Mele Kalikimaka. The holiday’s are in full swing, and while we are still getting used to the time here, it’s is very clearly the Christmas season here in Hawaii. Most of the locals that we interact with are very ready with a “Merry Christmas” or a “Happy Holidays,” more so in fact than I remember receiving back in Jersey.
We signed the paperwork for the new house following our inspection of the house on Friday. It was FAR better than we expected and everyone was simply ecstatic. The kids ran around the house and picked their rooms without incident, and then spent the remainder of time telling our realtor, the inspector, and everyone else, “Hey! This is my room.” In Hawaii, there has to be a 7 day period of time between signing the paperwork and receiving the keys. So-we signed the stuff, but don’t get keys until next Friday. Talk about a tease. Our stuff is not here yet anyway, but once we get the keys, I think we will make regular visits there, even just to play. It really felt real once we were in our house, and it was really exciting.
The wife’s new job is going well. She is quite a hit at the new facility and as expected.
I will freely admit that being stay at home dad is more difficult than I anticipated, but I think a lot of that has to do with me having to change my way of looking at how my days with them go. When I was working full time, I was in charge of the kids two days a week. Back in Jersey, if I wasn’t working on a Saturday, I had my Mom helping out, and they day was spent usually either doing something together, or as “Grammy time” while I took care of other work around the house or otherwise. Sundays were Church and the Eagles, or perhaps a trip to Pumpkinland, or some other activity. We had our routines, and they worked. We’re starting from scratch now here in Hawaii, but the good news is, Daddy’s starting to figure it out.
My mistake has been that I’ve tried to make every day with them an event-some kind of big deal every day, and not only did I forget that the kids don’t need and aren’t used to that, I forgot that it’s as important to chill out and relax to them as it is to the rest of us. I’ve been overdoing it, and it’s made things more challenging. But, I’ve figured that out today, and we spent a nice afternoon after church, lunch and a visit to Gymboree, having some quiet time and “playing pretend” where we all got the chance to go surfing on both Mars and Jupiter. We worked our “Rad moves” and each of the twins created their own signature surfing moves. We then went for a “pajama walk” in the newly arrived Triple Stroller, and for the first time in a while, really felt normal. The first shipment of our stuff, including the stroller and some key missed toys arrived this week, and the kids have taken to them and been happier as a result.
All in all, the lesson I’ve learned is to have fun with them, but not to overdo it all-they are still young and don’t need to be hyper-programmed at this age. I’ve been trying too hard. So, stay tuned as I’m certain I’ll have some other grand, yet somehow not altogether dramatic parental realization as early as tomorrow.
The hunt for a new Church continues. Stay tuned. The Islands are aflutter with Sugar Bowl fever, as the T-shirts and flags for the University of Hawaii’s big BCS game versus Georgia. My favorite shirt that I’ve seen uses the BCS (bowl championship series) initials, but it read Because Colt Stayed, in reference to Colt Brennan, their high powered quarterback, who stayed for his senior year when he likely would have been drafted pretty high in the NFL draft. Sports are pretty popular here, and loyalty is clearly a virtue that the Hawaiian community values a great deal. So, it’s not been hard to get caught up in the Warrior fever. Check local listings for game time where you are.
So, this has rambled on enough. Happy Holidays to all. Believe it or not, I do miss the snow.
It was 80 and breezy today, with light intermittent showers. Please come visit.
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