Friday, December 28, 2012

Bumble's 2013 Calender

Have you checked out Bumble's 2013 Calender? It is a calender and a coloring book in one for the low price of $9!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Tuesday, December 25, 2012

Favorite Thing #25

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Our last (but definitely not least) favorite is YOU... family, friends & faithful readers!
We hope you enjoyed our Favorite Things series. We want to hear your comments of what you thought and enjoyed about it.

We want to thank you and wish you a warm and blessed Christmas! Take time and enjoy it with your family and friends. Give that extra hug and kiss to the ones you love.

How are you spending your Christmas?
Peace, love and JOY!
Eva & Zi

Monday, December 24, 2012

Favorite things #24

I love labor stories! Each story is different, every mom goes through labor with their own challenges and strengths and I just love to hear or read about them. And usually at the end just like with the birth of each of my children, they bring tears to my eyes.

Since I'm talking of labor stories and  E4's birthday is on December 30th, I'll share a shortened version of my labor story for him.

E4's due date was January 20th and we were actually hoping that maybe he would come a few days later to coincide with Chinese New Year and be a dragon baby according to the Chinese zodiac. But as all parents know, the baby will usually come when he/she is ready, unless you have a scheduled C-section of course.

So when I started to feel some contractions on the night of December 29th, I wrote them off as just Braxton Hicks because I had quite a few of them with this particular pregnancy. But unlike the contractions I had felt in the past, these didn't go away and got stronger as the night progressed. I was in denial because this was 3 weeks early and my parents who were supposed to come and help me weren't here yet! By about 4 or 5am I knew from past experience that I was going to have E4 that day and needed to start making some arrangements.

Luckily good friends of ours were able help us watch the three older kids as my husband and I headed to the hospital. I cannot even imagine what it would have been like if we needed to bring them with us.  We got to the hospital around 10am and E4 arrived on 1:55pm. I was very happy to be able to have a VBAC birth with him and also a natural, non-medicated birth since I had really wanted to be able to experience that.

We were very happy to be able to welcome 2012 with our newest family member! And what a great year it has been with our family of 6. We are looking forward to a wonderful 2013 that will hopefully be filled with more great experiences as everyone grows another year older and hopefully wiser.

Do you like labor stories? Would you like to share them with us? It would be great if we could start out 2013 with some heart-warming labor stories. Throughout 2013 if you would like to share your labor story and do a guest post on Bumble of Joy, shoot us an e-mail at bumbleofjoy (at) gmail (dot) com.

Zi

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Favorite Thing #23

With Christmas just days away there's always some Christmas special or movie on.
From the classics, like Charlie Brown's Christmas, to the ones that make you laugh, like Home Alone. One particular movie became a recent household favorite, Elf.
Image from amazon.com
We had this DVD for awhile and my kids discovered it a few days ago. I forgot how funny this movie was. Something about watching Will Ferrell in an elf costume and his "child-like innocence" in this movies cracks me up. There's nothing like a good laugh to make you feel better.

What is your favorite Christmas movie? Have you ever laughed so hard that you cried?
Hope this Christmas and holiday season will bring you much laughter!

Eva

Saturday, December 22, 2012

Favorite things #22

I love shopping at Sephora for my make up and one of the main reasons is because they always give out free samples! Well, when you shop at an actual store sometimes you need to ask for them but they will always give you some if you ask. And if you shop online, you can always pick 3 samples with each order and sometimes you can get even more depending on what type of promotions they have.




Of course if you are part of their rewards program, Beauty Insider, you can collect points and get nicer samples when you accumulate up to 100 or 500 or more points. Also you get a free gift on your birthday! They have another VIB program too but I don't spend enough money each year there to qualify I think.  But I sure do enjoy those free samples and birthday gifts each year. Although I know it is mainly a marketing ploy but I think it is a great one because who doesn't enjoy getting a little something free when you make a purchase.

Are you a Sephora fan like me? Where do you like to buy your make up?

Zi

Friday, December 21, 2012

Favorite Thing #21

If you got straight hair you want to add waves to your hair. If you have wavy/curly hair you go get it straightened. For me I have some wave in my hair, so along with my hair bracelets I need my flat iron. I can't just wash and go. I envy you if you can do that. I need time to manage my hair, otherwise it's just a mess. My mom said I had curls as a baby. It was hard to find a good picture but here you can see a curl sticking out.
I did get my hair straightened before and that was nice. I could just wash my hair, let it air dry and have "perfect" hair. Unfortunately the process is not cheap nor quick. It takes at least 3-4 hours depending on the method they use. It was nice while it lasted, so now I just use my CHI Turbo Digital Ceramic Flat Iron.
Image take from amazon.com
I had this for several years now (there's probably a newer model). It really makes a difference if you spend some money in buying a good one.

What kind of hair do you have? 
Do you straighten or curl your hair? What have you done to get the look you want to achieve? Or do you not bother?

Eva

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Favorite things #20

Sometimes I think as parents we get so caught up in the day to day busyness of caring for our children that we forget to enjoy the good moments of parenthood. That is why one of my favorite things to do when the children are all in bed is look back over some of our old photos and videos.

 E1
 E2
 E3
E4

It brings back great memories and makes me stop and remember how far we have come and look forward to milestones that are ahead. I also find myself a bit more patient the next day and able to slow down and just enjoy being with the kids.

These days E4 is still waking up at night to feed and at times he wakes up multiple times at night which makes for a very tired mommy. But then I try to put things into perspective and remember when E1 used to run into our room every single night and my husband would sometimes get a little impatient and wonder when he would stop doing that. And I told him, "Honey, he won't be doing this his whole life, you should enjoy this time when he wants to be with us. There will come a day when he doesn't want to ever sleep with us again and you're going to miss it!"

So now I'm going to enjoy the night feedings even though it makes me very tired the next day because I know these moments of closeness will not be around forever and I will miss them in the future.

Have you taken a break today and just enjoy being with your kids? Go ahead and give them a hug while you're at it!

Zi

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Favorite Thing #19

I have long hair so this is a must have item for me. If you had hair long enough to pull back then you've worn this on our wrist... a hair tie of course. Recently I came across these hair tie bracelets - Double Wear Elastic Bracelet by Goody.
Image from target.com
What a clever idea! It comes in a pack of 3. Black with gold or silver finish, beige with gold finish or silver with silver finish. Granted it costs a little more, but I like that fact that it serves 2 purposes. I love accessories. So instead of a plain black band on your wrist you can dress it up with "bracelets".

What is your must have accessory or item before you step out the door?

Eva

Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Still time for Christmas shopping!

Have you checked out our "honeycomb" store lately? Just click on the tab on top. There is still time to shop for those last minute Christmas gifts! We have great stocking stuffers and wonderful hand-made items for the children in your life.

 *Lunch buddies set
 *Free gift (fabric envelop) for $20 or more purchase
*Free gift (set of 4 felt ornaments) for $50 or more purchase

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Favorite thing #18

One of the great things of being a parent is taking advantage of kids eat free deals! We don't usually take the kids to eat out too often because it is hard to keep 3 kids sitting through a meal at a restaurant. But the one place we do take them out to eat is Ikea!

They have a great kid sitting area that is semi-contained, making it easy to keep track of the kids and has things that can keep their attraction so us parents can actually sit and eat our meal in a bit of peace.

Also their kids meals are rather large in size and our kids don't always finish everything, so we can usually just get 1 adult meal and help finish their meals. Making it an inexpensive meal out, which we love!

Talking of love and Ikea, have you tried their Swedish meatballs? SO good!
*Image taken from ikea.com

Do you take advantage of kids eat free deals? Where do you usually go? Do you love Ikea? Let us know!

Zi

Monday, December 17, 2012

Favorite Thing #17

As a kid whenever we took our yearly summer trip to visit my grandparents in San Francisco, I loved going to the Sanrio store in Japantown. That was better than visiting a candy store! They had the cutest things and my favorite... Hello Kitty!
Image from sanrio.com
Back then it was harder to find Hello Kitty items but now you can pretty much find her in most stores. Obviously I've outgrown that phase a long time ago but of course my daughter is into it now. I passed along many of my "vintage Hello Kitty" items to her. She even told me she wants a Hello Kitty birthday party. I guess she forgot that I threw her one when she turned one.
Who was your favorite childhood character? 

Eva

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Favorite things #16

Dyson vacuum DC33 Multi Floor!

Now let me start off by saying I understand that most people either love or hate Dyson and if you happened to have a lot of problems with your Dyson I feel for you and can understand your hate. But for me at this point in time, LOVE my Dyson!

*Image taken from dyson.com

Before purchasing our Dyson, I had never really owned a nice/new upright vacuum.The one I had was an old  upright Eureka that I got from my parents when I went off to college, that was really loud and had bags you needed to change. I did purchase an Electrolux Ergo Rapido stick vacuum when we bought our house because I liked the design and that it was lightweight but unfortunately that didn't even last 3 years. The Eureka was not doing a good job picking up things from our carpet, so we felt it was time to buy a better vacuum.

After much research and a lot of thought, since Dysons are pretty expensive, we decided to get the DC33 Multi Floor since we have both hardwood and carpeting in our house and even though the DC33 is larger than some of the other models, it also had better suction which was important for us with 4 kids running around and making a mess on our carpeting.

Its been almost a year since we bought it and so far I love it every time I use it because it gets so much dirt out of our floors, it is bag-less, and you can wash the HEPA filters which is a plus in my book, not having to buy new filters often!

Are you a Dyson fan? Or do you have another type of vacuum that you love, please share!

Zi

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Favorite thing #15

Everyone owns a pair, guy or girl. We all are in search for a perfect pair of jeans. After having kids my once perfect pair has gone to the wayside, but don't worry I haven't purchased the infamous mom jeans. I still like to stay fashionable, HA! I pretty much wear jeans everyday. So they are a "must have item" in my closet. My favorite pair of skinny jeans are the Rock Star Jeans from Old Navy. They're comfortable and affordable!
Image from oldnavy.com

Which are your favorite pair of jeans?

Eva

Friday, December 14, 2012

Favorite things #14

Ruth's Chris Steak House has a special place in my heart, not only because they serve some pretty amazing steaks, which I love, but also because my husband and I have celebrated a few wedding anniversary's and my birthdays there.


Some of you know this already but for those of you who don't know, I got married on my birthday, so every year it is a double celebration at that time!

I usually get their Petite Filet with a side of mashed potatoes and a green veggie to share with my husband. My husband usually changes it choices up a bit more and likes to try some over their larger sized steaks. But no matter what we end up getting, everything is always cooked so nicely, the staff is usually very friendly, and the environment is quiet so we can have some good adult conversation.

I love my steak medium rare to medium, oh so good!

Do you like steaks? How do you like them cooked and what is your favorite steak house?

Zi

Thursday, December 13, 2012

Favorite thing #13

What girl doesn't enjoy trying on some makeup? There are a million products out there to choose from, along with price ranges. But here's one to add to your list to try if you haven't so already. My all time favorite eye shadow is Urban Decay. I got the NAKED palette as a gift and it's the best.
Image from Sephora.com
If you like neutral colors then you should definitely try it out. They have 12 colors to choose from and a range of glitter, shimmer or matte to create different looks. It's great to use with the Urban Decay eyeshadow primer potion. It makes it easier to blend and great staying power throughout the whole day.

Do you stay neutral or like pops of color on your eyes? What eye makeup do you like to use and recommend?

Eva

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Favorite things #12

Craigslist's Free Section!

I'm sure most people know about Craigslist and that you can get some good deals on there or sell of your used items through the site but did you all know that here is a "Free" section hidden under the "For Sale" part? I didn't until I stumbled upon it about a year or so ago.

I was totally obsessed with it when I first discovered it because you can find all sorts of things that people are giving away just for free! All you have to do is go pick it up. I got so many great things for the kids when I first discovered this section, a great Little Tikes plastic slide, a Step 2 Up and Down Roller Coaster (a HUGE hit with every child that comes to our house), a Plan Toys My First Dollhouse with tons of furniture and a couple of people. The last two sells for over $100 when purchased new! Granted they all required a bit of cleaning when we first got them but Free is a great price!

*Image from Amazon.com, similar to the one I picked up.

*Image from Amazon.com. This thing is awesome! Just ask Eva's little girl H, she loves to play with it every time she comes over.

Of course I would never pick up things like mattresses since you never know whether or not there are bed bugs, but for things that can be easily cleaned, I would totally recommend checking out Craigslist's Free Section!

Did you know about Craigslist's Free Section? Have you gotten anything awesome for Free that you just want to share with everyone? This is also a great way to help those that are in need, so it is also a good place to donate things that are in good shape but you just don't need anymore!

Zi

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

Favorite thing #11

With the holidays rolling around there seem to be even more temptation for sweets. At the workplace there's always a plate of cookies on a counter somewhere. Fortunately as a stay at home mom I don't need to worry unless I put it there myself. I've got a sweet tooth and I love me some good dessert, again fortunately my husband is not a huge dessert person. He rather munch on snacks.

For me my all time favorite dessert is..... cheesecake, Mmmmmm!
I'm not picky any slice will do. Plain or decadent, like the ones at The Cheesecake Factory. I never know which to pick from their menu, but I must say their White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle is a good choice.
Image from The Cheesecake Factory
I have a few good cheesecake recipes that I tend to make for parties, like the Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake I shared in a previous post. You've got to use the real stuff (1/3 fat cream cheese is ok). You can't cut too many corners to make it low calorie, it's just not the same.

What is your favorite dessert? Do you have a good cheesecake recipe to share? 

Eva

Monday, December 10, 2012

Bumble's 2013 Calendar has arrived!

Starting today at our "honeycomb" store, you will be able to purchase Bumble's 2013 Calendar!!


It is both a calendar and a coloring book, 2 things for the price of one! And a very affordable price at that, only $9! Comes in a great size, 5 1/2"H x 8 1/2" W when folded, that can be carried around in your bag or hung up to keep track of all the important dates a life with children requires.

Also makes a great Christmas gift, so don't wait and go order one or two today!

HAPPY SHOPPING!

Favorite things #10

One of the main reasons I like the cold seasons is because I get to wear my boots! I love boots! Now like many women, shoes in general are a weakness of mine but boots are my favorite!

Before becoming a mother I used to love heels that were 3" or even 4" because I'm pretty short so I liked feeling the extra height. But since becoming a mom, I have been leaning more towards flats since I would probably sprain my ankles running after my kids in 3" heels, I have super active kids!

Some of you might remember I talked about my hunt for grey boots for the Fall and I finally found the perfect pair a few weeks ago. During one of the rare occasions that we were walking around the mall I spotted these cute grey boots at Payless and they were on sale, score!

*Image of Sammi Strap Boots from payless.com

I love that they are flats and super comfy too, so I can wear them often with my skinny jeans or leggings while running around after my kids.

What are your favorite type of shoes? Do you enjoy boots as much as I do?

Zi

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Favorite thing #9

Whenever you go to the mall and walk through the department stores do you dodge the perfume lady? Or walk by Abercrombie & Fitch and smell their cologne permeating the air? Can you sniff out the clues here yet?

It can be a daunting task to buy someone perfume/cologne as a gift unless you know their "signature scent". The designer in me would rather pick a perfume by it's packaging. There are some real great designs out there but unfortunately some do not match up with a nice scent and vice versa. Personally I prefer sweet, fruity/citrus and some floral scents.  I usually use a perfume til the bottle is empty and switch up with a new scent. I'm not one to wear just one perfume my whole life. I've been using Marc Jacobs Marc Jacobs for Women for the past few years now, but my current favorite scent is Coach Poppy Flower.
Image take from Sephora.com
Do you have a signature scent? What is your current perfume or cologne or scented lotion that you use?

Eva

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Favorite things #8

Before marriage my husband and I were quite the movie buffs, we have hundreds of DVDs to prove that. But now that we have 4 kids it isn't always easy to have the time to watch a movie. If we still have enough energy after the kids are all in bed, we would pop in a movie and try to get through the whole thing without interruption.

Now we watch more kiddie movies and one of my favorites is Disney Pixar's "Up". How could you not get teared up by the first 5 minute montage of Carl and Ellie's life together? It gets me every time I see it.
Image taken from collegefashion.net

What is your favorite kiddie movie?

Zi

Friday, December 7, 2012

December Coloring Contest

Our December coloring contest has arrived! Bumble wishes everyone "Happy Holidays" and hope this page will be a good activity for your children during this holiday season. The time to enter has been extended and we will announce the winner on New Year's day!


Contest Rules:

Contest Start Date:   12/07/2012
Contest End Date:    12/31/2012

1) Only 1 entry per child. "Like" our FB page and post your child's colored masterpiece on our page with first name/initials (whatever you are comfortable with) and their age. You can either scan or take a picture of the colored paged to post on our page.
2) Entries posted by someone who has not liked our page will be disqualified.
3) Get your friends to "Like" our page and vote by liking your child's masterpiece. The page with the most "Like"s wins. If there is a tie the winner will be chosen based on our discretion.
4) Only residents of 48 states in the continental US are eligible.
5) Prize depending on gender: Girls will get a hair clip from BOJ and boys will get a pin from BOJ.
6) Winner will be announced 1 day after the contest end date on our FB page and on the blog.
7) The winning coloring sheet will also be posted on our blog when the winner to announced.
8) For privacy reasons, we ask that the winner send BOJ a private message on our FB page so that we can connect with you and get the prize mailed out in a timely manner.
9) We want as many children to have a chance to win our coloring page contests; so we reserve the right to limit the amount of times a child can win consecutively.

Here is the link for the coloring page

Don't forget to pin this to your Pinterest boards to share with others.
Best wishes during this holiday season to all our faithful readers!

Eva and Zi

Favorite thing #7

The radio stations have been playing Christmas music since Thanksgiving. The stations are set in my car.  Some may find it annoying but I never tire of listening to the songs no matter how many times I hear them. I enjoy playing some of my Christmas CDs at home during the day, like now as I type this blog. My all time favorite Christmas song is Nat King Cole's The Christmas Song 
(Chestnuts Roasting on a Open Fire)
Image taken from BarnesandNoble.com
For H&N it's Rocking Around the Christmas Tree & Trans-Siberian Orchestra's Christmas Eve/ Sarajevo. It's so cute whenever I hear H&N hum those songs to themselves.

What is your favorite Christmas song? Do you have Christmas CD that you recommend?

Eva

Thursday, December 6, 2012

Favorite things #6

One of the things that I missed the most when I was pregnant was SUSHI!

 *Image from ease.com

So it was also one of the first things I asked my husband to get me after I had each of the kids. And during the rare occasions that my husband and I get to have a dinner with just the two of us, we will usually go for sushi as well. I enjoy rolls the most but also like sashimi as well. My favorite is spicy crunchy tuna roll (nothing fancy) but I do enjoy specialty rolls as well depending on the ingredient, anything with tuna or salmon I'll usually like.

Do you like sushi? What food did you miss the most when you were pregnant?

Zi

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Favorite things #5

Handbags!
Before kids I would change my handbags every week or two. Or even coordinate with my outfit. I had quite the collection. Most were fairly small and compact. I remember playing a purse scavenger hunt game at a bridal shower and the best person to have on your team is a mom. She has EVERYTHING in there!  Once you become a mom there is no such thing as a compact purse. You need a bag that can fit snacks, toys, tissues, medicine, band-aids, juice boxes, wipes, you name it... oh wait you need a few items for yourself too.
These days I just stick with 2-3 handbags that I change up when I get the time or when it's time to clean it out.  To organize my purse I like using those "free make-up bags" you get during bonus time. It's a lot easier to find things and great way to use all those bags you accumulate. Plus your cell phone and keys won't get lost in the abyss.

I found a great deal on this handbag on Cyber Monday. (An early Christmas gift) It's a good size and I love the polka dot detail.
Kate Spade Kennywood Melinda
Images from katespade.com
What do you look for when you shop for a handbag?
Which is your favorite bag that you own?

Eva

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Favorite things #4

This might seem a bit weird to include on a favorite things list but I'm going to include it anyways. I really like garlic!

*Image from Wikipedia.com

Now I know some people like it so much or believe it can lower cholesterol so they eat it raw but that's not me. I like it as a flavor enhancer to food. I believe I like almost any food with garlic in it, garlic mashed potatoes, garlic bread, garlic stir fried with pretty much any green vegetable...the list goes on. 

Don't worry, if I am going to meet up with people, I usually remember to chew some gum, take a mint, or brush my teeth before hand! But if I forget, at least it'll keep the vampires away, right?! HAHA!

What is your favorite flavor enhancer?

Zi

Monday, December 3, 2012

Favorite things #3

It's Monday morning and I need to start up my day with a nice cup of coffee.
I like mine with cream and sugar, please... never black. What about you?
Most days I need to reheat my cup at least once, since it's hard to sit and enjoy a cup with the kids calling for me hehe.

Whenever I go to Starbucks I feel like I'm getting a lil' coffee treat... partly it's because I don't go that often and another is because my favs, Caramel Macchiato or Caramel Frappuccino tastes like dessert to me. YUM! So here's to my favorite cup of (hot/cold) coffee!
Caramel Machhiato, image from Starbucks
What's your favorite cup of coffee?
Dunkin Donuts? Starbucks? or both?

Eva

Sunday, December 2, 2012

Favorite things #2

One of my make-up MUST haves is YSL's Touche Eclat or commonly called the highlighter pen.
* Picture taken from Sephora.com

It is advertised as a highlighter, to help illuminate parts of your face but also works GREAT as a concealer! It's not too heavy and thick like some concealers but does a great job of hiding those dark circles under your eyes when you don't get enough sleep or any small blemishes that you are trying to cover up. I started using this back in collage and it has been part of my make up bag ever since. It is a little pricey at $40 a pop but totally worth it in my book! It is one of the few things that I am willing to still spend more money on even after 4 kids. 

What is your make-up MUST have?

Zi

Saturday, December 1, 2012

25 Days of Our Favorite Things

Can you believe it's December already?
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa many of you are probably busy making your lists, shopping, planning or attending holiday parties, baking, decorating, mailing out Christmas cards and doing some more shopping.
As our countdown to Christmas we wanted to share some of our favorite things! We hope you enjoy this new series.
*Disclaimer: All products mention in the series are not sponsored posts. They are merely our opinions of products we enjoy and would like to share with our readers.

FAVORITE THINGS #1
Now what girl wouldn't like to get a little something in a little blue box this Christmas or anytime for that matter. I'm talking about Tiffany & Co. of course!
My husband knows if he gets something from there it's a no fail gift for me. A few years back he got me a charm & bracelet and since then there are so many new charms to choose from.
You can even create your own bracelet on their site too. How fun!
I know it's $$$ but a girl can dream and make a wish list right?
Image from Tiffany.com
What would be a no fail gift for you?

Eva