Minnie Mouse Handsoap

LOVE! <3

Ohdeeoh just posted about these Mickey and Minnie Mouse themed foaming handwashes from Method! The Mickey is lemonade scented, and the Minnie is strawberry fizz scented. They're a bit expensive at $4.49 for 8.5 fl.oz., but the bottle shape is just too cute to pass up! I just have to get the Minnie one for Saeri. :) I'll continue to refill it with our regular Dr. Bronner's peppermint when it runs out.

Can Never Have Enough (Baby) Shoes!

So in my last post about baby shoes, I was complaining about how one of Saeri's new shoes was swept away by the St. Patty's Day Parade. Not to worry though, because I wasted spent a good 6 hours scouring the internet for a new pair of pink mary janes. And I found them. But now that I'm finally ready to review them, the weather has gotten warm enough for sandals! Ah but I definitely won't complain about more shopping! :D

These pink Pediped Abigails are her current everyday shoes. I absolutely love them! The quality is much better than her previous pair of Pediped Lilys. For one thing, these have real leather uppers, not patent leather, so no visible crease marks have formed where her toes are. For a more secure fit, there's little tabs underneath the ankle strap and the velcro is longer. All the flower decorations are also real leather, and each and every petal is sewn down (so she can't rip them off).

Here's a pair of mary janes that FMIL bought specifically for Easter. I think they're hideous, I hate the cut-outs. But FMIL has always wanted to dress up a little girl in an Easter outfit just like the ones she used to wear as a child--white dress, white mary janes, frilly socks, white bonnet--but she ended up with 3 sons and no daughter. Enter a granddaughter, and all of a sudden there's a gazillion "traditions" we suddenly have to do. I conceded this year though, especially since we were only celebrating Easter with Appa's family and not mine. But back to how much I hate these shoes. FMIL bought them for about $10 from Target, and they're obviously cheaply made. They're a bit heavy for her little feet, the straps are super thin, and there's barely any cushioning. FMIL keeps saying that it's no use splurging on shoes because children grow out of them so quickly. But that's all the more reason to splurge, I say! Their growing feet need proper cushioning and support, so they can develop proper balance and walking skills. Thankfully Appa agrees with me 100%. :)

My FMIL also recently bought these Puma Etoile Cats for her from Babies R Us on clearance. I am so in love with these! I'm a total Puma fan, so I need to get a pair to match Saeri's. xD She's been going on and on about how Saeri needs sneakers in order to play to the fullest extent. I'm terrified of how scraped up and how dirty she'll get over FMIL's house this summer, but I'm sure I'll complain about that a lot in the future. :P What I don't understand is why FMIL bought a pair of white sneakers, when her whole reasoning for getting sneakers in the first place was so her mary janes wouldn't get dirty? These Pumas are just so damn cute, I may have to get these brown Pediped Adrians specifically for FMIL's house!

And here's a bonus picture of Saeri in her newly acquired Puma track outfit with the shoes!

I can't believe it's already the end of April! Now if only it would stop being rainy so I can convince Appa to let me buy these adorable Bobux sandals asap... :D

Easter Sunday

Holidays have become such a freaking chore now that I've got a kid. When you're just married, there's all this obligation and respect crap involving how much time to spend with each family on what holidays... but that doesn't even begin to compare with when there's grandchildren to fight over. Jealousy gets involved, and no amount of cool reason will appease those stubborn old grandparents.  I hate the holidays.

But I know the holidays are super fun for Saeri, so that's all that matters.. right? :P She gets spoiled rotten! Unbelievable amounts of gifts and clothes and treats, it's nice to be a kid. :) FMIL used FFIL's death to guilt us into spending almost the entire Easter weekend with her this year. (I know it sounds awful, but it's definitely more disgusting to see her using something like that as a tool for manipulating others.) We didn't end up doing anything with my umma for Easter, ugh. Sunday itself seemed like a week long, but I'm happy that we survived it with only one minor FMIL incident.

We started off by attending Easter service at Church of the Saviour, a large United Methodist church. The building was GORGEOUS, I totally regret not getting a picture of it. I was really impressed with this church. There were ushers and greeters everywhere, and everybody was really warm and welcoming. It was relatively diverse for an Ohio church, and overall I liked the sense of community they had. They even had kiddie bags available to keep the children occupied (and quiet) during service, awesome! The only thing I didn't really like was that the service felt a bit choppy, like it didn't flow smoothly. FMIL said that's how Methodist service normally runs, so Appa and I probably just aren't used to it.

This was Saeri's first time at church though, so she quickly became restless and fidgety. And to make matters worse, FMIL chose to sit in the pews near the front, instead of the balcony area in the back that was specially designated for families with young children. She talked rather loudly (she has no concept of an inside voice) to Saeri the whole time, and she kept lifting Saeri up, very likely blocking the view of any poor sap who chose to sit behind us. So damn embarrassing.

But Saeri was showered with compliments, even specially pointed out by the minister, and there's no easier way to a mother's heart than that. :D

FMIL is now using my positive feedback of this church to resume her infatiguable attempts at pressuring us to christen Saeri in a Protestant church. We've already discussed and decided, as the parents, to raise her in the Catholic church. Neither of us completely agree with Catholicism, but we agree that it's the religion that fits us best. But FMIL doesn't care about our opinions, and she's going to flip out when we finally get Saeri baptized lol.

Anyhow, when we got back to FMIL's house, we had brunch (made by Appa because we both hate his family's cooking) and the Easter egg hunt.. indoors. It was such a dreary, rainy Easter this year. Saeri is only 16.5 months old, so she didn't really understand the concept of the egg hunt. We left them in clusters on the floor, so she could easily see them. Appa wouldn't let her open up the eggs until she had gathered them all though, so Saeri got tired of egg hunting very quickly. She kept picking one up, then running off and turning her back towards us, trying to open the egg before Appa caught her rofl. In the end, Saeri got 48 eggs filled with treats, and we got to 'ohh' and 'ahh' over how cute she was running around in her Easter outfit. (For the record, Saeri is inherently cute. The fugly dress and shoes were bought by FMIL. The bolero and hair bow made it a little better.)

I bought the eggs really cheaply at Michael's for $1.50 per 24ct. bag. I also bought an 8-pack of travel-size cereal for $4.88 to fill the eggs with. I used the Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Cocoa Puffs, Trix, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Golden Grahams, and the marshmallows from the Lucky Charms. I think it was pretty inexpensive for the variety of treats I could put in the eggs. They weren't the most healthy cereals, but holidays aren't about healthy anyway. ;) Plus it's better than a bunch of chocolate or jelly beans!

Saeri did get her own chocolate Easter bunny, of course. I just love love love her basket, white wicker with a pink eyelet lining and sized perfectly for a toddler! I had to wrap the handle with ribbon though, there were sharp wicker pieces sticking out all over the place.

We then filled the gap between brunch and dinner by taking a 3 hour long family nap. We really just wanted to get away from FMIL, but Saeri's naptime was a good excuse lol. Afterwards FMIL accused us of "leaving her alone on Easter" and "not being sensitive to the fact that FFIL just passed away", and she stormed out of the house. She truly is crazy, ugh. So we went and got her, came back and had (an awful) homecooked dinner, and finally went home around 11.00pm. Then she spent the following morning screaming at Appa for "never doing anything for her". I hate her.

And next is Mother's Day... yay.

First Week of Couponing

Couponing has been a lot of fun so far! I can't imagine being an extreme couponer, because I'm already spending at least an hour per day researching prices and trying to match coupons. It really could be a full-time job!

So my goal was to get the bill down to at least 50% of the original total. It hasn't gone quite that well so far, I'm at around 33%. But as I amass more coupons and create my mini-stockpile (no more than 2 months worth of anything), I think it'll be really easy to reach my goal. But I also don't think I'll do much better than my goal, since we buy a LOT of fresh produce very very often, and fresh produce is crazy expensive!

The main grocery stores around me are Giant Eagle, Heinen's, Acme, Marc's, and Walmart.
The main drugstores are CVS, Rite Aid, Walgreens, Drugmart, Target, and Walmart.

Normally I'd only shop at Giant Eagle and CVS, but this past week I've made an effort to jump around, depending on who's got the best prices on certain items. I used to avoid that because I felt like the savings wouldn't be worth the cost in gas. But I wanted to change my attitude (sorry store loyalty!) to see if buying everything on sale would really save me money in the long run. All the stores are within a mile radius of each other anyway. It's waaaaaaaaaay too early to tell if I'm in fact saving any money, especially since I'm still having to impulse shop for immediate necessities a lot, but it definitely boosts your self-esteem when you look down at your receipt and see a "You've saved $29.83 today!" staring back at you. :D

For anyone in NE Ohio: Marc's has the lowest everyday prices, but Acme has the best deals each week. Similarly, Target and Walmart have the lowest prices, but Rite Aid and Walgreens have some amazing deals. Eventually I plan to shop at only 3-4 stores regularly... going to 6 each week would definitely suck.

And I've decided that using a coupon clipping service works best for my lifestyle. I may buy the first Sunday newspaper of each month, for those wonderful P&G coupons, but I should be able to get those from the coupon clipping services as well. I've used Coupon Carry-Out so far, and the great communication and quick shipping made for an excellent experience! But I think I'm going to try out Coupon Clippers next time, since they have lower minimums and a seemingly larger selection.

Here are some of the best deals I've personally scored this week. It's not "FREE!" or a "money maker", but I'm pretty happy with my results... for now. :)

Grocery
-Campbell's Cream of Mushroom/Cream of Chicken Soups  $0.75/can
-Coca-Cola Can Soda 12pk  $2.00/pack
-French's Dijon Mustard 12oz  $0.98/bottle
-French's Spicy Brown Mustard 12oz  $0.89/bottle
-Dole Canned Pineapple 20oz  $0.73/can
-Birdseye Steamfresh Frozen Vegetables 12oz  $0.65/bag

Household
-Seventh Generation Diapers  $6.99/pack (originally $10.99!)
-Mr. Clean Magic Eraser Twin Pack  $0.99/pack
-Olay Regenerist Facial Cleanser  $2.99/bottle
-Aquafresh Extreme Clean Toothpaste 7oz  $2.00/box
-Oral B Cross Action Toothbrush  $1.59/brush
-Johnson & Johnson Head-to-Toe Baby Wash 15oz  $1.99/bottle

Saving money is actually exhilarating whoo hoo! Who woulda ever thought shopaholic like me would ever utter such blasphemy lol?? xD

Be Clean! Be Green! Be a DIY Queen!

It's amazing how many cleaning products I grew up with and thought was necessary. I really believed I had to use Windex for glass, Pledge for wood, 409 for kitchen surfaces, Clorox for toilets, Drano for plumbing clogs, Swiffer for floors... you get the idea. American marketing and consumerism at its best, I suppose. *face palm*

But then I became pregnant, and with pregnancy came incessant and obsessive googling. All the toxins in household cleaners really started to freak me out. That's when google showed me that other mommy bloggers were all about VINEGAR, the white distilled kind. I was pretty reluctant at first; I had avoided vinegar like the plague growing up because I couldn't stand the smell. But just 1 week of continuous use made me into a wholehearted convert!

Vinegar is A.MA.ZING. because it is:
-super cheap (64 fl.oz. for ~$3)
-natural and non-toxic (safe for children)
-effectively anti-bacterial (kills bacteria, germs, viruses, mold)
-crazy versatile (use it to clean toilets, laundry, hardwood, stainless, etc... google it!)

With all these pros, who cares about that damn smell? It really does dissipate within an hour, I didn't believe it either. Just get a pair of well-fitting latex gloves specifically for cleaning, and you're good to go!

:: end over-enthusiastic vinegar rave ::


DIY All-Purpose Cleaner

Ingredients
-1 part white distilled vinegar
-1 part water
-1 tbsp Dr. Bronner's organic castile liquid soap
-20-30 drops tea tree oil

Directions
Combine all ingredients and shake! I also recommend a quick shake before each use.

I use this cleaner for almost everything (except glass and floors). Countertops, sinks, stove top, drip pans, toilets, toys... it really is my all-in-one! I bought an empty spray bottle for just a couple bucks from Walmart's gardening section, and so far it's held up perfectly to all that acidity.


DIY Hand Soap

Ingredients
-1 part Dr. Bronner's organic castile liquid soap
-2 parts water

Directions
Fill the bottle a third of the way with the Dr. Bronner's liquid soap. You can use more or less, depending on your preference. Then add water and stir them together (I like to use a chopstick).

This is my extremely simple recipe for hand soap. I LOVE Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap, and it's worked out wonderfully for us as an ingredient in various cleaners. It's super gentle yet cleans really thoroughly, even through grease or lotion. It does dry out my hands though, so I keep a bottle of Curel right next to the hand soap, to keep my hands forever young. ;) This method doesn't seem that cheap at first, considering I used to get Softsoap handsoaps for $1 each, but just one 32 fl.oz. bottle lasts me a whole year, even though I use it to continuously refill several homemade cleaners! Coupled with the foaming bottles I bought off ebay (foamers use mostly water and only a fraction of product), in the long run it's definitely been saving us money, whoo hoo! :)

Free VERA WANG glasses? Check!

*clears throat*

I just totally got a FREE pair of Vera Wang eyeglass frames complete with prescription lenses that have AR, UV, and SR coatings, for FREE. Did I say that already? FREE!

*dances around gleefully while laughing maniacally*

Well.. I did have to pay around $20 worth of shipping and handling, but I just saved $128.00! Not too shabby, if you ask me.

So how did I do it? By being a regular reader of Moms Need To Know of course! :) She posted about a free glasses promotion from CoastalContacts.com. All you had to do was 'Like' their facebook page, and then the coupon code would automatically show up. The promotion started at 12.00PM EDT today, April 13th, and the first 10,000 people would be able to use that code for a free pair of glasses.

The fine print?
-Some eyeglass frames are excluded from this offer. My $128.00 Vera Wangs were not, so I think most frames apply.
-People who have previously gotten a free pair of glasses through them cannot participate.
-There is a limit of 1 order per household.
-There cannot be multiple orders from the same household or computer.
-This offer includes one pair of frames with 1.5 index prescription lenses. You must pay the difference for any upgrades
  (i.e. thinner lenses, coatings, tinting, etc.)
-You must pay shipping and handling.

It may be too late now, but don't despair because you'll likely get another chance!!! Coastal Contacts seems to run this promotion every couple weeks, so keep an eye out on their facebook page. I want to help my umma get a free pair next time! :D

I'll update on the quality when I receive them. I'm guessing it'll be about 2 weeks.

Nonetheless... YAY!!!

Chaos

My future father-in-law passed away this past Friday evening, at 10.46PM. He was taken off the ventilator around 8.00PM, and he left this world on his own terms, at the time of his choosing, surrounded by family (and an army of nurses, doctors, and social workers). It still feels surreal, and I'm constantly feeling like I should be preparing to get back to the hospital. There will be no viewing, no funeral service, no burial. There'll be a memorial service sometime in June, where family will gather at a baseball game--his absolute favorite sport--to spread his ashes on the field.

It's hard.
We miss you so much.
We love you very much.
But we're happy that you're finally in peace.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Saeri has been extremely fussy lately. The whole weekend was dedicated to my father-in-law, and all the sadness and tension affected her too. She doesn't understand what's going on, but I think our behavior is scaring her. I'm having a lot of trouble being patient with her; I just feel irritated and depressed and sluggish. Blah.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

We've finally finished the move into my umma's house. Our stuff is EVERYWHERE. I can't seem to get anything done though because Saeri starts screaming for my attention after 10 minutes. And Appa will be staying with his mother for 2-6 weeks, to help her cope, so anything that includes heavy lifting or tools (which is everything) has been put on hold. Ugh.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

I've decided to try out couponing for a month. I admit that the previews for TLC's Extreme Couponing has piqued my interest. I'm still having a tough time finding a job--there just aren't many even available--so I'm looking into lowering our budget. Couponing really appeals to my Type-A, OCD personality: there's so much opportunity for list-making and organization!

Now, I know I won't be the one getting $650 worth of groceries for just $6. We're picky about our refrigerated necessities (i.e. milk, eggs, cheese, butter), so it's likely I won't be saving on those. But I'll be ecstatic if I can get at least 50% off each trip! We'll see how this goes, it requires a TON of research, preparation, and basic math. If I'm fairly successful, I may even expand into drugstore couponing! o_O

Kudos to these ladies who have the forbearance to do it full-time and actually make money with coupons too! :)

The ABCs of Crazy Umma

A. Age: 26 (my Korean age is 28 bah)
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore you hate: IRONING ugh. I really REALLY need a garment steamer!
D. Dogs: No way, I'm so not an animal person. I have an adorable god-puppy named Bailey though! :)
E. Essential start to your day: Checking my email and bank account. I'm an accountant, nuff said. :P
F. Favorite color: White, it's so simple and clean.
G. Gold or silver: Gold... I've accepted that I'm an old lady now.
H. Height: 5'6"
I. Instruments: Piano, violin, and flute as a kid... very Asian, I know lol.
J. Job title: SAHM! :D
K. Kids: Lianna Saeri, almost 16 months old, crazy!
L. Live: Suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio... I'd like to move immediately please.
M. Mom’s name: Hyon
N. Nicknames: I was never cool enough to have a nickname xP
O. Overnight hospital stays: Giving birth to my first and only child in December 2009
P. Pet peeve: People who rattle off a million excuses as to why they're justified, when they're actually in the wrong.
Q. Quote from a movie: Anyone who knows me, knows that I have the worst short-term memory for someone with a perfectly functioning brain. I can't remember anything about a movie a week after I watch it.
R. Right or left handed: Righty represent!
S. Siblings: 1 younger brother
T. Time you wake up: ... late. I've got to fix this.
U. Underwear: Victoria's Secret cotton hipsters
V. Vegetables you dislike: Cauliflower, they look like wannabe broccoli.
W. What makes you run late: Myself. I'm just slow.
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Lots and lots of dental x-rays, my poor parents got stuck with a kid who had dracula teeth.
Y. Yummy food you make: Every single thing I make is amazing damnit... or at least that's what Appa always tells me. o_O xD
Z. Zoo-favorite animal: None, I'm just not an animal person blah. The way Asians animate animals is pretty cute though.

Healthy Healthy Healthy! (Or Not)

Since my latest trip to the grocery store, I've been wondering what type of packaged snacks are healthy enough for my growing toddler. Obviously I don't feed her chips or candy or soda... but the mommy-blogosphere seems to be filled with super moms who make their own kid snacks or can afford organic ones. I am in awe of these women, but I have to admit that I'm just not one of them. A lot of times I actually feel pretty pathetic for not making ALL of our meals and snacks and drinks from complete scratch with organic ingredients... but somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that I just can't afford the time or the money at this point in time.

I'm in the middle of a job search, and I hope to be back in the workforce within the next month. This whole experience has been pretty depressing as well, but that probably deserves its very own post. Going back to work means that I'll have very little time during the week to cook or prepare snacks. *hides face in shame*

I should say that I am NOT knocking moms who work full-time. I think you're amazing women for being able to balance work and home, something I know I won't be able to handle very well. Personally I've never had any personal career ambitions (not even a little), and I've always wanted to be a stay-at-home mom. So the thought of going back to work full-time--and leaving my baby in daycare for NINE hours a day--is unbelievably depressing and frightening. I hate being poor.

Anyhow, I'm not about to buy snacks purely based on convenience though. I went through all the trouble of cloth diapering just because it's healthier for her little bum, so I certainly don't plan to buy crap with high levels of sugar, high fructose corn syrup, preservatives, sodium, trans fat, MSG.. basically all that bad stuff they keep sensationalizing in the news. Now I'm not gungho enough to eliminate them completely from our household diet; I'm a firm believer in the mantra: "Everything in moderation!"

So what are the readily available packaged snacks needing ZERO preparation that I deem worthy enough to be ingested by my precious baby? For better or for bashing, here's my picks:
      -mozzarella string cheese
      -yogurt
      -chocolate pudding
      -rice pudding
      -organic unsweetened apple sauce
      -whole grain Goldfish
      -strawberry Fig Newtons
      -vanilla wafers
      -ginger snaps
      -plain or honey nut Cheerios
      -thin pretzel sticks
      -crackers
      -Cheez-Its
      -Chex Mix
      -granola bars
      -Mum-Mums
      -any Korean rice snacks (sooooo healthy!)

BUT when I do have a bit of time, these are some snacks that need very minimal preparation:
      -fresh fruit
      -hard-boiled eggs
      -steamed vegetables
      -steamed sweet potato
      -avocado
      -plain cooked pasta (usually rotini or wheels)
      -toasted whole grain bread topped with peanut butter, Nutella, or apple sauce
      -whole grain Eggos
      -frozen chicken nuggets/tenders
      -frozen soft pretzels
      -frozen fish sticks
      -tiny balls of cooked rice wrapped inside toasted seaweed

I know I'm crazy lucky to have a baby without allergies and who's not picky in the least. This is true for everyone on both sides of our family though, so maybe it's a genetic and/or nurture thing. She's been eating the same exact meals as us since she was 11 months old. The pureed food stage didn't last very long at all lol.

We also only give her whole milk, Korean barley water, bottled water, and soy milk on a regular basis. She gets very limited quantities (no more than 4 oz. in a day) of orange, apple, or grape juice occasionally--too much citric acid easily gives her diarrhea yuck.

Ah, who knew food could be so stressful? :)