Cozy Day In My Life | Q&A, cooking & eating comfort food, holiday chat

Good morning everyone. It's really starting to feel like the holidays, which makes me so excited. I have the house to myself, so I thought I would do kind of like a chill, cozy, lazy vlog. I'm starting off my day with my favorite activity, which is writing. I am doing my self-reflection cards again. This is essentially journaling with a prompt. So today's question is, What do I have to offer in a romantic relationship? What do I want to receive? I would say I offer a lot of novelty in a relationship. Not in like a super adventurous sense where we are gonna go travel to the Amazon or we're gonna go skydiving. It's mostly novelty in the daily routine. I have like an endless list of things I wanna do just locally. Whether it's like going to a botanical garden or art museums or restaurants. It's really never ending. or even if we just go on on a simple walk. I can make you feel really listened to and heard and we can have the best time just doing the simplest things. That's what I have to offer in a relationship. What do I want to receive? I think it would be like a form of security. Like I wanna feel protected. I wanna feel safe around you. I want to know that like you have my back. I wanna feel prioritized. Are these all the same thing? I don't know. Because it feels like a lot, but I think it's under the umbrella of security. What do you guys have to offer in a romantic relationship? What a great way to start the day. I feel like in the morning, I'm so programmed to just get it started, hop in the shower, in and out. But you can't rush a bath. Yeah, mm-mm. That goes against the entire ethos of a bath. The other day on Instagram, I said that I was gonna do like a quick little Q&A, so... I thought this might be a good time to answer a few. Are you noodling on starting any new winter traditions with Lennon this year? I thought it would be super cool if we did like Mid-afternoon films together. So far we've seen Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. We started with the book first, and then I told him that it was a movie. So we saw the original one that was made in like the 60s, and honestly, cinematic masterpiece. No notes. It's just as enchanting as the one I saw for the first time, and he was totally obsessed. Then we started to watch the new Tim Burton version. He thought it was a little bit too scary, which is fair. Which is fair. But yeah, I feel like incorporating a movie every week around like the late afternoon slot would be amazing. What other movies do you think would be a good family film? I think our next family movie will be Space Jam. Now that we're in November, I want to get a game plan started with holiday planning because this year it's my turn to host Christmas and I want it to be super special. Thanks to Google for sponsoring this portion of the video and shout out to Nordstrom. So with the Google Holiday 100 on my side, there is not a gifting challenge we can't solve. This is Google's yearly list of top products based on Google search trends from throughout the year. Look at all these categories and collections. We've got best dressed, cozy comforts, toys and games, but this is This is where I discovered the ultimate solution, the FAO Schwartz Piano Dance Mat. Nordstrom is the destination for the best kids gifts this holiday season, curated with quality and care they're known for. Rooted in FAO Schwartz's iconic legacy of imaginative play, it can turn the living room into an interactive stage. Shop thousands of toys in-store and online at Nordstrom this holiday season, and shout out to Google and Nordstrom for solving this holiday puzzle. Check out the Google Holiday 100 at the link in my description box to shop the 100 products that made our year. Now that the biggest gift is secured, let's head on to our next task. What's your go-to potluck dish slash recipe? Right now, it is this pumpkin squash bisque. I found the recipe on Instagram and I made it once and it was so delicious. I already test tried the recipe, but I thought I would make it again for you guys in crispy HD, so let's get started. Ha ha! So here we have my green little pumpkins. I think the proper term is called an acorn squash. So what we're gonna do is wash them really well and then we're gonna pop one of them In the microwave for five minutes. Oh my god, this is hot! Cut the top off. Oh wow, this is like the first time I've ever cooked with a pumpkin or a squash. I feel like I'm using them interchangeably. What does quality time look like for you in this chapter of life? This is a really good question, especially because these days, it feels like we've gotten so busy. Oh my gosh, the sun went down. We've gotten so busy as a society. But the thing is, are we really that busy? Let's be for real. Like if there's someone that you really want to see, no matter how busy you are, you will make time for them. So for me, quality time looks like... Availability quality time to me just looks like anywhere where we're completely engrossed in the conversation on one another Basically, just no phones. Obviously my favorite way to spend time is like on a trip You know, when you get to travel somewhere together and then wake up and make breakfast and clean up and explore somewhere. That's like maybe like a few times a year we get to do that. But when we do, oh my gosh, it is truly the best. Also, I feel like this year, I have been really enjoying a house party or like a dinner party. Like basically anything that involves hosting, I think is really cool because as much as I love catching up at a restaurant, you're kind of there for like a fixed amount of time How long can you actually stay at a restaurant before the hostess gently nudges you out? I think a house party's so cool because you can stay there for as long as you want and you're just comfortable. You don't need to wait in line for the bathrooms. If it's too loud, you could just turn down the music. There's a lot more in your control. To me, the best kind of night is one where we all were having so much fun that we forgot to take a single photo, right? I need to chop an onion. So I just whacked in 30 grams of butter and I threw in our sliced onions and now I'm just going to saute them until they're wonderfully brown and caramelized. Like, butter in anything is delicious. Quality time has always been one of my favorite love languages, but in my 20s, I didn't have to see my friends all the time. Like, I would see them, what, like, maybe like two or three weeks. Sometimes we'd go on like for months without seeing one another. And I do appreciate that still, but at this point in my life, at 36, I love frequency plus Quality time. I'm honestly loving this for myself. This is probably the most unexpected gift that came from my 30s. I didn't even know that I needed this. Think the onions are ready. Add in our squash. And then 200 milligrams of milk. I'm also adding 200 milligrams of Greek yogurt. Let's let this simmer for a little bit. So my aunt from Korea religiously watches my YouTube videos and in one comment she said, oh my gosh, boy, you look so much prettier in the kitchen with an apron. That is delicious. And now I'm gonna go in with my electric hand blender. Oh my gosh, you should have seen me when I first used this. I was scared. But now that this is my second time, I've gained a lot more confidence. Watch. That looks beautifully blended. Smooth, velvety soup. This is going to be divine, I just know it. I want this to look like an absolute showstopper, so what I've done is I've put in the other acorn squash in for another five minutes, and now I'm gonna take the top off, and we're gonna use the shell as the vessel for the soup. This is honestly the perfect fall, winter recipe. Oh my gosh. I feel like with a soup like this, you need to have a grilled cheese, so I just toasted one. Oh my goodness, I got my grilled cheese. Gonna dip the bisque on here. Wow, this is the definition of a hearty meal. Imagine I brought this to like a potluck, but it's like the biggest squash you've ever seen. Like I would probably hollow out like a big, big squash and people would just like scoop it out. Mm-hmm, mm, wow look, it's like a cheese toasty cave. What if I put the soup inside the opening? Oh my gosh, it's fitting in. What are some not too common things we should do more regularly to be happier? Okay, I've got a few in mind. And they're all very social oriented. So the first one is to reach out. If you have a bestie or a group of friends, or even if it's someone that you just met where you're like, oh, I wanna hang out with them, Be the first person that texts, be the initiator, because a lot of times I feel like people don't initiate because one, they're afraid of being rejected. And two, they feel like they're like bothering the other person. But if they're your real friends, they're not going to see it as like, Oh, they're soliciting again. They're going to be like, Oh, sweet. And even if that date is two weeks from now, three weeks from now, four weeks from now, that date will eventually come. I feel like we're just inherently social creatures. So I think it's so important It's important to hang out with your friends. Add a little friction to your life. The only reason why I've been able to always have a community around me is because I know the importance of having a social life. For me, I'm the happiest when my social life feels robust. When I feel more doubtful or when I start bullying myself in my head, I look at my calendar and I'm like, oh my gosh, I haven't hung out with friends in weeks. So that's when I know I gotta go on a walk or go on a dinner. Learning more about the loneliness epidemic really bums me out because We've gotten so comfortable by just, like, connecting on social media. Like, you think that you're keeping in touch with someone because you're watching their stories. I don't know. I guess this leads me into my second thing that will make you a little bit more happy is to take breaks off of social media, specifically Instagram. Social media is just, like, a cheaper and more synthetic way to connect, and you end up just leaving a little bit worse than you started with, especially when you don't get the window right, the time window. Like, if you're using it for, what, like, 15 minutes, Then, I think you can get Get away unscathed, but when you're going past an hour, two hours, that's when you are borrowing your happiness. But yeah, it takes a while for you to find that group of friends that are available and that you trust, and it is a journey to get there. But you won't get there if you are not initiating, right? You gotta really put yourself out there. It doesn't need to be like a big group, like friends or anything. Like, as long as you have like two, maybe three friends that you've been really safe with and secure and you know you can just hit them up without like overthinking or feeling like you're stepping over a boundary or something. That's all you need. These are the type of relationships that feel really like earnest and honest. Like you don't find yourself overthinking like, God, like do they even like me or have I offended them? Like they leave you feeling like, oh my gosh, okay, this person likes me. I also think that becoming a regular somewhere can be very grounding. It could be like a cafe or a library, a church, a restaurant, just somewhere you go at least like three times a month where the people that frequent there or work there, Like start, start getting to know you. We're losing the art of small talk. People love to ---- on it. They like to go to the deep end right away. But you really have to earn people's trust and I find that being a regular somewhere, it makes you feel a lot less alone too. Because it reminds you that everyone else is living their own life and they have their own set of things that they're working towards, their goals, their challenges. I like being a regular somewhere because it gets me outside of myself, it makes me feel like I'm a part of a community. It just helps you feel a lot less isolated. All right guys, this is the final question because I gotta pick up my son from school. But this question is about Santa Claus and what we're doing about Santa. Last year was a struggle because he just had so many questions about the inner workings of Santa. Like, how does he get in? How is he gonna be able to watch us? He lives in the North Pole and then we looked at the map and it's just like slushy ice water and I just didn't have the heart to just. Continue on with this elaborate lie. It was not like passed down to me and my family. Like my parents are Korean, working class, and so every time it was Christmas, they made it very clear where the gifts were from, them. I think that's where I'm coming from. Sometimes it can be really hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit because it just wasn't really... It's like something that I like actively work towards and even now I'm like trying to come up with Christmas traditions. I guess this is for parents. Like what's the script you guys are saying about Santa? Because with me, I'm not gonna go full Scrooge mode and be like, Santa's not real. Like I would never do that. But I find myself kind of dodging the questions about Santa because I don't really know how to describe it. I don't know. It just feels like a long time to lie to your child. And then, finally when it's out, they might be suspicious of you, being like, wow, what else are you lying to me about? It really makes you think. Anyway, let me know in the comments down below when you found out Santa wasn't real, and if you have kids, what do you tell them about Santa? Like, what are the details? Like, please, I would love to know. Anyway, I want to thank you guys so much for watching, and I hope you guys enjoyed this really fun, relaxed day I've been having. I'll talk to you guys later, bye.