Who is Champuru? 
Aloha, I'm Donna, known everywhere on the Internet as "Champuru." I'm a Christian, blissfully wedded to my perfect match (the yang to my yin) of 15 years and a stay-at-home mom to my miracle baby, born in October 2008. Living life in Hawaii, less than 5 miles from my hometown, seeking balance in her pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
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Dot-Com Days
In the days before dot-net.
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Shari’s wedding day (2009)
On Saturday, October 24, 2009, Shari and Darren tied the knot and I had the pleasure of being the Matron of Honor at the ceremony. It was a lovely outdoor wedding at the Hale Koa Hotel in Waikiki, followed by a reception in their Banyan Tree Showroom. The non-denominational ceremony was officiated by the Reverend from her mother’s temple, short and sweet, concluded by a touching sand ceremony to signify the uniting of two lives.
The reception was fast-paced and went by quickly, at least for us in the wedding party. Before I knew it, it was time for me to give my Matron of Honor speech. It took me some time to warm up, but about halfway through I felt more comfortable and started ad-libbing and depending less on my written notes. At the end of my speech, however, a wave of emotion took my by surprise and I found myself tearing up at the end as I wished Shari and Darren well as they embarked on their new life together.
Shari’s wedding also became a mini-reunion, extracting the girls from our respective busy lives to bring us together to celebrate this joyous event. It doesn’t happen nearly often enough. I also found a photo of us at Bari’s wedding back in 2004!
Congratulations, Shari & Darren!
Bari’s wedding day (2004)
A busy and eventful day at Ala Moana Shopping Center, spending a little more time there than expected.
I had a manicure and pedicure at the Mani Pedi Spa. The pedicure was so wonderfully pampering, now I know why some women are so addicted to it. My mani/pedi tech was Maggie and I highly recommend her.
While I was getting pampered, Baby Champuru enjoyed some Daddy Time at the mall.
We had a late lunch at Nordstrom Cafe where Baby Champuru somehow managed to make one of her brand new Pediped shoes disappear. Despite the careful retracing of our steps, we were unable to find the missing shoe. We left our name/number with Customer Service in hopes that someone will turn it in to Lost and Found. Thankfully, Nordstrom carries the Pediped brand of baby shoes and we were able to find a nice pair that fit her. She even got a balloon! She was so enthralled by it that she never let it escape her grasp.
By the time we arrived at the hotel the sun had set and it was time to call it a day. Just as I started nursing her to sleep the Hilton Hawaiian Village fireworks show began. Hubby peeled back the drapes and we had a beautiful view of the fireworks from our room. What an appropriate way to end the night.
Tomorrow is Shari’s wedding day!
Posted via email from Champuru Posterous
Baby Champuru enjoys feeding herself, shown here eating
a whole wheat tortilla with cream cheese & grape jelly
Baby Champuru was a fabulous foodie in her infant months, but as a toddler she is suddenly a finicky eater. There are developmental reasons for this and it is not uncommon.
On most days, she will refuse to eat anything I try to give her with a spoon, preferring to feed herself. This is understandable as she is learning to be independent. She also has teeth and prefers to eat things that will require use of her new chompers. Pureés are quickly becoming out of style in this house, as it should.
So, I was in a quandary about what to feed Baby Champuru for about a week as she mainly subsisted on applesauce, Gerber Graduates snacks, formula, and small amounts of table food. Of course, this flies in the face of my preference to feed Baby Champuru wholesome, homemade, organic food. I’m still trying to do more research and allow baby to experiment with different foods and see what she ends up liking.
Today she had cream cheese and grape jelly thinly spread on a whole wheat tortilla. As you can see from the photo above, she quite liked it. As you can imagine, the grape jelly makes for a sticky mess in the end, but I’m coming to terms with the fact that toddlers are messy and you just have to let them be.
Tortillas are handy tools for toddler feeding. I opted for the whole wheat variety, but you can also find colorful vegetable-based tortillas such as tomato or spinach. I warm the tortilla in the microwave at 50% for 10-20 seconds. Depending on your toddler’s preference or eating ability, you can either fold the tortilla in half and cut in triangles or roll it up. Here are a few ideas for toddler tortilla goodness:
- If your toddler is older than 3 years old or has already been introduced to peanut butter, here’s a sweet treat she’s bound to love: on a warm tortilla, spread peanut butter and top with chopped bananas.
- For a peanut-free alternative, try cream cheese and jelly/jam.
- Toddler Quesadilla: 2 T. shredded cheese such as cheddar, fold in half, and microwave for 30 seconds. To change things up and for added nutrition, consider chopped, cooked broccoli, carrots, chicken or ground beef.
I just stumbled upon this great article by Dr. Sears entitled Feeding Toddlers: 17 Tips for Pleasing the Picky Eater that I’ll try with Baby Champuru.
Do you have any tips on feeding toddlers? What is your toddler’s favorite foods?
We’re heading for Waikiki tomorrow, Staycation Part Deux, for Shari’s wedding on Saturday. I’ll be armed with my iPhone, so I’ll be updating from there. I set up Posterous to auto-post to this blog, so you can enjoy real-time updates if you are that bored interested. 
I’m looking forward to an awesome weekend and seeing my best friend tie the knot!
Mom and Grandpa in the 70’s
(Pre-Donna Days)
When I close my eyes and think of my parents, my mind’s eye envisions them when gray hair had not yet encroached upon their heads, wrinkles were few, and bodies were strong.
Mom will be turning 78 in less than a week and Dad is 74.
Dad in the 70’s
Aging is such a difficult subject, especially when it comes to your own parents. Dealing with it as an only child can be overwhelming, as I shoulder the cares and concerns mostly by myself. I am grateful for Hubby’s ever-present help and comfort, but sometimes wish I had a sibling to share in the responsibility of caring for my parents as they age.
I believe it’s because my heart has not allowed my parents to age past their prime as I knew them as a child, I sometimes expect too much of them on a physical or emotional level. When I find myself getting impatient or aggravated, I have to remind myself that they aren’t in their 40’s anymore. Heck, I’m pushing 40. Who are we kidding here?
Mom (Baba), Dad (Jiji), & Baby Champuru in 2009
To their credit, Mom and Dad are doing well, having lived through some pretty rough times in the past. I am grateful that they are here to see Baby Champuru, their first and only grandchild. I have very few memories of my grandparents, since all but my paternal grandmother passed away when I was very young. I pray that my parents will be healthy for many more years to come so that Baby Champuru will be able to grow up with fond memories of them that she can cherish for a lifetime.
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