Review of Pampers Easy Ups

I told you all, I am terrible at keeping up with my blog! I did want to post a quick review for the Pampers Easy Ups training pants. My 18-month old has been showing some interest in potty training, which is great since we are expecting another baby in January. Diapers are so expensive and it would be nice to just have one child in diapers. These training pants are super cute, I mean they have Hello Kitty! My daughter liked that she could pull them up and down on her own, which made it easier for her to get to the potty without help from me. She is very independent, so she liked this feature. When she did wet herself, the training pants kept everything contained, another great feature.



I received the Pampers Easy Up from Influenster as a free sample sponsored by Pampers.
Here is a coupon for anyone interested!

https://www.coupons.com/brands/pampers-coupons/

Why You Might Like Kpop

If you were a preteen or teenager in the 90's and lived for manufactured boy bands, then I have good news for you; you might like Kpop.

At the beginning of sixth grade, I flipped to MTV, which was forbidden in my house, and saw three, long haired boys? girls? I wasn't sure, but it didn't matter; I was taken by those high pitched voices crooning out MMMBop. I soon became obsessed with my first musical group, Hanson. I began buying every Tiger Beat, BB, Teen Beat, and anything else that had their pictures on it. My room quickly became plastered from floor to ceiling with pictures of Taylor, Isaac, and Zak; at one point I had more than 300 posters on my walls. I joined the fan club and taped, on VHS, every performance that came on TV.  This group set me up to love music and introduced me to a world of cute boys.

I eventually moved on from Hanson, but never obsessed over another group again. They were my first and only true musical addiction. My next group was NSYNC. I remember hearing them on the radio with their first hit, I Want You Back. Five guys who sing and dance, what a wonderful concept! Justin Timberlake became my favorite, but I couldn't have him all to myself, I had to share him with several of my cousins. I saw them in concert three times, which is pretty good since I grew up 3 to 4 hours from the biggest cities that have large concert venues. Each concert was just the best thing I had ever experienced. I continued to like NSYNC until they disbanded in 2002; I still enjoy Justin's music, much to my husband's chagrin.

My cousin and me on our 14th birthday with our NSYNC cake

So, what does all this have to do with Kpop? When I listen to Kpop, I feel like I am back in the 90's. These groups can dance, can sing, and have so many members that there is no doubt you will find your soulmate if you just look close enough, I kid. One thing to note, when you decide on which member of a group will be your favorite, they are called your "bias". If you begin to like another member, then that person is called your "bias wrecker." This may sound silly, but it is serious business to some Kpop fans.

Besides the groups members being awesome, consider the music: the beats are great, the slow songs move you, and you will be impressed with the dedication that these group members have. They work a crazy amount of hours, learning choreography and then performing on variety shows several days a week. Then they go on tour and perform night after night. I don't understand half of what is being sung in the songs, but it doesn't matter. Music transcends spoken words and this music makes me happy and makes me want to dance.

Another thing that I appreciate about the majority of Kpop music it that is pretty clean. South Korea is a very conservative country and they are strict when it comes to what is viewed on the television and internet. There are many music videos that are banned if the clothing is too revealing or if the lyrics are too suggestive. Now many people may not mind these things, but I feel that in our Western society that we are bombarded with sexual images and it is affects the way the people view each other and how people interact with one another and it is not in a good way.

Now I don't want to lump all Korean music together, because there are different genres. There are groups and people who do hip hop, R&B, rap, rock, metal, and many other styles. I recommend looking at all and seeing what piques your interest; branch out from what you are comfortable with and try something new. Kpop is rising in popularity, so join the movement now so you can get the most Bang, Bang, Bang for your buck.

Comment below with your favorite group from the 90's or your favorite Kpop group!

My New Interest

I am such a slacker! It's been 7 months since that last post, but I just wasn't sure what to write about. I still haven't completely figured out what I want to focus on, but I can tell you that right now, for the first time in a long time, I have an interest that is kind of life consuming. So, what is it you ask?

ALL THINGS KOREAN

I don't even remember how it happened, but somehow I stumbled across something Korean, I think it was Simon and Martina from Eat Your Kimchi on YouTube and fell in love. I began watching Kdramas, listening to Kpop, and eating Korean food. Let me tell you, it's all AMAZING!

The shows and music are easy to access, thanks to the power of the internet, and some Korean snacks are available through monthly subscription boxes. However, the real honest -to-goodness, homemade food is a little trickier here is Northeast Tennessee. There are two Korean restaurants in my area, but their hours are wonky and I haven't been able to find certain staple items, such as Gochujang, Korean red pepper paste, which is in a ton of Korean dishes. I currently have my sister, who lives in Pennsylvania working on getting some for me, because I feel she can probably find it cheaper than online.

I did make some Korean beef bulgogi wraps the other night, which were yummy and my husband actually really enjoyed.

I have been listening to a ton of Kpop. My current favorite groups/singers, in no particular order, are Big Bang, BTS, SHINee, EXO, f(x), Red Velvet, Taemin, and G-Dragon. I have always joked with my husband that I really listen to music for the musical aspect, not necessarily because of the lyrics and I think my listening to Kpop proves my point. I have no idea what they are talking about, but I love it! I am also a child of the 90's so boy bands are in my blood, so it makes sense that these choreographed, harmonizing young men would be right up my alley.

Now when it comes to Kdramas, there isn't a rhyme or reason to the shows I watch. I just start one that looks interesting and 16 hours later I emerge, eyes squinting in the sunlight, from the house, sad that my favorite characters will never been seen again because Kdramas notoriously only last one season. The first Kdrama I watched was Flower Boy Ramen Shop. I was watching so many shows that I finally broke down and paid for a subscription to DramaFever so I could watch hours of uninterrupted Kdramas.

So, now that you know my newest obsession, feel free to join me in the madness that is ALL THINGS KOREAN!

Until next time...which is hopefully not seven months from now :)

Introducing

Hi! I am Rebecca and I live in northeast Tennessee. I am originally from Pennsylvania, but moved to TN with my grandparents in 1992. I love TN and all that it has to offer. I am married to my best friend and we have three awesome children.

I will begin homeschooling our eldest in August and it is going to be challenging but fun. He loves science and doing hands on activities, so I know our days will be filled with projects and experiments. Pinterest will, for sure, be my best friend during the school year.

I am trying to determine what my focus will be for this blog. I have many friends who blog, but they are super talented and create and inform people about natural living or lifestyles. I am not a creative person, at all. My mother and sister can draw, paint, play instruments, and all other things creative; I think the creative gene skipped me. So, the creative route is out of the question.

I love to talk about politics but I don't want to blog about it. I am so afraid that I will offend someone because my views are different from other people's. I never comment on these issues in public forums because I just don't want the drama that will inevitably follow. So, this won't be a political blog.

I also love to talk about religion and theology. I don't want to blog to focus completely on my personal religious beliefs, but my beliefs make me who I am and govern how I live my life, so to say my opinions about topics aren't influenced by my religion would be idiotic. So, there may be some overlap.  

I love to read and have a degree in English, so I could blog about the books that I am reading, have read, and want to read. I love to discuss books that I have read, but I don't know if there are any people out in the world that want to hear what I have to say about books. My favorite kind of book is Young Adult (YA). I think it is because I really enjoyed my teen years and I can relate to so many experiences that the characters in the books are going through.

I am also a self-proclaimed nerd. I love comic books, video games (PC and console), and movies. So, this blog may start out as a mish-mash of topics to begin with and might end up focusing on specific topics; we will see.

If you have any opinions on what I should blog about or book, game, movie suggestions, please let me know!

Until next time...