Taking a hiatus

First, let's all wish the hubby a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Like fine wine, he gets better with time! I know that's cheesy, but it's true, with time comes life experience and wisdom…and wine does taste good with cheese! We're going to our very favorite authentic Szechuan restaurant. Mmm....our favorite dish is the "husband and wife".

I've been giving blogging platforms a lot of thought lately. Even though Blogger has served me well, hosting my site for free (I had to pay for my own domain), I've had issues with it.

Technology-free kids?

Thanks for everyone's well-wishes for J's health. We went to the doc on Monday. Good news was his ear infection was clearing up. Bad news was he also had hand-foot-mouth disease, which is a nasty form of a cold that includes a rash and blisters in his mouth. No wonder he kept saying "ouchy" when he ate! Poor guy! Good news is that he's almost back to 100%! Bad news is Mommy caught his nasty cold. Good news is she spent half of Monday and all day Tuesday in bed with Nyquil, so she's feeling much better today! Thanks again, everyone! Now, onto today's post...

I'll be the first to admit that it's our own fault. To soothe our infant, we'd bounce him on the exercise ball in front of the TV. He'd be soothed by the bouncing and mesmerized by the moving pictures. On weekends, when he got bored and we were tired, we'd sit in front of the computer watching YouTube videos of The Wiggles or Sesame Street.

Shooting in harsh sunlight

Thanks for all the suggestions on last week's photography post on self-portraits. Some great advice were: use a 2-second timer so that after the remote click, you have time to pose and hide the remote // shoot in continuous mode, of course! // let hubby take the pictures ;). Hehe. Thanks again!

Today's the FIRST DAY OF SUMMER! You've probably already heard the advice to stay out of the sun between 10am and 2pm. The sun is at its highest, which means you'll be exposed to more UV, I think. Well, this post isn't about sun-safety even though I subscribe to the "say yes to sunscreen" mantra. No, this post is about my challenges when photographing in harsh sunlight. I often shoot around 10am because that's just the time our son and I head out the door on weekends.

Say no to just like

I've done it so many times. The click of a "like" on Facebook, on a blog post, on Instagram, etc. It's so easy. It's so fast. But after some thought, I'm starting to say no to just "like". Read on for my three reasons:

<a href="http://www.expandng.com/" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-a7bstOrpD10/T9n1XYkRwhI/AAAAAAAAGWU/pFTEIxLmjUA/s800/say_no_to_just_likes.png" width="150" title="Say no to just likes with expandng.com">

What we've been up to

Hope everyone had great weekend! Our son's daycare was closed on Friday for in-service in preparation for the "summer program" to start on Monday. Unfortunately, he didn't get to fully enjoy it because he had an ear infection :(. He hasn't had one since he was an infant. Thankfully, he doesn't need ear drops like he did as an infant, just antibiotics by mouth.

Simple Sunday: Outdoors

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Beach-ready pastels

Sandy A La Mode is a blog I read regularly. She has a beautifully-designed blog, is a beautiful lil' lady, and has a cute boy named Austin. She recently introduced a style-finder site called Fashionspace. At first, it looks like ShopStyle, except through Fashionspace, clicks from a post equal commissions. Anyways, she teamed up with another blogger for ModCloth giveaway, for which she'd pick a winner with her favorite "Pastels" board.

Friday Fun Questions

A few weeks ago, I tagged a few people to answer some random questions, and asked them to post some random questions.

The good months of parenting

First, thanks for all the encouragement on yesterday's post on self-portraits. Maybe I'll practice more with all the great momentum! During our son's (J) first 20 months (he's 22-mo now), I had a LOT to complain, er seek advice, about. Choosing an infant formula that sat well with our son (1,2,3,4, and 5). Getting him to sleep through the night, where was DreamyBabies when I needed it? Debates on middle-of-the-night feedings. Why does this baby complain so much? More recently, I've been complaining about discipline issues for throwing food, not getting in the carseat, and mis-use of the stroller. Finally, the latest parenting hurdle was trying to get our toddler to eat. Thanks for all your advice -- it's helped us overcome each hurdle!

Self-portraits

I decided in May to make an effort to get in front of the camera. The hubby found an old tripod in his parents house (score!), and I bought an inexpensive remote (referral link). Before I show you the results, let me say that it was a CHALLENGE. Setting up the tripod, positioning the camera, getting anything in focus, getting the remote to work, and getting a good composition, etc. was SO HARD. For those of you who use a tripod and/or remote/timer regularly and get good shots, I seriously TIP MY HAT to you! TIP MY HAT to you!

Canon T1i | Manual | 50mm | ISO 3200 | f/3.5 | 1/125 sec

Time to blog

On Laura's guest post, a reader (Henry) commented: I really respect people with blogs and how they have something creative to write and asks:

Reader question: How do you find the time to take pictures and blog?

Why create a Facebook fanpage?

Hope everyone had a great weekend! Before I created a Facebook fanpage (Expandng Blog) (would love it if you "liked" it!), I provided a link from this blog to my personal Facebook page. But it wasn't working out, so here are 4 reasons I created a Facebook fanpage.

Simple Sunday: Best friends

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Father's Day Gifts under $50

I don't usually post anything on Saturdays, but since I had so much fun putting together a list of Mother's Day gifts for under $50, I thought I'd take a stab at a list of Father's Day gifts.

Cutting onions

Is it me, or do many "western" recipes call for onions? It's like the scallion, used in a lot of "eastern" recipes, of the west.

Remember the little things

This post was inspired by Jennie at My 3 Ring Circus. She posted these hilarious snapshots of the things her kids have left around the house. Seriously, click over there and tell me that the pretzel on a paper towel in the freezer and a pool stick in a towel rack aren't hilarious. Jennie reminded me that when our kid(s) grow up, move out, and the house can finally be neat and organized, I might actually miss the mess!

Black & white photography

When I first started converting photographs to black & white (b/w), it was mostly an attempt to conceal background clutter or whatever mess was on my 22-mo (J) shirt (or face) at the time ;). As I read more about b/w photography, I'm learning that really great b/w photographs are more than just an action in photo editing software.

She learns

I’m so happy to have one of my “BBBs” (see what that stands for in her post!) guest-post for me today. I joined Blogelina’s Facebook “Blogging Buddy Groups” and Laura was there. Her blog wasn’t even officially up yet, but I knew I wanted to support her right away. From her blog I knew she was a crafty and loved sharing recipes. But through our interaction, I’ve also learned that she has a HUGE heart. And reading her post below, I’ve also learned that is quite FUNNY too! Read on to see what Laura’s learned about blogging, what she wants to learn, and what she wish she knew before she started blogging.

*Laura is a mom of two kids, two dogs and one cat and blogs at World of Laura B.*

Simple Sunday: Lil gymnast

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Finding family-friendly accommodations

Happy Friday, everyone! Summer's coming up, isn't it? How fast it is approaching! If everything goes as planned, we will spend a week in Rehoboth Beach (RHB) (any recommendation for activities are appreciated!). When planning for this trip, the biggest task was finding a place to stay. We had two choices -- hotel or rental condo/home.

Melt my heart

Usually at the end of each month, I do a month-in-review and reader appreciation post. But I'll save that for a bit later because...

She's celebrating

Whether you're a blogger or not, I'm sure you'd appreciate exciting blog milestones like 30,000 pageviews! But not mine. Tania from MauiShopGirl celebrated 30,000 pageviews earlier this month and I'm excited for her to share her blogging experiences right here.

It’s been so wonderful getting to know, Tania, through our blogs and instagram (mauishopgirl). We share a love of photography and petite fashion blogs ;). Hope you’ll love reading her blogging journey as much as I have! Find out where her passion for writing came from, why it was put aside for a bit, and how she got her groove back by blogging.

*Tania resides in Maui and currently blogs at MauiShopGirl. Join with me to celebrate her successes by reaching 30,000 pageviews earlier this month!*

Success at the aquarium

Thanks to everyone whom I tagged and responded! I can't wait to share some of their responses with everyone :).

Earlier this month, we went to the National Aquarium in Baltimore. I remember going here as a kid. I went with my family. I went with my 5th grade class because we were doing a whole series on some book we were reading about the sea. Here's a picture -- I was a big kid, with thick bangs.

Simple Sunday: Drawing with Dad

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Friday Fun: tag, you're it

I was recently tagged by Who{is} your momma?, formerly known as Little Boy B Makes Three, to continue a chain letter for the digital times, if you will. Man, are there a lot of steps. Provide random factors about yourself. Answer questions. Tag people. Ask them questions. Whew...I need a break ;)

She beats blogger's block

For this last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 bloggers. Tuesday was Kristin of Mondays with Mac, who shared her tips for better blogging. Yesterday was Lou of LouLouLoves, who shared her blogging experience and secrets!! Secrets no more ;).

Today's guest post is by Jen of JenKakio. I met Jen through another blogger friend. I think Jen’s a real sweet girl and have enjoyed interacting with her on her blog and on instagram (jen808). Read on for her tips on fighting blogger’s block, which I can certainly relate to! I also think her tips are great for any type of "block" -- writers', photographers', etc.!

*Jen is a full-time college student from Hawai’i and currently blogs at JenKakio.*

She writes

For this last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 bloggers. Yesterday was Kristin of Mondays with Mac, who shared her tips for better blogging.

Today's guest post is by Lou (as I'll call her) of LouLouLoves. I came across LouLouLoves during a blog carnival/hop. love her blog because it’s beautifully designed, and she’s just the kind of person you’d like to hang out with on a Saturday afternoon. Read on to see what’s she’s learned about blogging, what she wants to learn, and her blogging secrets! You definitely want to stick around until the end of this post!

*Lou is a working-mom from Sweden and has a daughter nicknamed “Bubba” and one on the way. She blogs at LouLouLoves.*

She loves

Hello, wonderful people! I want to thank all of my guest-posters from last week, Nilsa, Kat, and Mandi. And I want to thank all of YOU for your support by leaving thoughtful comments for each of them. From my own experience, I know that guest posts don't always receive a lot of comments, so both I and each guest-poster truly appreciates your time! For the last full week in May, I'm featuring 3 more bloggers. Hope you'll stick around and be as kind to them as you were last week :).

Today's guest post is by Kristin of Mondays with Mac. I’ll be honest and say that Kristin is not a person I’d meet in my daily life. I spend most, if not all, of my time in the suburbs of D.C. where I work and live with conservative types. So, to have met Kristin and to read her journey as a mother at Mondays with Mac: a gay fairytale for the digital age, reminds me that being a mother is being a mother, no matter the race, ethnicity, beliefs, or type of family. Read why Kristin calls her blog a pre-teen, what her blogging tips and tricks are, why she, like me, doesn’t like CAPTCHA codes, and why the love for her son overflows into her blog.

* Kristin is a mom to a beautiful baby boy named “Mac” and blogs at Mondays with Mac.*

What we've been up to

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Our weekend started Friday afternoon because our daycare closed for half a day for parent-teacher conferences. I slept most of Saturday away (which initially sounds awesome) because my stomach hurt (see, not so awesome). The sleep really helped, so thanks again, hubby! Hubby even took our 21-mo (J) to get a haircut by themselves! Saturday night, I made avocado frosting. Sunday, my sister appreciated the fact that I made cupcakes with avocado frosting, even though they weren't as successful as I thought they'd be. Photos after the jump!

Simple Sunday

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That.

Friday Fun

Hope you enjoyed reading about the blogging experiences from others this past week. Thanks for all of your WONDERFUL comments! For a summary, here are the posts from Nilsa, from Kat, and from Mandi.

Help us win a petiteBox!

Hi Friends!

petiteBox is a subscription to a monthly shipment of full-sized and sample-sized "luxury" Mommy and baby items. Read more about it from Jas at AdamAlexMommy here and here. They recently launched in the U.S. (was only in Europe before), and now are launching a competition called petiteOne where members submit baby photos on their Facebook page and the baby with the most votes wins a free petiteBox. Voting for May ends May 31st. Would you consider voting for my little J? And an incentive for clicking right here: you'll see what the J stands for, though please don't spread it around or leave his full name in the comments. Thanks!

She gives

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments!

Tuesday, I featured Nilsa of SoMi Speaks. Wednesday, I featured Kat of Vodka and Soda. Today, I'm featuring Mandi from Sweet Tiny Blessings. I met Mandi on a blog carnival/blog hop event. Her post about older kids being bullies/over-bearing at the play gym around her infant instantly made me a new follower of her blog, Sweet Tiny Blessings, since I could see myself relating to her. Read why Mandi started blogging, how she grew her community of sponsors and readers, and what she’s looking forward to for her blog.

* Mandi is a stay-at-home to a beautiful girl named Baby C and blogs at Sweet Tiny Blessings.*

She's resourceful

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments! Thanks to everyone who left such sweet and DETAILED comments on yesterday's post. You put a smile on my face, and probably on Nilsa's too! THANKS for the support, and hope you'll show the same love to Kat of Vodka and Soda.

I don’t know about you, but when I started blogging, it was mostly a personal documentary about pregnancy (now, raising a toddler). I wrote mostly for people I knew, and now, to people I’ve met online too. However, Kat had a specific vision when she started DreamyBabies. Read why Kat started DreamyBabies, how her site grew, how she was able to help other parents, and also why she moved on.

* Kat is a mom to a beautiful 3-year old girl named Kayla and currently blogs at Vodka and Soda.*

She blogs

This week, I'm featuring bloggers and their blogging experiences. I've got bloggers who've been blogging for years, and some who've just started. Whether you blog or are thinking about starting a blog, hope you enjoy their stories and share your thoughts in the comments!

Today’s guest post is from Nilsa of SoMi Speaks. She’s been blogging since 2007 (whoa!). I call her a veteran blogger, and you’ll see why below. Her post has headings (*wink*)! Read why she calls herself a “life blogger”, why she doesn’t blog anonymously (not that there’s anything wrong with that!), how her blog and “real life” intersect, and her “lessons learned”.

* Nilsa is a working-mom to a beautiful 18-month old named Gavin and currently blogs at SoMi Speaks.*

What we've been up to

Hope everyone had a great weekend! It was 80F both days, so we were able to play outside, which is my favorite way to pass the time with our 21-mo (J) on the weekends. Here's a post updating y'all on what we've been up to in the Ng clan.

Simple Sunday

Welcome to Simple Sunday where I link up with Rebecca from Simple as That. But before I get to my photo, I'd like to wish all Mommies and Soon-to-Be-Mommies a…

Friday Fun

One morning, I was trying to change our 21-mo (J) out of his PJs. He wants nothing to do with that, by the way. He rolls around on our bed in his bodysuit, chubby legs exposed. He grabs his ankles and falls backward into our fluffy comforter. He crawls away and hides underneath the covers. At times, I get annoyed because he's taking so long, but that morning, I appreciated how big our son is getting, but also how small he is at the same time. Soon those chubby legs will be replaced by lean muscle. Soon he'll be dressing himself. Soon he'll be waiting for the school bus. I better cherish these moments, even if that means we leave the house 15-20 min later.

Dealing with tantrums

A few weeks ago, J suddenly lost interest in eating meals. It was really odd considering he's been a great eater since he was born. We were really lucky. In a nutshell (details, advice from readers), he'd throw a tantrum when it was time to get in the high chair. When we finally coerced him into the chair, he'd take 2 bites and squirm to get out.

Encouragement

I began taking photography a bit more seriously beginning this year. That means:

Building blocks

Happy Tuesday! I'd just like to thank you for your support as I transitioned from blogging in 2 places (expandng.com and capturng.com) to just blogging here. You have allowed me to blog about both my family and my interests in photography. You gave me examples of your own blogs and how they also cover different topics and are reflections of who you are. We aren't one dimensional people, so why should our blogs be, right? So...THANK YOU for your support. When I have time later this Spring, I hope to get started on either redesigning expandng.com or designing a whole new blog.

And now onto today's topic: building blocks.

What I think about blog awards

Hope you had a great weekend! Today's topic: Blog awards.

Simple Sundays

Here's a second installment of Simple Sundays...

Snapshots

Happy Friday, everyone! Got any exciting plans? We might visit the National Aquarium -- the awesome one in Baltimore! Usually we like to be close to home so our 21-mo (J) can get his usual nap, but lately, he's only been napping an hour on the weekends, no matter how tired we try to get him, so we don't mind traveling as much.

Tracking my health

With all the stress about our 20-mo son (J) not eating -- I know it's small potatoes compared to real world problems -- I decided to increase my visits to the gym to 2 times a week. I think the time away from home and also the release of some toxins will help with relieving stress. And losing a few pounds won't be so bad either ;). I hate the treadmill but I also know it'll be my fastest route to my goal weight of ah hem ma nah pounds.

Wordless Wednesday: Muppet hands

After Jasper got a haircut, his legs look so long and skinny.

A boy and his puppy

Happy May!

When we first brought Jasper home, he was only a few months old. Our son was only a bit over 1 year old. Jasper immediately found a liking to our son since our son was small, on the ground a lot, dropped food, and had food on him at all times. Jasper loved to lick our son's face and toes. Our son didn't know what to make of him back then.

April in review & readers spotlight

I really can't believe it's the end of April already! I know, I know, I say that at the end of every month ;). It's really exciting to have all of you on my blogging journey! I love seeing readership grow, as well as the number of comments/discussions we can have about parenting, photography, and everything else! Thanks for your support!

Dogs & flashes

I can't control the intensity of my SpeedLite 380EX. I bought a diffuser cap for it, but that just spreads the flash around instead of diffusing it. Ergh. I've even secured a piece of white paper over the flash. The effect was lackluster. I fiddled with the "flash exposure" on the camera, but that just dims the photo, not the flash. Ergh. Anyways, my bloggie friend Jen recently agreed that it's hard to get her dogs to stay still for a photo, but even harder because they're afraid of the flash. Luckily, our puppy, Jasper, isn't scared of anything. Not even the flash.

HUGE box

I ordered this laundry drying rack from Amazon (great rack, I might add -- sturdy and allows several sweaters and other delicates to hang at an angle. Here's a 2-rack version). Anyways, it came in this HUGE box. I was like "what did I order?" We order so much stuff from Amazon, it can be hard to keep track! Anyone else know the feeling?

Toddlerisms

Around 16 months, our son's vocabulary seemed to skyrocket. These days, we're just so surprised by what he knows and can say too! Here are some our son's toddlerisms...

Portraits

I'm so glad that my parents took a lot of photographs when we were growing up (see some here). I love to recall all the fun memories! They may not be "professional" but they certainly capture priceless moments.

Mother's Day Gifts Under $50

This will be the 3rd Mother's Day that I'm celebrating as a mom. I celebrate being a mom everyday, but just to make Mother's Day on May 13th May 13th even more special, I've put together a if-you-wanted-to-get-me-something list (in order of preference). Just putting it out there! Share your recommendations in the comments!

Simple Sundays

Thanks to Mandi from Sweet Tiny Blessings for recommending As Simple As That -- a blog where Rebecca links up "the simple things" every Sunday. P.S. Rebecca also offers great photography and craft tips, and wonderful giveaways.

A quick "thanks" and "wow"!

I wanted to write a quick "thanks" to everyone to left a comment telling me how they get their toddler to sit and eat during mealtimes. I will certainly try many of them, always remembering that every child and every day is different of course!

Grandma's visit

At the end of March, my mom visited us, which is so nice because then we don't have to pack up all of our 20-mo's (J) and dogs' things. Originally, we were going to take her to see the cherry blossoms, but with the warm weather, they bloomed early. And then a few days before she arrived, rain hit the region. That's ok since the real reason she visits is to see her 20-mo grandson (our son, J) ;). Plus, she thought seeing cherry blossoms was the same as cherry picking, so I guess she woulda been disappointed anyways ;).

How far will you go to get your toddler to eat?

Ok, so technically technically, it isn't that our 20-mo (J) isn't eating anything. The hubby googled "toddler not eating" and read on a forum that one mom's toddler ate only a biscuit for an entire week. Now that's extreme! The issue in our house is that J only eats when he wants, what he wants, and with as much struggle as possible. It's like washing his hands and getting in the high chair is some sort of torture. I know, I'm not alone on this one. I know, this stage is all about my toddler's quest for independence and control. I know, this stage, like others, will pass and pass sooner than I think. But it sure is annoying/troubling/inconvenient at the moment...

Wordless Wednesday -- Balancing act

Just when you think you're about to lose it...

Camera backpack for moms who carry around baby stuff too

Thanks to everyone who gave me advice on my blogs yesterday! Overwhelmingly, y'all supports my move to only one blog -- it'd streamline posting, some regular readers here didn't even know I had a photography blog, and it's my blog so why not! So in that spirit, I'll be posting here in the meantime...I am considering a new blog all together...Anyways...

Ever since Tania over at MauiShopGirl posted about cute camera bags that don't look like camera bags, I've been thinking about getting a new camera bag. P.S. I love THEIT bag she featured! And I just found SHUTTER|bag on Facebook - which is a large leather camera bag that looks very chic and functional.

Advice on my blogs

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Jas at AdamAlexMommy recently posted a few blogging tips she learned from a conference. So many great tips. One tip she shared on her Facebook page -- it was something like use the same "name" on different social media/domains so it's easier to track you -- has been on my mind a bit. I was thinking that maybe I should merge my two blogs together and move to WordPress...

It's Friday Friday Friday

For a Friday afternoon, I leave you with photos of our 20-mo holding a dandelion for the 1st time. Oh, it was exciting! Have a good weekend!

Just the two of us to D.C.

First, just wanted to thank everyone who left comments on my last two posts about tantrums! Totally read the comments for some great tips like getting down to your child's level and using distraction! Also, here are two articles left in the comments about handling tantrums -- LouLouLoves shared an article by Penelope Leach, and Jen Kakio shared an article by Kat at Vodka and Soda.

So today's post is finally not about tantrums (yay!), but about how great our 20-mo (J) did on our trek to D.C. and also what I've learned from his past tantrums!

At the mall, tantrums and all

Thanks to everyone who reassured me every kid throws tantrums, no matter what you do to prevent them. Every kid is different, every situation is different, and I just gotta go with the flow. Also, Amberr and SewPetiteGal might not have been ready for the zoo at his age. And Laura B reminded me that perhaps J was also overstimulated and we may have passed our crowd-anxiety onto him. Thanks for all your stories and tips though!

But I'm not done ranting about tantrums yet because...

My first guest post at Power Launch!

I recently won the parenting book, Grooming the Next Generation for Success by Dani Johnson, on Power Launch. When I contacted them about the win, they not only took down my address, but they asked if I'd like to guest post! Whoa, my first guest post. I was sincerely honored!

So please head on over to Power Launch to read the 3 parenting lessons that have taught me that I am not smarter than my baby. Be sure to share your parenting tips in the comments over at Power Launch! And if YOU want to guest post for Power Launch, clicky here to read more about doing so.


  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted at expandng.com - My first guest post at Power Launch  

First visit to the zoo, tantrums and all

My mom visited us for a few days, so we planned several activities, including a trip to the National Zoo. It was Spring Break so everyone else was also there! I kinda hate crowds…Anyways, it was going to be our 20-month's (J) first time to the zoo. Since J's been learning all the animals and their sounds, we were excited!

Please don't hit Mommy

Our little 20-mo boy, J, has started baby-hitting. It's like the gentlest little tap, but it is done with such intent and conviction, you know he means business! We make him be sorry, which I'm not sure he understands or does anything to be sorry. Sometimes when we make a really sad face, he imitates and then laughs at our funny face. Sigh.

Wordless Wednesday

[Photo source, text added]

Profound, no?

On a lighter note, I initially googled "dessert" when wanting to google "desert". Smack head.

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted at expandng.com - Wordless Wednesday  

Non-fishy salmon cakes

I love salmon sashimi. Love. It. I literally cried when I allowed my family to eat sashimi in front of me while I was pregnant. Literally. Cried. Oddly enough, I don't liked cooked salmon. I think it's fishy. But since it's a good source of omega-3s, I cooked it a few weeks ago. We ate two pan-fried steaks that week, and I froze the other two (already pan-fried) for later.

No more ice cream?

Most of the time I enjoy "talking" with my 19-mo. Everything is just so cute because it's babble mixed with discernible phrases. Bababaaa aaaaa oh no. Bababaaa aaaaa all done. Bababaaa aaaaa no more. Bababaaa aaaaa hehe ekeke gggee.

[Source: Food Beast]

March in review & readers spotlight

Why is it that as we get older, time just seems to go by faster??? Good-bye, March! Hello, April! Let's take a walk down memory lane….

Chinese steamed buns

[Source]

Recent instagrams

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! We spent the weekend in Philly with our families, so it was non-stop action with 7 adults, 4 dogs, and a 19-mo old all together. So here's a light post before I hit the sack :).

Favorite part of being a Mommy

I really need to change my watermarks to something that's not blog specific!

We were taking a walk outside and he wanted to hold my hand, not because I asked him to while crossing the street or something. This is one of my favorite parts of being a Mommy -- his little hand holding mine!!

What's your favorite part of being a Mommy or Daddy?

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted at expandng.com  

Boredom - to fight or not to fight

The most unexpected objects capture our 19-mo old's attention. For instance, this empty diapers box. I guess I knew it all along, having heard the running joke that kids are more interested in boxes rather than the contents. He climbed in it. Tried to climb out. He wanted me to rock the box back and forth like it was some kind of amusement park ride.

Inspired by Old Navy ad

Our snailmail mailbox was overflowing when I checked it last evening. It's just so easy to let mail sit in there for a week or so. What ever happened to the days when mail was delivered to your door? Is there a time-saving, privacy thing going on?? Anyways, I received a15% off $50 purchase to Old Navy and was inspired to buy when I saw their ad. Haven't bought anything, but here's what I'm thinking...

Not holding a grudge

After a long walk and playtime outside Sunday afternoon, I kicked my feet up, closed my eyes and (almost) fell asleep after dinner. Even though I was half-sleeping, I heard the hubby and our 19-mo (J) reading Blue Hat Green Hat together. J babbles in "sentences" now and was expressing his concern for the elephant in that book because a similar elephant breaks the clock in this Hickory Dickory Dock video. Oh, how the mind of a 19-mo works! They were having a great time.

Left: shorts (surprise) gifted by AdamAlexMommy! Tks again!

More photos to come on my photography blog

Mommy Mysteries 003

Sure has been a while since the last installment of Mommy Mysteries. See others here.

If you have Mommy (or Daddy) Mystery to share, please fill out out this form and be featured here :).


Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted at expandng.com  

Brushing?

I have a 19-mo old, and since he's had teeth, the pediatrician has said, you should brush his teeth at least once a day, or give them a good wipe. One pediatrician even scoffed at her own advice: "...and for at least 2 minutes...pfff! Just do it for as long as you can!"

Well, J sure is fast in turning his face away when we try to brush his teeth. He's really fast, and in both directions. I'm sure yours is/was too! So, that's a fail.

When I approach him with a washcloth, he let's me put it to his teeth, but then proceeds to clench down on my fingers. Baby teeth sure are sharp! Ouch!

New photos at capturng

Check out my first montage (or is it collage?) over at my photography blog, capturng.com!

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From sports car to practical car

The hubby's first car was an Acura RSX (they don't make them anymore?). It was a sweet ride with pimped-out spoiler, nice rims, body kit, and other JDI (Japanese Domestic Import) parts. I have to admit that the first time he picked me up, I said to myself "Nice car". I totally didn't think I was one of those girls. Oh, and it was a manual transmission, which is beyond cool in my book.

Recent instagrams

In case you don't have Instagram (lisacng), or don't follow me on Twitter, here are some recent snapshots of life taken with my iPhone. I'm also taking a photo a day on my iPhone for Fat Mum Slim's #MarchPhotoADay project. Click here for the daily prompts and to participate. I've posted my #MarchPhotoADay photos on capturng.com.

Imagine your 1-yr old potty trained

I was reading a new blog over the weekend and a post on Infant Potty Training on PowerLaunch was seriously the weirdest parenting thing I've ever read. It was also really intriguing.

Warning: the following material may only be suitable to parents and adults who are used to be around pee and poo.

I'm a step stool

Literally, I'm a step stool. Check out the flamingo/tree pose. Forgive the ugly t-shirt and sweatpants. I'm too lazy to pull out the actual step stool or chair to help our 19-mo old wash his hands.

Hope you're having a great weekend!

Show some love. Leave a comment below and I'll definitely respond!  ----------------------- Follow this blog! RSS | Facebook | Twitter | Email | Bloglovin'-----------------------  Originally posted on expandng.com  

What I learned from reading 100 blogs

I mentioned in my "Why I blog" post that I was participating in Blogelina's "100 comment" event. Well, I finished reading all 100 137 blogs and tried to leave specific comments on each and not just "great post". It was challenging, but I through the experience I got to read a lot of great blogs and met new people.

It was great to see the variety of blogs represented:

• Faith
• Couponing, deals, etc.
• Crafting
• Homeschooling: A Living Home School got me thinking with their reasons for homeschooling
• Parenting
• And only one site about fashion -- I could hardly believe it! Maybe because people are drawn to fashion blogs like moths to a light. But in a good way. Not in the *zaaaap poof!* way.

Vehicle buying decision matrix

A while ago, the hubby and I were considering buying either an SUV or a minivan. Initially, I shuddered at the word "minivan". I told myself I'd never own a minivan. Ever. But like all "I'll never" statements made before having our son, I had to seriously consider a minivan now because my needs have changed. Now you may say, you only have one kid, why do you need a minivan? Or, even if you had two kids, why do you need a minivan? Read my old post to find out, please.

Celebrate a blogversary, give to charity

One of my bestes bloggie friends, Nilsa from SoMi Speaks, is celebrating her 5 year blogversary! Will someone please tell me is it spelled blogversary, blogiversary, or what? Besides giving away something to readers, she's also generously giving to a charity nominated by a reader. How generous is she?! So, the more you enter (comment, share, blog), the more money will go to charity! Now that's a special giveaway. Check it by clicking right here!

Meet Baaaaab

Our 18-mo son (J) had a playmate with the hubby's friends' 16-mo son (K). And when they came, they brought the cutest gift for J! See how happy he is!

Apparently, uninterrupted sleep for the lesser evolved

[J sleeping at 3 months. Check out how his hair has evolved!]

Ok, ok, so the article Interrupted Sleep Might Be the Best Kind says that over time, technology and lifestyle changes have caused (those of) us (lucky enough) to adopt to an 8-hour sleeping schedule. It says that history (via writings and paintings showing people working at night --yea, the latter one is really convincing!) shows people sleeping in two 4-hour stints with an "awake" period in between.

I *am* surprised!

Last night around 11:54pm, I was ready for bed, but as always, needed to check Facebook and Twitter just one last time. What do I find but a new post by one of my bestes bloggy friends, fashion blogger Jasmine of AdamAlexMommy.

AdamAlexMommy: New Blog Post- C if U just got surprised by AdamAlexMommy w a prize- adamalexmommy.com/2012/03/surpri… #fashionblogger #surprise #thankyou

— AdamAlexMommy.com (@AdamAlexMommy) March 2, 2012

A surprise?! I was intrigued...

Why I blog

Would you like 100 comments on your next blog post? That was the subject line of an email I received from Blogelina. I answered in my head, Of course I do! What blogger doesn't want to say something worthy of another person taking the time to leave a comment (no matter the commenting system, hehe)? Blogelina organized multiple 100-blog groups to participate. Basically, each blogger who signed up would visit 99 other blogs and leave a comment (who'll leave the remaining 1, hmmmm). So from Mar 1 to Mar 8, that's what we'll be doing. Since 99 new people might be visiting this site, I thought I'd give a brief introduction, and hopefully not bore my regular readers and supporters :).

Here it goes:

February in review & readers spotlight

February was only 29 days, but it still felt like a normal month ;). Naw, it flew by, and mostly because our 18-mo son (J) wasn't sick for half of it. That was January, and we're all glad January is over.

Let's take a walk down short-term memory lane…

JCP and customer loyalty

I know this is almost two months late, but I'd just like to say that JCPenny's January catalog and new look blew me away. The layout was simple and clean -- almost Target-esque, which I guess is no surprise now that I know JCP's CEO worked for Target. Anyways, January's catalog contained items that I actually wouldn't mind checking out in-store. Goodness knows I would have never thought to walk into a JCP before this.

Celebrating 10K pageviews :: $25 The Children's Place Gift Card Giveaway (CLOSED)

Hey all, thanks again for helping us reach 10,000 pageviews! We're really excited to be able celebrate this milestone by giving away a $25 The Children's Place gift card. This is our first giveaway ever, and we're using Raffleopter, so please let us know if you have any questions or the widget isn't working! Raffleopter also provides a demo on how to use the widget.

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is announced on the "continue reading" page and has been contacted by email (pending entry verification). Thanks to everyone who entered and shared this giveaway!

Random photos

Hope you're having a great weekend! Thanks for helping us reach 10,000 pageviews! As promised, a gift card giveaway will be announced very soon! Hope you were able to check out my favorite bloggie friends.

Today was a whirlwind of activities. Our 18-mo son (J) got a haircut, but it wasn't as nice as his first haircut. Granted, today's stylist didn't spend a lot of time on it, probably thinking we wanted J in and out ASAP. Guess we could have told her otherwise and she could have gave him some style, and not just cut his hair. We'd recommend asking for Faye Ji or Wei We Zhang at Beautiful Life Salon. Don't know what it's like at other places, but they were willing to scissor-cut J's hair because he was scared of the buzzer. Is that what it's called?

We then went to the library, had lunch, took a short nap, and I was claustrophobic and perplexed by the level of crazy-kidness in the play area at the mall. Seriously, who gave them all sugar packets before they entered? And why isn't anyone supervising? I body-blocked a kid or two before they landed on J's head. Errggghhh

Anyways, on to the random photos...

A few of my favorite blogs

First off, we're only about 50 pageviews away from 10,000 and a gift card giveaway!!!!!

For the weekend, I'd like to leave you with the blogs that I read and interact with almost daily. It's a long list, so I've tried to make it easier for you skim-readers to find a blog that might interest you. Anyways, that word, interact is key because there plenty of blogs that I only read or post a comment occasionally. But then there are a handful of blogs on which I comment frequently, and they stop on over and comment here or at my photography blog, capturng.com. I hope they don't feel like they have to comment on mine because I comment on theirs because that's not my intent as all! I just feel somehow connected to them…hope that doesn't creep them out! I did try to reach each of them prior to posting this just to make sure though!

(REPOST) Is she talking to the puppy or the baby?

"Poll" for this post has been updated and works

We live in a townhouse and luckily only have one neighbor. They probably hear me raise my voice. I bet they play a game of "Is she talking to the puppy or the baby?" You can play along too! I wish there were some awesome prize I could give you if you get all the answers correctly. BUT if you help us reach 10,000 pageviews, we're that much closer to a gift card giveaway! Share this post via twitter, Facebook, or good ol' fashion word of mouth :). Share buttons are at the bottom of this post.

Is she talking to the puppy or the baby?

We live in a townhouse and luckily only have one neighbor. They probably hear me raise my voice. I bet they play a game of "Is she talking to the puppy or the baby?" You can play along too! I wish there were some awesome prize I could give you if you get all the answers correctly. BUT if you help us reach 10,000 pageviews, we're that much closer to a gift card giveaway! Share this post via twitter, Facebook, or good ol' fashion word of mouth :). Share buttons are at the bottom of this post.

Showing and teaching compassion

I'm a selfish creature by nature. Especially at the end of a long day. Who cares about your problems when my shoes are cutting into the back of my feet, our son (J) didn't want to get in the car seat when I picked him up from daycare, and the dogs won't stop barking as soon as I step in the door?? Just leave me alone!

But that’s not the "me" I want the hubby, J, or the dogs to endure every evening. With a dozen-or-so things all going on at once, I'm learning to take a deep breath, step back, and see life from their point of view, i.e., showing compassion.

Speaking of giveaways

Counting down to our 10,000 pageviews giveaway, I'm posting about two giveaways I entered today and the pretty awesome entry form they both used. I've entered my share of blog giveaways, and most of them allow you multiple entries by posting separate comments saying you did such and such - e.g., like them on FB, like the giveaway sponsor on FB, follow on Twitter, etc. The blogger then uses random number generator or other tool, to randomly select among the comments. I was considering doing the same but then I (easily) entered two giveaways -- you should enter them too because they're great prizes and easy to enter!

Questions on Disqus

Hope you had a great weekend, whether or not it was a 3-day.

Thanks to everyone who chimed in about commenting systems. It seems that bloggers are frustrated with "default" commenting systems. I've made the switch to Disqus, and someone at Disqus actually posted a response to my post! That's more than I can say for the silent Blogger (boo!).

Also, a Google search led me to adding a Facebook comment box on your blog. But I don't particularly like it because I don't want readers to have to sign-in using Facebook to comment.

In case you didn't "Subscribe by email" or "RSS" to the comments, here's what Tyler Hayes from Disqus had to say (emphases added):

Since the topic is fresh, I wanted to pop in and mention that we do offer some more granular notification options though they may not be obvious at first. As you mentioned there is a "Subscribe by email" link at the bottom of any Disqus comments area which will allow you to — logged-in to Disqus or not — effectively listen in on the conversation without having to comment.

However, for registered Disqus users, by default any time you comment on a thread you'll receive email notifications of only replies to your comments (and also @mentions of you, e.g., Lisa Ng). This can be changed in the Notifications tab at http://disqus.com to enable notifications for all new comments on threads on which you comment, rather than just replies, too.

If we can ever lend a hand with anything, or if you just have any thoughts or feedback, don't hesitate to reach out to us at http://disqus.com/support.

Commenting systems

I've dedicated the past 2 Fridays to "Reader Appreciation" posts. But I think I'm going to move to once-a-month of such posts. I think it's a great way to sum up the month and appreciate you without overdoing it.

Is that ok? Will you still feel the love? Because I've felt the love this week. It's been the most commented-on week since I started this blog! Thanks, friends!

Hey, we're about 500 pageviews short of 10,000! I am soooo super excited. I have the perfect way to celebrate too -- it involves you and a gift card giveaway...but we'll all have to wait until 10,000 pageviews. Follow along on the right sidebar! We're not cheating because the counter doesn't count my own pageviews ;).

This may be a heavy post for Friday afternoon, but it's been on my mind for a while!

On to my rants on commenting systems…

Puppy love, literally

When we first started thinking about getting a second dog, the hubby and I first considered rescuing a young adult dog. Unfortunately, most people give up older dogs (so sad and age-ist!). Since Coco (our first dog) was only 2, and we really wanted a play companion for her, we kept looking and waiting.

We found Delaware Puppy Rescue, but unfortunately they had restrictions about families adopting a puppy when there's a child less than 7-yrs at home. They had good reason. Both child and puppy are in their early stages of development. Neither is mature enough to understand restraint. Their past experience with young families is that puppies are returned :(.

Going against DPR's valid concern, we got a puppy from a breeder anyways. We named his Jasper. Our son (J) was a little over 1-yr at the time.

Parisian vs. American parenting

I wanted so bad to comment on the Tiger Mom debate of last year but missed the boat! So I'm going to jump on the bandwagon and provide my two cents on the Parisian vs American parenting discussion before it's yesterday's news. I'd love to hear your two cents too!

An American named Pamela Druckerman, living in Paris with her British husband and their kids, wrote a book called Bringing Up Bebe, which describes the differences she's observed between Parisian vs American parenting. I originally came across the WSJ article from Mommy Shorts, and then found posts on BlogHer and A Cup of Jo. Mommy Shorts believes pastries and Nutella are the reasons Parisian kids are better behaved than American kids. Josette over at BlogHer says that actually, all parents are better than you. And finally, A Cup of Jo takes a sincere approach and lists some takeaways from the book excerpt. *Note, the posts by Mommy Shorts and Josette are supposed to be taken with a grain of salt and also preferably with a sense of humor!*

So here's my two-cents.

A V-Day card for you

Happy Valentine's Day! Late last night, I posted about a DIY kids' V-Day t-shirt I made for our son (J). Well, if you didn't like that, how's about a card from J himself?

Valentine's Day craft: DIY kids' t-shirt

Valentine's Day is tomorrow. Well, 30-min from the time this post posts. It's a late night! Half of you are super-excited, half of you would rather stick a fork in your eye, and the other half of you wonders why there is such a dichotomy over this holiday.

We had the tasting menu at Tintos in Philadelphia a few years ago and had so much fun with tapas that we planned a nice V-Day dinner at a highly-rated Mediterranean tapas (or mezze) restaurant found via Yelp -- Cava Mezze around here.

Since they don't take reservations for V-Day, we planned to go tonight, and my sister was going to babysit. As luck would have it, our son (J) came down with a fever last night, and we aren't comfortable about leaving him tonight. That's ok because I just remembered I was going to make cards for J's daycare teachers. Well, even if he hadn't of gotten sick, I at least had one V-Day craft done last night.

J is in the Bees Classroom at daycare, so what better way to celebrate V-Day than to make a t-shirt:

Must.read.magazines

Hope you're having a good weekend!

I really should have added "attack my stack of magazines" to my list of New Year Resolutions because who has actual magazines anymore, right *wink*?

Reader appreciation

Happy Friday, friends! Thanks to all my readers and visitors! I appreciate your time to read and view my blog amidst the sea of parenting blogs out there.

This week's most popular post was A tribute to Dad. Thanks to Lucy's Reality (parenting blog), SoMi Speaks (parenting blog), and Angie from Pandaphilia (personal style blog) for leaving me such lovely comments!!

Thankful Thursday: Time

[source: Richard Wiseman]

Today, I'm thankful for time. I am thankful that time always moves forward. I make mistakes each hour of the day, and I'm thankful that "time" never withholds a new hour to perhaps right the wrongs or at least learn from them.

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A tribute to Dad

Today would have been my dad's 97th birthday, but you wouldn't have been able to tell. It's funny to say this, but he didn't look a day over 60. When you're in your 90s, being 60 is a compliment! Speaking of awesome Asian genes, have you seen Vera Wang lately?

What I remember about my dad was that his mind was sharp. He knew Obama was President, that the capital of Pennsylvania was Harrisburg (though he sometimes pronounced it Hershey Park), and that Ellen DeGeneres was gay. Seriously, the last one, how did he know that? He didn't understand English. Was it in some Chinese show or newspaper? But I digress...

Soon to be invincible again

Here's a test to see if your kids are too sick for school or daycare that I found while searching for this image.

I have a strain of I-live-with-a-two-year-old-it is coined by Mommy Shorts. It's called I-have-an-18-month-old-in-his-first-year-of-daycare-itis because before he started daycare, I never got sick. This is also why I haven't posted anything since Friday.

Reader Appreciation

Taking a cue from Pretty Sparkly Shiny's The Secrets to Successful Blogging (Part I), I am dedicating a post each week to highlight comments and interactions with the readers of this blog. Without you, I'd be talking to myself. Thank you for not allowing that to happen.

Mommy Mysteries 002 - reader submitted

Second in Mommy Mysteries series. This one's submitted by Talking Thirty, a blog about all things meaningful to a girl in her thirties. For the first in the series, click here or here.

Thankful Thursday: Mom, you're awesome

Last night, I couldn't formulate a coherent post about anything "relative" for BlogHer's February NaBloPoMo. Today, I feel much better. Throat still sore, but the rest of me ok.

So here we go -- a post about Mom, which is also be a Thankful Thursday post.

NaBloPoMo: Relative

Happy February! This month's NaBloPoMo theme is Relative. Today's writing prompt is Tell us about your mother. And I've been trying for the last hour and a half to formulate a coherent stream of thought but can't because my throat hurts, I have a headache, and I just want to curl up into a fetal position and sleep until next week. So, Mom, if you're reading this, I promise to embarrass you another day!

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How you doin' on those resolutions?

It's Jan 31 and time to look at the progress of my New Year Resolutions (NYRs). Hope you're staying strong!

Achievable:

• No more chips or fries -- 31 out of 31 days!
• Attending church every Sunday -- 2 out of 5 Sundays
• Attending small group -- 0 out of 2 meetings
• Reading the Bible and praying everyday -- a handful out of 31 days -- gotta improve!
• Date night with hubby at least once a month -- eek -- 0 times
• Going to the gym at least once a week -- went once a week for 3 out of 4 weeks

Lofty:

• Blog everyday -- 30 out of 31 days
• Take a picture a day for capturng.com -- 30 out of 31 days
• Lose 8 lbs. -- 0 lbs lost, which isn't surprising since I only went to the gym 3 times this month

Pff! I wish:

• Learn to sew -- nope 
• Develop personal style -- I did start a Pinterest board 
• Go on The Price is Right -- nope
• Go on the Wheel of Fortune -- nope
• Get on The Amazing Race -- nope

I'm definitely crave fries when I'm eating out and chips when it's 10pm at night. I need to practice Christianity everyday. We have to have a date night in February -- it's Valentine's Day after all! And maybe I could increase my gym usage to twice a week. January's been a tiring month because my son and I are always sick at the same time.

As for blogging, I'm hoping to continue a post a day. Here's BlogHer's February badge and theme -- relative.

As for picture taking, I hope to continue a photo a day -- I can just imagine the album/calendar/poster/wall art I can create with all those images!

Maybe I'll pick up sewing. Maybe I'll take a class. Who knows. As for the other items on my "Pff! I wish" list, at least I started a Pinterest board. I even bought new items in January to serve as wardrobe foundations.

So, all-in-all, not a bad start to 2012. Here's to always growing, learning, maturing, and improving! 

Feel free to share your resolutions and progress too!

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Day 31: Fun at the Please Touch Museum in Philly

For those that haven't been, the Please Touch Museum in Philadelphia is the size of a serious museum yo (that's Philly talk yo).

Because I'm a geek, here are images of several museums to compare with Please Touch Museum.

Day 30: What does the "organic" label really mean?

When I got pregnant, maybe even before then, the hubby and I decided to eat more organically. We dove in head first and starting buying all of our food at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods. Our grocery bills got a bit out of control, so we decided to limit our organic food purchases to meat, meat products, and the Dirty Dozen.

[Source: Eggland's Best]

Day 29: The missing puzzle piece

I bought this cool wooden puzzle from a nearby second-hand children's store, Emma's Closet. The pieces cover-up light-sensitive sensors, so that with each piece you put down, a phrase of "The Wheels on the Bus" plays. And when all the pieces are in their places, the song continues to "the driver on the bus..."

Day 28: Jasper's favorite activities

I don't talk much about the dogs on this blog, but just had to share these photos of Jasper, the 6-month-old puppy. His favorite activities are:

Getting beat up by Coco. Just kidding! They're just playing!

Social media overload? Nope.

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Day 27: Those aren't yours

Here are a few of the dogs' things that my son, J,
has just grown to love "playing" with.

The dogs' toy, the dogs' crate...

Recent instagrams

In case you don't have Instagram (lisacng), or don't follow me on Twitter, which is very likely that you don't, but you should, here are some recent snapshots of life taken with my iPhone 4S. Enjoy!

Happy 3rd birthday, Coco!

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