Our FHE and A little Pick Me-Upper

Our family has our FHE last night...that's Family Home Evening, for those of you who don't know what that is, something the LDS families are recommended to do every week on a Monday night {can be any other night if Monday night is not a good night, as long as it's one night set aside for the family}. Usually, I am a little organized on our FHE, everyone has an assignment but when I didn't plan, assignments are neglected and I either pull something out my magic bag, {lessons I have ahead of time, either from a class like Primary or Young Woman I know the kids weren't in attendance for or I assigned one of the older kids to do it}. Kids and I almost always make sure that the hubby doesn't do a spur of the moment lesson cuz he usually drag it out for a whole hour and then before you know it, we're all grunting our teeth and counting down the seconds on the clock for FHE to be over with.

Anyways, last night was such a night. I've been totally slagging on my FHE preparation because we did not have anything assigned and I was kinda hoping we'll just skip it altogether and try for another night but that wasn't in my hubby's plan. He sauntered in the house with a lesson all printed up in his hand and declared we do our FHE. Two of our kids were missing, at a school function, that's why I was hoping we'll forgo FHE last night but like I said, nothing is detering my hubby from getting our FHE. I was so dreading the long drawn out lesson but as it turned out, he was actually precise and finished in the alotted time permitted him for his lesson.

So I appointed myself the treat person. But instead of waiting til the end of FHE to pass out the treat...this time I decided to tie it in with my hub's lesson. Because he had such a great lesson, I suggested that at the end of his lesson, he would ask the kids question to test them and I'll give them candy whenever they answer the question right. It was really fun to see what my kids would do for candies. Even Kaitlin was raising her hands to answer questions. Like I said, with this non preparation on my part, there was no planned treat, usually I have something made or my daughter made or we got at the store. Luckily I had some chocolate candy on hand so that was great save for me cuz the kids weren't complaining at all...they were only too happy to be participating in something and getting something in their mouths..lol. It was great turn-out, everyone concerned was happy and it was a successful and fun night for all.

Anyways...our candy treat turned out to be a lot more insightful than I thought, who'd have thought. Here's a little something we got from the candy wraps I thought I'd share with y'all. Enjoy!!

• Patience is a virtue.
• Life is about making memories.
• Believe the best in yourself.
• Forget the pothholes in the road and celebrate the journey instead!
• Smile when you want to, cry when you need to, laugh whenever possible!
• Count your blessings and not your worries.
• Kick a bad habit for today.
• Remind yourself that it's ok no to be perfect.

♥ to all and God bless!

A Non-post Post

Today, instead of writing a regular post, I'm just going to direct you all to this blog. Yes, it's the relationship blog I wrote about in my earlier post. Remember how I said that I have a post written up for this week that might come out either Friday or Saturday? Well, I lied, well not really lied, I wasn't the one in charge of the post schedule so I just estimated the day my entry will be posted based on the time I put it in.

Anyways, my post is on today. I'm usually a little hesitant about directing anyone over to read my post there because most of the ones I wrote already were a little on the sensitive side but today, I figure, what the heck? And the post I have for today is not too sensitive, it's a little on the fun side so if you're in the mood to read something a little more interesting, go read it.

If you feel up to it, feel free to read all the other posts as well. There are different bloggers who write something everyday so you might enjoy the different views of the relationships of the bloggers who write on that blog. Like I mentioned in an earlier post...the founders of that blog have decided to theme each week and this week's theme is Compatibility. And you feel like it, leave a comment too to let us know what you think about each post. Again, go here if you feel like reading a little romance..lol...kidding. But really, do come over and check out my post for today.

I want to post some new creative craft this week but for some reason, my camera is not cooperating with me. I am working on some fun paper craft and of course some new cards idea so be on a look-out. In the meantime, have a great day and hopefully I might see some of y'all's fingerprints on the other blog.

Happy blogging and God bless!!

American Idol Fans....Which Category do You fall under?

Who watched American Idol last night and the night before that? Better yet, who's a fan of American Idol?

I don't know if I'm an American Idol fan or not. I watch the show but it's not a show where I have to drop everything I'm doing right at the moment to watch or I schedule my life around like the Korean Soaps I watch. Last year I actually watch the whole season of American Idol, from beginning to the end. The year before was kind of off and on and the year before that. This year, I did watch the auditions but I think I've missed out on a lot of the showing. So the last two nights I decided I would just go and check out what's happening.

I've stumbled upon a few blogs who has done some reviews of the show and I think I even came across a blog who's boycotting American Idol...after watching the last two nights, I think I can understand why someone would want to boycott that show.

OK so yesterday I was driving my kids to school and was listening to the local radio station when the DJs were talking about American Idol. One of them was a bit upset, said she only watched the first two performers but was so upset at the results that she changed the channel and never went back to finish the show. So then the other DJ gave his feedback or review and he said that after watching the last few years' show, he had concluded that there are five different kinds of people who watch the show.

I find it very interesting, that's why I thought I'd blog about it and see where my readers fall under. I still can't figure out which group I fall under, I think I'm more on the last group. The five groups are as follows:

The first group is the CRIERS...these are those ladies who cries at any show they love and couldn't help but love what they see.

The second group is the Haters....These people can't stand the show but they watch it just so they can vote on the worst performer just to see if that person they voted for get to come back the next week. I guess there will always be these kinds of people who tend to make life more difficult for other people to enjoy anything.

The third group are the Weirdos...They watch the show mainly to see who has the weirdest hair, clothes, personalities and you can bet your money those are the performers they vote for whether the person has talent or not.

The fourth group are the True Fans...these are the ones who watch it because they really like the competition and to them it was a worthwhile entertainment so they voted for the ones who they think is the best performer and they want the best to win. And of course, they do take the time to find out as much information about each contestants as they can and even pick out their favorites based on the ability of the person.

The last group is the Methodical group...these are those who promised themselves the year before they are never going to watch the show again but come next year, they are watching it again. They don't really like the show yet they can't seem to stop themselves from watching nonetheless.

Now that you've read this, which one of these five groups do you belong under? Don't be shy, go in my comment box and leave me a comment. If you don't watch the show at all or don't give a rat's behind about it, voice it baby...lol. You want my take on the show? I don't know, I don't hate the show but I don't love it either. There's one contestant I would rather not see on there but he/she's there and apparently doing a good job so I will wish that person all the luck and may be best singer win.

There ya go folks, my very small take on the media world...LOL. Enjoy!!

My Day-out W/Some Fun Crazy Chicks

Yep, I had a great day yesterday, I went out with some really cool chicks who are crazily scary because they love blogging (more than my love of blog? Yes, blogging is like breathing for these chicks..lol.) so one has be very careful about what these bloggers might put on their blogs about one's self...lol. So who are these crazy chicks you ask me? None other the infamous Crash, Swirl & her mom, and Martha. Ok so Martha, I'm not too worried about, she doesn't like talking about other people on her blog..lol...the ones to really look out for are Crash and Swirl esp. with their cameras....I'm telling ya, these two ladies are obsessed with photo taking and blogging it..lol.

Ok they picked me (I had my little girl with me)up around nine and stuck me waaaay in the back of the van, Swirl drove since it was her car. Then they just proceeded to converse among themselves and completely ignored me....HOW RUDE!! (wink, wink) Luckily for Swirl, I am not the kind of person who gets carsick or I would've puked all over her car just to get her back for sticking me in the back like that...ahahah.

Psssst, lemme tell you a secret though....don't you dare tell them....what they didn't know was that the backseat is the best place to eavesdrop or spy on the people in the front. Do you know you can learn more about a person just by watching their hand movements and gestures when they are having a conversation? Yep, I've picked up ton of information just from sitting in the very back of the van and no, I am not sharing any of them, they are mine to keep and for you to keep wondering about especially if you are Crash, Swirl and Martha...lol.

Anyways, we went to the mall in Kaneohe, stopped at the Borders Books first. Now people, if you ever want to see Crash and Swirl in their elements, take them to a bookstore....it's like seeing a kid in a candy store..lol. Ok, so my hubby and MIL would probably say the same thing about me but hey, at least I can put on a really good poker face if I need to. We spent a few minutes checking the bookstore out and then on to the pet store. Oh yeah, while in both stores, Crash was going crazy with her camera, just clicking away at us...yeah and we were as helpless as though we were puppets on strings, she said "pose", we posed; "smile", we smiled; oh the different expressions she made us do just so she can satisfy that picture taking itch of hers...lol. After the pet store, we split up....some went to Sears, the others went to a bank...my little girl wanted to go to a toy store so I took her there. I was having fun just watching her playing with the different toys and asking me to buy every item she got her hands on but alas, I am too broke to accomodate her. So I took her to the playground they have in the mall.

At eleven we met up again at Arby's for lunch. So the conversation at Arby's was something to laugh about. We were talking about all these different stuff and one thing lead to another, the subject of blogging came up. I guess we were reminiscing about old posts that Crash had on her blog and the next thing I know, we were talking about my post on http://realworldvenusmars.blogspot.com/. If you've read my post, you will know what it was about, if not, you can click here to find out. It wasn't the best post to discuss when one is eating so right away, Crash has lost her appetite: she barely ate her sandwich she ordered but after talking about the post and then Martha bibed up about her husband and I think something along the line of stinky smell, Crash' hunger dried up like a drought...lol. She brought up the post, I didn't...lol. So she got up and took more pictures of us...again, she said do this, we did it, whatever she told us to do, we did without a word of complaint or murmur. Now the three of us are a bit worried about what pictures Crash would be posting on her blog and what her post is going to sound like. Oh we know for sure she is going to totally poke fun at us three so we decided each of us are going to write a defense post.

Just for the record, I didn't do any of those things she said I did...lol. I was a completely innocent bystander...lol. Since Crash was the one with the camera and the pictures, her post might be more believable because she has photographic evidence but this is my story and I'm sticking to it!!

Before we started on our trip back home, we made a stop at a grocery store so Martha and Crash could buy some brownies and yogurt drinks, I think that's what Crash said those things were called. Unfortunately the store were out of those items. I don't know what Swirl's mom bought, I'm sure the store had what she was looking for. On the way, I had my little Katie sing a little to entertain us to keep her busy enough to keep her mind off the fact that she's strapped down in a car seat and then she fell asleep after that.

Again the conversations were totally random....but was interesting nonetheless. I had a great time...it was really fun being out with these crazy fun ladies. Of course Swirl being my best friend and all, I already know she was fun and crazy but I got to know Crash and Martha more just from this outing. Crash is not just funny on her blog, she is funny in real person and she totally rocks! Martha even though she hardly says anything on her blog and her comments seem to be so serious, she does have a sense of humor. And Swirl's mom, she is one incredibly great lady.

Can I say I have the most wonderful day? Because I do....thanks Swirl for taking us. Crash, thanks for suggesting this day-out...I am sooooo looking forward to more outings with you ladies.

A Little FYI!!!

I have been thinking about doing this post for a while and today after getting an email from my best friend and mentioning something that's been on my mind for a while, I've decided today is as good a day as any to post this. Now this post is not by any means to discourage or to be made to sound like a whine or complaint because in all honesty, I do love where I'm living right now.

Whenever a person who doesn't live here find out I live in Hawaii, one of the top things they usually say is..."oh wow, you're so lucky you live in Paradise". I am listed on the Mormon Mommy Bloggers list "Sweeter Life". What is that mean? Does it mean because I am living in Hawaii or what others dub as Paradise, I am living the sweeter life? What is a sweeter life? Does it mean that if a person live in the land of mostly summertime, that person does not have any other worries or problems that those who live elsewhere has?

Do you know that there is a price for living in Paradise? Do you know that there is a huge cost to having sun all year round...well majority of the time anyways?

A few years ago, I worked as driver for the airport shuttle for BYUH. I took the job because it was fun and easy job...the hours of the job was very flexible esp. for a mom with kids who are still at home. I love the hours, they have different shift so I could pick the time that worked best for me and of course, I loved little break time for me. I also love meeting the new students that were coming or leaving BYUH.

Because it's at least an hour drive, sometimes I would strike up conversations with the students just see what their plans are either when they return home or what they're plans were for college. I often notice that there is kind of a pattern with their responses. The students who were leaving, when I asked them how they liked BYUH, oh they would carry on and on about how wonderful the beach is, the sun and how laid back life is here. But all that fun must come to an end and it's time to go back to reality. {How rude!! See me here in the van...I live here, does it look like I'm living some dream life or a fantasy life?} But of course, I usually kept my mouth shut and just let them go on and on with their plans. The kids who were coming {usually these mainland kids would come for just a semester, and usually during spring and summer term}, you can tell their excitement. The uppmost on their things they wanted to do....that was after asking me where would be the place to go surfing or hiking. Excuse me but I thought they were coming to BYUH to go to school. But of course, I was gracious enough to suggest a few great surfing places and a few hiking places that I know....usually something close to the school. It was good to see them excited about this place and sometimes I couldn't help but be excited for them.

But like all good things, there's also a bad side too. Like I said, there is a prize for Paradise. There is a huge cost of the sun. Because Hawaii is a such a beautiful and sought after place, tourism is a huge industry here. From tourism, comes the extremely high cost of living. Costs of homes and everything else here cost either twice or trice the cost of mainland living...ok so most of the mainland states. A friend of mine just recently moved here from Tennessee and we were talking on the phone and while were catching up on each other's life, she gasp and exlaimed,

"What is up with the price of milk here? I have to ask...does the cows here eat a certain diet that's different from the mainland cows makes the milk here to cost more?"

I couldn't help but laugh at that. I knew what she was talking about because just a couple of days before our conversation, I was the grocery store and when I came upon the milk, there were some guys standing there, pointing at the price of the milk, shaking their heads in disbelief. Yeah, the price of the milk was eight bucks a gallon. I was laughing on the inside when I saw them, I'm sure it must've been quite a shock for them. The lowest cost of milk is about five bucks unless they go on sale then it's around three bucks or so. So when my friend was going on and on about the milk, I was laughing, not that I was trying to be rude or anything. And that's not the only thing that the price can choke a person. Everything, food, clothing, housing....the cost is higher than mainland cost.

And the sun....oh you mainlanders are always saying, that us island dwellers have no cause to be depressed about anything since we live in the land of sunshine and all year summer. But does anyone know that because of how expensive things are here, the surest way to get a free activity is going to the beach? And hanging out at the beach in the blazing sun brings on sunburn and even lead to skin cancer? {And I'm not saying that we're the only ones who worry about cancer because cancer does not discriminate.} Yes, it's a great place in that the weather is great but it's got it's drawback in that from the sun, and most activities revolve around the sun and beach, sunburn is unavoidable. Oh yeah, we do use sunscreen but eventually the thing wears out and if one doesn't reapply, you can bet there will be sunburn.

The last couple weeks it's been freezing over here. Yeah yeah yeah....you're laughing at me saying, I don't know what freezing is until I've lived in a Utah or Idaho winter. Yes, I know what Utah winter is like that is why I am really glad I am not living in a Utah winter but at least you can go in your house and turn on your heater. There are no heaters whatsoever in Hawaii. You can file on all the blankets you can find in your house to keep warm but then a person will never be able to get up and do any housechores without dragging those blankets around. To keep warm sometimes, we turn on our oven. And if you're like me, your oven would probably smell crappy because more often than not, I forget that I've spilled something in the oven two days or a day before when I was trying to roast chicken or bake our last minute unplanned dinner....LOL. So who would want to smell a stinky oven all day long just to keep warm?

So, if I am saying that I am freezing my buns off...I really am freezing my buns off...LOL. I am not writing this post to get some sympathy or to make it sound like a whining or complaint post, I'm merely trying to point out that even living in Paradise as most people see it has it's disavantages. Sometimes we don't have a choice in where we live. Don't get me wrong, I love living here but I would much prefer living someplace where I don't have to worry so much about how expensive even the basic needs are.

One more disadvantage of living here is that, I can't just get in the car and drive to my family's house or my in-law's house. If I actually want to see any of my family, the only way for me to do that is through air and of course that can be costly too. At least living on the mainland, you can just throw your stuff in the back of your car and cross the state line to go see grandma and granpa or mom and dad.

So if by chance any of us island dwellers or Paradise dwelling mommies ramble a little bit about how we might be bordering a little bit on the D word, as Crash would call it, be a little more understanding. Our fears, hopes and dreams are as real as those of you mainland dwellers.

With that said, I want to let you all know that I do love you all!!

This is my ramblings for the day, need to get 'em off my chest. If I ended up losing followers or offending readers...it is not my intention at all to be offensive. As I said earlier, this post is only meant to inform.