Resort-Style Sunset!

This Sky Was Too Good Not To Shoot

After the long weekend's irregular sleep patterns, it was hard to get up on early Monday morning. But after stretching and doing leg lifts on the floor and looking up, I was glad I did. This sky was too good not to shoot. I admit, I'm a sucker for beautiful skies...

What are you a sucker for? Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo

Beautiful Skies - December 16 - 20

Beautiful Sky, Instant Oatmeal, Pasta Pasta, Tree Decoration! Kisses - VLOGMAS 16, 2013

Beautiful Morning Sky #nofilter

If only every morning commute would look like this...



It's rough getting up in morning sometimes... like when your kid gets up at 5:56am to go to the potty and you have to get up 20 minutes later... I am not complaining, on the contrary :> I am glad she is recognizing more and more how uncomfortable it is to have a wet diaper. As Nui Nui gets better during the day with minimal accidents, in the back of my mind, I am wondering what night-training will look like. Just wondering... nothing more :>

Share your beautiful pics on Instagram, we'd love to see them! :> xoxo

And check out our VLOGMAS vlog when it's up— uploading now!

The Kindest Words Someone Shared With Me Recently

I recently received this message in my YouTube inbox...

Subject: Thanks for Sharing

I just wanted to thank you for sharing the things you do with your child and the methods that you use to raise her. As a first generation college student, I guess you could say I am in a stage in my life where I am discovering my own values in life and establishing independence.

Thinking back, my parents, who came from China as farmers had very "Chinese" methods of bringing up me and my sister, and thus growing up in this western country has allowed me to understand the different methods that parents use to bring up their children. Small things like asking them questions to make them think, and requiring them to say please are also reflective of how I was brought up.

However, I have never recalled once in my life when I was told "I love you" by either of my parents. It was always either violent or harsh punishment when I disobeyed them or did something wrong. Perhaps that is why I feel happier away from home.

I mean, I have them to thank for the individual that I am today, but there are so many things that they could have done better, or raised me in a way that caused me to love them more. I just cannot do that now because that is just how I was raised, and that is still how I feel. I oftentimes go home, and something that I do still annoys them and they yell at me. I try to reason; talk it out with them, but all they do is yell back even harder. That does not help the situation.

For all of these reasons, I will always value bringing up a more loving, caring, and connected family so that I can correct mistakes that my parents made or could have done better. Thanks for sharing your videos, which reflects a lot of the values that I desire in my future family. I hope that you continue to show the love and patience that you already do with your child for as long as possible into the future.

Sent to: piecesofm

This viewer is so insightful and courageous for sharing. And I am both shocked and honored to have even touched his radar.

Being raised by one culture while growing up in another can be like a perpetual, life-long culture shock. You're torn between the values and teachings of some of the most (if not the most) influential people in your life— your parents (from a different country)— and those you've gained through experience and education in a completely different culture, environment, and mentality.

For me, it didn't make sense. To this day, it still sometimes doesn't. Why isn't open communication, forgiveness, respect for others' differing opinions (the ability to agree to disagree), the desire to enjoy each others' company and wish happiness for others... universal? Because it just isn't. That's what culture is and what makes us different. That said, however, doesn't mean we cannot grow beyond our culture, even if we've been subjected to it since birth.

I had a very difficult time dealing with those differences, resorting to apart time if I need(ed) it. You do what you have to do to stay sane, healthy, and happy. The beauty of growing up is having the ability to think and choose for ourselves (and assuming we are courageous enough to leap those bounds), without the reliance and, perhaps, oppression of others' thoughts/desires upon us.

I have always wanted children and imagined I naturally would. The latter came harder than hoped for but now, as a Mom, I vowed to do and be the things I would have wanted my parents to do or be in the departments I thought they lacked.

Parenting can be scary, as the choices and decisions you make are infinite. The best advice I've gotten and live by to this day has been from one of my best friends and which I published in the post, My World, In Color. I encourage you to read his words because it is totally completely true. It's about love.



All that said, if you've gotten to this point, thank YOU! Thank you for spending the time with me and us. It really does mean the world! :> xoxo

I'm very grateful for YOU. What are you thankful for?

Share in the Comments below, we'd love to hear! :> xoxo

Urban Sprawl

Omg. She's developing like mad. I know, I know, I sound like a broken record— I imagine this is part of what trains you for those teenage years :>

Yesterday, when I was strapping Nui Nui into her carseat to take her home from school, she was quiet and all of a sudden looked at me and said, 'Home'. Home! Yes, home! She knew we were going home and/or wanted to. It's so freaking amazing to be able to actually communicate with her. Or, rather, her communicate with us.

On our way home, she pointed out, like she did last week, 'M'. She was pointing at the Golden Arches of McDonalds. So maybe it's not so bad after all :>

Also on our way home... 'Airplane'. Yes. It's cool to have her sit forward-facing&Mdash; she can see so much more. And looking out the window, she wants to identify things. 'Airplane'. 'Tree'...

Tonight... our typical night routine is that we go into our room. I turn off the light and she walks to me in the dark to my bed. I feed her some milk. She drinks some. She points and says 'clock'. She drinks some more, maybe points out the clock again, one or time more times. She drinks, er, sips. Then looks up at me and says 'bed'. I take her to bed etc...

Sometimes, she drops her blanket when walking to my bed in the dark. I usually pick it up because she insists she has it. Today I didn't and she allowed it. Mid-sipping though she stops and says 'buuh kiii'. To me, it sounded like 'brush teeth', so I keep asking her if she wants to brush teeth— she likes to because she gets to play with the water in the sink. But she didn't grunt her yes, like she normally does. Finally (finally) I figured out she was asking for her blanket. 'O, you want your blanket?' Grunt ('yes'). Once she got it, she said, 'bed'. :>

...still catching up on photos and footage... here she is from Sunday, ready to go out to lunch. I call it, Urban Sprawl Never Looked So Gorgeous. :>

What amazing things did the people in your life do lately? Comment below, we'd love to hear! :>