Moms are people too....

While I was cuddling Buddy at bedtime tonight, he started picking his nose. I immediately started giving him some motherly advice that he's old enough now that he really ought not to be picking his nose around people anymore....

That's when he responded, "but you're not a person, you're my mom". So there you have it, all nose picking can be reinstated around your mother, because moms don't count after all! Hmmmm, I almost think I already knew that one! So all in all a super fantastic, gold digging, day!

Acrobatics.....

For your viewing pleasure.....

We went to the neighbor's house to eat dinner tonight.....not sure that we'll be invited back anytime soon! So all in all a super fantastic, TA DA, day!

Next best thing....

So, what do you do when you live in Hawaii, in a house without heat and it's a FREEEEEEEZZZZING 66 degrees (trust me, it's freezing, I've been wearing wool socks, long pants and a winter coat all day, but then again we have been exposed to Waikoloa weather for 3 years which may have deadened our ability to produce our own body heat for survival)? So what do you do to survive the cold arctic blast?

Improvise your own fireplace....that is after you layer all of your clothes (including your new snow pants) and your fluffy bunny slippers (let me refresh your memory of those fantastic bad boys!)....

Of course, since it's the house of Buddy and all, the boys had to "man up" our makeshift fireplace.....

Yep, that's Shane flying the helicopter to see if he can fan out the fire by doing flyovers. FYI-he can, which just led Buddy to constantly relighting his makeshift heat source. So basically I'm now rethinking that possibly we were just justifying letting our 9 year old play with fire? Sounds like awesome parenting to me! So all in all a super fantastic, trying to stay warm, day!

Plays well with others??????

Buddy went to a birthday party for a fellow scouter today....

A good scouter always lives by the well known scout motto of:  "Do your best....to steal away the toy while the others aren't looking". In other news, Shane's party yesterday was a scorching  success....and I mean it, I was seriously sweating from all the spicy food! I made Sriracha Chicken Pazole, Sriracha deviled eggs, Sriracha grilled chicken and Sriracha cheese bread....not too shabby for the girl that needs help boiling eggs. In other, other news, my inflated kitchen prowess is back to a normal derogatory level after I attempted to make Japanese food for my friends' Japanese parents. Errrr.....oh well, it's the thought that counts.....and I was definitely thinking authentic Japanese (they on the other hand may be thinking: what the heck was that)! No worries though, there was a huge language barrier, which relieves the awkwardness of having to tell me the food was crap! Hooray for language barriers! Just kidding, her parents are fantastically fantastic.....even if none of us understood the conversation! So all in all a super fantastic, playing well with others, day!

Love....

I must really love Shane because not only have I been cooking up spicy foods all day for his birthday party tomorrow (FYI-neither Buddy nor I are huge fans of the spicy), but I also made TWO loaves of Sriracha (that'd be hot sauce for those of you who live under rocks) cheese bread.....FROM SCRATCH....

Those who know me will indeed view this as a labor of love, since I can't seem to manage the simplest of domestic engineering tasks (just ask my mother, she'll tell you how I frequently call to ask how to boil eggs....apparently there's a trick to it that I just can't seem to grasp). In other news, I must also really love this guy...

Because he keeps hopping in my bed in the middle of the night and then proceeds to kick the rest of the night and he's still alive to see another day! So all in all a super fantastic, spreading the love, day!

Kajukenbo....

Buddy had his first Kajukenbo class today. Don't know what that is you say? You're in good company then,  because I can't even pronounce it! But the flyer that the school handed out says it's  the coolest form of martial arts that combines Karate, Judo, Jiu Jitsu, Kenpo and Chinese Boxing.....and after only one lesson will take your mother down (OK, I added the last part, but it's totally true)....

I did take more pictures of the class practicing, because I don't think that there is anything cuter than a bunch of kids practicing martial arts (well, pandas practicing the martial arts would be cuter, but they were already busy with a photo shoot eating some bamboo).  Anyway, back to my point. I took pictures but they didn't turn out very well because the kids were practicing in the shade. Hmmm, who's smart idea was it to have kids practice something physical in the shade? Sheesh!!!!!! In other news, Buddy is currently beside me finishing his math homework. He is such my boy! He is currently writing a division problem (they have to solve a problem and then write a story about it) that includes how many fart bombs will be released on each of the school's bathrooms! In other, other news, I will be expecting a phone call from the principal tomorrow! So all in all a super fantastic, avoiding the school bathrooms (and phone calls) at all costs, day!

Night diving.....

Since Shane's staycation is almost over, we decided to do something unusual.....and head to the beach! Actually, we added a boat to that beach going....

While we were at it, we added some night....and a few lights.....

Then some manta rays....

Which ended with a whole heckuva lotta fun!!!! I cannot begin to express how awesome manta ray night  diving (well, snorkeling) is......or how enormous those things are! They have a 13 feet wing span and they do barrel rolls belly to belly with you! Thankfully, before they let you off the boat they give you a very in depth education about the manta rays, which includes they have no teeth and their esophagus is about the size of a ping pong ball....because holy bananas I had to tell myself that so I would stop freaking myself out whilst lounging in the middle of the ocean....at night....getting very intimate with some manta rays! By far the coolest thing we have ever done!!!!! They even take diving excursions to go head to head with them which beats the pants off of lame old snorkeling! So on Buddy's 13th birthday he's already decided he is getting certified and then we are going manta ray night diving!!!!! I'm thinking that will be the best birthday party yet....I better get to designing my waterproof birthday hats!  So all in all a super fantastic, going to dream about being filtered by a manta ray, day!!!

Real estate.....

We've been looking at houses for quite a while now. Some people stage their homes to encourage a sale, this homeowner tops the cake with their home selling preparations!

We all agreed we needed to buy this house and hope that we could get the dog as part of the bargaining process! So all in all a super fantastic, dog gone it, day!

The epitome of lazy....

So apparently, not only can you take a nap in a tree....

But you can also boogie board, while taking a nap in a tree...

Hmmmm, leave it to Buddy to always one up the awesome! Exhibit B....

Not just one sand castle, but 10 sandcastles, a fort and innumerable sand balls.....I think that may technically be a 3 upper, but hey who's counting? In other news, I think Buddy may have had a good time....

So all in all a super fantastic, lazy, day!

Peace out.....

Today was the Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace March Parade at school....

We lucked out, because as it so happens, it's  Dance Party Mania today at home....

I don't know what it is (perhaps I'm sexist), but boys dancing always makes me laugh (or maybe I'm just immature). Hmmmm, if I were a betting woman I'd go with a bit of both! So all in all a super fantastic, sexistly immature, day!

Reports.....

I think I may have a ham on my hands. Every time he does something that looks like he is hurt, could get hurt or is in the process of being hurt he wants me to take a picture so we can post the picture and  I quote "scare the pants off Mamaw"!  So here is today's pants dropping adventure....

Errrrr, just use your imagination on that one! In other news, Buddy got his report card today so I thought I'd post for posterity just what his teacher said about him....

                       I absolutely love having Shane in our class. A regular participant, willing and successful
                       in group work, and constantly making academic progress. At the same time, he finds a 
                       way to be unique and a total individual, which I also love. Can sometimes be  distracted
                       by trinkets brought into class. Scored extremely well on Reading HSA (381) and Math (309)
                       but there's always room  for improvement. 

So there it is, the good, the bad, and the trinket playing! My side note to the teacher's note, is we LOVE his teacher, he is so good to Buddy and all of Buddy's slightly quirky attributes! Buddy has FINALLY started liking going to school (we still have a hard time with homework, but I'll take what I can get).  So all in all a super fantastic, scaring the pants off Mamaw, day! 

Broken....

Here is my latest endeavor in Operation Never Watch TV Again....

Yep, those mad skating skills pretty much match my own.  But at least we have each other....and evenly spaced poles....

Yep, definitely thankful for the evenly spaced poles! In other news, my sweet cub scouts took an active part in caring for the local park that we meet at today....

Isn't it so considerate of them to water the ground....the gravel was looking mighty parched! Hmmmm, seems to me like being a boy is all kinds of fun! So all in all a super fantastic, fantastic, day!

Hoarder....

I'm not saying I live with a hoarder (or 2), but I will say this umbrella has been broken for 8 months and I'm still not allowed to throw it away.....

Thank goodness it rains once a year here so I'll feel that it at least the umbrella is being  put to good use! So all in all a super fantastic, hoarding, day!

Neighborhood watch...

Is it just me, or are these kids taking "neighborhood watch" to a whole new level?

So all in all a super fantastically well watched day!

Romantic getaway....

Shane's work gives out adventure  trips on the island for Christmas bonuses (which I greatly appreciate since my penny pinching love would never pay the cost to do some of these "adventures"). Last year Shane got a zip lining  adventure for 2, this year, a sunset dinner cruise (for 2 of course). Romantic.....right? So we did what any other romantic couple would do and booked our adventure straight away.....with Buddy of course. But someone had to steer the ship....

And provided the entertainment....

It was very romantic!!!!! So all in all a super fantastic, romancey? , day!

Professional photographer.....

Buddy wanted to stay at home today and play with Lego's. I forced him to go here (that's Pololu Valley)....

Then I forced him to be my photographer so I could do this.....

Don't worry, I let him have a turn on the bench too....

Errrrm.....yeah, it wasn't as exciting! It made me think I needed to give the boys a lesson in monkeying around....

Then I remembered, they need no monkeying lessons from me! I'm not 100% sure, but I think today MAY have been more fun than staying home and playing with Lego's (or in Andrew's case attending a birthday party for a teenage girl).....

We did stop on our way home at a macadamia nut factory and gorged ourselves on free samples, that's probably what pushed us over the edge into being cooler than what was waiting for us at home! So all in all a super fantastic,  paying my photographer in free samples, day!

Bad Days.....

Yesterday, Buddy returned to the first day of school in the new year crying because he was embarrassed about his new haircut. Today was much better.....that is, until he emerged from his bedroom with his homework that he admitted to using a calculator to complete. In his defense I don't think he considered it cheating.....and he freely admitted to doing so. When I told him he wasn't suppose to use a calculator, he had a melt down of all melt downs. He cried, he stomped, he pouted, then he climbed up in my arms and let me gently sway him to the same gentle music we used when he was a baby. Then he did this....

It's amazing how sleep can cure almost anything!!!!! So all in all a super fantastic, well rested, day!

Wedding vows.....

Buddy has been growing his hair out for the last few months. He's really been into watching old episodes of Richie Rich and has been styling his hair in a Richie Richish fashion....yep that's right, parted down the middle with an obligatory flip on the sides! It's quite fancy, at least in my opinion....of course I'm a huge Buddy fan and I think everything he does is awesome. Shane, however, thought it looked shaggy and gross.....which led to a spur of the moment haircut late last night. Buddy was not at all on board with the plan and tried to fall asleep crying in my arms. I told him since he loved his hair so much he should probably marry it....to that he stopped his tears and made plans for his impending nuptials. May I present Mr and Mrs. Hairball....

They make a beautiful couple, don't you think. Unfortunately the honeymoon is already over....

But really..... Buddy and a hairball.....did you really expect anything different? In other news, Buddy handcuffed himself to me Sunday night so I would be forced to take him to work with me....

He's been on a huge kick to go to work with me lately (not sure why, I don't even want to tag along with me to work). He's been so insistent that he even encouraged me to pick up an extra shift today with the understanding to the staff that I could only come in to help if he could come along.........needless to say, I didn't get called in (I'm thinking I should use that trick more often). In other, other news, Buddy's nose is electrifying...

Must be all the boogers! So all in all a super fantastic, wedding bells, day!

Spacey....

I took two of the cutest kids to the Space Shuttle Museum today....

Then I decided I should be a millionaire so I could open up a Children's Museum because that would be AWESOME(there isn't one or anything like it on this island)....not that I didn't appreciate the Space Shuttle Museum, but 99% of their stuff was from the early 80's and didn't work.....it was the didn't work part that bothered me, because the 80's rocked it! So in my off time I'll be daydreaming what I want to put into my magical Children's Museum.....which basically means I'll steal ideas from all the other cool museums I've been to and pretend I'm going to do something with that information! In other news, I told Buddy to make his bed and I caught him red footed doing this....

I got such a good giggle out of it that I'm pretty sure the bed went unmade.....and I guess that's OK, since Buddy has reassured me that he was "just going to sleep in it again". So all in all, going to sleep in our unmade beds, day.

Multiply

Buddy has been learning his multiplication tables at school this past quarter. In my head Buddy and I were going to have those tables memorized and he was going to be head of the class by the time school started back next Wednesday ! Somehow my head and Buddy have not been communicating that thought process very well. EVERY DAY is a struggle to even complete one line of his multiplication facts. His friends have even been on the process, playing multiplication games for prizes......still, he's not buying it. Today, he and I competed in a match to the death....well, it only felt like death...

It's enough to make you go crazy....

Well, if he already weren't! At least that's the good news.....

In other news, Buddy has been raising his IQ points by watching the "Three Stooges" with the TV time he's earned over the holiday. I'm seriously hoping he doesn't return to school slap happy......just happy! Here's the newest routine he's been working on....

Now if this boy could grow a funny bone or two, we'd have something to work with! HA! So all in all a super fantastic, not a math whiz but at least we know how to have a good time, day!