I think Ashton Kutcher is so popular because of his boyish charm. He seems so carefree, clever, and funny. I notice that personality in his Nikon camera commercials. Just a few minutes ago, I was watching the television, and the preview for Two Weeks Notice with Hugh Grant (remember him?) was shown. His personality and facial expressions reminded me of Ashton Kutcher. I used to be a fan of Hugh Grant. I think, women like men with boyish charm.
Pizza Night
My kids call Friday – Friday Fun Day. They love Fridays because school load is lighter and we go to parks or watch a movie after school. Personally, I love Fridays because it’s my Friday Free Day. Free from cooking dinner. It’s actually our pizza night. By the end of the week, the kids are tired of my home cooking and ready for some yummy treats.
Smart Phones
I am excited about terminating our cell phone contracts next year. That way, we can get new cell phone contracts and get new phones. I particularly like the smart phones and can’t wait to get them next year. I saw a smart phone and it has so many applications that seem fun to use. Every year, the cell phones get better and better.
Ipods
Last Christmas, we bought our kids ipods for Christmas. Daniel and Leo were so excited and started loadin up tunes, and music videos from itunes. I was so impressed with the ipods and itunes. The quality of videos are so good and clear. Technology is so amazing. I like itunes because the kids can listen to the music before they download them and it costs next to nothing.
Call of Duty 5
Daniel will turn 12 years old next May but he still believes in Santa Claus. My sister tells me that maybe Daniel is just pretending that he still believes in Santa. But as a mother I know that he truly believes in Santa. I hear him talk to his friends with disbelief when they say Santa is not real.
Every year, my kids write to Santa and we all go to the Post Office to mail their letters. A couple of weeks before Christmas, they also receive a letter back from the North Pole. Santa writes back to them! Ofcourse, every year Santa brings them the toys they want. This year, Daniel wants Santa to get him a 360 game called “Call of Duty 5”. I’m not sure if Santa will bring him this game because it’s rated M.
Rock Band 2
Leo is expecting a Rock Band 2 from Santa this Christmas. Daniel, Leo and Pierce are excited to play Rock Band. They said they’ll take turns playing with the guitar, drum set, and microphone. I am sure that they will play well together and that they’ll bond even more. My kids love to sing, and dance. I just hope that they learn a real instrument. Maybe, when they get a little older, they will be motivated to pick up a musical instrument.
Teaching Piano
For the past two years, I have been taking my older boys to Yamaha School of Music to learn piano. Daniel and Leo are resistent to practicing piano. Leo has a natural fondness for playing but just do not want to practice. I would like them to learn a piece of instrument. But I also want them to have fun. Their piano lessons costs a lot so I decided to pull them out last year. I decided that I’ll teach them a little bit each week but did not get to do that. Maybe, next year I will be able to convince them to go back to their school.
Real Estate Marketing
To augment our family income, I worked as a part-time realtor for a couple of years. So, we decided to save money on the commission when selling our house by selling the house ourselves. We received numerous inquiries from other realtors who thought that our home is a for sale by owner. They were disappointed when I told them that I am a realtor and selling my own home. We listed our home in the MLS and we sent blanket email to other realtors about our house.
Patching Cracks in the Ceiling
When we were selling our house, we tried to do most of the labor so that we can save money. My husband is very handy and can do a lot of little things around the house. He can change the lightbulbs, tighten the faucet nozzles, mow the lawn, and many more. Just kidding! He can really do much more than that. However, we have this nagging crack on our ceiling that he tried patching, painting, taping, then patching and painting again. But he just couldn’t fix that crack.
My friend suggested that we try a professional painter or tradesman to fix our crack in the ceiling. We were stubborn and thought our fix was good enough. I’m not sure if any potential buyer notice the crack but we’ve forgotten about it and we moved on to our next project.
Design to Sell
Two years ago, my husband and I decided to put up our home in California in the market so that we can move to the Big Island, Hawaii. My mom and my two sisters did not want us to move away and would rather that we stay close to them here in California. We are tired of the rat race and decided that we would like to start a new adventure in the Big Island.
My favorite show was HGTV’s “Design to Sell”. I watched it with much attention making sure I remember the tips on staging a home to sell. Fixing up a home to sell is not an easy endeavor. Aside from the usual home maintenance, I started looking at the small details that might influence a buyer. The show, “Design to Sell” helped me see the point of view of the buyer.