Happy Memorial Day! Chris went in to work this morning but will be home so we can go hiking as a family at 3pm. It is so nice now that the kids are getting older and hiking is getting easier with them. Of course Lucy is still carried, and will be for a long time, but she is really an easy baby to take. 

Last night the kids made a huge tent in Joey's room- and of course they wanted to SLEEP in the tent- which IS the funnest part of making a tent!!!  Below is where Sophia and Vangie slept-

And here is Joey's area:


Lucy has also learned to open drawers!!! He loves to open the drawer with all the child bowls and cups and yank them all out and all over the floor. She has been doing this for a couple weeks. Now she has moved up to opening the drawer above that one- the drawers with all the spoons.... she thinks she is hot stuff now.... she gets so proud of herself when she accomplishes something new.


Summer is here, and I am trying to keep stuff IN my kids brains and not let everything leak out. Chris and I are teaching Joey his multiplication tables. Here he is wrtitng them out on our dry-erase board...

I just taught him that little trick about multiplying your "9's"... you know, where you can count it out on your fingers.... he thought that was so cool! I told him. "now there is no excuse for you not to know your 9's!!"  Chris and I are wired so different when it comes to Math. I need to count everything out on my fingers where-as Chris does everything in his brain and expects Joey to do the same.... I admit I am glad Chris is here to teach joey Math and everything that comes after that!

Yesterday I took the kids (and joey's friend Andy) hiking!!!  We left here at about 4pm after the heat of the day had mostly worn off.

Above are Joey (on the right) and his friend Andy being "Forest Ninja's".

Watch out for falling rocks!!!


It took us about 2.5 hours to hike. The kids did AMAZINGLY! It was a really great workout. The first 1/2 mile was basically straight uphill! Once the hike was done we were all ready to come home and relax!

Yesterday during her nap Lucy got her leg caught in the crib slats!!! Below is what it looked like when I came in to rescue her- after hearing her screaming all the way downstairs.. (this is not an actually picture of Lucy, but a random baby I found online. But obviously getting your leg caught in the crib is a pretty common event!)

At first I thought there was no way I was going to be able to free her leg without vaseline or a saw! But eventually we wiggled it out!

Yesterday Morning I thought that I would have a garage sale..... and then I remembered why I HATE having Garage sales here so much. First of all, you have all the locals who cruise by with their big trucks full of junk and try to get your items for basically NOTHING so they can hike up the price and re-sell it at the swap meet. Um, no thanks!!!  They bicker and bicker and bicker about the prices. For instance- I had a LOT of amazing baby clothes out- and nothing stained or worn out, basically new items that Lucy only wore once. I had them for 50 cents per item.... and one lady kept complaining about it. come one 50 CENTS??? Why don't you go to Target or the Mall and see how much that dress would be.... probably at least $10!!! And THEN, nobody brought anything other than a $20 bill. Here's a heads up... if you are going to go garage saling, and you plan on bickering about the price, bring small bills and change!!!
 
I had 20$ in ones when I started.... the first few people all had large bills, so I went through my change pretty quickly. THEN the lady who was haggling over My baby clothes shows up. She spends about 10 min haggling with me and finally has her pile that she wants to buy..... and I give her a deal and say that she can just give me $2 instead of the $5 it should be... and she pulls out a $20 bill. I tell her that I am sorry, but I do not have any more change... and she storms off, saying several times.... "thanks for wasting my time!!" EXCUSE ME? Thanks for wasting YOUR time??  AHHHHH.
 
I was so livid that I packed everything up and am taking it to goodwill. I told Chris that I would rather set the clothes on FIRE than give them away to these ungrateful people. Sorry for the rant..... but I am so over it!

The first day of Summer Vaca is Upon Us. As a mom of 4 I am tempted to run screaming to a far away location. But, with a few simple new rules and regulations, summer will be a smooth, fun time (at least that is what I am telling myself, ha ha ha)

1) I have implamented the "3 -strike Rule".Basically it is this- each child has their name on a board. If you are NAUGHTY (i.e. screaming, tattling, sassing, or any other behavior that I deem bad for the morale of the whole family) you will get a STRIKE. Upon receiving 3 strikes you will be banished to your room with no TOYS to lay on your bed and stare at the ceiling and think about how you can improve upon said behavior. 

This rule really works. It's amazing how just MENTIONING getting a "strike" can turn most behaviors around in a second!


Another thing I am doing this summer is I am embarking on my "Slow-Cooker Summer"!!! I picked this book at COSTCO yesterday:



I have been in a SERIOUS cooking slump lately (lately as in the last couple YEARS, and a serious slump as in I don't really cook dinner hardly, AT. ALL. ) I USED to cook all the time- I enjoy it when I get into the habit! But really with FOUR kids.... by the time dinner time rolls around I just throw a PB&J sandwhich at them and call it good! 

There is some simply amazing things that can be done with a slow-cooker, and I am set out to try them all. This means that I can get dinner DONE by 9am and not have to worry about it ALL.DAY.LONG. This really works for me!

This morning I put together this tasty meal: Moroccan beef  turkey chili with chickpeasblack-beans and raisins... It used a lot of yummy spices like paprika, cumin... Mmmmm, Mmmmm. It smells good already at 9:30am! So, with a little discipline on my part, I will be able to make a fabulous yummy dinner every-night. Todays dinner took a little imaginative ingredient swapping since I did not have everything EXACTLY as the recipe called for, but I still think it will taste awesome.


Above is my kitchen at 8am this morning. Lucy was helping me out as much as an almost 9 month old can. She is just lucky that she doesn't have any strikes yet!!!


Now off to run 6 miles on the treadmill and then to the POOL!

Lucy and I have something in common. We both love Asian Boys. Ha ha ha. I love thisa Tank top she is wearing. I got it at the mall. Only in Hawaii. I think it would be a lot harder for me to find a tank top like this in Michigan.























Here is me lifting Sophia up in the air like she is flying. I was trying not to laugh- and drop her to the ground!

We got the kids some Glow-Chalk- glow in the dark chalk. They were sooooo excited to use it tonight. And so was I, it was fun!! Here is my artwork....

ahhh, a day in the life of a Schmittt-Child. How awesome THAT is! To wake up on the wonderful island of Oahu every-morning. To walk to school amongst flowers and palm trees, with the Ocean and Mountains in the background.  It is so very beautiful here.... and the weather is pretty much perfect!  I took some pictures of the family this morning...













Here are Joey and Sophia playing their DS's. Sometimes I want to rip the DS's out of their hands and throw them in the garbage disposal. On days like that I confiscate everything electrical and make them go outside to play. This actually happens almost everyday.



























Lucy now can pull herself up and walk behind her push toy.
































Chris and Lucy. Lucy loves her daddy SOOOOO much. She will crawl to him where-ever he is and demand that he pick her up. When he comes home from work at night she is SOOOO excited to see him.

















And lastly I found this picture from when Grandma Tuy was here visiting us a few weeks ago:


Lucy loves her Grandma too!

I can't believe that the last week of school is here! Only a few more days until we can all sleep in.... well, my kids NEVER really "sleep in", but 7am is better than 6am in my book! And I cannot even begin to fathom that when school starts up again in a few short weeks, I will have a 3rd grader, 2nd grader and Kindergartner!  Only little Lucy will be staying home with me as my side-kick.

In an unrelated note, my Van is inching towards certain death. She is fully paid off and that is the only reason she is still with us. I am bound and determined to get every INCH of use out of her before I get a new van. So, she will HAVE to make it through the next couple years here and in Guam. The other day I loaded Lucy and Vangie up in the van to drive to the kids school to watch their end of school performance. I turned the key.... NOTHING.  Ahhhhh! We then had to walk to school- no big deal, it is only a half of a mile there, but we were already late.  Then,  my battery died in the McDonald's drive through the day after that! (I had a friend and her three children WITH Me... how embarrassing!)



My friend had to get out and  direct the other cars around me  through the tight drive-through space while I found a nice man to give the van a jump start. THEN the battery died AGAIN in the driveway the next day after I got everyone loaded up for gymnastics! Do you know how irritating it is to have 4 kids and a 50lb diaper bag all loaded up to then find your vehicle DEAD and then having to move all 4 children and the 50lb diaper bag to a different vehicle, or NO vehicle while running late for school. an appointment/ whatever??

Chris did the manly thing and performed a "maintenance check" on it and said that everything was checking out fine... some ramblings on how  he used a "multi-meter" to check the voltage on the battery- and it was fine...  so he is uncertain of WHY it died (twice) and came to the conclusion that it died because I never turn the A/C off before I turn the van off... so in Chris-speak..... the A/C is then running off the "pump" which then , in turn is more things running which is more juice needed to get things starting.... Yeah, a bunch of BS. Basically he doesn't know WHY it is dying so he is blaming it on me.
Whatever. So I told him that this week HE was driving the Van and I would drive HIS Acura. I am just waiting for a phone call to come and give him a jump-start. 

Chris turned 32 on Friday. We had our babysitter come and watch the 4 minions so that we could do out to dinner. Chris found an amazing restaurant by searching on the Internet. My ONLY complaint is that he neglected to WRITE DOWN THE ADDRESS AND USE THE GPS, so we drove around looking for it for an extra 20 min. ( It is one of my PET PEEVES to not write down the address, really, it takes like 2 seconds!!!) Okay, rant over.... when we FINALLY got to the reasturant it was awesome!


 The restaurant was right on the beach- we sat at an outside table on the Lanai, right next to the beach. It was so beautiful!! We got to watch the sun set over the ocean as we ate dinner. Breath-taking, really!


And since it wasn't on the Waikiki strip, it wasn't crowded.  Our waiter was a crusty, old, RUDE man... seriously, I wanted to get up and LEAVE because his attitude at first was so negative.... extreme hunger was the only thing that kept me in my seat (that and my Martini.)   Once I got over my extreme irritation at our rude waiter.... I just realized that I would NOT let him affect my evening!  I had a fabulous time with my husband.  The food was AMAZING!!! We both didn't touch the bread basket (No Gluten for us!) And fully enjoyed our entrees- I had grilled shrimp and lobster over grilled vegetables and Chris has fillet minon over vegetables. We both enjoyed a ceaser salad. Chris accidentally ate his croutons... he relies on my to tell him what has gluten and I forgot to tell him, but I forgave him for his indiscretion.

Here we are before dinner: (Lucy didn't come with us, but she likes to get her picture taken!)

I won't bother you with all the details- if you want those, head on over to my other website at www.schmitthappens.net/myrunning-

But,  I have been dealing with a lot of Gastro-intestinal issues related to my Gluten Intolerance. I switched over to all "gluten-free" foods ... Gluten free crackers, pasta, cereal.... and what-not.... but am still having EXTREME gas and bloating and PAIN!  Also, over the past two months of me trying to deal with this issue I have gained about 5 pounds of bloat. My stomach area has been looking perpetually like I am about 6 months pregnant.... NICE. So much so that a few weeks ago I was in the dressing room with Vangie - my ever truthful 4 year old.... and she said to me .... "mommy! You have another BABY In your belly!!"    ouch.     
I KNOW it is not "fat-gain"....  at my last weigh-in at Boot-camp my FAT percentage went DOWN and my muscle percentage went UP... I have been exercising and not "over" eating.... but I have been eating foods that my body is rebelling against....  so it's water gain or bloat or something!!!!  

So after weeks of just being sad and depressed about feeling like crap physically, I am on to a better me. I have begun a fun new way of eating and Chris is joining me as I get started. I am going on a very "low-carb" diet ala "Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution" . I LOVE this way of eating....  and it's healthy! I am NOT going to get into the health side, if you want to read about that go here http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/  .  Get educated about it, your eyes will be OPENED. 

 But the FUN part is.... Chris is JOINING me on this adventure. He KNOWS how much better I feel eating Low Carb. And so he has signed a CONTRACT (I love making people sign contracts!) To eat Low-Carb with me for the next 2 weeks ( and beyond, I am sure he will feel really great at the end of the two weeks!)  Because for the longest time it has been hard for me to just get STARTED when Chris is eating pasta, ice-cream , chips and all the other "Chris-food" right next to me. So to have him SUPPORTIVE and actually reading the Carbohydrate levels on the food packaging is hilarious!

 I have taken our weights and measurements and I will be updating daily on my other website www.schmitthappens.net/myrunning . So, If you need a daily dose of laughter, head over THERE. I will be updating later today.

In case I have forgotten to mention it, we are moving to GUAM at the end of the year. You are peobably thinking... WHERE is GUAM? I know, I thought the same thing too.

Guam's Climate

    The temperature here is pretty constant throughout the year; it's almost always fairly hot (in the high eighties, Fahrenheit). It feels hotter than it actually is because of the high humidity. It gets a little cooler (a few degrees) in the "winter," that is, around January through March. It is never cold or even close to it, although people who have lived here awhile complain they are freezing on those rare days when the temperature drops down into the 70s. The only way to get cold on Guam is to go into places with air conditioning. Some places go nuts with AC. My classroom at the University of Guam, for example, is so cold that students have been known to come to class wearing parkas and gloves.

    Guam has two seasons, the wet season (July - December) and the dry season (January - June). For people accustomed to temperate zone climates, the differences between these seasons are subtle. Some years we have a wet dry season or a dry wet season, making the distinction even less obvious. During the dry season, the winds typically intensify. These are the trade winds. The weather may be dry enough so that the grass turns brown and we get a lot of brush fires. Intermittent streams may dry up. During the wet season, we get rain several times a day.

    Even during the rainy season, Guam is mostly sunny. It is rare to get those kinds of days where the whole sky is gray and overcast and it rains all day. Usually our rain clouds are small, intense packages that dump their contents torrentially and then move on. The rain is pleasantly warm, although if you are on your way to someplace air-conditioned when it hits, you may not appreciate the shower.

Geography

    Guam is about 30 miles long and of variable width, about 8 miles maximum. To drive from the southern end by Cocos Island to Ritidian at the northern end takes about two hours. It can take a lot longer if you adhere to the speed limits (45 mph is the maximum legal speed on Guam), or if there's road construction (there always is), or if you get behind a school bus (they seem to run 24 hours a day), or if you get behind someone who has filled up the back of his pickup truck with sand and is dragging his rear on the road, sparks flying, sand blowing off, and the tires flattened by the weight. (Hauling sand is a popular road activity on Guam.)


I plan on learning all I can about this exotic new destination before we move there, and I will be starting another page "ALL ABOUT GUAM". Because by the end of the year, this website will be Schmitt Happens....Guam edition.

The other day Joey had gymnastics. Now, I want my kids to grown up to be active and athletic and to love sports. I love gymnastics because whatever sport they choose to pursue in the future- what they learn in gymnastics will help them to be stronger, more flexible etc, etc, etc.  Plus we have an awesome gymnastics place just 1 mile from the house.  SO CONVENIENT!!!

All three of the big kids take a gymnastics class twice a week. The girls go Monday from 4-6, (Vangie 4-5 and Sophia 5-6) Joey goes Tuesday from 3:30-5 and they all go Sundays from 12-1:30. Whew. Thats a lot of bleacher sitting. But they LOVE it.... and  have heard from several people that going TWICE a week vs, only one time helps your child to improve SO MUCH FASTER. Since we are not doing any other sport right now- like soccer or basketball... I put them all in twice a week.  They all LOVE it- ( well, except Sophia, but she complains about everything!)

Tuesday was Joey's day- and so I dropped him off and told him I would be there to pick him up when he was done. Then the girls and I went back home and started to get things done around the house. For some reason I thought his class got out at 5:30 (it really gets out at 5pm) so at 5:16 I get a phone call from a strange number and I hear a squeaky little Joey voice....

"Mommy, where ARE you?" My first reaction was to say "Joey, where are YOU?"
"I'm at GYMNASTICS.... he squeaked " and you are not HEREEEEEEEE." Then I immediately realized my mistake! He is always used to me being there RIGHT on time, so when he came out of gymnastics and I wasn't there, he got scared! Another mom saw him and noticed he was looking very distraught and offered Joey to use her phone, and then she waited with him while I threw the girls in the van and rushed to pick him up.   Of course I would have been there in 10 min anyway, but I am thankful for that caring mom to watch over him until I got there! I'll try to remember that gymnastics gets over at 5 from now on.   And the funny thing is when I picked him up and we were driving home he told me " I thought I would have to spend the night there!!"
"I think I would have noticed you were not at home, JOey!"

And also- My Mothers Day presnet came in the mail! This beauty:







It is a double stroller and can also be used as a Bike Cart! How ingenious!  We did out "Maiden Voyage" of about 7 miles yesterday and this morning we did another 5.5. Vangie and Lucy fit perfect in it together. And I like the fact that Vangie is old enough to hand Lucy her toy and her sippy cup if she needs a drink. It is small enough so it fits on the sidewalk with no problem- And is very smooth to run with- especially with the tires pumped up properly, which we did this morning.


Below:
My willing participants.
Only a few times did I hear "Mommy. are we going home yet?"

Evangeline was blessed with the most BEAUTIFUL naturally curly hair. It falls in Ringlets around her face and down her back. It is so beautiful!!

But.... Have you ever noticed how all the Disney Princesses have STRAIGHT Hair?? Mulan, Pocahontas, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty... straight, straight and more straight!! Vangie notices this too! She would often drench her hair with the spray bottle and constantly comb, comb comb it to try to straighten it out.

Well, on Mothers Day I was wondering through the Mall and I happened upon a Kiosk of Jose Eber Hair Straighteners. Holy High Pressure Salesman!!! I admit that I WAS looking for a hair straightener that really works. The one I had was very cheap and really didn't work. I felt like it was frying my hair every time I used it. SO, I let the Kiosk man- who looked and acted like he had arrived from Italy that morning began telling me how THIS hair straighter was the BEST in the WORLD! It is PURE ceramic, uses cold steam instead of high heat so it doesn't damage the hair... yadda, yadda, yadda.

The part that sold me was when he used it on MY hair. Oh MY! My hair looked FABULOUS! Sleek and Shiny!!! I was suckered.... er... sold! He even through in two containers of a SPECIAL hair syrum that the Italian men supposedly use to thicken their hair. Hmmmmm... probably a bunch of BS, but it smelled good none-the-less.

And so I arrived home with the MOTHER of all hair straighteners. And I will NOT share what I paid for the thing I will just say I am glad it has a lifetime Warranty.  Then I used it last night on Vangies hair..... It WORKS WONDERFULLY! My cheap-o hair straighter would NOT straighten her curls at all. THIS one blows through them in NO time! She is the HAPPIEST little girl with her super straight hair.  She loved it so much that she refused to get her hair wet at bath time yesterday. Today I made her wash her hair, but then I had to straighten again after dinner.

I had the BEST mothers day yesterday!!! I am so lucky because since I have 4 children, I get 4 times the gifts and cards!!! Above is a Card is from my Joey.

They all (except Lucy, she's too little)  got me a card...


Sophia made me the Card Above....



And Vangie made the card above, I LOVE her little hand print.



Joey is now 8, and he made me the most awesome gift.... coupons of Love!!!!  I especially the last coupon.... 1 hour of quiet time!!! I will be cashing this one in, for sure!

I have been thinking about mom mom a lot these past few days- with mothers day being tomorrow and all.  I think for me when my mom died so suddenly and at such a young age.... at first I was angry. Angry that she wasn't going to be here for everything! We had a lot of stuff planned!! 

Then of course I felt extreme sadness for a long time. Now I just miss her. I think fondly of all our memories and I know she would be very proud of where I am right now. I know she would love to hold and snuggle with Lucy.  In the picture below she is holding Krysti and Vachel's son Ayden. I often think of how much she would have LOVED to visit Hawaii. It was one of her life long dreams, to come to Hawaii with my Dad.  They were planning to come out for Christmas the year she died.  Life your life!!! Pursue your PASSIONS! Don't sit and wait for a "better time" or "later" you may not have later or next year. Live today like it's your LAST! This is what I have learned from my mom. And she DID JUST THAT! 

My mother did more in her 50 short years than some people do in 100! She Married her soul mate, had 4 children, ran a home and a several businesses! She and I traveled to AFRICA for a 2 week SAFARI. She and my dad went to MEXICO and snorkeled in the OCEAN. She went to AUSTRALIA with my Dad, brother and sister-in-law Nicole. She took my little Sister and her friend Kelly on a CRUISE after they graduated high school!  She visited me all over the United States. One fond memory I have is of her and I in LAS VEGAS- we played Blackjack and drank Toddy's all night long- and we won! She had such a blast- and in her typical "kim" fashion- by the time we were done she was best friends with the dealer. She knew where he was from, how many kids he had and his wife's name, lol!

She rode motorcycle, she downhill ski'd, she roller bladed with me all the time when I was in highschool. She learned how to bow-hunt in a tall tree (crazy!)  There was NOTHING that my mom would not do. and I LOVED that about her.




My mom was always all about her grand-babies. Always willing to watch them, she loved them all so much and she always said how lucky she was to have such wonderful grandchildren.  She loved them, but she didn't spoil them- if someone was acting naughty, she knew how to lay the smack down!!
The kids loved her so much. They loved suggeling in the big La-Z-boy reclinerr with her!



Mom loved taking the kids to Church and teaching them about Jesus. She would take the kids to Sunday School all the time- stopping to pick up Jakob and Salone on the way in her little blue Kia.  Mom was honestly the most genuinely NICE person that I have ever known. She didn't have a mean or vindictive bone in her body! She would do anything and give anything to help someone out.  Another funny thing about  my mom is how much she hated to shop!!! She was the LEAST materialistic person that I know- she owned about 3 outfits that she would rotate. I had to MAKE her go shopping! 




 She rode her Motor-cycle to visit us in Fowlerville- about a 2 hour drive!  I always wondered what the neighbors thought when she pulled up in that thing- you could HEAR her coming..... motorcycles aren't quiet!



Mom basically did what she had to to spend time with all of us. She went on long walks with me and Krysti... She rode Motorcycles with my Dad. She hunted with the Boys, camping, swimming, water sking.... she loved just being with her kids and grandkids. And we all miss her very much!


"If flowers grow in heaven, Lord, then pick a bunch for me....place them in my Mom's arms and tell her they're from me...Tell her that I love and miss her and when she turns to smile, place a kiss upon her cheek and hold her for a while....Happy Mothers Day....I love you...!"

Mothers day is right around the corner.  I am taking all the acknowledgements and love that I can get for this Holiday- I mean I DID squeeze FOUR schmittlings out.... (3 of which the NO pain-killers)  so if anyone needs recognition, it is I. Chris knows not to give me flowers or candy or any of that fluffy crap. Give me a real gift.

Personal training sessions, Botox, new running shoes, workout clothes- a day at the SPA. Now these are gifts that I really appreciate and use!!!

THIS year I just ordered my mothers day gift last night...
 Its a bike cart /  jog stroller. Our old bike cart fell apart-I used it when I would bike to the commissary and get groceries and Lucy needs a nice new bike cart to ride around in. Plus I am super excited to use it as a double jog stroller.

Also, Last night we implemented our first "Schmitt's don't Quit Kid Boot-camp" session. Oh yeah. You heard me right- kid boot-camp.



My Subjects, above-  Laria (neighbor and friend and shockingly a willing participant) , Sophia, Vange, Lucy and Joey.



We warmed up with some stretches and then jumping jacks, toe touches, crunches, flutter-kicks... and some other stuff the kids thought up.

Then we jogged for 10 min to the park where we did some fun intervals on the basketball court. Then we jogged home.

The kids had FUN! I want my kids to grow up wanting to be active and knowing how it feels to be fit!  And I want them to know that being active can be easy and fun.

We had a little fun the other night...we went to Sports Authority to test drive all the workout gear. After test driving th elliptical machines, treadmills, spin bikes and boxing gear, we had the most fun with the Abdominal machines.

Joey tried the Ab Circle...


Sophia had fun with the Ab Glider...



And Vangie test drove my favorite contraption... the AB ROCKET. What a catchy name!!! I mean, who wouldn't want to use anything with the work "rocket" in the name?!?



We also took the kids to get their passports. I need mine for our Vacation to the Bahamas in October... so we just went ahead and did the paperwork for everyone. First we had to go get everyones pictures taken... it was so funny! They ended up looking like "Mug shots". Here is Lucy getting her passport picture taken-



I am starting my "Running Page" blog back up detailing my workouts after a month-long hiatus. Time to get in shape for the SUMMER and swim-suit season! go here to check it out- www.schmitthappens/myrunning

We had our family pics taken on the North Shore by my friend Kimberley Jones. This was something that I have wanted to do for a LONG time! I am glad that we did it, and we will always have these amazing pictures to remind us of our time here in Hawaii! Here is a sneak peak picture... the rest will be in the "Family Picture" page .. ABOVE!!!