Eat a healthy snack with this cute Fruit Flag by FamilyFun.com. 

All you need are strawberries, blackberries, bananas, and lemon juice.

Happy Fourth!

I just finished reading Kim Wong Keltner’s novel, The Dim Sum of All Things.  It was an interesting look into the life of Lindsey, a 20-something-year-old Asian American woman working at an entry-level job, playing the dating game, and living with her grandmother in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
 
The book relies heavily on amusing stereotypes—the Caucasian men who are completely fascinated by Asian women, the elderly Chinese grandmother who smells like Tiger Balm, the male Asian-American cousin who is angry with Caucasian men who date Asian women, and the adult Asian women who are deeply enamored with Hello Kitty products.

Overall, it’s a quick & light read.  Some might be put off by Lindsey’s poor choices in life, her use of silly mind games in dating, or the author’s frequent use of exaggerated stereotypes.  That aside, it was fun reading some chick-lit from an Asian American perspective, and I hope to see more.

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Look at these beautiful Krokeshi dolls.  They are cute little hand-crocheted dolls by Emi Motokawa featured at the Japanese American National Museum store.

Each doll has a tiny bell inside, shoe-button eyes, and contains a weight at the bottom to make it stand up on its own.  Therefore, it's not suitable for very young children, but would make a perfect gift for an older child.

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Looking for a cute novelty item for someone who loves sushi? 

Check out these Sushi Ties, complete with Saba, Maguro, Ebi, Tamago, Ikura, Tekka Maki, Tako, Maguro, Sake, Saba, & California Roll.

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My 7-year-old daughter loves American Girl books.  She usually reads stories about their historical characters, but I recently discovered their "Be Your Best" books.

Friends:  Making Them & Keeping Them is a book written for girls ages 8 & up, which describes how to make friends and how to make the most of the friendships that you have, stressing the importance of finding friends who understand and appreciate you for who you are.

They suggest joining a club, taking a class, playing a sport, starting a club, or even just getting out of the house.  They offer ideas for starting a conversation and keeping it going.  They also talk about building a circle of friends and being open to all kinds of friendships.

There are also tips on what not to do, such as being jealous or bossy, bragging, talking behind someone's back, or leaving someone out.  Remembering to listen, to be there, to show that you care, and to apologize when you make a mistake is important in being a good friend.

What a nice book--the illustrations are adorable & the advice is really useful for young girls, teens, & even adults.  :)

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For fans of the TV show "Ni Hao, Kai-Lan," here is an adorable Dragon Boat set of Mega Bloks, complete with Kai-Lan & Rintoo figures, a dragon boat with building blocks, and parts to build rivers, trees, lanterns, and flowers. 

How fun!

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OMG--have you ever seen anything so cute?

Check out these Happy Little Pork Buns by the toki cafe on etsy.com.  Cha Shao Bao is one of our favorite Dim Sum dishes.  My daughter would go nuts over this!

Looking for a fun project to make?

Take a look at this fabulous Japanese Buddhist temple, known as Byodoin Phoenix Hall.  This famous building is featured on the 10 yen coin and the 10,000 yen note. 

You can make it at home by printing it out from Canon paper craft on matte photo paper.  How cool!