Snow Globe Mania

It's true. I'm obsessed with snow globes. But not the tiny plastic ones you'd find in any airport gift shop. The bigger the better. And they say size doesn't matter. Pfft. ;-) I love beautifully crafted snow globes that resemble something magical or whimsical. The kind you would find in a quaint little craft store or Christmas market. My attempt to collect these larger snow globes failed last year when Mickey knocked the only three I had off my dresser. They all shattered together and I never got around to starting my collection again.......until recently.

Jason's parents shipped this beautiful snow globe of Baby Jesus in a manger. It's a musical one and I love the carvings on the base with the painted gold leaves.

The "I'll Be Home For Christmas" Collection below is from Jason himself. This one also plays music.

"I Can't Put My Arms Down!"

Ever seen the classic movie that they repeatedly play on television every Christmas??? C'mon...you know what I'm talking about. The Christmas Story. My family's all time favorite one to watch every year. Anyway, this movie came to mind whenever I bundled up Mickey for snow sledding this year. He was clearly dressed appropriately while Jason and myself...hmm...not so much haha. We froze our hineys off, but Mathias was able to roll around in the snow all afternoon without getting cold. :)

"I can't put my arms down!" 

Spoiled? Nah...

Mathias Patrick...you are one lucky little guy! The perks to being an only child, first grandchild on both his mother and father's side of the family and beloved by many...I'd have to say my son was the only one in the entire family who received more presents than I could count. He spent Christmas Eve with me and then Christmas Day with his father. So you can imagine the amount of gifts this child got to unwrap. Ridiculous I tell you, but well worth the smiles and excitement. He's one of the brightest kids in his Pre-K class and he was a very good boy all year so he definitely deserved all the cool stuff he had been asking for so longingly...and then some! :) Next year my goal is to have him help me donate a lot of his toys that he no longer plays with or has outgrown. He'll be 5 1/2 by then and will eventually need to understand the concept of giving/sharing to those less fortunate...that and I know I won't have any room for all the new toys he'll undoubtedly receive!

Knock, Knock...It's Armageddon

A little piece of history today...

http://www.cnn.com/2011/12/18/world/asia/north-korea-leader-dead/index.html

Which led me thinking of the "Signs of the Time" and how accurate the Bible has been so far. I found a very interesting read that I wanted to share.

http://theonlinedisciple.wordpress.com/2010/08/27/the-mark-of-the-beast666/

Seems pretty far fetched I know, but is more or less what the final testement of the Bible portrays.

With that said... Am I the only one on this planet that still believes in The Book of Revelation??? Sometimes it feels like it. Every night, without fail, my mind drifts to the thought of the Second Coming, Judgement Day, The End of Days...whatever you wanna call it. Every night I lie in bed and before I fall asleep, I reflect on the day...my hours spent with Mathias. I reflect on the previous days. Could I have been a little nicer to so-and-so? Should I be more understanding and patient with people around me? Am I doing enough for Mickey these days? Can I do more?

Those quiet personal minutes I am alone at night with the stars shining bright outside my window; I pray. I pray hard. I suppose that is what people call a relationship with Christ. I call it meditation. I call it peace.

It's those intimate nights where I piece together the day's events and ask God how I did. Often times I know I didn't quite measure up to Christan standards, but my heart is usually in the right place and I would hope mean something. We are all sinners so don't feel that God only accepts a certain type of person. He loves and accepts us all for who we are. It is who we strive to live for that He takes into account. My goal is to live for Him and to raise my son to do the same...one step at a time. Wish me luck cuz good grief I need it.

How is your relationship with God? Or do you reflect on your life in different ways? Do you feel empty sometimes like something is missing? I highly recommend praying whether it's with someone or in solitude. It really molds you into the person you ought to be and helps keep your path in life clear from faltering into negativity and despair. I prefer to pray alone because it is more personable, but to each their own. Whatever the case may be, I'll pray for you and I hope you pray for me. :-)
Just keep in mind that the world will one day come to an end and Judgement Day will happen whether we want to believe it or not. The question is, are you ready for it? Are you the kind and compassionate person God wants you to be? With all my heart I do hope so. I'm still working on improving myself these days and we all know I can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but Lord help me, I'm trying. So until then, keep your humor and be good to those around you (whether they deserve it or not). There's always the heavens watching us and I would hate to not have you by my side when Jesus comes back to take us all home. :-)

Writing, How I Heart Thee

Dear Blog,

How I've missed you. Mick's fast asleep as he takes his afternoon nap. We had another fun day outdoors sledding and playing in the snow. Thanks to the lovely CO sunshine, we were even able to take a short walk together. Now as my little monster sleeps away peacefully, I satisfy my urge to blog. Writing and painting are definitely my creative outlets. If I didn't journal my thoughts from time to time, then I'd probably go bonkers. So thank you to my laptop, Eblogger and the ability to type 75+wpm.

I remember growing up in elementary and my parents buying me a new journal all the time. Some of them would come with a magnetic strip to keep the notebook sealed, but my favorite of all time was a small pink diary I had with a tiny lock and key. My sister had a matching one but I believe hers was baby blue. We both wrote in them feverishly after our big move of '91. After living in Germany for six years, my father was given an assignment for us to move back the United States. So the little Army family of four packed shop and flew to California to where we would once again create a home and make new friends. It was a hard move as southern Cali was a complete culture shock to us compared to the clear skies and tall mountains of Deutschland. So my sister and I wrote in our diaries every night while we lived in SoCal. It was difficult adjusting to the change after spending most of our childhood abroad and reading those pages from the past was like being in a time machine. I think ever since then, I've been journaling moreso then ever.

In my early years of highschool I was painfully shy and I would write about the current crush I had or upcoming parties I wanted to go to, but couldn't because my mother was so strict. I look back at things like that and I laugh now because I realize how insecure and naive I was to the world. Nevertheless, I always managed to find comfort in spilling my guts on paper. Today, I find comfort in my relationship with God and when I do have the time, in painting or blogging. I think the best way though to channel your thoughts are through letter-writing. Think about all the people you know in your life that could use a friendly hello or update on the good things in your life. Grandparents, neighbors, old friends; they all like to hear how you're doing and if you just don't have the time or family and friends to write to, then try writing to a child in need. Sponsorship is one great way to channel that positivity and the best thing is, if you don't have the funds to donate to a child or family in need, there are great foundations that actually allow you to just send personal letters of support and love. Sometimes, that's all a little kid or teenager may need. Simple words of encouragement. It does wonders to the soul! :)

"The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread." Mother Teresa

The little boy above are photos of my sponsor son Sonu Uikey from India. Mickey and I write to him every month and send him little drawings in the mail. The last gift contribution I sent was used to purchase the family's first livestock! I know it sounds silly because the majority of us live pretty comfortably, but a goat for an extremely impoverished family is wonderful!

For the most part, my close relationships and work consume my life so there's little time to write when I'm tired all the time, but believe me, if I could paint, write and post photos every day, I would! :)

"There Is No Paper Jam!"

Anyone who has ever worked in the corporate world or even in an small office before can understand the frustration of dealing with "errors" of simple everyday office equipment. The clip below reflects a very typical scene that I think I've encountered in every company I've ever worked for. Big and small.

Currently, every copier, printer, fax machine and shredder that I have to use daily at work falls under the "I'd-like-to-beat-you-with-a-baseball-bat" category. A simple task such as making a copy can take much longer than it actually should because of annoying setbacks like..."a paper jam". How about sending a fax? Something that takes merely seconds to do is often interrupted because of a damn error message that shouldn't even occur to begin with. Highly frustrating whether you have 10 pages to send or just one. Ah, but these are just regular occurrences when dealing with technology so can't complain too much. In the meantime, I'll just fantasize of what I'd like to do the next time I hear the obnoxious beeping from the fax machine or when I see the infamous flashing red error light from the copier.

Korean Home Remedies

Everyone has a home remedy or two that they've tried at least once. Some work, some don't. After seeing my mother use one to help with the bruising on her face; I decided a post was in order.

For those that have been following my blog, you know that my Mom had a mishap a few days ago and has been healing one day at a time. An update on her health status: The swelling is still noticeable on her face, but has gone down significantly around the eye area. Her cheeks and chin are still puffy and the bruising has now spread to the rest of her face in small areas. She gets feverish off and on and uses a cold ice pack regularly to bring down the heat as well as the swelling. Today however, she did something new - something that apparently Koreans have done generations before. This led to my curiosity and of course a conversation of multiple other remedies that my mother grew up using. I did some research on some of the things she mentioned just to see if there was any truth to the effectiveness of them. Some are well-known and used worldwide. A few of these I have actually never heard of, but I thought they were interesting nevertheless.

Here are a few staples she mentioned to always have handy:

• Ginger
• Ginseng
• Celestone G (a topical cream)
• Cinnamon Sticks
• Hard Boiled Egg
• Honey
• Rice Water/Rice Powder
• Scallions or Garlic

Here's what I discovered:

Ginger helps reduce nausea and relieves upset stomachs.

Ginseng is a tonic that can help with fatigue.

Celestone G is a corticosteroid (betamethesone)...it's just another type of steroid cream like hydrocortisone. It helps reduce swelling, itching and allergic reactions. I've found it to work really well for bug bites and the occasional rash. My mother and aunt swear by it. I believe every Korean household keeps these little tubes of cream stocked somewhere. In our family, it's known to be the "cure-all" for any kind of minor skin condition. 

Cinnamon strengthens the immune system and is believed to have antibacterial properties.

Hard boiled eggs are used to rid of bruises by gently rubbing it over the skin (what Mom used today over her bruised eye and cheek...it actually minimized the swelling). After much "Googling" and whatnot, it appears there is nothing magical about using an egg. However, it does state that the warmth of the egg is much like using any kind of warm compress which can help open up the blood vessels and in turn help sweep away the broken blood cells faster than if left alone.

Honey is a natural expectorant. Great with tea!

Rice Water/Rice Powder is used to achieve clear skin and to help with blemishes.

Scallions and garlic come from the same onion family and all contain anti-inflammatory properties.

Luvn' Colorado

There may be snow on the peaks and snow on the grounds still, but the clear blue skies and bright sun make for a beautiful warm day. Mick and I decide to venture outside before lunch and build more miniature snowmen. The air was clean & crisp and the sun so bright that our faces turned rosy. I love Colorado.

Pirate Play Tent

So the first present I purchased online from Amazon arrived Friday afternoon. It was for Mathias and of course when I got home from work I had to inspect it before wrapping it for Christmas. Well, it was just too much tempation to not just open the box and give it to Mickey right away. Sooo...that's exactly what I did! My justification was that Mick already has tons of presents under the tree this year from so many people (including myself!) that opening this one won't hurt. :-D

So far I've been inside the tent several times (as Jack Sparrow's prisoner/captive) and Mickey's already slept in it twice! It's gotten a lot of use since Friday! Money well spent I tell you. I highly recommend getting an indoor tent if you have little ones ages 3+. Their imagination becomes limitless when they have a fort or tent to hide in. Lots of fun and easy to store away when not in use. At least the one I got.

King of the Cats

One of my all time favorite ballets is The Nutcracker. For years I have either watched it in Seattle or Denver and each time I'm enchanted by the story. So my parents decided it would be nice to introduce Munchkin to this holiday classic...via cartoon style. Tom & Jerry, A Nutcracker Tale is cute, but doesn't exactly portray the classic story. However, the music is catchy and Mathias actually has one of the tunes memorized already...well as best he can. Here is the actual clip so you'll know what Mathias is trying to say in the second video below (FYI, if he doesn't know the lyric, he'll mumble the words):

I love my little actor! :-)

Gym Time!

Mickey's enrolled in a very cool gymnastics class every Thursday and Friday afternoon. :) He's so proud of his "flips" aka tumbling that he now loves to show off and do for everyone. After each class the quantity of his flips increase and he's learning hand and eye coordination (something his mother obviously lacks). So awesome. Plus one of his schoolmates, Liam, is also enrolled in the same gym class! Too cute!

Holy Mother!

Happy Friday Eve...or so I thought. Work at the office was fine and dandy until right after lunch I get a phone call from my dad telling me that there was a little mishap and I need to get my butt home asap to watch Mathias. For those of you that don't know, Mickey only goes to Pre-K three days a week. Then on Thursday and Friday he's with Gramma & Papa. He's also enrolled in gymnastics class these two days. Anyway, when my dad called me apparently they were all at the hospital. My mom was walking behind Mathias when he somehow managed to stop right in front of her to which she toppled over him and caused them both to fall. I know...sounds absurd, but that's what happened, more or less. Unfortunately, for Mom the fall was a little bit more painful. Trying to avoid hurting her grandson as she was slipping, she ended up face-planting onto the concrete and quite hard I might add. Dad said she actually blacked out for a few minutes and he tried hard to keep her awake so they could head to the emergency room. How scary is that?? My poor Dad.

So I rushed to meet them at home and didn't have a clue what to expect. For one, I wasn't sure if Mathias was badly hurt and two, I had no idea how significant the damage was to my mom's pretty face. The entire drive home all I kept replaying in my head was...did that really just happen?? Did I hear my father correctly over the phone? How badly could the fall have been if it was just tripping over my son? Obviously, pretty serious if I had to go home to tend to him and Mom was in the hospital. Then again, my mom is pretty small and could get hurt from something like that more than someone of my body stature. For those that don't know my mom, she's a dainty petite little Asian woman. Personality-wise, she's tough as nails and you don't wanna mess with her. Physically however, she's a skinny fragile little thing lol.

When I did finally pull up to the house, I rush inside. I see my little guy run towards me with a big hug and from what I could tell from my quick inspection; there was barely a scratch or two on his little face. Other than that, he was running around talking and playing as he normally would. Whew. Big relief. Until of course I see my parents walk up to me. Mom was holding a giant ice pack wrapped around a towel over the entire right side of her face. Dad was standing right behind her. He looks at me and says, "Thank ya, Tiger. Thanks for coming home so quick." I just shook my head in agreement and then turned my attention to Mom. My poor mother. My poor sweet mother. She slowly lowered the ice pack and turned her face to me. I gasped. I know I put my hands up to my mouth and just stared for a min or two. I wasn't much comfort I'm sure, but I couldn't get over how painful and awful my mom's bruise looked. The best way I can describe it is to compare it to a movie. If any of you have ever seen the movie Casino where the mafia gets a hold of Joe Pesci and his brother in the end and repeatedly beat them with baseball bats...well, that about sums up how severe the damage was to the right side of my mom's face. I know...harsh description, but hey, that's how bad it was! Her cheekbone was slightly cracked which caused massive swelling all over that side of the face. Her chin was twice the size it should be and her eye...her poor eye was black and blue and completely sealed shut due to the swelling. It honestly looked like someone had attacked her. It was brutal. I felt awful. These wonderful grandparents who out of the kindness of their hearts volunteer to take their grandson to gymnastics two days out of the week just to watch him learn and grow. All the while the stupid parents are at work oblivious to their child's growth. I know, I'm being completely dramatic and dumb right now, but that's pretty much how I felt at that exact moment when I saw Mom's face. When I saw my stressed out dad lingering over her like a helpless child. When I saw Mathias try and explain to me how they had to go the hospital because Gramma fell. All these thoughts ran through my head all at once and I too felt helpless...and somewhat responsible. Every time something negative happens in my life and Mathias is involved in some way, I immediately assume it's my fault. That if I didn't go through a divorce and burden my family with the tragedy of a break-up, then my parents would have never had the obligation of helping raise my son part-time...which ultimately meant he wouldn't have fallen and my mother wouldn't have bashed her head on the concrete today. Stupid thought process? Yes. Yes I know it is. But I am a bitter woman sometimes and that is just how my thoughts flow when shit like this happens.

Standing in front of a badly bruised mother and stressed out father was not what I had envisioned my Thursday afternoon to be. I suppose that's why they call it an accident. You don't expect or plan for moments like this. Needless to say, I feel so upset that Mom is in pain and discomfort, but I know she will heal. The bruising and swelling will hopefully subside within several weeks. Poor mama. It just sucks that it happens to be right around holiday time. The one thing we are grateful for though, is that it was her that had hit the ground and not my son. Of course I prefer if it didn't happen at all, but man am I relieved that it wasn't my son. Thank you, Lord, for sparing my little boy's face today and please please please help Mama heal soon. *sigh* Off to bed I go...

(My beautiful mother and yes, that would be me, the crazy lookin baby only a few months old.)

I Heart Amazon.com

I have no idea why I never shopped online before, but I love it! Everyone in my family has been taken care of and all the stuff I ordered will be here within a week, free shipping to boot. :) Oh I can't wait for the gifts to arrive and I really can't wait to see the look on everyone's face when they open their presents on Christmas morning. :D

So if you're thinking of going to the mall or usual retail store this year for your Christmas purchases - reconsider and try the web route. All I know is...there will be no last minute shopping for this chick this year and for those that know me...that's huge lol.

:) Online Shopping Benefits :)

Online Shopping...To Be or Not To Be?

When I was a teenager, I loved hitting up the malls with girlfriends and hanging out for hours wandering around aimlessly with nothing more than $20 to my name. As I got older and had a child, the mall became more of a pain in the ass. Lugging around a massive diaper bag, snacks, bottles, stroller and my baby himself; the world of shopping was no longer a relaxing stroll of window shopping, but a means to get what I needed as quickly as I could and be outta there in time for munchkin's nap. I avoided the crowds and crazy shopping carts as much I could when Mickey was younger. Thus, going out to shop became a chore or at worst a wrestling match with a screaming child in front of complete strangers. When I did have the luxury of going out by myself to get something...I have to admit, it was HEAVEN. The simple joys of taking your time and b-r-o-w-s-i-n-g was something I had always taken for granted. Fast foward a few years and now munchkin is old enough to help me shop. :) Seriously. He rides in the cart and more often than not, will try to push it for me. His grabby hands are no longer knocking things off the shelves as we pass by. Instead, he asks politely if I can get him this or that. We actually have fun now. It's a little mini-shopping experience that - when your kids become a certain age - can be enjoyable for all.

With all that said, I've been dying to take Mathias Christmas shopping since...oh I don't know...Halloween! :) This weekend was without a doubt the perfect opportunity to drive around and shop shop shop. I was itchin to hang out at the toy department with Mathias all afternoon (I'm sure he'd agree). However, the weather was against us. Snow, snow and some more snow. The cold temps made it icy for travel and I didn't want to drag Mick in and out of the vehicle. Then it hit me as I sat by the fireplace with warm fuzzy slippers and robe on, sipping on fresh coffee...why go out when I can just easily purchase what I need online? I'm not a big online shopper and a little leery about the cons of web stores, but my friends and fam do it all the time. No crowds, no traffic, no cold weather to deal with. All in the comfort of your own home, right?

What are your thoughts of online shopping? Do you prefer the stores and the checkout lines and reviewing items in person? Or is the convenience of reading other buyer's reviews online more your bag? I personally like pushing the cart around and watching Mathias' eyes light up as we walk through each aisle of new stuff. Just as I made up my mind, I looked out the window. Hmm...this windy day with more expected snow tonight kinda has me leaning towards keeping my butt on the sofa. Yep, I'm gonna be lazy! I turn my head to see Mick sitting on the floor with his cute little pj's on, playing with his lego collection. The warmth of the room and repeats of Christmas cartoons in the background keep us almost transfixed to this cozy living area. Well...I guess there's my answer. Amazon.com here I come! :) I'll keep you posted on what I find...and possibly don't find lol. Time to refill my coffee cup...

Sledding

It's hard to believe that it's already December. Christmas is a few weeks away and with all the craziness that life throws our way, I'd have to say spending quality time with my little love-bug is by far the best thing in the world. Today munchkin and I decided to play outside as soon as the sun made its way over the mountains. What an exhilarating time we all had. My parents even joined in on the fun! :)

My Trusty Pirate

Little man with his pj's and slippers on playing with Legos. He insisted on sporting one of his many pirate hats. Little ham.

Halloween

Aaargh matey!!! His expressions are priceless...he really played the part!

The silly couple of the night goes to the two clowns. I have to be honest. This was the first year I didn't dress like a hussy haha. I must be getting old. That and I didn't want to be uncomfortable the entire night chasing Mathias all over the place. So a dorky clown seemed more fitting. ;)

Does your town have a circus stopping by? We just might be there! ;)

Words can't really describe this one...except scary.

Fast Forward A Few Years

Oh my... It's been quite some time since I've been blogging. Two years and 8 mos to be exact. A lot has happened within that time frame that has prevented me from updating everyone. Without getting too much into detail, I'll briefly run some important highlights that should hopefully bring you all back to speed with where I am today. Bear with me folks...

Mathias' father and I are currently divorced and raising our son through shared custody. This allows Mathias to see both his parents throughout the week somewhat equally (the schedule varies whenever his dad has to travel which is often).

His father and I are somewhat civil these days, but I suppose that depends on the mood. For the most part, the two of us get along as well as we can for this kind of situation and for the sake of our son. I personally wish a meteor would hit the top of his house but...that's not very Christian-like is it? He is a wonderful father though and for that I am grateful. He also still lives in the house Mickey was born and raised in, but I however had to move. It's been 11 years since I've had to take a step back and start over on my own and I have to say it's somewhat scary, but this was the hand I was dealt. Hoping to skip the apartment lifestyle since Mickey really deserves to have a nice backyard so a modest home is in the near future for us. ::fingers crossed::

As of now, I am dating a wonderful man who coincidentally shares the same name as the ex. I know, what are the odds (yes, I'll allow the eye-rolling). Regardless, that is the only thing the two share...other than the fact that they both adore Mathias. Curious as to how we met? Click on the link below as I'm too lazy to type:

http://success.match.com/success/story.aspx?ownerid=23265

Now...on to the most important update of them all...my little boy.

Mathias Patrick is doing quite well my friends! He is 4 years old and will be 5 in just 7 mos. Hard to believe. He's attending Pre-K on a part-time basis. Three days of the week at school and two days with the grandparents (while I'm at work of course). Mickey is officially the smartest boy I know and although I may be biased, he really is the best kid! I am happier every day of my life because of this little rugrat. I only hope to bring the same joy and love in return for as long as he is my child. With all that said, here's to a new chapter in my life and the start of something wonderful! Glad to be back in the blogging world again! xoxo

*Disclaimer: Due to the time constraints I've had with work and munchkin, I haven't had the chance to throughly "clean up" previous posts. Then I thought, well, it is a part of my past and that past made me who I am today so I'll just leave it. Periodically, you might find posts of the ex or whatnot, but it is what it is and I hope causes no uncomfortableness.*