Poop Report

In a house full of kids, it's impossible not to have conversations about poop. Actually, it starts when they're babies. You go to that first doctor appointment and they ask, "How many times have they had a bowel movement?" and you realize that poop has now entered your life and will be on your radar until the time that your child leaves the house (hopefully sooner?). Warning: poop story ahead.

Anyhow, I was warning Kai all day about the amount of fruit he was eating. Sure enough, he screams he has to go poopy and sure enough, diarrhea comes out.

"Oh my gosh! What is that?" he yells. I tell him it's diarrhea from him eating only fruit and no protein today.

"No Mommy. It's called a Poop Bomb. That's what it's called."

I started laughing so hard right there on the spot. Classic.

Car Conversations

In the car last night:
Ryenne: "Mom, you know what I'm going to do?"
Me: "What?"
Ry: "I'm going to start digging for treasure so we'll be rich."
Me: "I don't think there's any pirate treasure here, babe."
Ry: "What? No Mom! There are tons of rainbows! And everyone knows that there's treasure at the end."

*sigh* perfection. Total perfection!

I can't believe we're about to start May already. Half the year almost gone!

This weekend Grandma and Papa were out with their friends so we hung out at their house. We hit up the park on Saturday.

Kai is getting so brave on all the equipment. He even climbs the ladders no problem!

Ry Ry so big... one more month and she's going to be 6!!!

I don't know why it looks like Cruz has a black eye here... weird. Anyway, he was playing he was on a ship.

Then it got really dark and started raining on us so we hid under the slide. I got this shot of the very bright rainbow - though it's not in focus cause it was raining hard. The showers passed after about 2 minutes and we went back to playing.

Cruz pooped out after playing zoning out watching cartoons

Sunday Peter let me sleep in (good man) then we took the kids to Napili Bay before he had to go back to work.

3 Little Monkeys at Napili Bay

Ry waiting for a wave to come in

Cruz splashing around

Splashing Baby!

Ry Ry doing her 5 year old silly smile

This week Peter got split days off, but one of them happens to be a Friday. Unheard of! So we are planning on seeing a movie. So excited!!

Deadlifts

Just in case you're seeing all the complaining on Twitter about how sore I am... this is why!

115 pounds including the bar

We are doing Linear Olympic Lifting in CrossFit. Going up 10 pounds every week. But in addition to the Friday deadlifts, they were also part of the workout of the day so I did a crapload of them. I am in PAIN today. Muscles are sore. Form was good though!

Gardening

I had wanted to garden yesterday, but it didn't happen so today I took the Littles into the garden and we pruned the basil and nasturtium and we planted lettuce, cabbage, cilantro, sunflowers, and snap-dragons.

There was lots of mud, lots of yelling, lots of excitement, lots of nekkids, and hopefully lots of fun for them.

Hope it all grows!

I had hopes

I had hopes today to take the monkeys out to the garden and plant some veggies and some flowers. Then, I got a really huge migraine. The kind that took my speech away for a little bit. It wasn't necessarily super painful, it was just debilitating. Couldn't see right out of my eyes either.

Anyway, lucky thing Peter was off today. He took care of the kiddos and I slept the day away. When I woke up this afternoon, the headache was gone but my brain felt bruised and slow movements were in order.

I still went out to the garden. A perfect head of lettuce and tomatoes were waiting. We actually had a nice family dinner (aside from Kai being whiny).

Tomatoes and lettuce in the garden today

Cruz Plays in the Basket (Video)

Cruz playing in the basket this morning. He's getting so big!!

Wuv You!

I've been waiting for Cruz to say these words. He is starting to talk more and more. And we certainly tell him enough how much he's loved.

Last night while I had the kids packed up to head back to Makawao and we were saying bye to Peter - his last night on overnight shift! - Cruz yelled, "Wuv You Dad!" His first WUV YOU. OMG adorable.

In other news, Ry asked to write a postcard to her Kindergarten class in Texas last night. It's heading out in the mail today.

"Miss Trevino, I miss my class. Ryenne Dagupion"

I think this is what I'm going to do...

The whole "school thing" has been heavy on my heart lately.

Actually I can't get it out of my mind. Because the more I think about trying to put kids into a very expensive school, and making Peter work a second job, makes me go crazy because then the kids would never see their dad and he would never see them.

I sat on the couch this evening fighting with Ryenne over the stack of worksheets that she needed to complete. She moaned and wailed that she misses her preschool in Texas where it was "fun". I can't blame her. Different learning "stations" and stimulating activities are awesome.

While Kai is on my radar right now, I can't ignore Ry's needs for fun learning. I think I need to make her first grade experience a priority. After all, Kai still has another full year before kindergarten begins for him.

Maybe what I need to do is give each of them an excellent FOUNDATION for learning. Maybe I could send one at a time to Montessori. Ry could go for 1st grade and then Kai could go for kindergarten?

It's On

15 years ago I was a 16 year old girl with a broken heart from a player and planning to go to my prom with a friend who would try to put a goldfish in my fruit punch (just a little immature).

After Junior year was pau, I met an incredible person... Peter. And when I saw him, it was literally a "moment" and I actually said, "Please God. Let that be him." OUT LOUD.

Anyway, fast forward through nearly 15 years, 3 kids, almost breaking up, then making up - here we are. I have to say that we are in a better place than we ever have been. There is more understanding, more love, more friendship... we are more in sync than ever.

The rings are bought, the dress is ordered... we're renewing our vows on June 11th (the day we met) and I can't wait to read the words I've written to him. Seriously can't wait.

Today we left the kids with the grandparents and headed to Lahaina just us two.

Lunch at Star Noodle = YUM.

Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Kimchi

Then we decided to driving around just a little bit to talk. He has been working the Overnight Shift and honestly, we haven't seen much of each other in the past week. It's been a LONG week. Two more days of the night shift to go...

We had never been up to the Kaanapali Coffee Farms so we headed up that way just to look at all the beauty around us. Truly gorgeous.

This scene reminded me of the movie, "A Walk In the Clouds" where they called the vineyard, "Los Nubes" because the clouds were always beautiful around the vineyard. These are the coffee plants with pale clouds. Kinda took my breath away.

Along the roadside on the way down from the Coffee Farms. The dirt is VERY red and the road was stained red by the dirt.

Tomorrow after Peter wakes up we're taking the kids for shave ice and to the beach. Should be a fantabulous day.

Gardening and Health

RAINBOW BREAKFAST

I have always been a terrible gardener. Like look at a plant and it dies. My brother, however, is freaking amazing. Plants love him.

Anyway, when we moved into our house in Makawao, it has an amazing gardening space and my landlady had started a garden she doesn’t have time to tend to. I was afraid I was going to disappoint her terribly and kill everything.

But I am happy to say that the garden is doing quite well. Today’s breakfast:
2 eggs from Upcountry chickens
Sauteed chard from Kula
Tomatoes, lettuce, basil, and nasturtium from my garden
Blackberries and Pecans from the mainland

See? My garden actually contributed quite a bit to my meal! Yay!

This week I have been trying extra hard to keep gluten out of my life. I have started to feel a bit better after the weeks of exhaustion. Peter has made sure that I get naps (3 hour nap, anyone?) and has taken over the dishes to help me as much as he can. I’ve been drinking a ton of water and taking my toxin detox homeopathic pills. I also took a natural doctors questionnaire to get their opinion on supplements and that came back today with suggestions for thyroid, liver, and pituitary support. So I’ll be looking into that supplementation to see if it helps even more to help me feel better and get back to my normal happy self.

I was starting to get very bloated - especially in the mid-section. Not “fat” (which I already have a lot of) but very bloated with pale, dry, tired skin as well. I have noticed a lot of the bloat has come down.
I am actually posting a picture of my mid-section because it’s starting to look much, much better. And if you’re staring at my stretchmarks, I AM A TIGER. HEAR ME ROAR. 3 children will do that to you. They are my battle scars of pride.

 So I will keep you all updated on my health. It has been really crazy to not feel normal and to see myself go through this much exhaustion and a little depression - so not normal for me. Keep happy thoughts coming!

Kidism

Peter's days off are done and he's doing five 10-hour overnight shifts in a row. Tonight is my first night alone with the kids in quite some time.

I'm actually feeling really good today and didn't get too tired at all. I did CrossFit this morning and did really great. I did this homeopath's test and results should come back tomorrow.

So for now I'm going to share the Kidism that made me smile so big. It's so amazing to hear these little people's conversations!

Ryenne: "Mom dinosaurs are extinct." Kai Boy: "Nuh-uh! Dinosaurs aren't STINK!"

Weekend and Hopes & Dreams

What a fun weekend we had. It was Papa Eugene's retirement/birthday party on Saturday. Mom and Dad D put us up at the Honua Kai Resort.

The view when we checked in

Everyone is ready to party!

The party was great and a huge success. I went swimming with the kids while Peter was helping set up. They loved playing at the hotel.

Peter and me at the party

I got the test results back from Kaiser. My thyroid is measuring just inside being normal (low range of normal) and so I'm not sure what to do next. I am definitely not feeling like my normal self. I'm going in for urine test today and they are going to check my calcium levels (parathyroid). My neck is starting to get tender so if this continues then I'm going to insist on seeing another doctor and asking for the test again. By the afternoon most days I'm so exhausted I can barely move. Some days are better than others... let's hope I get some answers soon. I hate being too tired to play with the kids. Lucky for me Peter has been off the past few days.

We got Kai's school pictures back. OMG CUTENESS. I'm really curious as to how they got him to smile so sweetly.

Kai Boy - 3 years old

So we've been talking about the kids and their education. Part of moving back to Maui was giving up the hope of a good education. Ryenne is reading and she really loves her teacher, Mr. Costa, but I'm going to be really honest and say that it's really, really sad to walk into a classroom with nothing on the walls. A classroom that looks like it hasn't been touched since the 1970's. A curriculum of worksheet after worksheet. It's starting to take it's toll on Ryenne. She has been telling us how much she doesn't want to go to school. Kai needs the mental stimulation of more school.

I really wish I was one of those creative moms who could do fingerpaints all day long and science experiments. It's hard to look at myself and know that I have a business to run, bills that need to be paid, a house to (sorta) keep clean, playtime with the kids. There aren't enough hours in the day to do all the educational things daily that I would love for them to experience.

I know that Kai will not be ok in the learning environment that Ry is going through right now. He doesn't learn that way.

So we have a Montessori school down the street. I made an appointment to go talk to them today and sit in on the classrooms to get a feel for the learning environment. Let me just say that this is the Disneyland of learning. The way that kids learn is filled with magic and wonder. Learning is made to be interesting. It made me wish that every child could learn this way. The reading, math, science, art, and gardening programs are simply amazing. I toured the toddlers classes all the way through 8th grade.

The tuition is crazy. Stupid crazy. $875 per month per child crazy. They do have some tuition assistance programs which supposedly knock off a couple hundred a month. But Peter and I talked about it and we would really like our kids to grow up in this learning environment. So we're applying to see what kind of tuition assistance we can get and Peter has a second job on the line that we're pretty sure he's going to get. I'll be putting up an Etsy shop and offering a photography teaching class that will hopefully help with the costs of school.

As many of you know, I struggle with the feelings of being cheated out of an education going through the public school system on Maui. Mom and Dad I know you're reading this - and I know that you guys did the very best you could! I love you guys!!

When I saw this school today, I felt it was the right place for my monkeys so I'll do my everything to send them there. I would really like to get Ry and Kai in and then Cruz eventually when he's 3 or 4. We're talking big bucks. But I'm putting this out there into the internet universe for a bit of positivity and hopefully the universe will help us make this happen.

I have started a new marketing campaign which is already starting to show improved bookings. May is looking great with new bookings starting to trickle in for Summer.

And if that weren't enough, we're also going to save for a very special trip for a very special girl in early December.

Ryenne turns 6 this summer. She is the epitome of super big sister. She helps me more than I give her credit for. She is at a magical age. We have talked about going to Disneyland when the boys are old enough - but then Ry would be about 10 and we would have missed the prime age for D-Land. So Peter and I are hoping to take just her in early December when fares are low and we can get a room at a Starwood property to have her experience the magic of Disneyland without her crazy brothers stealing all our time. I'm praying we can make this happen and that each of the kids will get a special trip with just them when they hit 6 years old. It's so hard to split my time evenly between kids - especially with Kai and Cruz's extra attention needs. I know Ry gets the short end of the stick more often than not. She takes it gracefully most of the time.

So there you have it. Our hopes and dreams for the kids this year. Please send prayers that Peter gets this second job and that we can get some financial assistance sending the kids to Montessori. It's so appreciated!

I think I need to go to the doctor

I've been debating if I should go or not. But I think I should.

My legs and feet are cold ALL THE TIME. Cold to the point that my bones hurt and it's like 70 degrees outside. And for the past few days I have been exhausted. To the point I feel I can't function. And my legs have been hurting a lot (but that could be from exercise).

I've been debating on going because I'm usually always tired anyway - I am not a morning person and waking up to get kiddos ready for school takes it's toll on me. But I just feel that by 3pm I could go to bed for the night. That's not normal, right?

As far as eating goes, I've been gluten free so I know that the diet end is going well. I have been working out a lot, but also eating a lot of protein and drinking craploads of water. So I know I'm hydrated and getting enough vitamins and protein. So I'm confused as to what could be going on. I'll be making a call to Kaiser tomorrow. But if you have any ideas/comments, please let me know!

My New Purse

See that purse on the left? It's been on my shoulder for nearly 6 years. I remember I scored it at Macy's for 40% off. I have always loved it. Dirty? Ry puked on it? Sand got in it? No worries... washes up great. Well my Fossil friend is starting to show her age. She has a giant puka in the bottom and the lining has been keeping my stuff inside, but that is now starting to come apart as well. Not too bad for a $30 bag, huh?

I am a purse priss. Not in the way you would think. I need function. And it has to fit my shoulders because purses always fall off my shoulders. And I really, really like yellow purses (mustard). I have been on the lookout for a new purse for the past 3 years or so. Yeah... crazy, huh? If I did find one that would work, it would say something like, "Vegan Leather" and that would piss me off because why can't it just say, "Hey! I'm an $80 piece of plastic - buy me!". I just can't justify spending big money on a plastic purse. And don't get me started on Coach and the like. I used to be all over that in my early 20's but now I'm soooooo over it.

So anyway, I'm in Ross where I scored that awesome detox bath and there is a yellow purse. The last one. I go to grab it to check it's pockets (yes, pockets are important. It must be genetic cause my mom and Great Grandma are also pocket obsessed). It's perfection. It's $23. It fits my shoulder like a dream. I'm in love! It does have some downsides ie: it's plastic. I can't just throw it in the washer. So I'm putting away trusty Ms. Fossil bag and will pull her out again when I'm in a pinch if this new yellow bag ends up falling apart.

Words

At two Ryenne could sing the ABC's and various songs. I've been told that boys are slower, and it's true.

Cruz has been saying words for a bit, but yesterday he threw me some two word phrases! THRILLED!

"Ry Ry pretty" - awwwww!!! So cute.
"Airpane Sky"  - pointing up to the sky

And just because he's Cruz and so silly, I have to tell you how he points. He points like a gun with his forefinger and his thumb. It's hilarious.

We've had to resort to putting his diaper on backwards. That boy will rip off his diaper and pee on some random piece of furniture if given the choice.

Easter Morning

Videos ahead!

Cruz was the first up, as usual. I had to wake up the other two before Cruz went into the living room and started filling up on chocolate.

Letter to the kids from the Easter Bunny

Hahahaha how's Kai's hair??? LOL. That is total bedhead!!! Cruz was already into his chocolate and wouldn't let me take a picture.

After the hunt, we had a lovely picnic outside in the gazebo with our landlady, Emi, and her new roommate, Emily. It is an absolutely beautiful day!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! Today we spent the morning at Grandma and Papa's house and I did an intense workout.  Grandma and Papa gave the kiddos their Easter baskets and we headed home to bake cinnamon rolls and color eggs with markers and crayons. Cruz smashed his egg and ripped his diaper off and threw it and peed all over his high chair.

Tomorrow morning I'm cooking a country breakfast and the the kids will hunt for their chocolate eggs. It'll be fun!

Last weekend we took the kids to the farmer's market and to Kula Country Farms. It was so much fun!

My beautiful princess

I so wish this one was in better focus! Cruz's smile is priceless!

Love that smile!!!

I think he didn't like the way the wheel felt and was checking out his hand

Playing peekaboo

Wheelbarrowing around the garden

Ry striking a pose!

Kai looking for strawberries

Cutie pants Cruz

Peekaboo with Ryenne this time

 Could not get Kai to look!!

He wasn't supposed to sit on the tractor but we did it really fast.

Kai LOVES strawberries.

Her "Princess" pose haha

The only way I could get all three together... HONEY STICKS!

Cruz and Daddy watching goats

We've really been enjoying taking the kids around to different places. I think the lavender farm is on the list.

We hit up Baby Beach yesterday with friends and it was so much fun. I wish I had taken more pictures - it's hard cause I don't want to get the camera wet. I am saving for a GoPro camera so I can take it in the water with me.

Cruz playing with his boat in the sand.

And here's Kai Boy sleeping. He was actually napping on me when I wrote that post from my phone. He needed a bit of special attention with me alone.

I don't remember if I posted this or not? Ry came home with this Easter basket she made at school on Thursday. She loved the purple handle.

While Jean was here for Spring Break, we headed north of Kapalua for a little photo shoot. We turned the corner and there was Honokohau Bay... even more spectacular than I remember it. I think me, Jean, and Jao just stood there for a moment taking it in. I get to live here? Seriously? Maui No Ka Oi!

Kai Boy

There is an immense feeling of deep connection between me and Kai. I don't play favorites between the kids because all three are amazing, but I feel like I can trust that Ry and Cruz are going to be just fine in this life. Kai, however, will have struggles. I feel like he has had so Any struggles in his short life - more than most adults and my tolerance and patience levels have to be different with him. I think that a lot of my relationship struggles with Peter in 2010 were because of extra attention Kai got from me. Even still I know that Peter's relationship with Kai isn't quite to where it should be (but I know it gets better everyday). Kai is such an interesting person. While not diagnosed with autism, I know there is 'something' to him that makes him different. He requires more patience, more tolerance, and more explaining than the other two. He has quirks that none of us understand - like wearing everything backwards or counting and saying ABC's in the wrong order. These are all flags for me that my fight for a normal life for him isn't over. Sometimes I struggle knowing what to do. But I know that I was given this boy for a reason - I was meant to be this boys mom and guide him through this life. He tells me I'm his best friend and he has a heart in his body that is mine. I know he feels this deep connection to me too. I hope I always lead him down the right path and I hope that he will have an incredible life.

Health

I really have so many images and stories to post. I haven't even edited the pictures yet. I even bought a new purse, which is huge, considering I've been using the same one for nearly 6 years and it finally got a puka (hole) in the bottom.

Anyway... I digress...

Today I am talking about health. My health. CrossFit has been great and I can see improvement to my muscle tone and endurance, but I am not losing any fat - even with eating paleo. And then the other night in my sleep answers started coming to me.

I have been having an awful lot of migraines lately. My neighbors spray their yard every other week and I workout right next to the pineapple plantation. Monsanto has lands all around here that they are using as testing grounds. I am filled with toxins right now. I know this because my PCOS is acting up again (polycistic ovarian syndrome). I have more body hair - fast growing too which sucks! - the fat deposits on my belly and thighs are actually GROWING despite all my exercise and good diet. When I looked it up today, all the pesticide toxins contains xenoestrogens. My body is completely and totally out of balance! Estrogen dominance is huge in our world today.

So yesterday I went to Alive and Well and discussed some homeopathics to help the body get the pesticides out. Nobody has the one I was looking for (only online - it's called Addicde-Chord), but we looked up the ingredients and I bought something very similar called Body Pure to help get the toxins out. I also got some progesterone cream to help balance out the estrogens. When I researched how often to apply the progesterone cream, it also noted to put it on the neck when a migraine comes on! Hey... just the info I needed!

So I walked out of Alive and Well feeling all happy that I'd be able to try a new regimen. I went to Ross for some shopping by myself to get Ry some sheets for her new bed (pink polka dots!). And there right on the shelf in front of me sitting all by itself saying, "LOOK AT ME!!!" was a bottle of Abra Therapeutic Cellular Detox Bath for removing pollutants. THANK YOU UNIVERSE! Somebody up there was pointing me in a good direction. I practically skipped to the register!

I took my detox bath today. Half an hour soaking in the tub, laying on my back and staring at my tummy fat. It actually jiggled a little with each heartbeat. I know that my body yells at me when I exercise, "What are you doing, you bitch!!! STOP IT!" and I have had a really big hate issue with my body all my life. But tonight I realized that I need to stop hating it and start loving it more. Even if it hates me back, I do appreciate what my body has given me through all the trials and tribulations of having hormonal imbalances and headaches most of my life - my three kids. So for that I am forever grateful to my body. And I'm going to promise that I'm going to start loving it more, even if it's extremely grumpy while I'm trying to exercise.

I really think that these new things are going to help me out and get me balanced again. And I hope the migraines stop coming around!

Why I hate Wal-Mart

Everytime I walk into Wal-Mart I cringe a little inside. The fluorescent lights hover over a store full of poison.

If you read my blog regularly, you've probably heard about the incident last summer that had me absolutely livid. Wal-Mart sells toys with lead in them - the packaging even says that they contain lead. HELLO? Why are these sold in the first place?

Anyway, over the past 8 months I have gone to Wal-Mart about two times. One to get Ry some new slippers and the other, ironically, to buy myself some new slippers.

On February 29th we decided to get the oil changed in my Scion. The price was good and we could go in to buy the kiddos their big kid bikes. All seemed fine until the next day when my car had a horrible smell and white smoke coming from the engine. When Peter went to check it out, the oil cap wasn't attached and oil had spewed all over the engine. We went through about 5 days of a terrible smell coming from my car.

We took the car back to Wal-Mart to show the manager. One of the auto employees even told us that the person who did our car was from the camera department and had never changed oil before. The manager told us they were filing a claim with the insurance company and our engine would be detailed when the claim came through.

Well... today the insurance company tells us that they reviewed the security footage and it appears that the tech did put the cap on and they are not going to honor their promise of cleaning our engine. I am absolutely LIVID. I even called the store again to complain to the general manager. Obviously the cap was put on wonky and popped off. But they are not going to do anything.

Now I can understand if this were some small situation, BUT MY CAR COULD HAVE CAUGHT ON FIRE. With THREE children inside. I'm sorry... but when it comes to safety and my children, I will go into overdrive to protect them ALWAYS.

It is my solemn vow to never step foot inside a Wal-Mart store again. They obviously don't care about doing what is right or the safety of their patrons. They sell things to children that contain known poisons and they do it all in the name of saving us, the consumers, money. It's time to be a smart consumer. It's time to spend our money at stores that know the value of our business. If that means spending a little bit more or driving a little bit further, I am game. I have converted just about all of my drugstore type purchases to drugstore.com, amazon.com, and Costco. I can get everything I need at a reasonable price and never have to walk into a Wal-Mart again.

I urge you as a reader to do the same - to vote with your dollars and tell Wal-Mart to shove it!

Kai Boy

It's been a whirlwind lately. Everything seems to stick together like a blur.

I had a last minute photo shoot booking this afternoon in Napili and the clients didn't show. I was pretty bummed because it takes a long time to drive there and gas and by the time we left Napili it was already getting dark. Ryenne and Cruz fell asleep in the car and Kai was extra chatty.

We had an entire conversation that started out like this:

Kai: "Mommy, when I grow up I'm going to have two hearts."
Me: "Oh really? I think we just have one heart."
Kai: "No, I'm going to have two. A red one and a white one."
Me: "Ok. Are the colors for different things?"
Kai: "Yes, the white one will always be for you Mama."
Me" "And the red one?"
Kai: "For the light girl who wears lip balm."

And before I knew it, he was on to talking about the race cars (orange and blue) that he's going to drive and that he'll have bigger muscles than his daddy. It was quite a grown up conversation for the little dude.

Got home and tucked them all into bed.