But the limitation of physical products is that if you don't have them with you, then your kids won't be able to practice their Hmong. And as we all know: practice makes permanent :)
So what do we do?
This is where Apps come in! Below, you'll find 3 Apps that you can download so that when you and your kids are at the grocery store, on a long road trip, or just waiting at the doctor's office, your they can continue to learn Hmong in fun ways :)
One way for children to learn Hmong is by hearing Hmong...A LOT! The problem with the regular YouTube app and the YouTube for Kids app is that most videos are in English. The Hmong Kids TV app solves this problem by only showing kid friendly, Hmong-related videos to your toddlers. Although the content is limited right now, they do expect to add more videos over time. The app is FREE and available here.
Developed in 2017, Hmonglish is a simple and FREE Android app which helps kids (and adults!) learn Hmong vocabulary. When you tap on a specific flashcard, you will hear how to pronounce the word in either White Hmong or Green Hmong. Props for adding the Green Hmong dialect as well! Currently, the app includes 4 categories: Animals, fruits, numbers, and colors. You can check it out here.
Did you know that we also have apps for our digital flashcards as well? If not, surprise! When you purchase our digital flashcards, you have the option of downloading our SIMPLE apps to your phone! The video below will show you exactly how do to it.
To get our FREE digital flashcards sample pack, CLICK HERE.
You can view our selection of our simple Hmong digital flashcards here.
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Wish your kids could speak Hmong?
It's not as hard as you think!
Here are 4 simple steps you can take to start your kids speaking Hmong:
There are more and more products being created to help children learn the Hmong language. If you can't afford the products, you can also check out a local library if you live in a community with a large Hmong population. For example, the Saint Paul Public Library has a growing Hmong children's book collection :)
Children (and humans in general) learn best through repetition. Make it a normal part of your daily routine with your children to read to them Hmong children's books. Every night before I put my daughters to bed, I read to them. They not only expect it, they look forward to it!
I know for a fact that your kids are watching YouTube. That's ok! We live in a day and age where technology is all around us. But we can teach our children to use it as a tool to learn. One thing I encourage my children to do is to watch Hmong videos so they are exposed to the Hmong language more often. Having more opportunities to hear the language will help them develop an ear for the Hmong tones (which is what makes learning Hmong so hard to learn).
After college, my husband and I got married and moved from Wisconsin to North Carolina where my husband attended Duke University.
We had no family, no friends, and no job lined up in North Carolina. Just a childish sense of adventure.
Although North Carolina has a decent sized Hmong community, it exists primarily in the western part of the state. We were in the eastern part of North Carolina where there were very few Hmong people. In fact, we knew of no Hmong people at all! (This was before FB got really savvy with connections).
As we started building friendships and started getting more connected with a community there, we found that very few people even knew who the Hmong people were. They usually thought we were Chinese, Japanese, or Korean. We even had people ask on multiple occasions if my husband was Mexican cause, well, he didn't look like anything they'd ever seen before lol! We got really good at sharing the history of the Hmong people and every time we shared it, people were fascinated.
After being away from the Hmong community for a while, my husband and I had a conversation and we realized just how much we missed it! We missed Hmong food. We missed speaking the Hmong language with others. We missed the closeness of the community, and we even missed interacting with the older Hmong generation.
One day, after landing my new job at Duke Law School, I went to have lunch with a friend. I was telling her about the history of the Hmong people, my family, the dinners we’d have, and the clothing I so loved.
She looked at me wide eyed and said, “I’m so jealous. I wish that I had as rich of a tradition and that I was as connected with my roots as you. Even eating together was uncommon in my family.”
I'll be honest: I never thought that there’d be a white person who’d be jealous of what I had because, for so much of my life, I felt like I was inferior. Whether it was what others said or what I just perceived, I unconsciously believed that since white culture was plastered everywhere, it must be superior. It wasn't something that I could articulate. It was just something that I felt. But my coworker's words helped me realize that that belief was wrong.
I know some of you are thinking, “Ok Mykou, it’s easy to say, ‘I love the Hmong culture! It’s beautiful!’ but you haven’t gone through what I have.”
You’re right. I haven’t.
And if you’re Hmong, you’ll know that it’s not that simple.
I've said it before but I'll say it again:
I’ve talked with and know quite a few Hmong people who feel like they’ve been burned by the Hmong culture and by Hmong people. When they think about Hmong culture, all they can think of is the hurt they’ve experienced and seen. Their response then, is simple.
They reject it completely.
And I’m not hating on them. I get it. There are some things about the Hmong culture that frustrate me as well. I even wrote about it in last week’s blog entitled, 3 Things I Hate About The Hmong Culture.
That being said, I believe there is still much beauty in the Hmong culture. I also believe that if we lose our culture, we lose a huge part of who we are.
Instead of throwing out the baby with the bathwater, I want to hold on to what I think are the good elements of Hmong culture.
Although there are plenty more, here are 3 specific things that I love about the Hmong culture.
Throughout history, other people groups have tried to conquer and subsume the Hmong people, but the Hmong have resisted because they have always wanted to remain a free people. This has happened wherever the Hmong people have lived.
The Hmong never gave up or gave in. They raised up armies to fight against emperors and kings. They fought for freedom. They fought for their simple way of life.
Throughout human history, minority cultures have been destroyed and lost forever because other cultures overran them due to war, colonialism, or assimilation. But the Hmong have survived.
We come from a resilient people group who have passed on traditions and culture through stories woven and stitched into clothing, through poetry and songs, through food cooked over fire pits.
It’s easy to disregard what our parents, grandparents, and ancestors have experienced and endured when we’re sitting in air conditioned homes with iPhones in hand.
But I’m here because of the blood that was spilt. I’m here because my ancestors never gave up. I'm here because the Hmong are a resilient people.
When my kids face challenges, I want them to know that they are stronger than they think because they come from a resilient people who never gave up when obstacles came their way.
When the Chinese came after the Hmong centuries ago, they fought and didn't assimilate. When the Laotian Communists systematically hunted the Hmong after the Vietnam War, they did whatever it took to resist and escape. I want my children to know that resilience is in their blood.
One specific thing I plan on doing is tell my children the stories that my parents have told me about their experiences in Laos and in Thai refugee camps. I regularly ask my parents about their stories and the hardships they’ve endured because I want to remember and never take for granted all that I have.
My children are still young, but when they grow up, I want to have a queue of stories that I can share with them about my parents and grandparents and how their efforts, courage, and determination got us to where we are today.
When my husband and I lived in North Carolina, I learned that I had an aunt who’s brother-in-law lived only 1 hour away in a small town just outside of Durham. She encouraged us to visit them.
My aunt called to tell him that we would be visiting...but it was still nerve racking to randomly visit this distant uncle of ours. We'd never met him before.
However, when we arrived, he and his wife invited us in like they had known us for years. We took our shoes off at the door (as any good Asian would!), and they brought out metal chairs for us to sit on. Right after that, they asked if we were thirsty. We said no, but they gave us a cup of water followed by a bowl of fruits to snack on anyway.
After conversing for about 30 minutes, they asked if we were hungry. We said no, but they said the food had already been prepared so we should eat. We again said we weren’t hungry but they wouldn't have it. After much back and forth, they insisted and pulled us to the dinner table where we relented and sat down to eat.
(Note: Of course we were hungry! We just knew that in Hmong culture, you don't tell others that you're hungry because they already know.)
If you’re Hmong, this is normal.
You can travel anywhere, and if you come across, especially 1st gen Hmong folks, the first thing they ask is, "Who's the patriarch in your family?" In other words, how are we related? If they can place you, then you're family. We've seen our parents and grandparents do this all the time growing up and we've experienced it even more.
But even for 2nd gen folks like me, hospitality is huge. It's how Hmong people show generosity and kindness, even to complete strangers.
Something small that I want to do when my children are old enough (whether they’re boys or girls), is to have them bring snacks and drinks to guests. It’s something I was taught to do since I was little, and it's something I continue to do. Whenever I have guests over, no matter their race or ethnic background, I ask if they’re thirsty and grab something for them to drink and snack on. This is something I personally think is great for children to learn.
Children shouldn't be sent away when guests arrive. Rather, they can be essential partners in showing hospitality to guests. When they do this, they are learning how to serve others and how to interact with adults. They’re being taught manners and hospitality, transferable skills that will serve them for the rest of their lives.
When I was young, my parents would wake me and my siblings up at 4 in the morning to help them with the garden in the summers. I'm not talking about a raised bed with a drip irrigation system installed in the backyard. I'm talking about an acre or more of land that my parents rented from a farm 30 minutes to an hour away from home.
My parents would pack the van with gardening tools, rain boots, gallons of water, a thermos with hot water, some instant noodles, and a small cooler with enough food to feed the family one meal for the day. Then off we'd go in our long sleeve shirts and sun hats.
We'd arrive at the garden right as the sun was breaking over the horizon. I loved catching fresh dew from tall grass in my hands as I watched the sunrise. It was always so peaceful and beautiful. For the first few hours when the air was cool and the sun still low, we'd work hard pulling up weeds that had grown over the previous week.
Around midday when it got too hot and us kids got too fussy to bare, we'd head to the van with a few small cucumbers in hand to cut and eat along with our simple meal before we headed back to work again.
As a child, the garden felt endless. I still can't believe all that land was tilled by hand using only the hlau (a simple Hmong gardening hoe). The large plot of land would be divided amongst a number of Hmong families using yarn with wooden posts and sticks. I remember looking at the other plots of land and seeing makeshift shelters that other Hmong families built to give their families reprieve from the scorching sun during the middle of the day. I would always think, "Why didn't we have have one?"
Our family planted corn, sweet peas, cilantro, green onions, squash, onions, lettuce, Thai chili peppers, watermelons, and a ton of other things I didn't even know about. During the winter and spring, we'd pull out mustard greens, squash, and other veggies that had been frozen from the autumn harvest. Our deep freezer was always overflowing.
As a child, I didn't really understand why my parents gardened. I went with my parents simply because I had to. It was a chore.
I didn't know then that gardening was in my parent's DNA. It was their way of life when they were living back in the old country. My parents, grandparents, great grandparents, and so on and so forth were all gardeners. For centuries, the Hmong were subsistence farmers, growing their own food for survival. They didn't depend on governments or kingdoms to feed them. Instead, they were self-sufficient and able to maintain their culture and way of life because of it.
I want to teach my children to be self-sufficient through growing their own food as well. Although I don't have an acre of land to garden, my husband and I have torn up most of our lawn to create a garden. Not only do we have less grass to mow (heck yes!), but we also have food right outside our doorsteps.
Just yesterday I wanted to make margarita pizzas and realized I needed some basil. I thought to myself, "Shoot! I don't have any basil in the fridge!" Then I remembered that I had planted some in the garden! I walked 5 feet outside and plucked 10 basil leaves right out of my garden. I came back in with the biggest grin on my face :)
But once I started learning about urban gardening, sustainability, and permaculture, I realized that my parents were right all along. I mean, they were gardening in their backyard before it became cool! Their way of gardening is not only good for the environment, it has lasted the test of time, generation after generation.
I have so much more respect for my parents now that I've started gardening and have learned more about it.
They spend more time with screens than they ever do with sticks and stones. Many kids have never seen a vegetable grow! Everything simply comes from the grocery store.
I want something different for my children. In our home, we've consciously made a decision to let our children regularly play outside, just like we did growing up. I love it when my girls get dirt under their nails and come back with dirty dresses. It teaches them that life was not meant to be watched through a screen. Rather, it was meant to be experienced! It teaches them that food comes directly from the dirt and that they are therefore completely reliant and connected to the earth.
My 2 year old's favorite activity right now is watering the plants. The garden hose snakes behind her as she waters the veggies, holding the nozzle like a desert eagle! I think it's stinkin' adorable :)
I love that I grew up gardening with my parents and grandparents and I want to pass it on to my children. I want them to know that they are a people of the earth.
So, although there are many things that I love about the Hmong culture, 3 things that I love most are that Hmong folks are resilient, hospitable, and that they love to garden. These are aspects of the culture that I hope to pass onto my own children.
They respond by swallowing whole the American culture thinking it's going to be perfect. But the truth is this:
There are many aspects of American culture that is broken as well!
Replacing an imperfect culture (Hmong culture) with another imperfect culture (American culture) is not the answer.
But here’s the really cool thing: we as Hmong Americans grew up straddling two very different worlds. That means we can take the beautiful elements from both cultures and create a new and more beautiful culture!
Culture is always changing and it needs to evolve in order for it to survive! That’s how any culture has made it to the 21st century!
We are a hospitable, connected, and resilient people who honor our elders and cherish our children and our earth. We can embrace the future as we honor our past.
I believe with all my heart that when we know where we come from, we will know who we are. And when we know who we are, we will know what to do with our lives.
That’s why I talk so much about the importance of knowing our roots and about the beauty of the Hmong culture (while also being honest enough to acknowledge the not so great elements).
When our children know their roots, they will feel more whole, more complete, and live more fruitful lives, which in turn will help them better navigate this complex world.
Although Hmong culture is not perfect, it is still beautiful. So let's embrace and practice what brings forth life and abundance and let go of the things that steal and destroy us :)
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That being said, I also believe that not ALL aspects of the Hmong culture are worth preserving. There are things about the Hmong culture that really frustrate me. Hmong culture, just like every culture, is both beautiful and broken.
I want to share with you 3 things that I hate about Hmong culture. And yes. I said HATE.
One way I am going to teach this to my children is through cooking. My husband cooks right along with me. We also have days where I cook and days when my husband cooks. Although we only have daughters right now, if ever I have sons, they’ll be cooking and cleaning right along with me, my husband, and my girls. This will teach them that both men and women can cook and clean. It will teach them that these are simply life skills every human should possess.
When I was a teenager, I remember talking to Hmong elders and the vibe I always got was, “You don’t know what you’re talking about child.”
Granted, there were things that I didn’t know but I always felt like I wasn’t respected by adults simply because I wasn't married. Once I got married, there was a drastic difference in the way my parents and relatives treated me. It was like night and day. They actually listened to my ideas and respected my suggestions. I hadn’t changed. I was the same person with the same ideas. The only thing that changed was that I was now married.
I’ve spoken with many unmarried Hmong adults who feel like they are disrespected and treated like children simply because they’re not married. Even if they have good jobs, are educated, do a lot of good in the world, live on their own, pay their own bills, and are 35 years old (or even older!), if they’re not married, they’re somehow not “adult enough” and therefore aren’t respected.
Hmong elders may not call them children, but they still aren’t given the respect a 19 year old who is married receives. It’s crazy!
On the other hand, if you’re married, no matter how young or immature you are, you’re considered an adult and suddenly, you’re given all the respect, power, and responsibility of an adult.
The truth is, I’ve seen very responsible and mature single adults as well as very irresponsible and immature married adults. Maturity doesn’t necessarily come with marriage and yet it seems like respect only comes after a person gets married in the Hmong culture. So this is an aspect of Hmong culture that I don’t like and will not continue to uphold.
For example, when I’m at meetings, I purposefully ask for suggestions and ideas from single adults as well as others because I want them to know that their voices matter as well.
I knew a Hmong couple who planned on getting married. They had planned the wedding, mailed out the invites, and were about a month away from the wedding date.
Everything was set and ready except for one thing: the couple came to the realization that they no longer wanted to get married. They both thought, “Maybe I don’t really want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
This became known to their families so both families came together to have a huge meeting to discuss what would happen with the wedding. During the meeting, many of the elders suggested that the couple should go ahead with their plan of getting married since they had already sent out the invites. The elders said that the families would “lose face” if they cancelled the wedding at this point.
Here’s the kicker: the elders then said, “If the marriage doesn’t work out, then just get divorced.”
WHAAAA?!
I was blown away. The elders would rather have this young couple get married, even though they didn’t want to continue with it, simply because they didn’t want to “lose face.” The health of the couple didn’t matter to the elders. The love or lack of love between the couple didn’t matter to the elders. The future of the couple didn’t matter.
The only thing that mattered was “saving face.”
It’s about, “will others have good things to say about us?”
And I get it. I understand the concept of community and doing things for the greater good. It’s a good thing, but it’s when this is pushed to the extreme of destroying lives and dishonesty, that frustrates me. This, “saving face” at the expense of others is something I won’t be passing on to my children.
And in order to live a genuine and authentic life, we must start with answering these questions:
What are my values and convictions? What are the few things that are truly important to me? Am I living according to those values and convictions, even if others don’t agree or like me?
What my husband and I have done is actually sit down to define the values for our family.
We want to be extremely clear so we can raise our children to be people with values and convictions, even if that means that they may not be popular or even if they may lose face at times.
We want to teach them that they can’t and won’t please everyone all the time, and that’s actually a very good thing.
It isn't easy to balance of life in community and living authentically as an individual, but I want to teach my children to not simply live for the applause of others.
It’s dynamic, meaning, culture is always changing. The way things are right now are not the way things have always been. Hmong culture for my great great grandparents was not the same as it was for my parents. The culture has changed as it has encountered other cultures and environments. Culture is always changing and that means that the way things are right now, are not the way things have to be going forward.
Although there are many aspects of Hmong culture that I love, there are also elements of it that I hate. Many young folks have rejected the entirety of the Hmong culture because they’ve experienced the negative sides of it. Sadly, they’ve thrown out the baby with the bath water.
The parts of Hmong culture that are damaging, that don’t promote equality and wholeness, are not things that we have to embrace or pass onto our children. Therefore, I’m making a conscious decision to pass on a Hmong culture to my children that I hope will embrace and hold on to the beautiful elements of the culture and let go of the elements of culture that are broken and diminishing.
Like I've mentioned countless times, there are many beautiful things about the Hmong culture as well and just because there are aspects of it that aren't beautiful doesn't mean that we should simply throw it out. In fact, I've even written a blog sharing 3 specific things that I love about Hmong culture :)
In those two months, I've been working diligently with my book printer to make sure that the book turns out perfectly.
You've been asking, "When will I receive my book?"
I've been responding, "As soon as I get the books shipped to me, I'll pack them and ship them out to you asap."
Here's the good news:
I just received the books!
Here they are :)
I'm so happy with how the books turned out! The quality of these books are outstanding and I'm so excited to share them with you!
To all of you who preordered the book: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
I could not have done this without your faith and encouragement :)
My husband and I will be working all week to pack up all of the preordered books and shipping them out so you can expect to get your book very soon!
Can I ask a favor?
Once you receive the book, I'd love it if you took a picture or video of you reading the book with your kids and tagging @hmongbaby on Facebook or Instagram.
That would make my day :)
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The truth is, the Book Release Party almost didn't happen!
Here's the story: Last Wednesday, I got an email telling me that we wouldn’t receive the book until Monday, June 4th. I was like, “No!!! I have my Book Release Party on Saturday! I need my books ASAP! What am I going to do???”
I calmed down and thought about what options I had. I messaged the shipping company and asked if they could expedite the delivery of my books to Friday since I had a book event on Saturday.
The company got back to me on Thursday night telling me that they will deliver it by Friday around 11am-3pm.
On Friday, I wait and wait and when it’s 3:05pm, and I still haven’t received the books, so I give the shipping company a call. They apologize and tell me that they can’t deliver the books because they don’t have the right truck.
What?!?!
I’m feeling anxious because I need the books for the Book Release Party! I ask if I can come to the warehouse and just pick up some books. I'm going to do whatever it takes to get the books!
He asks his manager to see if it’s possible and...
his manger says YES!!!
I drop everything I'm doing and I go and pick up the books and although it was a more difficult process than what I was expecting, it was totally worth it!
The event was held at Kids Oasis, an indoor playground in Stillwater, MN. It's super fun for kids and you can even do kids birthday parties there. Check it out!
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If all goes well, you'll get the books by June! Thanks so much for your patience and I cannot wait to get these to you!
]]>Then out of the blue, I got an email from my shipping company telling me that the book printer had delayed the shipment until the middle of May. I was confused. What happened?
I contacted my book printer and asked what was going on. She apologized and told me that their quality control department found that a number of the books that were printed had a red mark on a few of the pages. Because they care about quality, they would not allow for those books to be shipped.
They are working on printing a new batch of books that meet their standards.
Although I'm bummed that the shipment has been delayed, I am grateful that this book printer cares about quality, which means that you'll get a good looking book!
If all goes according to plan, you should receive your book sometime in June.
Thanks again for your patience and I will make sure to keep you updated with each step along the way!
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The printing for my new Hmong children's book, Kuv Ua Tau (I Can Do It) is done!
Now my book printer just needs to cut it and glue it all together then they'll ship it to me
We're getting one step closer y'all!
Thank you so much for your patience during this process.
I know that you'll love the book once you receive it!
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On another note, for those living in Minnesota, would you be interested in coming to a Kuv Ua Tau book release party? If there is enough interest, I'll think about making it happen. Let me know in the comments below!
But instead of throwing pages and pages of academic jargon at you, I want to SHOW you how using Hmong flashcards and Hmong books can help children learn the Hmong language.
Below are actual HmongBaby customers with their kids learning and speaking Hmong :)
If you have a video of your child speaking Hmong with our HmongBaby products, I'd love to feature it on our blog and Facebook page!
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How do we show our children what it looks like to succeed when we're still trying to figure it out ourselves?
If you're tired of settling for mediocrity and want more for yourself and your children, then our Hmong Women History Makers Series is for you.
The author, Tony Robbins writes, "The surest way to achieve success is to model someone who is already successful."
This series will be released in promotion of the launch of my newest book, Kuv Ua Tau (I Can Do It).
These 3 Hmong women embody courage, resilience, and empowerment, all characteristics that I want to teach young kids through my newest book
The Hmong Women History Makers Series is a collection of interviews with inspiring Hmong women who are pioneers in their fields. They have gone against cultural norms and have accomplished what few other Hmong women have. They are examples of courage and resilience for us and our children.
In this series, these women share their stories and give tips on how they were able to overcome obstacles to reach their dreams.
My hope is that their stories and insights might help you and your kids achieve your dreams and live a vibrant life :)
Today's guest is Megan Khang. Megan is the world's first Hmong professional golfer. Megan started playing golf at the age of 5. She competed for 7 years in the United States Golf Association's U.S. Girls’ Championship. She also helped Team USA win the Junior Solheim Cup and was the only player to go 5-0. In 2016, at the age of 18, she decided not to go to college and instead, chose to play golf professionally in the Ladies Professional Golf Association. Megan has finished in the top 10 in numerous major golf tournaments.
In this video, learn how to:
All of the Hmong women in the History Makers Series embody courage, resilience, and empowerment, all characteristics that I want to teach young kids, especially girls, through my newest book called, Kuv Ua Tau (I Can Do It).
This book features a whimsical Hmong girl named Nkauj Lug (Gaolu) who reminds us that we are all more capable than we realize. This book will teach your kids how to have a "can do" attitude so that they have the courage to pursue their dreams :)
Preorders for this book will begin on March 27, 2018.
To be notified when this book is available for preorders, click HERE :)
Join our FREE HmongBaby FB Community where we dig deeper into the tips that Megan shares. In the HmongBaby Community, we help parents raise the next generation Hmong kids to thrive!
]]>How do we show our children what it looks like to succeed when we're still trying to figure it out ourselves?
If you're tired of settling for mediocrity and want more for yourself and your children, then our Hmong Women History Makers Series is for you.
The author, Tony Robbins writes, "The surest way to achieve success is to model someone who is already successful."
The Hmong Women History Makers Series is a collection of interviews with inspiring Hmong women who are pioneers in their fields. They have gone against cultural norms and have accomplished what few other Hmong women have. They are examples of courage and resilience for us and our children.
In this series, these women share their stories and give tips on how they were able to overcome obstacles to reach their dreams.
My hope is that their stories and insights might help you and your kids achieve your dreams and live a vibrant life :)
Today's guest is Officer Pam Vang. Officer Vang is one of the first Hmong women police officers in the state of Minnesota. She received her criminology degree from the University of Minnesota - Duluth and has served in the Maplewood Police Department since 2015.
In this video, learn how to:
Last but not least...
All of the Hmong women in the History Makers Series embody courage, resilience, and empowerment, all characteristics that I want to teach young kids, especially girls, through my newest book called, Kuv Ua Tau (I Can Do It).
This book features a whimsical Hmong girl named Nkauj Lug (Gaolu) who reminds us that we are all more capable than we realize. This book will teach your kids how to have a "can do" attitude so that they have the courage to pursue their dreams :)
Preorders for this book will begin on March 27, 2018.
To be notified when this book is available for preorders, click HERE :)
]]>How do we show our children what it looks like to succeed when we're still trying to figure it out ourselves?
If you're tired of settling for mediocrity and want more for yourself and your children, then our Hmong Women History Makers Series is for you.
The author, Tony Robbins writes, "The surest way to achieve success is to model someone who is already successful."
The Hmong Women History Makers Series is a collection of interviews with inspiring Hmong women who are pioneers in their fields. They have gone against cultural norms and have accomplished what few other Hmong women have. They are examples of courage and resilience for us and our children.
In this series, these women share their stories and give tips on how they were able to overcome obstacles to reach their dreams.
My hope is that their stories and insights might help you and your kids achieve your dreams and live a vibrant life :)
Today's guest is Dr. MayKao Y. Hang. Dr. Hang is the President and CEO of the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, a non-profit organization that serves over 10,000 families and is a $48 million dollar operating organization.
Dr. Hang has received many awards including the Girl Scouts Women of Distinction Award, the Humphrey Public Leadership Award, and was recently named a Most Admired CEO by the Twin Cities Business Journal in 2017.
In this video, learn how to:
Last but not least...
All of the Hmong women in the History Makers Series embody courage, resilience, and empowerment, all characteristics that I want to teach young kids, especially girls, through my newest book called, Kuv Ua Tau (I Can Do It).
This book features a whimsical Hmong girl named Nkauj Lug (Gaolu) who reminds us that we are all more capable than we realize. This book will teach your kids how to have a "can do" attitude so that they have the courage to pursue their dreams :)
Preorders for this book will begin on March 27, 2018.
To be notified when this book is available for preorders, click HERE :)
]]>In these last few weeks, I've been recording interviews with inspiring Hmong women for my History Makers Series.
The History Makers Series is a compilation of video interviews I conduct with Hmong women who are pioneers in their fields. We get to hear their story and learn tips on how they've experienced success so that we can share those lessons with our kids.
This series will be released in promotion of the launch of my newest book, Kuv Ua Tau (I Can Do It).
The Hmong women I interviewed embody courage, resilience, and empowerment, all characteristics that I want to teach young kids through my newest book :)
The women that I'll be interviewing are:
I'm super excited to share these videos with you!
Expect Dr. Hang's video interview in these next few days!
Don't miss any of the videos by signing up for my email list HERE.
]]>The following is a sneak peek of our main character.
Her name is Gaolu (Nkaujlug) :)
Here's a rough sketch of Gaolu dancing.
This is Gaolu in color.
This is what folks in our private HmongBaby Community FB group had to say about our main character:
If you'd like to join our private HmongBaby Community FB group where we share exclusive content and support each other in teaching our kids the Hmong language, click HERE.
Let me know what you think about Gaolu in the comments below!
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But even after so many years of living together, our parents can still seem like a mystery.
Who were they before they had us?
What were they like?
Do they lecture us about not being naughty because they were SUPER naughty themselves? (Probably.)
Find a time this weekend when you can get some alone time with either your mom or dad and get to know them better.
Drive them around to do errands.
Wash the dishes with them.
Cook and set the table with them.
Clean up after dinner with them.
These are perfect times to have a one on one conversation with your mom or dad.
Here are 3 simple questions that you can ask your parents this weekend to get to know your folks a little bit better (and don't be surprised if you hear some amazing stories as a result!):
You know that your parents created you, but do you know how they got together? Was it love at first sight? Was it a gradual romance that stemmed from a friendship? Was it an arranged marriage? Was it bride kidnapping?
You might be surprised to hear the answer.
Most of us are alive only because our parents endured and survived the tragedy of war. They lived in the mountainous jungles of war-torn Laos and when it became too dangerous to stay, they escaped to refugee camps in Thailand then made their way to the US. That journey was not easy.
Take the time to ask them this question to hear their heroic story.
Believe it or not, your parents were once young and full of dreams as well. Although they had plenty of fears about coming to America, they also had an opportunity to start new. What kind of dreams did they have? You'll never know unless you ask :)
I believe that if you ask your parents these 3 questions, you'll learn things that you never knew. You'll hear amazing stories as well as tragic ones.
But the best thing about asking them these questions is that they'll know that you still love them and are still interested in them :)
Ask your parents these questions this weekend and please share interesting stories in the comments!
]]>Yay!
Now I'm working with a freight forwarder to have these books shipped to me. It'll still be a few weeks for transportation but as soon as I get the books sent to my house, I'll prepare the shipments for all the preorder customers. I am confident that you'll get the book before Christmas :)
I want to say once again, THANKS to all of you who preordered these books back in September. You trusted me even before I had the finished products in my hands. I am forever grateful to you and I'm so excited to share this book with you so that you can read it with the little ones in your life :)
Ua tsaug ntau!
-Mykou Thao
]]>Below are some pictures of the books in the factory:
It's so cool to see the behind the scenes process of book printing!!! I'm so glad they sent me these pictures so that I could share them with you :)
They are currently working on the gloss lamination process. Once that is finished, they have to bind the books then get them ready to ship to me and once I receive them, I'll get the books ready to be shipped out to our preorder customers before Christmas :)
Thanks so much for your patience!
]]>We've sent the FINAL digital files to our printing company and have given them the approval to send the books to the printing press for mass production! We decided to go with the glossy finish for the moisture protection as well as helping to make the colors pop a bit more. I think you'll like it when you see it!
Our production timeline is looking very good. It'll take a few weeks for them to produce and ship the books to me but as soon as I receive them, I'll get them packed and ship them out to you asap!
I'm confident that you'll be receiving your book(s) at least a few weeks before Christmas (barring any uncontrollable events!).
]]>My husband told me a story of something that happened recently and I asked him to share it with you. Here's my husband:
Hey there! My name is Touger (Tub Ntxawg). A few weeks ago, I picked up my mom and my 16 year-old brother to chauffeur them around town to run some errands. My mom told my younger brother to sit in the front passenger seat and my mom sat in the back.
While driving around town, my brother and I were chatting and just catching up on life (all in English of course). Before I knew it, we finished the errands for the day.
On our way back home, my mom started to cry silently in the back seat. I turned to my little brother to ask him, "What did we do?" He looked at me and gestured, "I don't know."
My step dad passed away earlier this year so I thought maybe she was sad because she was thinking about him.
I turned around and gently asked her, "Nam, vim le caag koj quaj os?" ("Mom, why are you crying?").
She was quiet at first but then she responded in Hmong, "I'm sad because the both of you are only speaking in English. I'm sitting back here and it's as if I don't even exist..."
I felt horrible! I immediately apologized and told her that from there on out, whenever I was with her or around her, I would only speak in Hmong.
So far, I've stuck to that promise. In an English speaking country like America, our parents, grandparents, and great grandparents can feel so unwanted, unheard, and so alone.
By simply being more intentional about speaking Hmong to them and around them, we can show them that we love and value them as we continue to hold on to their heart language. This isn't about trying to please them. Rather, it's about letting them know that they matter. I want to show my mom that she matters.
In one sense, that is what HmongBaby is all about. Yes, we want to teach our kids Hmong but even more than that, we want to show our parents and grandparents that they are loved. One simple way to do that is by passing on the Hmong language and culture to our kids :)
I'm curious, how do you parents react when they hear you speaking Hmong on a regular basis? Let me know in the comments!
]]>I really want to make sure that you get a high quality book :) Hopefully I'll get the new samples sometime next week.
Below you'll find the survey question along with a word cloud of the most common words that people used in their responses.
1. What are your biggest concerns for your children?
2. What is the biggest challenge you have with passing down the Hmong language to your kids?
3. What would make it easier for you to share the Hmong language and culture to your kids?
4. What are some Hmong books or documentaries that you recommend I read or watch?
If you didn't take the survey but still want to share your thoughts with me, feel free to message me by clicking the BLUE button on the bottom right corner of the screen!
Thanks :)
]]>We were able to reach our preorder goals for both the White Hmong version AND the Green Hmong version of my first Hmong children's book entitled, Ua Si, Ua Si! (Play, Play!)
For the next 2 months, I'll be working hard with my printing company to get all of the books printed, processed, and shipped (barring any catastrophes that I can't control!) before Christmas :)
If you missed out on preordering the book, no fret! Sign up for the HmongBaby email list and when the book is available again for purchase, then you'll be one of the first ones to know :)
CLICK here to sign up for the email.
I've got some exciting projects I'm looking forward to sharing with y'all! Stay tuned :)
Darn! You missed our preorder window for our first Hmong children's book. No fret. Eventually the book will be available again for purchase on our website :) Until then, I'll be working hard to do all that I can to get the book to the preorder customers before Christmas.
Even though you didn't get the chance to preorder the book, you still can get our popular Hmong flash cards!
If you want to know when the book will be available again for purchase, sign up for our HmongBaby email list! This is the best way to stay updated with me. This is where I share the newest products, best tips for teaching my daughter Hmong, and other fun stuff that I've dug up in odd places on the internet :)
CLICK here to sign up for the HmongBaby email newsletter!
Thanks!
-Mykou
]]>Watch as my 2 year old daughter reads to her teddy bear named, "Pooh." Super cute :)
If you haven't preordered your book yet, you still have until Wed, 9/27 @ 11:59pm CST. After that, the books will be unavailable until further notice.
CLICK here to preorder the Hmong children's book, Ua Si, Ua Si! (Play, Play!).
Have a good one :)
Mykou
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