Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

What Defines our Worth?

~ Etc.

One of my 17 yr. olds I teach at church shared this today and it really struck me. I have amazing girls! I want to add, our worth is not defined by our failures or trials, it is defined by who we are. No matter what we have done or have had happened to us, no matter how many mistakes we have made, no matter how many achievements we’ve accomplished, our worth has and will always stay constant. God’s love for us always stays constant. We are a human being who is loved unconditionally by God. Each of us have the power within ourselves to do exceptional things. And that itself defines our worth. Every human being is of great worth. 

What our Backyard Looks Like After Cutting Down 36 Trees!

~ Etc.

This post is sponsored by Pier 1 Imports. I am so excited to show you the before and after of our backyard and how I decorated with new furniture! When we moved into our house a few years ago, we had a National forest in our backyard with 36 trees! So let’s take a look at the before…

BEFORE

 Then we cut down all 36 trees and 36 trees later…

AFTER

While the National forest had its charms, it didn’t allow the kids to really run around and play in our backyard. There was no way we could have put in a swingasan and a trampoline like we have now. And with the help of Pier 1 Imports, we added some outdoor furniture to give it a more finished touch.

Isn’t it such a huge difference? Even our dog Achilles loves it too!

Do you know what I dream about? I dream about the day when all my kids are old enough to go to school all day. The first day of when that day comes, I imagine myself sending them off to school with a homemade lunch and a kiss, then closing the door and just letting the quietness settle in. Then I’m going to grab a book and a cup of tea and sit on my swingasan on the porch and read a book without getting disturbed or being asked to do something every 45 seconds! Doesn’t that just sound heavenly? I mean I can definitely wait until that day comes and I don’t want it to come any faster, but imagining that scenario makes me calm and happy. Is that bad? Haha. I’ve always dreamed of owning a home with a swingasan where I could sit and relax.  So Jay and I’ve been looking into buying a swingasan and when I was shopping online at Pier 1 Imports, I knew immediately what I wanted to get. Every time we go to stores and they have a swingasan on display, my kids hop on it every time and never want to stop swinging, so I knew it was something our whole family would enjoy.


I wanted a Coastal theme because of the clean, classy look and I’ve always been drawn to blues for home decor because blue is a color of relaxation and calmness. I got every item pictured at Pier 1 imports, which made it very convenient to shop and save some time. I chose a white swingasan and a matching white table, a light blue cushion, blue/white striped pillows and green seahorse print pillow, and green/blue lights around the top of the swingasan. The swingasan is really comfortable, guys. Without the cushion the edge on the front of the swingasan hit the insides of my knee, which kept putting pressure on it but with the cushion? I could nap on this thing! My 3 kids and I can all fit in it, it’s pretty wide. I will be chilling in my backyard a lot more from now on, you know where to find me! 😉

Find what speaks to you. See our Outdoor Living collection in stores or at pier1.com/outdoorliving

What does my husband do while I’m gone?

~ Etc.

What does my husband do when I’m away on a 5 day trip? Take the kids camping, of course! I mean, isn’t that the first thing that comes up to any parent’s mind when their spouse is gone for several days and you’re thinking how am I going to survive, I mean what do I want to do with three kids 7 and under?

5 Tips to Help You Drink More Water

~ Etc.

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Brita, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #BritaOnTheGo http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

I just got back from a 5 day trip to California and the top 3 best things I took with me on this trip? My portable phone charger, comfortable sandals and the Brita water bottle. I consider myself a healthy person but there are things I can definitely do better such as exercising and drinking more water. I eat pretty healthy so I got that covered, but I don’t exercise, like at all and I drink about 2 cups of water a day. I have a hard time drinking enough amount of water everyday, I usually forget to or it makes me go pee so much which I find so inconvenient! I know you’re suppose to drink 1/2 of your weight in ounces(so if you weigh 100 lbs. you should drink 50 oz.) but it’s hard to drink water throughout the day, especially more so when I’m not at home and out and about. I’ve made a goal this year to make an effort to drink more water and I’ll be sharing with you tips on how to drink more water.

The airport is my favorite place to take a self-filter water bottle. You can’t take in any liquid over 3.4 oz. with you and they’ll make you throw the water bottle away so I bring in an empty self-filter water bottle, then once I go through security, I go to the drinking fountain and fill up my bottle! I don’t have to buy an expensive water bottle and I get a fresh tasting water.

I took my water bottle to the pool which helped me to not be tempted to order a drink because I got so thirsty.

Walking around Hollywood Walk of Fame, I had the water bottle in my purse which reminded me to drink water every time I opened my purse to get chapstick or my wallet and such.

These Spider Mans wouldn’t leave me alone! No, I didn’t want to take a picture with you, no, I didn’t want to be carried, no, I didn’t want you to grab my arm and put it around you, and no I don’t want to give you a kiss(I gave him a hug instead)! 😀

The swap-meet is a perfect place to take your water bottle with you, it’s hot, you’re walking around a lot and the water bottles are like $3!

5 tips to drink more water throughout the day:

1. Put a water bottle in places where you spend your time the most. I have a water bottle on my computer desk, my bedroom, and in the car. Seeing the water bottle reminds me to drink water and having easy access to it definitely helps to drink more.
2. Get a good self-filter water bottle. I don’t know why I didn’t think to buy a self-filter water bottle like my Brita water bottle, but it definitely helps me to drink more water because the taste is so good. I used to just carry a water bottle with me and then fill it up on the drinking fountain and it would always taste a little funny which made me drink a little bit and gave me no desire to finish the bottle. The filtered water bottle makes the water taste fresh, clean and pure, like the water bottle you buy in stores. It saves a lot of money too not buying water bottles.
3. If you don’t like drinking just plain water, get the water flavor packets. I like the herbal tea packets since many flavor packets out there have artificial flavorings and additives. But if the latter packets will help you to drink more water, my opinion is that it’s better to drink that than to not drink any water at all!
4. Download an app or set reminders on your phone to remind you to drink water. Waterlogged is a free download with charts and reminders. Or simply set reminders on your phone at various times throughout the day.
5. Learn to quench your thirst with water instead of juice or soda. It will save you a lot of calories and money, and it’s so much better for your health so it’s a win-win-win situation! So think of your wallet, your waist-size and your health(like your teeth!) next time you’re choosing between water and an alternative. 
I purchased my Brita water bottle.at Walmart in the hardware section.
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Ice-Cream for Dinner

~ Etc.

It was Children’s Day in Korea on May 5th. It’s a holiday in Korea where they celebrate children. No school but filled instead with parades, games and helicopter rides. That’s how it was for me growing up there anyway! So I celebrate it with my children and starting this year, I’ve also added a new tradition which is throwing an ice-cream/dance party with my kids where we have ice-cream for dinner on Children’s Day! It gave me anxiety just thinking about it but I kept telling myself ice-cream for dinner once a year isn’t going to kill them…. but I still had anxiety so we had tofu pad thai for “snack” and then had ice-cream for “dinner”, see what I did there? 😉 And let’s not pretend I’m a better mom than I am, I should note the pad thai was from Trader Joe’s and I just added sliced tofu. It’s simple things like this the kids will remember, not extravagant things. So Happy Children’s Day until next year!