The Ohana Mama

Happy Monday! It’s time to get our hula shake on! Here’s how it works…

I will have a featured site or product that I think is shakin’, then YOU share your….

→ Giveaways
→ Posts from last week
→ Your latest promotion or blog news
→ Vlogs
→ New sites
→ You name it!

This goes for mom businesses too – please share your latest sale or new items in your store!

Here’s my pick to start off this week’s Hula Shake Around the Blogosphere…

If your kids love to do arts and crafts, Legos, or cook with you, the Luv That Tray from Argee is a must have. They come in a pack of four and are the perfect addition to your art room or kitchen!

We’ve been using these trays for the past month for everything from doing arts, to baking with mom, building Legos, and using them as placemats. What I love is that they are pliable and have a funnel so when it comes time to clean up, you simply bend and pour into the trash.  Or if Cameron is building Legos, it makes cleaning up a snap – just bend and pour….even HE can do it…when he’s feeling up to cleaning, that is (which lately has been like pulling teeth!) Cleaning the trays themselves is also incredibly easy and they are dishwasher safe, which to me is a grand slam!

We also received a My Toy Tote to review from Argee.  I was amazed at how BIG it is and right away Cameron went around and picked out his blocks to store them in his Toy Tote. It holds a ton and makes cleaning up easy.

I am loving these products from Argee because they put the power of cleaning up into my children’s hands by making it easy for them.  No more excuses “It’s too hard mom!” Yes, I hear that a lot {insert the rolling of my eyes here} but with the Toy Tote and Luv That Tray Cam has been much better at helping me and we could all use a little more help with cleaning, right?

Now it’s YOUR turn! Leave a link, click a link, and keep the hula shake shakin’!

Have a shakin’ week everyone!

We went for a walk yesterday up in the hills behind Launiupoko. This is my dream neighborhood.  We WILL live there in the near future.  I feel it!

We took the trails that the native Hawaiians used to take to get to the shore to fish many many years ago  If they got stuck after the sun went down they would set up camp in these awesome caves in the side of the mountain. It was super cool to walk the same path as they did. The kids loved the history of it and were hoping to find drawings or other artifacts along the trail.  We didn’t find anything, other than pure family bliss.  It was a really nice walk.

As we walked, the clouds opened up and cooled us off with an afternoon shower.  Then the sun came out to dry us off and out came the most beautiful rainbow.

Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue,
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true.

(this is how I feel about Hawaii…our dreams really are coming true here)

So, for today’s Aloha Friday question, let’s get dreamin’ and wishin’…

What do you wish for, right now?!

Could be just five mintes to yourself, could be a million bucks, share with us…

BUT write it this way…

Instead of a wish, say it as if it’s already happening. Envision, it. See it.

Really feel what it would feel like to have that wish be true.

Get daydreaming, it’s one of my favorite past times.

Here’s my wish…

I’m sitting on the porch of my three bedroom cottage in Launiupoko.  The whales are splashing in the distance and the kids are romping in the yard.  Duke is at my feet, snoring away and the sun is warming me up while the trade winds keep me cool.

Now it’s your turn, skies the limit, let er rip!

Be sure to visit Kailani’s An Island Life for more Aloha Friday questions.

When someone unsubscribes from The Ohana Mama I get an email notifying me.  Yes, I choose to torture myself.  And yes you’ve been warned..I see you!

Now, many times it’s a person that probably subscribed when I was doing a bunch of giveaways and it was a way to get an extra entry.  Now they are sick of me babbling about non giveaway stuff and going on and on about Hawaii, being a Mom and real life stuff.

BUT, then there are the times when I get the email notification and I see the email address and it’s someone that I more “know” and think of as a bloggy friend.

And I won’t lie. It hurts. It stings a bit.  (I’m being a tad dramatic here but yes, it makes me go “hmmmm” what the F?)

I do all I can to hold myself back from sending them an email asking them, “why oh why? why did you unsubscribe?!” I don’t want to sound desperate. No, that would not be good. (but still “why oh why?!”)

But alas I need to realize that perhaps, they just aren’t that into me…and so through this conversation on twitter….

I ask…

(a la Carrie Bradshaw)

When did blogging become the new dating?

Filled with the pitter patter of an excited heart when those subscription numbers go up, the new twitter follower follows (and @s me! bestill my heart) followed by the ultimate…a comment, maybe a few per week. Wow. Pure bloggy friendship bliss.

And then to see that unsub email…it’s like being broken up via a sticky note.

What I learned yesterday, as we braced for and thankfully escaped a tsunami…

♥ I learned that my husband is our super hero – short of ripping off his shirt and showing an “S” on his chest, he jumped to action at 2 a.m. in the morning, got us all of our supplies and made a plan for us to evacuate.

♥ I learned that my children are so very brave…even with sirens ringing that resembled that of a bomb warning, they looked to us for guidance and trusted that we would keep them safe.  And we did.

♥ I learned that social media is truly a community…the folks on twitter, facebook and through my blog were so thoughtful with prayers and emails making sure I was ok. I received emails from readers of my blog that have never commented but they did take the time yesterday to let me know that they are readers and were thinking and praying for us.  Thank you!

♥ I learned that Hawaii and the people who live and visit here are awesome.  It was miraculous how everyone evacuated safely.  Stood in long lines in grocery stores and gas stations all with smiles and waves for each other.

♥ I learned that the mere threat of a natural disaster makes us all so thankful for everything. I had to work last night and the managers started our night with everyone going around in a circle saying what we were thankful for. This was all very very real for all of us.

♥ I learned I am truly blessed.  I feel so very blessed to have a family (both my immediate family and my family back on the mainland) that came together so strong during a rather stressful time. I feel so blessed for the wonderful community that I am part of, both online and in Hawaii. And I feel so blessed that we were fortunate to learn the valuable lesson of how to handle a natural disaster all without a natural disaster happening. (that’s pretty rare)

A huge thank you to those that emailed me, sent me texts, tweeted with me and called me.  The prayers and good thoughts worked! Phew!

The cruise ships are invading my little town…

Actually, I LOVE living in a town that’s a cruise ship destination (and not a HUGE harbor).  The giant moving cities drop anchor right outside of Lahaina Town.  It’s magnificent to the kids.  I’m hoping some day soon we can jump on board and take a cruise around the islands.  I think that would be so cool!

So my question for you on this glorious Aloha Friday is…

Have you been on a cruise?  If so where?

And if not, would you like to go on a cruise? Where to?

I’d also love to do a cruise in Europe, maybe around the Greek Isles or around the Mediterranean.  I’m sure it’d be awesome!

So now it’s your turn, spill it!

Be sure to check out more Aloha Friday participants at Kailani’s An Island Life

Sunday is the only day of the week that I have don’t have to work…well, I’ve still gotta be MOM, the hardest job on the planet, but it’s my one absolutely free day of the week, and we always try and make the most of it.

This past Sunday we hit the beach along highway 30 just south of Olowalu.  We found the perfect nook with no one else but our friends, their  3 month old son and us on this slice of Maui paradise.  Fallen trees made the perfect natural jungle gym for the kids, the water was mellow and perfect for a swim and the trees offered shade when the hot Lahaina sun got to be too much. Duke even went for a swim and tried out his boogie boarding skills. Next time we’re getting him on the long board.  I see a surfing dog in our future!

It was a marvelous Sunday at the beach…..