Geisha School Dropout

VSP's Eye Got You Covered Campaign

Monitoring our vision is a huge priority for the Mangs.  Our family is so visually impaired, even our dolls have glasses!  Luckily, we are all covered under VSP through Tim's and my employers.  

 

Emi's glasses even match her doll's. Total coincidence, we swear!

 

So when the Clever Girls asked the contributor community who would like to present the person of their choice with a year's worth of vision coverage, I totally jumped at the chance because I knew exactly who to give it to.  

Meet Sonya!

Sonya is a doula, early childhood educator, and nanny extraordinaire, and is also one of my best friends.  However, because of the nature of her career, she doesn't receive any healthcare benefits through an employer.  Because of the lack of insurance, like many young people today, she forgoes preventative care, and sees an urgent or emergency care doctor when she really needs it.  Her story is so frustratingly typical, but hopefully things will change for the better soon.

In the meantime, at least for Sonya, this year's eye exam and a pair of new frames and lenses will be covered by VSP Direct!

To present this to her, Emi and I concocted a game to play.  Emi was the optometrist, and one by one, Sonya, Isaac, and I had to read the eye chart she created.

Dr. Emi, Optometrist for the Day, with the world's most difficult eye chart.

Emi remembered from her recent eye exam that we need to read the chart one eye at a time.

After Dr. Emi the Optometrist determined that although Sonya did a great job with the first line of the chart, she started having trouble at the second (admittedly miniscule) line, and will need glasses.

That's when I handed her a card we designed:

 

Oh Say Can You See...

Whoo hoo!

 

Wondering what VSP can do for you? “Eye” got you covered. VSP Direct costs as low as 41 cents a day and is a great way for individuals and families to have vision insurance, even if it's not provided through work. Learn more about VSP here.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

Another Confession: Corgi Edition

(Because I can't think of anything else to write.)

For all of you who have visited my home, you know the first being to greet you is Maggie, our lovely, well-mannered little corgi.

Well, Maggie has a very shameful secret: she is a pill-popping junkie.

 

Hello, my name is Maggie, and I'm an addict. Hello, Maggie!

 

GASP!!!  For shame!

It all started when Maggie started limping.  At first the vet thought it was normal arthritis and hip dysplasia setting in, so he gave her a prescription for Tramadol, a mild opiate that you can take long-term.  He referred me to a specialist anyway, just in case there was more to the picture, and it turned out Maggie blew out her ACL on her right leg.  We hemmed and hawed about the surgery for a couple weeks, then finally decided to fork over the dough because Maggie was still young, should recover quite well, and enjoy her new bionic knee for many years.

So she had her surgery and the recovery process was supposed to take about 12-16 weeks.  She was supposed to stay on the Tramadol for 4 weeks, then stop.  And when we ran out of pills initially, she was fine for a couple days.  Then something kicked in hardcore.  She was panting, she couldn't sleep, she wandered around the house like it was too uncomfortable to lie down, and she kept vomiting.  I called the vet, afraid that she had an infection or her body was rejecting her new orthopedic hardware.

Turns out she was going through withdrawal!

We agreed to put her back on the dope, at least until she fully recovered.  Then we will put her on a doggy 12-step program.  If that doesn't work out, I wonder if I'll have to send her to rehab!

 

They tried to make me go to rehab, but I said "Bow, wow, wow"

 

One day at a time, Maggie!

Three Confessions

Darth Emi has frightened me to tears on multiple occasions.

1. Our house has Halloween lights dangling from the eaves, Thanksgiving decorations on the windows, and a snowflake wreath hanging on the front door.  I seriously cannot trust myself on a ladder, so I had to wait until Tim came back home to take down the Halloween lights.  He came home yesterday.  If they are still up after this weekend, please kick me in the ass.

2. I have not purchased a single Christmas present yet.  Nor gotten the kids to write letters to Santa.  Nor designed or ordered cards.  Actually, the snowflake wreath is all the Christmas spirit I can muster at this present moment.

3. Emi has been sick since Monday, so she hasn't gone to school in a week.  I asked her if she has forgotten all that she has learned in kindergarten thus far, and she said "Nope!  I still know that 100 + 100 equals 0!" and laughed her way into a coughing fit.  That little twerp!

 

More on Therapy

A couple people asked after Emi, so I thought I'd clear a couple things up. Emi, as we all know, is Emi, and the discipline problems she's had over the years have pretty much held steady. However, now that she is almost six and in kindergarten, the same behavior patterns (getting frustrated, then taking it out on the authority figure through defiance and "strikes") just don't fly anymore. Her peers are a little afraid of her, so she is not making friends, and although her teacher has figured her out quite a bit, it would really help if Emi fulfilled her side of the bargain and learned some coping mechanisms.

I decided to seek out a therapist on my own accord; no teacher or doctor demanded I get one. I thought we could try out a counselor who specialized in kids, and so far, things are going great. They do play a lot with puppets, but it's not cheesy at all, and DEFINITELY not like Mr. Garrison and Mr. Hat from "South Park." Emi hasn't revealed her inner thoughts through puppet play, but rather while she is concentrating on setting things up or playing with other toys, the therapist inserts little points of conflict or other social scenarios. Maybe her puppet wants to play a different game than Emi's puppet, or she "accidentally" knocks over a piece of scenery, or she inserts herself into Emi's solitary play, to show some examples. Then she and Emi practice resolving the conflict together.

I really should have been doing this stuff all along. I can't help but beat up on myself lately, but I try to remember what the counselor told me: that I did really well in some realms, like fostering independence, critical thinking, problem solving (when it pertains to other people or external situations), imaginative play, and confidence. No one can cover all the bases equally well, I suppose. But still, it's my kid who's in therapy, so I definitely am eating lots of humble pie. Good thing I have no problem with outsourcing!

Have any of you had any experience with therapy, either for you or your child? Do you think it helped?

Two Emi Stories

Today was Emi's therapy day.  The facility is a Craftsman bungalow with the rooms converted into offices.  Emi's therapist specializes in play therapy, so she and Emi talk about what happened during the week and mutually problem-solve while they play with blocks and puppets.  It's all very cool and adorable.  

However, adults get seen there too, and some of them are pretty disturbed.  Today, Emi had to use the bathroom, and it was occupied for a while by a young man.  When he finally came out, I opened the door and was just socked in the face by the smell of fresh jizz.  Emi wrinkled her nose and said, "This bathroom doesn't smell right!" but started pulling her pants down.  I tackled her, wanting to inspect the toilet seat first, and thankfully, it was dry.  I still made her hover, though.  

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After therapy was over, Emi got to choose something out of the snack bowl.  As usual, she picked up a lollipop and stuck it into her mouth.  "Look, Mom!  I'm cigaretting!"  She struck a Marlboro-man-meets-James-Dean cool guy pose.  I was mortified. 

"Where did you learn what cigaretting is?"

She looked at me like I was in idiot.  "From Red Ribbon Week, MOM."

Thank you, DEA, for teaching my baby about drugs.

I Need to Make Like a Tomato

...and ketchup!

Okay, so last Friday, there was a winner drawn for the YoKids/Tom's of Maine goody bag, and it was jooliyah!  I mailed it over the weekend, so you should be getting it soon, lucky duck.  

Sorry for not finishing off May, I got caught up in anniversary afterglow and Emi contracting every disease on the planet.  She's on the mend from her latest illness, a stomach bug that came and left her body with alarming abruptness.  My car bore the brunt of it, though, and I just threw out her carseat.  Which reminds me: how did people get rid of upholstery barf smell before the invention of Febreze?

Speaking of romantic things like barf, I made Tim a playlist highlighting a couple songs from every year we've been married.  The songs are either ones we listened to a lot, have a specific memory attached to them, or concisely sums that year up:

2002, Two Of Us, Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
2002, Something to Talk About, Badly Drawn Boy
2003, Such Great Heights, The Postal Service
2003, The Hardest Button to Button, The White Stripes
2004, Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels), The Arcade Fire
2004, Portland, Oregon, Loretta Lynn
2005, Love and Longing, Stellastarr*
2005, Precious, Depeche Mode
2005, Here He Comes, Jakob Dylan
2006, Like A Star, Corinne Bailey Rae
2006, Emily, Joanna Newsom
2007, Killing The Blues, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss
2007, Battleships, Travis
2008, The Bones Of You, Elbow
2008, Who's That Girl?, Robyn
2009, Inní Mér Syngur Vitleysingur, Sigur Rós
2009, Islands, The xx
2010, Birds of a Feather, The Civil Wars
2010, If You Think You Need Some Lovin, Pomplamoose
2010, I Remember, Yeasayer
2011, Reunion, M83
2011, If I Had A Gun, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
2012, Velvet Elvis, Alex Winston
2012, Crush, Sleigh Bells
2012, Shake It Out (Glee Cast Version), Glee Cast

 

GIVEAWAY SUNDAY: Happy National Strawberry Month!

May is National Strawberry Month, so YoKids is teaming up with Tom's of Maine on Strawberry flavored goodies!  Starting May 21st, each tube of children's toothpaste purchased on the Tom's of Maine site will come with a coupon for $1 off YoKids Greek organic yogurt. You can also save 20% on your entire order with the coupon code:  YOKIDS20.

Just to be clear, I'm not getting paid for saying this.  I sincerely appreciate that both companies provide high quality, all-natural and/or organic options, and we seriously use their products multiple times a day.  Isaac and Emi grew up on YoBaby yogurt, and now I pack a Yogurt Squeezer in their lunches every day.  We all use Tom's of Maine toothpastes, which have no artificial sweeteners or dyes, are cruelty-free, and come in environmentally responsible packaging.

To promote this special deal, Stonyfield Farm sent me a strawberry-themed goody bag to give away to one of my readers.  It is packed with the following goodies:  Reusable cotton YoKids lunch sack filled with several Tom's of Maine products including a full 4.2oz tube of Silly Strawberry children's toothpaste, as well as samples of their Naturally Dry deodorant and Daily Moisture soap.  The bag also includes FREE YoKids and YoKids Greek coupons (both available in strawberry!), YoKids Greek temporary tattoos (in strawberry AND raspberry!), and YoKids Strawberry-flavored Eco Lips chapstick! 

 

To enter for a chance to win this goody bag, just comment below with your favorite way to eat strawberries!  Mine is chocolate-covered, mmmm....

My Week in Review and GIVEAWAY WINNER

Congratulations to commenter #4, Dan, who won the polka dot knife set!  His guess was: 

You the camel 
Tim the penguin
Isaac the snake
Emma the mouse

I actually know Dan "in meatspace" (actually, I knew the large majority of entrants, which made me very happy), so I feel no qualms with ribbing him for getting Emi's name wrong (thanks, Uncle Dan!).  But otherwise, he nailed it, like most of you did.

The story behind the animals was: Emi and her bossy nature.  She commissioned, rather demanded, that her daddy draw us this way one day at a Chinese restaurant.  Her inner world is interesting, no?  I knew I shouldn't have smoked that peyote while I was pregnant with her...

Anyway, I won't be able to really post until later today because all day I'll be chaperoning Isaac's class on a field trip to a science museum!  Zoiks!  So here are some pictures of what happened this week in our little world:

Isaac started to have trouble reading sports scores on the TV, so we took him to the optometrist who confirmed he needs to start wearing glasses.

Tuesday was "Korea Day" at Emi's school, so she went to school dressed in her hanbok!

I made kimbap (basically Korean sushi) with just galbi (BBQ short rib) inside for the kids' snack. They devoured it like locusts. I was impressed.

Yesterday, we went to Little Prince to meet a friend. Isaac spent a lot of the time in their library, which garnered him the adoration of many a Korean Tiger Mom, who then promptly rapped their knuckles on their own kids' heads and said, "Yah! Why can't you be more like this boy!"

 

Bay Area! Go Watch the APA Vagina Monologues on May 17!

Although I love vaginas and enjoy talking about them, I have yet to go see a Vagina Monologues show.  Oh, how I wish I can go to this one!  The cast is all Asian/Pacific Islander, and I bet this will be a transformative experience.

From their website:

NAPAWF Bay Area proudly presents an Asian Pacific American women's production of the Vagina Monologues. Set in the historic Castro Theater of San Francisco, we'd like to invite you to an evening celebrating community visibility, the stories of women, and Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. 

This production is directed by Gabrielle Patacsil and features an all Asian Pacific American women-identified cast. Proceeds benefit the local Bay Area chapter of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, the nation's only multi-issue women's organization for Asian Pacific American women and girls. 

And here are the performers introducing themselves in an awe-inspiring, irreverent, hilarious, and poignant video:

The APA Vagina Monologues
Thursday, May 17, 2012 7:30 PM
Castro Theatre
429 Castro Street (at Market)
San Francisco, CA 94114
United States

Tickets are $15-65 and can be purchased here.

Cross-posted on Kimchi Mamas.

Sponsored: Natural Presents for EVERYONE - including Myself!

Thanks to Walgreens for underwriting this post. I was paid as a member of the Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all mine. Visit http://www.walgreens.com/beauty.

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I am a firm believer in natural and organic food and products, but as a mom I just can't bear to spend a ton of extra money trying to create an non-toxic household.  Luckily, the market for these kinds of products has grown to the point where you don't have to go to exclusive stores or pay a high premium anymore.  In fact, here are some examples of healthy, environmental, and reasonably-priced gifts you can find in your neighborhood drugstore.

For the Kids

I believe it is especially important to provide kids and babies with natural products as much as possible, but often the steeper price tags make us moms a little hesitant to buy organic or all-natural stuff on a day-to-day basis.  However, that's also the exact reason why they make great holiday gifts, though!

Here is an example of a bath and body set that is sulfate-free, isn't tested on animals, and has gentle vegan ingredients.   I've always thought grapefruit is such a great scent for kids; it's fresh- and clean-smelling, and matches their sunny dispositions.

 

 

 

 

For Men

This category is super-easy.  There is a brand called Every Man Jack that specializes in men's products, and their stuff is vegan and sulfate-free.  Best of all, they work really well and they smell great too (although they do have unscented versions of almost all their products for the sensitive guys out there).  Every Man Jack makes it easy to introduce the man in your life to the cleansing/toning/moisturizing/sunblock regimen he really should have been doing for years now without overwhelming him.  Grab a few skin, hair, and shaving products, arrange them in a shower caddy, and voila, you will have a cleaner, handsomer man!

 

 

For the Ladies, Including Moi

My friend got me some Out of Africa products for my birthday last month, and I am a total shea butter fanatic now.  It turns out that shea butter is absorbed into the skin much faster and keeps your skin moisturized for so much longer than normal lotions, and my skin looks so much healthier now, especially my hands.   I just figured that the little crackles and crosshatch patterns were a result of aging; turns out my skin was just dry!  No Parabens, Sulfates, Petrolatums or Phthalates; Cruelty-free and Eco-Friendly.  Try it and see if your skin will lap it up like mine does.  

 

 

While we're on the subject of hands, another recent discovery is non-toxic nail polish.  I had no idea it existed until I saw this Keeki Holiday Nail Set online.  I am aching to try it out!  Manicures and pedicures are two of my favorite ways to unwind and pamper myself, but I always feel uneasy smelling all the chemicals and wondering what they are doing to my nails.  My curiosity is piqued.

 

 

 

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Merry Christmas and happy shopping!  If you have encountered any other great finds, please let me know!