Things in my household are rather hectic right now. I can’t seem to get myself together long enough to plan for the holidays. Yes, the holidays that are coming right up in just a couple of weeks. I have been much more concerned with the “right now” and somehow the “almost here” has crept up and knocked me flat.

Hectic hasn’t been bad. My son has decided that potty training is easy and we’ve been doing well for almost two weeks. It’s only during the day, but we already see the cost savings. We can go shopping without dragging five diapers and a package of wipes. Instead, I drag two pairs of clothes…but, I leave them in the car because we haven’t had to use them yet.

I’ve... more

Here is one of those times where the western cultures are definitely not a good influence. I’ve read so many articles about the healthful nature of Korean food. Kimchi is supposed to be able to cure just about anything. Traditional Korean food is not fried and uses a lot of the vegetables with very important properties. There is an emphasis on various spices and less emphasis on salt.

Link: Diabetes In Asia

Diabetes is on the rise in South Korea... more

I was surfing the web and came across this fun site.

Link: Korea Folk Tales

Choose a folk tale picture and then make sure you select the English button so you can understand the story. Personally, I enjoy listening to it in Korean too. I think it’s fun to hear things spoken in other languages.

I’m rather fond of folk tales from all different parts of the world. It always amazes me how similar they are when you break them down to the basic components. Across time and culture,... more

The newest KAAN newsletter had two interesting articles today about how important the English language is to Korea. I found it interesting.

The first article, “How Close Are We to Using English as Official Language?”, is from The Korean Times.

Under the plan, elementary schools expanded regular English classes to the lower grades starting in the second half of this year on a pilot project. The pilot project will continue until the end of next year.

I understand how important the United States is to the economy of the world. We seem to be... more

Forgive me for being brief, but I am watching the election results. It's a compulsion. I will most likely be up all night. Anyhow, before I got too engrossed, I wanted to pass on this website. I just found it and I've been having a lot of fun with it.

Link: KidSpace

If you live in the United States, please remember to vote tomorrow (11/07/06).

I took my son to vote with me in the primary elections here in Michigan. I remember going with my parents when I was little. We were driving home from daycare and he was getting fussy. I told him that we would stop really quickly so that I could vote and then we’d go home. He got really quiet and that was that.

We went in and there was no line so the process moved really quickly. “What you doing, Mommy?” He asked. “I’m voting,” I told him. His little eyebrows scrunched up as he contemplated my answer, but he stayed quiet. I finished and dropped my ballot into the scanner. The volunteer... more

I just joined a new forum for Korean adoptees (though there is a section for parents of Korean adoptees as well) and I’m enjoying myself. I feel quite old on this forum. Though many do not come out and say how old they are, I get the impression that many of them are still in college. Oh, I know that I’m not old (though my sister might disagree), but when you are part of a group that approaches the world far differently than you do…you start wondering when you changed.

Like I... more

Adrienne on the Hoping to Adopt blog wrote a post called Multicultural Cinderellas that reminded me of a movie that I hadn’t seen in ages. It was a Disney remake of Roger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. I think I was in college when it came out and I remember being slightly awed by the movie because for once no one paid any attention to the way things “should be” and they just created it the way it “aught to be.”

In this story, the queen is Black and the king is White... more

Link: Parents Share The Joys Of Adoption, by A.J. O’Connell (Stamford Times)

Many of the articles that I’ve been getting lately have been a little fluffy – warm fuzzy feelings. I liked this one because it touched on some of the issues.

Well-meaning acquaintances ask if the boys, who were adopted from Korea, are "real" brothers, want to know about their "real" mothers, and ask other personal questions... more

I finally finished Anne Tyler’s book “Digging To America.” The fact that it took me several months has absolutely nothing to do with the book. In fact, it probably has a lot to say about the book. I’m rather famous for speedy reading. Give me a genre book and chances are I’ll have it down before the night is over. However, when I read books that make me really think about the world, I tend to read them a little more slowly.

Anne Tyler’s book follows two families who adopt little girls from Korea. The families don’t have a lot in common, except that they... more