Mine, Mine, Mine!

Isabella has discovered a word that she likes a bit too much at the moment - MINE! Talk about frustrating! I thought it was the cute at first, because it showed me that she understood the concept of ownership, but now she has taken it a whole other level. Now EVERYTHING is hers - and that extends to all things from her brother's food (see the picture above) to my shoes! So, I tried some corrective approaches:

Example #1: Isa decided that my sunglasses (she has her own) belonged to her. So, I took her hand gently in mid-grab for the desired object and said, "No, this belongs to Mami," thinking foolishly, perhaps, that we would have this magical moment of shared understanding (yeah, I read too much) and that she would hand it back. Result: the word "no" has now become another overused part of her vocabulary.

Example #2: Isa is fascinated with Amir's guitar, so he will often let her sit in the room with him when he practices. She decided that meant she could slip into his room when he wasn't home and drag it away along with his guitar case. I intervene - cue tirade of "mine, mine, mine!" followed by a Riverdance-esque tantrum in his room. This time, I try stating "this is Amir's guitar" and remove her from his room. Result: an encore of Riverdance in the hallway.

Example #3: Isa sees Johnny with a lollipop. No problem there at first - she has one too. But for some reason, she decides that his is more desirable than her own. Nevermind that the lollipops in question are exactly the same. I'll let you figure out what happened from there. Result: an early bath, and liberal use of hair detangler to remove the lollipop.

I admit, part of this post is so I can vent in peace without flipping out. Now, keep in mind that I am far from a wuss (did I even spell that correctly?) I am a fairly strict disciplinarian type by nature - when it comes to the roles of good cop, bad cop, I tend to fall in the latter category. But for some reason, I find myself at a loss with my munchkin...she is usually such a good girl and my natural instinct when I see misbehavior is to nip it in the bud. Plus, because the boys are older, it usually just takes a look or reprimand to put them in check if necessary. So, this has been an interesting couple of weeks, to say the least!

Anyone want to referee? LOL...I love your inputs so feel free to leave this frazzled Mami some advice, if you've got it!

Under Pressure

Never fear, I haven't lost my marbles yet. I put that poster up all in good humor. Humor is what gets me through my days sometimes, as I have a tendency to take myself too seriously at times when I am stressed out! Anyway, things have been a bit more hectic than usual over here, which is why I haven't been on the computer as much. I have been dealing with some health issues as of late (no worries, I am feeling better) and as some of you may know, have been squeezing in classes on nights and weekends for my business degree. Those two things combined with the mish-mash of daily life with 3 kids and a husband who is constantly on the move, has had me a bit more frazzled than usual. I know, I know, breathe. Wooooo-sah...

Anyway, as for the latest on the Murray-Colon familia: we are still counting down until we can finally move out of our soon to be demolished home and into our new one. I try to keep reminding myself that patience is a virtue....although in my case, a bit harder to come by more often than not (wink, wink). Amir has been taking guitar lessons every week, and has made such awesome progress already. Listening to guitar music always brings me back to when my father used to play for us when we were little. Johnny wants me to inform you all that he is eagerly waiting for football training to start up again, and is keeping busy in the meantime climbing trees and doing cool tricks on his skateboard. And as for Isabella, I recently enrolled her in Gymboree classes not far from the base. I thought she might be a bit shy or perhaps hesitant on her first day, but actually dived right into the action and only cried when it was time to leave! Thank goodness for the open play program; on the days she doesn't have class, I can still bring her in and she has fun swinging and jumping all over the place. That's a wild one right there...she keeps me laughing every day because it seems she is always either doing something new or saying something completely unexpected. That's the kids.....

And that's about it for now. I will try to get back on here more often once I get through these mid-term papers!

Feeling Nostalgic

I know some might read this and think I am completely nuts, but it's the truth: I am missing New Jersey. Don't get me wrong, I have come to love Hawaii and all the perks that come with living in a year-round tropical paradise, but as a born and bred Jersey girl, there are just some things that you can't find out here that I have a hard time living without! See, I woke up this morning to a dark sky and rain (which I find pretty cozy, to be honest) and for some reason, got all nostalgic. So, to make myself feel better, I decided to share my favorites with you:

#1. The Philly Cheesesteak

I love these things. I spent a lot of great evenings out in Philly grubbing on these - you know something is good if you will jump on 295 and cross the bridge just to get one! Other states try to duplicate, but it's just not the same anywhere else.

#2. Puerto Rican Food

This is a gray area for me - I was raised cooking all kinds of PR food and it is a large staple of my family's daily cuisine. HOWEVER, many of the things I love to cook or eat require ingredients that I am simply unable to find here. Whenever I take a trip home, I stock up and look like a bag lady lugging anything back to Hawaii that they will let me on the plane with! But it inevitably runs out...so this is a shout-out to pasteles, bacalao, yucca, malanga, empanadillas...man, the list goes on! I miss going to the Supermercado out in Trenton on early Saturday mornings for fresh lechon asado...

#3. Boardwalk Snacks

Yes, we have beaches galore in Hawaii, and they are gorgeous. But they are missing a certain something...like a boardwalk! If you are from the East Coast, then you know the beach isn't only about the sand and ocean. I miss the cheesy games you can play, the rides, and definitely the food. Funnel cakes, fried oreos, fresh lemonade....all those naughty things that you aren't supposed to eat but you do anyway, because you're out with friends and family and having fun!

#4. Jersey Diners

Vincentown, Holly Brook, Mastoris...you name it, I miss them all and each for a special reason. I have such great memories of hanging out and bonding with my brothers at Holly Brook when I was in high school. Mastoris was the place to go for this incredible cheese pastry and cinnamon bread. And Vincentown...wow, I had a lot of early breakfasts at that joint after a night out on the town. You can't beat that...

Whew! Okay, I feel better now. No worries, I still embrace Hawaii. But, needless to say, my mom and dad will be toting an extra bag or two of goodies when they come visit this summer!