mom to mom

moms are always looking out for other moms with advice & referrals, and apparently even if your kids are grown, you don't lose that ... I thought I'd share what my mom found for me. please pass it on to the other moms you know.

* do you live closer to the mall than the library? guess who has a story time?

* and while you're at the mall check out Sears ... you shop Sears? if not, here is a good reason to start.

ps. thanks mom!

workout busted

good news ... I've been getting up at 5am to walk at 6am (I have to wait for the sun to come up) and I've gotten used to it. I now love it in fact. I have time to have some coffee, head out with just me and my ipod, watch the sunrise, and sweat out my stress.

bad news ... today I got shin splints, bad. I have been getting them for the last couple of weeks, but nothing too terrible. I was always able to push through. it only comes to my right leg, and only as I walk downhill, not up. my walk is 2.5 miles total, so only about 1 mile is downhill. I couldn't even get 1/2 way and I had to turn around. big bummer to my morning.

good news ... so I decided to do some Wii Fit. I can now do the super-hoola for 10 minutes! yay me! I was getting a good sweat and then ...

bad news ... the batteries died in the remote. so I locate new ones, only to find they are not charged. another bummer. note: if you use rechargeable batteries, don't just throw them in the drawer when they die, CHARGE THEM! a certain someone needs this reminder .. its on the frustrating side to get going with something, like a work out, and have to stop as you're just starting to get into it.

good news, sort of ... I did a pilates video. I found it at the thrift store the other day for $2. its pilates for weight loss with Anna-somebody. I did it yesterday and am a bit sore today, which is why I wanted to walk instead. needless to say, the video was a bit more difficult!

good or bad, I still got me time. thank you God for keeping my kids asleep while I dealt with it all. today can still be a good day. :)

trick your brain

if you only read this, it will sound ridiculous

try it and tell me if this doesn't work for you.

strange, right?!

lately

another golden rule to live by ... perhaps?

the end

ps. Laura, I'm feel ya.

a true entrepreneur ...

A little old lady was walking down the street dragging two large plastic
Garbage bags behind her. One of the bags was ripped, and every once in
Awhile, a $20 bill fell out onto the sidewalk.

Noticing this, a Policeman stopped her, and said, "Ma'am, there are $20
Bills falling Out of that bag."

"Oh, really? Darn it!" said the little old lady. "I'd better go back and
See if I can find them. Thanks for telling me officer.."

"Well, now, not so fast," said the cop. "Where did you get all that
Money? You didn't steal it, did you?"


"Oh, no, no", said the old lady. "You see, my back yard is right next to
The football stadium parking lot. On game days, a lot of fans come and
Pee through a knot hole in the fence, right into my flower garden. It used
To really tick me off. Kills the flowers, you know.

Then I thought, 'why not make the best of it?' So, now, on game days, I
Stand behind the fence by the knot hole, real quiet, with my hedge
Clippers. Every time some guy sticks his pecker through my fence, I
Surprise him, Grab hold of it and say, 'O.K., buddy! Give me $20, or off
It comes.'

"Well, that seems only fair," said the cop, laughing. "OK. Good luck!
Oh, by the way, what's in the other bag?"

"Well, you know", said the little old lady, "not everybody pays."

hanauma bay

I was at hanauma bay ... BEAUTIFUL!

I have always loved nature, but being in the water was a different kind of connection with it. if you can imagine, in a spiritual sense, it was such an amazing feeling to get so close with this whole other underwater world God created.

this bay is a preserve, so the fish there know they are protected from us silly humans. they swim wherever they want; all around you without flinching to your movements.

being underwater, away from the noises of "our world," is so peaceful.

the fish, obviously, don't make noise, so you just hear the waves and the current as it pushes you around. if you stay in one spot to observe, you will sway back and forth with the waves, the same way the fish do.

you also hear your own breathing in your snorkel. once you're calm in the water and breathing normally, that too becomes peaceful, and that makes for a much more enjoyable dive.

however, it does sound a little Darth Vader-ish, but the fish don't seem to mind.

TONS of fish, thriving coral, eels, surprisingly no turtles today...but I saw the biggest rainbow parrot fish ever, just like this one ------------>

truly amazing!!

we splurged and bought an underwater camera, but of course, we left it in the car. the bay is down a steep hill, the valley of a once volcano eruption, and no one wanted to go back and get it. it was so steep, they have trolleys to take people up and down - $1 each way even! anyway, personal, real life photos to come on our next trip.

we have started buying our sunblock at Costco, hahaha, but seriously! we use it every single day just about. we used it today for snorkeling ... but I'm not very good at reapplying. so often when you're in the sun, you don't know you're getting burned, at least not in beautiful, perfect Hawaii!! luckily the boys has on their rashguards, but not mommy ... and since I was face down most the day, my back is not feeling too good. I'm about the same color as a lobster, and, it was difficult to sleep last night. :(

I have to say, it was still worth it.

shoes

isn't it sad when you lose one of your kids shoes?
I keep it thinking its around here somewhere ... but its not. its long gone.
it's been over a month and it still hasn't shown up yet.

could be ...
at the park. at the beach. at the bottom of the toy bin. in the car. at a restaurant. under the sofa.
who knows?!

for me, I think its on Maui. isn't that funny?
and its always the new pair, right? the everyday pair.
the ones that go with everything.

*sigh*

my stay@home-mom vent of the day.
what's yours?

never-ending laundry

one reason to get excited about moving from an apartment to a house, is having your very own washer and dryer. I miss it.

• it's always available when you need it
• you don't have to lug it down the street, always hoping your underwear doesn't fly out
• you don't have to worry about someone stealing your clothes since you live a mile away from the machines
• no one will move them for you, and touch all your underwear
• and the big one, you don't have to put in quarters every time you use it!!

yes, I have "a thing" about other people's underwear ... just don't do it!

well, I'm in a condo again. all the above reasons still apply.

however, in Hawaii ...

• no one is pushy. they don't move your stuff for you. instead it seems, they will just come back later and not be mad about it.
• no one cares if your underwear goes flying. they will pick it up for you ... luckily it wasn't mine; Sam's superhero undies went flying in the wind, and also luckily, it was another mom who got them for me. :)
• and its just $1/machine ... which every place I lived at in CA it was at least $1.50/machine

I've come to love the fact that I can get 4 loads done in the same time it takes to do 1... and that makes me supermom!

of course, I still have to lug it all over there. ugh.

be thankful for your washer and dryer today!