Frigid Days in New England

Our very mild December turned into a bear in January with snowstorm after snowstorm and frigid temperatures.  But it still makes for fun times.  Icicles are always a beautiful thing (when you're not thinking of ice dams and roof / gutter damage).





How cold is frigid?  On Monday morning, we awoke to a low temperature of -15.5°F.  That's the lowest that we've ever seen at our house.



On the ride into work at 8:30 AM, it was still -10°F outside my car.  Again, the lowest temperature I've ever seen on my dash!  I know you Mid-westerners are scoffing at this, but it was definitely worth capturing on my phone.



When it was a balmy 10°F the next morning, it didn't feel so cold anymore.  Can you imagine 10°F feeling like a normal temperature?

Over the weekend, Adam asked that I take pictures outside.  I only lasted about 1/2 hour as my fingers were starting to freeze inside my fleece gloves.  After coming inside, I realized it was because it was only 14°F out.  This didn't stop the kids from having a blast in the snow.

Dova make tunnels in the snow bank.



Adam sledded down the driveway between the snow banks as if it were half pipe for the skeleton.  Whoosh!











And we got some better jumping shots before my fingers fell off.







Just look at that extension. 

Inside, we continued our fun cooking on the wood stove!  Here I am re-hydrating beans for chili.  Not only is the wood stove saving on heating oil, it is saving electricity!  Just like the colonial days.



And every night, I warm up my nightgown and pillow in front of the wood stove for a cozy night's sleep.  I love winter!

Snow Beds on a Snow Day

While the South and Midwest have been getting hammered in snow all winter, our kids have been waiting patiently for their first snow day in Massachusetts.  Of course, there was no snow day at for me work despite the 18"+ of snow that we got, so I only got to photograph them after work yesterday.  Dova was in a fine mood as usual.



High up in the snow banks, the kids made "snow beds" to sleep in.



The light was fading fast and I never got my camera quite set up for those famous jumping in the snow shots.  Instead I got this crazy, blurry flurry of arms and legs.  Love it anyway!





Happy snow everyone!

How Do I Rate as a Chinese Mom?

On January 8, 2011, I was too busy whipping my kids to read this excerpt from Amy Chua's book in the Wall Street Journal, Why Chinese Mothers Are Superior.  Oh wait, I was actually at a contra dance without my family, while my daughter skipped her violin practicing and went to a friend's house for a sleepover and my son watched TV all night.  OMG, I am a TOTAL FAILURE as a Chinese mom according Chua.  But the next day, Dova had one of those tearful 2.5 hour violin practicing sessions which ended up in her missing a playdate because her practicing took too long.  Whip whip whip!!

The ensuing blogstorm after this article is like a train wreck that you can't take your eyes off.  I can honestly say that I can empathize with facets of the original article as well as all the rebuttals.  Mostly, I just want to say chill out!  Stop perpetuating the stereotype!  I was raised with Asian parenting methods, and I have been found guilty of using the Suzuki method for parenting.  But as with everything in life, moderation is key.  Yes, I can be a hardass, but I am also a pushover.  I do believe that my kids are inherently strong, not fragile.  Just because Amy Chua is a hardass extraordinaire doesn't mean we all are!  To each their own.  Let it be! 

To lighten up the mood, here's a quiz to see how I rate as a Chinese mom. First, in proud Chinese mom fashion, a video of Dova playing the violin.

1. Sheet music placed in front of the TV?  PASS
2. Dova playing reasonably well after 4 months of lessons?  PASS
3. Fiddle music and not classical?  FAIL
4. Slides (although intentional)?  FAIL
5. Pizzicato with the pinkie finger?  PASS
6. Perfect intonation?  FAIL
7. Even tempo?  FAIL
8. Hitting multiple strings?  FAIL
9. Shave and a haircut?  FAIL
10. Carnegie Hall at age 7?  FAIL
11. Video made in Zhu Zhu Pets pajamas?  FAIL
12. Video taken over and over until perfect?  FAIL (one take for fun)
13. Cute and charming?  PASS
14. Squealing in delight afterward?  WIN

Despite the sometimes trying practice sessions, the smile at the end says it all.  She is happy and confident.  What more can a parent ask for?

If you want a more serious look into the rebuttals, here are some that I recommend reading:

• Hyphen
• Racialicious
• Betty Ming Liu
• Quora, see Christine Lu's answer among others.

Happy Birthday to Me - A Life in Quarters

Doug got these delectable cupcakes for my birthday.  I was so enamored with the glitter flakes that I even dreamt about them.  Mmm, glitter flakes...  In case you're wondering, they are edible flakes that look like cellophane.  They just dissolve in your mouth and aren't sweet (although if they were, I would be totally addicted - mmm, shiny and sweet!).

A while ago, on a blog that I can't remember (old age - LOL), someone posted about turning 40 and broke down their life into quarters.  From age 0-10, 11-20, 21-30 and 31-40.  It was a great way to chronicle the different stages of their life.  I had no such reflection when I turned 40 and really just wanted to hide under a rock.  But now at the ripe old age of 44, I can see that my life can indeed be split neatly into quarters with an eleven year cadence.

0-11:  Childhood. Free and sweet, with a love of dolls that pooped (Baby Alive).  I remember a typically happy childhood, moving from place to place and settling in Flushing, NY.  There I remember being a tough chick until yanked and moved to the safer, sedate Stony Brook, NY at age 10.  No obsessions with boys yet, my love was Chopin.

11-22:  The school years:  This was when the screws put to me to get A+'s and not A's.  And miraculously, I pretty much did.  Rushed through school, went to MIT at 16, graduated at 20, Master's from UC Berkeley at 21.  Oh yes, and boys, boys, boys.  Starting with my first piano crush and ending with marrying my high school sweetheart.

22-33:  Early adulthood:  Rushing through school didn't necessarily prepare me to make all the right decisions in adulthood.  Through this quarter, I married and divorced, and changed my career from mechanical to software engineering.  It was tumultuous but adventurous.  I met Doug and remarried at 32.  By the end of this quarter, I had put my sails straight again.

33-44:  The mommy years.  Adam was born when I was 33.  My life suddenly revolved around my children with very little breathing room for anything else.  I became an ultra-responsible breadwinner for our family thanks to my love of software development.  I embraced motherhood, especially breastfeeding, and learned that I was employing the Suzuki method to parenting.

It wasn't until this past year, when I've finally felt some breathing room from the crushing job of being a parent.  The kids are pretty self-sufficient day-to-day at ages 10 and 7.  I've remembered that yes, I am a woman, and yes, I have my own interests.  I can finally have that convertible, I can look hawt if I want to, I can be Angela again.  Here's to my fifth quarter and beyond (and yes, I can be totally non-mathematical if I feel like it)!


Queen Angela, still kicking around.

My Sharona Holiday Greetings

Every year, our family goes through the ritual of creating a photo holiday greeting card.  The goal is to capture all of us in one photograph, no photo montages allowed for this family. It is a combination of masochism (these sessions are never pain-free), frugality (we've never spent money for a professional photographer), and creative outlet (at least I think it's creative).

This year I used my new car as a prop.  This seemingly innocent endeavor required carefully positioning the car in front of the garage and using a ladder with a gorillapod.  Here's the setup:



Adam is a well known photo bomber, as evidenced from previous family portraits. Naturally, there are tons of outtakes, but this year, I noticed something interesting. While flipping between photographs on the computer, it looked like we were all dancing.  Especially between the "sit up straight" and "get closer" shots.  So much so, that the song My Sharona popped into my head while editing the photographs.

After the mad dash of the holiday season, I finally put together a video montage of our photo session.  Enjoy!