For the love of reading

I felt like I lost out on some important things in my life because I wasn't an avid reader.  So, I wanted to raise my bb to love reading.  Way before he was even born, I made sure we had a good size collection of classic children's books.  It didn't matter if they were in Korean or in English, had lots of words or just pictures, fiction or nonfiction, used or new, black and white or colored; I just had to have them all.  Basically, I became a children's book hoarder.  As soon as bb and I were released from the hospital, I began reading to him.  No, he probably didn't understand what it was that mommy was shoving into his face every single morning, afternoon, and evening.  But, he didn't ever turn away from the books.  Weeks went by, and I noticed he was staring at my mouth to see where the reading was coming from.  Maybe it was my imagination, but around 2 months of age, it seemed like he was reading along!  His eyes were following the page where I was reading from.  By 10 months, bb could sit and turn the pages entertaining himself for close to half an hour giggling at the pictures! 

Now at almost one year old, John and I can make his tears stop, lure him to crawl and cruise, and even sit on unfamiliar laps (family members and friends) just by showing him the cover of his favorite books. It's just amazing what books can do for people, even the littlest of us. Below is a link to an article on raising a reader. Hope you enjoy the article and build a love of reading in your own children!

Parents Magazine - Raise a reader

Tuesday Ten - Spring Fever

Every Tuesday, I will be posting 10 things under a specific title.  You can find and purchase these items from the links below.   This week, I have spring fever!  Bright colors somehow make me happier... :D

1. UO scarf
2. Anthropologie dinnerware
3. Essie polish
4. Marc Jacobs diaperbag
5. Forever21 bobby pins
6. Toms ballet flats
7. Fresh fragrance
8. Covergirl lipgloss
9. Papyrus stationery
10. Janie and Jack bow tie for boys

...with the wind

Upper 60s and sunny... Sounded like a great idea to take some photographs outside.  I took my husband and bb (baby boy) to a close by park, and darn it...  it was just way too windy for any kodak moments to happen.  Oh well~  gotta work with what you've got.

I gifted this blouse to myself for my birthday this year (this was before my new New Year's resolution) thinking it would pair well with jeans, dress pants, and pencil skirts.  It is my very first - printed - silk -  'adult' - blouse!

blouse - bellatrix

jeans - 7 for all mankind

tank - express

shoes - imported

earrings - don't remember... does that make them vintage?

sunglasses - bcbg

 

Baby celebrations

Yesterday was filled with a baby's first birthday and a baby shower.  I used to schedule my Saturdays around my own nap time, but now there isn't any time left for shut-eye during the day, especially on the weekends.  Oh, how I miss those wonderful nap times... but what a perfect day it was to celebrate new life and the future of precious babies. 

I love flowy white shirts.  They go with pretty much anything, and they're classic. 

This shirt is actually from oldnavy and I got an unbelievable deal on it - less than $10 on sale!

pants (sort of pictured) - anthropologie

bracelet - jcrew

gold ring - jamesavery

charm - stellaanddot

chain - anthropologie

nails - 'commander in chic' by sally hansen

shoes - ninewest

nails - 'brick red' by sally  hansen

DIY - Hiding behind lace

One of my hobbies is to reorganize the placement of furnitures in a room.  I've surprised my husband many times by moving around heavy dressers, couches, nightstands, vanity, and pretty much everything else while he was off at work.  This time, our home office needed a little face lift.  My desk used to face a wall, which automatically hid the messy cords behind.  Well, the new position of the desk faces the window and is not directly against anything, which is great because now I can enjoy the sunlight as much as I want while reading or on the computer.  However, it was showing off more of those ugly cords than I would like.  Brainstorming what I can do to hide these cords, I came up with this:

My inspiration actually came from a dress (below) I saw and really liked.  I promised I wouldn't shop anymore for myself, but I sure can dress up my desk with lace!  My desk is now pretty in lace with no cords in sight! 

Bright in Coral

It's the end of February and it completely feels like spring!  My closet is full of neutrals, but coral is one of those 'springy' colors that can help your outfit pop. 

sweater: yesstyle.com

button down shirt: oldnavy

jeans: bdg by urbanoutfitters

purse: coach

boots: ninewest

Here are some other colors that go great with coral:

Enjoy your spring by adding a little brightness to your outfits! 

NOT Forever21

I had some blessed time catching up with some old friends tonight.  Old, not as in age, but as in the time I've knows these 2 girls.  It's been more than 15 years!!  It's always fun to walk down memory lane, but what a great time I had talking about what is to come in our future.   Here's a picture to remember tonight!  <3 <3

I'm no longer 21, but I love their basics - pretty good quality for an affordable price.

I'm on the very right:

Forever21 stripe tunic, Forever21 tights, and a hooded Urbanoutfitters faux leather jacket.

NOTE:  If you wear tights, please please make sure your tushy is covered all the way. 

Lunch: Veggie Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I usually never shop at Whole Foods because I never cared for organic anything and it gets real expensive real fast!  Well, people say, 'you get what you pay for' and wow!  This organic wheat bread from Whole Foods is so delish!  They get super crunchy and crispy when you grill them using butter.  Here's an easy 'how to get your kids eating veggies along with a cheese sandwich'.  :D

Ingredients: 

*2 pieces of bread of your choice

*butter of your choice

*shredded cheese of your choice

*any hard veggie(s) of your choice

*option:  pieces of grilled chicken or cooked ground turkey

Steps:

*shred whatever veggie you chose so that they look like the shredded cheese

*turn on stove to medium/low

*butter (small amount) one piece of bread and put it on the pan butter-side down

*gather your veggies and cheese and spread them evenly on the bread

*butter the other bread and place the non-butter-side down onto the veggies and cheese

*get a spatula and flip the sandwich quickly (note: do not hesitate!  I guarantee it will fall apart!)

*press the sandwich down with a spatula and wait a minute

*flip it one more time and press one more time

*let it cool for a couple minutes and cut into small bite-size pieces

Mmm~  Cheesy goodness!  Serve with fruit! 

seeing gold

So, here is my new New Year's resolution for the year 2012:  to not purchase new tops or bottoms for myself.  I'm going to instead try and utilize all the clothes in my own closet.  However, I will venture out and look for and purchase more accessories!  ;) For those who know me well, know that I am not big into jewelry.  I have a favorite charm necklace gifted to me by a good friend that I wear almost everyday and of course have on my wedding and engagement rings.  Below is the charm - by stella and dot - (in 'j') that I wear all the time!

While exploring the web last night, I came across this necklace below that caught my eye.  John, my husband, calls it the 'egyptian necklace'.  Totally  not my style, but what do you think?  I kind of like it.  Anthropologie