Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

FEATURED Part 2

~ Etc., PRESS, SEWING

 

*So this was a compilation I was working on last year in 2017 but I never published it! So here it is, a year later.

 

The features keep coming, this is so crazy(see the first set of features here)! And the comments are so kind and supportive, I’ve already cried twice while reading them, thank you so much! This is mainly just for me to keep track of all the places that I know of that has featured me. I know there must be other ones that I am not aware of so feel free to contact me when you see a feature, I’d appreciate it!

The biggest feature I got so far, which has given me 25,000+ followers on Instagram in just 2 days is from People.com!

 

People.com

The morning show was shown live on People’s FB page(shown at 21:46)

 

 

People Facebook Page(4.3 million views, 9253 shares, 1.2k comments and 40k likes!)

 

People on Instagram

I couldn’t help but crack up at their feature on their Instagram page, there’s Beyonce, Kate Middleton and Prince William, Jennifer Gardner, Kim Kardashian, and then wait, who is this random girl? She’s not a celebrity! Hahaha. 😀

 

 

People Style

 

AOL website

 

AOL Facebook page 

 

 

 

TIPHERO website

Tip Hero Facebook page

 

In The Know Facebook page

 

Dude Perfect Facebook page

 

Nicer Days on FB

 

Nice Things Website

 

 

Merry Christmas FB page

 

Alfa News FB

 

Oh My Mag

Onedio

 

Popularne

 

 

Scribol website

 

My Secret to a Great Photo Shoot

~ Etc.

 

 

This post is in partnership with VSP Vision Care.

 

 



Wouldn’t you agree that I look pretty put together in these photos? Well, would you believe me if I said it only took me 7 seconds to get my face all done up? Would you like to know my secret to looking put together at lightning speed for those times when you don’t have the time, or are running late or are just too lazy(me, many days) but you still want to look like you did? Of course you do!

So here is my go-to trick; Sunglasses and lipstick. These two are the only things you need in order to look like you got ready and all done-up! The more over-sized the sunglasses the better, so it covers more of your bare face like these sunglasses above(aren’t they so cute? They’re from Calvin Klein). Then you put on lipstick and voila! You are ready for any fashion shoot life throws at you, like this shoot that I was almost 30 mins. late to and didn’t have time to get ready for!

I always make sure I have sunglasses on when I’m outside, not only because it makes me look more put together, but more importantly because they offer UV protection and promotes healing for my eyes, after I got my lasik surgery last year. I’ve also noticed that when I am in the bright sunlight without my sunglasses on, I tend to get more headaches! There are other benefits of wearing sunglasses such as prevention from skin cancer and cataracts, and protecting your eyes from elements like the snow(which reflects 80% of UV rays), sand, wind and dust. Doesn’t this make you want to go put on your sunglasses?

 

VSP Vision Care and market research agency YouGov just released some interesting findings about Americans and their vision care:

  • Over 84% of the people rate vision as their most important sense but only half of the people get annual eye exams.
  • The main reason why people don’t get eye exams is because they think they don’t need new glasses or contacts, followed by expense, then not having vision care coverage. Because many vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms, everyone should get an annual eye exam even if you don’t wear glasses or contacts.
  • Signs of serious health conditions can be detected through an eye exam such as diabetes, glaucoma, brain tumors, and high blood pressure.

 

So while I have 20/20 vision now, I still get annual eye exams because my eyes are the #1 sense I use the most out of all my 5 senses and I want to keep it that way. So you should put comprehensive eye exam as your top priority too. You can schedule an annual comprehensive eye exam with a VSP network doctor. Find one near you by visiting VSP.com.

When People Like the Skirt More Than Your DIY Top

~ Etc., Refashion Revision, SEWING

 

 

 

Have you checked out my bow-tie Refashion Revision yet? I thought I would be using the sleeves I cut off from this blouse to make the bow-tie but I had enough fabric from cutting the sides of the bodice to make the bow-tie!

And remind me to not post my DIY with even a cuter piece of clothing like this skirt, people were more interested in this skirt than my DIY top! Many asked if I had made it, where I had got it, comments about how cute the skirt was(with no mention of the DIY top) Hahahaha. It sure is a cute skirt, can’t blame them! I got this skirt from Anthropologie 3 years ago, for those of you I am sure are wondering.

And for the first time in my life, I’ve hired help for getting my house cleaned! Besides the bathrooms, vacuuming, mopping the floor, what do you have them do? Is it okay to have them organize, do laundry/fold laundry, or iron clothes? Is that allowed? Also, do you tip them? I don’t know the etiquette or the rules!

Dressing Up as My Korean Ancestor!

~ Etc.

 

 

 

These are the photographs of my grandmother. I didn’t get a chance to know her much because when I was born, she was paralyzed and couldn’t speak and then passed away when I was about 8 years old. Several years prior to me being born, she was hit by a semi-truck on her way home from church on a Sunday and was in a coma for over a year. The truck driver took her to the hospital but since she was unconscious and without any form of I.D, they had no idea of knowing her identity so there wasn’t much they could do.

My family having no clue what happened to her or where she was, looked for her for over two years until she was conscious and coherent enough to one day tell the nurse her name when the nurse was more talking to herself and saying something to the lines of, “Oh, you poor lady, you can’t even say your name or know what’s going on.” Then she was startled when my grandmother suddenly said, “I know who I am! My name is Jung-Su Ok!”

I still remember driving around everywhere for hours looking for her, my mom and my grandfather lifting the newspapers of the homeless people who were sleeping on benches, to see if it was my grandmother under it. I was too young to understand then but now looking back, I cannot fathom the devastation or the fear my mom and my grandfather must have felt! But they never lost faith or hope and eventually, found her and brought her home. I saw my grandfather take such gentle care of her and saw how much my mom sacrificed to be her caretaker.

I am in awe of the strength my family had and the excellent care they gave her until her passing. I learned a lot about family values, loyalty and the immense love we should have for our families, through my family and I am so grateful for their amazing example.

 

I had the chance to work with Relative Race, a great family show about finding their long-last relatives while on a race across the country and are given clues and challenges along the way, to help promote season 4. They had the idea of dressing each of us as one of our ancestors and talk about our memories of them and I chose my grandmother. I had to rummage through some old boxes to find photographers of her and two days after I found the photos and sent it to BYUtv, they had the set ready and my wardrobe picked out and MUA’s waiting for me and I was so impressed!

Would you like to see the photos from the photoshoot?

 

Each one of us were transformed into our ancestors, what do you think?

 

The day I went into set to receive a transformation was the day my dad passed away exactly one year ago. So as you can imagine, I was very emotional when talking about my grandmother who has also passed away, and I just kept crying. If you watch the second video, you’ll be able to tell by my shaky voice. But it was a great experience and I believe our ancestors are very involved in our daily lives, more than we realize, and I felt close to my grandmother and also my dad that day. It was a special day for me.

Relative Race just aired their premier of season 4, if you’ve never watched it, it is very entertaining, heartfelt and uplifting. So you are definitely missing out and you should check it out! You can watch all of their past episodes for free here: http://relativerace.com/sarah

 

Watch this video below for behind the scenes of the photo shoot

 

Watch this video below for the full interview by BYUtv!

 

 

 

So what do you think of the photo shoot?

 

Our family’s top 7 favorite board games

~ Etc.

 

 

This post is sponsored By Kindercare. Thank you for your support!

 

 

I am a big believer that when teaching kids how to learn, it should be done in a fun, creative way. It’s especially important for young kids to associate learning with fun because it instills in them the excitement and the love for learning from the very beginning which will shape how they view learning for the rest of their lives! When they associate learning with fun, they will more likely engage in learning willingly and happily.

 

My favorite way to teach my kids is to play board games with them. Whether it’s with the whole family or just me and the child, it’s one of my kids’ favorite things to do to as a family and it’s a win-win for me because many board games teach them to learn in one way or another, whether it be geography, adding or subtracting, counting numbers, reading, team work or strategy and negotiating.

 

Here are my family’s top 7 favorite board games. My kids love them and they always want to play these games and never get sick of them. Me on the other hand, I am about done after 15 minutes into the game and I am squirming on the inside with boredom. Haha, anyone else? I do it for the kids, it’s all about the kids.

 

My family’s top 7 favorite board games
  1. Sleeping Queens – invented by a little girl herself, this one is my kids’ favorite game of all time.
  2. Uno– the classic Uno, you can’t go wrong.
  3. The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game – this game is really cute and helps with coordination and motor skills.
  4. Exploding Kittens – I have never personally played it but my girls played it at their aunt’s house and have been raving about it since.
  5. Monopoly Junior -because the regular Monopoly goes on way too long. This one is a lot shorter, hallelujah!
  6. Polynesian Voyage – my 5 year old son loves this game!
  7. The Settlers of Catan- this is for older kids. I can’t wait until they’re all old enough to play this game!
 
This little boy right here recently turned 5 years old and will be starting Preschool this Fall. We decided to hold him back a year since he has a Summer birthday. Jay was adamant on holding our son back a year, mainly because of sports, but if you ask him, he’ll never admit it! After asking many moms and teachers, most did seem to agree that you never meet a parent whom regretted holding their child back but you do meet parents who have regretted sending their kids a year early, especially for boys. So after agreeing with my husband to hold our son back a year, it was very important for me to look for a Preschool that would still challenge him mentally and he wouldn’t get bored and tune himself out.

 

Because having him be challenged in school is important to me, Kindercare is a Preschool I would feel good sending my son to. What initially started in 1969 for mothers starting in the workforce because they needed a place to take care of their children, has evolved 50 years later into a well-established and respected schools all across the Nation.

I have been impressed by their school’s statistics such as kids enrolled in their kindergarten programs test at first-grade levels in both reading and math, they know that it’s not all about academic but in order to be successful in the rapidly changing world today, kids need skills like creativity, collaboration and critical-thinking. They also emphasize in “executive function” skills, which includes things like mental flexibility, perseverance, and focus. I love that!

I feel like these skills are even more important than, dare I say being book smart in the world of day! These traits and qualities will get you farther in life and in the work force and I love that Kindercare notices that and makes it it’s utmost importance next to academic learning. Read about their blog post about how Kindercare kids test better and are better prepared for school.

 

I had the chance to talk with a KinderCare Legacy Award Winning Teacher, DeeDee over the phone where I got to ask any questions I wanted and here are the things I was impressed with, upon talking to her.

 

  • Lunch and snacks- KinderCare follows the healthy plate consisting of a green, fruit, protein, milk or water and no juice. They provide plenty of fresh veggies and fruit. Certain days they offer everything vegetarian, they use all whole wheat instead of white flour such as whole wheat pancakes and they try to cut down on sugar by offering only a small portion of syrup or using butter instead of jelly.
  • It is not a daycare, it’s more a preschool.
  • There are absolutely no worksheets. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this.
  • Each student keeps a journal.
  • All the learning is done through music!
  • They teach not only academics but also social and emotional learning as well.
  • The students learn Spanish, geometry and algebra even at an early Preschool age, catered to their understanding.
  •  I asked how they discipline, this is probably the most important factor for me. DeeDee said they never shame or embarrass the kids for feeling emotions and acting on their emotions and teach them that it’s okay to feel unpleasant, it’s okay to feel upset, mad or sad. The teachers encourage the students to use their words so the teachers can understand how they feel, and instead of punishing them, they believe in redirecting the kids’ focus and attention to something else. I was very impressed with her answer and want to use the rule of distraction on my kids as well!

 

I still cannot believe my little baby is half a decade old. I hope at his new Preschool, he’ll learn to thrive and enjoy his time there by developing strong academics, and other just-as-important life skills as well. I love him so much. And I need to stop looking at these old photos or else I’m going to want another baby!