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!