About


What is Wabi Sabi?

Not to be confused with wasabi, Wabi Sabi is the Japanese philosophy of finding peace in the distressed and beauty in imperfection. It acknowledges the poignancy inherent in the fleetingness of life and celebrates simplicity, asymmetry, authenticity and a connection to the natural world.

As sisters of Japanese-American ancestry, the Wabi Sabi aesthetic is a defining philosophy, a lens through which we want to approach our lives. On our journeys as mothers it carries new meaning as we juggle the unpredictable moments of child-rearing and homemaking. We thought this blog would be a fun way to connect with each other and the wide, wonderful world by sharing bits of our culture, our parenting adventures, and our Wabi Sabi philosophy of embracing our imperfections and trying to appreciating the fleeting moment - even the tough ones.



Who are the Wabi Sabi Mamas?

The Wabi Sabi Mamas are three sisters -- MamaQ, MamaM, and MamaD -- who grew up with a Japanese mom and Anglo-American dad outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Along with their brother, they navigated the waters of growing up bi-racial in a relatively homogeneous (but lovely!) community. Childhood consisted of playing baseball in the street, catching toads in the backyard, playing school and house and all sorts of imaginary games, reading a ton of books and watching way too much TV. Oh, you know, and the occasional family outing to Japan.



MamaQ is the oldest and after studying theater in college (Brigham Young University), she married her high school sweetheart and spent a year teaching English in Japan. Grad school followed as she immersed herself in Asian Studies and worked at a multi-cultural theater organization. After a move to Washington DC, MamaQ embarked in a fulfilling career performing on stage and teaching at various non-profit theater companies before taking a hiatus to give birth to and raise her daughter, Mayumi, twin sons, Benjamin and Corrigan, and another little surprise on the way. Since becoming a mama, she has experimented with such adventures as Attachment Parenting, Elimination Communication and homeschooling.  Some of her many interests include reading, knitting, sewing, yoga, gardening, eating, watching movies, attending the theat-ah and learning to play the koto


MamaM is the middle sister. She married HubbyM after he wooed her during their college days, also at BYU. MamaM went on to receive her MBA from the University of Utah and currently works as a freelancer in public communications. MamaM juggles working part-time with raising her toddler daughter, Olive and son, Rowe, while trying to create a home where they eat an edible meal at least once in a while. Somewhere between her cooking disasters, MamaM likes to hit the gym (she's a CrossFit junkie), rollerblade, bargain shop and organize. She is looking forward to exploring her inner domestic diva by trying her hand at gardening and sewing.

Though MamaM was always the most social of the sisters growing up, she now loves being a homebody, spending most of her time cuddling with her little family in their town home at the foot of the majestic Utah mountains.


MamaD is the baby of the family. Together she and PapaD raise Lucy Mei and Grey. Also a BYU alumna, Annie majored in exercise science and is passionate about healthy living and nutrition. Her professional life led her to Salt Lake County Aging Services where she worked as a community outreach worker in the Meals on Wheels Program and Medicare education. She is also obsessed with frugality and spends exorbitant amounts of time clipping coupons and searching the web for deals. MamaD is a bona fide survivor of home remodeling, having recently served as her own general contractor while renovating their charming little home in the up-and-coming Rose Park area of Salt Lake City. 


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Contact

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Contact us at wabisabimama.com@gmail.com.