Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Archive for the ‘sweet smell of summer’ Category

Summer Lovin’

Posted in Hawaii, homeschool, sweet smell of summer on August 20, 2014| Leave a Comment »

Last year we switched from a parent-only approach to teaching to the help of an online school.  Our first year on the island it was all me, and with a part time ministry job it really sucked the life out of me.  Moving to a completely new environment without the family support and familiarity made homeschooling even more difficult.  The families that we had been spending our dance and music time with were no longer available.  Taking out the full time teaching has given me back creative time which lets my brain engage the youngest when she needs help with a class.

I’m excited that this year she will write more, read some great classics, have a study hall to help her with any needs she may have with math or science, begin her voyage into French, and study American History up until the early 1800’s.  We have also made music and theater the big focus for the year.  Anyone who knows us may ask how is that any different?  It comes down to her commitment to rehearsing and staying in shape.  We will spend more time practicing, memorizing, and exercising.  It’s not a have to.  It’s a want to.  She should have quite a story to tell by the end of it all.

With a week and half until we are in full swing we are hoping to enjoy the rest of our summer break.  It’s a little different here because seemingly the summer never leaves.  Oh sure, there is actually sweater weather for about a month, but for the most part, if we are willing to drive, we can find sun somewhere on this island.  It’s just finding the time to enjoy it.  This year have blocked out adventure time during the week.  It could be a hike, or a paddle, or just enjoying a good book on the beach.  That whole schedule is still a few days away, so my question for now is what shall we do TODAY?

Read Full Post »

“I Survived Iselle”

Posted in Hawaii, homeschool, Solacegirl in the 808, sweet smell of summer on August 11, 2014| Leave a Comment »

The storm passed, but not without causing some damage.  Our church ohana in Kona is safe and sound.  Puna, also on the Big Island, was hit the hardes,t and will be without power for up to 6 weeks.  This time of year is very hot and humid.  It makes not having air con or ice even more of a bummer.  Hopefully things will be restored quickly, and the outpouring of help with continue.

Last night we expected to be hunkered down another severe storm system.  The second hurricane heading our way, Julio, veered north and completely missed our lovely set of islands.  We were a little disappointed to not see more wind and rain, but we are so thankful to be safe.  Plus, the already saturated ground needs a little time to dry out.

Even though we didn’t experience a hurricane we wouldn’t change how we prepped for these last two storms.  It’s a very good thing to have what you need.  Being prepared gives one a lot of peace.  Knowing that we can care for our precious pod is a huge relief.

The saying goes “once and homschooler always a homeschooler.”  I learned a couple of new things about hurricanes and the Sandwich Islands.  Only four hurricanes have made landfall on the islands in the last 100 years.  The Big Island has a natural hurricane buster.  When the hurricane hits the Big Island the volcano is so big it breaks up the storm.  The doppler radar shows this amazing natural phenomena.  I also learned that wind shear, usually a bad thing with things like flying in an airplane, actually works to our advantage in a huge storm because it also breaks up the storm.  Kauai wasn’t so lucky 22 years ago when they were hit by Iniki.  It didn’t have that buffer.  We are praying for a very boring rest of the hurricane season.

 

Read Full Post »

Random Thoughts

Posted in family life, fibromyalgia, random thoughts, sweet smell of summer on July 31, 2014| 1 Comment »

-I have one sick kiddo on the bed.  Even when they move out of their teens they still seem to like the care mom can give them.  I’m eating it up as much as I can because I know that one day I won’t be the one he calls out to when he feels this way.  I have to trust that she will do much better than I.  That’s the way it should be.  Until then, it’s a little ginger ale and crackers and a long snooze.  Hopefully we’ll be able to move him to his own bed so we can grab a wink or two of sleep.

-I got a great hair cut today.  I had her whack it off.  It’s now a short bob.  Niki did a great job.  It took me a while to find someone on the island to take care of this mop of mine.  I go through phases where I try to cut and color my own hair either because I am feeling hormonal and need to change it asap or I may not want to spend the money.  I’ve learned that hormonal rushes are a terrible time to choose a new hair cut.  The Mr. appreciates that I’ve learned that fact.

-I miss having a show to work on.  Les Mis was a lot of fun.  The music was a challenge.  Theater ohana is the next best thing to a real one.  I had the opportunity to audition for a very grown up show at a theater in town, but made the decision to take a pass.  I couldn’t reconcile the grown up themes of this particular show with being a worship leader.  Keeping my eyes out for another production.

IMG_3234

Mardi Savage took this shot of The Old Ladies during our run of Les Mis.  She is a very talented photographer.  Check out her site.  BTW, I’m the one in the gray wig.

-We only have a few weeks until The Youngest starts her online classes.  Before then some special friends are moving to another base on the other side of the Mainland, the Mr. takes another trip to the hometown for our church’s latest album premiere, and the Oldest starts classes heading towards his EMT certification at a local community college.  In between it all we hit the beach and paddle as much as possible.  Well, that last one is my hope.  I don’t think I’ve shared it with the fam.

-Trying to rid my body of all gluten, soy and corn.  I have to stick to it or I just feel yuck all the time.  The corn and soy are new ones to avoid.  I’ve been trying to find triggers to me feeling achy and tired.  It seems those are all part of the pain problem.  We’ll see how I feel over the next month.

 

 

Read Full Post »

Returning Home 2014

Posted in adventure, family, family life, Hawaii, sweet smell of summer on July 29, 2014| 2 Comments »

We just finished a month long trip back to the hometown.  It was delightful.  We had a lot of family time, took in a few plays at the Shakespeare Festival which is like Disneyland for theater nerds, and enjoyed the sites and smells of a very familiar setting.  In some ways it was difficult to come back to our new home.

People think that it’s crazy to think that we wouldn’t want to rush back to our island paradise.  The setting is gorgeous, we have a wonderful safe place to live, and we have some very special friends that have become our island ohana.  I think that it comes down to the fact that our hometown family is not here.  That support system that we’ve have come to rely on for decades is not easily accessible.  As our family grows older so does our realization that time is fleeting and is something that we cannot get back.  Modern technology makes it a little easier, but real Facetime is the best.

So how is our reentry going?  Pretty good. The first morning back started off with a long walk on the beach and ended with a great shrimp stirfry.  Both are great advantages of living in the middle of the ocean.  We are taking it one day at a time, and thanking God for every blessing of being here.

We are heading into the warmest time of the year.  Last year the youngest said, “The heat.  I can’t get away from the heat!”  The Mr. has put a lovely plan in place to help keep us cooler.  That is definitely making our reentry much easier.

Time to drop the youngest off with friends, and for another trip to the library to prep for my drama classes that start next week.

Read Full Post »