Hi, I’m Naree Kim, the founder, editor, and lifestyle writer behind xoxoCaliMom – a Bay Area publication about family life, home, style, culture, local experiences, and the things genuinely worth bringing into everyday life.
I created xoxoCaliMom to share stories and recommendations shaped by firsthand experience. My work begins in the real world: in the places I visit, the people I meet, the questions I ask, and the details I experience that only reveal themselves in real life.
About xoxoCaliMom
My background is in fine arts, graphic design, digital media, entrepreneurship, and motherhood. Before building xoxoCaliMom, I worked creatively and built home-based businesses from the ground up. That experience sharpened the way I see things: how to solve practical problems, communicate visually, and distinguish between what is simply appealing and what is thoughtfully designed to work in everyday life.
Today, I bring that same curiosity and judgment to my work as a writer and editor. As a mother of two school-aged children, I understand how valuable a family’s time, energy, and money are. I want every guide, review, and personal story on this site to offer something useful, honest, or meaningful.
What I Write About
xoxoCaliMom covers thoughtful family life, home and kitchen finds, personal style, Korean beauty, creative trends, tested products, and targeted shopping guides. I also personally explore Bay Area museums, restaurants, activities, events, and family destinations, sharing the practical details that help readers decide what is worth their time.
Life & Culture is where I make room for book reviews, Korean American family life, creativity, motherhood, and personal essays. These subjects may look different from one another, but they are connected by the same question: What is genuinely worth noticing, remembering, using, or passing along?
How I Review & Recommend
I believe some things can only be understood by being there. A place has a feeling that photographs cannot fully capture. A product reveals itself differently once it is held and actually used. People often share more in conversation than any website could ever explain. So I prefer to experience things firsthand – to visit, listen, observe, question, compare, taste, touch, photograph, and pay attention to what only becomes visible in real life.
When I recommend something, I consider how it feels and functions in everyday life – not only how it looks online. I pay attention to quality, usefulness, value, atmosphere, and the small details a family or shopper would want to know before spending time or money. If a post includes a gifted item, sponsorship, or affiliate link, I disclose it clearly, and the opinions remain my own. You can read the full xoxoCaliMom disclosure for more information.
In a world increasingly filled with AI-generated information, I want xoxoCaliMom to hold onto something deeply human: the feeling of a place, the personality behind a business, the difference between something that photographs well and something that actually works, and the memory, judgment, taste, curiosity, and heart behind a real recommendation.
A Korean American Perspective
I’m based in the San Francisco Bay Area and write through the lens of a Korean American mother, creative, and attentive observer of everyday ordinary life. Growing up across cultures taught me to notice how identity, place, tradition, and belonging shape the way families live. That perspective is part of every story I tell, whether I am writing about a local business, a beauty product, a family outing, a room at home, or a meaningful personal experience.
xoxoCaliMom is not about collecting more things or chasing every trend. It is about experiencing things firsthand, finding beauty in what genuinely works for your life, and sharing what feels useful, meaningful, or genuinely worth knowing.
Stay Connected with Naree Kim
Start with the latest stories on xoxoCaliMom, subscribe to xoxoCaliMom on Substack, or contact me with a thoughtful recommendation, local story, collaboration, or place you believe deserves a closer look.
Real places. Real people. Real experience. Stories from the world outside our digital screens.
