Tag Archives: May

Memorial Day 2016

Unfortunately our freedom today comes at the cost of all our brave fallen men and women lives. Memorial Day is a day dedicated to honoring those past heroes, and is also a day that is often confused with Veterans Day, where we honor our present heroes.

Today had me really thinking about how we are all very guilty of bumbling through life, acting as if all of our tomorrow’s are guaranteed….We Place our eggs in life’s irrelevant baskets, place our happiness in others emotional state/hands thus affecting our day-to-day. We place such a high value on life’s petty things such as, getting social media “likes”, or money. But why? So since days like Memorial Day are really good in your face reminders telling and showing us that our tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, please make sure to take some extra time and truly reflect on this day and send an extra thank you upstairs to those who have made the ultimate sacrifice and given us the opportunities of today and possibilities of our tomorrow’s.

Memorial Day has always been pegged as the “unofficial summer start”. Calendars show that the true summer season doesn’t actually arrive until later, however our warm Korean weather has been serenading us with a sweet summer song, plus kiddos are just as the cusp of breaking out of school and anywho like we all don’t need an excuse to get out and grill good food, and wear our patriotic pride colors!

Just because we’re in Korea doesn’t mean that we aren’t festive too! We try to uphold picnic and holiday traditions, just on a smaller scale. For our mini Memorial Day picnic feast, I prepared Mr. B’s Aunt Gail deliciously famous macaroni salad, the Mr. grilled a variety of big ol’ sausages and we slathered them with Coleman’s mustard, we munched on my grandmas homemade pickle recipe, and enjoyed the non-traditional side of Armenian eggplant clavier (we’re just a teeny bit obsessed). Dessert was honey pound cake topped with fresh vanilla whipped cream and local strawberries (But guess what? Our bellies were so full, we had to save them for tomorrow.)

Poor bumblebee….just a tall order of milk for now, lol!

^Cannot resist those baby belly buttons and leg rolls!

‘Merica! Love from the Bees!

Backpackbees

Frenchpress Friday: Same Person

Random thoughts over french press this morning…

You know what? I’m still the very same person, just with a bigger heart.
A heart I never even imagined could continue to swell in size for such a little being.
It’s crazy, as a parent I now am starting to understand and can reflect on some of my parents actions towards me and done for me more clearly.

Will Olivia only come to have the same realizations for our actions as her parents only after she decides to have children of her own?

I suppose only time will tell.

Backpackbees

Blueberry Coffee Cake

A friend recently mentioned in passing that my photos used to be mostly foods we cooked or baked and hasn’t been lately, but with good reason, and she missed reading about it. (Admittedly bumblebees photos filled my entire iPhone and I need to clear space now). This post is for you Leibe!

It does seem like ages the last time I REALLY got to sink my hands and teeth into something I baked out of our kitchen. Yes, yes I’ve baked oatmeal cookies almost weekly now…but I mean really baked something with the kitchenAid and all! So I found myself jonesing one Sunday morning and took advantage of the “free-time” and whipped up the most scrumptious Dahlia Bakery’s sour cream coffee cake (so kindly introduced to me by our dearly missed friends).

Imagine a nice thick blueberry sour cream coffee cake topped with just an irresistible cinnamony crunchy streusel topping. OKAY! Now STOP imagining and go bake it!

Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
Serves 12
Recipe from The Dahlia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients:

Streusel:
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
6 tbsp cold unsalted butter

Cake:
2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
2 cups berries (blueberries, blackberries, or raspberries)

Directions:
Preheat over to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9×13 pan and set aside.

Make the streusel: combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Dice the cold butter, add it to the mixture, and blend with your fingers until crumbly. Set aside.
Make the cake: Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda into a bowl, and set aside. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each and scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in the sour cream, vanilla, and salt. Add the dry ingredients a third at a time, mixing until just blended. Fold in the berries.

Scrape the batter into the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Sprinkle the streusel over the top.

Bake 45-50 minutes, until a tester comes out mostly clean. Cool in the pan in a wire rack.

Backpackbees

French press Friday: Savoring the now

Random thoughts over french press today…

I realize that there may come a day she prefers the company of friends to her parents…
The day she thinks and feels her first love is the ONLY person needed on this planet…
When she tells us we just don’t get her and will never ever understand…
and the day when she makes the big decision to move out on her own.

Thankfully today is not that day.
No, today in this very moment she is sleeping ever so peacefully in one of her favorite places in the world, my arms.
Thankfully today IS that day she’s letting me savor this very special moment.

^(savoring time over momma)

Backpackbees

Product Review: MamaRoo

I’m completely convinced GOD invented this machine.

No, I’m dead serious! This thing is made from unicorn tears and possesses PURE MAGIC! What on earth am I babbling on about? The mamaRoo by 4Moms!

Yey! This calls for a product review!

Originally I purchased a little bouncer seat that vibrated on Amazon by Fisher- Price (Bumblebee only has used once now). It all started when my sweet cousin in-law threw me a virtual baby shower due to our geographical separation…. We were all discussing what purchases we made for the baby when my other cousin in-law (thank you Meghan) a registered nurse working in labor and delivery stated we HAD to pick up the mamaRoo by 4Moms….she too said this thing possessed magical powers, the babies absolutely loved them and the nursery was tricked out with them. This of course sparked my husband’s interest and I saw him immediately in the background researching online.

Then I heard our credit card scream…. He made the purchase on Amazon here just like that.. hook, line and sinker. Eek! The price had me a bit concerned, because I’m pretty conservative. After the babyshower we discussed everything that made him make the purchase, watched the 4mom website product video, read a few customer reviews and then I understood why.

When the mamaRoo was delivered, Mr. B was giddy and immediately pulled it out of the box and put it together. The assembly was a breeze right out of the box!

Our first thoughts were wow… This thing is pretty cool. As I read through the manual on the features, Mr. B already had his iPhone plugged into the MP3 attachment and was playing his techno music as he selected the various soothing movements to go with the music beat. He was sold and wanted to write to 4moms and ask if they could fabricate one in adult size for his office. I Yi Yi… Lol! I on the other hand thought all we need is this baby to actually see if she likes it, but I did have to admit it was rather cool.

A few weeks later when our bumblebee arrived I was finally able to put the mamaRoo to the test…..We are now going on a little over two months with almost daily usage, we call it bumblebees “roo time”. I feel like we really have a good grasp on this product and can confidently give you our newbie parent review of pros and cons. (In no particular order)

The Pros:

  • EASY to use when you are zombified parents
  • Buttons are very intuitive are have a nice lite display
  • Blowouts and spit-up, let’s face it, it just happens….Thankfully the mamaRoo is easy to clean! Just unzip and pop the seat cover into the washing machine
  • It features 5 swing movements – The car ride, kangaroo, tree swing, rock-a-bye, and the wave. (Bumblebee loves the rock-a-bye setting) 5 different speeds to choose from
  • Multiple seating positions that range from sitting upright to laying down; very easy for parents to adjust during any meltdowns
  • It has Bluetooth connectivity – control it from your smartphone 4moms app…. Yep we’re lazy. Kidding… It’s great when you forget to switch off and you are trapped on the couch, or different room
  • Entire machine is lightweight at only 19lbs. Even I can easily pick up and move it from our kitchen to living room as needed
  • Overall size of the machine is small and helps maintain our baby clutter in our space – 33″L x 19.5″W x 25.5″H
  • It has built-in soothing sounds outside of the MP3 aux option – rain, fan, ocean and heart
  • A dangling attached mobile that features plush balls -one side is vibrantly colored with different patterns and the other side is black and white, again with different patterns love that feature as bumblebees vision and focus are changing and growing
  • Dual voltage – for us an ABSOLUTE must! (Hip-hip hooray no transformer needed!)
  • Option to order the newborn insert – you could literally bring your little one home from hospital and place directly into the chair if you had to
  • Five different color seat color options -if your into that sort of thing- black classic, silver plush, multi-plush, designer plush, and grey classic (we snagged grey classic thinking it would look cleaner; it has lived up to our expectations too)
  • Weight limit is 25lbs; or if baby attempts an escape -with that limit your baby will get a great amount of usage and before hitting that limit we assume she will be down crawling and exploring
  • Incredibly safe! So much so that if the blanket falls down while in motion and is caught in the chairs movement the obstruction error will display and all machine movement will seise
  • Comes with a 1 year warranty (WHEW)
  • If needed, there is the option to purchase replacement parts, such as seat cover, MP3 cord, mobile with plush balls, and outlet adapter
  • It is very quiet when turned on and in use….listen for yourself
  • It gives us a bit of hands free time when we need it

    The Cons:

    • The price factor…. I guess you can look on the bright side, you do get what you pay for (GOLD). A side note, around Mother’s Day 4moms website had 20% off…something to keep in mind
    • On top of price, you DO have to purchase the newborn insert separately if you want to use upfront
    • It doesn’t operate on batteries
    • Some friends also purchased the mamaRoo and their little one HATE it….this no guarantee. We have to remember we all have our own preferences and babies are no exception to this rule
    • We’d like to see bluetooth technology, or USB capability that allows you to stream your music without plugging MP3 or smartphone in, or even load MP3 playlist like a small 8GB flash drive
      The speakers could use an upgrade, they are not the best quality for the overall price paid
    • The wall plugin adapter could be longer for the option to keep away from walls and furniture if needed

    So there you have it, our entire review of the mamaRoo. If you have the ability to pre-test out with your babe before taking the plunge, we recommend you do it. Another suggestion, add to your baby shower list -a group could go in on the purchase. Obviously we didn’t have those options, but certainly would offer a try the roo out to any of our friends located around us wherever we may be at the time.

    Friends, did you purchase/test the mamaroo with your little one, or perhaps gifted to another’s little one? What were your overall thoughts? We look forward to your comments!

    Backpackbees

    Click, Ship & treat yourself…or in this case the bébé !

  • Views from Arc de Triomphe

    Paris truly is a walking city. It’s incredibly convenient and very easy to get navigate on foot, or public transportation…well….Unless your iPhone compass gets messed up due to a magnet on your phone case and leads you 5 miles in the wrong direction. Oopsie…. Did that really happen? If you see the Mr. Casually ask him how his 5 mile excursion For his wife to grab some salt went. The below is a screen shot that shows you the spike in steps that we took while in Paris. It was really awesome to see our progress once we got back to Korea just how far we covered on our entire trip.

    image

    To give our legs a bit of break we did purchase 48 hour hop-on hop-off bus passes through the Big Bus tour company. I know, I know, our friends teased us a bit and gave us some wise cracks on our age, lol we hear you! The hotel helped us arrange the purchase, the closest stop was very convenient to our hotel as well. It actually worked out quite nice because the day we decided to use it, the morning and early afternoon it rained. We liked that there were free headphones to take and grab and plug into and listen to the audio as it provided a guided tour through Paris. This gave us more background and history on different buildings, monuments, etc. We also enjoyed the fact that it was a great way to explore Paris and enjoy the unrestricted views of architectural beauty from the upper deck. We captured some awesome photos and video this way.

    image

    There is also a Big Bus Tours – Interactive City Guide App. The app has maps for various other countries and tours that you might decide to do in the future as well. Super user-friendly too!

    We hopped off the bus and took the underground tunnel up to the Arc de Triomphe. the Arc stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the “Place de l’Étoile”, and is located at the western end of the ever popular Champs-Élysées shopping district. We caution not to be that guy that tries to jet across the heavily traffic congested roundabout, there are NO crosswalks. To give some perspective, 12 roads converge here and there is a lot of horns blowing. There are two entrances and exits you can use to directly access to the Arc in the center.

    A bit of history we learned about Arc de Triomphe was that it was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon to recognize French soldiers, unfortunately Napoleon never had the opportunity to marvel at it because he died before it was completed.

    The Arc de Triomphe is just a magnificent structure. Travel photos and magazines just do not do the monument any justice when showcasing the size. Standing there in person we felt like ants! We just couldn’t get over the size of this monument! It depicts and represents not only history of fallen soldiers and wars, but pure elegance, incredible beauty, and just outstanding design, symmetry and detail.

    We purchased our two tickets for a small fee and ascended over 280 round steps up the inside of the monument to the very top. There is an option to take an elevator if need be. Many travelers provide reviews and say that this is a must do and see when visiting Paris and we absolutely agree. Once we stepped outside we were swept away with the 360 degree birds eye view of the city of Paris. Stunning! After seeing the views from high above in the bell towers of Notre Dame de Paris, I thought how could there be any better views left for us? Much to my surprise and delight the views were just as moving and breathtaking.

    Backpackbees

    YELP reviews on Arc de Triomphe HERE

    More information on Arc de Triomphe HERE

    More information on booking tickets for the Big Bus HERE

    2015: Memorial Day Weekend

    These are two of my favorite photos from this past weekend at the beach. I feel like they just exude summer. The calm, carefree, slow, peaceful, just be in the moment type of days that you only get to really feel during the dog days of summer (no pun intended). These are the days I find myself clutching onto for dear life as an adult.

    What a view! We woke up every morning to this view of a Korean seaside village with brightly colored roofs, and the sea water so flat and crystal clear. Every spare moment I could snag I’d hideaway and find myself with the biggest grin on that balcony reading, sunning, watching the dear sweet ajumma’s tending to their flowers and vegetable gardens below, and at night taking in the beach or starry sky.

    The days were filled with the perfect amount of sunshine, pillowy clouds, warm sea breeze, freshly brewed coffee, and meeting new friends. Plus I heard that the dive conditions were excellent, once you got past the frigid water temperature. The evenings just as breezy and blissful, filled with the celebratory Memorial Day Patbingsu, and BBQ. Ahhh perfection!

    As we wrapped up our last evening with friends I made sure to pause and look towards the twinkly sky and give my heartfelt thanks to the many men and women that lost their lives defending our freedom. Without that selfless sacrifice we wouldn’t get to enjoy these carefree beach weekends year after year.

    Backpackbees

    Best Belgium Waffles

    I just might be a bit bias here, but hands down, these are the most delectable homemade Belgium waffles we’ve ever had! You may just have to add these little guys into your regular weekend breakfast routine.

    The waffles had the best crispy outer texture, were very flavorful and just the right balance of moistness on the inside. Bonus, there is a secret ingredient too! I’ll give you a clue….it gives off a very subtle nutty-cherry flavor… any guesses? Almond extract!

    Go ahead get a little crazy, let loose on your Sunday morning and top those waffles off with your favorite maple syrup, some powdered sugar, or fresh fruit and enjoy! Don’t forget to let us know what you think.

    Best Belgium Waffles
    Makes roughly 8-10 waffles

    2 Cups unbleached all-purpose flour
    4 Teaspoons baking powder
    1/2 Teaspoon salt
    1/4 Cup sugar
    2 Large eggs, separated
    1/2 Cup coconut oil
    2 Cups lactose free whole milk
    1 Tablespoon almond extract

    Directions:

    Sift all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl with easy to pour lip.
    Separate the large eggs.
    In another bowl, beat large egg whites until they are stiff.
    Mix together the following: egg yolks, lactose free milk and coconut oil, almond extract and stir slightly.
    Add all but egg whites to the dry ingredients and mix well.
    Lastly, fold in beaten egg whites.

    Backpackbees

    Click, Ship & treat yourself!

    Springtime in Korea

    It wasn’t that we had a lot of snow this past winter, it was that winter seemed to last so terribly long. We along with 50 million other Koreans have been patiently awaiting warmer days. The chance for new beginnings, a fresh start, a spring clean!

    Springtime in Korea has got to be one of my favorite times of the year! The cherry blossoms are so beautiful! The walking paths and streets are covered in the tiny pink and white petals every time the wind blows. I drive Mr. B crazy insisting that I need to stop and smell or photography almost every flower that we come in contact with. Especially the cherry blossoms and lilac bushes. I can’t help myself. I.am.obsessed.with.flowers. Luckily for the most part he doesn’t mind and even pauses for a moment and points out a flower if he sees something that I will swoon over. That boy of mine, what a catch!

    This year we got to experience the cherry blossoms from another view because we moved into a new place at the end of the summer last year. These photos were taken after I had come home from work and the sun was setting with that beautiful warm orange glow. Looking at these photos now, I feel like these photos don’t even do the trees justice. We instantly fell in love with our new place because of the greens and blooming trees just outside of our windows. The daily drive or walk in and out of our little neighborhood just fills my heart and continues to remind me that even in our crazy messy world, there is still so much beauty around us.

    Are you seeing buds of greens and new blooms popping up wherever you are located? What is your favorite thing about spring?

    Backpackbees

    Kuala Lumpur Day 4

    If you’ve followed along on past blog post, you are very familiar with the fact that I am learning to cook and I enjoy cooking in the evenings with Mr. B. When my best friend Rebecca came to stay with us here in South Korea we took a Korean cooking class that left me with a burning desire to take more. Before heading to Malaysia I did some research online and found Ana Abdullah’s LaZat Malaysian Cooking Classes later to find out that it was located only a stone throw away from our friend Luis’s home. Even better!

    I talked Mr. B into trying out a class to see what he thought. I will be frank, Mr. B wasn’t over the moon about the idea, but decided he would at least try it out and decide from there. I hoped this wasn’t going to be his first and last experience. I printed out the list of various course offered on certain days, we picked and reserved conveniently online.

    By the next morning I had a confirmation e-mail with all of the details confirming our reservations to the cooking class. I was really excited to not only taste Malaysian cuisine, but to learn to cook it too! The website described Malaysian cuisine as a unique fusion of Malay, Chinese, Indian and Baba-Nonya flavors. My mouth was already drooling!

    Day four came early after our fantastic night out on the town. At 8:30am we were to meet a women named Sue from LaZat at a nearby market. Once we arrived we then met up with the rest of the group that also reserved a spot for the class that day. In total there were 8 of us, not too big and not too small, just perfect size for our class. Our group was a wonderful mix of personalities. Two Aussies, two French women, two Sri Lankan men, and we Bees.

    We toured around the Marketplace that we met at and were taken to various local marketplace stands that the cooking school uses to purchase all of their meat and produce from for the school. I wondered if we’d be bored by this tour because of all of the open marketplaces that we go to in S.Korea, however we were both pleasantly surprised and really intrigued with Sue’s explanation of ingredients. The most intriguing items were black eggs, black chickens that not only have black feathers but their skin, meat and bones are black too, a fresh coconut milk stand that processed in front of us, curries, various parts for sale from a goat, beautiful looking fresh fish, bread as thin as a crepes being made in front of us, and all the organic Malaysian produce that we cannot get in S.Korea or the states.

    After the market tour we headed to LaZat. Mr. B rode in the school van and I rode with Sue alone in her car. Sue shared all sorts of interesting things with me about Malaysia, the cooking school, the marketplace and the Muslim culture.

    When I arrived at the school I immediately felt at such peace with the property where the school sits on. It literally reminded me of a hillside that they carved out of the jungle and plopped their school on. Well.. to get all technical, that is what they did. Anyways it was so lush and green and the neighboring homes were built very open as well. While we were there we witnessed a monkey just climbing on into one of the homes. Could you imagine? I guess if you lived there that would pretty much be the norm and not as much of a giggle as we had.

    Okay, okay…onto the cooking. The cooking space was open and exposed to the outside so it made it very bright and airy. It was Tuesday and on Tuesday’s they offer the Malay classic scheduled from 8:30am-2:00pm. On the menu was Kueh Cara Berlauk savory Meat Filled Cups, Sambal Tumis udang prawn in Sambal Sauce, Nasi Lemak rice in coconut milk, and Sago Gula Melaka sago Pudding With palm sugar. We really didn’t know what we were getting into when we booked this specific class. We saw the words meat cups, savory, and sweets and basically were sold.

    HA-HA. Below is a more detailed description from the LaZat website because I am sure you are curious.

    “Nasi Lemak – rice cooked in coconut milk (santan) served with sliced boiled egg, peanuts, cucumber and sambal sauce. Regarded as the national dish by all Malaysians.

    Sambal – chilli paste mixed with shallots, garlic and added to prawns and other ingredients eg anchovies (ikan bilis).”

    We cooked all of the meal in Wok or Kuali, a steel or brass pot. It was different because there wasn’t the standard pot handle that I am used to holding when I am string around my ingredients. We had to use another tool that reminded me of a clamp to keep the brass pot over the flame and sturdy while we’d mix what we needed to. We were advised right away not to touch these brass pots with our hands or fingers or we’d be in for a rude awaking. It’s such a habit to hold onto a handle, but thankfully we did it without any war stories to report back.

    The class was led by a mix of Sue and Saadiah. Saadiah was a real pistol too! (She’s the one that requested the silly photos below). Saadiah would demonstrate what we’d be cooking first with the group, we get to taste it and see what it should resemble, then we’d all go back to our stations and prepare it of course with her assistance if needed. The entire class set up and timing was perfect!

    Backpackbees

    What do you think of our results? Not to toot our own horn, but beep beep… HA-HA! Luis gave us his stamp of approval when he picked us up from the class and we greeted him with our packaged up malay goodies. All joking aside, we highly recommend taking a class or two if you find yourself in Kuala Lumpur.

    Address:

    LaZat
    Malay House at Penchala Hills Lot 3196
    Jalan Penchala Indah, Kuala Lumpur 60000 Malaysia

    +60 19-238 1198