Browse Category: yum

Shoe Sale

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On Thursday morning, I went to the Toms Warehouse Sale in San Mateo with Peanut and my mom.  The doors opened at 10am and we arrived just before 10.  The line had already snaked around the building but there was plenty of shade and we weren’t too far from the door.  The wait wasn’t too bad and I had time to feed and change Peanut before it was our turn to go inside.  At 11:00, we got wristbands and then waited another 30 minutes.

IMG_0034Once inside, everything was surprisingly calm and organized.  The shoes were organized by size in clusters of 6 boxes.  They had lots of classic styles and colors with lots of inventory.  I had everyone’s shoe sizes recorded in my phone and sent photos and messages to everyone for their color preferences.

IMG_0036I ended up getting a pair for everyone in the family including 2 for me, 2 for KK, 1 for Jes, 2 for Alice, and 1 pair each for Jia, Jason, Brother, and Joy.  The women’s slip-ons were $24 each, mens’ slip-ons were $19 each, and tinys were $15 each.  Not bad.

IMG_0037While I shopped, my mom got in line to pay, which saved us a lot of time.  There was a station where the staff counted up the shoes by style and category and then zip-tied the bags.  They also made sure that we didn’t have more than 15 items (their limit per customer).  The last step was the credit card line, which was pretty quick.

IMG_0039We were out of there by 12:30 at the latest with 14 pairs of shoes in hand.

IMG_0040 My mom offered to pay for all the shoes so I treated her to a lobsta roll!!  IMG_0042So yummy.

IMG_0109Here are KK’s old pair next to her new pair.  She made good use of the old pair so they went in the trash today.

The whole experience was not as painful as I had expected.  This may keep me coming back every year if I have the time.

School Lunches

With the start of the new school year, I thought I’d write this as a reminder to myself when I run out of ideas.

One of the new challenges of KK’s preschool is that I have to pack her lunch everyday.  What makes it challenging is that 1) she doesn’t like sandwiches (only PB&J, which is not allowed), 2) they don’t warm up the food at school, and 3) KK is a slow eater.  She usually comes home with leftovers everyday and her teacher told us that the kids get only 35 minutes to eat.  Here is what I’ve packed for her this past month.

IMG_8882Rice, furikake (she calls them “sprinkles”), hard-boiled egg, steamed brocolli leftover from night before, and watermelon

IMG_9077Ham, cheddar cheese, bell pepper, rice, edamame, furikake, and watermelon

IMG_8631Hard-boiled egg, grilled corn from last night’s dinner, pasta, and bell pepper (under the pasta)

IMG_9394Pasta, peas, grilled chicken from last night’s dinner, and pineapple

IMG_9638Edamame, cucumber, carrots, Mediterranean flatbread (TJ’s), and hummus

IMG_9693Chicken salad, flatbread, cucumber, edamame, and cantaloupe

Family of 4

IMG_8757It’s been a week since we came home with our newest family member and it has been going rather smoothly.  It has been a week of changes, transitions, and a new schedule.  We’ve also managed to go out to lunch, dinner, and for a long walk to the Farmer’s Market with baby this week.

IMG_8498On the day after we came home from the hospital (last Monday 8/3), KK started preschool.  It’s located just down the street from Jes’ work and despite some expected tears in the mornings, she braved her first week and had some fun too.IMG_8882

I’ve had to learn how to pack food for KK again since this new preschool does not provide lunch.  I try to keep it balanced and she comes back with most of it eaten.  The first couple days, she would eat some and tell her teacher that she was going to save the side dish for home.  I think she was just too sad to eat because by the end of the week, she was coming back with less food leftover.

IMG_8466In the meantime, I was making adjustments to our new life with a 2nd child.  It was surprising how chill it has been at home while KK has been at school.  Taking care of an infant has been pretty easy since all I do is feed him, change him, and watching him sleep. While he sleeps, I have lots of quiet time to rest, clean, and take care of stuff that I was too distracted to complete when I had a 3-year-old calling my name every 2 minutes.  IMG_8443We’ve also had to take Peanut to the pediatrician a couple times for his check-up and weight checks.  There was an initial concern because he was looking jaundiced and had lost a pound off his birth weight.  Luckily, my milk supply increased fast enough for him to catch up.

IMG_8653 Having my mom around has been so helpful. It’s nice to have another person around to help keep the house reasonably tidy and organized. She also helps keep KK company when I’m busy feeding the baby and she’s been cooking some of my favorite dishes.IMG_7737IMG_8661I’ve been eating rather well this past month.

IMG_8402 On our first night home from the hospital, I had my first taste of wine since last fall.  It was just a few sips but it was so refreshing.  IMG_8601On Thursday, I was finally feeling a little more normal and “put together”.  That same day, Jes and I went to lunch on our own with the baby (his first outing) and I got a nice glass of wine with my tasty shrimp po’boy.  Ah…so good.

IMG_8775My recovery has been uneventful and seems faster than the first time around with KK.  I gained a total of 14 pounds this pregnancy and I’m down 18 pounds already this week.  Most of it was baby, placenta, and fluid because I’ve still got a bit of a tummy.  I’ve managed to walk to the Ferry Plaza and back with some soreness afterward but I’m feeling pretty good overall.  I’m thinking of running a 5K in late September and will give jogging a try in another week or so depending on how I’m feeling.

IMG_8671I am so in love with this little boy and it’s true that you can love your second child just as much as your first. I can’t wait to see his personality come out week by week.

Saturday Brunch

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We had brunch this morning at Mission Rock Resort and got a nice corner table on the patio.IMG_7944

This was the breakfast sandwich that the brothers shared today.IMG_7956

The twins came dressed in the onesies that we bought them.  So cute.  Looks like Toni won and Thomas disagrees.IMG_7957

My mom hung out with Toni while Thomas was getting fed.  IMG_7959

KK hung out with Thomas once he was full and happy.

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This photo of the three of them makes me chuckle.  Can’t wait to add Peanut to the mix.IMG_7969 IMG_7974

Thomas finally figured out how to use his pacifier while Toni has completely mastered it.IMG_7975 KK took this cute photo of Jia with the kids.

Memorial Day Weekend – Part 2

IMG_7233On Sunday morning, I took the parents out for breakfast.  We almost lost KK’s sweatshirt there but someone ended up finding it and we were able to get it back by the afternoon.

IMG_5702We later went to church but it was cut short when Jes’ mom came in to retrieve us so that we could meet up with his dad between meetings.

IMG_5710In the afternoon, Jes and I went to Dayantha’s house to visit them and to meet Oliver.  He’s almost 7 months old and so adorable.

IMG_5712I realized we hadn’t seen them since last year’s Hawaii trip for Yoon’s wedding.  Krissy was in the very early part of her pregnancy then and hadn’t told anyone yet.IMG_5726It was nice being able to catch up with them finally.

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For dinner, we met up with Pish and his family for our usual Thai feast at the usual place.  Marie and her family were in San Diego this weekend so it was a smaller group this time around.

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Unfortunately KK slept right though dinner and missed out on the good food.IMG_5737

Before heading back to the Magical House, we went to Creamistry for some ice cream made with liquid nitrogen.  Alice loves playing in the steam.IMG_5743We all shared a little scoop of Cinnamon Crunch ice cream.  It was yummy in its own right but made me miss Secret Breakfast.

IMG_5798On Monday morning, it was time to pack up and drive back to SF.  The drive was long and challenging because of all the congestion on the interstate.  There were times where the traffic would go from 70 mph to 0 in just a couple seconds.  Scary.  It’s nice to be home after such a long drive but I already miss my family.

Memorial Day Weekend – Part 1

IMG_5572I was supposed to work on Monday but one of my co-workers was kind enough to work for me.  So, we jumped at the opportunity to drive down to Cerritos for a long weekend.  We hadn’t been home since Christmas!!  On Friday after dinner, we drove down and arrived at the Magical House by 2:30am.  A long drive would not be complete without a stop at Del Taco when we got there.  After 6.5 hours, a red burrito never tasted so good.

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On Saturday morning, we were up pretty early and Brother came over with the family.  They took KK to Disneyland for the morning and I got to hang out in my pjs for a few hours.  IMG_5611Since Jes was still sleeping and my mom was taking a nap, I decided to treat myself to a pedicure before lunch.  The lady I had this time was really good and I got a nice foot/leg massage.  Aaaah.

IMG_7145The family sent me photos throughout the morning and it looked like KK was having a great time.  They got her in for free with and I saved $93!!  Sweet.

IMG_7174For lunch, we went to Anaheim Packing House.  I had never been and it was pretty cool.  It’s like a hipster food court that serves alcohol and has entertainment.  IMG_5696Here’s a cocktail that Jes got.  Smelled so good…

IMG_5619I ordered a porchetta sandwich from one place and pho from another place.  Meanwhile, Jes got Indian food.

IMG_4035For dessert, there was ice cream for everyone.  It was perfect because the weather was pretty warm and muggy outside.  IMG_4041 Look at these two kids with their ice cream cones!  So funny.

IMG_5675For dinner, we drove up to Pasadena to celebrate Hannah’s graduation from Biola.  We went to a cool little ice cream shop called Cookies and Cream after dinner.  We ordered lychee passionfruit with a lemon cookie for KK and Thai tea for me.

IMG_5672Here are all the flavors they offered.  IMG_5673They let us sample whatever we wanted, including the cookies.