KampKrug

Late-afternoon sun sparkling on the splashes of happy boys.

It is so tricky finding a good time to visit North Beach (on base) during the winter - you’ve got to check the tides (need to be low low (not mid-low) and ideally on their way back in) so that you have some safe water for kiddos even if the surf is up. Then it would be awesome if the sun were out, and the wind not blowing. We got all that this afternoon when we raced over there for an afternoon romp. It was such fun we didn’t want to leave, but shivering hungry boys finally were compelled by their own tummies to head for the truck and some Bob’s pizza. We managed to rendezvous with Gramma and Richard at Bob’s, too! They love nice, relaxing dinners out with the kids LOL  Hey - if you’re homeschooling your kiddos (or even if you’re not but want a more global reach) - check out www.epals.com - a friend of mine shared this link with me (thanks Christina!). It seems like a great way to connect your classroom with kids in other countries. You can search by region, project and more criteria. I’m registering Sam for kindergarten this year…a big step for everybody! We’ve thought and researched and considered again and again and keep coming back to our sense that starting in a traditional school will be best, then we can feel free to consider alternative schooling options down the road. While he may be a bit bored at times (he is already reading and doing math at a first grade level according to state grade entry assessments), his handwriting is pretty poor, so he’ll have something to work on. (His Uncle Doug’s handwriting is still very questionable!) I just love the model and concept of Hawaii Tech Academy, though - it’s a virtual public charter school - hybrid homeschool/traditional school. The founder is from NYC and he seems to have a real vision and passion for improving education for the 21st century. Consider it if you live in HI and you’re thinking about making a change, especially for parents with older kids.

Thank you to everyone who sent us fun presents and wonderful clothes! I hope you enjoy this uncut video of Sam and Ben performing a series of thank-you episodes. They were so funny, but you know what was funniest was watching them watch themselves! Squeals of laughter as we all huddled around my little camera to replay the video (before it made its way onto the computer, and now finally onto the web). It’s 8 minutes… I thought you might enjoy seeing the boys vs getting a card or email as I have not been good about posting video lately! We love you! Click here: 2010-feb-mahalo-the-sam-and-ben-show

Having a rough week this week - sick family and manuscript deadlines conspiring to make the perfect storm of stress. But amidst all of that, blessings are delivered in the form of laughs and love. Last night before bed, Ben said “mushi mushi!” then “Japanese!” That’s how you answer the cell phone in Japan Good for him to know early since he’s such a talker and a social guy Sam said this morning - “Mom, hip bones look like sunglasses.” I had been grabbing and tickling him first thing in the morning and he surprised me with this. He grabbed the anatomy book mom got him for Christmas and showed me…sure enough! Ben was really uncomfortable last night (this is the guy who slept through puking a few nights ago and never screeched) and couldn’t get back to sleep. His little eyes were all puffy and he was fussing at his left ear. I figured it must be an earache so took him to bed with me since I didn’t want to keep getting up or have him fuss at Sam all night. Sam never got an earache, but I remember them as a kid all too well. As Ben collapsed on me in a deep sleep, I felt blessed to hold the usually wiggly guy. He’s like trying to hold a squirming centipede on your lap usually. I eventually took him back to his own bed since he is a ridiculous sleeper - he turns over by sitting up, then going to all fours, then spinning around. He’s nuts. Here’s hoping today is better - boys are doing well, just mommy is still sick. But just under 100 pages left to read We can do it!

North Beach cleanup effort - great job team! Say "TRAAAAASH!"

Plastic and all kinds of other stuff - even huge grapefruits - wash up on the beaches here, and everywhere. In the winter it seems like the north-facing beaches get the most, and in the summer it’s the south-west facing beaches. We pick up trash every time we go to the beach, but today was special - it was a team effort among a couple moms and their kids. In a short stretch of sand - maybe 0.2 miles - and one hour later we hauled away 44 pounds of trash. That’s as much as one seven-year old weighed. (Or Sam when he was 4!) The gang made some paintings with watercolors mixed with ocean water and paintbrushes from hala trees, then glued on trash pieces to make art. Where does all this trash come from? While cruise ships get most of the blame, international convention signed by 139 nations (MARFOR Annex V specifically) prohibits dumping plastic anywhere. You might be surprised to know that other waste can be dumped outside territorial waters (3 miles offshore). I wish we had a zero-waste society but that just isn’t possible. The best we can do is repurpose and recycle, and teach our kids the value of protecting the land, the oceans, and ultimately our own health since we’re at the top of the food chain.