Interview

Your oldest biological daughter actually did all the illustrations in your “Dumplings Mean Family” book. What was it like collaborating with her?

That was pure joy. I love creating things, and so does she. I have literally no ability in the visual arts, but I am so, so proud of her talent and abilities. She has several styles, and as I was thinking of the script for this book, I was picturing it in her drawing style and could already see how she would do it. And then watching it come to life and having it be even better than it had been in my head was amazing. We obviously know each other really well, and she’s very familiar with the subject matter.  I am beyond proud of the work she’s done on it.

Favorite travel spot?

That’s too hard – I love to travel! Right now, though, we are considering plans for returning to China when it’s possible to take our younger kids back to where they are from and process it at an older age. I’ve been so blessed to get to go to many fascinating places, but my favorite is really anywhere I’m with my family on an adventure together.

Any Hobbies?

 I don’t have a ton of time, but I like to cook (dumplings, anyone?) and to travel. I like to do research which is weird but true. I also like to read and hike and do math puzzles which, when written down, looks really nerdy.

What is the strangest thing that has ever happened to you?

Gosh, I could say so many things here. Maybe the time a man came up to me after a show and just took my glasses right off my face. Then he said, “Who picked these frames? Cause they aren’t doing anything for you. You should wear mine.” He shoved his glasses toward me and walked away with mine. I actually need my glasses, so I was now blind and stunned. I finally realized he wasn’t stopping or playing a weird joke and ran after him to grab my glasses off his face. He was genuinely surprised I’d have a problem with any of it. So weird.

What’s the most courageous thing you have ever done?

Probably adopting my kids. That sounds odd, but they were older and had serious medical issues, and were also from another country/culture/language. It was seriously intimidating and very hard, but it’s also led to some of the greatest joy in my life.

Tips:

With six kids, we have learned some simple household switches that have saved us precious time and money and have helped us avoid more chemicals in our home.  Check out these swaps for your family to try: 

Swap plastic shampoo and body wash bottles for shampoo and bath bars.

This is a new one for us.  I was really bothered by how many plastic bottles our family was throwing away, and so I started looking for alternatives.  Bath bars are easy – my grandmother would laugh that we ever switched to body wash!  But shampoo bars were a bit harder.  Many of them are really expensive, and would they actually feel like shampoo?  After some searching, I found a set, and everyone loves them!  My hair actually has more body than it did before.  I paid about $25 for a set of four, and each bar is supposed to be the equivalent of 2-3 bottles of shampoo, so that’s $25 for 8-12 bottles of shampoo— a total bargain!  Plus, they are tiny, came wrapped in paper, and will be amazing for traveling. 

Swap paper towels for fabric wash cloths.

I’ve done this for most of my adult life.  The last time I bought wash cloths, I think I bought a pack of 20 for about $25 and we use them for washing dishes and the like.  They are super easy to clean, and we keep a stack of them under the sink or in a drawer where they are always handy. I only use paper towels now for something truly disgusting that I just want to throw away.  The last set of paper towels I bought has lasted over a year. 

Swap cleaning supplies and paper towels for microfiber cleaning cloths.

This was a big change for us about four years ago, and it’s been a great one.  I bought a few microfiber cleaning cloths from e-cloth (much, much cheaper than competitors and very effective) and loved them, so I invested in a whole set and we haven’t looked back.  Basically, you can clean your whole house with water and these cloths, and they pick up 98% of germs and bacteria.  And then you just wash them.  I love them!  Our house is very clean, I’ve saved countless dollars and many plastic bottles of cleaning supplies, and I don’t have chemicals all over my house which is very important to me with my kiddos.

These simple switches can help us all save some money and be a little greener in the process.

Thanks so much for the ability to learn a little bit more about you, as well as some useful hints.

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