Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

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!

Zok Relief | A Cure for Migraine/Headaches

~ Etc.

 

 

This post is sponsored by Zok Relief, an amazing product that cures headaches or migraines instantly! I know you’ll love it as much as I do and I’m so excited to share this product with you!

 

cure for headache

cure for headache

cure for headache

 

Watch this video or read below. To view fullscreen, click on the title of the video.

I’ve suffered from migraines since I was 6 years old. My mom even took me to see various doctors to see if there was anything we could do and my mom even bought me a very expensive, special pillow to see if it would help. It didn’t. None of the doctors ever found anything wrong and in the almost 30 years I’ve suffered from migraines, I tried essential oils, drinking a ton of water, sleeping, but none of themworked so I just take medication whenever I felt it coming and planned on doing so for the rest of my life.

Then Zok Relief reached out to me and asked if I’d like to come in to see Dr. Hatch for a migraine curing device so I can share it with you. I highly doubted this so called device would really cure my migraines so I said why don’t you send me the device first and then I’ll try it out and see if it really works. Then I will see if I want to take the time to come meet with the doctor. They sent it to me several months ago and it just sat in my kitchen until about 1 1/2 months later when I actually got a migraine. Super skeptical and highly doubting that it would really work, I tried it thinking what have I got to lose? I puffed some air into my ear and then BOOM. It disappeared instantly. My migraine instantly went away! You should’ve seen my face, my eyes got really big and I looked at Zok and thought, “Whoa, what is this? WHAT IS THIS???” and then contacted them and said I’d like to meet with Dr. Hatch to find out what this device really is and why it works!

Dr. Hatch was so impressive to me and after seeing how honest and noble of a man he was, I love this product even more. Watch the 20 second video below to see how this device was invented. To view full size, click on the title of the video.

 

 

And here is an in-depth explanation of how our brain works and why the Zok works, explained by Dr. Hatch. To view full size, click on the title of the video.

 

And a simple instruction on how to use Zok. There are two different ways and it’s up to you which one. Dr. Hatch says he usually does the first method shown in the video, he deflates the device, then puts it inside the ear and then holds it there for 20 seconds.

 

 

Dr. Hatch said to use it on the side of the ear that hurts more, so if your right side is throbbing more, then use it on your right ear. Or do it on both if both are hurting! I have used it 3 times now over a period of several months and it has worked every time. My girls have had headaches and it’s worked for them every time as well. The first time I used it, the headache did come back a few hours later but it’s like that for me with medication as well. So you can use it again, and I make sure to drink lots of water and rest. I think the best case scenario is to take care of ourselves to prevent the migraines from coming in the first place, by making sure we get enough rest, meditate or drink plenty of water but if a migraine comes our way, the next best case scenario is to use Zok. Each of the times I’ve used it though, I did not have a throbbing, intense headache but it was only in the beginning stages so I can’t tell you from personal experience if it’ll work for a very intense headache/migraine. But Dr. Hatch has treated many patients with minor to severe migraines/headaches and has had a very high success rate. I think if it doesn’t get rid of it completely, even if it eases your pain while you’re waiting for the medication to kick in,  it’s worth the $22!

I asked Zok Relief if there was any way they could offer a discount for my lovely readers because I want every household to have it and they agreed on a discount! It’s regularly $29.99 but with my code: SARAH25 it is only $22 AND free shipping! This deal is for pre-orders and it’ll ship out in August. So go grab one before they ship it out and it won’t be free shipping anymore!

BUY IT HERE: Zok Relief and use code: SARAH25

 

And after you receive it, come back and tell me how much you love it! It really is a life changing device.