Walk A Mile (or 2) In My Shoes

Getting out of the house

BY MYSELF

is something to celebrate. Sometimes it seems impossible. My getting out of the house begins with screams and crys and "Mommy, mommy, mommy, no, no, no", or giving hundreds of hugs and kisses before I even get my shoes on. But it is always worth it.

Well, I have been able to get out and go

WALKING

3 days this week.

Usually I just walk and look at my feet and try to get the "exercising" over with as soon as possible. (I was going to say that I went jogging, but that would be an over exaggeration:) (And I NEVER do that!)

The last time I walked I started to look at STUFF. Wow, there is some cool STUFF out there. So I decided to take a few pics along the way. I'm sure some people thought I was a little crazy or if they were looking out their house windows, they would have yelled at the

crazy Haole girl,

but I was sly...well as sly as I can be...I'm not that smooth or coordinated.

Here are a few things I found along my way.



Here is the view from the top of the hill...just minutes....actually seconds from my home. The pic doesn't do it justice. (Unfortunately, we don't have this view from our home, but hey, I'll take what I can get!)



This is the fresh water stream that flows into the only fresh water pond on the Island. It's said that the pond is where the Kings and Queens used to bathe. (I'll have to take a pic of the pond sometime for you...I wouldn't bathe in it for a million dollars....okay, maybe a million.) The pics are from 2 different streets.



An old Chevy. Just sitting around, rusting. It's very cool, though.



Cool house. I think it's connected with the Japanese Library or maybe it is the Library...not sure, it's still cool, though.



The Hsu Yun Temple. (Chinese) It's HUGE!



A huge American flag and huge owl. (The owl is at the American Cancer Society House.)



A koi pond. You can't really see it, but there is a tiny village set up all around. I had to "walk-by" pic as it was in someone's yard:)



The Royal Mausoleum. All of Hawaii's Royalty are buried here...except King Kamehameha I. (His is a secret...shhhhh.)



I think there are 5 or 6 cemeteries on my walk, this is one of them. I have been fascinated with them since my mission in England. They are beautiful...during daylight hours.






Some of the MANY flowers along the way. Actually the last little purpley-blue one is a weed. Even weeds on Hawaii are beautiful!





Not sure if you can see it, but there is a faint rainbow. Always nice to see one of those:
1. It's beautiful.
2. It means that it has rained or is raining hence....it's cooler!

Seeing it was a nice way to end my walk.

Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!

ALOHA and MAHALO!

Being Frugal IS Fabulous

I have been trying to be
BETTER with my money, but I just seem to have this PROBLEM:
I LOVE TO SPEND MONEY.

It's kinda sad, because I even enjoy going out and buying toilet paper.....I know it's a sickness and I know I don't really have it and there are those out there who are in need of serious help, but I am really trying to live by a budget and be smarter.

So I was looking at some things and trying to get some ideas and here they are:

Save Money Grocery Shopping

• Shop for produce at a local farm stand.
• Never buy coffee, soda, or other drinks or snacks out.
• Always grocery shop with a list.
• Take advantage of sales on items that you would normally buy.
• Only shop once a month.
• Keep a price book and track prices by unit cost.
• Stockpile staples when prices are low.
• Buy generic items.
• Plan meals according to what is on sale that week.
• Take advantage of rainchecks if the store doesn’t have a sale item that you need.
• Buy enough of a sale item to last 12 weeks. That’s about how long sales take to cycle.
• Shop at discount marts: Grocery outlet, The Dollar Store, etc.
• Bring your own bags to the grocery store. Many stores offer a small discount per bag.
• Take advantage of stores that double coupons.
• Watch out for deals on things that your friends need, and have them do the same for you.

Save Money on Cooking and Eating

• Eat less meat.
• Become a vegetartian.
• Eat leftovers.
• Cook large amounts and freeze extra for busy nights.
• Scrape out food jars to use the last little bit.
• Cook from scratch.
• Never eat out.
• Eat from your stocked pantry.
• Bring lunch from home (it’s worth it to invest in proper containers).
• Eat less. The average American eats too much.
• Don’t use the vending machines at work.
• Always have a meal plan. Always.
• Use the Once a Month Cooking system.
• Keep soup starter jars in the freezer. A little leftover this, a little leftover that. Nothing is wasted.
• Get creative with leftovers. Concoct new recipes, so nothing is wasted.
• Base most of your meals on rice or beans to cut down on meat consumption.
• Look for events that entertain and feed you at the same time. Church socials, shopping at Sam’s (think about those free samples)…
• Don’t drink soda. Drink water!
• Make your own jello cups (or applesauce cups, or pudding cups) for lunches and snacks.
• If your kids complain about generic cereal, put the generic in a name-brand box. They’ll never know the difference!
• Rear your own chickens. (in Hawaii you can have 2 chickens per household.)
  
• Join a freezer club. Get together with like-minded people to exchange meals for your freezers. It’s cheaper to prepare a lot of one meal and split it up, than to prepare a bunch of different meals.
• Make your own baby food.
• Always take a snack and bottle of water wherever you go. You won’t be tempted to stop for expensive fast food or drinks.
• Grow your own produce. No room? Try a square foot garden! Or use pots on the patio.
• Freeze, can, or dehydrate your produce.
• Cook with the crockpot to avoid using the oven, which warms up the house.
• Use a convection oven to accomplish the same purpose.

Save Money on Cars and Gas

• Run errands once a week and use the most efficient route.
• Walk as much as you can.
• Stay home as often as possible.
• Keep tires filled to their proper pressure.
• Don’t suddenly stop or accelerate.
• Carpool.
• Bum a ride with friends and chip in for gas.
• Ride your bike.
• Use a diesel car if you have one.
• Coast when you see a red light ahead, instead of hitting the brakes.
• Use public transportation.
• Try to get by with one car if you have two.
• If you have one car that you only drive a couple of times a week, consider getting rid of it and using cabs.
• Drive your car until it’s old. This works really well when you buy a car that will run for 200,000 miles.
• Keep up on your car’s maintenance.
• Turn your car off at lights.
• Coast when you can.
• Limit city driving.
• Turn off the engine and coast to a stop. (Only do this if you know your car and know what you’re doing. It could be unsafe, depending on the car)
• On a long trip, keep a steady foot.
• Make it a challenge to see how far you can go on a tank of gas.
• Use a discount card to buy gas. (Many grocery stores offer them, as well as Costco).
• Fill up early in the morning when the air is cool, and the gas is dense. You’ll get more gas and less air.
• Fill up when your tank is half empty.
• Shop around for insurance. The rates can vary a lot!
• Use gasbuddy.com to find the lowest price on gas.

Save Money on Utilities

• Turn off every electrical item at the plug every night. Putting everything on power strips makes this easier.
• Keep the lights off during the day.
• Line dry clothes outside when it’s warm and sunny.
• Line dry clothes by setting dryer racks over heater vents. Use your shower rod if you need even more room.
• Let dishes air dry after running them through the dishwasher.
• Cancel the cable.
• Don’t use hot water in the summer.
• Consider a family plan for cell phones.
• Use CFL bulbs.
• Turn down the thermostat (or turn it off). Use candles in the room to raise the temperature. A set of little tea candles goes a long way.
• Don’t run the heater at night.
• Open windows on summer nights to cool down the house.
• Use a fan.
• Get rid of your land line and use your cell phone.
• Take short showers.
• Insulate your water pipes.
• Install low flow showerheads and aerators on all faucets.
• If you’re going to be in and out all day, park on the street, rather than using the electric garage door opener multiple times.
• If you live in an apartment, see if you can split the cost of a wireless connection with your neighbors. But make sure it’s legal first.
• Turn off the PC if you won’t be using it for an hour or more.
• Use nightlights that only come on when it’s dark.
• Use nightlights in the bathroom, so if you have to use the bathroom at night, you don’t have to turn on the light.
• Keep the freezer full. If you have to, put milk jugs filled with water in the freezer. It’s less expensive to keep a full freezer cold than an empty one.
• Never leave the water running when rinsing dishes, brushing teeth, etc. Only use the water you need.
• Have your young children shower with you, instead of giving them separate baths.

Save Money on Medical Needs

• Use a flexible spending account or cafeteria plan, so you can pay out-of-pocket medical expenses with pre-tax dollars.
• Ask your doctor to prescribe generic medication.
• Buy generic medication at Walmart or Target. They have a lot of different medications available for $4.

Saving Money on Clothing

• Limit clothes shopping.
• Shop at thrift stores.
• Shop garage sales.
• Sew, using discount fabric (easy to find at garage sales).
• Change into play clothes after school to keep good clothes looking nice.
• Re-use jewelry. If you lose a beautiful earring, put the one you have on a chain and wear it as a necklace.

Save Money Around the House

• Use only half of a dishwasher tablet at a time.
• Use rechargeable batteries for electronics and toys.
• Store batteries in the refrigerator. They last longer.
• Do repairs (paint touch ups, sewing, etc) one day a week. If you keep things in good working order, they last longer.
• Accept hand-me-downs. You can donate them if you can’t use them.
• Do home repairs yourself.
• Reuse things. An example: Plastic grocery bags can be reused as lunch bags, shoe bags, or laundry bags on vacation.
• Email for free samples. You can get some good stuff!
• Wash and re-use Ziplock bags.
• Make your own Christmas cards by making a collage from the fronts of Christmas cards you received the previous year.
• See if your local dump or transfer station offers free firewood or garden mulch. Take advantage of it.
• Use water from boiling eggs or pasta to water your plants.
• If you’ve bought stuff that you haven’t used, see if you can return it.
• If you rent, rent from a person, not a company. You’re more likely to have some of your utilities paid, especially if your place is a room inside a house or a basement apartment.
• Move in with roommates.
• If you and your family or friends have a lot of websites, consolidate them all into one hosting package and split the cost.
• Flush toilet only after you use it 2-3 times. (eww...don't really like this one.)
  
• Use a kitchen rag instead of paper towels.

Save Money on Entertainment

• Cancel magazine subscriptions.
• Use the library for books, magazines, and movies. See if you can reserve them online and then just pick them up.
• Read newspapers online.
• Celebrate “no spend” weekends, where you don’t spend anything.
• Prepare special dinners at home, rather than going out to celebrate.
• Eat out only once a month.
• Use hotel points and airline miles for vacation.
• Split an entree with someone else when you go out for dinner.
• Do free things for entertainment: Hiking, free city concerts, board games.
• Only order from the dollar menu when eating out.
• Go to the park and have a picnic.
• Take advantage of “get in free” days at the museum, etc.
• To find special festivals, get a free state tourism guide.
• If you find that you go somewhere a lot (a zoo, amusement park), buy a season pass.
• Entertain at home. Have friends over for dinner, or have a game night and just serve snacks.
• Make your own “take out” style meals. Pizza is a good way to start. And if you do a recipe search for your favorite restaurant foods, there are some good knock offs out there!
• Trade babysitting with friends who also need a sitter.

Save Money on Miscellaneous Things

• Only get haircuts every 8-10 weeks, instead of every 6 weeks.
• Cut your own hair.
• Do your own manicures.
• Shop for Christmas gifts year round to catch the good sales.
• Compost…it’s good for the garden.
• Dumpster dive, if you’re brave and it’s legal where you are.
• Sell something every week.
• Never spend change. Collect it and put it in a savings account.
• Get rid of excess stuff. It costs less to store and maintain.
• Sell it on eBay or Craigslist.
• Or have a garage sale.
• Or give it away on Freecycle.
• Don’t watch TV. It cuts down on wants.
• Get rid of the TV all together.
• Enter blog giveaways. You never know what you might win.
  
• If you get a raise, don’t increase your lifestyle. Save the extra or pay off debts!
• If you’re a two income family, make sure the second income is more than the expenses associated with working.
• Use a fee free credit card with rewards. Charge everything to get the rewards. But ONLY do this if you are diligent about paying it off every single month. If you pay interest, it isn’t worth it.
• Pay off debt as quickly as possible. Saves on interest.
• Make sure you get get the best interest rate on your savings, CD’s, etc.
• Invest your money. Make it grow.
• Use a budget.
• Use a spreadsheet to keep track of variable expenses.
• Use cash.
• Change your mindset. Instead of thinking “what do I need to buy?”, think, “what do I have that I can use?” That’s how people got through the Great Depression.
• Give stuff you don’t use to others. It gets your mind off of your situation and onto others. And it promotes a sense of contentment and gratitude.

Here are a few things I found. I am already doing a few, but there are a few more things I could be doing that will help. Hope this helps you.

Thanks to
BeingFrugal.net http://beingfrugal.net/2008/04/03/frugal-tips-to-survive-a-recession

Also go to my friends website, she is really great!
http://www.beingfrugalisfabulous.com/

Oh the picture:
It's to help me remember to get my little one out of diapers and onto the toilet more...that will save a lot of money!

Hair Today, Gone Today

Well, I couldn't handle it any longer.

It had to go.

I still have WHITE TRASH hair, but at least there isn't so much of it now!

I'm not looking for compliments, but doing this because I know there are those of you out there who wont get your hair cut short because you are scared, but you WANT to. Come on, hair is hair. It will grow back, it's not like your having surgery or anything. You feel like a new woman!

Now, I have a great husband who doesn't care what I do with my hair. There are some of you who keep it long for them.

Really come on.

Do you think he wont love you anymore? I did hear of a couple where the man will divorce the wife if she ever cuts her hair. What do you file that under...property damage? Well, I'm sure there are things you can do to get him to agree and like it, but we will not discuss them here....it's a family show.

Do not delay. Get out there and just do it. If you don't like it (I'm sure you will) your hair will grow back and you can wear one of those cool bandannas or something...start a new trend.

I will probably grow my hair long again, but I will probably cut it even shorter the next time!

Here are some reasons I miss my long hair.

1. I can wake up in the morning and put it in a ponytail and go.

2. I can go to the beach and put it in a ponytail and go.

3. I can get out of the shower and put it in a ponytail and go.

Here are some reasons I wont miss my long hair.

1. I don't look like a frumpy mom who just wakes up in the morning and puts my hair in a ponytail and goes. Long hair everywhere, in toes, in food, on pillows, in brush, in shower drain, etc.

2. I hate sleeping with long hair. I don't sleep well. It was always getting caught in armpits or I wouldn't be able to move my head until I pulled my hair up or in my face.....etc.

3. Long hair everywhere, in toes, in food, on pillows, in brush, in shower drain, etc.

4. It's HOT! And that's not the Paris Hilton's version of hot, I mean temperature wise.

5. It's HEAVY! And I don't mean philosophically speaking, I mean weight wise.

I could go on and on, but you get the gist. Don't be afraid, Just Do it! You will thank me in the morning!

BBQ Rules

We have entered the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this outdoor cooking activity. When a man volunteers to do the BBQ, the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine....

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill.

(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three feet exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman.

Here comes the important part:

(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine....

(6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring him an ice cold beverage while he flips the meat.

Important again:

(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine...

(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauce and brings them to the table.

(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed her "night off ", and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.

The Gall Bladder's connected to the.....

Well, no longer is mine connected to anything. It's gone and I couldn't be happier...or maybe it's because I'm on percocet. (Okay, I'm not anymore.)

My mom came and took care of the girls while I slept and slept and slept....did I mention that I slept. She'd put them to sleep for naps and bed times and even got up with them in the middle of the night... HEAVEN!

The girls went on walks, had hundreds of books read to them, got some new movies, and spent almost the entire 9 days with my mom. Well, there were a few occasions when my mom and I would have to go to "meetings"(we got another toe ring, sushi, shave ice, etc.... some really important "meetings") so we did spend a little time together.

Julius was the chef and made us some wonderful dinners ( Thai panang...so good). Don't know what I would have done without my mom and Julius. It was wonderful to not have to worry about anything. I haven't cooked, cleaned or put kids to bed in 9 days. Good things must come to an end. I must go and do my duties, my mom's gone and I can't act like I'm in pain any longer.

(Just a cute pic of the girls at the beach. I was going to put a pic of a gall bladder or gall bladder surgery, but thought the pic of the girls would be more appreciated and prettier.)

Being a Mom

I had no idea what being a mom would be like, though I'd spent most of my life preparing.  I remember the day I brought Lucy home; Julius left for work and I was alone with this little person.  I was tired, sore, freaked out and still had laundry to do.  I had made goals my entire life:  Get good grades, graduate from high school, seminary, college, travel, mission, marry, and the last but not least have kids.  Well, I did all of that, what they heck do I do NOW?  I have no more goals. They didn't talk about this part in young women's.

I remember calling my mom and asking her that very question, "what do I do now?".   I now am raising 2 beautiful girls who make my life so happy, sad, crazy, fun, etc.  I have had the mommy bear come out to a few people (let's hope they never show up at my church and see me), I have felt helpless when they are sick, I have felt like I was going to go crazy when they don' listen, I have lost it a few times when they cry, and on and on.  I tried to start a garden and was really disappointed when I couldn't get anything to grow.  I called my mom and asked her what I should do.  She told me to focus on growing my children and worry about the garden later.

I am growing my children and loving it (most days).

Happy Mother's Day! 

Stay sane and do something for yourself!  

HMMM........