Easily Distracted

Cover via Amazon

I guess that I get easily distracted, which is why I haven't written in a while. The babies (kittens) have been keeping me very busy. I'm glad to announce that not only are they all potty trained, but they are also weaned off the bottle. They also run around the house like cute little tornados making messes, noise, and being as adorable as ever.

I've also been distracted by reading. A couple of weeks ago Nick and I attended a free seminar hosted by Rich Dad Poor Dad. I was truly inspired and know that I can achieve great things if I focus and put my mind to it. That is why I haven't been on here in a while. I finished reading Rich Dad Poor Dad, read the next book Cashflow Quadrant, and have been tracking the things I learned by making yet another blog, all about my journey to wealth (www.myrichdadjourney.blogspot.com).

Some people may say I'm crazy, but I say I can do it! Nick and are are set up to attend another seminar, this time 3 days worth of learning, next weekend. I can't wait to learn, and start working hard towards achieving financial freedom. I know we have a long way to go, and we will probably make mistakes here and there, but I'd rather risk losing a little to get what I want out of life than not risk anything or achieve anything either.

Wish us luck! And if you have the time and are interested start taking control of your life!

Dream: One of my Favorite Children's Books

Anyone who knows me, and has seen my library, knows that I love children's books. They can be so simple and beautiful in the ways they express ideas. As a former teacher I loved to use children's books as examples to my students for any number of topics from research to storyline, to presentation to editing...the possibilities are endless. I know that I will eventually share more than this one book, but I had to start with Dream: A Tale of Wonder, Wisdom, and Wishes, by Susan V. Bosak.

Dream has won 11 awards including: Pinnacle, Best Gift Book, IPPY, IRA Children's Choice, Teacher's Choice, iParenting, Benjamin Franklin, Adding Wisdom, ABA Book Sense Pick, CBC Starred Our Choice, ForeWord BOYTA, and Visionary awards. I know...quite a lot for a children's book, but once you read it and see the works of 15 of the world's top illustrators come to life, you'll agree that Dream is a great find.

The book begins with a star emerging from a chest of dreams that invites you to "Dream with me." It takes you on a short journey through it's life and what it has learned. On the way you are not only read beaurifully written passages and see amazing illustrations, but each page also has inspiring quotes by people like Sir Edmund Hilkary, Niel Armstrong, and Emily Dickinson. In the end this star shares what it has learned about dreams with the reader, "Be a dreamer. With everything around you, with everything before and after you, with everything that is you...."

The book could end there, but there's more. If you go to http://www.legacyproject.org/ you'll be led through interactive activities, contests, workshops, and more that surround this wonderful book...this wonderful idea of dreaming.

An excerpt from the slipcover:

"Dream whisks you away on a colorful journey of a lifetime - your lifetime. Whoosh through the teddy bears and castles of childhood. Whoosh again into labyrinths and mountains of adulthood. With more to find each time you open it, this is a book to explore with children, to reflect on yourself, and to share with anyone special to you. It's about pursuing your dreams - you're never too young or too old to dream. It's also about being a part of something bigger - the flow of life that, generation after generation, builds on the past and continues to hope for the future."

QUESTION: WHICH IS YOUR FAVORITE ILLUSTRATOIN IN THE BOOK?

*mine is on pg. 12-13 by Shaun Tan; it's about growing older and conquering the world.

Things Learned

How can I help but think my kittens are the cutest EVER!?! Everything they do is sooooo cute; even going potty; I got two to go in the litter box. Way to go for me! Seriously, I took at least 30 minutes of video of my babies just so I could put something cute up here.

I thought it would be nice to share the things I've learned since getting the kittens. And there are a lot!

• First thing I realized, it is a full time job. At first I fed them every 4-6 hours, so...I was only getting 4-6 hours of sleep a night to begin with and napping during the day. It didn't take long, 1 week, before I began to feed them every 8 hours. Now I can get at least 8 hours of sleep. Hooray!
• You WILL get peed and pooped on. One of the duties of the mama cat is to lick the babies bottoms so that they are stimulated to go to the bathroom. What I have to do is wet a rag and lightly wipe. It's not fun at all, and my hands get all sorts of yuckiness on them, but that's all part of being a surrogate momma cat. Let's just say that I wash my hands many, many times a day.
• The kittens will find you. Even though they still can't see very well, they can tell shapes and can definitely hear you. At first Nick and I would just sit on the couch or the chaise lounge. We were out of sight, and their hearing wasn't as good yet, so they couldn't find us. They would just play or sleep with us watching on. Now they may not see us as well yet, but they hear the slightest noise we make and come running (well, wobble running). They know we sit on the couch and lounge, so now they are always trying to climb up to be with us (sometimes successful, sometimes not). No matter where you are, the kittens WILL find you. I actually like to play a game with them where I'll make a lot of noise and crawl around the couch so they can follow me. It's fun and they get some good exercise.
• They do have personalities. It's true. Each of my babies is unique. One likes to eat A LOT and sleep A LOT, but he still likes to play. He also is a quick learner; one of the first to go potty in the litter box and the first to play with one of the toys we got them (the others still don't get it). Another one of the babies loves to explore. He is always venturing out farther than the others, and he is always the first to find mama. He is usually more quiet, and always loves to nibble on fingers (since their teeth are coming in now). The last one cries a lot more, and like to sit on it's own. He actually likes to stare at the TV (I guess trying to improve his vision), and he also likes to go potty...anywhere! I did get him to go potty in the litter box once so far.
• Kittens need burping too. After I feed them one of my favorite things to do is play with each one after they eat. I'll rub the belly to stimulate good digestion and lightly tap them on the back to burp them, and yes, they do burp and get the hick-ups. It's so cute! This also gives me some good one on one time as well.
• They need affection. In order to raise well balanced and happy kittens Nick and I try to play with them as often as possible. They climb all over us, bite our fingers, suck on our earlobes, lick our necks, scratch the heck out of us, lounge on us, and eventually fall asleep. They need the affection and the play time.
• Baby claws hurt! I can't emphasize this enough. The claws of baby kittens are so small that it feels like needles piercing your skin. My neck, legs, and arms get it really bad. Those suckers are sharp too. OUCH!!! But hey, it's all for the babies. We usually just put up with it.
• It is so rewarding. Having these babies has opened up my heart. I love them and worry about them so much. Nick does too. We sleep with them, play with them, hang with them. Our babies are our babies. It's definitely going to be sad when we have to give at least two of them up. I just want to make sure they go to good homes.

Battlestar Gallactica

Always looking for new, great shows to watch, my husband and I decided to try watching a little of a series from the Sci-Fi channel that was ending soon called Battlestar Gallactica. We were hooked after the first episode, a two hour movie-like introduction to an amazing show about the possible end of humanity.

"The world ended with no warning, and all that was left … was hope.

The Cylons were created by the people of the Twelve Colonies. Intelligent robots, they were used as slaves and soldiers to fight humanity's wars. But the Cylons became sentient and they rebelled. Man and machine fought to a bloody stalemate, then the Cylons withdrew to a remote region of space.

A truce between the Twelve Colonies and the Cylons lasted for 40 tense and silent years. Each year, on the anniversary of the treaty-signing, humanity sent an envoy to the neutral ground of Armistice Station to meet with a Cylon envoy. For 39 years, no Cylon envoy came.

Then, on the 40th anniversary, a stunning blond — a Cylon in human form — met the human envoy … moments before the Cylons vaporized the station and launched a genocidal attack on the Twelve Colonies.

In one devastating day, billions of human lives were consumed by nuclear fires. Only those souls fortunate enough to be aboard starships were able to band together and escape and flee into deep space, led by the sole surviving Colonial warship, the battlestar Galactica.

The Galactica and its crew seemed to be unlikely saviors for humanity's fewer than 50,000 desperate survivors. The ship was old and had been about to be decommissioned and turned into a museum when the Cylon attack occurred. In the aftermath its commanding officer, William Adama, found himself responsible for safeguarding the last remnants of the human race.

Meanwhile, the annihilation of the Colonial government on Caprica resulted in the succession of Laura Roslin, the Secretary of Education, to the presidency. Driven by prophetic visions and political necessity, she set the fleet upon a quest that will take it into the farthest reaches of unexplored space … in search of the mythical, lost "13th colony" — Earth."

Not only is this a series with all sorts of mythology interwoven into it's plot, the Gods like Aphrodite, Jupiter, etc are commonly worshiped by the 12 colonies, but it plays on things like the lost 12 tribes of Israel, a Christlike figure and the idea of one true god as a rebellious sect of the surviving remnants of humanity. This show has everything from issues of racism, terrorism, mythology, etc, but each of the characters were also masterfully created and executed by the cast. At times you love them, and then you hate them. The complexity of each character and their role in trying to save what was left of the human race keeps you watching episode after episode. I LOVE THIS SHOW! There are still episodes that my husband and I talk about all the time.

QUESTION: WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON BATTLESTAR GALLACTICA?

Watch it and I know you will love it just as much as me and my husband, and all the people we know who have also been captivated by this remarkable series revived from the 1980's original.

• Sci-Fi Channels Battlestar Gallactica site
• Battlestar Fan Site
• Wikipedia Information
  

Our Little Ones!

I know that there are a few of you who are interested in hearing about our baby kittens. Well, they are all doing great. They eat well, play together, cuddle with us, purr, and gain weight everyday. We love having them here with us. It is such a joy to watch them and play with them. Although, the only thing I don't really enjoy is helping them go potty. Can't wait until they can do that on their own and are eventually potty trained.

We're thinking that we might keep one of them, the gray one that we call Fatty or Cuddles. He is lazy but smart. Just how I like my pets. The other two are adorable as well, but we're not even sure if we can keep the one, so we'll see. We'll probably just give away the other two, or the twins, as we call them. They are both black but have a few differences. One of them is darker and has prominent white lines, like mascara, around his eyes. We call this one nibbles, because he likes to nibble on our fingers. He also likes to explore. The last one is black with more of the white stripes on him. He is the whiner or the bunch, but he also loves to play and give us kisses, which is why we call him/her kisses.

Thank you to everyone who has helped us and given us advice. Right now we have a little bowl of water and kitten formula that sits out with them in case they want to try it. So far they've all put their faces in and shockingly jump back when they realized what was in there. One even put his little foot in and half his face. It really is fun watching them. Hopefully, we'll start the potty training soon, although I'm sure it'll be a while before they catch on.

For more info on how to raise baby kittens that were orphaned take a look at these websites:

• How to determine the age of kittens
• Raising Orphaned Kittens
• More About Raising Orphaned Kittens

MatisyWHO??

Matisyahu via last.fm

Matisyahu is a regae rappin rabbi who's music is uplifting and fun to listen to. Coming August 8th his new album, "Light," is going to be released. "Light's" feature song that is currently being played on radios is called "One Day." What can I say...I LOVE THIS SONG!! (Actually, so does my husband). Not only is it catchy and has a great beat, but it's a song of hope; hope to live in a violence free world.

I heard the song several times on the radion and loved it. I knew I wanted to get a copy, but I couldn't remember the name of the artist (his name is a bit unusual). While searching in vain for the song my husband came to see what I was looking for. All I could say was that there was a song I wanted that was a mixture of reggea and rap, but had a more pop feel to it. I know...not much. For some reason he immediately thought of Matisyahu, did a search, and found the song. Apparently my husband has been a fan of Matisyahu for years and already had all of his current albums. Now we both have this new song and can't wait to hear the rest of the new album when it's released. "

QUESTION: After checking out this song, what do you think about it?

"One Day" You Tube Video
Matisyahu's Website: Check out the tour dates to see if he's coming near you.

"One Day" Lyrics

Sometimes I lay under the moon
And I thank God I'm breathing
Then I pray don't take me soon
Cause I am here for a reason

Sometimes in my tears I drown
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know someday it'll all turn around because

All my life I been waiting for
I been prayin for
For the people to say
That we don't want to fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play

One day

It's not about win or lose cause we all lose when they feed on the souls of the innocent blood drenched pavement keep on moving though the waters stay raging and in this life you may lose your way, it might drive you crazy but don't let it phase you no way

Pre-chorus
Chorus

One day this all will change
Treat people the same
Stop with the violence down with the hate one day we'll all be free and proud to be under the same sun singing songs of freedom like…

Everyboby Zumba!

Image by Cimm via Flickr

For the past two weeks I've been excercising a lot more. Let's just say that I've gained a bit of wait in the last year that I really want off. Everyone always says that the best kind of excercise is the kind that you'll do...well, for me that's dancing.

Last week I had a trial membership to a local women's gym called Women's Wellness Center (or W2). It was pricey, but had a class I've been wanting to try, Zumba. Zumba is a combination of latin, hip hop, salsa, belly dancing, and even a little kick boxing (all things I love) to very upbeat music. So, last Wednesday I got to try it out. Wow! Can I just say that I had a lot of fun, really got a workout, and danced, danced, DANCED! Even though I loved the class, and the gym as a whole, I couldn't rationalize spending so much on a gym membership ($60 a month and $150 down), so I decided to forgo the membership. It just so happened that a friend of mine, who is also an army wife, knew of a gym on base that was primarily for women's use that had Zumba classes for FREE!! I tried it out yesterday, and had even more fun than the last place. Looks like my Wednesdays are now taken.

Pros of Zumba: fun, entertaining, more willing to do it, enjoyable as a class, upbeat, learn new steps, get in shape, work up a great sweat, works core.

Cons: steps can be very fast and hard to do if you don't catch on fast, best taken as a class.

If you love to dance and need an excuse to do more of it while getting fit, Zumba is a perfect candidate.

QUESTION: WOULD YOU EVER TRY ZUMBA? IF YOU ALREADY HAVE, WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Official Zumba Website
Learn About Zumba

Watch Zumba on the Today Show: be sure to see the end, you'll see a live demonstration.

Baby Update

Just so everyone knows, the babies are doing OK. However, I went to feed the mama again Tuesday morning around 8:30 but she was nowhere to be found. The poor babies really needed her too since the leaf blower guy was right by our fence. They were all meowing and trying to move around to find their mama. Noon came and went, and still no mama. The babies just slept in the shade. Around 3:00 I decided to call a vet to see when I should start to worry; she said to give it until nightfall...I did, no mama, so we brought them in.

Right now the babies are all sleeping. I was extremely worried last night when I couldn't get them to suck on the nipple and drink the kitten formula I had bought. I did, however, get them to go potty. I had dreams all night about the babies. I woke up and started warming the formula so I could try to feed them again. At first there was no success, but finally I got one of them to suck on the bottle, then another, then another. I was so happy that they were eating. They each only had about 1-.5 fluid ounces, but that's a good start.

Before we brought the babies in, while the mama cat was away, I decided to get a little daring. I got as close as I could without disturbing the babies and took some pictures. Most of them didn't turn out, but here are the ones that did. Hopefully I'll have some better pictures later. For now this will have to do since I'm always feeding them, helping them potty, and putting them to sleep. I don't like to wake them unless it's time to eat.

Turns out that the kittens may be older than I thought, after seeing them up close. Their eyes are open, they kind of play around a little, I heard one purr, I've seen them try to clean themselves, they are roaming around, but still wobble a lot. After some research I'm guessing that they are somewhere around 3 weeks old. I feel a lot better knowing that they are older.

QUESTION: HOW OLD DO YOU THINK THEY ARE?

This Tree

I love this tree! I've seen this and other trees blooming all over the island within the last couple of weeks, but this one tree in particular is the most beautiful and therefore my favorite. Good thing it just happens to be at the end of my street, so I get to see it every day.

Every time I get closer to this tree I get so excited. I say to myself, "here it comes...get ready to see the most beautiful tree in the world!" And then I see it, right behind the bend in the road. It's there every day with it's lovely blossoms and huge trunk greeting me. There are a lot of things in this world that put a smile on my face...this is definitely one of them.

After doing a lot of research I finally found out what kind of tree it is. It's a Royal Poinciana, also known as Krishnachura, Gulmohar, Peacock Flower, Flame of the Forest, Malinche, and Tabachine, and one of several named the Flame Tree. It requires a tropical or near-tropical climate, but can tolerate drought and salty conditions. I got the majority of this information from Wikipedia so take a look and learn a little more about this beautiful tree.

Unexpected Babies

Image via Wikipedia

For quite some time now I have been trying to rationalize getting a pet to myself and my husband. Every time I see a cute dog or a stray cat my heart jumps and I want to just run over and give the furry critter a huge hug and cuddle with it. The funny thing is that my husband does the same thing. We're always saying, "what a cute puppy" or "look at the kitty cat!" We've decided not to get one mostly because living in Hawaii, and away from family, means that whenever we'd want to leave or take a small vacation, whether just island hopping for the weekend, or heading over to the mainland means we need to find someone to take care of our pet. So, for now, we've done without a cuddly kitty or puppy; then something unexpected happened...

Yesterday after I woke up, I did the usual. Open the sliding door off the master bedroom to let some air in, when I noticed something under one of our grossly overgrown plants in the lanai. I ran to get my glasses and soon saw a little cat laying in the shade. I ran to get my husband, whispering (to prevent the cat from hearing and running away), and said "come look outside, we've got a cat sleeping on our lanai."

We slowly crept up to the sliding door. It looked like there might be more than one cat. Then we saw something small move around...then another small furry thing started moving. I had seen this all before...there were some baby kittens sleeping with the momma cat. Now, these babies weren't old enough to run around. They scooted, and their cute little heads bobbed around as they wobbled around their momma. They couldn't have been more than a week old since their eyes had just opened. I couldn't believe it! Somehow a pregnant cat found it's way into our lanai and had babies sometime in the last week. It was so adorable.

Nick and I knew that we had to do something to help out this extremely thin stray and her babies, so we excitedly ran to the kitchen and got out a can of tuna and a little bowl of water, then headed back to our room. Nick moved slowly so as not to disturb the mama cat and nursing babies, however, being a protective mother, the mama cat quickly noticed someone invading her space. She immediately starting growling and got up into a protective stance. Nick quietly and quickly placed the food and water down, then backed away. We closed the screen door and left the room. Every once in a while we peered around the edge of the door to see if the mama had eaten. Sure enough, she was scarfing down the tuna.

We're not quite sure what will happen to the mama and babies. Nick and I hope that we can at least help the mama be strong for her little ones; maybe she'll even trust us enough at some point so we can adopt them. But one thing is for sure, we are excited to have this unexpected addition to our family and pray that the mama and kittens will be alright. These unexpected babies are definitely a worthy obsession.

America!!

What better thing to obsess about than America? I must admit that I truly am a patriot of this country. Having been to many other countries and even lived somewhere else has only made me love America even more. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't love traveling, but when you're away from home, whether it be your parents house, the town you were raised in, or this great country, it only makes you love it that much more.

Just think for a moment about what your life would be like if America ceased to exist. How would your life change? What if we no longer had a democratic process, but were forced to accept a new regime? I can't begin to imagine how my life would change. I love my freedoms. I love the fact that I can choose to help others or sit around all day. I love that if there is something about the government that I don't like, I can speak out against it without worry.

Whatever your reasons for celebrating this fourth, take the time to think about all those who have sacrificed so much to give us what we have today. Think about soldiers, like my husband, who willingly train day in and day out, and then deploy for months or a year at a time to help us keep those freedoms.

The Starter Wife

The Starter Wife, I'm not sure if it was supposed to be a mini-series or initially started off as a TV show, but either way, I like it. Of course, it's about the wife of a successful movie producer who throws off his wife of 10 years for a young pop sensation. Initially, she is destroyed. "Friends" don't talk to her, she's out of a place to live, her membership to the health club is revoked, and she can't get a table at one of her "usual" restaurants. I know, I know, what's so cool about that. Well, I love girl power, and this show has it. Molly, Debra Messing, goes from being out to being in. She has the choice of two lovers, one a young, hot, but homeless man, the other...her ex's more wealthy, and powerful boss. Not only does she come into her own, but she manages to find love and strength through friends and even strangers. This is definitely a great show for women to watch, and men if they really want to.

In short, the mini-series "The Starter Wife" is a lovely little obsession to have.

Watch it on Hulu, or download it from Amazon Video on Demand.