I have officially begun potty training. Might I add, I feel like I am failing at it. Poor Connor must think I hate him. I find myself "nagging" at him. I try to do it in a nice and happy voice, but then he starts whining in an unhappy voice and I get exhausted and a little short with him.
The nagging:
"Do you want some more juice"
"Do you want to go on the potty"
"Do you need to go pee-pee"
So yesterday he went on the floor three times and in the toilet none. I never scolded him when he went on the floor. He didn't mind having wet underpants...didn't bother him at all. I don't even think he realizes it when he is piddling. A friend of mine suggested the pull-ups that make the child feel cold after doing their business. So I got some, those don't phase him either.
I borrowed some books and a DVD from a friend down the hall (same friend that suggested the pull-ups...it didn't take too long for her little girl to get it and she never had to use a pull-up) in the hopes that today would be a new day. It started out okay, he helped his little teddy bear go potty on the toilet, REALLY washed his hands, dried them and turned off the light. I thought it was a great breakthrough. Connor even sat on the toilet this morning. No fruits came of it, but the nagging continues. He has yet to touch his juice or water.
Please tell me this was just as frustrating for you if you have potty trained a child! Tonya (Todd's mom) told me Todd was a textbook child. She showed him how to do it once and never had a problem after that. I truly thought Connor was like his father, guess not.
Maybe I am trying to do this too soon. He is only 2 1/2. Well, wish me luck! I hope Connor and I make it through this day.
I do have something to look forward to! Tonight Todd is taking me out for our 9th Anniversary (thanks for the card mom...the cardmaker did a great job, I hope you paid her well)!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Spirit of God
So, a little while ago, I had asked for some duet suggestions. Today was the day of the musical number and Jericho and I sang "The Spirit of God" from Michael R. Hicks' "I Know He Lives" Fireside Songbook.
I have to start out by telling you a little bit about Jericho. When I taught seminary, he was one of my students (that slept most of the time). He is a great kid and seems to have that all around talent (e.i. debate, volleyball, piano, drums, friendly, charming, I am sure I am missing a few more). He recently added singing to his repertoire of talents and decided to share it with the McCully ward. Although, I think his dad had something to do with it, seeing as how he is the Bishop.
Jericho was a little stand-offish about singing a solo, so his dad suggested he find someone else to sing with him. Sad to say, there are no Young Women in the ward who sing, so he had to settle for me (a lady ten years older than him). He has got such a great gift and can sing beautifully and with such power. It was fun to get to sing with someone like that.
As for the performance itself, it went well. We had arranged that Miranda would take Abi and Todd would hold the reins on Connor. We had some friends sit on the other end of the bench so there could be no escaping of Connor. One verse into the song, Connor escaped. He made it up the aisle (why did no one stop him?), onto the stand (still, no one stopped him) and standing in front of me. He looked up and started quietly tugging at my skirt (I was nervous that he would actually pull it off), so I picked him up and held him the remaining 2 verses of the song. I have to say, he did very well. Connor never tried to grab the microphone, turn the music, or talk to me. He just laid his head on my shoulder and ever once in a while would look out at the congregation and smile like he had just gotten exactly what he wanted. I am sure the congregation enjoyed watching him more than they enjoyed the musical number.
I have to start out by telling you a little bit about Jericho. When I taught seminary, he was one of my students (that slept most of the time). He is a great kid and seems to have that all around talent (e.i. debate, volleyball, piano, drums, friendly, charming, I am sure I am missing a few more). He recently added singing to his repertoire of talents and decided to share it with the McCully ward. Although, I think his dad had something to do with it, seeing as how he is the Bishop.
Jericho was a little stand-offish about singing a solo, so his dad suggested he find someone else to sing with him. Sad to say, there are no Young Women in the ward who sing, so he had to settle for me (a lady ten years older than him). He has got such a great gift and can sing beautifully and with such power. It was fun to get to sing with someone like that.
As for the performance itself, it went well. We had arranged that Miranda would take Abi and Todd would hold the reins on Connor. We had some friends sit on the other end of the bench so there could be no escaping of Connor. One verse into the song, Connor escaped. He made it up the aisle (why did no one stop him?), onto the stand (still, no one stopped him) and standing in front of me. He looked up and started quietly tugging at my skirt (I was nervous that he would actually pull it off), so I picked him up and held him the remaining 2 verses of the song. I have to say, he did very well. Connor never tried to grab the microphone, turn the music, or talk to me. He just laid his head on my shoulder and ever once in a while would look out at the congregation and smile like he had just gotten exactly what he wanted. I am sure the congregation enjoyed watching him more than they enjoyed the musical number.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Connor Story
Last night we had dinner at a friend's house and the topic of discussion was their truck being towed. They had planned on taking a cab to the two yard to pick it up after dinner. We offered to give them a ride instead, and they took us up on the offer.
Whenever I am in the car with Connor we sing songs to help kill time. While driving along, we didn't really sing any songs because of the company. Connor yells out "Todd...sing us a song." It was hilarious! Of course we all broke into Connor's favorite, "Twinkle Twinkle."
Whenever I am in the car with Connor we sing songs to help kill time. While driving along, we didn't really sing any songs because of the company. Connor yells out "Todd...sing us a song." It was hilarious! Of course we all broke into Connor's favorite, "Twinkle Twinkle."
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Guilt
Okay, I felt so bad about going on and on about dumb boring things I just had to post some pictures to lighten the mood. No stories behind them, they speak for themselves. By the way, the sofa came and it is the softest fluffiest thing ever, it is like snuggling into a teddy bear!
Weird Week
Okay, no pictures to go along with this blog, just a whole lot of me going on about my life...no kids, all me. You can skip it if it's boring, I don't blame you. This is mostly for the sake of 1)venting and 2)journaling.
School. Well, as you may have read before, I was supposed to be in school right now. You know, finishing up those five classes I had registered for. I'm not. Here comes the story: When we returned to Hawaii, I knew I was going to go back to school at Kapiolani Community College to complete my AA. I was 16 credits away from that special piece of paper. I was also going to have a baby in November, so that meant that by some miracle I would have to complete 6 courses in one summer semester. I checked out the school schedule and it all fell into place so perfectly! So I re-applied (you have to re-apply if you have been away for a year or more) which involves an application, TB clearance (more to come on that) and an updated shot record. Then I applied for financial aid. Thus far, I have been able to pay for all of my schooling with grants and scholarships, so I was relying on these once again to pay for my education.
So on Monday, I called the financial aid office to ask where my money was (I know, why should I be expecting it, I'd been away for a year and I was only asking for it for one summer semester). As it turns out the scholarship and grant funds for the 2006-2007 school year had already been exhausted and all they could offer me were loans (no thank you, not going to tack that on to what we have already incurred with the future Dr. Todd). So I asked when the last day to withdraw from classes was as still get my full refund. It was the next day at midnight. I had a big decision to make within the next 24 hours. Summer tuition is almost twice as much as a regular semester, so it was a lot of money, not to mention the $600 in books that I still needed to purchase.
I also met with an academic counselor to discuss transferring credits to the mainland, as it looked like I may have to finish somewhere there. The counselor made me feel a little bit better. You see, Hawaii requires you to take certain courses that are only related to Hawaii and Asian Pacific Studies that are not required on the mainland. My A.A., had I gotten it, would only be accepted among other University of Hawaii campuses, not on the mainland. If I took it to the mainland, I would be required to take other courses to make up for the classes that they don't accept. Do you call all of this a "tender mercy" or what?
So, I came home, talked it over with Todd and did the saddest thing ever...I withdrew from the last five classes. It was hard, but knowing that it was probably best that this all came about was a good thing. I got an awesome dance class out of it and the info about TB. Here comes the other part of the weird week.
Okay, like I said before, UH system requires that you have TB clearance before being admitted to school. I took a TB test and it came out positive. I took one in 2004, and it came out negative, so as the detective Dr put it, "somewhere between 2004 and 2007 you have come in contact with someone; whether it be at the grocery store, a plane, walking by them on the street, who has TB. These TB particles are so microscopic." This particular Dr. was very serious and almost made it sound like whomever got this was going to die right away. I am an optimist and not an extremist. His explanation was all a little over the top to me. Lame, Whatever, I was bored.
I admit to taking none of this very seriously. It all seems a bit like a nuisance to me and I have ZERO of the symptoms and the way they (the Dr.'s) have kind of lazily gone about all of this makes me not too worried. I took the test in April and just now I am having the X-ray (okay, well that was because they had to wait until the baby was further along). And, I am getting conflicting advice on the TB antibiotic being taken while pregnant. So, I had the x-ray, if TB shows up in the x-ray I take this medicine for 6 months. If I don't have TB in the x-ray, I take this antibiotic for 9 months. Big deal, it seems like either way I have to take some sort of pill. I find out tomorrow the results and I will get a third Dr.'s opinion on the TB antibiotic.
Any of you ever tested positive for TB?
Another weird thing. We ordered a sofa March 1st. I hate living on a rock in the middle of the ocean for maybe only this one reason...it takes so long for things to get here! I have called and hounded and hounded these people asking where my sofa is. It is made in California, has to be put in a carton and shipped across the ocean to get here. A week after I ordered this sofa I had buyers remorse and asked for them to cancel the order. They said they would, but they would keep $350 as a restocking fee. $350...to restock what? They hadn't even started building the sofa, it was in California, not in their showroom! AAUUGGHH!! I was so annoyed.
I also explained to them that I was very unhappy with the quality of the "crap sack" that we got. We were told that it was just like a Love Sac. It is called a siesta sack and ours, well to put it in Todd's words, is a "crap sack." Connor has a good time with it, so that's good.
Back to the sofa, On the receipt, our salesman wrote that the sofa would arrive in 4-6 weeks. 4 weeks came and went, 6 weeks came and went. I called and spoke with their cute lady in charge of shipping. She couldn't get a hold of the company in California because of the time difference. When she finally did get a hold of them, the company sent the wrong sofa. I asked her just to cancel our order and have the company in California pay our re-stocking fee. We weren't even going to live here long enough to enjoy the sofa at this point. She called back the next day explaining that the sofa was sitting on the dock and would be shipped out with the next boat.
Today, May 24, almost 3 months later, they have our sofa here on the island and are supposed to be delivering it today. We'll see.
Now to the computer keyboard. I was in a cleaning frenzy on Monday and took the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to just about everything, including the computer keyboard. It must have been too wet because once I was through and sat down at the keyboard to do some blogging, I realized that the E, Y, U, T, the space bar, and delete key weren't working! I shorted out our keyboard. It was one of those nice ones that is supposed to help you from getting carple tunnle or something. I called Todd and we laughed about it and he brought home and old one from his office. So now I am getting carple tunnle typing on this keyboard (just kidding).
Anything else? Hmmm, not yet! Oh, a cute story:
Yesterday Connor came up to me and asked if we could go swimming. I told him no, because Abi was sleeping. He got really sad and kept saying "water" over and over again. I held him and said, "what do you want" and he took my hand and walked me into the bathroom. He wanted to go swimming in the bathtub! How cute! Of course I let him, it was the best of both worlds, Abi could sleep while he "swam."
School. Well, as you may have read before, I was supposed to be in school right now. You know, finishing up those five classes I had registered for. I'm not. Here comes the story: When we returned to Hawaii, I knew I was going to go back to school at Kapiolani Community College to complete my AA. I was 16 credits away from that special piece of paper. I was also going to have a baby in November, so that meant that by some miracle I would have to complete 6 courses in one summer semester. I checked out the school schedule and it all fell into place so perfectly! So I re-applied (you have to re-apply if you have been away for a year or more) which involves an application, TB clearance (more to come on that) and an updated shot record. Then I applied for financial aid. Thus far, I have been able to pay for all of my schooling with grants and scholarships, so I was relying on these once again to pay for my education.
So on Monday, I called the financial aid office to ask where my money was (I know, why should I be expecting it, I'd been away for a year and I was only asking for it for one summer semester). As it turns out the scholarship and grant funds for the 2006-2007 school year had already been exhausted and all they could offer me were loans (no thank you, not going to tack that on to what we have already incurred with the future Dr. Todd). So I asked when the last day to withdraw from classes was as still get my full refund. It was the next day at midnight. I had a big decision to make within the next 24 hours. Summer tuition is almost twice as much as a regular semester, so it was a lot of money, not to mention the $600 in books that I still needed to purchase.
I also met with an academic counselor to discuss transferring credits to the mainland, as it looked like I may have to finish somewhere there. The counselor made me feel a little bit better. You see, Hawaii requires you to take certain courses that are only related to Hawaii and Asian Pacific Studies that are not required on the mainland. My A.A., had I gotten it, would only be accepted among other University of Hawaii campuses, not on the mainland. If I took it to the mainland, I would be required to take other courses to make up for the classes that they don't accept. Do you call all of this a "tender mercy" or what?
So, I came home, talked it over with Todd and did the saddest thing ever...I withdrew from the last five classes. It was hard, but knowing that it was probably best that this all came about was a good thing. I got an awesome dance class out of it and the info about TB. Here comes the other part of the weird week.
Okay, like I said before, UH system requires that you have TB clearance before being admitted to school. I took a TB test and it came out positive. I took one in 2004, and it came out negative, so as the detective Dr put it, "somewhere between 2004 and 2007 you have come in contact with someone; whether it be at the grocery store, a plane, walking by them on the street, who has TB. These TB particles are so microscopic." This particular Dr. was very serious and almost made it sound like whomever got this was going to die right away. I am an optimist and not an extremist. His explanation was all a little over the top to me. Lame, Whatever, I was bored.
I admit to taking none of this very seriously. It all seems a bit like a nuisance to me and I have ZERO of the symptoms and the way they (the Dr.'s) have kind of lazily gone about all of this makes me not too worried. I took the test in April and just now I am having the X-ray (okay, well that was because they had to wait until the baby was further along). And, I am getting conflicting advice on the TB antibiotic being taken while pregnant. So, I had the x-ray, if TB shows up in the x-ray I take this medicine for 6 months. If I don't have TB in the x-ray, I take this antibiotic for 9 months. Big deal, it seems like either way I have to take some sort of pill. I find out tomorrow the results and I will get a third Dr.'s opinion on the TB antibiotic.
Any of you ever tested positive for TB?
Another weird thing. We ordered a sofa March 1st. I hate living on a rock in the middle of the ocean for maybe only this one reason...it takes so long for things to get here! I have called and hounded and hounded these people asking where my sofa is. It is made in California, has to be put in a carton and shipped across the ocean to get here. A week after I ordered this sofa I had buyers remorse and asked for them to cancel the order. They said they would, but they would keep $350 as a restocking fee. $350...to restock what? They hadn't even started building the sofa, it was in California, not in their showroom! AAUUGGHH!! I was so annoyed.
I also explained to them that I was very unhappy with the quality of the "crap sack" that we got. We were told that it was just like a Love Sac. It is called a siesta sack and ours, well to put it in Todd's words, is a "crap sack." Connor has a good time with it, so that's good.
Back to the sofa, On the receipt, our salesman wrote that the sofa would arrive in 4-6 weeks. 4 weeks came and went, 6 weeks came and went. I called and spoke with their cute lady in charge of shipping. She couldn't get a hold of the company in California because of the time difference. When she finally did get a hold of them, the company sent the wrong sofa. I asked her just to cancel our order and have the company in California pay our re-stocking fee. We weren't even going to live here long enough to enjoy the sofa at this point. She called back the next day explaining that the sofa was sitting on the dock and would be shipped out with the next boat.
Today, May 24, almost 3 months later, they have our sofa here on the island and are supposed to be delivering it today. We'll see.
Now to the computer keyboard. I was in a cleaning frenzy on Monday and took the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser to just about everything, including the computer keyboard. It must have been too wet because once I was through and sat down at the keyboard to do some blogging, I realized that the E, Y, U, T, the space bar, and delete key weren't working! I shorted out our keyboard. It was one of those nice ones that is supposed to help you from getting carple tunnle or something. I called Todd and we laughed about it and he brought home and old one from his office. So now I am getting carple tunnle typing on this keyboard (just kidding).
Anything else? Hmmm, not yet! Oh, a cute story:
Yesterday Connor came up to me and asked if we could go swimming. I told him no, because Abi was sleeping. He got really sad and kept saying "water" over and over again. I held him and said, "what do you want" and he took my hand and walked me into the bathroom. He wanted to go swimming in the bathtub! How cute! Of course I let him, it was the best of both worlds, Abi could sleep while he "swam."
Saturday, May 19, 2007
One down, Five to go!
I have just completed class number one for the summer semester! I have to admit, I am going to miss this particular class so much. It has been a dance class that I have taken from Monday to Today (Saturday) from 8am till 3pm.
Yes, it has been extremely difficult being away from the kids for that period of time. I tell you what, today was the last day I think I could have emotionally handled it. I have a lot of respect for mothers that have to work and leave their children to earn a living. They are making a huge sacrifice and it can't be easy for them.
I am going to miss all of the exercise and dancing. We would spend about 5 to 6 hours of each day dancing. Whether it was yoga, pilates, floor work, modern dance or improv and then each day our teacher had a guest come and spend two hours teaching us a new type of dance. We learned Tango, Baharatanym, Belly Dancing, Tap, Hula and "Brain Dance" (good for you educators out there). The class was small, just thirteen students, 7 of which were guys, and 5 of those guys were from Japan and spoke very little English, but they were the most animated and made the class so fun.
So, now that I am back to home life, I can start blogging more regularly (I hope). Monday starts two new classes, one of which is on-line and the other is televised. I am nervous about convincing Connor that he needs to watch Geology on tv with mommy for one hour each day. The Geology lab is on-line and I hope to do all of that work during nap time. We'll see how it goes!
Yes, it has been extremely difficult being away from the kids for that period of time. I tell you what, today was the last day I think I could have emotionally handled it. I have a lot of respect for mothers that have to work and leave their children to earn a living. They are making a huge sacrifice and it can't be easy for them.
I am going to miss all of the exercise and dancing. We would spend about 5 to 6 hours of each day dancing. Whether it was yoga, pilates, floor work, modern dance or improv and then each day our teacher had a guest come and spend two hours teaching us a new type of dance. We learned Tango, Baharatanym, Belly Dancing, Tap, Hula and "Brain Dance" (good for you educators out there). The class was small, just thirteen students, 7 of which were guys, and 5 of those guys were from Japan and spoke very little English, but they were the most animated and made the class so fun.
So, now that I am back to home life, I can start blogging more regularly (I hope). Monday starts two new classes, one of which is on-line and the other is televised. I am nervous about convincing Connor that he needs to watch Geology on tv with mommy for one hour each day. The Geology lab is on-line and I hope to do all of that work during nap time. We'll see how it goes!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
"Ride a Horse"
I had just finished changing Abi and turned around to throw the diaper away, when I heard Connor say "Ride a Horse." He was riding a horse, the horse seemed very tame.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Dinner Idea
The other night I was ambitious and tried something new for dinner. A semi-homemade pot pie. It was very delicious and easy!
I combined the easiest parts of two recipes I found on-line and threw in a twist of my own, and here is the recipe I came up with:
2 Chicken Breasts cooked and cubed
1 Can Chicken Broth
1 Can Cream of Potato Soup
1 Can Potatoes & Peas
2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts
Preheat oven to 425 and roll first pie crust into bottom of 9 inch round pie pan. Combine remaining ingredients into a saucepan and cook until all are combined and have a soup-like consistency. Pour into pan with bottom pie shell. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top. Place second pie crust over the top of the filling and pinch edges of the two pie crusts together. Make many small slits in top of pie and place about 4 tbs of butter pats on the top. Cook for 20 minutes, remove from oven and cover edges of pie crust with tin foil, return to oven for about 20 minutes or until top of pie is golden brown.
It may sound like a lot of work, but the taste is so fulfilling!
I combined the easiest parts of two recipes I found on-line and threw in a twist of my own, and here is the recipe I came up with:
2 Chicken Breasts cooked and cubed
1 Can Chicken Broth
1 Can Cream of Potato Soup
1 Can Potatoes & Peas
2 Pillsbury Pie Crusts
Preheat oven to 425 and roll first pie crust into bottom of 9 inch round pie pan. Combine remaining ingredients into a saucepan and cook until all are combined and have a soup-like consistency. Pour into pan with bottom pie shell. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper on top. Place second pie crust over the top of the filling and pinch edges of the two pie crusts together. Make many small slits in top of pie and place about 4 tbs of butter pats on the top. Cook for 20 minutes, remove from oven and cover edges of pie crust with tin foil, return to oven for about 20 minutes or until top of pie is golden brown.
It may sound like a lot of work, but the taste is so fulfilling!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mother's Day!
Guess what the very greatest of all my Mother's Day Gifts was...a computer of my very own! It's Todd's old desktop from school, but it works and it is updated and wonderful! I am up and running again. I can post pictures and keep myself updated on what has happened in my life. You do realize, this is my only form of journaling...I'm not much for handwriting things (so sometimes you may wonder why I blog something, cuz it isn't very interesting to you, but it is more for my sake). You'll notice that I added some pics to an old post. Todd spent all day Saturday getting this lovely machine in working order for me and I love it.
Connor, the little angel gave me these beautiful flowers. So cute!
I celebrated most of my Mother's Day yesterday. Todd suggested that I go and get my hair colored (roots were pretty bad) and a trim and also that I ask the beautician what was "going on with my hair". You see, I have these strange, what I like to call "baby hairs" on the front of my head, so when I pull my hair back into a ponytail (yeah, I know my hair is too short, but I can dream) it looks like I am a baby lion trying to grow a mane.
So, I went to the salon and the hair stylist looked me over and said that it was all around my head and the only suggestion she had was to cover up the front with bangs. So I got a little trim (to even out the back from the massacre that took place in November) and a color and some bangs. You can see the results.
Abi(Todd didn't know this), encouraged me (through her vibes) to pop into a day spa on my walk home from getting my hair done and get my eyebrows waxed, so I took my wise daughter's advice and did it. This was her gift to me.
I'd say it has been a great Mother's Day! I hope that yours is just as wonderful, you deserve it.
Connor, the little angel gave me these beautiful flowers. So cute!I celebrated most of my Mother's Day yesterday. Todd suggested that I go and get my hair colored (roots were pretty bad) and a trim and also that I ask the beautician what was "going on with my hair". You see, I have these strange, what I like to call "baby hairs" on the front of my head, so when I pull my hair back into a ponytail (yeah, I know my hair is too short, but I can dream) it looks like I am a baby lion trying to grow a mane.
So, I went to the salon and the hair stylist looked me over and said that it was all around my head and the only suggestion she had was to cover up the front with bangs. So I got a little trim (to even out the back from the massacre that took place in November) and a color and some bangs. You can see the results.Abi(Todd didn't know this), encouraged me (through her vibes) to pop into a day spa on my walk home from getting my hair done and get my eyebrows waxed, so I took my wise daughter's advice and did it. This was her gift to me.
I'd say it has been a great Mother's Day! I hope that yours is just as wonderful, you deserve it.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
I take forgranted...
I hope I spelled forgranted right, oh well...on with the post.
This evening as we sat on Waikiki Beach as a last hurrah with our friends the Benson's (they are moving to the mainland) I realized that that was the first time we had been to Waikiki since we have returned to Hawaii. It is one mile away from our home, and yet, we have not yet stopped to really enjoy this beautiful place we live in.
SIDENOTE: I was also reminded of why we don't go to Waikiki very often...they actually increase the prices there! You have to ask for a kama'aina rate if you want to pay 10% less than they charge the tourists, even then it is still expensive! Our friends got a 6" subway sandwich and with the discount, the still paid $7!
Okay, back to the forgranted stuff. Here is a small list of things I took forgranted while living in Utah:
1. The skiing (both water and snow). I have only been once...each.
2. Gorgeous Mountains. I never camped or hiked enough to see everything, but I miss them.
3. Lake Powell....lived there twenty years and still haven't been there.
4. Temples all over the place. There was no good excuse for me to not be at the temple every week. Okay, there is no good excuse now either, our temple is only 1 1/2 hours away.
5. Family. It would be great to see them whenever I want to.
So, if you ever make it over here to Oahu, let me give you a few things that you won't want to miss...'cause once I am gone, I am sure I will take these things forgranted:
1. Kapiolani Park...my favorite place to walk/jog with the kids. You have this amazing view of Waikiki Beach and it isn't too full of tourists. It's all green and the paths are lined with trees, just beautiful. After the walk, let the kids run free in the grass.
2. Waimanalo Beach...the very best (and safest) place to boogie board. The sand is so soft, and unlike Kailua, it isn't very windy. Kind of hidden, so not too many people there.
3. Shark's Cove...an incredible place to snorkle. There are tunnels you can dive through and there is such a great variety of sea life.
4. Jung's Shave Ice...this is right next to Todd's office. Sure, there are great shave ice places in Haleiwa, but this is the best! Make sure to get it with ice cream and snow capped. YUM!!!
5. Ted's Bakery....killer Chocolate Haupia Pie and the best bacon cheeseburger ever.
6. Turtle Beach...it's on the North Shore and large Sea Turtle's often rest on the sand. They can always be spotted in the water, tons of them.
7. Ala Moana Beach Park...sure, at first glance it may seem like nothing big, but it is just the perfect place to get away too if you don't want to leave the city and don't want to go to Waikiki. The shore is protected by a reef so no big waves to knock down the little ones. You can even snorkel on the reef and see some fish if you want to.
Okay, I have to stop, kids need me. You may not realize, but it has taken me two days to write this post. With Todd only home for a few minutes each day and the kids needing lots of love lately, I have just now finished writing this post. Hopefully I will get my own computer soon (Todd has an old one at the school he is going to bring home for me).
This evening as we sat on Waikiki Beach as a last hurrah with our friends the Benson's (they are moving to the mainland) I realized that that was the first time we had been to Waikiki since we have returned to Hawaii. It is one mile away from our home, and yet, we have not yet stopped to really enjoy this beautiful place we live in.
SIDENOTE: I was also reminded of why we don't go to Waikiki very often...they actually increase the prices there! You have to ask for a kama'aina rate if you want to pay 10% less than they charge the tourists, even then it is still expensive! Our friends got a 6" subway sandwich and with the discount, the still paid $7!
Okay, back to the forgranted stuff. Here is a small list of things I took forgranted while living in Utah:
1. The skiing (both water and snow). I have only been once...each.
2. Gorgeous Mountains. I never camped or hiked enough to see everything, but I miss them.
3. Lake Powell....lived there twenty years and still haven't been there.
4. Temples all over the place. There was no good excuse for me to not be at the temple every week. Okay, there is no good excuse now either, our temple is only 1 1/2 hours away.
5. Family. It would be great to see them whenever I want to.
So, if you ever make it over here to Oahu, let me give you a few things that you won't want to miss...'cause once I am gone, I am sure I will take these things forgranted:
1. Kapiolani Park...my favorite place to walk/jog with the kids. You have this amazing view of Waikiki Beach and it isn't too full of tourists. It's all green and the paths are lined with trees, just beautiful. After the walk, let the kids run free in the grass.
2. Waimanalo Beach...the very best (and safest) place to boogie board. The sand is so soft, and unlike Kailua, it isn't very windy. Kind of hidden, so not too many people there.
3. Shark's Cove...an incredible place to snorkle. There are tunnels you can dive through and there is such a great variety of sea life.
4. Jung's Shave Ice...this is right next to Todd's office. Sure, there are great shave ice places in Haleiwa, but this is the best! Make sure to get it with ice cream and snow capped. YUM!!!
5. Ted's Bakery....killer Chocolate Haupia Pie and the best bacon cheeseburger ever.
6. Turtle Beach...it's on the North Shore and large Sea Turtle's often rest on the sand. They can always be spotted in the water, tons of them.
7. Ala Moana Beach Park...sure, at first glance it may seem like nothing big, but it is just the perfect place to get away too if you don't want to leave the city and don't want to go to Waikiki. The shore is protected by a reef so no big waves to knock down the little ones. You can even snorkel on the reef and see some fish if you want to.
Okay, I have to stop, kids need me. You may not realize, but it has taken me two days to write this post. With Todd only home for a few minutes each day and the kids needing lots of love lately, I have just now finished writing this post. Hopefully I will get my own computer soon (Todd has an old one at the school he is going to bring home for me).
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
I'm better!
Almost 100%, I still have this silly and annoying cough that comes at the most inconvenient times (like when I am talking or trying to sleep). Abi is getting over it, she has the cough that sounds like it is trying to rid her little body of the sickness that has taken over. Connor is in the middle of it, but I think he is loving it. He likes to hear himself talk all raspy...it's funny. For the most part, I have learned, kids are so amazing. Abi and Connor have behaved relatively well. Their personalities haven't been whiny or more needy than usual.
Todd has flown by without catching any of it yet, thanks in part to him NEVER being here and also to Airborne. He has his last presentation on Friday and he is free of school for a semester (sort of).
Okay, so here is the biggest frustration, yes, even more frustrating than being sick. My laptop has officially died. Totally dead. No turning on, nothing. Hence the reason I haven't blogged as much. Todd has the only access to a computer, and to be frank with you...I am afraid to use this perfect machine. It's a MacBook. I was raised by a father who taught us as children that Apple was the closest thing to perfection on this earth. I don't deserve to use this...I could really mess something up (for Todd). But my kind husband is allowing me to take that chance.
Okay, so no pictures for today. But, since I have been ill and without a computer I have found I have SO MUCH more time on my hands. After the house is cleaned and the kids are ready and fed, I usually hop on the computer and do all the emails and blogging for the day. Then it's lunch, naps and computer time again. Without computer time I have done so many crafty things. I wish I had pictures to show you.
Okay, one of the ideas for my first craft project came while reading a conference talk. It was titled "The Nourishing Power of Hymns." I love music and this particular talk rang so true to me. I new that this was going to be the message I would share with my visiting teaching sisters this month. What better way to share my love of church music by compiling some of my favorite variations of hymns onto a cd and giving it to the sisters! So I made the cutest little cd holders and I plan on printing out the message and adhering it to the back of the holder.
Another crafty thing was the Mother's Day Cards and Lei's that I made for the moms. I had made a scrapbook digitally for my mom using the pictures our family had taken this Christmas, however, the laptop is dead and so is that crafty project along with it! AAUUGHH! Then I made these super cute paper frame cards for the great-grandparents that I put the professional picture that we had taken with the kids in it.
All in all, I have taught myself that I can live three days without a computer and still survive. Here I sit, alive and well. A living testament that the computer is not what keeps my heart beating.
Todd has flown by without catching any of it yet, thanks in part to him NEVER being here and also to Airborne. He has his last presentation on Friday and he is free of school for a semester (sort of).
Okay, so here is the biggest frustration, yes, even more frustrating than being sick. My laptop has officially died. Totally dead. No turning on, nothing. Hence the reason I haven't blogged as much. Todd has the only access to a computer, and to be frank with you...I am afraid to use this perfect machine. It's a MacBook. I was raised by a father who taught us as children that Apple was the closest thing to perfection on this earth. I don't deserve to use this...I could really mess something up (for Todd). But my kind husband is allowing me to take that chance.
Okay, so no pictures for today. But, since I have been ill and without a computer I have found I have SO MUCH more time on my hands. After the house is cleaned and the kids are ready and fed, I usually hop on the computer and do all the emails and blogging for the day. Then it's lunch, naps and computer time again. Without computer time I have done so many crafty things. I wish I had pictures to show you.
Okay, one of the ideas for my first craft project came while reading a conference talk. It was titled "The Nourishing Power of Hymns." I love music and this particular talk rang so true to me. I new that this was going to be the message I would share with my visiting teaching sisters this month. What better way to share my love of church music by compiling some of my favorite variations of hymns onto a cd and giving it to the sisters! So I made the cutest little cd holders and I plan on printing out the message and adhering it to the back of the holder.
Another crafty thing was the Mother's Day Cards and Lei's that I made for the moms. I had made a scrapbook digitally for my mom using the pictures our family had taken this Christmas, however, the laptop is dead and so is that crafty project along with it! AAUUGHH! Then I made these super cute paper frame cards for the great-grandparents that I put the professional picture that we had taken with the kids in it.
All in all, I have taught myself that I can live three days without a computer and still survive. Here I sit, alive and well. A living testament that the computer is not what keeps my heart beating.
Sunday, May 6, 2007
Sick, Sick, Sick
Three sicks, 'cause three of us are sick (and I think Todd is starting to get it....we'll pray that it waits until AFTER finals). The vicks thing has brought some relief, but it hasn't cured me entirely either. As for cures, I have no one to blame but myself.
I had a fever of 102 one day, then it dropped to 101. So the day it went down to 100 I thought it meant that I was healed. So I loaded up the stroller and began the mile journey to Ben Franklin Crafts to get some stuff to make Mother's Day gifts. While standing in the check-out line, I began to black out and there was a nice employee that gave me a drink of water. It helped and i sat down for a while. So with some fluids in my system we got ready to head back home. I started seeing black again, so I sat down at a bus stop and called Todd to pick us up. He arrived in our white chariot and saved the day. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day watching movies with the kids and going to bed at 8.
Saturday! I was so excited, it was an afternoon planned with "the girls." We were going to get pedicures and go out for an early dinner. How fun! I lined up a sitter (because Todd was doing finals stuff). But I am afraid that I talked too much and wore myself out terribly. I paid for it last night. I spend all night coughing and coughing and coughing and lightheaded and dizzy. The relief I can offer myself is a salt-water gargle for my throat and some Tylenol. I can't take anything else (I'd blame the baby, but that's not fair). So I sit here, achy tired and sore complaining on the computer.
But, I have to say, My feet look so great! I love pedicures, especially because my feet really need them. The thick callusses were almost entirely removed and they are pink and sparkly with a pretty flower on the big toe. Dinner was awesome, we ate at California Pizza Kitchen and had some great chat time.
Another thing that I can't compain about is how wonderful the kids have been through this all. They have never whined or complained. They are just little angels. Todd has done the laundry, dishes, straightened the house and even went to the store last night to get me some chocolate. He is my prince charming. Life is good. I'll get over this sickness soon and when I do, I'll get back to the fun posts. Thanks for letting me go on and on about my poor health.
I had a fever of 102 one day, then it dropped to 101. So the day it went down to 100 I thought it meant that I was healed. So I loaded up the stroller and began the mile journey to Ben Franklin Crafts to get some stuff to make Mother's Day gifts. While standing in the check-out line, I began to black out and there was a nice employee that gave me a drink of water. It helped and i sat down for a while. So with some fluids in my system we got ready to head back home. I started seeing black again, so I sat down at a bus stop and called Todd to pick us up. He arrived in our white chariot and saved the day. Needless to say, I spent the rest of the day watching movies with the kids and going to bed at 8.
Saturday! I was so excited, it was an afternoon planned with "the girls." We were going to get pedicures and go out for an early dinner. How fun! I lined up a sitter (because Todd was doing finals stuff). But I am afraid that I talked too much and wore myself out terribly. I paid for it last night. I spend all night coughing and coughing and coughing and lightheaded and dizzy. The relief I can offer myself is a salt-water gargle for my throat and some Tylenol. I can't take anything else (I'd blame the baby, but that's not fair). So I sit here, achy tired and sore complaining on the computer.
But, I have to say, My feet look so great! I love pedicures, especially because my feet really need them. The thick callusses were almost entirely removed and they are pink and sparkly with a pretty flower on the big toe. Dinner was awesome, we ate at California Pizza Kitchen and had some great chat time.
Another thing that I can't compain about is how wonderful the kids have been through this all. They have never whined or complained. They are just little angels. Todd has done the laundry, dishes, straightened the house and even went to the store last night to get me some chocolate. He is my prince charming. Life is good. I'll get over this sickness soon and when I do, I'll get back to the fun posts. Thanks for letting me go on and on about my poor health.
Wednesday, May 2, 2007
Listen up
I chose this picture because it looks like Abi is making the gesture to listen up...we have something interesting to say!
I am tired, I have a headache and I have come down with a cold...so have the little ones. Abi has it the worst and spent the entire night waking up every hour or so, which meant I woke up every hour or so.
Bless her little heart, I have given her medicine and tried to lay her down to nap three times today, but to no avail, she can't sleep. I thought maybe it was teething or maybe even an ear infection, but the runny nose, sneezing and coughing have me convinced it is a cold.
My aunt sent me an email a little while ago that told about a Canadian Dr.'s findings on Vicks Vapor-rub. I was at wits end and thought I would try out their suggestion. Here is how it goes:
If you or your child have a persistent cough, rub vicks vapor-rub on the bottoms of your feet and place socks over them, lay down to sleep and within 5 minutes your coughing will go away and you will be able to sleep soundly.
It worked! I rubbed some on Abi's chubby little feet, placed socks over them, bundled her up and laid her down for a nap (this was the 4th time). I have not heard from her! Yee-haw! I will definitely use this again until she gets better. A peaceful home to ease my headache. I'll try it on myself tonight too, to see if it is just a coincidence or what.
Tuesday, May 1, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)