I wish every week was Shark Week

It's summertime!

It's hot out. People are flocking to the beaches in droves. We were recently at Cocoa Beach and it was packed. A friend of mine casually mentioned that when he was out in the water he spotted a couple of sharks... and it got me thinking. It's almost time for SHARK WEEK!

I know I am a tad premature, as Shark Week starts on July 31, but I totally geek out when it comes to Shark Week. I will sit and watch every shark special with my bowl of popcorn like it's the new Harry Potter flick. (I geek out for Harry Potter, too.) And then I will go to bed and have horrible night terrors about these monsters. You see, I am both awed and terrified at sharks. I was the kid who would check the size of drains and filter returns in pools, just in case. (OK, I still do this.) I never go in the ocean, unless I can see my feet. And even then, I will only go up to my ankles. And don't even ask me to go in fresh water or brackish water... Bull sharks have been known to swim in both salt and fresh water, you know. But yet, I am amazed at sharks... go figure.

In preparation for what I think is the most awesome and anxiety ridden week in July, I have found some shark-tastic things to help make the most of your shark week. Enjoy.

Check out the awesome shark cupcakes from the FreshlyBaked Blog.

http://georgietees.blogspot.com/2009/11/shark-cupcakes-even-spielberg-would.html They are not healthy at all, as there are Twinkies involved, but shark week only comes once a year.

If you're looking for summer reading that will keep you out of the water, Michael Capuzzo's Close to Shore will do the trick. It's based on the shark attacks in New Jersey the summer of 1916. Supposedly Peter Benchley based Jaws on the shark involved in these attacks.

This shark backpack from Beatrix is so adorable, I'm not even afraid of it. http://www.beatrixny.com/products/view/18 The design comes in lunchboxes and water bottles too.

For some fun, check out the free Finger Shark app for iPhone and iPad. A shark of your choosing will chase your finger around your screen. Upon catching it, the shark makes a meal of your finger, fake blood and all.

Don't forget the official Shark Week website http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/shark-week/. You can check out awesome videos of jumping great whites, a world map of unprovoked shark attacks, and even upload your own commercial for Shark Week 2011.

And since Hallmark doesn't make a "Happy Shark Week" card, this awesome ecard will have to do. http://www.someecards.com/usercards/viewcard/a4d7a51d2e13a5c6a248f48eb7f37747

Happy Shark Week everyone!

The New Balancing Act

Life is full of balances; balanced budgets, balanced diet, work vs. life balance. My old personal teeter totter was like that, and actual balance when I had my favorite 5" stilettos on. Now I feel like I'm on my teeter totter 2.0, with new challenges, some old stuff, and more sensible shoes.

Let me start with the fact that I am a self-diagnosed perfectionist. I am also a self-diagnosed cheese addict, but that is a whole other post. I am by no means saying I am perfect or even in that realm of being. For instance, I have an oily T-zone, an emergency stash of M&M's in my freezer, and I know my punctuation in this blog is atrocious. It's mainly a statement that I am my own worst enemy when it comes to judgement of how well I get the job done. So when I see some of my girlfriends who have kid(s), a grown-up job, and floors you can eat off of, I feel like dropping to my knees Wayne's World-style and yelling, "I'm not worthy!"

I've been a SAHM with S for almost a year now, and I'm still searching for the balance. I sometimes feel like I'm bouncing up and down trying to find harmony between spending quality time with S and my husband, going to child-enrichment activities, keeping our house clean, S's speech therapy, running from appointments to the grocery store to the dry cleaners, play dates, making dinner, family dance parties, to making sure my husband has clean underwear, oh... and the dog has to go to the vet next Tuesday. Now add sleep and making a little time for myself, and the occasional batch of cupcakes into the mix. All the while, doing your best to make sure you raise a healthy, compassionate, smart, productive kid. It's a lot harder than I ever imagined.

When we were trying to have a baby, especially after the IVF-clusterf#*%, I would get so angry when people would complain about their kids. Some of my old co-workers at the blue box can testify I would get all worked up by lunch from some of the things I would hear people say to their kids. The gals at Rants from Mommyland would have been my public enemy number one. Now, I subscribe to their blog and find their musings, both hilarious and so true. I was a judgemental jackhole, suffering from infertility and impatience and hurt that I didn't have my own kid. So now that I have walked almost a year in their shoes, I get it. This Mom-thing is a lot harder than it looks. When I'm having a craptastic day and S won't eat, or listen, or take a nap, I have to vent. It's necessary to preserve my sanity.

I can try to create a perfectly balanced life all day long and twice on Tuesdays. The reality of it is I've been given the gift of today. And to top it off with a cherry, I've been blessed with an amazing family and supportive friends, and the beautiful little girl sleeping in the room next to me. I'm starting to understand that it's OK if the laundry doesn't get done (as long as there is clean underwear for all), and if the dishwasher doesn't get unloaded... it will still be there tomorrow. But there is only one today. And even though the breakfast dishes are still in the sink and living room floor needs cleaned, I choose to spend it reading to S, doing the Disco Roll with her and the Yo Gabba friends, playing pretend in S's kitchen, and even working in a little time for me. I'm writing this as she's taking her nap, and even though it took an hour of reading stories and rocking to get her to sleep, it was time well spent. Now, I'm off to balance the rest of her nap between folding laundry and some me time... I think So You Think You Can Dance is on the DVR.

I Heart Happythought and Free Stuff

I love happy thoughts. And dark chocolate, rainbows, and puppies. I also love Happythought, a super cute print shop I found on Etsy. They have the most adorable cards, custom silhouettes, prints, and vinyl decor. They even have PDF downloads for instant gratification! The colors in their delightful products make me think of sugar candy... so that makes me happy too.

I was disappointed at the lack of Father's Day decor out there, but Happythought has come to the rescue. And better yet, It's (said in an Oprah voice) FREE!! You can get this super cute DIY printable Father's Day garland just by sending an email to the lovely folks at Happythought and asking for it. The email address is: info@happythought.co.uk. Make sure you reference "Father's Day Garland" in the subject. I sent an email and got the PDF within hours, so they're quite speedy. And don't fret if you're not crafty, the garland is super easy to put together. Just cutting, folding, and taping is required.

I encourage you to check out Happythought's Etsy page. And if you like what you see, like them on Facebook. They send out free PDF's from time to time.
http://www.etsy.com/shop/happythought


Happy crafting and Happy Father's Day!

My Red Heart-thread

Anyone who has ever had to "sleep train" a child knows it's no easy task. I read once that it takes 12 months for a tiny, new human's biological clock to register awake-time and sleep-time. So imagine, if you will, a tiny human who has already had their clock set and wisking them away to a time zone exactly the opposite of the one they just mastered. Sleep becomes a luxury... That's my argument for buying the good, expensive eye cream.

It did (just) get better but S just didn't want to sleep in her crib. So right after she turned two, we decided on a toddler bed to see if that would help. It has,(Woo woo) and we now have a brand new routine at bed time that includes reading bedtime books. Let me preface this with saying that I started S's book collection about six years ago. I have always loved books and I have no shame in admitting that I wanted to my kid to as well. I had been looking forward to the day that I could cuddle up and read The Giving Tree, Goodnight Moon, and Oh,The Places You'll Go to my little one. Turns out she has no interest in anything but The Very Hungry Catapillar. I have, on occasion, managed to introduce some new books to S. Among them, The Red Thread, An Adoption Fairy Tale, by Grace Lin.

The Red Thread is based on an ancient Chinese belief that an invisible, unbreakable red thread connects all those who are destined to be together. A King and Queen have a perfectly magnificent kingdom, a fancy castle, and a pretty good social life, but something was missing. They finally figure out that they are tangled up in a never ending red thread that is pulling at their heart. So they follow the string to the source, all the way over the ocean, and find a little baby waiting for them at the other end of the strings. Cue the happily every after. This synapsis does the book no justice, as it's beautifuly written and I can't get through it without pausing to give S a big hug.

I never thought that we would adopt, and now I can't imagine a world where we didn't have S. Going through the process has opened up the amazing new world to me. Not just the beautiful and wonderful world of incorporating the Korean culture into our family, a world where I can say I have experienced that instant and insane and impossible love for a little human I just met, and a world where I have the priviledge of being S's Mom. Sure, it's exhausting. Yes, it's a hard job with never ending hours. And although I can't pay the bills with hugs and kisses and "I love you Mommy's," it is the best compensation I have ever received.

The process of going through S's adoption taught me a few things, among them learning to let go of the need to control everything. I will tell you that going through the IUI's and IVF trying to have a baby started this process. You do everything the Doctor tells you to do, you take all the pills and get all the shots (even though they literally make you a hormonal whackjob), and then you still have no say over the outcome. It's heartbreaking and infuriating. With the international adoption process you know the outcome (YAY!!) but you have no control over how fast you can get there. A little less heartbreaking, a lot more infuriating. No matter what, though, you keep chugging along because of that red string pulling at your heart.

We're coming up on the first year anniversary of our trip to Korea to bring S home. I've been reflecting on the journey we've been on, from start to finish. And the journey S has been on. I think about her birthmom and foster family and all of the amazing people who cared for her for the first year of her life. I know that they love her just as much as we do. I worry when I hear about anything bad going on in Korea and hope they're ok. My heart aches for them that they don't get to see her sweet signature smile, or hear her laugh every day like we do, or get hugs and kisses. The day we got S from the agency in Korea, we had to say goodbye to her foster family. They were people we had literally just met, yet I felt a very strong bond. Saying goodbye to her foster mom was so beyond emotional, I don't know how to describe it. There were no words, just a look, that only we understood. It's weird to think that you have this bond with virtual strangers all the way on the other side of the world. And then I remember the red thread.

Oh Canada!

Epcot has always been the educational Disney park. Now that it's been updated to reflect the technology of today (I'm talking to you Spaceship Earth.) it has become one of my top favorite places to go in Orlando. My favorite part of Epcot is the World Showcase, where all the different countries offer a taste of what it's like to visit without having to go through TSA screening. Exploring the different countries, sampling the food and drink is a much loved tradition by many, myself included. I've had pastries and champagne in France, beer and brats in Germany, and mint tea and falafel in Morocco. But my absolute favorite is Canada.

It can be 100 degrees outside and I will still get a craving for the delicious Cheddar and Beer soup they serve at Le Cellier in the Canadian pavilion at Epcot. It is a hot, steamy bowl of heaven. So when my husband suggested we head over to Epcot for an early dinner at Le Cellier it wasn't as if he had to twist my arm.

Who knew our neighbors to the far north were such culinary geniuses? From the soft, warm pretzel bread stick (way better than the pretzel at the German pavilion BTW), to the garlic-y mussells, to the fillet so tender you don't need a knife. Everything there is taste bud friendly. We usually go during lunch, the menu is just as yummy, but not quite as expensive. This time we were there for dinner, so the menu was a bit different. The perennial favorites are still there, and most important the cheese soup was there, but my usual salmon burger was missing. So we ask for recommendations from our friendly, authentic Canadian server who tells us about my new tasty obsession... Poutine Fries.

Poutine Fries, the way Le Cellier makes them, are delicious fries, tossed in truffle oil and truffle salt, covered with yummy Canadian cheddar curds and then a volute-type sauce of veal stock and red wine reduction is poured over it. It may sound a little un-pretty but the taste makes me think of puppies and kittens and sunshine and rainbows. So now my new cooking obsession will be trying to re-create the OMG, my taste buds are doing a happy dance moment I tasted Poutine Fries. Please let me know if any of you out there have any recipes! :)

It's a hot one...

It's a scorcher out there. And it's not just in Florida. Here is one of my favorite drinks to serve at summer BBQ's and showers. It's refreshing and kid friendly, but I'm sure some of my more resourceful friends can probably add some adult ingredients to make it a cocktail.

One of my favorite places to find fun and yummy things is http://www.donnahay.com.au/. The magazine is great too, but can be a bit pricey because it's from Australia. I found this recipe a couple years ago through the website and it's always hit the spot. Enjoy!

Strawberry and Ginger Punch
1 cup strawberries, cleaned, trimmed, and halved
2 liter bottle of Ginger Ale (I like Vernors the best)
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
crushed ice to serve
Extra strawberries for garnish, if desired

Place the strawberries and mint leaves in a serving jug and pour just enough of the ginger ale to completely cover. Put in the fridge for 1 hour. When you take it out, pour the rest of the ginger ale into the serving jug. That way it stays fizzy. If you want less fizz, put all the ginger ale with the strawberries and mint in fridge for an hour. Serve over the crushed ice and garnish with a strawberry half.

The Ultimate Collabo?

http://http://holykaw.alltop.com/star-wars-muppets-omg-awesomeness
So there is this site I've recently found, www.alltop.com. The holy kaw link rocks hardcore. I've found everything from "should I have a cookie" flow charts, to articles about modern philanthropy, to videos of spaz-tastic lightning storms.

In what may be the most amazing collaboration of all time, there is Star Wars Muppets. Rivaled only by the Paul Frank/Muppet T shirt collabo of years ago, the Star Wars/Muppet collabo may be the new chocolate/peanut butter.

Living the Dream...

Hello out there. I used to have a boss that every morning when you would ask how he was, he would say, "Living the dream." I feel that way most days... sort of. Anyone who knows me, knows that I had been crying and whining for six years about wanting a baby. Now, most of me that wants to kick my own ass for being anything less than grateful for my life. I have the privilege of being home with my beautiful daughter, an amazing husband, a roof over my head, and the fridge has food and wine in it... Who could ask for more, right? But there is a tiny part of me feels like being a stay at home mom is like being an air traffic controller at the world's busiest airport and my radar screen went out. I have no idea what I'm doing, I just hope I don't screw up my kid.

Whether you are a SAHM or a Working Mom, the key is balance. If you're a WM, you balance a career with family. If you're a SAHM your career is your family. And no matter what side of the Mom fence you stand on, you have to fit being yourself into that mix or you will go crazy. (Read: Some days, I feel a bit crazy.) That being said, I've felt that lately my head has been swimming with the lyrics to Yo Gabba Gabba songs, the words of The Very Hungry Caterpillar, and schedules of various child-enrichment activities. So, in order to squeeze some of being myself into the mix of madness, I've decided to start a blog.

I'm not exactly sure what I will be blogging about. Most likely it will be about finding my way through life trying to be a good mom, a good wife, and a good person. I like to cook, I like art, I like books and music. I'll probably sprinkle some of that in for good measure. I like to find cool stuff and pass it on, so there will be some of that too. I've always loved writing and when we were in Seoul to pick up S, I blogged about our adventures and most people seemed to like it. So, there you go. I call it "Heart and Seoul" because I'll be posting about things I "heart," and Seoul because that's where it all began. The adventure of a lifetime... Motherhood.

On our way home from dinner tonight we were listening to 90's on 9 in the car. Nothing but a G thang by Dr. Dre and Snoop came on. I was pleasantly surprised that I could rap along to all the words. It's nice to know that among the Yo Gabba Gabba songs, schedules, and words to S's favorite books, there is still some gangsta rap floating around in my brain. :) So there you go, I hope you like the blog and that you come back for more.