Been awhile

Aloha everyone! I apologize...it's been a while since I contributed to our WAHM blog site!

Some updates...I have my four step children living with me now, which brings the total to 6 keiki (thank goodness for school!) lol

Went and seen the Dr. Sears lecture on Monday...it was so amazing and great to hear all the wonderful info he had to share=) Hope some of you got to go as well!

I've also started, "Moby Wrap Mommy Meet-ups" at various stores on O`ahu

Next week Wednesday the 17th I'll be at Hot Mama Maternity store in Kaimuki behind 'Town' restaurant from 9:30-10:30. Then at Baby aWEARness in Manoa from 11 a.m.-12 p.m.

Friday the 19th I'll be on the windward side at the Little Sprouts organic baby store from 9:30-10:30 a.m. then to Windward Mall at the Little People Hawai`i store next to Border's from 11:00 a.m.-12 p.m.

I hope to see some of you there and Merry Christmas, God bless and best wishes for your businesses!

Aloha,
~Summer

PB & J Pinwheels

Mmmm...this peanut butter and jelly sandwich roll is a yummy, easy snack for hungry kids after school or even a great breakfast treat when served up with fresh fruit.

You'll need:

• Slices of soft, whole wheat bread (2 slices make 1 pinwheel roll)
• Spoonful of peanut butter for each bread
• Your favorite jelly
• Cinnamon (optional)

Follow these directions:

• Cut the crust off bread.
• Spread peanut butter and jelly on bread.
• Lay 2 bread slices end to end so they touch.
• Roll up the first slice and continue rolling up the second slice to make 1 big roll.
• Wrap plastic wrap around the roll of bread and refrigerate 1 hour to set.
• Take rolls out of refrigerator and the plastic wrap and slice your roll into 4 pieces (about thumb thickness).
• Put slices on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly golden brown and crisp.
• If you like, sprinkle with a little cinnamon.

Other suggestions:

• Spread with peanut butter and honey.
• Spread with cream cheese.

Keiki Gift Ideas

Mini Stuffed Christmas Ornaments

With a lot of grunting and groaning, we managed to get our Christmas tree up and positioned with a leftward lean to it displaying our tree's slightly insolent attitude. That cheekiness will be fixed right away once we get to the fun part - decorating! Out of our box of ornaments comes many years of baubles and knick-knacks either purchased, given as gifts or handmade and with it comes many warm memories of Christmases past. Our tree is a "tree of history" with it's mismatched trimmings and unconventioanl style. (I've resigned to the fact that I will never have an elegant looking tree themed with stylish gold ribbons and classy crystal ornaments.)


One ornament, the red dog above, has been in use for a few years now and is one of my daughter's favorite. It was made out of scrap fabric, stuffing, ribbons and felt pieces. The cherries and the worm are made in the same way. Santa is a felt guy and another story. My daughter has requested that we make a few more of these mini stuffed ornaments and I'll share the how-to with you. It's basically a bunch of "stuffed balls" glued together and its really simple to make.
Materials:
Scrap Fabric
Glue Gun
Ribbon
Stuffing
Felt
Needle
Thread

Instructions:

1. Cut out circles using a cup, a small dish or the top of a spool of thread as a template. These pieces will become your animals torso, head and arms and legs.

2. Once you have your circles, sew a running stitch along the edge of the circle.

3. Pull the thread to gather up the sides, stuff, then tighten into a ball shape. Tie thread to secure.

4. Once you have all your balls, get your glue gun and glue the balls together, on the stitched side, to form your ornament. The dog was created by using a large round ball for the belly, a smaller ball for the head and tiny balls for the arms, legs and snout.

5. Cut out pieces of felt to make ears, eyes and nose. Glue into place.

6. Embellish with ribbons around the joints (i.e. neck) and sew a ribbon through the top of the doll to use as a hanger.

Experiment with different sized circles to make an assortment of ornaments. Simple huh? Have fun!

Keiki Gift Ideas

Mompreneurs

Definition: A female business owner who is actively balancing the role of mom and the role of entrepreneur.

I get so excited when I come across another mompreneur...especially one from Hawaii! Some women just know how to do it all! I'm not at that stage of commitment yet and I'm not sure if I will ever be but I like to dabble in "my moments" and get inspiration from the mom who is steadfast to the success of her business and devoted to her family's happiness. Too bad not all mompreneurs are a part of the Hawaii WAHMs group but still, I support these remarkable business entrepreneurs.

Here's a mompreneur site that I recently came across. It's called Ohana Mama. Ohana Mama is currently having a Hawaiian Holiday Party and is giving away a bunch of wonderful gifts. This the list:

OHANA MAMA'S HAWAIIAN HOLIDAY PARTY

SIX Gifts, ONE Winner!
~GIFT #1: CHERRY CREEK DESIGNS JEWELRY

~GIFT #2: PANIOLO PILLOW & BEAN BAG, LLC
~GIFT #3: LIL ALOHA BABIES DVD
~GIFT #4: PATRICIA ANN DESIGNS ACCESSORY GIFT SET
~GIFT #5: ERGO BABY CARRIER

If you don't want to participate in the giveaway because you already have everything you want and need, I'd suggest that you stop by Ohana Mama's blog, read her interesting and informative posts and give her a "hula shake" of support.

***Keiki Gift Ideas***

Keiki Gifts, Crafts & Activities: Re-Introduction

Aloha! Thank you for visiting me here on the Hawaii WAHMs Blog. As I've announced on my Keiki Gifts, Crafts and Activities Blog, I have decided to continue my blog posts here on the Hawaii WAHMs Blog where I am a contributing writer. My Hawaii WAHM gang has always been here to support me through my struggles and growth and I'd like to thank them for this partnership. For those looking for a variety of interesting topics to read about, I believe here is the place to be because we have a swell team of writers and lots of things to talk about.

I look forward to making new friends here and to my old "followers" thank you for your continued support. Mahalo!

Archived Keiki Gifts Blog Posts

***Keiki Gifts, Crafts & Activities***

We Live In Paradise

Join us for our first Hawaii WAHMs blog carnival. The first edition of our blog carnival is titled: A Hawaii Carnival because we live in paradise and we would like to celebrate it! If you don't live in Hawaii, you can join us too.

What is a blog carnival? Well it's a way for us to collect blog articles on a particular topic and share it with our community by putting it all together in what is called a "carnival".

The rules are simple...

• Send us information on your blog post that has anything to do with Hawaii. It could be about your Hawaii vacation, a local Hawaii community activity or event you have attended or stories about living in Hawaii and loving Hawaii.
• Submit your link by December 31, 2008.
• Look for your story on January 7, 2009. It will be posted right here on our Hawaii WAHMs blog.
  

Join in our the conversation here.