Role Reversals

Today I walked to the bus stop to pick up Lilia. As I got closer to her, I could tell she was holding back tears. She ran to me as soon as she saw me. She started wiping her eyes and tried masking how bad she was feeling. After the other two girls veered off into their home, Lilia let it all come out. She started to cry. I hugged her and waited for her to gain her composure. She said she brought some gum in her backpack and was waiting until after school to share a piece with the older neighbor girl Kayla. When she brought out the gum, Kayla told her that gum wasn't allowed on the bus. That's all it took to hurt Lilia's feelings. Sometimes it's like looking in a mirror from my childhood when I watch Lilia. I called Kulani to tell him about our exchange, and that did him in. "I'm coming home," he said. Poor Kulani has been working so much lately he's barely been able to see the girls.

My college-age brother has been storing some stuff in our basement for the past couple of weeks. Like every good college student, he has a healthy stash of ramen noodles. Our family's newest favorite taste sensation is a dish Hawaiian's call Saimin. It's made with ramen noodles, spam, and green onions, and it's our favorite Sunday after-church treat. I've had to borrow from Ed's stash a couple of times. I can tell this bothers Lilia. Today she asked me if I'd paid Ed back for his ramen. I lied and said I had. She asked me again. I said, "Well, not yet, but I'm going to, I promise." Her reply: "Good. Thanks for telling the truth, Mom. You did good."

Melissa has invented this new princess she calls Cranberry Rose. From what I gather, she's part Cinderella, but in a red dress. Today I asked her if it would be all right if I took a nap and she not bother me. She told me that would be a good idea, because than I wouldn't be so cranky. So I tried lying down to sleep in my bedroom. However, Cranberry Rose interrupted me every 10 minutes or so asking me to help her with design choices. "Mom, do you think Cranberry Rose should wear these shoes or these shoes? ... Mom, can you help Cranberry Rose put on her gloves? ... Mom, I'm letting you sleep, but does Cranberry Rose look fabulous?" What did she say to me after I gave up and came out of my room? "Hey, Mom, did you have a good nap?"

The Greenwoods invited us over to their house to try out their totally awesome slip-n-slide. Here are some pictures. Even though I didn't plan on joining the kids, I could tell Nohea wanted to slide down, so I joined her in my workout clothes I had on. Days like this remind me why it's so great to be a mom.