Back to Blogging, After a While. Itโs been a while since I last wrote here.More than a month, actually. I want to share our trip to Hawaii in December! Escaping the cold, gray days of Seattle, we flewโalmost impulsivelyโto sunny Hawaii.This end-of-year family trip came with no strict plans, no packed itinerary.Just one simple intention:โฆ
Somehow 2025 is already coming to a close.Time moved so fast this year that I honestly donโt know where it all went.But as I look back, I wanted to take a moment to deeply thank myself for everything Iโve carried, survived, and created. 2025๋ ๋ ์ด๋๋ง ๋์๋ฝ์ด์์.์ ๋งโฆ ์๊ฐ์ด ์ด๋ ๊ฒ ๋นจ๋ฆฌ ์ง๋๊ฐ๋ ๋๋ ์ถ์ ๋งํผ ํ ์ง๋๊ฐ๋ฒ๋ฆฐโฆ
Itโs finally my favorite season of the year โ Christmas!This year, Iโve been attending so many Christmas parties that I havenโt been able to blog as much as I wanted. Today, Iโm excited to share a little story from our pink-themed Christmas party, which we hosted for Leoโs daycare friends a couple of weekends ago.โฆ
I found the perfect mom-friendly nail kit โ and honestly, everyone thinks itโs my real nails. ๐ Every time I wear them, someone says, โYour nails look so pretty!โ
These press-on nails are a total lifesaver for busy moms. No appointments, no drying time โ just stick them on, and youโre done. They last around two weeks, and the colors look so natural and elegant.
Both are around $7.99 on Amazon, and they seriously look like salon nails. Itโs such an easy little joy โ the kind of small self-care that makes mom life a bit prettier. ๐ ๐ป
Last weekend, we went and visited Seattle Aquarium. We were all excited for the new renovated aquarium. It was a such a fun family outing. ์ง๋ ์ฃผ๋ง, ๊ฐ์กฑ ๋ชจ๋๊ฐ ๊ธฐ๋ํ๋ ์์ ํ ์์ฟ ์๋ฆฌ์(Seattle Aquarium)์ ๋ค๋ ์์ด์.๋ฆฌ๋ ธ๋ฒ ์ด์ ๋ ์๋ก์ด ์์ฟ ์๋ฆฌ์์ด ์คํํ๋ค๊ณ ํด์ ์ ๋ง ์ค๋ ๋ ๋ง์์ผ๋ก ์ถ๋ฐํ์ต๋๋ค.์ค๋๋ง์ ๊ฐ์กฑ๋ผ๋ฆฌ ์ฆ๊ฑฐ์ด ์ฃผ๋ง ๋๋ค์ด์์ด์. Seattle Aquarium https://share.google/xvkx6Fvjzj10CyEJ7 Tickets:Adult ticket is $50, and kidsโฆ
A few days ago, I shared a little story on Threads about living with my in-laws.I honestly didnโt expect such a warm responseโฆ but so many of you left the kindest comments, and it truly meant a lot to me. ๐ฅน ๋ฉฐ์น ์ ์ ์ค๋ ๋์ ์๋ถ๋ชจ๋๊ณผ ๊ฐ์ด ์ฌ๋ ์ด์ผ๊ธฐ๋ฅผ ์ฌ๋ ธ๋๋ฐ์๊ฐ๋ณด๋ค ๋๋ฌด ๋ง์ ๋ถ๋ค์ด ๋ฐ๋ปํ ๋๊ธ์ ๋จ๊ฒจ์ฃผ์ ์โฆ
As parents, the space we think about the mostโand the space our kids spend the most time inโis definitely the playzone. Today Iโm sharing the IKEA kidsโ items weโve been loving,plus a few extra pieces that make our play area feel warm, cozy, and functional.(All product details are listed below ๐) ์์ด๊ฐ ์ง์์ ๊ฐ์ฅ ์ค๋โฆ
Everyoneโs been showing off their Trader Joeโs mini tote bags today โ so of course, I went out after dinner to see if I could grab one too. ๐ But apparently my neighborhood moms are on another levelโฆ totally sold out! Not even one left.
So instead, I picked up a few other little treasures to try:
๐ฅค Propolis Shot โ $1.99 Leoโs daycare teacher swears by this for early cold symptoms โ just a little sip before it hits. Letโs see if it really works! ๋ ์ค ๋ฐ์ด์ผ์ด ์ ์๋ ์ถ์ฒํ ! ๊ฐ๊ธฐ ๊ธฐ์ด ์ฌ ๋ ์กฐ๊ธ ๋จน์ด๋ฉด ํจ๊ณผ ์ข๋ค๊ณ ํด์ ๋ ๋ณ ์ฌ๋ด. ํจ๊ณผ๊ฐ ์ข์์ง ์จ๋ณด๊ณ ํ๊ธฐ ์๋ ค์ค๊ฒ.
๐ Retinol Night Serum โ $9.99 My coworker recommended it and said itโs surprisingly good for the price. Iโll test it this week and share how it feels.
โ๏ธ Daily Facial Sunscreen – $8.99 Mine ran out, so I grabbed this gel-type one thatโs supposed to blend really well under makeup. Iโll try it tomorrow morning and report back.
Sometimes a mini shopping trip like this totally makes my evening. Even when the tote bag hunt fails, a few new skincare finds can still lift your mood. ๐
Weekends are always for the park.When we decided to move to the Seattle area, it was mainly for one reason โto raise our child surrounded by nature. ์ฃผ๋ง์ด๋ฉด ๋ ์์ด ๋ฐ๋ฆฌ๊ณ ๋๋ค ๊ณต์์ ๊ฐ๋๋ค. ์์ ํ๋ก ์ด์ฌ ์ค๊ธฐ๋ก ํ ๊ฐ์ฅ ํฐ ์ด์ ๋์์ด์๊ฒ ์ข์ ์์ฐ ํ๊ฒฝ์ ์ฃผ๊ณ ์ถ์ด์ ์์ด์. Now, whenever we visit little playgrounds tucked insideโฆ
Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐
Leoโs best friend at daycare, Sena, just became a big sister! We often have playdates together, so I wanted to give Senaโs mom something truly special โ not the typical baby gift, but something thoughtful and personal.
I had kept this Stanley x Love Shack Fancy collaboration tumbler boxhttps://shorturl.at/yugFF for a while because it was just too pretty to throw away โ the pink floral design is so lovely that it made the perfect gift box.
๋ฐ์ค๋ Stanley + Love Shack Fancy Collaboration Tumbler๋ฐ์ค์ธ๋ฐ ๋๋ฌด ์๋ป์ ์ ๋ฌผ์ฉ์ผ๋ก ์ฌ์ฉํ๋ ค๊ณ ํตํด๋์์๊ฑฐ๋ ์. ํํฌ ๊ฝ๋ฌด๋ฌ๊ฐ ์ฐธ ์ฌ๋์ค๋ฝ์ง์?
Inside, I included a few hand-picked items: ๐ Dreamegg Sleep Lite D11 Maxsound machine, since Senaโs mom mentioned she wanted one. I found it on Amazon and chose the one with the best reviews.
๐ถ Cotton on Baby Jumpsuit, Headband & Booties – Super cute pink sweater sets for the baby! ๐ Cotton on hair clips for Sena, so she doesnโt feel left out as the big sister.
๐ Bottega Louieโs chocolate bar and dessert โ the same one I recommended in my recent LA post. Their packaging is so beautiful that it instantly makes any gift feel more luxurious.
cute notepads from Daiso in LA – Since Seattle doesnโt have many Daiso stores, I picked up a cute notepad from Daiso in LA and tucked it in for Senaโs little drawings. Itโs the kind of adorable stationery that girls just love.
Itโs nothing fancy, but once I put everything together, the box turned out so charming and heartfelt. โจ Thereโs something so joyful about curating little gifts for someone โ wondering, โWill she like this?โ โ and adding each item with love.
Thatโs it for todayโs post! For anyone curious, Iโll link all the items I bought down below. ๐ ์ค๋ ํฌ์คํ ์ ์ฌ๊ธฐ๊น์ง. ๊ถ๊ธํ์ ๋ถ๋ค์ ์ํด ์ ๊ฐ ์ฐ ์ ๋ฌผ๋ค ๋งํฌ ๋ฐ์ ๋ฃ์ด๋๊ฒ์! ๐
How about a matching scarf moment this winter?Iโm really into this kind of effortless, minimal styling โit looks cozy, warm, and still feels so chic. ๐ค ์ด๋ฒ ๊ฒจ์ธ์ ์ญ์ ์ด๋ฐ ์ ๊ฒฝ ์ ์ด ๋ฏ ์์ฐ์ค๋ฌ์ด ์ค์นดํ ์คํ์ผ๋ง์ด ๋์ธ์ธ ๋ฏ!์ฝ์งํ๊ณ ๋ฐ๋ปํด ๋ณด์ด๋ฉด์๋, ์ธ๋ จ๋ ๋ฌด๋๊ฐ ๋ฑ ๋ด ์คํ์ผ ๐ค Try pairing your scarf with your jacket inโฆ
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend. ์์ฆ ์์ ๋น ์ง ํ ๋ค์ผ ํคํธ ๐ ๐ป I found the perfect mom-friendly nail kit โ and honestly, everyone thinks itโs my real nails. ๐Every time I wear them, someone says, โYour nails look so pretty!โ ์ด๊ฑฐ ๋ถ์ด๋ฉด ์ง์ง ๋ค๋ค โ๋ค์ผ ์ด๋์ ํ์ด?โ ๋ผ๊ณ ๋ฌผ์ด๋ด!๊ฐ์ง ๋ค์ผ์ธ๋ฐ ๋๋ฌด ์์ฐ์ค๋ฝ๊ณ ์๋ป์โฆ
Everyoneโs been showing off their Trader Joeโs mini tote bags today โ so of course, I went out after dinner to see if I could grab one too. ๐ But apparently my neighborhood moms are on another levelโฆ totally sold out! Not even one left. So instead, I picked up a few other little treasures toโฆ
Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐
This week, my husbandโs aunt came to visit us for lunch! I wanted to make something thatโs simple yet elegant, easy to prepare but still feels special โ so I decided to make Sukiyaki, a Japanese-style hot pot dish.Sukiyaki has a sweet and savory broth made with soy sauce and mirin, and itโs typically served with a raw egg that you dip the cooked meat into. It might sound unusual, but trust me โ it adds a rich, creamy flavor that makes everything taste even better. ๐ค
In a large skillet or shallow pot, heat a little beef tallow (or oil), sautรฉ green onions for aroma, and lightly sear the tofu. Arrange the vegetables and beef beautifully in the pot, pour in the sauce, and let it simmer gently.
Dip the cooked meat and vegetables into a lightly beaten raw egg โ itโs creamy, nutty, and so comforting.
It was the perfect meal for a rainy day โ cozy, flavorful, and comforting. โ๏ธ For dessert, I prepared some Japanese sweets โ mochi and a slice of roll cake. My husbandโs aunt loved the meal, and Leo enjoyed it so much too! ๐
If youโre hosting guests and need an easy but impressive menu idea, Sukiyaki is the way to go โ delicious, family-friendly, and warm for the soul.
Hope you enjoyed this post! If you have any questions or favorite Sukiyaki tips, leave them in the comments below. ๐ฒโจ
Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐
This week, weโre in Los Angeles, the city where I spent most of my 20s and 30s. LA is my hometown at heart โ itโs where my parents live and where so many memories were made and where me & David met.
I came back this time to help take care of my dad during his eye surgery (which went well! ๐) and to spend some precious time with my parents and Leo. Between hospital visits and family time, I also revisited a few of my favorite LA spots that always make me feel nostalgic. Iโd love to share them with you.
I absolutely love this place. Itโs a rooftop bar at the EDITION Hotel on Sunset Blvd with a stunning panoramic view of LA. The hotel itself is beautifully designed โ high ceilings, marble floors, dark wooden furniture, and rich velvet green curtains in the lobby. Even the lobby scent is dreamy. When you walk in, you feel like you are in Hollywood movie.
Once you go up to the rooftop, youโre greeted with a breathtaking view and a chic bar area thatโs perfect for golden hour drinks. I used to bring friends here whenever they visited LA, and every single time, it was magical.
โจ My order this time: ceviche and a chicken sandwich โ both were delicious. ๐ธ Cocktails here are amazing, and the dessert menu is worth trying too (especially the ceviche, if you love fresh flavors).
This is my go-to spot for picking up gifts for friends and family. The interior and packaging design always remind me of Wes Andersonโs The Grand Budapest Hotel โ colorful, whimsical, and elegant.
I love admiring the pastry display โ all the cakes and desserts look like little art pieces. My favorite thing to buy here is their beautifully packaged chocolates and sweets. Theyโre a little pricey, but totally worth it.
The only downside? Iโve noticed their gift selection getting smaller each time I visit, which makes me a little sad. ๐ข
Of course, no LA trip is complete without stopping by this iconic photo spot. Iโve passed by LACMA so many times before, but this time I finally went to take pictures with Leo.
We arrived around 6 PM, just in time for that perfect pink sky backdrop. Leo and I played hide-and-seek between the lamp posts, and he had the best time. I love how the photos captured his joy so naturally.
๐ธ Tip: If youโre not planning to visit the museum itself, try to find nearby street parking. The parking lot costs $23 for the day, even if you only stay an hour.
One of the most popular outdoor shopping malls in the heart of LA, The Grove is the perfect place to soak in that classic LA vibe. ๐ดโจ At the center of the mall, thereโs a beautiful fountain, surrounded by chic restaurants and stylish shops that make it such a fun place to stroll around.
If youโre visiting with kids, donโt miss the trolley ride โ itโs a charming little experience that makes the day even more special for families. ๐
Probably the most hyped grocery store in LA โ and for good reason! This time, I visited the Grove location, which felt a bit more spacious and relaxed compared to the Silverlake one.
If you go, you have to try their famous smoothies. Yes, theyโre about $19โ20 each (!!) but honestly, totally worth the hype. I tried the Hailey Bieber Strawberry Glaze Smoothie and the Malibu Mango Smoothie, and both were absolutely delicious. ๐๐ฅญ
Erewhon is also known for its health supplements and clean-living lifestyle products, and I always end up browsing their shelves for way too long. Their merch is another favorite of mine โ simple, minimal, and effortlessly stylish. This time, I picked up a 20oz tumbler and a bag of Erewhon coffee to try at home.
And can we talk about the people there? Everyone shopping at Erewhon looks so effortlessly chic โ I love people-watching and getting little fashion inspo while sipping on my smoothie. โจ
Which place is your favorite spot in Los Angeles? ๐ There are still so many places I wanted to visit, but time was too short to fit them all in this trip. Hopefully next time!
I hope you guys enjoyed reading my LA post โ if you have any other recommendations or hidden gems, please share them in the comments below. Iโd love to check them out on my next visit. โจ Thanks so much for reading! ๐ด๐
As you know, Iโm a fashion designer โ and I love to dress up. But what I love even more is dressing up my kid. ๐ฅฐI try my best not to go overboard with shopping since kids grow so fast and most clothes only last a few months. But stillโฆ I canโt resist picking upโฆ
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend.Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐ Itโs getting cold and rainy here in Seattle, and Iโve been loving the crisp air and the beautiful autumn leaves.With this weather, Iโฆ
Itโs officially pumpkin season in Seattle! ๐The mornings and evenings are getting chilly, but the daytime still feels warm and cozy. You can see autumn all around โ the colorful leaves, crisp air, and that golden sunlight that makes everything feel magical. I love pumpkin season, so we decided to visit Carpinito Brothers Farm inโฆ
As you know, Iโm a fashion designer โ and I love to dress up. But what I love even more is dressing up my kid. ๐ฅฐ I try my best not to go overboard with shopping since kids grow so fast and most clothes only last a few months. But stillโฆ I canโt resist picking up a few cute pieces for Leo, especially when the weather starts to change.
Recently, I came across a Gap Kids sale and found the cutest fall pieces for him. They fit so well and are perfect for layering during these chilly Seattle days. I usually buy one size up (3T) so he gets that comfy oversized fit and can wear them longer.
I meanโฆ look at this hat!! ๐ป This adorable corduroy bucket hat with the little bear embroidery is my absolute favorite find from this haul. It gives such a cute fall vibe and Leo looks beyond adorable in it.
A classic layering piece for autumn. I love denim shirts on little kids โ it goes with almost anything and instantly adds a polished touch. Itโs light but warm enough for layering under a sweater or jacket.
These cargo pants fit Leo perfectly in that slightly oversized way I love. Theyโre comfy, easy to move in, and work with every top I picked up. Definitely a wardrobe staple this season.
This sweater is so versatile โ Leo can wear it casually with cargo pants or layer it over a button-up for a more dressed-up look. I love how cozy yet structured it looks on him. Instant โmini modelโ vibes ๐โจ
I got these Henleys in two colors because theyโre just that good. The fabric is soft, the fit is comfortable, and the color block detail is the cutest little touch. Perfect for everyday daycare outfits.
Okayโฆ this one is just too cute. The teddy bear sweater is soft, warm, and seriously cozy โ basically fall in one piece of clothing. Leo looked like a little storybook character in it. ๐ฅน๐
I love finding pieces that are both cute and practical, and Gap Kids really nailed it this season. Comfortable fits, soft fabrics, and adorable little details make dressing Leo so much fun โ even if I know heโll outgrow them in a few months. ๐
โจ Sometimes, fashion isnโt just about clothes โ itโs about the joy and little moments we create while wearing them. โจ ํจ์ ์ ์ท ๊ทธ ์์ฒด๋ง์ด ์๋๋ผ, ๊ทธ ์ท์ ์ ๊ณ ๋ง๋ค์ด๊ฐ๋ ๋ฐ๋ปํ ์๊ฐ๋ค์ด๋ผ๊ณ ์๊ฐํด์.
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend.Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐ Last weekend, we celebrated Leoโs and my birthday with our friendsโ families in BC Vancouver, Canada. Iโve been to Vancouver once before andโฆ
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend. Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐
Itโs getting cold and rainy here in Seattle, and Iโve been loving the crisp air and the beautiful autumn leaves. With this weather, I always start craving warm, hearty soups that keep me and my family cozy and healthy. So today, I decided to make Galbi Tang (Korean Short Rib Soup) โ my ultimate Korean soul food for chilly days.
For Galbi Tang, you need short ribs with the bone โ thatโs what gives the broth its deep, rich umami flavor. I picked up a pack from Costco, and it looked perfect!
Soak the galbi in cold water for about 1 hour to draw out any blood or impurities. Then, boil the ribs in a pot of water with 1 or 2 TSP of Cooking Sake for 5โ10 minutes. This helps remove any leftover impurities and keeps the broth clean. Drain and rinse the ribs once again.
Place the cleaned short ribs back into a large pot with 4 liters of water. Bring it to a boil over high heat, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for about 1 hour. While itโs boiling, make sure to skim off any foam that rises to the top โ this step is key to getting a clear, deep broth.
Add them into the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes. Once done, remove the meat, radish, garlic, and leek. Season the broth to taste with Korean soup soy sauce and a bit of fish sauce. ๐ Tip: Donโt season too early while the meat is cooking โ soy sauce can make the meat tough.
I love enjoying Galbi Tang with dangmyeon (Korean glass noodles). Soak the noodles in room temperature water for about 30 minutes, then drain. Place the noodles in the bottom of your serving bowl, ladle in the hot soup, and top with the short ribs, radish, and chopped green onions.
Optional but highly recommended: Dip the short ribs in soy sauce with a little wasabi โ itโs so good!
Galbi Tang is so much easier to make than you might think, and itโs unbelievably comforting. It warms your body and soul, making those cold Seattle days feel a little cozier.
Perfect for family dinners or a quiet night in. โจ
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend. Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐ Just like that, itโs fall in Seattle! Summer left so abruptly without even saying goodbye. I can feel the crisp morning airโฆ
In Korean culture, food is everything. We say โDid you eat?โ instead of โHello.โ My mom was the same โ she cooked the most amazing meals for our family, three times a day, every single day. And one of her very best recipes was Galbi (๊ฐ๋น, Korean short ribs). Now here I am, living inโฆ
Itโs officially pumpkin season in Seattle! ๐ The mornings and evenings are getting chilly, but the daytime still feels warm and cozy. You can see autumn all around โ the colorful leaves, crisp air, and that golden sunlight that makes everything feel magical.
I love pumpkin season, so we decided to visit Carpinito Brothers Farm in Kent for our very first pumpkin patch with Leo.
Right at the entrance, we were greeted by the award-winning giant pumpkins โ some weighed over 2,000 lbs! I was amazed by their size.
Inside the farm, there were so many different kinds of pumpkins โ from tiny mini jacks to huge, round ones in all kinds of colors and shapes. You grab a cart, pick your favorites, and stroll around the field taking cute family photos.
We picked a bunch of beautiful pumpkins and took lots of photos with Leo at the photo props. He had so much fun picking his own pumpkins โ and even took a bunch of photos himself with my digital camera and phone! The pictures turned out so cute. I love how artistic he is already. ๐ธ
After leaving the pumpkin patch area, we stopped by the huge farmerโs market next to the farm. All the fresh produce looked amazing, so we ended up shopping a lot for the week.
There were also food stands selling roasted corn and hot dogs, and of course, we couldnโt resist. We had two corns and two hot dogs to share โ the corn was especially delicious! Leo loved it so much that he ate an entire one by himself. It was so cute watching him hold the big corn tightly and take big bites with his tiny mouth.
Our pumpkin patch adventure was so much fun, and weโll definitely go again next year. It was the perfect little family outing, and watching Leo enjoy every moment made it even more special.
Now our front door is decorated with all the pumpkins we picked, and it looks so festive and cozy every time I come home.
Where else do you recommend for pumpkin patches around the Seattle area? Let me know in the comments โ Iโd love to explore more farms next year! ๐
Last Sunday, our family spent the day at Remlinger Farm in Carnationโa nostalgic trip for my husband, whose parents used to take him there for the pumpkin patch when he was little. For my in-laws, this was their first visit back in over twenty years, making the day feel extra special. ์ง๋ ์ผ์์ผ, ์ ํฌ ๊ฐ์กฑ์โฆ
Leo, my almost 2-year-old, goes to daycare during the day, and one of my favorite little routines is taking him to the park after I pick him up. I just love watching him run around and enjoy himselfโit feels like pure joy. I also try to explore different parks so he can have new littleโฆ
It was our 3rd anniversary on August 6th, so we decided to treat ourselves to a fancy dinnerโsomething we hadnโt done in a while. With a toddler at home, date nights are rare since finding a babysitter isnโt easy. Thatโs why this night out felt extra special. We chose The Butcherโs Table, one of theโฆ
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend. Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐
We love hosting friends at our house, and this time we threw a party with a fun twist โ an Izakaya theme night! Since my husband David is Japanese American and lived in Tokyo for 10 years after college, he has a deep love for Japanese cuisine. He has always dreamed of inviting friends over and recreating the authentic Izakaya experience.
So, we transformed our home into โIzakaya Iwanoyaโ (which means โThe Iwanoโsโ in Japanese). We decorated with paper lanterns, old fans on the walls, and even hung a lantern sign outside the door. A chalkboard menu and bar-style seating gave the vibe of a cozy Tokyo Izakaya. It was so much fun setting everything up โ our guests loved the atmosphere!
We all wore matching white button-up shirts โ even little Leo! It made us look like Izakaya chefs, and Leo as our tiny chef was just the cutest. ๐จโ๐ณ
Next came everyoneโs favorite โ sushi! We bought fresh sashimi, spicy tuna, and salmon from Costco, and our friend Aaron helped roll beautiful maki and handrolls. The presentation looked amazing, and everyone was impressed at how much food we prepared.
For the highlight of the night, we grilled buttery, melt-in-your-mouth A5 Kobe Wagyu. Some we served as sushi, and some straight off the hot grill. The flavor was unforgettable โ so tender that even the kids loved it!
To finish the savory part of the meal, David made Chicken Karaage โ crispy, juicy Japanese fried chicken served with lemon mayo. Even though everyone was full by then, no one could resist it.
We wrapped up with Yuzu & Matcha Ice Cream. The citrusy yuzu was refreshing after such a rich meal, and the kids couldnโt get enough โ they kept asking for seconds!
It was a lot of work to plan the menu and set up the decorations, but watching our friends enjoy the food and atmosphere made it completely worth it. The bar seating made the night feel intimate, like a real Tokyo Izakaya, and the kids had the best time playing together.
I was so proud of David for cooking and preparing most of the dishes โ he was truly the champ of the night! ๐ Sharing Japanese food and culture with our friends made this evening so special, and Izakaya Iwanoya will definitely be a memory weโll all cherish.
I went to my beautiful friend Cassieโs birthday party in Kirkland, and it was such a perfect day. The party was at her sisterโs gorgeous beach-front house, and the weather was sunny and warm โ just right for enjoying the view and soaking up the sun. ์ด๋ฒ ์ฃผ๋ง, ์๋ฆ๋ค์ด ์น๊ตฌ ์บ์(Cassie)์ ์์ผํํฐ์ ๋ค๋ ์์ด์. ํํฐ๋ ์ปคํด๋๋์โฆ
๐ธ๐๏ธ์์ดํคํค, ํธ๋๋ฃฐ๋ฃจ, ๋ ธ์ค์ผ์ด์์ ๊ผญ ๊ฐ์ผํ ๊ณณ๋ค, ๋ด๊ฐ ์ข์ํ๋ ๊ณณ๋ค ์ถ์ฒ – ์ฌํ ๊ณํ ์ง๋ ํ ๐ธ Places to Visit ๐๏ธ Beaches ํด๋ณ๊ฐ Waikiki Beach (Kid-Friendly) ์์ดํคํค ํด๋ณ If you’re staying in Waikiki, this beach is right at your doorstep. I loved the beach in front of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa โ itโs protectedโฆ
Welcome! Iโm Ran, your favorite K-Mom friend. Blending my Korean roots with everyday mom life, I love sharing practical tips, K-mom recipes, self-care routines, and family moments that inspire joy and balance. ๐
Last Friday, I went to La Loba, located inside the newly opened 1 Hotel in downtown Seattle, with my girlfriends. It turned out to be such a beautiful night โ filled with good food, drinks, laughter, and a cozy yet stylish ambiance.
Finding a restaurant in Seattle that has both amazing food and a great vibe can be a challenge, but La Loba nailed it.
The moment we stepped into the 1 Hotel lobby, I was already in love. The way the lobby flowed seamlessly into La Lobaโs interior made it feel like we were transported to Cabo right here in Seattle. The decor was stunning: lush greenery, warm moody lighting, wooden tables, and soft-toned chairs. It gave the perfect balance of chic and relaxed.
To top it off, there was live music โ a band playing Spanish guitar and Latin American songs. The music, the ambiance, the laughter around the tableโฆ it was pure magic.
La Loba specializes in Spanish cuisine with tapas, entrรฉes, and Spanish-inspired cocktails. We went with the Tasting Menu ($85 per person), which included:
4 different tapas (appetizers) ; Gazpacho shot, Scallop Crudo, Endive & Granola Salad, 30-day dry aged Striploin Carpaccio – everything was absolutely delicious! I loved how each dish had its own unique texture, and I was impressed by the unexpected yet delightful mix of ingredients.
Honestly, such a great deal for the quality and amount of food! Everything was beautifully plated, the flavors were bold yet balanced, and the portions were just right. We felt like we were on a culinary adventure.
The cocktail experience was also a highlight โ they rolled out a bar cart to our table and made cocktails right in front of us. It was interactive, fun, and (most importantly) delicious.
We ended the evening taking photos together in the lobby (because of course ๐ธ). By the time we were leaving, a DJ had started playing in the lobby bar, and I wished we couldโve stayed a little longer to enjoy that vibe too. Butโฆ mama duties call. ๐
It was such a fun and memorable night out, and Iโd totally recommend La Loba if youโre looking for a special dinner spot in Seattle.
The Slower Days 