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The Last Lion Dance

February 6, 2017 by ChrissyJee 2 Comments

The Last Lion DanceUncle Felix or Fifi, in red in the middle, has been in a lion dance troupe for as long as I can remember.  Fifi is my dad’s cousin, so my second cousin or uncle.  This would be his last year doing lion dances and his troupe would be the last performance in Chinatown so we came out to see him.

The Last Lion DanceFifi’s troupe has a lot of members organizing, performing, drumming.  They all wore the same jackets.

The Chinese lion performances are a tradition that starts on New Year’s day and continue the 15 days of celebration.  The parading lions go through the streets to bring good luck to everyone they meet and visit stores, restaurants, and businesses.

The Last Lion DanceWe watched them setup.

The Last Lion DanceAnd stack these red wooden benches that Fifi in the lion costume would jump onto.

The Last Lion DanceA Chinese Association paid to have the lion dance performance in front of their building.  They strung oranges, lettuce, and red envelopes for the lion to reach for good luck.  The lion would put the lettuce in its mouth and then spit it out to symbolize spreading good luck and a fresh start.

The Last Lion DanceHere is a photo of the lions spitting out lettuce at the Lunar New Year Family Festival at MOCA.

The Last Lion DanceThere was a great crowd.  I was nervous for him to jump up onto the red benches.  Fifi had nerves of steel.

The Last Lion DanceThese would be the performing lions.

The Last Lion DanceThe performance started with the lions walking down the street to the front of the Chinese Association building.

The Last Lion DanceThe Laughing Buddha came to tease the lion with a fan and make it jump, roll, and lay down.  The Buddha climbed up a pole and cut down the oranges, lettuce, and red envelopes to feed to the lion.

The Last Lion DanceThen did some acrobatics for the crowd.

The Last Lion DanceThe lion dance performance was awesome.

The Last Lion DanceWe saw another performance earlier in the day and the lion was on stilts and unraveled a scroll with a message of good luck.

When I grew up fireworks were part of the lion dance performances to scare away the evil spirits.  For safety reasons they are no longer part of these performances and now that I’m older, it’s somewhat unbelievable to have firecrackers going off around huge crowds of people.

The Last Lion DanceI’ve seen so many lion dances and always impressed with the athleticism and skill.  It’s one of my favorite parts of Chinese New Year.

The Dumpling Mama xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

#ReadYourWorld 100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For Kids

January 25, 2017 by ChrissyJee 4 Comments

Disclosure: I received a copy of “100 Fun & Easy Learning Games for Kids” to review. All opinions are my own.100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsI am honored to review ,100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For Kids, for Multicultural Book Day.  My mom-blogger friend, Mia Wenjen from pragmaticmom.com, co-hosts this awesome event.  Page Street Publishing Co. along with authors, Amanda Boyarshinov and Kim Vij from the popular parenting blog, the educatorsspinonit.com, supplied me this great book to review.

As an Asian mom, I would by lying if I said I didn’t want my daughters to love learning and be good at it.  I love this book because Amanda and Kim give SO many fun games to play with things you can find around your home that teach important lessons from reading, math, and science to art, music and social studies.

You can pick activities from one of their 6 different sections like “Zip-Line Letters” from the “Fantastic Reading” section or “Outdoor  Sound Garden” from the “Musical Music and Art” section.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsMy daughters chose “How Many Bricks” in the “Really Cool Math” section.  They love Legos!

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsAll we needed were plastic bricks like Legos, muffin tin liners, paper and a black marker to label the liners 1 to 10.  To play the game, you need to fill the muffin tin with the number below and color of the muffin tin.  For example, a blue muffin cup with a 3 below it would need to be filled with 3 blue legos.  The focused skill for this activity was sorting and grouping items in specific number groupings.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsFirst, the girls played together and were timed how long it took to finish.  My 5-year-old filled muffin tins 1-5 and 8-year-old filled muffin tins 6-10.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsI would check to make sure each of the tins were filled correctly.  Each tin filled correctly was a point.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsAfter a dozen games, we divided the tins in half so each player got some low and high numbers and the girls played each other.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsCousin Cheryl was visiting and she got in on the fun.  We made the game more complicated for her so she had to not only fill according to the color and number, but also all pieces in the tin had to be the same size.

100 Fun & Easy Learning Games For KidsThen I played…and got the slowest score!

100 Fun Learning Games for Kids: Teach Reading, Writing, Math and More with Fun Activities [Page Street Publishing Co.], released May 2016, is available at book stores nationwide and online retailers like Amazon. Suggested Retail Price: $21.99.

We had so much fun coming up with new rules for the game.  We played over 30 games and it was a total blast!

The Dumpling Mama xo

 

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/17) is its fourth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness on the ongoing need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators.

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that.
Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2017 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board. Platinum Sponsors include Scholastic, Barefoot Books and Broccoli. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, Candlewick Press,  Fathers Incorporated, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, ChildsPlayUsa, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle, Chronicle Books and Pomelo Books
Author Sponsor include: Karen Leggett Abouraya, Veronica Appleton, Susan Bernardo, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Maria Dismondy, D.G. Driver, Geoff Griffin,  Savannah Hendricks, Stephen Hodges, Carmen Bernier-Grand,Vahid Imani, Gwen Jackson,  Hena, Kahn, David Kelly, Mariana Llanos, Natasha Moulton-Levy, Teddy O’Malley, Stacy McAnulty,  Cerece Murphy, Miranda Paul, Annette Pimentel, Greg Ransom, Sandra Richards, Elsa Takaoka, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato,  Sarah Stevenson, Monica Mathis-Stowe SmartChoiceNation, Andrea Y. Wang

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also work tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

MCBD Links to remember:

MCBD site: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/

Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i

Multicultural Children's Book Day

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

2 Week Planning Guide to Chinese New Year

January 13, 2017 by ChrissyJee 2 Comments

2 Week GuideYou look at the calendar and realize there are only 2 weeks until Chinese New Year!  Don’t fret.  Follow this list and you will be ready to celebrate.

This Week

Order red envelopes.  Giving and receiving red envelopes is one of the happiest traditions during Chinese New Year.  Married couples give money in red envelopes to unwed family and close friends as a way to share their good fortune in the new year.  Envelopes are red because the color symbolizes prosperity, good luck, and thought to keep away evil spirits.

Plan Reunion Dinner.  The most important meal of the year is Reunion Dinner because it closes out the year and celebrates all of your good fortune and accomplishments.  Generations within a family get together for this celebration.  Traditionally, this dinner is celebrated on Chinese New Year’s eve but since it is such an important celebration, find a date that works for everyone.  Try to get together before Chinese New Year Day but don’t worry if the dinner happens afterwards, the important part is the family coming together.  Doesn’t matter if you go to a restaurant or cook dinner at home, the food should be abundant with leftovers to eat on Chinese New Year’s day.  This represents the excess of good fortune in the current year overflowing into the coming year.   Dinner should include food to symbolize fortune, happiness, longevity such as a whole chicken and fish, long life noodles, long leafy green vegetables, sweets for a sweeter life.  Red envelopes are given after dinner.

Get Chinese New Year books for children.  The biggest learning from my mom blogger friend, PragmaticMom, is to teach children through books.  I read books about Chinese New Year to my children (5 and 8 years old), they ask questions, and we have really good talks about all the different things that go into this big celebration.  Reading books has explained Chinese New Year to my children better then I could ever have.  Here is a great list of Chinese New Year Books from PragmaticMom, one of our favorites is Bringing in the New Year by Grace Lin.

Next Week

Clean your home for new beginnings.  This is a thorough cleaning of your home so it’s best to start as soon as possible.  You do this because you want to “sweep out” any lingering misfortune from the current year.   The cleaning should include sweeping corners, cleaning out the food pantry and refrigerator, washing sheets and towels.  Do a little each day so that your home is most clean on New Year’s eve, sweeping the first few days of the new year could sweep away good luck.

Setup a centerpiece of oranges and buy more for gifting.  Oranges, tangerines, and pomelos represent luck, wealth, and abundance.  Create a centerpiece of these fruits and display it prominently in your home or on the dinner table.  Buy 2 tangerines with stems and leaves to represent longevity and display them on top of your stove or television.  Have a stock of oranges and tangerines at home to give to friends when visiting.  Do not give 4 fruits because the number sounds like the word for death in Chinese.  Give fruits in a red bag for extra luck.

Pick out your celebration outfits.  To bring luck for the new year, wear red to every Chinese New Year celebration, Chinese New Year’s Eve, and Chinese New Year’s Day.  Head-to-toe in red is not necessary, well put together outfits with red tops, bottoms, accessories, or shoes is the look you are going for.  Red is preferred, but pink is also ok.  I wear a lot of black and neutral colors so I have red and pink scarves to get me celebration ready.

Week Of Chinese New Year

Be in good spirits.  This is one of the happiest times of year celebrating all of your accomplishments from the current year and anticipating good fortune for the coming year.  Of course, we all have things that bother us, but for these couple of weeks, celebrate the moment and enjoy the time with family and friends.  But we don’t want bad feelings to be carried into the new year.  In other words, party like a rock star!

Did I miss anything?

Busy Getting Ready,
The Dumpling Mama xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

How to Be the Perfect Chinese American Host

November 24, 2016 by ChrissyJee 1 Comment

How to Be the Perfect Chinese American Host
I host everything from dinner parties to play dates.  The Chinese in me likes the cooking and happiness in the gathering.   The American in me likes the thoughtfulness.   From my experience as a guest, here are my tips for being a perfect host.

Goal: Each guest leaves full, happy, and feels like you wanted them to have a great time.  

Abundance of good food.  In Chinese culture food is a symbol of care.  Homemade food will always trump store bought food in a Chinese household so try to cook as much as you can yourself.  To gain face, serve the best tasting food and double the amount you need.

Clean home.  A messy home is never a good look.  A clean home is how to gain face.  And it’s ok to hide everything in an upstairs bedroom or bathroom during the event.

Timeliness.  Americans are much better at this then the Chinese.  Most of the Chinese wedding banquets I’ve been to did not start on time (including my own).  Serve meals at mealtime, desert at desert time, snacks at snack time.  Have fruit on the table afterwards so your guests continue to feel welcome and can leave when they are ready.

Entertainment.  You want your guests to have a good time and not check Facebook on their mobile phone.  Entertainment can be anything from great conversation to singing karaoke to an art project.  Do what you like and feel most comfortable.

Happy Hosting,
The Dumpling Mama xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

How to Impress Your Chinese-American Mother-in-Law

October 13, 2016 by ChrissyJee 2 Comments

How To Impress Your Chinese-American Mother In-LawEven though my daughters are only 5 and 8, I think about the people they will marry.  I wonder who will be able to achieve the very high standards I have already set for them or break through the steel and kryptonite wall my Grouchy Husband is building around his little girls.

Here is how to impress a Chinese-American mother-in-law:

Be Present.  Family time is important.  Holidays and special occasions, like birthdays, are events we celebrate as a family and your presence will be recognized and appreciated.  But don’t just come.  Talk and interact with the family.  Be interested, remember what we talked about last time, get to know everyone, let them get to know you.

Be a Rock.  Be happy with yourself.  Be motivated.  Have dreams.  Accomplish them.  Be a good listener.  Be a foundation that is always ready to help and support.

Pick Up the Check.  Not always, but sometimes.  Gaining face is part of Chinese culture so this is your opportunity to show your wealth and thoughtfulness.  Doesn’t have to be restaurant check, can be groceries, birthday cake, or a new refrigerator to replace a broken one.

Manual Labor.  Love is not normally expressed verbally in traditional Chinese culture.  We show we care through action.  I think a work activity is one of the best ways to meet a Chinese family because you are instantly seen as a hard worker and Chinese moms love that.  Girlfriends would come to my family gatherings and wrap dumplings or help in the kitchen.  Grouchy Husband has painted, grouted, mowed, planted grass seed, cut down trees, shoveled snow, just to name a few things.  The first time my brother-in-law came to meet the family, he spent the day trimming bushes and hedges.

Show You Care Without Kissing.  Affection and emotion are not strengths in Chinese culture.  Show you care but not through touching or kissing.  It’s disrespectful.  Carry groceries, open doors, find out who is thirsty, serve others at dinner.

Be Someone We Can Boast About.  Chinese-American moms like to talk about their kids, especially highlighting accomplishments and achievements.  Job promotions, distinguishing work influencing a lot of people, really nice things you’ve done for your family.  Give us something to talk about.

The Dumpling Mama xo

photo credit: Chong Oh

 

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

6 Ways to Have an Awesome Dim Sum Experience

May 18, 2016 by ChrissyJee 2 Comments

How to have an Awesome Dim Sum Experience Going out for dim sum is a very happy time for my family.  We go as a multi-generation group from my grandparents to my children and we always go hungry because these are some of our favorite foods.  Here is how I have an awesome dim sum experience.

    1. Finding Good Food.  Read online reviews or even better, ask Chinese (preferably Cantonese) friends where they like to eat dim sum.  Traditionally, dim sum would be served in carts pushed by wait staff around the restaurant, and you would point to the small dishes you wanted to eat.  Some restaurants no longer use the carts and you order comes out from the kitchen.  I personally like ordering from the carts because that is how I have been doing it since I was little but this is not necessarily indicative of good food.  Once you get to the restaurant, take a peak inside, if you see a lot of Chinese people, you’re in the right company that has found good food.
    2. Timing.  Earlier the better.  It is not the “norm” for Chinese restaurants to take reservations for dim sum.  The tables turn quickly and the good places have a steady line coming in the door.  The full kitchen opens at 11am so if you want to eat noodles and rice with your dim sum, go around 10:30am.  Don’t be fooled by the small plates, go hungry!How to have an Awesome Dim Sum Experience
    3. Choosing a Tea.  The first question you will be asked will by what tea you want to drink.  The three traditional teas are: Bo lai (dark and earthy), Chrysanthemum tea (light and floral), Guk bou (blend of Bo lai and Chrysanthemum).  Green tea is also an option at some dim sum restaurants.  I like Chrysanthemum so I choose that or Guk bou.
    4. Navigating the Menu.  How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceThis can be somewhat cryptic because the dishes most likely have been translated exactly from their Chinese characters.  Don’t be surprised if you see misspellings and no pictures.  Here are some of my favorites that are worth trying.How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceShrimp dumplingHow to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceCilantro and Scallion rice roll.  This is vegetarian but some have meat and they are all delicious.How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceBean curd skin roll

      How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceSteamed spare ribs

      How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceSticky rice in lotus leaf

      How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceShanghainese Soup Dumplings

      How to have an Awesome Dim Sum ExperienceTurnip cake with XO Sauce

    5. Payment.  Always have cash when dining in a Chinese restaurant.  They don’t always take credit cards.
    6. History.  Here are some fun facts to go along with your amazing dim sum experience.  A very long time ago in China, there was a very long road connecting the East and West and Mediterranean Sea called the Silk Road that was a trade route for silk and other goods.  Along the Silk Road, travelers would yum cha, or stop at teahouses to drink tea and rest.   A physician during that time wrote that eating while drinking tea would make you gain weight, but later people discovered drinking helps with digestion so the tea houses started selling snacks.  All of the sweet and savory dim sum food varieties that we eat today were developed by the Cantonese in South China.  Over centuries they transformed yum cha from a relaxing teahouse rest to a loud and fun dining experience.

How to have an Awesome Dim Sum Experience

Now go eat dim sum and have an awesome time!

The Dumpling Mama xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture, Chinese Food

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky Envelopes

May 11, 2016 by ChrissyJee Leave a Comment

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky EnvelopesI went to a baby shower recently for a friend having her third baby.  It was a surprise because most woman wouldn’t agree to a shower for a third child, but it was lovely and a great time.  Most baby shower gifts are purchased from a registry.  As a Chinese-American, I love to include Chinese tradition in an American occasion.  I wish good luck and prosperity to the soon-to-be born baby and parents with a lucky envelope.  The envelope color is red or gold to symbolize good luck with the Chinese character for luck on the front.  Put money or a gift card inside to represent prosperity.  I only like to give certain baby gifts and if they have already been purchased on the registry, I will give a lucky envelope gift.  Even if I have purchased a registry gift, I will give some money in a lucky envelope to send wishes of prosperity.

Here were a few pictures from the baby shower.

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky EnvelopesThe shower was at a cute cafe that served a French brunch menu all day.  Love the French.

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky EnvelopesThe table was decorated so pretty.

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky EnvelopesWe waited patiently for the pregnant-mommy to show up.

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky EnvelopesIt was a wonderful celebration and she was so surprised.

Baby Shower Gifting with Lucky EnvelopesWhat made the time even better was the dads took the kids to the aquarium one block away.

Cheers to babies and prosperity,
The Dumpling Mama xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

Welcome Rose + New Baby Good Fortune Wish

March 20, 2016 by ChrissyJee Leave a Comment

New Baby Good Fortune WishMy daughters and I just met my cousin’s new baby, Rose.  She just had her first round of immunizations and could start seeing germ-y people like us.  Baby Rose has chubby cheeks and loves to be held.  We all took turns holding her and she sleep like this the whole time.
New Baby Good Fortune WishShe sometimes would make funny faces while she was sleeping.  We thought she smelled something yucky in her dreams when she made this face.  The girls loved holding her.  They felt like little mommies.

New Baby Good Fortune WishThe American custom is to celebrate the coming of a new baby with a baby shower.  The Chinese custom is to give a red envelope with money inside when you first see the new baby to wish them good fortune in life.

Welcome Baby Rose to our crazy family!  We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

Love, Aunt Chrissy xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

4 Ways to Start Chinese New Year Family Traditions

February 24, 2016 by ChrissyJee 2 Comments

I love that every family creates their own unique Chinese New Year celebration by personalizing it to their tastes and interests.  I’ve been a mom for 7 years and it has taken that long to settle into the Chinese New Year experience I want my daughters to learn from and hopefully look forward to every year.  Here are our 4 family traditions to celebrate Chinese New Year.

1. Prepare for Chinese New Year together.  Here is a 4 Week Chinese American Planning Guide to get you started.  Depending on your kid’s ages they will be able to help you a lot or a little, or maybe not at all if you have babies.

Chinese New Year2. Make and eat special Chinese New Year foods.  Growing up, there were foods I looked forward to eating because they were only made during Chinese New Year.  I want to cook my family a Chinese New Year meal with all of the symbolic foods on New Year’s Day.  Even though growing up I would help my mom, grandmother, aunts cook, it was a totally different ball game when you have to cook it yourself.  Thankfully, with the help of my mom, cookbooks, and 7 years of practice, the dinner is pretty good now.

Chinese New YearFor Chinese New Year, my paternal grandmother made “tai”, a fried dumpling with potato mixed into the skin to make it extra crispy.  When I was younger, my cousins and I would impatiently wait for the “tai” to come out from frying in the hot oil and cool off enough to eat.   As I got older, my grandmother taught us how to stuff and wrap the dumpling with the twisted closure on top.

Chinese New YearAfter she passed away, my mom continues her tradition for my dad’s family and makes the filling and potato dough.  My sisters, aunts, and cousins gather together to stuff and wrap the dumplings.  This time together is very special because we talk and catch up with each other and learn to make these traditional foods.

Chinese New YearMy brother is always in charge of frying the “tai”.  He is single if anyone is looking for a “foodie” who loves romantic comedies.

Chinese New YearMy maternal grandmother makes “fat goh” (发粿), or prosperity (发) cake.  Hers are the best and she gets a perfect “flower” on the top every time because she monitors the amount of steam and cook time diligently.  Even with much practice, I still have not been able to get my fat gohs to flower as pretty as hers.

Chinese New Year3. Get together with family and friends.  Since I was born, we always got together with my dads family and my mom’s family to celebrate Chinese New Year.  I married a Chinese man and now a third celebration has been added to the calendar.  I treat Chinese New Year as a season and not a single day holiday to be able to see all of our families.  Coordinating schedules can challenging, but well worth the time spent together.  It doesn’t matter if the celebration is a single day with family or multiple times with friends, the important part is the togetherness.

Chinese New Year4. Attend a Chinese New Year Family Event hosted by a local organization.  I want my daughters to be immersed in Chinese culture during Chinese New Year because there is so much to learn and everything is well-spirited.  Even though we don’t live in China, they get to see lots of people at these events and how big of a deal Chinese New Year is to Chinese people.  My favorite is the event at the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA).  We have attended the last few years and every year gets better and better.
Chinese New YearOne of my daughters favorite activity at the MOCA Lunar New Year Family Event is the Chinese calligraphy.  They got to see the artist draw a character of their choice, they chose monkey because it was this year’s zodiac, and then the artist places a sheet of paper on top, hands them the brush and they got to trace.  My daughters got exposure to history and the art of calligraphy

Chinese New YearThere were several tables with crafts to celebrate the new year.

Chinese New YearSome crafts the girls got to take home but some they made, like the wishful fish scale, to be a part of a larger project.  The whole fish (complete with head and tail) is symbolic because it represents wholeness and family togetherness.  I really liked the representation that each scale helped to complete it.

Chinese New YearThe girls loved the performances.  They were mesmerized by the beautiful costumes and synchronized dancing.  It was amazing how the red silk dancers could perform in such a small space.  The family festival also had traditional lion dancing, longevity noodle pulling demonstration, Chinese New Year legends story telling, and zodiac face painting.  Even though it’s a busy day, I am so grateful for this event because when I’m sitting with my daughters and walking to each activity, we are talking about the different things that are happening and they are learning about Chinese New Year.

What are your Chinese New Year family traditions?

The Dumpling Mama xo

p.s. photos from Chinese New Year 2016

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

Taking Care of Unfinished Business

February 1, 2016 by ChrissyJee 2 Comments

Unfinished BusinessToday my mom went to a wake of someone who was like an uncle to her when she first came to the United States at age 16. Her father, my grandfather, and uncle were partners in a restaurant in Chinatown and my mom worked as a hostess. My grandfather had a massive heart attack when my mom was 20, he survived with only a fourth of his heart working and uncle pushed him out of the business. My grandparents were so angry and did not see or speak to him after that time. My mom did not see uncle for over 40 years, until his wake. My grandparents would not attend.

During Chinese New Year season, part of preparing for the new year is to settle debts and unfinished business, which includes repairing broken friendships. You don’t want bad feelings or incomplete intentions to be carried into the new year, because remember, the goal during the time of preparation is to ensure as much good fortune as possible in the new year.

Grouchy Husband and I went out to dinner tonight with friends in town from New Orleans. We spent many years there, it’s where we first started dating and where we knew we would be married one day (even though we broke up for 6 months when I moved back to NY). His closest group of friends live in New Orleans. Events from the past had distanced our relationship with these friends that were in town. It has weighed heavy on my heart to repair this relationship. I was looking forward to dinner and we had a great time.

Going to the wake and seeing uncle’s family was so nice for my mom. All of the grandchildren and events she had heard about through friends she got to see and hear about in person.  She had such a sense of closure and relief.

Repairing our relationship with our friends was high on my unfinished business list.  Too many years had past.  I’m so happy to have spent time with them and look forward to the next.

The Dumpling Mama xo

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

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Hello! My name is Chrissy

I’m a Chinese American woman, mama, healthy eating and living, creating legacy. Welcome to my life! [Read More …]

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