The Grommom

Randomusings.

May 28, 2012

Happy Memorial Day!

I hope that you’re having a great weekend, and getting an extra day off of work!
I also hope that we are all mindful of WHY it is we have this long weekend.
I am SO grateful for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.  And my thoughts and prayers are with the loved ones who are missing them.  Let us never forget.

Now, for a very random list of things…

Because sometimes I am a bit random.
–And I can only suppress it so long.

1.  My brother Lance emailed me a link to a Pinterest Board last week.
This is really kind of funny, since I don’t know too many guys that are on Pinterest.
(To be fair, I don’t think my bro is on Pinterest,  he just found it at an on-line magazine.  Or so he says…)
But I thought that some of you might really like this!

An Archive of Every Surf Film Trailer Ever Made:

But now that I’m talking about guys and Pinterest, here’s something funny:   Dave recently asked me what is the real difference between Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

Bahahaha!  Poor guy.
(He would argue NOT.)

2.  My brother also sent me this link from the Huffington Post.    It actually really surprised me.

I knew Honolulu was bad, but worse than LA?

3.  Do you find it interesting that my brother sent me two things last week that I am sharing here?  I mostly find it interesting because I am pretty sure that my brother doesn’t read this blog.
I’m wondering if someone might alert him to this mention, and perhaps he’ll decide to read it, and comment below.   Maybe he’ll want to tell us if he is actually on Pinterest, or if he just happened upon that link.
I’ll guess we’ll see.

4.  I am planning to do a GromMOM style post soon.
But in the meantime, here’s just a couple of things I thought I would share:
Check out  THIS (one-piece!) swimsuit by quicksilver.
I love it!

***How about these Rip Curl T-shirts with our favorite local artist, Heather Brown’s work on them!?

***And here is a link to my very  favorite pants from the Vickerey site.
I love the aqua blue!
Ever since I got my first pair, I have been wearing them at least twice a week.  Okay, maybe three or four times, but definitely no more than five.  They are the most comfortable thing in the world.

Laura got this picture of me in my well-worn pair:

5.  Levi turned two this weekend.

No, we didn’t have a big party.
He’s our fourth kid–Fourth kids are lucky if their family remembers their second birthday, haha!

Now, lest you judge, we at least got the kid a gift!
And if you have been reading this blog for more than a day (unlike my brother,) then you might know what he would want for his birthday.

Yes, a tractor of his own!
(And we don’t know what’s funnier in these photos, Levi, or the dogs in the background.)

I am also happy to tell you that I made the little tyke a birthday cake.
And not just ANY cake…but a TRACTOR CAKE!  (Idea came from this site…and her’s was much better than mine!)

But Levi didn’t care…He literally used the backhoe to feed himself a whole piece of cake!

And with that, I will sign off and wish you all a fabulous Monday.
God bless you, and God bless America!

The Grommom

Surf Indonesia: Surfing The Nations July 2012.

May 25, 2012

Sometimes you just gotta let your kids JUMP!

My kids do this at Waimea Bay whenever they get the chance:

Unlike their mom, my boys are all jumpers. They love the feeling of taking a leap off a really high place.

But this summer, Josiah has decided to take a really BIG JUMP.
He has just signed up for a 25 day Surfing Mission Trip with Surfing The Nations.

He will spend his 13th birthday in Bali.
Without his momma.

And I, (*gulp*) have given him my full blessing.

Now this one isn’t easy for me…I’ve always SAID that this is my job.  To raise up boys who will be independent, and strong…Boys who are ready to LEAP when life offers opportunities.  Boys who serve.  Who step outside of their comfort zones.

But when I heard about this trip, I decided that I never really meant any of that.  Those were just nice thoughts for some other family.  I wanted to hide Josiah at home and never let him out again.

Of course, I got over myself, and took some time to pray and think.  And YES!–I know that this is an amazing opportunity.

So, my firstborn will be joining a team of 10-15 other people, and spending 25 days in…

This trip will offer him some of the best surf of his life.  But it will be much more than a surfing trip.  He will be working in a community, challenged to learn some Indonesian language, and serving with a team.

This really all came up over the last month.  We have  just gotten to know more about Surfing The Nations recently.  They are based out of Wahiawa, (30 minutes from our home,) and they do a lot of great work both in Hawaii and abroad.  We were familiar with their ministry, but it was their annual “Freedom Surf Contest” in Waikiki that got our attention.  We stopped into their coffee shop in Wahiawa to fill out registration forms for the contest, when we met Chris.  Chris turns out to be the guy leading the Indonesia group, and we liked him from the very start.  Somehow the Indo trip came up in our conversation, and he had our attention immediately.  We couldn’t imagine a better opportunity for Josiah, or anyone who could be a better leader.  We felt like we had known Chris for a lifetime already.

Josiah wasn’t immediately sure about the trip.  He was aware that there would be challenges.  The work will be hard, and he will be really far away from us–for the first time in his life.  So we thought it would be great to find a buddy to invite to go along.  And that turned out to be the easy part!  It took no arm-twisting to convince Josiah’s buddy Kameron to go along.  And once Josiah knew he had a friend on-board, it’s been all positives!

So this week both families met Chris at the Surfers Coffee Bar, and went over the whole trip. By the end of the conversation, we all had total peace.

**We also discovered an awesome Coffee Bar…one that I had unknowingly driven by hundreds of times!  See, God does know the way to my heart!
Here’s a Chai tea to warm my heart:

There are a few big steps to take now–some fundraising, getting a passport, immunizations, and all of that–but if it is God’s will, then in a little over a month, we’ll be sending our first-born off for the adventure of a lifetime.

I’ll keep you posted as the trip gets closer.  Josiah is already stoked to bring his GoPro and get some great footage of the (work and) SURF that he’ll be doing while he’s away.

If any of you have sent off a kid at this age, feel free to comment with advice or some positive experiences!
Much love, and see you soon!

Aloha,
Grommom

Irresistible Baby.

May 24, 2012

Some things are hard to resist.

Like hot coffee, homemade fudge,  my warm bed, and…

a baby with oversized earmuffs, riding on a tractor.

So instead of finishing the *other posts* that I planned to publish tonight…
I’m just going to go to bed now and  leave you with these.  I hope you don’t mind.

Levi, wearing his “tractor” t-shirt…

Then–checking, just to make sure that the “tractor” is still there:

In his happy place:

When the ride is over…

“It’s okay, I’ll just leave these on…Ya know, in case Dad wants to come take me for another ride.”

Don’t you just want to take a bite out of those cheeks?

And the “EWWW-GROSS”  photo of the week:

Yes, that is a dog’s tongue in my baby’s mouth.
I told you it was gross!

See ya soon!

Aloha, and Mahalo–

Thegrommom

A Day in the Life: At a Surf Contest

May 22, 2012

We spend a lot of time at kids’ surf contests.  Since I’ve never done it before,  I thought for fun I would share a pretty typical surf contest day with you all.
(This one  is from the spectator point of view.  No surf shots/videos today.)

Last weekend, Luke and Josiah were downtown for an NSSA (National Scholastic Surf Assocation) event.  The contest was at Kewalo’s Basin, which is just west of Ala Moana Beach Park.

Here’s a photo-journal of  the event:

Wake Up:  5:00 AM….Drive one hour to down town Honolulu.  In the car, I play Pandora (usually orchestra or jazz) while boys sleep with blankets and pillows, and I suck down coffee.

6:00 AM  arrive at Kewalos.  Totally worth getting up early!
Boys jump in the water to train before it gets crowded.  They only have until 7:30 when the first heat begins, and the officials  kick all of the “free surfers” out of the water.

Tents are being set up, and by 7:30 the officials are ready to start.

The first tent is where Bobby and the other fabulous contest organizers sit.  Here they take registrations, answer questions, and pass out licorice and Vitamin Water to starving competitors.
(You can see some Swanson bananas on Bobby’s table which we brought as a bribe way of thanking them for their hard work.)

The second tent you see is where the judges sit.  There are usually about five.
I try to not to forget and walk right in front of them too many times in one contest.

Next is the infamous “HEAT SHEET.”

We all wonder why they type so small on such a large board:

Everyone gathers around the heat sheet and stare until they find the time of their heat, who is IN their heat…and all of the details.
I usually return to this about 16 times because I suffer from anxiety over missing one of the boys’ heats.  (Not like I’ve ever DONE THAT before…wink wink)
Then I remember that iPhones are really handy, and I take a picture of my kid’s heats so I can just stare at my phone over and over instead of hogging the board.

Between heats, kids sit around and watch people.  Or tell jokes.  Or whatever kids do.
Josiah and Cameron:

Between heats, grommoms sit around and watch people.  Or tell jokes.  Or whatever we do.
Sophia and Natasha:  **side note:  Not all grommoms are as pretty as these two.  I have enough trouble getting out of bed and to the contest, let alone looking put together and pretty.  (But it also doesn’t take much for these two to look good.)

Then the kids gather under Coach Kahea’s tent.  These are the kids that my boys train with, and some of the parents.
All of us talk story, and share iPhone apps, food, and sunscreen.  It’s a very friendly group I must say.
Everyone cheers for each other’s kids.

Kahea uses the carve board to train the kids before their heats.  ”Bend your front leg Josiah!  Get LOW!”
I like the Diamond Head view behind Josiah.

Luke and the “Super Mini-Groms” check in:  (SOOO cute.)

Luke is getting ready to go out for his heat.  Kahea, and a group of moms were there to prep him.  Seems like a lot of focus on Luke.  I forgot to ask him what was going on.  I wonder if he was telling them a joke before his heat.  I think there were a lot of jokes going on at this event.  Or I’m just imagining it.

While I sit around, I like to take instagrams of girl-groms.
Then I invite them to come live with me.

Their mom’s tell me that Josiah is so nice to them, and they really like him.  Which makes me realize that one day they might say yes to my weird invitations.
At which point I’ll quit asking, of course.

The day goes on like this, and we have a great time.

Somewhere in there, my boys win or lose.  Go on into another heat.  Or not.  This weekend was “not.”  But they had crazy hard heats and they did really well, and felt good about it.

And then we are all exhausted and hot and tired.

And we pack up and do the hour drive back home.
Where I do laundry, feed my family, and hurry to bed…

Only to do it all again the next day.

I could think of worse ways to spend a weekend.

Thanks for going along for the ride, friends.

Aloha,

Thegrommom

Tropical Granola Goodness

May 20, 2012

If you are like me, and you LOVE some crunchy granola, you will be so happy to hear how easy it is to make your own…And because you are finding it here, of course it is going to be tropical.

First, the quick back-story:  Within a certain groupie of food-bloggers, (remember SALAD week when I joined in on the link-up fun?) there has been a little “care package exchange” going on.  All of these ladies have had some fun sending one another  a box filled with goodies from their local area.  Jeanne, the sweet and sassy Texan from Inside Nana Bread’s Head, asked if I was interested in doing an exchange with her.  I answered, “Hee haw!”  Or “Howdy!” or something that means yes in Texan.  Because Texan is a language, right?

Truth be told, Jeanne was craving some macadamia nuts, and she couldn’t take my tweeting-blogging-blabbing about our home-grown nuts another minute.  I was game, for sure.  I happen to love ME some good southern BBQ sauce, and I had a feeling Jeanne wouldn’t disappoint.

We did the exchange–I got my BBQ, she got her mac nuts, and we had a WIN-WIN.

Back to the granola:  One of the (many) item’s in the box Nana Bread sent was this:

It’s been a while since I’ve had Bob’s Red Mill, and I almost forgot how good it is.  What a difference!  My recent Quaker-in-bulk at Costco days might just be over…Bob is what’s for breakfast now.

Because of this revelation, I do recommend you use some high quality oats when you make your own granola.  But for starters, just use whatever you have.  You’re going to want to just hurry up and make this.

Like today.

Nana Bread had sent the oats with the specific recommendation that I try the granola found at Gingerbread Bagels site.  She had made it and loved it, and knew I would like it too.  She was right!

I tend to change things up as a habit, so my recipe is similar, but a tad different from the one at Gingerbread Bagel’s site.  (My photos however, do not compare.  I’m still learning friends, thanks for loving me anyways.)

Here’s my ingredients:

4 cups rolled oats.
1/2 cup finely chopped macadamia nuts.
1/2 cup shredded sweetened coconut.
1/2 cup raisins. 

(keep in mind–You can add any variety of goodies to your granola…switch things up according to your tastes!  I suggest any kind of dried fruit, nuts, or even chocolate chips (stirred in at the end.)  Be bold.  Be free.

1/2 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/4 cup brown sugar.
1 tsp. vanilla

1.  Combine the oats, nuts (ANY Nut will do,) and coconut.

(I added my coconut and raisins at the end, that’s why you don’t see them here.  It’s really the same either way.)

2.  In a small sauce pan, combine next three ingredients.
3.  Bring to a boil.

4.  Turn down heat and stir over medium heat for about five minutes.

5.  When it comes off heat, add a teaspoon of vanilla.

6.  Pour the sweet-oil mixture over the oats and nuts, and stir well.

7.  Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

8.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour and fifteen minutes, stirring around every fifteen minutes or so to bake evenly.

9.  Remove, and  pour into a bowl.
10.  Add milk, and enjoy!….OR make yogurt parfaits for your family (I did!  They loved me for it.)  Or use it to top ice cream…The possibilities are endless.

MY FAVORITE thing is to just chunk it up, and eat it straight from the bowl.  With my fingers.  Yes, I said it.  my fingers!  Pure crunchy goodness.

Good granola is very expensive here in Hawaii, so I am happy to have this recipe.
It is so easy, and it will save you a heap of money.

Let me know how it goes!  And share any variations on the recipe if you try something different!

Aloha,

Grommom

There's a Girl on My Site! (Grom-Style.)

May 18, 2012

Yes—You ARE seeing right.  It’s a girl!  And Yes–You’re still at thegrommom.

This week, I decided we needed to get some girl power going on here at the grommom.

Since all I have to work with around here is boys, I had to find me someone else’s girl to borrow.

And that didn’t take long at all.

Meet JORDYN!

Isn’t she adorable?

Jordyn is a super talented skateboarder, who is at the skate park probably more than my own boys…(Yeah, that much!)  More recently Jordyn has been riding some nice waves as well.  She’s as-grom-as-grom-gets…in the girl version!  I love that.  If I knew about groms when I was a kid, I think I would have been one too.  Or at least a wanna-be.

I invited Jordyn over to help me surf the internet and find some of the best girl-grom styles out there for this spring and summer.  I may or may not have had the side motive of simply wanting to see what it was like to have a girl in my home–I don’t get that very often.  Of course I didn’t tell her that.  My boys caught me sniffing at her a little, and staring a bit too long, and they gave me the “Mom–You’re SO WEIRD” look.  I tried to back off.  It was nice having her around though.  She is very strong and athletic, but also quiet, and …sweet.  Someone, please tell me that not ALL 13 year-old girls are like that…

Back to style:
Jordyn,  like my boys, loves Up and Riding.  But she also has a special relationship with VANS, so you’ll notice a few items come from their site as well.

Here’s Jordyn’s Spring Pick of the Week:

We were both digging the fun colors, and and stripes in the rainbow variety.  Jordyn wears boys’ (mens actually!) skate shoes, which I think is super cool because I happen to have really big feet and started opting for mens sizes often around Jordyn’s age too. And she just recently got these same sunglasses!

Remember, you can click on any of the items to take you directly to the site where you can purchase them.  And for one, I know that Up and Riding has FREE shipping!!!  Very cool, huh?

Grom-girl-Jordyn is not only blessed with great athletic genes, but she can also hope to inherit her mom’s artistic talents.   Jordyn’s mom, Joanne has a professional photography business called  Island Style Images.  She takes amazing photos of children and families around the island.

Here’s a few of her recent pics of Jordyn, on their recent trip to Australia:

(LUCKY DUCKS!)

And a personal favorite:

So everyone–call all your girlfriends, and let them know that Thegrommom is NOT just for boys anymore!!

Spread the word, we’re gender balanced around here!

(And if any  girls happen to be on-island, and have a little extra time, they’re welcome to come to my house where I’ll sniff them, make tea and do pedi’s and giggle like girls do.
I promise not to stare too much.)

Aloha, and happy shopping!

Thegrommom, And Jordyn

Fourth Child Syndrome.

May 16, 2012

Little Levi will be two in a couple of weeks.  Everyone in the family agrees that he has added enormous amounts of laughter and joy to our home.  He is embraced, loved, and perhaps a little bit…spoiled.

Just a little. (wink, wink.)

But, here’s my question:  Where do YOU fall in your own family or origin?  Do you think it has somehow shaped the person you have grown up to be?  Have you all read the books about birth order, and studied your own kids?

Here’s what I think:  The whole birth order thing–at least the general idea that where you fall in line in your family largely shapes your personality–is pretty accurate.  I mean, I haven’t studied it in-depth, and of course there are a trillion (give or take four) variables which affect how you grow up, but I do think birth order is one valid explanation.  There are things about each of our boys which cannot be explained by much else than where they fall in this family of four boys.

On a totally unrelated note, Levi has about two words now.  Now hold your hat, it’s all going to be ok.  If he were my first I’d probably have him in speech therapy, occupational therapy, and counseling.  (not really, but really.)  But being my fourth, I don’t sweat it a bit.  Two words by two is completely adequate.  He has plenty of years to learn the rest.

Perhaps more importantly are WHAT two words he has, right?  Well, I’ll tell you:

“Tractor,” and “MOM”

And it usually goes something like this:  ”MOM!….MOM!…Maaaahhhm!”
I say:  ”Yes, Levi?”
“Tractor.”

The end.

Now repeat that scene about 795 times a day, and you’ll understand why sometimes I have that wild look in my eyes.

Fortunately, he often calls other people “Mom” as well, so I can sometimes pretend he isn’t talking to me.   Last night for example, I heard Levi and Dad in the garage:  ”Mom!…Maaaahhhhm!”
Finally, Dave says “It’s DAD.”
Levi:  ”Dah.”
“What is it Levi?”
“Tractor.”

Then end.

What I’m saying, besides the fact that Levi is completely obsessed with tractors, is that Levi doesn’t need many words.  He has bigger people in his life who speak for him.  Plus, if he gives on to how much he truly understands, he probably won’t get by with so much.  Smart little rascal.

And to give him some credit, he has a few more than two words.  He just rarely uses them.  And most of them don’t sound a whole lot like words anyways.  And quite frankly, I’m ok with waiting a bit for full sentences and all of that.  Because, you know what?  I have three other kids, and I have learned that once they start that whole “TALKING” thing–they never shut up.  Never.

So I’m not rushing to speech therapy yet.

One of the things I love about Levi being fourth, and how that affects his personality, is the confidence that he already has.  Being around big boys who listen, encourage, and cheer him on in every little feat has given Levi a strong sense of self.  The kid gets three-boy applause for touching his toes, for goodness sakes.  And a full cheering section for taking a bite at the dinner table.  (Yes, we applaud eating.  He doesn’t do it much.)

All of this has turned Levi into quite a confident little boy.  He likes being center of attention.

When Laura was over taking pictures, she caught Levi in one of those moods…Telling me a story in his own language.  I’m pretty sure every fifth or sixth word was “tractor,” but the rest was a mystery.  His hand motions, and tone of voice is often all I have to go on.

And it cracks me up every time.

Show-off?  Perhaps.  But man do I love this kid.

So tell me:  Do you think there’s something to the whole birth-order business, or do you think it’s a bunch of hooey?  I’d love to hear from some of you middle children…as I’ve got one – or two – of those I’m trying to figure out as well.  Comment with some thoughts.

Have a wonderful day!

Aloha,
Grommom

"Going-On's" at Thegrommom...

May 15, 2012

Hi Friends!

How’s your week so far?
I can hardly believe it–we are TWO weeks away from wrapping up our home school year…Summer is almost here!  I’ve heard of fabulous weather all over the country, so I hope this finds you tanned and happy.  Or as Dr. Dave would say–”sun screened and happy.”

Well, there’s been a lot going on here at thegrommom!  I hope you like the new look (and it’s not even complete yet!)  Please tell me what you think–I mean, if you like it.  If you don’t like it, then you can keep it to yourself, haha.  (There’s no going back now I’m telling ya!)

A few things to point out:
1.  THEGROMMOM Facebook page!  Click on the link in my left sidebar, and “like me” please! We can keep up with each other even better that way!

2.  SUBSCRIBE!  Did you see the NEW subscriber bar in the upper righthand sidebar?  I hope you’ll subscribe to this blog so that you don’t miss any posts.  And if you once subscribed, and somehow just quit getting emails (I’ve heard from some of you–) here’s your chance to re-subscribe.  I’m sorry for the inconvenience, hopefully it will work this time!

3.  I’ve been working on an update at the ABOUT page…as well as another page called “The Truth Behind The Blog” which will be linked to the About page.  You can have a preview of that one HERE.  What I’m trying to say is—I’m really working on get everything fresh and up-to-date.  Meanwhile I know the blogging has been a little light.  So, please take some time to look around, and get re-acquainted!

4. We had a photo shoot with my friend Laura last Friday.  It went really well, even if she was trying to photograph two families (and a total of six little boys) all at once!  (We got together at my friend Maryam’s house for that!)    Here’s just a couple of my family favorites:

5.  Thank you for keeping up here…and please keep on clicking on that Top Mommy Blogs button (right side bar.)  You support means a lot to me!!!

Aloha!  Aloha!  Aloha!  Aloha!!

GM

Happy Mother's Day

May 13, 2012

What a great day to be a mom!

I love these four with all of my heart, and today I celebrate the privilege of being their momma.

Today I also thank God for my Mother-in-Law…Who raised my husband to be a good and godly man…and who taught him to pray for me from the time he was five.

And for my mom, who has loved me unconditionally, who can make me laugh uncontrollably, and who is my best friend to this day.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day everyone!

With Aloha!

Grommom

Grom Style!

May 11, 2012

True Friends

May 10, 2012

Friend.

Doesn’t that word just conjure up a wonderful collage of images in your mind?

It certainly does for me.

I’ve been blessed to have a LOT of  great friendships in my life…Many friendships from the past I have been blessed to maintain, to some degree or another.  Some of I have sadly  lost track of.  Some I have reconnected with, but only on Facebook or with Christmas cards.

But as far as my experience goes: You know a real, true friend when you find one.  And even after many years, many miles, or life changes, you’ll always feel a heart connection to that person.

One such friend of mine just left the island today.  She had been here with her family, thanks to her husband being in the military.  Now they leave, headed for a new adventure as her husband leaves the military, and begins Law School.  In Kansas.  Yes, Kansas.

I had only really began to know her well recently.  Luke had connected with her oldest son in a very special way a few months back.  He was his first buddy which, in Luke’s words was “both a surfer/skater, AND he loved God!”  I loved that.  They hit it off.  And because of them, I began to get to know the mom.  She was beautiful, and fun…and a fellow home school momma.  But what I think bugs me the most is that only recently I discovered that she had the kind of sense of humor that gets me in that certain spot.  Really friends, do you know what I’m talking about?  I have a LOT of good friends on this earth, but only a handful that have a certain breed of humor that could literally make me pee in my pants.  My own mother is one of them.  And then there are a couple of others.  I can’t explain this phenomenon.  It’s really odd because I have plenty of other friends that can really make me laugh.   But there is something unique about a few people who hit me in that funny bone…Oh I hope someone out there knows what I’m talking about!

So now my friend is gone, and I only scratched the surface of getting to know her.  I feel ripped off.  Thank God we live in the day and age of internet, travel, and Facebook–no doubt we’ll keep in touch.  And our kids as well.  But it still makes me sad to see her go.  I’m wondering if she could make me laugh just as hard through Skype.  We’ll have to see.

Then I think of another friend–this time one who I look forward to seeing soon!  This friend was on this island at a time where I so desperately needed a friend.  We both had only two boys then, and we bumped into each other at a Borders Book Store.  It was (friend) love at first sight.  A divine gift.  We “got” each other from the start.  Long explanations were not needed.  Together we went through the rough years…small kids, some medical issues, and (for me,) Dave’s residency years.  She coached me through the birth of my third son (While the OB doc and Dave talked fishing stories, if I remember right!)   Like my other friend,  she was a military wife, and three years after we met, she left me for Maryland… It was hard to let her go.

That was six years ago.  And though I haven’t seen her since, I can say that we are still connected in way that only true girlfriends can be.  I turn to her often when I need someone the most.  And there is no doubt that a quick text from her will stop me in my tracks to call back if I know she needs me.  She and her family will be visiting this June, and we have a whole lot of reconnecting to do!  Since they moved away, we’ve each birthed another son, and we’ve had plenty of other experiences that we look forward to sharing, face to face.   Sappy as it sounds, we have each had dreams of greeting each other with a hug that lasts for hours.  (Our husbands do NOT get us at all!)

That’s friendship.

I could carry on about so many other friends–friends that have met one need or another.  And the truth is–the beauty is–that God does give us friends that meet a multitude of needs.  I know that for me, I have one friend I’ll call when I need marriage advice, another when I just need to laugh, and yet another when I need someone who is an expert listener.  One who prays immediately, another who tells great stories, and another who will empathize.

Friends are such a gift.

Being in this busy season of my life, it is easy to take my friends for granted…I know that they are raising their kids too.  Working their jobs.  Living their lives.  We have a mutual understanding when we go weeks or months without talking.  When a Facebook post is the most we hear from each other.

But tonight, in the midst of grieving the departure of one friend, and looking forward to the visit of another, I am stopping to consider how blessed I have been by my friends.

Some of you reading this belong in that group.  Others are thinking of your own besties right now.  The ones that listen.  And the ones that make you pee in your pants.  They are all so awesome.

So here’s to friends!  Old ones, new ones, and the ones to come!

I love you Emily.  I love you Melissa.  I love you Tina, and Kari, and Lisa, and Tara, and Kendra, and Catherine, and Melissa C, and Christie, and Ashley, and Teresa, Stephanie, Judy, Karin, Tammy, and so many others that are in my heart all of the time…I can’t wait to hang with you again.  Hopefully before heaven, (hehe–that was just for Emily.)

Even if you make me pee in my pants.

YOU ROCK!!!

XOXOXOX
Your Friend,
Monica,

Thegrommom.

PS  Here’s your chance to comment!  I hope you’ll either share something about a friendship that has affected you, or even just name someone you love and miss…Maybe you’ll want to pass this post along to them and name them here!  You can always post this on Facebook or tweet it too!  Thanks and love to all my “new” online friends as well!!  Cheers to friends!  (**And if you don’t see a place to comment at first, try clicking on this specific post at the top, and it should open a page with a comment section–sorry, we’ll try to fix that soon! ) 

Grab Shell Dude--

May 8, 2012

Aloha friends!

You may notice new things keep popping up here at the grommom, and I am SO excited!  Thanks to both Maryam, and my brother-in-law Jonathan, I’m in very good hands.
I have been working on getting up to speed on some of the social networking sites (Blog lovin, instagram, and Facebook.) With the new design here, I’m all motivated to kick-start into gear.  Hope you like how it’s coming along!

Tonight I finally started thegrommom Facebook page.  It’s almost empty, but at least it’s there!  Please  LIKE ME! (That phrase will never NOT sound weird to me!)

While I got busy trying to work behind the scenes here, Sandra took the boys to Waimea for yet another afternoon of fun and frolicking.  It looked like a perfect day for jumping rock, swimming with turtles, and…?…tumbling in the sand!?
Don’t blame me, I just borned em.

Josiah put this short video together, and I think you’ll like it.  Please don’t report them for “grabbing some shell” on turtles…They’ve been scolded and they won’t do it again.  Pinky promise.

Much island love to you—

grommom

PS  I’m not sure if you can leave comments right now, there was a little glitch.  If not–we’ll have that back up and running soon!  (Cuz you know I’m dying to hear what you think of things so far—)

A Family That Surfs Together…

May 7, 2012

What do you think of the changes so far!?

Obviously, the facelift has begun here at thegrommom!   As usual, there were some frustrating obstacles to getting started on things, but now we’re on our way!  Once again, thanks to my new friend Maryam, the design is looking great so far.  Thanks for your patience if there are a few things missing, or if anything seems out of place.  It wont’ be long!

Surf Contest Update:  Surfing The Nations Surf Contest was a lot of fun on Saturday.  All three boys were in the “13 and under” age division, so it was tough.  The younger two did well, but didn’t go into any finals.  Josiah had an awesome heat–placing first, and was headed into semi-finals Sunday.  Unfortunately there was a little mix-up with heat times, and the schedule…I won’t even try to explain this one.  (I think for once I didn’t do anything wrong though!)
But the end of the story is that Josiah got to the beach Sunday to find out that he had already missed his semi-final heat!  Grrrr…So frustrating!  He was really bummed.  If you read my post about his State contest last week, you might remember that he almost missed a heat there too.  So, if you’re wondering if we are learning our lessons around here?   YES!  We are.   Fortunately this weekend’s contest was just for fun, so it doesn’t really matter, but it was indeed a disappointment.

Here’s two photos of his heat yesterday:  Josiah in blue.

It was a beautiful day, and the surf was small, but “glassy” (as we surfers say…haha.)

Now, since we don’t want to dwell on the “what could have beens” of that contest, I’ll shift the focus to something else:
A TYPICAL AFTERNOON FOR OUR FAMILY

Did you guess?
YUP–THE BEACH!  With a bunch of boards, a bag of snacks, and usually one or two of Levi’s “tractors.”

We love family afternoons at the beach.  And though I sometimes opt to stay home (there’s always plenty to do at home,) I am always glad when I decide to join the family.
Because indeed–
A FAMILY THAT SURFS TOGETHER (OR DOES ANYTHING TOGETHER REGULARLY!) STAYS TOGETHER!!

Ready to hit the water:

Everyone’s happy.
Luke:

Dad:

And Levi, whose cheesy smile…is getting better?

No, still pretty bad.

Love to see the guys all going out together.

And happy to be on the beach with the camera, and the snacks.
Because someone’s gotta do it.

Aloha, and keep coming back to watch this place transform…

Grommom

Breaking/Blogging/Good and Dirty News...

May 5, 2012

Hi Friends!
How’s life?   Was it a good week?
I do hope so!
I am here to bring you a few news updates.

Breaking News:
We found JackJack.

Surf News:
Saturday morning, I’ll be off and running down to Waikiki for a surf contest.  Surfing The Nations puts on a contest down at Waikiki every May, and my three oldest boys are taking part in it.  These are super fun contests, and we really love the work of Surfing The Nations.

Blog News:
A facelift!  (No, not my real face.)
Thegrommom is about to have a Facelift!

Here’s the story:  Thanks to the blogosphere, or maybe it was Twitter…I’m not sure–but I came across a fellow Mom-blogger who (get this!) LIVES here on the North Shore of Oahu.  I really love her site, and it is clear that she is extremely talented at blog design as well as a whole lot of other stuff! (Just go see her blog and you’ll agree.)  Any ways, I contacted her to see if she might be available to help me do some design work here at thegrommom site.  She graciously agreed, and within a couple days we met face to face!   As soon as Maryam came over, it was clear that we had much more in common than I had realized.  Not only is she pregnant with her third BOY, but she is also married to a surfer-doctor!  The list goes on and on, and I am really looking forward to a lot more time with Maryam and her family!

We had a great time together.  In between episodes of chasing our children, (who quickly found the squirt guns and red dirt,) and chatting, we did begin some work on blog design.  It was hard to stay on topic though because we kept getting side-tracked by all kinds of mom talk–topics like natural childbirth (HER) as opposed to drugs (me,) potty training boys BY TWO (HER,) as opposed to hopefully-but not always THREE (me.)  It was good fun.

So you may be seeing some changes here at thegrommom soon.  And if there are any interruptions or glitches, please hang in there–it won’t be long.

Along those lines, I am sincerely asking you to comment at the bottom of this post with YOUR INPUT on a couple things.  So, don’t leave this page without reading the questions at the bottom!

Good and Dirty News:
We had a big truck deliver topsoil last week.  And as far as Levi is concerned, there is pretty much nothing in the universe more exciting than a big truck delivering dirt.

Dave has been playing working a LOT on his tractor, (much of the time with Levi on his lap,) and getting some good work done.  Sometime in the near future I will share some photos of the progress out there.

Meanwhile, Levi’s not complaining.

Adolescent News:
Josiah.
Got.
Braces.
He was really happy with it all, and left the orthodontist smiling:

But within a couple hours he was miserable.  Poor Kid hasn’t eaten real food in three days.
I forgot how painful those braces can be.

But the timing was terrific to receive THIS!
(Snack News:) 

That’s right friends–Peter Rabbit Organics has come out with FIVE NEW FLAVORS, and they sent me some to try!

Peach and Apple, Banana and Apple, Pear and Apple, Pear and Pea, and Pumpkin, Carrot and Apple!   ALL NEW!

So, now it’s your turn!  Ready to comment!?

Here’s what I’d like you to share:
WHEN YOU VISIT THEGROMMOM, do you come here to:

A.  See surfing/skating photos videos and news?
B.  See beautiful photos of Hawaii/ find out about great places to visit/eat/site see here on the North shore?
C.  Hear me ramble…story tell…embarrass myself and share family updates.
D.  Hear about homeschooling, OR
E.  Faith/inspiration OR
F.  Home/land improvement OR
G.  Health/fitness…cooking
Please comment with a simple letter (or letters,) or your thoughts!  And if there is something that I left out, feel free to speak up! 

If you happen to like things just how they are–please don’t worry.  The content will not change, I am simply working to focus in a bit on the areas I think you all want the most.  This will not be an overhaul–just a facelift!

Aloha!!  And see ya on Twitter and Facebook (ALSO–thegrommom Facebook page should be up and running this weekend!)

Grommom

Things Boys Love: Board Edition.

May 3, 2012

Even though I still daydream occasionally (ok, kind of a lot) about having a girl…

Deep down, I am really, REALLY glad that I have boys.  I wouldn’t trade my boys for any girl in the world.   (I just hope they let me choose my daughter-in-laws one day…hehe.)

I’ve been thinking a lot about boys lately.  I guess this is on my mind a lot because I just started the MOB society blog’s 21 Days of Prayer for our boys.  It started May 1st, so you aren’t too late to jump in if you have boys that need prayer.  I am excited to be praying for areas like our boys’ hearts, their health, their futures, their future wives. (eeks!)  Really, raising up boys is a big responsibility, and true privilege.

I don’t have girls to compare to, but I do know that our boys have been uniquely boy from the time they could make choices.  Our little Levi (almost 2!) is still completely obsessed with tractors.  He talks about them all day long.  My boys have gone through the Transformers stage…the Star Wars stage…and I’m beginning to think that Legos are not a stage at all, but just part of being a boy.  Then there are sports:  Soccer, basketball, karate…they have all had their seasons in this family.  But of course surfing seems to be the one thing that is here to stay for my boys. (And yes, I know many sweet girls who love surfing as well, so I’m not calling this a boy thing at all!)

Looking through this last year’s photos, I realized that one of the most photographed scenes I have is of my boys with their boards.   For some reason I always want to snap a shot of them as they are looking out at the water, or coming in from the water.  They just look so strong and healthy at that moment.  Like they are heading out to conquer, or have just conquered something out there, and they feel really good about it.   They’re just irresistible.

Here’s just a few of my “Boys with board” collection.

And a personal favorite:

(That’s what little boys with boards grow up to be…
Not a bad thing at all.)

What are some of the things that represent your boys (OR GIRLS)!?  Are they into something special, or what is the thing that you think best defines them right now?  Please share!

Aloha,
Grommom.