travel size here)
  7. *FAVORITE Face mask (my favorite linked here)
  8. BEST Face lotion (best face lotion I’ve ever used full size linked here, travel size linked here)
  9. FAVORITE Face oil (my favorite face oil linked here, use code: sarahtyau for 10% off!)
  10. Aquaphor or Vaseline (linked here and here)

While I switch up the skincare products every few months(when I use up the entire bottle of the one skincare product, I switch to another), there are 4 skincare products I use everyday, no matter what. They are the snail mucin essence, Korean Orcell Ampoule, Korean face cream, and Vaseline/Aquaphor

You can only get this Korean face cream and ampoule in Korea so I started a small business selling them myself! I plan on using it for myself everyday until the day I die, so when I order them for myself, I also order them for you! I have them shipped straight from their warehouse in Korea and it’s always free shipping for you for the full sizes!

The FULL SIZE Stem cell Korean Face Cream can be purchased here: https://forms.gle/zvedrFtoqG3m8TrMA

The TRAVEL SIZE stem cell Korean Face Cream can be purchased here: https://forms.gle/zvedrFtoqG3m8TrMA

The FULL SIZE Orcell Ampoule can be purchased here: https://forms.gle/6tR7XxYMdV6Hm48b6

The TRAVEL SIZE Orcell Ampoule can be purchased here: https://forms.gle/5SvU9FCGd8iV9L2J9

Are you familiar with the 1-step Korean skincare routine? Do you implement it or do you plan to? And let me know if there are must try skincare products that you swear by!

The Flooring We Chose for our Home

~ Etc.

We wanted solid hardwood floors in the entire house except for the bathrooms(of course), the entryway and the mudroom. Carpets sure are cozy and soft and nice to lay down or sit on, but I like that with wood floors, there will be less allergies and things can’t be buried deep underneath the carpet.

I’ve also had my fair share of having carpets in our bathrooms and kitchen, yes, that’s right, carpets! I had to potty train all 3 of my kids in the carpeted floors and just imagine how fun it is, having to clean up any accidents! Yeah, I never want to experience that ever again. The funny thing is, we STILL have carpet in one of our main bathrooms in our current house right now. I will not miss it.

I knew I wanted light, matte, warm but not yellow color that is clean, simple yet elegant, and soft to the touch. I also wanted a color that was as close to the color we have in our current kitchen and the dining room. After much online browsing and looking in stores, we chose Ginger lily oak from Hallmark Floors. I just love that the light color will brighten up the whole space by reflecting more sunlight and it checked off all the boxes! It’s perfect!

We were debating whether to get prefinished wood floors or the finished wood floors and after doing some research, I felt better going with the finished wood floors because:

1. They emit no toxic or smell in your home as it was stained previously and had plenty of time to cure.

2. They have thicker coating so it is more stain-resistant and scratch-resistant.

But I do love that the prefinished wood have no seams with a smooth coating, so not only do you not have to worry about moisture instrusion between the seams, but I prefer the no seam look, so I get the appeal of both!

Here are the benefits of the flooring that we picked out:

Benefits

FASHION

PERFORMANCE

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

Doesn’t that sound amazing? We can’t wait to see this floor all over our home!!!