Apr 9, 2023  •  In Aerin, Claire, Food, Personal, Travel

Spring Break in New Orleans

We just returned from five glorious days in New Orleans! I have always wanted to visit the city and finally decided to go for it by combining the girls’ spring break and J and my anniversary trip. J and I are too old to participate in the raucous activities that one usually associates with NOLA, […]

Feb 1, 2023  •  In Aerin, Blogging, Claire, Personal

It’s Been a Minute

So it’s been more than five years since I’ve last written here. I debated even keeping this blog up every time I got a bill for web hosting or a received a renewal notice for the domain name. But I had written here since 2006 and there are 2,156 posts on this blog (2,157 now). I […]

Apr 2, 2017  •  In Aerin, Blogging, Claire, Depression, Personal, Relationships

Chirp, Chirp

It’s been a whooping 1 year and 2 months since I last wrote in this blog. …Is anyone still around? During my hiatus, I seriously contemplated shutting down the site. I was feeling uninspired and unmotivated. There were a lot of things going on in my life I did not feel comfortable sharing with the world […]

Sep 30, 2015  •  In Claire, Personal

Happy 5th Birthday, Claire!

My Claire Bear turns five years old today. FIVE. …I still can’t believe I’ve kept a human being alive for this long. Happy birthday, my dear Claire. I wish for you a fun, memorable birthday filled with love and excitement. May you never lose your curiosity, sense of wonder, and zest for life. Umma loves […]

Aug 13, 2015  •  In Aerin, Claire, Personal

Lazy Days of Summer

Aerin is still at an age where the things she says can sometimes be difficult to understand. “Umma, can yoo be the peejun and I be the pellekrin falkon?” “Huh? Can you say that again?” Luckily, Claire can understand her little sister better than anyone else. “Umma, I know what she said! She said, ‘Can […]

Jul 13, 2015  •  In Aerin, Art/Design, Claire, Personal

5-Minute Pencil Studies

Once upon a time, I considered myself an artist. I attended studio art classes twice weekly. I even considered attending an art college — and in preparation, I devoted the summer vacation before my senior year in high school with 5-hour portfolio classes every weekday. I was accepted to some of the best art schools in the […]

Jun 1, 2015  •  In Claire, Parenting, Personal

Claire’s First Boyfriend

Last week, Claire asked me for some plain white paper. “I want to make a drawing for my friend,” she told me. I happily obliged, and didn’t think much of it until she finished her work of art. “Umma, can you help me spell Kyle?” Okaaay. What was going on here? I helped her spell, […]

Oct 17, 2014  •  In Asian, Claire, Parenting

Racial Affinity in Young Children

A few weeks into pre-k, Claire began to tell me about a new friend. “Umma, JJ and I played hide-and-go-seek today!” “Umma, JJ is so silly and funny.” “Look, umma! JJ made me this drawing!” I soon discovered that JJ was a kindergartener (so about a year older than Claire) whose Korean name initials are JJ. Whenever […]

Oct 7, 2014  •  In Claire, Entertainment, Motherhood, Parenting, Personal

Homework: A Family Effort?

Claire should technically still be in preschool. However, because she missed her school’s cutoff age by only a couple of months — and because she’s a bit advanced for her age — her teachers recommended she start pre-kindergarten early. (As such, she will always be one of the youngest kids in her grade.) And one of the […]

Sep 30, 2014  •  In Claire, Motherhood, Personal

Happy 4th Birthday, Claire!

At this time 4 years ago, I was admitted to the labor & delivery ward of Holy Name Hospital in Teaneck, NJ. 11 and a half hours later, our Claire Emmanuelle entered this world.   I love her for her confidence and sass. I love her for her for her curiosity, intelligence, and hilariously sharp […]