Old Photos of my Family

I came across some old photos of my family back when there were no digital cameras or they weren't as readily available. This is probably one of the reasons I take so many photos. I have none of myself as a baby :(

This is me. We lived in a refugee camp in Thailand. There's a very interesting film about the history of the Iu Miens that were involved with the Vietnam War. My family was part of this. I was born after my family have settled in the refugee camps. We arrived in Sacramento, CA in 1984. I was only 4 years old. I was placed in kindergarten at 5 and had no knowledge of the English language. I can't imagine how frustrating that was for my teacher. 

These are photos of my family in Thailand 1983-84

My parents in Thailand

My mom. She's so beautiful.

Photos with my sisters in the U.S.

Photos of the girls with mom.

This was us in 2013. Only 1 nephew missing. The rest of us were there. Mom, Dad, 3 sons, 4 daughters, 14 grandchildren (16 now), and 6 daughter/son-in-laws. We need a new photo because 2 new members have been added since ♥

Low Calorie Foods

If you're watching your calories like me... I have a list of some of the things that I love. I understand that diet isn't all about calories but this post is all about the low calorie foods.... We all know there are low calorie foods such as veggies but these are alternative low calorie foods that would normally be high in calories.


Bolthouse Yogurt Dressing - I found these at Sprouts. They had so many different flavors but the Mango Chipotle grabbed my attention. I love (absolutely LOVE) spicy foods. They were $3.99 for a bottle. I even used it as a sauce for my pork chops during dinner and I loved it. I will have to try new flavors next time. I've been known to buy too many at once and not being able to go through all of them.




PB2 Peanut Butter - I never liked peanut butter and I'm still not a big fan of it but when I find low calorie foods I can eat, I eat it. When I first started dieting for my wedding years ago, I found these ad have been eating them for a long time now. I LOVE the chocolate ones. Who doesn't love chocolate? (Wait, I didn't until I was pregnant with my first baby!) I've seen these at my local Walmart.


Sara Lee 45 Calorie Bread - I admit, these are probably less calories because they're smaller than your typical breads. But still, I still like them. It helps me with my portion control.


Smucker's Sugar Free Jams - I love the Blackberry spread using Splenda to sweeten it. I've also seen it sweeten with other sweeteners if you don't like Splenda.


Shirataki Noodles - Okay, I have to admit although I love the idea of this, I didn't care for how it tasted. Maybe I didn't cook it correctly. I thought it's worth mentioning since I know a few people who swear by it and loves it. I've seen these in the Asian Grocery markets.


Fiber One's 90 Calorie Brownies - I was so in love when I saw they had a Mint brownie! It's so good (not as good as a full flavor sugary, butter brownie) and low in calories. I warm mine up and add 1/4 cup (150 calories) of Thrifty's Mint'N'Chip Ice Cream.... Mint goodness!


Fiber One's 80 Calorie Cereal - Speaking of Fiber One, they have low calorie cereal too! It's only 80 calories for 3/4 cups. And this is chocolate (for my sweet tooth). Wow! Did this just blow your mind?!?! But wait, milk is so high in calories! There's an alternative for that too! Wait for it......


Almond Breeze Almond Unsweetened Vanilla Milk - BAM! haha Okay, I know not a lot of folks don't like almond milk but I do and this one is only 30 calories for 1 cup! Yum! I believe Silk has a similar product too but for some reason I liked the Almond Breeze brand better. So.. A serving of the above cereal and a cup of this milk, you've got a low calorie breakfast (110 calories).

Losing Weight - June 2015

A little history....


I was a hungry kid. I ate a lot. I ate my lunch at school and snacks. I ate my sister's lunch too (she gave it to me so don't think I took it from her - ha!)


Fast forward to 19. I have always ate anything I wanted and everything I wanted and A LOT of it too. Sound familiar? I tried hard to gain weight. I could only get up to about 97 pounds from 93 and at 5 feet 4 inches, everyone thought I was taller than I really am. It's probably because thinner people look longer/taller.


I met my husband the year I was about to turn 20. I had a lot of crazy unhealthy relationships prior (is that why I didn't gain weight? Stress?) My husband made me so happy. He was different from most boyfriends I've had and it's a good kind of different. Anyway, we were happy. We ate a lot and we both got FAT. Between the 2 of us, we gained a whole person. I reached 135lbs and he went from 180lbs to 260lbs. That's just about 118lbs!


I didn't start really trying to lose weight until I got engaged. It was 2006 (6 years later... took him long enough!) I started tracking my calories and exercising. I didn't really know how to start. I joined the gym and had a personal trainer (as part of the package) but I felt like he wasn't really trying to help me. He was trying to sell me their products like powders and vitamins. Whatever. Whatever I did, it worked. Right before my wedding, I lost about 30 pounds and didn't even fit my dress correctly (I made it work!). Of course it took me like 9 months and hubby 4 months to lose his weight (rolling eyes).


I wanted a baby right away so I thought I could just eat whatever I want because I'll be pregnant soon anyway. I got pregnant 2 years later... After my baby was born, I went right back to my pre-pregnancy weight. I was determined to breastfeed and whenever I dieted, my milk supply went downhill. So.... I ate myself fat the first year and gained 20 pounds! Hey, at least I accomplish my goal of breastfeeding for at least one year.


I joined this thing at work called the Top Loser Challenge. You win based on your percentage of weight lost. I joined by myself (you can do it as a group too). Everyone did such a good job and most people had more weight to lose and lost a great amount of weight but my percentage of weight loss led me to win the competition. I didn't expect it at all! It was a nice reward for all my hard work. I lost 20 lbs.


Shortly after, I got pregnant. This time, the weight didn't come off right after delivery. I actually started to gain weight after a month! I also had more than enough milk supply for me to diet comfortably. It took me 11 months to get back to my normal weight... then SURPRISE! I found out I was pregnant again before Connor turned 1 (11 months old).


NOW... my baby is almost 10 months. I'm not losing weight. In fact, I'm just gaining. I had an idea to start a support group on Facebook. It's only been a week and I'm already making changes:


Walking up 13 floors back to my desk after pumping (2x).
Walking at lunch
Walking the stairs at least once a day all the way up the building (26 floors)
Playing with kids after dinner (actually running with them at the park - in grass or play structures)


I also decided to purchase a Fitbit. They came out with a tracker that also tracks the heart rate. They've always had different types of trackers but nothing with a heart rate (to my knowledge). I own a Polar Heart Rate Monitor which comes with a chest strap. I found this was very helpful and motivated me to keep going when I saw my calories burned while I exercised. The only issue I had with it was that you had to wet it and put it on your chest. It was inconvenient. I read many reviews and it seems the FitBit was mostly accurate (to a certain point).


I won't post a "before" photo until I have an "after" photo otherwise I'll just be posting an eye sore of a photo and nothing to show for after! Working on the "after" photo!

Bell's Palsy Update - 1 Year

Okay, it's not quite a year just yet but pretty close. There hasn't been any changes since the last update. This is probably my last update (did I already say that in my last update?). 

Anyway, anything I feel now I think is and will be a permanent effect from this. I notice it when I'm stressed. I noticed muscle restrictions when I'm eating. I don't think that I will fully recover all my muscles in my face. 

When I'm stressed, I get that sharp headache pain behind my ear. I would have excuses this in the past but that pain, was how all this started. Most headaches (for me at least) is centralized in the head. It can be in the front or back. I also get a lot of tension headaches from my shoulders and into my neck. I rarely notice any pain behind my ear until a few days before leading up to the day my face started drooping on one side. So you bet that whenever I feel pain behind my ear, I freak out! So far, it hasn't happened again. 

My physical appearance looks normal but when I'm eating, I feel it the most. Maybe it's because I'm using a lot of facial muscles when chewing, slurping or sipping. It feels as though I'm limited to using 100% of my facial muscles on the affected side. I can tell my lips still don't pucker normally haha

It's not the end of the world. Just a strange thing. 

My sister who just gave birth had Bell's Palsy the last month of her pregnancy. I saw her a couple of weeks later and she looked fine. Apparently hers wasn't as extreme as mine. She didn't have to tape her eye shut like I did. She was able to close it with an eye cover. I'm glad she didn't have to experience it like I did. It was horrible. The eye irritation. Ointment. Tape. Gauze. Oh it feels like it was just yesterday. 

Chopping off my locks

It's been over 2 years since I've cut my hair. My son is now 3 months old and my hair is starting to fall out. It's been getting on my nerves since it's so long. It gets in the way when I sleep and my 1.5 year old likes to pull it. Sometimes, I put my elbow on the ends of it and try to get up... ouch!

So... I've decided it was time to chop it off. It's so long that I can donate it too. The last time I chopped this much off, I donated it to Locks of Love.

I always worry when cutting my hair because I would secretly cry after. I never found someone that understood what I really wanted. I don't cut my hair often but when I do, I don't want to come home crying and regretting it... this was how it was all my life. I tried the expensive salons where I ended up paying over $40 for my hair cut. I've gone to the cheap salons up and down Stockton Blvd in Sacramento & know that I'm getting what I pay for but I still go...

When I decided to cut my hair 2 years ago (and it was just about this long), I decided to go to GiGi who I went to school with but we were never close. She was always so nice though :)

Anyway, I loved how she cut my hair.. so of course, I went back to Studio G to get my haircut this time... and I'm loving it! 

Now, my hair isn't in my way & I had 21 inches of hair to donate!

Here's me in March 2012 (I guess it was longer!)

 

Fun Day At The Park

We stopped by this park near the river today to let the boys burn some energy. I happen to have my camera and wanted to practice. 

Connor sure loved the swing!

This photo just made me laugh out loud because I felt the "fun" he was having. Lots of giggling too. 

Then they wanted to go see the river. 

They were too close to the "edge" for my comfort. But he loved watching the boats. 

Heading back down with the help of his big brother. 

There were Dandelions everywhere!

He tried really hard to blow it like his brother!

Daddy got to hold baby (often rare). 

Auntie was there too!

Essential Oils Vaporizer

I started using essential oils when I had Bell's Palsy. I've never really been big into natural health remedies. If there's a drug out there for my colds, I'm all over it! 

I use Tea Tree Oil & Lemongrass oil for my DIY Baby Wipes... it smells so good.

When I had Bell's Palsy, it felt like the doctor's couldn't help me. For the first time, I felt so frustrated because they didn't know how people get Bell's Palsy. There were theories but they admit that no one really knows... So I was given steroids and antibiotics (I was 17 weeks pregnant so I was not happy). 

Anyway, the web turned me to Essential Oil (People who've had it, recommended it). I had some from earlier this year but I plan to collect more! They're pricey so it will take a long time to stock up lol I buy NOW brand because it's more in my budget.

Fast forward.. I wanted something to diffuse my oils for this cold my family has caught. So after reading many reviews and seeing that a lot of EO users recommend this one on their blogs, I bought the Green Air Vaporizer on eBay (it was slightly cheaper than Amazon).

When I received it, I LOVED it. WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG!?! :)

It's easy to use and clean. It changes to pretty colors and I love the sound of it as I sleep. It's quiet but makes a little soothing sound (I'm a light sleeper).

My boys are fascinated with the changing colors and vapors. I may have to buy more!


Update: Well, being new to using EOs, I started to do more research and there are oils such as Peppermint & Eucalyptus that are not safe for young children. SO... I won't be using these around my kids but just thought I'd share that. Like with any medications, herbs, etc. it's probably best to check for safety uses for children!

Why I blog

Why do I blog? I'm not a writer. In fact, English was my 2nd language and I hated English class... Especially writing assignments! So as you read my posts, don't mind all the incorrect grammars and spelling... Incomplete sentences, etc. 

I blog because I want to keep track of my life. My family's life. I want to keep track of all the DIY projects... This is my diary or journal. I guess you can call it that. I used to write things down on a word doc but I couldn't access it whenever I wanted to!

My family is part of the thousands of immigrants from Southeast Asia who came to America in the 80s for a better life. In fact during my adult life, I discovered that I was born in a refugee camp! I guess we never talked about the past.. I always imagined I was born in a village. 

Anyway, there's no real record of my family history and although I don't plan to blog about everything, I'd like to keep track of some things such as our family camp trips :). We camp religiously every year and I want to document that for my boys. 

I have an obsession with DIY projects. When I was little, I remember watching my dad make a lot of different things from building a bunk bed for my sister and I to weaving baskets out of plastic strips (I can't remember what the materials were). Anyway, I remember watching him in awe and thinking to myself, this is so cool! I hope I can learn how to make my own things when I get older!

And then there's my passion for photography. Ever since I was little, I've always wanted to be an artist. I loved making things & draw/paint and creating pieces of art (in many forms). Then there's the art of photography. Remember now, when I was growing up, digital photography was not so big yet. My family owned a 35mm Cannon camera and we couldn't afford to buy a lot of film. We didn't even own a computer. That wasn't around either! Wow, am I just a dinosaur? Haha. When I got my first point and shoot camera, I was so excited. I took TONS of pictures (I still do) of everything. I didn't realize it then but I already had an eye for composition. I was really picky about my photos and how in focus they are, exposure, etc. Anyway, taking photos for my blog helps me practice on my photography. 

So now, I've learned so much about photography (and still learning) and I'm always behind the camera especially since I now have 3 little boys and I plan to document their lives through photography. I look back at my life and it almost feels like I don't have any memories. No photos. Most of what I think I remember feels like it might have been a dream (luckily some of my siblings confirm my memories are in fact real). 

Anyway, I LOVE Pinterest. I remember saving recipes and DIY projects on my web browsers "favorites" but then if I needed to access it outside of my home, I couldn't. Then Pinterest happened! I can save all the links in one place? AND I can access it on my phone, anywhere??? Hallelujah! 

Sadly, I work full time so when I return to work (from maternity leave) I won't have as much time to do... Anything! Boooo!

Bell's Palsy Update - 7 Months

I'm not sure what "day" it is but it's been 7 months and although I'm fine physically, I still feel soreness in my face. I don't really notice it until there's pressure such as when I wash my face or graze it moving my hair off my face... Yes. Even light pressure causes soreness. 

I ended up with a C-Section at 34 weeks.  The pain seemed worse after delivery. I spoke to my OB about the soreness and she said because I went through major surgery, it got worse. I'm not quite sure she knows what she's talking about only because when I first saw her about my condition, she admitted that she didn't know much about Bell's Palsy. *sigh* She said it will get better. It was almost like when a someone tells you a sad story and you don't know what to say and it seems that the comforting thing to say is "It will get better". Maybe it's just what we hope for... For things to get better. 

Anyway, that was a couple of months ago and it hasn't gotten better. In fact, I think my eye feels funny too. Well, at least it didn't get worse. For some reason, I think this is the best it will get. This will be the long term effects I have from it. 

Bell's Palsy Update - Day 97

Okay, the only reason I'm doing another update is because I had a routine dental appointment yesterday. Apparently my face is more sore than I thought. As they touched my lips and cleaned and poke around in there, I felt the soreness more than I have in weeks. It wasn't painful, just very uncomfortable.

I wonder if the soreness will every go away :( 
I also wonder if all the sensitivity have anything to do with my pregnancy.

Well, I'll find out sooner or later....

Bell's Palsy Update - Day 89

So another month later... and the changes are really, really subtle. It's hard to see my old (normal) face when my overall face is different (and ever changing) from the extra weight I've gained during this pregnancy.


I'm able to rinse vigorously now without squirting so I do have more muscle control on my lips. My "kissy lips" still looks bad (to me) but it's not like I walk around looking like that haha


The one thing I still notice is pain in my face. This only happens when I apply pressure to it such as applying lotion or touching it firmly.


This is probably my last update since I pretty much feel normal.

Bell's Palsy Update - Day 64

Day 64... I smile at myself and I don't feel normal :(

A lot of people say that I look great and that they can't tell that i've ever had Bell's Palsy but I just don't see myself when I smile in the mirror.

Is it because i'm chubbier from the pregnancy? Or is because my smile doesn't look the same? Maybe it's a bit of both!

I don't notice it anymore either except when my baby puts his head on my face and I can still feel a little soreness. If I don't touch it, I don't notice it.

The other day I was eating at In & Out and I went to rinse my mouth. I've forgotten in that moment that I have been cautiously rinsing my mouth to avoid squirting out any water... so I started to rinse vigorously and let's just say, water squirted everywhere!

The physical changes haven't changed much in my eyes or it's very subtle.

Here's a photo of me before I had the Bell's Palsy with my son being silly...

Here are some photos from today... My smile is still a little off. :( 

Bell's Palsy Update - Day 42

I got super excited when I started to see improvement in the muscles in my face. Now... 2 weeks later and the changes are subtle. I just want my smile back :(

The good news is I feel "normal" again (kind of). I guess that's the most important thing. 

My eyes are no longer bothering me.

I can control the water while gargling and not spit all over the place.

I am eating normally again.

The only thing is my physical appearance. My smile isn't completely normal. I don't look at myself or see myself as others do but when I do see myself in the mirror, I still don't see me (before Bell's Palsy).

Bell's Palsy Update - Day 28

The muscles have been moving more each day. 
I can actually make a smile now (a little one).
Strangely I'm starting to feel the same numbness and pain I did when I first started having symptoms. It's almost like I'm going backwards in my symptoms. So, hopefully that means that it will be completely healed... soon.
My eyes are getting better too. It almost shuts completely when I close my eyes. I noticed my eyes are less dry and I use less of my artificial tears drops. I continue to use the ointment at night while sleeping. I've been able to close enough that I don't use it in the shower and I have no problems with shampoo in my eyes! whew! That was painful.
My lips still doesn't function 100%. It feels like it's the last muscles to come back. Everything else seems to come back sooner and healing faster. I still need to pinch the corners of my lips when I gargle after brushing my teeth. I do notice if I carefully gargle (very gently) I can keep the water in my mouth but of course, the point of gargling is to vigorously gargle. Then the water starts squirting out as usual.


My husband always got a kick out of my creepy eye that didn't close in the beginning!

Bell's Palsy Update - Day 22

There's exciting changes! Over the weekend (It's Thursday today), I started to see slight improvement in my facial movements! I do my exercises in front of a mirror including trying to blink my right eye (good eye) and then the left. When I tried to move the left side, it often just stares back at me with no movement. 

5 days ago... While doing the exercises, my left eye moved a little when I tried to blink it. It was really more of a twitch but I kept doing it and it would move. My eyebrows and lips still didn't move and my "nose wiggle" had no affect on my left side on Saturday. 

Over the next couple of days, the muscles started to move more while doing my exercises... 

Today, I can raise my left eyebrow to where my husband notices the movement (he didn't on the first day it started moving). 

I can blink my left eye halfway. That's pretty good improvement in 5 days.

There's movement when I wiggle my nose.

The corner of my lips tries to go up while smiling. Even that, is an improvement!

My face is no longer sore, a big plus!

Eating has also improved although I still can't eat things I love like a giant burger! I still chew carefully and on the working side of my mouth. Drinking is also still a little challenging...

Even though i'm using my eye drops less and my eyes close half way, my eyes are still very dry and it's hard to see when driving. I try not to drive unless I absolutely have to.

I still apply ointment to my eyes at night. I no longer use the Palsy Patch because it just doesn't hold my eyelids down well. I make an effort to tape my eye closed but it's never a success. My husband helps me while i'm already laying down. This seems to help my eyes stay shut. I think when I wake in the middle of the night to tend to my 15 month baby, my left eye would open because it does have more muscle control now. I get so irritated that I end up ripping it off. Okay, I don't actually rip it off. I carefully remove it without taking any layers of skin, eyebrow or eye lashes off!

I don't know if this is the beginning of a speedy recovery or just the beginning of a slow recovery. After reading all the stories online, I really thought this would last at least 6 months if not longer... So i'm grateful that i see some improvements.

I probably shouldn't have worn my glasses in the pics on left side. As you can see though, my eye brows go up in the below pic when I widen my eyes! It's hard to tell in the smile photo but there's a crease near my nose and my lips do actually go slightly up....

Pucker up!

Excited about a smirk

From my 20 week maternity photo