Life is Beautiful

Motherhood, Sewing, Family

The worst habit I’ve picked up as a mother- being a night owl

~ Etc.

I am almost done with the whole box, I did share 4 of them with my family so I didn’t eat the whole thing! 😉
are those madeleines crumbs on my sweatpants?  yes, yes it is.  

I stay up way past the bedtime I should adhere to.  My average bedtime is 1:00 a.m.  Sometimes 2 a.m, sometimes even 3 a.m.  I know I should be going to bed and I know in the morning I will regret it, but it’s a vicious cycle I cannot seem to break.  It’s when I bust out all my hidden snacks such as these madeleines cookies or fancy chocolates(because my girls don’t appreciate the difference between fancy chocolates and cheap chocolates, so I don’t feel bad sharing my fancy ones, is that bad?), or eat Korean ramen that I don’t let them eat except once in awhile because it’s unhealthy, so I eat them late at night when the girls are in bed and and I don’t have to share.  I also love this time I get with my husband, but I stay up a little longer after he goes to bed because I need my alone time too.  I love, love, love being alone.  I crave being alone and this is how I get re-energized and recharged.  
It’s also the time when I let our dog Achilles inside the house to hang out with me, feeling guilty that I’ve neglected him in the day because I’ve been crazy busy taking care of three kids which is still kicking my butt.  I give him a little snack and he hangs out by my feet while I watch t.v or use the computer, but mostly I watch all my tivo’ed shows.  You’d think I would do something useful and productive but no, I do the most unproductive things during my only free time I get.  I wish I had the energy or the desire to sew or tidy up or read a book or study something, but those are the last things I want to do at the end of the day when all my energy has been spent and all I want to do is just plop down and be unproductive.  To wind down from my hectic and chaotic and beautiful life from the day and enjoy this precious time when no one is asking me to do something for them.  No one is yelling out, “Mommy!”, “Mommy!”, “Mommy?” every few minutes or seconds.  But time goes by ever so speedily and by the time I feel recharged, I look at the time and it is way past my bedtime.  

Any other night owls out there like me?  Maybe we should form a club and motivate each other to do productive things together.  We would get so much done!

“You are a boy!”

~ Etc.

“You are a boy!”, “You are not a princess!” this is how my girls fought when they were two and three years old.  Those were the worst words they could think of and they would come to me crying saying, “Sister told me I’m a boy!  But I’m not a boy!”, “Mommy, she told me I’m not a princess!”
Now that they’re five and six years old, they know a little more not so nice words such as dumb, stupid, and annoying.  I’m just glad they don’t know any swear words yet(I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve said a swear word one time and they were in close proximity but luckily, they didn’t catch it or notice anything, whew!) but my guess is it’ll happen sooner or later.  I’ve been asked to try out this Tacky Box and I’m very particular about the products I introduce to my readers on the blog, but after reading the story of how Tacky Box came to be, I wanted to try it out with my kids! 
This is the story of how Tacky Box came to be:

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” This old adage was fully realized for Chris Phelps, the day her daughter Emma, then halfway through her kindergarten year, nonchalantly used her first four letter word. Shocked and unprepared for the moment, Chris panicked –then got creative – and Tacky Box came to be. Tacky Box was a mom’s impromptu attempt to help her daughter choose her words and actions carefully. And, thanks to Emma’s choice to be kind, it worked.
The unexpected result was how well it worked – not just on four letter words but also unkind phrases and tacky behavior – and the resulting ripple effect. After the first week, Emma and her little brother, Jake, both began to take pride in distinguishing between what was appropriate and inappropriate and in policing their own words and actions. Proud of their individual decisions to be kind, they began to encourage those around them to make the same choice, and more often than not, they did.
Knowing every parent faces the issue of tacky words and behavior, Chris and her mom, Cindy Kent, partnered up to share the idea that worked so well for Emma and Jake. As a former educator and professional artist who understands the value of a lesson, Cindy created Margo and Max the Monkeys to help tell Emma’s story and hopefully make the job of a parent a little bit easier by creating a visual and hands on tool.
Having witnessed the impact of Tacky Box on Emma, Jake and their friends, Chris’ longtime friends, Karen Cuskey and James Regester joined in the effort to take Tacky Box’s message of personal responsibility and kindness to the masses. Tacky Box started with a four letter word and evolved into a collaborative effort to make the world a kinder place, one child at a time.
As soon as we received the Tacky Box, my girls were keen on me reading the book immediately since they love reading new books.  After we read the book about a monkey who had a hard time making friends but realized she was going about the wrong way in making friends, my girls decorated the Tacky Box with hearts, flowers, trees and balloons and we talked about some words that they know that should be put in the box instead of in their mouths. I am so so scared to raise them in this world full of negativity, hatred, and unkindness, but I’m hoping this Tacky Box will help us throughout their childhood!

I tell my girls that being kind is the most important thing you can ever be, what are some things you’ve done with your kids to help them be kind to others?  I’d love to hear your tips and suggestions!

*I was provided with the Tacky Box to write about, but was not compensated otherwise.  All opinions are always my own.

After our pregnancy

~ Etc.

 
me at 9 months pregnant with my 3rd child, Susan & Jihae at 5 months with their 2nd child, and Carol at 4 months pregnant with her first baby!
Remember when I posted about my friends and I all being pregnant at the same time last Summer? We had a chance to get together with all of our babies!  
I am grateful for all the wonderful people I have in my life.  Cheers to friends!

His & hers

~ Etc.

oh, hello there!
Aiden getting smothered with kisses from his sisters
His outfit: bowtie onesie: Target
Her outfit: leather jacket | white lace top | necklace: boutique in NY | jeans: from Korea | sunglasses | ankle strap flats(get 20% off) | 
I had no time to take pictures yesterday in our Sunday best but this was his outfit from a few weeks ago and my outfit over the weekend.  The weather is getting warmer here in Utah which is making me so happy!  You never know what weather we’ll have here since almost every year it seems like it snows randomly in May or June but I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.