Dec 29, 2010

Reduce and Reuse

 This coming new year, I hope you will consider recycling, reducing waste, and reusing materials.  Here are some ideas to get you started.
 Use reusable coffee mugs.
 Use reusable water bottles. Make sure you get ones that are BPA-free.
 Use bar soaps to reduce the plastic material shower gels come in.
 Reusable grocery and shopping bags.  They come in various sizes, colors, and prints.
 Reisenthel and Rume bags are good, but any reusable bag will do.  Most grocery stores actually give you credit when you bring your own bags. 
 If you travel, consider using reusable tubes instead of buying the travel sized products.
GoToobs by are good. They are made of silicone not hard plastic so they are easy to squeeze.
 Use plastic containers for snacks, fruit, cereal, etc instead of using plastic baggies.
 Use reusable lunch bags instead of the traditional brown paper bags. They are washable so you can use them again and again.
Use an electronic reader. I know it takes getting used to not holding an actual paper book, but it does save a bunch of paper. Not only can you download books, you can also subscribe to magazines and newspapers. Kindle, Nook, and iPad are just some of them.
Try paying your bills online. This will save envelopes, stamps, checks, and paper.
Thanks for taking the step of becoming more environmentally friendly.  
Our generation is counting on you.

Dec 25, 2010

A Wish For You

Wishing you the warmth and peace of Christmas.
Merry Christmas!
Feliz Navidad!
Maligayang Pasko!
Joyeux Noel!
Mele Kalimkimaka!
Sawadee pee Mai!
Froehliche Weihnachten!
Buone Feste Natalizie!

Dec 24, 2010

Pouty

 Sorry I missed your ugly holiday sweater party.
I'm really, really sad about it.
I'll wish you a very merry holiday anyway.

Blue

It's a beautiful day before Christmas.
After the heavy rain all week, we're really happy to see the blue sky and feel the warmth of the sun. So does this little birdy.

Dec 21, 2010

Hot Cocoa For the Soul

It's been raining pretty much non-stop for a few days now. Ugh.
I have a solution dreary holiday days like this.
Step one: Have your mom make hot cocoa for both of you.
 Step two: Get a snuggle buddy.
 Step three: Grab your favorite blanket.
Step four: Play a Christmas song from mommy's iPod.

Sit on the couch. Gather up your snuggle buddy and blanket. Snuggle up to your mom. Sip your hot cocoa. Listen to Christmas song.

There. Don't you feel Christmas-y already?

Dec 20, 2010

Princesses, villains, brooms on ice...oh my!

We saw Disney on Ice at the Staples Center.
 I saw the brooms from "Fantasia" come alive. Mickey conducted and directed what they would do next, which was pretty cool. 
 All the Disney villains came out as well. They're really good skaters.
 Ooooh and then, and then...the Disney Princesses started to come out! 
Kayla and I went ape nuts.
 Jasmine, Cinderella, Ariel, Snow White, Mulan, Belle, and Tiana where all there. I asked where Sleeping Beauty was. My auntie said she was still sleeping and missed this gig.
 During intermission, we busted out our dolls. Kayla's holding on to Rupunzel.
We're a crazy pair of kids.  Lotsa fun, lotsa fun!

Dec 19, 2010

To love and behold

Happy 45th Wedding Anniversary, Lolo and Lola!
Remember this picture? This is the very first time we met.
I love you, always.

Dec 15, 2010

Mommy Moment

My mom is sort of a sucker for pretty aprons. She just wanted to share her latest one with y'all pretty apron fans. Yes, all three of you out there.

Dec 13, 2010

Say what?


Conversation on the way home after mommy picked me up from school:

Maya: (pointing at something) Mommy! A parallelogram!!
Mommy: Uh...come again?
Maya: A parallelogram!
Mommy: (in her head, "who are you and why are you speaking geometry to me?") What does it look like?
Maya: A slanty rectangle square.
Mommy: Ah, just checking.

Dec 11, 2010

Help Someone This Holiday Season

Holiday Season. For many, this means lots of shopping, new shirts, new gadgets, new jewelry, new car, new toys, new everything. Food and shelter. These are basic necessities. Many of us have more than enough of these and we tend to take them for granted. Many more people don't have ANY of these. It's especially tougher during these hard economic times.  I hope that you'll take a moment and realize how lucky we are and be grateful for what we have.  Please consider helping someone this holiday season. 


Here are the organizations my parents and I have recently donated to:


Los Angeles Mission
Serves the poor and homeless in the Los Angeles area. Services include emergency services, recovery services, transitional services, holiday and special events, and outreach. Here a link on how to serve: http://www.losangelesmission.org/Serve/Volunteer.aspx


Union Station Foundation
Serves the poor and homeless in the Pasadena area. It helps men, women, and children rebuild their lives and end homelessness. Here are ways to get involved: http://www.unionstationhs.org/get_involved.html

See Your Impact
A revolutionary way to help those in need around the world. It's affiliated with various charities that directly impacts the areas you want to donate to. We chose to donate in these three areas: 
1) Sponsored a month's worth of meals and tuition for a girl in Sierra Leone (Door of Hope
Photo courtesy of See Your Impact
2) Donated to build a drinking well in Cambodia (The Trailblazer Foundation)
Photo courtesy of See Your Impact
3) Sponsored a clinical officer to see 50 children a day in Kenya. (Humanity for Children)
Photo courtesy of See Your Impact



Dec 5, 2010

Bad Hair Cut

A certain someone got a hold of some scissors and decided to trim my long, shiny, & luscious locks.  That certain someone felt really bad after she was told that my hair doesn't grow.  Ooops.

Dec 1, 2010

4

I turned 4 years old today.
We had a pizza party at school.
 My friends and I all wore hats and gobbled up everything.
 Unicorn break.
I spent the evening with my family. 
My auntie gave me a princess dress set that has their own treasure chest! Thanks auntie! 
Here's Kayla and I trying them on.
 Kayla contemplating which cupcake to pick. 
 Everyone picked their own cupcake and mommy put candles on all of them. Then I got to blow all of the candles off. Turning 4 is fun.

Nov 30, 2010

Tips When Traveling with a Toddler

Traveling with a toddler like me can be a challenge. So here are some tips if you plan on doing that.
 Allow for plenty of time for everything. Rushing a toddler is never a good idea. Nope. 
 Bring some entertainment like movies and small toys. Bring a small DVD player or better yet, cram as many movies you can on an iTouch and it's really easy to take it around. Don't forget headphones.  The collapsible ones are good and more compact.
 For parents, you can bring a small netbook if you'd like.  Really handy because WiFi is pretty much everywhere.
 Bring snacks. Toddlers like to munch. Plus, if there is a delay and you're stuck nowhere close to a food place, you at least you have something to offer your kid. I'm eating Pringles here, but granola bars and dried fruit are a better alternative. You hear that, mommy? 
 Make us strike a pose. We'll do it. Just ask when we're in a good mood or you'll get a kick in the groin.
 Snap a pic of us no matter how it looks like because we grow up so fast.
 Pack light so you can get up at a moment's notice to rush to a new gate if need be. Let us take our own luggage. Many of us like that sense of responsibility.
Let us lounge around the airport (of course without interupting or getting in the way of anyone). If we get bored, take us for a walk, take a look through other gate windows, count planes, or browse the gift shops. If you don't want to buy anything at the gift shop, make that clear to us. If not, you are in trouble.
Tell us what to expect next. Like what gate we're going, what plane we're boarding, how much longer we should wait, why there's a delay, etc. Many of us would like to know. Waiting for us is torture and not knowing why we're waiting for so long can make us cranky and will get you a meltdown.

Lastly, don't forget to enjoy your trip. The experience, mementos, and pictures of your adventure will surely stay with your kid for a lifetime.

Nov 29, 2010

Farewell Costa Rica!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Paul Van Dyk - Time of our Lives