Conversation with Kid

MUI: What's wrong Mommy?

ME: Mommy's old.

MUI: I'm old, too.

ME: No. You are young. Mommy is old.

MUI: Maybe you need more cream.

Posted at 06:38AM Apr 17, 2008 by nonstick in Family  | 

Temptation, Remove Myself from Thee

During our last visit to the Bay Area, my daughter did something surprising and quite admirable.

We were at ABC Cafe in Oakland Chinatown and sitting at one of those tables with swivel chairs on one side and a bench on the other. She was driving me insane by swiveling around in her chair so hard that every time it reached the end of travel, it shook the whole table. Her little cousin, who was sitting in the swivel chair next to her, started swiveling, too. I was about to smack someone.

ME: Mui, stop spinning your chair.
MUI: (continues swiveling)
ME: Mui, stop spinning your chair.
MUI: (continues swiveling)
ME: Mui, that's one. If you don't stop, we will wait in the car while Yi Yi and Avery finish lunch.
MUI: (continues swiveling) I'm not spinning. The chair is spinning me.
ME: That's two.
MUI: (Gets up and walks over to my side of table.) Mommy, can you move over? I want to sit here.
ME: Why?
MUI: Because I don't want to spin and when I sit in the chair it spins.

How many times I wish I knew my will power was not sufficient, that I should just remove myself from temptation.

Posted at 10:08AM Apr 07, 2008 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[1]

Easter Celebration at the Kong/Provancher Household

We are not religious people, and my husband feels guilty about that as he was raised Catholic. This Easter, we celebrated by heading to IHOP for breakfast. The new Horton themed breakfast had Easter colors in it, so we were covered.

We then went to the Utah's Hogle Zoo. There was a new giraffe born over the winter. And he was hanging out with his mom enjoying the beautiful Spring day.

After the zoo, we went home for a nap and then baked cupcakes. Notice the Easter colors.

It was a good Easter Sunday.

Posted at 12:22PM Mar 24, 2008 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[3]

Great Minds Think Alike or Need More Communication?

We have been living on one working floodlight in the dining room and one in the kitchen. The others had all burned out. Yesterday, I finally go to Target and pick up a mess of light bulbs and one of those light bulb changer things (we have cathedral ceilings).

When my husband got home, he found me cooking dinner and changing light bulbs. I found him carrying a light bulb changer thing and a mess of replacement bulbs. Turns out he had gone out that morning to Home Depot.

We really need to talk more. Or he should get on Twitter. Next time it could be milk and cereal.

Posted at 07:50AM Mar 11, 2008 by nonstick in Family  | 

Can't Stay Mad at My Kid

We were in Oakland this past weekend. My kid and I had to head for the airport after Dim Sum with my family yesterday. I tell her to get into her car seat. She messes about; talking about the frogs we got. I tell her, again, to get into her car seat. She continues to ignore me. We are in a hurry. I repeat, loudly, bordering on shrill, for her to get into her car seat. She stops, looks at me and says, "Relax, Mom."

She is 3. I was ready to throttle her. But her comment caught me off guard and I could only laugh. I relaxed.

Posted at 09:01AM Mar 10, 2008 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[1]

Choosing Your Children over Tradition

I always thought it was tough growing up Chinese American: Chinese at home and American everywhere else. It wasn't until recently that I realized it was and is infinitely harder for my parents.

My parents immigrated to the US from China and Hong Kong over 30 years ago so that their children could have a better life. They left behind everything they knew, family and friends, and moved to a land of foreign languages and cultures. Their only solace was that they could base their new life on their traditions.

The dissonance was not apparent to myself and my siblings until my niece's 12 day celebration. My sisters and I always wondered why my mother was so put out when she cooked healing foods for us after we had our babies. We chalked it up to my mom being a Cantonese mom. She ruled with an iron fist of general dissatisfaction.

Apparently, according to Chinese tradition, our mother-in-laws were supposed to take care of us. Cook us the healing foods. Prepare for and invite guests to the newborn's 12 day celebration. But, my mother had to take on this responsibility because our mother-in-laws were not doing it. They either didn't know how or didn't want to be bothered. She took on a role that was not hers and for which she would get no thanks.

In Chinese tradition, when a woman marries, her parents relinquish all rights. The woman's well-being is the responsibility of her husband and his family. If he and his family do not care for her, tough. Her parents have no say. People would frown upon my mother for stepping in to take care of my sisters and me.

This is what my parents had to struggle with. Do they choose tradition, passed down through generations and over thousands of years, all they know? Or do they choose their children's welfare? Fortunately, my parents chose us, just like they did over 30 years ago.

Posted at 03:34PM Feb 13, 2008 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[2]

First time shoop-shoop

Skiing is an expensive sport. We plan to introduce our 3 year old to skiing this Sunday. They don't do group lessons for under 4's so we are doing a parent/child private lesson.

Private ski lessons - $75
Ski Gear Rentals for me and kid - $55
Ski lift ticket for me - $30
Crying from constant falling and being cold - Priceless

BTW - that last bit will be me.

Posted at 03:30PM Jan 16, 2008 by nonstick in Family  | 

Kids say the darnedest things

We were coming home from dinner the other night. My husband was driving. I was sitting next to my kid in the back seat. "Mom, turn on the light for me." "No, it will distract Daddy and he needs to concentrate." "Ok." "Mom." "Hmm?" "What's that? (Point out the window.)" "I don't know, Mui, I don't know what you are pointing at." "That!" "I still don't know what you are pointing at." "If you turn on the light, then you can see what I point at."

Was I this big a pain at 3?

Posted at 07:40PM Jan 07, 2008 by nonstick in Family  | 

Prodigal Mom

I have decided to bring my kid back to the La Petite day care. It's not that the Chinese day care was no good, just that there were no kids her age. There are 1 17mon and 2 15mon old's. And since there are no peers for her, she is not willing to sit down for lessons.

So I called La Petite to check if they had space. And I discussed with my 3 year old her going back to La Petite. She is amenable as long as she gets to call her current teacher every once in a while. We'll start back up next week.

Posted at 07:37PM Jan 07, 2008 by nonstick in Family  | 

My Kid Loves the Grinch

My kid and I came across the Jim Carrey version of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas and my kid was enthralled. She loves that Jim Carrey and the production, in general, is so over the top. She has watched it every day since the weekend. And she demands that we watch it with her. I think I can recite all the lines by now.

Posted at 10:36AM Dec 27, 2007 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[1]

Happy Holidays to you and yours....

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Posted at 08:23AM Dec 21, 2007 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[1]

Work travel is hard on me and my kid

These 4 weeks have been tough on my kid. She and I have been in CA since the Sunday after Thanksgiving. She has been staying with my mom and dad while I have been at work. The first 3 weeks, I was staying in hotels and seeing her only during the weekends. This week, I am staying with my mom and dad, but still only see her in the evenings (when I don't have to work late.)

I feel awful. She is getting a lot of PoPo and GungGung time. But she misses her routine. She misses her school, her cat, her dog, her fish, her bed, her toys. This week, I have been getting a call every morning because she wakes to find that I have already left for work and starts to cry.

Only two more days. Then the holidays. Then home. Back to our routine. Back to our beds. Back to our pets and plants.

Posted at 08:38AM Dec 20, 2007 by nonstick in Family  | 

That's cool, right?

My sister's boyfriend partied at Heath Ledger's house on Sat night. He is in a band with a guy who is the drummer for a band Heath Ledger's label wants to sign. That makes me like 4 degrees separated from Heath Ledger. Too bad, Heath Ledger wasn't actually there, then it would be 3 degrees.

Posted at 01:46PM Dec 17, 2007 by nonstick in Family  | 

Holidays bring out the worst in people

I was at Target last weekend. 'Nuff said.

Posted at 03:19PM Dec 04, 2007 by nonstick in Family  |  Comments[2]

Po Po is not pretty

I asked my kid who was a pretty girl. "Me." Is YeeYee (my sisters) pretty? Yes. Is mommy pretty? Yes. Is Po Po (my mom) pretty? No. Why not? Because she lo (old). (I told her not to tell Po Po.)

Posted at 03:18PM Dec 04, 2007 by nonstick in Family  |