Eat this, and this, and this...

The authors of the book "Eat this, not that" were obviously NOT thinking about Polynesians when they wrote it. If you're not familiar with the book (they also wrote "Cook this, not that"), it provides alternative eating habits so that a person can just eat healthy and lose weight. Painless, simple weight loss. There is NO SUCH THING!!! I think I should write a similar book but for Polynesian audiences only. Those who are familiar with Polynesians and our love for food may also enjoy the information. For instance...
*Lu pulu: Instead of eating the luau leaves with canned corned beef, use regular beef instead. More natural, more healthy. Or take out the meat all together and make it palusami. (Aren't onions good for you?)
*Sua laisa: Rice cooked in coconut milk with a little sugar and orange leaf, makes an excellent dessert. Not healthy enough? Add koko samoa. Experts say the more natural the chocolate, the more antioxidants and healing agents are involved.
*Taro: When baked it contains less fat than boiling in coconut milk. Or the healthier alternative: Kumala. Don't sweet potatoes beat out regular potatoes when talking about healthy eating?
*Pork: The other white meat. Enough said.
When I attend the many family reunions and Polynesian festivals this summer, I will make sure I keep these eating alternatives in mind. Do you think the booth with the kalua pig will substitute a Rib Eye steak instead?

Trash vs. Treasure

I married a packrat. This does not match well with my self-diagnosed ADHD/OCD tendancies. And he wonders why I've been the biggest witch since we moved into our new place.

I will be the first to admit that I have my weakness when it comes to saving things. My treasure is books. Dr. Seuss, JK Rowling, Rick Riordan, Michael Crichton (I think we own all of his), Dan Brown, books about Polynesia, whatever has captured my interest or the interest of my children... My ultimate dream room is a library just like the one in the Disney cartoon Beauty and the Beast. Bookshelves filled with books from the floor to the vaulted ceilings with ladders on runners that enable me to glide from one shelf to the next. If I could sing like Belle that would make the vision complete. I come from a family of avid readers. My stepmom used the word 'voracious' to describe our reading habits. With books comes knowledge, information, pure pleasure! So how can a collection of books be trash?

Back to the packrat... Why do we need crates full of CDs? How many of us actually listen to an artist's entire album? Very rarely, I can assure you. Unless it's Luther Vandross or some old Whitney Houston, then okay. And now with iTunes and iPods, no one needs to lug around CDs or battery operated, bulky CD players. So I ask, how is this treasure? What knowledge can you gain from these flimsy pieces of plastic that scratch so easily? My oldest daughter had the greatest idea. She said we should set the crates outside and put a FOR SALE sign on them. Then, technically, they would become treasure because they would actually offer some sort of income. But who would want the damn things?

Maybe my nerves will calm down when we purchase a bookcase AND a CD case so the crates aren't sitting in the middle of the family room floor. Maybe I won't be ready to pull my hair out when the stereo parts are put together and taken OFF of my dining room table. Stereo system+CDs=Loud Music=Raging Beast of a Mother because she can't read her books in peace. My books are safely packed away in plastic totes to protect them from the elements where they patiently wait in the storage room. That's where the CDs and stereo crap should be. And remain. And maybe the packrat should join them.
CDs=trash
Books=treasure
KNOWLEDGE ALWAYS WINS!!!

Why blog?

As I browse through other blogs and procrastinate on writing in my OWN blog, I wonder if it's even worth the effort. It's also intimidating when other blogs are well written and I tend to wonder if I sound like an absolute idiot. I've kept journals since high school. After I got married, my husband bought me a journal and I have written very little in it. So now I've turned to blogging. And even then, I have not been consistent. So, my question again: Why blog?

1. My ultimate goal of becoming a best selling author begins with practice, practice, and LOTS of writing.
2. I like to think people are listening to what I am saying, even if it's only a dream.
3. I like putting opinion and thoughts out there, another reason why I use facebook AND advertise my blog at the same time.
4. I love writing!

Why blog? I blog because I can! And I enjoy it. And I might actually keep up with my writing. And I'm bored at lunch and have nothing else to do so I may as well blog. For all of you bloggers out there, keep on keepin' on! And keep blogging!

One at a time...

My previous post, wayyyy back in November was the beginning of what I now know is my life's dream. Well, part of it. The other part is publishing a book that has been started and set aside for too long, but that is on the back burner of life. The importance of education has been pounded into our heads since we understood the meaning, an extension of the pounding my dad used to get when he was young. I have found the need and want of pounding this same idea into others, of course on a more gentle note. So here we replace 'pounding' with 'persuade', 'assist', 'motivate'... What more do we want? We want our Pacific Islander students to succeed in education and eventually in life. We want them to have a better life because that was the original dream their parents had when they first moved to the United States. We want them to be positive role models for the younger generation and to motivate them to do well. We want them to succeed and give back to their people and communities. We want to create a partnership of learning, succeeding, and growing as a people and a culture. We want to teach, learn, grow, love, and live! And we can succeed because as a people, we are the OG educators.

College Life

About 15 years ago, the local college had a dilemna. There were only a handful of Pacific Islander students enrolled but yet so many had graduated from high school. Where were these students? At the university? Nope. Statistics showed their enrollment numbers were just as low. Steps were taken to recruit and enroll Pacific Islander students into the college and now the numbers are in the hundreds. This should be great news. Except now there's a new dilemna. Out of the hundreds of Pacific Islander students enrolled at the college, only a handful of those actually complete their program and graduate or move on to a 4-year university. A handful. Why? This is the issue I have to begin to analyze, tear apart, and try to solve. It's a huge job. And I'm up for the challenge!

Working Mom

I was offered a full time position with an educational software/training company yesterday. You think I would be jumping for joy since I've been out of work since August. You think I'd be doing cartwheels because they offered me a salary above the 'asking price' because of my education and experience. I should be happy because we can pay off our bills faster and be more comfortable. But I'm not bouncing off the walls, or performing some random cheerleader move, or screaming CHOO HOO at the top of my lungs. I'm pondering this moment and going over the pros and cons in my head. Of course, I have accepted the position. What else can I do? But my mind bounces from...
paying bills and having extra money for a weekend McDs run with the kids,
to not having a lot of time to bake fresh bread for the kids when they get home from school,
to being able to do some decent Christmas shopping and not feeling bad because we weren't able to really get nice things for the kids,
to not being able to drop off the kids or have time to go on a class field trip as a chaperone,...
The HUGE factor that is keeping me semi-calm in all of this tennis court drama in my head is the fact that my little sister is going to handle picking up the kids from school. As a Samoan, I don't believe in daycare, unless it's run by a family member. Family's are there to help each other out and if I can make some money and give some to my sister, we all win! She certainly doesn't expect the money but I would like to give it to her just the same. Win-win situation! Now, my brain can settle down, start planning activities and menu's, and go back to being a double-full-time working mom... with peace of mind.

Counting Heads

As we drove up to Brigham City today, we kept counting heads to make sure we had all of the children with us. Unfortunately, not all of them could come so we kept feeling like we were missing someone. With my oldest daughter in California visiting her grandpa and grandma, having tons of fun, and lightening grandpa's wallet by shopping til she drops, it was a day full of second looks and LOTS of counting. It's funny how things change when your eldest child is gone, even for a short weekend. Everything in the house seems to change. The other three were in charge of cleaning the house and did well, they took forever, but accomplished their goal. Is this a preview of how things will be when the kids start to go to college? Grandpa took her to tour the campus at Stanford University... I don't mind Stanford but the cost, WOW! If grandpa is going to show her the campus and get her interested, he better be setting up that savings account to help pay the tuition! As parents we have our children, love them like no other, and wait for the day when they are out of the house and there is peace and quiet. I don't think I'm going to be the parent that enjoys that setting. I love the noise. I love my kids when they play Scene It, or Scrabble, or wrestle in the living room... I love a little peace and quiet but not too much. It was hard enough to send my daughter out to her grandparents for the weekend. What extent of "basket case" will I be if she actually goes away for college? And will I continue to count heads because I always have a feeling that we're missing someone?