Hi, I am Masami Iwase-Watanabe. I am a full-time working mom with two boys. I have worked full-time for many years and my boys are healthy and happy.

 

I was raised in a family with a mother who stayed at home. She cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner every day and, while it usually wasn’t fancy, I never missed a meal while growing up. But when I think of my mother, I always remember that she really cared about me. She was always home. Now I don’t spend all day with my kids as I work full–time, but I feel very closely bonded with my boys. As a rule of thumb, we eat breakfast and dinner together as a family. I also cook most of the dinners by myself. Yes, we go out to eat pizza and stuff once in a while and sometimes eat take out.

 

One day, around dinner time, I was in a long line for Chinese takeout. It occurred to me that for as much time as I was spending standing in line, I could just cook a very simple, healthy meal while spending more time with my kids at home. When I get home, I usually start cooking right away while making sure my kids are doing their homework and, many times, I am also on the phone for my business. On a typical Sunday afternoon, I might make a couple hundred gyozas so that I can freeze them and serve them on weekdays. Sure, I could go to a grocery store and buy a bag of frozen gyoza for less than $10. As you know making gyoza is very time consuming and people ask me if it is worth my time. Actually, it is.

 

My younger son Kyle’s favorite food is “mom’s gyoza.” He always asks for it. One time, when we were remodeling our house, I bought frozen gyoza and he noticed right away and didn’t want to eat that much.

 

Living healthy involves lifelong experience, starting from when you are young. Unfortunately, the world is getting busier and busier. In a family, parent/child bonding is very important and, in fact, it is a key for a happy, healthy family. I believe that a happy and well-rounded family helps kids grow physically and spiritually healthy. Understanding the importance of spending quality time with family, it came to my attention that the term “Shoku-Iku” is important for most modern families to learn and practice upon. Shokuiku is a lifelong lesson that is taught and learned around the kitchen and it promotes parent/child bonding. You do not need a fancy vacation to bond.