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It was a Happy Holidays @ the Tams

2024-01-07T17:25:00.007-06:00

This Christmas holiday marks our third year of celebrating with my boys' sweet girlfriends, Duyen and Ninh. There's a whole lot of love in our home, and I've always told my three kids how rich we are in love. Now, our love has multiplied tenfold! My husband and I exchanged fist-bumps and high-fives while sharing looks and laughter. We've built this happiness together.🥰

This year, Christian and Duyen added Pooka, our first grand furry baby, into the mix.

My Happy Dragon Boy!

2023-12-26T15:01:00.011-06:00

As we kick off #NewYear2024, I want to give a big shout-out to my amazing son, Christian! I am thrilled to announce that he has officially achieved his goal of becoming a Software Engineer, and what's more, he has just landed his dream job in another vibrant East Coast city! Christian's tireless efforts, strategic planning, and laser focus have paid off in a big way, and now he's ready to embark on the next exciting chapter of his life. I couldn't be more proud of him for his incredible determination and perseverance in making his dreams come true.

As we also prepare to celebrate the #ChineseNewYear, it's worth noting that 2024 is the Year of the Dragon in Chinese Astrology, which is considered a particularly significant and auspicious year. Christian happens to be born in the Dragon Year! This means that 2024 will be an auspicious year for him; as per Chinese astrology, the path to succeed and shine brightly is laid out for him. His Chinese name is Hay Loong, which means Happy Dragon. According to the Chinese horoscope, the Year of the Dragon is associated with luck, wealth, and power. Individuals born in this year are believed to possess strong leadership skills and attractive personalities, making it an ideal time for new beginnings and long-term success.

My husband and I are excited as we witness him begin his new year. We have complete faith that he will approach every opportunity and obstacle with the same tenacity and enthusiasm that have led him to this incredible milestone in his professional journey. Here’s a toast to the Year of the Dragon and the limitless potential for triumph and joy it has in store for our son!

Guess what? I just remembered something that made me smile! Back in grade school, he used to run a blog called Techy Dragon Boy! Can you believe it? It's like a blast from the past! Ahh, memories. #tamfamchristmas2023

Merry Christmas 2022

2022-12-28T10:30:00.000-06:00

Lobster-Fest to kick-off 2021

2021-01-01T00:00:00.002-06:00

I have the best husband EVAH! 🥰 He kicked-off 2021 most deliciously. Just when I thought we were only getting Chinese carry-out for our NYE dinner, he worked his kitchen magic and surprised the kids and me with lobsters! He still picked up some carry-out and even made some Cantonese Style Shrimp with Lobster Sauce. The kids were so happy and I’m stuffed! 🦞 🦞 🦞

Thanks, Babe! Our family is so blessed to have you as their baba. 🥰 I💕you! 🍾 🥂 🎉

#Bye2020

#HappyNewYear2021

@chicagonista
The hubster (my kickass chef) kicked-off our 2021 in the most delicious way! Thanks, babe! 😍 🦞 ##fyp ##happynewyear2021 ##food ##seafood
♬ Pennies From Heaven - Louis Prima

Happy 56th Wedding Anniversary to my Parents!

2020-12-31T00:00:00.003-06:00

(Picture was from 2019)

56 years! 💕 Happy Anniversary to my parents! 2020 is undoubtedly the most challenging year they ever had to endure together in their marriage, but we're so glad that they are hanging in there and slowly recuperating. Covid separated them for about seven very long months. They are now together again under my siblings' care.😍 I will miss celebrating their anniversary and NYE together face-to-face and with all my siblings with their children, but we would all rather stay safe. That's more than ok; I'm just happy that I can see their smiling faces and laughter via Facetimes.

#Bye2020

#HappyNewYear

@chicagonista
My beautiful parents! 56 years of marriage. ##HappyAnniversary
♬ Perfect - Ed Sheeran

RECIPE: Better-than-Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

2020-10-13T13:06:00.009-05:00

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

I promise you will never go out to buy Cinnamon Rolls anymore. This homemade recipe will have your home and kitchen smelling like the holidays. Watch your entire family showing up in the kitchen without having to be called. I guarantee it'll be a big hit!

Ingredients:

Dough:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 packet (2 tsp/7 gms/1/4 oz) yeast - instant or active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk (low fat or whole milk) heated to 120-130° F for instant yeast (or 110-120°F for active dry)
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 egg
about 1/4 cup additional flour

Filling:

2 Tablespoons softened butter or trans-fat free margarine
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:

1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
about 2 Tablespoons milk

Instructions:

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.
Stir in milk followed by oil & egg. Beat on high for 3 minutes.
Add additional flour until dough forms a mass.
On a floured surface, knead 150 turns (about 4-5 minutes).
Cover with plastic or a bowl & let rest 10 minutes.
Meantime, grease an 8-inch round pan and combine the brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
On a floured surface, roll dough into 12” x 9”.
Spread with butter/margarine followed by brown sugar mixture.
Roll up the dough (not too tightly) starting at the 9” end.
Cut 1/2-inch off either end. With a serrated knife or using dental floss, cut the log into eight even slices and arrange in pan.
Cover with plastic & rise in a warm spot until doubled, 1 - 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350° F for about 15 minutes.
Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then frost. To make the frosting, combine powdered sugar & vanilla and slowly add milk for spreading consistency.

Notes: To make overnight rolls, follow steps 1 thru 10. Cover the pan with plastic and refrigerate overnight. Remove from the fridge in the morning and then let rise in a warm spot for about 1 to 1 1/2-2 hours. Or until the rolls doubled in size. Continue at step #12.

No Mixer? You can combine the ingredients by hand and follow the rest of the recipe as written. I just tried it, and they turned out great.

Bracing Myself

2020-09-19T08:54:00.007-05:00

Brace yourself and get a look at my girl's new smile. 😁😍 After 19 months, Katie's braces are off. She's finally free! Yay!

As I captured that photo above showing her new bright smile, it dawned on me how fast time went by. How could that little girl just 19 months ago look so much like a real teen now? She is thirTEEN, after all. But deep down in my heart, I miss having a spunky and chunky, perfectly-sized to hug little five-year-old Katie. Now, she's still fun to embrace, except she doesn't want to languish on my arms long enough to sing, tickle, and cuddle to get my fill of her laughter.

Lately, I have to go to her room and vie for her time to even look at me. It's me against the wifi/cellphone/computer again. I suppose I created that monster. Oh, well. All good. My only wish is that she keeps hugging me still every time she passes by me and that she keeps rockin' those smiles forever.

Look at this picture of hers when she first got her metals on. Don't you agree that she's grown so much within 19 months?

Good Luck, Nancy!

2020-07-10T14:48:00.007-05:00

I’m super sad, but beyond excited about my BFF's next move. Today we had our last Chicago Chinatown hurrah before she leaves for California in a few days. We’re taking Social Distancing to a whole new level! 🤪

Nancy will be taking over the world as the West Coast correspondent for the soon-to-launch @newsnationnow on @wgnamerica. So exciting! Nancy - I’m so proud of you and as soon as we’re all free to travel, you know I’ll be there to meet you at the beach! In the meanwhile, get that guest room ready for me. I miss you already. 😔😢

My February Babe

2020-02-08T08:38:00.006-06:00

It’s my ever so patient and loving husband’s birthday today! Our lives are so blessed because of him. Even more amazing, he bought our girl (another February baby) tickets to BTS! Hold me! I’m chaperoning kpop obsessed teen girls!😱 I love you, babe! You’re stuck with me forever!

Missing This Little Girl

2019-12-19T16:52:00.003-06:00

Memories from 6 years ago. I wish she’s still this little. I miss our fun holiday adventures of mailing her letters to Santa.

Thanksgiving Day 2019

2019-11-28T19:42:00.002-06:00

Jjust one of the thousands of reasons I'm grateful to have today. A chance to have 3 generations of love. A pic of me with my mom and my daughter, Katie.

Sweetness All Around

2019-08-30T15:40:00.009-05:00

Sweets after our usual dim sum Chicago Chinatown lunch with BFF, Nancy Loo. So fun catching-up with our busy summer with our families.

2014 & 2019 First Day of School

2019-08-27T09:06:00.004-05:00

Matthew now a High School Junior and Katie a 7th Grader! Way too fast for my liking and I can’t believe the 2019 Summer is over already.

2009 & 2019!

2019-08-25T23:18:00.003-05:00

2009 & 2019! Both pictures below were taken on my dad’s birthday. My baby girl is has grown up. Happy 78th bday, Pa!

Busy Summer For All!

2019-08-02T10:50:00.001-05:00

I had plans of writing about our family Summer craziness, but like as usual, events flew by, and there wasn't enough to stop and breathe to write about it. First off, I underestimated how busy we were going to be. I had major plans of lounging around the house with the kids and maybe run around shopping, movies and eating out before we leave for our planned Hawaiian get-a-way.

Fast forward to August - we are no longer leaving for Hawaii. Sad, but honestly, we were all too busy to feel sad. I forget that my kids are not so little anymore where my husband and I can plan our family summer the way we want. No. Not anymore.

Christian, our College boy, took a Summer internship job at Northwestern University. Matthew left for New Hampshire for an educational Summer program at Phillips Exeter Academy, and we decided to enroll Katie to Summer school, William canceled his vacation time off at work, and so I ended up focusing on my writing projects.

In just a few weeks Fall classes will be starting for all three kids, and we're back to the routine. All three kids are still immersed with their Summer ongoings, and they're having so much fun. In a general scheme of things, we're accomplishing a FUN summer for all. Just not altogether the entire time, but hey, ALL GOOD.

Here are some of our milestone moments in pics this Summer.

Last Day of School pics:

Last day of 6th Grade for Katie

Last Day of HS Sophomore Year for Matthew

Last Day of College Freshman Year for Christian

Here are more of Christian's Dorm Move-Out Day pics:

View this post on Instagram

And just like that he’s done with his first year in college at @northwesternu! Little bro and lil sis came along to help pack and move him out of his dorm. Oh, the fun things I found. 😂 My husband and I can’t believe how fast his first year went by. The #TamFamSummer2019 is officially on!

A post shared by The Chicago Tam Family💗 (@chicagotamfam) on Jun 15, 2019 at 2:53am PDT

And he even made a fun video recap of his Freshman Year at Northwestern University:

View this post on Instagram

Even with the endless calls about all the studying stress and worries, it looks like he had a lot of fun as a @northwesternu freshman. Here’s his recap #dormdance vid. 🤣 #NU2022

A post shared by The Chicago Tam Family💗 (@chicagotamfam) on Jun 16, 2019 at 11:49am PDT

This Is 50

2019-07-17T01:25:00.002-05:00

To say that "age is just a number" sounds like it's wrong to feel our age.

🎈🎈🎈Today I turn FIFTY. 🎈🎈🎈I think and feel like a 50-year-old ( it's all relative ), and there's nothing wrong with that. Turning 50 is a meaningful milestone for me, and I am choosing to embrace what I have become today.

This 50-year-old body endured severe asthma at a young age, gym rat days in the 80s, various diets and weight changes in the 90s, five pregnancies, four easy & and one arduous labor, three very happy baby deliveries, and two incredibly heartbreaking miscarriages.

This 50-year-old body also endured six needle biopsies, a thyroidectomy, and painfully inflamed lymph nodes called Lymphadenopathy. This lead to what my doctors first believed was Lymphoma that turned out to be a Kikuchi Fujimoto Disease diagnosis after more careful pathology testings. A rare disease that took my spirit and body almost over a year to regain some normalcy. Adding on the numerous infections resulted from my weakened immune system after going through months of drug treatments.

I physically and mentally survived them all, and there's not a day I don't feel grateful to be alive and kicking. My biggest gratitude goes to my greatest love and solid rock - my husband ♥️and three children♥️♥️♥️.

To all of you, my friends and families, thank you for sticking with me through it all. I look forward to many years with you. Here's to my next 20-30-40+ years to come! 🍾 🎉🥳 #ThisIs50

via Instagram https://ift.tt/30DM4iZ

We won the Father Lottery! Father's Day 2019

2019-06-16T11:01:00.001-05:00

Through the years You've never let me down
You turned my life around
The sweetest days I've found, I've found with you
Through the years I've never been afraid
I've loved the life we've made
And I'm so glad I've stayed Right here with you Through the years.

Happy Father’s Day to the most hardworking and dedicated dad that we adore! You simply made our lives sweet.

We love you so much, Baba!

Mothers Day 2019

2019-05-12T19:44:00.001-05:00

Out to dinner for some Korean BBQ with my squad, my clan, my tribe, my rock, my babies.

My heart! That includes my husband who is my main squeeze. (Hubs is at work as usual, but always in our hearts)

I hope all of you mamas out there filled your tanks and felt more loved than we already are. #HappyMothersDay

61 years in-between these two!

2019-04-19T20:44:00.001-05:00

They share a birthday 🎂. My son turned 16, and my mom turned 77. The family is celebrating their birthdays. Happy Birthday Matt and Grandma!

Sixteen! Our Baby Boy is Sixteen!

2019-04-17T00:44:00.001-05:00

This middle child of ours has always been the most conscientious and sweetest person, and he’s growing into an incredibly good human being. He’s also smart and hardworking. And of course like most teens, he can be annoying, but we’ll keep him anyway. 😜

My husband and I are so proud to be his baba and mama. Happy Birthday, Matthew! We ♥️ you! 😘😘😘 🎉🎂🎁🎈

Treasuring Every Moment I Get with My Growing Kids

2019-04-16T11:08:00.002-05:00

Writing about things I love in Chicago (and beyond) has its perks. I'm not talking about the incredible shows and meals. Of course those too, but what I truly love the most is when I can have one or all of my children accompany me and experience and discover new things with me. I've dined with them at some pretty exciting places, brought them along to theatre shows, and the whole family even traveled with me to some unimaginable destinations.

However, it's not as easy to seize my children and go to events anymore. They're getting older, and they are obviously NOT as enthused in hanging out with old mama. It takes a lot of convincing. I get it, though, but I continue to have them join me because I know they will enjoy themselves anyway. And 95% of the time, I'm right! 5% of the mistake is from how exhausted they are from school, and here I am dragging them to an event, and they still have homework to get done. I feel terrible, but I also know that they can learn more from exposure and experience.

My middle boy, Matthew, is the hardest to persuade and take along. He's canceled on me a couple of times before, but I still insist that he join me whenever an invite to bring someone with pops up. He went with me this time to the Djembe! Show (link to my Chicagonista write-up if you're interested in learning more) and judging from his participation in the drumming and after-show critiques; I know deep down how much he appreciated being there. I hope he'll join me soon at another event.

I cherish every moment I spend time with each of my children.

19 Years Old!

2019-04-03T00:44:00.001-05:00

19 years ago, this boy made us parents for the first time, but it feels more like it was just yesterday.

Happy Birthday, Christian - We love you and know that we’re so proud of the kind of man you are turning out to be.

Agent Tam Fam

2019-04-02T09:54:00.002-05:00

It’s April already?! Wow!

Last week was my College son’s Spring Break. For the first time, all our three kids’ Spring Break schedules landed on different weeks, and so we planned to make the most of it while Christian is home for the week.

Below are some Instagram photos and videos to scroll through from our dinner at the Safehouse, a spy-themed restaurant here in Chicago. Hubs and I thought we were just in for the meal and let our three kids enjoy it, but crossing off the given family missions turned out to be so fun. We were spy agents for the evening, and that restaurant was a bit of Austin Powers and James Bond. We couldn't resist all the goofiness!

Check out the surveillance camera video of what we had to do since none of us knew the password to get in the Safehouse. 😂

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by The Chicago Tam Family💗 (@chicagotamfam) on Apr 2, 2019 at 7:46am PDT

Awesome Girls Day at the Museum!

2019-03-24T16:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my girl Katie and I spent the morning at the #WiredToWear exhibit, a new Museum of Science & Industry exhibit that showcases inventions that transform the way we live. To kick off the exhibit Morning, Makers! breakfast speaker is Katie’s friend, Jordan Reeves. I will be writing about the whole exhibit at Chicagonista.com, so check over there if you'd like to learn more about the Wired To Wear exhibit.

Jordan is a Missouri native 13 year-old-girl who built a prosthetic arm that shoots glitter. We’re so proud to know her! I happen to love her mama, Jen, too. We’ve been getting together since our girls were little and encouraged Katie and Jordan to write and even became penpals.

Jordan and her mom founded an organization called Born Just Right, a non-profit foundation that develops creative solutions for kids with disabilities.

Check out the last pictures below when Katie and Jordan were hanging out in 2013 at the same museum! They were so little then!

Blogging gives my family JOY!

2019-03-17T20:44:00.001-05:00

This showed up on my Facebook Memories from 2012.

I couldn't remember where I took this picture and had to ask my son. This is one reason that I blog. Seeing and reminiscing on days passed brings my family and me a lot of happiness. I can't begin to tell you how much we've scanned through this blog to find specific memories! I honestly wished I wrote more, and there were definitely missed opportunities. Now that they are getting bigger, I suddenly feel like I'm out of time.

Matthew was about 8 years old here. He told me that he was showing off his acrobatic skills to the little-little kids. I couldn't help but chuckle that my now almost 15-year-old was giddily telling me this story. I remember spending so much time at the Navy Pier Chicago for the Chicago Children's Museum when my kids were little. We purchased a membership and were there at least once a week.