Friday, November 23rd, 2007
We’re having a big Black Friday sale at KangarooBoo. For today only, take 20% off of your entire purchase!
Go to KangarooBoo.com for more details.
For advance notice of future news, new products, promotions, etc, sign up with our newsletter. Worry not, your email address is safe with us. We hate spam too.
Monday, November 5th, 2007
It’s only Monday and I’ve already worked at least 14 hours, and bedtime is still some time away.
Why am I working so hard? I love working on our business, and it’s fun! Growing up, I owned one toy in my entire childhood. And because my brother is the ever-curious-boy who must figure out how everything goes together, couldn’t put the zebra back together again, I no longer had a toy. We always played with whatever nature offered us: rocks/stones, sticks, bugs, trees, etc. So this KangarooBoo.com is a dream come true in more ways than one.
And I’m excited to share with you some recent news! Here are the links:
* My first interview is published on StartUp Princess.
* We were featured today on the Des Moines Register, the local newspaper.
Abso-friggin-lutely newsworthy, wouldn’t you say?
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007
Now KangarooBoo has its very own blog!
It is a space where we make announcements, new features, new brands or new toys, share with you about our media and press coverages, and anything else related to KangarooBoo.com
You can subscribe to the RSS feed to KangarooBoo blog (our “new arrivals” are also on RSS feed!). We welcome you to comment on our blog, make suggestions, comments, or anything else related. We’d love to hear from you.
I probably will cross link the info on my personal blog from time to time, but check there for all the details 
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007
I have so much to write about and yet the words are just swimming in my head instead. I want to write about all the things that I learned from house-selling. I want to write about the two-weeks that we stayed at 2 different friend’s houses, 2 different hotels, and the thousands of miles we drove in those 2 weeks between our old city and our new city. I want to write (I mean, complain) about the 5-hours it took for me to scrub out the fridge in our new house. I would like to write about how the kids rolled down the tiny hill and frolicked in the new backyard, or how they kept going into the washers and dryers at the home improvement stores when we went to compare prices on appliances that the previous owners took with them. I also think it is time to disclose a big pet peeve of mine — I must have the toilet paper over, not under. But alas, the words are just swimmin’ around.
There are about 5,000 boxes left to open and put away and not enough time in the day / week / month to do so.
There are 8 million and three things to do before our business, KangarooBoo, will be ready.
But! Enough about me. How have YOU been?!
Sunday, May 13th, 2007
We are setting up a business! A REAL business! It will carry products that kids newborns to age 15 (approx) will LOVE to play with and provide HOURS and HOURS of fun. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, families and friends will also LOVE to get their hands on these gizmos (toys, NO batteries!) for their beloved little ones.
If you have a suggestion for the store name, we would love to hear it. If we end up picking yours, a COOL gift will be sent your way.
Saturday, December 30th, 2006
Seriously. Saying it in a Meredith Grey / Izzie sort of tone. This kinds of practice should be banned.
It’s just wrong. In every sense of any direction. It’s fine if you don’t agree with me. But honestly, I would not want my own mother to be 80 when I’m merely an adolescent. And she isn’t even my biological mother (DNA wise) not that that is an important issue or an issue at all, but worthy of mentioning nontheless.
Like one of the articles says, the woman is merely a surogate because both the egg and the sperm were donated. I realize this will sound awful, but if you must go that far to become a mother, why not do it earlier? Why not adopt? Why put the child/ren through “early orphaned”? WHY?! What is next? MEN getting pregnant? We already know sex-change operations can be done, will the doctors invent a way to “install” wombs too? OMG.
I’m perfectly fine with people using technology to achieve pregnancies and have babies. It’s the age part that does not sit well with me. Look at this one. I mean, for lack of better words, what the hell?!?! 47 years of marriage and no previous children, and now when they are 64 and 74 respectively, they do IVF. It’s.. I’m speechless.
There should be an age limit imposed on this. I will definitely cast my vote.
In this country, and many others I’m sure, there are age limitations on a lot of things such as drinking (alcohol), voting, driving, etc etc. They mandate a ‘minimum’ age limit. For the in-vitro and the likes there should be a ‘maximum’ age limit as well.
Wednesday, December 27th, 2006
Today was the last day of business for my Mom’s employer. They planned it all along but didn’t tell any of their employees, until today, although there were rumours for the last couple of weeks. WTF. Is that even legal??? They live in California. If there are any lawyers reading this, would you please let me know if this is illegal so we can sue the bastards?
Can we please just fast forward to the New Year and hopefully gooder and better things will happen instead of all these layoffs and shutdowns?!
Tuesday, December 19th, 2006
The thing I mentioned in the last post, the thing that I said I couldn’t discuss at all?
Hubby got laid off. Two weeks before Christmas. What lovely timing on the company’s part. He was one of several that got the boot and was the happiest one of all, which if it’s any indication, should say he’s fine. I was the one who was shocked.
We’re OK. Hopefully this will mean better opportunities will come our way. Things are kind of hectic for everyone during the holidays / new years time, so we should kind of know some time after the new year what direction we’re (I mean he is) going to take.
Thursday, December 7th, 2006
Words completely failed me. (Among the many googled links, you can also read more about James Kim here and here. He was a husband, a father of a 4 yr old and a 7 month old, and worked for CNET.com )
I first read about this story yesterday morning on another blog. I was very much hoping, like everyone else, that they will find him alive and reunite with the rest of the family. I’m not the praying type but I consciously looked up and said a hopeful phrase in my mind.
While I’m very very glad that they found Kati, Pennelope, and Sabine safe and sound, I, a stranger who’ve never known the man, became paralyzed with sadness and pain when the news came that they had found his body. She is now a widow, and the two small children are likely not to have much if any recollection of their father. The story is incredibly incredibly sad. It could have been any of us, it could have happened to anyone.
Hubby and I are about the same age as James and Kati; their two children are about the same age as our two kids. I just cannot think of Kati and what the array of emotions she’s going through without breaking down myself. I tried to put myself into her shoes, of going through a whole 11 days in the wilderness with two small children and dwindling hope of being found. Of keeping everyone, especially the baby and toddler warm and fed and occupied in the small confined space of their car (it’s difficult for me even in the luxury of my home with aids such as toys and computer and TV). Of the probably many conversations they had trying to decide what to do to get out, to get help. It was too much to bear even just thinking about it. My heart aches for Kati and the two children. And to think of what must have gone through James’ mind during his last hours and last minutes on earth is enough to break a heart of stones.
I know many others will feel a strong connection to this family and their painful story, especially those who are parents of young children themselves. Imagine if it were your family, how would you like strangers to send help?! Please go to their website, made by one of their friends, and consider making a donation to help their family. I’m sure even $5 or $10 will help. I will be making a donation myself. Collectively, perhaps our gestures will help ease their pain just a little bit.
Wednesday, November 29th, 2006
This is unbelievable. I can’t even imagine the pain the family must endure now, and forever. Policemen are supposed to protect, not harm. We’re paying their salaries, we put our trust in them to keep the streets safe, and we count on them to keep the bad guys locked up, not be the bad guys.
It’s almost 1 a.m. right now. More on this when I am less drowsy.
Monday, November 20th, 2006
I’m not surprised by this at all. The Chinese g0vernment is well known for its stance on the death penalty, along with their lack of compassion and tolerance for criminals of any sort, plus their long standing human rights violations cited by other countries. I’m not sure how I feel about this personally, except to say that in China, money talks much louder than law sometimes, and that seems to be the rule more than the exception. Whereas in the US it tends be more of an exception than the rule.
