Author: Laura Yang

Not Ready

For this week I had 3 different ideas swirling around in my head on which I should ink. One was a continuation of last week’s punchline, another potentially about the neediness of jetlaggy young twins since coming back from our trip but ultimately, this one won out because of its timeliness. It wouldn’t be as…

Baby Economics 101

So even though I had a cartoon ready, I skipped posting a cartoon last week and I feel terrible. The OCD in me hounds me to post once weekly and I’ve managed to do that since the twins were born so for about 16 months (or I guess that would be about 66 weeks) but…

Haunted Car

Of all the comics I could have drawn, I decided to go with this one that freshly popped up in my mind this morning. I shall not reveal how it came about, lol though you can probably guess. Due to time constraints, I was inspired to simplify my drawings so I decided to emulate a…

Floor Washing

For all you grammar natzis… lol (I hope i got it right).  

Family Resemblance

Is anyone else guilty of this? Hahaha I say this in jest, but not. Or am i? I think it’s just a coping mechanism.. lol But also, this was exactly how a conversation went! 🙂  

What’s for Breakfast?

Oh darn, I didn’t think this one through… It’s Canadian Thanksgiving this Monday! D’oh! I just thought it would be a good time to draw another zombie edition cartoon. I’m sure there’s a joke out there about this but I honestly just thought one day how close the punchline sounded to “scrambled eggs”.  

Highs and Lows

Just to clarify, my autobiographical cartoons are often times exaggerated and other times just plain truthful. To my recollection, my husband and I have never had this interaction. It’s more a dialogue I’ve had with a friend. I have a friend. This friend is unmarried. Whenever I comment on how challenging/exhausting/busy family life is to…

Old and Fat

This is the reason I don’t like looking in the mirror… I want to deny the reality that I am no longer young and fit… that my body no longer repairs itself as fast as it once did. The aches, the pains, the stretch marks and cellulite I suppose are a badge to motherhood, or…

Hand Hygiene

I am very militant about hand hygiene (thus these scaly dry hands of mine) and my twin girl is very flexible… and boom! A cartoon is born! 🙂 I think the hardest thing in creating this cartoon was getting the colours “right”. I always want my cartoons to be colourful but there can’t be too…

Pigsty

As I sit here at my tablet, listening to the thunderous roar of the rainstorm pelting down outside, I realize that perhaps with the changing of the seasons, I have grown a bit unmotivated to draw my beloved cartoons. My grade 12 world lit teacher called this “internalization of landscape” or was it “externalization of…

First Day

As a teacher, I secretly hope that my children will love learning and love school. My daughter has met her kindergarten teacher for about 20 minutes but doesn’t officially have her first day until Monday so the idea for this cartoon came a couple of years prior when a friend’s daughter was asked this question…

I… I…

We were fortunate enough to be able to travel sans 1 y old twins to Europe a couple of weeks ago (Mucho thanks to my parents and sister). First stop was Berlin for 4 very short nights to attend my friend’s beautiful wedding and then 5 nights in Scotland where we visited “Grandma” Jessie, a…

Swim Ring

So it was our 10 year anniversary yesterday, the hubs and i. I thought I’d just have him featured in today’s cartoon. Nothing lovey-dovey, just some good ol’ fashioned Dad joke humour 🙂 Inspiration for this came up during an actual conversation. My husband can be quite literal at times so it’s tough to get…

Banana Gary

So I drew this up a couple of days ago in YYZ waiting for the next plane out to where I am now! I’m here for a wedding and so I don’t have much time to spend on a cartoon, plus jet lag is real. A bit sleepy as I type this. Anyway, this might…

Pen & Ink

Last week, one of my favourites to follow on social media posted that for his birthday this year, among other things, he’d accept some arts made from his cartoon characters. Now, I couldn’t pull this off in time, so I decided to make this a belated gift for him. Dee Parson is a professional cartoonist…

Baby’s First Word

Ain’t this the truth? lol So i drew this with only one baby since drawing the twins is a bit challenging in each panel, plus there simply isn’t enough space for the second twin nor was it necessary. Also, I’m just not that great of an artist to be able to change up the vantage…

1 Year Olds!!

Well, today marks the 1 year anniversary from whence these twinkies entered the world. Life is a blur as everyday truly is survival. That old age cliche is true, the days are long but the years are short! And just a disclaimer, no, we do not let our children climb on counters to knock vases…

Rejecting Food

I’ve heard of twins switching roles unintentionally (or not) complementing each other. However, I did not expect this in my fraternal twins. Perhaps it may be a coincidence? I’m baffled that my previously good eater, the boy, is now starting to shun food! And yet, the girl is picking up where he left off!! I…

Messy Mess

This is the cartoon I had initially started inking up for last week. I went a little overboard on the mess, I think. Then, I hit a roadblock pertaining to getting some desired effect so it’s taken me some time to get it sorted. My daughter is this sassy, but it didn’t exactly play out…

Preschool Grad

This last week of June, my oldest daughter just graduated from preschool. I heard I may tear up and cry. Did I? Nope. It was also the last day for me at my school where it was home for the last 10 years. I feared I would cry at the goodbye presentations. Did I? Double…

Second Opinion

Literally, a true story… every day!! Hahaha Though, it’s hilarious and cute when one of the babies toot. Unlike non-babies…. LOL Happy Father’s Day!!

Sleeping Poorly

I wake up 2 or 3 times a night per twin… why can’t I sleep train them?!! Maybe I’ve become so feeble-hearted in my old age. Lately the twins have sprouted some little nuggets of teeth so the past few days have been particularly whiney and painful for them. Lots of extra hugs and cuddles…

Sleeping Babies

*sigh* They’re 10 months old and still don’t sleep through the night. My oldest slept through the night since she was 2 months old. Easy baby she was! And now, we enter the twinkies! 🙂 My boy likes to scream a very high-pitched soul-piercing scream that wears on you like nails on a chalkboard. I…

Feeding Solids

The twins are 10 months old now and have been on solids for half their life! I’ve been waiting for the inevitable jagged edges of baby teeth cutting through their gums as my oldest had her first tooth appear at 7 months. Finally, fiiiiinally my girl just cut her first tooth. The boy is still…

Flowers for Mom

When we go for walks, my daughter has learned to smell the roses and daisies, and tulips and rhododendrons and… that’s the extent of my knowledge of flowers. The point is, she notices flowers…. Every. Last. One. She knows not to pluck them but to enjoy them with her eyes. However, the little loose weedy…

Mommy Superpowers

I got carried away with this one. I just wanted to pay a nice tribute to all the overworked and often underappreciated moms out there. Raising children is the hardest but most important thing I’ve ever had to endure, especially when they come at you with sass they’ve inherited! Ugh!! They force me to be…

Squirmy

The twins are squirming a lot these days. Changing diapers requires a distracting toy to keep them from rolling around. My husband calls them squirmy wormies so naturally it got me thinking… I initially story boarded this in my head with 3 panels of a squirmy wormy all the same size but as I sketched…

Unpredictable

So the twins are sitting up nicely now at 9 months. One is a screamer. So. Loud. Is. She. It’s more like squeals of delight, at her loudest volume. And it often comes without warning. How to discourage? But she’s happy?!! Though our ears ring. Sigh.

Gourd Friday

On this Good Friday, I think this might be my most ‘Dad Joke’ of a cartoon to date. Lord, forgive me! -Laura

Bamboo Flavour

Being a mom is exhausting. As such, cleaning house is a lowwww priority, with the exception of the kitchen. Consequently, dust bunnies run rampant in our main living spaces. This is why I need to have friends over. Only then will I make an effort to clean up a bit! Haha, otherwise, dust bunnies be…

Needing a Break

I am naturally a pretty high energy person, even before kids. The aroma of coffee never did anything for me until my pregnancy with the twins. It was almost like I wanted so badly what I was now not able to drink so much of. I indulged maybe once a week, maximum one cup per…

Baby vs Dog

Anyone else have a very drooly baby? I’ve been meaning to ink this one for a while ever since one of the twins started drooling like mad! I thought I’d also coincide it with the first time the dog is introduced! Still not sure yet what to name her on Yin + Yangster. My dog…

Sleeping Babies

So my daughter has a terrible habit of barging in on me when I’m putting the babies to sleep and I have a terrible habit of forgetting to lock the door. Other times, she just calls out to me, as reported in today’s cartoon strip!

Parenting Teamwork

Sooooooooooo Yin + Yangster initially was set out to be a single-panel, clean, family-friendly strip replete with clever puns and hilarious situations fiction or not. Today it has morphed into a somewhat biographical parenting strip. And what’s parenting without poop? So much poop because poop x2 (for twins)! You can’t escape a day without being…

Floundering

This is always what comes to mind when my twins are in ‘tummy time’. For those unaware, it’s the time you place baby on their tummies to strengthen their neck muscles until they can roll over. My boy especially, he’d basically flail out vigorously, but in place. Is it mean that I find it funny?

Directions Needed

Happy Belated Valentine’s Day! I actually drew up a black and white NYer style Valentine’s Day cartoon before I left for Mexico but alas VDay didn’t fall on a Friday! :p We just got back yesterday and I haven’t drawn the entire time. I never felt so lazy in my life!! I have a bunch…

Maybe Melanoma

The regular scheduled program is on a break and so I’ve decided to post a cartoon I dug up in my archives that hasn’t yet been published. It’s somewhat fitting too as it gives a clue into my whereabouts! Stay warm folks!

Cry Cry Cry

Soooooo this parenting business can be rough. My first daughter was a relatively easy baby, sleeping 12h and napping twice a day by about 3 months. Oh and she ate like a champ. Bolstered with confidence as new parents, we’ll have more kids, we said. Twins. Are. A. Whole. Different. Ballgame. I’ve been bouncing back…

Fussy Eater

This is art imitating life. My formerly easy going child who ate everything has become this opinionated picky eater. This conversation literally happened exactly as is, minus the Frenchy bits. Anyone else have kids who are picky eaters??

Dec 15, 2018

For a caption contest at www.reef2reef.com sometime in December 2018. Winners: #1 “I thought I was feeling tingly because of Christmas coming, but now I think it may be those lights aren’t grounded properly!” #2 “Can we go back to QT for some peace and quiet??!!?!!” #3 “Oh, Linda, after you finish ‘Coral of the…

Nov 30, 2018

For a caption contest at www.reef2reef.com sometime in Dec 2018. Winners: #1 “Hey Mom!! … I think Dad is going to ask if he can upgrade to a bigger tank AGAIN!!” #2 “You didn’t read any of these, did you?” #3 “Dad… I think it said aquascaping… not aquastacking.”

Shopping Accessory

Oh maaaaan, it’s been a tough little go here. I haven’t slept properly for almost 6 months now. That’s how long the twins have been around. So please forgive me for my incoherent sentences and imperfect grammar. They’ve been waking up a lot the last few days. 2-5 times each baby. I am the only…

Bird Box Inception

Sooooooo I initially started a parenting cartoon on how tired I feel but then I got to thinking about the movie that’s currently sweeping the globe (apparently) on Netflix. I am the biggest chicken when it comes to the genre of horror even though this movie was more of a thriller. I could only watch…

Tender Moment

Happy New Year, everyone! 🙂 First cartoon of 2019!! Goodness, it’s 2019… that means our high school 20th reunion is this year, if anyone is inclined to plan it *not me!* Phewf, just in case we were playing that game! lol May your 2019 be *smack* full of goodies coming your way! 🙂 *hyuk hyuk*…

Baby Translator

Well, as 2018 wraps up I just wanted to thank all of you for supporting my cartoons simply by viewing them, sharing them, liking my facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/yangstercomics/ – please like if you haven’t already :D) and commenting online or in person to let me know that you do enjoy them. The last few weeks…

Where’s Daddy?

Late post, but not before midnight so still technically Friday here (PST)! Soooooo I’m STILL not in the Christmas mindset as I’m surviving day by day. This cartoon went through a couple of revisions. Initially I had “He’s pooping” and last frame “Correction: he’s manpooping” but my mom didn’t like the poop references. Plus the…

More Bosom

True story. Not the punchline, but the thought that occurred to me. I love cuddling these little helpless human beings. They have no choice but to rest in my chest. Problem is, I only have one chest. One baby per chest is what I figure to be most comfortable. So OF COURSE, greedy lil ol’…

Postpartum Weight

So I’ve been experimenting with different comic formats. Most of my readers view my comics on cell phones so in an effort not to spoil the punchline too soon (this is extremely important to me), I’ve used the “vertical scroll” format. It is a lot easier just doing a simple “square” format that fits nicely…

BFing

Sooooooooo it’s been a bit of a week, shall we say. Keep in mind I have 4 month old twins, a 4 year old and a tiny dog that just doesn’t seem to get enough attention. I’ve been having a tough time juggling 3 young kids. Though, 3 IS the right number to juggle, isn’t…

Feeding Time?

This is often how I’d gauge whether it was time to feed or not.

Mommy Hair

One of my biggest pet peeves right now is the amount of hair I am shedding! It is everywhere! Well, no, not really but it certainly feels that way! I see it on my twins’ faces, on my sweaters, T-shirts, the bathroom sink and floor… and don’t even get me started on the amount I…

Earworm

I once read an article on useful German words that the English language could probably adopt. One such word is Ohrwurm, or earworm. Fluentu.com describes it this way: Have you ever listened to a song on the radio while driving to work only to find yourself still humming the same tune by lunch time? Congratulations, you’ve had…

Me Time

It’s amazing what an invigorating shower can do! I remember at the hospital after having the twins, I didn’t shower for a couple of days. I was in so much pain and my body was trying so hard to recover it didn’t even cross my mind to take a shower. One of the nurses suggested…

Crying Babies

So this isn’t my best work. It took me a lot longer to finish this piece and I’m not totally satisfied with it. I definitely rushed the colouring and I couldn’t figure out a few things in the art program I use which I think led to inefficient inking. For the sake of my self-imposed…

Good Sleep?

These days sleep is very scant. Even when the twins are asleep at the same time, I should be too! I just find myself drawn (pardon the pun LOL) to making the most of the day, alas here I am at 2:16am in the morning. I can’t rest until it’s done! X__X

What’s Wrong?!

As I watch myself go through the check list of a crying baby: Diaper clean? Check. Baby fed? Check. Baby burped? Check. Baby gassy? Check. Baby tired? Check. Baby warm enough? Check. I realized, what if there’s something causing the crying that ISN’T part of the checklist? And then, I imagined what it could be…

Awww Baby!

So this was the cartoon I had on the back burner last week so that I could ink this cartoon. I don’t really have any further comments except to say #truth.

Buzzzzzzz

Initially I had a parenting punchline figured out for this week but then my daughter mispronounced something that instantly inspired me. The storyboard sequence in my head came pretty naturally so I just had to ink it! The tricky part was finding time between keeping a preschooler and newborn twins alive, commenting on every funny…

Baby Reflexes

So basically my goal is to publish a cartoon a week, it seems for the most part Fridays. When I draw multi-panel comics, I try hard to storyboard everything within 4 panels, always with the intention of writing as few words as possible. Sometimes I get it right, other times a miss. With this particular…

Mommy Brain

Aiyai yai…. so Mommy Brain is on full drive! I can’t seem to remember anything important anymore. Explaining Mommy Brain to my toddler probably wasn’t a good idea either (chalk it up to Mommy Brain). She tells everyone that the twins ate Mommy’s brains so Mom’s not smart anymore. Hahaha I guess it is partially…

Tired Mama

Sleep, anyone? 🙂 A special shout out to my fellow sleep-deprived but ambitious mamas.

Moodela

Ahhhhh the pains of motherhood….

Innocent Question

I always naively thought that after giving birth, your weight would instantaneously bounce back to what it was pre-pregnancy. Boy was I wrong! There are a lot of factors that contribute to how long it takes for our bodies to shrink back to some semblance of normal. Sometimes, it shrinks back to a “new normal”….

Baby Burp

Yep, so…. speaking from experience, the Mommy Brain thing is verrrrrrry real. Thought of this cartoon while I was hallucinating from lack of sleep. Or maybe, I wasn’t hallucinating? HAHA! I guess I’ll never know, or will I?? *sigh*

Sleep Training

The book is titled “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Twins” (by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.)

Old Faithful

So I’ve been a bit busy… Two weeks ago I gave birth to twins and have lived the hermit lifestyle since. I am dying to ink all the ideas that have inevitably come out of this special sleep-deprived time (isn’t that how Salvador Dali got a lot of his ideas, while in a state of…

Walk Faster

This is how I walk now, no kidding. I can’t wait to get my body back… ughhhhhhhhhh.

Mewey on Marriage

Ok last post of my folks! 🙂 No embellishment needed for this cartoon, ’tis true! 🙂

Mewey on The 5 Love Languages

Based on the book by Dr. Gary Chapman (a highly recommended read), my dad offers a 6th Love Language. It’s to be noted that my folks are foodies that even their memories’ frame of reference is marked by the food served. They cook tasty meals for church functions (mostly from scratch) and watch Korean shows…

Mewey on Saving Money

So my folks are very price-conscience. Maybe it has to do with humble beginnings… maybe it has to do with the Chinese culture… or both! In any event, my mom is an expert bargain hunter so naturally I had to draw something that conveyed this message. 🙂 Hope you like it!

Mewey on Raising Daughters

My dad was always outnumbered growing up. Under one roof he had to share his castle with Mom, 4 daughters and 2 female dogs… 🙂 In retrospect, I’m grateful to him because he always taught us to be independent and self-sufficient women. I always joke that since he had no sons, he compensated by raising…

Mewey on Having Sons

So back in June, I along with my 3 sisters planned a 40th anniversary celebration for our folks. My mom’s name is May, and my dad’s name is Dewey, hence the name Mewey 🙂 I drew up a few cartoons summarizing life with them which I’ll slowly leak out over the next few days. I…

Baaad Pun

Perhaps a bit of an inside joke for only those who are lucky enough to know this brilliant and sassy doctor! 🙂

Dr. Dena

When art imitates life 🙂 Best OBGYN ever!!! 🙂

49 Percent

Ohhhhhhhh just a lil therapy this time of year 🙂

Gassy Baby

Aaaaaaaaaaaand rooooooooound 2! 🙂

Swollen Members

So I’ve got a series of pregnancy cartoons I’d like to ink but I wanted to do them chronologically to sort of journal the entire process. Today, I felt I had to post something that was relevant to my current status so alas, here we are! 🙂 It’s been a pretty stressful week with a…

Mosquito Doubts

Here’s a cartoon I drew up last month to stall while I work on some other personal projects. Hope you enjoy! 🙂

Mind Blown

This one’s dedicated to all my math students! 🙂 Please share with all your friends! 😀

Earth Day

Today is Earth Day! I was meaning to draw this up last year but simply ran out of time. This year, I barely squeaked it in! 23 minutes past 12am! Anyway, Happy Earth Day!! 🙂

Challenge Accepted!

So somehow I wandered onto some articles and educational videos about narwhals. My, I have to say, what fascinating creatures! I learned that their tusk is really just a protruding canine tooth. Their swirly tusk is incredibly flexible and sensitive and is generally only found in males. They swim really slowly (apparently slower than manatees)…

Can’t Win

*sigh* As a soft math teacher, the struggle is real.

It’s Snot

So we all came back from San Diego a little bit plugged up and under the weather. In particular, my daughter had this persistent train of snot that would just peer out from time to time only to be slurped back inside. Only after a sneeze would its gargantuan size be fully revealed. Anyway, I…

Bored

Scrolling through my archive of ideas, I happened on this quickie… posting this from the U S of A (Spring Break!!!).

Zombie Parent

So the Walking Dead is back on again so I decided to draw another zombie cartoon, mixed with parenting.

Don’t Shoot

One of my friends is a very talented photographer and an amazing mother of two. We have a lot to laugh about when we’re together so it’s no surprise that she supplies me with good cartoon fodder. She is a strong and independent woman through and through even when Life hands her lemons — she…