Inspired

I've been on a blogging hiatus that's been hard to break. At first I had pretty good reasons not to blog like being sick or stressed or just plain busy but now with a lot of projects underway and fun things to share, I find myself kicking myself that I haven't been more disciplined to write up a post.

My most debilitating quality will be hesitating due to over-thinking and the hiatus has made me over-analyze myself and the blog. What am I about? Am I current? Is the blog still a reflection of me now or burdensome continuation of who I used to be a year ago? Blogging shouldn't be so thought provoking or should it? It should and that's the beauty of it.

It's spring and despite my black thumb, I've accumulated a lovely collection of yellow flowers on my dining table. They make me want to post...even if it is to say, blog or not, I work to make things beautiful in our life; beautiful, creative, and fun. But mostly that when things inspire you this much, they must be shared.

Will you be my Valentine?

This is the first year that Zoe has classmates. And though sending her to school was a small heartbreak and a major adjustment, things are going fantastic! She loves yoga, ballet and gym classes not to mention music and rhythm hour, but most of all her Korean-speaking skills are, let's just say, soon to exceed both mine and Mike's. To say that I'm proud of her is an understatement. She started young when Mike went back to work and I worried, actually, I agonized over it but now she doesn't barely give me a second look before she runs off.

The perks of having a community of her very own peers has far outweighed any downfalls. And the experiences have been overwhelmingly priceless like her very first Christmas show. And now, her first Valentine's Day...

I wanted to do something different for the kids and decided on candy necklaces because it combines the very grown-up idea of gifting jewelry and Valentine's Day.

I get ahead of myself and daydream about the days she'll have an actual Valentine. It makes me a bit excited for her and a bit worried at the same time. Let me just reel myself back into present time and calm down a bit. She's just two-going-on-three after all. For now, I can enjoy these simple moments...

...sprinkling rice krispy treats in her pajamas (when she should be in bed)...

...a heart-shaped treat for dad...

...and a rhombus for mom. (Thanks to Team Umi Zoomi she actually said rhombus.)

...and decorating her first home-made Valentine's Day card.

It's been a fun-filled week of Valentine's Day crafting starting with these mailboxes and all that's left to do is indulge in the candy and lots and lots of love this Love Day 2013.

See what we did Love Day 2012. What are your Valentine's Day 

Plans?

p.s. I'm linked up here.

Family Valentine's Mailboxes

I just taught Zoe what the 99 cent store was. I explained how everything I buy there is $1. I'm not sure she understood, it's a phenomenon even I have yet to grasp. If you're wondering why an almost three year old would care about the 99 cent store it's because that is where I picked up her hair clips with the princesses on it. And well she came to the conclusion that if there are clips for Cinderella, Ariel and Sleeping Beauty, there must be clips for all the other princesses. According to her, we must go back. (But there isn't. I already checked.)

Besides princess clips, the real reason I bring up the value of a dollar is that I've found some great things to craft with for just that much...rolls of craft paper for $1, doilies $1, mini-buckets, planters, frames...all $1 and, yes, these mini-mailboxes from Target's $1 Spot....

I had always planned to use them for family mailboxes during Valentine's Day and even before we were planning a family, I picked up five. We have use for three now and the fourth soon. But the idea has brought on more meaning as Zoe grows up and our family expands.

I've always had wandering thoughts and worries about being a mom. From the day Zoe was deemed a girl, I've worried about the teenage years. I know, worry wart. Will I be overbearing? Will she rebel?  Will she know how much I've loved her and will love her when we're arguing about curfews and dating? I know there will be years when our voice as parents will grow a bit fainter while the media and peers will test her values. But the years we invest until then and how impacting and shaping they will be is what inspires this new tradition.

This year Mike and I will write the first letters of love to Zoe, the first of many to come. And in following years, we'll write them to all our children each Valentine's Day. She may not read them now, but one day she'll hold them all as an accumulation of our declarations of love. So when one day she says we've ruined her life (I was a teenager once), hopefully it'll remind her then that our love has been a long-time coming and will be a long-time going.

Reflections on 2012

I realize that this new year is going to be a turning point as the landscape of our family changes. And the best I can hope to do is take as many lessons from the last year into this one. I'm a little disappointed in myself for not being able to blog the last quarter of 2012 but I've decided to let myself off the hook, not to hold myself to unreasonable expectations when I know that I'm doing my best. The very little I had to give each day was reserved for Zoe who has grown into a vibrant and curious toddler and for Mike (though some days I didn't have enough even for him). Thank you wonderful husband!

I was extremely sick when I was pregnant with Zoe and it lasted until the 26th week. At that time, my dad was battling cancer and I found it within myself to know that I, unlike him, was sick due to a baby and not illness. Perception is everything and though the sickness was worse last time, I was stronger. This time, I can't say the same. As the second anniversary of my dad's passing rolled around and I was too sick to visit him, I wallowed to my heart's content. I wallowed, not just in the loss of my dad but everything I could think of, why my morning sickness was so severe, the stress of missing work, my mom too far to come help. It was a sad sight, a bona fide pity party, an absolute accumulation of pessimism and false perception but then...the necessary purging of it.

Lesson #1: Take time to mourn bad things that happen to me; big things and small things. The past two years have been a whirlwind. Without making the time to really stop and process, the build-up of tension and unprocessed emotions was beginning to leak on everything in the form of dissatisfaction. Being sick and bed-ridden has been an amazing gift, the gift of "space" away from busyness to process and be led back to gratitude.

Lesson #2: Listen to my husband more, like really listen. Mike and I had one of the greatest conversations we'll ever have this past year. It started with typical complaints of day-to-day life and though I wouldn't have blamed him if he ignored me, his ears and his heart were wide open. He heard my cries for space and need for rest all between mundane complaints of a terrible work project, traffic, and parking fees. It doesn't sound like much but the thing that separates this conversation from the rest is that he heard me beyond what I was actually saying. It's an amazing gift to be known and loved this way.

Lesson #3: Lead by example. Oh my are the "twos" terrible terrific. Besides being loving and warm, bubbly and curious, Zoe has full-blown ah-tee-tude. Yes, it's cute (most of the time) and yes, she probably gets it from me. But I guess that's the thing, it's really not easy to be faced with a mini-version of the not-so-nice you sometimes. What do you do when you fully understand someone else's personality, good and bad, but recognize it's not always appropriate behavior. CHANGE FIRST. Mike is such a gracious and loving husband, I've never felt like he's required that I change. He accepts my faults and in Zoe, he considers it funny and cute replicated in the mini-version of me. He's crazy really patient.

I'm back at work now and there is a good sense of newness. It's refreshing. I hope it's from within and that the time off, despite having spent it in bed, is the cause of it. There were humbling and miserable moments but so much more thanks to the so much less I was doing. I can take this new found appreciation for the big things into 2013 and expect great things.

Happy New Year friends!

p.s. We L.O.V.E the photographer we used for this year's pics. Joanne H Pio Photography and highly recommend her. She was great with Zoe and I love her knack for catching candid moments.

Merry Christmas from O+A

We hope that the close of this year brings great realization of the many blessings received and that the coming year brings as much joy and the building of great memories. Zoe is a little under the weather as you can see but Christmas festivities are in full swing. We wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

 (Zoe's Christmas Show)

As you may have noticed, there has been a long pause here on O+A. I've been sick. The no-work, bedridden, hugging the toilet and a lot of tv-watching kind of sick but there is no sickness better than the kind from a baby growing inside. We're expecting number two and couldn't be happier. Thank you for your continued emails and inquiries during the hiatus. We'll be back posting in no time.

"For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:11

We hope your holiday season is merry and bright!

Pumpkin Smoothie

This post is sponsored by Littlewoods.

So I know it's fall but here in LA, you'd be fooled. With temperatures nearing the 90's, the feeling of autumn isn't quite soaking in. To honor my favorite season and the one that's struggling to show it's best, I thought why not make the most of it with a pumpkin smoothie. Perfectly chilly to beat the heat and perfectly pumpkin to ring the new season in. I love autumn because I love pumpkin flavored everything or do I love pumpkin flavored everything because I love autumn. Regardless, this pumpkin smoothie works.

The smoothie itself is not over-the-top sweet and it's creamy with just the perfect hint of vanilla. I swirled in the first bit of whip cream topping to enhance the sweetness. It was just right. I've really started trying to incorporate all kinds of smoothies into our routine because like many two-year-olds, mine doesn't like vegetables. 

If your shopping for a blender and you're thinking smoothies, this Kenwood got great reviews on breaking down the ice. But if smoothie season is long gone where you live, soup season is just around the corner. I can't wait to try this mushroom soup. I plan to use a hand-blender much like this Breville, just because it cuts cooking time when blending right in the pot. 

For all you UK readers, check out these food blenders from Littlewoods. (They only ship to UK residents.)

In light of our recent trip to Wales and London, I have the best memories of travelling the UK. I'm thankful for the support of my readers there and for today's sponsor. 

I heart: DIY Play Kitchens

I had a parent-teacher conference this morning. It's kind of unreal. Today was one of those days that I looked down at the little girl walking beside me and thought "Oh my goodness, that's MY daughter!" I'm not sure if it's denial...thinking perhaps that I'm still the young "me" or just getting so caught up in daily life that I don't have time to reflect or maybe the fact that I'm going to parent-teacher conferences as the parent and not the subject of the conversation. I have a two year old and it still hasn't fully sunk in.

Oddly enough, I was reminded of the above while browsing these amazing DIY Kitchen Projects. I was thinking which ones would be cool to play with rather than how I would go about building one. Maybe I'm just a kid at heart but I love play kitchens and couldn't wait to buy Zoe her first. We may just need to build the second!

From an old entertainment center...talk about creative transformation...

via Modern Eve

From a storage cabinet, so adorably retro...

via Create

From a set of two drawers...state of the art. Check out that back splash...

via Small & Friendly

This one has granite-like countertops. This one is vintage, farmhouse and so homey. And well if you have a kitchen, why not a DIY BBQ to go with it. This brings creativity to a new level. Not to mention, it's so resourceful!

I'm hoping to fit in a day at the beach before the weather here gets cold (or isn't so hot, I should say). Happy Weekend!