so ok, i've entered another obsessive stage in my life. i want to live a totally minimalist lifestyle. the book, the joy of less, and the website www.missminimalist.com  has completely changed my views on all the stuff that surrounds me (boys, this book is a definite must read.) i want LESS OF EVERYTHING. i want to live with ONLY the bare essentials. this is a shift of thinking from even last month, when i was cleaning, reorganizing and putting things into containers. now my view is: i don't even need the containers because i don't really need anything in the containers to begin with! this will take some time to completely clean out my stuff. first off, i want to use up what we already have and that will take some time. next, the boys need to outgrow some of the toys they currently have and are playing with. but after that, i REALLY want to live with very little.

i know my real estate agent hates me. when we first met him, i wanted a BIG house. my thought then was: "we moved away from everything that we know and love and i deserve a big house for it." so, then came all the visits to all these mega houses. we would walk through and see ALL this damn STUFF. for example, food in these pantries...like alarmingly TONS of canned goods and pantry items and it would literally SHOCK me...."does this family of FOUR really need all this food and paper goods and JUNK?" i'm not judging here because we live the same way. i'm just saying it was a shock to see it from another perspective.

then, we told the real estate agent that we changed our minds. we don't want a huge house anymore but we want a huge backyard. yup, like acres of it (i think i even posted about wanting a ranch here on this blog). we wanted a "park like setting" with grass, pool, play gym, etc.
NOW?! now what do i want? the SMALLEST house with the SMALLEST yard that we can live in comfortably. (jason's on board with the smaller house but stills wants a big yard.) like i said, our real estate agent must think i'm psycho.

the idea of a minimalist lifestyle is so appealing to me. i don't need a lot of stuff to define who i am, or stuff to tell me who i wish to be (but am not), or stuff to remind me of my past (it's all in my memories). i just want a simpler life with less stuff.

i don't like traveling.

why do people travel? i don't know. i just don't like to go anywhere- especially far- as in, i don't want to get on a plane and go anywhere. is it to relax? to sit my a pool or beach? dude, when we lived in OC, i had a very nice community pool in walking distance from our house and, in the two years that we lived there, i never went in the water- not ONE time. so you say a beach is better? hmmm... think we went to the beach ONCE in four years that we lived in OC and i cursed the sand and the sun the whole time we were there. hotels? not really my thing either. i have all the comforts of home AT my home...thank you very much.

the ONLY reason that i think traveling far would be worth the trouble, the effort, the money, the time would be if we could LIVE exactly how the natives in that area do. i mean, i would want to go INSIDE someone's home and see how they live on a daily basis. how and what does the mother cook every day? what do the kids play with? what does their education look like? what are the expectations of women in that country? i would want to bring that sort of understanding back with me after my travels were over.

well, y'all know THAT will never happen. first off, who would invite me into their homes? secondly, even if they did, i'm scared to go into strangers homes. oh, and the places that i am most curious about? i would NEVER, EVER visit out of sheer FEAR.

anyways, that's my thought on traveling. i would much rather just sit at home with a cup of coffee and read about these places. sad!! i'm such a chicken.

jason's family back when. this picture is entitled "aging is an itch." is that mean? haha. it's not mean because i say that to myself every morning when i look in the mirror. can you tell which baby is jason? the one on the left. people say that tyler looks like jason's older sister...the girl on the left. :) just thought this picture was cool, all in its black and white glory, so i thought i would share! happy rainy monday!

at the zoo with grandma

having fun with karaoke machine from auntie jenn!

on the train at the zoo.

state capitol. tyler covering chase's face at the count of three.

"let's try that again. tyler, don't cover your brother's face. ok? ...one, two, three...i said don't do it again!"

read the sign people!

this is how chase came to wake me up one morning. how can you not crack up at that?!

my big boy at a restaurant.

pics of sara and katie.

next year, our goal for you claudia is to get you some more ornaments/lights for that bare tree! haha...

seriously think that this gingerbread man looks so adorable with one eye.

really, can someone teach me how to turn this pics right side up?!

at nevada city with grandparents. this was tyler's pose. don't know where he picked this up.

tyler's pose was funny in the beginning.

then it quickly got annoying!

then chase joined in.

he wouldn't stop!

then, i finally got a normal shot before letting him get in the car! :)

korean school performance.

in front of christmas tree. oh no, the pose is back.

random thoughts:

1. don't think i tortured the boys enough this winter break. oh wells. there is always summer break. hehe.

2. we learned yesterday that we don't have to rush to buy a house by this summer to get the boys into the better school district because we just found out that since jason works in that district, the boys could go to any school they want in that district! coolness! now, how come we didn't find this out before wasting money on tyler's private school this year? crudness!

3. it's really cold here. i'm wearing thermals under my clothes. it's a weird feeling and makes me feel fatter than i already am. not. a. good. feeling.

4. i'm so excited about organizing my house and life! haha... claudia said i should post before and after pictures. i agree that those pictures would make some of you laugh and make some of you say, "wow!" but i can't get myself to do it. it's so damn embarrassing! the stuff that i'm finding out about MYSELF!!! do i really need 7 cans of hairspray (and i RARELY use hair products...maybe twice a year!). do i really need 7 nail clippers? 8 bottles of shisaedo lotion? 4 tweezers? at least 30 plates? at least 20 cups? (you would think i was entertaining guests every weekend if you looked at the stuff in my cupboards! omg!) 4 ladles? 4 spatulas? 3 can openers? art supplies and office supplies to at least last until the boys go to college? where did all this shit come from?!!! it's shear craziness. my goal is to move to our next house with only the bare essentials and take with us only the things that we use/ play with/ wear on a regular basis. and also, the main thing of having a uncluttered house: "stop buying shit, cristina!" as peter walsh would say, "it's all too much!" time to simplify my life, baby.

5. i love little kids. they are so darn cute. this morning, chase asked me for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. just for fun, i told him that i would only give it to him if he looked at me cute so he made all these "cute" faces. i mean, you can only make young children look at you "cute" for a sandwich! ahhh, i love this 2-5 years old stage.

6. every stage of my life has a song attached to it. for example, cheer camp in high school was that "i would walk a hundred miles" song that my roommate and i had on repeat (forget the title of it right now). every year of college is marked with a song. last year, the song was baby by justin bieber because the boys and i loved that song. since our move, the song of this first few months of sacramento is dynamite by taio cruz. the boys love that it and will sing it over and over. i found this video online of these young teenage boys singing dynamite and i thought i would share because i found it freakin adorable. something so cute about them: #1 finding a passion and being so talented, #2 refreshing to see that teenages are doing something other than facebook and video games, #3 i must be getting old because i just find them so adorable! when i first saw this video, the rapper totally reminded me of chase for some reason and the main singer reminded me of tyler! haha.... so enjoy on this thursday morning. it is cold here and it's suppose to rain today...not fun!

it's 2012, people (should have posted this on january 1st..hehe).... celebrate good times! this song will never get old. love it! really makes you want to celebrate! :)

so i realize i kind of have a one track mind.

when we first moved here, for the first month, all i thought about was cooking. i was determined to make all meals completely from scratch so i spent nights looking up recipes online, writing down meal plans, and making a mess in the kitchen!

then i quickly got bored and started working out nearly every day. this lasted about a month.

my current "thing?" cleaning and organizing. i can't get enough of decluttering, organizing and cleaning. it's so crazy. you would think i was pregnant and "nesting!" i used to be the biggest slob before getting married. (right, jen and weikuo?) slowly things got a little better but i could never say that i was an ocd neat freak, but i saw this girl's youtube channel and for some reason, it all "clicked" in my head! so yup, got like 10 huge bags of stuff out of the house (trash and donataion), donated 4 boxes of books to tyler's school, put all like items together, put everything in containers and pretty baskets and have been labeling everything with my label maker! i'ts not perfect but so much cleaner and functional. it's actually FUN...kind of like a game! who would have thought i, of all people, would think cleaning is FUN?! i've cleaned out every room except the toy room (which i assume will be the hardest for me). wish someone would just come over and take everything! it's such a waste but i'm doing some crazy toy purging today! yay...fun!

side note: caffeine is so bad for me. last night, i ate some chocolate sent from tyler's friend (hi van rij family!) and i felt like the world was coming to an end. i could actually feel my heart beating just sitting down and my whole body was shaking. that doesn't sound right, does it? i really shouldn't consume anything with caffeine in it, especially at night. but i love chocolate and coffee!!! sadness!

have a great three day weekend...i'm off for some morning coffee!!!

one of my favorite love songs. i don't imagine the man singing to a young, beautiful woman. i imagine he is singing to his wife of many decades. she's lost her youthfulness and the lines on her face show all that she has been through in her life. such  a sweet, sweet song. (here is the best recording i could find on youtube.)

http://youtu.be/v5OKfgXES-Y

wonderful tonight by eric clapton

It's late in the evening; she's wondering what clothes to wear.
She'll put on her make-up and brushes her long blonde hair.
And then she asks me, "Do I look all right?"
And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight."

We go to a party and everyone turns to see
This beautiful lady that's walking around with me.
And then she asks me, "Do you feel all right?"
And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight."

I feel wonderful because I see
The love light in your eyes.
And the wonder of it all
Is that you just don't realize how much I love you.
It's time to go home now and I've got an aching head,
So I give her the car keys and she helps me to bed.

And then I tell her, as I turn out the light,
I say, "My darling, you were wonderful tonight.
Oh my darling, you were wonderful tonight."

notes about previous posts:

1. no, my dad is not gay.

2. when i wrote that i look at tyler and am thankful to see him grow, it's not that i'm not thankful to see chase grow. it's just that my "incident" happened before chase was born. hence, if i weren't here, he wouldn't be here either. make sense? i love being mommy to both my boys. :)

3. even through my utter disdain for cooking, i make dinner on average 6 times a week.  we do not eat out often at all! i know...crazy, right? what do i feed my family? some easy ass stuff that i can just put together.  i prepare things that are super simple and doesn't involve many different ingredients and steps. i'm not saying that simple cooking is not nutritious or unhealthy! (think about the healthiest foods out there. the less you do with it, the better it is for you!) i actually feed the boys pretty healthy (minus the occasional hot dog, and even that, i buy the healthiest kind)! anyways, thought i would add that in so the boys don't think i fed them crap while they were growing up. no boys, you did eat actual meals. mommy hates cooking but you did eat rather good food! i promise! look what strapping young lads you turned out to be! :)

thought i would post some pics to go with my previous post. here is the crazy...i mean, quirky man! don't ask me why his eyebrows are slightly red. that is another crazy, embarrassing story! haha.... i swear i could write a book.

throughout his visit, my dad would ask me to take pics of him. here, he wanted a pic of him next to the sign because he wanted to have proof to show his friends that he was in sacramento. um, ok....

then we went to an open house and asked me to take a picture of him sitting at this made up dining table because the table looked nice. omg! a lady walked by and said, "it would look more believable if you take off your jacket." haha.....

then he liked this fountain at another open house and  he asked me to take this picture.

the man won't buy expensive cars, but he wants a picture in front of one and "make sure you get the bmw sign." soooooo weird!

playing with the boys. my dad sure has a lot of energy!!

i have said this many times before- "my dad is crazy." that's not a nice thing to say. from now on, i think i will just say, "my dad is extremely quirky." i will make a list of some of my dad's quirkiness right now.

1. my dad's favorite store is ross. yup. he loves going there and will admit that it is his favorite store. he will hold up a shirt and say, "all those people who shop at the mall are just crazy. you get the same thing here for so much cheaper." i don't have the heart to tell him that what he is holding up is not a real ralph lauren shirt- it's just a cheap knockoff called "USA polo assocation." anyways, he loves going to that place and will spend an hour or two just to look around in amazement at how cheap things are!

2. my dad loves giving the oddest gifts. he has given us a huge bag of dried mushrooms before because "if you boil it in water and drink the water, it is good for your health." he has given us a framed "art" displaying dead butterflies. i mean, those are just two thing that i can remember right now...but really, his gifts leave us shaking our heads in complete bewilderment. this last trip, he gave the boys one toy each- from, of course, ross. they weren't too strange this time around, but on the whole, my dad gifts the strangest things out there.

3. my dad is very frugal with his money. that is putting it lightly. i ask him if he wants a coffee from starbucks and he yells, "why are you and claudia always wasting money? just take me to mcdonalds and get me the 50 cent senior coffee right now!" when he visited us a couple of weeks ago, he demanded subway three times because they have the $2 for 6 inch subs. i tell him, "don't worry. i will pay for it. what do you WANT to eat?" and he will tell me that is what he WANTS to eat, but i know it's because it is only $2. he literally cannot stomach expensive food...even if he doesn't have to pay for it! when we call him cheap, he says, "you will never know what it feels like to stay up all night wondering how you are going to pay the next month's rent. that is how i lived when you guys were little. it scars you and you become a saver."

4. my dad knows more about skin care than my own mom. he just loves lotions and potions to make himself look younger! i know...strange!!! he says, "people don't believe me when i tell them i am 63. they think i am in my 50s." he prides himself on looking younger than he really is. when i laugh at him and say he is acting like a girl, he says, "men need to age gracefully too. who wants to befriend or do business with someone who looks old and wrinkly? no one." it's really fun to take my dad to costco and look at skin care products (of course at costco because he would never buy at the "expensive" mall). he makes me read all the product descriptions to him and if he likes what one product promises- "clear skin, less wrinkles"- he gets all giddy, quips, "that's it!" and throws the product in the cart. it is hilarious.

5. my dad wears shape up sketchers. yup, you read that right- my dad rolls kardashian style. one time we were at costco and they were selling them. he tried them on and said, "these are great! they are so comfy!" i swear he liked them because he gives him an inch in height. (oh, i didn't tell you that my dad is really short? it's amazing that i came out fairly normal in height- in korean standards anyways.) then he asked how much it was and when i was looking for the price on the sign, i saw that it was "womens shoes." i told my dad that they were for women and he was like, "who cares? they fit me, they are comfy, i like them!" if you ever see a short asian man wearing sketcher shape ups, say hi!

6. my dad calls people who waste money idiots. so i grew up with a dad that said this to me all the time: "look at that idiot driving a mercedes. i swear i have more money than him and he thinks he looks special driving his fancy car.  it doesn't make him special. it makes him a dummy." you see, my dad drove ratty used cars all his life and would say proudly, "i MADE money driving this car." we were at the airport once and he said pointing the people riding first class, "what idiots. they think they are special by riding first class. this plane is going to the same place and we will end up at the same location." oh, and sometimes, he will add, "there are starving children in the world and they think it's ok to flash that _______ (insert expensive item) around." one time, my dad saw me holding an expensive purse that jason bought me and said, "even the makers of that purse laugh at you on the inside while they are selling that purse to you." now you see why i have a hard time spending tons of money on luxury items. when you grow up hearing that all your life, it's going to make an impact.

7. my dad is a mover and shaker. the man can't sit still. when he was visiting, i told him that i had some stuff to do and that he could just wait at home for me. his response: "why wait at home? i want to do things and see things. just drop me off somewhere and pick me up later when you are done." he always walked really fast when we were little. imagine a short asian man walking really fast with his short legs while his two little girls ran after him yelling, "you're going to fast!' that was my dad, claudia and me.

8. my dad doesn't tell us what he does or how he has money. see, he has been traveling for over ten years and doesn't really "work." when i ask him if he has enough money and what he does, he answers very vaguely. i suspect he has money saved up from years of frugalness. he tells me, "don't worry about me. i do what i want, eat what i want. i have a great life!"

9. my dad is a list maker. he is constantly writing things down in a little notebook. when he visits us, he will sit me down and take out his little notebook and tell me he needs to talk to me about a few things. you would think he needs to talk to me about some important stuff- it being written down and all. but he will say, "#1 are you eating organically? why not" #2 are the boys taking swimming lesson? they need to know how to swim. #3 do you call your in laws on a regular basis?"#4 do you go to church? #5 do you know how to make kim chee?" it's all complete random stuff and makes me laugh.

10. my dad is really great with all the grandkids. he loves playing and being silly with them. he tries to make them laugh and loves joking with them. not a quirky side of my dad, but definitely a side to him that i admire.
as we get older, my dad has slowly morphed from being "my dad" to being a contemporary. he is downright, knee-slapping funny. i can pretty much talk to him about anything and i do take his advice seriously.

i'll end this list for now because chase is calling for me. i will end with two quotes from my dad that made me laugh.

"claudia and your JOB is to spend money."

"why are you and claudia talking about me? why you guys always talking about me? why? why?" after grabbing the phone out of claudia's hands.

haha...just remembered it is new years! happy new year! may 2012 be filled with love and happiness!