The Daily Coffee Break

Opposite Day

2010-07-22T16:28:00.000-04:00

Every once in a while, to get out of the ordinary, we do opposite day.

It's basically switching around the menu (having dinner meals as breakfast, and vice versa).

So, yesterday we had waffles and fruit smoothies for dinner. Well, Hello Kitty waffles to be exact to satisfy our Hello Kitty lovers.

I love Hello Kitty :)

Measuring whole wheat flour

Sifting

Blending milk, oil & eggs

Filling the Hello Kitty molds

Voila!

I never imagined how therapeutic baking can be.

Little bit of sugar here and a bit of cinnamon there can brighten up the dinner table.

Especially when it's Hello Kitty. How can I resist?

Brunch?

2010-07-17T00:00:00.005-04:00

I'm a city girl.
Although I have detoured into the suburbs (due to having a family), my heart was and is and will always be where the big city is.
I don't know, there's something so calming and relaxing about the buildings and never fading lights. I can never stop romanticizing about it.

Well, one of the things I love to do on the weekend is going out to brunch- especially in the city. Depending on my mood, it'll either be at Jojo's Apples, in Chinatown for dim sum, Olea Mediterranean Taverna for some Turkish breakfast, or @ Max Brenner's to satiate my cravings for some chocolate.

It's basically an adult version of Willy Wonka in real life. They serve hot chocolate in these cute little hug mugs but my favorite is their chai tea. It's so good and definitely the best chai I've ever had. I love their "After-party breakfast", which is their belgian waffles covered with white cholocate chips, berries, and whipped cream. It's decadent, I tell you. And it certainly makes me happy.

Yes, it's my happy place :)

I Hope I'm Back

2010-03-19T22:38:00.000-04:00

Whew.
The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.
We've been struck with a stomach bug that got the 6 of us plus my hubby's parents sick. That was not fun. So, for a while, forget cooking and forget eating.
Did I mention, it really was not fun??
But now I'm back. I hope :)
Starting next week though.

But the good news is... the spring is almost here!
Love the spring minus the allergies.

I Must Face My Fear

2010-03-01T21:54:00.000-05:00

I have a crisis.
My heart says one thing and my mind says another.
There's one thing that I really want to accomplish, and as trite as it sounds, I want to learn to sew.
With my sewing machine that is.
While I was preggo with my fourth child, I went on a crafting frenzy and convinced myself to purchase a sewing machine.
I can say I tried once, failed miserably and never touched that thing again.
But look what I found today. Such a neat blog called Momfetti. She's so awesome I want to cry.
So I'm determined to take courage and face my fear.
When am I going to face it is another story I guess.
Soon I hope, and until then, I will prep myself with Momfetti and all the other crafting blogs I bookmarked in my browser :)

Catching Up

2010-02-26T00:14:00.000-05:00

I am totally procrastinating. Yes.
It's snowing outside. The kids are all asleep. I signed up with Swagbucks today and earned 141 Swagbucks. That was fun. I'm getting really into this "frugal" living. It's almost addictive.
There were few nice CVS coupons that came in the mail today including $5 off $15 and I still got few ECBs left. Yay.

So, back to cooking.
I made Shrimp & Andouille Stew couple days ago. It was so delish! I wanted a little taste of Louisiana, so I added some cajun seasoning and a bit of tobasco sauce. Little bit of spice will do you good :)

Winter Vacation

2010-02-16T20:17:00.000-05:00

Um.. can you hear it?
The hustle and bustle going on in our house?
We've been quite busy and it's only tuesday.
I'm wondering how I can entertain and keep the kids busy and happy until this vacay is over.

Meanwhile, I did accomplish something this past weekend thanks to Trey & Lucy.
I made tutus for my girls and it was my first "craft" project.
It turned out pretty nice so I'm venturing out to my next project.
My second project might take a while to finish though since it involved my sewing machine.
We'll see though...

Family Matters

2010-02-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

Guess who stayed up till 4 AM making 40 Valentine's Day cards?
Yep, that would be me.
I promised the kids I will help them make the cards for today's party in their class.
With everything else, of course we forgot. But I happened to remember at 1 in the morning.
Promise is a promise, so I ended up making them from scratch.
Only had 3 hours of sleep and am totally procrastinating from the big load of dishes to be done. (Sigh)

We made Tex-Mex Lovers Mini Meat Loaf today.
I didn't have a heart shaped cookie cutter, so I used a flower shaped cutter instead. I don't think I'm that much satisfied with the way it looked. But it tasted fine and the kids like it.

I realize I don't really like the lighting in my kitchen for photography.

Gotta go back to my dishes. If they came up with Roomba, I'm sure they can come up with a machine that will load the dishes into the dishwasher all by itself. Just a wishful thinking I guess.

I Need To Start Crafting

2010-02-11T23:06:00.001-05:00

I love crafting.
But I don't know how to do any.
Well, except for maybe jewelry making.
I was addicted to that for a while, but after having the baby, it's now collecting dust.
So, I get my fix from reading all these crafting blogs.
That's if I can get the baby to stay asleep.
One of these days, I'm gotta start my projects.

Here are some simple projects I would like to get my hands on:

Tutu
Flower Hair Clips
Tie & Guitar Onesies
Hair Clip Holder
Crayon Roll
Pillowcase Dress

The Gift Of An Ordinary Day

2010-02-11T22:23:00.000-05:00

I had share this video went from Wendy. I'm still tearing up from this video, but this is exactly what I needed to see after a day like today. I hope it's as profound as it was for me.

The Gift Of An Ordinary Day.

5 Minute Mistake

2010-02-11T12:13:00.000-05:00

After a long day yesterday (we all got snowed in), I was desperately in need of some alone time. I feel like all I did was cook & clean and tend to the kids all day so I asked my older kids to watch our 11 month old baby for 5 minutes. I thought, just 5 minutes wouldn't hurt. Hmm.... let me tell you, anything can happen in 5 minutes. And it was a huge mistake.

I thought I baby proofed the whole room before I left. Made sure there were no choking hazards lying around (my biggest worry is my older kids' toys). Everything seemed fine so I went into my bedroom to rest. After 5 minutes later, I went back to check in on them, and my 3 yr old and my 11 month old had conspired a big plan to be quite creative with a marker! I don't know how they managed to get one. It's still a big mystery to me, but now the baby is growing a mustache and a beard and my 3 yr old's bedsheets look like Jackson Pollack's famous painting. And the worst thing is, after washing the baby's face over and over again, it's not coming off! I guess I should just learn to accept that my baby has a mustache. At least for a couple of days if I'm lucky.

We made Artichoke, Tomato & Spinach Pizz a yesterday. It's still so hard to believe how easy it has been to get my kids to eat all these vegetables. I'm really enjoying doing this project especially because the kids are really enjoying it as well. They get so excited when dinner time comes and getting more involved with making the meals.

Chocolate Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie- by Madeline

2010-02-10T19:29:00.000-05:00

This recipe and blog entry is by my 8 year old Madeline.

Hi, I'm Madeline, my mom's daughter. I made this smoothie because I like smoothies. First, I got the banana in the blender. Next, I put in some peanut butter. Then I put in some bitter dark chocolate chips. I poured in some milk in the blender with the banana, peanut butter, chocolate, and some ice. So, I turned on the blender and turned the other knob all the way to #10. Finally, I took the blender out of the part to mix after I turned the mixer off. I poured the smoothie into 4 cups and my family enjoyed the very yummy Chocolate Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie!

Snow day means Soup day

2010-02-10T14:17:00.000-05:00

We east coasters are truly blessed with all this snow we absolutely don't know what to do with. But I gotta say... it really is so beautiful outside. The schools and works are canceled and all we have is each other and the time to make most out of. So in dedication to my charming husband and my kids, we decided to make some soup from the magazine's Take Five (five ingredients only). I did cheat though and added more ingredient because we all love a hearty soup to keep us warm and cozy during this cold, winter stormy day.

Broccoli Rabe & Sausage Soup

I added the potatoes here as an extra ingredient.

Here's my daughter helping me make the soup. We substituted the broccoli rabe with just broccoli and spinach to make it kid-friendly.

My kids don't like any kind of beans. But surprisingly, they loved them.

Mmm... can you smell it?

Some more snow. This is our view from the dining room.

Remember my charming husband I mentioned earlier? I called him "charming" because he baked these delicious chocolate lava cake for us. Bring on the chocolate baby!

It's more than cooking

2010-02-09T22:27:00.000-05:00

One thing I should always remember, is that when you have kids, cooking can be challenging in some ways. Especially when you have a picky eater in hand, you have to accommodate to a certain degree with the menu planning. Apparently, I had forgotten this vital truth as I was following the menu planner from the magazine. How silly of me. Needless to say, we did not have the chicken and onion sandwich on Monday night. The family voted on the Shrimp & Corn Quesadillas instead (which was planned for Wednesday I think), so we switched things around.

Let me tell you. I'm a perfectionist and I get an indescribable thrill from feeding my OCD tendencies. When I carefully strategize but things don't go according to the plan, I have a very hard time dealing with it. If you're a mother like me, you must understand that things do not work out exactly the way you've intended to especially when you're juggling with little ones. I know it sounds silly but I was so disappointed when I had to change the menu. Talk about a set back.

Today was our Mom to Mom meeting and we had our beloved Mentor Panel. This is where all the experienced mothers (w/ children much older) come and do a Q & A session with the younger moms who have questions about parenting, marriage, motherhood, etc. I love mentor panels because I learn so much from these women who went through what I am going through right now in my stage of life. One truth I had learned today and I kept on hearing over and over throughout the meeting was- quit trying to be a super mom and give yourself a break from trying to do things all perfectly. Because, there's a fat chance where things will NOT go exactly you had planned and you'll beat yourself over it. So, I realize, I really need to let go and relax! This is probably THE step #1 to better parenting. It's really hard to let go though and to truly accept it. But I gotta try. Or else, I'll be writing an endless novel called Confessions of a Guilty Mom.

Anyhow, the quesadillas turned out so well. The whole family loved them! I paired it with an Avocado Salad which really was simple but tasty with the meal. Here are some pictures.

One thing I really want to emphasize is, cooking with the kids can be such a special thing. It's a great way to spend quality time together and it's so meaningful for the whole family. I told them about this blog project, and they were even more excited than I was. We cooked and took pictures together. My oldest really loved it especially because she wants to be a chef and open her own fancy restaurant. I thought that was really cute.

First, you cook the shrimp and red onion.

I put in chopped chicken breast (extra ingredient) to please the chicken lover.

Shredded mozzarella is a must!

Add the Avocado Salad on the side.

Voila! Here's to my first meal on this blog :)

Good Things Part I

2010-01-31T00:38:00.000-05:00

Ten random things I favor at this moment (not in particular order):

1. Coffee Mugs

2. Organic Bedding

3. Ella Fitzgerald

4. Journals

5. iPod Touch (with all my favorite collection of music & apps in it)

6. Breakfast At Tiffany's

7. Super-soft Terry Robe

8. Green Tea

9. Quilts

10. Anything that has to do with DESIGN

Birthday Bash

2009-09-11T00:51:00.005-04:00

We're throwing Michelle's birthday party this weekend. She's three now. I love hosting and planning events, but I do wish more time to plan and prepare. Or at least, I wish the house was a lot less messy.

We're going to do what she loves to do as the theme: it's a TEA PARTY! I hope she's going to like it. There are so many things I want to do, but I must pick a few. Or else, the party is going to look like it's having a identity crisis.

I will be uploading the real pictures soon.

Baby Talk

2009-03-31T03:26:00.002-04:00

Never have I imagined I'd be married and become a mother of 4 kids. I've always been driven by music, ambitions, and the plans I've mapped out to accomplish my goals. I knew exactly what I wanted by the time I turned 30 and marriage plus kids would come after I turn that very age. I can't believe I'm turning 30 next month and my life is no way close to what I thought it would be.

I was quite nervous about having a fourth child but I love every minute of it. Sure, it takes hard work and many sleepless nights but being a mother is one of the greatest gift I've received from God. Maybe it's because both Jay and I grew up as an only child, but having a big family is great! I love watching my kids interacting with one another. They have so much fun together.

Morgan is two weeks old already. I can't believe how fast the days go by. Considering how tough this pregnancy was on my body, I'm so glad feel great now. I know I need to take things slow for another 2 weeks, but I'm so tempted to get back to the list of things-to-do. My house looks like a train wreck and being OCD and a perfectionist, it's driving me up the wall. Hopefully, I will catch up with everything.... soon. I need some sleep.

Ramblings

2008-12-18T22:02:00.002-05:00

I feel as if I've been running constantly on a treadmill for months.

In the back of my mind I know I should stop at one point, but I can't for some reason.

I wonder why?

Many times I'd opt for being comfortable. I don't want any more challenges that make me stretch. I think I've been too comfortable in my busyness of life that God's calling me out of the comfort zone once again.

If I'm disciplined in this area, I know that it probably won't hurt as much to be pushed. Unfortunately, it's the opposite case, and I'm just complaining.

Things need to be slowed down and revisited. Then eventually, should move on.

What's NOT Fun

2008-12-15T17:38:00.002-05:00

I hate being sick.

Once one person gets it, everyone else gets sick and each one separately.

I've been homebound for literally 3 weeks now and it's almost so depressing.

It's so hard to watch your little ones being sick. Although I hate being sick, even the tiniest bit, I would take their place any day. Too bad that doesn't work the way I'd like to.

I had so many engagements I missed this month. Although I love the cold weather, it's the flu season that I detest.

I want to be out of the house.

Nursery Ideas

2008-12-10T12:07:00.009-05:00

Now that we know we're having a girl, I can finally start working on the nursery. It's always been a dream for me to put together a picture perfect nursery. Sadly to say, I never really got a full chance to do that with my older children (it's a long story). So this time around, considering it'll be my last chance to do this in my life time, I've been doing my research.

It was quite tough at first, since there are countless ideas to choose from, but I've finally narrowed down to few. My first choice would be the Spring theme. Baby M is due to arrive late March, so it kinda goes well with the theme (although it feels a bit cliche-ish). I love the bird mobile that seems to be quite popular these days, and the quilt I fell in love with from Pottery Barn Kids goes well with the theme, so I'm trying to put these together.

If this is the theme I'm going to go with, I'm planning on making some of the things from the picture (quilt, mobile, nursery art, etc.). Hopefully, I'll have enough time and energy to do all this before the baby comes.

I've already put together my deco file with all the tutorials, sewing patterns, and instructions. But I'm a bit afraid I might not be able to keep up physically. If I want to sew, or do any projects, I have to wait until all the kids are asleep. But by that time, I'm ready to hit the bed also, so that's my dilemma. Oh, well.

This is so much fun though, so I won't complain :)

Busy As A Bee

2008-12-02T17:27:00.002-05:00

Boy, things have been crazy busy here.

Chasing after a highly active toddler, working, doing projects with the older kiddies, doing projects for the baby to come, not to mention the never ending chores followed by bouts of nesting frenzies.... I not only am driving myself crazy but my poor hubby also. Just over the Thanksgiving break, we rearranged the entire master bedroom and the kids room. I think Jay is still aching from all the moving.

Anyways, I have finally found out what we're having today. We're having a girl :) This means, Jay's dream is finally coming true with three girls. I feel bad for our son who really wanted a little brother. But when we told him, he seems to not care so much as I had expected. He said it doesn't matter because he loves all babies. For this reason, I'm thankful.

Can't wait till I meet our 4th baby M in March.

My Tribute to Autumn

2008-08-31T13:06:00.004-04:00

I love autumn. It's definitely my favorite time of year.

There's something so special about it that causes my heart to stir. The wonderful colors God paints on nature and the sweet aroma that comes with the cool breeze, makes autumn so delicious. It sort of reminds me of mulled apple cider and sweetpotato pies. Or the laughter you can hear from Fall Festivals or the country home decorations.

I'm so glad that God is letting me celebrate my 2nd trimester through the fall months. The last season was a challenge, but as I welcome the new season, I know things will be different. At least for the better.

Updates

2008-08-05T23:04:00.002-04:00

I realize I've been neglecting my blog, so I'll pop an announcement to make it a bit more interesting.

I'm expecting our 4th child :)

Haven't been feeling well, in fact, I'm feeling quite miserable with my notorious morning sickness that lasts for 4 to 6 months, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. I am desperate for a miracle.

I have been researching for remedies that can help me get out of this, for I've been bed-ridden for quite a while now. Not to mention can't drinking anything or eat anything, and everything smells like garbage.

Haha... exciting times, huh?

I think I'm more stressed though in waiting to hear from my doctor because there might be some complications. Am I being too factual with the online world? Well, this is what's going on right now. Meanwhile, I'm just waiting.

Director's Cut

2008-07-18T10:09:00.002-04:00

One of my favorite movie directors is Joe Wright. The movies that he makes is not like a regular cinema, but like an art itself. Taking Pride and Prejudice for an example, he uses a lot of scenes that look like what you might see in a great photography book. It's just too beautiful.

I got to see Atonement few days ago, another creatively well made movie by Wright. I think I should read the book first though to be able to judge if he's done well to portray the story to its fullest. This is usually hard for movie makers to do since it's nearly impossible to do so, but surprisingly enough, he did quite well with Pride and Prejudice.

I did make an attempt to read the book few months ago, and have failed because, it was kinda boring in the beginning. I like a book that hooks you in from the beginning of the story rather than a long, boring chapter that explains away on nothing. And that's how it was with Atonement. But I think it'll be fair for me to give it another try, plus, I'm anxious to find out what the story is all about.

I love British films. There's something so intriguing about it.

Summerisms Part 2

2008-07-15T23:58:00.003-04:00

Ha! I barely made it by two minutes. I decided to write on tuesdays/thursdays but I almost forgot :) I have to blame it on the countless list of things-to-do. Days like these, I really really wish for 40 hour day. This would give me enough time to take care of all the business, spend lots of time with kids, do all the chores plus get enough sleep. But yes, I know. All this is mere wishful thinking.

As much as I enjoy vacation days where I can spend much time with all my kids, I'd have to say, I am almost burnt-out. Well, as I think about it though, I know it's not my two older ones since they're quite independent and are able to take care of themselves. This boils down to my 22 month-old toddler, who's an expert in pushing all the wrong buttons. She's soooooo cute though, and she holds the key to getting away with a lot of things. And I realize, a lot of challenges come from that very reason. I let her get away with a lot of things. In reality, everyone in the family do it too.

This means going back to how I was with my two older ones. I was far more strict with them than little Toddles. She's so good with manipulating us with one simple smile or kiss. We just can't resist. Even her older sibling fall into this trap :P I guess it's true with what people say. You become more lenient with the youngest child. I took a vow saying I won't do the same. But here I am, waking up to the dream that everyone falls into.

New Hobby

2008-07-09T13:02:00.003-04:00

I have just discovered digital scrapbooking and I an obsessed! I love doing scrapbook and used to spend a lot of time on it when I was in high school and college, but since I got married and had kids, I could never find the time. Doing it digitally though, saves so much time and you can even find a lot of materials for free. I find the designs more exquisite. One of my favorite site is called Shabbyprincess . It provides a lot of materials, and also find video tutorials on how to get it done.

Anyhow, I realize I've been slacking off with this blog. I'm thinking I should probably decide which days I'll write the entries. Mominspirations has been keeping me quite busy and I have much to write there too. Maybe I'll just stick to Tuesdays and Thursdays for The Daily Coffee Break.

This summer has been the busiest for me. I am currently running a Mommy-and-Me program twice a week that's taking up a lot of time and energy. Besides that, I have three children to take care of and entertain, and I feel like I'm running out of ideas already. I realize though, it doesn't take much to keep my kiddies happy. Mostly baking cookies, and drawing with crayons bring them joy.

In the fall, we're starting MOPS and this will be the biggest challenge for me. This means we have less than two months to prepare, and I strongly detest the feeling of being under prepared. Thankfully the steering team is getting together this week to plan for the entire year and I'm hoping we'll be able to squeeze that all in within 2 hours with all our kids playing in the same room.

Gotta get back to my 30 minutes of free time while my toddler is taking a nap.

Happy Weekend

2008-07-05T21:35:00.002-04:00

I am suffering from too much food. It's been a good weekend so far. Usually, I'm used to having people over for any holidays, but we've been invited over few times this weekend for fantastic meals. This is probably not good for my diet, but what can I say? I don't mind not cooking for a few days especially after a busy week :)

Our toddler is back after spending two days at the grandparents. Although I was enjoying my time relaxing rather than chasing after her all throughout the day, I did miss her terribly. When she first walked through the door though, she wasn't looking for me. She was too busy looking for her brother and sister. This made me sad a bit, but considering her birth order, I know that this is somewhat normal. Oh well, I'm just glad she's home now so I can catch up with all the cuddling whether she wants to or not :P

Coveiter This!

2008-06-30T22:26:00.006-04:00

I adore good designs. That's why it makes me giddy when I find really good design blogs. It's like eating really yummy candy, you know, one of those rare Japanese goodies? I love that feeling.

I came across Coveiter. You should definitely check out this blog. I love surrounding myself with beautiful things. It's somewhat therapeutic.

Speaking of therapy, I had a good session today. Went to our Club 252 pre-k room, and basically emptied out the supply closet. I hate it when things are messy and disorganized. Can't bare to see it. But I took 6 hours to clean out that closet, and haven't even gotten to the organizing part yet. I think I gotta go back to Organizing Junkie and learn some techniques. All I know is we need a lot of those plastic bins and label. I know they'll keep me happy.

The Grinch Who Stole 4th of July

2008-06-28T21:42:00.003-04:00

I am not in a good mood right now. What is today's date? Last time I checked, it's not July 4th. Independence is not coming around until next week, and I seriously DO NOT understand why I'm hearing all the blasting of fire works right now.

This is not at all about the noise. I don't mind the noise as long as it's happening on the day it's supposed to be celebrated. Maybe it's my OCD talking, but I think it has to do with social etiquette. I mean, what's the point of saying July 4th is the day, when you ruin the "spirit" of it in June? That's a whole different month we're talking about!

I can't believe it's been going on for 30 minutes now. Can somebody please tell them we still have a week to go??

The Weekend

2008-06-24T10:48:00.018-04:00

This is why I'm still recovering from the weekend and have been neglecting to blog :)

#1 @ Sala

#2 Family Visit

I love my girls!

I had so much fun this weekend and I feel so refreshed. I hope this will last through the next two months of busyness. Today is the last day of school for my daughter, which means all the busy summer activities start next week. But I'm glad to be able to spend more time with my kids. One the two older ones start school in the fall, I know I'll miss them tremendously. I just hope that we'll make lots of fun memories during the next two months.

Girls NIte Out Pics

2008-06-18T23:16:00.002-04:00

I wish I had more pictures to describe all the fun we had.

This pictures shaken due to me laughing at I don't know what Leslie's doing :D

Ministry Girls' Nite Out

2008-06-16T14:28:00.004-04:00

On Saturday, several of us "ministry girls" got together for dinner. I must say, the food was AMAZING! (Thank you Kim) We went to Steve's Piccola Bussola , an exceptional 'authentic' Italian restaurant. Those of you who know me well, must be fully aware of the fact that I'm a fanatic for Italian cuisine. The food was fantastic there and absolutely loved the interior decor. It's a family-style restaurant, which I love, but I suggest going there with a big group unless you plan to bring a huge bag of leftovers.

I took some pictures but somehow I'm having trouble uploading them. Oh well, perhaps I can update them later.

Baby Talk

2008-06-11T21:47:00.002-04:00

There is something so special about teaching your baby how to talk. From choruses of gibberish moving on to real words can be such an exciting time for children as well as parents.

I love watching my kids learn something new and seeing how their eyes lit up. Especially if you take a good look at toddlers, you can see how they absorb all life around them.

My 21 month old toddler is at this stage right now. Although she keeps me tremendously busy since I gotta tag along in her explorations all day, I understand how satisfying and delicious it is to discover something new. Maybe that's why I love traveling so much.

These are the words that my toddler has learned so far:

doggie

kitty

bubbles

juice

tha tha (thank you)

bee (not referring to an insect but she really means "please")

ball

her sibling's names

mommy (which is pronounced 'mom mee' and I love it :P )

daddy

dirty ( could this be my OCD influence?)

apple

bear

birdie

elmo

do re ( as in do re mi)

two

where is it?

there it is!

flower

And many more to come, hopefully :D

I <3 Mom Inspirations!

2008-06-10T23:38:00.002-04:00

After long hours of work, and few migraines, I have finally finished setting up our new blog for moms. Well, almost finished as I am remembering more work to do. But we're almost there! We have 8 dedicated moms on the board, and I'm already learning so much from each of their life stories. Mom Inspirations has finally launched yesterday. Woo hoo!!

Now I'm moving on to set up another ministry called MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) ministry, which is an internationally known organization with a purpose to minster to moms with younger children. I'm almost done with setting up the steering team, and hopefully we'll have enough time before we launch this ministry in September.

Being a Vocal Performance Major, I never thought I'd enjoy planning and structuring ministries. I am enjoying this tremendously as I'm discovering my spiritual gifts to be administration and leadership. I think this makes sense when I consider my personality.

This is totally off the subject, but I've never seen Jason Giambi run so fast. He's not much of a runner nor he's fast, but he looks like he's running for his life.

I think I'm desperately needing some sleep now. I guess my allergy medicine is working finally.

Hair Spray

2008-06-08T21:39:00.003-04:00

Boy, was it HOT today! Of all days, we had our church picnic today. Besides the weather, everything went pretty well. I did learn one important thing about myself. I am not an outdoors person.

I'm watching the movie Hair Spray right now and I absolutely adore it! What a cute movie. Love the music, the choreography and the characters. I've been wanting to see the actual Broadway show but I think this is pretty good. I'm wondering if these actors are doing all their singing because it's pretty good. I have such a weak heart for musicals. Must be my Grandma's influence. She was a vocal performance major and she loved to sit me down and watch musicals with her all the time. I guess that's how I got to inherit my love of music. I miss her much at times like this.

It's HGTV's Fault!

2008-06-05T22:42:00.004-04:00

I'm no interior designer. I love it though. I so enjoy decorating and rearranging my furniture around every season. It's always been like this with me even as a child. My hobby was rearranging/decorating my room and driving my Dad crazy (since he had to move the furniture for me). And now that I'm married, my hobby now is rearranging/decorating my entire house and driving my poor hubby to physical exertion.

When I see an idea I like from HGTV or a Pottery Barn catalog, I can't help myself but to try it out myself. This is causing all the backaches for him.

Interior decorating was so much fun when I was younger. It was like a part-time job for me in high-school and college, where friends would ask me to do the job. Especially in college, I was asked to decorate a lot of dorm rooms for them. I never promoted myself for this. I guess they just knew how much I enjoy it.

But the story has changed. I find it much more challenging now that kids are involved. There are so many things to consider: we're limited in how to place the furniture because it involves safety reasons for the kiddies. We don't even have a coffee table (which is a must-have for me!) because our toddler is such a climber, we can't afford to risk anything. I'm not complaining, but it's definitely creating some headache for me as I'm trying to find the best way possible to make everyone happy. I think I have tried countless numbers of combinations, and I have yet to find a solution: making our living room look chic and child-friendly. I'm laughing as I'm wondering if there is such a thing :P

Confession

2008-06-04T22:11:00.004-04:00

This is so bad, but we're having late night snacks. My hubby and I are watching the Yankees and it won't be a good game unless... there are snacks :P Seriously, this is why I can't get rid of my pregnancy lbs!

BTW~ Go Yankees!!

Oh Boy, I'm Rich!

2008-06-04T21:15:00.006-04:00

Well.... at least in theory. I read an article on cnn.com yesterday, and apparently some company called salary.com did a study and a survey about how much a stay at home mom would earn if they were to compensate the amount of work, considering skills, and the hours. So, according to this, I would be paid guess how much? Try $116,805.00 x 3= $350,415.00!!

Amazing, huh?

According to their survey, typical moms work 94.4 hours a week- meaning more than half the working hours are on overtime.

A mom with two boys said in her interview, that her "job" as a mother gives her intangible benefits she wouldn't be able to have in the workplace. She says, "The rewards aren't monetary, but it's a reward knowing that they're safe and happy, because it's worth it all."

Yes, I whole-heartily agree-

Motherhood is a privilege. We have a responsibility to raise God's beloved children to become people who truly love the Lord. And with that comes all the benefits, right? We don't get paid with money, but we certainly get to keep all those valuable memories. Besides, what would I do with all that money anyway??

Zyrtec Attack

2008-06-03T11:55:00.003-04:00

Seriously, I detest allergies. Too bad our whole family is under its torment. I am the weakest when it comes to allergies, since it tends to last about a year round. This means tons of money is being wasted on all those allergy medicines that don't even seem to work. I think I tried just about anything including a smuggled allergy cure from El Salvador. ( Don't ask me, it's a long story. Although, I can tell you that I had no idea it was smuggled until after I took it. It was a gift from someone I knew from church.) Haha... ANYWAYS~

The only thing that seems to work temporarily is Benedryl and most you know what the side effects are. Lots of Zzzzzzzzzzzs. I cannot afford to sleep when there's an extremely active toddler on the loose.

Someone had recommended me Zyrtec in the past, so I decided to give it a try. Apparently it doesn't make you as drowsy as Benedryl, so I hear.

I've been taking it for the past 3 weeks and I'm wondering what in the world is wrong with me. At first I did not suspect to blame it on the medication. My friend was right. It works like a charm with the allergies (which I am TRULY thankful for!) But it turns me into a momzilla exactly when it turns 2 p.m. It's even more accurate than the clock! Then I pass out when it's 3 P.M. and an hour later I wake up with a severe migraine.

I had no idea it was the medicine that made me extremely cranky, jittery, and sleepy. I can't believe I let this go on for the past 3 weeks. But the sad thing is, I'm in a situation where I can't afford to not take this medicine since it's the only thing that works. So, I guess I just need to choose. Should it be the allergy attack or the Zyrtec attack? Life is full of hard choices :P

Blog With A View

2008-05-31T00:31:00.003-04:00

I'm so glad we have an access to the beach only 20 minutes from where we live. After dinner we drove out there and took a stroll.

I can't wait till I get my toes in them. I love walking on the beach. The air is irresistible especially in the late afternoon.

Summerism

2008-05-27T21:21:00.006-04:00

Now that the summer is approaching, and the children's vacation is near, I've got to start planning what and how we're going to spend our time together. It's funny how I get so excited about the vacation even more so than the kids. Since I have to take care of all three kids all day, this means hard work for me. But I love spending time with them and hopefully we'll create fond memories together for them to keep the rest of their lives.

There are few things I've been thinking about:

1. I'll be teaching them basic piano. Hopefully my 15 years of lessons (about 10 yrs. for Jay) will pay off for the good.

2. I'm giving them vocal lessons. Our 6 year old daughter is showing so much interest in singing, I can't resist :)

3. Aside from the arts, I think I might homeschool them. A lighter version of this is probably more appropriate since they ARE on vacation.

4. Play, play, and playdates are vital!

5. Outdoor activities are a must. I think Jay is thinking about teaching them tennis since he's secretly hoping one of the children would become a pro.

6. Our church has 3 weeks of activities for the kids. Creative arts camp, sports camp, and VBS. I think we'll consider one or two options.

7. Beach, picnic, and BBQ. You can't say summer without these three essentials.

8. Lots of family time! (I'm hoping) Hopefully, we'll be able to squeeze in a nice getaway during the vacation. I already have one place in mind: The Longwood Gardens! I absolutely adore this place. This place is filled with my favorite things: beautiful flowers and awesome architectures. This place was one of my favorite place to go photo-hunting as a young girl. We've never been there after I got married, but hopefully we'll get a chance to create awesome memories like the ones I still treasure to this day.

The list seems long, but it takes effort and planning to make useful of all the time we'll get. Time is so valuable, I'd hate to waste it on TV all day.

Thank You Aquadoodle!

2008-05-22T21:34:00.004-04:00

I have found a lifesaver! I think every parent should own one of these for their kids. Have you heard of Aquadoodle?

My kids and I love art and I want to encourage them to be creative every chance they get. But many times it becomes such a stressful event when it's time to clean up and that's another load of chores topping my list of endless things to do. Then I found Aquadoodle.

Aquadoodle is a big pad made like a canvas. It comes with a pen that you fill it with water. Just like magic, the water in the pen turns the fabric blue! It's a mess free art activity that doesn't stain, stick, or is toxic in case the younger ones decide to get a little taste of their art.

My toddler loves painting, but the only problem is, she also loves to put everything in her mouth too. So I find this solution working very well in our house. All I have to do is give her a bowl of water and a set of paintbrushes to make everyone happy :P

Late Night Movie Break

2008-05-21T00:55:00.010-04:00

After a long day, I decided to give myself a little break. There were just too many things to think about, and when this happens, I usually watch a movie to get my mind to stop working. Since I'm a thinker, I find it quite difficult to get away from this secret world. Too bad the movie I watched tonight had an opposite effect. It was too much to handle so I crawled out of bed, trying to collect myself. The movie is called Becoming Jane.

I don't know about you, but I'm a die hard fan of Jane Austen. And of course, her renowned book Pride and Prejudice is my ultimate favorite book. I can't help myself. The first time I read the book was about 10 years ago, and within those years, I must've read about 20 times. Yes, twice a year I indulge myself with the book to keep my heart going.

When they made the movie, Pride and Prejudice about 3 years ago, I was a

bit skeptical about watching it for I feared it might not do justice (as movies usually fail to do so). But I was overwhelmed by it. It truly was a masterpiece. It wasn't just a movie, it was more like art itself. Needless to say, it also is my favorite movie :) It knocked off my ultimate titles such as Roman Holiday, Sleepless In Seattle and Sabrina.

I still say Pride and Prejudice is my favorite movie, but Becoming Jane is having an unusual effect on me. It did portray very well how Jane Austen might have been like. I was able to see how and why she wrote the way she did. It was interesting. I don't think it's the way it was made, and honestly, I didn't like some of the contents. But something is definitely causing a stir in my heart and I don't know what. It's almost mysterious. Perhaps, I ought to sleep on it and analyze later. Late nights have strange influence on me. Pairing that with Norah Jones is worst for me :P

Another interesting blog I found: www.becomingjane.blogspot.com

Workaholics Anonymous

2008-05-18T21:54:00.005-04:00

If there's such a thing, Workaholics Anonymous that is, I would definitely be the first one to be there right now. Ever since I took on the two projects, the pace of my life has accelerated even more, if that is even possible. I'm spending most of my time planning and researching, my brain right now is going through a major information overload. I sound like I'm complaining, but in reality, I'm savoring every moment of it. I think I can finally understand why and how people can become workaholics.

A part of my research is to find any websites or blogs that could be helpful to my two ministries I'm building. I couldn't believe my eyes when I was able to see a whole new world before me. As I'm discovering this new realm, I realize that I've been so oblivious all these years. There are so many resources out there, I can barely sleep. Literally. All this is good, but there are times I think of this saying now and then: Ignorance is bliss :P

I did find an interesting blog called Organizing Junkie though. Being an OCD, I fell in love with it instantly :) I wonder, if there's a way I could learn to organize all the scrambled thoughts and ideas in my head. Now that would be a nice treat.

What's my day like?

2008-05-15T21:58:00.003-04:00

I still can't forget how I was at loss of words when someone had asked me the dumbest question about 5 years ago ( when my first daughter was just a toddler). We were watching TV together and all of a sudden this person said, "So Gina, since you're a stay at home mom, is this what you do all day?" meaning do I watch TV all day. I was so dumbfounded and upset I simply just said, "No, that's not what I do all day". If only this person had any idea what my typical day is like....

Here's my schedule:

A.M.
6:30 Wake up
7:00 Kids wake up
7:30 Breakfast
8:00 Kids go to school
8:30 Clean up/ Chores
8:30- 9:30 Activities with the toddler
9:30 Try to put the toddler to nap
10:00 The toddler finally naps (if lucky)
11:00 Prepare lunch
11:30 Wake up the toddler and off to pick up my preschooler from school
P.M.
12:00 Lunch
12:30 Clean up
1:00-3:00 Activities/ outing with the kiddies
3:00 My first grader comes home school
3:00-4:00 My 1st grader does homework/study while the other children play quietly
4:00 Prepare dinner
5:00 Dinner
6:00 Kids take a bath
6:30-7:30 Play/ activity time with kids, bed time rituals
7:30 Kids bedtime/ Put the toddler to sleep
8:00 Do the dishes and other chores/ shower
9:00 Time for work/ study/ spend time with hubby
12:00 or 1:00 A.M Go to sleep... finally

Yeah, I watch TV all day..... right.

Guess How Old?

2008-05-13T18:39:00.004-04:00

My 4 year old preschooler brought home a gift bag filled with Mother's Day presents yesterday. At school he spent the entire last week making cards, drawings, a bouquet of tissue paper flowers, and a laminated "This is my mom, she is special" letter about me. There are questions and he had to fill out the answers. I got such a kick out of it, I thought I must share this. This is what it says:

My mom's favorite thing to do is: play hot wheels (miniature cars) with me.

My mom has a nice smile. I like to make her smile by: giving her a present on her birthday.

My mom is so smart! She even knows how to: cook pancakes.

My mom's age is: 99 years old (I think).

I love you mom!

Haha... I just love the way kids think. I'm glad that he knows how much I enjoy spending time with him ( we usually play with his hot wheels). I was taken back though when he thought I was 99 years old. So I asked him, "Do you really think I'm 99 years old?!" He said, "No". Then I said, "How old do you really think I am?" He says, "You're 90!" I then decided to leave it at that :D

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-11T22:53:00.017-04:00

Hello Port Jefferson!

I heart Port Jefferson. It's such a happy place :) We'll do less with words today and more with pictures. Yay!

This is Pattern Finders. It's a fabulous shop filled with antiques and vintage jewelry, which I have a weakness for. The owner Staci has quite an elegant taste to her collections.

Next stop: The Children's Maritime Museum. You can read about it in this blog.

This place was more like a play area for kids than a museum per say. But everything they had set up definitely encourages kids to be innovative. They had a big boat and a sand box filled with grains of rice. I loved this idea since playing with sand can bring about many problems during clean up time. For a flat fee of $10.00, the kids had a wonderful time and I didn't have to worry about the mess. What a wonderful gift for Mother's Day :P

What day is today? Today is Mother's Day!

2008-05-10T22:14:00.008-04:00

Every year as Mother's Day rolls around, I get this automated sound system going in my head. It plays this song that I learned in grade school called, "What day is today? Today is Mother's Day". It must be the annoying but catchy tune that does it. Why am I writing this, I don't know. But to honor and celebrate all the mothers around the world, I must NOT sing this song.

Every year we usually celebrate the day at a restaurant, but this year I decided to attempt a "brunch" in our home. There's something about it that brings out the child in me. It's almost like Christmas morning where the excitement and romanticism meet together. Brahms could definitely describe so well in his music for he was a true romanticist. Which gives me the idea: I'm going to make a play list of Brahms and perhaps some Puccini for our meal tomorrow.

Thanks to Food Network, this is the menu:

Fresh Strawberry Bellini

Orange-Glazed Blueberry Scones

Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Frittata

Roasted Asparagus Bundles

Roasted Chicken Sausage

Fresh Fruit Salad with Mint

Pasta Salad

If it turns out well, maybe I'll post some pictures :)

Talking about food, I went to Angels today and it was fantastic! I've always known they were good, but today was even better. It's a small but charming Italian restaurant decorated with guess what? Of course, angels :P

Here are some cheesy pics I took with my phone. I wish I had my camera with me, but too bad I'm often forgetful.

I didn't think all 12 of us could fit inside, but it turned out okay. It was pretty cozy actually. And plus, we were welcomed by more angels all around us. Even their tables had cute little pictures of angels on it.

But this I thought was a little strange: Could it be Christmas in May? There was a wreath too but unfortunately I couldn't get a picture of it. Haha....

However, we did manage to have a great luncheon today and nice fellowship which matters the most. Too bad I always forget to take pictures of the dishes before I eat them. I always remember to take pictures after I'm halfway done, which of course, don't look all too appetizing :P

What is "bowah"?

2008-05-08T23:47:00.003-04:00

It has been weeks since I've been trying to figure out what in the world does "bowah" mean. My 20 month old likes to say this word whenever we go out for a walk. After thinking, probing and analyzing, I finally figured out what "bowah" finally means: she's saying "flower". Ha ha... I'd have to admit, she's a darling and she really does lighten my life.

I guess even in the eyes of a 20 month old toddler, there's a change of a season, and a world of the beginning of life. She loves to pick flowers as we take our little walks. I truly wonder how the world looks like in the eyes of a little baby girl.

Butterfly Kisses

2008-05-05T22:06:00.008-04:00

I know I made a promise to myself, that I won't be the kind of blogger who writes to brag about their kids, but today I must break that promise.

Do you remember the song "Butterfly Kisses"? I love that song. It makes me sad while hearing it, but the song can truly capture what we parents go through everyday.

My 20 month old keeps me on my feet all day everyday. She's quite the explorer armed with much curiosity and many times she wipes me out. By mid-morning I'll already be ready to go to bed. Don't get me wrong... I love the fact that she's learning about life and absorbing the world around her, but it's just that once she goes through the house, it looks like the aftermath of a whirring tornado.

Nowadays I find myself getting exhausted but not only that, I get frustrated with all the mess, the tantrums and endless demands. I need a break. I don't think I can fairly describe the desperate feeling I'm keeping. But in moments like this, there comes the song.

When I'm absolutely exhausted and I lie down to collect myself, little toddler would climb on the bed. If I have my eyes closed (and only if they're closed), she leans over and showers me with kisses. That's exactly what I do for her when I put her to bed. And in those moments, I must admit, everything fades away. Sure, I'm still tired and achy all over. But those indescribable moments bring such joy and happiness that no mess and tantrums can ever stop me from enjoying her in this stage of life. I realize I can live through these moments only once in my lifetime. I mind as well should definitely enjoy every moment of this.

Bug off!

2008-05-03T16:24:00.004-04:00

Those of you who know me well, without a doubt know how much I dislike insects. In fact, it's a phobia that I wish I never have to face. But for some strange reason, no matter where I go I am destined to run into quite traumatic experiences related to.... of course, bugs.

I don't want to recall my various experiences nor the types of insects I'd dealt with. Actually I do with one account, where I lived in northern California (another name for gigantic ant hole), and I had to stuff every food item in the refrigerator because those vicious ants will get to and through anything edible. Opened boxes or unwrapped plastic bags are not obstacles for them. The only thing we were able to keep in the pantry ( without being attacked by thousands of ants) were the canned goods. I remember I couldn't even put food on the kitchen counter for five minutes or else it'll be covered with dusts of ants.

Why am I revisiting my nightmare? Because it's spring and we have unwelcomed guests. I simply don't know what to do. I think I've tried just about anything there is (the non-toxic way). Those ants are coming in through our sliding doors in the living room. I tried spreading salt, cayenne pepper, sprays of vinegar, citric smelling cleaners, chalk, etc. These suggestions were obtained from the internet and I can tell you right now, THEY DON'T WORK!

Maybe it's God trying to communicate to me that I have no control of my life. It doesn't matter how well I'm educated, how much I've accomplished and how much I plan, only He has the control and He certainly should for He's the creator of the universe. Even the tiniest thing is out of my hands and now I must learn to relax and not worry. This is not easy, especially for an OCD/perfectionist like me. However, it's good to know that He who's in ultimate control is my Daddy and the best thing about it is that He's truly PERFECT :)

Attempting Martha Stewart

2008-05-01T21:03:00.006-04:00

I can assure you that I am not at all like Martha Stewart. Homemaking, I feel, is one of the most challenging thing I ever faced in life. Before I got married and had kids, music and career was my life. I knew I would marry, sometime after I turn 30, but have never fantasized about being a wife, a mother of three, and a full time homemaker. I used to find joy in listening to operas with the music scores in hand, mastering music analysis. My mind was filled with beloved poems of Goethe and my heart was beating with music arrangements by Schubert, Brahms, and Mahler. But after 8 years of twists and turns, time has brought me to a new dimension of life.

Of course, being a homemaker is not easy. It is such a challenging occupation. But it teaches you the most valuable lesson in life. You are not the center of your life. The best-seller book The Purpose Driven Life mentions about this. I won't get into this now since I haven't even gotten to my point yet :P But I do realize that being a mother has taught me be to be a giving person, and that is one of the greatest lesson learned.

Needless to say, although it's challenging in all areas of my life: emotionally, physically, mentally and even spiritually, I love being a mother and a homemaker. Whether I'm good at it or not is another story... or post. Ha!

One thing I've been wanting to learn is to sew. If I can master this skill, it'll open up a whole new world for me. Okay, since I'm on a roll in being brutally honest, I have a confession to make. I am addicted to quilts. Sadly, I don't even own one, but I am totally head over heels with them. There's something so mysterious about them and it feels as if each quilt has so much stories to tell. I should stop myself before I get all philosophical over a set of blankets. But this is something I'd love to learn and gift each of my beloved children. I love Purl Soho.

They have the most exquisite everything!

Anyways, all my planning for the new ministry is coming along pretty well. Hopefully, I'll be able to meet all the deadlines.

Ready To Set Sail!

2008-04-29T12:03:00.005-04:00

I must say, it feels so nice to organize. After contemplating whether I'll finally launch off my new projects, I've come to a conclusion that I'd ought to create a working space of my own. Dear hubby's office (we call it the Library) is ever so crowded with countless books and files, I dare not add any more stuff in there. After rearranging some things around, I found a charming place right in the corner next to our fire place, piano and the stereo which play a very significant role in my life so it worked out great.

Ah... now that we got that out of the way, I gotta download all my thoughts to this blog. This is really a practice blog for my "real blog" to come in the summer '08. A blog that's dedicated to all mothers but exclusively for moms with young children. I have a pretty good idea of what this blog will cover but I realize this takes so much work! I've been researching many blogs authored by moms and it's amazing! They are truly super-moms. I was able to witness a group of proverbs 31 women living in the 21st century.

Anyhow, it takes discipline keeping up blogging. That's why I'm dedicated to this blog for now. Now, back to planning....