Judge Isabelle

Last night Isabelle was being a judge on American Idol.

She's meaner than Simon Cowell ever thought of being.

She even has a gavel.

I think she sent everyone home!

Cough, Cough, Sniffle, Sneeze

Today we are all suffering from colds.

Sadly the kids are worse off than the adults.

I have declared today pajama day.

If you come to my house we will not be answering the door.

If you call, I probably won't be picking up.

Hot baths, orange juice, pajamas, cuddling, blankets, and movies are on the schedule today.

Gymnastics, taekwondo, friends, school, and piano have been banned.

Liam goes back and forth from running and acting fine to this...

Sometimes you only have the energy to get up the first step.

The electronic baby sitter has really helped out with Isabelle.

She is watching "The Guardians of Ga'hoole" for about the

78th time this week.

I wonder what people did with their sick kids before tv and movies were invented?

I am looking beautiful today while sporting one of Soung Siks over sized sweater and no makeup.

I am hoping that this general malaise will only be with us for today and that we can be back to normal tomorrow.  I am not too optimistic about that though!

Life's Playback Button

I insert foot in mouth daily. 

I heard it is the best medicine, or is that Tylenol?

Either way it seems to be a habit of mine.

Most of the time its just harmless ditzy comments like

"...but officer I don't have any pizzas!"

Ahhh that one is a classic. 
Some of you may be very confused right now.

Sometimes I insert foot and offend people.

This is due to the fact that the "talent" God chose to give me was sarcasm instead of something like sewing or being a contortionist.  He also made me slightly opinionated.  At those times my brain tries to censor my mouth, but my heart and principles just won't stand for it.

Last but not  least there are the times when you find yourself committing to do something with you mouth while your brain has decided to take a quick cat nap. 

I have had a couple such moments in the last week or so.

My sister decided it would be fun to run in a 5K.

For some weird reason I thought it might be pretty fun too.

I had images pop into my head of me running, yes running, across a finish line.  Of course I was breaking the giant ribbon, because whats the point in running if you can't break that cool ribbon at the end.  In my vision not only was I not sweating, but my hair was flowing gently in the breeze behind me magically fuller and longer than it has ever been. 
After this sight I would be crazy not to commit to do something so great.

Count me in!  When can I begin training? 

Shorty thereafter I had a different vision pop into my head.  It was of me running up my stairs and becoming so winded I thought I was going to die...oh wait that one actually happened.  It was at this moment that I realized how fatal my choice could become.  I would cross the finish line alright, while crying and being carried on a stretcher.

My second mistake was talking to one of my super skinny and cute friends who loves to go running.

Before thinking I mentioned to her that I was going to be doing a 5K.  Foot in mouth.  So now, great news, I will have someone who enjoys running helping me practice. Yay
. 

I guess it's like my husband says, "When you don't use your brain your body pays the price".  How wise my other half is.

 At moments like these I wish I had a playback button.  Wouldn't it be great just to turn back life for 5 or 10 seconds and then be able to say "Why that is the most beautiful baby I have ever seen" instead of "WOW he has huge lips!" Or,
"You are going to run in a 5K race? 
Good for you, you have lots of fun!" 

I think my body is going to be paying the price overtime in the next few months! 

I have also decided that one of my New Years resolutions for 2012 will be to run a 5K in 2011.

Valentines...hooray

It's Valentines today.  Happy Valentines.

I am not a huge fan of this holiday.

I have some good memories of it when I was a kid, because lets face it, it was another reason to have a party all day at school.  You also got loads of candy, and my parents would always surprise us with a little gift.

Before I was married I hated dating. 

Therefore I never really had "big" Valentines dates.

My hopes every year were to just fly under the radar,
which I did very successfully.

As a married person I don't even think the radar is working anymore!

They don't celebrate Valentines in Korea, so that combined with the
 fact that Soung Sik is a man means he thinks it is totally lame.

He is so lucky that he married someone as
equally unromantic as himself.

But here's my real problem with Valentines.

I don't like people telling me what to do.

I get pretty mad if I even perceive that someone
might be telling me what to do.

So when I am told by society and Hallmark that I have to tell people I love them, it makes my skin crawl a little.

So here's the deal everyone.

If  I don't hate you, and believe me you would know,

then feel free to assume this Valentines day that I really really love you!

Please don't be offended if I didn't get you any chocolate to

 help ruin your new years resolutions of losing weight.

aaahhh - that was nice to finally get off my chest.

The Bare Bear Neccessities

***Warning- videos may contain nudity. 
Consider yourself warned***

*You can pause the music on the bottom of this page

if you want to hear the 2nd video better*

Bare 1

William is a little crazy all the time.

He gets off of the couch by going head first

and landing on his head.

His favorite game right now is a Korean game called

"Pak Chi Gee". Basically the game consists of people

headbutting each other until someone gives up first. 

William is undefeated!

I think he has a titanium head.

At any rate it doesn't bother him at all to fall

over and land on his head in the bathtub.

I am fearing more and more each day that

there will be no avoiding him becoming a stuntman.

Later on in life if people ask me what is wrong

with him I will have many excuses to choose from.

Bear 2

If you take a video of William then Isabelle will

insist that you take one (or 6) of her too.

Sadly I think she gets her dancing skills from me and her dad.

Her confidence and love of the spotlight is all from her dad!

In Our World: Egypt

Mubarak Leaves and Egypt Celebrates

February 11th, 2011 @ 4:18pm

By HADEEL AL-SHALCHI and SARAH EL DEEB
Associated Press

CAIRO (AP) - One Egyptian kissed the ground. Another rolled in ecstasy in the grass outside a presidential palace. People wept, jumped, screamed and hugged each other with a shared joy they had never known. Cairo erupted in a cacophony of celebration: fireworks and car horns and gunshots in the air.
President Hosni Mubarak resigned and handed power to the military on Friday, and Egypt held its biggest party in decades.
"The people have toppled the regime," chanted protesters, whose 18 days of swelling protests tipped Egypt into a crisis that the autocratic government could not undo.
"This is the happiest day in my generation," said Ali al-Tayab, a demonstrator who paid tribute to those who died in clashes with police and Mubarak supporters. "To the martyrs, this is your day."
At a presidential palace in Cairo, where demonstrators had gathered in the thousands, people flashed the V-for-victory sign and shouted, "Be happy, Egyptians, today is a feast" and "He stepped down."
They handed out candy. Many prayed and declared: "God is great."
Crowds packed Tahrir Square, the scene of massive protests against Mubarak that began on Jan. 25. The celebrations continued early Saturday, with throngs of people milling around in downtown Cairo.
A huge poster hanging in the square read, "Breaking news: The people have brought down the regime."
"Egypt is free," shouted Mahmoud Elhetta, a protest organizer. "We are a great people and we did something great. This is the expected end for every dictator."

********************************************************************************
My main goal in doing a blog is to keep a record of not only what is happening in our family but also what kind of a world we live in at this time.
I will occassionally be posting news articles or stories if I feel they are relevant.

What has happened in Egypt is truly amazing and proves the strength of  a determined people.
Mubarack was an evil, oppressive dictator and in my view the people of Egypt had every right to begin their revolution.  I am very concerned about what kind of government will be established in Egypt now.
I hope that the people can take this chance to put righteous people above them and form a true demoracy.
Unfortunantly I worry that this might not happen.  I am concerned about a militant Islamic radical influence taking control and inforcing Sharia Law in Egypt.  I hope that for the sake of the Egyptians, the people of Isreal, and the rest of the world that this does not happen.

And that is my 2 cents on this bit of history on the making.

Valentines Exchange

Today we went to a Valentine's exchange for Isabelle.

It was a big group of other homeschoolers.

Just doing my part to make sure my child doesn't end up as

some weird, non socialized homeschooler!

I hope all my homeschooling friends pick up on my dripping sarcasm!

She needed to add some finishing touches to her box.

Here's the girlified finished product.

Then she had to take a quick break and sugar load.

Just in case the candies she got in her box weren't going to be enough,

she had suckers, cookies and good ol' cinnamon hearts.

William needed his fair share of sugar intake too.

By the time he finished this sucker I don't know who was stickier,

him or me.

It didn't take long for the sugar weirdness to kick in.

Now she was all geared up to pass out -

candy that is!

When we got home she had to re-evaluate her stash.

I think she was pleased.

I remember loving Valentines Day.

It seems most of my favorite childhood memories revolve

around heaps and heaps of candy.

I wonder if I need therapy for that?

Chocolate therapy...

Funny Face

Isabelle and I got a little bored/goofy this afternoon.

I blame it all on the Valentines candy.

Ah, yes, the always classy fishy lips.

Your face could get stuck this way if you do this too much.

Quite frightening.

Pucker up Valentine.

My middle initial is M.

Do you think it stands for mischievous?

Diva Dishwasher

Every mom looks forward to the day her children can

 take over the household chores.

That means I never have to do them anymore...right?

Today Isabelle was begging me to let her do the dishes.

So I thought...why not?  It's not as if I am going to do them!

She was so excited.

It took her about 10 minutes to wash each spoon.

She was also trying to wash the dishes

without actually touching them.

That's quite hard to do.

She was such a Diva and kept saying "eeewwww, gross" frequently.

She enthusiastically said "I can't believe I get to wash the
dishes for the 1st time in my whole life!!!"

Don't worry Isabelle, as your mom I promise to let you have many,

many more chances in the future.

I will also let you clean bathrooms and fold laundry, but only if you beg.

I just wish I had the same enthusiasm in regards to dishes that she does.

I also hope that she can keep that enthusiasm until she moves out!

BOOK REVIEW: HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Written By: J.K. Rowling
Number of Pages: 309
Number of stars I'm giving it: 3.5


Have you ever read a book out of sheer peer pressure?
That's the exact reason why I started this one.
It wasn't a bad book.  It was written for children and it clearly shows.  The plot lacked depth, but it was still entertaining.
This book is exactly like the movie - which made it a little boring.  In fact the only reason why I finished it was because it is due back at the library today.  I am planning on reading the whole series this year.  I realize this first book just introduces you to the characters, so I hope in the future books there can be a little more depth.  I think it's a great book for kids...but as for me I am off to try to finish something a little more challenging!
Happy reading everyone!

Games with Grandma

I have memories with both of my Grandmas playing games.

With my Grandma Cain we would play Dominos and Uno.

She would pretend to be forgetful and cheat. 

Well we never actually figured out if she was

cheating or truly forgetful of the rules.

Either way you had to keep a pretty close eye on her.

With Grandma Nielson we would play Aggravation.

Now we don't play the wimpy store version of this game.

Our family has a more brutal version - its WAY more fun.

Sometimes you love each other after...no not really,

 but somehow you still grow closer!

Grandma would always say

"Oh sweetie, I have to kill your person. I feel just terrible." 

And she did, but she would go ahead and kill you anyways.

My mom is a Grandma of the 21st century. 

My kids like to play Nintendo with Grandma.

She is getting William started out at a very early age.

I hope my kids will remember these times with my mom

when they have their own kids!

Korean New Year

Last year on Korean New Year we didn't eat our "Duk Guk".

Duk Guk is rice cake soup.  Koreans eat it every year on

New Years to bring them good luck.

Last year we missed it, and we had kindof a crappy year! 

This year we didn't want to take any chances so we invited

 Soung Jo and Jee Hoon over and ate lots and lots of good luck soup.

Of course we had to have lots and lots of other food as well!

Yummy! We were all stuffed. I am looking forward to a really

lucky year now.  You better not fail me little rice cakes!

My Little Man

My little man Liam makes sure that I never have a boring day.

Actually he makes sure I don't ever have a boring moment.

Here are some things he has been up to this week.

There are some perks to being very small.

One of them is that a 1x1x1 foot box is not too small to play in.

He was in there for a long time just having a blast.

If you weigh the same as a 4 month old, then I guess you

should be able to play in the baby swing too.

The funny part is watching him climb in there!

Here he is taking a brief nap.

He looks OH SO comfortable.

Much to my dismay he is trying to cut out his naps.

I went into his room this afternoon

when he should have been sleeping.

He had pulled every stuffed animal off of his shelf and

all of his clothes/diapers out of the changing table, and he was

dancing in circles with his stuffed dog in the middle of the room.

Everyday after his "nap" he goes to

Grandma's house to eat a banana.

This tradition is one that we cannot miss for any reason!

A banana a day keeps the monkeys at bay.

There is no rule that says you have to use hands to eat a banana.

If you eat bananas with Liam's method it frees

up your hands for more playing.

*Please note the completely shaved head.  I did not do that to him,

I put that all on his father.  Soungsik loves it, I am not so sure,

and my parents hate it.  My mom thinks it looks like we did it because

he had lice in his hair.  I had to explain to her that it wasn't a lice

problem, but a rice problem!*

Liam wants the best of both worlds.

He wants to be a small enough for the baby swing,

yet big enough for the "big kid" table.

He is starting to rebel against tippy cups and the high chair.

He was mad here because Isabelle has frosting on her sweet rolls,

and his didn't have any.  We aren't going

to be able to pull things like that over on him anymore!

Even though he never stops moving

I wouldn't change a minute of it!

We love you Liam!

Mommy Meltdown

Many blogs you may read are probably filled with

perfect stories about perfect children and their perfect mommies.

If you are looking for any such stories here today,
you may want to click away now. 

You have been warned...

Some days your kids push your buttons, and you just let it roll off your back.

Some days you may be cranky for no reasons.

Once in a blue moon elements will collide and create a perfect storm.

Today was such a day at our house.

I woke up slightly angry this morning.  I blame this on the fact that it's freezing outside and my house is a mess. Hope as I might I have come to the dismal conclusion that no one is coming to clean it for me.

Not that I enjoy complaining about my hubby, but how many times do I have to be fired/quit before I don't have to do anymore taekwondo paperwork?  I have more than enough work to keep me drowning without TKD stuff.

Keep in mind my bad attitude and I will tell you all of the gory details of how the meltdown came about.

I was heading upstairs to get Isabelle ready for taekwondo.  She hasn't been in a week, so Soungsik was insisting she go today.  As I pass William's room and realize that he is rebelling against his nap my patience level goes down about 25 points (on a scale of 100).  By this point in the afternoon my I only at about 30 patience points left - 5 more left to.  As I am getting Isabelle ready she's starts going on and on about how she doesn't want to go.  Then she tells me "I shouldn't have told you my leg feels better after my shots." WHAT? 
Are you saying you are premeditating lies to your mommy right now?

There goes the last 5 patience points.  Whatever you do Isabelle - don't push anymore buttons!  Then she goes over to her closet and says in a most frumpy and complaining voice "I have a really bad life!"

At this point I feel like I just got slapped in the face.  I am staring around the room looking at piles of stuffed animals and toys.  I begin thinking "yes, yes, you have spoiled her rotten!"  That's when I had my complete meltdown.  All patience was gone - in fact we are now in the negative numbers on our point scale.  That is when I inform Isabelle that there are children who actually have hard lives, and she isn't one of them.  I also declare that I will be taking away ALL of the toys in her room and giving them to truly needy children.

After a  few garbage bags...

And much much weeping and wailing,

my point has been made.

I am feeling better - but I don't think Isabelle is.

She came and apologized profusely.

Since she was so sincere I told her I wouldn't give all of her stuff away,

but she still isn't getting it back yet.

I hope I am not creating any major psychological damage in my daughter,

but I think it's very unhealthy to let that kind of attitude

be acknowledged as truth and grow.

Isabelle has actually been a very sweet girl today,

so I probably should have cut her some more slack.

I am really hoping that by tomorrow I will be in a better state of mind,

my family will be in a better state of mind,

and my blog will be on a more optimistic note!

Small but Mighty

Today both of the kids had their well child checks at the doctor's office.

William for his 18 month and Isabelle for her 5 year check.

I let Isabelle know a few days ago that she would be getting some vaccines.

She was well prepared before we went in that they would "pinch" a little,

but that it was worth it so she wouldn't get a serious illness later.

When we got to the office we were escorted into a forest themed room.

Isabelle quickly amused herself with the chair you can spin around in circles.

William went straight to growling at the bears, moose, and bunnies.

When he got bored with the growling he moved onto opening and

closing drawers in the room at a break neck pace.

Isabelle was whisked away to her get her
blood pressure taken and a quick eye exam.

She weighed in at a massive 33 pounds which places

her at the 10th percentile for weight.

Her height was 40 inches, which is also the 10th percentile.

She just can't seem to get above that 10th percentile.

William weighed in at just 19 pounds putting him in the 2nd percentile.

I was actually a little surprised that he had gained that much
 weight since his last visit.

His height was 31.4 inches which put him in the 25th percentile.

I was shocked.  One of my children was above the 10th percentile - finally!

I did a little mommy party dance (in my head of course)! 

Boo Yay - Oh Yeah - Take that you
24 shorter little boys some where out there! 

It may not last, but at least there is a glimmer of hope that

my son won't be shorter than all of the girls he dates.

I realize that's a very shallow view point to have,

I guess at times I can be a very shallow person.

After all of the weighing in and other routine checks
it was time for Isabelle's shots.

She got 3 today.  She laid down on the table and she held my hand.

When they gave her the shots she didn't even grimace or whine.

She was SO brave, and I was SO proud of her!

I think the nurses were amazed too. 

This act of bravery needed to be rewarded...

Even though it was only about 14 degrees today,

sometimes ice cream just calls out to a girl.

My kids may be below the 10th percentile in size,

but in strength and courage they are at the top!