In the beginning...

Diana and Kim were strangers who met in a bar.

Here is the first time we met.
Funny how we have it documented.
I remember thinking the whole time. He's not Swedish...he's Asian! Then he opened his mouth...the proof was in the pudding. The thickest Swedish accent ever!

I wasn't even interested. It took us a year later for anything to amount to something!

Good old peanut bar with lots of beer. How alcohol speeds things up?! haha.

Elliot's Photography

Elliot is my 3 year old son, and he is an exact copy of me. We have the same humor and interests, which tends to get him in trouble often. Kinda like Dennis the Menace. For instance, yesterday, he went into the recycling bin and fished out an empty 2 liter Coke bottle. He then continued to play with it by using it as a mock punching bag. It was like testing his Power Ranger strength. There was a glisten in his eye as he saw the poor bottle fly across the room with each punch he threw. =)

Last night I was working on some translation files for 3 hours, so it left my hubby to tend to the children. I have no idea of what happened but now I have proof. In my iPhone, I found 50 photos that Elliot took. Most of them were blurry, but a few were interesting. Here are the best of the best.

Artistic talent does run in the family.

Eurovision Song Contest/Melodifestivalen

Americans always make fun of Europe because they are 10 years behind in the music...This may the reason why.

If you are an American, you know you lived in Europe way too long when you begin to like the Eurovision Song Contest.

To those who do not know what that is, it is a friendly song contest between European countries. Each country competes with an original song in their own language or in English. To most Americans who are familiar with this contest, know that the songs sound a little outdated. Abba was the shining group that won in the 70's and put Sweden on the map. This publicity from the ESC gives international attention and fans. It has a voting system similar to American Idol, where people text or call to vote. There is also a jury that has a separate vote.

My kids love it! It is a big deal here, and they love the music. They have been singing the songs all week. I love how they comment on which songs they think are the best and get all disappointed when the group or singer they like doesn't win. It's hilarious! Who would have thought that a 5 and 3 year old would know what is good.

Well, for some eerie reason, they KNOW! Because all the songs they liked went on to the finals for Melodifestivalen. Morgan could hear a song once and remember the chorus. I guess it has to be catchy to win.

The Lima Bean Project.

Do you all remember growing Lima beans in school is a glass jar or cup? It was one of those phenomenons where you didn't need soil, just water and some thick tissue. It even worked in a dark room.

Well, we didn't have any Lima beans but we had some lemon seeds. We are testing to see if they will grow. If they don't start growing roots in a week, then we will move them over to pots with soil. I will show you the progress. We did this last year with Smultron (mini strawberries). They gave use a whole summer of yummy treats.

I am planning to pot them outside in the summer. Hopefully in a year or two they will bear fruit. Then I can drink Lemonade all summer! =)

Korean Food

So my awesome Hubby went to the Korean shop before he started work yesterday. It's located near Sveavägen in Stockholm and it is TINY compared to the shops in NYC. They have all the basic ingredients, which keeps me happy. I do, however, have to learn how to cook the dishes I crave to eat. This requires me to call my mother and ask on the phone for the recipes.

If you are korean, you know that cooking Korean food is not like cooking Western food, due to the fact that we do not take real measurements when we cook. It is all about tasting, and building the right flavor. Now remember, I am on the phone when trying to figure this out. I get the same basic ingredients, soy sauce, garlic, and either sesame oil or hot red pepper paste...and the rest is "just taste it until it is right."

So it takes me months to get anything to resemble my mother's cooking. The sad part is, my evaluation is when Kim says "this is good, tastes like your mom's."

I finally got my Kimchi to taste better. Took me 6 years to get it right. I can't use oysters since Kim is allergic, so I found a good substitute, fish sauce. Otherwise we ate vegan Kimchi which was delicious, yet didn't have the rounded flavor that I wanted.

Hydrangeas

So every time I go to the supermarket, I pass by the flower section, and I drool over the hydrangeas (hortensia). They cost about $10, which isn't so much, but when you try to stay thrifty with certain things, it does start to feel like splurging.

Since Morgan is going through his Annoying 6, I decided to give myself a piece of happiness by buying some flowers for myself.

I love flowers. I go crazy every spring, and start planting fruit and veggies as well as perennials. I had a whole strawberry and pansy phase. Now it is all about Peonies and Hydrangeas. I am waiting for the frost to stop, so I can start planting in our garden.

In the fall I planted two Hydrangeas in front of my house, I don't know if they survived the winter. But I do hope they will bloom again soon. Hopefully they will keep their vibrant Violet/Blue if the PH in the soil will allow it. I don't feel like fussing over the PH, I have a whole garden to plan.

Here is my lovely new Pink/Violet hydrangea. Hopefully it will hold up well, so I can plant it outside when the weather gets warmer.

WELCOME TO THE BLOG!

Now I officially have a new blog!

I used Friendster and Facebook in the past 4 years to write little tidbits of my life and thoughts as my life was changing with each growing child.

I have added all previous posts from my other blogs, to those who want to see the progress in my life.

Enjoy!

Forget terrible Two's...

March 18, 2009 at 10:39am

TRY IMPOSSIBLE SIX!

So no one told me that when a child turns 6 years old, that they turn into the spawn of Satan.
I guess it is because that no one really survives the turmoil they cause.

Morgan is only 5, but he is going through this phase. One friend told me it is like having a mini-teenager that whines, screams, and kicks. (Maybe some teenagers already do this, but I am assuming they stop)

This phase includes:

Talking back at you.
Never listening to you.
Attitude like no tomorrow.
Rolling of the eyes.
"I can do it myself!" then in frustration, "I can't do it, you do it"
Wandering off.
Doing the opposite of what you say.
Nothing you do is right.
And my favorite, temper tantrums.

Maybe if this phenomena was more well-known, people wouldn't want kids in general. People only warn of the terrible 2, and having teenagers... but this, is a whole new ball-game.

Oh yeah, apparently, when boys grow up a little more, say before 10; their sexuality starts to grow. So their feelings of love for the mommy does become Freudian. One mommy friend said " Just wait till he hugs you, and starts humping!"

I just want a Girl. =)

A working weekend gives a busy weekday.

March 17, 2009 at 8:20pm

Since I worked this weekend, my weekly schedule is off whack. I still haven't managed to figure out a good routine for the weekends that I work. The past 2 days I have been doing laundry. So far I counted 8 loads in total, not including the bedsheets. It may not seem like a big deal, but in Sweden, the laundry machines take an average of 1 hour to wash a load, cold. (Warm water takes longer) It's a different system and it messes me up every time. It doesn't matter that I have lived here for almost 6 years...I still can't time it right.

The kids are finally in daycare, so that gives me 3 hours to be with Perry and do a super-clean in 1 hour, while he is taking his nap. It's a relief that no one is sick.

I really want spring to arrive! Today was the first day that it was over 30 degrees with sunshine. The kids actually wanted to play outside and ride bikes. Unfortunately, they are stuck in the back of the shed. Since we are renovating, everything and anything gets stored there...it's a MAZE!

Keys are giving me a bad rep.

Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 1:45pm

As you know, yesterday I was at the hospital checking out Perry's ears. When I got home I think I have mistakenly thrown out my car keys in the trashcan outside when I was cleaning out the car. Of course it was the same day they pick up the trash.. so now my keys are in a landfill somewhere.

Kim was mad. I was mad at myself for not noticing it. I checked the car and driveway maybe 6 times in one hour. I looked like a crazy person doing the same thing over again, like it would magically appear this time. Luckily I had a spare.

We called the dealership and ordered new keys, so we would have a backup. It's gonna cost me $150. Definitely no Airport Base station for me. =( haha.

Now Kim thinks I am a total idiot with Keys since this is the second time I lost them. Before I met Kim and had kids, I have never lost anything in my life. I think I've lost some braincells along the way. But yea, Kim doesn't trust me with keys anymore. Aw well. My good name is ruined.

Can you hear me?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009 at 2:13pm

Did you know Perry failed his hearing test when he was a newborn? We checked it over 3 times, and now we got the thumbs up. Today we took a hearing test, and he finally passed! Now he can hear my sweet voice as I am in the background screaming at Morgan and Elliot to either, "calm down and stop running around" or "stop doing that!" My favorite is, "pee in the hole!"

I also took my sweet time trying to figure out what was wrong with my wi-fi connection on my iPhone. After 1 hour of Perry screaming in my arms, and trying to troubleshoot...I figured out what was wrong. My stupid Netgear router is not compatible with my airport card on my mac.. so apparently it doesn't work with my iPhone. When I bought the stupid router 3 years ago.. it was both PC and Mac compatible.. but only through the LAN line. Typical right? I hate PC users. Mac is equally or even more important than those stupid PC users. =) Now I gotta dish out another $200 to buy an Airport extreme base station. I swear Mac can be so expensive, but damn it's so beautiful!

Damn me for going into product design and becoming a product snob!

And on a side note..... DAMN BUSH AND THE ECONOMY for not having enough jobs for designers! WE MAKE EVERYTHING BETTER!!!!! EVERYONE NEEDS A DESIGNER, otherwise it's just ugly crap! (breathing out now.)

Dentists and my snazzy iphone

Tuesday, March 10, 2009 at 2:13pm

To my surprise, Kim has ordered me a new mobile. (My old Sony Ericsson was having technical issues and it kept on freezing and turning off on it's own.)

I got me a shiny new iphone and I am extremely happy. I tinkered with it all evening and morning. It was a chore getting all my contacts into it and figuring how to run the thing. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to work it, but honey... i can work it! haha.

All I have to troubleshoot is my wifi, can't get it to connect after i enter the password. I am assuming it is the same problem that I have with my Mac. It can't connect wirelessly when I add the password to the wireless network. I am assuming it is a router thing? Any suggestions? Mar was here last, trying to fix it but it stumped him. CMU education is worthless. =)

Perry also went to the Dentist for the very first time. It was mainly informational...and it was so boring. After having 3 kids, things get pretty repetitive. The dentist rambled on and on about not snacking between meals and what not. I think she rambled for 20 mins on the same subject. Thank God Perry was getting restless, so I blamed it on him, that he was ready to leave. I'm so smart, I amaze me.

Calm weekend means grocery shopping.

Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 9:57pm

So after the long week of chaos and excitement, the weekend came to a calm closing end. A much relief to all the stress I had. Of course we played Wii, and the amazing Rayman game. to our surprise, we were able to finish the game, however there is so much more to unlock and do. I think I am gonna cry, cause the children want me to unlock everything and I am not the video game wiz that I would love to be and brag about...Average old me.

Sunday was our usual big grocery shopping day. I think we bought about 10 bags of groceries and spent about $150 on a week's worth of goodness. I think the whole process of unloading the car and packing in the food takes about a good 30 mins. It's crazy. The scary thought is that I eat most of that food since Kim eats at work.. and the kids don't eat so much.

Oh yea, operation baby gate is up and running, thanks to my father-in-law.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

If beads don't do it...

Friday, March 6, 2009 at 8:26am

then how about a dishwasher tablet?

Apparently those tablets are extremely toxic, and can kill you in an instant if digested.

Well here is the story.
I haven't written anything the past 2 days because I've been at the hospital. Wednesday, the 4th, Morgan found a dishwasher tablet in the morning, and according to him, he disposed of it immediately in the trash can. I am assuming he didn't wash his hands, and he proceeded to play and eat his meals. Then at 4pm, I saw that he was scratching himself like a crazy monkey, and I discovered a huge rash that covered his torso and arms.

So here came the emergency process. I showered him off, called the hubby, call the sister-in-law, who is an EMT, then waited out the next hour to see if we had to go to the hospital.

It continued to spread to the crotch area.. and behind the knees. So off to the hospital. After waiting 2 more hours in the children's ER. He received an adrenaline shot, and some other medicine that he has to take daily for the next week. Finally the stress level went down and we came home at 11:30pm.

The every next day, I went to the pharmacy to get his prescription, and when I came back, the rash came back. I gave him the medicine and waited 2 hours, but it was like wildfire and just exploded on his face, hands and feet. So off to the hospital. Of course by the time we got there, the medicine kicked in and the swelling subsided. So took some tests to see if it was a viral infection. Thank God it was negative.

Never a dull moment in this house.

Wii are addicted.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 11:21am

Tuesday. March 3, 2009.

Due to the suggestion of my good old friend Tina, we bought Rayman Raving Rabbids, without knowing the consequences.

Morgan loves it... and I do too.
However, all of those challenges are too hard to clear on his own, so I must assist him by playing the whole game.

On this particular day we played for 8 hours.
That is what happens when we play hooky from daycare. (Perry is sick.)

So, Tina.. how do you snowboard with your ass? Do I have the right game?

Safety causes accidents.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 11:11am

Perry loves those stairs. Now the baby gates must come up.

We received an ikea baby gate from my in-laws. Of course it came in several pieces and with a very vague piece of paper with pictorial directions. I am usually the queen of building, but these instructions actually baffled me. In the end, I managed to go through all 10 steps. The 11th step was the devil in disguise. I had to add the final part by adding the tension in the gate (so it would clamp on the wall). Then BANG*... it created a nice small fist sized hole in my wall.

I was sooooooooooo angry and depressed. To those who know me.. I am very stubborn when i make things. It has to be done correctly and perfectly. I will not stop until I have done everything to get it done.

So I was pissed:

-at myself for making a hole
-that the ikea directions were sucky
-that my wall was too thin to bear such stress
-that it was the wrong gate for the wrong wall
-that i had a HOLE that would remind me of my failure every time I walked by.

Please sulk with me.

Work for your money.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at 10:49am

After 8 long months of enjoying the good life, I started work this past weekend. I work extra as a nurse's assistant for the elderly. This job enables me to work every other weekend, and it is good pay. Unfortunately, now that I moved further north of Stockholm, I am forced to have a longer commute. Now I have to wake up at 5:30am to be at work by 7.

I actually had a panic attack the night before I had to work. It was probably the fact that I didn't want to oversleep, so I slept really badly the first night. Kim usually sleeps in the guest room since Perry wakes up often, so I had to physically get out of bed and beg him to come over to our bed since I had a nightmare. haha. I feel like a child. But yes, I am afraid of the dark, and I get nightmares on a rare occasion... and yes.. i need my hubby next to me to fall asleep again. Also the fact that after I had this scary dream...a split second later Perry started screaming from his own dream. That made me even more spooked.

But after all that drama...I had a nice long exhausting day at work.

Wii like it

Friday, February 27, 2009 at 7:01pm

So I am addicted to the Wii. Morgan loves it. And honestly, we play at least 2 hours a day together when Elliot and Perry are napping.

We play wii sports and we love making those Mii people. So far we made a whole community of our friends and family. I really like playing Baseball. I can curse out my teammates when they strike out or miss a catch. It's even funnier cuz sometimes my mother-in-law is on my team... or even my parents. Ah, such a stress-reliever. puhaha.. I can just yell at anyone. Even poor little Perry when he strikes out. =)

here's a yummy sample.

Baby Proofing and culture.

Thursday, February 26, 2009 at 2:58pm

Today the boys got to go to a local theater and watch some play about a Princess and Dragon.
Morgan and Elliot tried to explain the plot of the story, but I understood nothing. They had a good time, and apparently there wasn't a Princess..he had a doll as a Princess?

Now I must baby proof the house. I am so far into my decorating crusade, that most of my furniture is not baby proof. My Noguchi knock-off can surely fall on Perry and crush him if he decides to lean on the glass.

Perry has learned in 2 days how to masterfully pull himself up and stand. Now he loves to crawl over to the stairway and crawl one step. Now the fun begins where he tears out all the cabling and crawls under things.

Yay for me. Now I have to set up baby gates...and make holes in my walls.
I just spackeled them and painted them...such a waste. I guess that is why I haven't hung any artwork on the walls. I don't want to get tied down to one plan.

Here is Perry, working out his chub.

Today's Drama.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 at 12:40pm

This is not the first time nor the second...Yet, it is the third time one of my children has stuck an object in their ears or noses.

Today, Elliot was the grandmaster of this operation. I was gone for 15 mins to cook some lunch, and viola! a bead in the nose. After freaking out (I am bad at a crisis), I got the bead out. But it took a good 45 mins until I got to rejoice!

Good thing I got it out. Otherwise I would have had to drive an hour to the nearest hospital, and then wait in the ER for 3 hours. The whole extraction of the bead takes less than 5 mins. Typical right?

Messy???

Tuesday, February 24, 2009 at 9:34am

So by request, here is the daily mess left by my kids.

I dunno Christine, is this mess considered x3 compared to your house?

This dumping happens twice a day.
Twice in the playroom.
Three times in the living room.
It can even trail off into the hallway.

Lisa in Stockholm!

Monday, February 23, 2009 at 2:04pm

Here are some pics of Lisa, Ian, and the clan after eating Lisa's amazing Thai Red Curry Chicken.

You could never see more lumps of potatoes in your lifetime!

=)

A day in the Life of...

Monday, February 23, 2009 at 9:05am

SO the last few comments asked about my clean house. It is only clean because I am insane. After having the kids, when I have a mess, I kinda freak out and have almost a nervous break-down...so I have to clean it. And to those who know me well...I am an angry cleaner..meaning I only clean when I am angry. =)

I now love to watch Jon and Kate, because Kim is like Jon and I am like Kate. We have very similar personalities when we work as a couple. I thought Kate was nuts..but then I though about my routines... and they were the same. Scary huh?

To those who are curious.. Here it is.

Wake up at 6:45am.
Wake up the kids who usually don't want to wake up and scream for a good 20 mins.
Get the kids dressed, cleaned, and ready.
If Perry hasn't been awoken by the screaming.. then I head downstairs to make breakfast.
Get Perry ready.
Clean up after breakfast.
Run out and warm up the car.
Come in and get the kids dressed in their snow suits, gloves, boots, and hats. (x 3)
Get the kids in the car and buckled up.

8:30-11:30 Elliot and Morgan are at daycare.
Meanwhile I come back.
Unload the dishwasher. Clean off the counter tops.
Sweep and wipes the floors by hand. (things get stuck, so i have to scrub..moms understand what i mean.)
Feed Perry, put him down for a nap.

During this hour I drink 2 cups of coffee. Then make 4 beds. Pick up yesterday's worn clothes from the floor, dump in laundry.. Do about 4 loads of laundry every other day.
Fold yesterday's Laundry.

Now here is the fun part. I get to choose if I want to clean the bathrooms, vacuum, dust, wipe all glass materials, Iron, sort out a room full of toys, or watch Oprah. hahaha.
I spread out these fun options out during the 5 day weekday.

Grab Perry and get the boys.
Make Lunch
Clean up lunch.. (wiping everything included.)
Hang out with the kids for 30 mins. Drink 2 more cups of coffee.

Put Elliot down for a nap 1pm.
Do one of those fun cleaning routines that I get to choose.
Put Perry for a nap 3pm.
Play Wii with Morgan.
Make a snack when ELliot wakes up.
4pm. Make dinner.
4:30pm Feed dinner, then clean up.
5:30 I get to rest. Drink 1 cup of coffee.
7pm Get the kids upstairs for bath.
8pm. i get to rest.
9pm kids are in bed forced to sleep. =)
11pm. Diana is ready to sleep.

It sounds much worse than it is...but that is what it is like being home with the kids.
I really enjoy it, and wouldn't wanna trade it for work. haha. but the sucky part is that it is a lonely job. I have kim on Friday and Sundays. So my load is much lighter those days. I try to be flat out lazy... and Kim is great! But in general I am alone with the kids.


I was gonna show a pic of my messy house.. but i just cleaned so... here is a clean house! =)

I'll post one when the kids come home..=)

Home Alone???

Saturday, February 21, 2009 at 11:12am |

Alas! I am home alone again with the kids.
Back to the daily routine of doing laundry and cleaning the house. It is a mad dash when I put Perry down for an hour nap.

But of course, I run to the computer to see if anyone loves me, and write me an email. Not that I might have enough time to write them back or anything. But I do find my 10 minute spurts at the computer.

This is what it looks like when I try to check the internet. I usually have to type with one hand.. but today i have the luxury of 2. =)

I go downstairs for a minute and I find these pics that Morgan took on iphoto.
My little monkeys! haha

Archive for March, 2007

Ready for CMU

Sunday, March 4th, 2007

So since I have gotten my new shiny IMac, Morgan has now inherited my old yet beautiful Mac cube.

We set it up in his room, and moved aside all of his toys. Just think, a 3 year old boy that can operate my itunes, VLC, and internet all by himself! he can’t read of course, so I make some shortcuts and links for him on the desktop by color coding them and such. But it is kinda eerie that he can figure out how to find the files and play them.

People call me crazy for giving a 3 year old a computer, but as long as he doesn’t go on my computer all the time and accidentally delete, rename, aor move a file, I am just fine with it. It’s not like I’m an idiot and let him sit in front of it for hours upon end.

Anywho, I think he is ready for Carngie Mellon. Don’t you think? I just hope those bastards give him a full scholarship for being a super duper freaking genious! haha

Bad Luck

Thursday, March 1st, 2007

Do you believe in bad luck?
I don’t.

But in the past two days, I have managed to lose my house keys and my garage pass (cost me $30 for a new one), as well as get a $80 parking ticket.

Maybe I should start believing.
Or maybe I should believe that I am a total idiot, and should start taking notice of things.

I opt for the first choice. Wouldn’t you?

=) Have a nice day!

Archive for January, 2007

Cabin Fever

Tuesday, January 23rd, 2007

Morgan has caught Scarlet Fever, so now we are under house arrest.

Who would have though Morgan could have caught such a old virus like Scarlet Fever. Back in the day people grew pale just hear the news that one of their loved ones has caught it. Children died or becamed disabled by this terrible disease. (Think of the book: The Velveteen Rabbit) Thank God for penicillin. How can mold be so good?

Anywho, since I have literally been home for a whole week straight, I have cabin fever. I need to get out. It finally snowed over here too.. so I don’t even care if it is freezing out. I need freedom!!!!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

just say no

Sunday, January 7th, 2007

Everyone just freaking stop with those New Year resolutions!

No one ever keeps them and abides the strict list of what to do and not do.
Just be pleased with who and what you are. If you are trying to achieve something, then make it a goal. And please write a realistic path to that goal. One that is attainable and easy to follow. You don’t want to be disappointed along the way and give up. That would be pointless.

And again, I must say this, and stress the crap out of it. BE PLEASED IN WHO YOU ARE. There will never be another like you, so be the best that you are.

Unless you are a complete asshole. Then I would suggest being more pleasant, or lessed stressed or what not. Then I guess a mini-resolution would be needed. Otherwise people can just politely avoid you and possibly irritate you less.. so naturally you will become more delightful and pleasant.

So remember.. just say no!

Archive for December, 2006

to be or not to be….santa

Monday, December 25th, 2006

As the family sat around the christmas table, the huge debate began.

Kim duking it out with his sister in who is going to be Santa this year after dinner. Of course Kim doesn’t want to be Santa, neither does his sister…although you would think Kim would want to be santa more for his kids right?!?!?

WRONG!

After three exciting rounds of rock paper scissors, Kim became victorious and escaped his fatherly duties.

I feel bad for my kids.
But they had a great Christmas anyways. Morgan totally believed it was Santa, and Elliot just stared. Not one peep.

=) Merry Christmas!

MILTF

Friday, December 22nd, 2006

MIni skirts are in.

I want one, but I have two young kids. I mean I ain’t over the hill or anything. A 27 year old can pull off a sweet mini skirt no problem. But with two kids hanging off me, I guess that would turn me into a hoochie mama, or a MILTF.

AH! The dilemma. What to do?

I should go to H&M and get one tomorrow.

moonlighting

Thursday, December 14th, 2006

I am now moonlighting over to myspace.com/dkodesign

But I am so outdated, so it is taking me forever to figure how to make my page snazzy. I better dust off the cobwebs and remember all the geeky things CMU has taught me.

I guess friendster still gots dibbs on me.

kudos!

tv killed the babysitter

Saturday, December 9th, 2006

Either I have let my children watch too much TV or they are just extremely talented. Elliot is now 10 months old, and since Morgan is addicted to Doodlebops and the Wiggles, Elliot is now motioning his hands to the singing and dancing. Twinkle Twinkle and Itsy Bitsy are a piece of cake.

Everyone always has sound advice or comments, but really, it is just annoying! People keep telling me that Morgan watches too much TV. Although he basically watches programs like Seseame Street, and other singing and dancing programs. He has a thing with music, um, HE LOVES IT!

Maybe I’m just being pigheaded, maybe I should listen to what other people have to say.
YEah Right!

hahahahahahahahahaha, *evil Laugh*

Muliti-cultural

Thursday, December 7th, 2006

Just got my Swedish citizenship! I am officially a Korean-American Swede. Snazzy eh?
Now if there is a war in Europe or the US, I got options man. But for now, Running away from Bush has worked for me.

Archive for August, 2006

The sequel

Tuesday, August 29th, 2006

They always say sequels suck, which makes me wonder if Elliot (my second little monster) would make my life suck more.

I have less time for myself.
More laundry.
More cleaning.
Less time for myself.
More disciplining.
Less time for myself.
Less people willing to babysit two.
Less sanity.
And, (did I mention?) less time for myself.
Oh yeah , I also got me a freebie third (my hubby).

I guess that is why after the morning sickness and being fat and bloated; once popping the sucker out, it was a slight relief. However, now reality has kicked in.
Therefore, I apologize for the long absence.

*ahem*
The bitch is back!

Archive for July, 2005

Love and Marriage

Monday, July 4th, 2005

So now that I finally have some friends who are entering the bliss of marriage, I have been asked for some guidance on how life is after the wedding. I calmly reply, “After the first few months, it’s like having a regular roomate.” Then the patience of not complaining of the small frivolous things become unbearable and the time of venting is at hand!

“Pick up your socks. Put the toilet seat down. Put the cap back on the toothpaste!”
And possibly the worst of all, “Stop farting!”

All those little common courtesies become exasperated.

Then come children. I warn you, the first two years of that child’s life are the toughest. Especially because it puts a strain on your relationship. Being tired and cranky, and no time to be lazy, snapping at eachother is a weekly activity. Plus the level of compromise is tested greatly as you find it harder to find time for eachother.

But have no fear, though I make marriage sound terribly scary and risky for a healthy relationship for those who are dating. These hardships is what make life better.

Of course, who would want a bland life? I mean, I wouldn’t.

Archive for June, 2005

Bork Bork Bork!

Wednesday, June 8th, 2005

Have you ever went to Ikea and read the labels and think, “my God, how do you pronounce this?” Then go to the customer service and ask, “do you have more Björkfaner side tables?”

Here are some of my favorite first swedish words that I learned when I first got here.

Infart: entrance
Utfart: Exit
Farthinder: Speedbump
Slut: End;Finished
Slutkontrol: End of Control
kåt: horny
puss: kiss
skit: sh!t
fan: fu$k

Archive for May, 2005

Archive for May, 2005

translation not included

Tuesday, May 24th, 2005

As Morgan starts his terrible twos, I can instantly feel my hair turning white from the constant whining and complaining. For such a little boy, he has such a loud opinion. To make things worse, he watches his video of Elmo 5 times a day. I swear, Kim and I can’t watch TV on our HDTV and instead pushed into the other room to a nice 19″ tv.

But the bad moments outweigh those earpopping moments, when morgan speaks and sings! It’s the most exciting thing ever! Although he speaks mostly in Swedish and some English. I failed in teaching him korean, mainly because I felt uncomfortable teaching him.

If I start to completely be manipulated by my own 2 year old son, please record every episode of Nanny 911 and send it my way. But thank god, I don’t have one of those little devils on TV. hee hee.

Baby Flab

Tuesday, May 10th, 2005

As I look down my torso, I wonder “what the hell is that?” Is it love handles, loose skin, or literally baby fat? And as I grit my teeth and squeeze into my pre-baby jeans, I realize that it is a mixture of all three. The only solution is CARDIO! But no, I ain’t gonna run outside in the nice spring weather because of my allergies of some kinda messed up pollen. And I am chickens*** to go get tested. (no needles thank you.)

So I have tried some indoor activities.
YOGA: It’s nice and mild. But damn.. everytime I get into position I see my flab surrendering to gravity. Plank and downward facing dog is a no no.

PILATES: Here is the damn truth, you feel stupid doing them. Although you feel a slight burn, it’s like sitting in 5th grade gym trying to do stretch and warm up exercises. Ever seen a video of chinese kids in china doing exercises in gym class??? yeah, exactly.

TAE BO: Ok, so shoot me. Jen and Stephanie have seen my terrible coordination once.. and luckily they will never have to see it again. Tae bo cardio is not for stupid people like me flairing spaghetti arms and pathetic side kicks. I hate the fact of the super high tempo…but I guess that is the point.

I could just eat less. But you all know that is impossible. Why else would I marry a chef?

The solution? Gonna buy me some new jeans and do some good old fashion sit ups and push ups. hopefully it’ll get me somewhere.

Archive for April, 2005

Gone and back again

Thursday, April 7th, 2005

Two weeks just flew by; now Morgan and I are back in Stockholm adjusting to the jetlag and daily routines. Thank God, Morgan is back at daycare so I can resume to my strenuous work of cleaning the house (constantly) and looking for a job.

I shouldn’t be having such a hard time finding a job, but it has been a huge task. The compromise of throwing away my expensive college education is very alluring. However, I still manage to keep my pride and going through the pains of finding a job, as an immigrant! I must say it is a very humbling experience, even with the fact of being American and speaking english. It is just not enough. If I never left the States, I would have never understood my parent’s life and struggles, if it weren’t my own.

But enough with the serious talk… I’m going on a diet. Being a housewife has added a few pounds. To make matters worse, everywhere else in the world other than Sweden goes by Kilograms. So I have no idea how much I really weigh and adding one kilo doesn’t seem much but that’s like a little over 2 lbs. Sad but true.

This ficticious diet lasted 2 weeks. Still doing yoga once or twice a week though. Bathing suit, here I come! I’ll be one of those mothers wearing a bathing suit she shouldn’t. hee hee.

Archive for March, 2005

In the beginning.

Thursday, March 17th, 2005

Having spent a little over a week visiting my family in NY, I finally for the first time enjoy my visit. Who would have thought I could last the week hump. Maybe it was the homesickness. I haven’t lived here since I was 18 yet, something about this place stops me from enjoying living anywhere else. Maybe it is the nagging of my family.. or better yet my friends.

One incident surprised me the most, my dad feeding my son, Morgan. My dad is the most traditional korean father, who never lifts a finger around the house or for the kids.. and for the first time ever, fed a child. Maybe the aging made him cynial?

Everyone asks me if I have been missing my husband since he’s still in Sweden. I say no. Why is that a shock? I spend every waking moment with him. I need a vacation from him too sometimes. Isnt’ love grand?

Got me a sitter tonight and gonna get my drink on. Meaning maybe having 2 or 3 drinks. Gotta live on the edge ya know? haha.

Happy St Paddy’s day.