expandng - a family blog

Simple Sunday: Drawing with Dad

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Sun, 27 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

We bought a magna-doodle/book from a local church's garage sale. What a great $2 investment! Since our 21-mo (J) now loves to identify animals, trucks, sun, moon, banana, etc., he loves to see them drawn on the sketch pad. He loves to draw with daddy. After each correct identification of a drawing, J immediately says "bye bye" to it, which means "draw another one!"

Both photos: Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 200 | f/5.6 | 1/125 sec | SpeedLite 380EX
Photo note: To capture both hubby and son in-focus, use a larger f-stop (or smaller aperture).

I love the drawing below. I don't know if it's a self-portrait of daddy or a portrait of J. Either way, it's pretty cute!

Hope you'll link up with Rebecca from Simple as That!!!! You don't need a fancy camera or editing software, just snap something simple and link up :).

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!
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Originally posted at expandng.com - Simple Sunday: Drawing with Dad

Friday Fun: tag, you're it

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Fri, 25 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

I was recently tagged by Who{is} your momma?, formerly known as Little Boy B Makes Three, to continue a chain letter for the digital times, if you will. Man, are there a lot of steps. Provide random factors about yourself. Answer questions. Tag people. Ask them questions. Whew...I need a break ;)

FIRST, I'm supposed to list 11 random things about myself. Since I'm all about efficiency, 7 "random facts" can be found in this post...and then I'll just add 4 new ones.

I love roller coasters and hate Ferris wheels.
I was a pretty unruly child. I'd swallow my food whole so I could go outside and play sooner. I'd REFUSE to come home when it was time. I'd WORRY my parents sick by running off with the neighborhood boy to the local park. No wonder my son is so strong-willed.
I bugged my parents about buying name brands growing up. My immigrant parents (rightly) never did because they believed spending lots of money on clothes and shoes was NOT the best use of our limited income. When I finally got a first Wilson sweatshirt (I know, it's not like Nike or anything) and realized that no one at school even cared, I never bugged my parents about name brands again. How silly I was!
One day, I hope to be on Price is Right, Wheel of Fortune, and Amazing Race. Price is Right has a special place in my heart because I used to watch it with my dad when I didn't have college classes in the morning. At night, the family would watch Wheel of Fortune together. My dad loved to say (in Chinese), "Vanna sure is getting old." Haha. Amazing Race seems like it'd be a step-out-of-my-comfort-zone kind of experience without all the gross-eating like in Fear Factor.

SECOND, I'm supposed to answer the 11 questions posted by my tagger. Here they are:

THIRD, I'm supposed to pose 11 questions for taggees to answer.

What is your nickname?
What was your favorite cartoon as a child?
What is your "perfect Sunday afternoon"?
What is your dream vacation spot?
Meat or vegetables?
Do you like sashimi?
Run, bike, swim, or all three?
Morning person or night owl?
Laptop or desktop?
Dog or cat?
What would you do if you won the lottery?

LASTLY, I'm supposed to legitimately tag 11 people to post 11 random facts, answer my 11 questions, and then they're supposed to pose 11 questions.

Since I kinda already tagged my sidebar-residents in this post, I'm going to tag some readers, who may or may not have blogs.

TAGGING:

Karate Mom
Henry Chen
Michelle, my college friend
Michelle from Mish Lovin' Life
Jyoti from Style-Delights
Eva from Life with 2 Dumplings
Marie from NYorker@Heart
Rachel of Bubbly Nature Creations
Pam of It's Time for More Coffee
Cheryl from Oh to Be a Muse
Ai of Sakura Haruka

Share your answers and questions in the comments, and I'll share some of your responses in another post, if that's ok :).

Have a great weekend, everyone!

She beats blogger's block

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Thu, 24 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

For this last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 bloggers. Tuesday was Kristin of Mondays with Mac, who shared her tips for better blogging. Yesterday was Lou of LouLouLoves, who shared her blogging experience and secrets!! Secrets no more ;).

Today's guest post is by Jen of JenKakio. I met Jen through another blogger friend. I think Jen’s a real sweet girl and have enjoyed interacting with her on her blog and on instagram (jen808). Read on for her tips on fighting blogger’s block, which I can certainly relate to! I also think her tips are great for any type of "block" -- writers', photographers', etc.!

*Jen is a full-time college student from Hawai’i and currently blogs at JenKakio.*

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Why did you start blogging?
Aloha, I’m Jen from JenKakio. I’m a full time college student from Hawai’i, and I’ve been blogging off and on for about five years. I’m not too sure why I started blogging exactly, but I continue to do it because I love it. I love sharing my opinion and experience in life, but most of all I love meeting new people. I believe that’s the true reward from blogging, having people all over the world caring about your words. I’ve made many a friendship, which includes meeting Lisa, and now I have the wonderful opportunity to meet you.

Used with permission by Jen

What’s your advice for bloggers?
One advice that I can give any new or old blogger is how to beat blogger’s block. Some of you might know its twin, writer’s block. If you never had blogger’s block, consider yourself lucky. I’ve encountered blogger’s block many a times. It comes in waves, for months I will be on a writing high, then BOOM. I hit the wall of nothing. There is nothing more frustrating than having nothing to say.

So, what are your tips for beating blogger’s block?

1. Write a tutorial: An easy way to get that hamster wheel moving in your brain is to share how to do something. It can be anything. I love sharing recipes. For me, sharing recipes are fun and easy. A great example is Lisa’s Non-fishy salmon cakes or my no bake doggie treats. The tutorial doesn’t have to be recipes; it can be on anything -- like how to use Photoshop or how to change a car tire.

2. Go outside, take a walk, and bring your camera: Being stuck in front of a computer can sometime suck the life out of ya. Step away from the monitor, and pick up your camera. Go out, and take photos of things in your neighborhood, and share them on your blog. On one of my blogger’s block walks, I saw graffiti on a stop sign that said, “Can’t Stop Hatin’,“ and I instantly typed up a blog post about that. Don’t get down on not having a DSLR. Honestly, most of my photos are taken with my iPhone 4, and no one can tell the difference.

Used with permission by Jen

3. StumbleUpon: StumbleUpon is a wonderful website to help jog those creative juices. It’s a one-stop shop to see all these great articles and blogs. After signing up (for free) and setting your interests, StumbleUpon will show awesome content that pertains to your set interests.

4. Visit your local restaurant or landmark: I love reading about a cool restaurant or visiting a historical place. Just make sure to take a lot of photos. Lisa did a great post about Washington D.C., which reminded me of the time when I was there.

5. Find an old picture of yourself and reflect on it: Reflection is a great way to fight-off blogger’s block. Just find a photo, and write about the person you used to be, and how far you have grown. It’s a great way for your readers to get to know you more too. I don’t know about you, but I love seeing baby pictures of anyone. Here is one of my flashback photo posts.

I hope some of my tips can help you beat that blogger’s block into submission. I’ve tested these tips, and they work for me. I know they will work for you, just give it a chance.

Used with permission by Jen

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Thanks so much for sharing your tips on beating blogger’s block, Jen! Thanks also for the several mentions of my posts. Readers, I totally didn’t put her up to doing that!!! I’m all “aw shucks” right now. Anyways, I love that she gets outside to find inspiration. I’ll definitely try that next time!

And aren't here photos fab?

Please share your thoughts on Jen's post
in the comments below!
How do you beat blogger's (or any type of) block?

And be sure to visit JenKakio!

P.S. Jen is going to be away in Amsterdam for 3 weeks (jealous!) so she may not be able to respond to your comments right away. Rest assured, she appreciates them and will respond when she returns!

She writes

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Wed, 23 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

For this last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 bloggers. Yesterday was Kristin of Mondays with Mac, who shared her tips for better blogging.

Today's guest post is by Lou (as I'll call her) of LouLouLoves. I came across LouLouLoves during a blog carnival/hop. love her blog because it’s beautifully designed, and she’s just the kind of person you’d like to hang out with on a Saturday afternoon. Read on to see what’s she’s learned about blogging, what she wants to learn, and her blogging secrets! You definitely want to stick around until the end of this post!

*Lou is a working-mom from Sweden and has a daughter nicknamed “Bubba” and one on the way. She blogs at LouLouLoves.*

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Lou Lou’s World of Blogging: 1,2,3!

What I’ve learned from blogging:

1. That creative writing is very fun: One of the reasons I started my blog was to bring more creativity into my life. The writing part comes quickly to me, and I love sitting down at night to write my posts. It never seems like a chore, I look forward to it.

2. That there are a lot of creative women out there: Oh my Lordy! As a new blogger, I’ve read a lot of blogs these past months, and I am continually impressed by all the women out there that are parenting/crafting/cooking/designing and all producing really inspiring blogs!

3. That Wordpress is easy: When I was setting up my blog, I did quite a bit of research into what format I should use. In the end, I had help from my Wordpress blogging friend who showed me the ropes. I was worried it was going to be highly technical, and I wouldn’t be able to manage, but Wordpress is super easy.

What I would like to learn from blogging:

1. To learn more about blogging: I’m still very new at this, so I have heaps more to learn. Making strong connections with other bloggers all around the world is something that really inspires me and so far, I’ve had heaps of help from everyone.

2. To get more freelance writing work: I’m a bit of a cheat when it comes to writing, as I already work in that area professionally. I would like to learn a bit more about how to get more of my articles published. So far, having my blog just for 2 months has already helped, so I am happy with that.

3. To learn more about social media: I’d love to learn a lot more about social media. I’ve had a steep learning curve since coming to blog land, but I have so so much more to learn, and I’m looking forward to it.

My biggest blogging secret:

1. My aim when I started was to post at least once a week. I thought that keeping my expectations low was a good starting place! So far I have been able to post 2 or 3 times a week. I have an editorial calendar and write posts far in advance in case anything more important comes up in my life.

2. My posts are all under 1000 words. Keeping it short and adding pictures to break up the text is a must. If I have anything so important to say that it is 1000+ words, I break it into two posts. People just don’t read stuff that is too long.

3. My biggest secret is that I actually have a cleaner that comes twice a month and cleans and does our ironing. Don’t tell! That way, my weekends are for my family and I have enough time once bubba is in bed (usually 8pm) during the week nights to write and maintain my blog.

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I’ve learned so much about Lou, and am especially impressed that she keeps all her posts under 1,000 words and that she can really enjoy her weekends! Thanks, Lou!

Please share your thoughts on Lou's post
in the comments below!
What's your blogging secret?

And be sure to visit LouLouLoves!

She loves

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Tue, 22 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Hello, wonderful people! I want to thank all of my guest-posters from last week, Nilsa, Kat, and Mandi. And I want to thank all of YOU for your support by leaving thoughtful comments for each of them. From my own experience, I know that guest posts don't always receive a lot of comments, so both I and each guest-poster truly appreciates your time! For the last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 more bloggers. Hope you'll stick around and be as kind to them as you were last week :).

Today's guest post is by Kristin of Mondays with Mac. I’ll be honest and say that Kristin is not a person I’d meet in my daily life. I spend most, if not all, of my time in the suburbs of D.C. where I work and live with conservative types. So, to have met Kristin and to read her journey as a mother at Mondays with Mac: a gay fairytale for the digital age, reminds me that being a mother is being a mother, no matter the race, ethnicity, beliefs, or type of family. Read why Kristin calls her blog a pre-teen, what her blogging tips and tricks are, why she, like me, doesn’t like CAPTCHA codes, and why the love for her son overflows into her blog.

* Kristin is a mom to a beautiful baby boy named “Mac” and blogs at Mondays with Mac.*

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Kristin's Basics for Better Blogging
I was so honoured to be asked to participate in this series of guest posts. I love reading the "how to blog better" style posts (of which Lisa has had quite a few) and am humbled to be in such good company while adding to the conversation. My blog is still relatively new. A pre-teen on the blogging scene, if you will. It's still dealing with the occasional pimple and hormone-induced-awkwardness. But it is trying new things and finding its way. And learning a lot from its elders.

I've given this post a lot of thought. What do I want to say to help other bloggers blog better? At first I didn't think I had much to say on the topic. But with some consideration, I realized that there are three different posts I could write. And I've struggled to find a way to bring them together. A conundrum which should perhaps be its own tip (make sure your posts follow a coherent structure). But let’s just pretend that this one is a do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do kinda tip, shall we? Because I'm about to combine three posts into one and hope that you are still with me when we're all done. Ready? Excellent.

1. Tips and Tricks
This part will be the most information-dense section of this post. So to make it more easily digestible I am going to write it in list form.

Be present across various forms of social media. Set up a Facebook fan page, as well as Twitter and Pinterest accounts for your blog. Share behind the scenes stuff that doesn't make it to your actual blog page. Don't just link your blog posts. Your fans want to interact with you and get to know you on a personal level. Ask question, share anecdotes, and respond to other people's tweets.

Don’t be afraid of HTML code. You don't need a degree in computer science to blog better. Blogging platforms and other bloggers have made it very simple. If you want to add a Facebook “Like” button on your page (or post) or a “follow me on Twitter” button, just Google "HTML code Twitter button" and you'll find what you are looking for. Adding a “Pin It” button here and there is smart too. And while you are at it, you might want to insert an image (or two) on your posts because images Pin better. See?

And speaking of HTML, try out various widgets. And if you don't know what a widget is, Google “widget” and then come back. Some widgets you will love and others you won't. They are easy to install and easy to delete so you aren't signing up for a lifetime commitment. My favourites include LinkWithin and ShareThis.

Find places to link your blog. There are many ways to do this. There are blog directories (many of which are ranked and rated), blog hops, link-up parties, and blog carnivals. Search these terms and look for those in your niche. Some will get you a lot of exposure and hits. Others won't. It's all trial and error.

Host giveaways. This is a tricky one. Some people love giveaways and others hate it when bloggers "sell out." But the truth is that giveaways bring in a lot of new followers. Some of those followers will stick around and engage. Others you will never hear from again. But if you get a few new followers every time, it might be worth it. Try to only give away products that you would actually want yourself. I get a lot of emails from PR companies wanting me to advertise their dating website or jock itch cream. I politely tell these folks “no thank-you.” The best giveaways are those that you can personally endorse. If you love a product, try emailing the company to see if they would be interested in offering a giveaway on your blog. If they already know that you will give them a favourable review, they will be easier to convince. Don't set your sights on big companies right away. Instead hit up your favourite Etsy supplier or local shop.

Post regularly. But don't put up inferior posts for the sake of increasing your content. Once a week is enough to keep your blog fresh in your readers' minds. And if you do take a hiatus from blogging, don't come back with an apology about your absence. When I read a new blog and every post begins with "It's been so long since I've blogged...", my interest is already lost.

2. The Golden Rule of Blogging
Any pre-schooler will tell you that the golden rule is to do unto others as you would have others do unto you. That is good advice in life. It's also good advice in blogging. Take a moment to think about your own blogging experience. What gets your heart fluttering? Thoughtful comments? Lots of page views? Your posts being shared on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest? Emails from readers sharing their own stories as they relate to yours? Then do those things! Don't do it with the hopes of others reciprocating, just do it humbly and your readership will grow organically. Plus, you will learn a thing or two along the way.

And while you are checking out other blogs, seek out blog mentors. I learned a lot from Jen over at Jen and Joey Go Green. Bloggers who have grown through their own adolescent blogging stage will usually be happy (and flattered!) if you ask them to guide you.

Also pay attention to what you don't like on other blogs while you are out there reading and commenting. One thing you will probably learn quickly is that CAPTCHA is uber annoying. Don't make your readers type in non-sensical words to prove they are not robots. I promise that you won't get so many spam comments that you can't easily delete them as they come. So seriously, turn off CAPTCHA.

3. If You Only Do One Thing Let It Be This
The first two parts of this post have, what I think, are a lot of good tips that are easy to implement. But none of them will make a damn bit of difference if you don't follow this last piece of advice. Are you ready for it? There is brilliance about to come your way!

Write from your heart.
OK, that's probably not the brilliant piece of advice you were hoping for. It's general and vague. But it's true. They say that the best way to succeed at learning a new language is to fall in love with a native speaker. Similarly, the best way to succeed at blogging is to blog about something you feel passionate about. The love I have for my son is the stuff of sonnets and love songs and declarations screamed off rooftops and the feeling that your whole heart could simply burst right out of your chest because it has grown too many sizes. It's easy for me to write about my son and my experience mothering him. I'm in love. But ask me to blog about sports, and I would spend the whole day at it and come up with something that nobody in their right mind would want to read. So, find your passion and then turn your feelings into words. This doesn't mean that you have to be mushy and sappy all the time. If you are passionate about sports, grammar, or Siamese cats, you can write fascinating and successful blog posts. I mean, I won't read any of them but somebody will!

Huh, I guess I did have a lot to say, didn't I? When Lisa asked me if I wanted to participate in this series I didn't think I'd have much to contribute. But that's the thing about us bloggers isn't it? We never know when to shut-up.

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If you liked this post, please consider pinning it for Kristin!

My blog is probably only a bit older than Kristin’s, but I certainly learned a lot! My take-aways are “don't be afraid of HTML” and “blog from your heart”. Luckily, I had some HTML experience in college, but the blogging from your heart thing took me a bit longer to implement…and I’m still working at it! Thanks, Kristin, for sharing your thoughts and tips on blogging!

Also, a note on CAPTCHA. I’d suggest moderating comments if you are concerned about spam, or installing a spam filter like Askimet. Also, CAPTCHA is the worst on mobile browsers. I always need at least 3 tries to get it right. See how much I love you, CAPTCHA users.

Please share your thoughts on Kristin's post
in the comments below!
What’s your favourite tip?
Feel free to share your own!

And be sure to visit Mondays with Mac!

What we've been up to

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Our weekend started Friday afternoon because our daycare closed for half a day for parent-teacher conferences. I slept most of Saturday away (which initially sounds awesome) because my stomach hurt (see, not so awesome). The sleep really helped, so thanks again, hubby! Hubby even took our 21-mo (J) to get a haircut by themselves! Saturday night, I made avocado frosting. Sunday, my sister appreciated the fact that I made cupcakes with avocado frosting, even though they weren't as successful as I thought they'd be. Photos after the jump!

Our 21-mo (J) and I had a lovely lunch at a nearby diner after I picked him up from daycare. Afterwards, he showed Thomas the Train around town. After his nap, I decided to take him to do his favorite activity -- a walk with the stroller! I know, tantrums have certainly arisen over the stroller, but we've also had good experiences. I figured as long as the area where he was pushing the stroller was free of people, we could avoid tantrums over me trying to help him navigate the stroller. Anyways, near our house is a lake with several back-paths leading to it. One particular path is less-traveled, so I let J have the reigns. He pushed that stroller for AN HOUR. I still can't believe that an activity sustained a 21-mo old for a WHOLE HOUR.

Lucky for me, no tantrums! Not even when it was time to go home, put the stroller away, and go inside to wash his hands!!!

Like I said, on Saturday, I was sick in bed. Must have been the same 24-hr bug that took J out of daycare on Thursday. Since next week is Memorial Day, we HAD to get J's hair cut this weekend, so hubby was brave enough to go with J himself. Apparently, watching iPhone videos was not enough to keep him distracted this time, and J ended up crying the whole time! Aw! But at least the hair is out of his eyes and ears.

Later that evening, I had enough strength to make avocado frosting. The recipe was easy enough: avocados, butter, vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar.

The finished product on Saturday night was fluffy and buttery, with just a hint of avocado.

But when I was ready to frost cupcakes on Sunday night, the frosting was not so fluffy, was brown, and showed chunks of butter that I thought had been mixed-in properly but apparently had not. FAIL! OH well. This was truly a "it's the thought that counts" kinda gesture for my sister's birthday. I'm glad she was such a good sport, and she was touched by all of your birthday wishes!

The only I didn't get to do this weekend was get to Target to pick up these awesome Todd Oldham paint-by-numbers! But I guess that's what online shopping is for ;).

[Source]

How was your weekend?

Simple Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Sun, 20 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 400 | f/2.8 | 1/125 sec

This isn't a GREAT photo of our 21-mo (J), from the technical perspective. However, this is J's first time on a new trike from Grandma and Grandpa, so he's uber-excited. While Grandpa was assembling the bike, I was told (since when G&G visit, the hubby and I can nap!) that J was studying the box. As soon as the trike was assembled, J hopped on and (tried to) put his feet on the peddles. Guess he saw the boy on the box do it, so he figured that's what's supposed to happen...and also, the Friday before, he saw the big kids at daycare ride trikes outside. Soon his legs will be long enough and we can ride outside!

Hope you'll link up with Rebecca from Simple as That!!!! You don't need a fancy camera or editing software, just snap something simple and link up :). I've met at least one wonderful blogger through the link-up, Life with 2 Dumplings, which documents the journey of a family adopting two kids from China and a third one joining them (hopefully) soon.

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Friday Fun

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Hope you enjoyed reading about the blogging experiences from others this past week. Thanks for all of your WONDERFUL comments! For a summary, here are the posts from Nilsa, from Kat, and from Mandi.

This coming weekend is my sister's birthday, and in preparation, our 21-mo (J) has decided to bake a cake for her. So first, we're gonna need every condiment from the drawer, which includes coarse salt, apple cider vinegar, and raisins.

Both photos: Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 200 | f/2.8 | 1/125 sec | SpeedLite 380EX

Next, we'll definitely need lots of baking soda, powdered sugar, and couscous for the frosting...

Ok, so maybe J didn't REALLY have the idea to bake a cake...if he did, he's wasn't THAT off on the ingredient list ;). Nevertheless, I got 4 avocados and lots of butter in the fridge just BEGGING to be made into frosting. Yes, that's right -- AVOCADO FROSTING! I heard it first from Rachel at Bubbly Nature Creations. And the creator of such amazingness -- Dorothy from Crazy for Crust. I think I'm going to frost some vanilla cupcakes. And then maybe lick the inside of the frosting bag too ;).

Would you try avocado frosting?

Have a great weekend!

Help us win a petiteBox!

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Thu, 17 May 2012 06:07:00 PDT

Hi Friends!

petiteBox is a subscription to a monthly shipment of full-sized and sample-sized "luxury" Mommy and baby items. Read more about it from Jas at AdamAlexMommy here and here. They recently launched in the U.S. (was only in Europe before), and now are launching a competition called petiteOne where members submit baby photos on their Facebook page and the baby with the most votes wins a free petiteBox. Voting for May ends May 31st. Would you consider voting for my little J? And an incentive for clicking right here: you'll see what the J stands for, though please don't spread it around or leave his full name in the comments. Thanks!

Here's the picture I submitted of a 10-mo old J...there were no rules posted for this contest, so I went ahead and posted an old photo of J...that's not cheating, right? And if you submit a photo, leave the URL in the comments and I'll reciprocate the vote!

Click here to be taken to the voting page, or on the photo. J has 14 votes, but the baby in #1 spot has 38 votes. THANKS for your time!

She gives

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Thu, 17 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments!

Tuesday, I featured Nilsa of SoMi Speaks. Wednesday, I featured Kat of Vodka and Soda. Today, I'm featuring Mandi from Sweet Tiny Blessings. I met Mandi on a blog carnival/blog hop event. Her post about older kids being bullies/over-bearing at the play gym around her infant instantly made me a new follower of her blog, Sweet Tiny Blessings, since I could see myself relating to her. Read why Mandi started blogging, how she grew her community of sponsors and readers, and what she’s looking forward to for her blog.

* Mandi is a stay-at-home to a beautiful girl named Baby C and blogs at Sweet Tiny Blessings.*

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Why did you start Sweet Tiny Blessings?
Hello! I’m Mandi, the author of Sweet Tiny Blessings, where I blog about my family, faith and fun (including reviews and giveaways)! Thank you, Lisa, for allowing me to invade your blog today. I never thought of myself as a writer, but after a serious illness my baby and I went through, I needed a way to let out some emotions that were trapped inside. My first post was published in April of 2011. I found it to be a therapeutic and creative way to share Baby C with my family.

Before I started my own blog, I loved to read other mommy blogs and enter their giveaways. Since I was buried under a mountain of medical bills, it was a great way to win free swag for my baby girl, which otherwise, I could not afford. Some of the great things I won included, an Ergo, Baby Food Maker, Crib Set and Stroller. I felt so blessed that I wanted to learn how to bless others by bringing great reviews and wonderful prizes to my small following of readers.

How did you start hosting sponsored giveaways on Sweet Tiny Blessings?
I started reaching out to Etsy shop owners. Many of which were moms trying to fulfill their dreams by creating what they are passionate about and making money while doing it. I love spreading the word about their beautiful creations and hard work. And while I reviewed their products, I’ve built online friendships with them along the way.

What are you looking forward to for Sweet Tiny Blessings?
This past year, I’ve learned a great deal about becoming more “green.” I’ve switched household products, beauty products and learned natural ways to keep my family away from so many “dirty” chemicals. But I’m still learning. And as I learn about eco-friendly products, I will be sharing them with my readers.

What is your vision for Sweet Tiny Blessings?
My goal for my blog is to one day change lives. I don’t know what that looks like yet, but I want to make a difference in the lives of others, even if it’s just in some small way. In order to do so, I know I need to grow my community of readers. I’ve learned that one of the best ways to do so is to reach out to other bloggers, link up my posts, and create quality posts that are worth reading.

What has blogging at Sweet Tiny Blessings taught you?
What I love about being a mommy blogger is that I’m constantly learning. I learn the do’s and don’ts, what slows down my blog and what makes it faster, and what to do again and “what was I thinking?” I’m not an expert at blogging and I’m not sure if I ever will be, but I love to share my insights with other bloggers, just as I learned from some of my favorites. If you ever have any questions for me, or if I can help you in some way, please don’t hesitate to contact me. It would be my pleasure!

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Mandi’s journey has reaffirmed my thinking that one of the best ways to grow your blog is by building a community of readers, and sponsors if you seek them. So thanks again for sharing your journey with us, Mandi!

Please share your thoughts on Mandi's post
in the comments below!
Do you have a vision for your blog? What do you look forward to with your blog?

And be sure to visit Sweet Tiny Blessings

She's resourceful

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Wed, 16 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks to everyone who left such sweet and DETAILED comments on yesterday's post. You put a smile on my face, and probably on Nilsa's too! THANKS for the support, and hope you'll show the same love to Kat of Vodka and Soda.

I don’t know about you, but when I started blogging, it was mostly a personal documentary about pregnancy (now, raising a toddler). I wrote mostly for people I knew, and now, to people I’ve met online too. However, Kat had a specific vision when she started DreamyBabies. Read why Kat started DreamyBabies, how her site grew, how she was able to help other parents, and also why she moved on.

* Kat is a mom to a beautiful 3-year old girl named Kayla and currently blogs at Vodka and Soda.*

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Why did you start DreamyBabies?
Being a stay at home mom was wonderful yet awful at the same time. While I loved spending time with my daughter and watching her grow, I was also suffering from severe post-partum depression that, after letting it go untreated for over a year, spiraled into clinical depression for which I needed psychiatric help.

During this time, the only other thing that kept me grounded (other than my family) was the fact that I ran a parenting website. It was not “professional” by any stretch of the imagination; it was a website that documented everything I (obsessively) researched and learned about child-rearing, sleep issues and how to overcome them, eating issues and how to overcome them, potty training and general parenting tips that worked for me. The majority of my website dealt with sleep issues in kids and what parents can do to help their kids sleep better.

When Kayla was a baby, she wasn’t a very good sleeper and my obsession began. My depression began to manifest itself into OCD and her sleep was all I could focus on or think about. I spent hours and hours combing the internet looking for answers. Time after time, I ran into websites that only offered tidbits of information and in order to see The Answers, they would ask for a credit card number. I then turned to books and I must have read every single baby sleep book that has been published. I turned to friends and basically interviewed them about their baby’s sleep and what they did to fix it. I even grilled my doctors about it; asking them questions like the effects of sleep deprivation on the body and how it affects children and how sleep training affects children. I even grilled my psychiatrist about the physiological affects of sleep training and sleep deprivation in children. Over the course of 9 months, endless hours of research and jotting down everything I came across, I had amassed so much information on baby sleep that I decided to share it with other parents.

What was the focus of DreamyBabies?
I launched DreamyBabies in March 2010. It was a free site for who ever wanted to know more about baby sleep, read about my trials and tribulations and understand how sleep – or lack thereof – affected children. I always stated that I was not a doctor, but that my site was merely a source of information available to parents who I’m sure, ran into the same road blocks as I did when I turned to the internet for answers. I launched DreamyBabies because I was incredibly annoyed that there wasn’t a single site dedicated to providing information to parents that was free of charge. I wanted to provide parents with a “one stop shop” of information that touched upon all the issues we face during child-rearing and provide lots of suggestions/recommendations for the parent to consider.

How did you make DreamyBabies a popular resource for parents?
At first, the information I posted was all about sleep: circadian rhythms and what that means, sample schedules that worked for my daughter, stories about how I changed my daughter’s sleep from waking every 2 hours to sleeping 12 hours at night and how I fixed her terrible naps. Over time, I incorporated other challenges that parents often come across – behaviour, feeding/eating, discipline, potty training, illness, teething, terrible twos etc. As I continued to add information, my site gained popularity. Other websites would contact me asking me to guest post on their blog, offered to keep me on their roster as a permanent guest blogger or asked to permanently link to my site. It became a regular routine for me to receive emails from sleep-deprived parents asking for help. I also took on “cases” where I would be in direct contact with parents helping them with their kids’ sleep. That could range anywhere from helping them tweak their kids’ schedules, to sleep training tips, to just offering support if they needed it. Parents would tell me what they were doing and I would offer information, support and/or suggestions. If they wanted to sleep train their child, I would help them through it and develop a plan with them based on the method they wanted to use. I never judged those who came to me for help; the last thing any parent wants is to be judged based on their decisions and I felt it was my duty to provide them with as much information as possible so they could make an informed decision.

How did you know DreamyBabies was a successful site?
I had many successes doing this and I would receive daily emails from happy, rested families thanking me for my helping. There is a family from Australia with whom I still keep in contact and who came to me with their 13 month old daughter. She barely slept and was under 10% in her weight category. Over the course of four weeks and several Skype chats, their daughter went from 6 hours of broken sleep at night to 12 hours of solid sleep plus two one-hour naps during the day (which was unheard of). She no longer cried at everything and instead, changed into a happy, smiling toddler. Her weight nearly tripled because she was no longer too tired to eat and was a happy, thriving little girl.

What did you learn from DreamyBabies?
I didn’t know it then but in helping parents through DreamyBabies, I was also helping myself and overcoming my depression. My psychiatrist – after finding about my website – told me that my altruistic actions would only serve to expedite my treatment and my road to recovery would be a successful one. He was right.

How did you know when it was time to move on from DreamyBabies?
Almost 2 years after I launched DreamyBabies, I was ready to change gears and blog about me. DreamyBabies slowly evolved into my own personal blog and when I decided to take it down, I contacted all of my “clients” to let them know of the change. My blog, Vodka and Soda, is now 3 years in the making and while I will always be here for those who need help or support, I instead choose to blog about random things that amuse me.

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Kat’s journey has shown me that each websites/blogs has a purpose – educate, support, and/or entertain – and knowing that purpose can help make a website/blog successful – whatever you define success to be. However, Kat’s journey has also shown me that as our lives change, so will our websites/blogs, and that’s ok. So thanks again for sharing your journey with us, Kat!

Please share your thoughts on Kat's post
in the comments below!
How has your blog changed since your very first post?

And be sure to visit Vodka and Soda!

She blogs

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Tue, 15 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments!

Today’s guest post is from Nilsa of SoMi Speaks. She’s been blogging since 2007 (whoa!). I call her a veteran blogger, and you’ll see why below. Her post has headings (*wink*)! Read why she calls herself a “life blogger”, why she doesn’t blog anonymously (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), how her blog and “real life” intersect, and her “lessons learned”.

* Nilsa is a working-mom to a beautiful 18-month old named Gavin and currently blogs at SoMi Speaks.*

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Hey there to all of Lisa's readers! I'm so flattered that Lisa asked me to guest post for her. My name is Nilsa and I'm the gal who runs the blog SoMi Speaks. My blog is a little of this, a little of that - so, I consider myself a life blogger, because I don't really focus on one subject in particular. Lisa asked me to write about my last five years as a blogger. I've learned a ton about blogging along the way, so let's get to it!

Living the High Life
The beautiful thing about blogging is we can define ourselves to be whatever we want to be. A lot of us (myself included) consider ourselves life bloggers, because our blogs continue to evolve as our lives and priorities change.

The upside of being a life blogger is you can really write about whatever you want. The downside is that your readership will change as your focus changes. Sure, I have a solid group of core readers, but the people who used to read my blog when I was planning a wedding are very different than the people who read it now that we have a young child.

Beyond life bloggers, there are political bloggers and mommy bloggers and bloggers that review products and social issue bloggers and artist bloggers who share their creations and and and … the list goes on. If you have a passion, you can turn it into a blog! The upside of being very focused with your blog is you know your readership will likely be interested in whatever you’re writing about in a particular post, because your blog is much more narrowly focused than a life blog. The downside is you might wind up with a more limited readership if your focus is a special niche.

How do you define your approach to blogging?

To Be or Not To Be ... Known
From the start, I decided to be a known blogger (because, quite frankly, I didn’t even realize I could do it anonymously). I figured people in my life would know about my blog, which means I write assuming everyone is reading it (regardless of whether they are or not). I might not tell anyone at work that I’m a blogger, but if anyone at work finds my blog, there’s nothing on it I wouldn’t want them to read.

Anonymous bloggers have the luxury of being able to more freely vent about husbands, jobs, crap that happens in life. Anonymous blogging scares me, to be honest. The internet has a funny way of exposing that which wants to remain hidden. I always worry about the day anonymous bloggers are discovered by the exact people from whom they’re trying to hide (ever heard of Dooce – if not, google her).

What level of anonymity is your blog and do you have concerns about friends, family or co-workers discovering your blog?

Writer's Blocking Relationships
A few personal experiences have contributed to my approach to blogging. Many years ago, I decided to write about a friend’s story. It was a situation in which I wasn’t involved, but wrote about it anyway. My friend happened to read the blog and knew I was writing about her (even though I didn’t use her name). She was upset and really hurt that I told her story. It had a lasting effect on our friendship (which, by now, has thankfully healed). From that experience, I learned to tell my own story.

Years later, while telling my own story, I inadvertently offended someone I knew outside of my blog. In this case, I reviewed my writing and decided I was still okay with what I wrote and how I wrote about it. I tried to explain the misinterpretation directly to that person, but didn’t feel I needed to change the way I write. This experience was a time when I had to explain to someone that they have a choice about reading my blog and if they don’t like what they read, they should consider not reading it anymore.

How do you approach writing on your blog – do you include real life people, hide them behind nicknames or not speak about them at all? Would you be willing to stand up to your writing if anyone approached you to take it down?

Approaching the Fork in the Road
It’s taken a lot of trial and error to find a blogging approach that works for me. I’m a life blogger who blogs under my own name and who tries to focus on telling my own stories. But, it’s not only about me. I also try to be mindful of my loyal readers as well as new ones. I write understanding there is always another side. I try not to be overly judgmental. In fact, I am often considerate of, if not downright open, to the opposing view. I maintain an open door policy, welcoming people with varying viewpoints. The only thing I ask is that everyone respects everyone else. There can be debate, but it doesn't have to get personal.

Does your writing approach welcome all readers or do you think some of your writing could be offensive or even intimidating to others?

Lessons Learned
Five years of blogging. Five years of idea generation. Five years of uploading photos. Five years of reading and participating in other blogs. The blogging community is a pretty amazing place. And some of the things I’ve learned include …

Don't take things personally. When you write in a public forum, you open yourself up to criticism. Sometimes that criticism will come in the form of comments. Other times the criticism will come in the form of lost readers. And sometimes, it’s not criticism at all, but readers (for their own reasons) who move on. The key is not to take any of it personally.
Take out what you put in. The more time you devote to blogging, the more hits your blog will get. It's that simple. Read other people's blogs. Comment on them. Relate to them in your comments. Write content that relates to other people (and isn't just about yourself). It's all about a conversation. And, the more you're out there talking, the more people will become interested in listening to what you have to say.
Make it interactive. Encourage your readers to comment by asking questions throughout or at the end of your blog posts. Respond to their comments via email or through the commenting system on your blog. Link to other blog posts and articles that move you. Blogging becomes downright interesting when you begin to form relationships with the people reading your blog.
Blog with intent. That means, write blog posts when you have something to say, not because you think you need to fill space on a particular day. Stay true to yourself in your writings, meaning write from the heart (rather than from the hope of increasing your readership). It’s the sincere bloggers who reap the most benefits from this amazing community.
Have fun. Seriously, seems so simple, but it's true. If you’re not having fun, it shows. So, take a break and come back to when it feels right. Otherwise, enjoy this crazy, whacky, amazing community of bloggers!

So, there you have it. Five years of blogging squished into one sort of long blog post. (Thank you for reading!) The blogging community is a really amazing place. What lessons have you learned in your own blogging experiences?

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Wow, I learned so much about Nilsa and about the drawbacks (sometimes) and benefits of blogging! As a summary, here are Nilsa’s questions for you:

How do you define your approach to blogging?
What level of anonymity is your blog and do you have concerns about friends, family or co-workers discovering your blog?
How do you approach writing on your blog – do you include real life people, hide them behind nicknames or not speak about them at all? Would you be willing to stand up to your writing if anyone approached you to take it down?
Does your writing approach welcome all readers or do you think some of your writing could be offensive or even intimidating to others?
What lessons have you learned in your own blogging experiences?

Please share your thoughts on Nilsa’s post
in the comments below!

And be sure to visit SoMi Speaks!

What we've been up to

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Mon, 14 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It was 80F both days, so we were able to play outside, which is my favorite way to pass the time with our 21-mo (J) on the weekends. Here's a post updating y'all on what we've been up to in the Ng clan.

Last week, the hubby and I celebrated our 4-year wedding anniversary. Since we are boring (wink), we like to follow the "traditional" anniversary gifts. Otherwise, we might not do anything, and we like to do something. Here are the ones we've celebrated so far:

Paper: we got a single share of a stock
Cotton: we are planning to get a blanket made
Leather: no ideas yet!
Linen, silk: Sorry hubby, I coulda swore I read "flowers" on a list somewhere, but apparently, that's a U.K. tradition. Oh well, you did grow up in Hong Kong when it was still under British rule, so….

The hubby was so sweet to send me flowers at work and make a reservation at VOLT, a top chef-owned (Bryan Voltaggio) restaurant just north of where we live. We've never visited Manayunk and Old City. I'm interested in attending the arts festival advertised in the poster shown below.

VOLT is housed in a beautiful mansion. The interior is modern, with white leather booth seating, and isn't so dark you need a flashlight to read the menu. Dinner is either a 7-course or a 4-course prix fixe selection. Since the difference was only $15, we decided to order the 7-course Kitchen (or protein) menu AND the 7-course Vegetable menu. Sorry, Lou Lou Loves, we didn't try your picks! We weren't allowed to order one 4- and one 7-course menu, which is a shame since probably be just the right amount of food. After sharing amuse bouche, 14 courses, and a complimentary selection of desserts (including a buttered popcorn macaroon!), we were definitely full…and sleepy :).

The photo below shows 3 Kitchen items and 1 Vegetable item. Of these items, my favorite was the goat cheese ravioli with oyster mushrooms. The hubby's favorite was the duck egg with English pea and shitake mushrooms.

The photo below shows Jerusalem artichokes, which I'd never heard of, a parsnip cake with caramel crumble and cream cheese snow, and complimentary to-take-home coffee cake, which I haven't even eaten yet!

Both the hubby and I LOVE meat and seafood, so you'd think our favorite was the Kitchen (protein) menu. HOWEVER, we found the most SURPRISES in the Vegetable menu. The depth of flavor in the mushrooms, beet sherbet (could I make that?!), fried cauliflower, savory steel cut oats, and parsnip cake and ice cream?! It was AMAZING!

Our evening at VOLT would have been even more amazing if Bryan were there and was willing to have his picture taken with us. Also, I think we had at least three different people present food to us. I'd prefer only one server, which makes the experience more personal IMHO. Nevertheless, we'd definitely go AGAIN...

Unfortunately, we arrived home to find that Jasper, our 8-month puppy, had destroyed 3 wooden blocks. Oh, puppy!

The following day, our son's daycare surprised us mommies with a card and photo. I love the handprints, and that grin is HUGE! The teachers love to slick his hair for photos.

It's so much fun that our son mimicked my tongue sticking out in the photo below.

I mentioned this before, but after using several collage apps, here's my breakdown of the features:

Pic Collage: allows you to freely rotate and arrange photos in the collage. However, you can't set the ratio of the collage.
Collage: also allows you to freely rotate and arrange photos in the collage. The ratio of the collage can be set. There are also other features like enhancing the photo, drawing on the photo, adding text, and even removing blemishes.
Frametastic: there are 18 free set-layouts, all in square ratio.
*Collage*: there are 16 set-layouts, in 1:1, 4:3, 3:4, and 3:2 ratio. You can change the size of photos each layout. I've been using this one the most often.

I also used the app, Captions, to add text to the photos above.

Simple Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Sun, 13 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That. But before I get to my photo, I'd like to wish all Mommies and Soon-to-Be-Mommies a…

Happy Mother's Day!

I'm sure the precious ones in your lives have already told/shown you how awesome and special and appreciated you are, but I'll just say it again.

You're awesome!
You're special!
You're truly appreciated!

Hope you are spending the day just as you would like :).

I present our dogs, Jasper (left, 8 months, male) and Coco (right, 3 years, female). After a haircut, I can hardly tell them apart if they're just passing by. They're both Bichons but not related. Their personalities also couldn't be more different.

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 200 | f/3.5 | 1/200 sec | SpeedLite 380EX

Photo note: Usually when using the SpeedLite, I shoot at ISO 100 (lowest on my camera). But since this photo was taken in the evening, I decided to turn it up to ISO 200.

Jasper is FULL of energy! He's like our 21-mo (J) on caffeine. Jasper literally runs in place on the hardwood floor when he's trying to run somewhere. All you hear is the scratching of his nails. Shhh...don't tell our landlord ;). We'll buff it out later.

Coco, on the other hand, will play rough with Jasper for a bit (play-growl included) and then jumps on the couch to get away from Jasper. They have a love-hate relationship, much like the relationship I have with Jasper too ;).

That said, they hardly share a space, so I was so happy to catch this moment on the landing. Initially, they each had a bone and were chewing away. But then Jasper thought, "Can I try some of yours, Coco?"

Puppy, you're just asking for it now ;).

Don't you wish you had a dog's life, sometimes? Just enjoying bones and playing all day...

Hope you'll link up with Rebecca from Simple as That!!!! You don't need a fancy camera or editing software, just snap something simple and link up :).

Hope you're going to have a Happy Mother's Day!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend!

Friday Fun

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Fri, 11 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

One morning, I was trying to change our 21-mo (J) out of his PJs. He wants nothing to do with that, by the way. He rolls around on our bed in his bodysuit, chubby legs exposed. He grabs his ankles and falls backward into our fluffy comforter. He crawls away and hides underneath the covers. At times, I get annoyed because he's taking so long, but that morning, I appreciated how big our son is getting, but also how small he is at the same time. Soon those chubby legs will be replaced by lean muscle. Soon he'll be dressing himself. Soon he'll be waiting for the school bus. I better cherish these moments, even if that means we leave the house 15-20 min later.

Anyways, I remember when the PJ pants shown below pooled at J's feet. Now, notice how they grace the floor. Lengthening, no? Hehe. That's for you fashionistas out there.

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 400 | f/3.2 | 1/125 sec

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 100 | f/3.2 | 1/125 sec | SpeedLite 380EX

Photo note: I'm not sure why I decided to switch the SpeedLite on for the last shot. But since I did, I turned the ISO from 400 down to 100.

It's amazing how J can find a window shade so interesting.

This is how we spend our weekends -- extra time in PJs, playing with every toy or "toy" in the house, taking a walk if the weather is ok, and hoping he'll nap for at least an hour. This weekend, we've got potluck with our church group, church, and then a new tradition -- having Sunday lunch at Corner Bakery. My go-to sandwich is the Poblano Fresco on Poblano Cheese Bread: roasted red peppers, avocado, jicama slaw, and spicy chipotle lime mayo -- mmmmm. Our favorite part of going to Corner Bakery is taking the corner table, which has a huge wrap-around booth which we allow J to sit and walk around on. Definitely much more fun than a high chair!

Plans this weekend?

Favorite meal at favorite restaurant?

Mother's Day plans?

Have a great weekend!

Dealing with tantrums

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Thu, 10 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

A few weeks ago, J suddenly lost interest in eating meals. It was really odd considering he's been a great eater since he was born. We were really lucky. In a nutshell (details, advice from readers), he'd throw a tantrum when it was time to get in the high chair. When we finally coerced him into the chair, he'd take 2 bites and squirm to get out.

We initially had a plan that whoever was going to "handle" the tantrum would kindly tell the other person that it was being "handled" so we didn't have to talk above the tantrum. We also tried out some of the thoughtful advice left by readers on how to get J to sit and possibly eat -- J sitting in my lap instead of the highchair (worked 2 nights), J sitting in an adult chair (worked 0 nights), and serving fruit with meals to change up the taste buds (50/50 on this working).

This is an old photo -- around 9 months -- but still reflects the attitude during a tantrum

One night, while J was throwing a tantrum, the hubby and I went against our initial plan and started (loudly) discussing how to handle J's tantrum in the middle of the tantrum. It was a chaotic scene, and I don't think we got J to eat anything that night. Since our "discussion" during the tantrum, and our discussion after the tantrum, didn't resolve anything about how to handle the tantrum, we had a lengthy discussion after J went to bed.

During our (calm) discussion, I realized that this is going to be the first of MANY discussions over how to handle J's behavior. Every time something new happens, we're going to need to discuss a plan of action. It's not like we can have a brainstorming session to plan for every unwanted behavior. Gosh, we probably need to sit down and discuss what to do when faced with a new behavioral problem so that we don't act irrationally or regretfully before we have the time to discuss!

Anyways, it was actually a great discussion because the hubby reminded me that we're a TEAM and that I shouldn't say things like "You take the lead and I'll follow" because first, he doesn't (nor would I) want sole responsibility for such a task. Second, we should combine what we're separately learning about parenting from others.

We came up with an elaborate plan that laid out the specifics of mealtime (serving portion, serving utensils, fruit/no fruit, handwash/no handwash) and what to do if A happened, if B happened, if A then C happened, etc. It's sounds a bit crazy but was necessary for us to get on the same page.

Isn't it ironic that the next evening, J gave us no problem when getting in the chair, eating his meal, and even sitting with us until we finished our meals!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (It deserves a lot of exclamation points! ) We've had a few straight nights of great behavior. It's like somehow J sensed the calm between the hubby and I and felt no need to throw a tantrum….or whatever was ailing him the night before was no longer ailing him….doesn't matter because we're enjoying dinner now! We might even eat out again together!

How do you and your partner deal with behavioral issues?

Share your parenting successes!

P.S. It's our 4-year anniversary today, and we are dining at VOLT. I will not be recording this meal in the app ;). I love you, hubby!

Images by DollFace Studio

Encouragement

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

I began taking photography a bit more seriously beginning this year. That means:

I read my camera's manual -- How do I change the ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed? What do all the different shooting modes do?
I googled and asked my photography friends and brother-in-law about the relationship between ISO, f-stop, and shutter speed.
I started compiling a list of photography terms that I came across while reading about photography. See that list here.
I took a closer look at the photos of my favorite photographers -- What draws me to their photos? What features of their photos define their style?
I asked myself, "What is my style of photography?"
I set a goal to take a photo a day.
I asked myself, "What is my goal in pursuing an interest in photography?"

After doing these things, I felt a bit more confident using my camera, felt more comfortable talking to people about photography, and had a better idea what to expect of myself. I knew that since I wasn't intending to go pro, it was ok if my photos didn't look like the ones online. They are "pro" for a reason! It made me feel better about the photos I was able to take.

Of course, I wasn't always comfortable in my own "photographer's skin", so to speak. At the beginning of the year, I took photos like the ones below (these are my least favorites) (they're watermarked with a site that I no longer blog at):

Lighting is terrible in the shot of our son, and
what's up with the ominous feel of the puppy sleeping at the hubby's feet?

This is a cute shot of our son, but it's not tack-sharp.
The orchid is also not tack-sharp due to major photo-cropping
-- a lesson learned in composition.

I was rather discouraged at the time. Why aren't my photos like the ones I see online? Why aren't they "tack sharp", as photographers like to say? Why don't they "pop"?

In the second week of January, I read a syndicated article on BlogHer, My Take on Food Styling and Photography by Xiaolu of 6 Bittersweets. You must go to the BlogHer article to see how her photos transformed from snapshots to editorial-worthy in just two years!

I felt encouraged and inspired by Xiaolu's article because she reminded me that great photography takes time, work, research, and trial-and-error. No one's going to be handed a camera and become the next Ansel Adams overnight. Two years might seem like a long time in this instant-gratification-society, but two years is nothing compared to the many many subsequent years I'd have enjoying photography instead of fretting over it! It's only been four months since I really picked up my camera, and I already enjoy it so much more than I did in Janurary. Here are my recent favorites:

Certainly, I have OODLES more to learn! I haven't found my style yet, but just like writing, it will take time and will develop as I shoot more. I haven't even begun to understand and "see" light. And I am constantly working on seeing the photo before picking up the camera to shoot anything.

So this post is my encouragement to everyone who has a "big girl/big boy" camera but is discouraged to use it or discouraged when using it. Remember the cliché, Rome wasn't built in a day. And finally, remember to have fun shooting!

What steps do you take to improve a skill in your life,
photography or otherwise?

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!
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Originally posted at expandng.com - Encouragement

Building blocks

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Tue, 08 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Happy Tuesday! I'd just like to thank you for your support as I transitioned from blogging in 2 places (expandng.com and capturng.com) to just blogging here. You have allowed me to blog about both my family and my interests in photography. You gave me examples of your own blogs and how they also cover different topics and are reflections of who you are. We aren't one dimensional people, so why should our blogs be, right? So...THANK YOU for your support. When I have time later this Spring, I hope to get started on either redesigning expandng.com or designing a whole new blog.

And now onto today's topic: building blocks.

I loved Legos growing up. I remember owning a farm set. My sister and I loved watching my mom follow the instructions and put it together. When we lost some key pieces, we built our own farm (or whatever) and made up stories. My sister and I split the green square Lego base down the middle, each built our own houses, garages, stables, etc. and then played silly games with them. It was a lot of fun. A lot of fun. But we were definitely not 2 years old at that time!

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We got our 20-mo son (J) a MEGA Bloks Fill & Dump Wagon for Christmas (sale + manufacturer's coupon = deal!). At first, he loved it. He especially loved the single pieces and built towers out of them.

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 400 | f/2.0 | 1/80 sec

Sidenote: These were taken Jan of this year. In just 4 months I can totally see improvements in my shooting. For instance, these photos aren't too sharp. I could have used my SpeedLite. Also, 1/80 sec is on the slow-end of speeds considering the recommendation that one shouldn't shoot (handheld) at speeds lower than "1 over your focal length". In my case, I was using a 50 mm lens, so I shouldn't shoot (handheld) at speeds slower than 1/50 (or 1/60 sec).

We almost bought J a "refill" pack, but luckily we didn't because these days, he hardly touches the wagon or the blocks! Even if Mommy builds an awesome bridge-like structure for his cars to drive under…

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 800 | f/4.0 | 1/200 sec

He'll play with it for a while…

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 100 | f/4.0 | 1/200 sec | SpeedLite 380EX

But then eventually just ride away and leave the destruction behind. Notice how J likes to ride his truck backwards!

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 800 | f/4.0 | 1/200 sec

What's a toy you wish you didn't purchase

because there's no interest in it?

What's a toy you wished you purchased?

Products mentioned, of which purchases yield a small commission:

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What I think about blog awards

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Mon, 07 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Hope you had a great weekend! Today's topic: Blog awards.

Jasmine from AdamAlexMommy was recently awarded a Versatile Blogger award. Lou Lou Loves was recently awarded a Kreative Blogger award. Both were asked to pass the award on to 7 more blogs. I enjoy both their blogs and am happy that they got recognition. AND I really REALLY appreciate the recognition that Lou Lou gave my blog on her recent post, The Dragon Has Spoken, by giving me 1 of her 7 awards. Thanks to Jas for featuring me on a recent Facebook post!

I think it's great that these "awards" promote community by allowing bloggers to support other blogs -- but I feel weird calling them awards since I connect "awards" to meeting some standard or subject to some vote. So instead of passing on an award, I'll simply list my favorite blogs at the bottom of this post. No award attached to them except a virtual gold star in my book. (Excuse me if I use the wrong image for your blog...please send me a button so I can replace it in my sidebar.) If you want, for fun, post about this post and list 7 random things about yourself.

From Flickr, used under Creative Commons license

My favorite blogs. Read about them here and here. Some of them are new!

Oh, and here are 7 random things about me:

I wiggle my toes A LOT but don't have restless leg syndrome
Even though I'm Asian, I have 20/20 vision
I blink A LOT. I'm trying not to, so that our son doesn't develop that tick
I furl my eyebrow when I'm concentrating...and also watching TV. Our son definitely has this already
I LOVE sashimi
I have bent pinkies. It's called Clinodactyly, which sounds like a dinosaur. Our son has it too.
I hate holes, specifically small ones in a regular pattern. It's called trypophobia

My son and I sure do share a lot of similarities! Sorry, hubby.

Can't wait to hear about your fav blogs!
Share 7 random facts about yourself!

Simple Sundays

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Sun, 06 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Here's a second installment of Simple Sundays...

I was out walking the dogs, and noticed the sun glistening off the dew. I also noticed the dandelions, which were wet. I know I've probably seen wet dandelions before, but this is the first time I actually saw them. They were beautiful! Each "feather" was distinct. I took the time to "smell the flowers", so to speak, and was rewarded with a photo-op.

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 200 | f/2.8 | 1/1000 sec

I bent down low for this photo. My knees definitely got wet. I increased the exposure in just one dandelion. I also increased the green and yellow saturation to "warm up" the photo. The low f-stop (f/2.8) allowed for the bokeh and twinkling effect.

Hope you'll link up with Rebecca from Simple as That!!!! You don't need a fancy camera or editing software, just snap something simple and link up :).

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Comments and/or critiques on my photos always welcome!

Snapshots

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Fri, 04 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Happy Friday, everyone! Got any exciting plans? We might visit the National Aquarium -- the awesome one in Baltimore! Usually we like to be close to home so our 21-mo (J) can get his usual nap, but lately, he's only been napping an hour on the weekends, no matter how tired we try to get him, so we don't mind traveling as much.

Anyways, for the weekend I leave you with some recent snapshots of life. I post these to instragam and twitter (both names are lisacng), if you're interested in sneak peeks before I post them here :).

Jasper: We were just sitting around watching TV. All of a sudden, Jasper sits up on the couch like he's some sort of little man. Remote and beer added. I seriously laughed for an hour at this photo.

Caterpillar: J and I saw this, ok I saw this, caterpillar at the playground one day. Now, every time we visit that playground, J goes to the same log to see if the caterpillar is still there. Aren't you just amazed at kids' memory?

Dandelion: First time J held a dandelion, he was pretty stoked, and the dandelions were still yellow. This day, I could finally show him that if you blow on them, little feathers fly off. He tried to imitate, but just didn't have enough steam at the time. Oh well!

Grocery: J really wanted to push the grocery cart, but my husband and I established the "no pushing cart" rule before we entered the store. We both know what tantrums could ensue over the cart! To distract him, my husband got one of those really-difficult-to-maneuver carts. It occupied J for a bit, but I won't be bringing J to the grocery store again anytime soon. I'll just leave it at that.

Lani recommended Diptic ($0.99) to make collages, but I've been doing ok with Collage and Frametastic (both free) that have set layouts. I used to use Pic Collage (free) but that's a "free form" collage maker. I'm an engineer, so I like straight lines and rectilinear collages ;).

Have a great weekend!

Tracking my health

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Thu, 03 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

With all the stress about our 20-mo son (J) not eating -- I know it's small potatoes compared to real world problems -- I decided to increase my visits to the gym to 2 times a week. I think the time away from home and also the release of some toxins will help with relieving stress. And losing a few pounds won't be so bad either ;). I hate the treadmill but I also know it'll be my fastest route to my goal weight of ah hem ma nah pounds.

[Source: MyFitnessPal]

I even rediscovered the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. Based on my sedentary lifestyle, anticipated workouts a week, weight loss goal per week, and goal weight, MyFitnessPal tells me how many calories I should consume. Darn peanut M&Ms really did me in one day. They're so good though!

I've never been a calorie counter, never kept a food journal, and thus never really thought about what I put into my body. When we eat at home, we're pretty good about eating well-rounded meals. But when we go out, I don't give food a second thought. Those calories listed inside menus were just numbers to me -- I didn't translate them into pounds. If I had a hankering for an iced latte or Frappuccino, I'd consider the price over the caloric content. Oh, and now that we have J, I find myself eating his leftovers for no reason except that I hate to waste food. Like one morning, I ate his Nutri-Grain bar just because I had opened it, he didn't want it, and I didn't want it to dry out and go to waste (120 extra calories!). I had already eaten a PB sandwich, and not the low fat kind either, ew.

I don't want to become obsessed with calories because I know there's good and bad, filling and empty. But using the MyFitnessPal app at least gives me a ballpark of calories to shoot for. It's ok to snack and indulge, but I just need to be aware of it. The image below shows that I was pretty on-track with my net calories (consumed minus burned) last week.

Do you count calories and/or track exercise?

How? Paper and pencil, or app?

Share in the comments!

Wordless Wednesday: Muppet hands

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Wed, 02 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

After Jasper got a haircut, his legs look so long and skinny.

Doesn't he look like he has Muppet hands in this photo?

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 100 | f/2.8 | 1/200 sec | SpeedLite 380EX

Happy Wednesday!

A boy and his puppy

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Tue, 01 May 2012 05:00:00 PDT

Happy May!

When we first brought Jasper home, he was only a few months old. Our son was only a bit over 1 year old. Jasper immediately found a liking to our son since our son was small, on the ground a lot, dropped food, and had food on him at all times. Jasper loved to lick our son's face and toes. Our son didn't know what to make of him back then.

These days, their fondness of each other grows daily. Jasper does over-lick our son, but our son certainly doesn't take it lying down. Ok, maybe sometimes he's lying down, but he gets back up! All photos below were taken with the following settings: Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 200 | f/3.2 | 1/125 sec | SpeedLite 380EX

Look at Jasper's tongue! He's ready to strike!

It's funny when our son protests the offense because he's just as guilty!

Here's some tips to get sharper photos than mine above, especially if you're trying to capture fast moving subjects:

If you have an external flash, like my SpeedLite 380EX, use it. The flash will freeze the action. If you only have the pop-up one included with your camera, check out these accessories from Photojojo (DIY, flash bounce).
When using my SpeedLite, my camera doesn't take photos at speeds higher than 1/200 sec. Something about how fast the SpeedLite can fire. So I could have increased my shutter speed above 1/125 sec.
Since both subjects are moving quickly, I could have increased my f-stop above f/3.2, like to f/4.0 or f/5.0. The increase in f-stop means more of the photo will be in focus (less blurry background (or bokeh) effect).

Remember, an increase in shutter speed will reduce the amount of light that reaches the camera sensor. An increase in f-stop will as well. To compensate, I'd have to increase my ISO.

Shutter speed, f-stop (or aperture), and ISO are the keys to your desired exposure. They work in unison, and a change in one affects how much light is captured. A change in one probably means you need to change the other settings. Check out this post from Bubbly Nature Creations that has a shiny diagram to illustrate this.

Lastly, I shoot in manual but only after becoming familiar with the other most-used modes, "aperture priority" and "shutter speed priority". Many pro photographers shoot in "aperture priority", which means they select their ISO and aperture (or f-stop) and let the camera select the shutter speed. Pro photographers like to control the depth of field of their photos, which means getting a blurry background or not. Portraits -- yes for blurry! Landscapes -- not so much! Fashion -- also, not so much since most of the outfit and model should be in focus.

As always, comments/critiques are always welcome on my photos! My feelings won't be hurt, I promise! Just be gentle :).

April in review & readers spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (lisacng) — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 08:55:00 PDT

I really can't believe it's the end of April already! I know, I know, I say that at the end of every month ;). It's really exciting to have all of you on my blogging journey! I love seeing readership grow, as well as the number of comments/discussions we can have about parenting, photography, and everything else! Thanks for your support!

Your favorite posts were:

My recipe for non-fishy salmon cakes -- they were a hit this weekend!
You gave me advice how to get my toddler to stop hitting me.
My long but tantrum-free trek down to D.C. with our 20-mo old.
My lengthy review of two camera backpacks that can carry my camera and all of my 20-mo's things.
And you all gave such wonderful advice on how to get my toddler to eat! Here's a summary of said awesome advice.

I try to highlight different readers every month, so hopefully no one feels slighted!

When I wrote about my son hitting me, Susan from A Juggling Mom wrote (and shared a post):

When I wrote about saying "no more" to mint ice cream, Discovering the Me in Mommy wrote:

I guess I never thought about mint being an undesired flavor. Of course, it is ice cream, and this was back when J was still eating. Humpf!

This will be the umpteenth time that I mention this, but THANKS for all the comments/advice left on my post on how to get my toddler to eat. See that sage advice right here.

I wonder if Jen from JenKakio ever tried my non-fishy salmon cakes recipe:

And thanks to TalkingThirty who made my day with the following compliments! On my portraits of J taken by the window and on my Mother's Day gift wishlist:

I don't think I'm ready to start a photography business by any means, but I'd be happy to practice by taking photos of you and your family whenever you're in D.C.!

Bloggy things I did in April:

Started maintaining only one blog (here) about family and photography interests. Thanks for your feedback and support!
Removed Disqus because it was slowing down my site. Sorry all of your comments have "disappeared". Don't worry, when I move to WordPress (sometime in the future), I'll try to get them back!

Places where I've been featured/mentioned:

On Lou Lou Loves for my photo of a handholding moment. Technically, this was in March but I didn't post about it then
Here's my guest post for PowerLaunch on parenting tips. I realized afterwards that my post title was similar to a funnier post on Lou Lou Loves. Click here for a laugh.

What I'm looking forward to in May:

A series of guest posts from bloggers new and veteran -- thanks for the inspiration, Kristin from Mondays with Mac!
National Train Day on Saturday, May 12th. J's loves trains. Actually, he loves anything with wheels.
Todd Oldham has created a kid's line of crafts for Target. A paint-by-number craft featured on Apartment Therapy is definitely something I want to paint and hang up around the house! My sister and I love paint-by-number growing up! Collection launches Sunday, May 20th.
I can't wait to see if J is selected as a finalist for Gap's Casting Call. I submitted 4 photos, and 3 got rejected for an unspecified reason, but I can't tell which one was approved! Anyways, they announce the finalists on Monday, May 21st.
Memorial Day Weekend (May 26-28th) -- I love BBQ.

Thanks for reading!

What are you looking forward to in May?