I’m Doubting Being an Ace of Base Fan Wins Me Any Cool Points… Although the Lady Gaga Fan Part Might In Some Circles

At 9 years old, I think Ace of Base was the first band that I really got into. In fact all 3 of my brothers and I could be found singing All That She Wants and The Sign at the top of our lungs (although I doubt any of my brothers would admit that fact now). I still listen to them every now and then just like the closet dork you may or may not know I am.

About a month ago, I’m listening to the radio and who comes on but Ace of Base (and I’m not on the “Oldies” station that Steven talked about a couple of days ago). It seems the white wonderbread band has got a little Mexican spice thrown in as the song I’d never heard starts talking about various Hispanic men. I think it’s a little weird, but then again I forget the Hispanic population is increasing exponentially in almost every other state in the US. Here, it would be of more worth to speak Chuk or Laos than Spanish. Spanish will get you nowhere. They don’t come here since you know they can’t get here in the back of lemon. **

Anyways, I get all excited as a new song means a new CD. Yippee! Go home and look it up. It’s totally not even Ace of Base, but Lady Gaga. I totally laughed out loud. That woman has more faces than a pair of D&D dice has sides.


**BTW, that was totally a joke. I really don’t care about illegal immigration. Just don’t get my husband started on it.

June 13, 2010   Posted in: Märia's Moments 

National Guard at the range

So I just qualified at the range on a SAW (big gun) for the first time.  The range is so laid back here.  As I was firing I heard music to my left and music to my right as guardsmen rocked to their phones and ipods while they fired.  We only had to wear helmets and vests if we were actually firing instead of all day.  Only sucky part is the guys who were never active can’t shoot!

Sent on the go from my Palm Pre

June 13, 2010   Posted in: Steven's Lalala 

I Know An Old lady Who Swallowed a Spider…

We live on the 4th floor and have 2 children under 5 years old. There is going to be stuff tossed from our lanai (balcony), it’s just gonna happen. Once a week or so we go down there and pick it all up. This morning the girls go out to the lanai and start saying “Cup in the tree! Cup in the tree!” I look down and indeed there is a cup in the tree. I go down to the ground with a broom thinking I can reach it. When I get down there I realize it is way too far above my head to actually reach with the broom. Steven comes to the lanai and decides he’s going to get it down by throwing something at it. He picks up a package of pull-ups. Aims and gets right where the cup is at. Unfortunately instead of making the cup fall, it just sits there in the tree stuck.

“Hey! Those things cost money!!” My husband in his infinite wisdom, especially when it comes to money, starts throwing college textbooks…

He got the pull-ups back, but the cup, still in the tree. And I’m absolutely sure our neighbors don’t have any doubts how it got there.

June 11, 2010   Posted in: Märia's Moments 

2 Years From Now It’s Going to Be a Ice Cream Haven At My House OR I’m Actively Discussing Someone Else Taking a Scalpel to My Daughters

In the past 2 weeks I have personally taken care of 8 patients who have had tonsillectomies. I think on the floor there has been about 30 or so (that includes the 3 re-bleeds). I’ll tell you what the younger kids do SOOOOO much better and I have come to the definite conclusion that when the girls are 4 and 6 years old they are getting them surgically removed (in the midst of my recovery I said the same thing, but wasn’t sure if I’d think the same thing 6 months later). I have absolutely no desire for their tonsils to get more annoying as they get older and then they have to get them done when they’re 26 because I know from first hand experience that that just plain sucks. I think I’d prefer it in the summer time when there’s no school. So exactly 2 years from now I am planning for them to have surgery.

June 10, 2010   Posted in: Märia's Moments 

80′s music is gone…

I don’t really remember the 80′s. I grew up in the 90′s. But my father loved 70′s and 80′s music, and he got me hooked at a very young age. I just call it all 80′s music though, as I don’t always actually know the difference as I wasn’t alive in the 70′s.

In any case I am writing this short piece to protest the move away from the 80′s made by radio stations at the beginning of this year. “80′s, 90′s and now” suddenly became “90′s, 2-k and today” overnight, as if the difference between 31 Dec ’09 and 1 Jan ’10 obsoletes a whole decade worth of music.

So now if I want 80′s music I have to go to “oldies” stations that play 60′s – 80′s music. The only problem with these is that they tend towards oldie rock or oldie pop without a good mixture between them.

2010 killed radio. There, I said it. =)

June 7, 2010   Posted in: Steven's Lalala 

My Daughters: Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Aloha

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So I was all in love with the Mr Men and Little Misses books when I was a kid. They were AWESOME. When I figured out I was marrying Mr. Rushing, I had to run out and buy the Mr. Rush book for him. About a year ago I started seeing Mr Men and Little Miss products here and there. I have a scrub top with Little Miss Helper and Mr Bump and Seporah has a Little Miss Sunshine shirt. It wasn’t until later I realized they had made it into a show. Just thought I’d show everyone. Super cute. Seporah and Felicity love it, they call it Little Sunshine Show. And really my daughters are not afraid of anyone, they ARE Little Miss Sunshine and Little Miss Aloha.

June 1, 2010   Posted in: Märia's Moments, Videos 

The things I wish I had time for

Yesterday was officially my last day at AWhere Incorporated.  I’m really relieved that my Algebra class is finally over.. and I can finally start focusing on making good grades.. instead of just getting bye.  I was working about 20-25 hours a week while taking 16 hours a semester. I was just running from one place another and doing my darndest to just stay afloat.  So I ended up last semester with 4 B’s and 1 C.  My GPA when I transfered to UMHB was a 3.27.. Now it’s a 2.6 something.  So pray for Sarah and I as we try and cut 600 dollars out of our budget every month. 

Now this brings me to an update on the things that I hope to have time for with the extra hours every day:

 

  1. Exercise:  I’m currently 290 lbs and I want to be 230 again by this time next year.  I’m off to a pretty good start as I started watching what I  was eating about two weeks ago and I’m already down 10 lbs from then.  I’ve swam 500 meters twice and run 3 to 5 miles 3 times in the last two weeks.  Prior to that… I hadn’t run since February probably. . .
  2. Writing:  Steven has started a writing group and I really want start getting some of the ideas in my head out on paper.  My week to submit came right as my finals hit for my math class… so I was the first person not to submit during their week.  Not going to happen again!  I want to actually get chapters ahead so I’m always submitting something I’ve written weeks ago.. we’ll see if it actually happens
  3. TV!:  Has TV ever been as exciting as it is now? Lost is over, but I really want to catch up on all these shows:
                 Caprica – Awesome spin off of Battlestar Galactica.
                 Castle   -  Awesome show with Nathan Fillion (captain from Firefly)  If you like Law & Order..       You’ll love Castle!
                  Fringe  -  This is an X-Files meets Lost kind of show, but they have Leonard Nemoy playing a character so I can’t help myself but want to watch it.  
                  Stargate Universe – I’ve heard a lot of good things about this show, but a few bad things.  I’ll judge for myself. 

   I can’t even remember the last time I got to watch any of them.  I may have to download since hulu only caries the last 5 that aired on TV.

 

The girls are doing nice, the older is making progress with potty training, but mommy and daddy need to gain some patience with the little blunders.  And we need a bark collar for the younger one… I’m not joking.. she screams until Sarah picks her up… and she screams loud.. all day long.  Since I’m obviously kidding about the bark collar..  any advice on how to get her to be a little less dependant being held 24/7?

May 29, 2010   Posted in: Jason's Jabber 

Random

May 25, 2010   Posted in: Pictures 

Seporah’s Preschool Graduation

Seporah’s Preschool Graduation was today. We thought we’d show you pictures and videos of our big love bug getting so big. The candy around her neck is a tradition here in Hawaii. During graduation it’s common to get many leis and since she’s a little keiki, most of them were candy leis. Seporah totally hammed up the singing and dancing, a little too much on the second song to where she landed on her booty.

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May 25, 2010   Posted in: Märia's Moments, Pictures, Videos 

Free and Cheap Stuff to Do With Your Keiki

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We got to go with Seporah on Friday to The Children’s Museum with Seporah’s class. It’s super fun, we go there all the time. We were surprised to find out we were the only ones who had been there out of her class. It was the same when we went to the zoo, no one else had gone. Not exactly sure why no one else is going there, but thought I’d make a list of free and cheap things to do with your short stops, especially on Oahu:

FREE
-Mondays at the Mililani Town Center at 10:30am, Bungo the clown comes for toddler time.
-Tuesday mornings at Pearlridge Mall and Wednesday mornings at Kahala Mall there’s toddler time at 10:30AM.
-Tuesdays at 10:30AM at Mililani Library there’s story time with a craft.
-The beaches, KoOlina, Aweoaweo and Waikiki are the 3 that we’ve found that have the calmest waters for the keiki.
-Parks, parks, and more parks.
-Free movies this summer at Regal Theaters, check out http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx for more information.
-Bike rides, the girls LOVE the bike and it’s good exercise too.
-Walks/hiking. Depending on where you go, this could cost some for admission or parking, but very minimal. There’s Wahaiwa Botanical Gardens, Waimea Falls, Manoa Falls, Diamondhead.
-At least once a month there’s a Family Fun Fair somewhere. Usually free admission with crafts for the kids and entertainment. They happen downtown and at the colleges and universities and just all over.
-You have to be on the lookout, but quite frequently Museums have free days.
-Tutu and Me. This is a traveling toddler time that’s all over the islands.

Cheap Stuff
-Annual passes to the zoo are $25 for the ENTIRE family! Passes get 20% off gift shop and eatery.
-Annual passes to the aquarium are $60 for the family. Plus 20% off at the gift store
-Annual passes for the Children’s Museum/Discovery Center are a little bit more at $200, but if you average it out it’s sooo worth it. Plus 20% off at the gift store and cafe.
-Annual Passes at the water park are also more expensive, but right now if you buy them online they’re $70 each and they’re good for a whole 12 months, the place doesn’t close for the winter. And they do special events all the time.
-Jamba Juice, we always find these buy 1 get 1 smoothie free coupons. Then we have them put part of each of ours into a keiki cup and we end up getting 4 drinks for the price of one.
-McDonald’s, really for the price of a happy meal you get food, a toy, a playground, and a little peace and quiet. Not bad I’d say.
-The Baby Expo comes around twice a year in May and October. It’s called the BABY expo, but it’s got activities for up to about 6 or 7. It’s only $4.50 for adult, kids are free. There’s always snacks and stuff to do.
-Baby Hui, you have to sign up for it, but it’s Mommy and Me playdates that’s pretty cool. They hook you up with families with kids about the same age.

There’s ALWAYS stuff to do, you just have to look for it. And really this list doesn’t even touch the touristy stuff you can do here on the island. Maybe it would be different if we lived in a huge house with a huge backyard, maybe then I wouldn’t feel the need to do something. But we live in an 800 sq ft place on the 4th floor and we have got to do something everyday.

May 24, 2010   Posted in: Märia's Moments, Pictures