My son is just 9-years-old and in third grade and I’m trying to keep track of the books that he’s read as a third grader. This is his list so far, as of November 2013. I’ve included his rising 3rd-grade summer reading as well. During my parent-teacher conference, his teacher told me that my son…
At first, I thought that we didn’t have any veterans in our family but then at lunch today with my son, his friend, and my husband, we all thought about it. There’s my uncle Arthur Takahashi who served in the 442nd Infantry Regiment during WWII. As a Japanese American, he enlisted despite his family —…
Learn Appalachian culture for kids by reading these children’s books about Appalachia! The best picture books set in Appalachia! I remember when I received my first letter from my soon-to-be college roommate. I looked at the envelope and tried to fathom where she was from. WV. What state was WV? I had no idea. I…
When I was nineteen-years-old, I went to my local hospital, the Long Beach Veterans Administration, and slid my resume with a cover letter under all the doors of the doctors in hopes of getting medical research experience as a volunteer. A doctor, Dr. Larry Parker, in the Endicronology department called me and put me on…
I’m in a bit of a Twitter war with McDonalds {my kids giggle as they read this}. You see, I’ve only recently found out they put Pink Slime in their hamburgers. While they have ceased this disgusting additive about a year and a half ago, my kids were eating McDonald’s hamburgers as part of their Happy…
It all started with one small change: I booked a boxing class for a small group of mom friends and me. That one small change motivated our group to get in shape and soon we were boxing or doing cardio boxing classes two or three times a week. It still wasn’t enough for me. I…
I’ve been researching Asian American and Asian furniture designers and artisans. Grasshopper and Sensei is enjoying the finds I am discovering and now she’s even talking about being an architect or furniture designer someday when she grows up. It’s not just the beautiful forms I’m searching for; it’s also the stories behind the designs. Take…