How gadget is affecting US as humans and why we need to travel more than ever...

I meant to post this 2 days ago but with all the stuff that is going on, I have been neglecting this blog and a lot of stuff that needs my attention.

It's one hectic day but I figure it will be nice to surprise my eldest and bring him his favorite soy miso ramen with BBQ Charsiu POrk and some fish balls for lunch. 

We are not yet full time VanLife family (most of our trips are to go visit family and friends and or mostly for VanLife Adventures) so my son still needs to go to school. We are planning to Van school him after this school year though so it's gonna be one crazy (hopefully amazing) adventure for all of us.

Anyway, the look in his face sure makes all the hard work so worth it. I know I don't get to see him at lunch time often and he didn't even know I am showing up. So my plan works lol.

That day I also witness family (sometimes families) who comes to see their child but spend 90% of their 30 minutes looking to their phone instead of spending time or #BeInTheMoment with their love ones. I am no innocent and I try not to judge but that look to that child face just breaks my heart. He keeps looking at his parents but they are both so busy with their phone. 

I know in this time and day, we are mostly occupied by gadgets and we rarely spend quality time with those we love and care. 

Sometimes I wonder if this is the future that is out there. It looks to be sad and superficial. Makes me wonder also maybe this cause more depressions, suicides and conflicts in this world.

This reality gives me more reason to travel with my family. You know when we are in our van, it may be very small and feels cramped most of the time. But when we are there - we are family. We go places. Explore and BE IN THE MOMENT. The only time we use gadget is to take videos or photos or when I am about to cook and the kids are all tired playing all day outside and we need that quiet moment and they get to use their gadget. 

Not having internet also limits their usage of it and just think of something else to do as brothers.

Technology is great don't get me wrong. I get to convey my feelings and connect with others through here BUT don't use this as an excuse to be occupied all the time.

Please, spend quality time with your family or friends. 

Life is too short... Don't wait til it's too late to realize it.

Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay

❛Good habits formed at youth make all the difference.❜

— Aristotle

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#PursuitOfHappiness 

Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay 

"Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day"

- Dalai Lama

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Quote of the Day

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“The biggest adventure you can ever take is to live the life of your dreams.”

- Oprah Winfrey

Can't wait to upgrade our #Van and do more #VanLifeAdventures while my kids are young.


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Quote of the Day

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"Just living is not enough. One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower."

- Hans Christian Andersen

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#LEGO alphabet series Let’s build letter “B” fun LEGO project for kids LEGO gadget holder #LEGOideas

This time we build a LEGO letter “B” to use as gadget holder, napkin holder or anything you want. You can use this as it is to showcase your letter “B” 

Will continue building our #LEGO Alphabet Series. 

Above is the LEGO bricks you needed (x4 except for the base part). This is very easy to make and so much fun to do with your little one. My youngest says you can also use this as a night light, just place those LED lights in the middle and use it that way - clever i think :)

Let us know what you want us to build next.

See our letter “A” here... How to build #LEGO napkin, phone, chips and candy holder. #LEGO letter A napkin holder for kids https://youtu.be/B6FFDW3RKFU

Thank you for watching ❤️

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Quote of the Day

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"Reflect upon your present blessings -- of which every man has many -- not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some."

- Charles Dickens

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Quote of the Day

#2KidsInApod
#QuoteOfTheDay

“How do you spell ‘love’?” – Piglet

“You don’t spell it…you feel it.”

– Pooh

#WinnieThePoohDay #HappyWinnieThePoohDay
#Love #LoveQuote
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Presenting our Lego Alphabet Series... #LEGO letter "A" napkin & gadget holder for kids. Fun and easy #LEGO project for kids. easy LEGO diy. Lego project to try with your little one.

Presenting our Lego Alphabet Series...

Let’s build a letter “A” LEGO cell phone holder, candy holder, chips holder, juice holder even iPad holder or gadget holder for your kids. 

If you are looking for fun way to use LEGO for every day use with your kids, then this one is a project to try. It's very easy and should not take you more than 30 minutes to build it. Most LEGO brick parts came from the once you already have. We don't have fancy ones and mostly relies on Lego Classic bricks that we already have. Just like the photo below.

Above photo are the exact bricks you needed except you needed twice (except for the gray base one) the bricks because you will use it on the other side.

Thank you for watching and we can't wait to see your #LEGOcreations

#LEGOproject #LEGO #LEGObuild #LEGOmom #LEGOlover #LEGOaddict #LegoClassic #LEGOclassicInspirationalBuilding #LEGOclassicAtWork #LEGOfan #LEGOfriends #LegoMom #LEGOcreations #LEGOideas #LEGOcreator #LEGOfunProject #AFOL #MOC #MOLC #instaLEGO #LEGOstagram

Quote of the Day

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“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

― Mark Twain

Photo Taken when we #VisitBigBend one of @Texas pride

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Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay 

“Jobs fill your pocket, but adventures fill your soul.” 

– Jamie Lyn Beatty

#Wanderlust #Nomad #NomadLife #NomadDiaries #DigitalNomad #Denmark #Copenhagen #VanLife #VanLifer #VanLifeMovement #VanLifeDiaries #VanLifeAdventures #Explore #Dream #Discover #PursuitOfHappiness 

Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay

“Travel isn’t always pretty. It isn’t always comfortable. Sometimes it hurts, it even breaks your heart. But that’s okay. The journey changes you; it should change you. It leaves marks on your memory, on your consciousness, on your heart, and on your body. You take something with you. Hopefully, you leave something good behind.”

– Anthony Bourdain

#OneOfMyFavoriteQuote
#ImissAnthonyBurdain
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#PursuitOfHappiness 

How to cut your bills in almost half. With #VanLife goal this is our first step to make it happen.

Our goal this year is to finally step to our dream #VanLife and travel as much as we can we the kids. With that in mind we are already downsizing and making steps to make sure we can make it come true. 

This is our first step... How to cut your bills in almost half.

With our busy life we hardly realize that we often forgot or realize that our bills have went out than the normal ones that we are paying. If you have auto-pay and emailed bills then it is a lot harder to realized that your bills went up. Sometimes this is due to the "fine print" you signed up stating that the prize you are paying is only good for a certain months or for a year. You will be surprised how much you are over paying just because you ignore a bill or two and not realized it went up already.

The best way to cut your bills in half (or at least almost half of it) is to do the following:

• always check your bills
• read the fine prints or at least try to clarify to the seller/company if what you are signing for (price wise) is only good for a year or a few months only and if so how much is the "REAL" price per month.
• Every year contact different companies to give you a quote for the same insurance coverage you are getting for your house, rv, car, etc. You will be surprise how much they differ. A short email, 30 minutes of your time chatting online or talking on the phone can go a LONG way. Just make sure you are contacting a legitimate company so you won't end up giving information and get scammed. We used to use Geico for our car insurance but noticed that after a year our payment went up almost twice the price we use to pay. I called and they told me that is just how it is.  Called different insurance company and was given a quote almost half the price of what we are paying and with better coverage. That simple conversation have saved us $1,000 per year in our insurance. That is a LOT of savings in my honest opinion so make sure you do this every year to get a better payment. If you don't want to change insurance company and you know that you are a good driver, make sure you point this out to your agent and they are always more than willing to lower your payment (you can also tell them you are thinking of switching and this often gives you a better chance of getting a lower payments).
• We used Xfinity for our internet. When we signed up they give us a promo offer that we only pay $39/month for the lowest speed in their internet, this price is good for a year and if you don't ask they won't tell you that it is only for a year and will be so much after that. I forgot that "clause" and was surprised to see our bill after the "promo" ends. It is almost $90/month! Can you imagine that much have added. So I decided to go to their office store in person (their store is just 5min drive from home and it is a lot better to see them in person than be on the phone forever and be frustrated) This move cost me10 minutes drive back and forth and another 30 minutes waiting in the store BUT after that I get to lower our bills back now it cost us $44 per month on our internet. That's $552 savings in a year, I would rather spend an hour doing this and save this much in a year. I have to do this every year BUT i don't mind. The savings we get is worth it!
• Ditch your cable! Do you really need that many channels you don't watch? If you love sports there are other ways to watch them live and not spend as much as the one cable company bill you every month. You can install an antenna and watch basic channels in HD for FREE and if you want some other channels or shows they have apps, youtube, hulu, netflix and other company that offers $10-$20 per month and this is far cheaper than the cable company. We used to pay $75 per month for channels we hardly watch so we decided to just get antenna and netfix. This saves us at least $50 per month (that's $600 savings in a year!)
• Did you know you can lower your electrical bill? You can ask your electric company if they offer a base payment for your electricity. This often was given to those who knows their electric usage are always the same or promise that they will use more electricity in down time (like wash/dry clothes at night, vacuum at night, etc.) Some company also offer FREE night/s of electricity just ASK! Often companies don't tell you this "hidden gems" unless you ask them so it is always nice to ask and find out.
• Downgrade your cell phone. Do you really need that much gig in your phone service? If you are like me who don't work, most of the time I don't get phone calls and if I do get them it only average 60 minutes per month so why bother paying $50 - $100+ per month for service you don't need. Of course this will be different when you live in the Van or RV or car and always on the go. Sometimes you can talk to your carrier and see the best option without spending that much.

This post is mostly based on our experienced, I know there are other ways that you can cut your bills you just need to invest a little time, patience and kindness when you deal with them (believe me a smile can go a very LONG way!)

Please let me know if you have other ways so I can update my list and I will be very happy to do it too.

Thank you for being here!

Remember Life is short...
Explore.
Dream.
Discover.

Quote of the Day

#2KidsInApod
#QuoteOfTheDay
#MotivationalQuotes

"Today you are you, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is youer than you."

- Dr. Seuss

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#NomadDiaries #DigitalNomad #Wanderlust #VanLife #VanLifer #VanLifeMovement #VanLifeDiaries #Travel #beYOUtiful #Explore #PursuitOfHappiness 

Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay

“A journey is measured in friends rather than miles.”

— Tim Cahill

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#TBT an adventure worth remembering. Little town outside Shanghai

#2KidsInApod 
#TBT 

This was taken outskirts of #Shanghai. Hubby and I were driving our moped without fixed place to go and end up being in this little town. 
Houses made of clay, no one can speak English nor know basic Mandarin coz they use their own dialect BUT I get to buy this yummy watermelon and gas for our moped using #SignLanguage 😊
Sure miss our little adventures like this every weekend in #China 

#ChinaAdventures #Wanderlust #Travel #GetOut #Nomad #NomadLife #NomadDiaries #PursuitOfHappiness #DigitalNomad

Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay

❛Cherish all your happy moments; they make a fine cushion for old age ❜

— Booth Tarkington

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Quote of the Day

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❛ Why fit in when you were born to stand out? ❜

— Dr. Seuss

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#VanMom #VanLifeAdventures
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Quote of the Day

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#MondayMotivation

❛ A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. ❜

— Colin Powell

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Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay 

❛ For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness. ❜

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Follow our journey at 2KidsInApod.com

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Quote of the Day

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#QuoteOfTheDay

❛ Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create. ❜

— Maria Montessori

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#RECIPE How to make Spicy Sichuan Chicken Recipe in less just 15 minutes

Made this yummy Spicy Sichuan Chicken in less than 15min and you can too.

We lived in #China for 5yrs and have enjoyed their delicious cuisine every single day. Now that we are here in US, it is not easy to find that authentic #ChineseCuisine we used to love. Unless we drive to cities where Chinatown is available.

My quest to copy dish that we love is not easy but there are days that I get lucky and make hubby smile just like today.

This dish usually don't usually served with veggies on it BUT since I am trying to make hubby and the kids eat healthier I decided to add their favorite vegetables without ruining the taste.

Ingredients good for a plateful (2 person dish):

• half pound chicken (diced) *** you can substitute this with pork, beef, lamb and even fish or tofu if you want the vegetarian version of it.
• 3 pcs dried red chili
• 1 tsp Sichuan peppercorn (this made this dish authentic in flavor) you can find this in asian store or order them online (buy it in amazon)
• 1 tbsp hot chili oil (buy it in amazon)
• 2 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce * more or less depends on how spicy you want this* (buy it in amazon)
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp sesame oil (buy it in amazon)

optional ingredients:

• half a cup mushroom cut in to pieces
• 1/4 cup yellow onion diced
• 1/4 cup diced zucchini

Procedure:

1. Heat the hot chili oil in the pan in a high heat.
2. Add chicken (or whatever meat you use) and sprinkle with salt. Sauteed for 2 minutes.
3. Add dried chili, sichuan peppercorns and chili garlic sauce. Sauteed for 3 minutes or until chicken is half way cooked.
4. Add all the veggies and cooked for 5 minutes (more or less until you reach the doneness of the veggies - some people wants their veggies half cooked.
5. Add sesame oil. Stir for 15 seconds then served. (topped with cut green onions if desired)
6.  NOTE: if not adding veggies make sure your chicken or meat are cooked before serving (usually in 5 minutes high heat it is done) add the sesame oil before serving.

Serve with steamed rice, fried rice, noodles (this taste good when you add this to stir fried noodles) or just eat this as it is.

Let me know if you have tried this and what your thoughts are.

diy #LEGO Candy dispenser A fun easy LEGO project for kids. #LEGOideas #LEGOclassic #LEGObuild

Had so much fun building this one for my nephew. I showed him my last 2 creations and he wanted me to build one to keep his candies.

I will need to make a step by step tutorial on how to make this Lego Machine since it is pretty easy to make and you can use what you already have at home. I am very sure that if you have a lego cars together with your other Lego bricks that you can make this one without a problem. 

The most exciting part is that... You can design how you want your candies to go down based on what LEGO you have.

You can check my previous diy LEGO Candy Dispenser here:

1st try    See it working here

2nd try

CANDY THIEVES - LEGO movie LEGO creatures come to life First stop motion app #LEGOmovie #LEGOcreator

Our first try using stop motion app to make our LEGO creations come to life. Watch out for your candies because this Candy thieves are ready to find and get them.

#LEGOideas #LEGOcreations #LEGOclassic #LEGOshortMovie #LegoClassic #LEGOideas #diyLEGO #LEGOproject #LEGObuild #LEGOclassicInspirationalBuilding

Quote of the Day

#2KidsInApod

#QuoteOfTheDay

“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open.”

– Jawaharial Nehru

#Nomad #NomadLife #NomadDiaries#DigitalNomad #TravelQuotes  

#TravelQuoteOfTheDay #Travel #Explorer #Explore #Dreamer #Dream 

#VanLife #VanMom #VanLifer #VanLifeAdventures #VanLifeMovement 

#VanLifeDiaries #SprinterVanConversion #SprinterVan #Houston #PlacesToGo
#PlacesToGoInTexas

Arri showing how our diy #LEGO Candy dispenser works. A fun easy LEGO project for kids. #LEGOideas #LEGOclassicinspirationalBuilds

See how our 2nd version of LEGO candy dispenser works. It’s a fun way to learn how to count using M&Ms candies. Ready to build your own?

Watch our tutorial on how to build a LEGO candy dispenser here https://youtu.be/oPAtczU52TQ it’s very easy to make, I used common LEGO bricks that we had at home to build this one and I think you can too.

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Fun building a #LEGO dragon. Let’s build a dragon using LEGO Classic. #LEGOideas #LEGOproject learn

One of my favorite LEGO Classic creation. I love that the mouth open and shut. Will be cute addition of making LEGO movies.

Thank you for watching!

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Quote of the Day

#2KidsInApod
#QuoteOfTheDay

❛ You have to dream before your dreams can come true. ❜

—A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

#Dreamer #Nomad #NomadLife #NomadDiaries #DigitalNomad
#Houston #PlacesToGoInTexas #PlacesToGo #MemorialHermannPark #VanLife #VanLifer #VanMom #VanLifeDiaries #VanLifeAdventures #VanLifeMovement