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 16 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 my pursuit of family, faith, recreation, and rest. Read more on the About page.
Gesundheit! If you read the title of this blog entry and thought my vog allergies were acting up again, you obviously have not heard of the fabulous NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) which urges bloggers to post an entry a day for an entire month. NaBloPoMo is an offshoot of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which challenges participants to write an entire 50,000-word novel in 30 days. NaBloPoMo is a slightly less momentous endeavor, one that I don’t mind committing myself to every now and then. Teetering on the verge of 2010, one of my resolutions is to blog more regularly. What better way to jump start that goal than to do a daily blogging marathon for a month?
Do you have a blog? Will you endeavor with me on this NaBloPoMo challenge for January? Oh come on, it’ll be fun!
Traditions are so valuable, creating closeness and strengthening the connection between family members. My mother-in-law recognized the importance of family traditions early on. The traditions she established decades ago are still practiced today and it’s the glue that keeps their family tightly knit.
One of my favorite traditions is partaking in the new year’s ozoni. Every year on January 1st, all family members would assemble for their first meal of the year: a bowl of steaming hot ozoni. Mom-in-law says that drinking the soup ensures a good upcoming year for the partaker. Good luck or not, the soup is just plain delicious!
I posted the recipe for mom-in-law’s “easy ozoni”in 2008 and made a video in 2007 which I have embedded below. I must apologize for the shaky camera work (was trying to hold the camera in one hand and cook with the other).
This year, I didn’t get a chance to buy the very expensive (~$15/can) hokkigai clams, so I made it with chicken instead. It wasn’t as tasty, but still quite good. Ryan Ozawa mentioned using steamer clams from Costco. When I inquired about the clams, here’s what he said:
The steamer clams box, from the Costco freezer section, had three trays of about a 1/3 lb. for $14. The clams were fully cooked and still in shell. Jen just pulled the meat out of the clams and threw it in the ozoni, rather than nuking the clams in the tray with the butter as designed.
I am definitely going to try this. Unfortunately, venturing out to Costco on New Year’s Eve is probably a bad idea if I wish to keep my sanity — so I’ll make a run early next week.
What traditions have you established for your family? Do you have ozoni on new year’s day? Or perhaps another traditional/ethnic dish? Care to share your recipe?
We anticipate Christmas for months, but yet it comes and goes far too quickly for me. I wish we could just hit the pause button on time so I can savor the moments just a bit longer.
Stranger Anxiety Prevention was at the forefront of my mind on Christmas Eve as we attended a big family gathering. Although I had ideas about making a grand entrance with Baby Champuru on my back in the Beco baby carrier, I opted to carry her in. I politely advised folks to give Baby Champuru some time to warm up before attempting to carry her. She cried for a few minutes, quite loudly at that, but after taking her into the next room where it was much quieter and less people were congregated, she calmed down. A few of her cousins sat on the floor and played with her and it wasn’t long before she was comfortable and interactive.
Needless to say, she didn’t jump into the festivities as I had hoped, but avoiding an entire evening of crying was good enough for me. Baby Champuru allowed a few people to carry her, but not for very long — except for grandma and cousin Pililani. It’s funny how even at that age, she is already developing a preference for certain people.
The photo above shows Baby Champuru getting up close and personal with Old Saint Nick at the Christmas Eve party. Aunty Richelle did the honors of introducing her to Santa, but the wary look on Baby Champuru’s face turned to fright a split second after this snapshot was taken. Of course, wailing ensued. I suppose Baby Champuru doesn’t know the lyrics to “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” yet. But then again, by the looks of it, Baby Champuru would have preferred that Santa kept his gifts and stayed at the North Pole.
On Christmas morning, the immediate family assembled again to open gifts. This time, Baby Champuru did not shed a tear and seemed to be slowly emerging from her shell. That was the best gift of all this Christmas!
Last year, Baby Champuru was only a few months old and oblivious to the wonder and excitement of Christmas. This year, she was able to open her gifts (with some help) and was thrilled by the new toys she received. What an enjoyable Christmas holiday, celebrating the birth of Jesus with loved ones. I am looking forward to the New Year’s festivities tomorrow night!
Looking back at 2009, it occurs to me that I haven’t been very social since Baby Champuru arrived on the scene. Being a stay-at-home mom caters to my innate tendency to, well, stay at home. I’m not sure why or how it happened, but the extroversion of my youth took a complete 180 and now I’m a bona fide, card-carrying introvert. I am certain that Baby Champuru’s aversion to people stems, at least in part, from my own lack of social activity. Well, a new year brings a clean slate and new opportunities for improvement. My list of resolutions is long, but topping the list is this: In 2010, I will stop being a hermit.
I have started researching possible activities to participate in with Baby Champuru, all geared toward getting us out of the house. Here’s what I have so far:
Enroll Baby Champuru in a program or class(note: information below pertains to classes held in Hawaii on the island of Oahu)
Gymboree – I intend to sign up for a free sample class. According to the website there is a one-time new member initiative fee of $31.41 and monthly fees are $76.43.
Wee Play and Learn- An interactive play center. No pricing information, but looks like there are some great programs and learning opportunities for wee ones of all ages. Sample class also available. This location is a little far from home, so although I may still do a sample class, I don’t know if the logistics will work out.
MyGym – A children’s fitness center in Kailua. Also a little far, but if the program meets our needs and is affordable, we may consider it. (Diane Ako had some nice things to say about MyGym on her blog.)
Ohana Music Together- This looks like a great program to help deepen Baby Champuru’s love for music. They also offer a preview class and I hope to sign up for one in January.
Join a playgroup
I discovered a playgroup that meets in my area every Thursday, so I just need to kick myself in the okole and take Baby Champuru to join them!
Organize a Family-friendly Tweetup
There are many Honolulu tweeps with children, maybe a tweetup at Chuck E. Cheese might be in order?
Moms and Dads in Hawaii, please share your ideas for getting toddlers active and out of the house. I would especially appreciate recommendations in the Central Oahu area if it’s for a class and multiple visits per week may be required. Leave a comment here or send me an email using the Contact Me form. Thanks!
Previously on champuru.net, I lamented about Baby Champuru’s stranger anxiety and received many suggestions from moms who have been there, done that. Here are just a few of the helpful suggestions I received and will begin implementing.
Dust off the Beco baby carrier and wear baby on my back when we are entering a new environment surrounded by unfamiliar faces. The closeness to mom and being up higher (seeing eye-to-eye with the BIG people) should help her cope with an otherwise frightening experience. Once she warms up, let her go and see how much better she socializes.
Instead of meeting in a confined area, consider meeting up with people at a park or someplace where baby can be engaged/distracted by an activity if her fears start to rise.
Invite people over to the house. Instead of having to deal with a new environment AND new faces, eliminating one variable should help somewhat.
Give the child more opportunities to socialize: join a playgroup or play gym (such as Gymboree).
Don’t be discouraged if none of the above works, because babies really are little people and have their own personalities and preferences. It may just be in her nature to be more reserved or wary of people, give her time and she will eventually outgrow it.
Christmas Eve at my in-laws’ house will be interesting since there will be TONS of people there, lots of excited kids, and many loving and well-meaning relatives chomping at the bit to carry the baby of the family. I think I will try to bring her in the Beco baby carrier and see if that helps her warm up to the crowd without the drama. Also, having her in the carrier will prevent anyone from trying to snatch her away before she’s ready for social interaction. I’ll provide a full report post-Christmas.
No one likes a crying baby. To some, it’s like taking fingernails to a chalkboard. The wailing of an infant is acceptable to most, but people start to look askance at the histrionics of a toddler.
At home, Baby Champuru is a delightful baby who enjoys figuring things out, making us laugh, dancing, talking, and playing. Lovable to the nth degree! However, in the presence of friends and family members that she is not acquainted with, she will turn on the water works and display her discomfort in decibels, making her downright unpleasant. I feel for her because I know it’s stranger anxiety — but I also feel sorry for loved ones on the receiving end of her theatrics. It’s a little awkward when a well-meaning friend reaches out her arms for a hug and is greeted with a hysterical “no-no-no-no-nooooo!” with big, huge tears streaming down baby’s cheeks.
Recently, we met some friends for lunch and they brought their 10-month old granddaughter with them. Their granddaughter seemed unaffected by all of the new faces and the unfamiliar environment, but Baby Champuru was struck with terror from the instant she arrived. Granted, she didn’t cry the entire time, but enough to render it an unsuccessful playdate.
It’s times like this when I really begin to think that I’m a crummy mom. All of the “what-if’s” flood my mind: what if I had taken her out more, what if I had her participate in more playdates, what if I had done a better job of socializing her — would she be more comfortable with people if I had done those things? Or is it just her nature? According to our pediatrician, there really isn’t anything that can be done to overcome stranger anxiety, it’s just something that she has to outgrow.
This episode was a wake-up call of sorts. Again, it reminded me that as a mom, I am largely responsible for the shaping of this little human being entrusted to us for a season. She will go on to make her own decisions and nature determines much of her personality, but the experiences that I expose her to and the lessons I teach her along the way will also play a vital role in defining the person she is to become in the future. It made me feel like I should be doing more: taking her out more, exposing her to more people, and helping her along the path to becoming a friendly, sociable little girl.
As always, I welcome suggestions from my readers! :)
As a result of the encouragement of my mother, I have been dancing since I was a toddler, running onstage at the Sonjinkai Shinnen Enkai (new year’s party) and stealing the kachashi limelight from the ojiichans and obaachans. At age 5, I started Okinawan dance lessons and continued off-and-on throughout my life. Having been in an “off” period for a few years now, bon dances are my only connection to a love for the music and dances of my culture. Donning a hapi coat and dancing to the lilting notes of the sanshin thrills my heart and makes me proud of my rich heritage.
As the pieces of my life start to fall in place, I know that I will return to my odori training. Until then, you’ll see me dancing my little heart out around the yagura in the bon dance circle.
I have been on hiatus from Okinawan dance since 2004, when Hubby was deployed to Iraq and I was in the homestretch of my degree program (Bachelor of Science, Information Technology). I put myself on hiatus, but never imagined that it would last this long.
The past five years have been busy — monumental, even! I obtained my BS/IT (thank you, Jesus!), Hubby returned from his deployment safe and sound (praise God!), and we had a baby (miracles upon miracles!). Now that things are settling down, I have begun to think about ending my hiatus and returning to dance.
As a new mom, my focus was entirely on the baby. I had purposed to completely dedicate an entire year to her. Not just putting work on hold, but choosing to forgo any diversions or hobbies in her first year of life. So much happens in that first year, if you blink you’ll miss something. I wanted to witness every milestone and enjoy every precious moment with her because I knew that she will be our only child. It is a decision that I am glad that I made — and one that Hubby has supported even before Baby Champuru was conceived.
Now that Baby Champuru is 14 months old, the idea of pursuing personal interests seems feasible again. One of my goals for 2010 was returning to dance, so I contacted my sensei and my first day back to dance practice in over five years will be on January 3, 2010.
Wish me luck and send me a bottle or two of Tokuhon while you’re at it. I’m going to need it.
You can make a difference in the life of a child -- I am! Our family is sponsoring Melvin, a 9 year old boy in the Philippines. Click the image below to find out more about child sponsorship and how your pocket change can change everything for a very special child.
Gesundheit! If you read the title of this blog entry and thought my vog allergies were acting up again, you obviously have not heard of the fabulous NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) which urges bloggers to post an entry a day for an entire month. NaBloPoMo is an offshoot of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which challenges participants to write an entire 50,000-word novel in 30 days. NaBloPoMo is a slightly less momentous endeavor, one that I don’t mind committing myself to every now and then. Teetering on the verge of 2010, one of my resolutions is to blog more regularly. What better way to jump start that goal than to do a daily blogging marathon for a month?
I have been on hiatus from Okinawan dance since 2004, when Hubby was deployed to Iraq and I was in the homestretch of my degree program (Bachelor of Science, Information Technology). I put myself on hiatus, but never imagined that it would last this long.
As a new mom, my focus was entirely on the baby. I had purposed to completely dedicate an entire year to her. Not just putting work on hold, but choosing to forgo any diversions or hobbies in her first year of life. So much happens in that first year, if you blink you’ll miss something. I wanted to witness every milestone and enjoy every precious moment with her because I knew that she will be our only child. It is a decision that I am glad that I made — and one that Hubby has supported even before Baby Champuru was conceived.
