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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Up until Baby Champuru’s first birthday, I had been so cautious about what I fed her. Ever mindful of possible allergic foods, choking hazards, and just plain junk food, I tried my best to fill her tummy with healthy foods. I’ll be the first to admit that I may be a little extreme, but even at her first birthday party, I was reluctant to allow her to have a bite of her own birthday cake. Needless to say, I caved in and allowed her a taste of chocolate cake — but was relieved that her palate was not accustomed to the sweet stuff and she didn’t want more than a few bites.
At her 12 month well baby check-up, the doctor advised me that she could now eat basically anything (except anything with tree nuts, including peanut butter and nutella). Forget the pureéd stuff, the girl was ready for table food. I’m still very cautious about what she eats and prefer to feed her fresh fruits, vegetables (we’re working on it), whole grains, and dairy products. I limit her intake of sugary foods and will usually only allow her a taste of a dessert or snack that I may be eating. (She is quite relentless in her requests to try my food.)
This morning, I went to the Cookie Corner and bought an oatmeal raisin cookie for Baby Champuru and a small cup of bite-sized chocolate chip cookies for myself. She nibbled on the edge of the oatmeal raisin cookie but seemed disinterested. However, the red cup of bite-sized cookies in my hand caught her eye and the way I was voraciously devouring them certainly piqued her curiosity. I wasn’t intending to share my cookies because of the chocolate, but Hubby urged me to allow Baby Champuru to taste one. (Oatmeal raisin just seems a little healthier to me and thus, makes me feel less guilty when allowing her to have some.) Grudgingly, I offered her a cookie. She took it. She bit into it. And here’s her reaction:
Baby Champuru’s first taste of chocolate in a chocolate chip cookie. She was thrilled. Understandably. As a Twitter friend remarked, “it’s worse than crack!” Ain’t that the truth? I know I’m hooked!
The funny thing is that she didn’t finish the entire bite-sized cookie. She excitedly ate about half of it, then offered the rest of it to Daddy who didn’t accept it fast enough and the half-eaten piece ended up on the floor. I’m not sure if that was a fluke or not, but I’m not going to encourage a chocolate addiction in my one year old. One addict in the family is enough. There’s only so much chocolate to go around and I don’t want to compete with Baby Champuru for my chocolate stash.
 “Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10)
My parents, who grew up in the small plantation towns of Wahiawa and Lanai City, had fond memories of living in communities where residents were not just neighbors, but they were also friends. They shared vegetables from their gardens or fresh eggs from their chicken coop. Men gathered under the shade of a neighbor’s garage sharing beers after a long, arduous day of physical labor. Women swapped recipes and fresh baked goodies. They got into each other’s business. In a good way. Most of the time.
It’s unfortunate, but since I moved from Wahiawa (years ago) into a newer development, the residents were of a different ilk. Young families, busy between working and whisking their children to and from soccer games in their minivans, never seemed to have the time or inclination to make friends with their neighbors.
Even in the land of Aloha, I’ve never lived next door to folks that I could honestly call my friends beyond “hellos” across the fence. Until now.
I am blessed to live next door to a phenomenal couple who have become fast friends. Jan is generous to a fault and truly embodies the spirit of sharing. We are prayer partners, interceding on each other’s behalf, and we touch base daily — not always in person, but often by e-mail.
Jan has influenced me in many ways. Her sweet, loving heart reminds me how to seek the best in others. Her positive, prayerful spirit demonstrates the power of making our requests known to God. Her kindness and long-suffering encourages me to be a better mom, wife, and daughter. Her artistic talent inspires me to tap into my creative side.
You may have seen my previous entry about Jan’s upcoming class to teach us how to make a Friendship Star for Valentine’s Day. (If you are on Oahu and are interested in attending the class, please visit this entry for details on how to sign up.) But I wanted to give her art blog, Pictures with Words a quick shout-out, too. As a professional watercolor artist and calligrapher, she creates beautifully inspired artwork regularly and shares them on her blog. It’s a fabulous way to keep her skills honed and a venue to share her art with the world. And if I may toot my own horn for a moment here, I introduced her to the wonderful world of blogging. But honestly, I can’t take any credit for the way Jan seized the medium and ran with it, making it truly her own. It is my hope that more people will discover her blog and enjoy her artwork.
Jan is hosting a giveaway right now and all you need to do is visit her blog at http://jancalligrapher.blogspot.com and leave a comment on her Giveaway entry. She will be drawing a name from those that leave a comment and the lucky person will receive a set of Thank-You cards featuring her artwork and calligraphy. (The photo above is one of the designs that you can choose from if you win.) If you have a Blogger or Google account, please be sure to become a follower, too!
To learn more about Jan’s artwork, please visit her website at http://www.jandesigns.net or her Etsy Store.
 This is what Baby Champuru’s breakfast looks like on most days. She loves fruit and her current favorites are strawberries and clementine oranges (cuties). She doesn’t eat blueberries with as much gusto, but seems to tolerate them if she’s in the mood. She will also eat a fair amount of bananas but I tend to restrict that somewhat since it has a tendency to be constipating.
I am hoping to broaden her horizons with vegetables as well — but she doesn’t seem to be as receptive to vegetables as she is with fruit. We must work on that. But in the meantime, I’m just thankful that she enjoys fruit!
Baby Champuru (15 mo) loves playing with building blocks. We bought a set of these large Mega Bloks from Toys R Us on her first birthday. Initially, she just enjoyed dumping the blocks out of the bag, then discovered the joy of putting them back in the bag, and now she is using the blocks to build creative little structures. Today she made great strides in her building skills when she constructed the tower you see in the photo above. Daddy helped a bit with the foundation, but she did everything above the purple blocks.
I love watching her build things. She is unfettered by convention and limitations. It is amazing to see the creative mind of a one year old at work.
She was so proud of her creation. I told her that I wanted to take a picture of her building, so she held it up and smiled big and proud. That little girl makes my heart swell with pride each and every day!
Made by little hands wielding big crayons!
On Sesame Street today they were talking about drawing. After the episode was over, I turned off the television and Baby Champuru immediately led me to her crayons. She wanted to draw, just like she saw on TV! Here is today’s masterpiece!
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