Grace Paik: adventures in motherhood

2011-12-21T22:06:00.000-08:00

One of my friend is celebrating her son's first birthday, and in the Korean tradition, we make a formal epic out of the event. I decided to take on the job as the graphic artist, and designed the traditional hanbok, that the baby wears. I am designing a cake plate for John, invitations & everything else that fancies a one year old boy. I was too tired of drawing out the little hat that come with the outfit, let alone the little tea table. More to come...

Quickie

2011-12-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

i'm sorry that i haven't been as consistent in blogging this season. i've been in full throes working on Jaq Jaq Bird with some new clients coming in, & i've been doing what i love, Designing! :) i decided to add more to our children's art collection because that's what i have been most passionate about. when i see my daughter drawing practically everyday, it inspires me to create too, only i wish i possess the childhood imagination which she freely flaunts on paper. on the dark note, my little jaq jaq, we call, my youngest son has been so sick, caught everything: flu, cold & pneumonia. thus far, we've been finishing up our second week of fever... needless to say, i haven't sent any Christmas cards out to friends & family. more to come!

Ginger Lime Chicken with Black Sesame & Persimmon salad

2011-11-08T20:28:00.000-08:00

My kids and I had a layover in Tokyo before heading home from California, so we stayed in a hotel for the night. I was jet-lagged, and being in a 200 sq foot room where the bed takes up much of the living space didn't help me get any beauty rest either, as soon as the sun cracked, I had the TV going so I wouldn't panic in the small room. I can't understand Japanese, so my daughter was filling the gaps for me.

It was an early morning talk show on ginger, and how to cook with ginger. Well, I didn't necessarily follow the recipe, (the only thing I understood was mixing ginger, miso and the korean red pepper paste), but I got the gist of a ginger honey chicken recipe. I made it last night, and kids & hubby couldn't stop eating it. They were fighting over my chicken, eventually surrendered mine to my eldest son. I also made persimmon cucumber salad with bibb lettuce. I love persimmons, they are so sweet and nutty, but my kids hate it until they came home one day from school and told me how they loved eating persimmons! If mommy isn't feeding it, they love it. So, since they're in season, I diced up some fresh persimmons, and cucumbers on a bed of bibb lettuce.
Don't judge me for cooking white rice, I didn't have time yesterday to cook brown rice for 2 hours!
I admit, white rice taste better too! :)

Recipe to follow: (30 mins tops)
Serves 5-6

Spicy (or Mild) Ginger Lime Chicken with Black Sesame

3 lbs of chicken tenderloins or breasts (set aside)
2 heaping Tbs of Japanese Miso (Korean Miso is a bit too pungent for this recipe).
1 Tbs of Korean ggo-chu-jang (Korean red pepper spicy paste), You can omit this if you can't eat spicy, or if you don't have this, you can add 5 tbs paprika.
4 Tbs of sesame oil
3-4 Tbs of finely chopped ginger ( I throw mind in my small processor).
2 Tbs of garlic.
2 Tbs of brown sugar
3-4 slices of lime for garnishing, and more to squeeze. (no more than a total of 1/2 lime)
3 Tsp. of black sesame to garnish in the end.

Mix the above ingredients from miso to brown sugar, and add the squeeze of lime juice so it becomes a paste. It should be a sweet-salty paste. Marinade with the chicken on a shallow dish, refrigerate couple hours. (but you can skip the couple hours if you are in a hurry, just make some slits on the chicken and make sure you massage the chicken with the ginger miso paste)

Heat your iron skillet medium high, drizzle 1 tsp. of grapeseed oil. Lay chicken and let it cook on the skillet, 3 minutes per side. Cut through to make sure you cooked it all the way through, careful not to overcook it. Lay the cooked chicken on a dish with limes to garnish and black sesame.

Persimmon Cucumber Salad:
Head of bibb lettuce (my lettuce in Japan wasn't quite the the same bibb lettuce you get in the States).
2 firm orange persimmon, cut into small quarters.
2 kirby cucumbers, sliced.
optional to add: salted almonds.
Mix and chop the salad

Standing Grace's Dressing: (this is the dressing I always make for the family, it's simple and fast)
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup of grapeseed oil
1/4 cup of balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of garlic crushed
4 tbs of honey
combine in a cup, and be sure to shake it in a dressing bottle so the dressing emulsifies.

Koreanmex tacos

2011-11-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

So my NYC foodie friend Christine called me when I was visiting California. She was raving about my friend's Korean tacos (that is, my friend from California had made Christine Korean tacos once and didn't cook me any during my stay in California!) Well, after she told me about it, I made Shua tell me the recipe as I was flying back that same hour to Japan, and the whole way home on the plane, I was thinking about the yummy Korean tacos. When I got home, the very next day, I headed out to the nearest commissary (haha), and cooked away. It was so easy, and so good. My friend got the recipe from another blogger, Week of Menus, I took the recipe and tweaked it since I didn't have some of the ingredients she called for. Well leftovers were eaten up the very next day when I was homeschooling my son, and we made it like chips and salsa. It was so good. Before you read the recipe, just look at these pictures! Yummmm-O!

The hardest part of this recipe is the meat, but easy to make once you get the hang of it:

Bulgogi
3-4 lbs of rump roast thinly sliced like sukiyaki style. Ask your butcher ( If you don't have rump roast, just get sukiyaki beef.)

15 cloves of garlic, peeled, throw it in a small food processor, and chop it finely.
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of Karo Syrup
1/2 cup of soy sauce
1/4 cup of sesame oil
2 Tablespoon of mirin (sweet wine vinegar) ( if you don't have it, it's okay, you can use sake, or white wine)
1/4 cup of scallions finely chopped.

Combine and whisk everything in a bowl except the scallions
The meat should be a bit sweet, and salty.

Soak the meat in cold water in a bowl for 2-8 hours. Overnight is best.
Squeeze out all excess water, throw in the marinade and work it through the folds of the meat and let it marinade 2-5 hours.

Set an iron skillet on high, once heated, cook the meat in parts, (3-4 parts) allowing the cooked meat sitting on another plate as you are cooking the rest of the batch. Make sure to immediately turn the flame down to medium once you put the meat on the iron skillet. Saute them and work quickly to cook them, add the scallions in the end, set aside.

Here is the Spicy cucumber relish (originally with cilantro) but my husband hates cilantro, I took it out.

Sesame Chili Sauce (week of menu recipe),

2 tablespoon of ggochu-garu (red pepper flakes, if you live in a small town and you can't get the Korean red pepper flakes, I would use cayenne)
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1teaspoon of brown sugar

Mix all ingredients together. Set aside.

Ginger Cabbage Slaw (first picture , top )
6 cups of red cabbage, shredded. (about 1/2 a head of a good sized cabbage)
1/4 cup of red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup of scallions chopped

Dressing
1/4 cup vegetable oil ( I used grapeseed oil)
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey (I used agave nectar)
1 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Pepper to taste

Whisk ingredients of dressing all together. Place the cabbage, onions and scallions in a bowl. 15 minutes before serving, pour dressing over salad and toss.

Now add the meat on the bottom, cucumber relish and top it off with the slaw! Yummy!

Leftovers next day! note: I added cilantro here and Trader Joe's roasted corn (comes in a glass jar!) Ok, so, my friend from CA gave it to me and I flew it back from Japan.

Sister's Wedding!

2011-11-08T06:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, it's been way too long since I've last posted anything, and let me tell you, I have been so busy, I can't even breathe at times. I redesigned the website tonight, and I think I really like it.

I just got back from being in California for one month because my little sister finally got hitched!

She is officially married! :) I'm putting some pictures. I have so many posts, here is one of many more to come. I withdrew my daugher and 3rd son, Micah from the Japanese school for one month so they can come with me to California. My daughter would not have it any other way. She had to be the flower girl.

So enjoy these pictures!

First image at the very top is my father, daughter and son with me. Middle image is my sister hugging my children and finally the third image is my new brother in law with their little adorable daughter! :)

IT was the perfect day in San Francisco. We couldn't have asked for better weather. I don't think we even had plan b (rain), so thank God it didn't rain!

Cooking! My love-hate relationship!

2011-11-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, I have to confess something very painful: I hate COOKING! (but not to be confused with eating!) and do you know what else I think?

Oh, it's so horrible, but here goes: I think cooking is a necessary EVIL!

I just hate it, that I have to embrace it.

I'm sick of wasting money and eating out, I'm sick of cooking halfway unhealthy food.

You see I have a very dysfunctional relationship with cooking: either I go for it or ignore it, depending on my mood.

But after spending one month in California, and hanging out with my domestic diva friend, I was inspired! (Then again, the inspiration is very short-lived) so I'm going to blog a laundry list of food I'm cooking up here in Japan.

There is something you should really know: I don't have a lot of the great ingredients one would find in the States, like Trader Joe's, or Whole Foods. We have limited Korean food selection, but with that said, I can find about 50 different types of soy sauce, tofu, and fish over here, so there are some perks. However, I will keep most of my ingredients uncomplicated in case you live in a small town, and don't even have a asian grocers near a 30 miles radius, ( I hear you! because that's been my problem from living in small towns as a military family!) Lastly, I'll share my recipes if you promise not to laugh at my Japanese ugly kitchen!

Halloween in America!

2011-10-31T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last Halloween, we celebrated it with my son's kindergarten class by inviting all of them to the military base and trick or treated in Japan. Well, since we were in California for the month of October, we ended up spending it at our dear friend's house, and it was a blast again! We weren't prepared with the costumes since I left in a rush to come to the States, but my friend came to the rescue, and lended their costumes!

What was so amazing was my friends had gone to South Africa for the summer, helping with the orphan ministry, and they brought these yummy candies back from the Africa, and they gave them all away during T& T. I thought that was such a great treat for all the neighborhood children that received it. It's called Fizzle. The last image you see is the children laid out their candies, and swapped with one another. It was a very cute evening.

Updates on Japanese schools

2011-10-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

So I know many of you asking me what the status of the kids' schooling was, so I wanted to give you an update:

When I started this blog, I came to Japan intending to send them to the Japanese local schools. Whenever I would tell this to other colleagues and even Japanese friends, they would be shocked and a bit concerned. I didn't know why people were shocked at the mention of Japanese schooling... well, not until now, and I see clearly why it's a bit shocking: It is completely different from any schools you would find in the US. (But then I knew this too, but I guess I didn't know how much of a gap there was?? )

So if you read my blog from the beginning of this school journey, you would see that they are now in the public elementary school in Japan, but we pulled out my oldest son this coming school year due to numerous reasons: number one is not having close friends. He is my sensitive and timid child, and needs a lot of nurturing. He is also my brightest child too, so even though Japanese academics was the perfect mix of challenge and understanding, he wasn't developing friendships beyond the classroom. Also, because he was older, and kanji was more advanced at his grade, he was falling behind in his reading, although I commend him for his third grade level of kanji. We decided to home school him for now, and he attends a co-op Christian program once a week with other American home-schoolers.

However, the younger two still attend the Japanese public school and attends the co-op homeschool group every week (I pull them out of the Japanese school once a week), so they can keep up with their English skills. This has been great for them because they were falling behind in English, however, it's a very intense program of a classical education, (trivium philsophy of grammar, rhetoric, & logic) and so, they work doubly hard at their Japanese and English schools. If I had to start from the beginning, I'm not quite sure if I would have sent them to a Japanese school considering we are going back to the States. However, I never signed up with this in mind, I signed up for my children to learn about character, culture and to enrich their minds in learning differently. I know they have benefited from Japan as a result, and I am really grateful for that.

An example is during our month off in California, I was teaching my younger son how to subtract numbers beyond 10, and because he can't use his fingers, I couldn't figure a way to teach him how to subtract other than physically show it with little cubes and memorization of subtracting higher numbers after he understood the concept. But today, he brought home a math paper that showed how to do it, and I was amazed. I have never seen the strategy the Japanese used to subtract (another post), higher numbers. It's quite simple, and simply brilliant, and these are the things that broaden my mind to think differently and to be enrich by another culture. It's the simple things in life that make is so fun to educate my children in Japan. I'm grateful for the opportunity.

Creative Juices

2011-06-21T19:08:00.000-07:00

So my neighbor has been inspiring me to embroider, cut & perhaps even home school in the midst of running my business. I don't know about the latter, but I bought with Heather's help, an embroidery machine and I'm loving it. If I can embroider on it, I will. Well, Ellie's birthday party was held at the beach, so I drew out a lovely sand-dollar on my design program and sent that for the invitations, and as a party favor, I drew out the sand dollar onto the embroidery machine and stitched in on handkerchiefs (a long lost art which I feel we should revive again). In Japan everyone uses handkerchiefs: kids & adults all carry one. Instead of wasting paper towels and tissues, we should try to adopt simple practices like using handkerchiefs. I knew the moms would be excited about the favors, but didn't think the girls would be too keen on getting them as a favor, so I wrapped it up with whistle candies (bought it at the 100 yen store) and they loved that.

It's been a long time

2011-06-19T06:40:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I last blogged. I have been so busy with my life here in Japan. I decided to make my posts shorter so I don't feel every time I sit down and blog, it has to be a long and drawn out post. I do want to be brief, but wanted to post some awesome Hawaii pics as my husband and I got a chance to visit Oahu for 10 days (next post)while we had the kids in Japan.

Kids are still in the Japanese public school here, they started their new year moving up a grade in school. My son moved up two grades already, and it's been really challenging considering we lost our tutor and haven't found a replacement.

Micah is in first grade, Ellie is in 3rd grade and my oldest son, Samuel is in 5th grade.
We have already been here a year, and time flies!

We celebrated my daughter's 9th birthday this month, and had a small bday party right here at the beach.

Etsy, Taipei and Japan

2011-01-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

(Kids and daddy happy to be out of Japan for a little bit, and enjoy Taipei)

So between school, work and supporting my husband as the commander's wife, I finally figured out how to use Etsy, and posted some of my products on the site. Please see here to see our collection on Etsy.

For the holidays, (yes, kids got out for one week) we visited my sister and brother in law in Taipei. It was such a relaxing break for the kids, even though all we really did was eat and window shopped. (Too expensive to buy, but always nice to look!) What I was really surprised was seeing some of my products at the uppity bookstore, Eslite in Taipei.

In the meantime, kids are wrapping up school in mid-March! I can't believe the school year is through, but don't fret, the new year starts up again the first week of April, so I do get a small break. I've been so busy getting them adjusted with the school, that their music, and sport activities have been seriously neglected, and I feel so guilty. Samuel wants to play baseball, but the Japanese school team meets Tuesdays, Sat, and Sundays, and they play for at least 3 hours. I don't know if I can handle that kind of commitment. This is on top of his piano, English schooling and Japanese tutoring. The other sports'schedules are worse: practice every other day, including weekends. As a parent, you seriously have to commit to your entire free time in kids' activities. I don't know if I am up for that challenge after hollering all week to study and practice. As the mother, I feel I need the break. These days, I've been enlisting my husband to administer discipline in kids' organization at home. I admit, I am administratively-challenged.

This past semester, kids have been late couple times, or have forgotten to take their towel, jump rope, etc.. to school (forgetful mother who doesn't read Japanese when all their school papers come in), and the teachers really take it out on the kids. They strongly believe in personal (student's) responsibility, and it actually stresses my laid-back, free-spirited daughter out. As a result, both my kindergarten son and daughter have been better about remembering things and getting everything ready the night before.

Japanese schooling and mothering have been a challenge, but it's fun, and definitely rewarding!

Post-Holiday Thoughts

2011-01-14T16:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

It's too way too long since I've written. During the holidays, I pretty much hibernate to work on my biz, and getting ready for Christmas fesitivies. However, this Christmas, I couldn't get my act together, and didn't even send my holiday cards out, especially since I'm in Japan, I thought it would be a special treat to send cards out from Japan, but as usual, I love to relax and horse around then sitting in front of my computer during my down time, and never got around to it....

Well, there has been so much that's been going on, and the kids are in throes of the Japanese school here. Already, Micah will be going to first grade in March, even though he started Kindergarten in September! I feel as if he ended up getting the short end of the stick. It's so hard for me to see him grow up. I still love the fact he sucks his thumb in the middle of the night. (Shh! don't tell him that when you see him, it's a big secret for him!)

Well, ironically, Japan celebrates Christmas, not extensive like America, but Yochien (Kindergarten) did throw on a Christmas play (although it had nothing to do with Jesus' birth). His class acted the story on the "Big Turnip" Well, here is the video, and my son is one of the Mario Brothers doing tricks with the jump rope. Each group of children did some type of act, and they would all try to pull the giant turnip out of the ground.

Some thoughts: I cannot believe the costume, and all the props the kids and the children designed and made. His Mario hat was made out of a garbage red bag with red duck tape, and cotton. It is so cute and sturdy. The whole performance just blew me away. They are so creative and so serious about their education. Please see these 2 clips:

Part I of 4

Part II of 4

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-26T06:50:00.000-08:00

My children had school on Thanksgiving, because in Japan, they don't honor the American Thanksgiving tradition, which was quite weird sending my children to school, but didn't seem to complain. I pulled them out 3 hours earlier so they can enjoy the festivities with us. We did a progressive Thanksgiving dinner, and it turned out beautifully. Something else they don't do: take school pictures,so my friend and I took our kids out at the golf course and got some school pictures in for the semester. This one is my boys kissing their sister. Ellie loved every minute of it. She loves getting attention from her two brothers. It's really cute.

Don't forget Free shipping and no minimum purchase for 11/26 & 11/27.
Code during checkout: TURKEY

Jaq Jaq Bird Aprons donated to Yamauchi Yochien

2010-11-24T06:43:00.000-08:00

Another month goes by, and time flies when you are a full time SAHM/WAHM!
So, an idea had popped in my mind as I was laundering my son's clothes. Even though I have a translator to help me translate announcements and letters from school, I don't always stay on top of the little things. One of them being-when they have art. It seems like they have art at least once a week, but it never falls on the same day of the week. If I knew exactly when the day was, I would pack Micah's smock so he won't come home with a painted shirt and pants. And the other day, I sent him to school with a new, fresh, crisp shirt from J. Crew, and he returned with red paint scribbled all over his beautiful shirt. I almost had a heart attack. I spent 1 hour trying to scrub it off, and to my success, I got almost but two stains out. However, after this incident, I decided to send him with the apron everyday. It is my Jaq Jaq Bird apron, and as I tried to explain to the teacher in my broken Japanese that Micah will need to keep it at school since I didn't know when art day was, he interpreted it as all the children can use the one apron Micah will be using. Well, that gave me an idea of donating aprons to not only his entire class, but the entire Kindergarten at the school. (96 of them). So, last week, the aprons came in, and my, they all LOVE it! I have pictures posted here. It is so cute, and I love how the Japanese have a formality to everything, including me donating the aprons, they all came out to thank me, and had tried it on for size. I asked them which ones they liked, and overwhelmingly, girls said the Dots, and the boys said the Roadway. I was surprised, because in America, The Owls sell out all the time, and the Airplane is the most popular print.
This event reminded me of my aunt in Korea, when I was in Kindergarten she donated around 100 gowns for Kindergarten graduation that her factory had manufactured for the school. I don't even realize how I am following the footsteps of my family. It's so strange.

My Double Life

2010-11-04T05:12:00.001-07:00

It ’s been a crazy October because of Micah’s birthday this month, but I have a crazier November and December with all the American holidays and my oldest son’s birthday. Fortunately, he doesn’t want a big birthday party, he wants to only invite the “base children”-aka, the American friends to his party only. In fact, although he loves the Japanese school, his friends are really the ones he can communicate with on base.

Everyday when I pick up my children from Yamauchi school, we get to see all the children leaving: they all walk home from school, walking in the middle of the road, in clusters, carefree and clueless as they walk home. Many stay back and play on the field, or play jump rope. But as soon as I enter inside the American gates of Kadena AFB, we pass 2 schools, and see the stark difference of the Japanese local schools versus the American schools. At the American schools, parents are waiting on the sidewalk or at the car pool line, with a sea of yellow buses parked outside the door. Children never walk on the street, and if rarely will you find elementary students walking home on their own. Once school is done, the students do not hang around the premises of the building like Japan. Last week I made a comment to the children about the schools. “Isn’t it neat to see both schools as we drive home?” We are able to observe and be part of the Japanese school system, but as soon as we enter into America, we see how the American schools are different.” They stared and realized how true mom’s comment was, as they nodded their heads.

In the meantime, as much as I am a commander’s wife here at Kadena, I am getting to know a lot of Japanese parents. I love it. I am so thankful for the opportunity, because I know this is a special season in my life where I am able to befriend Japanese mothers and teachers. I love the fact I can be at my friend’s house having coffee and chatting away on American politics and talking about the latest books as I did this morning, while I leave the gate, and talk to the Japanese parents and teachers about our children and life. It is so much fun, and I am so thankful.

Which reminds me, we have rarely venture off our local area in Okinawa. We haven't been to many places here. In fact, our weekends are full of events on and off base, and I love it. This weekend, we have an 80's party over at our friend's home with 8 other couples, there we will have your typical American party, and on the other hand, I will be attending my friend's child's 2 year old birthday party which is off base, who is a local Japanese. I love how we mingle with both worlds.

The Big Day-Micah's 6th Birthday

2010-10-31T05:10:00.000-07:00

So I finally had the big birthday party I wanted to do for Micah. I enlisted some Korean friends of mine, and my neighbor to help chop food and cook up a Korean dinner for the children and teachers. Even with all that help, it took around 14 hours of total cooking time. I think Korean food is very time consuming, plus baking on top of everything just took longer than I expected. I didn't want to do the typical American, throw the kids down with pizza, juice box and store-bought cake tradition. I feel as though I sell myself short when I entertain this way. But, the whole Korean food is a different animal: the chopping, marinating, sauteing, is soooo (jung shin up so), which means, out of mind, crazy, chaotic.

My cousin in law, who grew up in Tokyo encouraged me to invite the children class for a party, so I took her advice, and around 24 Japanese children (almost all from Micah's class) came to the party. We had them trick or treat on base, and they had a blast!
I had been hemming and hawing about the whole ordeal for weeks now, and am relieved to say, I made it alive. I didn't know how 30 children and bunch of teachers and other adults would fair in our little 1400 sq ft home. (Compared to 3100 sq foot home in Charleston?)

My friends, husband and I were thoroughly impressed by the children and the teachers. There are couple things that struck me about Japanese children.

1. They are so adorable and innocent. It was so cute to see them say, "Sugoi!" (which means "great" in English.) I had so much fun seeing how excited they were. They found all the Halloween festivities to be so different.

2. The entire class lined up throughout the whole trick or treat event, they were orderly, and so well-behaved.

3. We crammed around 30 children in our tiny home, everyone sat on the floor and ate pizza, Korean food and cupcakes with Capri Suns. Not once do they get up to play or run around in the house as they ate, (not like there was room in the house!) all of them finished their food, and after they were done, they cleaned up after themselves.

4. When the teacher spoke, they stopped to listen and follow directions right away.

5. Not one child was cranky the entire evening, other than my son, who was having a melt down by the end of the night.

After, I invited some parents and teachers to have a sit down meal after the party. That was fun, however, between our almost non-existent Japanese, and their English, we couldn't communicate very well, but enjoyed how both parties tried to make an effort to converse. That was fun, but realized, if you can't speak the same language, it's very hard to build a friend ship), By this point, I was just a bit exhausted (after 14 hours of cooking?) and I was a tad bit bleary-eyed, but the next day, I woke up and told my husband, "Let's do it again!" He had a scowl on his face, he didn't have to say anything. His expression meant a thousands words: NO. (well, until I tell him again that he can take the day off, and golf all day while I cook again, and then he would be up for it again!)

Yochien

2010-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

Something that really impresses me about the Japanese schools is how orderly the children are at a very young age. I seriously do not know how a teacher can manage 40 students, and command attention, order, authority and respect. This is how my children's school is. My friend whose been living here for the past 13 years commented how teachers are managers in the classroom. I find that concept fascinating. In fact, at a very young age, the children learn life skills, and structure is an integral part of school. In other words, even lunch time, and eating is part of the curriculum in Japan. My son, the 3rd grader, commented to me tonight how every student finishes their meal. There is no waste, and all students, at least in the elementary level need to eat the lunch the school provides (which is so healthy and tasty). This is not the case in America. The kids waste so much food, and it is a norm. They have bad eating habits, not eating a balanced diet at home, and the list goes on. In fact, I don't even think a public school has 40 students to one teacher. This would never work in America.

When Micah, my kindergartner, started school here, I was told that all they did the first year is play. (very Montessori like) My first thought was, "what is that about? play? he can do that at home, and has done that the last 4 years in pre-school! Seriously, Micah is going to be so bored!"

This is not the case. He learns life skills: being independent, being part of a team, leading, following and serving one another. I have to say, the children in his class are so adorable. The whole Kindergarten class is very endearing to me. I just wish Micah can be as cute as them sometimes, but his little pride gets in the way of letting the children really help him. He is so funny, the teacher told me that he gets very annoyed when girls try to help him. I remember his comment to his teacher last year at school: "Please don't try to make me laugh or smile, because I don't do that." (I died laughing when his teacher told me this, and my mother died laughing when I told her). He has a hard time warming up to people, especially girls!

Today there was no school, as the typhoon is in full session today. They dismissed the school early as a result.

To my friend Alexandra

2010-10-27T06:10:00.000-07:00

(Michele, Alexandra, Catherine, Me, Amy, & Heather)

This post is dedicated to one of my favorite person in the world: Alexandra Costanzo, a friend, my sister in Christ, mother of three beautiful, but surly boys, and I just want to share with you how much courage and confidence you possess. I know you are in the throes of chemotherapy, do not be tempted to think I have forgotten your pain.

The children, Seung and I are cheering you on, and love you dearly. Even though we are in opposite sides of the earth, we are there right with you in spirit. You have an amazing stamina, and poise that is so rare in a person. Soon your suffering will subside. But I believe at this moment, your pain will only fortify you for your next journey ahead. Alex, you are the epitome of grace under pressure.

You are cherished, and your children and Michael are so blessed to have such an amazing mother and wife in their lives. You have blessed me with your friendship and presence. I often can't even express my affection towards you, because it will only make me tear up, but I want to say you are a beautiful person inside and out. I miss you dearly, and I'm rooting for you! As the Koreans say, "FIGHTING!"

I love you, dear friend!

What I really think of Japan

2010-10-26T06:03:00.000-07:00

I think the trauma of flying from Charleston to Japan is finally fading, as I find myself feeling a bit restless about Okinawa. To be quite candid, I find myself looking for familiarity these days rather than running away from it. I have stopped trying to teach myself Japanese, and I have been feeling a bit nostalgic about home. I find myself daydreaming about going back to Charleston or living in Chicago or Seattle, and yearning for comforts of American life: cold weather (so hot here!), drinking tasty (& cheap!) coffee, eating Japanese food in America! (I can't believe I am admitting this, but yes, I find the sushi and the Japanese food to be so much better in the States-call me uncultured, unrefined, it's okay), I love the Japanese food I get back in Chicago, Seattle, NY, anywhere but here. It's not that it's not good here, because it is, but I find it plain and bland. I think Americans in general just do a great job when it comes to ethnic food-even Koreans think the Korean food in LA is better than Korea! So there you have it, I'm not by any means trying to put down Japanese culture, because I do love it, and it is beautiful, but I miss home and the comforts of America. Here is a list of some funny things I miss:

1. Driving on the right side of the road. (I still keep hitting the blinkers on the left side, which here, is the windshield wipers)

2. Being able to read, write and understand the street signs! I love exploring, but it would be nice if I can at least understand if I am heading into a restaurant, or a salon. (I have done that).

3. Going to the bank, and having a BANK account would be VERY nice. I hate going to the American ATM to withdraw dollars, to exchange it then at the exchange center, and then paying my bills at the Japanese bank. It is a TOTAL pain. If you are SOFA status, you cannot open a bank account.

4. There are no garbage bins in the public areas. I bring all my garbage back at home. This is a total pain, but I shouldn't complain about this one.

5. No AC in so many public buildings! This is not funny-considering Okinawa's climate is equivalent to Florida's climate, only it doesn't ever get cold here.

6. The narrow streets. Don't even think about bringing your American SUV here. The streets are narrow, and the parking positions that one needs to maneuver into is worse than parallel parking in the city. It stresses me out when I have to park my car here, I burst into a cold sweat because EVERY car is waiting for the Y plate driver to park like a Japanese. I hated doing this at the previous school's parking lot.

7. No parking! This drives me crazy, because I can never ever find public parking near the destination I would like to be at. Then again, I don't even know how to read the signs, so maybe there are many parking areas near me, but don't even know it. This happened once, I was looking for "P" for Parking, but it ended up being something else. I don't even know what it was. I parked my car there, and some man told me I couldn't park in there. Perhaps it was parking for non-Y plates! (if you are not a citizen in Japan, you are branded by the "Y" on your car plates. I HATE that! Y means foreigner, military, and probably an idiot.)

8. Japanese and Korean language are so different, I cannot understand it. I thought the Japanese language would be easy to pick up, considering I can speak Korean, but this is not the case. I would like to communicate with parents, teachers and build friendships, but sometimes at the end of the day, when everyone else is talking to each other, I just don't have the energy to talk in Japanese, or talk in broken English!

9. Which reminds me, my English is definitely digressing. I speak in broken English to my Japanese and Chinese counterparts, and when I am finally talking to my friends back in the States, they ask me, "What's up with your English!!!" Ah! can't speak Japanese, my Korean is really bad these days as my mother in law commented the other day, and my English is not far from becoming my second language.

10. I am so happy for the experience here. LOVE the school here. The teachers, parents, children, and the administration have been nothing but kind, and warm to us. I wouldn't trade that for anything. That's how I feel at the end of the day, and I feel blessed.

Happy Birthday Micah!

2010-10-26T05:43:00.001-07:00

(Double click on the invite see preview it!)

My my, I am sorry it's been so long since I've written. Kids are finally settling at the new school at Yamauchi, and LOVING it. I am so pleased with the staff. I had my doubts on sending my children to the public school in Japan because of the bullying issues that I constantly hear on the news, but so far, it's been so awesome. I don't know if they are learning anything yet, but I imagine they are at least subconsciously learning the language. I always ask my oldest if he can understand the subject matter, and his usual answer is no, but yesterday, he actually said, "YES!" I was thrilled. I asked him how he understood the teacher, and he told me he can kind of guess..meaning, there is something sticking in that big brain of his!

I am getting ready to throw a big birthday party for the Yochien class for my now 6 year old boy (turned 6 today!). The class AND teachers are coming to trick or treat on the base this Saturday (yes, Saturday at Kadena base). We are super excited to have them. I didn't want to do the typical American party: pizza, goldfish gone bonkers, and juice box with super sweet store-bought cake from the commissary, so I decided to enlist my Korean friends to cook up some yummy Korean food, orzo salad, (recipe from my friend in DC.), and pizza as well. We will finish it off with rootbeer floats (Micah does not like cakes-perhaps tired of the typical American cakes he eats at every other bday party?)

Will post some pics soon!

ABC Booth in Las Vegas, 2019.

2010-10-13T06:39:00.000-07:00

Let's switch gears for this next post. It's hard managing a business and running a family. So, we are at ABC this year. Please look for us at 2019. I have been working hard on illustrator, trying to design on my own as well. Tomorrow is the last day at ABC, please visit us at Spotlight Baby booth 2019. You will see the full line. Coming soon, we just signed on with a great distributor in Japan, it should hit all of mainland early 2011. So excited! For now, if you are Japanese, just email me directly, or you can always buy on our website.

Oh, and the children??? They started a new school, the public school here in our neighborhood, and it's been great. I pulled them out of the private school because they didn't offer any JSL, and the public school graciously let us in after begging the board of education for almost a year!

School-First full week

2010-09-14T01:29:00.000-07:00

I haven’t posted anything recent lately, because last week was first full week of school for the children. It was a rocky week, especially with my 5 year old crying every morning as he went off to class. In Japan, the parents do not coddle their children. I am still getting used to this. The parents walk their children to the gate of the school building, dropping them off, but there isn’t a teacher to take them to their classes, rather, they have to walk by themselves to their respective classrooms, and independently find their teacher and classmates, which many times they are not inside the class.

I don’t quite understand fully the routine in the morning for Micah’s class (K class) yet. School starts at 8.20, but most of the children are there between 7.30-8.20. If your child trickles in around 8.15, it feels like your child is late since the children are expected to help the teachers to set up in the morning. In the beginning, I was dropping off Micah around 7.45, and the kids and the teachers were not in the classrooms, rather busily setting up and playing outside. Micah was expected (all by himself, while no one is around) to change into his play/PE uniform, change his shoes, put away all his gears (there are a lot of them!) and come downstairs and help set up outside, including watering the plants, tending and feeding the school pets, etc… No one was giving him any guidance, and the teacher is definitely not helping him along. So, lately, I’ve been bringing him around 10 minutes before school starts so he wouldn’t have so much unstructured time by himself, but today, the teacher and the class was no where to be found, and Micah was crying, and I had to leave and help another grandparent translate English. So, I grabbed someone from the administration to find his teacher and classmates, only to find his class was outside in the playground practicing for their big event, Sports Day, before school even started. I told the teacher Micah was looking for her and that he was crying, so she assured me she would get him, but there was no urgency. She continued to do whatever she was doing-setting up, and not even looking for Micah. I left a little confused, but knowing he would be fine since he was with another administrator. This has been very typical at the school. Unlike American schools where you have a set time when school starts and ends, In Japan, you have a window of time to drop your child off. Even the after school times for my older two are confusing. They are in second and third grades, but they are dismissed at different times, because the older you are, the later you stay for special projects and classroom time.

Also, when they state school gets out at 3.30, expect another 30-40 min over that time because they need to get ready to leave: cleaning, and socializing. This freaked me out the first day I had to pick them up from school. They weren’t coming out right at 2.50, only to find them in the library after frantically looking for them. IT was 3.30, and they were studying with their friends. This was also very interesting., when school lets out, the teachers do not have any accountability for the kids and they can do whatever they please. They can go home, take the bus, stay at the school, etc… But the teachers would not know where they are after the school bell rings.

In any case, I know Micah’s teacher thinks I am coddling him by walking him to his classroom, and watching him get ready (last week she told me to drop him off), but I have a hard time just leaving him when there is no adult there to receive him. Perhaps it’s my phobia, but I find the whole culture very different from what I am conditioned to. I understand Japan is very safe, but I still cannot bring myself to leave him wandering in the school crying looking for his teacher either.

Kuku-Multiplication Table & Math

2010-09-07T05:19:00.000-07:00

Today as usual was a very busy and exhausting day. Today was my son's late day (6th period, ending at 3.45 three days a week and my daughter late days are 2 days a week), rushed back just in time to get my daughter to gymnastics on base. While we were waiting for her, I was helping my third grade son in Math (he should be in 4th in the States). He needed a compass, and I had bought one on base only for eighty-five cents, but it didn't work. ( I knew it wouldn't work, but that's all they had), I couldn't find a better quality compass anywhere, so finally I went to the school and asked if they had one to sell, and the one they recommended didn't work well either, so my son was crying in frustration as he had to draw various circles in different circumference measurements, finally I gave in and help drew the circles for him. I was frustrated that I wasn't able to find one nor ask in Japanese where can I get a good quality compass in town? I saw them at the 100 yen store, but I knew it wouldn't be a functional one after I spent one on base, so thinking the school would know, I took their advice, but it ended up not working well-I wasn't able to read the directions as to how to insert the pencil, it seemed all very complicated for one compass. Tomorrow I will run out again and look for one while they are in school.

So, the tutor came yesterday, and was very helpful. My middle one finished second grade in the States, and is repeating it here in Japan, and I was surprised to see how advanced they are in their subjects, especially in math. The children by early part of second grade have mastered the multiplication table, where Ellie would be learning it in 3rd grade in the States. The students in her class have already learned it, so she is behind the power curve, which isn't so bad, except she needs to know it in Japanese. The memory of it is very rhythmic, so I had our tutor videoed as she chanted the multiplication table, however, the recording was not very good, so she found a great video for the kids to learn the multiplication table in Japanese.

My kids were watching it as they were eating dinner tonight. Afterwards, they did their homework, and did their bible study and now is in bed. I was trying to help with their math, but with the Japanese, it was over my head. I went onto Google Translate and tried to translate the hiragana into English (thank God I know my hiragana and katakana!) but there were too many Kanji that I couldn't make sense of the math problems other than words like: " kettle, green tea, how much, bulk, difference, all together". With the main idea, I was able to figure out what the questions were, however, it took almost 10 minutes to translate one question. I was utterly discouraged after translating the problems: "how are my kids going to learn all this?" "how will they memorize all the Kanji on top of not knowing what they are even reading?"

I think I bit more than I can chew for now....

The Lunch Apron

2010-09-06T07:18:00.000-07:00

Voila! So here is the apron. The strings are adjustable from the back to the neck so she can grow into it. You can also reverse it. The pattern seems to fit the Japanese look, although it's from America, and it was one of the fabrics I used for our Sam & Bellie collection. They wear this at school everyday when they serve the school lunch to one another. They all eat in the classroom, get their apron, hat and masks on, and serve each other and the teachers.

Tomorrow I have to make both my son's music bag, I should have done it today, but I was wiped out from all their homework, and getting their gear ready for tomorrow. I have to say, I love doing this, it is so much fun.

Off to work now on my Jaq Jaq Bird.

Homework Panic

2010-09-06T06:52:00.000-07:00

The apron I was sewing for my daughter, (still have to make my son's apron too), when they serve food to each other during lunch. I couldn't make the hat to go with it, so I made a bandana to match the apron. This one is my Jaq Jaq Bird collection, but I don't have a banadana to match so I had to sew another one for her.

I should have told my readers, yes, we decided to send my children finally to the Japanese-Catholic school. There are many reasons why my husband and I chose this path, too many to list, in the end, we felt as though it would be a disservice to not send our children to the local school in Japan considering we live here. As I stated before, so many people told us it would be a very hard adjustment. Many Japanese and Americans were surprised that we enrolled them to the school here.

Well, the last 4 days have completely changed my life. I am pretty consumed by the demands of the school-not so much the workload as much as the fact I am a foreigner coming in and cannot help my children with their work. This sent me almost into panic mode this weekend. We were to meet with our tutor for the first time today, but they still had homework for the weekend. I thought until we met with the tutor tomorrow, I can look up the words in the dictionary to interpret it, or get on Google Translate to interpret it, but my second grader came home with Kanji (Chinese character). My third grader had Kanji homework too, and I felt stuck and helpless..well, I went to the Arts & Crafts store on base on Sunday, and a Japanese man who teaches at the wood shop was kind to interpret and write the Kanji for Ellie's homework. It only helped us turn in the paper complete, but Ellie didn't learn anything without getting help in understanding the Kanji.

And I sewed her apron and both kids' bandanas they use to serve food for lunch hour, while the kids continue with their studies.

The Sansu Set (Math)

2010-09-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

I love this little Sansu set. In fact, I think the Japanese are geniuses for creating such a box. Apparently, this Sansu box is the national curriculum for all of Japan. I had been looking for bits and pieces like this in the States when my daughter was struggling in math back in the States, (couldn't find any really) and the Japanese had figured it all along, and conveniently put the whole package together. I think the American math curriculum should sell this to all the schools. There is a clock, paper money and plastic coins, magnet dry erase board, weights, unit of measurement tools, small flash cards written for addition and subtraction, ruler, etc.. I can't even name more than 75% off the things in here. They are just so darn cute, and I know it will make my daughter very proficient in math! :)

These tiny sticks are smaller than what it looks on this image. very thin pretzel sticks, with half the width. Look at all the names written on these sticks. They are part of the math set.

Bento Lunch Box

2010-09-04T06:58:00.000-07:00

So the third Thursday of every month, the Kindergartners have bento lunch day. (aka, brown paper bag lunch). Normally, they eat the schools healthy lunch. The Kindergartners have to have a cup with a cup bag, placemat, silverware and a drawstring like bag to put their bento box and the rest of the gear. I went to buy a matching set for Micah, and they were so expensive, around $75 to outfit a plastic bento box, silverware, lunchbox, cup, placemat and cup bag. I decided to sew some of it and buy the rest. I love the Shinkansen theme, so I bought fabric on sale and made this small set. Now I just need to buy the bento box and the silverware to match! I have couple weeks to buy them.

Sewing, & Name Tags

2010-09-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

There are no towels in the bathrooms, so they have to bring their handkerchief, I found this one and I ironed on the bus patch and wrote their names.

Part of their math set, everything has to have their names. This took me hours to do.

I know the Japanese are efficient and very detailed, but I never experienced it first hand-the fact the student's names have to be on everything-literally everything. From clothes, shoes to math sets containing thousands of small parts, to pencils. It is amazing how they keep track of everything, thus they don't lose anything. They do not waste anything and make sure you have exactly what you need: not more, or less.

Kids Started School

2010-09-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

The kids started school and they love it so far. Granted it has only been 3 days, but it's a very good sign. I know Micah, who started Kindergarten cried the first two days, but he is getting familiar with it. He doesn't understand Japanese, so it has been hard on him. I can relate. More than anything, it's been a huge life change on my part. I feel like it's a full time job for me. The driving 25-35 minutes 4 times a day (there and back times 2), and the language barrier have been more difficult than I expected. I cannot help them with their homework, I cannot read the newsletters and announcements that come home on a regular basis, I cannot even ask simple questions, such as, "how were the kids today?" "were they good today?" I realized just what our first generation parents went through, only with less money and support when I was younger, not understanding English.

To be quite honest, I am thoroughly enjoying my children being immersed in the Japanese culture. I have learned tremendously in the last few weeks about the school system, and the vast difference between the schools in Japan and US.

Island Fever

2010-08-22T01:14:00.000-07:00

(At Okuma Beach, beautiful beaches up north of where we live)

After canvassing the southern end of the island, and now the northern end of it this weekend, (Okuma), I have to say, island fever hit me pretty badly this weekend. As breathtaking and serene Okinawa is, I feel very closed in. It doesn't take a lot of driving to see water. At every turn, I see water, and it's truly breathtaking-however, I need some fresh city air. School for the kids are starting next week, and so I won't have a lot of time to be going on any trips since they will need to buckle down.

Particularly on the weekends, I feel very "closed in", and this weekend was really heard. Almost weekly, I run to the ATM machine, draw cash and exchange it for yen. However, the last few times I went to the ATM machine to draw out money, it kept denying the transaction, so I didn't have any yen to shop outside the base. Unlike America where credit cards are accepted almost anywhere, this is not the case in Japan. We don't have a bank account here on base, nor can we set one up in Japan either, so I asked my husband why our ATM card wasn't working, and he was perplexed too because we had funds in our account. Well, my son yells out, are you sure the card isn't expired? Sure enough, it expired this month. If I was back in the States, I would go to the nearest bank and pull out cash and renew my card, but in Japan? It is going to take at least 2-3 weeks to get a new ATM card in the mail, and I don't have a bank account here to transfer funds into, so I'm going to have to wait, and in the meantime will be very limited in where I go off base. There are few places that accept credit cards, but I don't have the energy nor the time to figure where those places are.

Well, the other night, my husband was in the mood for some Greek food off base, and he assumed they took dollars since many Americans frequent there, well, he was wrong, when we arrived, we found out they only accept yen, so we combed through our wallets and car seats and coughed up $17 worth of yen (I had a lot of change-which I don't usually take out to pay with, but I should remember too, because even though in the US, the highest coin is only 25 cents, in yen, the quarter is as ubiquitous as 100 yen coin which is around $1.25 now, and they even have a 500 yen in coin format which is around $6.50.) I had forgotten they are worth more here, so we found some, got two dishes and as we walked back to our car, only to be gifted with a parking ticket. ($200 for parking, and if you speed, it's $1000). Seung tried to reason with the officer for 20 minutes, and they wouldn't take back the ticket. In fact, you would have never known it wasn't a no parking zone because all the cars park on that side of the street, and there are NO signs. Seung asked where the sign was, and the officer walked him almost 2 blocks to point to the "No Parking" sign. He told the officer he had no idea, and would never do it again, but there was no consideration of even giving us a warning. Well, under American laws, no parking ticket would be $200, however, I was a bit annoyed at the officer for giving us such a stiff fine considering we made such an innocent mistake.

So this weekend, we didn't leave the base other than hang out at Okuma beach (about 1.5 hours north of us) for company picnic, came back, ate at home all weekend, and now am feeling really stuck here with out having any yen. I will have to call the bank tomorrow evening when it will be Monday morning US time.-Oh the joys of living outside US.

Some inconveniences in Japan

2010-08-17T08:04:00.000-07:00

Wow, Japan is really expensive. I thought Whole Foods in America was expensive. I didn't realize how good I had it there! I have been holding out on buying conventional pesticide apples here because they are about $4-5 a lb, Watermelons go for $12.00 I waited to buy it on sale for $10. And Starbucks? Forget it. I must have gone to them a lot back in the States because my kids are constantly asking for it, and I have to tell them- "no."

The first time I walked into one, I ordered a grande Americano and a pastry. I didn't even look at the prices, because I assumed it was the same as America. I nearly fell over when the cashier told me it was $12.00. I can't get over the price of gas here either, around $8.00 per gallon. How do people here afford it? Their salary is comparable to that of a typical American city's salary, if not less. Using the cell phone? Forget it, I won't be radiating myself with it since every time I pick up to call anyone (including my voice mails), it is 40 yen a minute, which is around 50 cents a minute. There is no such thing as a flat rate plan, or an unlimited plan. I switched my plan so I pay more now a month so I can get it for 20 yen a minute instead.
I try and wait for my voice box to get close to full before I listen to my messages so I am conserving my minutes, however, almost half of them are too late to now respond back to, and the text messages are written in Japanese so I cannot understand them.

I am glad we get a cost of living adjustment each month, or else there is no way I can live on the Japanese economy.

The Randoseru

2010-08-16T00:17:00.000-07:00

(The Randoseru was introduced into government schools as the standard commuting bag.)

So, I have been getting ready to start school for my kids this week, along with unpacking our household goods which arrived Friday. We need to buy some of their uniform and backpacks. I thought I would order them on LandsEnd. Michelle told me that wasn't acceptable and I would have to get the Japanese backpacks for school.

Get a load of this leather backpack called the: Randoseru.
These bags are known as "Randoseru" [ランドセル] which is the Japanese pronunciation of the Dutch word "Ransel" meaning "Backpack" and are used by elementary school children in Japan. They were first introduced into Japan as a backpack for commissioned officers in the imperial army during the Meiji period. It is the quintessential backpack for all Japanese children, supposed to last 6 years. This bag is around $300 USD. (x 3 children). This doesn't include any of their other uniforms and supplies I need to purchase. There should be some serious layaway plans for parents with 3 children or more. I would be signing up for it.

The Meeting

2010-08-11T06:02:00.001-07:00

(The kids are on top of the file cabinets cleaning the windows, and dusting. In Japanese schools, kids clean the school including the bathrooms. This was the K class.)

The school’s administration waited for me patiently as I stepped into the school with my kids. Sister Maria (I don’t quite know exactly what her role is) and the vice principal were waiting for us. As I stepped into the lobby, immediately they asked us to take off our shoes and slip on the “inside” shoes, (slippers). The kids and I found that to be funny to be wearing slippers around the school hallways and offices, they loved wearing them, laughing across the hall, dragging their slippers inside.

Sister Maria knew enough English to translate between the VP and myself. They could see the frazzled look on my face, with my children bouncing off the walls after being in the car for almost 3 hours.

I brought my kids’ academic school records; they carefully looked over their report cards, and asked me why I want to send my children to the school when I had an excellent option on base. I didn’t know how to quite answer them. After all, the vice principle wanted to make sure I knew this “experience” of sending my children to the school shouldn’t really be an experiment in order to experience Japanese culture as other American families have done. I was a bit intimidated by his remark, and just shook my head. I knew I had to sell myself at that point, so I told them our stay in Okinawa is indefinite, (which in some sense, it really could be), and I wanted my children to learn Japanese if they live here. They seemed to be impressed by the children’s record, and told me they would contact me in couple days. At this point, I asked to see the school, and to my dismay, I was horrified at the facilities. I felt I was going back in time- that is, when I was in school in Korea when Korea was still a third world country in the 70’s. School was not in session, and as I was walking down the hallway, there was no air during the thick of summer here in Okinawa. (later found out the AC is off when the kids are not in school), the hallways have fluorescent lighting, the floors were old, and the classrooms looked old and barren. I felt I was stepping into the old past. At this point, my mind was racing with terrible thoughts:

“I wasted the whole day to come here, I can’t believe I put my kids and myself through so much to come here today..”
“There is no way I am paying for my children to come here.”
“ How in the world can they study in this heat?”
“The base school spends more money per child than this school does on my kids, and it’s free on base, and I have to pay for three children to come here!”

I didn’t quite shut the doors on the school yet until I found out about couple things:

1. They showed us the playground, and this was the clincher: a huge field of dirt, no grass, and no play structure, nothing. (exactly how my school was in Korea) Micah exclaimed, “This is the playground!” I was so embarrassed. The VP asked me why Micah was so surprised, and I told him what Micah said, and the VP didn’t say anything.

2. I asked what the student to teacher ratio was, and they answered: 1-30. I gasped. WHAT???? 1-30? Not even the public school in Charleston is 1-30!!! (Later found out the public schools in Japan has a 1-40 ratio).

3. No computer class. There isn't even computers for the kids. They spend two full periods on calligraphy, (WHAT?!?)

I left graciously telling them, I would wait for their decision, but had already made up my mind that there was no way I was going to send my kids to the school.

The Visit

2010-08-10T08:41:00.000-07:00

So finally, I called the school and made an appointment with them about 2 weeks ago. No one really speaks any English there, and so I had to just get the basic message across that I was coming to see the school. I mapped and tried to google the school's location. Everything was written in Kanji (Chinese-Japanese), it was useless. I emailed Michelle to give me directions. By the way, GPS really doesn't work here if you don't know Japanese. Our 1998 car with GPS is in Japanese, and there are really no street names, just land marks. This is very typical in Korea too. So Michelle sent me the direction, and it didn't look complicated, so what seem would take only 20 minutes, took me a shy of 3 hours to get there. I had decided in my mind to leave 2 hours earlier just in case something happened. I threw the kids in the back with a movie, and off we went. Well, I don't even have the energy to write everything down that went wrong on this blog. If I did, you would laugh so hard, rolling on the floor as my friend Alex did when I told her the full story on the phone. I didn't quite think of couple things before I left:

1. Although I had a brand new fancy iPhone 4, I didn't know how to call anyone with it, that is in Japan, and every call per min. was 40 yen per min (that is around 40-50 cents per minute) The plans here are outrageous. There is no such thing as an unlimited plan, or a flat rate plan.

2. I didn't have ANY BASIC words down: NONE! I knew couple words: "Excuse me, Good Afternoon, and I don't understand." I couldn't even ask a question. I didn't even know how to say, "where is....., or even the word, "SCHOOL" ...Nothing.

3. I can't read Kanji, but no matter, English is often on the road, but I no IDEA where I was going or what town I needed to be heading away or towards.

You can imagine what kind of things happened along the way: Many, I mean many tried to help, but without even basic skills of either one language, it's useless. Drawings didn't matter because they had no idea what I was even asking. I was trying to say the town, "Maehara" the way it sounds-"May-Hara" well, that confused everybody, and had no idea what I was even referring to. I couldn't even find it on the map because it was written in Kanji. I had nothing to point to. The way you pronounce Maehara is "Myhara".
I wouldn't have known that since I cannot read Kanji. In any case, after running into a group of college students, attempting to explain where the school was, , their English teacher, who we just happened to run into, came to the rescue!(well sort of), he was carrying a bag of fish and MSG. The students told me, "oh, here, wait! our English teacher!" So they told him to run over to explain to this foreigner how to get to Maehara. Well, then I spewed out my English rather with relief, assuming he knew exactly what I was talking about as the other students observed if their English teacher is indeed a true teacher..to my disappointment, couldn't understand most of what I was saying. After playing around with the phone for a long time, I called the school and gave the phone to the English teacher, and explained to me in very plain Japanese, (like signal light means "shingle" which is very similar to Korean too.) how to get there, and I finally arrived almost 3 hours later, with food all over my kids' mouths, tumbling out of the car one by one as I was lecturing them about how to properly behave when we enter the school. It was a long day.

Taking the High Road

2010-08-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

So as I told you in my previous post, I didn't check out the Catholic school initially when I arrived here. I was set on sending my children to the base school. I had Michelle over one week, and after we both met in person, she was more direct with me, and basically told me what she would do if she was in my shoes: don't send them to the Japanese school, send them to the base school, and get involved with other activities off base. I felt a huge relief, because someone told me what I needed to do, and it seemed simple enough. I was set now, and didn't need to hem and haw over the school issues again, but I heard voices haunting me "do you want to send your kids to an American school when this is a once in a life time chance?", "they aren't going to even learn the language while you are here?." My husband was supportive in whatever decision I was making with the children. Shorly after, I spoke to my neighbor and she had told me some things that made me really rethink about the base school education. I had to ask myself, "what is the exact goal of what I want my children to accomplish?" Is it only for their academics and to enter into a good college? Is it to learn Japanese, only to not be able to keep up when we go back to the States? I didn't really know, and I felt awful. I knew I wanted to give them a solid Christian education, I wanted them to excel in any school, but I felt something was missing. I had brieftly thought of homeschooling too. Also, I am not Catholic, and this was also a factor for not sending them to the Catholic school.
Then it hit me: The whole point of sending them to the Japanese school and goal is really for me: To be a mother again and to parktake in their education. Perhaps this is a very bad thing to admit, but I hate being involved in the school. I was never active in my kids' education at the school in Charleston. A large part of this was because I worked from the home and was busy working. I told myself when coming out here, I would hire a staff in the US so I can concentrate on the family more while balancing work life. But the thought of being involved in the US school here gave me no motivation to be involved, yet, for some reason, the Japanese school did, and I don't know why. I know the demands are ten-fold in a Japanese school, plus I am would be directly responsible for their ENGLISH education. This scared me. I had to step up to the plate, and the only reason I would step up is if there is some "fear" in me to be held responsible for a large part of their education. Well today, that fear worked itself out-the kids worked their butts off getting ready for school. My motivation isn't the most altruistic, but it helps me get involved in my children, and stay focus. I have to give it all, or none, and halfway is too hard. At the American school, all I needed to do was assist them in their work. In the Japanese school, I have to help them in every way, and it will build not only my character, but the kids' as well.

Jorney ahead

2010-08-10T07:04:00.000-07:00

The journey of deciding to send my children to a Japanese school has been painfully arduous. My new friend I met here, Michelle can attest to this. Even before I came to Japan, I had been talking to American mothers who send their children to the local school. In all of Okinawa, there is ONE decent Japanese private school- the Catholic school. It is not very far from my home, but traffic is what makes the commute pretty daunting. The thought of my children living in Japan, but not knowing the language or immersing themselves in the culture didn't settle well with me inside. I don't exactly know what it was, but I wanted so much more for them, I wanted them to get a Japanese-cultured education, similar to the Korean education (I used to attend K and 1st grade in Korea). There are striking differences in the Korean/Japanese schools versus the American schools which I will go into later.

Michelle and I had been talking over the internet for 4 months before we met here, and have become friends since then! :) She is an American, living in Okinawa, married to an Okinawan, and has her two children at Catholic, unlike her, her kids have lived here almost their entire lives, and her husband is fluent in the language. From day one, she has been not so much discouraging me, but giving me a reality check about what it means to really send my children to a Japanese school and had been highly discouraging it. Not only Michelle, but any mother who had attempted to send their children to the Japanese school told me it wasn't the right choice, kids will struggle not only academically, but socially, and so on. Well, finally when I arrived in Okinawa, I had already made up my mind to send the children to the base school. Even though I had been in contact with the Catholic school before I came out, I didn't try to contact them since I arrived. The transition was so hard: language, food, people, weather, etc...

I do not want to sound boastful, but seriously, my life in Charleston was so comfortable: huge home, great neighbors, and we belonged to a great church. I was involved in the music community there, my children were settling very well in their neighborhood schools, and life was easy and good-until what I felt, somebody just plucked me out of comfortable Charleston to what to me seems like third-world Japan. (This is not entirely true, but there are definite parallels to my life and surrounding here compared to my life in 70's Korea.)

I felt lonely, sad, confused, and stuck. My children seemed to have accepted it better than I did, and my husband was thrown into work to be too busy to be lonely or depressed. The house here (at least the standards I had in Charleston) was atrocious. Small and dark, with fluorescent lights, bunker-style home with drop ceilings and concrete floors, was littered with cockroaches and ants. First week, I was cleaning cockroaches and its droppings. They were appearing everywhere-one night, every corner I turned, in a matter of 2 minutes, 5 came out: bathroom, bedroom, closet, kitchen and laundry room. Everybody was sleeping, I was up doing work at night (as it is US morning) and I was killing them. Panicking and desperate, I tried to wake up my five year old, who was the only one catching the cockroaches in the family, was sound asleep. My husband, deeply sleeping, wouldn't kill it after attempting to wake him up, and I had a panic attack. I couldn't sleep all night, the very next day, I marched with all my children to the housing office and cried to have the roaches bombed and killed. Well, that afternoon, entomology came out, and to this day I haven't seen one cockroach, However, I got sick. Whatever chemical they used must have been toxic-because it did a number on me, and I had a terrible migrane, lymph nodes were swollen on my neck as the size of a half of a golf ball, my limbs were swollen and I couldn't walk. I waited too long and rushed my self to the ER, and after a battery of tests, and 6 hours later, they had no diagnosis. Shortly days later, my symptons were gone and I was fine. I thought I was struck with some rare disease after coming to this island, or some crazy dirty cockroach bit me while I was asleep, nevertheless, I felt fine and a bit stupid for being so foolish to think I was going to die.

Initial Setbacks

2010-08-10T04:45:00.001-07:00

So, as I had mentioned in my earlier post, I had been super excited about coming here-especially for my kids' education. I had done a TON of research on how I can assimilate my children to the education in Japan. There were many schools for English speaking children, but there was no information about Japanese immersion schools for foreigners. I found a wonderful site before I came to Japan, essentially a blog for US ex-pats and the military pooling their experiences together to create a community. I noticed something very strange: not many Americans send their children to the local schools here in Japan. (Okinawa to be exact). There are many reasons to list, one major one is the fact military SOFA status are not allowed to attend the local schools since the US base offers schooling for US children. This is probably the biggest reason why most military families cannot send their children to the local schools. But there are ways to get around the system by living off-base to send your children to the local school, and private schooling is definitely an option. Before I came here, I had contacted the prefecture in where I would be residing to see if they can accept my children, and the answer was an adamant no. I asked an interpreter to help me, a Japanese native to talk to them on my behalf, and each response was a no. Finally, I decided to settle in the DoDDs school on base where my children attended a culture class. I really liked the class, it was a Japanese teacher teaching my children in Japanese art, folk tale, soroban (Japanese abacus), and at least academically, the school seem top notch. Everything about the school was great:

1. Great Staff/reputation on base, probably the best school on base.

2. Walking distance: kids can literally walk together and come home together.

3. Great facilities, neighborhood friends.

4. Academically: strong in all subject areas.

I knew I wanted more, but I told myself the kids can do extra-curricular activities off-base: music, soroban, Kumon Japanese & math, etc.. and I began to accept the fact my kids were going here. Well, at least until two weeks ago.

Here in Okinawa-personal entry

2010-07-27T08:09:00.000-07:00

For the purpose of getting my feelings out there-this entry will be a bit personal, and dedicated more to myself so I won't forget the first few weeks in Okinawa. It has been a whirlwind! I arrived here shortly after 4th of July, wide-eyed, and ready to conquer Japan. I had high hopes-most of them dashed by now, having a slew of reasons for my disappointment of being here. To be brutally honest, I think I can really grow to love this place, but this will require a lot of energy-that is, energy that I'm not quite sure I would like to muster myself to have. The island reminds me of a little bit of Vegas/Seoul/Seattle: Vegas: for the tacky neon signs and slot machines that pops up in almost every corner of the island, Seattle's 60-70's low rise architecture that is a bit asian inspired/influenced, and Seoul-the only other city I really lived in, but the city and culture have similarities (too many to name) in the mind of an American to be lumped into the same context.

When my husband received the news about moving to Japan, immediately I was excited about going to not only a foreign country, but to the land of sushi, I always had a slight fascination for Japan, and all my friends can tell you that I am crazy about sushi, so I was very excited about going. Well, this romantic idea quickly became reality within 4 months, and slowly the ideas and images I painted of living in Japan started to fade quickly. As I explained earlier, the island isn't as picturesque as I had been told, but it wasn't just this: being in a foreign country, far, far away

As I write this entry, I have been here for now a month to the exact date, and I can say I really am growing to love Okinawa more. I have basically signed up my life in my children's education, and I will be mainly blogging about my kids' education here in Japan, balancing that with my business, Sam & Bellie there in the US.

Featured on Rachel Ray! $14.99 limited time only

2010-07-21T05:49:00.000-07:00

Well, I am settling okay here in Japan. We have made the plunge. I don't want to move again. I told my husband I can live here for the rest of my life so I don't have to move our family anymore! I miss Charleston so much. I miss all my sweet friends: Alex, Cat, Amy, Julia, Kari, Carolyn, Tori, Holly, Thia. I truly feel as though I have made life long friends in Charleston. Now we are off to a new adventure! As I am trying to do the business overseas as well as be the good commander's wife here in Kadena, it will be quite a challenge for me.

Well, wanted to tell you after months of harassing Rachel Ray, we finally were featured, but not from me haggling them-a reader told them about our lovely chalkmat and we finally got featured! God works in mysterious ways. I'm so thankful to be on here. I thank you Rachel Ray staff for loving our stuff. Thank you Cameron and Badger (the reader!)

One Day's Wages

2010-05-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

Please see the video, sign up to be on their Facebook, and see how this grassroots organization is at the forefront of stopping poverty. You don't have to be a celebrity to give. All you need is hope and a generous heart:

The Movement of One Day's Wages from One Day's Wages on Vimeo.

Not for Sale!

2010-05-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

As you may know, Jaq Jaq Bird is committed to giving our resources and money to organizations that help fight child-sex trafficking, child-poverty and slavery. Please see the awesome grass roots organization, Not for Sale. President David Batsone, gave birth to the organization, a former restaurant owner in Berkeley California, where over 500 young kids from India had been brought through his restaurant, and discovered a child-trafficking ring in his own backyard. Quickly, he started to do some research and discovered how prolific child trafficking was not only in his backyard, but many American's backyards as well.

Teams of 50 in the US are documenting and identifying slavery in their own backyard (in the US!) then uploading onto their alternate website, at www.slaverymap.org , you can see live cases of REAL slavery.

He has another team of 50NOT FOR SALE that are exposing the supply chain in manufacturing: everyday products we bring to our home: to shed light in the process of products like the t-shirt you wear, the sugar you are pour into your coffee, and the coffee you are drink are indeed not tainted in slave trade. As American consumers, we have the right to know that we are not consuming other people's tragedy, thus we will learn to buy differently.

Here is the interview of David Bastone with One Days Wages (another GREAT NGO!!!):

Interview with David Batstone of Not For Sale from One Day's Wages on Vimeo.

Few Regrets in Life

2010-04-22T18:28:00.000-07:00

I am not the type of person to look back on my life and regret decisions I have made in the past. I think this is one of the few positive traits I possess.

I tend to press on and look to the future, but if there is one thing I regret in the past, (and I do have a handful of them), it is my undisciplined habits on the violin. I wished I had really pursued it with utter abandonment, because even though I wasn't the prodigy child violinist, I did have a good thing going in my former life. It wasn't until just recently I realized I am living vicariously through my children in music: the oldest takes the piano, the younger two play the violin, and I know it is only because of my own doing and initiation that they all playing an instrument. Well, this video is the 3rd mvmt. of the previous post (the Concerto Grosso by Vivaldi, Opus 8, No.3) You are seeing the rehearsal. I tried to edit the video and tried to be a bit creative on my iMovie, but I think I ended up butchering some key parts!

I loved playing in a chamber group like this, it was really fun. The group comprises of parents, Charleston Academy's students, professionals in the Charleston Symphony and teachers. The two soloists (left is the concert master at CSO, Yuiry Bekker, and Javier on the right is the director and teacher for my kids' symphony, Kidz Symphony). I am on the left with the ponytail.

Earth Day Coupon code: EARTH4010

2010-04-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

I have been super busy with the logistics of moving...I cannot believe I am moving to Japan! Have no fear, the company is staying put! As a result, I will be focusing on manufacturing and design, while our small team on the state-side will focus on customers, sales and fulfillment. We are excited about this change! I cannot wait to be inspired in Japan! Well, tomorrow is Earth Day, and JUST IN TIME! We have our ButterStix™ finally coming in Friday! They are just like the favorite Butter Chalk, only now you can use the eco-friendly Stix on conventional chalkboards too. Also, we put up our reusuable bags, the Perfect Pouch™ on the website. Save those baggies, and use the Perfect Pouch for your toys, and hard to store items: puzzles, legos, food, etc... I love them for travel! Perfect for cosmetics, though at this time, all 10 of my personal Perfect Pouches are filled with allergy meds from this crazy Charleston allergy season, and they are cluttered with receipts, ipod, eye-drops; basically, it is my everything perfect pouch.

In celebration of Earth Day, please use coupon code: EARTH4010 and receive 15% off on your entire order. Expires the very next day, so take advantage tomorrow!

Violin-playing

2010-04-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

Okay, so even though this has nothing to do with our company, I am uploading a video of my kids' concert, but I am playing on the far left (black shirt with the ponytail). These are the parents, teachers and other students accompanying the concertmaster, Yuriy Bekker from Charleston Symphony Orchestra, and Javier (the coordinator, and my kids' teacher) playing the Vivaldi Concerto Gross No. 8, Opus 3.

I guess you can say this is what I do on the side when I am not "working" for Sam & Bellie! It's truly a stress reliever!

Meeting Cynthia Rowley

2010-03-17T04:54:00.000-07:00

It's Fashion week here in Charleston, and guess who came in town? Cynthia Rowley, originally from my hometown-Chicago! Now that she is rich and famous, she lives in NY, but she hasn't lost her midwest charm. Witty, graceful and stunning, she was at her store signing her coloring book. My assistant, (but really she should be my boss) and I had to meet her, and we had the opportunity to give her Jaq Jaq products to her daughters, ages 10 & 5. Rowley loved the originality of the chalk mat! She told me how perfect it will be when her girls are waiting for mom getting ready to leave the house, the girls can play and draw on the mat as a creative outlet. We also gave her the Perfect Pouch for them to store hard to travel toys and gears. Rowley commented on our logo, and how she loved the design!

Known for flirty, feminine and whimsical style, I would LOVE to have her design some of my prints for our collection, she is an amazing designer! Some of here clients include: Julia Stiles, Parker Posey, Anne Hathaway, Rebecca Romijn, Scarlett Johansson, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. Her recent debut is her Cynthia Rowley Roxy collection, collaborated with Roxy. Joined at hip for their love for the outdoors, surf and swim, she effects her style into the sporty Roxy collection-feminine, chic & ecclectic.

Afterwards, we ran into her again with her Charleston team at Fig. It's one our favorite spots in Charleston. Recently, they won the 2009 James Beard Award, and after coming back from eating at Gotham Grill in NY, I can see why both restaurants are James Beard Award winners.

Rowley, a mother of two, is also working on her first children's book according to the grapevine. (Can't wait!) Even her mini children collection is hands down stylish, eccentric and piece of art. I also loved the Yarni dolls in her Charleston store designed by a Chicago-bred artist, Mike Anderson. Rowley loves them because they just look like little monsters made of an array of fabrics.

Cynthia, if you are reading this, please make sure to email me! :)

Finally! Non-Toxic Chalk Material by the roll

2010-03-15T11:09:00.000-07:00

We finally will be testing our non-toxic chalk material to be sold to the public. Order now as we will be getting them in stock this week. For all public orders, minimum order is 10 yards @$16.00/yard. Calling all crafters & small business owners, email us for a deeper discount with larger minimums.

Kids Playing

2010-03-13T11:00:00.000-08:00

I know I have told you how my kids play in the orchestra. Well, finally they had their spring concert. It was adorable. There is nothing more charming than seeing little kids play the cello, or any stringed instrument. It is a very technical instrument, and I love the patience it teaches the kids. Talk about delayed gratification, this concert showed them off, and they were amazing.

Plastics & the Effects on Animals

2010-02-23T05:49:00.000-08:00

Please read below from Chris Jordan's Photography:

These photographs of albatross chicks were made in September, 2009 by Chris Jordan, on Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. The nesting babies are fed bellies-full of plastic by their parents, who soar out over the vast polluted ocean collecting what looks to them like food to bring back to their young. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

To document this phenomenon as faithfully as possible, not a single piece of plastic in any of these photographs was moved, placed, manipulated, arranged, or altered in any way. These images depict the actual stomach contents of baby birds in one of the world's most remote marine sanctuaries, more than 2000 miles from the nearest continent.

For more images, click onto his link.

Online Shopping: Why I like it

2010-02-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

I live in a small town, so there aren't great shopping choices for me. The circle of stores that surround me for everyday necessities are: Walmart, Target, Costco (though, it's about 30 min. from my home and I refuse to waste my precious child-free 3.5 hours of my day driving out to Costco.) Whole Foods, and other regular grocery-chain stores. When we first moved here, I was addicted to Target. I must have visited the store at least 3 times a week. Nowadays, with business blooming, and having a very short span of time to myself, I can't afford to run to Target, or to shop for that matter.

Personal fashion has been also important to me, and I don't find Charleston to be exactly the fashion capital, so my shopping habits have evolved into more online shopping: Gilt.com (LOVE THAT STORE!!-but to the detriment of my husband's wallet), Amazon.com (I shop from books to food), Lands' End (for kids' basic needs, ie. boots, uniform, rain gear), and okay.. I have a confession: I LOVE J.CREW (right now I have been fasting from J.Crew.com). We have an actual store here downtown, and sadly, the J.Crew staff know my name. Whenever I drag my girlfriends there with me, they are amazed how all of them know me.

But I found the best place to shop for my basic needs, and it keeps me from buying impulsively: Melaleuca.com. My friend Amy J. and my mother had turned me onto to the products a while back and finally, I decided to try. The products, and service are impeccable. I am not very fond of home shows, but with the paltry economy, I've been invited to more home shows in my time here in Charleston than any other place-plus, it's a win-win: I help out my friends who need the extra income as well as getting great products.

Believe it or not, I actually save money because I only buy what I need. I log on to the site every month, and order just what I need. Nothing more.

Here are some reasons why I love Melaleuca:

1. Prices are better than the stores. For, example, a bar of soap is $1.70-$4.00, compared to the store, .99-$8.00. The Melaleuca soap is french-milled so it doesn't break down easily like your typical soap. The quality is superior to that of an $8 bar soap you would buy at Whole Foods. I've tried both of them.

2. Ingredients: No toxins, fumes, all natural. No parabens in any of their products. No artificial preservatives, colors, etc...
I love their cleaning products, and price? You can't beat it.

3. Packaging: Less is more: A little goes a long way. You don't need a lot to clean. A 1/2 pump versus couple pumps of detergent in the wash does a full load. Less waste, better for our earth.

4. Service: Not 100% satisfied? Full refund, exchange, no questions ask.

5. Shipping: Comes lightning fast. Order today? Get it in 2-3 days-Tops.

6. Love the kids' products! Toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, etc.. Very affordable and all natural.

7. Quality & Performance? One example, their equivalent cleaner of Goo Gone took out all the permanent marker scribblings that my son drew all over our Land of Nod table couple years ago without stripping the varnish. My kids duvet covers which had blood stains from the past were gone with the pre-spot treatment we used from Melaleuca. Amazing.

I don't know if my husband is full on board with me about the products. He continues to buy his own soap, shaving cream, and lotion because he is a creature of habit. The other day, I laid the down the law and told him to stop duplicating our efforts, so he finally gave in.

On any given month, when I look over our expenses for a household of 5, I spend around $400 (of course, not including food, and special occasions). At Melaleuca, I spend around $60-$70 a month. Of course, I can't buy everything at Melaleuca such as toilet paper, napkins, garbage bags, and other paper products, etc. We buy all that at Costco, and I would say we spend around $50-$100 a month for all paper goods. This means $170 a month versus $400 is what I am spending each month. This is over $200 in savings, with superior products, and knowing I am helping another friend out financially as I buy is completely worth it. I also save on time and don't waste on gas!

If you want to sign up, let me know! I would love to get you started. (BTW, I am not a sales rep, and would not monetarily gain as a result of signing you up!)

Working on the next Boy & Neutral Patterns

2010-02-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

So I have been feverishly working on the next boy and neutral print patterns with couple designers, I would love your input on what you think would be good for your children. Please post your comments on our blog and we will pick couple posts to receive our newest design in one of our products debuting this fall.

I love Japanese prints, but I don't know how most of you feel about them. They seem very vintage, and while I like the nostalgic look. I also love prints to look clean, crisp yet soft to the eye- since afterall, they are for kids! Tell me what you think of the below prints. I don't like the colors- I like big and bold colors without being too tacky for the parents.

January-February Winners!

2010-02-20T09:39:00.000-08:00

Wow, we had so many participate in our Giveaway. We only announce on the site, so if you are the winner, please email:

info@jaqjaqbird.com to claim your prize: ALOT of Texas Folks! This includes Facebook too and all individual emails.

1. Della Boone, Dallas, Tx.
2. Sallie Pemenite, Charlotte, NC.
3. Lilly Sorensen, Lake in the Hills, Il.
4. Lynda Jimenez, Hunington Beach, CA.
5. Melissa Foote, Fort Worth, TX.
6. Jen Petty, Houston, Tx.
7.Brad & Melissa, Idaho Falls, ID?
8. Ursula Harting, Tampa, Fl.
9. Katy Furling, McClean, Va.
10. Lora Neeham, Atlanta, Ga.

We will be doing another giveaway in couple months. Thank you all for particpating!!!

3 Cheese Mini Macs

2010-02-17T13:57:00.000-08:00

© Kana Okada
Here is a recipe for finger foods that I made for the Superbowl. Turns out that Zach couldn't get enough of them. You can obviously make substitutions for healthier/ low-fat or fat-free options and also use organic milk and cheese.

Preheat oven to 425

Ingredients:
Muffin tins
½ lb of Elbow macaroni
1 ½ TB of unsalted butter + extra for brushing
¼ cup Fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (usually found near fresh cheese section
in grocery store)
2 TB all purpose flour
¾ cup milk (can be skim)
1 cup (packed) of shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
4 ounces of Deli Sliced American Cheese – CHOPPED
1 large Egg yolk
¼ teaspoon Paprika

Directions:
1. In large saucepan make macaroni until Al dente (about 5-6 minutes) and then drain
2. Brush Muffin tins with butter (or spray with pam) and sprinkle bottom and sides with 2 Tablespoons of the the Parm cheese (the rest will go on top when you fill cups) and shake out excess
3. In a large saucepan melt butter (1 ½ TB) and wisk in flour (medium heat) – cook 2 min
4. Mix in slowly Milk and cook and boil ( 5 min) continuously mixing the whole time
5. Add in Cheddar and American Cheese – mix until all melted
6. Turn off the heat and add in the egg yolk and paprika
7. Fold in the macaroni and mix well
8. Form in slightly rounded tablespoons of mixture and put mixture into muffin tins
9. Sprinkle tops with rest of Parm. cheese
10. Bake the mini macs in the upper and middle thirds of the oven for about 10 minutes, until golden and sizzling.
11. Let cool for 5-10 minutes.
12. Using a small spoon, carefully loosen the mini macs, transfer to a platter and serve.

Make Ahead:
The recipe can be prepared through Step 9 and refrigerated overnight.

Snow Storm for the Record Books

2010-02-15T13:55:00.000-08:00

Hello. I am Stacy and will be chiming in to this blog along with Grace. I help her on a few things for Jaq Jaq Bird. I am a first-time Mom to my 15-month old son, Zachary. I am definitely less experienced than Grace when it comes to parenthood so I will probably bring a fresh outlook to the blog.

I feel compelled to share how Jaq Jaq Bird's activity mat and bib helped my family brave the record breaking snow storms this week. I was born and raised in New York, just outside of the city. I am accustomed to big snow falls. I currently reside in Bethesda, MD. Apparently, this area is NOT used to major snow storms. My town seemed ill-equipped to handle the unprecedented amount of snow. This was the most snow in one Winter season in DC EVER. I have been snowed-in for the most part since last Friday. My husband's SUV has taken us out just a few times out of necessity. For the most part, I have had to come up with creative ways to prevent Zach from catching cabin fever.

I want to blog about one of the highlights from this experience because I truly believe in Grace's products. Zach and I had a lot of fun over the past few days with many art projects. We blew a ton of bubbles, brought snowballs inside, drew a lot of masterpieces with crayons and finger painted with mustard, ketchup, vanilla and chocolate pudding. Sounds messy, huh? I was saved though because I used Jaq Jaq Bird's activity mat. My husband and I used to discourage blowing bubbles inside the house. But it isn't a problem anymore now that we use the mat to catch them. The mat has become our "canvas." Zach and I sat on the mat and spread out paper or aluminum foil (for the finger painting) and he just felt free to express himself. I also placed the mat on our floor under his booster seat. With just a bib and diapers only, Zach was encouraged to draw or finger paint in his chair and I can tell he felt very independent. I felt relieved. The mat was large enough to catch the crayons and "splatter paint" that would normally make marks on my wooden floor. Luckily, the activity mat helped mitigate that mess.

Let me tell you why else I know this such a functional activity mat. We had a cheap plastic splat mat before Jaq Jaq Bird's for eating and art time. We also tried to use that one for when Zach aspired to be an artist. As they say, "you get what you pay for." The size was ok for when we played art class, but not big enough for when he threw his food. Also, the design on the cheap one had Elmo on it. It was cute, but made our dining room look tacky. I was lucky to land this mat a very nice print. It's solid in the middle with just print on the borders. Very classy. Not busy. I can use it anywhere in the house and it isn't too disruptive. Best of all, it's "green" and so easy to clean. Anything that contributes to a better environment and less clean-up time for Mommy is right up my alley.

Speaking of eco-friendly, let me go back to the bib I referred to earlier. I have a matching Jaq Jaq Bird airplane bib for Zach. He, of course, just insists upon feeding himself these days. Needless to say, he always makes a mess. I am not the most efficient cleaner, so I was trying to find a bib that was thick and easy to clean. This bib not only serves that purpose, but has such a unique print. My son doesn't usually wear "baby-ish" designs. Z thoroughly enjoys pointing out all of the planes (he's obsessed) on his bib. It helps make his eating experience fun. I love this bib both for style and functionality. It's the perfect mix. The pockets are big enough to catch most everything that drips and the fabric is super easy to clean. You already know that's a huge bonus for me.

It was nice meeting you. I am looking forward to sharing my personal experiences and learning's with you in the future.

For those of you getting hit by the blizzard on the East Coast, please be safe and stay warm.

Free Chalkmat

2010-02-10T08:10:00.000-08:00

Get a FREE CHALKMAT with a $50 purchase (A $30 value). Just enter coupon code: FREECHALK.

Legos & Flash Cards

2010-02-03T18:26:00.000-08:00

Being a WAHM, it's always difficult to stay on top of things at the house. I have been such the delinquent mother, not being on top of my kids' basic needs and school work, so being the impulsive person I am, the past few weeks, I've been buying tons of things for my kids: basic necessities such as gloves, coats, sweaters, you know, things you need to get through the winter. I even bought fresh pairs of socks this month so they don't scramble for them before they catch the bus early morning.

For weeks my oldest kept telling me his shoes are small and has worn them down to the point there are holes around the base, so sand seeps in when he is at the playground, so finally I took the plunge and bought him a pair of shoes. Finally I bought my kids boots this week even though it's not boots season, but it's been raining so much here, I decided to buy each one of them a pair.

This past January was also when their report cards came in, and much to my chagrin, I was mortified to see how my two oldest have really slid in math and reading. In knee jerk response, I researched hours on books, flash cards, and study aids and behold, everything I ordered came in this week, and we've been cracking down on the books ever since.

Now, mind you, my kids are shocked at all the things I have bombarded them with, so naturally they took out their Perfect Pouches, and stuffed all their new belongings: study aids, flash cards, math aids, gloves, socks, and I love them!

Here is a picture of the Legos my five year old stores, and another picture of extra pair of shoes my daughter takes with her when she wears her boots to school, but wants to change into something more comfortable in the classroom.

I love having them for flash cards, not only do they organize nicely from the original packaging, but they look so pretty sitting in our baskets. Oh, and can I tell you? I love flash cards! I rediscovered them this week, and love teaching out of them. Thus far, I have been able to cram all of the multiplication facts for my 3rd grader, and teaching sight words to my 5 year old. It's been so fun seeing them learn so quickly!

New Month!

2010-02-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

It has already been an eventful day in February. We have sent out over 100 products for our Amazon promotion, and received a huge order as well! As we are gearing up for our second quarter, we have to start packing, selling and finally processing our passports. We are excited for the next journey ahead.

This month, we are promoting our newest girls prints coming into Nordstrom, and we will send out some pictures for any pre-orders of our newest prints.

2010-01-30T19:00:00.001-08:00

Face Book!

2010-01-30T18:56:00.000-08:00

So we have been super busy packing up and sending out our products (just one) to each parent who volunteered to review for us on Amazon! That's amazing, thank you so much for everyone's support and enthusiasm for the products! We have received so many feedbacks, things we never even thought of, and we thank you for all your continued success! Remember, if you are not a Facebook Fan of our brand yet, this is the time to join. It is so much easier to communicate with you all on Facebook. I love all the interactions! Oh, and I also love putting a face behind each shipment. We would love to see pictures of your children using our products. If you have them, please send it! :)

Thank you!!!!

Another Week!

2010-01-24T20:49:00.000-08:00

This week is going to be a week of sending out products for those who want a free product from Jaq Jaq Bird! We are asking for a review on Amazon's site! The response has been so overwhelming, we will have to charge for shipping. For Canada, it is a flat $12 includes handling and for US, it is $10.50 includes handling. If interested, you must sign up as a fan on Facebook, and be willing to give a full review on Amazon.com.

Oh, this week starts the 2nd week of the second semeseter of violin and orchestra for my youngest two. I am really, really dreading it. I carpool with my violin stand partner's children (pictured here), and it really gives us no time to do anything other than music. The children meet everyday, and we drive 20 minutes each way to get to class. This image is when they were doing their holiday concert, right before they were entering the stage. I was so close to quitting this semester, but after talking to maestro, I decided to stick it out for another semester. I don't know why, I think it's a great program, but frankly, it's too much time, and I think I am driving myself crazy more than the kids. I just can't get myself to have the kids quit and, every time I complain to my husband (who thinks I should have them quit), he listens, sits back and nods without saying a word. Then tomorrow I am back to doing the same thing again. Such the life of the mom-preneuer!

Sign up for our FaceBook Page!

2010-01-15T06:24:00.000-08:00

Do you have Facebook page? I love Facebook. I know so many of my friends are turned off by it, (they think the traditional way of meeting/staying in touch is the better way) but I think it's an excellent platform to network and exchange ideas. I have a personal page as well as our Sam & Bellie company fan page. If you are not very active on it, consider Sam & Bellie Fan Page!

Wow! I didn't really believe in social networking until just recently. I am super excited about our Facebook page! Become a fan on our FACEBOOK page, and you will get all the exclusive promotions and giveaway. See what is the current promotion now!

I will be also running this promotion next month on our BLOG too, so if you miss it, it's okay, you will have another chance to enter!

It is much easier for a small company like myself post promotions and news on our FACEBOOK page. Thank you so much for supporting our company!

BPA -Free Tomatoes Do Not Exist!

2010-01-14T16:09:00.000-08:00

This is an article from The Soft Landing, who carries our products, and does amazing research on eco-friendly products. I was floored to read this:

We recently shared our pathetic findings when searching for pre-prepared tomatoes in BPA-free containers. Several of our amazing readers came to the rescue with possibilities we hadn’t heard of, so we started the process of confirming with the each manufacturer. We ended up with two positively BPA-free options and still have one more that may be added to the list soon. You’ll notice that both of the brands listed below are using aseptic carton packaging made by Tetra Pak, which opened up a whole new research project. We have a slew of new info on that front that we’ll be sharing with you very soon.

Pomi Tomatoes

We spoke with makers of Pomi Tomatoes, Boschi Food & Beverage of Italy, and confirmed that their containers are 100% BPA-free. They offer a nice line of tomato products including chopped, strained and marinara sauce. All can be found in the USA at Pennsylvania Macaroni Co. and Amazon.com, although inventory levels seem to fluctuate based on availability.

Here's to a New Day!

2010-01-12T21:34:00.000-08:00

A lot of you have been asking about the Giveaway, I wanted to tell you that you need to really add your email on the comment section because many of you haven't done that. Please continue to comment with your emails (it will not be public). Wow! what an exciting day! Parents Feb issue has featured the Jaq Jaq Bird Bib, but Nordstrom hasn't set in the stores yet, which has been a huge bummer for us, We didn't anticipate Parents Mag would be out this early. You will see it at Nordstrom Stores by end of Jan. For now, you can find it at our website or buy from Amazon.com, The Soft Landing and Green Bambino, all of them can be found on our website.

Also, I would LOVE it if you all can sign up to be a fan in our FACEBOOK. I have been trying to get the whole social media off the ground, but it's been so hard being a SAHM and WAHM! BTW, I bet you are wondering why this little boy is on this post> Well, he is my youngest son, and just look at those beautiful two front chipped teeth! Well, tonight, he managed to knock them off, (well not literally), and was crying for a good hour. He didn't lose them, but they sure are loose! Just when daddy is out for the evening, everything unravels on mom's watch! Oh well, here's to a new day!

You can post comments on the newest BLOG post to win the chalk mat!

January Giveaway Chalk Mat

2010-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, It's the New Year again, and we are giving 10 chalk mats for the mid-month of January! Happy New Year everyone, and I just want to thank everyone of you who have supported Sam & Bellie, now going in our 6th year!

Please comment on this post, and make sure you include your email and name! (will not be public). Tell us why you would like to win one!

The Jaq Jaq Bird Bib with Smart Pocket™

2010-01-12T04:52:00.001-08:00

The Jaq Jaq feeding bib with a Smart Pocket™ feature is my first product I designed back in 2004. It took me over one year to create the perfect bib. The only change I have made from 2004's original design is the pocket, and of course going to a completely PVC, BPA and phthalate free bib, with water based dyes. The prints are all designed by us as well.

The design of the bib is meant to cover the shoulder of a child, all the way down to their tummies. I have tried to lengthen and shorten the bib, but as it turned out it was either too bulky or too short, and food still fell to their laps. The cool feature of this bib is truly the pocket. The material is pliable so it is soft to the touch, yet, it holds its shape, so the pocket stays open to catch crumbs, and pulls down all the way to clean under the crevices. The side tabs of the bib comes off when cleaning. Ultimately, the design is simple, not tricky, and very messy friendly! Oh, and you know the Velcro thing? It's strong enough so your child can't easily yank it off his neck! :)

Nordstrom will be debuting the bibs at the end of January. In mid-February, they will have 2 new prints: cupcakes and crowns in their collection.

Otherwise, Amazon, The Soft Landing and Green Bambino all sell online.

Here We Come! Japan!

2010-01-08T07:30:00.000-08:00

So it looks like we are really moving to Japan this summer. Can't believe the transition, and just the thought of selling everything: 2 cars, piano, house, etc... is daunting. I have been trying to figure out how to handle the school situation for my children. I think I already know where my youngest will go, it will be a Japanese immersion Kindergarten school, and one colleague sent me pics of the school there. This is the public school there, and they have a wonderful selection of fresh food prepared for lunch, unlike any of the processed food found in the public schools in America. I am quite excited about learning Japanese, and have been teaching the kids. They are learning Hirogana. I love the image of all their little shoes in a shoe shelf. Why don't we have one here like this? The first thing I'm doing is purchase a shoe shelf for my house when I get there. The whole shoe thing in our current home has been the bane of my existence. I can't seem to find a utilitarian, aesthetically pleasing shoe shelf for the house! We have 30 shoes just tossed around the house everywhere. Even their shoes sparkle clean!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-06T16:35:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! It's been a very busy holiday season for Sam & Bellie! Our Jaq Jaq Bird line, first introduced this fall has been such a hit! We sold out in one month in most Nordstrom stores, sold 50% in just two weeks of our launch date. Thank you for all your generous support. We will be debuting with Nordstrom on Parents Magazine in the February issue! Look for your issue mid-Jan, hitting the stands late January. Nordstrom will be carrying our Toddler Bibs with Smart Pocket™ feature. Nordstrom will be carrying 2 exclusive prints in February.

After Christmas Sale!

2009-12-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

We are having an after Christmas sale! No coupon code needed, our Lolly Chalk Mats in Damask, Owls & Brids, and Airplanes are on sale now for $15.00 till January 2nd. Hurry, while supplies lasts.

I have been super busy with Christmas orders, holiday parties, and performances, that it's been a long time since I blogged! I can't believe I made it through the holidays in one piece.

We had a wonderful and relaxing Christmas. Ate tons of food and Christmas cookies! Living in Charleston is not the most festive place to be during Christmas, but it's heck of a lot warmer than snowy Chicago! (I grew up there). I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Coupon Code-PMCM

2009-12-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Get Free Shipping this week on our products:
Place-Chalk mats (PM-2043, PM-2055) with a purchase of our chalk pens (CMP-Chalk).
The Place Chalk Mats come in a pack of 2, boys or girls set and chalk pens come in 5 colors. Please specify what colors you like when checking out. They are our unrolled version of our famous To-Go Chalk Mats. Best of all, it comes in a set of 2, and chalk pens are made in Japan.

Nordstrom in Orlando

2009-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

So just checked out the Orlando Nordstrom with my daughter, and I saw my products! Looks good, but I wish it was more visible in the baby/children section. The aprons are not next to the chalk mats, which is also a shame. If they had them together, I think it would look more like a gift set. Otherwise, it's exciting to see the products in all Nordstrom stores!

A New Mother-Daughter Hobby

2009-12-03T07:51:00.001-08:00

The boys and their father have been into golfing for sometime now, but my daughter hasn't been able to really get into golf, or for that matter, any type of sports.
I have been trying to figure out what both she and I can do together, and we struck up the best hobby: crocheting! I did pick up knitting at one point, but I developed carpal tunnel in my college years with the years of violin playing and computer use, so knitting was very painful for me. But crochet? It's so much easier on my hands, and so-kid friendly! We picked up this book on Amazon. I love it. I encourage any mother with a daughter over the age of 7 to pick up crocheting. Yesterday we picked up some beautiful yarn at Michael's in Orlando. I have to credit my good friend, and violin partner Carolyn for showing me how to crochet!

Hunny! I Shrunk the kids!

2009-12-01T19:33:00.000-08:00

Here we are at Hollywood Studios, and I saw this cool Playdoh™ and Tinker Toy.
I had to take these pictures. Here is my daughter posing. I couldn't get the boys to sit quietly for even a minute to take a picture. I love looking at all the classic toys at Disney. Hollywood Studios is great for kids. I almost enjoy it better than Magic Kingdom. My nine year old likes it better than all the Disney Parks. On the other hand, my five year old son has been cranky the whole time here. We cannot snap him out of it. If Disney can't, I don't know what can....

Bubble Fun

2009-11-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

So I really love this shot of Micah trying to catch water that was squirting up from a fountain in bubble form. This is at Epcot. We're at Disney this week, and the greatest moments from my 5 year old is not from rides, or the educational exhibits Disney offers, but the fountain, while we were waiting for a ride to open up. Makes me wonder if we needed to spend hundreds of dollars and drive hundreds of miles to show them a "good time". Don't get me wrong, they are having fun, but for some reason, I expected they would be overjoyed being here, as they are quite content to run around in the sun and eat some ice cream as well. Today was a trying day considering we arrived here last night. It's also colder than I expected! Oh, and that shirt he insists on wearing? It's Micah's own creation that he made at Bruno's (his bf) birthday party. Don't be fooled by the print. It really is paint scribbled.

Black Friday

2009-11-27T11:32:00.000-08:00

Our cool activity mat, apron and chalk mat are available at 112 Nordstrom locations in US. That is all the stores in the USA. Also, did you see the Black Friday special? No shipping charges for 24 hours only! That means you can get all those chalks that costs next to nothing compare to the ship charges for free shipping! It is only for today.
CODE: BLACK

If you didn't get the email, that's because you didn't sign up! Sign up on our site, all you have to do it input your email address. Nothing else.

Thank you!

Black Friday Special Coming

2009-11-24T11:09:00.000-08:00

Sign up on our website for Black Friday Special! We are offering free shipping for orders $25.00 and up, and we are also offering chalks for every chalk mat purchase.

Use coupon code FREE at the checkout in order to receive your free shipping and chalks.

Oyster Roast

2009-11-23T04:25:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, we had a neighborhood oyster roast over at Courtney's house (our neighbor one street over from us). The best things about Charleston is the great oysters and seafood. Whenever you have a month that has an "R" in it, you know it's oyster season. November has an "R", so we get invited to many oyster roasts here. I wanted to take full advantage of them considering we will be moving.

I have the GREATEST chili recipe from Jason (Courtney's husband). Do you know when you get so tired of the same chili over and over again during the fall, because you get invited to so many events, and everyone brings some type of chili? Well, this one by far beats them all, and if you make it with home made salsa verde, (Jason's was awesome, I noticed the verde recipe isn't in the link down here.) WOW! it's unbelievable with slices of cilantro. If I wasn't in the baby industry, I would seriously consider owning some sort of food business (except I wouldn't cook! ha ha).

Below: Bellie, the spread of food, and my husband and son, (they are crazy about oysters).

Click here for the recipe. Don't let the picture fool you. It's a white chili dish. This image completely threw me off.

Featured in Petite Planet

2009-11-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

We were seen at Petite Planet!

November 20, 2009
Non-toxic Lolly ChalkMat Placemat Keeps Tots Entertained During Mealtime
non-toxic placemats, chalkmat, pvc free placemat, bpa free placemat
Want a great way to keep your tot tuned in to the Thanksgiving meal? If you can't create a separate kids' table filled with entertainment, bring the fun to the main table with a Lolly ChalkMat! Created by Grace Paik, a mom of three, when her home kitchen renovation lasted six months and she had to keep her children occupied in restaurants, the ChalkMat proves yet again that necessity is the mother of invention!

Lolly ChalkMats are BPA, PVC, and phthalate free, eco-friendly and reusable. They come in a variety of whimsical prints (airplanes, damask print, owls), and they may be easily rolled up and toted to restaurants. One side of the Lolly ChalkMat is a placemat, and the other is a chalkboard that may be drawn or written on to keep kids occupied. The mat features a small pocket for storing chalk, so it is always readily available. Chalk may be easily wiped off to provide a clean slate.

Dust free chalk is recommended for use with Lolly Chalkmats. Be sure to check out the biodegradable butter chalk and chalk crayons made from sea shells (!) as the perfect accompaniment to the ChalkMat, also available at Jaq Jaq Bird by Sam & Bellie.

Posted by Petite Planet at 7:00 AM

Moving to Japan

2009-11-21T07:58:00.001-08:00

I rarely visit the One Dollar Tree stores in my local area. It never looks appealing to step inside and buy a lot of "stuff" that I may never need. The only lure is because my children want to go there and to have their cheap thrills. I would be the weak and tempted mom giving into my children's whims. But have you ever heard of the 100 yen store in Japan? It is basically the same concept. My husband is in the military, so we found out we are moving to Okinawa this summer. The American ex-pats are addicted to this place. Sounds much like how I feel about Trader Joe's. I would have literally over 50 receipts of TJ's for the month when I lived in Washington DC. I already feel the pull of the 100 yen store...
Here are some finds I found (up top).

Here is the article:I LOVE 100 yen stores. We're moving back to the States this summer like Meredith and her family and one of the things that I will definitely miss about Japan is 100 yen stores. So hard to live without them. As it is described in the store name, all the goods cost 100 yen in the store. (Most accurately all, but sometimes you find items that have different prices.)

One of my recent purchases, which I am very happy with, is plastic scissors for my 3-year-old. I gave the same scissors to my friends' kids. They probably figured out where they were from, but now they know for sure! Don't worry, not all my gifts are from there. :P I'd been looking for plastic scissors since my daughter started getting interested in scissors. I couldn't find plastic ones for a long time and I finally saw them at a 100 yen store! I was excited! I love them. I can let my munchkin use the scissors without worrying that she'd cut something that she's not supposed to or get injured.

Chicago & Seattle

2009-11-20T07:59:00.001-08:00

I am now posting our summer pictures. The last two are from Seattle. We stumbled upon-literally a hill on the city. We are overlooking all of Seattle. It was breathtaking. The first image was the Lego Store in Chicago. My family lives in the 'burbs of Chicago, and I hate, absolutely hate Chicago traffic. It never sleeps. So the 3 kids and I set off for an adventure: train, bus, etc.. to get there. This is when we finally arrived-notice sigh of relief. Later that day, Micah gashed his knee on the escalator at Union Station when were in a mad rush to head back for a big family gathering back in the 'burbs. I do not care for the suburbs in Chicago, but can live in the city any day, even in the brutal months of winter.

3 Stooges

2009-11-20T07:37:00.000-08:00

These are my 3 stooges. They are ever so crazy. Middle one especially. Bellie loves to eat...only processed food. She has an addiction problem: carbs, but is soo cute and sassy. She is the artist in the family. Oldest one, Sam, is my dutiful and sweet one. He has a sophisticated palette when it comes to food. Today he is selling lavender and blueberry biscotti for school fund raiser that mom baked. My smallest one, Micah is the mischievous one. Today, I made him drink my freshly squeezed beet-carrot-spinach juice, and instead of drinking it, he decided to spill it all over the dining chair and floor so it wouldn't touch is Star Wars Lego book. You don't want to know what happened next.

2009-11-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, Okay, I lied. I had to get this one in too. I had taken all the pictures yesterday, and realized I had to photo shop all the images. This is so cute. Look at them.

And One More!

2009-11-20T07:12:00.000-08:00

I know you guys are sick of all the Perfect Pouch photos, but I had to show you one more. Here is a bigger sized one in yellow. Obviously you can put the bib in there, I just showed it out so you can note the transparency. When you buy couple packs, you can organize it in your baskets. My sister loves this idea because you can be in a hurry to leave, and have your child grab one out of her toy pile. You can have a pouch for puzzles, Legos, Checkers, Playmobil, etc... You get the point.

2009-11-20T06:43:00.000-08:00

Here is my printed version (in Dots & Butterflies). It comes in a set of 2. This is the smaller version of the Perfect Pouch. I love this pouch. I keep it in my purse, tote, car, etc.. You can store basically anything. I travel with the pouch too and it's clear so you can see everything.

2009-11-20T04:45:00.000-08:00

So here is our new Perfect Pouch™ in snack sizes! My sister and I invented these. Did you know plastic bags cannot be recycled in most US municipalities? There are very few States in the US that can recycle them! Because we both have children in grade schools, we pack lunches almost every day. I have tried every kind containers, and bags out there: Wrap N Mat, wax baggies, paper, Ziplock, tin foil, and bento boxes. Sometimes being the disorganized mom, I don't have all the dishes washed in the morning, so I need a quick bag to pack. Admittedly, I use the plastic baggies, and I feel guilty every time.
We invented these great contraptions for small hands. It is completely food-safe, easy to wash. They will be coming out next month, pack of 4.

2009-11-19T21:55:00.000-08:00

Here is our Activity mat, 44 x 44. It's available now for stores. I love how the trim turned out. Completely PVC and BPA Free. It folds up easily. I love the 4 prints it comes in: Airplanes, Roadway, Birds & Owls, and Dots & Butterflies. $35.00 retail.

2009-11-19T21:53:00.000-08:00

I am excited about our new Perfect Pouch coming out next month. It is in the making as I write about it on the post. I have two boys that are obsessed with Legos. As much as I love to encourage their engineer minds, I cannot stand all the Legos strewn all over our home. I hate throwing away plastic Ziplock bags, so we came up with the perfect solution: the perfect pouch. Comes in a set of 2. Comes in 2 sizes, 4 prints, as well as 2 clear. Here are some useful ways to use our Perfect Pouch.

Chalk Talk

2009-11-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

So as you know, I sell chalk mats on my site. But everyone, I mean every store, every customer keeps telling me to sell chalk, or add it with the product. I finally did my due diligence and found wonderful manufacturer. I just posted it on my site. Most chalks are made with calcium carbonate, and crayons are made with parrafin wax. I found ones made out of sea shells and scallops, that is super high quality! I am in the process of designing them, but we are selling some of them on our site! The company we partnered with helped us along for the holidays, and gave us our first set of chalks! I call them Butter Chalk™. That is what you are seeing: the one states: water chalk is literally waterbased-clam shells. It creates no dust. It writes like butter. Use it on your windows, draw it in the bath tub. Completely non-toxic.

The other chalk is called my "french milled" chalk, but we trademarked it as Scallop Shells Chalk™. Completely made out of scallop shells! IT doesn't break down like normal cheap chalk. It does create dust, but virtually nothing compare to the chalks you would buy at any store in the US.

The best part? The manfacturer hires special needs people in Japan to create the chalks. Soon, they will be added into all our chalk mats and place mats.

ABC SHOW

2009-11-13T17:37:00.001-08:00

This is from September of this year. My first show ever. It went very well. These are images of the small booth we did and some of the products we debuted. A lot of preparation, time and organization went into this. If it wasn’t for my sister helping me along, I don’t think I would have made it.

The Joys of Photo-shopping

2009-11-13T17:08:00.001-08:00

So here is a photo-shopped version of the apron I designed and created. Completely water-based dyes with PVC free, toxic free plastic. EVA. The background of the apron was the color of my house-wall, sea-foam blue. I whiten the background with the magic wand tool and used the lasso tool to refine it. Once I used it, it I got the hang of it. I love this design. Owls- and the whole wood theme has been trendy for quite some time now. I love it. I wanted to come out with other colors of the same prints, but again, that means more money, time and confusion for the retailers. For now, I’ll enjoy this one.

If you want to see the rest of our my line, you can visit my site: www.jaqjaqbird.com (means chirp chirp in Korean). This is the nick name of our youngest son.

Mom's 60 Birthday

2009-11-13T17:05:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite moment was on my mother’s 60th birthday. This summer the family flew out to Chicago to throw a huge birthday bash for my mother. It was a big hoopla. We ordered the cake-raspberry lemon curd cake, one of the very things that my mom loves, but my son hates. He hates raspberries, for that matter, any type of berries. We had the party at a nice Japanese restaurant in Chicago, and all night long the children have been anticipating the yummy cake. Well, when it came out, my son went up to my mom so he can have the first bite, only to find out there were raspberries on top of the cake. If you see the second picture you will see how disappointed he was, and he cried, “Why did you get this cake, grandma! I hate this cake, you know I don’t like raspberries?!?!” As if the whole party was for him, and everything centered around him. My mother and everyone around her cracked up. IT was such a great moment.