Kuaback's BlahBlahBlah

[what are your 5 greatest accomplishments] 1. surviving the first year of marriage: It's true when they tell you the first year is the most challenging phase of marriage. That's when you find out your other half's true colors and when you realize you don't really want to share your space and your bank account with someone else. ha! 2. I can cook dinner, do laundry, and shower two active boys - and be done with all 3 chores at the same time..I know..I'm wonderwoman..bhhahaha 3. I can change a full blown nastiest, dirtiest diaper with just one wipe and come out with a nice clean bum (I deserve an award for that one) 4. giving life to my 2 babies - I'm still amazed at how us women carry these precious beings inside our bodies for 9whole months. 5. being HAPPY with where I am in life - Life is fabulous!

[if you were an animal, what would you be and why?] If I were an animal, I would be a DOLPHIN.  WHY? Because they're gorgeous, smart, friendly and people love them..hehehehe

[what are your 5 strengths and describe] 1. I'm very organized : I have a system for everything and it drives my husband bananas and sometimes drives my BOSS and my workmates nuts. Soriaboudid 2. Forgiveness: I'm so quick to forgive. I always give people a second chance. hhhmmm. .not sure if this is a strength or weakness..oh wth 3. I'm a straight forward no bullshit kinda girl : If I see something I don't like or something that can done better - I will say what I think, offer my opinion and provide constructive criticism. I'd rather come out and say it, than keep it in because it will keep bothering me until i do something about it 4. Open mind: I'm good at thinking things through and examining the big picture from all sides. 5. Sense of Humor : I like to laugh and tease. keeps me sane most times. laughter is the best medicine afterall

One more week before school starts. I enrolled Tai at Bright Beginnings and he's so excited to start already! Anyway, I've been trying to get him on a sleeping schedule at night but still failing bad. At 10pm he's still up watching cartoons or coloring in his coloring books. Lately, he's been working on perfecting his circles :) So instead of yelling at him to get to bed tonite, I sat him down and tried to talk to him about why he needs to go to bed early. Our conversation went something like this, Me: son, you start school soon so you need to start going to bed early, you hear me? T: I don't want to. I not tired Me: I know, but if you want to be a strong boy and get to school on time, you need to go sleep early so u won't be tired when you go school. OK? T: ok ok ok gosh Me: excuse me? T: I said ok geez Me: Tai now you better watch....cut off T: ok ok ok mom I gotta get it (I think he meant "I get it" ) This kid drives me banana...

The best motivation is having your child run behind you calling out things like; "I gonna get you mommy" Or "hurry up mom, you're too slow" Or "run mommy run" #mommymoments

[ name 5 weaknesses you have] 1- FOOD: I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one. In fact, I'm sure I'm only a a tiny bit of the fraction of people with this same weakness. I love food, namely sweets - BUT, it doesn't do any good for my enlarging thighs, ass and my buldging stomach. This is what I have in my pantry right now 2 - SHOES: I'd like to raise my hand here to acknowledge the fact that I have made some drastic changes in this department. I've been good. I've only bought 1 pair of shoes a month this year (minus the 5 I bought in April - that's a given because Vegas has cheaper shoes than Hawaii and plus I was on vacation). 3 - giving people the benefit of a doubt: I don't like to assume or be judgmental of others especially when I hear many stories about them. I like to give them the opportunity to prove others wrong. Unfortunately, this usually comes back to bite me in the a$$. ouch!! 4- the adorable baby faces m...

Yesterday afternoon, I got an email from my MIL that the baby of the family just got his mission call - and trying to schedule a time for everyone to get on SKYPE so we can all see him open and read out where he was called to. (If you don't know what mission call I'm referring to here, then a simple explanation and example would be - those guys in the white shirts, long black pants with nametags - knocking on your doors - yes those guys!!!) We all guessed different countries - of course being the unoriginal and boring one, I guessed NZ. ahar. The majority guessed Australia, and some guessed somewhere in the US. Anyways, Skype had some technical difficulties with everyone trying to SKYPE in all at one time, so some of the fanauga a Isaraelu could only hear and not see the future missionary read his call. So before I steer away from the main of this post, lil brother got called to serve a full time church mission in Ghana Africa !!!!!! Bow chica WOW WOW! Yup, no one guessed t...

[ describe a typical day in your current life]  So, I've posted this before Read about a typical day in my life here because I'm not writing it again..hehe

[ what are your top 10 pet peeves?]  1- THE TOILET SEAT - I hate having to put the toilet seat down after my hubby and son use the bathroom-ANNOYING 2- bits of toothpaste in the bathroom sink - please clean and wipe the sink clean when you're done using it 3- That damn neighbor who looks for her dog at 2am around our house waking up my sleeping child. 4- laundry lying everywhere BUT the laundry basket - hello, that's why we have a laundry basket in each room- sheesh 5- people who assume they know everything about YOU, when they haven't said a single word TO YOU  6- idiots who think they're better than everyone else - please get down from your high horse 7- incompetent co-workers 8- not using common sense on the simplest things 9- that Samoan attitude of give give and giving everything you got when you're knee deep in loans and living pay check to pay check - all in the name of love, God and family. 10- someone feeds my ...

[ describe your most embarrassing moment ] Oka! I have too many to choose from. choohooo But I guess one that I still remember - The day I was told by my cousin, that his friend, that one I had the biggest crush on in high school, thought that  1- I'm crazy 2- I'm too loud 3- he's just scared of me talk about kicking a girl when she's already DOWN!!!! My cousin's best friend was quiet, cute and very smart! My kinda guy..well not really the quiet part. Anyways, we all used to hang out,  but then I started liking this best friend and started to be very faakekeige around him. I told my cousin what I thought of his friend but kinda asked him to see what he thought of me and basically for him to spy on him for me and find out if he fancies me..ahar..what a big joke! My big mouthed cousin told him straight up that I liked him and asked him if he likes me back He did not even stutter; Hell NO dude, you're cousin is crazy and...

[list 10 people who have influenced your life and describe how] my babies: T&T : They have taught me the true meaning of sacrifice. When I had Tai, I wanted to be better. I wanted to be a better mother for him. When I had Taui, I wanted to be the best in everything so I can be the best mother to the both of them. They taught me to smile even when I'm mad and ready to pull my hair out. My boys teach me how to be a better mother every day. hubby dear: bless his heart. this man taught me the true meaning of patience. I know it hasn't been an easy road for us - things happen, i get irritated and I flare up like a firecracker - yet, he remains calm. he is the calm to my storm. he taught me true love. he makes me want to be a better person every day. I'm grateful for such a strong priesthood holder in our home and for such a hard working man who strives to live within the gospel principles everyday. Huge admiration for this man. my dad: when it comes to hard work -...

the list continues - day 7  [list 5 things you are most passionate about] 1- being a Mother - this is my most important calling in life and I love it. I may not sound or seem like it but I absolutely love being a mother to my two cute monsters. They make me want to be and do better everyday. 2- my family - family is very important to me. No matter where life takes me, I always have my family to come back to. They are literally my backbone.  3- Photography- I've always loved photography. I love taking pictures and using my camera to capture moments in life. Things I can leave behind for my children, grandchildren, great grandchildren etc. 4- The Gospel - Learn it , Love it, Live it !!!!! 5- LIFE - life is so fragile. There are so many thing out there that I'd like to try out and do if I had the time. I love my job but I feel it takes up too much of my time. After this year started, I decided to stop being negative about my situation and just turn it aro...

Sorry for breaking the postings from the list. I'm having too much fun at camp. Hehe will continue with the postings tomorrow.

Apologies for the late post, I was too busy having fun at camp with my boys. BUT here I am, just a for a wee while before I head back out to camp. We're almost out of marshmallows for s'mores so I'm supposed to come get some more.  ---------------- [ what is your dream job and why?] Why are most questions always followed with a WHY? lol My dream job-I would say is owning my own one-stop boutique in Samoa . One with a variety to choose from and a place where every woman can pick out a complete  outfit with accessories, shoes, handbags, and everything to match - [all affordable of course] When I say every woman, i mean, ALL SIZES - because most stores  only carry up to size L...hhmmppphhh A one-stop boutique. Of course it will be cheaper than the competitors 150% markups *ahem* Why is this my dream job? Because I love fashion. I love throwing together ensembles. I like shoes, handbags, and everything pretty,  and I believe every woman des...

[what is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?] This is a HARD one!!! I've had my share of all sorts of experiences..gosh.. [at my young age???] One that comes to mind right now was probably the hardest , but also the best thing for me in the long run. Getting baptized and becoming a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints  or the Mormon Church as most people know it. Finding Jesus and finding that foundation that keeps me still. I am not going into detail about this one because it's a long sob story and we  don't need sob stories at this hour ;) But if you want to know my conversion story, be my guest. It was hard because as much as I tried to make my family understand my reasons for converting, no one listened [or only a few - like my mom] . The rest were just worried about what other people would say and think of us. It was hard because majority of my family didn't respect my decision It was hard because I f...

[describe 5 things that make you MOST happy right now] Right now? right this moment? the packet of TimTams that's already half way done with my tall glass of milk.  (one finds joy in the little things..hahaha #lifeofamomma) On a serious note.... 1- playing/laughing/spending time with my sons - esp during our muscle flexing competitions where my younger son usually wins ;) brings me smiles ;) 2 - date nights with the hubby - since our work schedules are both pretty hectic, we cherish every time we get together, either with our boys or going out on our own racing cars at the indoors race track, shooting guns at the gun stock, or just hanging out having dinner and catching a good movie. 3 - BODY by Vi shakes - one of hubby's cousins sent me a packet to try as she does if for a business and to maintain her weight. I gave it a try and dang the thing was YUMMY. Unlike all those other weight loss nasty shakes, this one actually delivers on the YUMMY slogan.  ...

[10 things you would tell your 16year old self if you could] 1- STOP mucking around - focus on your studies and get as much in as you can. 2- DON'T QUIT tennis 3- stop skipping math class to play island football with the boys (because Mr Pu'a will find you and whack the living shit outta your butt with his 'little joe') 4 - don't cry over that loser guy who thinks you're crazy and has a lousy excuse of being scared of you. He's not worth it. you'll grow up and find someone way better than him anyways...ppsssshhhh ;) 5 - Drive safely/carefully - don't show off and go racing with boys because you'll end up crashing your dad's car and your mom will beat you with the 'salulima' for being a show off lil shat 6- Pay attention when attending those after school tutorials your parents pay for. Don't waste their hard earned money by going just to talk to  that hot guy from RLS 7- Stop making up excuses NOT to g...

I love waking up in the morning to these two. My favorites:)

[describe your relationship with your parents] hhhmmmm...NORMAL? hehehe Seriously?  Ok, sit back, relax I'll try not to make this one long and boring like all my other posts  my family moved a lot while growing up, but Alafua was always our home when we're in Samoa, with every weekend spent at Lefaga.  My dad was hardly home - he traveled a lot for work. We were always lucky to have him home for a whole month before he goes on another trip. So suffice to say, I was CLOSER to my dad growing up. go figure!!! Maybe because he was hardly home and I always missed him - so everytime he's home, he's never mad at me and my siblings and would always do fun stuff with us like taking us out for evening rides, takes us for ice cream, teach us how to play tennis and my favorite one of all - riding to Lefaga aka kuabacks   to visit my cousins. My dad never laid a hand on me - oh wait, I take that back, he did slap me once for throwing a toy truck at my br...

So as you can clearly tell from the previous post, the first thing on the list is NOT about fears. NO, the first thing is to list 20 random things about myself. Well, I'm moving that to the last thing on the list as I don't want to spend the next 15minutes I have trying to think up random facts about myself. So here goes; [3 fears and how they became fears] 1. losing my children: Since last year, many families in our community have lost their babies either from being sick or actual accidents. This worried me a lot and had me on ALERT almost a 100% of the time (I try) and got me all paranoid every time I leave my children with the sitter or with family members even my husband. I don't know what I'll do if anything happens to my babies 2. failing: Not just in school. This is more about failing myself or being a failure in anything I do. My Nana always tells us "you are your own failure, so try your best and give it all you got. you can do anything you put ...

Pinterest is my new best friend. Oka! so many nice ideas and random things. I'm usually on there to stalk home decor because I'm a neat freak and a wannabe Martha Stuart like that. Right now, I'm looking for ways to stack children's toys nicely so it doesn't take up much room. Lots of creative ways and lots of $$ to get it done too.. auee Anyways, I came across this blogpost while on Pinterest and thought I'd try it out for myself. So for this month, I'll be changing things up a bit. I'll be posting random things about myself (as if I don't talk about myself enough already bleh) And for the two of you who are still reading this, post it up and let's see what you got as well. 1. List 20 random facts about yourself. 2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears. 3. Describe your relationship with your parents. 4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could. 5. What are the 5 things that...

PCC walkway coconuts Haleiwa Beach - Hawaii

So my two year old wanted to help me make dinner tonight and I let him. He wanted to eat waffles and bacon, ( weird combo I know) Anyways here's what how our paniolos came out. Turkey bacon stuffed in the waffles topped with bananas whip cream strawberries and lots of maple syrup. Yummyyyyy

Totally recommend this. Yum yumm yumminess in the morning.

After my usual nightly routine, I sat myself down to evaluate how I'm doing with my operation " starting over" . Remember this post ? yeah that's the operation I'm talking about. Aue!!! So far, operation 'starting over' is a huge success. For some unknown reason, I have managed to control my kuaback island easily flaring temper, and keep the peace. I don't feel the hubby's eyes burning my back with the look that says " you work too much" . I've learned to shut up when need to,  and keep my opinions to myself (well some of them anyways). With my full on work schedule, I've managed to take my kids on little adventures at least once a week, block out one night of the week for datenights with the hubby, a day of the week reserved for the temple, schedule my time so I can focus on school, I make time to hang out with my few friends and somehow manage to squeeze in SOME exercise in the midst of all the chaos. (you can go ahead and...

ALOHA, CALLING ALL FANS IN HAWAII!! We are now in the process of planning a book event on the island of Oahu. Please email me if you're interested in organizing this event. jenn.lemalu@gmail.com Mahalo nui !