Congrats! - ProgressOH! Winner

I can't believe I forgot to mention the winner of the ProgressOH! Giveaway. The winner was selected through Rafflecopter. Congratulations Deb!

Deb won 2 cans of yummy Progresso Soup, a makeup bag, and compact mirror/brush.

More giveaways coming soon!

Chores for a Two Year Old?

When is it too early to teach your child about chores and helping others? I say, never.

As you may or may not know, I am a high school teacher, and I enjoy having conversations with my students during recess and lunch. We'll talk about a variety of things, from family life to school life, or even about their relationship issues.  It's nice to be able to connect with them outside of the class lessons.

One common thing I notice in some of my students is that they do not take the time to learn household chores from their parents. (I won't say all students are like this, because there are many who help at home.)  I always lecture suggest that they should take the time to learn some home-cooked meals and recipes from their parents before it's too late. I know I wish I learned more recipes from my parents before I moved out.  Of course, all I have to do is call them to ask how to make something, but it's definitely not the same.

Jacob's always been good about helping Hubby and I around the house. We haven't decided on a chore system yet, because I think he's still too young for that, but he does have certain things he's "in charge" of.

Jacob's responsible for putting the soap into the dishwasher:

And he helps with other things too:

I think a part of it, too, is that Jacob feels important when he's helping. He's proud of himself when he feels as though he has accomplished a task or is helping his parents. 

Okay I can't figure out a way to end this post, because my goal isn't to lecture on proper parenting, so I'll just post another picture of Jacob, haha.

Chinese Lion Dance / Keopuolani Park

Kung Hee Fat Choy!

Between my two jobs, I normally work 6 days a week, so Saturdays are our "Family Days" when we are free from all obligations.  [Yep... today's post is about a Saturday, and today's Monday. Sue me. Ha] This Saturday was an action packed day, and by the end of the night, I was exhausted.

First, we went to the Maui Mall for their Annual Chinese New Year Celebration.  I'm going to be honest and say that the food could have been a little better. The hallway was lined with 6 or 7 different food booths that served Chinese and Vietnamese food, and most were oily and/or deep fried.  I wasn't impressed.  In fact, Hubby, Jacob, and I had to do a mini-detour to Whole Foods to get some breakfast.  I'm normally not picky when it comes to food, and I hate to be negative, but the food wasn't the best. In any case, we didn't let it spoil our day!  

After we finished eating, the Chinese Lion came dancing by. 

 I'm not sure if it's Hawaii tradition or Chinese tradition, and maybe some of you can help me on being accurate here, but it's believed the lion will bring you good luck if you give him a red envelope filled with money.  As soon as we spotted the lion, I grabbed Jacob, tossed the camera to Hubby, and ran towards the lion so Jacob could give him some money. Literally. Ran. LOL. Good thing I ran because I beat the crowd. Muahaha.

 I was pretty surprised that Jacob wasn't scared at all. In fact, he gave the lion money twice. I'm wondering who had more fun:  Jacob or his mommy. lol... Oh yah, and I should probably note that I made it sound like we gave the lion a bunch of money, but the red envelopes had a dollar in each. He can't tell who gave what, right?

So, anyway, after we celebrated the Chinese New Year, Jacob said he wanted to go to the park, so we made a short trip to Keopuolani Park in Kahului, Maui.  If you are living on Maui and haven't taken your kiddies to Keopuolani Park, I highly recommend it!

There are two different playground sets, one for toddlers and one for older kiddies, and they are both quite large. Jacob plays on both of them, but he prefers the one for older kids. I like it better when he plays on the toddler jungle gym because you don't have to stand close by and watch him on that one, but Jacob doesn't care what mommy wants, right? Haha. He wants to be with the big kids. :-)

                        

Phew. Long day. There's more.  So after we went to Keopuolani Park, Hubby and Jacob went home while I  went to a two-hour Zumba class with my mom, MIL, and SIL.  I've never been to TWO HOURS of Zumba before, and all I'll say is I SURVIVED!  I was sore, but I survived.

What a fun-filled day.  I love my family!

WW: Just Jacob and Me

~Wordless Wednesdays 2/6/13~

ProgressOh! Review, Contest, and GIVEAWAY [Ends 2/20]

Sigh. It's 9:30pm on a Monday night and I just came home from working at my part-time job as a deli attendant, after working at my teaching job of course. If you've been keeping up with my blog here, you know that one of my New Year's Resolutions is to eat one serving per meal... which essentially means I'm trying to watch what I eat. There. I bravely said it. Ha. Anyway, lol, it's not easy to watch my calories since I eat at such odd times, like after my 4:30pm to 8:30pm shift, so I found the perfect go-to meal.

 Progresso Soup! 

With only 100 calories per serving (and roughly 2 servings per can), it is the perfect meal for me to eat late at night while I try to watch what I eat,or really at any time,lol. I mean, seriously, creamy soup that's only 100 calories per serving? I didn't even know that was possible. YES, PLEASE!

Earlier this month, I was so excited to receive my cosmetic bag in the mail, which came with:

• 2 cans of Progresso Soup
• Light Creamy Potato with Bacon & Cheese
• Light Chicken Pot Pie Style
• A cute Cosmetic Bag
• A Compact Mirror and Brush

We are very excited. Hehe.

Woohoo for Soup!

And here's the silly Jacob trying to open the can...

Okay, last pictures, I promise. I wish I used a better bowl, but here's Jacob enjoying the Light Creamy Potato with Bacon and Cheese.  

I know that I said I was going to eat it for dinner tonight, but he said he wanted to try some.

Jacob approves! (So do I, by the way.) Oye, I really wish I used a cuter bowl. Haha.

Anyway, did you know that right now, Progresso is holding a contest that you can enter on Facebook?* According to their website, "three grand prize winners will get to take the ultimate trip full of ProgressOh! experiences - from a head-to-toe makeover to sightseeing in LA!"  All you have to do is go to http://www.facebook.com/progresso and enter the following information.

• Complete an official entry form
• Share a photo
• Tell them why you love Progresso soup
• Tell them why you deserve a ProgressOh! makeover

I have never been to LA before, so I am entering as soon as I finish this post. :-)  I'm excited and I hope I get picked... Even though I know I'm probably not going to win, I figure it's worth a shot. (In fact, a small greedy part of me is saying not to tell all you blogger peeps so I have a better chance of winning. Hahaha. I'm evil.)

Anyway, good luck if you're going to enter the contest! You have until February 11.

For my Giveaway, if you would like to win your own Progresso Gift Pack, which includes 2 cans of soup, a cosmetic bag, and a compact brush/mirror, please enter through the rafflecopter below. My giveaway ends on February 20, 2013, when one winner will be randomly selected to win the gift pack. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Disclosure: The information, products and ProgressOh! gift packs were provided by Progresso through MyBlogSpark.

*Contest Rules Copy Pasted:  *NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Many will enter, few will win. Subject to official rules. Void where prohibited. Open only to legal residents of the 50 US (and D.C.) who are at least 21 years of age at the time of entry. Contest begins 12/17/2012 at 12:00 a.m. CT and ends on 2/11/2013 at 11:59 p.m. CT. For Official Rules, prize descriptions and odds disclosure, visit www.facebook.com/Progresso. Sole Sponsor: General Mills Sales, Inc., One General Mills Blvd., Minneapolis, MN 55440. This Contest is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. Any questions, comments or complaints regarding the Contest must be directed to the Sponsor, and not to Facebook.

February 1?

Whaaat? It's February already? I have a couple of giveaways to post and I'm falling behind on grading my students' homework. I better work hard to catch up this weekend. Stay tuned...

Date Night - Dinner (Ramen Ya) and a Movie

Hubby and I are very lucky that both of our parents live near us, just in case we have to go somewhere without Jacob, and when Hubby asked if I wanted to go out last night, I jumped at the chance!  In fact, Jacob ended up sleeping over at his grandparents' house last night.  I know of some kids who can't sleep over anywhere if their parents aren't with them, but Jacob is independent, so we're pretty lucky. He's been sleeping over at his grandparents' houses every once in a while since he was 1 years old.

So... date night. The night started off with a trip to Ramen Ya at the mall. (Kaahumanu Shopping Center)  While it's not the fanciest of places and is always crowded, the food is tasty and the menu prices are AWESOME. Plus, there's always parking because it's at the main mall on Maui.

I got the Combo A, which included a small order of Shoyu Ramen, fried rice, and 4 pieces of gyoza (pot stickers).  Hubby got the Combo B, which was a small order of Won Ton Min, chicken katsu curry, and 4 pieces of gyoza.  Both combos were a steal, only $9.50, and the portions were huge humongous!  (Sorry, there aren't any pictures of Hubby's combo because he started digging in before I could get out my camera.)  

I truly recommend this restaurant if you're looking for a quick, cheap place to eat.

Next, we decided to see "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey" at the mall's theatre, Consolidated Theaters.  First, I would like begin by saying Hubby and I don't get to go out to watch movies that often because we have a very active child who wouldn't sit still in a movie if our life depended on it... and because we don't get out much, I don't know what the prices are like in other cities, but did you see the prices in my picture above?  $10 to watch a movie, and that's just one person! Then, Hubby said he couldn't go to a movie and not get anything, so we shared this:

One small water bottle and a small ice cream cup... drum roll please... $8.50! So while we saved money on dinner, the movie cost us a total of $28.50. Sheesh.  And to make things worse, Hubby fell asleep in the movie! (The Hobbit didn't up being his favorite movie, I guess. Ha.)  For $10, I should have woken him up! (I will leave a review of the movie up to the critics, but let's just say it wasn't our favorite.)

In any case, despite the cost associated with the movie, I had a nice night.

While we missed this goofball...

I also think it's important for us as a couple to  spend time with each other, alone.  When Jacob is around, we focus entirely on him, so we don't necessarily get to have sophisticated conversations.... mostly about animals and mac 'n cheese.  Plus, Jacob gets to spend time with his grandparents. It's win-win. Thank you grandparents (both paternal and maternal) for being there for our family!

A Maui Mommy Blog Redesign

When I turned on my computer at 9:30 pm, I did not have it in my head that I was going to redesign my blog at that very moment.  However, I attended a social media conference today, which must have energized me to do it, because it's 1:30 am and I've finally completed the new re-design of A Maui Mommy!   It was getting a little embarrassing having pictures of Jacob when he was just 6 months old.  Speaking of "Jacob"...

One thing that you will notice as I'm posting new things:  I've decided to "re-name" us.  I know you're thinking, what the heck are you talking about? You can't just re-name people.  Well... too bad. I just did!  "BJ", which stood for Baby Jacob, will now be referred to as Jacob.  "HJ", which stood for Hubby Josh, will now be referred to as Hubby.  I originally nicknamed them BJ and HJ because I thought it would be easier when I typed, but I realized it was just confusing.  Plus, we don't call Jacob, "BJ", in real life, so I felt like I was lying to all of my readers. So..... I'm not lying anymore. His name is Jacob! haha.

Okay I think it's time for me to go to bed now... I'm looking forward to blogging more now that I don't have to feel so bad about the baby pictures.

Aloha and Mahalo,

Tracy

New Year's Resolutions

This post is long overdue, but I need to write this on blogger because it will hold me accountable for my actions.  I've been doing well on all of my New Year's resolutions, except for one. Blogging!  Haha.  Soooo... here are my New Year Resolutions.

1.  Blogging 

Okay I had been doing so much better towards the last part of 2012... and then life got to me. I'm going to get back to blogging again because I miss writing about BJ. In fact, my goal is to re-do my entire blog because these pictures of BJ are so old. Haha. He's almost 3 but you can't tell looking at my blog design. Woops.

2. Log My Calories Daily and Eat One Serving Per Meal

As you probably know from a previous post, I was pregnant about a month ago, and I had gained about 10 pounds from that pregnancy.  However, I didn't want to just put "Lose Weight" as my resolution, because that's not my real intention.  HJ and I decided we would like to live a healthier lifestyle, and make it a lifelong commitment, especially for BJ's sake, so we decided that only eating one serving per meal is a start. If this resolution helps me lose weight, then so be it.  And you know what?  It's been working. With keeping track of my calories and eating only one serving, I've already lost 7 pounds.  I have to keep going, though.

3.   Be Better About Chores at Home

Let's face it:  We all have our lazy days.  Well, those of us that are human anyways.  For me, I had more lazy days than productive days when it came to house chores, mostly because I had a difficult time balancing work and home.  This year, I would like to stay on top of my household chores so I don't feel overwhelmed and it doesn't look like a bomb went off in our house. My goals to help with this were to do at least one load of laundry daily, make sure the dishes are washed at night, and pack my home lunch at night.  It has been so much easier when trying to leave the house in the morning, and I've been happier with myself overall.



These are my three goals for the year.  I'm sure I'll have more as the year goes on, but I figured that I have to start somewhere.  I hope to continue these things so that I can be a better wife, mom, and person.  Wish me luck! :-)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! I don't know about you but my 2012 wasn't the greatest. I am looking forward to 2013 and new beginnings. However, I need to stay positive and look at the great things that happened in 2012. Dwelling on negative things only bring negative!!

So here's to a fresh start and an amazing 2013!

Happy New Year everyone!

(New Years resolution post coming soon!)

BJ and Santa's Cupcake

BJ woke up the morning of Christmas to discover that Santa had eaten his cupcake. His reaction was priceless; he started to cry and say that he wanted his cupcake... He didn't want Santa to have it. Hahaha... It was pretty cute, and after we told him there was plenty more and Santa thanked him for being a nice boy with presents, he was completely fine. It was an expected and hilarious reaction. Christmas is extremely fun with a toddler in the house!

Hope all of you had a great Christmas!

Merry Christmas Eve!

Merry Christmas Eve everyone! This year is the first year BJ might actually start remembering things about Christmas, so I have been trying to think of some traditions to start. I was browsing Pinterest and I realized I almost forgot to make milk and cookies for Santa! I think we will try to beat the mad rush at the grocery store and go pick up some ingredients to make some cookies.... Other things to make on the menu include reindeer cupcakes and jalapeño cupcakes. Better get going to the store.

This little man loves to help me cook!

Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

BJ Went to the Dentist ~ Pedodontic Associates (Maui)

Pedodontic Associates (Maui) - A Personal Review

BJ went to his first dentist check up 2 days ago. (I know what you're thinking.  Huh? Isn't he almost 3 years old? Why hasn't he gone earlier? Yes, I have slacked in that department. lol)

Just a mini-review for any readers I have on Maui.  They haven't asked me to review or anything, but I thought it was important to share with you some things I learned about their company.

Pedodontic Associates is in Kahului, Maui.

1.  When you first walk in, there are a lot of colorful paintings of sea creatures on the wall, and the staff is extremely friendly.  If it's your first visit, they ask you to fill out two applications, so be prepared to wait a little while.  The only difficult part for me was that I went by myself, so I had to watch BJ and fill out paperwork, which would normally be fine, except BJ was exceptionally hyper that day... My only suggestion for Pedodontic Associates would be to perhaps have a mini-toy station where kids can play with toys while parents fill out paperwork.  They had one TV, that was up near the ceiling, so BJ couldn't see the TV anyway.  He just kept running around laughing and jumping on their    chairs and wouldn't sit down... I even tried giving him my iPhone but that didn't work! Oh well, what can you do? haha.


2.  Finally done with paperwork, they called us into the examination room, and the hygenist we had was extremely nice and great with kids. She let BJ know that if he was good, she would give him a toy at the end. There was a TV in the room to help him be distracted too.  She asked BJ to brush his teeth to see if he knew how to properly brush... and phew, BJ was great throughout the whole process! The dentist came in to check him and he suggested that we need to brush his back teeth a little better (woops) but that everything looked great. He did say, however, that BJ might need braces when he's older, so we better start saving. (eep)

3. BJ was really happy in the end when he got his stickers and toy car, haha. He's signed up for a cleaning in six months, so we'll see how that goes.

Overall, Pedodontics was great.  BJ likes the dentist because it was such a positive experience. He likes showing off his teeth now, and bragging that he brushes his teeth... lol...

1,000 Origami Paper Cranes

My body is healing...It's been a week since Jedi and I'm now back to pre-pregnancy weight. My body has pretty much healed, except when my legs get tired because I was bedridden for 36 hours, but my mind hasn't quite healed.

I have no idea what the grief cycle is supposed to be like but I have my ups and downs. I have been making cranes; in Japanese culture, it is believed that if you make 1,000 cranes, you will be granted one wish. I'm making my cranes to wish for Jedi to be eternally happy, wherever he may be, what ever religion heaven he is in. HJ says that he has the purest soul, and I believe that he will be waiting for us.

I'm sorry my blog have been depressing lately, but quite honestly I have no idea who reads these blogs anyway and it's a part of the healing process for me. I will have better days soon I'm sure.... Being with BJ really helps... and the crane making really helps. Buddhist heaven, Christian heaven, wherever... As long as Jedi is happy in the purest of heavens, I will be at peace.

Baby Jedi

Just something I posted on FB...

Dear FB World,

I just wanted to share with you that Josh and I lost our second son, last week Tuesday Dec. 11, 2012, and we named him Jedi. I delivered him at 19 weeks gestation and he was too small to survive. I don't normally share personal information on FB, but I wanted to share this with you because this situation has made me realize just how special it is to create a life, raise a child, have a family.  In my eyes, it doesn’t make sense to complain about petty moments, because we had a chance to live, while Jedi didn’t. 

In case you’re wondering, our family is doing okay.  If you try to contact me by phone, and I don't answer, I'm sorry. I respond quicker to texts and e-mails. Please understand I'm not trying to ignore you.

Thank you for your support of our family during this time.

BJ Doesn't Like Santa

*Sigh* BJ doesn't like Santa... Since he was small, he never liked large mascots like the Easter Bunny or Santa, but I thought that since he's older, it would be different. Well, I was wrong. Lol.

We bought semi-nice clothes for BJ so he would look nice in the picture but we didn't get anything for ourselves because we didn't think we would be in the picture. Notice our clothes? Notice HJ holding a brown paper bag?

Haha, Oh Man. Needless to say, we did not use this picture for our Christmas Card...

Two Year Old Drummer in Training

I know many of my FB friends saw this already, but just in case you missed it... This is BJ playing the drums for the first time. His daddy decided to get him an early Christmas present. :-)

We Take Things For Granted

There are certain events that occurred recently that have caused me to reflect on the purpose of life, and reasons why things happen the way that they do. Up until recently, I had been so caught up with everyday life, that I took things for granted... Took life and Earth's beauty for granted. Never gonna happen again! Life is truly precious and I am grateful for every day that I can enjoy a new day.

As I read the first paragraph of this blog, I realize how corny this entry is starting to sound, but it really is how I feel at the moment. I haven't been blogging for so long, that I don't know who reads my blog anymore. All I know is with recent events, I have learned how special life is, and I hope this blog finds you well wherever you are.

Bj slept over his grandparents house the other day, so HJ and I got to take a spontaneous trip to see Haleakala's sunrise. It was an amazing and healing experience. Definitely worth the 1 and 1/2 hour drive and suffering in the freezing cold!

The Cute Things BJ Says...

Happy Holidays everyone!  Hope you are well.  It makes me sad every time I think about how little I've been blogging.  There are a lot of things I will be sharing in the next couple of weeks, but I don't think I'm quite ready to share the news online yet!   BJ will be turning 3 in March, and I can't believe how fast time has flown by!  People used to warn me that the "Terrible Twos" are difficult, but actually, it's been extremely fun.  BJ talks a lot, and says the absolute cutest things.  Sure, sometimes he is a rascal and gets into trouble, but what kid doesn't?

Today, I'd like to share with you something cute that BJ said this morning...

I was leaving home to go to work, and BJ had just finished eating some dry cereal in a thick plastic bowl.  He picked up the bowl and held it like a Captain America shield, but I guess his grip wasn't strong enough. *BOOM* The bowl fell, it dropped on our kitchen floor, and a piece broke off.


This is what BJ said to his daddy after I left:

"Sorry daddy for breaking the plate"

"I was just pretending I was captain america"

"Because I wanted to be captain america for Halloween"

"Sorry for breaking the plate"

Too cute, right!  :-)

Had to document this...

BJ just hugged me and HJ and said, "you're the best you guys!" Awwwww