I’ll be taking the day off today to get ready for Christmas and to take care of Parker. (He’s sick but I think, secretly, he wants some mommy and me time.) Unfortunately, that means there will be no Fun Links of the Week.
I want to wish all of you out there a very Merry Christmas! Have fun, keep warm and stay safe.
See you next week.
Back in January, Adam Grant wrote an op-ed piece for The New York Times Opinion section about how to raise a creative child. Interestingly, it was one of the NYT’s most engaging pieces on Facebook this year. I just read through the article and thought it had a lot of great points.
Sam and I raise Parker and Logan with a lot of rules. Don’t hit each other, no soda, iPad time only certain times of day. Yes, the kids break them but we try our best to enforce our rules. I never quite thought of teaching them “values” instead. Here’s what I mean.
“The parents of ordinary children had an average of six rules, like specific schedules for homework and bedtime. Parents of highly creative children had an average of fewer than one rule.
“Creativity may be hard to nurture, but it’s easy to thwart. By limiting rules, parents encouraged their children to think for themselves. They tended to ‘place emphasis on moral values, rather than on specific rules,’ the Harvard psychologist Teresa Amabile reports.
“Even then, though, parents didn’t shove their values down their children’s throats. When psychologists compared America’s most creative architects with a group of highly skilled but unoriginal peers, there was something unique about the parents of the creative architects: ‘Emphasis was placed on the development of one’s own ethical code.'”
Now, how do we teach our kids to be creative? That’s a question I often ponder. In this highly competitive world, how do you get your kids to succeed?
Heres’s the general answer:
“Yes, parents encouraged their children to pursue excellence and success — but they also encouraged them to find ‘joy in work.’ Their children had freedom to sort out their own values and discover their own interests. And that set them up to flourish as creative adults.
“When the psychologist Benjamin Bloom led a study of the early roots of world-class musicians, artists, athletes and scientists, he learned that their parents didn’t dream of raising superstar kids. They weren’t drill sergeants or slave drivers. They responded to the intrinsic motivation of their children. When their children showed interest and enthusiasm in a skill, the parents supported them.”
Instead of pushing Parker and Logan into certain sports or interests, I need to follow their lead and then support them.
I love the last paragraph in the article:
“Hear that, Tiger Moms and Lombardi Dads? You can’t program a child to become creative. Try to engineer a certain kind of success, and the best you’ll get is an ambitious robot. If you want your children to bring original ideas into the world, you need to let them pursue their passions, not yours.”
This past weekend, my sisters and our husbands got together for a very exciting event. My sister, Carol, won Employee of the Year! The award was given by NOCBA or the North Orange County Bar Association. It was the perfect excuse to get dressed up. All the kids stayed home while the adults got to celebrate Carol’s huge achievement.
Above: Does this guy look familiar? It’s Richard Blade, the KROQ DJ from the ’80s! He was so sweet and sincere. He stopped what he was doing to take this picture. Then, he told us to give him any song request, from the ’80s to the present day.
This is Carol with her husband Burt. It felt like we were going to Prom (or Homecoming).
Grace, with her husband, Keith.
A picture of most of us, standing in the hotel.
Our table was specially reserved. I felt like VIP!
There are not that many pictures of me and Carol together.
This is a a picture of Carol with her coworkers. They all came to cheer her on.
Grace ad I showed our support by wearing Carol’s face on a stick.
We went over to the photo booth area and gathered some props. Keith looks hilarious in this shot! What a photobomb!
Here’s how our photo booth pictures turned out. It was a fun and festive night for the whole family. Congrats, to my sister and best friend, Carol!
Note: I bought my blue lace dress on Dillard’s.
Did you have a good Thanksgiving? My side of the family came over on Friday and we had a feast! Everyone stayed over a night and on Saturday morning we do what we always do, we went on a hike at my favorite nature spot, Santa Rosa Plateau. While last year we saw the vernal pools, this time we hiked Granite Loop, which is around the Visitor Center. On this hike, you walk by large oak trees and huge rocks and there’s even a beautiful resting spot with benches. There, we did our own version of the mannequin challenge! (I’ll try to upload it soon.)
Now, let’s take a look at it all in pictures.
I bought my niece, Berry, this adorable unicorn hoodie from Target. (It’s only $20 and it’s on sale right now for 30% off.) She wore it on our hike.
My sister, Carol, is really big into making 3D models. This one is made out of paper, it’s a gold palace. She showed it to me right before we went on our hike.
When we got to Santa Rosa Plateau, I was able to snap this quick shot of Parker with Berry. The two really love each other.
Not everyone was thrilled about hiking. My nephew, Riverton, was a little grumpy.
We went into the Vistor Center and checked out some of the exhibits. This is my sister, Carol, along with her husband Burt.
The kids had a blast looking through the various exhibits. It was like a mini museum.
Carol’s oldest son, Evan, is the apple of my eye. I call him my “first son” because he was the first kid born out of my whole family.
Before the hike, there’s an open amphitheater area for shows. Carol found it the perfect place to practice her tai chi.
Everyone was bundled up for the hike. It was 59 degrees. Chilly for us Californians.
As we were walking we came across star confetti in the dirt. It looked so pretty I had to take a picture of it.
We finally got to the benches and the kids began to prepare for the mannequin challenge. We told them to “freeze”!
This is my Grace’s husband and their two kids.
My sister, Grace, dyed her hair this really pretty red color. She kind of looks like a superhero now. Here she is posing with one of my best friends, Kat.
Take a look at that huge rock next to my family. There’s so many interested sights to see on this hike.
I always like capturing shots of mothers or fathers holding hands with their children. (I secretly wish I had some of those from my own childhood.)
This is my sister, Carol, with her two older boys. They were playing word games. I like how they all look so engaged.
Some of the family walked far ahead of us. I was able to grab this wide shot that shows you just how beautiful and majestic Santa Rosa Plateau is.
The last people to show was the youngest member of our family, Riverton, along with his dad Burt. Again, like the juxtaposition of the huge trees and bushes next to people.
This last picture is of Sam, carrying Logan, and of my two brother-in-laws, Burt and Keith. I know I’m a little biased here but isn’t this a great picture of them? They’re all such great guys, too. I love my family!
Yesterday, my family got together to celebrate two November birthday’s, my sister Grace’s and her husband Keith’s. Grace had a private chef come to her house to cook up some bbq, the first time we’ve ever done that. She found Pat’s Famous BBQ on the Nextdoor app and booked him to cook up the whole meal which included not just ribs and skirt steak but mac ‘n cheese (for the kids), salad, and cornbread muffins. Everything was delicious! I’d highly recommend him.
Though I’m not a cake person, I loved the cake my sister bought. It was from SusieCakes. Called the vanilla celebration cake, it’s 6 layers of vanilla cake baked with colorful sugar confetti. Not only was it pretty, it was perfectly sweet. If you’re looking for a dessert place, check out SusieCakes, they have multiple locations.
Now, here are some pictures from the celebration.
This is Pat from Pat’s Famous BBQ. He came with all of his cooking gear and he made fresh, delicious food right on the spot.
Berry, my niece, loves this hammock that I gave them. I bought it on Amazon on a whim but it turned out to be one of the best gifts I’ve given them. They use it all the time.
My brother-in-law, Burt, enjoying a glass of wine on my sister’s deck.
Grace recently bought two Max Wanger prints to hang on her walls. One of them is from his Hawaii collection. It’s called Waikiki No. 4.
This is part of the food that Pat prepared. I couldn’t get enough of those ribs.
One of my sister’s friend’s daughters came over to celebrate. Carol loves to braid hair so I caught this picture of her in action.
A sweet moment caught between my brother-in-law and his son.
My nephew, Riverton, enjoying his lollipop.
The pretty cake bought at SusieCakes.
Next week, my sister Carol is receiving an award at her work. My other sister, Grace, wanted to lend her a dress. Carol tried on multiple ones but I liked this one the most. Doesn’t she look stunning? (I hope she doesn’t get mad at me for putting this up on the Internet.)
Happy Birthday, Grace and Keith!
I just got off the phone with my oldest sister, Grace, who I consider to be one of my best friends. Today is her birthday. Growing up and having two sisters, I got to develop strong bonds with the both of them. The two couldn’t be more opposite, they bring out completely different sides of me. I always tell people that “I’m somewhere in the middle” of those two. While Carol is all about cooking and crafting, Grace is the fashion guru who’s heavy into politics. Since I wrote that open letter to Carol, I thought, today, that I would do the same for my other sister, Grace.
Here goes.
Dear Grace,
If there is one thing I know in life, it’s that you got my back. While we were living together, when I got my first job at MTV, you were always there for me, making sure I wasn’t working myself to death. Our bond is strong, we’ve been through a traumatic childhood yet we somehow managed to turn out ok. I think this is in large part due to you, our “mother hen.”
Thank you for taking charge of every birthday and holiday, for making sure we all meet up as a family. You help us remember what’s important in life.
If it wasn’t for the confidence you gave me, I would never have started my first company, My Modern Met. You never doubted that it would be successful (or at least you hid it very well). Now that I’m at a crossroads with my career, thank you for your encouraging words and your unwavering support.
I’ve always looked up to you for your fashion sensibility, you somehow make anything you wear look effortlessly chic. I’ll always remember the times you took me shopping, when I had an important meeting or a speech to give. You even flew all the way to Utah for me and Bom (Eugene) when we gave our first speech on behalf of My Modern Met, at Alt Summit.
I know I’m not a good phone person so I appreciate how you give me my space, to come to you when I’m ready. Your love is deep and I can feel it every day.
I appreciate the relationship we have. I tell myself who needs a bunch of friends when I have my two sisters as my best friends?
Remember when I broke down in Mexico? Unsure of who I was, I questioned all of my relationships. I didn’t feel like I could trust anyone but I had you and Jae (Carol). You guys always give it to me straight and I appreciate that. I never have to doubt your authenticity, question your motives.
I love you more than you’ll ever know. I don’t say it but I feel it. Please remember that.
Love, always and forever,
Naya
It’s been a few days since Halloween ended but I didn’t want to pass up the chance to share with you some of our family photos. My family went as rockstars, I was Katy Perry, Sam was Boy George (from Culture Club), Logan was Axl Rose and Parker was Michael Jackson. My sister, Carol’s, family’s theme was Ghostbusters while Grace and her husband Keith went as The Spartan Cheerleaders from SNL and their kids were a football player and a giraffe.
Burt and Carol made a feast! Grace bought a cool Dia de los Muertos inspired cake to top off the festivities.
Parker as Michael Jackson. We’ve been watching Michael Jackson videos on YouTube and now he’s addicted to Smooth Criminal. (Man, I miss Michael and his smooth moves.)
Parker posing with his cousins. Isn’t Riverton, in his Stay Puft Marshmallow Man costume, just adorable?
My family dressed up as rockstars!
Carol’s family in their Ghostbusters’ costumes. Carol completely DIY’d that Slimer costume!
Grace’s family and their costumes. I like how my sister and her husband, Keith, are all into their characters.
My little Axl Rose fell asleep in daddy’s arms. Props to my husband, Sam, for wearing all that make-up! (Karma, karma, karma, karma, karma chameleon…)
Are you watching the new NBC show “This is Us”? My sister, Carol, got me into this series, which features singer Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia (“Heroes”). The very first episode is so good, you have to sit through till the last 5-10 minutes before you understand what you’re actually watching. The premise of the American TV drama series is fairly simple, it’s about family lives and the connections of three people who all share the same birthday and the ways in which they’re similar yet different.
On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has a fresh rating of 91% based on 45 reviews. The site’s critical consensus reads, “Featuring full-tilt heartstring-tugging family drama, This Is Us will provide a suitable surrogate for those who have felt a void in their lives since Parenthood went off the air.”
I’m up-to-date right now, I’ve watched through Episode 3. Every since episode had me bawling, at points. Episode 4 airs tonight. You can easily get caught up on the series by downloading the NBC app on your smartphone or tablet.
In researching the show, I learned from Mandy Moore that Episode 5 will be a real tearjerker. “I feel like the fifth episode is going to destroy people,” Moore stated. “Milo and I watched it the other day and I was—I was beside myself. I got to my car 20 minutes later and just started bawling by myself after I had cried right after. It’s a lot to take in.”
Mandy Moore’s storyline is particularly heart-wrenching. Week after week, she delivers a killer performance. Won’t you watch?
One of my good friends, Kat, recently ran a 10K. She inspired me to take up running as a form of exercise. Instead of driving myself to the gym, attending a class and then driving back, I love that running is an immediate form of workout. You just put on your shoes, stretch and go. It’s been about a month since I’ve started and I’ve learned a few lessons that I’d thought I’d share with you today.
Oh, one more thing. After I told my sisters that I started running, they decided to give it a try, too. Carol signed us all up for a 5K at the end of November so now we’re all training for that event. A race is a good motivator.
I’ve been using some basic Asics that I bought last year but everyone is suggesting that I try going to a store like Fleet Feet to get the perfect shoe for running. Initially, I dismissed the idea but now that I’m getting shin splints I’ve come to accept that the right shoe is important.
Speaking of shin splints, it’s very real and very common. It’s basically pain caused by overuse along the shinbone, the large front bone in the lower leg. I don’t want to completely stop running but I’ve learned that I have to take it easy on myself, especially in the beginning. As this article states, “Beginning runners who are starting up a running program will often run too far or too fast before their legs are ready to sustain the distance or the speed they’re running.” Before you start running like crazy, read about shin splints and what you can do to prevent them.
Wearing the right workout clothes is important. I invested in some Lululemon leggings. They’ll run you about $100 but they’re worth it because of the high quality material and because they have pockets where you can put your keys or phone. If you can, it’s best to go to an actual store to try them on to get the right fit.
I use two apps to run. One is called Strava. It handles all your needs for tracking, recording your distance, time, speed, and so forth. The other is Couch to 5K. It’s a “coaching” type of app that eases you into running a 5K. The idea is to transform you from couch potato to runner, getting you to begin running a 5K or 3.1 miles and on a regular basis in just two months. It breaks your run up into intervals of walking and running. The soothing voice tells you when to warm up, walk, run, and cool down.
That’s it for now. I’ll let you know, next month, how the 5K goes. Now go out there and run!
I found this handy list on Pinterest and liked the positive vibes. Who says you need money to have a good time? There are tons of free things to do that are productive or even nourishing to the soul, like visiting a museum or gardening. My favorite item on the list is the last: Sit outside and take in your surroundings with a good cup of coffee/tea, or a spiked lemonade. Sounds good to me!
Hello, I’m Alice Yoo! I’m founder and CEO of Skylar Yoo, a company dedicated to inspiring and empowering women to be bold. We sell apparel, art prints and accessories to the modern feminist.
In my former life, I was editor-in-chief of the art and culture blog My Modern Met, which I founded back in 2007. I curated and wrote about art, design and photography for more than seven years. (In fact, I published over 7,000 articles which were seen by millions of people worldwide.) I’m also co-author of a book called For Love: 25 Heartwarming Celebrations of Humanity, which is on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
I live in southern California along with my husband and my two toddler boys.
This blog is about what I love, the tough experiences that I’ve learned from, and my journey as a second time entrepreneur. Right now, I’m in the midst of a 365 day challenge, to read one book a day. If you share my passions or want to learn some cool new facts, come along for the ride. I hope to inspire, educate and entertain you!
