Talking Native

Growing up, we learned basics of Hawaiian History. The timeline of our monarchy. The overthrow. We eventually get into more detail but it does take a long while and most of us end up learning the details outside of school.

It was amazing how much I didn’t know until I was 18 when I decided to go in depth and read more books about Hawai’i and not only about the time of the overthrow but also further back.

It’s also amazing how blind I was as well. But then again, I was hella naïve up until I was 18.

I’m not gonna give a whole history lesson. This post is about what the conversations I have had to continuously have with a good amount of people who are not Hawaiian and who are under this impression that literally everything wrong with Hawai’i has nothing to do with the overthrow.

I have had to explain that the Hawaiian language, ‘Olelo, is originally an oral language. It wasn’t until missionaries and ship translators that it started to be written down and thus the letters and the rules quite a bit of people have a problem with, were made by English speakers, not Hawaiians.

I cannot tell you how much it irritates me when people talk down on Hawaiians about our language because of the way it is written.

What irritates me more is a lot of the time, these same people won’t even try to say the words correctly. They’ve asked me how to say it, I told them how, they tell me that’s stupid and butcher the word to make it fit their mouth. Like ugh.

And that’s just about the language. Once we get into the history, my lord it becomes such an odd conversation.

People will say that if it wasn’t for America overthrowing the kingdom, we would still be in grass huts. Uhhh, excuse me but Honolulu had electricity before majority of the continental U.S. did. We were already out of grass huts at that time. Hawai’i had a 90% literacy level in Hawaiian and English before the Overthrow.

And even now as I throw these points out, I know that it doesn’t matter. Americans are utterly convinced that they bettered our lives because they overthrew us before someone else did. And that’s what they focus on. That they overthrew us before someone else did.

But every time I hear that, I think of someone saying, “well it was better that we kidnapped you instead of those other guys” “It’s better that it was I that raped you and not somebody else” “You don’t know how someone else would be, at least I’m nice.”

Like, Hawaiians became 2nd class citizens in our own lands. We were treated like we were stupid and uneducated for yeaaaars just because we could speak Hawaiian and English. We didn’t have actual local politicians in the government for years after we were made a state. If you didn’t speak proper English, you weren’t hirable in well paying jobs.

The Kanaka Maoli lives weren’t made easier. It was made harder, making many of us grow up in homes that were getting increasingly bitter by each generation as doors kept getting closed in our face if we didn’t adhere to the rules set up by a people who live across the ocean.

Ultimately, I am tired having the same discussion with different people who refuse to understand why we fight so hard to retain our culture. Why we fight to keep Mauna Kea from becoming further developed than it already is. Why we are standing strong with honoring our culture and our ancestors and not allowing mainlanders and people whose minds are closed try to bully us into silence.

Mahalo for reading!

The Plan for the Week

It is already Tuesday, and by the time I post this, it’ll be Wednesday, so this plan is mostly for the week with today being day 1.

My in-laws are flying in today and I am so excited. I adore my husband’s parents. They are witty, straightforward and always up to having a fun time. They also work a lot so it’s nice they’re able to take some vacation.

It’s funny because writing all that above was me basically describing my husband, who thankfully took leave for the week that his parents are here. He was also getting a talking to from his superiors because he has so much vacation days saved up.

Once his parents get here, we’re going to do some grocery shopping with them. Since my husband and I don’t eat red meat anymore, we want to be able to make something that his parents will like. Which means I need to organize my kitchen again.

Whenever I first stock up, everything is pretty organized. But then it becomes a mess as the days go on.

I also need clean some more. I did most of my major cleaning over the weekend. I still need to do a deep mopping of the floors with my Kirby. On a daily, I use my Swiffer mop but once a month I use the Kirby which, if you are someone who loves to clean or someone that likes a clean house, the Kirby is a-ma-zing. At least in my opinion.

While my in-laws are here, I’m not going to be doing the Tarot Readings as much because I’m not really going to have the time. Whenever I have guests, I like to focus majority of my energy on them because for me, and me only, I feel rude not paying somewhat attention to them.

I’m glad payday is on Friday because then we can do more with his parents. Ooh and Superbowl is on Sunday! Even though none of our teams are playing, it’ll be fun to watch together. Well, it will be for me and my in laws. My husband isn’t a huge fan of football. He’d probably watch the halftime show.

Also, since my in-laws will be here, I’m not entirely sure if I am going to be posting this week. Maybe if I write at night and schedule the posts. But its dependent on time and if I have anything to write about.

Mahalo for reading!

Life Update

It is still January of 2019 and I’ll be honest, this January is going by a lot faster than 2018’s January. It is pretty awesome.

This post is a life update with what’s going on that I haven’t touched upon because I either forget to write about or I just don’t feel like sharing because it’s short. So I am gonna just post all the miscellaneous things together.

In November, found out our car is a death trap. Shout out to the female mechanic at Midas who went over everything with me. I do specify female because when I talked to the lady in the front about how thorough the mechanic was she legit went, “Oh yeah. Our female mechanics are really good.”

Like, ooh small shade towards the male mechanics.

But yeah, there is so much wrong with the car that it is not recommended to drive it at all. However, that’s our only car and we are a one income family right now and hubby’s job isn’t exactly within a safe walking distance. So he is still driving it. Every now and again I’ll drive it to go shopping. We try our very best to make sure our little one isn’t driven in it but there are times where that is unavoidable.

Luckily, my husband’s first car that is in very good condition is sitting at my parent’s place on Hawai’i island. It only costs about $350 to ship it. We were going to wait to use the tax return money but since we’re not entirely sure when we will be able to get that, we are planning on going without a few things for a bit so that we can get that car here.

Once that car is here, everything will be so much better.

Since my child is 3 now, she can go into a day care that acts like a pre-pre-school. Of course the snag is pricing. Military does offer relatively cheap prices compared to civilian prices buuuut they definitely do not take in consideration of bills and how much it actually costs to live in Hawai’i.

Which is why, amongst other reasons why, I am looking for a job-job. One that will pay me consistently (hopefully) every two weeks and let me work part time. There is some real good jobs in the town that’s about 30 minutes away so I’m definitely looking there. But the obstacles right now are 1) needing a working car and 2) needing child care for the little one.

Do you see the circle of things? That cycle? Where I need one in order to get the other two done and that’s no matter which one I choose?

And I legit do not know what I am doing. I am trying to do side gigs online just to try to get some money. But the hard things is figuring out what I am good enough at that I can sell that service.

I am not great at writing, as in I don’t have enough experience to be a freelance writer.

I enjoy photography but I don’t have the money to download an editing program to make my photos stand out. Or a camera that’s not my phone camera.

It almost looks like I’m looking for excuses to not at least try these things but it’s not that. I just do not have marketable skills. And just those two things I listed are highly competitive industries online. I do not have a competitive bone in my body. I cannot haggle. Or undermine someone else’s work. I just enjoy things.

I wish I could be a professional hugger. Or a listener that isn’t a therapist. I can do those two things very well.

Well, that’s my current life update. I think I’ll post these at the end of each month.

Mahalo for reading!

Tarot Cards

I really really really really really really…like you.

Which is true but also! I really like Tarot Cards.

And I know that’s funny since I am considered a Christian. But you know what, Tarot Cards are meant to be fun in my opinion. At least they are for me.

I have two decks of tarot cards and I switch between them depending on what I feel like looking at since both are works of art. I have done readings for family members and friends and friends of family members.

A lot of the older generation don’t like them because they are considered devil tools since they are used to tell the future. But that’s such propaganda against those who aren’t Christian that use them. If you ever had your reading done before, you’ll know that it’s more fun and games and thought provoking than anything. Plus, the cards don’t exactly tell the future, it’s more like they give possibilities and remind you that your actions are actually what will cause your future.

When I do readings, especially when I do the large spreads, it’s like reading a story. Putting the pieces together is a game. Because of course, each card has a specific meaning and in general, can mean anything to anyone. But, what they mean when there’s more to consider will more often than not become specific to one person.

When I do readings and the person is physically with me, I have them shuffle the cards while focusing on their question without saying a thing to me. I lay them out and read off the general meanings. At the end, I’ll give my interpretation and ask them what their question is. Once I hear the question, if I need clarifying, I’ll ask questions and usually the cards make more sense for both me and them and the interpretation will either stay the same or it can be changed accordingly. Basically, perspective.

When the person isn’t physically with me, I have them tell me their question and then I shuffle the cards with my focus on the question and on the person who is asking it. I lay out the cards, say the general meanings and then start to ask the person questions.

Again, tarot cards don’t tell your future. They don’t tell you things about yourself that you don’t know. In my experience, the cards remind you of factors in your life that you aren’t considering and just make you think about how those factors can affect your life and your question.

Also, this is my experience with the cards. People who do tarot have different experiences because it is based off of the type of person they are.

And while I have always done these readings for free, unfortunately, free doesn’t help me do my payments on time for my debt. So I did some research and I have found a website called Fiverr that will allow me to basically sell readings.

This also more of a side gig to help with miscellaneous bills and having extra money in the account until and even after I get a physical job.

If you would like a reading you can click on this link

Mahalo for reading!

Acne and Me: Proactiv

I have had acne since I was 10. At first it would be 1 or 2 bumps here and there. Then when I was 13 it became a bunch of small bumps all over my forehead and areas on my cheeks. Everything I tried would help for a month tops and then my skin would just get used to the product and, even while using the product still (I would go until I finished it), my skin would continued to break out.

Now as an adult, not much as changed.

I silently rage at the people who told me my skin would clear up as an adult because that. did. not. happen.

And of course, everyone says the same thing: Drink a lot of water (my doctor told me I drink too much water which I think is BS), have a healthy diet (these past year and a half I’ve been eating really well), exercise (yoga counts as exercise so hah!), and do a skin routine.

Record scratch

Skin routines have been hard for me because at first, I didn’t know what I was supposed to put on my face. I looked it up on pinterest and the next problem was trying to find an affordable brand of the basic things I needed. For a while I was using the No7 products and as long as I stayed on top of it, it helped but it also didn’t completely get rid of my acne and I would still break out here and there while using it.

Back in December, I decided to order Proactiv. I used it in high school because my mom bought it for me (I think she didn’t like my acne more than me). It helped a bit back then but then it would stop working.

I figured that since I was an adult now and I already have all the other stuff checked off, maybe Proactiv would work better now.

So, first of all, it took almost a month for my Proactiv stuff to be sent to me. Like, I bought it on December 1. It did not ship until December 22. They tried to charge me for the 2nd shipment on December 17. Luckily you can postpone shipments on the site.

I finally got my products just before new years and started my regiment on January 1.

And my dumb butt threw out the products before I started writing this. However! I did take pictures of the products so past me is smarter than present me.

I had received a Skin Smoothing Exfoliator, a Pore Targeting Treatment, a Complexion Perfecting Hydrator, two Green Tea Moisturizers, Clarifying Night Cream, and a battery powered face scrubby thing that had bristles that were infused with charcoal.

Pretty impressive right? And this was just the 30-day supply which only cost me I think around $30.

So for 3 weeks I used just these face products. The only one I didn’t use was the Clarifying Night Cream because I didn’t get the chance to.

Part of the instructions is to use these products just once a day for at least 3 days and then gradually build up to two, to three times as needed. I ended up sticking with only once a day for the entire 3 weeks.

My skin is combination. The Skin Smoother Exfoliator and the Pore Targeting Treatment were hella drying for me. The Complexion Perfecting Hydrator was helpful in combating it, but even then my skin felt dry. When putting on the Green Tea Moisturizer, that made a huge difference but only for about 15 minutes and then my skin felt like it was stripped of any oil.

I was determined to stick through it because that’s what they always say. Stick to it and you will see results.

Yeah from beginning to week 2 to the ending of week 3, my skin had become itchy. And since it didn’t stop for two weeks, that’s when I decided to stop the regiment all together.

Did I see a difference in my skin while using it? I did, yes. But it wasn’t a big enough difference to keep having itchy and drying skin.

Cancelling my subscription was easy. The Proactiv site has a chat option where you can chat with someone about any questions you have. It was quick. They asked me why, I told them why. It took all of maybe 3 minutes.

Final thoughts! Will I use Proactiv again anytime soon? No. It’s just not for me and how my skin wants to be.

And thus, my journey to clearer skin continues!

Mahalo for reading!

Adventures in Potty Training: How Day 3 went and How I am continuing

Man my titles just get longer it feels like. There is also a lack of continuity in them but oh well.

Onwards!

Yesterday was Day 3 of the 3 Day Potty Training technique I decided to try. I posted in yesterday’s post on how the beginning of the day went and just to recap real quick: she had two accidents (that I can remember) but other than those two accidents, she went pretty much every time after that on the potty.

Also, my husband’s Saturday gaming group (Friday night is Pathfinder, Saturday is DnD…5th edition I think) was here at 1.30 (they’re supposed to be here at 1 but they always late- just a quick throwing them under the bus since they don’t read this blog) and they usually stay until 7.30-8. So instead of pausing my spawn’s potty training for the day, I continued with it as soon as she woke up from her nap.

I say that last part like they would have objected but that’s not the case. It was more of a mental battle because that’s 7 people total in my place using 1 bathroom.

Ultimately making sure my child didn’t regress in her potty training was more important.

And I think only 2 of them used the bathroom more than twice throughout the day.

Anywho, yesterday went really well after she got up from her nap. She had no accidents. I was asking her every 30 minutes if she needed to go. She went almost every time. She had also started going by herself. As in, she would run to the bathroom and I would follow her to help her wipe.

I was worried about the fact that it was day 3 and she hadn’t pooped in almost two days. But as soon as I put her pull up on after her shower, she pooped within 30 minutes. So having her be comfortable with pooping in the potty is something I need to work on along with doing night time potty training.

Today is Day 4 and it is going super well so far *knock on wood* (I have a wood coffee table stand thing so I am actually knocking on wood). She has had no accidents. She has had on the same underwear since about 7 and it’s almost time for lunch and then her nap, so, serious achievement.

Again, the only thing we have to work on is pooping in the toilet and, again, potty training at night.

Now, does the 3 Day Potty Training work?

Well, kind of yeah. At least for my spawn it does. And its legit just about repetition. Having that schedule. And when doing it for two days straight, by the third day it’s both unsurprising and a surprise that the toddler gets it. I know that doesn’t make much sense. But it’s like, unsurprising when you think about what had to be done to reach this goal. The constantly taking the child to the potty. Constantly asking them if they have to go. And even if they say no and the timer is up, taking them anyways.

It’s surprising because my spawn can be stubborn and didn’t want to have anything to do with the toilet this past year. And yet, within 3 days, she is now using the potty whenever she feels the need to pee.

I’ll maybe do an update at the end of the month on how night time potty training goes. Pay day is this upcoming week so along with a soft mattress topper for the little one, I will also be investing in one of those protective sheets to put on her bed and more underwear for her.

If I am lucky, she might be potty trained a good amount by the time my in-laws come in which will make going places a little easier.

Ah that is another thing to do put on the potty training list. Taking her out and seeing how she fares.

And I’m not deluded. I know there is going to be accidents. She is a child after all and that stuff happens. But I am very proud of my little one. She is becoming such a big girl.

…I am totally not crying right now.

Mahalo for reading and Happy Aloha Sunday!

Potty Training Adventure: Ending of Day 1 and How Day 2 went

That title is a mouthful but I am currently very uncreative.

Anywho! I wasn’t able to write or post yesterday because 1) I was potty training and 2) I was cleaning bc my husband’s Pathfinder gaming group were having a session here (I always clean the most whenever people are coming over).

Day 1 ended pretty well. I had to put her back in a pull up after my husband got home. Something he had for lunch did not agree with his stomach and he had to be posted on the toilet for some time. She had two accidents that day but also went to the potty twice.

Day 2 was the day she wore underwear. This time I was to take her every 30 minutes. She had two and half accidents. I say half because when she realized that she was peeing, she stopped and ran to the potty just as I got up to grab her to take her. She finished her long pee in there. She went to the potty I want to say four times and she did really well. She got to the point where she started getting up and heading to the potty by herself (with me close behind). In total she only soiled two panties (the first accident she had she was still bare butt).

Since we had people come over, at 4.30 (around the same time as day 1) I put a pull up back on her. I still tried to get her to go to the potty but she ended up going in the pull up instead. That’s something we’re going to have to work on.

Today, I couldn’t remember when I’m supposed to take her since it is Day 3. I tried to find the article on pinterest that told me but ultimately could not so I am just keeping with the 30 minute interval. I did find new stuff though that I didn’t see before. Like how it was highly suggested to quit pullups cold turkey.

I cannot do that. Right now anyways. Mostly because I do not have a protective cover for her bed. Also she hasn’t actually used the pull up during her naps the past two days which was a surprise. When she’s sleeping at night is when she pees the most I’ve noticed.

So far, day 3 is going well. She has had two accidents again. But she has also gone to the potty at least three. I am going to try to keep her underwear on longer today. I do think she gets it though now about going to the potty.

I am not exactly sure how I am going to go about day 4. Whether or not I am going to keep her in the house or try to brave going outside for the first time. Accidents are going to happen I already know. I am prepared. But it’s one of those things where I am not sure if I am going to want to play it safe for a little bit longer or if I am going to just jump in and see how it goes.

We’ll see.

And I’ll let you guys know.

Mahalo for reading!

The Adventure called Potty Training

My child is now 3 years old and is not potty trained at all.

I have tried all throughout her 2nd year of life but she either put her foot down about ever going into the bathroom or she would pee as soon as she got off of the potty. Thus, leading me to think, ‘She’s not ready yet.’

I know people who have been able to potty train their child with ease. There are others who had difficulty. Some had their child potty trained by a year old, others had their child potty trained at 5.

Of course, despite knowing, and even close to preaching, that all children are different, I couldn’t help, and still can’t at times, feel that I am doing something wrong and letting my child down in the process.

My child is so unaffected.

Here is what I have learned about my child specifically, which applies to many if not majority of children. She does things when she decides to. She decided to start talking full sentences just a few weeks before she turned 3. She decided to clearly count to 6 at that same time. She decided to take an interest in the alphabet (though it’s a very minor interest) a week ago.

And this is all despite me trying to get her into these things last year. I cannot push or force her into doing things when I want her to, or when other people (who ultimately have no say but like to act like they do) want her to. Because it just makes her not want to do it at all.

So I am approaching potty training with the same mindset.

I have been told a three day potty training trick. I have seen it on pinterest. But I actually have met someone who says she has potty trained all three of her boys in three days. And the major thing she was saying, that I just said above, you cannot do this and succeed if that child isn’t ready.

Of course I’m like, “How do you know?”

She said, “Oh you’ll know.”

And I’m just like…I really do not know. My child takes off her pull up all the time. She prefers to be naked anyways. But she has taken no real interest in the potty. She likes to be in the bathroom with me when I am using the toilet but besides that, I have nothing to go off of.

However, I have decided that today will be day 1 of the three day potty training. If it doesn’t work, oh well. I’ll at least have started the process of potty training with her and it’ll turn into an every day thing.

Day 1 is having the child be completely naked. No diaper. No pull up. And setting the timer for 15 minutes. We started an hour ago. She has had 1 accident. Which happened a few minutes after I took her off of the potty.

And that’s fine. I have my Lysol spray and my rags ready to go and we are posted in the living room. Away from the bedrooms that have carpet.

I’ll update tomorrow on how it goes for the rest of the day as well as the beginning of day 2.

Wish me luck!

Mahalo for reading!

Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!

Happy New Year!

An interesting and funny fact is that the continental U.S. has been in the year 2019 for 3-6 hours longer than us in Hawai’i. Time zones lead to fun thinking.

Anywho! I hope everyone’s New Years was safe-ish and not boring (to each their own).

My husband’s work buddy invited us over to play some games at his and his wife’s place. We’ve actually been to their home quite a few times. We also spent Thanksgiving with them. When I say these people are good people, they are GOOD people.

I always hear about Southern hospitality (just like how people hear about the Aloha hospitality here) and since the only exposure I’ve ever had close to that is my born and raised in Louisiana grandfather (Papa), this was a new experience for me (how people treat you can be considered an experience). And they are absolutely awesome.

So we went over last night around 7 (supposed to be 6 but hubby took a nap that lasted just a little bit too long, oh well). We brought 7up (which is my new favorite soda btw), our child’s ipad and blanket, and our Switch controllers so we could all play Super Smash Brothers.

It was a good night. We played a few rounds on Super Smash Brothers. I almost won one of the games by just chilling and trying to figure out all of my moves until they figured out that I hadn’t died and started chasing me around the stage. I survived until it was down to just me and my husband. However, I accidentally fell off the stage and couldn’t recover fast enough. Oh well. All’s fair in love and video games.

After Super Smash Brothers we switched to Munchkin bc H (T’s wife) had never played. For those who haven’t, it is so much fun. However I am horrible at explaining rules. It’s a card game first off. You play to go up levels with level 10 being the winning level. You can also prevent other people from gaining levels. It’s best to play with at least 3 or more people. This game can go quickly or it can stretch for hours.

Then we played another card game. This one was definitely new to me. It’s called Rook. I feel like majority of the united states probably know this game but yeah I had no idea. I don’t even know where to start since last night was the first time I’ve played it. It’s similar to poker I think. It was a lot of fun.

To end the night was the fireworks. What’s funny is that in Hawai’i aerial fireworks are illegal (along with a bunch of others I think). It’s more enforced on Big Island. Sure there are people here and there that have illegals but also most of them are either related to police or something similar so they can for the most part get away with it.

Oahu is very different. All we had to do was drive down the road and it was a light show. Very awesome in my opinion. I understand why aerial fireworks are for the most part illegal for civilians to have. Lots of injuries. Lots of accidental deaths. But beauty has always been dangerous.

I am sooo rambling at this point because I am still very tired.

But yes, that is what I did New Year’s Eve. Now that it’s January 1st (coming to the end of it actually), 2019 has officially started and I am ready to keep moving forward.

Mahalo for reading!

2019: A Year to Look Forward To

At least, that’s what I’m consistently telling myself. I have nothing super amazing plan but I am going to try to go into the New Year with some positive vibes.

Coming up to a New Year, no matter which year it is, brings me so much excitement. It feels like there’s an endless amount of opportunities waiting for you as soon as the 1st comes around. Yes, there is a sort of anticlimactic feeling when halfway through January but that doesn’t mean opportunity isn’t there anymore. I am learning that it’s how I look at things that will ultimately decide if something sucks or not. (which is also so weird to think about because I sound like my mom).

A quick lookback at 2018 has shown me that this past year has been very interesting and stressful. Most of that stress comes from trying to be a responsible adult and not actually failing at it, just being super hard on myself about it. Which I feel like a lot of us do. So going into this New Year, I am going to try – try – to not be so hard myself.

Also, this past year I ended up losing 20lbs which was actually super unexpected. I mean, I did make it my 2018 New Years Resolution but it took until August for anything to really start happening and at that point I had pretty much stopped caring on whether I lost weight or not.

For this upcoming year, I would like to lose at least 10-15 more pounds just so I could be closer to be my pre-pregnancy weight. But we will see what happens. My diet is good, my workout regime is decent and even if I don’t lose anymore weight, I am gaining tone so I can only hope to carry that into 2019.

I also have the goal to go back to work this coming year. I am going to be enrolling the little one into the Child Care they offer here on base once the New Year hits. We will have to see if she gets waitlisted though and if she does, I am going to have to wait. Which, again, is fine.

This is more of a throw out to the universe type of goal and see what happens but maybe I could go back to school as well in 2019. I like psychology and one day, I would like to be a counselor (I am so much better at helping other people than I am helping myself). I also wouldn’t mind going into a trade like Massage Therapy. I would say Hair Styling but I am actually not super interested in that.

I definitely want to try to post some more on this blog. Its definitely one of my favorite places to record my thoughts and opinions.

When it comes to the New Year, what are you most excited about? Or what is something that you are looking forward to?

Mahalo for reading!