Parenthood Goes Viral

Katherine: Today we welcome our fun and energetic friend Jacquline Kang. She and her husband have a joyful household with 3 kids and 2 nephews. You can imagine the energy level that takes. Yet she found time to author an exciting book The Club. A really great read with incredible characters, and wow the protagonist Ireland Jacobson! With her job and security on the line, she must make difficult choices, rely on people she has just met, and hurt those she has known for years in order to heal, forgive and find her own personal inner strength.

MJ: I'm so happy you invited Jackie. She's got such an aura. She's a good person who thinks good and does good. Welcome Jackie.

Jackie: Thank you for having me. I’m so delighted to be a part of your conversation. It’s such a nice distraction during these interesting times.

Katherine: My goodness Jackie, what is parenting like during stay at home orders? It must be thrilling to have this time together, but it also has its challenges, doesn't it?

Jackie: Yes! Thrilling and Challenging are two words perfect for describing our new scenario. The thrill comes from being able to see each of my children grow and learn in a homeschooling environment, but the challenge comes from wearing all the different hats that are required to do it successfully.

I’ve found for my youngest children, staying on a schedule helps keep us all grounded. We wake up every day at 7:30 am. We get dressed, make our beds, have breakfast and brush teeth all before starting our “school day” promptly at 9:00 am. 

Our typical school day is structured into three, one-hour blocks of learning, focusing on writing, math, and reading or inquiry. We sprinkle in lots of snacks, recess and virtual learning as well. We’ve had the chance to do a lot more home science projects as well. We’ve done egg geodes, home-made lava lamps and airplane flying contests.

 MJ: That's a full schedule. Do you also take time for yourself? Meditation is how I re-center. Do you meditate? Today my thought is - Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass. It's about learning to dance in the rain. Are you and your family dancing in this viral storm?

Jackie: (Laughing) We do indeed dance. You should see our family dance parties! We love to open the back doors of the house, bring out a speaker and dance on the porch. Being cooped up in the house all day can be stressful whether you have a large family like mine or if you are just by yourself. I agree that meditation can be a great way to center your mind, but I also believe physical activity is just as important. That and getting outside.

Katherine: Jackie, you've spent time as a personal trainer and a spa manager. Do you have tips for other parents out there on how to take time for self-care during this unusual time in our lives? And what tips for kids?

Jackie: I do have some tips I’d love to share, but first I think the most important message to get across is we need to live during this time with more grace and forgiveness. We have never been faced with these circumstances before. None of us could have prepared for what we are going through now, so to have any expectations that we should be doing it “the right” way is absurd. We have to do what is right for our family and for ourselves first and worry about the rest of it after.

But, with that being said, I do believe there are ways to keep up mental and physical health during our times inside. Like I mentioned earlier, physical movement is important for both adults and children to keep healthy both physically and mentally. There is a wealth of pre-recorded and live streams video available right now on You Tube. One my kids like is P.E. with Joe and one I like is HIGH Fitness.

When the weather is nice, I do my best to get the family outside for a walk or just be in the driveway doing jumping jacks. I also feel it’s important to take some time, whether it’s 30 minutes or an hour, to just be by yourself. In my circumstance there are a lot of people in my house and it can get a bit crazy. That little bit of time allows me to reset and come back ready to move forward. I would say the opposite is equally true if you live by yourself, take an hour out of your day to reach out and talk with someone on the phone or by chat. Connecting with people is human nature and good for your soul.

Katherine: Those are all great ideas. Did you use some of your personal trainer and spa experience in writing your book, The Club? As it says - Welcome to the club, where bodies are shaped, and lives are transformed.

Jackie: You know, I did. But not in the way you might expect. There aren’t a lot of health or wellness tips prevalent in The Club, so in that respect I didn’t get to use my experience as much as I would have liked to. But I did use my experience to create the setting for The Club. Being an employee at these locations let me transfer my knowledge of the inside workings of a health club into the book. I was also able to use a few of my accounting skills from working in both environments to strengthen the story line. I might have thrown in a mention of Green Juice for good measure too.

MJ:   Green things, you know that Earth Day is almost here, on  April 22nd. Of course, as a Flower Child devotee I connect with the earth every day. How are you celebrating the earth with at home activities? What are you and your kids doing?

Jackie: Well the kids and I actually started a vegetable garden this year. Being at home has allowed us to give the garden all the love and care it needs to grow and thrive. It’s been so fun reviewing the growth cycle of plants with the kids. We planted the seeds in containers, watched them sprout and then transferred the sprouted plants to the garden. I’m looking forward to having fresh vegetables with the kids later this summer. It’s also given us the chance to talk about how important it is to keep our earth healthy just like we keep ourselves healthy. Just like we don’t want to pollute our bodies with junk food we don’t want to pollute the earth with trash. It’s a very simplistic explanation but it’s age appropriate for my kids.

Katherine: Jackie you know that we share a passion for purses. Can you tell us a little about your own personal collection? Does it include vintage and contemporary? And for the toughest question ever - which one is your favorite?

Jackie: Katherine, I do love a good purse! I have a pretty good collection going on. I tend to stick to contemporary, but I’d love to grow my vintage collection. Right now, I only have one vintage Louise Vuitton and I keep it in its dust bag and box. I have everything from Stella McCartney vegan leather to Chanel quilted calfskin to Yves Saint Laurent beaded evening bags. It’s hard to say what my favorite bag is but right now I’m loving my green Celie Nano crossbody.

Katherine: What is your favorite Mom purse?

Jackie: 100% my Louis Vuitton Neverfull -because like the name implies, it can hold everything!

Katherine:  What is your favorite purse for the grocery store?

Jackie: This one might surprise you because it’s not a big-name brand, but I love the new company called Hammit. They have a crossbody bag that is just the right size to hold a phone, wallet and some hand sanitizer. It’s perfect for the grocery store because it’s hands free and you don’t have to worry about leaving it in the cart and wandering off on accident.

Katherine: What is your favorite date night purse with your hubby?

Jackie: My husband bought me my first Chanel on our anniversary so that is the one I always wear when I’m out with him. It’s a classic and it holds memories for me.

Katherine: What is your daughter's first purse?

Jackie: (Laughs) Well my fashionista daughters are only five and seven years old so they don’t have anything that would go in a museum, but they do have a few kid purses they love playing dress up with. Their favorite is probably their matching kitty cat bags.

MJ: Now that's one cool cat.

Katherine: Oh I adore the kitty cat bag. Very chic! My Bayside purse line within K. Watson Designs has a cat logo, inspired by my stealthy pet Purrada

Thank you so much for joining us today Jackie. Once the stay home time is over, I look forward to seeing you at our Purse-onality Museum in Bayside WA, and in the meantime, you can read all about it, and our exciting mystery in our book Kat Out of the Bag

Jackie: Thank you so much for having me Katherine and MJ, it’s been a blast talking with you. I can’t wait to check out the museum and all the purses! Rest assured my own purse will have a copy of Kat Out of the Bag in it.

Best wishes to you Jackie in your many pursuits and with your exciting new book. Everyone can find out more on your website at jacqulinekang.com, 

And much happiness to you and your hubby, your lovely family, and to all you parents and caretakers out there who have been given an amazing adventure in parenting.