Apt 1014
a peek inside a Filipino-Korean household
Medicine strips
In: Being a Mom
20 Jun 2009
My son is not used to taking medicines. It’s really difficult for me to give him medications on those rare times that he needs them. I usually have to try a lot of tricks before he’d take the meds. When he got sick on our first week in Los Angeles, a relative suggested the medicine strips for his cold and cough. I didn’t give it to him since I’m quite updated with news concerning OTC drugs for kids. I’m just amused at how this medicine strip and I wished we have that in Korea.
Dorothy the Dinosaur at the LA Zoo
In: Family Weekend
10 Jun 2009
My cousin Ate Emely, who’s been living in Los Angeles for more than 30 years, took us to LA Zoo last Saturday. It was my second time at LA Zoo. The first time was in November 2006. I thought it was pretty expensive at $12 entrance for adults and $7 for kids. We just went there for the free show featuring “Dorothy the Dinosaur” – the scary green and yellow “rososaurus” from “The Wiggles.” We didn’t see a lot of animals but my son enjoyed the mini-train ride. The “Dorothy the Dinosaur” show was okay but I wasn’t familiar with the character nor with the songs. Just being with my cousin, my son and my mother is enough. We enjoyed our tour of LA with her the most – she’s been working in downtown LA for 29 years in the same company while living in the suburbs.
Everything nice
In: Being a Mom
28 May 2009
Needless to say, I’ve browsed every page of Lou Lou’s Corner and I was impressed with the items they have on sale. They have designer baby clothes which made me miss my son when he was just a baby and wished that I could have another one (a girl please) that I could dress up.
They also have a wide range of jellycat products, which I really love. My son has the merryday cow but his favorite is still the dog that his grandmother bought for him. He also has a few of their soft books but I’ve already kept them in storage (just in case I have another baby!)
Moms (like moi) and those who aren’t moms yet would appreciate the barefoot dreams clothes that the boutique carries. They’re celebrity favorites and they can be yours too!
World Vision
In: Being a Mom
28 May 2009
World Vision is a Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty.
I learned from Wikipedia that they first started helping the children in South Korea after the Korean War. Late last April, my son’s day care center sent us a small coin bank. We already have two coin banks that I fill up with 500 won and 100 won coins. When my son saw the yellow coin bank, he immediately asked me for money to put in it. It took him a few days to fill it up but he diligently did so and I was so proud of him.
On May 9, we gave back the filled up coin bank. Yesterday, the day care center sent us the certificate with my son’s name on it. I couldn’t be a prouder mom. I really hope that my son inherits my husband’s charity. Our monthly phone bill is huge not because we use the phone often but because my husband has a habit of calling the ARS number whenever he sees a sad story on TV about a child or an elderly that needs donation. I sometimes tell him that we need more help and that there will be others, who have more than us, who can give more.
With World Vision, one could also sponsor a child anywhere in the world. I already found someone to sponsor, a girl from Tanzania who has the same birthdate as my son. Now what I need is the cash to sponsor her. 
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A word on babyproofing
In: Being a Mom
13 May 2009
As a parent, I think one of the important things that we must do for our kids to keep them safe. That’s why as early as possible we should know about baby proofing. I waited until my son started to crawl before I did this. For others, it should be earlier as accidents sometimes do happen.
The first thing I did to baby proof our house is to install cabinet locks. I bought several sets of this since we have lots of cabinets and drawers. It’s just a shame that I wasted money on the first set since my son was still able to open some of the drawers. That is why when purchasing baby proofing products, we need to make sure of the quality of the items were getting. It’d be bettert to purchase from stores like KidSafe as they specialize on baby gates and other home safety products.
If you want to know more about how to keep your home safe for your baby, read the blog on child safety by KidSafe.
At the Heart of Motherhood on Mother’s Day
In: Uncategorized
10 May 2009Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers and mothers-wanna-be…
At the heart of motherhood…
… is hope, stronger than doubt,
that your children will feel loved…
hope, stronger than fear,
that they will be safe and happy…
hope, stronger than habit,
that you will have the grace
to let them go…
and hope that someday
their own children will bring them
the immeasurable joy
yours have given you.- Ginnie Job
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My son’s favorite swingset
In: Being a Mom
10 May 2009
We introduced my son to a swingset before he was a year old. Since we live in an apartment, we have one that we hang inside our home. I would place him there with his favorite stuffed toy and he would fall asleep in just a few minutes.
We’re lucky to have a playground in our apartment complex. If we had a house with a garden, I would definitely invest in a playground equipment just like the one I saw at Swingset.com. The site has a variety of indoor and outdoor play sets for children. They have accessories for both residential and commercial use.
When I was three decades younger, we didn’t have access to equipments like we have now: bounce houses, slides, fun center and what have you. We did have a lot of fun on the good ol’ tire swings though. And kids now are still lucky that Swingset.com not only have the latest play equipments for kids but they also have the traditional tire swings!
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Another one of my favorite quotes from the Hallmark gift book “At the Heart of Motherhood”
At the heart of motherhood…
is the kind of satisfaction
unequalled in any other profession on Earth.
- Tina Neidlein
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At the Heart of Motherhood
In: Being a Mom
8 May 2009Motherhood…
the boldest move a woman can make,
the most challenging step she can take,
the dearest gift she can give.- Keely Chace, from the book “At the Heart of Motherhood”
Today, May 8, is Parents’ Day in Korea. It is a tradition to give red carnations to parents. On Sunday, May 10, is Mother’s Day in the USA and in the Philippines. This is gonna be me fourth Mother’s Day. I’m not expecting anything from my husband since he had already given me a special gift in advanced, the time to be with my family even for just a month.
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- Tags: mother's day, parents day
Children’s Day
In: Family Weekend
7 May 2009
Children’s Day is an official non-working holiday in Korea. It is celebrated every year on May 5th. This year we celebrated the holiday as simple as we could – just being a family.
We rode the subway to Seoul City Hall, where the Hi Seoul Festival is being held. At Seoul Plaza, right in front of Seoul City Hall and the venue for the “One Philippines” celebration on May 30 and 31, were families decorating the free masks distributed by the city government.
I lined up to get two masks. My son decided that both masks are his and he put himself in charge of decorating them. Far from being masterpieces but we had fun!
About this blog
A Filipina mom, Korean dad and a Filipino-Korean son living in downtown Seoul since 2003.
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- ifoundme: i hope your son is well now. i know how hard it is to make kids drink medicine especially the ones w [...]
- tin2x: gud aftie ms. betch.. nweiz, im married w/ a korean and ive got my F-2-1 visa ive stayed 4months in [...]
- Steve: All great tips! Another thing I just saw is that they now make fire-preventing outlets. Someone reco [...]
- angelie noh: mrs sarang ask ko lang procedures and needed documents in getting a korean visa i just got married l [...]
- angelie noh: mrs sarang ask ko lang procedures and needed documents in getting a korean visa i just got married [...]
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