mama lounge

Mr.Rubiks--A new toy

2009-11-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

I made it through my first solo trip just fine. By the fourth day, Kai woke up crying calling for “mommy”. He probably thought I was never coming back! When they picked me up from the airport, I hopped in the backseat and Kai touched my face. I think he wanted to make sure I was really there.

I think I made it all up to him with a special gift from New York. We call him Mr. Rubiks. He is like a Rubik’s Cube because every piece of him moves around. Mr. Rubik can do the splits, breakdance, and even hold your business cards.

It was a find from Corduroy Kid in Park Slope. The store clerk said he was hand painted in Upstate New York with non-toxic paints.

Solo Trip Part 2--So far, so good

2009-10-30T06:33:00.000-07:00

First off, apologies for anyone who has posted a comment and failed to see their comment visible. I'm working out tech issues. I'm bummed because those comments may be lost.

Good news is that my first night away from baby and hubby was so much fun. The night entailed filipino food at Krystal's and halal street food. Yum! A ton of walking through Jackson Heights and Flushing. My friend and I discovered a massive Indian market with a huge collection of incense. paratha, and basmiti rice.

Came back to munch on sweet pineapple and laughed over misspellings in a vietnamese recipe book. There was a recipe for Sweat and Sour Fish soup. You gotta love it.

Then we stayed up til 2am watching Notorious and she glamoured up my nails. For real, I'm talking jewels and silver stripes.

Of course I miss my babies. But it's nice to be here too. All my wise women friends were right, I would instantly enjoy being on my own again.

Thanks C and M for being cool hosts.

Solo Trip--Going Away without Baby

2009-10-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

I’m going to New York for four days without my son or husband. It will be my first solo trip since Kai was born sixteen months ago. Honestly, I’m mostly excited but do feel a little bit of guilt and nervousness.

A few months ago, a co-worker shared with me that she never did anything for herself after her kids were born. For seventeen years, she didn’t go on any solo trips or jump at the invitations for girl’s night out.

I’ve always believed in having “me” time and nurturing myself. It's the key to our happiness. I need a reminder of what my life was like pre-marriage and baby. There was such a thing. On my trip, I look forward to reading a novel, sleeping in late, carrying only my stuff, and staying out all night. This trip will be a test and practice for me. In the spring, I’m off to a writer’s residency for seven days without them again.

If you have the urge to take a trip away from mom duties, go for it. I think it will make us better moms in the end.

Family Reading

2009-10-21T16:54:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our kind friends, each one of us has new reading material. Since giving birth I've only completed one novel and trying so hard to keep up with the New Yorker.

Here is our reading list:

L: Jhumpa Lihiri, Unaccustomed Earth
Myla Kabat-zinn, Jon Kabat-zinn, Everyday Blessings: The Inner Work of Mindful Parenting

J: Italo Calvino , Numbers in the Dark and Other Stories

K: Todd Parr, The Peace Book

I'm looking forward to learning from Everyday Blessings. How does one remain patient and affectionate throughout the challenges of parenting? I'll post my thoughts once I finish the book.

New Policy: Gift Giving Restrictions to Bloggers

2009-10-15T15:24:00.000-07:00

Since I began blogging, I've been offered a variety of products to review. Some companies followed through while others sort of disappeared. I'm a small time blogger but it has been gratifying to be contacted by other companies to test out products. Even though some of the offers I receive are a bit strange, it feels good to know someone is reading. I've never been offered a freebie or money to write a positive review for a company. It would be tempting but I wouldn't feel right.

The FTC created new guidelines mandating bloggers to disclose their relationship with a product and whether they received a gift for writing a review.

“Under the revised Guides, advertisements that feature a consumer and convey his or her experience with a product or service as typical when that is not the case will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect,” the FTC said in a statement. “The revised Guides also add new examples to illustrate the long standing principle that ‘material connections’ (sometimes payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers—connections that consumers would not expect—must be disclosed."

Just when I was having fun receiving some freebies...I'm suddenly monitored. I understand why but the blogging scale varies. A blogger receiving an expensive gadget might write something a little different from someone who receives a baby bottle. It will be interesting to see how all this is regulated. In the meantime, I'll have to give some serious thought when another marketing executive contacts me.

Read more here.

Words

2009-10-07T09:39:00.000-07:00

Apologies for not posting as often as before. October has been super busy at work and home. Thought I’d share all the words Kai says at fifteen months:

mama, mommy, daddy, baba, baby, bubble, apple, caca, cookie, oh wow, cool, moe, and grandma

I think it helps that he doesn’t watch too much TV. I grant him 30-45 minutes of morning time PBS kids every other day. Hooray to books and vocabulary building! I have to admit though that I’d rather have him unlearn the word “caca”.

Tylenol Recall of Children's and Infant Drops

2009-09-25T08:45:00.000-07:00

In case you weren't aware, there were several lots of Tylenol where an inactive ingredient did not meet all the standards. If you purchased drops between April and June 2008, please check the lot number against this chart.

If your lot number was slightly rubbed off like ours, hold it at an angle under medium light and you will be able to see the imprint of the letters and numbers.

Distrubia: Photos of your Kids in the Bath is considered Porn

2009-09-21T16:06:00.000-07:00

I just read this disturbing article about a couple in Arizona who were accused by Wal-Mart of child pornography. They took a few home photos of their girls in the bath like many of us do. Bath time with your babies is precious and for decades been considered a KODAK moment. Well, think again about taking those home photos to COSTCO or WalMart as your kids might be taken by CPS.

Read more about it on Mommy Files.

Review and Product Give Away…Vitamin Drink with an Aloha Spirit

2009-09-14T09:00:00.000-07:00

For those of you who swear by EmergenC, I have a new product for you. Ola Loa is a Hawaiian based company that created a new kind of vitamin powder that kids can enjoy too.

You may appreciate the fact that Ola Loa packets come in bursting flavors like Tropical or Cran-Rasberry. They use mostly natural ingredients such as tumeric for color.

I personally tried the Lemon Lime flavor and my guest taster tried the Mango Tangerine.

My guest tester is a bicyclist who relies on vitamin sports drinks. Here is what he had to say:

“Yeah, I didn’t use much water…wouldn’t hold up to like a water bottle (meaning entire sports water bottle might dilute the powder too much, so use less water) but EmergenC doesn’t either. Much more intense and flavorful than EmergenC”

As for me, I’m not big on effervescent vitamin drinks but I appreciate the energy and Aloha spirit that Ola Loa is bringing to the market. The flavors are interesting and unique plus I like that it’s safe enough for the kids. Who knows…Kai may become a big fan when he’s older.

If you would like to try the product, please connect through a comment and I will send a sampler to the first three people. Thanks!

For more information, visit www.drinkyourvitamins.com

Pretty in Pink- A sweepstakes with a good cause

2009-09-10T09:00:00.000-07:00

For mamas who want to do something creative for a good cause, there is a sweepstakes that benefits breast cancer research:

Part Select is hoping to raise 10K by inviting people to paint an appliance pink and submit a photo. Each photo submitted will result in a donation to research. Deadline is Sept. 30.

Happy painting and good luck!

Preserving Culture Through Food

2009-09-08T10:15:00.000-07:00

Many of my friends are 2nd or 3rd generation Asian or Mexican folks starting to raise their own children. I would also say that most of us have married someone of a different ethnicity as well. For J and I, we are trying to balance the Vietnamese and Filipino cultures. However, Kai hears English and Vietnamese mostly and my mom cooks him homemade Vietnamese food weekly. I’m hearing stories of multi-ethnic families where one culture can dominate depending on which language is heard more and which grandparents are around more often.

I think that if even a child is exposed to a culture through food, it’s better than no exposure to their other heritage. Many of us modern mothers are health conscious so we may serve up brown rice with entrees from Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s for our kiddies. Remember we didn’t grow up eating pasta or fish sticks. I don’t think there is anything wrong with mixing up some Jasmine or short grain rice once in a while or foods seasoned with soy sauce or fish sauce.

My favorite recipe to share with Kai right now is Chicken Adobe. I let the adobe slow cook for 8 hours while I’m at work and then I serve up on a bed of white rice. Other days he’s eating tilapia and rice too. Even though he won’t learn tagalong at home at least he’ll feel connected to Filipino food. How are you balancing the cultures in your family?

Join the Movement: Hep B Free API Community

2009-08-31T10:08:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, Kai and I had a chance to do some work with the Stanford Asian Liver Center. There’s a huge international movement to increase awareness of Hepatitis B in the Asian community. If you are Vietnamese, Chinese, or Korean, it’s really important to spread the word in your own family and community. Did you know that 1 out of 10 Asian Pacific Islanders (API’s) are chronic carriers? This also means the API community is at higher risk for liver cancer. For mothers who are pregnant, it’s important to be screened and make sure your baby is vaccinated at birth.

The steering committee of Hep B Free is working with healthcare institutions to implement mandatory testing for all API patients. Though there is a lot of momentum, there are still barriers. This is a worldwide effort that will take some time, but it will save the lives of thousands. For more information or to get involved, please visit the following links:

Stanford Liver Center

Hep B Free San Francisco

Aaron Kuo Deemer (an artist who is creating documentaries about Hep B in Asia)

Yum: Baby's Favorite Snack

2009-08-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

ONIGIRI-- His favorite is filled with salmon.

Surprise Mini-Vacation: Point Reyes

2009-08-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

Originally we had plans to spend the weekend in Santa Cruz, but the Lockheed Fire changed that. Instead we drove on over to Point Reyes. This is the perfect place to take your little one and feel like you’re on vacation.

It’s absolutely gorgeous and only a little over an hour from Oakland. You can beach hop since there are several beaches along Sir Francis Drake Blvd. I highly recommend going to these places:

Hearts Desire Beach—It’s a sweet little cove that’s perfect for kids to hang in the water. There isn’t much wind and no big waves unlike most Bay Area beaches. You can even find a spot that gives you half shade and sun. Just try to arrive before noon to get a parking space.

Check out the Farmer’s Market at Point Reyes Station for goodies to bring on your picnic lunch.

Before hitting the beach, stop by this super cool and well thought out toy store, Into The Blue. This has been one the most impressive toy boutiques I’ve visited. Wooden toys and pretty kites fill up this small storefront. I grabbed a tie dye octopus kite for little Kai. The owner provides a map of best beaches to fly a kite and safety tips as well.

If you like oysters, there are plenty of farms and cafes that serve ‘em up raw or barbequed.

Think again when pulling baby's arm: Nursemaids Elbow

2009-08-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

Did daddy swing the baby with a bit too much strength while dancing? Did you notice baby couldn't move their arm and started to be fussy? Low and behold...it's probably Nursemaids Elbow.

At first I was really worried and kinda of upset. But thanks to the family docs who recommended performing a reduction, it was an easy cure. We bent Kai's elbow until his hand touched his shoulder and held his arm there for a minute. Then Kai began using the arm immediately. Only try this method if you are sure there is no fracture. If the reduction doesn't work, then head to the doctor's office ASAP.

Parks Inequality: Why are parks in the burbs so much better?

2009-08-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we went to a birthday party out in Mountain House. You probably never heard of this town out near Livermore. It’s one of those track home communities out in the hot valley. It’s easy to blow off a place like MH but I was very impressed with their park. It was beautiful. This place was equipped with multiple Corocord rope play structures, water sprinklers for play, bocce ball, and big fields. There were no signs of litter, needles, or drunk folks hanging out either.

Sure some playgrounds and parks are decent in Oakland, but the suburban folks know how to do parks. Now if only the urban Parks and Rec departments can take note.

Suburban Parks worth driving to in Northern Cal:

Mountain House

Cuesta Park in Mountain View

Please add to this list. These are the two parks I’ve personally experienced.

Vintage Sesame Street--Taking Me Back

2009-07-27T09:43:00.000-07:00

While watching youtube with the little one, I was brought back to my childhood. Sesame street is so cool. Who else remembers these videos from back in the day:

There is some debate whether this song is by Sly and Family Stone or the Pointer Sisters. Either way, this series of pinball number counts is a classic.

Ahhh, the ladybug picnic...I loved this when I was a kid.

Summer Kiss in Santa Cruz

2009-07-18T14:20:00.000-07:00

Cool Sighting: Tandem Bike with the Kids

2009-07-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

When I was driving to Kai’s daycare this morning, I saw the sweetest thing. A dad plus his young daughter riding tandem and his toddler on a baby bike seat in the back. They were going uphill too! That’s dedication.

Read more about the benefits of tandem biking with the kids here.

Image by illustrator Barbara Pollack

Parenting--A Less Desireable Job?

2009-07-07T10:10:00.001-07:00

Last night I stayed up reading Jill Lepore’s latest New Yorker article “Parent Trap”.
Lepore made me think about some recent conversations regarding population decline in Japan and the United States. It’s true, less and less people are choosing to live life solo without kids and even marriage.

I love being a mom most of the time but I understand why many of my friends choose not to venture into this territory. Think about it, if you’re young and have money, you can pretty much do anything. Travel or not, sit at home for hours reading or watching your favorite films, eat without disruption, and sleep in. Having an income with no kids is pretty much a leisurely lifestyle. When a baby is thrown in the mix, life is full of interruption. Plus parenting is freakin’ hard.

Ask any of us successful women who may have started our businesses, written books, or earned multiple post-grad degrees….being a parent is the hardest job any of us has had.

Honestly, I’ve always known that I wanted to have kids. Though there are days I feel like stopping with one child. I used to wonder how anyone would NOT want to feel the joys of being a parent. As I go further and further into this journey, I see the complexities and sacrifice on my own desires. I miss the days of doing absolutely nothing on weekends and I can forget moving to an island to write another book. I understand why people want to steer away from parenting. It’s hard to convince Gen X folks and beyond to become parents because we’re not exactly equipped with all the parenting skills like generations before. As for me, I’ll wait a little while until I bring another little one into my life.

Night Out: SF Dining with A Cause

2009-07-02T09:00:00.001-07:00

For parents looking for a night out with or without baby, I highly recommend checking out Mission Street Food. Local chefs guest star on Thursdays and Saturdays putting together special menus. Go early cause the line is usually out the door. Tonight Carlo Espinas is the star. CE will be dishing out plates for meat lovers and vegans. He'll be trickin' out a special Filipino Sisig too.

Eat up and be thankful your money will benefit Delancey Street Restaurant.

DIY Birthday Ideas

2009-06-29T21:48:00.000-07:00

When Kai cries, we sing happy birthday. it's the latest trend since he turned one a few days ago. I'm glad that he associates the song with happy times.

here are some pics of our DIY segments of the bday:

fish cake

fish decor--the handcrafted stuff seemed to have much more life than the store bought decor. We picked up tissue paper and origami paper for cheap at Creative Reuse.

Michael Jackson...a part of my childhood dies

2009-06-26T10:59:00.000-07:00

You know I never really get emotional when celebrities die. When Aaliyah died, I certainly was very sad but I didn't cry. The news of MJ's death certainly shocked me, but the emotions didn't quite hit me until I heard his songs. First the radio was playing Man In the Mirror, and I thought about how great the lyrics were. Then I switched the station ,and Rock with You came on. This is probably my favorite MJ song, and I just started crying.

I remember when I was seven and my best friend had a birthday party. Her parents rented Thriller from the video store, and we watched it at least fifteen times that night. Or all those good times in my life when the DJ would play an MJ song, and I would dance with pure happiness.

He will be missed. Watch the Rock with You video.

Monday Thoughts

2009-06-15T15:21:00.000-07:00

Hello. Still smiling about my son's first birthday celebration. It was great fun. Photos to come later this week.

One of the best experiences this past year is seeing Kai's relationship with my parents. Both my mother and father have really come through for him. That's all that matters now. Though there were some rough times with my parents when I was a child, they are becoming stellar grandparents. Life is funny like that. Time and grandchildren can really change people.

Bart Responds

2009-06-11T10:00:00.000-07:00

Following up from my post about my semi-scary experience taking baby on the BART elevator.

Mmoran@bart.gov to me

Follow up message

I regret the unpleasant experience as described. Certainly there are some urban areas such as that near the Civic Center SF BART station where activities in the surrounding neighborhoods may find their way into the periphery of the BART station. Such infractions as described appear in a flash--that brief moment of opportunity.

We continually watch for inappropriate behavior and the BART Police will respond to calls based on the priority of the calls at the moment. We also look upon the assistance of the eyes and ears of our passengers to help us and report immediately when something perceived as inappropriate is occurring. A prompt contact to the BART Police at 1-877-679-7000 or to the station agent works much better than an email message to an office that is unoccupied on weekends.

All I have to say is when we were in Oaska and Kyoto, Japan, the subway elevators did not reek of urine and there was no element of danger. Plus despite the fact that people are allowed to drink on the trains, there is still no litter anywhere in their stations or trains. Plus every single station agent and ticket seller were amazingly nice and helpful. They never made it felt like you were bothering them. Hmmm...something to be learned from other countries. Anyways, just beware of your surroundings when taking bart with a baby in the stroller.