Friday, April 11th, 2008
The kids were on my Mac this morning as I slept in a little longer (1). The two of them came to get me later on, and the older one proceeded to tell me “Mama, I forgot I should not draw on your computer.”
Raised eyebrows, groggy puffy eyed, I said “Draw on my computer? Where and why?”
“I forgot I should not!” He pleaded.
Decided it’s no use to argue without seeing the damage.
Minutes later, I’m very upset. The screen has several long RED LINES across it. I tried to remove them with my dry fingers - nothing.
Frustrated. Stew by self. Sit and read emails, eat breakfast.(2) Still frustrated, having to read through the RED LINES on the screen.
Kids on the floor playing with some toys. “Guys, please take it upstairs to play there” is met with silence. Typical. (WHY do kids not hear us / respond when we need them to???)
I lost it. I went down and cupped his face with my hands “DID YOU NOT HEAR ME?(3) TAKE. THIS. UP. STAIRS. TO. PLAY!”
Traits of Worst Mother:
(1) Sleep in while the kids run rampant.
(2) Eat breakfast at the computer instead of eating and talking to them.
(3) Shouting at the kids.
Thursday, April 3rd, 2008
When we were living in the previous house, we had a very nice mail delivery person. Our house was on a dead-end street and everyone knew everyone else, mostly. It was an older neighborhood, the houses were much older and the yards were big. We played outside whenever the weather was nice. Often times we’d see the mail truck coming and we’d get the mail from the mailman. He’d drive slow up to the end of our driveway, and hand us the mail. And never fails to say hi to us.
Since our move to this house last spring, when the weather was still nice we played in the backyard most of the time. The street we’re on now is a very busy through street and a lot of traffic pass by our house all the time. It’s not as kid friendly, and it just doesn’t feel very nice to be outside when cars are zooming past. And for the past 2 gazillion months we’ve had sucky weather. Outside time is next to zilch. That’s the long explanation to say, we don’t know our current delivery person very well.
What we DO know is, we can hear her from 3+ streets over. The truck/van that she drives is SO LOUD and she presses on the gas so hard, we can literally hear when she’s delivering mail in our neighborhood. She goes from mailbox to mailbox, and in the short 20 feet distance between houses, she has to accelerate on the gas pedal from 0 to 50 and back to 0 mph.
I find it interesting how the two drivers are so different (or is it simply her truck is just REALLY loud??) and how the two neighborhoods exude such different energy.
Sunday, March 30th, 2008
Cut a few holes in a box, it suddenly becomes a house with windows! And now it’s time to paint them rooms!
My little artists hard at work:
With paints from this selection. After it’s all done and tattered from playing with for days, recycle the boxes.
Wednesday, March 19th, 2008
I have always resisted buying cake mixes in a box. I’m not a big cake person to begin (cookies on the other hand.. yum!) and I’m pretty sure there are some preservatives that comes with cake mixes from a box.
The other day I brought home a box of cake mix. Velvet cake mix by Duncan Hines. Instead of making it into a sheet of cake, we made them into cupcakes. I substituted with half milk and half water instead of the whole 1.25 cups of water. It turned out really well. I’m surprised by how easy it was, and so tasty, especially with some frosting!
Now we’ll probably have to live with the consequences of having those preservatives in our system for a while.
But really, how impossible it is to get away from preservatives - it’s in almost everything.
Friday, March 7th, 2008
Go read Part I first. Go! Part I can be found here:
So I was talking about things that shocks, intrigues, scares, when one arrives from the other side of the globe into the heartland of good ‘ol USA. Here’s part II for your reading pleasure.
* Flushing toilets, electricity, stoves/ovens, toaster, and any other ‘modern necessities’. If you’ve ever been to a 3rd world country, you’ll know what I mean by the toilet thing. The village I grew up and lived in for 10+ years did not have reliable electricity (meaning, electricity was available for perhaps 4 or 6 hours in a 24-hr day, and that’s usually at night when everyone’s asleep), so even if we could afford it, electronic gadgets or fridges or microwaves would be useless anyway. We had kerosene and oil lamps. We cooked using straws/hay/sticks/wood under a brick&mud-combination cook top. When I was 10.5 or so, I went to the City half an hour away to live with my grandmother. She had some modern conveniences in her condo but still lacking compared to the typical standards here in the US.
* Indoor pets. We could hardly manage to keep ourselves fed, therefore pets, especially indoor pets who share beds and living spaces with their owners were a very foreign concept.
* Lotions. Lotions were meant for rich and privileged people. Or at least average middle income folks.
* Soft mattresses (and a whole slew of other ‘common’ items within the civilized world such as carpet or hardwood floor or lamps or showers/baths). See above explanation. Also, showers/baths were not to be had as there’s no indoor plumbing in our tiny brick house - only sponge baths in the winter and outdoor “rinsing” in the summertime.
* Television. As said above, there were basically no electricity. My parents finally got a hand-me-down black&white TV from some richer family when I was about 10.5 yrs old. So after coming here, I was glued to the TV after school everyday until 4 o’clock, when I would have to go work at my grandparents’ business. I watched lots and lots of cartoons. Hey, at least I learned some English through it!
* Weather. I have never ever experienced anything colder than 4C (that would be 39.2F) in my whole entire first 12.5 years of life. We came to Iowa, in December. There were knee high snowfalls and colder-than-a-freezer type of temperatures, combined with bone-chilling winds… NOT pretty. I did not like it at all. It was so cold, so white and glaring everywhere (the sun reflecting off the snow), I got very dizzy and hurled while standing and waiting for the school bus the first week of school and had to stay home for the day. After nearly 20 years, I’m still not used to the cold weather.
I guess some things never change.
Tuesday, March 4th, 2008
As we prepare for our first child’s kindergarten next year, I’ve been doing a little research. And this week is when parents start registering.
Has times changed? Am I out of sync with what’s the norm? I don’t ever remember needing to bring School Supplies to school - I used what was available at school and if it’s something that’s going to be kept with me or at my locker, then I would buy it at my own pace (I bought things on my own as early as 14 years old). There were no Lists that need to be bought at the beginning of each semester.
Here’s the Required List of Supplies parents must bring with their kindergartener on first day of school (this is last year’s list, 2007. I don’t think it would be much different this year).
Not kidding you. Whatever happened to government funded public schools? Doesn’t it exist anymore - it’s partially funded now? Or was I not required to buy any of them during my time because we were poor??
Also? Look 2/3 of the way down, it says 35mm film. Who uses film these days??????
FILM. F.I.L.M.
We don’t live in the boonies. We’re in the heartland, and in the state’s capital city. I guess we live in the 90’s.
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Many years ago, we made a donation to an organization (not naming it here, but let’s call it H so we can reference it easier). It was a one-time donation and it was a good decision at the time. It’s still a good decision. However things change and although we might still donate to organization H if money was not an object, but that’s not the case. Our priorities changed, things that speak to our hearts have changed. We now focus our attention, time and money elsewhere that’s closer to our hearts.
Without fail, organization H continues to send us letters asking for donation at least twice a year, most of the time doubling the efforts. They even have our new and updated address! I finally called and asked to be taken off the mailing list, which is something I should have done a long while ago.
The person who took the call was polite and said it would be taken care of. I went one step further to make some suggestions (gasp!). I said it would be good if they could implement a system where it checks against donors who’s been dormant/inactive for a certain period of time, and to cut back on mailings/trees/resources by stop mailing to those individuals. She paused. And then said “Oh OK, thanks.” Her reply sounded very distant and nonchalant - after all, it’s not her trees or her resources or her money that’s being sent into space without an echo - no sireee Bob, she’s just there to do her job and no more. I wish she took me seriously and at least give the suggestion to her supervisor.
I need to take a closer look at all the mailings that we get, and stop the ones that doesn’t even get a first glance before hitting the recycling bins. If you have time, please check yours and see if you can minimize some junk mail as well.
Wednesday, February 20th, 2008
I thought I’d share these nice snippets of pictures with you.
The graphic below is from yesterday. Temperature was updated at 8:00a.m.
The next one is from today. Updated at 2:00p.m. (yes, in the afternoon)
If you live in warmer climates, I’m sure you’re secretly smiling right about now. “Hey,” you say, “at least both days says Sunny!”
I’m so ready to wear sandals and not have crispy frozen hair when I go outside.
Friday, February 15th, 2008
Recently I found out some of the games and tricks our local (monopoly) broadband service provider like to play.
We have the broadband internet, cable television, and phone service package. After the trial period was over, the bill doubled. So I called in to inquire and see if we can adjust the subscriptions.
I waited on the phone for 40+ minutes (at 2 a.m.) Not kidding. Thank goodness for speaker phones. I’ve tried to contact them during human hours before but could never get through. At least I was still up working..
When the elevator music was finally over, this lively person named John came on the phone. I said I want to cut back on some of the services because we aren’t using them anyway, so I’d like to look into what options I have etc. He balked and tried to convince me it is unwise to do so. As he explained it, it would cost us more to take out the phone service (or anything for that matter) than to keep it. Huh?! I was not happy with that because, I don’t want to keep paying for things that we’re only using 2% of the time. He continued to explain…
For the 3 services (and I didn’t realize we were being charged some nonsense wire maintenance fee for the whole time that we’ve lived here!), the total is $89.85 And if we want to cancel the phone service with them, and keep the cable tv and broadband, it would cost $100.90.
It’s the same with the trash service. For a 96-gallon trash can, it’s $13 (I’m pulling the number out of the hat as I don’t have that bill in front of me). For the 32 gallons it’s $12.50. Coincidentally the trash service is also the monopoly in the area.
O_O <— that’s me, wide-eyed and speechless.
Coming back to the broadband service provider here, I’m porting our number somewhere else, and will attempt to slash the other prices into half. If it comes to it, we’ll just junk the TV somewhere and be done with it. After all, we don’t even have time to watch it.
Thursday, February 14th, 2008
Mom says when I was a baby, I was a very good sleeper. She would have to wake me up to feed me (why couldn’t I have gotten one of those babies???). Fortunately I was a chubby one so no one was really worried about me sleeping 90% of the day away. I was a whopping 8.3 lb baby when I was born. I think that’s pretty big for a Chinese.
From junior high and up, I slept in whenever allowed. Especially in college. A few times I’d stay up until the wee hours and wake up only find the dining halls have been closed for lunch. After that, I’d get a sack lunch the night before so I could sleep in and still have food. 
Clever girl.
We all know what happens to sleep when you have a baby. After the 2nd baby, you can pretty much take sleep out of the dictionary, because it’s not going to happen.
For the last several months, I’ve only managed to go to bed before midnight a handful of times, only to wake up again before the sun rises when the two little ones wake at 5:30~6:00a.m.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, I came across this gem.
I can’t help but share it with all of my night owl friends, sleepy-eyed bloggers who stay up so you can read just one more blog, and tired mommies who sit there without nary a thought in mind after putting the kids to bed and thankful for a few quiet hours before tending to the fun, loving but demanding children at the crack of dawn. Hope you have a good night sleep tonight! 
Wednesday, February 13th, 2008
After putting the kids to bed, I went to the grocery store. The temperature finally rose into double digits and it actually felt a little warm! (Still below freezing. After a couple of weeks of subzero temps and single digits, it’s amazing how it would feel warm…)
The greeting cards, gift wraps, and floral department is right near the entrance of the 24-hr grocery chain. There were at least 8 men browsing in the vicinity for last-minute Valentine gifts. Ironically, I didn’t see any women there.
Is it because women aren’t celebrating or giving their sweetheart gifts? Or are women inherently better planners and have already finished wrapping the presents days ago? Maybe women don’t shop for Valentine gifts at grocery stores? I mean, let’s face it, what kinda thing would a guy want from a grocery store.
“Here love, this is what I got for ya. I’m so glad you’re mine,” as she hands the bulky package over.
“Ooooh beer, and it’s my favorite kind! You’re the best.” Says he as he whips out a huge bouquet of flowers from behind his back, planting a kiss on her lips.
Happy Valentine’s Day everyone. Chocolates on the house.
Tuesday, January 15th, 2008
Not long ago I confessed I was a big dinosaur when it comes to electronic gadgets, and that I’m not an electronic fashion junkie. Well there’s a very bright side to it, and not just for the sake of my own piggy bank either.
It is also environmentally-friendly. Don’t replace electronic gadgets based on trendiness or “look and feel” and here is a nice article. Be sure to read the comment sections; the links within them are even better.
Did you know a huge amounts of electronic waste (old electronic stuff, “recycled” stuff etc.) are dumped in other countries??? I had no idea this sort of thing takes place. Where’s our regard for their health and their children’s children’s health?
Sunday, January 13th, 2008
Annual cost for milk in this household:
$3.49/gallon x 4 gallons/wk x 52wks/year = $725.92
$725.92 per year!
.
That is, if the cost of milk stays where it is. The cost per gallon has gone up $1 whole dollar since May, just 7 short months ago.
Updated:
Melissa at Taking What is Left made a very good point, in which I’ve completely neglected to calculate, is that the cost of EGGS have also gone up tremendously in the last few months.
To wit, eggs were $2.99 for 2.5 dozen large eggs (that would be 36 eggs, or two cartons of 18) when we first moved here 7 months ago. Now it’s past $5.25
Our kids are picky eaters and eggs is on the small list of things that they will eat.
The verdict is, to buy one dozen chickens along with a strong rooster, and two cows.
Saturday, January 12th, 2008
I’m not the greatest cook, and my mother-in-law (and father-in-law) will agree with that. But I do most of the cooking in this house, whether it’s edible or great depends on what I’m cooking.
These are things that I find essential to have in my kitchen:
* rice cooker - I’m Asian. It’s true, most Asians must have rice in their meals otherwise they have the “not full” feeling. It doesn’t apply to me, but we still consume a lot of rice. I buy them in 50-lb bags.
* garlic & ginger - they are almost like one thing to me, because I put them in nearly everything I cook (usually stir-fries).
* soy sauce & other slew of seasoning stuff used in Chinese cooking
* Bar Keeper’s Friend - it’s a cleanser & polish powdery stuff that comes in a rounded container thingy. I need this because I burn stuff, often.
* steamer - steamed food are so good, and good for you.
* chopsticks - I use them as utensils and as cooking or mixing spatulas. Making scrambled eggs? I use that instead of the sophisticated whisk that sits in my drawer.
What kitchen items can’t you live without?
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
I consider myself pretty net-savvy and somewhat advanced technologically. I participated in online socializing before it was popular; I blogged before it was called blogging; I knew how to write (simple) webpages before every Tom, Dick, and Sally in college had one. Heck, my husband and I met via the internet (the snowstorm helped too) 10 years ago. TEN years. Gah I’m getting old.
However, when it comes to these trendy electronic gadgets (is there such a thing as non-trendy gadgets?), I’m lost. Completely, hopelessly, totally lost.
I’ve never owned an ipod or mp3 player. And what is this thing you call an iphone?
This wii thing? I’m embarrassed to say, the last real game console I played with had a game called Super Mario. I don’t even know what it was called. Nintendo, probably the first generation..
Everyone and their mother has a cell phone that has a camera, and check email with their phone, and blog with their phone. They SMS their friends, listen to music, track their stocks and twitter and whatever other uber high tech stuff that this little tiny sleek device can do. My cell phone? I can call people, and oooh I can do 3-way calling (but I haven’t needed it and have never tried it). There’s a couple of games on it, as well as a dozen or so ring tones.
Just don’t call me granny OK?
