School's out for weeks now !  I am home full time with 3 kids !  It's play play and play all day everyday for us.  I didn't want to sign them up for anything at first but then gave in and signed them up for swimming.  It will give me and the girls some time together without disruptions from the Terrible 2 :-)

We spent Canada Day long weekend on Sunshine Coast with my best friend's family.  The weather was perfect and the airbnb we stayed at was a lovely place.  The house sat on a huge land with lots of green space for the kids to run around.  One afternoon we saw deer and fawns wandering through.  The kids were filled with excitement seeing the "visitors" strolling pass our garden.  Lovebug even followed one up the hill to the next house.

It's been a while since my last post !  Life kinda gets in the way :-)  things are going well.  I am now home full time, lots of things lead to this decision, but work politics surely motivated me to make the bold move.  Originally, my plan was to go down to 2 days a week, to be home more with the kids.  But I  decided to leave before the new schedule kicked in.  As you know I love my job but I can't keep up with the constant changes at work in management and uncleared directions.  I made through the restructuring but the aftermath of it, even 2 years after, still lingers on with all those who stayed.  Morale was low, I couldn't pull them up no matter how hard I tried.  It's not my job anyways.  What's hard is that I cannot go on being happy when people around me aren't.  In the past 10 years, never once a day I woke up dreading work.  The one day it happened and then again, I knew something is up.  I think the start of me wanting to leave happened on the day one of our director gave her notice. I look up to her a lot and admire her creativity and how she is so passionate about what our organization is about. What she shared with me stuck with me.  She said our organization isn't staying true to it's purpose.  That made me sad because I love my work, and I love what we do for the community.  Then a bunch of little things happened, more people left and more changes took place.  I saw it coming, my end date, it's inevitable.  I really thought I would retire here.  One thing I learned is that we can never be so sure of things in life.  Never ever be sure of things because we cannot predict even the next min. in our life.  We might not change, but people and situations around us do, and that changes the dynamic of things.  That's life friends !

Our first plane trip out of country as a family of 5.  C and I were quite nervous about the flight. Our kids are super active and rarely sit in one place for long.  First we were thinking of going to San Diego, Anaheim, or LA, mainly for the short flight.  However after reviewing hotels and distance between hotels and attractions and the beach, we would need a car to zip around all those places. C doesn’t feel comfortable driving in unfamiliar places so after going back and forth on it, California is off our list. I then looked around for other warm places and Hawaii came to mind. Flight is longer than we would like but it’s the only way if we want warm summer-like weather.  This trip is meant for spring break and for Bee's birthday.  She told us months in advance she would rather we go some where, like previous year, than have a party at home.  Although this time, while opening her presents from us, she came to the realization that without a party, she doesn't get many gifts :-D

Our kids are growing and changing so much this year.  Peanut can identify all body parts (in vietnamese), and say Ba Oi, Me Oi, Daddy, Down, Bad, No.  He loves to dance to Charlie Puth and Baby Shark.  They are the only songs that can put him to sleep.  I was hoping for quiet times and rocking him to sleep with vietnamese lullaby (like the girls) but nope, he likes to sleep to dance music, and no rocking.

INGREDIENTS:

- 2 lbs boneless beef chuck (any type of stew beef cut is ok), cut into 1.5 inch cube
- 2 stalk lemongrass, but into 2 and bruised the white part,
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon of organic sugar (white should be ok, use about 1 1/2 of tablespoon)
- 1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
- 3 tablespoon of tomato paste
- 4 medium carrots, peeled, cut slanted into 1 inch pieces
- 2-3 star anise
- 2 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 3 cups of chicken broth (or you can sub with water)
- 1 cup of coconut water (omit if doesn't have any and up the water to 4 cups.  The water should cover the meat in the pot)

(marinating)
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of fish sauce (I use the 3 Crabs brand)
- 2 teaspoons Chinese five spice mix (or 1 heaping tablespoon of the packaged Bo Kho powder)
- 2 teaspoon of paparika
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2 teaspoons full of minced ginger
- 1 1/2 tablespoon of minced shallot
- a dash or two of pepper

(optional)
- Thai basil
- cilantro
- chillies

Mix the marinating mix, 1 1/2 table spoon of fish sauce, 5-spice powder, paparika, ginger, shallot, pepper together, pour over beef cubes and marinate for at least 3 hours, preferably over night.

Over high heat, in a non stick pan or pot, heat 2 tablespoon of oil and sear the beef pieces (in batches) quickly then remove and put into a slow cooker.

Using the same pan or pot, add 1 tablespoon of oil, add the chopped onions, lemon grass, garlic and star anise.  Saute until fragrant then add the tomato sauce, fish sauce, soy sauce and sugar.

Pour this mixture over the beef cubes in the slow cooker then add the chicken broth and coconut water.

Let it cook on low for about 5-6 hours (longer is ok, if you plug in before heading out to work).  1-2 hours before serving, add the carrots to the slow cooker.  The beef and the carrot pieces should be tender, they should fall apart when cut in !  Before serving, taste and adjust by adding more fish sauce or sugar (if you like it sweet)

Remove lemongrass and star anise before serving.  You can top the dish with cilantro or basil.  Enjoy with french bread, baguette or over thin rice noodles or even eat with rice !

If you don't have a slow cooker, cook the stew in a pot and let it simmer on low for about 3 hours, or until the beef is tender.  Add the carrot an hour before the beef is done.  You don't want to add the carrot in too early because it will get too soft and mushy.

I like the sauce thin, the way it is, but if you like it to be thick, like stew thick, you can achieve that by adding in a LITTLE mixture of cornstarch or tapioca starch (starch mixed with water).  If you do this, remember to add the mixture in a bit at a time, don't pour all in at once because it might thicken up the sauce way too much and will taste starchy.

I'm a straight as an arrow type of person.  What you see is what you get, no agenda, no game, no anything.  I am not malice or cunning.  If I come across as one, then you're giving me way too much credit !!!  I have a hard time fibbing, even white lie, and never would you see me sucking up to a person.  Not that I don't want to ;-)  the thoughts and desires are there, it's just I don't feel right saying anything that isn't truth !  Often the Spirit in me would whisper, "don't do it !!! it's not who the Lord made you to be", and I listened.

I feel at this age, almost half of an average of a life span, I am still learning how to communicate effectively.  I assumed people know my intentions, and it proved over and over again that's not the case.  I need to constantly communicate my good intentions in words and actions.  This week, being on the outside of the fence, witnessing some unkind words and twisting of facts between people at work, it made me feel crappy.  I don't know why people do that :-( whatever they think they are gaining, I feel they lost a lot more.  They lost people's trust, respects, and worst, people don't want to be around them, and steer clear at the sight of them.  Seeing all these unfold in front of me, it made me think hard about how I communicate.  Our words are so powerful, more than we even know.  We can put a smile on a person's face or shame and crush their spirit, all with words.   Proverbs 15:1 came to mind, "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger".  It is so true.  A great reminder for me to think hard before I speak.  Are my words building up or crushing down ?  It's always always better to encourage and lift someone up because it has a longer lasting effect on them, and it flow to the people around them.  I know this first hand, being the one who received kindness and gentleness.  Dear Lord, oh how I desire to be more like You !