fa·ther (fär)

a. A male person whose sperm unites with an egg, resulting in the conception of a child. b. A man who adopts a child. c. A man who raises a child.

I was looking at the definition for father and out of the three, the most important one is “c. A man who raises a child.”  Whether you are the biological father, the adoptive father, the step-father, or the father-figure in some child’s life, a true father is the one that takes part in that child’s life and helps them thrive and grow on a daily basis. 

First off, I would like to say Happy Father’s Day to my own father.  If there is one person who I feel is wise and has a book of life lessons, it’s my father.  He has taught me to see outside the box and to always feel fortunate for everything that I am.

Besides my own father, my husband has been such a great father/dad who spells fatherhood (in the most funniest sense).  He has come a long way from trying to help, to now taking on the initiative to jump in immediately.  Not only does he work endless hours to provide for us, he also makes sure that the girls and I are emotionally full.  Although my husband has tripped, stumbled, and fell a few times (actually a lot), it’s those moments that make him the best dad he can be! 

“Any man can be a Father but it takes someone special to be a dad.” — Anne Geddes

Happy Father’s Day!

I may have the perfect gift for you, your friend, your mom, or just about anyone who celebrates Mother’s Day.  

Mother’s Day is so much about cherishing our mothers and giving our gratitudes to them.  Wouldn’t it be would be nice to give them something that would directly impact the lives of pregnant and new mothers, and save lives?  Giving the gift of life. 

mothers2mothers is honoring Mother’s Day by giving anyone who donates $50 or more, a special Mother’s Day card and a music video on DVD created by 17-year old rising star Rachel Eskenazi-Gold entitled “Save An Angel” (created in tribute to mothers2mothers moms).

mothers2mothers (www.m2m.org) helps pregnant women and new mothers in Africa learn how to prevent the spread of HIV to their children, saving hundreds of thousands of lives a year.  Moreover, nearly all of m2m babies are born HIV-negative (which is quite amazing!).

For more information about mothers2mothers and how you can give a gift in your mother’s honor, please go here. Gifts must be made by April 30, 2010 for your recipients to receive their cards and DVDs before Mother’s Day.

Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and everyone around the world will be celebrating this eventful day.  You don’t have to be a treehugger to be a part of the celebrations and it’s a day where we can reflect on our habits and how it directly impacts the earth.

Throughout the year, before Earth Day, my family and I try our best to be green and eco-friendly.  Whether it’s using reusable bags to carry our grocery items or walking to the bank (rather than using the car), we try to make a conscious effort in the little things we do on a daily basis.

When I see others loitering freely on the streets, it irritates me because I’m trying my best to take care of the world we live in, and the person over there thinks Wilshire Boulevard is his ever-so convenient landfill.  But what can I do, except keep doing what I do and hope that those that don’t care, will be educated.

I ’m no saint when it comes to being green and eco-friendly (I have glitches here and there), but I do make a conscious effort in trying my best to be gentle to the earth.  I think at the end of the day, what matters is that we make a collective effort in trying to do our part to help the environment thrive and like our bodies, stay healthy.

These are some of the simple things my family and I do to be eco-conscious:

• Use reusable bags for grocery items (if you go to Whole Foods you received a 5 cent refund for every bag)
• Use water bottles free of BPA (we use Kor and Sigg)  instead of buying plastic bottled water. Not only is it eco-conscious, it’s healthy as well. 
• Walking to the grocery store, post office, bank, restaurant, park, or anywhere that you go on a daily basis.  You will be getting good exercise, saving money, and being good to the environment!
• Receiving paperless bill statements that are directly emailed to you.  Not only does it save trees, it also saves time and energy.
• Use energy efficient appliances.  Doesn’t seem like much, but it saves energy and your money.
• Use cloth diapers and biodegradable inserts (we use GroBaby).  Disposables take up to 50o years to break down.  Since biodegradable inserts are plastic-free, it takes about 50-150 days to break down in a landfill. Cloth diapers, zero break down, just wash and reuse.
• I pack my preschooler’s lunch in her lunchbox (we use Yubo).  By using a resusable lunchbox, you save trees and the energy needed to produce disposable ones.
• My blog is carbon neutral.  If you have a blog make it carbon neutral by going here.

There are so many things you could do to be green.  It’s not meant to be difficult.  Start by using reusable bags and in a matter of months, it will become your lifestyle.  Happy Earth Day!!!

Whether you are in town, out of town, or around town, Easter is such a special holiday.  Growing up, I always went Easter egg hunting and although I never really could get into Cadbury Creme Eggs, I just enjoyed collecting them. 

Another activity I really enjoyed doing on Easter was dyeing the eggs pink, blue, green, yellow, purple, and orange (I may have missed a few colors).  I remember my church friends and I would dye the eggs and then hang them on the Christmas tree that was never taken down. 

Like Christmas, Easter was one of those holidays where I would dress to the nines.  I remember my mom always taking me to a local dress boutique to buy the perfect Easter dress with matching hat, shoes, and mini purse.  My mom’s old photo albums showcased my many Easter fashions.  If you looked through it, you would think it was a designer look-book for Spring.

Every year, we have been going to an Easter brunch and to carry on the fashion tradition, my older daughter has worn some amazing dresses and my younger one, well it will be her first Easter!  It’s funny that I see myself through them and it brings up so many childhood memories.

Just like myself, another favorite of my older daughter has been the egg hunting.  Partly, it has to do with all the candies stuffed in the eggs.  A bad trait she inherited from me (I use to eat candies, chocolates, and ice cream in lieu of actual meals), she is a lover of anything that has sugar in it.  Hence, her recent major dental procedure.

For some reason, I feel like Easter brings in a breath of fresh air to the household.  The flowers bloom, well I live in Los Angeles, but the flowers look more beautiful than ever, and the thought of Spring brings in renewed energy.  With the sun going down later in the evening and the weather being just right, it really brings up the inner spirit.

With the weather ever-so perfect and the sun shining through the windows, I hope all of you have a wonderful Easter, filled with many loving memories!

Just a few days ago, I received one of the best emails that I could receive.  With Earth Day right around the corner on April 22nd, 2010 , I was happy to receive an email from kaufDA (a German based company) about making my blog carbon neutral.  Over the year of my blog’s existance, I have been talking about reducing my carbon footprint, trying to be conscious, and going green.  However, I never really thought about my blog being carbon neutral.  I guess I just assumed that my blog was carbon neutral.  So when I received this email, it immediately got my attention.

Were you aware that a blog with 15,000 visits a month has a yearly carbon dioxide emissions of 8lbs?  Wow!  I would have never thought that a blog could do that.  So in order to neutralize my blog’s carbon footprint, I am taking part in the campaign “My blog is carbon neutral.”  For every blog that participates, a tree will be planted by the Arbor Day Foundation in Plumas National Forest in Northern California.  You will be helping to rebuild the Plumas National Forest which was destroyed by two fires in 2007.  For every blog that participates, one tree will be planted.

Make a difference and make your blog carbon neutral!  For more information on participating, go here.

Thanks for being a part of this past year with me, on my journey of motherhood!  I can’t be more grateful of all the support and all the great emails that came my way!  I have so many great things for the New Year and can’t wait for them to unfold one by one.  I know this is the time of year we think about our resolutions, reflect about the past year, try to bury the not so great parts, and just simply move on.  My resolution for this New Year is to be as healthy as I can (so I don’t miss out on any great moments) and continue to be the best person I can be!

To you, my Mommas in the House family:  I wish you love, happiness, success, health (mind/body), prosperity, and lots and lots of luck (if you believe in it ).  It’s a new chapter in your “Book of Life”.  Happy New Year!!

I leave with you with this quote: “Every man should be born again on the first day of January.  Start with a fresh page.  Take up one hole more in the buckle if necessary, or let down one, according to circumstances; but on the first of January let every man gird himself once more, with his face to the front, and take no interest in the things that were and are past.”  ~Henry Ward Beecher

It’s New Years Eve today and I know that a lot of parents will be enlisting the help of sitters so they can go out and enjoy the New Year’s Celebrations.  For some parents, that won’t be an option and for others, celebrating with the entire family is another age-old tradition.  For me, I am fighting a upper respitory infection with major pleurisy (inflammation of the lungs), so we will be home bringing in the New Year.  I actually prefer that because I am not a huge fan of being in crowded areas where I cannot hear the person next to me.  I will probably be sleeping in on New Year’s Day and eating some Dduk Guk (Korean rice cake soup traditionally eaten on New Year’s Day) in the morning.  My husband and I grew up on those traditions and it’s great to pass it on to my children.

When I was checking my email today, I came across a bunch of activities that families could do together on New Year’s Eve.  It was compiled by ParentsConnect.com (a very good resource I use).  So if you are in the Los Angeles area, I have the list for you.  If you live in another city or state, just go to ParentsConnect.com, and click on your City, then click on Events.  You will get a whole list of events for today!

Thursday, 12/31

Rock on! Ride on! New Year’s Eve
(through Thu, Dec 31)
Revelers can ride the rides, dance in the streets, and count down to a midnight fireworks display in Calico Square. Tickets are still available as we go to press…
Location: Knott’s Berry Farm
Cost: Adults $38; Children (3-11) $18, (under 3) free; Passholders free
Ages: 6 – 18

Rollin’ in the Years
(through Thu, Dec 31)
The skating rink sets its clocks ahead to celebrate New Year’s Eve by day, allowing families to ring in 2010 together – on wheels…
Location: Skating Plus
Cost: $7.50; Skate rental $2.50-$4
Ages: 4 – 18

Fireworks in the Marina (FREE!)
(through Thu, Dec 31)
The fireworks extravaganza over the main channel features one firework shot into the air for each second, counting down to midnight, followed by a full display lighting up the sky…
Location: Burton W. Chace Park
Cost: Free
Ages: All Ages

Kidspace at High Noon
(through Thu, Dec 31)
Young revelers are invited to ring in the new year (12 hours early) with special festivities, balloons, and a sparkling apple cider toast…
Location: Kidspace Children’s Museum
Cost: Free with Kidspace admission
Ages: 2 – 9

Noon Year’s Eve Celebration
(through Thu, Dec 31)
The Discovery Cube gets in the noontime swing, counting down to 12 o’clock and applying scientific principles to seltzer rockets, without keeping anyone up past bedtime…
Location: Discovery Science Center
Cost: Free with paid admission
Ages: 3 – 17

New Year’s Eve Cele-brick-tion
(through Thu, Dec 31)
Children and their parents get to ring in the New Year before bedtime at an event that includes a performance by [get performer details] a countdown followed by a huge LEGO brick descending 22 feet, and a dazzling fireworks display…
Location: Legoland California
Cost: Free with paid admission
Ages: All Ages

I wish everyone the happiest, warmest, joyful Christmas!  It’s amazing how fast the years go by, as it just seemed like yesterday when I would sit by the Christmas tree with my cousins, waiting for the clock to strike 12.  Year after year, we would gather at my uncle’s house which was always decked out to the nines ,as my aunt was an Asian version of Martha Stewart.  Out of all my cousins, I was the only little girl, as my other two girl cousins were much older than myself, so I was always spoiled with gifts.  Now that I have my own family, those traditions are ones that I want to pass onto my child (not the spoiling part).

My older daughter who is going to turn 4 next year, now knows the story of Christmas and why we celebrate.  The year before, she just thought of it as some event with a bearded old man with glasses.  Now that she is in pre-school and she is constantly reading and watching Christmas stories, she is definitely in the Christmas spirit.  Living in Los Angeles and trying to celebrate Christmas is far different from the white Christmas’  I grew up on, back in Chicago.  The memories of having snowball fights with my cousins, building a snowman, and drinking hot apple cider on the snow filled porch while I looked for the largest icicle.

When we first moved to Los Angeles, my husband and I would actually celebrate Christmas with some ramen noodles at our apartment in West Hollywood.  It was hard getting into the Christmas spirit because the weather was warm and of course no snow.  However, that all changed once we had our first child.  My most fondest memories as a child were from Christmas and I wanted my children to have memories of their own. 

Being fashionably LA, this year we got a purple sparkly Christmas tree with matching purple lights.  It’s actually very cute and my daughter loves it!  We have our eco-wrapped gifts all placed underneath the tree and it definitely looks more like a Bohemian Christmas, but I absolutely think it’s special.  Just thinking that my children will also have their own memories of Christmas makes me fulfilled in so many ways. 

Memories are something that cannot be bought, reproduced, or taken away.  With that in mind, I wish you and your family the warmest Christmas filled with lots of joy and laughter, with everlasting memories.

Merry Christmas!

Not really.  I remember the days when the lines were extra-extra long and everyone would be scrounging for leftover gifts.  It’s really sad to see that every year that I participate in the shopping festivities, the lines get shorter and shorter.  Of course, I don’t mind the short lines that get me in and out of the store, but it’s sad for the businesses that need this holiday boost to keep their doors open for the next year.

The economy has definitely taken a toll on everyone’s pocket (customer, employer, employee, store owner).  Just about everyone who doesn’t have some sort of huge life savings or a good and hefty trust fund, is struggling to make ends meet.  With this holiday season, I see more faces of stress rather than faces of glee and happiness.  People’s faces wondering how they are going to buy the gifts and pay their own bills.

Is this a wake-up call?  For most, it is.  Growing up, Christmas was all about coming together as a family and celebrating age-long traditions.  Us children would wait by the Christmas tree to stare at the clock strike 12 (midnight) and the adults would come up from chattering, to hand out Christmas gifts.  For me, it was one of those highly anticipated moments, next to my own birthday.

This year, I bought Christmas gifts for my children that were things they would need, throughout the year.  I got educational things such as letter tracing cards, memory cards, make your own necklace set, and books.  I’m sure my daughter would have loved for me to get everything that she requested off of television commercials that she had seen aggresively flashed at her for the last month, but financially, that would have not made sense.

With this economy, I think it’s great to make smart choices that won’t make us go into debt.  I purchased things that my daughter would need for the entire year, so my purchases made sense.  I think it’s great to support the businesses around us because they are equally struggling, but as a buyer, we need to make conscious choices that makes sense to our bank accounts.

Happy Father’s Day to all the pappas out there!!! I have so much gratitude towards my husband, as he is a great husband and a father. Within the last three years, my husband has come a long way in his relationship with our daughter. I remember when we first brought her home, he was too scared to hold her, thinking he would break her in two pieces.

Of course, our daughter is a lot bigger now and more communicative, but he now feels more comfortable when it comes to his role as a father. I give a lot of props to the fathers out there because when we have children, a lot of emphasis is put on the mothers, since we are the ones who give birth. We are also the one’s that have to breastfeed, if we choose to, which is a huge part of the early stages of infancy.

My husband had 400 people make reservations for Mother’s Day Brunch, however, for Father’s Day Brunch, there were only 90 reservations. I find that a little sad and dissappointing for our good fathers out there. So I wanted to take a little time out from today to wish our fathers the Happiest Father’s Day!