Leah saves the day

This last weekend we met up Leah and Geoff Wright. Darling couple- we knew Leah ten plus years ago when we were all here as college freshmen. They are one of the most genuine and kind couples we know. While they were here on vacation, it was fun to see them and trade little photo shoots. Leah is an incredible photographer. When she photographed our family, she had the ultimate test (: She was working with some serious scruff muffins. Imagine how exhausted Mark and I are with our remodeling fiascos. On Friday night we stayed up too late and I missed the little 5k jog I had wanted to do in the morning. Instead I rolled out of bed and jogged around the neighborhood. Mark left to take ocean pictures of Leah and Geoff while I pulled on a beach outfit and scrounged around for some kids clothes. None of us got our hair washed or brushed and then out the door we went. We got to the beach where Leah and Geoff were finishing up their water shoot with Mark.

Water shoots are really active and I'm sure Leah was exhausted. She still busted out her camera and took pictures of Marky Mark and the funky bunch. I seriously laugh just thinking about how unphotogenic we were that morning. Leah somehow salvaged the moment and still created photographs that we love. The kids LOVED her. It was quick and painless and a tender mercy that Leah didn't run screaming from the situation.

My fav- Atticus and I with matching haircuts. I figured that Ruby and I have had matching "mommy and me" haircuts for the last couple years, now it should be Atticus' turn.

If you want to see more, click here. Leah lives right near Provo, UT just in case any readers are over there - you will love having a photo shoot with Leah.

Painting!

This video makes me laugh because it's in a previous house we lived in where we decided to paint and we started with putting on some music and letting the kids paint the walls. They're in their little diapers, so excited to actually have permission to do such a thing. I can hardly stand how cute they are.



Fast forward a year or so and Mark is painting our new house- this time the kids didn't get to bust out the paint brushes. Here is Mark in his painting gear working on getting the walls covered in primer.

And because we now have all these freshly painted, lovely walls, I've heard myself telling the kids not to touch the walls when they come in from playing outside and I'm hustling them into the shower. I hope I don't become all OCD about the walls, but I don't want to paint walls or cupboards again for a very long time.

One funny thing I've noticed is that in our previous home, we had a nice manicured yard with a lawn. The kids played outside, but it was because we were always prodding them to go out and play. In our current yard, it's a mess of construction materials, dirt, random plants, and a scary, unfenced dry canal. The kids are unstoppable in their excitement to play outside. They easily entertain themselves out there for longer periods of time than in our previous yard. I realize now that they had absolutely nothing to explore in that previous, nicely landscaped yard. Now they are making balance beams, mud pies, and even a see saw with an old chair and some lumber. They catch mo'o, or geckos & lizards constantly. I've never seen Atticus stalk and catch something with more focus than one of the large mo'o in our yard- it's really funny. So whaddya know, our kids love the yard, even though the mess is driving me nutty. We have an avocado tree in our yard! It's beautiful, but I'm not sure if it is producing avocado since it had a rough few years. I will be ecstatic if we can get it to start producing again!

Brother Soldier

My brother Ben signed as a Russian Linguist with the U.S. Army this year. He and Yulia and Lev (with one baby on the way) left today for Germany. I am so proud of him and their family. I am so sad that I didn’t get to see them before their departure. I haven’t seen them since Hayley’s wedding last year. Nobody really knows what the next five years of his contract will bring. I know he is not considered to be a “combat soldier” he reminds us that he is a “geeky intelligence soldier”. Of course I’m still worried that it’s not a matter of IF, but WHEN he’ll be sent to Afghanistan.

I would love to visit them in Germany. I definitely can’t imagine not seeing them for 5 years. Lev will be 7 years old and their unborn baby 5 years old! Whenever I think about the distance and time, I get teary eyed. The Army is lucky to have my brother- so smart and compassionate and dedicated to this country. I love him with all my heart. Here are a few pictures of him at graduation and another with his little boy Lev and lovely wife Yulia.

He graduated with the highest GPA in his class and received an Army Achievement Award for a nearly perfect physical test score and excellent academic accomplishments.




We missed out on some good times the last few weeks at my parents house while Ben, Yulia and Lev were there, along with my brother Joe, Tracy and baby Milo. Lev is a little bilingual Russian, English baby and Milo is a happy little chub. I can't get enough pictures of them!

Here are pics of family gatherings at the Weston homestead this month:




Dad and brothers on a hike

Preschool Grad

My baby girl is graduating from preschool this week! It's a big deal here and very cute. There are only four graduates, Atticus and the rest of the class have another year. It's pretty amazing the work that goes into their preschool graduation. The keiki will all dance and there will be celebratory food and even a graduation practice beforehand! I'm a little bit sad and anxious about Ruby and Atticus being separated next year. It will be the first time they are not together all day, everyday. That will only be for a year though and then they will be in the same place again. Mark and I were eavesdropping tonight while Ruby explained to Atticus while they were laying in bed, about how she's graduating, but it's not his turn yet. Atticus just listened and didn't have much to say about that.

a little poetry...

An excerpt from a poem, entitled "Stations" I happened upon by Audre Lorde:

Some women wait for visions
that do not return
where they were not welcome
naked
for invitations to places
they always wanted
to visit
to be repeated.

Some women wait for themselves
around the next corner
and call the empty spot peace
but the opposite of living
is only not living
and the stars do not care.

Some women wait for something
to change and nothing
does change
so they change
themselves.

What would you do?

Quite some time ago when I had discovered "mommy blogs" and was visiting random blogs I came across a post a mom had written about how frustrated she was with a situation in the neighborhood where a child lived in a home that all the neighbor's were horrified with- the one in which the parents were never around/ used drugs/ exhibited poor parenting. I felt sick and judgemental about the sitution, with my limited information it seemed like there was a lot more that could be done to assist the child, who was caught in the difficult, if not downright dangerous, family life. I found out later that the mommy blogger writer had actually gone on to give a huge amount of time and love to include the child in their own family activities, befriending the troubled child in a way that made a tremendous positive impact on her family and the child, I'm sure.

I bring up this story because we probably all have a story when, as a neighbor, our stomach churns as we become aware of a situation that we know isn't good- involving kids. Sometimes a situation is clear enough that some kind of intervention is warranted. Other times it seems there is nothing we can do. Somewhat recently I've had one of those "neighborhood" situations (this was in a previous neighborhood). I didn't handle the situation as well as the mommy blogger mentioned above.

What if you knew, unequivocally, that your neighbors were "swingers"...meaning they have an open marriage sexually which draws a variety of short term visitors day and night. You're not only worried about your kids being exposed to anything questionable, but especially worried about the child of this swinging couple who is living in a small space where such activities are taking place. The parents seem nice enough and involved enough when you see them around, but you know there are way too many opportunities for inappropriate exposure for that child who is hopefully asleep while their parents lead their lifestyle. But what child doesn't get out of bed sometimes or wake up when they hear noises and visitors?

As a social worker my mind envisions the worst case scenarios at all times. Is the child getting medicine at night to knock them out? Is the child just used to it? Or a witness to stuff that goes on? Or worse? I had no idea. I had absolutely no evidence of any of those things, that's only where my mind went since I know it happens. The only thing I had evidence of was the adult swinging and lot's of visitors part. Serious vulnerability exists for children whose parents are wrapped up in their own vices and random visitor's are entering the home. I know that there are large swinging communities out there- where many parents are involved. It's moving further out of an underground type of lifestyle. In this particular situation I mentioned, what would you have done? Confront the parents and voice your concerns? Leave an anonymous letter? Call CPS? Mind your own business? Ask the child some questions when you get a chance?

Others probably relate to this, but I feel awful when there is nothing I can do to "fix" a situation. I think lately I've had more of an intense urge to turn to prayer when I run into various difficult situtions- especially really fleeting interactions on the street that I witness. If I feel totally helpless, sometimes I just say a specific prayer for a specific stranger or acquaintance. I'm not talking about the situations that when we have knowledge of danger, we must respond to or assist. Clearly, if we know a child is in danger, or if we hear an argument that is escalating to physical violence in someone's home- we act. We make a report, we call the police. I'm betting all of us have situations that fall short of a police report, but warrant something more than looking the other way.

On another subject (but related in a way)...I finally saw the movie "Slumdog Millionaire," not too long ago. I always feel sick after watching movies with similar themes. The movie contained each of the reasons why I despise this mortal world:
1. Trauma/ Abuse (of people, of power)
2. Poverty/ Inequality
3. Hatred/ Prejudice

Those were all clearly present in the movie. Those are the things that I can't stand about our world. I've been thinking about how in the church I am a part of, we're always taught that we can be happy and at peace no matter what is going on around us. I don't know that I've ever fully believed that though. I can have a good spiritual connection, all the blessings I could ever imagine, be engaged in service, have a strong testimony, have hope for the future and knowledge of an afterlife, but how is true happiness and peace obtained now- when we know how much pain there is amongst so many of our brothers and sisters? To me, true happiness and peace is felt when it exists for everyone.

I ramble. Thoughts have to come out sometimes. Thanks for reading, if you got this far (:

My happy place:
I often went there to avoid:


Our house is looking better than this- but this wasn't very long ago. I'm waiting a little longer to post the official "after" picture.

It's been nearly a week in our new home. I love our new home- I really do. The neighborhood and neighbors, the sounds, the mountain views, the beach nearby- it's lovely. I do sort of feel like we're camping right now though. A short checklist will give you an idea of the situation:

bathroom sink...check. kitchen sink...not yet.

front door (sans doorknob)...check. back door...not yet.

toilet...check. shower...not for the first 3 days.

roach knawing on my arm at night...check. centipede or rodent appearances...not yet.

fridge...check. microwave, TV, adequate lighting...not yet.

porch...check. porch stairs...not yet.

interior paint...almost check. exterior paint...not yet.

flooring...almost check. ceiling...not in bathroom.

Atticus firing up the electric drill...check. Ruby finding a razor blade...check. Mommy having multiple near heart attacks...check.

all earthly possessions stuffed into unmarked trashbags...check. furniture...some.

friends who saved the day, multiple times...check.

The hardest part of this process is feeling so indebted to friends. I really dislike being a burdensome friend. I just remind myself that there will be plenty of future opportunities to give in kind.

Mark is my hero- his optimism is contagious and hopefully this next week he won't hear me say- "I'm renting a room with the kids until this is done!"

Seriously, if you want to see what your marriage is made of...buy a fixer upper, or undertake a major remodel (on a shoestring budget). Good times! (; But at the same time, it does still feel too good to be true. We have laid in bed every night- exhausted, and wondering out loud- Is this really ours? Are we really doing this?

One afternoon I was telling Mark that although we bought the place, I just don't feel like I'll ever "own land." I started a mini monologue about all the possible things that could drive someone from the land they think they "own"...natural disaster, political unrest, financial problems, the fact that I don't believe anyone "owns" parts of the earth, any number of things. Mark listened patiently and said "ok, fine...but you do own the loan." Ha! So true.

There is certainly an element of freedom that is gone with home ownership. I will always think that renting has many pluses. No matter where I go, seeing a little "For Rent" sign, whether it's tucked into the window of a darling brownstone apartment in a city, or a beach shack, will always give me a little rush of excitement and happiness. "For Rent" represents freedom, mobility, fresh starts and possibility to me.

Beach House Style

Unfortunately, decorating is not one of my strengths, nor do I really find joy in working on a decorating project. When we moved into our current home, it was very exciting to me that it came furnished and decorated. I wouldn't have to do a thing! Now we have to create our own space and Mark loves the process and I'm slightly horrified. Thank goodness Mark is good at this stuff. However, I do like to imagine what could be and I always appreciate a lovely environment.

I have one friend here in Hawaii who truly has a dreamy home...and she created the whole thing herself. Maybe she will let me take a picture to post here, but it is a little green and white cottage that makes me happy when I see it. I just feel good knowing this little work of art is in existence. When this friend talks to me about design, it's way over my head. She talks about things like how to play light amongst different shades of white in a room. She's an artist- she designs and creates everything from the architecture, to materials, to colors, to all of the details that add up to something beautiful.

My decorating process is perusing the Anthropologie home section, finding something darling, looking at the price and throwing the whole idea out the window. What!? That throw pillow is over $100? Those curtains are $200...per panel? Oh well, I'm not going to be able to make them...it's an exercise in letting go.

I like these shots of beach house style, especially the first one. I think we might be able to do something like that window behind the bed. I'm pretty sure it's just finding a piece of driftwood on the beach and hanging white sheer fabric.



I love this couch. Mark probably wouldn't like it though. He wants red leather, or better, red velvet. (what's happening?) Those things don't scream beach house cottage to me.


I think I will be able to post a picture of our little cottage and the progress it's making soon!

ridiculously gorgeous

the weather, the water, the weekend....was ridiculously gorgeous.

the only reason i have pictures is because mark ran home for lunch and found us out back. the kids and i stayed out all day and it was perfect. the water is warm as bathwater right now. when the sun came out from behind the clouds, the water looked aqua. the kids and i laid in the water all. day. long. this is my personal heaven on earth.

do you see the seal lounging on the reef in the distance?

simple feel good food

In my efforts to be more domestic since Mark is gone a lot working on the house, I've been trying to make meals that are easy, healthy, but also comfort food since I've been kind of a stress case this week. I thought I'd share these really good recipe's.

Let's start with the sweets, shall we?



Clementines in Dark Chocolate:

4 Clementines
16 ounces dark chocolate
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup toasted chopped almonds

Peel and segment clementines. Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Dip clementine segments into the melted chocolate and sprinkle with toasted chopped almonds or shredded unsweetened coconut.


Chocolate Avocado Smoothie:

1 cup coconut water
1/4 avocado
1.4 cup raw cocoa powder
1 serving or 3-4 tablespoons whey protein powder
1 tablespoon agave syrup
4 ice cubes

Blend in a blender until smooth and creamy. Could also add 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves


Next up are two main dishes that are easy and good family favorites I've used several times lately.

Fish and sweet potatoes:

Fish of choice cooked in a pan with some olive oil...add lemon juice, salt and pepper as it simmers.

Okinawan sweet potatoes cooked in the oven. We scored some fresh out of the ground this week. I can't even tell you how excited I am for growing these in our garden.



Soupita:

Heat olive oil in pan
Break some uncooked whole wheat spaghetti noodles into small chunks in pan and brown in the olive oil
Add a can of tomato sauce
Add equal amount water
Add garlic powder, salt, pepper to taste
Let simmer until noodles al dente or soft according to preference
Top with parmesan cheese

My kids love all of these dishes, so maybe they'll work well for others too!

Seen and Heard

Heard: Ruby and Atticus (looking at an ad)- "Daddy look! That's mommy!"
Mark- "No, that's Ellen DeGeneres."
(ok, so she's 50 years old, but I love her hair!)


Seen: At church an elderly, pale man with white hair stands to talk.
Heard: (Ruby turns to ask)- "Mommy, did he die and come back to life?"
Mommy- "shhh. No, we'll talk about it later."
Heard: Elderly man starts to talk about Nicodemas, a biblical character. However, to Ruby and Atticus, Nicodemas is the leader of the rat colony in one of our favorite movies, "The Secret of NIMH." They listen wide eyed as the elderly man talks fervently about Nicodemas. I don't believe Mark and I ever got the chance to clarify this for them.


Seen: Ruby and Atticus helping mommy pit the cherries to make a cherry pie from scratch; Ruby and Atticus start shaking their booties to some sweet old school hip hop coming from the neighbors house.



Seen: Atticus and Ruby kneeling in shallow ocean water- saying little prayers out loud.
Heard: Mommy- "What did you guys pray about?"
Atticus- "We said a prayer that all the fishes and turtles and dolphins and sharks and crabbies and fishies would be nice to me."
(A day earlier Atticus had gotten a little too close to a seal basking on a rock in the ocean and it scared him a bit).



Heard: Mommy- "Atticus, either clean up the lego's or go to time out."
Seen: Atticus calmly walks to his room and says "I'm going to time out."
(Mommy thinking- "Crap, my kid is smarter than me, what do I do now?")

Heard: Ruby- "What happened to your tooth?" (to an older man at church who is missing teeth).

Ok- Ruby and Atticus are at the stage of being unable to refrain from saying what's on their mind. It doesn't matter how many times I pull them aside to say that we don't approach total strangers to chat about everything under the sun, they still do it. They also over-share or worse, share blatantly false information like it's truth with friends, acquaintances, and strangers. Now, I'm all for imaginative stories and being friendly, but there have been some awkward moments. Sometimes I am not standing next to them, but I overhear what they're telling someone and I admit, I either pretend I'm hearing nothing whilst being mortified, or I slink away from the scene completely and poke Mark to rescue me.

A couple times I've picked the kids up from friends houses and the parent tells me something like "Ruby said that mac and cheese makes her sick so she needs to eat fruit loops or ice cream." Actually that's a cute example, but I assure you, sometimes things get awkward. One small contributing factor to the fun of ages 3 & 4 years old is that we've always taught our kids all the anatomically correct words for all the parts of the body. There have been a couple of choice moments where they've decided to use their vocabulary to talk about something in a group setting. Think of the movie "Kindergarten Cop" with the little boy in the kindergarten class.

So I guess I need to either warn you in advance or apologize if you have already experienced a special moment like this, but Ruby and Atticus have completely disregarded any of my advice about social graces (like I have any) and are exploring social boundaries on their own. Totally healthy, I know, but at times difficult to watch.

To conclude on a sweet note- here are my babies enjoying homemade cookies- turned into ice cream sandwiches. I promise they eat tons of healthy food, we just document when they get treats so they can't say we never gave them any (:

Baltimore and Dover

I spent five days in Baltimore for work and I loved the part of the city I stayed in. I dig old buildings and cathedrals- there were plenty in Baltimore. Highlights in my off-work hours included finding a darling yoga studio- Charm City Yoga.

I've never been inside such a great studio! I went in the door and walked up the stairs and it was bursting at the seams with good energy, nice people, darling decor and a spa like shower room. I spent two nights in their Ashtanga class, loving it.

One night I was with a group and we ate at an Afghani restaurant. I had heard about this place from someone in Hawaii before I left and I heard about it from a cab driver on my way to my hotel in Baltimore. The rave reviews were warranted- I shared a couple of vegetarian dishes and they were wonderful. Mahmood Karzai is co-owner of the restaurant- he is the brother of Hamid Karzai- the President of Afghanistan! If you're ever in Baltimore, eat at The Halmand.

Here are a few pictures from Baltimore:





While Mark and I were in Delaware, we got to spend some time with the Victory family. Frank was Mark's BFF in high school- they played on the basketball team together, they sang and danced in show choir together and doubled to school dances. Frank's dad was the one who taught Mark how to play basketball. Mark had no knowledge of the sport and after one summer he was able to make the high school team. Whenever we see them, Frank or Mark pull out some embarassing video footage or pictures from those days and we laugh- but now Frank and Soni- have four gorgeous children who are growing up so fast, soon reaching the age of Mark and Frank in those videos. Frank is in the Bishopbric of their ward, serving with his dad who is the Bishop! I've never heard that scenario before! A father Bishop and Counselor son- it's a neat story and the ward is oh so lucky.


Mark's parents live in Dover. They have two ponds on their property, a real pottery barn complete with kilns, along with many song birds and little animals. Of course Ruby and Atticus were loving it. Here are a few pictures:

Katie Did

Katie lives in Brooklyn. A beautiful family, a perfect apartment, a New York life. Katie and I grew up in the same area and we got to know each other in high school. Katie was popular- fun, outgoing, adorable, and I...well, not so much (:

Fun facts: we both lettered in drama and we both have the middle name Ruth. We both love fashion and Katie has serious talent in fashion making. She is a seamstress who makes the best dresses for her little girls and quilts and loads of other cute things. She keeps the blog Katie Did. It's a fantastic blog- you must peruse it. Obviously she strikes a chord with people- her last post had like 67 comments! One of her commentators said it best: her clothes are smart, modern and still very sweet. The only thing is that I am left feeling utterly uncreative after reading her blog! Her husband Chip is the coolest and the two of them have some incredibly cute kids: Eve, Ruth and Charlie. Mark and I drove to Brooklyn to see them on our last day in the city. I just wish it wasn't such a quick visit!

I remember in this picture, I felt like I was standing next to a famous person, the beauty behind Katie Did! For many reasons though, I seriously am so glad to know Katie and her family.

(Mark took family pictures, which I promise will be sent to you soon Katie! I snuck these off Mark's camera).

I Heart NYC

There is no way I can do a post that captures all that I love about New York City. The whole time I was there, I just kept thinking about how much I loved it. Mark and I lived there for a couple of years and there were places I wanted to visit on our brief trip back. Thanks to Mark's parents, who watched the kids while we drove into the city, we had a few days on our own. I had forgotten what an adventure it is just driving with Mark in Manhattan. I'll just say that I much prefer the subway.

We stayed with friends who live on the upper west side. At first, Mark and I thought we'd visit a lot of favorite spots together, but when it got down to it, we mostly flew solo around the city. Our plans had some differences and we were perfectly content with our personal agenda's. We did meet for pizza at a beloved spot and we did meet for dessert at a favorite cafe. Mark spent most of his time with photographer Jon Moe at his studio in lower Manhattan. I swung by the studio and we ordered in for lunch one day and got to meet a well known New York fashion designer by a fluke. Funny stories ensued that I'm not going to be able to capture here. Another day at the studio, Mark worked with Jon on an all day casting call that brought about 250 fashion models to the studio- I'm sure Mark was enjoying himself. Ha!

It was pretty much heavenly for me to duck into cafe's, shops, bookstores, the subway, and more cafe's. I could do an entire NYC vacation planned solely around the food. I cannot even believe how incredible the variety of scrumptious food is there! I didn't even hit a couple of my favorite dessert spots in Brooklyn, nor did Mark and I eat at our favorite Italian restaurant, which we had been excited about for weeks!


I did venture into Soho for a day- I found City Girl Cafe which is a tiny, lovely spot that I just loved. I had the most divine fudgey brownie. I lingered in all the shops of my dreams...imagining life as a fashionista with unlimited funds. Mercer, Spring, Broome, Bleecker, Broadway- the streets my (shallow material) dreams are made of. On another day, I was enjoying breakfast at a cafe in the Flatiron district and I picked up a foodie magazine and started reading an article about the very cafe I was sitting in. Very fun.

One of the best parts of vacations like this, is seeing beloved friends. I got to have dinner with Yolanda in Brooklyn. We worked together in Brooklyn Heights several years ago. We didn't even think to take a picture! But I'm hoping to somehow get to her wedding at the end of the year. Or at least talking her into honeymooning here.

Mark and I got to see Katie and Chip- my next post will cover that better.

I was going to do a cool stream of consciousness writing piece to include all the fun thoughts, feelings and experiences that add up on the subway and wandering through the city. Not enough time and energy now though.

Mark and I completely loved every second of living in Manhattan. From day one, I was in love with the place. It was so urban though, that eventually we craved Hawaii and earth- dirt, ocean, etc. Now we're happily settled in Hawaii and we find we really enjoy doses of city. We need very urban or very rural, it's the in between that we don't like so much. Maybe there's a way we can live for a month or two in New York every year- I'm putting it out there, maybe the stars will align.

Spent

Spent- "It’s how you feel when your batteries are low. It comes from eating the wrong foods, not getting enough sleep, over or under-exercising, being bombarded by environmental toxins, and emotional stress. You are overloaded and exhausted. You are completely out of sync with your body's rhythms."

I don't think I'm completely out of sync, but I get close sometimes and that's why
I whole heartedly enjoyed this book! The nice thing about an airplane ride sans children is that there is time to read! I am working on implementing the guidelines in this book. Many of the things Dr. Lipman discusses are beliefs I already have about how to be healthy in the midst of the chemicals and hazards of our modern life; but other things he discussed were helpful that I hadn't been as familiar with (ie: when taking refined sugar out of the diet, there are specific supplements to ease sugar cravings until you're on track). I have started implementing the plan- it's spread out over several weeks and I love the way it's structured in the book.

If you're dog tired and worried about the way our society eats, sleeps and exercises, then this will be a good read. It makes a solution simple - just stir in some personal commitment and I think this is life changing stuff. I love how his concepts are not about a particular product, but about what we've come to accept is ok to put in our mouth's because it's everywhere (and usually disguised). Or what we've come to accept is ok to clean our house with, because it's readily available. I've tried popular, pricey cleanses that didn't do anything for me except leave me tired or hungry. Dr. Lipman has some really lovely suggestions about the way to eat for energy and health. He also discusses the importance of restorative exercise for people who are "spent" such as yoga. This I knew, but he talked about how our bodies are not meant to be over-exercised. We're not all built to run marathons he says...in fact it may be detrimental to do so. I had been thinking about running the Honolulu marathon this year, but after better considering my stage of life, my body, and my lifestyle- training for a marathon and running one this year is not going to be my best use of energy and time. Not that it isn't exactly what someone else needs in their life- I just had a good little epiphany about creating a personal plan of health for me and listening to what my body needs.

Much of what this book advocates goes along with the code of health or Word of Wisdom that we try to live in the LDS religion. However, there are additional things in there that I think are really helpful. Let me know if you've read it and what you think!

The latest and greatest with work...

We got back from our travels, having narrowly escaped swine flu, we are now trying to readjust to our routine. Our routine is quite intensified though with all the house remodeling and busy work schedules, and oh yeah- being parents to very active and fun preschoolers. We have stories from our east coast trip and fun activities to write about here in Hawaii, but there is no way I can pin down Mark to send me the pictures I need for the posts. He's got way too much on his plate right now- he's not even able to keep up with his own blog.

I will post a link to a fun article that was on the cover of the Honolulu Star Bulletin today. It's about the new Kukui Center that is housing several truly wonderful nonprofits in Chinatown. Consuelo Foundation, where I work, has rented a great space in the building. I was hired to help build a program to go in that space. I'm working with an incredible pediatrician - her specialty and work has been in child abuse as a forensic pediatrician. We're not building a medical program, but her expertise is quite a contribution. We've been working on a new pilot program for awhile and soon it will be ready! I'm enjoying every minute of the process. Anyways, the various nonprofits in the Kukui Center are all doing amazing work- if someone is looking for volunteer opportunities or good causes- these agencies are doing great things.

I'm going to plug one of them- Hawaii Immigrant Justice Center- doing a lot of work with cases of human trafficking, domestic violence, immigration issues- and they have a very limited budget. I know how hard they work to reach as many people as possible. I love their executive director- Robin Kobayashi- she's passionate, sharp and full of heart. They need your vote since a company is going to help a non-profit develop a social media base for free. It's VERY easy- just follow this link and vote for them, (second agency on the list)!

More coming soon...hopefully (;

Taking the crazy up a notch (or two or three)

I will be a sparse blogger for the next couple weeks. I'm going to Baltimore for work for one week and then to NYC and Delaware for a week. The timing is a tad bit crazy because we just took our first jump into the housing market and bought a home here in Hawaii. I cannot post a picture of this home because I'm sure I would scare people and plus I am pretty much dissociating from the whole situation right now. I will post a picture when there is an "after" picture to post with it. The house needs a lot of work. Let's just say that for less than our purchase price we could've bought this house in LA:

OR, this house in Arizona:

Not that Mark and I would've moved to LA or Arizona, and of course I am grateful for the chance to have a home. But I am even more grateful to the people here in Hawaii who helped us along the way and are helping us now. It's pretty life changing when friends reach out and help friends in little and big ways. It certainly creates humility and makes us want to share the same with others. There's also people to thank like President Obama and Congress for several things that made this possible, along with USDA for allowing first time home buyers, in certain areas, the chance to buy a home without a down payment. After all, a social worker and a photographer with kids, are not exactly prime candidates for home ownership in Hawaii. And when we moved here, we had accepted that.
Anyways, without launching into the whole story right now... we have a big project in making the place liveable, so if you see a new blog post at all in the next month, you know it's because I'm dissociating, or stepping out of my body to escape reality, by blogging.

What's Happening In Chinatown?

Honolulu's Chinatown area has been in the news a lot lately. Some high profile violence attracted attention- a man shot, another man stabbed and a woman beaten in the last several weeks. Chinatown is not a huge area- so a lot has happened in a relatively small amount of space. I work smack in the middle of Chinatown and all I know is that I can't jaywalk at all anymore because EVERY street corner is cop central. It used to be my morning rush- scampering across the street from the parking garage to take my walk several blocks to the office. I also used to frequent River Street to shortcut over to another office building on Kukui St. I have to admit I've seen some sketchy stuff on these walks, especially if it's early in the morning or evening hours. Since the current police presence is supposed to be squeezing out gang activity, I've seen cops looking like they're working on some sting operation several times. Prostitution, bar fights that pour onto the sidewalk, and general weirdness on the streets does seem to have lessened in the last couple weeks. However, there is no way they can keep up this level of law enforcement.

I really love this vibrant neighborhood. Everyday I see so many great families who live there and I think I've seen more darling elderly couples in the neighborhood than any other place I've been. I love the various, independently owned, non-franchise shops and restaurant owners. There is so much yummy food to be eaten! I've also seen glaring issues with high numbers of adults, obviously battling mental illness and many people who are homeless. It seems like there are no outreach workers ever in the area- and any chance of that dwindled fast with all the funding cuts. Everyday I walk by River of Life Mission and the lines are getting longer. It's a great place to give donations to...they rely on donations and their website lists all the kinds of things they need. They give out food, clothing and other necessities to the many people who stop by.

I've discovered many eateries and shops that are treasures. For yummy bubble drinks- try the shop "Summer Frappe" at 82 N. Pauahi St. If I feel a sore throat coming on, I grab one of their salty lemonade's. If I need something fun and tasty- the chocolatey bubble drink or avocado smoothie is awesome.

Awhile ago we had some family pics taken by Malia Johnson. We went into Chinatown on the most crowded day of the year, but she still got such fun shots!

Welcome Magdalena!

I love having a friend from middle school who I've been able to keep in touch with over the years. It's such fun to see how our lives unfold. Marin Lemieux, was my BFF in high school and we have had a lot of fun since high school too. She stayed with me in Hawaii when I was engaged to Mark and then when Mark and I moved to downtown Sacramento for awhile we hung out all the time. She met the love of her life Michael Meza and they are such a fun match. Mark and I have envied their numerous hiking trips and adventures over the years. It's been fun hearing about Marin's various jobs as a radical environmentalist in northern California (: Their most recent adventure was the home birth of their baby girl- Magdalena. Congratulations!

I've been trying to coax Marin into the blogosphere, but she's admirably wary of all things technology. Lately she's ventured onto the blog a bit so here's my welcome walk down memory lane.

21st birthday celebration- sailing in Tahoe

Hangin out in Encinitas, CA

Wild young days at the CA State Fair in Sacramento

Michael and Magdalena Meza


Baby Magdalena- Aunty Patria loves you!


Send more pictures!

chop accomplished

It didn't take much prodding for this one. Life just got easier in a small, but significant way. I love that Mark was lobbying for the chop. When I got home, he said it was sassy and that he loved it. I will say how fun it is to have a friend I love who is also an amazing hair stylist. I've gotten many haircuts over the years and Marie Rangel is my favorite ever! She's an effortless artist. This is a longish short cut, we thought we'd ease into the ultra short crop. Anyways, I'm happy as a clam with my new wash and wear "summer do."

chop, chop

I'm fighting the urge to shave my head. I just don't have time for hair. I like my hair when I blow dry and style it, but I don't even want to spend 20 minutes on my hair, every other day. I'm posting a picture that makes me want to chop, chop. Is it the hair or do I just like her energy and her outfit?

Easter Portraits

We had such a nice weekend. Too many cute pictures to post. Here are the Easter Day highlights. I think the kids were able to absorb a little more about why our family celebrates Easter. They love to talk about Jesus and hear stories about Jesus. They are pretty interested in death and resurrection discussions. I love their little sponge minds so much, but I hope we're doing a good enough job with providing experiences that allow them to soak up what they need- because their potential is overwhelming!
My handsome hubby and beautiful babies. This one is getting blown up for my office.

Penguins in Hawaii

Family trip to Sea Life Park! It was the kids first visit...


The kids LOVED all the sea animals, but they took a special liking to the penguins for some reason...the one animal not indigenous to Hawaii.


Maybe they were thinking of the movie Surf's Up. They haven't seen it in awhile, but it's the only explanation I can think of.

Seen and Heard

Seen: Mommy and Ruby hanging out in a special surfboard and sail tent in the front yard when there was a beautiful full moon.


Heard: Mommy- "Do you want a kitten or a bunny?"
Atticus- "A dog."
Mommy- "Do you want a bunny or a chickie?"
Atticus-"A dog."

Heard: (Atticus' favorite phrase)- "I will do it by all myself."
Ruby- "When you're bigger you'll know how."

Seen: Ruby and Atticus playing with a millipede.
Daddy (in all seriousness)- "Do you know why they're called millipede's?"
Ruby and Atticus- "Why?"
Daddy- "Cuz they have a million legs."
Mommy- "Nice one Mark."

Seen: Mommy resting in the bedroom.
Ruby- Glances into bedroom, then announces "Mommy is in time out."

Heard: Mommy- "ok, guys it's time to rest."
Ruby-"Mommy, I need to ask you some things about rest."

Heard: (Atticus praying)- "Thankful for all the animals and the ocean. Thankful that I can be a diver and see all the animals and feed the animals food and the animals won't bite me."

Seen: Mommy debating about whether to throw the banana peel out the car window.
Ruby- "Mother Earth doesn't like her house to be dirty."

Heard: Mommy and daddy trying to talk in the car. Atticus interrupts from the back seat with a soliloquy about something.
Mommy and daddy- "Atticus, we're talking!"
Atticus (in all firmness)- "No I'm talking!"
Mommy and daddy- silence and then laughter. Atticus has learned to hold his own very well lately.

Heard (on different occasions): Mommy- "We cannot eat that right now."
Ruby (calmly)- "Oh yes we can!"

Mommy- "We cannot go yet."
Ruby (calmly)- "Yes we can!"

Mommy- "We don't do that."
Ruby (calmly)- "Yes we can do that."

It took me a few days, but I realized a pattern was emerging- Ruby is part of the young Obama generation!

Happy 53rd Dad!

Is it just me or are the years passing by faster? Does life move ridiculously fast by the time you reach 53 dad? Since this year has been going so fast, I've reflected several times on the horrifying fact that I just don't see my parents often enough. The ideal situation would be to live minutes away, so there will always be that tugging sadness that we're an ocean away.

I love you dad. Thank you for being there through thick and thin. Thank you for the thoughtful phone calls out of the blue, the encouragement and the love I can feel from you, even over the Pacific ocean.

The photo below I came across and it made me laugh because sometimes I catch myself doing things that I can only trace back to you. Wearing long socks with shorts and running shoes would be one small example. Happy Birthday!

You know you live in Hawaii when...

1. You have to share your car with cockroaches sometimes. (and you get used to it)


2. Your car is hit by a wave while driving, when the surf is really big.

3. When sand and sea wash up on the highway, it creates traffic much like when people are driving on snow.

4. Your kids have many, many Aunties and Uncles.

5. A stranger (but recognizable member of the community) goes out of their way, spending an hour with you to help you when your tire blows out- helping you obtain a free tire. Then that same day you see someone else with a blown out tire and you get the chance to pay it forward. (pic is of the actual good samaritan).


6. You get a day off work to celebrate Kuhio Day and spend 9 hours camped out at Kuhio Beach Park with friends, getting sunburned in March.


7. Your 3 year old SURFS. Said 3 year old tells you the following story when you get home from work: "Today I caught a big huge wave and then I popped up and I killed the wave!" Tourists from Japan pose for pictures with your surfing 3 year old.

8. Your drive to work never ceases to amaze you with views like this:





10. You get onolicious Chocolate Haupia Pie.


11. Home prices are considered to be dropping if they dip below $800,000.

Malfeasance

Atticus, what do you think of the executive bonuses paid to America's banking monopolies?


I told myself I wasn't going to do another post like this, but
I. can't. help. myself.

All I need to write is A. I. G. and we're all disgusted.
They got called out, but corporate malfeasance (I love that word), is nothing new.

I am so excited for Micheal Moore to do a film on corporate malfeasance and overpaid execs. I have no idea if he's planning such a documentary, but it would be awesome if he was.

There's all kinds of articles discussing the issue and everyone's heard a lot about our special friends at AIG, but I'm still posting a good write up. This is blogging at its finest and yes, I saw it on Black Snob, but it's from Rolling Stone.

"As complex as all the finances are, the politics aren't hard to follow. By creating an urgent crisis that can only be solved by those fluent in a language too complex for ordinary people to understand, the Wall Street crowd has turned the vast majority of Americans into non-participants in their own political future. There is a reason it used to be a crime in the Confederate states to teach a slave to read: Literacy is power. In the age of the CDS and CDO, most of us are financial illiterates. By making an already too-complex economy even more complex, Wall Street has used the crisis to effect a historic, revolutionary change in our political system — transforming a democracy into a two-tiered state, one with plugged-in financial bureaucrats above and clueless customers below.

The most galling thing about this financial crisis is that so many Wall Street types think they actually deserve not only their huge bonuses and lavish lifestyles but the awesome political power their own mistakes have left them in possession of. When challenged, they talk about how hard they work, the 90-hour weeks, the stress, the failed marriages, the hemorrhoids and gallstones they all get before they hit 40.

"But wait a minute," you say to them. "No one ever asked you to stay up all night eight days a week trying to get filthy rich shorting what's left of the American auto industry or selling $600 billion in toxic, irredeemable mortgages to ex-strippers on work release and Taco Bell clerks. Actually, come to think of it, why are we even giving taxpayer money to you people? Why are we not throwing your a@# in jail instead?"

But before you even finish saying that, they're rolling their eyes, because You Don't Get It. These people were never about anything except turning money into money, in order to get more money; valueswise they're on par with crack addicts (I would've said crack dealers), or obsessive sexual deviants who burgle homes to steal panties. Yet these are the people in whose hands our entire political future now rests.

Good luck with that, America. And enjoy tax season."

From "The Big Takeover," by Matt Taibbi for Rolling Stone

Haole Hula

Ruby- "Hey daddy, I'm going to go outside and dance hula."
Mark- "Do you want me to come with you?"
Ruby- "No, you can watch from the window."
Mark- "Should I get the camera?"
Ruby- "oh yes!"
Mark begins video taping and out of nowhere, Atticus arrives to do his own thing. They were busting these moves with no music playing- just whatever music was in their heads.
I love these guys.

What's worse than losing a $100 bill?

Losing the scrap of paper where I jotted down all of my kids Seen and Heard moments for the past couple of weeks...is definitely worse than misplacing money. I can't remember any of them! Once I write them down, my mind doesn't hang on to them because I trust they're recorded. I'm so sad since I do recall there were some golden ones.

Here are a few recent ones though.

Heard: Atticus- "Let's make a family sandwich!" (As he wedges himself between mommy and daddy as they are resting on the couch.

Heard: Daddy- "It's dinner time!"
Ruby- "Let's just drink A LOT of chocolate milk for dinner."

Heard: Ruby takes something from Atticus.
Atticus- "Noooo, I'm going to take your bike."
Ruby- "oh, well I'm going to drop you in the ocean with some sharks."
Atticus- "Noooo, I'm going to pa'i you!" (Pa'i = hit).
Ruby- "Maybe the sharks will not have any teeth."
(Seen): Atticus playfully charges after Ruby, and Ruby runs for it.

Heard: (after a little chat about some people getting married)
"Atticus, do you want to marry Hiwa?" (A darling little girl we love).
Atticus- "No, I just want to marry So'i" (A very cute, "all boy", spirited little guy we love).
Daddy- "Um, you better not tell So'i that- it wouldn't be pretty."

Seen: Family eating dinner out at a restaurant. In two seconds flat, Atticus walks out of the nearby door and proceeds to whiz on the closest sports car. The whole scene is excrutiatingly visible through the large glass windows and the roomful of patrons break out in laughter as an embarassed mother runs outside, picks up child "mid-pee" and runs around the corner. This was a first for us- he "really had to go."

Seen: Atticus smacking a child enrolled in the neighboring preschool with a Ti leaf, across the "invisible line." The Hawaiian Immersion preschool our kids attend, neighbors a popular preschool. There is not a fence and the kids are told to be aware of the invisible boundary line. Kids from each preschool were standing on both sides of the invisible line in the schoolyard. A kertuffle broke out across the line and Mark arrived just in time to see Atticus smacking with a long leaf. A little "West Side Story" preschool version. Ha! Normally the kids are not out at the same time and this doesn't occur.

Here are the kids proudly showing off their little take home kalo plants.

What the kids have been watching and reading lately...

Do people just love Charlie and Lola? I love them more than I should- it's a splendid cartoon! It's the only cartoon that I can stand. Most cartoons are horribly violent, pointless, un-creative, stupid, full of flashing fast images or simply present messages I have no desire to show my kids. Charlie and Lola, however is a truly clever collage animation type of cartoon from England. Besides the Britishness, the fabulous children's names and characters- the plot lines are full of good messages and problem solving skills without being obvious. Charlie is the sweet 8 year old brother, Lola the 5 year old sister who is full of cheeky charm and imagination. Our kids so easily relate to their daily adventures. We rent the DVDs on Netflix.


Favorite bedtime stories right now:






Such fun books! The kids also love it when we make up stories for them. We give them categories to choose from (based on their current interests): witches, aliens, princesses, monsters, or scripture stories. They're thrilled with whatever plot line we come up with, especially if it includes a little boy and a little girl who run into some harrowing adventure or some mildly scary character. I remember my siblings and I loved it when our dad would tell us adventure stories from his childhood or scripture stories when we were in bed at night. He was a good storyteller and I still remember his well told accounts of Daniel in the Lion's Den, Joseph sold into Egypt or Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. So when I'm exhausted at the end of the day, I try to remember how magical bed time stories were to me so I can roust up the energy to tell a good one to the kids before we send them off to dreamland.

Reading and Watching Lately...

The Visitor was a really good movie! It was funny, sad, but mostly poignant in a really good way.


Peace, Propaganda and the Promised Land... a great film that I wonder why I haven't seen until now. It discusses the way American media has reported on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict over the years. American media has consistenly reported with a bias towards Israel, hardly ever contextualizing the conflict with the fact that Israel illegally overtook the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem. The brutal colonization that followed brought about the oft times violent defensive by the Palestinian people.

I loved the film, but the whole time I couldn't clear my head of the fact that while the film looks across the globe at the illegal occupation and wonders how American journalists can have such difficulty presenting both sides of the problem....it didn't even raise the fact that America has quite a history and current issue with colonization. Maybe our media has a hard time clarifying that, because we are engaged in it ourselves. The film outlines tactics that Israel has used to make sure their presence is validated in the press coverage. My heart rate quickened with each tactic unveiled - it bares a striking resemblance to the illegal overthrow in Hawaii - Israel created rubble, but so does America. After the film showing there was time for questions, so I asked about the parallels. The facilitator nodded politely and a Palestinian man who has lived in Hawaii for most of his life said he thought there were many similarities. There were a couple exasperated glances from the largely student/professor audience and the next question was an excited young student asking how he could help what is going on with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It's harder to look in our own backyards, I think.

I have heard more encouraging news lately, like the Gaza aid conference where large humanitarian aid donations are being pledged to the reconstruction efforts in Gaza (BTW Hillary Clinton has a very cool job getting to represent the U.S. at these events). It seems the aid will be on hold since they want the money to go to Palestinian leaders, not Hamas Islamic militants that run Gaza since a couple years ago. Gosh it's hard to track and understand everything that is going on and the Iraeli government has stated they don't support Hamas...so there have been developments since the film, but it's still provoking, applicable and interesting to watch.

Heavy topics this week...The book I read was Ghosts From the Nursery. "Ghosts" alluding to the fact that we bring the generational patterns of our families to our children.

Again, can't believe I haven't read it until now, although I've long been familiar with the premises, it's a very informative book to read. I don't know that I recommend it as casual reading since it's couched in all the intensity and horror of child abuse and the impact of trauma and violence on a child's brain. It really does a good job of laying out the science behind America's heartbreaking issues with younger and younger children becoming so violent. More and more children are being terrorized in their homes by violence. I am deeply interested in prevention work with the youngest group of children birth to age three.

There is so much research about the way the brain is "mapped" during these earliest years. Mapped meaning a model is created in the brain that anticipates how to handle future interactions. If there are too many stress chemicals present in the brain during those crucial earliest years, then it alters brain development and behavior. Also fascinating is how many synaptic nerve connections are present in the first year of life and our early life experiences decide which ones are kept, used, or discarded. It's amazing that there is mounting evidence that a baby in the womb is absorbing more of the environment than ever thought possible. It's commonly believed that if we cannot recall our earliest years of life, it must not contribute too much to our personality or behavior...but events that we experience even before we can talk do impact us greatly and are in fact "cellular memories," or memories we hold in our bodies, but aren't conscious to us. Ok, I need to stop or I'll drone on forever. Basically learning changes the brain and the brain directs behavior. But this book will demonstrate clearly to any reader that parenting truly is the most powerful job in the world.

So much more than preschool

Ruby and Atticus are doing well at school. We feel lucky to be getting to know such wonderful families and to be learning so much. One recent day, Mark went with the kids on their field trip to a nearby lo'i patch. The kids have been learning about growing food in preschool and where food really comes from. Their teachers live in a community where most of the food is not bought in the store. Their teachers are very skilled at knowing the land and meeting their needs from the land. Mark and I have sometimes joked that if there's a big tsunami or natural diaster, we'll feel safest if the kids are at school when it happens since their teachers are so resourceful and would know where to go. Here is a little bit of footage from the fieldtrip. The preschool went with the elementary school children, so the footage is a child and teacher who is showing her how to plant the kalo and push it into the earth with her foot. I love hearing the voices all around talking in Hawaiian. I love that our preschool teachers tell us that we need to learn as a family to become more independent from store bought food and grow as much as we can. I couldn't ask for a better preschool experience for our family.

Poems to Learn to Read By

A good find. This book has poems to read to young children, starting from infancy. It's a paperback without many pictures. I sit down with the kids in the evenings and read them poems. They LOVE it. I end up reading them at least 10 poems. Ruby hangs on to every word. Atticus likes the ones that mention monsters and making messes. Ruby loves every single one. There's even one called "Ruby Get's a Cat." I picked it up online- I'm really bad at searching for books in the library. Anyways, I think this one is worth it.

I confess.

I've blogged this week when I should be reading the stack of books I have for work. Next week, I have got to hide my snazzy HP Mini, which makes it far too easy to procrastinate something I should be doing.

The latest time sucker? Gwyneth's lifestyle website: GOOP.com


Although I cannot stand our celebrity obsessed culture, I confess, there are a few celebrity figures who I enjoy hearing from/about. Gwyneth Paltrow is one I imagine having lunch with. I've liked her from her earliest days. I like her movies. I like Britain and NYC. She had Apple and Moses around the same time I was having Ruby and Atticus. I like Chris Martin and Coldplay. She likes yoga! I love her style, her hair over the years, and I pine for her wardrobe.

I enjoy her weekly posts. She has categories:
Make, Go, Get, Do, Be, See.
I like it all, but I love the ones about her "uniform," her Q&A about dealing with difficult relationships (a holiday post), her parenting thoughts, favorite places to eat & stay (I sometimes daydream about living in a London flat and eating at La Petite Maison). She had a good detox post and recently- a great one about chronic exhaustion and a book called "Spent."

ok, now you know. I do pick up the magazines if they feature Gwyneth.




My munchkins just woke up and we're going to picnic in the park. I hereby commit to allocating my personal time more wisely this next week.

Flashes of Rage

I know, everyone has probably heard a lot about it, but is anyone else feeling rage towards the New York Post for THIS blatantly racist political cartoon? Who do the cartoonist and editor think they are? I guess I've been in la-la land lately, believing that everyone has got to be as in love with our new president as we are; and that people aren't really so dumb as to think that racism and police brutality are ok to joke about.

Let's see, what other things am I feeling rage about? I admit, I have some rage towards the GOP, but I've been trying to cultivate more empathy on that topic in the spirit of pulling together. Hmmm, I just completed a self inventory and I'm doing pretty good in the rage department lately. I just asked Mark if he's noticed any ragey, ranting behavior lately and he said he hasn't seen any in awhile. Yoga must be working. I get pretty regular flashes of rage regarding social issues, child abuse, ignorance, inequality, etc, but I've been better regulating my emotions lately.

Did everyone hear Obama's speech this week where he called out financial institutions AND people living out of their means? It was hot. I guarantee there are many people who didn't vote for Obama, who are thanking their lucky stars right now that they have some options coming to refinance, buy a home, have their job salvaged, or make their business more green, and save on taxes.

Ok, I'm off to practice my headstand....

Stop the Clock!

Ahhh! I've been getting that panicked feeling lately that the kids are growing up too fast. I absolutely cannot get enough of their little drawings, cute voices, sparkly eyes and funny faces. Mark captured a half minute of footage that I love, which highlights those little types of moments that I feel slipping through our fingers. A couple times a month we do donut morning and let the kids pick out a donut and eat it in a nice spot. This time happened to be on the front porch.


Canon 5D Test Video from Mark Lee on Vimeo.

I know, I could watch that kind of stuff for an hour. And someday when Mark and I are 50 years old, we're going to watch our video footage and cry and wish we'd captured more moments like this.

What am I going to do when their drawings no longer include ten fingers on each hand and straight lines for mouth's? I am amassing a collection of their little potato people pictures and I think I have to save them forever. At this rate, I'll need a huge file cabinet for their artwork alone. Ruby has started writing letters on her own accord. I about died from cuteness when I looked at a card she made awhile ago with her first written letters- a beautiful O H A Mark and I laughed because it looked like her first spelled word was OHA- Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

She writes long sentences of letters and does a really good job naming the letters. I thought it would take longer for her to write the English alphabet since she learns the Hawaiian alphabet at preschool, but she seems to be doing great with both.
Here is a collage of some recent work:

When I ask her to tell me about her pictures, she openly states that they have no necks. If you notice the series of drawings down the middle of the collage, those tell a story. Here is the story in Ruby's words:

"Once there was a little girl with long hair and no neck. (next picture) She went outside to wait for her friends. (next picture) Her friends did not come and she was very sad and started crying. (next picture). Here she is when she was happy...oh and she has freckles."

If you notice the little drawing on the far right, she wrote "dad" unassisted and drew a lanky stick figure. Love it. Anyone know how to freeze time?

I ate my weight in....

sugar cookies this weekend! (Not to mention all the See's chocolate...scrumptious treats!) I think this was the first time I made sugar cookies from scratch and they came out PERFECTLY. Ruby and Atticus assisted in every part of the process, so they were my lucky hands. We had fun making a mountain of cookies- some for another family and my young women at church. But, we had plenty for us too. I would make these everyday with the kids, it was so fun, but the amount of butter required was shocking to me! I'm posting the recipe for my benefit and yours. It makes it easier for me to find in the future and you can try it too if you want a truly excellent sugar cookie. (I didn't chill the dough and they were still perfect). Recipe is courtesy of my sister in law and I have no idea where she got it, but my husband's family can seriously cook and bake like nobody's business.


1 lb. butter (that would be 4 sticks)
3 eggs
2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp lemon extract (crucial secret ingredient)
6 C flour
1 tsp soda
1/4 tsp salt

Cream sugar and butter. Add everything else. Chill dough 1-2 hours or overnight. Roll 1/4 inch thick. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet. 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until barely brown. Frost.

Not even the 2.5 hour yoga class could've made up for eating an entire stick of butter, which I'm sure I did. But it was dang good.

Stay tuned for a bit of footage from the big Ho'omau benefit concert for the Hawaiian Immersion schools, another big activity this weekend.

Seen and Heard

Seen: Atticus getting his ears pumped by pediatrician to remove impacted sand and a seashell from his ear. Atticus in no distress at all. Later he reports that it "felt good."

Heard: (in the car) Atticus- "I'm going to grow up big like a plant."
Daddy- "Tall like a tree?"
Atticus- "I'm going to be so big like a plant."
Ruby- "Maybe you should go to the Dr. so you don't become a plant."

Heard: (in solemnity): Ruby- "Mommy, I need to know, are there aliens on this island?"

Seen: Daddy serving smiley face pancakes for breakfast.


Heard: Mommy- "Ruby, who did you play with at school today?"
Ruby- "Atticus and Mahina and Kinohi and (lists all her classmates names)."
Mommy- "Oh fun! Who is your best friend at school?"
Ruby- "Atticus."

Heard: Ruby- "Mommy can you get that for me up there?"
Mommy- "Get what? I don't see anything."
Ruby- "It's right where my eyes are looking, get it please!"

Seen: Mommy's decoration with crayola embellishments. Little rascal Atticus, who knows very well he's not supposed to do such a thing, escapes any kind of reprimand because the saying on the decoration is the perfect reminder of keeping proper perspective (click on picture to see clearly). How do you reprimand a burgeoning artist anyway? And this, my friends, is what makes us every landlord's worst nightmare.

For the love of poems

The inaugural poem inspired me to record other poems that move me in some way. I thought I'd start with Emily Dickinson- because not only do I love her poems, but she was the first poet I remember really impacting me. I think I found a book of her poems on my mum's bookshelf sometime in my early teens. I think that book was secretly adopted into my own collection (sorry mum!) I remember devouring the book and turning down so many page corners along the way. I am absolutely amazed with the story and work of this poet. She writes something like 2,000 poems, publishes only a handful while alive, the rest discovered after her death...and they are striking. Think of the talent! I've never taken a poetry class, so any of my findings are happenstance, sometimes I grieve the treasure trove of insight and discoveries to be made if I could delve into various poet's work in depth. Someday I will take a class. I know I'm just skimming the surface, but even with my limited exposure and study- poems have had a profound impact. Here are three of Emily's most memorable poems for me:


1.

I FELT a cleavage in my mind
As if my brain had split;
I tried to match it, seam by seam,
But could not make them fit.

The thought behind I strove to join
Unto the thought before,
But sequence ravelled out of reach
Like balls upon a floor.


2.

SOUL, wilt thou toss again?
By just such a hazard
Hundreds have lost, indeed,
But tens have won an all.

Angels’ breathless ballot
Lingers to record thee;
Imps in eager caucus
Raffle for my soul.


3.

IT dropped so low in my regard
I heard it hit the ground,
And go to pieces on the stones
At bottom of my mind;

Yet blamed the fate that fractured, less
Than I reviled myself
For entertaining plated wares
Upon my silver shelf.

Recipe for a good weekend and Mr. Lee’s fried rice.

It was a good weekend. A combination of a finished project at work that went well and the following recipe of relaxing activities:

Dinner out with Mark + Yoga class + Sunny Saturday at the beach with kids and friends + Surfing a wave with Mark + Homemade Strawberry Shortcake + Good movie rental + Creating a 'Visioning' book together = Balanced and Re-engergized!

Another recipe we used this weekend is a quick, easy, yummy one worth sharing:

Mr. Lee’s Fried Rice

We find ourselves with leftover rice a lot. This is Mark Lee’s recipe that we all love and it’s good for leftovers hanging around:

Warm up Peanut oil in pan, add a little minced garlic and sauté a bit. Dump in day old rice. Cook for awhile, add in chopped vegetables (we like carrots, peppers, green onion). Add in chopped ham. Push mixture to sides of pan to create a hole in middle of pan. Add a bit more peanut oil and pour in a couple beaten eggs. Cook egg and then combine it with the rice mixture. Pour in shoyu to taste and brown everything together a bit. Enjoy it in a pretty ceramic bowl with chopsticks.

Mr. Lee taught me how to make it this weekend- it was pretty fun!

So there you have it. Carving out time for the simple things makes a big difference. Sometimes I can’t believe how hard it is just to talk to each other at home when the kids are around (and when are they not around? :) Whenever Mark and I start talking, the kids immediately have exactly 1 million things to say to us and at a very high volume. We’re trying to teach them not to interrupt constantly, although I do love it when they talk to us!

Funny applicable quotes for this stage of life:

Parenthood: That state of being better chaperoned than you were before marriage. ~Marcelene Cox

It kills you to see them grow up. But I guess it would kill you quicker if they didn't. ~Barbara Kingsolver, Animal Dreams

The quickest way for a parent to get a child's attention is to sit down and look comfortable. ~Lane Olinghouse

You will always be your child's favorite toy. ~Vicki Lansky

I love to play hide and seek with my kid, but some days my goal is to find a hiding place where he can't find me until after high school. ~Author Unknown

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. ~Charles R. Swindoll

One of those weeks-

You know the kind. The kind of week when you have way too much on your plate so it throws everything off balance. When there's a big project at work, that takes up more energy and time than usual. Mingled with a bustling family life- everyone kind of hangs on tight until the reprieve.

We had one of those weeks. I opened up the following email message- and it made me laugh (and cry a little :) for a good release.


Subject Line: YOU ARE INVITED!


Aloha Patria,

Do you work too much? Do you spend more time in your car than you do at home? When is the last time you saw your children? Is your house always a mess? Are you always looking for clothes to wear but can't find them because your husband doesn't put them away? Are you really thinking about buying a home in this economy? Do you ever get to go to yoga more than once a week? Do you really want a dog? Do you know where your drivers license is?

If you answered no or yes to any of these questions or any other questions you might have or have read somewhere else, then you need to attend:

PLANNING 101

This is a specialized program conducted by no other than Mark Holladay Lee.

He will be addressing many of those burning questions that are running through your head as you read this. Some of which might be: How do I escape this life? Where is the nearest exit? Do I really have to have a one on one with PLANNING 101 specialist Mark Holladay Lee?

PLANNING 101 seminar will take place at an undisclosed location. The Bus will be leaving at 7:00 pm from Laie.

Be prepared to be wined and dined as specialist Mark Holladay Lee covers these important questions and talks you into doing things you really don't want or shouldn't do.

If you are interested in attending please RSVP ASAP as seats are filling up fast.

Don't miss your chance for this amazing opportunity to sit one on one with Mark Holladay Lee, this offer will not last for long.



The weekend is definitely looking up- I should be back on track by Monday after my enlightening seminar experience. I love my Mark, can you see why? (:

Chinese New Year

(click to see it bigger)


Happy Year of the Ox! We had a great weekend. We took the kids to a fun dance performance on Friday night, then on Saturday we went downtown for the Chinese New Year celebration. The big parade happens on the same street where I am employed, so it was fun to show Mark and the kids around the neighborhood I love working in. Throngs of people made it a bit crazy, but at least parking was made easy with my pass. We ran into friends, which was fun. We also met up with photographer & friend Malia Johnson, who snapped some family pictures for us. Not the easiest photography assignment to be sure- all the crowds and craziness! But she was such a good sport and is one of the nicest people we know. We loved the energy of it all. The kids were pretty amazed with all the Chinese Lion dancers and couldn't stop talking about it!

Posts I Enjoyed

I know I mention the Black Snob blog often...I absolutely love it. Not only do I get my dose of fabulous pictures, but the Snob can seriously write! I often find myself laughing out loud or considering a really good point that she's made. Here are two recent posts I enjoyed.

Good piece about the Great Expectation for Obama- "How will we follow, analyse, admire, criticize, romanticize, antagonize and realize this man?" Read her thoughts in the article "Great Expectations and the Humanity of Others."

Good insight on the Israel-Gaza conflict: Read it in the article "Israel V Gaza Round No. Pointless"

Did you love the poem? I love the poem.

Praise Song for the Day

Each day we go about our business,
walking past each other, catching each other’s
eyes or not, about to speak or speaking.

All about us is noise. All about us is
noise and bramble, thorn and din, each
one of our ancestors on our tongues.

Someone is stitching up a hem, darning
a hole in a uniform, patching a tire,
repairing the things in need of repair.

Someone is trying to make music somewhere,
with a pair of wooden spoons on an oil drum,
with cello, boom box, harmonica, voice.

A woman and her son wait for the bus.
A farmer considers the changing sky.
A teacher says, Take out your pencils. Begin.

We encounter each other in words, words
spiny or smooth, whispered or declaimed,
words to consider, reconsider.

We cross dirt roads and highways that mark
the will of some one and then others, who said
I need to see what’s on the other side.

I know there’s something better down the road.
We need to find a place where we are safe.
We walk into that which we cannot yet see.

Say it plain: that many have died for this day.
Sing the names of the dead who brought us here,
who laid the train tracks, raised the bridges,

picked the cotton and the lettuce, built
brick by brick the glittering edifices
they would then keep clean and work inside of.

Praise song for struggle, praise song for the day.
Praise song for every hand-lettered sign,
the figuring-it-out at kitchen tables.

Some live by love thy neighbor as thyself,
others by first do no harm or take no more
than you need. What if the mightiest word is love?

Love beyond marital, filial, national,
love that casts a widening pool of light,
love with no need to pre-empt grievance.

In today’s sharp sparkle, this winter air,
any thing can be made, any sentence begun.
On the brink, on the brim, on the cusp,

praise song for walking forward in that light.

-Elizabeth Alexander

I feel inspired to put a poem that speaks to me every couple of weeks on my blog.

American Royalty?

Wait, wait, wait! Did we not all LOVE this inauguration day? All the formalities, pomp and circumstance, and the Obama family made it alive for me- they filled it with humanity, joy, light, love, grounding, and beauty. I scored the following pictures off Flickr and Blacksnob.





I loved Michelle's dresses today. I love everything she wears actually and everything the First Daughter's wear too. I can't help but think JCrew will get a surge in sales because Michelle has rocked the cardigans since the campaign started and Sasha and Malia's coats!! JCrewcuts! Here's Michelle just engaging in some community service on MLK Holiday:



It's fun that Dr. Jill Biden was rockin the boots and cute coats herself. Yay! We've got some smart, stylish women in top slots right now! I'm loving that.



Mr. President and First Lady Michelle Obama are stunning.




If the Obama's have reached 'celebrity status'- I think that's fabulous. What refreshing celebrities. If the younger generations can look up to this family, then thank goodness...most celebrities catching media attention are horrifying. I'll be inundated with images of our First Family anytime!

All obsession and fashion love aside...I woke up early Tuesday morning thinking I would listen to the coverage on the radio on my way to work. I quickly flipped on the TV to see a few minutes of live coverage, and I was riveted. There was no way I was going to get myself out the door. I just stood in the middle of the room, tears springing to my eyes, watching the momentous occasion. Ruby and Atticus came out for morning snuggles and I told them about what we were watching. They seemed quite interested. Wasn't Elizabeth Alexander's poem wonderful? Loved it all.

'To Be Judged By the Content of Their Character'

I feel more emotional than usual for the celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. this year. I think we all know the significance of having Barack Obama becoming our President of the United States the day after our nation celebrates Dr. King's birthday. The work of an imperfect, but heroic minister has contributed to the opportunity for an imperfect, but heroic politician to bring more unity to our country and hopefully, world. Dr. King delivered the 'I Have a Dream' speech in 1963 in Washington D.C. where a crowd of 250,000 people gathered. On Tuesday, millions of people will gather there to witness the inauguration of our first African American President of the United States. Dr. King said: "I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character." I read those words and I am moved that we are truly in the process of fulfilling that dream. I look at our new First Family and I am jubilant and emotional- not only about matters of racial progress and the fulfillment of dreams, but because our new President and First Lady are leaders I admire and respect on many levels.

It was only in the year 2000 that all 50 states formally observed the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. When people talk about the founding fathers of this nation being inspired by God to carry forth the great work they did, I believe that just as inspired, just as important (or more so) and just as revered in my mind is Dr. King, who successfully advocated a nonviolent civil right's movement that brought about changes in the laws of this country and the hearts of many.

This is certainly a historical week. I feel lucky to be at my stage in life and witnessing all that is going on around me. I feel inspired about the possibilities for the life ahead of me.

I'm going to mark this journal entry with some of my favorite quotes from Dr. King:

"It may be true that the law cannot make a man love me, but it can keep him from lynching me, and I think that's pretty important."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Wall Street Journal, November 13, 1962.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil--hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars--must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength To Love, 1963.

"Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge,
aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Nobel Prize acceptance speech, Stockholm, Sweden, December 11, 1964.

"The curse of poverty has no justification in our age. It is socially as cruel and blind as the practice of cannibalism at the dawn of civilization, when men ate each other because they had not yet learned to take food from the soil or to consume the abundant animal life around them. The time has come for us to civilize ourselves by the total, direct and immediate abolition of poverty."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

"A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death."

Martin Luther King, Jr., Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, 1967.

Seen and Heard

Seen: Ruby wearing a darling dress sent from Grandma. (click on photo strip to see it bigger)

Seen: Ruby walking with a piece of pizza tucked under her arm, while wearing a white sweater.

Seen: Ruby standing on the bottom stoop of the fridge with the door wide open looking at the upper shelves.
Mommy- "Please step down and close the fridge."
Ruby- "But I'm thinking!"

Heard: Ruby- "Daddy will be the daddy monkey and Mommy will be the mommy monkey and Atticus is the special monkey."

Seen: Atticus trying to smuggle away a pack of gum.

Mommy- "Atticus, put that back in Mommy's purse."

Atticus- "It's called mine!"
Another day... Heard: Ruby and Atticus trying to negotiate who get's what toy.

Atticus to Ruby- "It's called yours!"

Heard: Atticus, breathlessly to Mommy- "Look! I got bited by a dragon! Look here on my arm! A big, huge dragon bite me!"

Heard: Ruby- "Atticus, Ho'i ho'i ma'e'ma'e...i no kela! kela!" (I am not quite sure, that's as close as I can guess, the kids are speaking more Hawaiian to each other now and Atticus is singing Hawaiian in the shower).

Seen: Mommy and Ruby pouring over catalogs and a design magazine together. Ruby pointing out exactly what she likes.

I Did It!

I got through a week on my own with the kids! I know lot's of mom's do this on a regular basis, but for me it's a big deal. I've never had the kids on my own for that length of time. Mark is a tremendous reason for our success as a happy family- so when he's not around, it can get dicey (: Mark was on his annual photo shoot with fashion photographer, Jon Moe, this time on the Big Island. I work full time, so thank goodness for the help of friends to bridge that after school gap for a couple hours with the kids. I kept meals simple and did the laundry and straightened up constantly so I never got behind. I'm most proud that the TV never went on during the week. I introduced the game Candyland and we read stories. I think we had a really good week, despite my apprehension leading up to it. Somehow we all got to work and school on time in the morning without Mark there to make breakfast, keep the kids on task, locate the cell phones and remind us to say family prayer. However, we were all delighted with his return home! (and the yummy food we're back to eating:)

Noho Hewa

I recently went to a screening for the film Noho Hewa. Noho means to occupy, Hewa means wrong. It was a poignant film about the damage of the present day military occupation here in Hawaii. I've always been uncomfortable with the large military presence here, but watching footage of Makua Valley turned into a big army training zone where countless rounds of live ammunition are fired all over the sacred valley was disturbing. The military controls 20% of all land in Hawaii and there are many toxic sites statewide as a result.

It was also disturbing to watch footage of developers from the mainland, in a meeting, demonstrate their disregard for uncovering artifacts and bones as they build their multi-million dollar housing developments and resorts for the wealthy to live in and have it juxtaposed with footage of examples of the thousands of Native Hawaiian's who are houseless on their homelands.

It was a good experience for me to stay afterwards to hear people ask the film maker questions and share their comments about the issues raised. A couple individuals shared their thoughts in the Hawaiian language and although I didn't understand everything they were saying, it was moving. Although it was obviously difficult subject matter to encounter and there were differing views present in the room, everyone who was there at the end joined hands for a closing song and prayer--high school students, Kamehameha School staff, activists, community members all of us. The way I just wrote that, doesn't capture the feelings that were there, but it was a memorable experience for me.

Here is a preview of the film. It's "guerilla film making" which refers to a form of independent filmmaking characterized by 'low budgets, skeleton crews, and simple props using whatever is available. Often scenes are shot quickly in real locations without any warning, and without obtaining permission from the owners of the locations.' For those interested, the website has dates for future screenings and a link to find out ways to get involved with activism around the issues- there is a march coming up on January 17, to oppose the state's attempts to sell ceded lands.

Kundalini Yoga

I'm exploring an additional type of yoga. My comfort zone is learning Ashtanga Vinyasa yoga...however, since starting my new job I've had to adjust my yoga schedule. I've had to explore some options in my new work neighborhood too. I found a studio with a morning Kundalini yoga class. I had no idea what Kundalini was, I still don't know much, but I am rather intrigued. The classes average only a few students at a time. The minute the teacher said to start 'the breath of fire'- I was worried. As opposed to Bikram or 'hot yoga'(which I don't practice) where the warmth is all around you, this creates the warmth with the breath...breathing fire into the chakras. It involved extremely rapid breathing with the stomach muscles. There's also a lot of beautiful chanting in Sanskrit. The teacher goes over the meaning of the words and there's so much to it, but the message is always very peaceful.

A nice little explanation by Dipankar Khanna:
Breath, sound and meditation are the main resources of kundalini yoga. For example, a school of Kundalini yoga is probably best recognised for its frequent use of 'Breath of Fire' and the mantra 'Sat Nam'. Breath of Fire is a breathing exercise where you inhale and exhale rapidly through the nose without pausing, and pump the navel point while using the abdomen as a bellows. Sat Nam means 'truth is my identity' and, as a chant, is used to stop mind chatter by creating a rhythm that produces higher consciousness.

Here's a video for my yogi friends to watch about Kundalini, but unless you're into yoga, it will probably seem a bit 'out there.' Anyone else tried this type of yoga?