Hawaii Week 2

Rainy days are for doing school and taking naps (View from balcony)

Pretty typical Hawaiian yard plants

I'm doing most of the cooking these days.

This week has been a stay at home week for the most part.  And by that I mean we just do life stuff -- no touristy trips or visits to the beach.  Because getting 4 little people out the door is a bit of an ordeal we pack everything we can into one day.  For example, on one day this week we went to the dentist, got special donuts, and took everyone to get flu shots all in one day.  That is an adventure.

Staying home days are a bit of an adventure for me as well.  We've taken on the challenge to use up all of the canned and dry goods so I've been looking up recipes that have these things in them, starting to cook them, and then ending up substituting half of the ingredients before it's all said and done.  I've never cooked with so many canned vegetables in my entire like.  It's weird.  But I've been making lots of yummy bread to go along with the interesting things, so it all works out.

Some other random thoughts:

• Crest is way better than Colgate.  (I've actually felt this way for a while, but I'm reminded of it again this week)
• Turns out I can't even do 1 pushup correctly.  That's about to change.
• Went snorkeling (crazy story!) and scraped my feet up on the reef but my skin is so thick that even the largish gouges didn't bleed.  #barefootforlife

Once again, underwater cameras can document some pretty interesting times.

• Maybe this should have been first. . .but Taekwondo ROCKS.  I found a dojang only 5 minutes down the mountain and the people are so kind and helpful (which looks like really pushing you sometimes).  I've bruised up my feet a little, but it's so worth it.
• I've become so aware and thankful of texts and messages and calls from the mainland (or my friends in other countries).  It's not like I've moved permanently, but sometimes it feels like it because I can't just call up a friend and say, "Hey, let's get together and talk/do something."  I may be an introvert, but that doesn't mean I don't need people.  It means I appreciate just being in the same room sometimes.  Just listening to my siblings or friends talk.  Skype and phones are a poor but necessary substitute. :)
• I've not figured out a nice way to tell little kids that I don't want to pick them up this morning because their breath smells so bad.  I have figured out how to put up with it though, because smiley-excited-morning-pajama hugs from these cute littles are the best hugs I've ever had.  :)

View off the balcony just after sunset