42nd Birthday

I spent my 42nd birthday in Whistler, BC (from May 21-24) with my husband and kids, my parents, brother, and uncle. We had such a wonderful, relaxing time. Our friend's place is so huge - you can hardly call it a "cabin" - it's more like a mansion. We hardly had any reason to leave it. We got caught up playing snookers or the pinball machine. Or got glued to the satellite TV. Or lapped up in luxury in the eucalyptus steam room. For me, I got caught up in reading the 4th book of the Twilight Saga, "Breaking Dawn". It wasn't as good as the previous books but I had to finish the series.

My brother, Geoff, cooked gourmet breakfasts and dinners (another reason to not have to go out). Why pay an exorbitant amount of money on dining when we have our own in-house chef? We did have one (lousy & expensive) lunch at the Longhorn, and great burgers at Splitz Grill.

Jaclyn had a great adventure hike around Lost Lake. I enjoyed hearing Michael teach her about old man's beards, moss, lichen, fungus and all the different trees. Then the kids dipped their feet in the lake while the seniors watched from afar at a picnic table.

Michael and I were able to sneak out to watch the new Star Trek movie. It was amazing, REALLY amazing. I definitely could see that movie a few times.

All in all, I had a great, relaxing birthday. I loved being with my family.

Sleeping Beauties

Look what I found after I checked up on the girls before I went to bed!!!

How cute is that!!! Jaclyn and Madison are the best of friends. They play all day together and still can't seem to get enough of each other.

Twilight

I read a thick book in two days. That's pretty good considering I am a mother of two preschoolers. At first, I thought, "Ah, it's just a tweener book. Teen angst. Easy read. No big deal." But as I got into more and more chapters, I found myself caught up in the lives and unforbidden love of Bella Swan and Edward Cullen, the girl and the vampire. I have to admit, I loved it. So much so, that I had to reskim the whole book over again.
Then I saw the movie. How awful. The acting was deplorable. The quality was definitely low budget. Had I seen the movie first, I would not have had the slightest interest in picking up the book. But I guess that is always the case. The book is way better than the movie.

It reminds me very much of Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice...not that anyone's work can compare to Jane Austen's. Edward Cullen is the modern day Mr. Darcy. Bella Swan is Miss Elizabeth Bennett.

I am itching to read the 3 next books in the Twilight saga. I have to have more of Edward Cullen.

Two Lips

Michael took the day off work yesterday. We took the kids to La Conner for a picnic and then a look-see of the Tulip Festival. It was a fun, relaxing day.
On the way there, we stopped at Home Depot where Michael bought 5 face masks in case of a spread of the swine flu, at the Seattle Premium Outlet for a Starbucks & to purchase 10 Webkinz, and at the Tulalip Hotel to see what it looked like (beautiful!).
We bumped into an old friend at the outlet, Renee Wong. We hadn't seen her in years, and we had only seen her once since our wedding. She was shopping with other fellow moms - 2 of which I happen to know. What a small world.

The tulips were beautiful. Not in abundance as in previous years but I think it's because it's the tail end of the festival. And La Conner is such a cute little town.

Enough rambling about nothing. We just had a great, relaxing, playful day in the hot sun.

6 Tips for Helping Children Learn

I learnt these 6 tips today from a MOPS guest speaker. It's not like she is reinventing the wheel but the tips were good reminders to me so I thought I would share them in this blog (plus because I am so disorganized, I know I will misplace my handwritten notes):

1. READ READ READ to your children.
2. LIMIT THEIR SCREENING TIME as it lessens their attention span. (Of course, when we got home today, my kids plugged themselves in front of the TV, so I have yet to apply that tip.)
3. EXPERIENCE LIFE TOGETHER. Teaching your kids is not about "Sit down now and do your homework". (Here is a picture of them experiencing life after drinking a smoothie they helped make!)
4. LIBRARY
5. SET THE EXAMPLE of reading. (I am not much of an example there. I need to get in the habit of reading again. I haven't picked up a book in ages.)
6. SPRINGBOARD OFF AREAS OF THEIR INTEREST. (In my home, it's all about Princess.)

No one will ever care as much as you do about your children, their future and their education. No one's qualification will be as great as your own devotion for your kids. Never let your children's schooling interfere with their education (paraphrasing Mark Twain).

Another Cut

After seeing Madison's head in the garbage can, I walked over to her and asked her "What are you looking for?" Then I noticed clumps of hair on the floor. "What's this?" I ask (not that I didn't know but I think I was more in shock than anything).
"Jey Jey, cut my hair!"
"WHAT?" to which Jaclyn responded, "I was trying to put the scissors away and Madison got in the way."
Hmmmm...something just doesn't match up. How come the clumps of hair were near the garbage can and not near the drawer where the scissors are kept?
As if Madison needs another bad haircut. She's still recovering from that crap bang trim a couple of weeks ago, and now she has a clump of hair missing on one side of her head.

GABE

Last Friday, April 17th, a friend of mine, Gabe Ma, passed away from a heart attack after playing ice hockey. He was only 42 with two young kids, ages 5 & 3, with a beautiful wife. He may have had a pre-existing heart condition, I am not sure.

While I have not kept in good touch with Gabe over the past few years, we did chum around in our single days with other buddies from Granville Chap. So I do have a lot of fond memories - ALL FUN - with him. There was rollerblading, skating, dinner parties, Xmas gift exchanges (rock*paper*scissors), movies, and of course our competitve games nights (NERTZ).

All week, I have been wrestling with God as to why Gabe had to go especially since he has two young boys. I know that God is in the details, that God has a purpose for everything, that He loves us, and we need to trust Him. I know that we see things from a limited perspective, and that Gabe's death is not the whole picture. I get that. Or do I? Maybe I don't.

It just really bothers me. I can't wrap my brain around it. I am upset.

I can see and hear Gabe's laugh. He had a good full-hearted laugh. He was a funny guy. He had a competitive spirit but always loved to cheer people on.

Goodbye Gabe. I will see you one day in Heaven. I will beat you in Nertz when I get there.

P.S. Gabe, the Canucks are doing really well. They slaughtered St. Louis 4-0 in the series. I hope you can see the NHL playoffs in Heaven and you are enjoying the Canuck's victory!

Eventful Week for Jaclyn

On Sunday, Jaclyn had a gymnastics performance at Seattle Center. She did an amazing job. And then on Thursday, she did a poetic reading of the Jellybean Prayer at school, and got her yellow belt in Kung Fu. She is REALLY HAPPY and proud of herself.

Rice Bowl Cut

I am so sorry, Madison, that I believed a woman who said that she used to cut hair in her home country and that she wanted to trim your bangs because they were over your eyes. So I willingly let her trim your bangs yesterday.

This morning, Madison, woke up, looked in the mirror and said, "My hair funny, momma!" And she said it twice.

Someone said in an email after I sent a picture to him of Madison's new haircut (prepare yourself, reader, for strong words): "Wow! That lady doesn't know jack-sh_t about cutting hair. Next time ... the parental units should use themselves as haircut guinea pigs first to test that butcher-lady. She should be kicked in the head. See how you look and feel afterwards. LOL or NOT! Don't let her do it again."

Ordinary Life is a Great Life

There are days when I feel I live a very boring, normal, ordinary life. Gone are the days of my jetsetting and travelling to the four corners of the earth, and living like a naive princess with no cares in the world.

Now, I have trash to take out. Bills to pay. Mortgages to meet. Meals to cook. Laundry. Constant tidying and cleaning. Diapers to change. Blankies and dolls to find. Looks of (pretend) excitement when my children say, "Look, momma". Make no mistake. Extraordinary things happen around me continually. I just don't always recognize them. The thought occurs to me that great lives don't always seem great while we are living them. They seem embarassingly regular.

Every one of us who embraces the glory of God as our purpose will end up doing great things precisely because we do God-things. His holy hand resting on the smallest of acts renders the ordinary extraordinary. Spooning soup into the mouth of the weak or helping in the nursery so a tired mom can go to church are acts of worship when offered in the name of Christ.

To live for the greatness of God is to live the great life. Does that statement truly click with me? It's a daily working out. But I need to believe that I live a great life even if it is ordinary.

My Little Ariel

After searching high and low for lost blankies and dollys, Madison has been persistent in finding her Little Ariel. Every day, maybe every other hour, for the past two weeks, she has been asking me, "Where is my Little Ariel?" I cleaned out the toy boxes, searched through the little purses & buckets & pails, looked under beds and in cupboards...NO LITTLE ARIEL.
I finally found it tonight, stuck between the wall and her crib. What a joy on Madison's face when I showed her. It was like we found the prodigal son. We had to celebrate Ariel's homecoming. Then Madison was finally able to go to sleep quietly...so I thought.
A few minutes later, she came out of her room yelling, "My Little Ariel". I thought she was just excited to have her Little Ariel back. Well, quite the contrary...Madison beheaded the poor little figurine. And that's the final end of Ariel.

Not Just Ordinary

The past couple of days in Vancouver, I have been a bit emotional over my dad. My dad's health has not been the greatest since his bout with cancer then chemo 2 1/2 years ago. While he came out of the chemo quite well and is in remission, his memory and cognitive functioning has been affected. Doctors say it's unrelated, that it's two separate health issues. But I think the chemo accelerated whatever was going on with him. A couple of months ago, a specialist said that my dad suffered a minor stroke and didn't know it, and that would explain his mental challenges.

Anyways, all this being said, my dad is not the same. And I miss my old dad. My dad that participated in life, always had a good joke ready at hand, and gave generously to all he came in contact with. Nowadays, he's extremely quiet, and lacks motivation or interest in anything (but napping). It's hard to see a parent age. But it's a fact of life.

I sobbed to my dad, gave him a big hug. He comforted me and told me that he was okay. I told him that I thought he was the nicest man in the world (which he truly is) and the best dad anyone could ever ask for. His response, "Well, I try my best but I am just an ordinary man." My dad ordinary??? NOT!!! He is anything but ordinary. In fact, he is an extraordinary, rare person. There is no one with a kinder heart than him. He has no hidden agenda and when he gives to people, he doesn't expect anything in return. He just gives for the sake of giving.

My kids are great with my dad. He may not get as much attention from them as other members of my family but sometimes they choose him over the others. As the girls and I were driving out of my parent's driveway and waving goodbye to my dad, Jaclyn said, "Gung Gung sure is a nice man!" I choked up because I wondered how she would know that my dad is a nice guy. Since he's been ill, he doesn't talk much to them nor does he lavish them with gifts (as he used to). Will they ever see the man that I saw growing up? Maybe not. I am thankful, though, that somehow my girls sense his goodness and gentleness, and yes, that he is a nice man.

My dad is not an ordinary man. He represents all there is good in the world.

I don't need a token!

Lately, we have been able to get our children to do anything we would like them to do. Say their please & thank you's. Put on their shoes & coats quickly. Be quiet in the car. Go to bed cooperatively. It's been great. What's their incentive? Chuck E. Cheese tokens! My kids love Chuck E. Cheese.

Madison, for as long as I can remember, has never liked vegetables. All vegetables, not just the green ones. Even if I were to blend it, mash it, hide it, she is able to detect it. There is no deceiving her. Tonight, my brother tried to get her to eat her carrot. "You'll get a token if you eat your carrot." So, she reluctantly played with her carrot in her mouth and then told him, "I don't need a token!"

You Don't Let Me Do Anything...

So here's a new line from my 2 1/2 year old after telling her to stop jumping on the ledge of the couch and sticking her hand in the Vaseline jar, she said, "Why, Momma? You don't let me do anything!"

My Kid Turned 5

Where did the 5 years go? How can Jaclyn Hope Woo be five years old now? Am I ancient or what? Next thing you know she will be in kindergarten, then she will be an obnoxious teen, then off to college, then making me a grandmother. WHAT? No!

If I could freeze any moment, it would be this time. I love the way Jaclyn and Madison interact now...although this week was a rough week for me...but that's another story. They are just so cute.