Taiwan

 Hi Everyone!

I have no idea what day of the week it is today.  Seriously.  I've been having a blast in Taiwan visiting family, eating good food, and doing fun kids stuff with my munchkins.  Taiwan is super fun!  If you've never been, consider this destination the next time you make travel plans.

Truth be told, we came here because it will be me and my hubby's 10 year anniversary this summer.  So, Taiwan being totally famous for taking those beautiful, gorgeous wedding/anniversary pictures, we came here to, well, take our anniversary pictures!  The pictures are being printed, so I'm not able to post them, but I will definitely post them once I get the CD.  Maybe on your next anniversary you'll consider coming here for pictures!  ;)

So since we brought the entire fam bam here for the purpose of those pictures, we had to find fun stuff for the kids to do, otherwise they'd be so angry with us.  Taiwan is not a big island.  From the northern part of Taiwan (Taipei) to the southern part (Tainan) takes about 6 hours of driving time.  Since my hubby's relatives live mostly in Tainan, and mine are all in Taipei, we had to travel a lot during the first week to visit both sides of the family.  Our plane arrived in Taipei.  We unpacked, stayed a few days then had to pack up again for our trip to Tainan.  Where we stayed a few more days then we came up to Taipei again.  My hubby left already due to work obligations, and since the boys have two weeks off for spring break, the rest of us decided to stay another week to explore.

The two parts of the country can NOT be more different.  Taipei is a dense city that's busy around the clock (or so it seems).  It's almost like Vegas; from our hotels we were able to see the lights of the city, and it's gorgeous.  There are stores within 10 minutes walking distance any direction you go.  It reminds me of Manhattan, everything is within reach.  I can walk to the Hermes and Chanel store within 10 minutes (not that I bought anything - the luxury goods here are 40% more expensive than the US because of taxes), which is right next to a movie theater, where we caught a showing of Captain America: The Winter Soldier; walk ten minutes a different direction to get to a local mom and pop shop that serves delicious authentic Taiwanese breakfast.   It's SO convenient!  If I lived here, I would never have to touch the stove!  Food is literally everywhere!  The bakeries here serve a variety of delicious baked goods, Matcha Green Tea Snow Puff or whatever fancy name they call it.  I haven't had time to buy any...if I do in the next couple of days I will post pictures. 

Tainan, however, is more like the countryside.  On our way there, we passed by fields and fields of rice patties.  It's less dense than Taipei, and the people there are not as "hip" as the people in Taipei.  I feel like when I'm in Tainan, I see the more traditional, older, and more rooted Taiwanese people.  The people here speak mostly Taiwanese, the native dialect.  There are less department stores, less fancy luxury goods stores, and a lot more of the mom and pop shops.  The food here is unbelievably delicious.  OMG.  I'd gain a hundred pounds if I stayed here longer than 2 weeks. 

All of Taiwan is also famous for it's beef stew noodles, rice vermicelli soup, it's traditional breakfasts, oyster and egg "pancakes," oyster vermicelli noodles, pineapple cakes, and I'm going tonight to a famous hot pot restaurant (Chinese Shabu Shabu).  And oh, can't forget this, Stinky Tofu.  It's just fermented tofu and they deep fry it.  I don't really eat it, but my mom loves it.  And the locals love it.  Oh, and the fruits...oh the fruits are SO juicy and delicious.  Bell fruit, star fruit, dates, charamoya, guava, even the ordinary fruits like tangerines and apples are extra delicious.  And Bobas.  Oh, the Boba drinks.  The ones in the States come nothing close to what they have here.  Brown sugar milk tea with boba, red bean match green tea with flan (yes! SO good!), you name it, they have it.  Everything is delicious. 

My cousin (who is 10+ years younger than me, and knows all the ins and outs of the hippest spots in Taipei) took me shopping the other day and I did quite some damage to me and my hubby's bank account.  :)  It was expected.  LOL.  Shopping in Taiwan used to be pretty inexpensive.  But due to inflation, everything has gone up in price.  Although, that didn't stop me from doing some retail therapy!  Hey, I needed it from being with the kids 24/7 for the last 2 weeks.  Right now, a lot of retailers import stuff from Korea; Taiwan is having some kind of Korean fever.  The stuff I bought were not cheap...I'd say they were comparable to Bloomingdale's prices.  But they're so cute!  It's not stuff I can find in the U.S.  Here's a romper I bought at one of the stores:

It's a white romper, with sequin details on the sides.  On the inside is another layer that you can pull up, like a bandeau top.  Here's a closer look at the details on the sleeves.

 

 Romper: from Taiwan, super cute ones here and here from Forever 21

The picture is not as clear as I'd like it to be since all I did was crop it.  But you get the gist.  I just wanted to show the uniqueness of this romper.  

Once the pictures are uploaded and after I've organized them, I will post pictures of the stuff that I've talked about.  And when the anniversary pictures get back to me, I will post those too!  So excited and can't wait to see them!

Xoxo,

Lin

 

Luck Be A Lady

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Since I dressed all 3 kids in green, and all the itty bitty pre-school kids at K's school were wearing green, I thought I'd do a St. Patrick's Day look.

I was rummaging through my closet, trying to find a green shirt to wear, when I came across this green skirt I got years ago.  Who knew that it would rise to the occasion?  Since the skirt was past my knees, giving it a retro feel, I decided I'd do a collared shirt to complete the whole retro look.  Here it is!

Notice something different?  No more braces!  Hooray!

I LOVE my new quirky sunglasses!

Top: Got it from a flash sale site a while back, here's a really cute lace one and here's a see through mesh one like mine, both from H&M

Bottom: Old from Banana Republic, here's a shorter lace one from ASOS

Shoes: Tory Burch

Bag: Michael Kors

Sunglasses: Prada

Xoxo,

Lin

Za Jung Noodle

So yesterday was one of those insanely busy days that I referenced here on a previous post.  Therefore I decided to make noodles for dinner.

Oh, how I love noodles.  I can eat them in any shape or form, with any type of sauce.  Whether it's Western or Eastern cuisine, I love them all.  That's why I love it whenever I get the opportunity to make noodles.  Easy and simple.  Most of my noodle recipes takes about 30 minutes from prep to finish.  So it's a great go-to meal when you need something in a hurry.

This noodle sauce is as easy as pie to make, the only thing is that you would really need to go to an Asian market for the main ingredients - the bean pastes.  Other than the pastes, everything else can pretty much be purchased at any grocery store.  You might have to find baked tofu at the Asian markets too, but even firm tofu will do.

Za Jun Noodle

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef, port, chicken, or turkey (I always use beef)
1 package of baked tofu (or just regular firm tofu)
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 cup sweetened soybean paste
1/2 cup broad bean paste (I actually found one here on Amazon for you!  Amazing!)
1 1/2 cup water
1 cup oil

Steps

1) Heat about 1/2 cup oil, stir fry ground beef until done, remove from pan
2) Heat remaining oil, stir fry garlic until golden brown, throw in chopped onion until opaque
3) Throw in tofu, toss for about a minute, put ground beef back in
4) Put the bean pastes and water in.  Toss until everything is coated evenly.
5) Reduce heat to medium and cover.  Let cook for about 10 minutes.
6) Cook noodles according to package instructions.  Drain when done.
7) Pour Za Jung sauce over noodles.  Enjoy!

The sauce on Amazon is similar to the one on the right.  Not the same brand but same sauce.

Xoxo,

Lin

Red Cooked Chicken

I made these dishes last night and they were a great hit.  I had to stop C from overeating - if I let him, he would probably eat 6 or 7 chicken drummets (and a bowl of rice, and some tofu, and a tall glass of milk) all by himself.

This is called Red Cooked Chicken.  What's good and convenient about this dish is that you can throw whatever you desire into the pot to cook with it.  This time I chose baked tofu and then sliced them into thin slices.  You can also put carrots or daikon too.

As for the brussel sprouts, all I did was chop off the ends, halved them, coat them with olive oil, salt, and you can use pepper too if you like, and pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes.  They're delicious too!

Red Cooked Chicken

Ingredients


Chicken drummets (the package I got came in sixes.  I got 3 packs because C can eat an entire pack by himself!).  You can also use drum sticks or wings.
2 cups soy sauce
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup wine
2 carrots, sliced (or use baby carrots)
Ginger, 7-8 slices
Green onion, 3 stalks cut into 2 inch strips

Steps

1) Place chicken in a large pot and cover with water - about an inch over chicken.  Cook until boiling and all the dirty stuff (the gray-ish foam) floats to the top. Pour out water, fill pot with more water and turn heat to medium high.
2) Pour soy sauce, wine, and sugar into pot.  Place ginger and green onion into pot as well. 
3) Cook for about 1.5 hours. Stove setting vary.  My stove is very powerful so that's all the time it took.  My mom's would take about 2.5 hours.
4) As dirty stuff floats to top, scoop out and toss.
5) Makes 24 drummets or wings, and about 16 drum sticks.

If you want to cook with baked tofu, then place whole baked tofu pieces in the pot with the chicken.  Then take out and cut into slices once it's done.

I've given you the recipe for the cold tofu dish on the right on a previous post.  See here.

Happy cooking!

Xoxo,
Lin

Tinker Bell Birthday Party

Hi Everyone!  Although you're reading this on Thursday, I'm actually writing this post on a Monday morning.  I couldn't wait to show you pictures of my daughter's 3rd birthday party.  It took a whole month to plan, and all day on the day of the party to set up and prepare.   My husband, my mom, and I worked tirelessly the entire day setting up, preparing food, cleaning up, and hosting.  There were three exhausted adults by the end of the day, but it was ALL worth it to see how happy my daughter was.  She was beyond happy.  She ran around with all her little friends, taking charge like the she always does (even though she's the youngest one in the family), showing her friends her cake, taking them to her bouncer, telling all the grown ups that she's "FWEE today!"  My boys had fun with their friends, playing pirates with the sword and hats I got as favors for the boys.  Everyone had a blast.  Grown ups and children alike.  It was a great party.   And the best part is...it's finally OVER!!!!!

Here are the pictures. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comment section and I'll get back to you with answers!

Looking pretty with Grandma!

I had to include some pirate stuff for the boys.

Party Favors - we assembled them ourselves

Crepe Caterers

Tinker Bell cake

Magician for entertainment

Cake Cutting

Xoxo,
Lin

Tinker Bell Mother/Daughter Outfit

I had to do a post of me and my daughter's matching Tinker Bell outfits from her birthday party.  I actually bought this dress last year for my sister's bridal shower.  The theme colors were lime green and hot pink, so I chose a lime green dress.  During her shower, she mentioned that I looked like Tinker Bell.  And a light bulb went on in my head.  I thought to myself, what a perfect theme for K's 3rd birthday!  I have left over invitation paper that I can use, and this dress that I can wear!  So there you go, I wore the outfit for the party.  To complete the look, I used a Hot Bun bun maker and rolled my hair into a high bun.  My heels has white flowers in the front that looks like the pom poms in front of Tinker Bell's sandals.  So I put those on too.

I was just taking pictures with K when I thought that I should take pictures of my outfit and post on my blog.  So I told my husband to take some of me in my usual pose, hands on the hips, when I saw K trying to imitate me.  At first I told her, "Can you step aside for a minute?  Can Mommy take some pictures by myself?"  But she just stood there with her hands on her hips!  So I said, "Let's do a look together then!"  Gotta love my little love bug!  She's the most adorable little fairy I know!

On Me:

Dress: Old from last year, other cute lime green ones here and here

Shoes: Old, a really cute similar pair from Badgley Mischka  here

Earrings: Old from Bloomingdales, these ones here from Macy's are really cute
Hair Accessory: Hot Bun bun maker, find it here on Amazon

On K:

Dress: Disney Tinker Bell Dress

Shoes: Disney Tinker Bell Shoes

Is she or isn't she the cutest little thing?  Oh I love her so much.  Happy 3rd birthday sweetheart!

Xoxo,

Lin



Little Girls' Hairstyles

If you're daughter is like my daughter, then you have the same problems I do.  My daughter has so little hair.  And since my first two were boys, I wanted to be able to do her hair, like, the minute she was born.  Well, I had to wait at least a year until she grew something.  Even so, they were so thin, short, and wispy that I had to look for creative ways to tie and/or braid it.  So my fabulous nanny and I have had to come up with different ways to do my daughter's hair.  Luckily for us, or maybe it's because we've "trained" her to be this way, she actually likes us doing her hair.  Here's a few of the hairstyles that we've created for her in the last couple of months.  My daughter is so cute - I tell her "tilt your head down," and she'll do it.  I tell her, "look sideways," and she willingly obliges.  :)  Love my munchkin.   I wonder if she knows I'm using her as my hair model?  :)   If you have any questions on the techniques, comment below and I'll tell you.

 

 

There are so many other ways to do hair now that her hair is gradually getting longer...I've had to wait this long to post some pictures because it's only when I have help that I can do fancy hairstyles.  And those days don't come often!

Xoxo,
Lin

The Magic of Makeup II

I've been wanting to write this post for a while but never had the time to do it.  So since my mom is here helping me, and given it's a Friday afternoon (I don't have to make dinner, yay!), I can actually do something.  I'm always on the lookout for new and better makeup.  Us Asian girls like to stay as pale as a sheet of paper.  ;)  No spray tan for me, thank you very much!

As hard as I try to preserve my skin, somehow those crow's feet insists on making appearances.  Can't help it.  Therefore, I've honestly tried every product I can lay my hands on to minimize the look.  When I find that magic potion, I'll tell you about that too.  But for now, the foundation I'm using will do the trick.  I swear by the Chanel Vitalumiere Line.  It covers well, and gives you a glow at the same time.  And if you want more coverage, which I use, put on a light layer of MAC Mineralize Skinfninsh.  Those two put together is like, well, magic.  Look for yourself!

Ok, this ONE picture I cheated a little by using a photo editing software.  But the one above has no touch ups at all!

 Foundation: Chanel Vitalumiere in Ivoire, here

Powder: MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Light Plus, here

Happy makeup shopping!

Xoxo,

Lin

A Typical Day in My Life

Ahh...the beauty of being a mother.  All mothers know what this post is like, and can totally relate.  Whether you have one child, three like me, or more, we all have similar days.  Ah, the joy of motherhood...

6:30am - I wake up, brush my teeth, wash my face, get dressed, then walk over to my boys' room to wake them up.
7:00am - If I'm lucky, they're awake.  If not, I spend the next 15 minutes trying to wake them with a combination of these methods - tickling, yelling, and when they were younger, dressing them while they were in bed.
7:15am - I go downstairs, I prepare breakfast, I pack the lunch/snacks of the day for 3 people.  All the while trying to mix the food up, trying to remember what I served the day before so my children will eat what's served today, whether it be breakfast, lunch, or snack.  But wait, only to be met with, "Whyyyyyyy?  Why are we eating THAT?"
7:25am - I bring the bottle of milk that I heated up for my daughter, and carries her 35 lb body downstairs with it from our bed.  She sleeps so late and has a later starting time at school that I try to let her sleep as much as I can.  But unfortunately we have to take the boys to school, so she needs to come in the car too.
7:30am - I put my daughter in the car.  I go back inside the house, only to find the boys, still not dressed, naked, playing some kind of battle game with each other in their closet.
7::45am - after FINALLY getting the boys downstairs, have their socks put on, their shoes on, their jackets on, and their backpacks on  (which takes several "HURRY UP!!!" before all that can be accomplished), we finally get in the car.
7:45-8:01am - I'm battling through morning school traffic, all the while listening to kids screaming in the car, and all the while telling them repeatedly, "EAT your breakfast!"  And having to break up arguments, and deciding who's right or wrong.  I have to make sure the Kids' music channel is on so they can pay attention to the music instead of finding opportunities to argue.  I weave, drive like a maniac, because I know it takes at least 20 minutes to get to school, and we'll definitely be late if we don't hurry.
8:01am - Whew!  We finally make it to school!  I have to remember to kiss my boys goodbye from the car window since we're not allowed to get off the car, and remember to stop on the side after pulling off the drop off lane, so that I can wave bye to my boys.  One always waves back, and the other walks on.  Oh well.
8:05am - I drive home to get my daughter ready for school
8:15am - I get home, get my daughter dressed, get her hair done, put my own makeup on, make a cup of coffee for myself, eat a cup of yogurt, and get my daughter back in the car so she can attend school.
9:09am - We get to school, I kiss her goodbye, and I'm rushing off to the gym for my class that starts at 9:15am.
10:15am - I get out of the gym, drives home
10:20am - I take a shower and get ready to run maybe one errand before I have to pick up my daughter from school at noon.
11:00am - I go to the grocery store to get food for the week.
11:45am - Should I go home to drop off the groceries?  Or should I just take this moment to wait maybe 5 minutes in the car before picking up my daughter?  I decide to take the rare 5 minutes I get to myself.
12:00pm - I pick up my daughter, taking at least 10 minutes to get off school campus because she never wants to leave school
12:15pm - we get home, I put on her Chinese DVD for her so she gets her Chinese "lesson" of the day.  Heats up her remaining lunch and feeds that to her, all the while, I'm STARVING because I had just done a rigorous workout and need to eat.  But I have to wait until she's fed first.  God forbid her show is over before I can get her to finish eating. 
12:45pm - I finally finished feeding her.  I look through the fridge to find leftovers from the night before to fill my stomach.  No fancy salads. It's "oh, there's one drumstick"  and "oh, there's some veggies left."  and "I guess I can put together a plate."
1:15pm - After taking off her school clothes, and untying the hair, and many, many "lets go to bed now," I finally get my daughter in bed for a nap.  By this point, I'm already exhausted.  I lay down with her, and make sure to set the alarm to 2:45pm so I can pick up the boys.  But wait, did I defrost the stuff I need to make dinner with?
2:50pm - oh crap!  I overslept!  I rush to pack snacks for the boys to eat on their way to an after school lesson, and of course I have to pack one for K too.  I have to pack materials for the after school activity, jacket for K, shoes for K, and something to hold K's hair back.  Then I rush to put everything I can put in the car first, and the go upstairs, pick up K, and strap her to her baby seat.  She's still asleep, and usually is.
3:15pm - I wait in the pick up lane.  I'm already too late because they get out at 3:15pm.  I'm met with, "mom, what TOOK you so long?!"
4:00pm - I arrive at their after school activity.  I have an hour to kill before I have to pick them up.  I take K to the park. 
4:30pm - I'm FREEZING at the park.  But K won't leave.  But she has to use the bathroom.  Thank goodness I brought the portable potty, and some extra plastic bags.  And wipes.
5:00pm - I pick up the boys.  Driving home and thinking how I should go about making them do their homework and getting them done on time before dinner starts.
5:30pm - I get home, take all the backpacks, the snack boxes, the trash out of the car, unstrap K, then tell the kids they can watch 30 minutes of cartoon before starting homework.  They fight over who gets to choose the show.  I have to break up the fight.
5:45pm - I start making dinner.  Very aware of the time because once the show is over, I have to make the boys do their homework.
6:00pm - show is over.  Takes several threats of time-outs and no more TVs to get the boys to sit down and do homework.  I go into their backpacks and get everything out for them.  Then I have to sit down with them to make sure HW is done.  Otherwise it's more bickering and chit-chatting.  My food is cooking on the stove and I have to be very aware that it doesn't get overcooked.
6:30pm - all homework done.  Hallelujah!  Dinner is done.  I set the table for 5 people, everyone needs a little something different to use as utensils, to drink, to eat.  One wants rice and the other doesn't.  Two want milk and the third doesn't.  While K tries to negotiate which utensil she wants to use for tonight.  She usually wins.  I'm just too tired to argue with her.
6:45pm - "Daddy is home!"  Thank GOD.  We start eating.  The whole time I get, "why do I have to eat that?"  and I'm like, "Hurry up!  You don't have much time before you have to go shower!"
7:15pm - dinner is finally done.  Daddy takes the boys up to shower and get ready for bed.  When Daddy isn't home, I have to wash 3 bodies, brush 3 teeth, and tuck them all in.  It usually takes at least 10 threats following enforcing the threats to get the 3 bodies and mouths clean.  Oh, don't forget the good night kisses and the "I Love Yous."
8:15pm - Boys are asleep.  If Daddy is home, if he did the washing then I was cleaning the kitchen downstairs.  Packing snacks and lunches for 3 kids.  Wiping down the stove, counter, dinner table.  Washing the 3 ginormous pots by hand and finding room in the dishwasher for the rest.
9:15pm - I take K upstairs to take a bath, when she's done, I brush her teeth, then I get ready for bed.
9:30pm - I take K in bed with me.  She talks and talks because she's not tired yet.  "Mommy, I need to go pee pee."  "....huh?  What?  Oh, ok."  I wake up my groggy, fallen-asleep-already self, and take her to the bathroom.
10:00pm - K finally falls asleep.  The.Day.Is.Done.

This is an easy day.  A hard day involves taking kids out of classes mid-morning, driving to doctor's/dentist's appointments.  Why does the dog seem off?  Gotta schedule a visit to the vet.  With 3 kids in tow.  Is that the dishwasher making noises?  Argh!  It's malfunctioning AGAIN!  Gotta remember to call for service.  What is going on at school tomorrow?  Do I need to provide snacks for any event, dress the kids for any special occasions?  Did I buy the birthday presents for the weekend birthday parties?  Nope.  Gotta find time for that before I pick up K at noon.  And dealing with sick kids.  Oh God.  Don't even go there.  I definitely can't afford to get sick.  There was this one time I was preparing dinner and accidentally cut my finger.  It looked deep enough to require a trip to urgent care.  It was pouring cats and dogs outside, and there was no one to watch the kids.  So I wrapped up my bloody finger in a napkin, and drove all 3 kids with me to urgent care.  Thank goodness there's one not too far from my house, and my husband was able to leave work earlier and pick up the kids there while I got treated.  Goodness gracious.  Then on top of all this mumbo jumble, the extra curricular stuff like the school meetings, scheduling for the kids, scheduling for myself, signing up this and that for the kids, updating the calendars.  I try to limit scheduling stuff for myself for these reasons.  Too much goes on the calendar!  I get a panic attack just looking at it everyday. Blah.

Well, that's the typical day of a mom.  Of me.  And I do it day after day, without complaint, like every mom does.  We love our job because we love our children.  And we wouldn't have it any other way. :)

Xoxo,
Lin

Frozen

Ok, so it's not exactly the Disney version, but I wanted to channel my inner Elsa for my daughter.  :)

I kept trying to think of something blue I can wear - I rummaged my closet, and the only thing I can find was this pale blue cardigan and my blue coat.  Works for me!  I also found a skirt that kind of reminds me of the snow swirls conjured up by Elsa when she began singing "Let It Go."  I even wanted to do an Elsa braid for the look too, but that just didn't work out.  Somehow it looks better on an animated Disney princess than it does on a mother of three.  Go figure.  ;)

And of course, to complete the look, nothing says "Frozen" like a snowflake statement necklace.  :)

Top: BP tank top from Nordstrom, Banana Republic cardigan (old, similar here)

Bottom: H&M skirt (old, similar here and here)

Coat: J Crew (old, but this one here from ASOS is SO cute!)

Belt: Came with a skirt I ordered on Hautelook.com (similar here from Forever 21, in so many colors too!)

Necklace: Banana Republic (old, similar here from H&M)

Shoes: Nine West (old, similar here and here)

Bag: My grandmother's!  Can you believe it?  I found it in my mom's closet.  :) I'm LOVING this one here from ASOS. 

See you on the next post!

Xoxo,

Lin