It's a move-in Day!

This day has finally come.
I thought this day would never come.

Ever since we got to Chicago, we've been living in a hotel room...for over 2 months.
2 MONTHS.
But I learnt to love the life in a hotel.
They serve you breakfast and they even had complimentary dinner some nights.
I know few of the staff well and I even know how many kids they have and their age!
I will miss them for sure.

But I will be enjoying the freedom of doing laundry whenever I want.
And I get to use my own China and dishes which I love to collect.

Also, I cannot wait to decorate!
I am not good at it at all, but I love it anyways.
Only problem?
There are so many interior designs I like, I cannot decide which route to go!
If I mix things up, it's a beginning of disaster.
I don't have enough interior design skill to handle that, unfortunately...

And I've moved 4 times in last 5 years. And all of the move is international...
Since I was moving so much, I didn't really feel like at home anywhere because I was moving anyways.
But this time, we will be in the U.S. quite a while, so we are trying to make it home as much as we can. And oh, I am loving it.

.......
I wrote that a week ago.
And I still haven't hit published.
Because I...I totally forgot about it, honestly.
I was too busy unpacking all of our stuff (total of 155 boxes to be exact).

And I'm glad it's not Wordpress.org blog because if it was that, I would feel like I'm wasting my money away not using the blog so much.

My youngest son is getting sick, so we are stuck inside our home, cleaning and cooking together.
(And I realized since he's sick, cooking wasn't best choice of activity of all...hello germs!)

What's your favorite activity when your kids are sick?
I am seriously getting out of ideas, so please help me out!

WHAT I WISH I SHOULD HAVE DONE IN MY 20s

This month, I turned 30.
Part of me feels like I'm finally an adult and part of me misses young me.

And while I was taking a bath last night, I was thinking what I wish I should have done in my 20s.
I don't know how many of you are in 20s, but if you are, I hope you learn from my mistakes.
And if you are older than 30, please share what you should have done! I would love to know!

1.  Travel! Travel!

      Duh! I think it's on lots of people's "should-have-done-list". But seriously.
When I was in my 20s, I thought I don't have enough money or I can't take long enough break from work.  But now, when I think back, I could have done something to make more money like selling on ebay or etsy...or whatever. And I had plenty of unused paid holidays!  All the thinking "I can't take long enough break" was...me being scared of my boss getting mad at me.  But in a bigger companies like I was working in, people get transferred every 3-4 years, so my boss wouldn't be my boss 5 years later. So, I don't know what I was scared of.

2. Start a new hobby

     I don't have a hobby. It's sad. It really is.  And I wish I had one.
I tried golf, fishing, cooking, DIYing, even knitting.  Nothing really excited me.
Maybe now, I have been blogging on my other Japanese blog nearly 5 months, blogging could be a hobby, but I don't know.  I wish I had something excites me to do.

3. Take Care of Yourself

    When I was in my 20s, I really didn't take care of myself like I should have.
I didn't make a habit of exercising regularly or eat healthier foods, or putting on sunscreen every time I went outside.
And be aware. Aging skin hits you out of nowhere!
I was looking at selfie of me and my son earlier today and I was shocked I look so old!
Of course smiling with 1 year old's glowing skin will make anyone look old, but man...I looked really old in that picture.
Maybe, just...maybe, if I was putting an eye-cream every night, or putting on sunscreen every day, it could have been different. I don't know.

4. Wear Whatever You Want

    I am still struggling with body image.  I am 5'1 and about 99 lbs.  In number, I don't seem THAT fat.  But I have very big thigh.  And that's bothering me over 20 years!  My body image issue even didn't come from models of the magazines.  I grew up and Japan and most of my friends are SKINNY, like supermodel skinny.  So, I'd been comparing myself to them most of my life.  So I've never worn bikini in my life.  I just don't have a courage to, and I didn't wanna be in a picture with them in bikinis, I thought everyone would laugh at me.
And I really wish I overcame that fear of wearing whatever I wanted.
Yes, I still can do that, but earlier you learn this, you get to enjoy fashion longer. ;)

5. Learn New Language(s)

That's true it's never too late to learn new thing at any age, but learning in older age is harder.
I speak Japanese and English and learned Spanish in college.  Oh how hard it was to learn Spanish!
Even though I passed the class, I don't even remember fraction of it! SAD.   So can you imagine trying to learn new language at 30s? It's manageable, but way harder and you have to work harder.

I think I could make longer list, but I should stop by now :D
That's my top 5 regrets. (believe me, I have more!)
You cannot stay young forever and there is 100% chance you will die one day.
So let's live our lives to its fullest ;)

Our Visit to Chicago Botanic Garden!

The other day, we visited Chicago Botanic Garden.

You have to pay $25 for the parking, but admission is FREE!

Apparently, it's a popular destination for families with kids! I've seen so many grandparents, moms and dads with their kids!

I recommend bringing your stroller if you go there with kids.

You will walk quite a bit!

Of course my favorite part was their Japanese garden AND rose garden!

It is maintained pretty well and kids friendly.

If your kids screams, don't get too stressed out. The area is pretty big, other people may not find it that annoying! (At least I wouldn't ;))

Oh the smell of the rose was so good, my son couldn't sit on his stroller and had to smell it for himself!

I was never a big fan of rose; I would have preferred to receive other flowers, but these roses smelled really good and pretty!

I think I like rose garden, but I prefer other flowers if it's in a bouquet.

 "Sunshine" the Corpse flower is blooming right now.
I really wanted to see this, but I was bit tired and so was my kids.
So I decided to call it a day, but I shall return soon! Actually very soon!

And there is also Butterfly exhibition if you like butterflies.
I don't like butterflies since they grosses me out, so I had to skip that.

You can bring snacks and drinks, and enjoy this place for couple of hours if you like!

Chicago Botanic Garden

1000 Lake Cook Road
Glencoe, IL 60022
Main: (847) 835-5440

Blogs I Like to Read

Hello!
Before I was writing blog of my own, I was a reader of some blogs
Unfortunately, some of the bloggers I used to read aren't writing anymore, but some still do.

So, today, I would like to share the blogs I like to read.

 Nadine Rebecca

I found out about her when I first came across her Blog Brighter which was a blog about blogging. Even though Blog Brighter doesn't exist on Interweb anymore, Nadine still write on her lifestyle blog.
Her writing style is very genuine and easy to read. I love it when I see her blog post comes up on my Bloglovin' feed! Also, I like her photos as well!

Military Wife and Mom

I found this blog while back too. Lauren gives you helpful advice for parenting and if you are a military wife, she has some advice for that too! She covers broad area!

Caffeine & Cuddles

I think I couldn't love her blog name more. Oh, I love it. (I have a thing for clever/cute blog names!)
And Erin has covered style, beauty, motherhood, food and life covered! You won't regret reading her blog.

Classy Career Girl

Whenever I read one of their post, it makes me motivated.
If you are entrepreneur or someone on the management, this blog might have something helpful to you!

Pioneer Woman

Does she still count as a blogger?
I think she does. Even though she has her famous shows on Food Network, she still write on here and I enjoy them! Not to mention her delicious recipes!!


Now, it's your turn. Who is your favorite blogger?
I'm always looking for a new blog to read and learn new things, so please let me know!

Why I Deleted My Wordpress Site

I have little confession to make.
I used to have a blog on Wordpress.org.
 I started it little over a year ago.
But I decided it's time to delete it. Why?

Our Favorite Park in Schaumburg

I have to take kids outside at least once a day to keep me sane.
Since we have't moved in to the house yet (meaning, still in a hotel room), I cannot stay in small room with 2 toddler boys.