Haraka, haraka, haina baraka

Happy birthday, Claire! (and thank you)

2010-11-14T07:26:00.000-08:00

my sunshine girl is 4 today!!! we are looking forward to celebrating! her party is next weekend, rather late, but thankfully she is young enough not to be bothered by this. here's a shot of my dear girl.

have a great Sunday, everyone, and thank you, thank you, thank you, to all my friends who attended the Adornment show - i felt your love and support and they mean so much to me! thank you!

The Adornment Show is tonight!!

2010-11-12T10:40:00.000-08:00

i'm running around today with butterflies in my stomach, but it's all good. i'm looking forward to seeing many of you at the show tonight. i'll try to take some photos, but i'm guessing if anyone takes them, it'll be Phil. ok, off to put Cordelia down for a nap - hopefully it'll be a good one so she won't be cranky and fussy tonight. :)

This Week

2010-11-08T12:43:00.000-08:00

i've been so busy, i haven't taken any film photos lately. i think it will have to wait until after this friday. so, i was running around at the end of last week, picking up my paintings from the frame shop and picking up my prints from the print shop. this week, i'll have to get the paintings hung, prints packaged, and try to keep our daily life going. Claire's 4th birthday is at the end of the week - i have been neglecting birthday celebrations. that too will have to wait until after friday!

but it's going to be fabulously warm this week and that makes me happy! what a treat we've been having with this great fall weather. if the snow holds until december, we may even get to see my parents here for Thanksgiving - since they aren't used to driving in the snow from having lived in Kenya for so long, they don't leave the house much in the winter. :)

happy monday, everyone! i'll leave you with this photo from a couple of weeks ago.

Halloween

2010-11-01T17:15:00.000-07:00

did you all have a lovely weekend? or should i ask, did you all have a crazy weekend? our halloween weekend wasn't too exciting until yesterday. the girls woke up, all excited about going trick-or-treating. Claire would have run out in the early morning to fill up her candy bucket. i know parents complain about kids being on sugar-high, but my kids were on anticipation-high all day. it was a relief to let them out of the house. the part i enjoy most about halloween is seeing all the neighbours out with their families. time to catch up, see some neighbours we haven't seen in a while. now to figure out how to throw out some of the candy without the girls noticing...

Phil said to me this morning that we may get rain and snow this week. i'm hoping he's wrong, but then again, anything is possible since we've had such a warm fall. i'm not sure i'm ready to hunker down yet. but those days of staying in, baking cookies, decorating the tree, those days aren't too far off.

happy monday, friends!

The Adornment Show paintings

2010-10-29T09:30:00.000-07:00

here are 4 paintings i will be showing at the show. i wanted to let you know that i will also have 8 x 10 inch prints available for these paintings. the prints are high quality giclee prints on heavy weight, archival, 100% cotton rag paper. i'm really excited about the prints as i've never made prints of my paintings before. they look really good and have picked up all the details from the originals. of course, the watermarks won't be on the originals or the prints.

Edit: if you are interested in purchasing prints, please let me know. i may have them available online if there is enough interest. thanks!!

Girl in Red, No. 1

Girl in Red, No. 2

Girl in Red, No. 3

Girl in Red, No. 4

The Adornment Show

2010-10-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

hello, everyone, i hope you had a good week and are looking forward to the Halloween weekend like we are. :) and on that happy note, i want to invite you to The Adornment Show. if you are in town, please do join us - i think it's going to be lots of fun!! in case you are wondering, i'm listed as S.L. Kim on the invite. i will post photos of a few of my paintings that i will be showing.

The Adornment Show
November 12th, 2010
at Winnebago Studios
from 5-9pm
2036 Winnebago Street
Madison, WI 53704

The last warm days

2010-10-28T14:54:00.000-07:00

before the days turned cold, we tried to enjoy the beautiful fall weather by going on picnics. these pictures were taken by Lake Kegonsa. the girls loved it so much they've been asking to return. i think we'll have to wait until spring. it's suddenly gotten cold, it finally feels like winter is on its way.

One order of zen moment, please!

2010-10-26T14:06:00.000-07:00

do you ever wish you could order those moments of peace whenever you wanted one? like a cup of coffee, or tea (my preference). there's a teahouse in Madison that i love - Macha teahouse. i would go there every day if i could. they serve you delicious tea on a wooden tray and give you a timer to show you when you should take the tea leaves out of your pot. i would love to sip my tea while reading a book, or writing a letter. alas, my life is not quite all mine to do as i wish all the time. i have to catch my zen whenever i can, whenever it chooses to fly my way.

and it was during one of those unexpected zen moments when i took these photos by Lake Mendota. Skye and Claire were busy playing on the playground, Phil was holding Cordelia, and i had a rare moment to wander over to the water.

i think i have won over the lice - yay!!! this means the rest of the week is going to be great! hope you're having a great week!

The past weekend

2010-10-25T13:05:00.000-07:00

i was hoping to have another kind of post for you today, but last thursday, we were introduced to something quite new and i spent the whole weekend working on that. i debated on whether to share this with you - i couldn't help but wonder what will you all think of me?? i wondered if you would judge me, wondering what sort of personal hygiene i teach my children, if i never clean my house, etc, etc. but, it is a part of my life now, so here goes. Skye came home last thursday and complained her head was itching. usually, i probably would have brushed it aside, but her school has been having lice outbreaks, so i immediately looked. and sure enough, there they were, those horrible creepy crawly things. i went into hyper-mode. don't you dare move - keep your head still! take off all your clothes! take all the sheets off the beds! the first night, we tried the olive oil treatment, but by friday, i was at my wits end and used the strong stuff called Nix. i spent the entire weekend combing through Skye's hair, killing lice with my fingers, pulling nits out... honestly, i will never look at hair the same way, ever again.

this is an image i used to see quite frequently as a child growing up in Kenya.

Skye returned to school today and she seems clear so far. the thing with lice is they can come back. it is rather exhausting work being vigilant over these tiny, barely visible eggs. i wouldn't wish it on anyone. and the irony of it all? i hear that oil keeps lice away, so if you don't wash your hair, you are less likely to attract lice. so, maybe it's time to tell the kids to stay dirty.

Sunshine

2010-10-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

hello, everyone!

hope you are having a good monday so far! we've had some glorious fall weather for the past week - bright and sunny, rather crisp in the mornings and evenings, "champagne" days. :) the weather makes all the difference on my perspective, how about you?

i received a very thick letter in the mail today from a friend - that too makes me very happy. no matter how much i love facebook and emails, they cannot diminish my happiness in sitting down to read a handwritten letter. :) do you have things like that in your life, something that instantly makes you happy?

i am right now at Skye's violin lesson, listening to her learn a new piece of music while Cordelia, having taken a good nap, entertains herself here next to me with a piece of paper which she will shred to pieces.

happy monday!

My girls

2010-10-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

Humble pie + apple pie

2010-10-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

i feel like i'm eating humble pie lately. i have to depend on so many people to do the things i ought to be doing! i depend on Phil to do most of the cooking these days. i depend on friends and neighbours to take Skye and Claire. and yet i'm still tired, so tired. i long for the day when i can feel myself again, to do the things i'm supposed to do. of course, i love my husband for doing so much and i'm so grateful for good friends and neighbours who love my kids, but i do long for the day when i don't feel so....useless.

but even in the midst of the sleepless blur that seems to make up my days, i did manage to bake an apple pie. afterall, what is fall without apple pie?

what's your favourite food in the fall?

happy monday, everyone!

Signs of fall

2010-10-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

these are from a walk i took around our neighbourhood. while we are enjoying a fantastic, warm week, the trees show the tell-tale signs of fall. could i hope that perhaps halloween this year will be warm enough for my little fairy to go without her winter jacket? we shall see...

more pics to come! :) happy friday, everyone!

on art + books

2010-10-05T07:18:00.000-07:00

what a busy weekend we had! but so enriching in many ways, so let me share. and a reminder to me of why i love Madison so much. i just wish i had more energy to go out every time there's something going on!!

considering that i am usually in my pajamas by 7 pm, it was quite a feat that we were out late on friday night, way past everyone's threshold, for Gallery Night. we hit just one spot (i don't think i could have handled any more), Winnebago Studio, where my friend Rachelle has her studio, along with many other artists. there will be more about this great space later as i will be participating in an art show there that Rachelle is putting on for November. it's always such an inspiration to visit other artists' studio spaces and to see the works they are creating. there was great live music too. when the kids started to complain of hunger, we went out to eat dinner with some friends. apart from almost setting the restaurant on fire, we did pretty well. :) (one of the napkins landed on top of the candle and we had no idea until a hole had burned through!)

then on saturday, i attended one of the readings at the Wisconsin Book Festival. it was Ngugi wa Thiongo and his son, Mukoma wa Ngugi. unfortunately, Cordelia did NOT sleep through the talk, but she did very very well and sat through most of it. i had to slip out about 10 minutes before it ended, but i got to buy two books and was almost at the front of the queue waiting to get my books signed. the two writers loved Cordelia and couldn't get enough of her. :) the reading sparked my memory and imagination. it felt good to hear writings about Kenya, so different from my mine, yet the same. i am really looking forward to reading these books: Ngugi wa Thiongo's Dreams in a Time of War, and Mukoma wa Ngugi's Nairobi Heat.

i promise to have more photos posted this week. i dropped off some rolls of film so i should be getting them back soon.

Ngugi wa Thiong'o is coming to Madison!!

2010-09-23T15:06:00.000-07:00

who is he, you ask? he is the Kenyan author who taught me so much about the Mau Mau and the parts of Kenya that you don't see in stories like "Out of Africa". while i am a devoted fan of Isak Dinesen, i equally admire the works of Ngugi wa Thiong'o. if you are a local and want to join me, let me know. he is coming here for the Wisconsin Book Festival which will take place early October. book lovers, come on out!

Milwaukee pics + update on my agent search

2010-09-22T10:43:00.000-07:00

these are some photos i took when we visited Milwaukee just before schools started. i had heard there were so many kid-friendly things to do, like the children's museum and the mini aquarium, but the weather was so beautiful and we were already missing summer, so we spent our time at the beaches and walking along the riverwalk.

and i really, really wish i could share great news with you regarding my search for an agent. it has been a year now since my search began. and still no agent. it is very discouraging and i can see how disillusionment can set in. but i must always have a shred of hope in me, because i keep sending those query letters out there. i sent out a batch today. and it hasn't been all nothing. i've had many agents get back to me, asking to read my manuscript, but in the end, the answer has been no. for now. let's hope i'll find that agent out there whose aesthetics match up with mine! i just wanted to share this with you since i've been rather silent about the search. i do get tired of telling people that i'm still searching.

Sisterhood

2010-09-16T12:19:00.000-07:00

when i was a little girl, i always wished i had a sister. when i look at my girls, i grow warm inside thinking they will always have each other. over this past summer, i really got to see how good they were together. Cordelia's face lights up when Skye or Claire walks into the room. Skye takes care of Claire when i am not able and Claire provides companionship for Skye. of course, there's the bickering and fighting, but on the whole, the girls are happy together. could a mother ask for more?

Long absence

2010-09-15T10:54:00.000-07:00

lately, i've been feeling like i'm caught in fast forward mode, but my body and mind just aren't able to keep up. life is moving along at its usual pace - i'm just moving too slowly. i do wish i could jump off of life, sit down with a cup of tea and watch it go by. like i used to do when i was writing my novel. but i'm really wishing for the impossible - i mean, how do you do that with three kids, and esp when one of them is just 5 months old? i keep reminding myself that by next year, i will have some moments to call my own. my sleep-deprived mind hasn't had the will to be creative, thus, the silence. and while i haven't been writing here, i've been thinking about my purpose for this blog. i had always seen this space as a way to keep in touch with those of you scattered far from me, a place for me to share thoughts and ideas that are important to me. perhaps this purpose seems rather uncertain to me right now because i'm so tired. :)
so, instead of trying to figure things out, i'll share this image with you.

The Winding Down of Summer

2010-08-24T12:26:00.000-07:00

where has summer gone? the air has that slight chill in the mornings...backpacks are ready to go to school...i'm trying to figure out where everyone needs to be when and how i'm going to fit in Cordelia's naps. this is our last week of summer. i have to say, i'm looking forward to schools starting, :) but let me take this moment to look back on our summer. i won't miss all the bickering and the sweltering humidity, but i have enjoyed being with all my girls all day long. our times at the pool were mostly good times. i was glad for their happy spirits as i blundered along, trying to adjust to taking care of the three of them. Cordelia is 5 months this week and these 5 months have been a blur with moments that stand out like exclamation points. i will remember this summer as the one where Claire learned to swim, the one where Skye emerged from a swim meet heat a proud winner, the one where all of my family came to visit, the one where i often looked at Cordelia's sleeping face wondering how i was going to survive yet another few days without Phil. there were moments when i was completely overwhelmed and my girls witnessed me at my worst, but i'm sure to forget those moments. will my girls forget too? i hope so.

i am looking forward to this year. the girls are growing so quickly and there will be many new experiences ahead. we will mark many milestones in each of their lives - please celebrate with us here!

The new Madison Children's Museum

2010-08-18T07:53:00.000-07:00

we have been waiting for a long time for the new Madison Children's Museum to open and it did finally last weekend. yesterday was a rather cold and grey kind of day, so the girls and i decided we should make a visit. the first thing that hit me as we walked in the front door was the level of noise. overwhelming!! the place was packed, packed, packed!! when we used to visit the old museum, it was like visiting a ghost town. everyone was there to check out the new space. and a fabulous place it is too. so worth the visit. but if you're prone to claustrophobia when around hyperactive children, i would wait until the newness of the museum has worn off. there are 4 levels to the museum, with much more space devoted to older children, so Skye was thrilled. the best part for me was the rooftop garden. you can take the elevator up to the top of the building and see the Capitol and parts of Madison. they have a chicken coop with live chickens, a sand pit, and a sweet pond with wooden boats for the children to play with. however, i was rather disturbed by a large group of children who spent their time throwing rocks at the poor fish in the pond, determined to "get the fish"...i'm sure the creators of the new museums didn't envision that activity.

once i got over the noise and overcrowding, i managed to get my camera out and take some shots.

here are the girls taping on the large glass windows on the second floor. i'm sure they were wishing they could do this at home too. :)

this was a portion of the second floor - chaotic but fun!

they had quotes painted on the walls throughout the museum - my eyes focused on them frequently, to rise above the din. ;)

my girls (including Cordelia, whose back of the head you can see here) was fascinated by this view of the water "tornado" that was exhibited near the entrance of the museum. here they are looking down a tube from the 2nd floor.

fabulous climbing structure!

down in the level for the under 5s:

even Cordelia got out to play in the baby room!

so happy to see bean sprouts there!

Claire enjoying her mango frozen yogurt

Family reunion

2010-08-14T09:39:00.000-07:00

i've been meaning to post some pics from my family reunion during the last weekend of July. but when i downloaded them, i realized just how few i took!! :( i think i was so busy, i just didn't get around to grabbing the camera. but here are some shots Phil and i managed to take. Q & Christe, you have to send me the pics you took! i have no pics of the kids except the one here!

Five Senses Friday

2010-08-13T09:05:00.000-07:00

it's friday and it has been way too long since i last did one of these. i started doing this after discovering this blog - abby try again - written by Abby. and it's my birthday today! the last time my birthday was on a friday 13th was when i turned 13 yrs old!! thankfully, my life hasn't been full of bad luck, in fact, i feel really blessed, esp to have a wonderful husband and 3 beautiful daughters.

feeling: relief from the intense heat we've had this week - finally seems to be cooling off.

seeing: ominous, dark clouds in the sky. hoping for cooling rain.

smelling: cup of earl grey tea - have to have my cup of tea in the morning, even if it is boiling hot outside

tasting: actually, i'm looking forward to tasting some gnocci for my birthday dinner. i'm salivating even now as i think about it. :)

hearing: "too young to burn" by sonny and the sunsets - perhaps i'm in denial about my age. :)

Moments from July

2010-08-06T09:07:00.000-07:00

finally, here are some photos i took over the month of July with my nikon. i hope you enjoy them!

Short break

2010-07-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

just wanted to let you know i'll be back hopefully next week with lots of photos - my parents and my brother and his family are arriving tomorrow and will spend the weekend with us. it's been a LONG time since our family has all come together so it'll be a good reunion. also this weekend is Skye's all-city swim meet, the conclusion to her summer swim team. so, we have a packed weekend ahead. hoping for great weather and fun times!

Cordelia

2010-07-20T19:55:00.000-07:00

i've been waiting to put up some pictures of the cordelia lilies that have bloomed - i'm afraid you are going to have to be satisfied with the photo i took with my point-and-shoot camera. my film shots will follow, perhaps next week? it's been crazy busy here, so i haven't had much time with my camera. and of course, a recent photo of Cordelia to go with her lilies...doesn't she look great sporting my pink headphones? :)

Five Senses Friday

2010-07-16T08:22:00.000-07:00

it's been a while since i've done a five senses friday... for those of you who are new to the blog, i started doing these after i started reading Abby's blog, abby try again. she does them every week and they are fun to read and to write!

smelling: our cordelia lilies - yes, they are finally blooming, after weeks of worrying about them getting gobbled up by the bunnies and wondering when they would bloom. i'll post some pictures of them soon - they are gorgeous!

hearing: been listening to KT Tunstall and wondering when she's going to have another album out?

seeing: a new project i've been working on...i'll share more about them soon, but know that i've started painting again and it has been lots of fun.

tasting: sweet, sweet mangoes

feeling: content...i know it's a feeling that's fleeting, so i'm going to try to enjoy it as much as i can right now because tomorrow, i may feel entirely different! :)

Swimmer

2010-07-13T18:59:00.000-07:00

so what have i been doing with my time while i haven't been blogging? i'm afraid all my energies are sent towards the pool these days. and this short video will show you why:

it was a truly exciting moment for us, and of course, esp for Skye. :) she won her heat and placed 6th overall. and Claire, inspired by all the swimmers around her is THIS close to swimming too.

Happy Birthday, Mum!

2010-07-05T13:41:00.000-07:00

it's my mum's 70th birthday today - happy happy birthday! we can't celebrate together today, but the whole family is planning to get together at the end of the month to celebrate. my parents and my brother and his family will all come to Madison - i can't even remember the last time we all got together! it's been way too long.

here is a picture of my mum with Cordelia soon after she was born - she was here for 2 weeks taking care of all of us!

summer days

2010-07-01T08:44:00.000-07:00

pool, pool, pool, and more pool! that's how our days have been for the past 2 weeks. i've been struggling to adjust to the new schedule and finally, this week, i feel like i am moving with the flow. we go to the pool in the morning for Skye and Claire's swim lessons and swim team practice. we often take it easy in the afternoons, but if the girls are hot, they want to go back to the pool. so we are getting pickled in the chlorine and turning into little brown fishes. :) i've been away from the blog because it's been overwhelming on most days.

Skye has become quite a swimmer in the past 2 weeks. the swim team practices every day have made quite a difference! when summer first began, she couldn't swim across the width of the pool without stopping. now, she swims lengths without stopping!! it's such fun to watch her swim in the swim meets. there'll be more of that as the summer progresses.

Claire is getting very comfortable in the water and is oh-so-close to swimming. if i didn't have Cordelia to hold, i could work with her and get her swimming before the summer is over, but alas, such is not the case. i remember i worked so hard with Skye in the water before Claire came. such luxuries when you have just one child!!

i've managed to take some photos. people have been asking for more photos of Cordelia whose face does seem to change every week, so here they are! and Cordelia is in such a fun stage. she smiles and laughs, responds to us in her baby way - so beautiful! she's trying so hard to lift her body up when she is on her back. i feel like she is quite impatient to be up and moving, just like her sisters!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-19T19:35:00.000-07:00

all you daddies out there - happy father's day! here are some of my favourite pics of Phil with the girls - what a great dad! we love you!

Five Senses Friday

2010-06-18T09:37:00.000-07:00

ah, it is the end of another week! it's been a crazy week, adjusting to a new summer routine, but we made it through! i've been telling Skye all week that each day, swim team will get easier, and so i need to tell myself, with each week, things will get easier.

something else new this week: i've picked up Phil's old Nikon and have started taking film pictures. let me tell you, it hasn't been easy! i'm much better with paints than with apertures, speed, etc. but here are a few of the shots that seemed to have turned out. :) some look like they've been taken with a polaroid camera. if you are a film photographer, please leave me some advice!! would appreciate it.

smelling: chlorine in the hair, chlorine on the towels, chlorine everywhere!!

hearing: Honey Honey's "Sugar Cane" (which you can listen to here)

seeing: our cherries turning red -- we are impatiently waiting for them to ripen

tasting: fresh peaches - mmmm....

feeling: glad that summer has started

Summer begins

2010-06-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

i've been wanting to write, but what a hectic week it has been! we have jumped into summer with a big splash and we're all still adjusting to the new schedule. on monday, our pool life began. we will be spending more time than before at the pool due to Skye joining swim team this summer. the girls and i are at the pool by 9:15 every morning and don't get home until noon!! before this week, i was completely stressed out about this, wondering how to manage this with a 3 month old baby, but Cordelia has been WONDERFUL. sure, i get really sweaty and sticky on hot days because the only way she'll sleep is in the wrap, but that's ok. we had some crummy weather at the beginning of the week and Skye and Claire swam in the rain (but i was happy because Cordelia and i were quite comfortable in the colder weather), but today felt like summer and the time at the pool was terrific. i'm hoping by next week we'll have our new routine down - and hopefully i can return to writing more here and posting more pictures! :)

Five Senses Friday

2010-06-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

i've missed doing "five sense friday" for the past few weeks and i'm a little late with it today, but better late than never! and if i haven't explained what "five sense friday" is before, it's something i read on a blog i've really enjoyed following for the past few months and Abby, the blogger of abby try again (where you can see some beautiful and inspiring photography), encourages her readers to participate by doing the same in their blog. it seems to be a great way to end the week.

tasting: juicy dark red cherries

smelling: the gigantic pale yellow lilies from the farmer's market (they have been filling the house with their sweet smell all week long and they look like they'll last another few days!)

hearing: Cordelia's sweet cooing sounds

seeing: the cordelia lilies i planted after Cordelia's birth getting chewed up by the bunnies...sad to say that we won't have as many lilies blooming this year, but i hope to save the ones that have survived

feeling: missing Phil who is away on a conference - first time since becoming mother of three. let's hope i survive! :) but glad today was the last day of school for Skye and looking forward to summer break!

Her first little black dress

2010-06-10T15:21:00.000-07:00

first of all, thank you for all your support, empathy, advice yesterday. today was a complete opposite of yesterday...perhaps i just started off all wrong yesterday. but when i'm in the thick of it, it's good to know i have you all behind me!!

today, i received some clothes i'd ordered for Skye - the girl is growing up so fast i can barely keep up! well, i was speechless when she put this on. when did she become a lady??

did you ever have such a moment, when you looked at your child and suddenly realized she is all grown up? please share!

Embracing Chaos

2010-06-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

does anyone know how to do this? if you do, please teach me! i seem to be completely useless at it. i don't know how to prioritize my children's needs - when all three come at me with something all at once, i drop all the balls instead of gracefully juggling them all. i know, tomorrow's a new day and things will look better, but right now, i'm not sure i'm handling motherhood well at all.

Rainy Day

2010-06-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

it rained all day today. so we spent the day drawing, doing puzzles, making paper dolls, futzing with the camera, and making soup. what do you like to do on rainy days?

Summer Reading #2

2010-06-03T19:16:00.000-07:00

this is a fun book to read. i've read it out loud to the girls and both of them love it. i'm thinking of having Skye read this herself this summer. Clementine is a modern version of Ramona Quimby, according to the lady at the bookstore when i bought it. i think that's a pretty good picture of Clementine, except her personality is so lovable. i have to say, next to Ann Shirley, Clementine is one of my favourite redheads.

Favourite moments from last week

2010-06-01T14:51:00.000-07:00

the girls enjoyed eating on the high stools at Marigolds on a saturday morning

peonies from our garden

*sisters*

Skye bikes to school on "bike to school day"

the pool finally opens up!! and what a hot day it was!

Summer Reading #1

2010-05-24T14:46:00.000-07:00

as we prepare for the summer, i've been thinking about books, especially for Skye to read over summer break. this book, Happy Times in Noisy Village, is a favourite which will be on the list for Skye. i will make more recommendations over the next few months. i would love to hear what you and your children are reading over the summer!

Rhubarb Goodness

2010-05-23T19:18:00.000-07:00

i have never cooked with rhubarb before and was never really inspired to. rhubarb always looked like celery to me, but when i saw a recipe for Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake, i just had to try it. so when we were at the farmer's market on saturday, i got some rhubarb and got to work. and it was so worth it! i'm now a fan of rhubarb and will make the cake again. i didn't take pictures of the cake since you can find the recipe and beautiful pictures of it on the blog, honey & jam. hope you will feel inspired to bake it too!

Five Senses Friday

2010-05-21T05:08:00.000-07:00

yet another Friday is here...where do the weeks go?? these days, i feel like i'm not doing much, but when i look at how big Cordelia has grown and the rolls of chub on her arms and the little dimples on her elbows, i remind myself that i am doing something very important here!

seeing: peonies finally starting to bloom! i planted them 2 years ago and they are finally flowering this year - can't wait to see all the buds in full bloom!

tasting: english muffins and tea

hearing: Cordelia cooing

smelling: sweet fragrance of lilacs

feeling: all the ups and downs of motherhood this week

Revisiting an old diy

2010-05-20T13:43:00.001-07:00

when Skye was born, Phil was still a student, so we were frugal in our preparations for the new baby. one of the things i made from stuff around the house instead of buying it new was a mobile. i used an old wire coat hanger for the frame, made the sun and leaves from construction paper and laminated them, and made the birds and butterflies from paper i'd bought from Venice during our globe-trotting days. i've often thought about replacing it, but it comes out with each child. and it has been added to - when Claire was born, Skye added the string of hearts. now, Cordelia loves to look at it. i hope she is feeling all the love that went into it! :)

Friends

2010-05-17T18:24:00.000-07:00

i've been thinking a lot about friends lately and feel blessed to be around some really good friends. this past weekend, my friend, Saejung, threw a party for me at her house. it was so lovely. lovely to be able to sit with my friends who were all there to help me celebrate Cordelia's birth. i was enjoying myself so much though i completely forgot to take pictures...!

and as i am blessed with good friends, my daughters are building relationships that i hope will last for many many years - such sweet girls!

Five Senses Friday

2010-05-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

seeing: puddles and mud...we had a very wet week

tasting: chocolate cake

hearing: Skye singing her songs for her class play that's coming up next week

smelling: roses and lilies from the farmer's market

feeling: glad the week is over; was esp hard with Phil gone quite a few evenings

Sarah Jane Studios giveaway

2010-05-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

i love love love Sarah Jane's work! check out the giveaway at 6th Street Design School for a gift certificate for Sarah Jane's work and check out Sarah Jane's blog.

Sleeping Beauty

2010-05-11T11:48:00.001-07:00

fell asleep while waiting for me to finish nursing Cordelia...

Skye's week

2010-05-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

this past week was all about Skye - and what a full week it was! it began with Skye's violin spring concert. quite an affair - there must have been about 80 children on the stage at one point. it was held at Middleton High School auditorium, a large space and i think Skye was daunted by the sheer size of it at first. she looked small and yet grown up, all at the same time. but she played well and we celebrated afterwards by going out for ice cream.

on tuesday, it was Skye ballet recital. another semester of dancing over! after the summer, Skye will start Ballet I and Claire will start her first ballet lessons. for this recital, the girls dressed up as the lilac fairy from "Sleeping Beauty."

and then thursday was of course Skye's birthday. she turned a big 7!! Phil's parents came in the afternoon and took Skye and Claire to the zoo and then we had sushi for dinner, a favourite of Skye's. she asked me to bake her a pineapple upside down cake. not the most attractive looking cake, but it was delicious!!

then saturday was Skye's party. i couldn't even think about hosting a party at home, so we decided to go to Badger Gymnastics and the girls had a great time.

i am exhausted after all the craziness of the past week. i was extremely thankful for a nap today, mother's day! :)

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T09:40:00.000-07:00

to all the mummies i know, happy mother's day!! and especially to those of you who have little ones to take care of, big hugs! since i find it a daily challenge to get out the door properly clothed and sane of mind, i know you all are in the thick of it too! but as i was thinking yesterday at Skye's birthday party, surrounded by 6, 7, 8 year old little ladies, how quickly they grow up and don't seem to need us as much as little Cordelia does... and yet we'll always be their mums. and thank goodness we'll always have our mothers!

Five Senses Friday

2010-05-07T12:48:00.000-07:00

smelling: sweet smells of baking

seeing: rain drops and puddles outside. grey.

tasting: leftover birthday cake from yesterday, Skye's 7th birthday - pineapple upside down cake - yum!

hearing: Cordelia's coughs - poor baby has a cold!!

feeling: can't believe my little girl is 7 years old already - am i really getting that old??

Catching up

2010-05-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

i am sorry to say the week flew by and i even forgot to do my weekly five senses friday update. so, i'll try to catch up here on what went on.

firstly, Skye lost her first tooth!!! we have been working darn hard on this tooth - and for so long, her adult tooth was growing up behind it! here's a picture of her bloody mouth:

Claire has gone from wearing her footies all the time to wearing my old ballet tutu. here is a movie of her with her friends at her music class:

Music class from slkim on Vimeo.

and here is the latest picture of Cordelia doing what she does best:

Memory loss

2010-04-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

i am struggling with that these days. i've forgotten countless things...forgetting to write the time on Skye's birthday party invitations, putting things down and forgetting where i put them... i've become entirely dependent on my calendar - if it's not in there, i'll forget it. i'm afraid one of these days, i'm going to forget one of my children somewhere!

(update: after writing this post, i ran out of the house to pick up Skye from school to take her to ballet - i remembered all the kids but forgot to take Skye's ballet stuff. sigh. fortunately, the ballet school had extra leotards and shoes to borrow.)

Transitions

2010-04-26T14:21:00.000-07:00

i knew the first few months of Cordelia's life would be a time of transitions for all of us, but it's always hard to predict in what ways those changes will play out for each of us. i'd have to say Skye has had the least trouble so far. the hardest has been for Claire. she is suddenly without her constant companion (me) and is no longer the baby of the family. on the whole, she hasn't acted out that much. the evenings, when she is super tired have been the hardest, but even that has been minimal. the change that has been most unexpected is the aspect of clothes. Claire suddenly wants to dress just like Cordelia. which means wearing footed PJs all day. she keeps telling me, "i want pink footies just like Cordelia." we went for a 5 day stretch of wearing the same pink fleece PJs until the pink PJs were no longer pink but brown. a friend told me that someone she knows has a child who suddenly couldn't walk anymore after the new baby was born in that family. when i think about that, i think dirty PJs aren't so bad in comparison.

here is where the pink wasn't so pink anymore... :)

Five Senses Friday

2010-04-23T10:43:00.000-07:00

smelling: playdough on Claire's hands

seeing: my cherry trees heavy with white blossoms

tasting: a Gruyere cheese croissant and a slice of challah bread from Batch Bakehouse - so delicious! i don't think i could live without pastries and bread...

hearing: Claire singing "Pawpaw Patch", a song she learned in music class

feeling: realizing why people stop having kids after two, but also realizing why people keep having more kids. :)

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T15:21:00.001-07:00

those of you who know me know i can't resist poking around in the Anthropologie store. so i was thrilled when i found out the store in Madison was doing an Earth Day activity that was kid-friendly. i managed to drag Cordelia and Claire to the store and Claire made these fun pots. in one, she planted sunflowers and in the other one which she made for Skye, she planted some thyme.

Five Senses Friday

2010-04-16T09:15:00.000-07:00

i've been absent from the blogging world for a while now - so sorry! but as you can imagine, my days seem to run together in a haze now. but i am pulling myself together for Friday! i've been following Lisa Golightly's blog and on Fridays, she does what's called a "five senses friday" entry and i thought i'd give it a go.

smelling: delicious smell of baby

seeing: rolls of chub on Cordelia's chin, arms, belly...you name it!

tasting: all the delicious meals my mummy friends have been bringing over for us. can i just say what wonderful chefs you all are!!

hearing: the birds chirping outside my window

feeling: oh, so tired and sleep-deprived, but so lucky to have my family to love.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T13:40:00.000-07:00

hope you are all having a beautiful Easter weekend. we celebrate one week of Cordelia's life and it has been good. she is nursing well and growing chubby with each day. here's a picture of her after a particularly sleepless night for me - do you see all the milk crusted around her mouth? :)

i was in a black mood in the morning after the particular night of feasting, but then Phil brought home these beautiful flowers for me from the farmer's market and now i have them in the room to remind me of the warm spring outside.

i managed to get a little bit of Easter going in the house before the weekend.

and here are our tulips blooming in the front of the house. i stepped outside briefly yesterday and was thrilled to see them. i look forward to getting out of the house to enjoy the lovely weather we have been having. but for now, i'm still trying to recuperate and take things slowly.

First pictures of Cordelia

2010-03-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

here are some early pictures of Cordelia:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=51019&id=1028853323&l=bb3562e542

Cordelia's Birth Story

2010-03-29T07:28:00.000-07:00

true to the way things have gone with this pregnancy, the birth of Cordelia was unpredictable in many ways. but at the end of the day, we had a beautiful, healthy girl and for that we are extremely grateful.

as in my previous post, we had been preparing a water birth at home. we had had complications with the tub when Claire was born at home, but this time, the tub was no trouble and worked great. i just couldn't last in the tub.

labour began last friday morning at 5am. i thought, uh-oh, is this another false start? but this time, the contractions were definitely stronger and felt much closer to the kinds that started my previous labours. after waiting for about 45 mins, we called the midwife and when she arrived, she said we would have the baby that day. soon, i got in the birthing tub and the girls woke up and hung around. it wasn't long before the contractions got really strong. i could even feel what i thought was the top of the baby's head and the amniotic sac pushing through. when i had felt that much of the head with Claire, the end was very close. boy, was i wrong with this one! the urge to push was really really strong, but i felt i wasn't making any progress. the midwife kept encouraging my that i WAS making progress, but i think physically, i was starting to get very tired. eventually, i got out of the tub. all i could think about was how i wanted to lay down somewhere and go to sleep, but the contractions were only getting stronger.

my labour in total was still only 4 and a half hrs long, but the intensity of it was so much greater than the other two (and the other 2 were pretty intense as well). and this labour started in the morning, when i wasn't feeling as strong. Cordelia's head came out at an angle; thus the long hours of pushing. but perhaps because this was my third birth, i managed to give birth to her even with her in an unfavourable position. in the midst of all the pain, i was aware of my amniotic sac bursting during one of my pushes. had i been more sane of mind, i would have found this rather funny, but i'm afraid i only registered it dimly. and i was SO grateful for my midwives - yes, i ended up having both the midwives who birthed Claire. Phil said how there was almost no need to communicate - we all had been there before and knew what to do. i trusted them completely, even during one dark moment when i thought, i'm going to end up at the hospital and they are going to have to cut me open to get this baby out! but thankfully, my midwives helped by applying pressure in the right places, pushing back on a persistent lip of cervix and eventually moving Cordelia's head as she pushed through.

so, no water birth this time and no en caul birth, but we have another beautiful daughter. it is a joy to watch Cordelia's daily changing face. and her sisters love her to pieces.

i will post some photos once i get a little better.

Week 38

2010-03-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

i apologize for not posting anything for a whole week, but this past week was just plain strange and crazy. i felt too emotionally off-kilter to write anything! but things are better now.

last thursday night, i hardly got any sleep. i kept having these mild contractions that were too frequent to ignore. since i couldn't sleep, i decided to time them. they were about 10 mins apart. they were quite regular, but i was puzzled by their mildness. with both Skye and Claire, when labour started, there was no mistake about it. i knew right away because the contractions were so intense and so fast. but this, what was this? i had no idea. by 5am, friday morning, the mild contractions were about 5 mins apart. around 6am, we called the midwife. we got busy filling up the birthing tub. once the girls woke up, they were all excited too. but when the midwife arrived and she checked me, i was only 1.5 cm dilated. and by then, the contractions were getting even weaker. was i imagining things??? my midwife stayed with us for a couple of hours and then left since nothing was happening, but kept in touch with me over the phone throughout the day. Phil took the kids out in the morning and since i had no idea what to do and i had a batch of danish pastry sitting in the fridge, i baked a batch of cheese danish (which btw was delicious). then i took a thoroughly good nap and woke up to find the contractions were no longer regular.

they say that the third birth is unpredictable (all births are rather unpredictable, but the first is usually long, the second is rapid and the third is a bit of a mystery) and that is proving true for us. since last week's incident, i am discovering many women out there who have had such false starts to their third labour. my midwives reassure me that this is all ok. i am glad to be in the company of women who embrace the mystery of the body and believe strongly in the body knowing what it is doing.

who knows when this baby will arrive and in what fashion? but i'm learning to take it day by day, still trying to accomplish as much as i can before baby arrives.

Week 37

2010-03-18T11:50:00.000-07:00

yesterday, i had my 37th week check up and was suddenly hit with the realization that i wasn't all ready for this birth! so, i've been in my frenzied-activity mode today, doing laundry, going through the list of things i need to finish... and poor Phil, he has a presentation at work tomorrow and he was debating cancelling it. mainly because during my appointment with the midwife, we concluded that when labour hits, it's going to be very fast since my cervix has thinned out almost completely. but, i'm trying to take things calmly and believe that the baby will stay put at least until the end of the month.

at least the birthing tub is ready in our den - but i am beginning to wonder if i'll have time to make it in there! :)

Signs of spring, signs of change

2010-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

we've had LOVELY weather for the past few days - almost all of the snow has melted and plants are sprouting everywhere. here are some signs that make me smile - our magnolia tree budding, the tulips shooting up, and our cherry trees budding:

unfortunately, we are going to be hit with lots of snow this weekend, but the warm sunshine has given me hope that summer is not too far away. :)

and as i see the signs of change, i'm anticipating the change coming to our family. the girls feel it too and have been showing it in different ways. we've had lots of meltdowns and difficulty handling transitions, but i also see signs of growth in the girls. Skye is definitely taking pride in becoming more independent, even in the kitchen - she often cooks eggs and makes pancakes on the weekends for breakfast. i'm so proud of her! and Claire is becoming more and more of a social butterfly. she would much rather go and play with her neighbourhood friends than tag along with me to Skye's ballet class or violin lesson. as i prepare for the arrival of this new baby, i see how quickly my girls are growing up. how will the addition of a third child change the dynamics of our family? that is the great mystery, something i'm curious to discover in the coming months, years.

Skye flipping pancakes

Pulse Conference

2010-03-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

this weekend, i will be showing two of my paintings at the Pulse Conference. since becoming a mother, i haven't had the space/time to paint much, but last year, i did some paintings/collages and these are 2 of them that i'll be showing over the weekend. if you are in town, do stop by. the paintings will be up all weekend during the conference and i think you could stop by whenever, but the opening is this friday, from 6-7 pm, just before the Fernando Ortega concert. i'll be there on friday, along with all the other artists showing their work.

"Taking Flight"

"Hands"

Sewing project

2010-03-04T12:26:00.000-08:00

ever since i did some research with fashion design students for my novel, i've been wanting to learn to sew. not that i want to design and sew fabulous clothes to sell, but i've been wanting to sew simple things for the girls, the house, and me. i've never really sewed anything except hems (i usually have to adjust the lengths of pants i buy in stores), so i wanted to start with something really simple. i finally completed these simple skirts to give to my girls for Easter:

the instructions for them were passed on to me by my friend, Sarah, and you can find them on this blog. i just added some pockets because my girls LOVE pockets. (Mary, i made the pockets using the book you sent me for Christmas!) it was fun, fast and totally gratifying. i want to try the other skirts the blogger has posted - they look really cute and simple to do! now, if only i can make some cute clothes for ME! :)

35 Weeks and counting...

2010-03-03T14:32:00.000-08:00

today was my home visit with the midwives. Azani, who also delivered Claire in our house over 3 years ago, came today and didn't require much introduction since she's done this before! she scoped out the den again where we will set up the birthing tub and we went over the supplies i need to keep on hand. the home visit always reminds me that the baby is almost here. i don't know about you, but i tend to think the due date is always far away, always trying to squeeze in as much as i can get done before baby leaves the belly. that's probably why my babies always come so early. they never want to stay in full term for me! so with this third baby, i've been thinking perhaps this one will be my unpredictable one and come late. well, last night, i woke up in the middle of the night, suddenly concerned that my baby's head wasn't in a down position. i always feel this way close to the due date, always concerned about breach position. so there i was, in bed, prodding away at the baby, trying to figure out where the head was. all i felt were lumps and squirms. i felt the butt, but it felt too hard to be a butt and i was worried it was actually the head sticking up under my ribs. so i was glad i had a checkup today. i asked Azani what position the baby was in and she's usually really fast with figuring it out, but today, she kept probing. she thought the head was down, but she'd have to do a internal exam to make sure the head was down. when she checked, she said the head was really low (station 2, i think is what she said) and i was 92% effaced. *sigh* so much for me thinking this baby will be late. but who knows? maybe the baby will just hang out really low for a whole month! Azani cautioned me against working too much, but how can i go on bed rest with 2 kids to take care of? my mum sort of had a panic attack and is now thinking of getting here 2 weeks before the due date, worried she wouldn't get here in time.

well, we are preparing for anything. i tell you, every single birth is so unpredictable. and as i said, the baby could still hang out really low in my pelvis for another month. right?

Time to buy a van?

2010-03-01T13:47:00.000-08:00

so far, we've managed to be a family of one car and i have dearly loved our VW jetta tdi - i wouldn't trade it in for anything. and i've never imagined myself as one of those mums driving a big van. if there was ever a car i've dreamed of driving, it would have to be one of those jeep wranglers - you know the kind where the roof comes off and you look oh so rugged and cool. :) but, the coming of this third baby is finally making me face reality. there is no way we can fit three carseats in the backrow and of course carpooling is out of the question!

so, last week, we test drove vans. the VW people let us take one home for the day - wasn't that so nice of them? and after having it for a day, i'm afraid i've become a convert. it was SO nice not to be bending over to strap kids in (esp since my belly is the size of a giant globe now), SO nice to have doors open automatically, SO nice to have so much space inside!! i had no idea how cramped our little jetta felt until we drove the van. and the kids? they LOVE the van. they wanted to keep the van and couldn't understand why we had to return it. we also tested a Honda Odyssey over the weekend and i know it's the most popular van out there, but i love the way VW drives. and we are so hoping they'll come out with a tdi van. so, while we still don't own a van yet, it's definitely in the not too distant future (like, in the next couple of weeks?).

this is the VW Routan - it barely fits in our driveway!!

Belated post on Lunar New Year

2010-02-23T19:42:00.000-08:00

oops! time has flown by and i meant to post these pics from our new year celebration earlier. but, better late than never!

doesn't the food look delicious? we ate SO much!

the girls put on their hanbok, the korean traditional dress

Fighting winter blues

2010-02-14T12:51:00.001-08:00

what a busy weekend we are having! but there's nothing like going to gatherings with friends to beat the winter blues that tend to overcome all of us around this time of the year.

to start off our weekend, the girls and i went to a valentine's treat exchange, hosted by my friend, Shannon, who writes the blog, Cooking with Friends. do check out her blog! the goal of the exchange was to partner up with another person attending and make the treats together. Kristin and i got together with the kids that morning to make rice crispy treats covered with butterscotch and chocolate (Kristin's recipe). the kids had a great time and it was so fun to be in someone else's kitchen to cook. thanks, Kristin, and thanks, Shannon, for hosting such a fun party!

then on saturday, we hosted a brunch party with some friends. on the menu was blueberry bread pudding and cheese grits (a shout out to my days in North Carolina), and friends brought delicious quiche, fruit salad, tabouleh, and breakfast pastries. i baked a cake in honour of valentine's day (this time, i tried a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache - i had a great time experimenting with the ganache which worked so differently from frosting) and shared the treats i got from the treat exchange the day before. the kids put on a dance for us after the meal and we had a great time catching up with friends.

i have learned that this is the only way to see people during the cold winter months because we are all hibernating inside and even when we are outside, we're all bundled up we can't recognize anyone! the girls loved spending some time with their friends and i think it was early enough in the day that no one really had a melt down!! :)

in the afternoon, Phil took Skye to her school carnival while Claire napped (a rare occurrence, but the party tuckered her out). and then i took the girls to a chinese restaurant to meet some friends to watch their lion dance. the girls were terrified of the fire crackers and the masks, but couldn't take their eyes off.

today, we will celebrate lunar new year with a group of korean americans. the girls want to put of their hanbok (korean traditional dress) and do jul (bowing to elders who give you money). i'll try to take pictures if the girls manage to keep their hanbok on. :)

happy valentine's and happy new year, everyone!!

treats from the exchange and my chocolate cake

Winter knitting

2010-02-09T18:54:00.001-08:00

whenever winter rolls around, it always feels good to pull out my knitting needles and yarn. i started knitting when we moved to Madison and while i'm not a fast knitter, there is something satisfying about knitting warm winter wear. i haven't ventured into knitting ambitious projects like sweaters and such, but i do enjoy knitting mittens and scarves and leg warmers. mittens are a necessity every winter - someone is always either losing them, or shrinking them, or growing out of them. right now, i'm in the middle of knitting a new pair of pink mittens for Skye who seems to be growing long every which way (Lamb's Pride worsted wool) and i finished a scarf for myself - i stitched the ends together so that i don't have to tie the scarf around my neck, i just loop it around twice, saving me a few precious moments when bundling everyone up (malabrigo yarn in holly hock).

Meat update

2010-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:00

many of you have been asking me about our beef, so i thought i should give you an update. firstly, the cost. we ended up spending under $3/lb for 189 lbs of beef. now, keep in mind, we now have cuts of meat we could never afford before (chateau briand recipe anyone?). we do have quite a bit of ground beef, but that was expected. i don't know how long it will take us to get through it since we don't eat meat every day, but i'll let you know. the amount isn't as much as i first expected. i thought it would be so overwhelming, but it's not. a whole cow, i think, would feel like it is too much, but a quarter seems manageable. we bought the smallest size freezer - 5 cubic feet.

oh, and the farmer threw in the heart, liver and tongue for us!

The gift (actually, another diy)

2010-02-07T18:19:00.000-08:00

soon after we discovered i was pregnant with our third baby, Phil offered to send me away on a trip, a gift before i'd be tied down again. after some thinking, i declined (i know! can you believe it?) and instead requested he build me a play structure for the girls in our basement. my reasoning? it will keep me sane when i have to put the baby down for a nap or when i need some minutes to "escape" - i'll send the girls down there and they can make as much noise as they want.

my vision for the play structure began last summer, when i started dreaming of a tree house for the girls to play in. unfortunately, our backyard doesn't have an appropriate sized tree. and then, the girls complain so much about the mosquitoes, i wondered if building them a tree house in the backyard would be worthwhile. i still envision a tree house and perhaps we will still build it one day, but for now, i am happy to have our play structure in the basement. with such long winters here, we'll be sure to use it.

building the structure was a major test of my communication skills. Phil is SO not a visual person! i drew a sketch and he could not visualize it!! in the end, i ended up having to draw out where every plank and screw went. and in the end, Phil did a great job of putting the structure together, don't you think? :)

my sketch of the structure:

the structure starts to go up!

this is what it looks like now

Finding ways to connect

2010-02-01T18:18:00.000-08:00

as my children get older, i'm finding that i need to think more about ways to connect with them. eversince Skye started kindergarten, i've been trying my best to come up with times we can spend together. she spends most of her days at school and i often wonder what is going through her mind during all those hours. so, Claire and i packed a lunch and decided to meet Skye for lunch at her school. Claire was excited to be going to the "big kids" school and it's always a treat for her to pack a lunch and eat it out. Skye was thrilled to see us waiting for her when she arrived at the lunch room.

many parents had warned me about lunch time - that it is absolute craziness. the kids only have 20 mins to scarf down their food. the noise level is just too much. etc. you get the picture. yes, it did seem sort of crazy as i watched all the kids around me barely chewing their food before swallowing, watching a girl eat just the chocolate cake from her hot lunch and nothing else. but the noise level wasn't as bad as i anticipated which was good. both Claire and Skye ate a decent meal and i got to enjoy a few minutes with Skye in her world, getting to know some of her friends who haven't come over to our house for a playdate. lunch recess was quite a different story, with Claire getting almost run over several times by the big kids.

but all in all, it was a good way to connect with Skye and i hope to do it a few more times before this next baby arrives.

In pursuit of organic eating...

2010-01-26T18:17:00.000-08:00

so, it's been over 10 years since i switched over to eating organic, but this is the first time we've bought beef in bulk. we are getting a quarter of an organic-bred cow. Phil and i had been discussing for months about this and we finally decided to take the plunge. we bought a freezer for our basement which will arrive on friday and then this weekend, Phil will go and bring our quarter of a cow home. the benefit of this is that we will get cuts of meat that are usually way too expensive for us. my mind is already swirling with the possibilities. :)

while we're on the topic of organic food, i recently read Michael Pollan's "the Botany of Desire". it was an interesting read - he discusses how the apple, the tulip, marijuana and the potato have shaped our society and lives. i have to say, i found the potato chapter the most interesting because he discusses the potato farmers. and while i knew conventional farming methods could be pretty bad, i had no idea to what extent. i don't think i could ever look at a potato the same way. the book did reinforce our need to think about what we eat and where our food comes from.

Practical aid to Haiti

2010-01-21T09:41:00.000-08:00

for those of you who are still looking to contribute aid to Haiti, Phil and i would like you to consider this option. it's the Lifesaver Bottle - it was invented by a man who was moved to help in some way after the tsunami. please go to the link and watch the videos on there where the man demonstrates how his bottle works, as well as the video of how it can help people in disaster areas and in places where clean water is difficult to find.

Happy 70th birthday to my mother-in-law

2010-01-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

today, we celebrated Phil's mother's 70th birthday at our house. the girls put on several dances, played the violin and had a grand time. Phil cooked a delicious meal of pasta with clams and mussels. following in the trend of my diy projects, i tried out my hand on making my own "real" birthday cake for the first time.

here are some photos from the day:

ok, so the flowers on the cake don't look quite as real as i wanted, but i thought it wasn't bad for my first attempt. you'll get to see pictures of many more attempts in the months to come - i am completely inspired by this new cookbook i got by Sarah Magid, "organic and chic". her cakes look so fabulous and artistic!! as for the taste of the cake, i won't be ashamed to admit i had 2 slices!! and a 3rd slice later on in the day. :)

belated movies

2010-01-01T19:58:00.000-08:00

here are two movies i just uploaded, one from Skye's ballet recital and the other from our new year's eve party (our hostess was very creative and put down strips of bubble wrap for us to jump on to make a terrific noise since we didn't have firecrackers). :)

Skye's ballet recital from slkim on Vimeo.

New Year Eve 2009 from slkim on Vimeo.

New Year Eve 2009

2009-12-31T20:47:00.000-08:00

hmmm...it would be nice if my new year's eve was a bit more exciting, but with kids, i'm far too tired to party into the wee hours of the morning. instead, we went to a friend's house and had the countdown in Rio de Janeiro time (it was midnight there at 8pm Madison time :)). and now that everyone has gone to sleep, i can catch up on my blog.

i've wondered about new year resolutions, but it's hard to come up with goals when i know life is going to go into full chaos once this third baby arrives. but i am going to try my best to chillax a little more and try my best to roll with the punches. i do still have a list of things to accomplish before the baby arrives, so those are in the immediate future, but other than that, i'm going to try to embrace whatever life has in store for me this year.

here are some pix from yesterday when we drove up north to my sister-in-law Megan's parents' lake house by Dutch Hollow Lake. the girls had a great time opening up more gifts and having a second Christmas. they went sledding down a great hill and built a snow fort. Skye went for a walk to the frozen lake with Phil and Uncle Mike.

Christmas activities

2009-12-29T19:25:00.001-08:00

so i thought our Christmas would be sort of low-key this year. we had some friends over for dinner Christmas eve and then it was just our family for Christmas day. the girls had a great time opening gifts and spent some time outside with the sleds. but on Boxing day, we drove to Chicago so Skye and i could attend the Joffrey Ballet's performance of The Nutcracker. Phil took Claire to the children's museum while Skye and i were at the ballet. thanks to my friends at the Joffrey, we got great seats. i was a little nervous about how Skye would do, if she could sit through the entire performance - and she did! she loved it and was mesmerized by the dancing and the music. it was a real treat for me too - it has been so long since i went to an adult ballet performance. don't get me wrong - i love going to my daughter's ballet recitals and watching her dance, but it was so inspiring to watch the Joffrey dancers doing what they are great at. we ate some good Korean food while in Chicago and of course had to give the girls a taste of Chicago pizza. and on Sunday, we drove back home. it was an exhausting weekend, but lots of fun.

the girls open their gift of PJs on Christmas eve

Christmas morning

at The Nutcracker

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! 2009 from slkim on Vimeo.

Before/After 3

2009-12-14T13:47:00.001-08:00

i FINALLY finished reupholstering our 2 chairs. during the long process, i wondered why on earth i decided to do this project - it was certainly a challenge! but now that they are finished, i love them! the fabric is so beautiful, it just makes me want to sit in these chairs. i guess that's the whole point, right? :)

Winter challenges

2009-12-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

this is now our fourth winter in Wisconsin, and every winter, we are faced with new challenges. last winter, it got so cold, one of our pipes burst. this winter, the roads have turned into ice skating rinks. and since this is just the beginning of the cold, who knows what other challenges are ahead?

when i took Claire to preschool this morning, the roads were slick, but not too bad. i was just mad at the drivers who were driving as if in normal conditions. Skye comes home on the bus at 3pm, but by then, the sun was going down and it was getting really cold. the roads were frozen. when Skye's bus didn't show up by 3:20, i knew something was wrong. i called her school and found out her bus was stuck in the snow about 6 or 7 blocks from our house. i bundled Claire into the car and started driving. not only was the road slick, but by then, there were so many cars on the road, a few minutes drive turned into 15-20 mins. and the strangest sight was of course seeing the big yellow bus on top of a snow pile. i was just thankful the bus hadn't tipped over or anything like that!!

when we asked Skye if she had been scared, she merely said she and her friend wondered if they were going to be on TV. :)

thankfully, we are all home for the night, safe and warm. i hope the bus doesn't get stuck tomorrow!

Snow, and more snow

2009-12-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

the snow started falling early Monday, all day, and continued all night and all day today. tomorrow, we're supposed to get temps of around 10 F!! at least today was warm enough for us to get out and enjoy the snow.

Going sledding (Singing in the snow) from slkim on Vimeo.

Our Charlie Brown Christmas tree

2009-12-09T16:50:00.000-08:00

this year, i asked Phil to get us a small tree. perhaps i had it in my head a smaller tree would be more manageable with my big belly and perhaps there would be less needles to sweep up. when Phil returned with our tree, the first thought that came to my mind was, that is one tiny tree - a Charlie Brown tree! well, after we put up the decorations, i have to say the little tree has grown on me. and it looks much fuller than when Phil first carried it into the house. our ornaments are crowded on there, but it looks sort of nice like that.

Claire's birthday party

2009-12-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Claire's 3rd birthday party from slkim on Vimeo.

here are some photos from Claire's birthday party. we had a full house and lots of fun!

Bunk bed

2009-11-22T11:31:00.000-08:00

the girls got a bunk bed this week and it amazes me how much fun they can generate with it! they LOVE climbing the ladder to get to the top bunk and Skye has filled her bed with all kinds of necessities: notebook and pen, toys, string... i'm going to have to give her a box of some kind to keep everything together!

we are slowly moving furniture around, trying to make space for this new baby and the bunk bed was just another step in that process. who knew having kids required so much furniture?? :)

Before/After 2

2009-11-21T19:46:00.000-08:00

so my dining room is finally finished!! what a relief! here are the before and after pics. i have to say, i LOVE the new purple! and Phil, who was extremely skeptical about the whole purple thing, says he is "eating humble pie." my new buffet is in now and i'll start to hang pictures on the wall this week - i'm waiting for the paint to cure.

Claire's 3rd birthday

2009-11-21T19:24:00.000-08:00

Claire was very confused about the whole birthday celebration thing. i tried to explain that her party was a couple of weeks after her actual birthday, but that was just too far away. when we were eating dinner on her birthday, she asked, where are all my friends? but after her birthday passed and we have now sent out invites to her friends, i think she is now understanding that the party is happening separately from the actual day. you can actually hear her asking about her friends in the movie! :)

she asked for apple upside down cake, so that's what i made for her!

here are some photos of her birthday:

Claire helping me with the cake

Claire's 3rd birthday from slkim on Vimeo.

Before/After 1

2009-11-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

i finished painting the buffet for our dining room - the first project on my list of to-dos. after debating for a long time about what colour to paint it, i decided to go with white. but i did paint an undercoat of greyish-brown and i may sand down the buffet in places to give it a "distressed" look, but i haven't decided yet. i'll wait another day to give the paint more time to dry and see. so, here are the official before and after photos. :)

Before

After

and while i was busy painting the buffet, Claire was busy with her own paint project. :) she painted this old step ladder all by herself.

Redecorating, reupholstering - signs of nesting

2009-11-01T16:58:00.000-08:00

after months and months of silence, i'm back! for most of you, you are aware that i'm now well into my pregnancy (week 17, to be precise) and with the HORRIBLE first trimester over (i'd have to say, out of all my pregnancies, this one was the worst), my nesting instinct is kicking in. i've had several home projects that needed my attention that i'd been putting off, but all of a sudden, they just screamed for attention. so here they are and i'd actually REALLY love input from everyone - all ideas would be welcome.

my first project that's been sitting around are my two chairs in my living room. i'd gotten them years ago from a thrift store for barely anything and when i called around about reupholstering them, the cost was staggering. so, much as i hated the colour of them, they sat in our living room. now, i'm going to tackle them. new fabric, new paint on the frames? i've actually ordered the fabric, but i'm not sure if i should paint the frames. anyone reupholstered chairs like these before?

i have loved my red dining room (btw, i painted it while i was pregnant with Claire - painting seems to be a recurring activity in all my pregnancies) but i think i'm ready to try a new colour. i'm thinking purple - not the pastel kind, but the deep aubergine kind. :) any thoughts?

finally, another great find at a thrift store. a buffet for my dining room. this was a recent purchase and definitely needs a paint job. i've been thinking of painting it white. but the sides are not doing so well. i'm thinking of peeling off the thin paneling that's on top of the wood and hoping the paint will hide it. otherwise, maybe gluing some wallpaper on the sides??

France and the return home

2009-07-17T14:52:00.000-07:00

what can i say? now that we are back in Madison, i am reminded again of that delicious feeling you have when you return home and everything is familiar. sure, we missed our cherries completely this year, but my friend has invited us to come and pick his raspberries tomorrow.

don't get me wrong. i LOVE to travel and this trip was great. i am so glad to have experienced Barcelona and France. but travelling with 2 kids wasn't easy, even though i felt i had prepped pretty well. the girls have some fond memories that they keep talking about (the water park in Barcelona, the puppet show in Lyon), but i'm glad they don't remember all the whining about the long walks. :) i hope Skye will remember some of the beautiful artwork she saw in Barcelona and Paris and be inspired by them. i hope the girls will be enriched by the experience.

in my last entry, i talked a little bit about what we were enjoying in Lyon. looking back, i think Lyon was the one place where i really focused on activities for the children. Barcelona and Paris were mainly for me. :)

what was great about Lyon was staying with our friends, Gregoire and Sophie. they have a beautiful place where the girls felt right at home. on our last day in Lyon, Phil took the girls in the morning, giving me a chance to run off to the Musee des Beaux Arts. it had a really good collection, but what made the time really pleasurable was the fact that the museum was almost completely empty. i could wander around the museum at my own leisure. in the afternoon, we took the girls to La Maison de Guignol to see a puppet show. Guignol is the main character and he usually gets himself into trouble and he enlists the children's help throughout the show. when we bought the tickets, they asked for the names of our girls and in the middle of the show, Guignol suddenly started speaking in broken English, asking Skye and Claire to think of a lullaby to sing to him! he apologized for his bad English, saying it is because he is French. the girls were mesmerized. they didn't sing for Guignol, but they eagerly went backstage at the end of the show to meet the puppeteers and to see the puppets up close.

Lyon is well known for its gastronomy, so we enjoyed really great french cuisine. our friends and Phil's colleagues took us to brasseries that have been around for really long time - our friends pointed out the Art Deco style of the interiors. but what i love most about Lyon are its two rivers - the Saone and the Rhone. the two meet in Lyon so the city is split into three sections: the old part of Lyon, the Presqu'il (the island between the 2 rivers) and the newer section of Lyon. the girls and i spent many pleasant days walking up and down the river.

after 5 days in Lyon, we took the train to Paris. i started to get myself mentally prepared for all the zipping around. our apartment was in the 1st arondissement, a block away from the Louvre, just across the street from a bakery and sandwich shop. Phil went down to the bakery every morning to pick up fresh bread and pastries for breakfast. it was heaven. our first evening in Paris, as i was unpacking, we had the great big windows open and suddenly we hear music from down below. we all peeked down to see a trumpeter, a saxophonist and a keyboard player playing as they strolled down the street. their music wasn't free - they had their plastic cups out - but it was a great way to begin our Paris stay.

the next day, we did the Musee Picasso which was in the La Marais. Phil and i loved La Marais. i think if we ever return to Paris, we would love to stay there. after Picasso, Skye and i went to the Pompidou. we only managed to see the Kandinsky exhibit. they also had a Calder special exhibit, but the wait was too long and Skye was breaking down by then. the view of Paris was amazing from Pompidou. i would love to return to Pompidou as well - there was so much to see there and just too many people to allow for a thorough viewing.

the following day was an outing to the largest flea market in Paris - Marche aux Puces de St. Ouen. not a place to go for a bargain, but it is an amazing place. like London's Portabello. there were beautiful mirrors i wished i could take home, chandeliers in almost every stall, and lots of furniture and silver. we mainly looked and managed to find a few old prints to bring back and frame.

14th July was Bastille day. Phil took Skye early in the morning to see the parade. i wasn't sure how Claire would handle the crowd, so she and i slept in. when we woke up, we looked out our window to see horsemen lined up, getting ready to go to the parade. Claire was so excited!! we watched the planes fly over our building, so we got to see some of the parade from the apartment. :) Skye says watching the parade was one of her favourite things about Paris. there's something about all the pomp and circumstance the children really responded to. i guess we don't have too much of that here in the US.

one final museum for me was the Rodin. i enjoyed it the most because i went by myself and there were very few people there since i got there rather early. sensual...muscular...were words that came to my mind as i walked around Rodin's sculptures. and the garden was impressive. i longed to have a sketchbook there with me so that i could sketch some of the sculptures, but maybe another time.

the girls had fun at the Jardin de Tuileries which was several blocks away from the apartment. at the pond, there was a man who rented out little wooden boats with cloth sails. for 2 euros, the girls got a stick and a boat for half an hour. they could push the boats out into the pond with their sticks and follow them around.

as i mentioned earlier, we enjoyed fresh baked pastries every day. we also enjoyed going to the Vietnamese section of town and eating bowls of pho. the girls and i gorged ourselves on crepes. and some nights, we ate in which the girls preferred. on our last night, we were in the Montmartre neighbourhood and stopped at a fantastic Moroccan restaurant. the tagine and couscous were amazing.

this next paragraph will be about the shopping, so if you hate shopping, you can simply skip over this one. we were in europe at the peak of their sale season. all the stores were having huge sales to clear out everything for the new collection. i didn't go to the big name places, but i had two stores in mind, mainly because they only have stores in France. Soeur is a clothing store for young girls in their teens, but i thought i would definitely find clothes that actually fit me! and the other was Repetto, the creator of dance inspired shoes. i avoided wearing ballet flats all these years because they always seemed to make my legs look really short and stubby, but not the ones i tried on at Repetto! :D i missed going to a store called Colette because it was closed every time i walked by it, but it's supposed to have all kinds of really cool stuff. another time!

i find myself thinking that a lot about Paris - next time! will we return to Paris? i hope so. i feel like there's just so much to explore. i've just scraped the top of all that's there. but i would also like to visit when there aren't so many tourists. i have nothing against tourists, but they do make the city harder to navigate. :)

since there are so many photos and i couldn't possibly upload all of them here, please go to this link. i'll try to add some more photos from Paris i haven't had a chance to add yet.

Beautiful Lyon

2009-07-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

i really wish i could post some photos of Lyon, but i still can't get my computer to connect, so i'm stuck using our friends' computer for now.

Lyon has been a great place to stop in, in between our time in Barcelona and Paris. the pace is slower; it's a smaller city; and it's got a terrific free zoo and park. the girls and i have been going there every day. :) today, they even got to ride an antique carousel (although i have a feeling every carousel we ride in France will be an antique).

we are staying with some friends who are from Lyon. they have been cooking us some fantastic food. and last night, we visited with a korean family living here - i had met the wife 3 years ago when Phil was interviewing for a job here - and the girls had a great time playing with their son who is just a year older than Skye.

Barcelona was all about zipping around, trying to catch some sights, but Lyon has had none of that stress. here, we are enjoying good friends and good food (and good wine of course) and lovely weather. à bientot!

Catching up

2009-07-07T05:59:00.000-07:00

our last few days in Barcelona were rather busy and packed and now that we are in Lyon, i am unable to access the internet on my computer and am having to use our friends...so, since i cannot post any photos, i will have to write. and i am using a french keyboard, so if you see some bizarre typos, you can blame the keyboard. :)

we made it to Gaudi's La Pedrera, a beautiful building that reminded me of desert dunes, esp up at the rooftop, surrounded by the heads of medieval knights. we took the train south to Sitges where the beaches are supposed to be calm and less crowded than in Barcelona. the girls loved playing on the beach, but they complained alot about all the walking they had to do in the city. i did my best to find them some treats to help with the walking. we loved stopping for churros and hot chocolate. the hot chocolates are super thick and oh so delicious!!! i could have churros and hot chocolate for the rest of my life. :)

when i was reading up on Gaudi before we got to Barcelona, i remember reading that Gaudi believed Barcelona to be the best place for art because of the light. he believed that the sunlight in Barcelona was unlike anywhere else. it made me curious to see for myself. the light was indeed beautiful. the sun shone everyday and set really late at night. and perhaps the sun did make all the colours more vibrant. i don't know, but i do feel inspired to return home and paint.

will give an update on Lyon later...

A Day with Gaudi

2009-07-03T12:29:00.000-07:00

we started the day by going to Parc Guell. my poor girls. actually, my poor arms. i pushed Claire uphill all the way up to the park in 90 degree heat. but it was all worth it. it was worth it to buy the girls popsicles just so they'd be distracted from the heat. it was worth the endless, are we there yet?? i'd seen pictures of Parc Guell, but they couldn't quite convey the magical quality of the place. if you took away the heat and all the tourists (us included) :) Parc Guell seemed like a place for fairies and nymphs. how did Gaudi do it?

when i explained to Skye how Gaudi used broken tiles to create his mosaics, she felt quite inspired. i told her she could do the same thing, just substitute tiles for paper. i think we have an art project to do when we get back home!

while i was busy admiring Gaudi's work and taking pictures of the beauty around us, others were busy taking pictures of Claire. yes, she upstaged Gaudi! a mother with 3 teenage daughters thought she was the cutest thing and asked me permission to take pictures of Claire as she was pushing her stroller with her bear strapped in.

Gaudi's pink house in the background

in the afternoon, Phil and i went to the Sagrada Familia. i was truly impressed by some of the unexpected ways Gaudi chose to portray some of the very familiar and traditional aspects of cathedrals. first, as we entered through the Passion facade, i was struck by the cross of Christ sticking out horizontally from the facade, instead of hanging vertically. and then inside, the numbers of columns were dazzling, despite the ongoing construction. a placard explained that Gaudi was inspired by trees when he conceived of the design for the columns. he wanted people to feel like they were sitting in a forest. i couldn't imagine a better setting than sitting under trees for worship.

the cross of Christ hangs out horizontally

columns inspired by trees

while at Sagrada Familia, i was glad we didn't have our kids with us. there were several families there and all the kids were whining and complaining about the heat. i couldn't blame them. of what interest is Gaudi to them? :) my kids were with our sitter again. the other day, we went out in search of a playground for Skye and Claire and instead discovered something we have been calling "the water park." it is where the locals with kids hang out. we almost missed it - the entrance is a dark corridor in the middle of a block that opens up onto a courtyard surrounded by tall apartment buildings. this courtyard has a wading pool surrounded by sand. the girls had a great time jumping into the water and playing with the sand. Claire was so upset when we had to leave. i had to remind her she would return with our sitter. so that was where they were while Phil and i took off to catch some sights. :)

after Sagrada Familia, we headed over to Barrio Gotic. we saw sections of the old Roman wall. i was also hoping to wander around, looking for the bookstore from Carlos Ruiz Zafon's books, but unfortunately, we haven't discovered it yet. we found Carrer de Santa Ana which could be the Calle de Santa Ana from "The Shadow of the Wind", but alas, no bookstore.

First days in Barcelona

2009-07-02T05:57:00.000-07:00

all in all, the flight here wasn't as bad as it could have been. we had to make 2 connections, something i as a former flight attendant shudder at - more connections means more opportunities for things to go wrong. we connected in Detroit and JFK and of course JFK is the important connection where things could go wrong. when we landed in JFK, we sat on the runway for over an hour before they finally pulled up some stairs and bused us to a satellite terminal. we made it to our flight to Barcelona just in time.

when we landed in Barcelona, we were all groggy from lack of sleep, but happy to feel the warm air outside. the apartment is in a central part of town called Eixample, just a block or two away from Gaudi's La Pedrera. can't really complain about the location or the apartment. with kids, it's been wonderful to have a kitchen and to be close to stores and the Metro line. we haven't made it in to La Pedrera yet, but Skye and i admire it every time we walk by. we hope to stop in soon.

so far, we've been trying to adjust to the time change. initially, we thought we should stay on US time since the Spanish eat really late and none of the restaurants open for dinner before 9 in the evening, but that got to be really exhausting. things do open up much later here. we went to the aquarium this morning - it was around 11 in the morning, but things were still opening up.

yesterday, Skye and Claire went to the zoo with Samantha, our babysitter from Madison. can you believe it? i couldn't believe it when Samantha told me back in May that she would be in Barcelona when we would visit! she is here taking some Spanish courses. Samantha watched the girls while Phil and i snuck off to the Fundacio Joan Miro. it was inspiring to see so many of Miro's works.

we have wandered down Las Ramblas, bought groceries at Mercat de la Boqueria, sat by the fountains of Placa de Catalunya, and gone up the funicular to Tibidabo, an amusement park on top of the hills looking down on Barcelona.

i have discovered that Barcelona is more like LA than NYC. in some ways, i had expected Barcelona to be convenient to navigate because it has a very good public transportation, but the city is sprawling. it takes quite a hike to get from one end to the other. but overall, the girls are handling all the walking quite well. we brought Skye's foot scooter with us and that has been helpful when we have to walk long distances.

oh, and i have had my shopping fix at Mango whose face is Penelope Cruz. :)

i'll post some more photos as i have time to upload, but here are a few.

aerial view of Barcelona as we flew in

church at the top of Tibidabo

My Neighbour Totoro

2009-06-20T11:20:00.000-07:00

so i finally went ahead and bought the DVD of My Neighbour Totoro and my kids love it!! my girls rarely watch TV or movies because Skye gets terrified of things i wouldn't think scary. usually, if there's too much excitement or too much anticipation, she gets really worked up and can't watch. so, my kids hardly ever watch movies. but, i love My Neighbour Totoro and i took the risk of showing it to them. they ADORE it!! even Claire loves it. i think they immediately identified with the sisters, Satsuki and Mei (in fact, Claire reminds me alot of Mei) and they understood the humour.

so, as i get ready for our trip to Europe next week, i'm definitely packing My Neighbour Totoro! :)

Phil's birthday

2009-06-13T16:53:00.001-07:00

here is Phil on his birthday with his girls, wearing the special party hat Skye made for him. :)

Happy Birthday, Phil! from slkim on Vimeo.

Phil's birthday was also Skye's last day of kindergarten. what a difference from her first day of kindergarten, when we were all emotional about the big step she was taking!

Skye's last day of kindergarten from slkim on Vimeo.

and Claire has learned to ride the tricycle all by herself! i think i showed her how to peddle once or twice, but the other day, all of a sudden, i noticed she was riding without any help!!

Claire learns to ride a tricycle! from slkim on Vimeo.

Memorial Day weekend

2009-05-25T19:20:00.000-07:00

this weekend officially marks the beginning of summer for us. the pool opens, the weather is (hopefully) warm, and...Brat Fest!! it was a busy weekend for us. as soon as the sun came out, we dashed off to the pool and the girls swam even though the water was ice cold. i refused to go in - just my toes felt the water. no matter how much i love my girls, i refuse to turn into an icicle.

warmer weather means friends outside, so my girls are forever asking, who's that? whenever they hear someone outside. then they rush to the window to see if one of their friends are out playing. it is almost impossible to bring them back into the house, but i suppose this is what summers are for.

every year, i forget about Brat Fest. and then it is upon us and we as a family collectively agree to go without thinking. in fact, i look forward to it. and then when we get there, i wonder what on earth i was thinking. the crowd is unbelievable. they charge so much money for the little rides for the kids. the brats themselves don't cost much, but everything else that comes with it does. Claire wanted the carousel ride. Skye wanted the gravity storm ride (please see the movie of her on the bungee cords). ice cream. etc, etc. BUT the girls love it for some reason and we go back every year. without fail.

Skye's Golden Birthday

2009-05-12T11:43:00.000-07:00

it's hard to believe that my little girl is getting so big. i know people say this all the time about parenthood, that the first years fly by, but i can't help marvelling about it just the same. i guess because i'm not growing or changing at the rate my children are. i'm sort of walking along at a tortoise pace while they are hopping ahead like little bunnies.

while Skye's official party isn't until this saturday, we did manage to squeeze in some celebrating last wednesday. it ended up being a FULL day. Skye was the "Fantabulous Friend" at school last week and her teacher asked her to bring in her violin to play for the class. i was supposed to do that on tuesday but was sick as a dog, so i went in on wednesday. Skye was so proud of herself, to get up in front of her friends and play her many variations of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. then, after school, she had her ballet recital. they did the "Firebird" this time. i'll post some movies of their dance. it was lots of fun to watch.

personally for me, i had another celebration going on inside. i'd started my novel shortly after Skye was born. now, near her 6th birthday, i'm close to being finished with it. i have a final meeting with an editor and then i'll be sending it out to an agent. i feel really mixed up inside, sort of like seeing the children growing up. i'm happy that they are growing up so well and growing more and more independent, yet with each year, i'm letting them go more and more. and while i'm happy the novel is coming to an end, there's a sadness there too.

this saturday, we celebrate Skye's birthday at her ballet school with 10 of her friends. all the girls will dress up, dance and eat cupcakes. i did try my best to convince Skye to have a party at home, but she was quite firm about having her party outside this year. she wanted a fairy party, just the kind they have at her ballet school. :)

Backseat Driver

2009-04-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

i have a backseat driver who weighs under 25 lbs and measures under 3 feet tall. whenever i'm in a bit of a rush, her little voice goes, "Ummah, you driving too fast! slow down!!"

yep, ever since my speeding ticket, my little Claire is busy keeping me in line. whenever i try to zoom by a slow poke, her little voice goes off. sigh, who's taking care of whom? Phil thinks i deserve this one. so do i.

Too old for nights out?

2009-04-05T18:32:00.000-07:00

this was the question on my mind over the weekend as i went out 2 nights in a row with girlfriends to catch a couple of movies at the Wisconsin Film Festival. i had a GREAT time, don't get me wrong. but it felt a little surreal...i mean, it's been almost 6 yrs since i went out on a Friday night after sunset! for one thing, i'd forgotten most people come out after it gets dark. i kept looking around, thinking, wow, look at all these people out at night! are we really in a recession? our usual thing is to eat dinner at 5:30pm and from then on, it's all about getting ready for bed!

but it was great to have some good adult conversation and to watch 2 really good movies. one was a documentary about these women who train to become burlesque dancers: A Wink and a Smile. really provocative in subject matter, but quite funny too. then i watched a korean movie called Secret Sunshine. this was really intense emotionally, esp watching it as a mother. the child in the movie gets kidnapped and that's like any parents' worst fears. it also provoked a lot of questions about Christianity because the main character in the movie converts to Christianity when she is at the end of her rope. i won't spoil it for those of you who are interested in watching it by divulging too much info.

The Terrible Twos

2009-04-01T19:48:00.000-07:00

we have entered into it, full-blown. all the negotiating and arguing that goes on between Claire and me is wearing me down. i keep telling myself to choose my battles wisely, but what is a concerned parent to do with a child that wants to run outside in 30 degree weather without a jacket on? i'm not sure why, but that has been our daily struggle. it was the hair thing, so i chopped off Claire's hair so that we don't have to fight about tying it up out of her face. it was the teeth-brushing thing and many of you may shake your heads at me for holding down my child and forcing her mouth open to brush her teeth. but come on! teeth don't last forever! but that has passed and now it is the jacket thing. yes, i'm sure this too will pass, but in the mean time, i have to deal with a toddler who has a cough and runny nose from running around outside without her jacket on.

BUT, the pendulum swings to the other extreme. Claire makes me laugh and is still my sweet munchkin. we were making up today after an incident with the jacket and she gave me a sidelong look as if to say, "i know you can't resist me", and then broke into a wicked grin.

here is a sweet moment where Claire is singing.

Singing Claire from slkim on Vimeo.