Most everyone I spent the last 3 years getting to know have moved.  We're still here for who knows how long (not that I'm complaining). New neighbors are like a box of chocolates. I want to introduce you to my new neighbor, Scrawny*. Scrawny moved in with his active duty wife and his two daughters.  His oldest daughter is maybe 9 or so and she is Amy Poehler's "Kaitlyn" character personified.  Rick!! Rick!! Rick!!!! Can I go to the pool, Rick? Rick!! Rick!! Rick!! The ...

Apparently this would be the safest choice for pregnant women. I'm a big fan of safety and minimizing risks.  Particularly when the risks involve children or potential children. But COME ON, PEOPLE! No caffeine. No deli meat or hot dogs. No alcohol. No artificial sweeteners. No sushi. No soft cheeses. No smoked meats. No sprouts. No unripe papaya. No Caesar salad. No tuna or other high mercury fish. No peanuts. No Chinese food (MSG). No shrimp...

I don't know if it's because I'm pregnant or what, but I've noticed that people now seem compelled to lie to me to spare my feelings. I don't particularly mind this, but it would be nice if EVERYONE would lie to me ALWAYS just to keep things consistent, or at the very least, tell convincing lies. Lie #1: "You're not fat, you're pregnant." This is very sweet. And for many women this is true. However, if I was fat before I became pregnant, how did I suddenly become not fat and ins...

Our couch was delivered today, and I'm so happy with it. It's big and comfy, although I think there will be a lot of fights over the chaise lounge/ottoman. The living room looks more like an actual living room and less like a room that we just threw random stuff into. We'll never be featured in Homes & Gardens, but our living room seems cozier and more put together now. And NO migrating couch covers!! We hired a local guy to deliver the couch instead of the company that the furniture s...

I can get really wrapped up in my own world. My brain never shuts up. It's always talking about something...debating, discussing, encouraging, chastising me. Never more so than when I am completing routine tasks. I walk my boys to school everyday. On the way there, we chatter together, and my brain focuses on what my babies have to say. On the way back, my mind shifts gears from conversation mode to internal chatter. Making a chore checklist. Thinking about things people have said t...

Well, he did it again. My youngest cut his hair. He had scissors for a homework project and still managed to cut his hair without my seeing him do it. He is the sneakiest little guy. I wonder how much he's gotten away with that I haven't found out about yet. He snipped a tiny bit from the back of his hair. It's barely noticeable, but being mom I noticed it. He tried to deny it, but when I made him look me in the eyes he cracked and the truth spilled out. Of course he doesn't know wh...

Technically, it's my birthday. Not here, of course, but on the mainland where I was born, it is. I'm 27 today. I feel sad. Partly because I'm getting older. Closer to 30 than 20. Weird how fast time flies. But mostly I'm sad because I'm thinking about my grandfather. Pa. Pa's in the hospital right now. He's been diagnosed with a lung disease and he'll be on oxygen for the rest of his life. This hurts me so deeply. He's such a proud, independent, active man. It breaks me to ...

I'm the Grinch. The Scrooge. The Christmas Jerk. We have an abundance of gifts this year. We bought the children about 9 presents each back in November. Since then we've added nearly as many, piece by piece. Then the in-laws sent money which we used to buy gifts for the children. Finally, earlier this week we received 4 or 5 HUGE boxes full of presents from my parents. I didn't count them all, but I'd say it's a safe bet to assume that each child and adult in our family received bet...

I like my house. It's free...well...not exactly, it's part of my husband's salary, but the rent is taken out before we even see his paycheck, so it feels free. It's plenty big for our family. I like all the storage space. I like that we have a backyard big enough to play in but not so big that it's a hassle. I like the big sliding doors in the dining room. I like the wooden cabinets. I like having 2 and a half bathrooms. I like my house. Let me make that clear. I'm very satisf...

One of my few personal strengths is patience. I can endure a lot and I can be pushed pretty far by other people before I snap. I'm generally a fairly peaceful person. I haven't always been this way, but time and life has mellowed me. I still get angry, though. I get annoyed. My anger manifests itself as stress and frustration. I don't often get mad at people, though. I get mad at situations. I don't know if this is common, but it seems to be the SOP for me. I often have to tel...

My children's school has no dress code. That's right. None. We see short skirts, little boys with earrings, mohawk hair cuts, band t-shirts, slippers (flip-flops), knee high boots, colored hair...you name it. It's very lax for an elementary school. I can remember the dress code for my old high school. For several years we weren't allowed to wear shorts. Later sweat pants were outlawed (to be fair, this was because we were naughty children and anyone who wore sweat pants was pants...

Anyone from the Texas panhandle likely knows the name Brian Deneke. What happened to him, back in December of 1997, made an unforgettable impression on me. Last night while surfing our TimeWarner Cable iControl fare, my husband and I discovered an A&E report titled "Amarillo." If you have TimeWarner Cable or A&E, I highly recommend looking for this program. The Texas panhandle is a unique place with a very distinctive culture. Agriculture, religion, extreme conservatism, and high sch...

At my boys' school the week leading up to Halloween is always dress up week. It's so fun, and since my youngest is in school now, I have two little boys to dress up! Monday was Sports Day where the kids wore sports jerseys. Tuesday was Pajama Day, and the little one loved wearing his flannel Spiderman pajama bottoms to school. He even asked if he could wear them to school again sometime. Wednesday was Wacky Day, and I let the boys handle it themselves. They both went to school wearing...

I just saved a bunch of money...and NOT by switching to Geico! I'm so excited! And it's really sad that this is all it takes to excite me. I got an email from gap.com with a promo code for free shipping. This alone is very cool. That's a savings of at least $6 on my order. So, I went to the site and looked at clearance kids clothes (NEVER buy full price GAP kids clothes, ever), but they mostly had winter clothes and the summer clothes they did have are still overpriced. Bummer....

Yesterday Adrian installed an air conditioner in the living room. Today we put up the Halloween decorations. The strange thing about this place is how your body adapts to the climate. I suppose it's the same in other places, too, but I haven't been other places, so I don't really know. It doesn't get too hot here. Temperatures rarely exceed 90 degrees (highest recorded temp for Honolulu was 95). It doesn't get very cold, either. Lows are usually in the 60 degree range (53 was the...