Rad Weekend

Things I will write about tomorrow that I'm too tired to write about today.

Haiku the first time.

Paia with Kara and Waldo

Kula Fest and the most beautiful final resting spot I've ever seen

A maui cruisin' evening topped with unbelievably buttery delicious raw fish and cocktails with Susu

By far the most incredible view and morning hike with Susu

Haiku Kombucha

Kanaha Beach kiteboard observations with Kara

Driving into a cloud and the best house salad I've ever had with Susu

Made pizza and found waldo

Long, wonderful day- too much to post before I hit the hay. I'll catch up with you all tomorrow.

But I did write- so HA!

Aloha Pumehana,

Bettyboo

Shadows follow you wherever you go

One of my dudes was really frightened of shadows the other night at dinner. His parents were out on a date and everything in the house was scaring him. If you have never been in a big house, that doesn't belong to you, on an island, alone with a terrified kid who is pointing out anything that could potentially be scary- you might think it would be easy to calm him down. He was convinced that the Buddah statute and paintings were moving and that they were evil. He wanted to destroy his parents artwork. It was even scaring me, at one point. The shadow-fright carried on for the next few days. It would become dusk, he would become a scaredy cat (weird for him because he is very outgoing and very confident)
Anyway- point of this story: Yesterday morning he was standing near a white wall with a light right above him. He put his arms over his head and then started waving them back and forth and declared in a crazy-kid voice "WATCH! I'm making my shadow move. I like it. HAHAHAHAH!!!!!!" (I had already shown him this about a thousand times- but this was a breakthrough for this week)

Yesterday I got to 'shadow' a teachers aide at Waldorf! So, I followed her around everywhere she went and did what she did- kind of like a real shadow. I arrived when the children were having snack. I was greeted by the magical teacher (my new mentor Ms. G)- she asked if I'd like tea or coffee with some whipped cream they made for a birthday celebration. Obviously I chose coffee with the homemade-whipped cream. It was slightly sweet and slowly melted into my hot, super strong coffee. What a brilliant idea for coffee creamer- I never thought of doing that- TOTALLY stealing that idea.
My magical mentor was just about to start an oral telling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" her team-teacher, Ms. L was slicing and passing out apples and scooping up 'jusssssssst right' porridge for children that was made during free choice time.
I listened to the story and about halfway through- Ms. A, the teacher-aide I was shadowing arrived. She and I helped the children to compost their leftovers, and soak their (REAL) dishes after story time. We loaded the dishwasher and tidied the room a bit as the children used the bathroom and started to head out for a walk around campus. After we tidied we went to find them and then helped supervise 'yard play'. Early childhood teachers at this school watch the children and sometimes help initiate play but mostly try to engage in and model 'real work' so the kids can join or just observe- weeding and tending to their gorgeous garden, cleaning, setting up lunch (which they eat on their classroom porch daily :) ) or whatever needs to be done.
When it was just about time for the children to go inside- we got some warm washcloths with lavender Dr. Bronner's ready to wash their faces, hands and feet before entering the Hawaii-style-no-shoes classroom. This is an everyday activity- sweet, soothing lavender cleanse before lunch.
Then they had lunch and we went to watch the fifth graders have recess and have our own lunch. I really enjoyed talking to Ms. A- she is from Japan and has lived all over the world. She is also trained in ECE and has two sons enrolled in the Haleakala school. She was very encouraging and kind. That campus is just absolutely brimming with positive vibes, beauty and love. Everyone I meet there is so genuinely happy with their job and location. I absolutely love it.
After the bell chimed, the fifth graders went back to their classroom and we went back down to the preschool. The children were jussst laying down to nap and I was instructed to "find a pillow, a blankie and cuddle up". I was supposed to make children who were having a hard time falling asleep comfortable, rest my eyes and make sure they knew it was okay to sleep. Real life, next week I'll be subbing in a classroom that I can cuddle and nap with kids who were recently washed off with calming lavender soaps. WHAT?! REAL LIFE?!?! Awesome.
After nap, the children were dismissed and I went home to hang out with my kiddos and then went to yoga.

Today- we had a typical morning and then after yoga I noticed I had a message from my dear friend Hawaii Fun Suzy and gave her a call! She is one of my moms close friends from highschool that I've known since childhood- shes lived here on Maui for nearly 30 years and moved Up Country (near me) a couple of years ago. She happened to be driving riiiight by my house and suggested we go out to lunch. I got to meet her buddy and we all went down to Haiku for some Thai food. It was super delicious and I was so happy to meet up with her! I think I'll go over to her house tomorrow or the next day.

When the boys got home we made some super dank smoothies. One was strawberry vanilla with (secretly added silken tofu and coconut milk) and the other was strawberry, pineapple, yogurt with spirulina AKA 'the secret greeeeen ingredient'. We had little glass of each- both were great but the second one was SO GOOD and the most beaaaaaautiful dark teal color (because of the spirulina) and I loved them.

Made dinner and then got some postcards ready to send out. Now gettin' tired and ready for bed.

Toodles!

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

What a day for a daydream...

Today I got to visit my younger dudes classroom for most of the day! I was shadowing a teacher I'll be subbing for all next week! WOWZA! So exciting! I'll post more later but I'm pretty exhausted and want to get a good nights rest.

I have a lot to write about today but I want to make it good, detailed writing. Tomorrow I'll have more time and energy.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betty

MY PACKAGE FINALLY ARRIVED YAAAAAAAY

My mom sent me a package full of goodies I couldn't fit and some books to read AND MY CAMERA COOOORRRD YAY!

Now, as soon as I get some Hawaiian coffee I'll be able to write letters and postcards while drinking coffee made in my french press with stamps from my Grams and Uncle Rick that I stashed in my arrrrrt box while staring at my soon-to-assembled artwall with all the painting and drawings from all of my BFF's back home! Life is good!

So, I am pretty tired and I didn't do too many eventful things today so I'll just post some pictures and caption them!


FINALLY! YAYAAAYAYAYAYYYY

This is from my first day in Maui! Obligatory selfsie to mark the monumental day. I was reading a book called "Easy To Love Difficult to Discipline" I believe. This is at Paia Beach- I was being sandblasted. 

THIS IS FROM HALEAKALA! I want to try to go again to catch the sunrise- as you can see, we ALLLLMOST made it but we were a few minutes too late. It was still absolutely beautiful.

These are my dudes hiking at Haleakala. Their mama said she didn't mind if I put a few pictures up- you can't see their faces but I promise they are some of the cutest kids in America. You may recognize my sweater and scarf- he had been using a blanket wrapped around his body to keep warm but he was tripping on it and I had extra layers. He loved it.

My photographer (older boy) captured this photo of me at the cool practically private beach in Wailuku/Kahalui near the golf course. This is where I found cool purple and green coral and hung out with the fam for a whole Saturday. AWESOME beach- totally going back there again.

This is the scenic spot that we visited shortly after the previous photo. Its up a CRAZY road but the photo includes the beach that I was at. This is the background of the previous picture.

OLOWALU VALLEY HIKE WITH JESSE!!!! For some reason these photos are out of order but the picture of Me and Jess later in this post is from this day. 

Me and Anna at Little Beach

Little Beach Sunset

Me, Jesse and Mary Jane on the Olowalu Valley hike day! Sweet spot this is where we swam.

A view of the cool cliff thing that I tried to describe in an earlier post.

You can't really tell from this photo, but this is where the weird irrigation lazy river thing was. Its hidden and high up above the waterfalls. 

My view when I read at Rainbow Park : )

A sunset just across the road from the Waldorf school the night of the family party. BREATHTAKING and just down the road from my house.

IAO VALLEY HIKE with Kara! The mountains are SO cooooool!

That is Kara. She is my friend. This is when we were sitting on really hot rocks at Iao valley and eating snacks and contemplating eating the potential Lilikoi fruit 

These are all chickens that live down the road from my house. They are here every day and cross the road (pointlessly, with no reason) all the time.


I am so tired, I'd be more elaborate- but you can look at earlier posts to figure out more about each photo. It will be like a scavenger hunt on my blog! Cool!

Aloha Pumehana,

Bets

Green Poop

I ate breakfast before 6 AM.

Out of nowhere, the eldest son put himself in time out (really, no kidding, he asked me to help him set the time for five minutes and then climbed up into the chair) and said "I'm studying"
I asked, "Okay, what are you studying"
"I'm just studying self control"
We had a nice conversation as I emptied the dishwasher and he happily climbed out of the chair when the timer beeped. So silly.

I played soccer before 8 AM.
I was told that "you just have to bump into each other sometimes in soccer- thats how you play" when I was concerned that they were getting a little competitive. They were super happy and they weren't hurting each other so I let them go. The older bro gave the little bro a compliment and said told him he was going to be a really good soccer player because he kept stealing the ball away. I'm actually quite impressed with both of their ball handling skills- dribbling, passing, shooting- seriously for three and five they are pretty talented.

I practiced yoga at 9 AM. Awesome class with Tawney. Lots of balancing and we got into side crow in a brand new (for me) way.

I read at Casanova- recognized as a regular for the first time there today. Now feelin' 'local' at two coffee shops. Woops- thought that feelin' would be done after college. Read more of Steiner's lectures. Still finding it fascinating the way he ties Eastern philosophy into early 20th century child development and education. Super cool. Loving learning more about this. Makin' me thirsty for more knowledge- woop wooop.

Yep- sayin' it: I'm love early childhood development and I chose this life. Nannying is cool because I get to watch three different kids progress and grow everyday. They learn and they ask questions. And- kids love learning about their bodies and observing the simple facts of life. Today, a discovery was made and talking about it is just part of my job. Today, I learned that FACT: green poop is the stinkiest poop. "Yep, you're right. I'd agree with that observation- green poop is pretty stinky" Moooovin' on

I did some laundry. Sometimes, powerful winds come down Haleakala. This makes drying laundry outside very efficient. I swear- it almost seems to dry faster than it does in the dryer. BUT these powerful winds can be a bit wild sometimes.  I narrowly missed getting sliced by the falling umbrella-style clothesline that was loaded with towels and clothes. WHOA. The car also narrowly missed getting scratched. YIKES.

Went to dinner with the fam for the Kula Mama's birthday. We went to a pizza place- don't remember the name- and had an eggplant, spinach, ricotta, red-onion and roasted red-pepps pizza. YUMMO

Tired as tired gets.

Aloha pumehana,

Betsy

Derrrrrp I finally picked up a paint brush in Maui

Today, I woke up around seven on my day off. Even though I'm bright eyed and bushy tailed at this time on weekends- I'm still not mentally used to it. Its super funny too, because the boys think its SO WEIRD that I'm not up when they wake up. Today my little one asked, "Betsy, why were you sleepin' so long yesterday? Why do you do that?" (I didn't come downstairs until 8 AM haha) I had to explain that sometimes adults just like to rest on weekends because their bodies and brains are tired. Then the older brother brought up that their older brother sleeps in EEEVEN LLLAAATER than me (he goes to Western Michigan)- sometimes 10 or noon! Its funny how wild that seems to them- sommmmmeday they'll understand.
The Kula Daddio had oatmeal cooking and a cup of hot tea ready for me when I walked into the kitchen. Hes a really nice guy. We had a nice family breakfast and then Patrick innnnsisssted that we have Jam-Eggs for breakfast-dessert. He and I made them together- the 'eggs in a nest' variation- and he was curious how/why they got the name. I explained that the bread was the nest and the egg was the egg. My bread broke and then we giggled about my 'eggs escaped from the nest' jam-egg. Kid humor is the best.
I went to yoga and they went to church. Great practice. Two of the yogis brought fresh veggies from their gardens- a huuuuuge basket of tomatillos and a bag of avocados to share. I took five tomatillos and an avocado. I love this little community I've found myself in. Makin' new friends every time I go : ) Met two new girls today and when I went to Casanova afterward I re-connected with Sid, an older hippy dude who goes every once in a while. I love making friends.
When I got home, I decided to paint a picture for the Kula mama because tomorrow is her birthday. So I went down into the garage and got to pick from acrylics, watercolors, oil pastels or crayons. I chose watercolors, because I always love painting with them- I love how they mix. I started doing a sunset over the West Maui mountains but I accidentally smeared tooooo much black on and it looked pretty awful so I set it aside- maybe going to try to revive it this week- and started a daytime West Maui Mtn scene. I was far more successful with this attempt. Thinking about the foreground, background, shape of the mountain, the islands I should include in the water and the shadows that fall was exciting. I haven't painted since I got here- which I've been a little bummed about. I was starting to get back into my art groove this summer in Lansing. It felt good be armed with paintbrushes and inspiration; applying color and creating something beautiful.
After I was done painting, I realized I hadn't eaten lunch and I was pretty hungry. I've never really used tomatillos before and I didn't really have ingredients for salsa verde so I decided to get a little weird. I wanted to make a green pasta sauce and I figured roasting my tomatillos and avocado with onion and garlic would be a good first step. I got that started and then cut up some kale, tomatoes and green pepper to sauté with chili garlic sauce and EVOO and danced around to some Andrew Bird while I waited for everything to get hot. I put noodles on to boil and grabbed the roasting veggies out of the oven and threw them in the vitamix with some parmesan reggiano. At this point, the kitchen smelled pretty heavenly. I pureed the roasted veggies and they became a suuuuuuper smooth, light green pasta sauce. Just as I was pouring the sauce over my noods the family walked in from their day of errands and I felt bad because I thought they were going out to eat and I totally didn't make enough noodles to share haha. They commented on the yummy smell but when I warned the mama that there wasn't enough for everyone she said they were planning on eating left overs anyway- WHEW. I sat down, scooped the spicy veggies onto my plate and went at it. HOLY SMOKES. Best production meal I've made in a while- for sure since I've been on Maui. I felt pretty proud because I've never used tomatillos before and my invented avocado tomatillo concoction totally rocked. Cannnnooottt wait to eat that for left overs tomorrow.
The whole time I was eating, the boys were at work stuffing the pinata. Ever few minutes they'd come over, so sweetly, to offer me samples of the candy that they got for their mom. I got to try Haribo gummies (thought of my Ms. Dre back on Magnolia), Dove Dark Chocolate and a Hello Kitty chocolate stuffed marshmallow (weird candy).
The fam sat down to dinner and I sat with them and we had nice dinner conversation about all the messed up things going on in our country with social programs. I'm happy that we share so many political views- knowing me, that type of conversation would get me fired otherwise haha. After dinner, we had the most BEAUTIFUL fruit covered cheesecake I've ever seen in my entire life. The top and bottom were thin layers of angel food cake and it was completely and artfully piled with mango, kiwi, chocolate covered strawberries, whipped cream and the edges were coated in toasted almonds and coconut. WOAH. There was a oval of hardened sugar that said "Happy Birthday Mom" in chocolate on top. Sooooooo yummy and unbelievably gorgeous. Wow.
We relaxed for a bit in the living room- the boys played "SHINER MOUNTAIN" which is a game they invented tonight. It involves driving toy cars and trains on my arms and legs which I get to move around (like the stairs in the Harry Potter movies) and they drive to different parts of the couch or floor. Preeeeeeettttttttty entertaining.
Now, here I sit, about ready to go to bed. Long week ahead of me- this Saturday there is a parent meeting in one of the boys class. I get to be the childcare provider- this means $25 PLUS $5.00 per kid for two hours of work. BOOYAH.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

Jam-eggs, Cookies and Makana

So yesterday started with a bang! I took the kids to school and then had to head down to Wailuku to get finger printed. Because the first appointment was a no-show, I had the quickest DHS visit of my life. Every time I went in Lansing I had to wait for about 10-15 years to be seen, just to get paperwork or ask  a question; here, I was literally the only person in line.
The lady who took my fingerprints on the fingerprint machine was very kind. We talked about the unique-ness of each person's print and she said mine were cool and easy to read. She told me stories about people who have tried to sandpaper theirs off (successful, but you can still read the side of the hand prints) and also people who etch into their prints to change the lines. One person she printed in her career had an (un-etched, natural) palm-tree print on one of her fingers. She said sometimes she thinks about making art from finger prints; I think she should. Because she sees so many of them- she sees different patterns and different styles. Some, she said, remind her of the sun and of waves.  I never really think about my fingerprints but she gave me a new appreciation for them. They really do look pretty neat when they are all blown up on the screen.  She pointed out that a few of mine have a concentric pattern going on and she really liked it. What an interesting profession to choose.

After I got back from Wailuku I spent some time working on some chores around the house then went to yoga at 4:30. It was with the teacher that I didn't particularly like before but I actually really enjoyed the second half of the class. She was a little like Tony Little in the beginning but after all the aerobics/work-out feeling stuff, we got into some nice flows. We ended class with three ohms which I really love doing and it made me feel at home. I am officially shakin' off all the bad feelings I had from those first few classes with her. She also has the least distracting playlists- lots of beats antique and some theivary corp.

Anita mentioned at the end of class that it was "Third Fridays" in Makawao. Its basically a down-town block party similar to Friday Nite Live in Traverse City. I decided I wanted to get some of my friends down there- so I went home took a shower and got ahold of Kara and Anna. Kara was in Kihei but Anna was down so I scooped her up and we followed the music until we found the stage. The artist performing this week was Makana, a Hawaiian slack key guitarist (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_DYtEuJyqs). He was INCREDIBLE- at one point he had a flutist come on stage with him and they played a South American tune. I was really happy we went. He was playing at Casanova later in the evening but it was ten dollars so we decided to skip it.

I checked out Anna's 'ohana' when I dropped her off. She is WOOFing and has a SWEET set up. She works 20 hours a week for a little studio apartment in the basement of these hippy farmer's house. They own an Ayurvedic medicinal farm. She helps them and they help her- seems like a good working relationship.

This morning I woke up and tried 'oil pulling' for the second time. Its an Ayurvedic practice- you basically swish or 'pull' an oil (I have been using coconut oil) through your teeth first thing in the morning- before you eat or drink anything- and it helps clean your teeth and gums, pull out bacteria and other toxins. Its also good for your immune system and overall well being. You spit it out (don't ingest, because its full of all the bad stuff) and then swish with water, brush your teeth and then go on with your day. People report feeling more awake in the morning and just feelin' better/healthier. So far, it seems pretty cool. I want to try doing it every day for a while and see how it works for me.

After I did my coconut oil, I went downstairs and made some breakfast. I went to the garage to grab some eggs and one of my dudes came up to me and asked "Aaare you makin' jam eggs." My variation of jam eggs basically is just eggs in a nest cooked medium smeared with my current jam- today, Organic Strawberry. "Yes, I am! One spicy egg and one jam egg" He is fascinated with jam eggs- but hadn't tried one yet. He likes toast, will tolerate eggs and makes a point to eat strawberry jam everyday. Every time he has seen me eating them he gets reallllly suspicious (he is a really silly guy) and I allllways ask if he'd like to try and he responds "Oh, I donn't know. I just don't trust jam eggs"Juuuust as I finished up making them, he came into the kitchen again and I asked, as usual, "So, would you like to try a jam egg?" Instead of his usual response he said, "Welllll, I just don't trust 'em. But, I think I will try it."
My jaw dropped. I couldn't believe it- he has used his uncertainty about jam-eggs in completely unrelated situations (example: at the park with his mom, he was unsure about some monkey bars and told her, "Mom, I just don't trust these- just like I don't trust jam-eggs) so this was truly a break through. So, although I wasn't actually planning on sharing, I gave him the first bite- I cut off a chuck, smeared some jam on and handed it to him. He looked at it, and took a big bite. His eyes brightened up, he smiled and with a big grin he said, "JAM EGGS TASTE LIKE FRENCH FRIES! YUM! LETS HAVE JAM EGGS FOR DIIINNNNER!" HAHAHAHA I seriously almost lost it. He started doin' a food dance and ate the rest of his bite. He ran around and told his brother and his mom, "WOW! JAM EGGS ARE GOOD! I LIKE THEM!" It was absolutely hilarious. Best moment of my day.

I went to yoga- it was surprisingly busy in Makawao and I could barely find a parking spot. I was juuuuuuust in time and the room was fuulll. Trish, the teacher, saw me and told me we could make room. We had about an inch between each mat and the vibes in the room were awesome. I always love that- when there are about 5 too-many people in the room, but somehow no one falls when you're in balancing poses and no one gets knocked over coming into headstands and you occasionally share mats; everyone is beaming and there are occasional giggles. It was a fabulous class. I really enjoyed it.
After class I sat in the sprinkling rain under an almost entirely blue sky and full sunshine. Totally Hawaiian weather. Chatted with my sister Tisha for a bit and then read more of my Steiner lectures. Every time I pick up that book it blows my mind- some of the things he says are so current but it was all written in the first half of the 1900s. Crazy.

I had to work with the kiddos at 2 pm. A handyman, Adam, was here- we ate lunch outside on the porch and the Kula dad invited Adam to sit with us. He had a beard- the oldest son is totally fascinated with beards. Immediately he said, "Betsy! He looks just like your dad!" (except twenty years younger... and not at all haha) He asked him the funniest questions; whats your favorite color? what would you rather ride an elephant, a camel or a zebra? What color donnnn't you like... does it start with a P- P- puhhhhiiiiinnnnk? Silly dude. Adam told us about his goat and veggie farm and he seems like a pretty neat guy.
After lunch, the guys were having a hard time letting Adam work so I took them down to Pukalani  to ride bikes around this walking track park and playground. As all playgrounds in the area, the Pukalani park had an INCREDIBLE view. You could see both coasts of the island- ocean view- and of course the majestic West Maui mountains. There was a rainbow over the hills and it was gorgeous. Its times like these, when I'm running around at a playground and so casually witness such a beautiful place that I cannnot believe this is where I live. Nutz.

When we got back, we made some cookies. I didn't know where the brown sugar was so me and the younger bro found a recipe that called for just white sugar and honey. We made chocolate chip cookies but we added peanut butter to half the batch. Sooooo gooood. He is great at mixing and portioning/droppin dough. We turned on the light in the oven and he gave me the play-by-play of the science going on inside. "BETTTSSSYYY they are chaaaaaaaangin'. They're melllltin', they look like marrrrrbles. BETTTTTTTSSSSSSY they are cookin'. BETTTTTSY are they done? Can we eat'em. BETSSY look, feel when you put your fingers here you can feel the hot air comin' out. BETTSY the timers going off! Are they done! Yum. They look yummy!" We finished making the cookies and gobbled a bunch and we did food dances.

The 'rents went out to dinner so we had pizza at home. They took a bath and then the 'rents came back. I was going to go out but I was tired. And then I was going to watch netflix but I was too indecisive and kept switching movies- couldn't decide if I was in the mood for a comedy or a documentary. So I decided to blog instead. And now I'm definitely ready to snuggle into bed and read for a bit before closing my eyes.

Aloha pumehana,

Betsy

I am posting

Here is my post. I said I'd post everyday; I am to tired to actually write.

USPS- rain, sleet, hail, snow, thunderstorms, ooooceannnnns...... Ehhhhh

So I didn't receive the package from my mom again today, shucks. That means another day of no pictures. When your mama pays an arm and a leg for priority shipping- and the ETA of your package is 9/6/13 its a real bummber when its 9/19/13 and you still don't have your package. It definitely got put on a boat instead of a plane- dang Pacific Ocean- so much space between me and most of you. Someday, I will have my camera cord and I will be able to share this beauty with all of you. Until then I'll just keep describing with words.

Today I found out that I definitely don't have TB. I also ran errands and worked. Didn't have too many adventures. Made minestrone soup and it was yummy. Weird eating hot foods on hot days. I talked to the Kula Mama about fall/winter foods yesterday. She said that the first year they lived here (about 3 years ago) they realized that they were still going to love and want those warm comforting foods we enjoy so much in the cold Michigan winter. You just have to eat them on hot days here. On that note, I may make some pastys soon. I love me some pastys with brown gravy. MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

Speaking of food:

PIZZA CRUST RECIPE is downstairs and I'm too tired to grab it. I PROMISE IT WILL BE HERE TOMORROW. I would just write it down from memory but I want to make sure I have the water/wine ratio right. I have two recipes and one is definitely superior to the other.

Tonight I went to a slow flow class. "Candlelight" yoga. It was the slowest slow flow class I've ever been to and it was exactly what I needed after my three-day marathon of work and errands. It was very relaxing but sometimes I wish there wasn't music playing in almost every yoga class. If I'm not getting distracted by my own thoughts, I get distracted by the tunes. ADD yoga. Man. I can still do the physical practice but when I song I like or (worse) dislike comes on I can't help but let my mind slip for a second. Example

Song I like comes on. I've never heard it, I make a mental note to ask my teacher who it is.
The song continues, the female vocals reminded me of Elephant Revival. Mental note, tell teacher about Elephant Revival
Next Song, egh not so into it- focus on the weird shoulder stretch thing (forgot to ask her about it... SHUCKS) Arms and back feel weird- but it an okay way. I 'backed off' a little today because I realized I could HA! Felt good-ish
Next song, Elephant Revival! She already knows about them! Make a mental note to tell her I appreciated that song.
Next song, Could You Be Loved- female cover. Nice, reminded me of my MI friends back home. Changed postures.

Seeee! My brain is flurrying about with music thoughts. But, to be honest, yoga does help the flurrying a lot- usually my brain has about 10-15 thoughts at once. So I guess 2-3 is an improvement haha

Detachment.

Anyway this was a kind of random and rambling post and its time for it to end.

Aloha Pumehana,
Betty

Pretty sure I don't have TB

So, I'm lookin' at my arm and its not red and puffy and irritated. Looks like another year of life lived successfully without contracting tuberculosis! Good thing I get to have this test done every year as an early childhood educator- ya never know unless you check. Tomorrow, unless I somehow catch TB overnight, I get my 'official' clearance on TB and Friday I get finger-printed. Pretttty sure I'm golden.

Hung out with the dudes this morning. After a little confusion I went to my second class as an official member. I got to meet another teacher, Sally. She taught a 'Jungle Flow' (power) class. I enjoyed the class. She got us into the flow and challenged us. We found headstand and for the first time ever I stayed in it for more than a few seconds- I was in it long enough to realize I wasn't falling over. Thanks for working with me, mind, body and gravity, we really pulled it together. I didn't even fall out of it- I chose to get out of it because my neck started to feel a little funky and I'm not into neck-funk. Its interesting getting to know different teachers in the studio and their styles. There are some postures we find almost every day that I'd never seen before coming to Maui- we do a lot of shoulder work that I'm still trying to feel out. Like belly down, legs behind flat on the ground and then coming into sphinx (forearms and elbows on the ground under your shoulders) and then crossing them working your arms in opposite directions (left arm works right and right arm works left) under your upper chest so they're totally crossed. I don't know- it just makes me feel really cramped and uncomfortable and they talk about how good it feels- but I guess pigeon is horribly uncomfortable for a lot of people and I love it... haha I think I'm gonna ask a teacher after class next time it pops up.

 I talked to my mama and read the newspaper at Casanova. I saw Ms. Kara there, she was a happy little barista in a busy cafe. Thennnn I came home to prepare a picnic snack, grab some books, sunscreen and soccer balls for the dudes. I picked them up from school and took them to the AWESOME ocean-view soccer field park. We kicked the ball around, practiced passing when someone say "I'm open!", dribbling and KICKIN' DA BALL IN DA NET. We ate some apples and honey, cashews and raisins and sipped on some water as I read "Scrawney Cat". Its a really cute story about a stray cat who finds an owner. They love it because before the cat accidently sails out to sea when he was getting chased by a dog everyone calls him "GET OUTTTTAAA HERRRRE". Silly book, but great artwork. A real tearjerker for cat ladies and men.

We got home and played outside for a bit and then made some delish breakfast for dinner. and now here I am! TB free and writing to you! I think I'm gonna read some articles or maybe watch some NETFLIX from my daddio and then hit the hay.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

Feelin' like a resident

So today, I did a lot of errands. Doing errands means you are at home.

When you are on vacation, you don't do errands.
When you are on vacation, you don't open bank accounts.
When you are on vacation, you don't stand in line and wait to get TB tests for potential second resume-building jobs (I already have dates requested for my substitutin' service at Waldorf! My dream-mentor wants me to fill in for her assistant! WHAAAT!?! I just need clearance wahoo!)
When you are on vacation, the baristas don't recognize you. Today at Paia Bay, I was recognized as a regular.
When you are on vacation, you don't buy memberships at yoga studios. Today, I got one at Makawao Yoga (http://www.makawaoyoga.com/)
When you are on vacation, you use maps and GPS. Today, I realized how little I've been relying on mine.

Man. Today's blog-worthiness mostly lies in that it was just another normal ol' day of doing normal ol' things in my Maui home. Weird.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

Valley Girl for a Day

So today, after my mornin' shift I called up my friend Kara and we took off for a mid-day adventure before I had to work at five.

She scooped me up around noon and we coasted down Haleakala, thru Kahalui and over to Wailuku to arrive at Iao Valley State Park. She is just learning to drive her stick-shift Maui cruiser- a real beaut, purple canvas top tracker- totally rad. After freakin' out the whole way looking at our destination, we hiccuped to a stop at the trail head parking gate and asked the gentleman how much parking would cost. He took one look at the car and said- "Residents?" Shes new here too and we both laughed as we realized, "Why yes, we are residents!" After stalling out and starting back up we found a parking spot and headed into the jungleeeeeeee.

Holy smokes. Its days like these that I cannot freakin' believe that I actually live here. We walked around the paved trails and admired the beautiful flora and streams. We stared in awe at the Iao Valley and the West Maui Mountains and hiked our way up to the look-out of the "spike"(http://www.hawaiistateparks.org/parks/maui/index.cfm?park_id=36)
We climbed back down- did some off trail jungle climbin' and then turned back to find a map so we could get to some good swimmin' pools. We headed back toward the trailhead and then went around back to the other side of the towering, steep mountainside. After hikin' through the jungle for a bit, we found a beautiful little swimming hole in the stream. When we were walking out- we saw some older ladies doin' a hula dance, I've never seen a real hula and it was like watching a story unfold.
We sat in the stream on super hot rocks and chatted for a while. I really like Kara. We get along really well and she is a really neat girl. Right behind where we were sitting, she spotted some mayyyybe lilikoi trees (a kind of passion fruit- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/13/ways-to-eat-lilikoi_n_3921303.html) . Even though the fruits smelled and looked right, the seedy-fruit inside wasn't the same color as any of the lilikoi fruit we'd seen before. So we took the ones we picked and saved them in our packs to ask before we ate them.

We headed back to Kahalui to eat some dank sandwiches before I had to work at 5. We went to Maui Coffee Roasters (http://www.mauicoffeeroasters.com/) and I got a Basmato sandwich and a side salad- SOOOOO GOOD- by far the best, totally loaded side salad I've ever had. Greens, tomatoes, sprouts, cukes and more. YUM.

The parents were off to some friends for dinner so I got to eat some pizza with the boys and put them to bed. Now, its time for me to get some ZZzzzZZzzz before I work and open my first Hawaiian credit union account tomorrow. Yippeee!

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

A series of stories

There are several things I need to cover in this post. No one is grading this, so I'm just going to list and blurb because I'll WRITE HOW I WANT now that I'm out of college!

AYSO with an Ocean View

Okay, so I woke up and went to Grandma's Coffee show in Keokea. Man, I have tried to enjoy their coffee twice now and it is the only place in Maui that I've had an 'average' or 'below average' cup o' joe. I'm not kiddin'! Twice this week I've stopped and gotten a latte and then an almond milk latte and both times it tasted super burnt. The barista in me thinks that they aren't properly cleaning their machine or their pour is taking too long causing the burnt taste but- BUMMER its the coffee shop closest to the school and park that the dudes like. Their online reviews are RAVING too so I was surprised. Even though I don't love their coffee- the view is breathtaking and their baked goods are melt-in-your-mouth-crazy-good.  I had a chocolate chip-coconut-macadamia nut cookie. Yummmmyyyy for sure.
I read some of my books and enjoyed the beautiful view and met a nice older dude. We talked about the Waldorf school for a bit- he is "Father Christmas" at the school in December and his daughters went to elementary school there. He was a neat ol' guy.
Mid-morning I had to shoot over to Kula fields for the AYSO game. HOLY SMOKES! HOLY SMOKES! The most beautiful place to play soccer I've ever seen- especially for tikes! Man, absolutely beautiful- looking over the entire island, the park stares directly at the West Maui Moutains and has a full, breathtaking view of the ocean on either side of the mountains. Wow. Incredible- can't wait to post those pictures. I couldn't believe my eyes.
When I wasn't staring at the view, I was really excited to see the eldest son crush it on the field- he made a couple goals- he counted seven but I'm not sure about that :) I'm always happy to see kids running around learning the game no matter who wins. There are definitely some mad skills on their team.

CHICKEN-POX FREE! VACCINATION APPRECIATION SPA DAY!
After the game- I went down to Kahalui and Paia to take care of some bid-nizz.
A few days ago, the boys were talking about their vaccinations and the pain they ensued when receiving their chicken pox vaccination. Because they live in a time where that itchy-terrible experience is no longer necessary, they truly didn't understand the blessing of the vaccine. After they detailed how badly it hurt, I had to explain how awful actually getting the chicken pox was. I told them about how my mom made my brother and I sit in an oatmeal bath to help soothe the itchy spots and that made them (hilariously) jealous! "WHAT! You got to sit in oatmeal? WHY?!? What was that like?!?!" I then had to explain that the oatmeal was contained in a sock and helped to moisturize my skin making it less itchy. I flipped their pouts by suggesting that even though they won't ever have chicken pox, they could still have an oatmeal bath.
At this moment, the idea for Vaccine Appreciation Spa Day was born.
The night before, I had researched some masks that would be suitable for little kids. I found a recipe for a dark chocolate mask that would double as a delicious in-spa treat. The recipe was made with all their favorite things- equal parts honey, yogurt and cocoa powder- and I knew they wouldn't mind licking it from their lips (unlike some super weird mask recipes)
So, I went to Mana for some dutch cocoa and a cucumber (had to make cucumber water and some slices for their eyes). I was on the phone with my mama for a while when I was walking around the store and got thirsty for some kombucha. The friendly man at the deli counter where they pour the fresh ferments had a raw-chocolate sample ready for me as I walked up. I'd never had such delicious chocolate and after he told me it was made in house- I was fully convinced that I also needed a little bag of raw chocolates. MMmMMMmmMMMM
After getting twice as many things as I needed at the store, I got back to the house and started prepping the spa. The boys picked out some books and I mixed up their masks. We found a sock and filled it with oatmeal. They were totally stoked. I drew up a bath and sprinkled a bunch of lavender oil in it and threw in the sock. They hopped in and I handed them their cucumber waters. They ate their little sample cups of the chocolate and munched the cucumber slices and I covered their faces in dark chocolate and they were in heaven. In a total fit of giggles, they were covered in chocolate eating chocolate while in the tub. They only kept the cucumber slices on their eyes for a second (their mama got a hiiiiiilllllllllaaaaaaaarious picture) and I told them the instructions said I needed to read two stories before they could rinse the masks (the official measure of 15 mintutes) After the books they rinsed, hopped out and slathered on some coconut lotion their mom just finished making they radiant skin. It was a super fun day.

TWO PIZZA PARTIES IN TWO DAYS- life is GREAT
After work I called up my friend Anna and we went down to a pizza potluck. Apparently, this crew loves pizza just as much as I do and they have a standing weekly pizza party every single saturday- saaaaaaaweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet. They made a pizza oven in their back yard made mostly from recycled and repurposed materials. And they have lots of farmin' friends so the ingredients were spot on.
Turns out, Anna didn't know anyone there this week because there were only about 10 people there. They were super cool and weren't bothered when I walked up and said that we were just crashin' their party. We had some DANK pizza- one of the last ones had lilikoi jelly, starfruit, blueberries, honey and chocolate on it. There was lavender on one and fresh basil was growing all over the place. I'm definitely going to go again next week. There was a couple playing beautiful music and I talked to a few of the people about festivals that we were both (All Good 2012, Summercamp 2013) I really liked everyone I met there. Its so good to make some new friends.

MORNING SPA FOR DA NANNYGIRL
This morning I woke up and covered my own face in chocolate and filled my tub with hot water and sprinkled lavender in it. This spa morning had fewer giggles and a lot more relaxation. I read for a bit but I made the water so hot that it was making me a little dizzy so after about a half hour I really had to drain it and get out haha. It was really nice either way and it made my skin feel great.

PAIA WITH A PAL
This afternon I went to Paia with Anna. We went to Paia Bay Coffee to start the morning. Cher, the girl I met the first day I was here was working and we chatted for a bit. She just moved to Haiku (a town I've heard nothing but the greatest things about) and is teaching yoga up there. She gave me some information and we exchanged numbers. She seems really super cool so I hope we hang out sometime. We hung out there for a bit and met a very interesting character who chatted us up for quite a long time. Then, we checked out a lot of shops and had lunch at Cafe Mambo (http://www.cafemambomaui.com/) I got locally made super-food-veggie-burger fajitas which were out of this world. House made salsa, house made guac, ghost pepper hot sauce. Heavenly. We saw a lot of cool clothes but I'm not much of a new-clothes shopper so I didn't get anything. There was one (really expensive) bathing suit top that I really want to get when I have some more money but other than that- I'll just stick to second hand. We went to the beach and enjoyed some rays and some salty water before heading back upcountry.

WALDORF PAHHTY
This evening, there was a beginning of the year family picnic at the school. The music teacher is in an (awesome) band and they were playing. The campus is pretty large, so when I showed up I didn't know where to go but to follow the music. I followed it to a part of the campus I hadn't seen yet- and found a beautiful little valley/ampitheater with gardens surrounding it and a bunch of hippy parents and kids dancing on the tiers and the grassy floor of the valley. WOOWOWOWOWOWOW SOOO COOL! The smell of nasturium was wonderfully intoxicating and flowers I didn't identify bloomed all over too. OH MAN! Every time I go to this place, it just feels 'right'.
I met with a man who runs the teacher trainings on the island and we talked for a bit. I found out that although I can do my foundational teacher trainings there- I'll have to go to the mainland to get my specializations in Early Childhood- which will be a few years down the line anyway. GAHH. It feels so good to meet all these incredible people.

SUNSET
On my way home, I had to stop on the side of the road to soak in the sunset. Goodness. I've seen some beautiful sunsets in my time but the sun dropping over the West Maui Mountains into the ocean- golden sky, illuminated clouds. I couldn't stop smiling. I met some older dudes who live in Haiku who were riding around on a motorcycle. One of them had just moved here from Alaska and the other has lived here for 30 years. They were neat and I asked them to take my picture (I'd already snapped a million with just the landscape) but the camera didn't take it. I'm sure I'll see another equally beautiful sunset someday so I'm not too worried.

So, I've reached the bottom of my list. I'm pretty exhausted and I have work from 6-10 tomorrow then I'm hiking Iao Valley with my friend Kara before I work again from 5-8 so I must rest up!

Aloha Pumehana!

Betty

Long and fun day

It involved soccer, spas, pizza and people my height. I'll write tomorrow when I wake up.

Short and Sweet

One of the dudes was really congested today so he stayed home from school to hack lugees and blow his nose (kidding, it was so he could rest- poor little guy) So, I got to sway in the hammock breeze with him, read some books and then he sang "Twinkle, Twinkle..." to his baby brother in the bouncy seat (from a few feet away) every time he cried while I got some things done around the house. It was super adorable because it really worked- that song allowed me to get laundry done, dishes put away and pizza dough made for tonight! Totally sweet.

I had the afternoon off so I went to Rainbow park to read again. Man, I love that place. Its a roadside park, but its sunken into a little valley so you don't really feel like you're near the road. Shady little beautiful hidden gem. Mmmmmmiiiiiiiii LOVE IT!

When I got back we made some kefir and pizza and were laundry ninjas (what I call secretly putting laundry away with the boys so they get super excited to make their mama proud). Pizza was delish.

After dinner I watched some Adventure Time. The tiniest little part of me feels a little bad for the dudes because they don't get to watch tv or movies (except for special occasions) and I know I look back fondly on some of my favorite kids shows. But kids TV/movies are mostly trash these days and they totally savor the special times they DO get to see them. AND they don't waste away their brains melting in front of the tube daily and instead spend time outside and playing together. However, I totally just indulged in three 15 minute episodes- but I'm 23 and can make college-graduate, big-adult decisions to watch my favorite cartoon hahha. And after canceling my netflix account, have been having the strongest urge to watch a movie- damn.

I must get some rest, even though I have the  morning off. I have a big athletic event to attend tomorrow morning: U-5 AYSO Soccer game- I got a special invitation and I can't miss it. The Kula Skeletons play. Also- after the game I have a big exciting plan for my Saturday afternoon shift with the boys. I am actually super stoked to spend the late afternoon with them when then don't have to go to school. But, more on that tomorrow.

GO GREEN (Kula Skeletons, green that is- I don't even know if MSU plays tomorrow. But if its relevant- that too, I guess)

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

On the day between 9/11 and Friday the 13th, it was very hot

I just realized that I didn't even acknowledge 9/11 verbally or in written word on here. I did listen to an NPR piece about how some are choosing to remember the community coming together rather than the bombing- it has actually become (one of) the biggest service days in America. Interesting. I don't know how I feel about it all- I still remember being in Ms. Hammersly's class when it all happened. I feel like there are some fishy missing details- such as building seven WTC coming down in NYC. I don't know- don't feel like getting all conspiracy theory-y on here but really. Look into that stuff its weird.

Anway, back to Hawaii business. It was really stinkin' hot today. Because the microclimates on the island- I have experienced 'this hot' here before, but NOT in Kula. It was 93 degrees upcountry! Dang!

After playin' some ball this morning I got to hang out with the babe and do some hammock swinging again. Its so cute- he is such an out-door guy. Probably 90% he is crying, if you bring him outside he chills out and just looks around. Whether you just walk around on the porch, around the yard, take him for a walk or to the beach- he loves being in the breezy shade. But, when we were swinging in the hammock, he got bit by a mosquito and he didn't like it so we went back inside.

At around one o'clock I headed into the school to meet with the principal for my substitute interview. She already had heard about me through Ms. G (the teacher I'd met with) and she was happy to see that I had a background in Early Childhood Ed. I'd say, that the interview went very well. I just need to turn in a huge stack of paperwork and get my TB test done and I'm pretty sure I'll be on the list! Wahoo for my resume and learning opportunities!

This afternoon we made delicious chocolate peanut butter and banana smoothies. I pretty much despise bananas in their pure form- have since I could say 'no'. However, I learned while working at Juice Nation in Lansing that I can stomach them when they are disguised as a reese's smoothie and they can actually be delicious. (1 banana, 1 TBS or so of cocoa powder, a big scoop of PB, some honey, about a 1/3 cup of your preferred milk and some protein powder if you're into that kinda thing- deeeelectable)

We went outside to color. One boy drew a red race track and the other boy drew three ninjas. He described to his mama that there was a fire, a charcoal (shoots out charcoal and covers people in rocks) and a water ninja (the water ninja does NOT like the fire ninja and he always put out the fires). I drew the West Maui Mountain view that I see driving up country. The older child asked if it was Haleakala- which was a preettttty good guess for my still incomplete crayon scribble drawing (wrong side of the island but it made me feel proud that he at least kinda knew what I was going for)

Thennnnn me and the younger dude decided play with our gak again. At first, we were just making snakes and piles of gak squeezing it thru our fingers and feeling how awesome gak feels but then, we started making pictures.  Then, it transformed into making animals by making little shapes and connecting them. And then he made a whole trail of 'stepping stones' from one side of the table to the other and was using his fingers to jump across. He was pretty dedicated to the cause and spent a lot of time on it- both a fine motor activity and serious attention to task, ding ding ding (preschoool teacher braaaaaaain) I made a crocodile, an eel, a pirana and a jellyfish and his older bro made a giraffe
in the river so that his little finger man jumping across had a reason to use the 'steppin' stones'

Then we played basketball and ate dinner.

Now its bed time.

Its pretty fun getting to know these guys. I'm feeling pretty at home even though I miss my other home. Thinking about it that way- 'another home to add to my list of homes' helps.
I was thinking today about the phrase 'count your blessings' and realizing really what it meant. Its so important to appreciate all the wonderful opportunities that come to you. If you choose to be happy about the good things, you manifest that 'good' thought and have more appreciation. If you dwell on things you're bummin' about, you manifest that 'bad' feeling and just feel bummin'. Simple and silly thought, but really- count your blessings! I am so grateful for this adventure. I'm actively choosing not to dwell on 'missing out' on things or being homesick- gotta think positive to feel positive <3

Aloha pumehana,

Bets

Surfin' on the Green Sea

I slept in a little by accident today. I was having the most realistic dream that a bunch of friends and I were preparing for a Phish show. We were going to ride a bus there and I was getting ready to go. A friend had a bunch of my jewelry and put it in a bag to return to me before we took off- two of the necklaces in the bag were lost last spring and I was really excited to get them back. I went into a filing cabinet to find my tickets and they weren't there (somehow this wasn't too alarming) and I decided to just get some at the show. I remember a lot of friends being there but specifically Jaclyn and Jake because they said "Oh yeah, scalpers are always at Phish shows. Don't worry about it" (they actually have dealt with this before) I also remember Poma telling me to get hype because I was about to have the best time at my first Phish show (funny)- and we talked about our Summercamp Trey experience. Anyway- it was really weird because the whole time in the dream, I knew that I was in Maui but I was also on the mainland and thinking about plane tickets. Strange.

Often times, the front yard transforms into a Green Sea. When this happens, we instantaneously become pirates or surfers. Yesterday morning- the pirates were Aye-aye-aye-eatin' their breakfasts when suddenly the floor was covered in crumbs. I was frightened because crumb-sharks of the green sea's FAVORITE food group is crumbs. To save the house, the pirates IMMEDIATELY ran to get our defense mechanisms- armed with a vacuum, broom and dustpan they returned and cleaned under the table.... and then the whole kitchen. We were safe.

This morning, before school, the younger boy ran up to me and said, "I want to surrrrf!" He had a boogie board with a leash- he kneels and holds on and I get to drag him through the green-sea. It was a greaat early morning weighted-jog for me and wonderful large motor muscle and balance work for him. We got to do the saaaaame thing this afternoon (the yard is pretty huge) but he stood and balanced! It was actually pretty impressive on both our parts- made me proud.

I went to yoga then read more of the Steiner lectures during my morning break. I was feeling slightly less ADD today, so I only brought one book (trying to train my wild attention span).

The rest of the afternoon was filled with sweet-little-smiley-babe-holding and some tummy play time and a stroller walk. When the dudes came back we green-sea-surfed and had hammock-story time/hammock twirlin'/swinging and then I made DELICIOUS stuffed mushrooms and a quinoa kale salad that the Kula-mama found recipes for. YUM YUM. I would have never made either of those but now I know howwww and I willlllllll!

After dinner I made some more almond milk in the vitamix- SO EASY. Basically you just blend 3 cups of water and 1 cup of almonds. If you don't mind the pulp you stop here. Thats what I did last time, but this time I wanted to try straining it so I used a cheese cloth and squeezed it all out. THEN to get all the protein from the nut-pulp I put it BACK in the vitamix and added brown cow full fat maple syrup yogurt, a lil scoop of cocoa powder, a dash of vanilla, some ice and a teeny squirt of honey and remixed. OH- SUCH A GREAT IDEA. Probably the best remix I've ever created. I was super full from dinner though so I put it in the freezer after making myself want to puke after eating half of it. I'll add some yog or kefir in the morning and re-remix it. I'm stoked.

Anyway I wanna get some rest so I'm all ready for tomorrow. I've been trying to consume less caffeine as part of my clarity cleanse. Its really tough when your favorite morning flavor is coffee and you feel like decaf is silly EVEN if you're not tired. Woof.

Aloha Pumehana,

Bettyboo

GAK

Woke up today and had some mini-wheats to power my morning. Read some Dr. Seuss, took out some trash and did some lions breath, warrior and dog postures with the dudes. The five year old taught me a pose he has coined 'cricket' its sort of like a squat, but we jump around a bit and make cricket noises. Preettty fun. Then, they went to school and I babysat a thermometer for some home-made yogurt that my Kula-mom had started to make, read some chapter-books and drank some chai on the porch. 

When she returned from dropping the boys off, I made a bagel sandwich and went to get some iced essssspressso at Cassanova. Because I had the afternoon off, I really wanted to spend some time at a park and a read more from the stack of books I've been reading.
For the past week, I've been  I really wanted to go to Rainbow Park- which is in between Makawao and Paia. Its located on a stretch between two really sharp pin turns and there is only side-of-the-road parking on one side, so you have to plan on stopping or you'll miss it. Every time I drive by, though my eyes feast on the wide variety of trees, the dainty-one-picnic-table pavilion and cute little stone benches scattered around the park. There are a number of flowering trees, different kinds of conifers and big canopied shade trees. Man, its a cool place. Anyway, I finally made the decision to intentionally stop and picnic. When I arrived, I met some nice older ladies who informed me that over the course of the year most of the trees flower- gahhhhhh- perhaps why its donned, "Rainbow Park"!
Anyway, from my stack I grabbed and read a few chapters of: "Its Okay Not to Share!" part of my nanny-reading, "Light on Life" Iyengar yoga reading, and "Education of the Child"Steiner lectures- Waldorf reading. I've been re-reading Light on Life and as always, love everything so eloquently Iyengar says. So inspiring. Today was the first time I read the Steiner lectures- I only read part of the first chapter before I had to go but WOWOWOWOWOWOOWOWOWOWOWOW so cool! He was talking about concepts he called "Spiritual Science" that seem totally relevant and way, way ahead of his time. When I talked to Ms. G about his writing she told me they were fascinating but just the short passage I read today geared me up! I'm stoked to keep reading his work! Brilliant!

I came home and when the guys got back from school we all made some smoothies together. Mango, strawberry, peach orange-juice. Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmoooooo! The oldest child and I played some basketball for a bit and then both the boys and I played on a hammock swing their dad just hung.

The parents took off for the evening and we decided to do some SCIENCE and made some Gak! Probably one of my favorite, most exciting and easy pre-school activities (2 parts glue, 1 part liquid cornstarch, food coloring) They totally dug it. We made BEARDS and mustaches and long wiggling walking sticks, bounced it off the table and giggled a lot.

For dinner, we had quesadillas and then they took a bath and went to bed.

Now, its time for me to go to bed.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betty

Best Day followed by Long Day

Yesterday, I woke up and relaxed in a hammock under the Maui Mornin' sun and read. At about 11 I headed down to the school to meet with Ms. G, a teacher of one of the children. She is a charming, bubbly and brilliant woman. First, she gave me a tour of her room- which I hadn't seen yet

The front porch has a tiny picnic table, and door's window was covered with a tissue paper and egg white 'stained glass' collage of birds in a tree. Inside, he walls were painted a cloudy rainbow gradient. All around the room tucked in little corners, over light switches and hidden in plain sight were mini-hand-painted-murals of dwarves, fairies in bubbles, little flowers, mushrooms and other mystical creatures. Ms. G shared that although she makes a new stained glass window each year, the delicate and beautiful hidden wall additions were done by a friend. The floor was cork and the windows lining the walls had soft, gauzy curtains. It was incredibly cozy and homey.

An open kitchen with cabinets of delicious real, whole foods greeted you at the door- teeny tiny aprons hung on hooks. The breakfast bar counter had short stools- obviously for tiny bodies to reach the countertop and multiples of child-sized kitchen tools, real glassware and silverware were arranged in baskets and boxes around the area.

Further into the open room, there were wooden benches with tall sides and rods across the top (I bet they're GREAT for scooting around to make forts) and long silks for imaginative play, a tiny wooden kitchen, hooks with capes, blocks, and long table for eating/art. Pretty much my dream classroom.

We made some green tea, sat on the floor and got to chatting. We talked about everything- how she got into Waldorf, how I became interested, how the flow of their day goes etc. etc. As we continued our conversation, there were some tangents but we stuck mostly to business. She told me a lot about different training/grad school opportunities to keep an eye out for across the country (lots on the West Coast). She informed me about the many different routes you can take after training- commune style schools, permaculture schools, charter schools, public schools, private schools. And the different kinds of teachers you can become.

She got me pretty pumped up about the potential places this path can take me and emphasized the importance of getting to know myself before and through the journey. Waldorf teachers are very expressive and its important to be comfortable in your own skin with the children, parents and teachers I'll work with. I think that generally that is an important part of being a teacher and growing up in general- however, I can see how this particular curriculum begs for expression and strong sense of self.

She let me know that she was planning on going on vacation and probably would need a substitute a few of the days she was gone for her nap-teacher who would be filling in for her. She gave me a TON of names and contact information for people I should talk to around here, books I should read and other 'elders' that I should connect with. We had a seamless, comfortable conversation and really got along. I can feel that she'll be an important mentor to me in my career. I love her already.

Afterward, I hopped in my car and saw that I had a missed text from Anna, a girl from my hometown who just moved to Makawao. I really had never met her in Northport but since we're both new in town we have been trying to meet up. We decided to meet at Cassanova, a little deli and coffee shop during the day and the a bar and restaurant at night. (http://casanovamaui.com/blog/) I got some esspresso over ice while I waited for Anna. I struck up a conversation with the barista over a dress my sister gave me, conversation turned to the hoarding of clothing and then to the fact that we both tried to get rid of a bunch of clothes recently. I mentioned I'd just moved to town and she said she had just moved to Kula, too! She arrived here ON THE VERY SAME DAY two hours after I did from Denver, CO!

I sat down out on the porch because she started getting more orders. Anna arrived and we chitchatted about yoga, our respective stories of how we arrived and our reasons for moving to the island. She is a super cool girl- currently working on a farm and doing massage school. We have a lot of mutual friends but never knew each other. After a few minutes, I went back inside to get some pasta and salad (SO GOOD, SO homemade and pretty reasonable for a gigantic plate of food) me and Kara got to chatting again. We exchanged numbers and when she got off her shift, she came out to talk to me and Anna on the porch.

As it turned out, Kara and Anna happened to be at the same pizza party in Makawao the night before! We all decided that we had to watch the sunset together and decided to meet up at Little Beach.

Anna and I took off almost right away and found Big Beach- beautiful HUGE HUGE HUGE white sand beach with the coolest little grove and huge cliffs lining the back 'wall'. Down the way, I kept noticing drums, people with long hair, tie dyes and coolers headed toward the cliffs. We decided, this must be the way to 'little' beach. Sure enough, after we climbed the volcanic stairs up (got a picture with the GORGEOUS view) and then continued down the other side, through a little magical forest we could see a huge gathering, drum beats and lots of people.

This beach. Man. This beach was full of all kinds of fantastic weirdos. There was a drum circle and people surfing and swimming- definitely the best spot to swim I've seen yet- little protected bay that got some good waves AND you could see four islands at the same time! We swam and climbed around to get some good views and settled in. We met up with Kara and watched some people spin fire poi and met her roommates. Her roomie Avery told me the names of all the different islands. We stayed til sunset and then took off to get home by about 8:30ish so I could get to bed.

It was a fantastic day.

Today I started early and even though I got plenty of sleep- it definitely felt like a Monday. I did awake to an exciting email from my Uncle Rick that informed me that through the six degrees of separation, I know Rudolf Steiner (founder of Waldorf) SO RAD! He worked with an man who was worked with Steiner- I am really excited to hear more of this story. Biodynamic farming and all. So cool. Man. I have cool family.

Anyway, I had a fine day AND my Kula-Mom brought me home a big, beautiful wooden desk. Just after a magnificent yoga practice this morning it just seemed like a lot of work and no play (I am employed and was working, so I really can't complain... as my job is on Maui). But just as with every job, I know these days will happen- hours dragged on, and on, and on, and on. I can't expect to have an exciting every work-day and it was fine... just after making dinner but I was just really exhausted. Really, really exhausted.

That being said, I'm definitely ready for bed.

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!

Holy smokes! I have too much to write and I have to sleep.

I will post about all of the magnificent things that happened today tomorrow.

Wow.

Paia Bay Coffee

So, although I thought I'd try out a ton of studios before I made a commitment... it turns out I am totally in love with Makawao studio and with the price of gas in Hawaii (4 and a half dollars a gallon today- GEEZ OH PETES- I live on a mountain and drive a minivan....YIKES) It makes sense to make the plunge and get a membership there because its the closest and they have a pretty good mix of classes, students and teachers.

Also, I have fallen into step with Paia Bay Coffee. There are a few shops around but Paia Bay was the verrry first shop I went to in Hawaii and all the people I have met there are cool. They have a steady flow of regulars and its right by the beach, their staff is friendly and I like the not-so-rushed feel of their spot. Soooo even though I was gonnnna try out a new place today, my feet took me there. I read all but two chapters of "Understanding Waldorf Education" by Jack Petrash in preparation for my meetings in the upcoming days.

Although I have been attracted to Waldorf since my eyes first grazed the powerpoint that introduced us (some may call it 'lust at first sight') it seems that the more I learn about it, the more I engage with it and observe it working the more I love.

"..Waldorf education is not simply about teaching art. It is about teaching all subjects artistically and creatively. Education as an art is the goal of every Waldorf teacher. It is not the easiest assignment, but it could be the most rewarding. It requires Waldorf teachers, as well as students, to be inwardly active." Jack Petrash, Understanding Waldorf Education: Teaching from the Inside Out

What I love more and more about this curriculum is the dedication to making school a place where children learn to use their imaginations to critically think and problem solve. Children are not expected to passively accept information from teachers only to regurgitate it later. Knowledge is seen as an "ongoing by-product"- there is no endpoint or final destination. Critical thinking and imaginations are used to understand the world. Gahh. Such a beautiful education philosophy.

Here is a link to Petrash's TEDx Talk

http://tedxrockcreekpark.com/jack-petrash/

Its not very long but this basically summarizes the first chapter of his book and main argument for this type of education. He is pretty great.

I'm pretty tired and I'm going to be a busy girl tomorrow.

Aloha Pumehana,

Bets

PIZZA

I woke up today and made hot chocolate, as is becoming customary. After some morning reading, fort making and bed-robots (we have ninja's and robots who make beds here, its nutz) I took one of the dudes to school. I made a tea-date with the preschool teacher to sew and learn about Waldorf in her classroom on Sunday afternoon. I am so excited. I think I'll go on a little adventure tomorrow and read some Waldorf books to gear up. : )

I went to yoga for the most incredible practice I've had on the island so far. It was a class of mostly younger people and we did some really fun, challenging arm balances, inversions, deep stretches and spent a lot of time hanging out on one foot at a time. This particular teacher, Trish, will be leading the teacher trainings and I was told by several other yogis at the studio that she was something else, but really- she was something else. I decided today that when I get my first paycheck, I'm going to purchase a membership there.

The drive home from practice was particularly beautiful today. I was driving up Haleakala Highway and the sun was shining on the West Maui Mountains and the reflecting off the ocean. I looked to the other side of the road up at Haleakala and the horses in the meadow with cacti were smiling at me. When I drive to practice (or anytime I drive to Kahalui, Makawao, or Paia) I see the ocean and anytime I drive back home in the other direction (toward Kula, Kihei, Lahaina) I see the ocean. The island is tiny. But, its sooo diverse. I am so excited to continue exploring it. I feel so grateful to be here. Its still a little bit unreal.

I came home and made some PIZZA DOUGH because we are starting a PIZZA FRIDAYS tradition. Best news. After the five year old comes home from practice, we're having pizza EVERY FRIDAY. We had mushroom, green pepper, feta and Maui pineapple on our Zaa and I made a avocado pesto dip for our bread sticks.

 Having guaranteed pizza weekly, living on Maui in between two mountains with sunshine and smiley kids? Yes.

I watched a few ted talks tonight. These two were really interesting to me. I would write a little response but I don't really feel like it. I'm really tired. But they are worth watching.

http://www.ted.com/playlists/124/ken_robinson_10_talks_on_educ.html

One: What do Babies Think

and
Six: Teach Art and Sciences Together

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

Waldorf, Waldorf, Waldorf

Anyone who has heard me rant or rave about early childhood ed knows that I'm interested in holistic and play-based curriculums; the specific curriculum that has always 'spoken' to me is Waldorf.

For the first time in my life, I had the chance to walk onto a real, living, breathing Waldorf campus. I must say, the whole sensory experience walking up was just as I imagined. The beautiful flowers, trees and plants that greet you. The warm, sing-song voice of the gentle preschool teacher saying her good mornings and giggles of children as they met up with their friends in the school yard. The sweet smell of a fresh snack (apples and raw honey) on the porch of the 3-4 year old classroom- essential oils and lavender dr. bronners in warm water perfuming the air, with a stack of fresh towels for the children to wash their hands and feet before entering their classroom. For all of the five minutes I got to visit the compound style campus- I was in awe.

I was so excited, to finally meet a teacher I know almost for certain will become a mentor of mine. She suggested that we meet sometime for dinner and offered to give me a tour of the campus when the children weren't there so we could talk Waldorf. Leaving with a smile, I knew that I'd be back tomorrow morning to drop one of my kiddos off.

For the rest of the day, I hung out with my baby-pal and then picked up my official off-duty mini-van and ran a few errands. I came back to the house around 2 to make snack for the kids, read some books and then was off again to get yogabrained- really nice, close-to-the-ground-twisty-heady-opening-deep-breathing-make-ya-feel-strong kinda practice. I really have enjoyed this studio, I'm really considering making the plunge for the monthly membership.

Later, after dinner I was checking my email and saw a forwarded email from my Kula mama. The Haleakala Waldorf school is currently accepting applications for substitute teachers- SCORE! SCORE! SCORE! SCORE! So, as I did for my current dream job- I used the excitement for the posting to conjure up a heart-felt cover letter on the spot and sent it right away. Within 20 minutes, I received a response asking for an interview Monday. YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! The family really wants me to become involved at the school- which helps the home/school connection AND my professional development! YAAAAAAAAAY! I cannot even believe how cool this opportunity is. All of the teachers I met today were absolutely lovely and in my minds eye, I can see myself realistically teaching at this dreamy school someday. Imagine that, Betsy Shiner- Waldorf teacher on Maui. WHAT?! This life of mine has truly soared into places I didn't even consider possible a few months ago pretty quickly.  If May2013 me read some of these blog posts, I'd probably would have giggled and said, "HA! Yeah, maybe in my dreams...."

BUT WAIT. THIS IS REAL LIFE. WHUUUUUUUUTTTT????!!!?!

Let the universe keep doin' its work. Cheers to a round of positive vibes and love- on me!

Aloha Pumehana,

Betsy

I still love living here

Here are things I learned today

I like making bread, even in Hawaii. I made three different kinds of bread today- Rustic Rasin loaf, Zucchini Bread and Banana Bread (which I normally don't like, but it was okay).

I always love holding babies. Even if they are crying, they are cuddly and delightful. Also, babies will smile when you talk to them. And they like to be read to even if its a chapter book with words they don't understand- four month olds just like to be talked to. Man, I love little babes.

Also, I made Pearlized Curried Couscous. It was yummy but the recipe didn't have enough bang for me- I would have added my favorite ingredient gahhhhhhhhlic and about 3 tbs more curry.

I can still get into a headstand even thought I haven't approached it in a while. And, I'm still good at falling.

I can make almond milk in a vitamix with just 3 minutes, 3 cups of water and 1 cup of almonds and it is delicious. It is even more delicious when you add maple syrup.

Day one of school

Today, I had a pretty low key day. The kids were off to school at around 8 am. I hung out with the babe and went on a nice nap-walk and after that I had between 11AM -6 PM off. So, I talked to my lovely grams and mamacita on the phone. It was nice to catch up with them. Then, I drove down to Paia to get some coffee and read/write postcards and ended up receiving a call from my girl Tegwen. Man, it was soo good to hear a friendly voice and catch up. Then, I wrote a few more cards and low and behold I received another call from another wonderful friend Ms. Mel! Man! It made me so happy to chat with her from a bathroom stall that I had a hard time figuring out how to turn off the faucet haha (its a simple machine, I figured it out before too long). I had to run off to yoga, though, and it is illegal to be on your phone in the car (calls or texts) in Hawaii so I had to cut the call short. We're gonna google hannnnnnnnngout later this week YAY. That means I get to talk to cats and Ross too! WAHOOO!

I had a nice yoga practice again- it was 'island flow' which is a studio term for slow flow. I am learning to love slow flow- it makes me feel really strong. It was taught by my neighb- shes a great guide. I really enjoy the way she works the 'yamas' into our practice- today we talked about nonviolence (ahisma) and truth (satya) again. She is wonderful.

After class I came home and read some Dr. Seuss books to the dudes. They were super stoked to see  "The Bipplo Seed and Other Lost Stories" which my dear friend Andy got me for graduation. They had nevvvver seen it before and Dr. Seuss is obviously always exciting and fun to read out loud. I'm sure you'd never guess it, but every time I read Seuss I get super animated and weird.

Now, I'm here. I had an extremely, smooth, rich and oh so delicious slice of red velvet cake for dessert tonight, its still on my mind. I need to figure out how they made that damn cake so incredibly moist and the icing so creamy... probably lots of butter haha- YUM. I have not perfected cake and this was the slice that convinced me that I should.

I'm gonna go shower and dream about cake.

Aloha pumehana,

Bettyboo

Make new friends, but keep the old! One is silver and the others gold....

Oh my goodness. It seems that every day I live out here, things just keep getting better and better.

Yesterday, I woke up and enjoyed a beautiful yoga practice with a wonderful group of people led by an incredible teacher. Her soft voice, gentle guidance paired with a little humor and encouragement was so comforting. She challenged us, but the energy of the room was not competitive. She brought us into some centering and strengthening balancing poses and fun arm balances. It was AWESOME. I went to her class again this morning and it was just me and Lynn, an older lady. Man, I am so happy to find a teacher I feel so comfortable with- I have a few more days left of my ten day pass to the Makawao studio and I'm excited to try a few more teachers and decide if I'd like to purchase a membership. I'm leaning toward yes (as long as I avoid Anita's classes haha)

After yoga, I ate some lunch and got ahold of my childhood friend Jesse who grew up in Lahaina. He and I were planning on doing the Road to Hana- but its quiiiite the adventure and really would be more enjoyable to take on once I have a backpacking tent and can take two days to explore. So, we decided to take a hike over on his side.

The drive over to the other side of the island was wild. Maui has a number of little microclimates- where I live is warm but can get pretty cool in the morning. We have lots of lush, green plants and unoccupied spaces are filled with plants. On the twisty, turny drive down the highway, the landscape completely changed. It was like I blinked and then all of the sudden I was on the coast and the mountainside beside me was sand with teeny little cacti and little tumbleweed bushes. As I continued, the road was carved into the mountain and the walls were covered with thick chickenwire and metal grating to save people from falling rocks. I drove under part of the mountain through the tunnel and the trees returned. There was about a mile of public beach that was totally jam packed and obvious inhabitation reappeared. I drove through suuuuuper tall trees and I arrived at the agreed upon meetupp spot.

I met him and his friend Jessie at Olawalu General Store and we drove together to the base of the Olawalu valley. It was a really short drive but in the half mile we drove- Jess pointed out some SWEET super old Polynesian petroglyphs that tell stories of fishing and hunting in the area. Some idiots made fake ones so its now illegal to walk up closer to look at them- but the real ones we saw were fascinating. I've never seen such ancient art in real life.

We took off- the beginning of the hike is a desert- the plants were mostly low to the ground and the trees that were there were smaller shade trees- as we hiked further in, we met the stream and the trees grew taller and more diverse. Jesse explained to me that before European contact, this valley (along with the rest of the Lahaina area) was not desert. Due to irrigation and the removal of Sandalwood trees, the natural ecosystem was disturbed and a desert ensued. I'll post pictures later when I get my camera cord- but imagining this entire mountainside as a lush, beautiful jungle/marsh area is crazy, and to know that less than 100 years ago, it was reality is even crazier.

As we got deeper into the valley, the jungle came alive. I didn't see any animals (other than Mary Jane, Jesse's dog) a few crayfish, some dragonflies and a mosquito breeding pond. But! The vines, the massive trees and waterfalls were absolutely amazing. I really want to get a field guide for Hawaiian plants and trees because I can't even tell you what I was seeing- they were cool though. Some of the trees looked pretty similar to maples only they had wider, more star shaped leaves- and their bark was a bit more flakey. Some of them had bark like beech trees- very smooth- but were flat, instead of circular which was very strange, kind of oblong trunks. Some had really shiny, shiny leaves. Some had really tiny oval leaves with lots of of leaves per little branch. Some of them almost looked cartoon like. The stream was gorgeous too- little waterfalls covered in vines. Gah- so beautiful. We walked up stream until we came to the perfect spot for a little snack (I brought teddy grahams, carrot sticks and pretzels- Jessie had some poptarts) and swim. There was a log over a little pool in the stream and gigantic boulder to sit on- and there weren't toooo many mosquitos. The opposite side of the stream was a little area of land and then a huuuuuuge cliff- I'm pretty intrested in reading about the geologic history of this mountain because it looked like a conglomerate (a lot of rocks put together within one big rock) not so much like the volcanic rock I see on my side. I'm not sure though, gotta do some reeeeesearch. The water was cold, but not much colder than Lake Michigan and after hiking uphill for so long it felt pretty good to dip in.

On the hike back, we were off trail, hiking more down the river for a bit. We stumbled upon a set of little waterfalls that we had kind of overlooked before and Jesse wanted to climb up a spot it seemed lots of people had. He found a little rope someone had tied to make it easier and we all schelpped up and realized that we had found one of the irrigation river-things. These are apparently found all over the island and are look sort of like a lazy river you'd find in a waterpark, only they were built in the early 20th century... and they ruined the natural landscape. It was pretty interesting, cool and bothersome all at the same time.

We continued back and after more breathtaking views we got back to the car and Jesse and I got some dinner at his favorite local Hawaiian/Chinese restaurant. Yum. Afterward I got to see the house he grew up in and reconnected with another ol' pal April. It was good to see her and exchange numbers. I'm really looking forward to seeing them both again.


Today I woke up, hung out around the house chatted with my little bro Eli and went to yoga around 11. The lovely teacher I had kept us over by about 45 minutes and it was fantastic. I drove down the windy road to Paia for a cup of coffee and some shade to read at the Paia Bay Coffee shop. Just as I was about to leave, I looked over at what the older gentleman who was sitting at the outside coffee bar was up to- he had been working diligently nearly the entire time I was sitting there on a sketch of the tree in front of us. We started chatting and got into a great conversation.

We became fast friends and he shared some great stories and the wisdom that comes from living 70 years. I can't even write all that he shared here, but I'll sum up some of his lessons.

1. The most important thing you must do, is love yourself. You must love yourself, and model to your children (and those you nanny) to love themselves. He explained that this was imperative because if you can't be your own friend, who else can? If you truly love yourself, learn to take care of yourself and appreciate all you are, you can be happy anywhere because you're always with your best friend- you. If you are five years old, you fall down and get hurt- its okay because you're here with you. You can accomplish so much more and be happy. He said that as soon as he learned this, he found that he made much better company because he was more enjoyable to be around because he was comfortable in his own skin. He insisted that I model and share this to my little dudes because it will make them strong and competent beings.

2. You have to have a vision. Once you have a vision, the universe will work with you to make your dreams come true. If you don't know what you want, you can't see it, you can't find it and the universe can't give it to you. He shared that when his little girl was about 3-4 years old, they were living in San Fransisco. They were out on a drive and trying to get a parking spot near their favorite restaurant. He said, on this day- he decided to give the key of the universe to his girl. He told her to envision their pizza place. Imagine the cook (I don't remember his name) tossing in the window. See people in the window. See the open space, and the parking spot would be there. She concentrated and was quiet, as they approached- even in the bustle of the city- there were two spots, just in front of their pizzeria. He explained that there were two, because he wasn't sure she could do it- he had envisioned one too.
His lesson here was that the only way you can find what you want from life was to see it, want it and grab it when its there. I told him more about how I ended up in Kula. He smiled and told me I was doing well for myself.

3. Love and truth are important. He told me some wild stories. The main vain of them boiling down to this- fear is not an option. What you want, you get more of. What you think, manifest itself. If you tell the truth and love, what can go wrong? Love and truth go hand in hand and once you see this, they are the way to light and life.

4. Do the things you want to be good at. Love the things you want to be good at. When you do them, you will get better. When you do them passionately, people notice. When you chase your dreams and really go for it and love every minute of it- you will thrive. When you thrive, you will find your path, and someone will pay you for it. Do everything you love with the passion it deserves.

Fred is a seventy year old poet who moved to Maui when he was on vacation. He is a wonderful man and I know we will meet again. He told me Maui is an island and that we'd meet again. And, if I'm ever trying to drop him a line I can just look up his word 'dolphid'- being a poet, with poetic license, he can make up words- and I'd be able to find him. Sure enough, I looked up his word and here he is : http://betterbeings.blogspot.com/

I cannot wait to see him again. I don't think I told him, but I'd say he is the first person I met on Maui that I'd consider my friend. What a cool freakin' guy.

We send the little ones off to school tomorrow. I can't wait but I must get some rest.

Aloha pumehana,

Betsy