Cinnamondee

A Birthday, Looking Forward, Looking Back, and Hanging On

I've been having random thoughts lately having to do with my firstborn turning 9.  Mindblowing.  I mean 9, really?  At nine I remembered all those things.  You know, really remembered them. 

I hear songs on the radio, like the one with the pony she called Wildfire, and Time Passages, and The Winner Takes It All and they take me way back, they give me that weird - good but weird -feeling in my stomach.  So this same age that shes in, these are the days, she will remember these days.  Mine were days of doing the "Hustle" at Summer fun, of wearing those Hawaiian print wraparound shorts my mom sewed(ok maybe that was a Hawaii thing) of playing "Charlies Angels" in Jordache jeans and roller skates and pretending I had flippy Farrah hair.   I still remember the feeling, the one where you ache to be older but at the same time cling to mom, cause she's solid, familiar, you can count on her. 

I can see it in C-girl, I can feel it with her, I don't want to miss it.  When she's older, in maybe 5 years, likely sooner, it won't be there anymore, she won't need me like that. 

So gone are the times when I can say "ah, she won't remember this anyway" cause she will.  These are the days. 

So to my tomboy girl who loves everything Muppet, animal and Pokemon.  Who wants to be a rock geologist (thats the career choice of the moment) and who can make me raging mad one moment then charm me crazy the next, Happy 9th Birthday.  May you remember and cherish the happy moments of these sweet years.

Perfect Day

I had the sweetest bestest Mothers Day.  Acai bowl breakfast with a skinny mocha and gift openings - I love those ceramic homemade hand and letter plaques!

Then hiking up Tantalus with the kids.  It was so beautiful. 

 

 

This was the lookout before the hike.

After that Round Table Pizza in Waikiki with beers on tap.  No sir, this was NOT a low carb day by any means.  Especially since after that was Japanese Beard Papa Cream Puffs. 

Bring it.

Soccer and football in the park and a picnic for dinner. 

Perfect.

I'm gonna free fall out into nothin', gonna leave this world for a while

I had a little accident a few weeks back and now finally healed...

I also have a hard time posting pictures of myself so this took me awhile to do.

So... I went running, and while doing windsprints I totally underestimated the power of a uneven sidewalk. Then dove chin first into the concrete.  Sweet.

Me: (lying down next to the bed, whimpering after walking 2 blocks home holding my chin while trying not to pass out)   "Uh, I fell down... I hurt my chin"

W:  "Really? Let me see..." leaning down from the bed and facing his iphone light to me(its 6 am in the morning and still dark). "Yeah I think we have to get you to the hospital"

Me: "Really?  Its just my chin, it'll heal.  Its just bleeding a lot."

W: Leaning down again to look with his light. "Okay, kids get up. Mommy has to go to the hospital"

Me:  :blink: "huh?"

So I decided to be brave and go take a look in the mirror (no, I had not done that yet, I was too chicken)  And as I raised the soaked napkin up and tilted my head back to take a glance, blood came shooting out at the mirror.  Kill Bill style. I cover it back up and decide never to do that again.  It took seven (blue?)stitches and much whining to put me back together again.

W took graphic pictures of it.  I still refuse to look, I'm that weak. The resulting pictures I'm told, and was told many times is, that it looks like a pair of lips stuck to my chin.  I will not be posting those.

Dude. 

I am Superman and I can do anything

 

 

If we really had Superheroes this fun the world would be in trouble.  Thats C-boy on the ground by the way, taking a dramatic beating by Batman.

Hot and Sour

We made some Tom Yum soup tonight.  C-girl and W's favorite. 

She gets to smash the lemongrass...

C-boy is too destructive, that would end up a mess if I let him do that. 

So he gets to tear up the kaffir leaves-add both to boiling water

 

Then all that's left is add some mushrooms, firm tofu(or shrimp if you eat seafood), broccoli, lime juice and stinky fish sauce- sprinkle some cilantro and/or Thai chili sauce if you like it hot like W...

Serve with rice and smiles

 

(that looks like a thumbs sideways, but I'm assured its a thumbs up)

Here's a easy recipe link (we changed some stuff to suit the kids taste).

Memories of it still, keep calling

Going through my kids backpacks, I found their Japanese eraser collections.  These totally reminded me of the ceramic and metal pin craze circa 1980-ish.  So a shout out to that and to Nonnahs who totally remembers. I can never get myself to purge this crap, goodness the memories they bring back of fun times!  I can't believe what ridiculous stuff I still have-

If you grew up on Oahu, anywhere near Pearl City, there was 'Summers' Place' where we would spend hours looking at the pins. 

 

Good grief, I don't get it now but it was fun back in the day.

Ollie's got a new pad courtesy of Costco extra boxes.  This is the second one C-girl has made.  The first got partially ingested.  Cute dog, just not the brightest bulb.

 

In other recycling around the house - we try to do as much of not throwing away as possible since our pledge to go 5 weeks with one kitchen bag this time around -

 

C-boy has taken the empty cartons I was saving for who knows what (we don't have tetrapak recycling here but the kind lady at our State Recycling has informed me instead that ALL of our household trash like tetrapaks are sent to Hpower for incineration for energy- I am sincerely doubting it ALL goes there but it seems like a nice fantasy nevertheless. She either doesn't read the news or thinks I don't) So anywho,the cartons are now in his room and a great addition to Buzz Lightyears' space program. 

And the 5 weeks of one kitchen bag goes on, we're on week 3 and lots of room left.  Yes, even after W bought a Vietnamese takeout in a moment of weakness on Sunday night when he was left by himself.  Sabotager.

Baby, Its Cold Outside

 

Came back recently from a trip to New York, with my mom and Sis to visit my new baby niece, brother and sister in law.  I would post pics of baby but I dont have permission from her 'rents so I'll just say that sweetie made me miss babies. Alot.

Anyway, heres my mom running in the snow near the Hudson.  Cold. Cold. And more cold.

While there I decided to go running with my Bro since I had the Great Aloha Run to do when I got home.  It was 12 degrees.  I kept feeling for my ears to make sure they were still there and hadnt fallen off yet.  Seriously, if someone had just warned me, like  "Hey idiot, you need to put a cap on or your ears, which are sticking out of your face,  will freeze and be extremely uncomfortable. Or just fall off, really."  That would have been mucho helpful, Bro. 

Well, I lived through that and the Aloha Run with a hugely sore toe, it's turning black and purple entirely, while I speak.  And I would do it again.  But with different shoes and ALOT more training, - and not in 12 degree weather.  Yo, those runners in extreme temps are keeraaayzee.

may you bloom and grow, bloom and grow forever

We did Terrariums this month after Christmas... 

I'm amazed its still living really. One of the websites that I checked out said, 'able to live up to a few years'.  Hmmm.  They've obviously never seen how fast I can send a houseplant to the compost heap.

Anyway, to commemorate our hopefulness, heres a little Shel Silverstein (C-girls favorite) with 'Goodnite Little Houseplant'

Goodnight little houseplant asleep on the sill
I'll pull the shades so you don't catch a chill
And tomorrow in the morning don't be breakfast for two
We'll have ham and eggs for me and nitrogen for you
Goodnight little houseplant tucked in your clay pot
Make sure you don't catch Huntington's Rot
Remember little houseplant stay away from them bees
I've heard they may carry a social disease
Goodnight little houseplant goodnight
Here's your glass of water should I leave on the light
Tomorrow we'll talk of the things that we did
I love you little house plant who needs women and kids

Good luck little guy, you're gonna need it.

 

Dollface

My bro and sister in law had a brand new addition - a very late congrats you guys!!

I sent this with a matching blanket before Christmas using a pattern from Black Apple through Martha...

I can't wait to meet my new niece hopefully sometime this year (they live on the East Coast) the last time we visited baby had not yet arrived. 

Newborns.  I remember those spit up-t-shirt, when-am-I-going-to-be-able-to-take-a-bath, what-day-is-it-anyway, walking like a zombie times.  I miss those. 

Show and Tell

C-girl wanted to show off her favorite Christmas animals... big hedgie and little hedgie (my girl is so original when it comes to names) 

and C-boy had to then step in with part of his growing army of Transformers-

This was part of our New Years Eve Festivities...

training of a pyromaniac, the early years.