Our Second Home

The skateboard park has become our second home in the past week. We've spent so many hours there that I stopped paying attention to the clock. No matter rain or shine. My young man got his first skateboard by the age of 2 years and 10months (after months of "I want a skateboard, I want a skateboard.."), so far he hasn't had any main injuries. I hope it will stay this way for a long time to come.

It's interesting to watch the teenagers at the park who some of them are amazing skateboarders. Naturally they impress and affect my young man so he improves himself. That's how it is for all of us, if we hang out with truly amazing people within our field of interest, we will naturally improve ourselves. Great booster for our self esteem.

I'm sure I'll hear tomorrow "I want to go to the skateboard park." It's not far from our home, but it's a question about time, as many other things.

Gingerbread Cookies

We made gingerbread cookies in the evening. They turned out fine, but didn't taste that much. I'm a little disappointed on the flavor. Most important is that we had fun making them, and we keep up with our tradition to make gingerbread cookies before xmas eve.

Black Friday

Today is Black Friday, which means lots of people went shopping in the early am trying to get great deals on various items in the stores. We slept in, ate leftovers from last night's dinner (which turned out great with good food and in great company), and went to the skateboard park (even though it was pouring). When we came home from the park we drank hot black currant juice to warm up.

Thanksgiving - Time To Count Our Blessings

Thanksgiving reminds each one of us to count our blessings. This morning we were counting ours.

My son said:
"I'm thankful for having my mam and my dad,
I'm thankful for having my friends,
and I'm thankful for our home."

I'm thankful for having good health,
I'm thankful for having great friends,
I'm thankful for having food on the table,
I'm thankful for having a lovely home.

Which ones are your blessings?

Grocery Shopping For Thanksgiving

I do my grocery shopping for Thanksgiving the day before Thanksgiving. It's kind of a tradition for me, so I keep it up. I forgot to buy a couple of items first time around, (even though I had my shopping list with me) so I ended up going there twice.

People were shopping like crazy (anyone feeling the recession?). However, no one started to fight, which is a good sign. The shelves were packed with everything you need for Thanksgiving: turkey, corn bread mixer, cranberry sauce, green beans, black eyed peas, you name it.

To do grocery shopping with a pre-schooler is a challenge (worse when it's the day before Thanksgiving and it's lots of people in the store). In the hurry to get in and out the store as soon as possible, I tried to avoid the bakery and candy section, so I wouldn't have to hear "I want donuts," or worse case, he eats some of the candy you pay by the weight before I see it and I can stop him.

Well, we made it out of the grocery store without any bigger issues, except for a couple of lily stems missing some flowers.

As I write, the turkey is defrosting, and the corn bread is made. Time to relax and get ready for tomorrow's cooking.

During Dark Evenings

I know, it's a little bit too early.. we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet. But I want to cheer myself up during the dark evenings.

Gingerbread Dough

This Christmas we will make our own gingerbread cookies. I found gingerbread dough at IKEA. Yee.. Making the gingerbread dough by myself is a hassle. I hope these cookies will turn out great and tasty. I'll update you after making them.

Milk Chocolate Brownies

For dessert we had milk chocolate brownies.

Veggie Spring Rolls & Rice

Veggie spring rolls and rice served as today's dinner. Both kids and adults were happy with the choice.

Lemon Tree

I saw this lemon tree on a stroll in the neighborhood this morning. The tree is packed with lemons. A lot of c-vitamin is hanging right there.

Egg Nogg, Weekend & AMA

I'm drinking egg nogg and reflecting over the weekend, with the American Music Awards on in the background.

So much happened this weekend, and yet there is so much left that I was planning on doing. It feels sometimes like I'm running a business, and I'm in need of a personal assistant. My brain has been at work 24/7 the past five years.

It's 10 o'clock, Sunday night, and I'm tired. I try to shift my focus to the upcoming week, and prioritize what has to be done before Thanksgiving weekend. This time a year it's hard to stay focused after 8PM. Even though most days are bright, the dark evenings are hard to deal with.

The egg nogg I'm having is way too sweet. It's probably why I can only drink it a couple of times each year. The Music Awards delivers one music artist after another.. some of them better than the others..

I wish you all a great week.

Xmas Tree @ the Pier

My first photographed Xmas tree this season is the one I saw at the pier today. The annual Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place tomorrow.

A pretty snowflake ornament.

Cornhusk Doll

Yesterday we went to Discovery Museum with some good friends. The kids had fun playing with water, making frames, painting, and with adult help making the cornhusk doll.

They Said It May Rain Today..

... but the sky was blue with only a couple of clouds, and the sun was shining.

Secret Places In the City

Who could believe this picture is taken in the middle of the city? I love secret places like this one. It gives one peace and time to think.

Today's Lunch

Today's lunch was this salad with avocado and pistachio nuts. Yum!

Uneven Pair of Socks

Many times when I'm done doing laundry, I end up with at least one uneven pair of socks. What happens with the socks? During today's laundry I ended up with one sock each of two pairs. It makes me wonder if the washer or dryer eats them?

Cheese Section @ the Food Store

Today I went grocery shopping @ Trader Joe's. As always I stop by the cheese section. Trader Joe's has one of the best assortments of cheese among the food stores around here. Whole Food is another good food store if you like cheese. I picked up an old time favorite - smoked Gouda, Edamer and Danablue's blue cheese. For dinner I had salad and hard bread with cheese. Yum!

Dinosaur Train

If you have a pre-schooler you may want to check out PBS' show Dinosaur Train. I've watched a couple of episodes. It's interesting and you learn all kind of facts about dinosaurs.

Busy Weekend - Busy Week

The weekend was very busy. This week continues in the same pace. People moving, soccer, people over for dinner, play dates, phone calls, planning, starting projects, meeting friends, annual tree lighting ceremony, discovery museum, interviews, picking up visitors from the airport, smog check on the car, paying bills... you name it. What is not done before I go to bed each day, may never happen. There is not enough time..

Abstract Drawings

My young man likes to draw. Today he got new colors. These are two out of six abstract paintings he was working on during an hour.

Thinking About Starting Your Own Business?

If you are thinking about starting your own business check this website out. It has some good points and links to other great websites that may be of help. If you need to be inspired, read about these three women who made it.

A Walk In The Morning

A great way to start a new day is to get out and walk early in the morning. Fresh air, fresh start, and fresh thoughts. My morning walks in Kapiolani Park was always lovely. Walking next to the Pacific Ocean made me feel very much alive.

Out of Laundry Detergent

It's the end of the week, which means lots of laundry has to be done. As I started with the first load, I realized I'm running out of laundry detergent. What a bummer. We got home from the store half an hour ago. Either I've to do another trip to the store, or I'll change my plans for tomorrow morning.

Exploring

We try to explore the little thing, the big thing, whatever comes our way. When we've the opportunity we go to a museum. The picture above is taken at one of the museums where it's all about exploring. Lots of interesting things. It would be great if I could remember everything I learned at one point in life.

A Picture On The Wall

One day we were in a store and I saw The Picture that I had to get. It was a colorful and expressive picture. By looking at the picture I could hear the music the orchestra was playing, and feel the good vibes from the people dancing.

As I want to fill another blank spot on the wall I would love to have another drawing by the same artist Frank Morrison. How could I've missed out on this artist before? He's art is amazing.

A Stroll In the City

Today I met a friend I've not seen for over six years. It was nice chatting and catching up in the heart of the city. We had coffee at the playground, before we walked to the square to watch the ice-skating area getting ready for the season as well as the Christmas tree in place.

Thanksgiving - Showing Gratitude

Looking at the calendar I realize it's only 2.5 weeks to Thanksgiving. It is one of my favorite Holidays. Thanksgiving is a great holiday since everyone can celebrate it, no matter what your spiritual belief is. It reminds all of us to be Thankful for the food we eat (for the good harvest) and to show gratitude in general.

The food that comes with celebrating Thanksgiving is delicious. We start to cook early in the morning so it's done by early afternoon. I also like the get togethers with family and friends during the weekend. What a great celebration. Not to forget the traditional Macy's Thanksgiving parade and football that's on tv to watch for whoever is interested in it.

Evening in July

An evening in July.

"Things We Lost In The Fire"

This morning I was at home all by myself. I spent the time watching the movie "Things We Lost In The Fire " with actors Halley Berry and Benicio Del Toro. The story is very touching. It brings people together for a variety of reasons. There was a fire, but the movie is about so much more than the things that were lost in that fire. It's about being a good human being, love, friendship, believing in a person with a troubled present, understanding, helping out, and to accept the good. It's about everything else than material things in life.

I believe strongly in appreciating what I have, not grieving over what I've lost. My young man tells me every now and then that he misses the car he threw up on his pre-school's roof and it got stuck several years ago. I always tell him to be happy about all the cars he has, instead of being sad over a single car he lost.

Chatting With A Long Time Friend

As always it is nice to chat with friends I've known since I was able to walk and talk. I was online on one of the social networks, and a long time friend happened to be online at the same time. Even if it was short it's very nice to get updates on how she is doing and what's going on in her everyday life. What would we do without Internet and its magic?

Fun Projects

At the moment I've so many fun and interesting projects going. On all different levels. It makes me wake up before the alarm goes off in the morning, and it makes me not want to go to bed at night. That said, I'll now continue on one of my projects.

A Square Sponge

My young man's favorite cartoon is "Spongebob Squarepants." I try to figure out what is so fascinating about the cartoon? A square sponge? I wash dishes with a square sponge, it's not like that's so fascinating or interesting. It's more something that has to be done. But I guess it's more to the stories about Spongebob and his everyday life at Bikini Bottom, than washing dishes.

Once we were able to meet Spongebob in person. Then my young man was so shy to get his picture taken with him, that I had to take mine first. Maybe I should frame it and hang it above the kitchen sink.

"Hotel Rwanda"

My previous blog makes me think of the movie "Hotel Rwanda," which is a masterpiece about the genocide in Rwanda 1994. Actor Don Cheadle makes a remarkable job as his character Paul Rusesabagina. It's a powerful and important movie for all of us to watch. Important to know and to remember what happened in Rwanda during the 100 days in 1994 when 800,000 people were killed. Hopefully we all learn from it.

"Say You're One of Them"

I came across reviews of the book "Say You're One of Them" by Uwem Akpan on Internet. This is a book I want to read asap. You can listen to an excerpt from the last story of the book called "My Parents' Bedroom." I'll make sure to tune in on Monday eve, November 9, when Oprah has a live web event with the author, Uwem Akpan, and CNN's Anderson Cooper.

Jr. Zoo In Town

A sunny afternoon is the perfect time to visit the Jr. Zoo in town. Perfect place for kids to see and learn about local animals. The Zoo's 28 years old owl has been sick for a couple of months. So every time we go there we are eager to see if it feels better. The meat eating plants are another big attraction for kids trying to catch the plant eat an insect.

"The Strong Life Test"

I read an article called "What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently" by Marcus Buckingham. There were some good points. The best with the article was the "Strong Life Test" one can do. It will tell you which one of the nine life roles is your lead role. Do the test if you want to find out.

Avocado Craving

Yesterday I had to rush to the store to get some avocados. I was craving avocado. A day and 3 avocados later I still want to have more avocado..

A Beautiful Place

This place is so beautiful.

It gives me time to breath, relax and dream.


I wonder what it would have been like to live in ancient Greek?

Rush Hour Traffic

Today we left the city during rush hour. It took almost 1,5hrs to get home. A Sunday morning the same distance takes about 25minutes. However, since we were stuck in traffic, we did the best out of the situation. My young man had some snack and then took a nap, meanwhile I was sipping on my coffee and listening to the radio. It's a lot of commercials on the radio, but in between I heard some good songs like Just My Imagination with The Temptations, and before I knew it we were home.

Doris Duke's Shangri La in Honolulu

Next time you go to Oahu, Hawaii, you have to visit Doris Duke's Shangri La in Honolulu. Advanced reservation in recommended. I was lucky to get a private tour together with my political science teacher and some students a couple of years ago. It's an amazing place. Doris Duke's life story is fascinating, and the art she collected for her Shangri La is impressive. I left Shangri La inspired and breathless.

Great Neighbors

We are lucky to have great neighbors. It makes me enjoy living where we live even more. We all help out when it's needed, but we also receive help when it's needed. Sometimes a neighbor knocks on our door with cooked dinner, other times we're knocking on their door with dinner.

The kids are all about the same age. It makes it easy when they want to play, we don't have to drive anywhere. Throughout the years they'll spend together, they'll create lots of memories. During the hot days last summer they were all playing in the water. Great memories from a young childhood. I'm lucky to have great neighbors. I hope you have great neighbors too.

Two Seasons @ Once

Suddenly it's getting dark at 6PM again. It feels like winter is here, even though it's in the 80's during day time and it feels like summer. If I'm out during the evening or morning, I'll wear warm clothes and boots. If I'm out during day time I can wear shorts and flip flops. That's how it is to have two seasons at the same time. Cool evenings, cold nights, cool mornings and warm days. I'm loving it.

All You Can Eat Buffet

All you can eat buffets are not my cup of tea. Except for this one.. It's an Asian Seafood Restaurant that serves the buffet, and you can find all the seafood you dream about. I'm getting hungry.

Beautiful Ceiling

This ceiling is so beautiful. I wouldn't mind having it @ home.

Bundle of Joy

Today I got the question: Are you Happy? from a somewhat stranger who visited our home. A question I did not expect.
Before I answered a lot of things were flashing by my eyes. They say that the longer it takes before one answers a question, the more it means that one is not sure of the answer. This thought flashed by too.

Why it took an extra second before I answered the question was the words my young man said yesterday "I love to be who I am." These words made me very happy. It must mean I do something right as a mam.

My answer to the question was "Yes, I'm very happy." I'm very happy to be who I'm, and I'm very happy to have a wonderful son as my young man. From the time he was born he has been my Bundle of Joy.

Sunday Night

Nice. It's Sunday evening. Sunday evenings make me feel free to relax a little bit more than the other evenings during the week. We had a great weekend and we are all set for facing a new week with new challenges. Hope you feel the same way too.

Simply Juice

My favorite orange juice at this moment is Simply Orange Juice. It's more healthy than the organic orange juices I have had previously.

Last Day of the Season @ the Amusement Park

Today was the last day of the season @ the amusement park we go to every now and then. We almost had to rush through it since we had commitments both before and after. The Swing Set is a favorite for us, since all of us can ride it. Before we left we made sure to ask when they'll open next season. Lucky for us, it will be in less than half a year.

Fall Back

Tonight it's time for Fall Back. Remember to set your clock an hour back, if it doesn't change by itself. Nice with an extra hour of sleep. Zzzz..