It's Aloha Friday

and thank heavens! Whew! This has been one busy week.


The Big Island is the topic for this edition of Aloha Friday.


Hawaii's Big Island isn't just big, it's still growing. It is bigger than all the other Hawaiian Islands put together, and thanks to Kilauea Volcano it is getting bigger every day. Kilauea Volcano has erupted lava almost continuously from its east rift zone since 1983. Those lava flows have added over 500 acres to the island.

Nathan and I were able to go visit the Big Island of Hawaii in November. I posted photos from our trip of our Manta Ray dive here and here and here. But I never got around to posting up any other photos.


We stayed in a cabin at the Kilauea Military Camp in Volcanoes National Park. (notice the red arrow expertly drawn on the map above)


Nathan and I hiked down into the Kilauea Iki Crater floor (behind us in photo). The lava is solid, but still steaming in the cracks. There were photos at the visitors center from the early 1900's when this crater was molten hott!


We also hiked through a lava tube.


It was amazing to see the vegetation starting to come up even in the middle of a lava field.



The problem with travelling without children is that I seem to show up in every picture.... This is a steam vent. The steam vents were really active while we were there. We were unable to see any red flowing hot lava, though. Maybe that's a good thing.




And last picture, I promise. Here we are at the Kona Temple.


I was searching for a picture yesterday and ran across these photos from our trip to the Big Island. Seeing those pictures from our trip made me miss my Nathan. I am really glad we were able to get away for a few days before deployment!

Happy Aloha Friday!

Aloha!

My husband has been in the military for just over 7 years, but I've just recently started to think of myself as a "military wife." I kind of thought of military wives as "them" not "me". But a few months ago I stumbled upon SpouseBUZZ and found this connection with military spouses all over the world going through the same things as me, and I've started to like calling myself an Air Force wife.

It has been fun and even a little comforting to read about others housing troubles, to hear about deployments and reunions, and to ponder the meaning of the word dependant. I'm happy knowing I'm not the only woman whose closet has been taken over by Camoflage R Us. And after our last move, I was a little less lonely knowing there were other girls out there feeling the same thing.

Speaking the same language as so many other military wives has made me feel a wierd sort of hoorah-hoorah sisterhood. And I've got 6 sisters of my own, so I know sisters when I see 'em.

Yesterday I got an email from ArmyWifeToddlerMom, aka Rachelle, at SpouseBUZZ mentioning that my blog is like up in lights at Spousebuzz as part of a who are the people in your neighborhood thang!

So, welcome to Hawaii ladies!

Thanks for stopping by!

Leave your slippah's by the door, and there's pineapple in the fridge, help yourself!

Tonight Rachelle will be interviewing me on Spousbuzz Talk Radio. I am pretty much famous. That will be on at around 8:00pm central time or 4:00pm here in Hawaii.

4:00pm is right in the middle of crazy time at our house. I'm going to have to hustle home from my new hula class to get here in time. I hope I don't sound like a dork! I have a cough and I think it might be bad form to hack during an interview. Yikes!

I'm not really sure how Spousebuzz Talk Radio works, but I think you can download the show if you miss it live...just a thought.

This is how I'm feeling:

Gosh, I love that picture. Hi Nathan! I miss you! This photo was taken at Volcano National Park on the Big Island back in November - we were down in a dark creepy lava tube.

I've been trying to find a photo of me to put up here that makes me looks good. I gotta do something to make up for that dentist shot, but I'm having a hard time finding one that fits the criteria:
a) doesn't make me look fat
b) I'm not making a dorky face
c) my eyes are open
d) there's nothing in my nose
e) my hair's not all kuh-razy

not possible.

This will have to do:

Haleiwa Trench Summer 2007

Talk to ya later!

To Kindergarten or Not to Kindergarten....

John is 4. He will be 5 years old on August 31st. School starts August 1st in Hawaii, but the kindergarten cut off is in like December or something.

Since he was a baby I have planned to keep him home from school the year he turns five. Here's why:

- we lived in South Dakota and will be moving back there in a year or two. South Dakota's Kindergarten cut off date is the first day of school, so some years he would not make the date.

- he's kind of small for his age.

- and other stuff, like sometimes writing is harder for little boys, and older boys do better in sports in high school and stuff like that that I've read and friends have told me.

- our friend from SD turned five a few days after the K cut off. She stayed home one more year and when she finally started school she was SOOOOOO ready!

- K here is full day. I'm not sure if I love full day.

- I like hanging out with John. We are buddies.

Now that he'e nearly five, I'm not so sure any more. Here are some reasons to send him to K in the fall.

- I think he needs to be in real school. I've enjoyed the neighborhood swap this year, but I think he needs more structure.

- The elementary school offers a young class for K4.

- I would have more time to volunteer and get my eyebrows waxed.

- John's buddy "Max" will start school in the fall and they are just the same age.

- Kindergarten at the school is free. Preschool is not free.

- He would be going to the same school as his sisters.

This is something I have been asking everyone about. Today, my sister Mary asked a similar question about her daughter Lindsey and preschool. (I hope you don't mind that I'm totally copying you, Mary!) You must go see Lindsey all dressed up for school. She is so cute! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one wondering about the fall, even though winter term just started.

What is best?

Some people say it's easy to treat your youngest like a baby - it's not a bad thing to let him grow up.

Some people say they kept their son home another year and they are so glad.

Some say they wish they had kept their son home another year.

Some say they sent their son early and he's doing great....


What do you say?

*don't forget to enter to win a Free Book! Last Chance!

Look Ma!

No Cavities!


ps - don't forget to enter to win a Free Book!

pps - thanks again for this kick-fanny-awesome photo, Mary!

ppps - Mary, if you remember who said that (kick fanny awesome) you will win a super duper big dollar store prize!

pppps - my dental hygenist says I really must start flossing even if I hate it.

Blog Book Tour and Give Away!

I was recently invited to participate in a Blog Book Tour for the book: For Parents Only by Shanti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice. It is an enjoyable read full of thought provoking questions (and answers) for parents of teenagers. I liked that this book is more a peek into the mind of the average teenager - not so much a user manual to teens.

I have two copies to give away to you! If you are interested, just leave me a comment or email me at wbarrm @ yahoo dot com (remove the spaces and change dot to a .) I will blindfold myself, and throw darts draw two of your names out of the goblet of fire a hat to select the lucky winners. Winners will be announced on Friday, January 25th!

I love parenting books but as Hannah (thirTEEN!!!) has gotten older I've noticed something - my local library has shelves and shelves of parenting books for babies and potty training and toddlers, but the selection of books for parents of teenagers is very slim. I was excited to read this book because it has a hopeful message - our kids need us, even when they think they don't, and our kids really do love us, even when they don't show it!

As I was reading For Parents Only by Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice, I often found myself nodding my head in agreement. At other times I had to run and ask Hannah, "Do you really feel like that?"

I enjoyed finding that I'm not alone in being baffled by my teen:

Did you know that freedom is often the biggest motivator for teens? "They will do anything to get it and they are terrified to think of losing it." (p.15)

And did you know the "No Freaking Out!" rule? Apparently in the mind of teenagers it is perfectly okay for a teenager to go berserk, but they are counting on their parents to keep the boat steady - no overreacting by parents allowed. And pretty much anything a parent does can be considered freaking out! I liked this explanation from a kid:

"Freaking out is any strong emotion. You can even freak out about good things. Kids are not going to say to their parents, ' You are now being overly expressive about this situation.' We'll say, 'Stop freaking out.'" (p122)

Note to self: learn how to be that "oasis of calm in the midst of emotional storms."

If you have a teenager or will have a teenager or work with teenagers I think you would enjoy this book. So leave a comment and enter my drawing to win a free book! If you don't win, you can always find For Parents Only for sale here.



And here's the official summary and author bios.

Book: For Parents Only
Author: Shaunti Feldhahn and Lisa A. Rice

Summary:

Shaunti Feldhahn is known for unlocking the mysteries of relationships for men and women. Now she turns to a parent’s relationship with a child, particularly a child of the opposite sex. Drawing on the results of a nationwide survey of kids and teenagers, she explores questions such as:

What do moms need to understand about the “tough and tender” boy who values respect over love?

What do dads need to understand about their daughter’s need for affirmation?

What are the six biggest pet peeves teens have about their parents?

Understanding the answers to these and other important questions can help parents make the holidays a time of celebration and unity, not strife and friction.


For Parents Only offers a unique look into a child’s mind and frees readers to communicate in healthier ways as they discover that understanding their kids may not be as complicated as they think.

Author Bio:

Shaunti Feldhahn is the author of For Women Only and numerous other books, with sales totaling nearly one million copies. A nationally syndicated newspaper columnist and public speaker, Feldhahn earned her master’s degree at Harvard University . She and her husband, Jeff, have two young children. Lisa A. Rice is the associate editor of Christian Living magazine, the mother of two teenage girls, and a screenwriter and producer.

Where's Your Helmet?

Here is Sydney. Smile Sydney, I want to get a picture of you on your wave board!



Sydney got a wave board for Christmas. It is basically a skateboard with just two wobbly wheels. These were the big gift in our neighborhood this year. I have seen no fewer than 30 in just our little area of the base.

These may not have been a popular Christmas gift where you are, because they are best used without snow, but I can promise you will be seeing them in your neighborhood this summer.

Sydney will demonstrate how it works:


You kind of push off, get your balance, then wiggle your back foot to go faster or go up hills. Sydney is extra good at this. I can say that with authority because #1 I have seen all the neighbor kids on these, and Sydney puts them all to shame. and #2 I know from personal experience it is harder than she makes it look. She is light and quick!

Notice the bare feet? The helmet is manditory, but slipah's are optional. Sydney says she has better control without the shoes getting in the way.

She is not afraid of going fast and can go up driveways and off curbs. She can also swoop in a perfect circle. Even more importantly - she knows how to stop! Did I mention Sydney is really coordinated and not afraid of anything?



She's trying to teach me how, but whenever I crash she gives me this look:



Great!

Hacking Cough

I bought a new jar of Vitamin C and a bottle of that stuff Deanne recommended to help fight off a cold, oh, I found the name, Zycam. The Zycam has a yucky chalky taste and you're not supposed to eat or drink after letting it dissolve in your mouth - no cheating by chewing. Ew. I don't like it, but maybe it's helping.

I'm not really a medicine kind of person, but I do not want to be sick.

Talking makes me cough and I sound like a smoker, but I don't FEEL sick. That's good, right?

I haven't been running in two days and I miss it. I had a good 3 week streak going. But I have been walking to school and back at least twice a day. That's got to count for something...

+++++++

In other fascinating news -

A housing maintenance man came by today to fix a few things. That's one of the bonus features of living in Base housing. They provide a handyman to take care of the little (and not so little) troublesome house things. Toilet trouble? call housing! Refrigerator door not sealing? call housing! Siding blown off and scattered through the neighborhood during a storm? call housing!

Today's list included trouble with the lights in the laundry room, sliding pantry door off the track, sliding closet mirror off the track, sliding screen door off the track (are we seeing a pattern here?) and toilet handle falling off.

Housing to the rescue!

John followed the repair man around and reported back to me about all the tools he had "he has a drill, mom!" "Mom, that guy has a ponytail..." "You gotta see the ladder - I think we need one of those..."

John thought that was totally cool. But here's my favorite part: while I was signing the paperwork after the repairman had finished, he said something like "You keep your house real nice."

Let me have an Hallelujah Chorus!

All that cleaning last week really paid off!

Now if I could just remember to take down the trio of snowman decorations. I keep forgetting that they are still hanging on the wall...

Cough, cough, sniff...

I think I'm getting sick.

My throat is sore.

I have a cough.

My nose is a little sniffly.

I think my head hurts, but maybe I'm just really tired.

Do you think it's still okay to run in the morning? I don't have a fever or anything...

And that reminded me of this:

Sick
by Shel Silverstein


"I cannot go to school today,"
Said little Peggy Ann McKay.
"I have the measles and the mumps,
A gash, a rash and purple bumps.
My mouth is wet, my throat is dry,
I'm going blind in my right eye.
My tonsils are as big as rocks,
I've counted sixteen chicken pox
And there's one more--that's seventeen,
And don't you think my face looks green?
My leg is cut--my eyes are blue--
It might be instamatic flu.
I cough and sneeze and gasp and choke,
I'm sure that my left leg is broke--
My hip hurts when I move my chin,
My belly button's caving in,
My back is wrenched, my ankle's sprained,
My 'pendix pains each time it rains.
My nose is cold, my toes are numb.
I have a sliver in my thumb.
My neck is stiff, my voice is weak,
I hardly whisper when I speak.
My tongue is filling up my mouth,
I think my hair is falling out.
My elbow's bent, my spine ain't straight,
My temperature is one-o-eight.
My brain is shrunk, I cannot hear,
There is a hole inside my ear.
I have a hangnail, and my heart is--what?
What's that? What's that you say?
You say today is. . .Saturday?
G'bye, I'm going out to play!"

Sunday Go Meeting Suit

This morning I was standing in the closet trying to decide what to wear to Church (skirt with big red flowers? purple linen shirt? black dress?) After trying everything on and deciding on the black dress (with my favorite turquoise necklace) I spotted Nathan's suit.

His black, pin-stripe church suit, hanging there between his green flightsuit and a pair of tan corduroy pants. For a second I thought I should take that to the cleaners.

I reached to pull out the jacket that Nathan wore to church each and every week and I found the most delicious surprise.

It smells just like him!

Clean and yummy.

A little like cologne and a little like his motorcycle (with just one car and Nathan attending early Sunday meetings, he was stuck riding his motorcycle to church each week. In his suit. Often in the rain.)

I think I'll wait a while before I have that dry cleaned.

Cleaning

With the kids still out of school and me being a little too lazy to do much more than go to the beach now and then, we have spent a lot of time during our winter break cleaning.

We sorted through closets and got rid of clothes and toys. We put away things that had piled up in the laundry room and even moved my sewing machine up into the play room (which we also cleaned and emptied of trash and things waiting to go to goodwill.)

Nathan, you will be surprised to hear that I actually took everything (including those shoes) to the Salvation Army (not Goodwill after all). It was closed the first time we went by, so I had to make two trips in one day, but I did it!

I started to give away our Little People garage, but I stopped myself. My mom has several Little People sets that we had as children, and it is fun to see my own children playing with them. So I saved the cars. And I'm glad I did.

Emily and John's room is much easier to keep clean now that the toys have been pared down. The homeless person who was living in Hannah's closet seems to have moved out. And I could hang-out all day in my new improved (and de-junkified) laundry room!

We pretty much cleaned everything but the kitchen sink.

My kitchen sink has been bothering me for a while. I have tried scouring powder and sos pads, but my stainless steal sink just doesn't want to shine. We had a new faucet put in a couple months ago and the sink REALLy started to look dull. Car wax didn't help. Window cleaner didn't help. Leaving dirty dishes in it for 5 days didn't help.

I recently read something somewhere (I can't remember where) about using just a bit of oil to shine up a sink. I didn't really think that would work, but I read something about oiling a sink again somewhere else (I'm not sure, maybe flylady?) and I decided to try it. But I waited a few days just for kicks.

Then this morning, after I rinsed syrup off a couple of plates and sprayed the crumbs down the disposal, I dried out the sink, put a wee bit of olive oil on a clean washcloth and rubbed it around the sink. And voi-la! The sink is shiney and clean! La la! Go Me!

Now if I could just get someone to clean the black stuff off my flat-top stove....

Random Bits

• I usually have trouble sleeping when Nathan is gone and this time is no different. I've been able to GO to sleep but not STAY asleep. That is no fun. And when I wake up in the middle of the night I have a hard time going back to sleep. Any suggestions?
  
  
• Yesterday I saw two girls (actually one teenager and one mom-type) wearing sweat pants with PINK printed on the rear. Why? Not cute.
  
  
• Did you notice that they were wearing sweats? It is 61* here according to my weather pixie. Brrrrr! I am wearing socks and a long sleeve shirt - it is freezing!
  
  
• I haven't heard from Nathan since just before things got interesting over in Iraq. Which I'm sure just means he's had a busy week. But I worry.
  
  
• School starts on Monday (for Han, Tuesday for Syd and Em.)It's been a nice lazy winter break, but I'm ready for a little more routine. Maybe having to get up early will help me sleep better at night.
  
  
• I haven't forgotten about my New Years goals - after I get this posted I'll head out for my run, which makes 5 for this week. And I just started a hula class, I think it will be fun and (hopefully) not too embarrassing.
  
  
• That's all.

What are you hiding under there?

Under Where?
?
?
?
I made you say underwear!

He he he!

This week in the news I saw a couple of different undies stories. Each made me giggle like a 4th grade girl.

The first was the story of a fire put out by a pair of ladies underpants. You can read the full story here. I'll just give you a brief rundown: a grease fire started on the stove, so a young man reached for something to smother it. The first thing he grabbed was a pair of his aunts extra large knickers. He got them wet, threw them on the fire, and succeeded in smothering the flames. Those were some smokin' hot (under)pants! The comments from the fire official when asked about the method of fire extinguishing were great: "Clearly it depends on what size you are — but I don't want to go there."



This reminds me of the Christmas when I decided to sneak a peak at a gift from my Grandma Faye. I carefully opened the end of the package without ripping the tape. I had to be fast and quiet so that none of my sisters would notice what I was doing and tell on me. I pulled the gift out of the wrapping and found........a pair of huge silky pink grandma undies. not cute. Let that be a lesson for you.

Next news story was at military.com. GI's Mom Starts 'Project Underwear'. also known as G-strings for GI's. Just kidding. I made that up just now - them'r just jokes. So, yeah, anyway, this soldier's mom saw a need and filled it. She started this worthy project as a way to help her son who is in Iraq and the other men and women who proudly serve with him.

Every mom hopes her child is wearing clean underwear....just in case. So this mom got friends and neighbors to donate 40 bags full of tighty whities and polka dot boxers. I don't want to trivialize this. I mean, I think it's a totally great idea and I'm sure well appreciated, but it made me giggle to think of her son opening a huge package from his mom - imagining it's a new wii or some homemade chocolate chip cookies or something - and finding instead hundreds of Fruit of the Loom! I wonder if he handed them out to his buddies or if he took the box to the mess hall and put out a little sign like "Got Shorts?" I see a calendar deal out of this....



I see London, I see France....

Happy Anniversary to Me!

Has it really been 14 years?


I heart Nate!

It's Aloha Friday

The very best thing about living in Hawaii is the people. Living on Post we don't always have a lot of interaction with "real" Hawaiians - our kids go to base schools with other military brats, we see military doctors, we shop at military stores. But thanks to our church we have been able to get close to some really awesome locals.

We were recently invited to a retirement party for a man in our ward. He is retiring after 40 years as a school administrator. He and his wife are planning to move to the mainland to live their dream of working on an Indian Reservation later this year. They have a huge-o-rama family with 5 grown children with children of their own, and 4 more children still at home, their youngest just 7 years old. I love this family.

I brought a dish of chicken to the party to share and the spread was excellent - lots of sushi and rice and shrimp and seasoned beef. I was ready to eat way too much food and have fun visiting with friends, but I was unprepared for the totally rockin' entertainment:

Elvis Performed Live!


The Blues Brother mixed it up,


And Johnny Cash wore his favorite black shirt!


Unfortunately Sonny and Cher were unable to make it due to a previous engagement...

Nathan - you would have loved it!

*********

Deployment Diaries:

I've been waiting to hear from Nathan all week. I talked to him early Sunday morning and nothing since. I knew he was probably heading into theater (is that what you call it?) so I was worried. But I got an email from him this evening (thursday). That was a relief.

Now it is 12:30am on Friday morning and Nathan just called. Luckily I stayed up to watch a movie, so I was awake for the phone call. He was at work trying out the phone line and not actually able to really talk.

and I couldn't help it, I started crying. Why does my voice get choked off when I cry? I don't even think feel all that sad - it's just like this big emotion that I can't contain so it leaks out in tears. I cried on the phone, which made it hard to talk so I couldn't say all the things I've been storing up, which made me cry more. And that probably didn't exactly brighten up Nathan's day. so I had to cry some more after I hung up the phone and now I'm crying while typing this sad paragraph. oh bother.

Re - solve: firmness of purpose or intent; determination

I love To Do lists, and New Years (as well as the beginning of a deployment) is a fun time to make a great big list of things that I hope to do, but maybe don't actually really and truly do.

This year I want to:

Spend less $
Save more $$$
Pay off the big red 'burb
Stay home more
Write
Read good books
Take a class (yoga? violin? real skool?)
Learn to surf for reals
Plan and Survive (and hopefully even enjoy) Girls Camp
Run 5x a week
Do the Great Aloha Run
Hang curtains and pictures in my bedroom
Look Hawt when Nathan gets home in September


That's all.

One Week Down

and I think we're going to be okay.

It seems to strange that time really does just keep going on. I'm not nearly as teary or grouchy as I was last week (sorry Nathan), and I'm feeling like I've got a job to do: the kids still need breakfast and the laundry still needs to be washed and it looks like I'm the one to get it done.

It has been really nice to be in our own little cocoon here. No alarm clock. No school. No obligations.

We have talked to Nathan 3 times and he sounds good.

Though, I haven't heard from him since Sunday and I'm starting to get a wee bit worried. Just worried enough to google, but not worried enough to start making phone calls.

Today, after I get my run in, I'm going to put up two clocks - one Hawaii time and one Iraq time.

I wonder if I can do that on my side bar?

That's all.

Hau'oli Makahiki Hou!

Happy New Year from Hawaii!

We started off our New Years festivities with a fondue part-ay. Strawberries in melted chocolate...Mmmmm!

Then we played some games.

I totally recommend Uno Attack for your next family party. We all enjoyed it -
from Hannah (13) all the way down to John (4 years old). John was able to understand which cards to play and he was absolutely thrilled when the machine gave him more cards! Hannah and Sydney and Emily were shrewed players and tough to beat. Emily was not so thrilled when 8 extra cards were spit her way.

After playing Uno for an hour and a half, we went over to our neighbors' house for some Karaoke. Fun! (Thanks Jay and Val) Nathan, you would have totally loved that - little Tina has a great voice, me not so much...

As we left their house we stopped to watch some fireworks in our cul-de-sac. New Years in Hawaii is all about fireworks. There are more fireworks tonight than on the 4th of July!



There were fireworks stands all over town, but it didn't occur to me to pick up any as I'm pretty sure they're illegal on post. Our next-door neighbors had tons of fireworks, though. They were lighting them off for over an hour, It was fun to watch, but kind of a bummer for our kids who wanted to play, too. next year... One screaming flower came right at us and ripped a branch off of our small palm tree. Take cover!

We finished off the night with another round of Uno and a movie. All of the kids were still awake to welcome the New Year.

It is a little odd to celebrate the holidays in 75 degree weather, but I'm not complainin'.

I hope your New Year is Happy!

**Updated to add that now it is 10:53am (according to the computer, but my watch says it is 10:46am and my watch never lies) on New Years Day and the kids are still sleeping! Happy New Year!

Extra Super Creepy

My evening entertainment is generally watching a movie. As soon as the kids are in bed I run down stairs and put on a movie.

But tonight I found I'm fresh out of movies. I thought I'd try to catch up on Grey's Anatomy, but, sadly, ABC is not wanting to work for me. Then I remembered that my friend Sarah told me I could watch movies on Netflix, so I decided to try that.

I saw that I could watch Hero's - a TV series, I guess. I vaguely remember hearing that it was good, so I'm watching the second one right now and I'm a little creeped out. ew. and yikes.

Not my best solo viewing choice.

And now I'm going to have to find something else to watch to get all un-scared.

The fact that we are having a big rain storm is not helping.

Mele Kalikimaka!

We are having a sunny Hawaiian Christmas! Did santa visit you? Did you get everything you wanted? Are you planning to shop the day after Christmas sales?

Deployment Diaries:

Nathan and all his guys were able to take off last night. Just before they left we met with the other families and local Air Force leadership. I was feeling a little irritated about that meeting, because it meant one less hour spent at home, and I had been so weepy (sorry Mary) that I was worried I would be a blubbery mess. But I was fine, and it was actually really nice to visit with the other ladies, shake hands with the 4 star general, and hear from the Wing Commander. I had a really nice feeling as we left the meeting and headed to the airport.

We did not go into the airport. We just pulled up to the curb, unloaded Nathan's four bags of gear, and said goodbye in the departure lane. We miss you, Nathan!

We cried off and on all the way home, but something really funny happened just before we got home: I had to stop at the Shoppette for some last minute candy for stockings, so I locked the kids in the car (luckily Hannah is old enough to stay in the car with the little ones) and headed into the shop. My good friend Kelly was leaving the store just as I was going in. She gave me a big hug (ahhhh) and then I went on into the store. I had picked up two bags of candy when I heard our big car alarm going off. I sped past an MP and ran out into the parking lot to stop the alarm - I guess Kelly had stopped to chat with the kids and when they unlocked the door the alarm started.

So there I was with my puffy eyes and red nose in the middle of the parking lot with two bags of stolen candy, my car alarm honk-honk-honking, and an MP right behind me. Yikes!

That made me laugh all the way home (after I had returned to the store to pay for the candy.)




Hope your day is Merry and Bright!

I'm Makin' a List. Checkin' it Twice

To Do:

Make a List
Sleep In
Go Running
Commisary
Hem Nathan's fancy new camo pants
Lay out gifts and figure out if I got everything I needed
Wrap-o-rama
Bag up gifts for YW
Deliver neighbor gifts
Laundry
Sugar Cookie Fun!


What are you doing to get ready for Christmas?

***************

PS - I seem to be feeling better deployment-wise. I'm not so weepy or grouchy. That's good. Today I'm feeling very calm and ready to have some fun.


Here's our Christmas Eve deployment plan:

Traditional Christmas Eve potato soup in bread bowls on Sunday evening.
Followed by acting out the Nativity with scripture readings and carol singing.
I'm not sure if we'll do the PJ's on Sunday night or save that for after we drop off Nathan.

Monday morning will be our big Christmas breakfast before we open all the gifts!
Then Nathan leaves that night. : (
Note to deployment scheduler: would have been so bad to wait just two more days?
We will go meet Mr. General before heading to the airport.
Emily wonders if Daddy will see santa while he's flying?

Santa will still fill stockings and leave a gift for each of the children to find Christmas morning.
We will be sharing a Christmas dinner with some friends, if we feel like it.

Ho Ho Ho!

It's Aloha Friday

Mele Kalikimaka!

You know you are celebrating Christmas is Hawaii when it's your slippers and sandals you leave at the door, not your snow boots!

The Hawaiian language does not have as many letters as the standard English Language (notably the letter R.) When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing Merry Christmas and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues. Doesn't Mele Kalikimaka just roll right off your tongue?


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In other (deployment countdown) news -

I seem to have moved directly from weepy to extremely crabby (with extra tears thrown in for good measure). Poor Nathan.

I was going to type an example of my bad behavior here, but it started to make me grouchy just thinking about it. In the interest of having a good morning I'll just stop typing now.

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One good thing, though - with all my extra bad mood energy, I have gone running every single day this week! I haven't run 5 days in a row since June. Go me!

Tiny Bubbles

I found some of these at WalWart today, and now they are bubbling away on our tree.

We had bubble lights on our Christmas Tree when I was a kid and I remember wondering how they worked.

When Emily gets home from school today she is totally going to love them!

Remember Pearl Harbor

Today is the 66th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

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And it is also out one year anniversary in Hawaii. We had been in Hawaii for just one day, this time last year. What a year! Last year we were able to attend a ceremony in memory of Pearl Harbor at Hickam Air Force Base. This year we are happy to have power after a week of big storms and high winds.

Nathan had the kids out early cleaning up the debrit in our cul-de-sac. Luckily our big trees didn't lose any big branches. We did have a lot of limbs down.


Tree limbs fell on the fence behind our neighbor's house.


This big tree fell across an intersection, taking out powerlines and a stop sign. All that wood and Nathan without his Lathe!


Good work John!

Tuesday

It is recess at our little Preschool. The boys are playing trucks and tinker toys and I have about 10 mintues to sit here at the computer.

Our letter today is K. We ate Hersey Kisses and shark bite fruit snacks. We made a letter K that can Kick, and practiced some of our own kicking. Next up is reading the Cat and the Hat and making Kites, then running aroung the house like Thing 1 and Thing 2. For lunch we will have turkey sandwiches and french fries with Ketchup. Fun!

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Thanks for your kind words yesterday (ooo, Kind starts with K, must talk about being kind...) One thing I decided yesterday is that we really need to make our weekends count. Not that lazying around the house is bad, but I think it will be fun to make some great memories in the next 3 weeks.

Some ideas for us:

Snorkel at Hanauma Bay
Go to the Zoo
Hike to the Lighthouse and keep an eye out for whales
Go body surfing at Malaekahana
And wade out to that little island
Go to the Temple
Play Sequence and Clue and Chess and Sorry
Netflix some Christmas movies

That sounds good.


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Last night I finished The Life of Pi by Yann Martell. Have you read it? It is the story of a young boy from India who survives 227 days in a lifeboat after the ship he is on sinks. His only companion is a 450 pound bengal tiger. The adventure of his journey and truce with the tiger are amazing and full of rich detail - gathering rain water, catching fish, eating turtles.... But I found the ending rather disturbing.

After finishing the book I couldn't sleep, So I spent some time checking my blog statistics (hello to you reader in Spain!) and searching for Christmas presents online. I even ordered one...

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The tinkertoys are being used as swords - time to go!

Monday Morning

It is December! And so we start our Christmas Countdown. and our deployment countdown.

We have a few weeks until Nathan heads to Iraq, and I've become a little weepy at odd moments. This is strange for me because (a)I think I'm generally a happy person - I like to smile at strangers and wave at people I pass on the street. When pregnant I get grouchy, not teary-eyed. Waaa! and (b) I don't remember being like this when he's deployed other times.

I probably shouldn't write about this, because I don't want my mom to worry and I don't want anyone to feel sorry for me, but this is like my journal and I'm keepin' it real!

I've found that it's not a good time to read WWII novels. or listen to sad songs. I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane is on my banned music list.

This wouldn't be so bad if I could cry in a grown up kind of one tear down my cheek kind of way. Instead my nose runs, my whole face turns red, and I get a little snorty. One good thing is that my eyes are at their most lovely green when I cry, if you can see them past my puffy eyelids and running mascara...

On Saturday at WalWart I saw a friend whose husband is leaving this week and I got all teary eyed. She seemed in great spirits. I'm sure she was wondering what's wrong with me.

The worst thing is that Aloha Oi song. Here in Hawaii there is a beautiful tradition at church of singing Aloha Oi' to families and individuals as a farewell just before they move away. They go to the front of the Chapel. We stand and sing, then line up to give them a lei and a hug. I love it, but it makes me a little choked up even on a good week. This Sunday we sang to several men who will be deployed soon and I was crying in a very unattractive runny nosed way.

Awe, shucks, I'm getting teary just thinking about it...

Earlier this year I read "Rilla of Ingleside" by L. M. Montgomery. It is about Anne's family during World War One. I was struck by the strength of the women and their ability to send the boys to war with a smile on their face and no tears.

I wish I could be like that, but I'm not sure if I can. I can already see our airport scene... I wonder if Nathan will mind if we just pull up to the curb and dump his big green bags onto the sidewalk...

I'm just telling this to you guys, cuz I know you can keep a secret. You are absolutely NOT allowed to say, "oooo, are you OKay?" or pat my shoulder, or tell me how much worse it was for you, or say anything mushy, got it? I'm going to be too busy to mope around, and if you say anything about my red eyes, I'll say I have allergies.

Friday Already?

My sister, Mary, mentioned craft stress in her post today. She cracks me up! And, since I want to be just like her, I decied to share a couple of tips and a bad craft moment.

I love kid crafts! It's the kids that make the crafts difficult, though...

I have found that the most stressful kid crafts are the kind that have an expected outcome. The cuter the project is supposed to turn out, the more I start to twitch. But John loves crafts - so what's a mom to do?

Luckily John has very limited cute craft experience. Glitter? That's just for the big girls. Sequins? What's that? Plain paper and markers are still exciting for him. And if I pull out the glue his eyes light up!

But glue is tricky. And messy. And dangerous.

Here's my favorite glue tip: A little puddle of glue on a plate and a q-tip is just the thing for spreading glue. No chance of over-zealous squeezing, and easier to use than a glue stick.



For today's craft I let him chose a large piece of construction paper. I gave him some markers. And I cut circles and squares out of more construction paper. He colored. He glued. He had fun. That's what I call a successful craft time!

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Craft stress does not end as your kids get bigger. Two weeks ago at our mid-week youth activity we decided to have the girls dip candles. This was to illustrate the mutual theme for the year

"Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God" (D&C 121:45)

Our Young Women's president did a great job illustrating that verse. She held up a little piece of wick that had been dipped in wax a few times. It had not waxed strong! As we gain our testimonies by following the Savior and daily choosing the right, we will wax strong a little at a time, just as the candle will become stronger after repeated dipping into the wax.

Then we dipped candles with the girls.

We had 7 colors of wax and we discussed each value as we dipped wax (ie - how can having faith help your confidence wax strong?, etc.) I thought it was a rather brilliant lesson. The problem was the wax.

Wax on the table. Wax on the floor. Wax on girls finger tips. Wax over on the drinking fountain.

The clean up took for-e-ver.

We were just about done when I notice a pot of hot water on the stove. We had used a lot of hot water to keep the jars of wax warm as the girls were dipping, and I thought it was just one of our pots, waiting to be emptied. So I picked it up and poored it right down the drain. I heard Diane yell NO! and I could see immediately that I had made a big mistake.

That pot of water was actually a pot of hot wax. I had noticed earlier in the evening that the hot wax was totally clear and looked just like water. But I forgot....

The wax was all over the inside of the sink. and down in the drain.... I was able to clean out the sink, but the drain was another matter.

It took a plumber to fix my big mistake (luckily there is one in another ward). The wax had solidified into a candle shaped piece right in the drain of the sink - too bad I didn't wash down some wicking, too....

How embarrassing...

Thursday

I should probably be doing a little tidying up, but instead I'm here!

Busy week! and busy day:

This morning Nathan's squadron had a Change of Command Ceremony. I was able to go, but it was a race to get myself dressed in real clothes (as opposed to my usual morning ensemble of running shorts and tennis shoes,) mascara on, the kids to school, John to preschool, and make it through the morning traffic down to Hickham AFB.

I had exactly 15 minutes between the time I dropped off the girls at school and when I could drop off John at his little preschool. So I decided to run to the Commisary to get a lei for the new commander's wife. The Commisary opened just as we were walking in, and the floral guy was stocking a fresh batch of lei's - what luck! But when I got to the register it turned out that the machines were not working. And they wouldn't take cash. or a check. or a card. So no lei. Oh well.

Nathan needed to wear his beret today for the event, but he hasn't worn it before, so he spent last night washing and rewashing and shaping and shaving his beret to get it into the correct shape. He even slept in it last night. Apparently wearing it all floppy is bad form. Who knew a well shaped hat took so much work?

Nathan had to be down there early, and by the time I got there, they were already standing in formation. And I couldn't spot Nathan in the crowd of green, even with his new hat.

The ceremony was lovely - the view of the ocean was beautiful and the speeches were short! It was a fun morning - wearing my favorite dressy shoes and pretending to be a grown up. Do you ever feel like that?

There is mosquito around here biting me. and now I'm all itchy. guess that means it's time to get up and get some laundry done.

Next up: Hula. then a training thing for YW. I would just like to mention that Young Women's is sooooooo much work and time...I had no idea what I was in for....that's another blog post...

It's Aloha Friday!

Thanksgiving in Hawaii was lovely.

The kids spent the day outside having a waterballoon fight while I basted the turkey and baked my favorite rolls.

John got a sunburn (bad mom award)!

The turkey was good. Maybe a little dry, but not bad. We had way way way too much food, and the leftovers are excellent! The Turkey and the Lumpia should last through the weekend.

I got up at 4:15am to go to the NEX with a couple other ladies. There was a crazy long line of people who had been waiting since midnight. Yikes! We were able to go right in and find the few things we wanted. There were lots and lots of the item I was interested in, so I could have slept in, or waited until tomorrow, but it was kind of fun to be out there in the craziness. Did you find any hot deals today?

Christmas music was all over the radio, so I guess it's time to search for the Christmas decorations...

After I hid the loot in the garage, I ate a piece of pumpkin pie and took a nap.

I think it's time to eat again, but all the rolls are gone, so I'm going to have to go whip up another batch to go with the turkey...

****wave report for Nathan***

The waves are up on the North Shore so head that way if you want to try see some surfing. Waves are calm down by Waikiki, so head that way if you want to do any SCUBA or spearfishing.

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Mele Kalikimaka!!!

Wednesday

We had preschool here this morning and let me just say that those 4 little boys are so cute. If I was a real blogger I would have taken photos of them in their Indian feather head bands. Today's letter was Ii. Indian. Ice. And Icing. We iced cupcakes. We used ice to write the letter I on construction paper. We made Indian headdresses and had a little Thanksgiving Powwow.

It was fun. I had fun. John had fun. I think the other boys had fun. Yea!

Piano lessons are happening right now. Our travelling piano teacher is great. But this song Hannah is working on doesn't really sound like a song. I hope it sounds better for the recital coming up in 2 weeks.

Next up is a trip to the Commisary (Eeeeeek!) for a few more Thanksgiving supplies (ie flour, onion, and canned pumpkin) How did I forget to buy the canned pumpkin?

After that adventure I am going to bake my pies and maybe go ahead and make Ree's Sweet Potatoes tonight to be re-warmed tomorrow. Or maybe I'll save the pie and sweet potatoes for tomorrow and I'll put on my jammies and start a movie, instead.

Luckily it has been a tiny bit cooler and a little rainy - it's feeling like Thanksgiving, even over here in Hawaii! I'm even wearing socks.

CupCakes

I need to make cupcakes today to take to church tonight. Do NOT let me forget.

I wonder if Family fun has a turkey cupcake idea...

Sure enough - turkey cupcakes!



gobble gobble

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

It's Monday, and once again the pile of laundry awaiting me is overwhelming. I just don't wanna do it.

I wonder why I am suprised(I am also surprised each time the spell checker tells me I've misspelled surprised. Does it really need that extra R?) each Monday morning by the vast quantity of dirty clothes that piles up over the weekend? It's like amnesia. It happens every week, and yet every week I am shocked at the sight of the overflowing laundry baskets. I should remember and do a load (or five) over the weekend.

I looked back through my blog and noticed a Monday morning laundry post trend, so instead of coming up with something new and clever, I just copied and pasted an old post here (originally posted Jan. 24, 2006)- it sounds so hopeful - an empty laundry basket? Is it possible?:

Each Monday Mrs. McNosh washes all the clothes and hangs everything up on the clothes line. She starts to get a little carried away and:

She hangs up the dog
and his dish and his bone.
She gets a wrong number
and hangs up the phone....

After a long weekend I feel like Mrs. McNosh. Every thing needs to be washed (including the dogs.) So far today we have washed, folded, and put away 4 loads of laundry. Emily and John have been folding and delivering for me. John is good at remembering whose is whose (sometimes rather tricky with 3 big sisters.) Right now our fancy new washing machine (thank you Nathan) is washing our sheets. Today is a beautiful breezy day, so I will hang them out to dry on the line.

An empty laundry basket seems like such a great accomplishment.

All about me?

If you had to write a little something to introduce yourself in 50 words (or less) what would you say?

Here's some ideas for me:

Wendy B is a member of the stroller brigade, the worried mom of teenagers club, and laundry haters anonymous.

Wendy B lives in Hawaii with her husband and 4 children. She enjoys eating pineapple, scuba diving, and surfing working on her tan.

Wendy B wants to be able to write something interesting here, but it turns out she's mostly likely to be found sitting on the couch picking her toenails.

Wendy B is a superstar mom of 4 brilliant children and wife to Air Force man who looks Hawt in (and out of) uniform.

Wendy B needs counselling, some new shoes, and help with her hair. You can read more about her fascinating life at www.rapidlife.blah blah blahgspot.com


??????

Night Ray

This is a short video of a Manta Ray during our night dive. Last one, for reals this time!

One Last Dive post

Back to the boat dive.

After enjoying a nice afternoon dive, we came up for a snack and a little rest. Then, after the sun set, we got ready to dive again.

Before our first dive I was worried about jumping in with all my gear on. I was worried that my fins would trip me before I even had a chance to get in the water. I was worried that my mask would mush my nose and fill with water and I would lose my contacts. And I was worried about embarrassing myself, so I decided to hold my fins and mask in my hands while I jumped in and put them on after I was in the water.

Bad idea. That was no fun. I forgot that I have a hard time reaching my feet when I'm all geared up. My head kept going under water while I was trying to reach my feet, and I thought I might drown. No fun at all. I was finally able to get my fins on, but I decided to jump in all geared up for the second dive.

That worked much better. I put on my fins and mask, waddled over to the end of the boat, and took a big step off into the ocean. I didn't trip. My mask was fine. And I didn't hold up the group while trying to reach my toes. Much better!

Manta Ray (is ray plural without the s?) eat plankton. Light attracts plankton. So the plan was to sit on the bottom of the ocean and shine flashlights up hoping to attract plankton and manta rays.

Several boats had joined us at our dive spot and there were lots of divers and snorkelers with flashlights. We all settled in and shined our lights up, and sure enough, here came the Manta Rays. It looked like a scene in a science fiction movie. Lights and bubbles above and below us, and huge creatures looking right at us!

There were more than a dozen of those big guys swimming just above our heads. They were much closer than the ones we had seen earlier in the daylight. And with the dark sky above and the lights below we could really see what the Manta Ray look like.

They have different spots that make it easy to identify them. They open up their mouths and gills and just swoop over you. One even batted Nathan's head as he swam past. They seemed to be having a fun time - soaring and tumbling in the water. It was an amazing sight.

More Dive

Me and Nate at Sunset

Our first adventure on the Big Island was a boat dive with Jacks Diving Locker. We headed out at about 4pm and saw dolphins on the way to the dive site.



Those dolphins were really fast swimmers and came right up to the boat. They wanted to race!

I had never done a boat dive before, and I was a little freaked out about jumping into the ocean with all my dive gear on. That was my big worry on the trip - not sharks or other scary fish.

For this trip we did an afternoon dive and saw lots of interesting fish and a few manta ray. Then we came up and had a sandwich and got ready for another dive. The second dive was after dark. I'll post a video of that later.

Here is a moray eel and ? a cool polka dot fish?

And here is a trumpet fish - what an interesting looking thing!

My favorite under water creature

Manta Ray Dive

wednesday

Having fun on Big Island stop

Saw Manta Rays, Waterfalls, and Rainforest stop

Hiked cauldera and lava tube stop

Miss you stop

Home tomorrow stop

Getting Away

Remember my sob story?


Apparently my tears worked, and we get to go after all!




We are running away to the Big Island tomorrow...














If you get bored while I'm gone you can read all about Pele, the goddess of the volcano.

or you can study up on Manta Rays. Did you know those guys can be as big as 13 feet across? Wowza!

or plan your own trip to the Big Island!

Aloha!

Post-Halloween Stress Disorder

Hannah here - Sorry that I didn't write my Saturday blog last week - there wasn't really anything interesting to blog about.

But today, oh, today, I've got a nice, tasty, fattening treat for you.

That's right.

Candy. Chocolate, Starbursts, Smarties, Bubblegum, anything you can possibly think of. This is why I hate Halloween. Because, even thought I am a young, fresh, thirteen-year-old, I still have fears. BIG fears. One in particular, the most dreadful two words in the history of dreadful words: Getting Fat. So, this Halloween I decided that I would boycott candy.

Haha. Ha. Hahahahaha.

I even forced myself to stay away from houses passing out candy. But, when you are sitting around with a HUGE bowl of candy to pass out to little kids, you can get carried away. The same goes for having three siblings who are all very much into the Halloween movement.

Every day starts out normal: I wake up, I get ready, I eat breakfast, and then I head out the door. But wait! What's that I hear?

"Hannah, Hannah, come heeeeere!"

"We are caaaaaalling to you, Hannah."

"Don't you want just ooonneeee little snickers bar?"

NO! I will fight the urge. I drag my unwilling feet out of the door and go to school. My tummy rumbles, all day long, no matter how much I eat for lunch. For it has heard the call of the wildly tasty candy, and will stop at nothing to get to this deadly treat.

I get home from school. Conveniently, every piece of candy in our house is strung about on the kitchen table. Oh, Three Musketeers, oh, Tootsie Rolls galore, oh, bliss.

Until I eat about five hundred pieces.

Then my dear stomache stretches out to unbelievable lengths, all in order to enjoy the full effects of an afternoon of candy.

EVERY DAY!

Can you feel my pain?
Am I the only one?
Is it wrong to feel this way as a thirteen-year-old?

Help me out, here!

Halloween Round Up

Yee Haw!




The shoes were too big.




Do my beads hang straight?




Hope ya'll had a spooky Halloween!