a sad side to Hawaii

I live on the "rough-er" side of the island.  this is where you find people in REAL poverty.  the homeless have been kicked out of countless areas on the island, but they seemed to be left alone here.  we live away from tourism, where the streets aren't "so pretty."


we originally came way out here because we'd MUCH rather live among the locals than living where the tourists often visit.  people who come here to visit, have a tendency to use it like an Mtv Spring Break Party type place, or maybe, like Vegas.  why come to Hawaii to get wasted?!  do that at home!
the rental prices out here are less too.  so when we first got here, we had money to live wherever, but we wanted to make it stretch.  good thing we did ... but that's another story for another day.


you drive by the residential areas, and you can plainly see how people have a tendency to hoard here - its an island, things are expensive, so when you come across something of worth (or not so much), and can think of a possibility when you might need it (or not so much), you keep it.

and as the stereotypes go, this is also an area where a lot of "users" live.  meth is popular out here.  I've seen a few deals go down, but with so much "aloha" no one cares, its all very mellow ... if that even makes sense.  aloha is a real thing, more than just a perspective. I'm sure many don't necessarily approve of using (the me now does, not so much the me of 15 years ago) but people here let people do whatever it is they're gonna do.

aren't these pictures awful?  these posters are up in various places in the community.  I realize they are to "scare people straight" but, I feel for my kids, its a tad too far out of the shelter that I'd take them.  they are 6 and 2.  I know some would say, it's never too early, and so, we've been forced to talk about it a little bit.


we rode the bus to the zoo last week, and there was one of these pictures up.  I was sitting with Elliott and he saw it right away, the one with just the teeth.  I told him "that girl is sick" and "she needs to brush her teeth, doesn't she?"  he repeats everything I say, as to assure me that he heard what I said.  its cute.  I'm glad he does that.


what would you have told your kids?
when will you have the drug talk?
something to think about.


we have never had any trouble living over here.  but we also live in a gated community and rarely go out a night.  whenever I take the kids to the beach for a sunset, as soon as it sets, I don't mess around and I pack them up to head home.  that saying "the freaks come out at night" is true!


I also have never heard so many sirens in my life.  we're not too far from the local fire station, but even so, we were hearing sirens every single day for awhile.  like living near train tracks, it takes awhile to get used to it.  but whenever I hear those ambulance sirens, I always wonder what kind of incident those EMT's are about to see.  and with those posters around town, I bet they see a lot of that, and worse.


I suppose my point to this post ... don't do meth.

4 of 30

I'm trying to notice the little things in my day to day that make it all a bit easier. today I am extremely thankful for a good bra.

if you wear a bra where the wire is a bit twisted, or maybe its now too big (say, after you're done with nursing), or its now a tad too small, or you missed a hooked and its scratching your back with every movement, or whatever the case may be ... ladies, I know you get it. it can make your day absolutely miserable.

all seems right in the world when you have a good bra, doesn't it? at least inside my little world.

it takes time to discover what bra works best. its difficult to be sure of your exact size, the amount of coverage you like/need, wire or not, and then, like with anything else, there are various brands to choose from, and of course every one will fit a bit differently.

ladies, it may be a tad embarassing, but go get fitted. take a 1/2 a day (because realistically that's how long it takes!) and try on every single bra that store has. all brands. different sizes. different coverages & lifts. you may discover a whole new world!

here's a few tips I found; a little bra refresher course.

ps. men, you will never know what women have to go through. never.

pps. find more thankful lists here.

he's really part fish

moving to Hawaii, swimming has taken on a whole new meaning us. if you live on an island and don't know how to swim, I would think you had better learn!!

when we first got here, Samuel was very timid. he'd go in but never past where he can't touch, unless his arms were wrapped around your neck. he wouldn't put his head underwater. he was fearful of the waves crashing, and wouldn't go past them. he has been exposed to water every summer of his life; I even took him for "swimming lessons" at 6mos to get him comfortable, but he still needed more time.

he did get some courage when he wore his life jacket. he liked that he could go to the deep end just float, in the pool and in the ocean. not being so worried about sinking, he did figure out that using his arms and legs helped him move around. with that, he gained even more courage.

then one day, we said no more life jacket. yes the waves will knock you down. yes you will go under.

we are firm believers in learning things "the hard way," or in my opinion, the most real-life way. and can I add, I very much dislike parents that soften every single obstacle for their child(ren). I understand wanting your child to stay inside a bubble so they won't get hurt ... but that's not life. their bubble will burst at some point. I think its much more valuable to teach them how to get up after they fall, not just keep them from falling. but I digress ...

when the life jacket left, we added a mask. at first he'd just put his face in the water so he could see, but then practically overnight, it was his whole head, then his whole body. he was diving to the bottom in no time. gaining vision gave him all the confidence in the world, however, not having that life jacket anymore also gave him a healthy dose of fear of what water can do.

now at the pool, he's doing cannonballs at the deep end. at the ocean, he's learned the pattern of the waves and goes in with perfect timing ... or if he's too excited, he'll jump right into the wave. its so awesome to watch him!

but just when I thought all I had to worry about is drowning, I now also have to worry about him drinking the water.
2 weeks ago (a day before his birthday) Sam was throwing up every 1/2 hr or so. couldn't keep anything down. Eli had it too a few days earlier, then I got it a few days later, so we all assumed it was the flu. but yesterday was another pukey day for Sam; fever, no appetite and throwing up anyway, long naps, chills, sweats ... not fun for anyone. so far, the rest of us are ok.
the only thing we can think of that links all this puking together is swimming at the pool. I've been doing some research and found multiple sites with this same information. something to note: chlorine doesn't kill everything!

just the thought of ingesting someone else's poop is enough to make me not want to ever go back to a swimming pool ... guess its a good thing we're in Hawaii and have plenty of beaches to choose from.

if you have any other ideas, let me know.

ps. Morgan, is this what makes a saltwater pool better?

designing woman

years before my world became my kids, I was attending school for interior design. did you know that about me? I was hooked on HGTV and let that become my inspiration.

so I made it through the 1st year, which was a basic over view of everything to come. its the requirement to become a licensed designer; one must be certified from an accredited institution. I attended the Interior Designer's Institute in Newport Beach. simply put, those people know what they're doing!

the next 2 years are for your BA degree. like with any degree, there is a class for each individual aspect of design; lighting, perspective, model building, space planning, etc. once you have this degree, you can go on and take the "bar exam" for designers, then you are recognized by the National Council (NCIDQ I think) and get those little initials after your name.

I made it 1/2 way through the degree program and quit. yes, I'm a quitter. I realized that I don't have the natural talent, the gift that these other students have. I am not an artist on paper. I was doing my very best and was only pulling C's. I was majorly disappointing myself.

the stuff I wanted to do, was not emphasized. I wanted to get into set design; retail store fronts, magazines, tv/movies, model homes, whatever. you still need all those elements for set design, but class was taught for the majority, which was not me.

I never wanted to work with people that had so much money to hire me to go shopping for them. I know there are other aspects, but that's what I felt it all boiled down to. I was beginning to see it as pretty superficial ... and I never want to surround myself with that.

so anyway, fast forward to today ... I have been needing an outlet. I have not had something just for me in what seems like FOREVER. my hubby believes my grass to be greener, which has been an area of contention. he doesn't seem to understand that I too need to talk to other adults ... and not about poopy diapers and bedtime battles.

I started out looking for a place to volunteer, but then I found a class for home stagers. having 2 kids with 1 being homeschooled, no money for daycare full or part time, no one close enough to babysit, and having only 1 day/week available, this class actually works. it was too good to be true ... but I now remember, God will do such things as this. down to the detail.

home staging is similar to model home design. its based out of the real estate side of it; I will be designing to emphasize the homes features, rather than, an interior designer designs according to what the client/home owner wants and needs. home stagers can be hired by the home owner or the real estate agent. statistics show a staged home sells MUCH faster than an un-staged home. people need to see how it can be lived in with stuff, and more importantly, see themselves as a fit in that home. so, its right up my alley.

this class is run by the owner of Paradise Home Staging, based here on Oahu. when we finish this certification process, he will offer a position with his company. he is essentially training his staff with it; nice to know there is a job waiting ... even if it is still one day/week.

he works with middle-class all the way up to $5 million homes. next week we will be taking a field trip to some open houses in Kahala, which is where you find the high-end homes of the island. have you ever toured a $5 million home? it's fun.

so far so good. wish me luck.

subtleties

I've been in Hawaii since the beginning of May, so almost 3 months. Out of all the moves we've made, its never been into a whole other culture. there are lots of subtle, little differences, and of course, no one tells you these things. you have to be a total "howlie," play dumb, and hopefully learn from that first mistake. for me however, I'm sure it will take more than once. ha!

my biggest issue is the language. English is spoken here, even though Hawaiian is a full language by itself. all the cities, street names, and local shops are Hawaiian of course ... and I'm just your basic, uncultured white girl. its kind of embarrassing.
some letters of the alphabet aren't even used. there are apostrophes everywhere, with emphasis in strange places. the vowels are pronounced differently than on the mainland. its funny, I got a Hawaiian/English translation book, but its no help because I don't get the enunciation of it all. sigh.

locals also think its pretty funny that we use a GPS. they say "it's an island. there are only so many places you can go."

I'm learning ... it's just a REALLY slow process. :)

it's laundry day!

I regret purchasing a white winter jacket living here. anywhere else it would probably be ok, but we're in the woods and I guess I didn't think I'd be getting so down and dirty with the kids. oh well. I have a Columbia jacket; I think technically it's a ski jacket. I do love it. keeps me toasty.

so I thought I'd try and wash it (brilliant, right?) but the tag is in 5 different languages and there are no washing instructions ... well there are instructions but they are in pictures. I guess they didn't want 5 more tags to explain it in all those languages. understandable.

pictographs, right? like the Egyptians?

anyway, I thought I'd post the pictures. I love google ... not only can you look anything and everything up, you can look it all up in pictures!

here's what I found -

I don't know much about laundry. wash whites on warm, darks on cool, spray stain remover if it has a stain ... that's about the extent of my laundry wisdom! it works, my clothes come out just fine ... of course it helps to have a neptune washer and dryer that is just AWESOME!

anyway, study the chart above to REALLY know what you're doing. happy laundry day!