Elf on the Shelf

*Warning:  If you are not a fan of "Elf on the Shelf", then this post isn't for you. With that said, elf bashing is not welcome here. And yes, I have been told a million times that I am going to scar my children for life by participating in the CREEPY elf tradition. Thank you for your concern, I will take my chances. ;) *

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Yay! It's Elf on the Shelf time!

I know, I know. You either love the elves or you hate them. Well, we love them!  How could I not when they bring so much joy, suspense and giggles to our crazy household? With that said, the elves are welcome at our house....at least until my kids are no longer having fun with them.  (When that happens, maybe I will have them hide the elves for me! ) So far we've had a good four year run with them!

See what some of our elves have been up to!

Happy hiding....and finding! 

Sushi Roll

Sleeping Bag 

Captured by a dog!

Swinging

Toilet papered the tree and replaced the tree toppers!

iPad time!

Hiding in a present.

"Mom. I can't find them." (Yes, that really happened.)

Gingerbread House.

Googly Eyes

Sonic Screwdriver (Dr. Who)

Hiding in Water Bottles in the Fridge

Hanging out in undies.

Toilet papered the bedroom door.

Stuck in a roach trap.

"In" the fish tank!

Toilet paper sign.

Crafty elves! They left paint so the girls could paint the snowflakes.

Decorating Marshmallows

Elves got into the toothpaste!

Floating/fluttering! (Invisible thread!)

In the freezer.

Messing with the clock!

Coloring

Playing dress up!

Making snow angels!

Shaving

Hanging out on a post!

Thankful For.....the Decapitated Rat.

Hard to believe Thanksgiving is next week! Are you ready? While I am not ready for the festivities I am well aware of the many things I should be grateful for! The biggest one is probably having my family together for the holidays! My husband will actually be home AND my father will be celebrating with us too! Trust me, I know how lucky our family is to be together for the holidays. We have spent so many apart! For those of you that can't be with your family during this time, whether it be be due to deployments, separation, death, money, weather, etc..... my heart goes out to you. 

While November can be a crazy month it also known to be the time to show appreciation and gratitude for things that you have. Social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) is notorious for having a "thankful" challenge that consists of posting a status update or a picture of something you are grateful for for 30 consecutive days. Sometimes these posts/pictures are of the obvious (family, home, car) and other times they are of the simpler things. Like when your husband killed the roach on the wall or that you got to sleep in for an extra 15 minutes. Reading all the posts of my friends and family helps to remind me to be thankful for those same things. Sometimes someone will point something out that I unknowingly take for granted. (Thanks for the reminder!)

Ironically, not everybody appreciates seeing all these posts. "Why only show appreciation during November? What about the other months?" Good point! However, I look at it as a welcome relief to see so many people making a conscious effort, to stop for a moment and just be grateful!

Granted, we all have periods of time when it is hard to feel appreciative of anything. Our stresses and anxieties keep us from being positive, or from seeing the good things right in front of us. It's not as easy to find the blessings when they aren't wrapped in pretty packages. Sometimes they are disguised and hidden in the midst of chaos. You might have to dig deep to find it, but often times, those are the BEST blessings of all!

Last week I heard a phrase (bible verse, actually) that pretty much summed up what I just expressed.  "Give thanks in all circumstances....."

Simple, right? Read it again....

"Give thanks in all circumstances......"

Notice anything?

When you really break down those five words, notice it doesn't say, "Give thanks FOR all circumstances" It says, "IN".

"In" versus "all".

There is a big difference!

While you don't have to be thankful FOR your car breaking down on the highway, you can still be thankful IN the circumstance. Thankful that you were able to pull over onto the shoulder. Thankful that it happened during the day. Thankful that it didn't happen when you were in a rush to get home to relieve the babysitter. Yes, it is inconvenient (and probably expensive) but you can still be thankful IN the circumstance.

Maybe you can relate to some of the situations that I have been in, where I had to consciously make an effort to be thankful IN the midst of feeling frustrated and overwhelmed:

Such as the days that I had to be both both mommy and daddy when my husband was gone for work. Sometimes he would be gone for months at a time. A couple of times it was close to a year.  Was I thankful FOR this circumstance? No. But could I be thankful IN the circumstance? Yes. I could be thankful that my husband has a full time job and provides for our family. Thankful that during that time I can stay home and take care of my girls. So while I am not thankful FOR my husband being gone, I can be thankful IN his absence. YES, it's hard, but give thanks IN all circumstances!

At times I will still find it difficult to be appreciative. When that happens I take it a step further and ask myself, "WHO would want to be in my position? Who would view my stress as a blessing? Who would want to tell me to "shut it" and quit my whining and complaining?" In the case of my husband being gone it might be a single mom, who has to work two or more jobs to provide for her kids. That same mom that only gets to see them in the morning when she wakes them up and then at night when she tucks them in. That mom who would do just about anything to spend more time with her children. That person might view my life as "lucky".

Okay. I got it. I will shut my mouth.

Another situation that we can all relate to with holiday shopping coming up: the never ending line at the check out register. Am I thankful FOR the line? Heck no. You know what you are thinking when you are standing there. "Why isn't the line moving? Why is this cashier so slow? Why aren't there more cashiers?" Seriously. What's to be grateful for in this situation? Who would want to be in this line? Well, maybe someone who barely has enough money to pay for groceries for their family. Someone who wishes they had the luxury of "extra money" to buy presents for Christmas. That's who. So while I am not thankful FOR the line, I can be thankful IN the line. Give thanks IN all circumstances!

One last situation - this year my husband forgot our 16th wedding anniversary. True story. You would think he would remember by now! While it wasn't a stressful situation, it was definitely a disappointment. Was I thankful FOR his forgetfulness? Of course not. Who would be thankful IN this situation? Oh, I don't know. Maybe someone who has lost their significant other? Someone who would give just one more day, one more moment to be with their spouse? Someone whose husband was deployed and wouldn't be home until who knows when? Yeah. Hello? Reminder to self! That was me not so long ago. How quickly I forgot and took my husband and our time together for granted. Just be happy he is home and we are together. Humble yourself. Give thanks IN all circumstances! (Note: My daughter said that I still had the right to be mad. Thanks, kiddo! HA!)

Don't get me wrong. I still do my fair share of whining and complaining! However, finding daily blessings has made me appreciate the simple things in life that I often overlook or take for granted. I didn't learn to do this overnight. It took a lot of time for me to train my brain (and my heart) to learn to think this way. Give it a try! At least once! Look for the daily blessings. Find blessing in the chaos. Dig deep if you have to! Think of who would want to trade places with you. Just remember, you don't have to be thankful FOR the circumstance, but be thankful IN it.

A Hui Hou.....

PS. I just got off the phone with my BFF. I told her there was a beautiful I'o (Hawaiian Hawk) that has been coming into our yard. She asked if it brought us any more decapitated rats. Ewwww. But it got me thinking. How can I be thankful in this situation? Well, for one, I have the awesome experience of seeing this beautiful bird. Secondly, while I am not a fan of finding a decapitated rat near my porch steps, at least it means there is one less live rat running around! (And a husband that would dispose of the carcass!)

Whoa Buddy.....

Just as I finally found the ambition to knock a few things off of my ever-growing-to-do list, things came to a complete halt. Whhhhhhy does that always seem to happen? Thanks a lot, Universe.

In this case I threw out my back. If you've ever hurt your back you know that back pain is no joke. Every little move you make = PAIN!

At first I thought I was just going to be sore. But as I took a few steps things felt like they were getting worse rather than better. When I could barely walk up and down the steps, sit down or get up, I knew I was in trouble.

My first thought was, "This is bad. I need to see a doctor." But I was hopeful that the pain would be short lasting. You know, just wait it out. Do a few stretches. Take some Ibuprofen. Use a heating pad. Plus, a simple trip to see a doctor would not be simple at all. Not only would I have to get down our front steps and climb into our truck, I would have to brace myself for this ride:

Yeahhhhhhh. No thank you. And that is the only way out to the main road. Two miles in, two miles out! It's a bumpy ride even without a backache!

With the help of a walking cane I found that I could get around a bit. But after waiting a few days (only to have for my miraculous recovery be a no-show) I forced myself to see a doctor. The final push? My kiddos. My youngest had her first roller derby exhibition coming up and Halloween was the day after that. There was no way I was going to miss either event. Not if I could help it! While I was willing to push through the pain, I had to admit that painkillers would make it a bit more bearable.

The good news? The ride wasn't too bad. My father drove as I braced myself over the bumps by hugging a pillow with one hand and pushing the walking cane into the floor with the other. The bad news? More like embarrassing news? Having to explain to the intake nurse and the doctor just HOW I hurt my back.

"And how did you hurt your back?"

"Ummmmm. I sneezed."

"You what?"

"I sneezed."

"That must have been some violent sneeze."

(Yeah, yeah, yeah. As a matter of fact, it was!)

Thankfully the doctor gave me a prescription to take the edge off, but not leave me groggy and useless. It was just enough relief to allow me to go to the roller derby bout as well as trick-or-treating! But I paid dearly for it. Had a bit of a setback with my mobility and had increased pain over the next few days.

Ten days post-sneeze-related-back-injury I am finally starting to feel better. Not 100% yet, but getting there. When I try to stand up and steady myself I think I must look a lot like a newborn calf trying to find her legs (but not nearly as wobbly and definitely not as cute.) With my husband being out of town I have really had to depend on the rest of my family for assistance. My dad helped with a lot of the household duties, running errands, dealing with the puppy, the kids, schoolwork, dinner, etc. Thanks, dad!

As for my girls, they each helped out in their own way. Momo, eight years old, really stepped up. She helped me get up and sit down, pick stuff up for me that I couldn't reach, help with chores, brought me whatever I needed, and even slept on the couch so she could be closer to me in case I needed help during the night! Shoot. She even helped me pull up my pants when I couldn't! (Yeah, she was mortified.)Thanks, Momo!

Kailani, (my recently-turned-teenager) on the other hand, showed me she cared in a different way. She brought me a frozen Reese's Peanut Butter Cup while I was laid up in bed.

*Sigh*

She tried. She could have at least brought me more than one. More like ten. Or a whole bag.

Regardless, thanks Kailani!

Now, I don't know why the Universe felt it was necessary for me to slow down (more like STOP).....but I did, okay? Can I just be better already? I have things to do! I am ready to be up and moving again!


A Hui Hou.....

By the way, if you are ever around me and sneeze, I might tense up. Also, instead of saying, "Bless you" I might respond with, "Are you okay?" After all, sneezing can be dangerous to your health! ;)

I am NOT that mom.....

I am NOT that mom that gets excited about Halloween.You know, the one that starts thinking about next year's Halloween while still exhausted from the current one? The one that is willing to sew costumes no matter how crazy or difficult? Or the one that makes the traditional Halloween dinner of black worm spaghetti with blood sauce, mummy sausage, black cake, and has one of her best friends bring over a spooky salad year after year? The mom that uses her house as "home base", a meeting place for friends to start and end the Halloween night? The same place where kids will go through their loot, sort and engage in candy negotiation before heading home?

Yeah. That's not me, those are not my friends and that is not my house.

But, it used to to be.

*Sigh*

Last year at about this time I told my girls, "When and if we move to the Big Island, Halloween is going to be very different." After all, we lived in a neighborhood that was well-known for trick-or-treating. People from all over the island drove in just to spend a few hours walking around a single loop! We knew we had it good. Not just good but REALLY good.

Since that talk a year ago we did make that move. We live in the country now....and while we love living out in the"boonies" it is not a place to go trick-or-treating. What to do? Where to go? We had to figure things out before Halloween arrived.

For months prior I researched where was the best place to go. Even on Halloween morning I wasn't 100% positive how the night was going to play out. At the suggestion of many, we opted to go to the mall. At least we knew we weren't going to get rained on!

While the vibe was totally different from what we were used to, it went well. We timed it just right and was in and out of there in less than 20 minutes with their bags full of candy. The girls were happy but I definitely missed the lack of intimacy door-to-door trick or treating offered.

There was still light out and the kids wanted to do more. We headed to a haunted house ("Haunted Woods", to be exact). Unfortunately, I didn't pay attention to the hours of operation and we arrived too early. To kill some time we stopped in at a local school that was offering free activities and food for Halloween night. Momo had a good time playing a lot of the games and redeeming the tickets for a prize. Afterwards, we headed back to the Haunted Woods.


Parking was a hassle but we finally found a spot. Unfortunately, the kiddo that I thought would be scared wasn't, and the kiddo that I thought would be brave.....wasn't! Boy did they flip it on me! Daddy was nice and stayed behind with a scared, sobbing, and freaked out Momo. Kailani actually lead myself and Papa (my father) through the woods.

Was it scary? Yes. But not for reasons you may think. It was scary because it was dark, slippery and muddy. Definitely not the best situation to be in when you are recovering from a recent back injury! And of course I was wearing slippahs (flip flops).  I was so afraid I was going to fall and injure my back even worse that I was grabbing for anything that would help keep me steady. Trees, Kailani......whichever was closer! I'm pretty sure Kailani thought I was grabbing her because I was scared. HA! Let her believe that. But I won't lie, I may have let out a little scream a couple of times when a ghost/goblin/zombie caught me by surprise.

In the end the girls had fun. It was a different kind of fun but fun nonetheless. The one major thing that was lacking from our night was time spent with friends. I know our friends felt it too as we exchanged text messages, status updates, and pictures throughout the night of our separate, solo adventures.

How I missed the traditions that we had created over the years! How I missed our friends!

And I will admit, I even missed being "that" mom.



Hope you had a fun Halloween!

A Hui Hou.....

Not a City Slicker but....

I'm not a country girl either. I am somewhere in between. And some days I am more one than the other.

While I an enjoy the luxuries that a city can provide, I have to get used to being without a lot of them. For after almost 30 years on Oahu I can happily say I am now a resident of the Big Island. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Oahu, but our family had outgrown our quaint, less than 900 square foot, 2-bedroom cottage.We didn't want to leave Hawaii, but it was time for a much needed change.  So we bought a house, packed our stuff and moved to an outer island. Funny how I make it sound so easy. While my friends thought I had it under control my closest friends knew the truth. I was a hot mess!

We went from living next to a highway to living out in the country. We exchanged the noises of ambulances and traffic for the sounds of nature - coqui frogs, birds, and dogs to name a few. We have even gotten (somewhat) accustomed to hearing gun shots now and then. Some say we moved out to the boonies and others even say we are living off the grid. Nah, not yet. Yes, we live WAAAAAAY out "there" and have a catchment tank for our water, but we still pay for electricity as well as satellite internet and TV (can't live without it!)
 

Catchment tank overflowing with rainwater!

After all, without the internet I wouldn't be able to find answers to the many questions I have about living in the country such as:

• When is it the best time to pick bananas/lychee/oranges from a tree?
• How to take care of goats, chickens, etc.
• There are huge feral pigs running around on my property. Can I legally hunt on my own land?

And for the city slicker in me: 

• What left a decapitated rat and its head on my back porch?
• OMG my puppy ate pig poop. Her breath is foul. What should I do?   

The cool thing is, I can now identify pig poop. Just one step closer to being less of a city slicker! ;)

I see.......bacon!

 
A Hui Hou!

Leap of Faith

"I'm BAAAAAACK!!!" 

It's been almost two years since I last blogged. During that time a lot has changed. My husband and I really took a leap of faith and made some drastic changes for our family. Decisions regarding education, health, finances, etc. Real life stuff that took a lot of thought, planning adjusting and accepting. Much of it I had to deal with as a single parent as my husband was either out of the state or out of the country. Saying it was a difficult time is putting it mildly. Thank goodness for the support from friends and family!

Our family continues to be in a state of transition as we have recently moved from one island to another. But as crazy as it sounds, even during all the chaos I have found a sense of peace. With that peace comes the urge to start blogging again and having a place to document our often crazy life!

While I was really hoping to start off with a new blog, new name, etc., I knew if I waited any longer it wasn't going to happen. So here I am, taking another leap of faith and just going for it!

A Hui Hou!
(Until we meet again.)

Recycled Christmas Ornament: Altoid Tin

I was recently given a craft assignment: to make a Christmas ornament using recycled materials. 

Okay, okay. It wasn't MY homework. It was my daughter's first grade homework assignment. Nevertheless, I was excited. After all, it specifically said the project was to be a collaborative effort between the student and his/her family!

Momo and I started brainstorming almost immediately. We searched Pinterest for ideas and pinned like crazy! When we finally narrowed down our choices.....we ended up with a Pinterest fail: 

Trust me. It is NOT supposed to look like that!


More brainstorming. We finally we came up with our own idea of using Altoid tins!

Luckily I have been saving the tins to make more of these:

....but it just hasn't happened yet. Of course being a bit of a craft hoarder I have tons of other supplies, such as bottle caps, fabric, felt, ribbon, etc. After playing around with what we had on hand we finally completed our ornament!

We covered the front of the Altoid tin with red felt and a Christmas bow to make it look like a present:

On the inside of the tin we covered both sides with felt/fabric; glued on some bottle caps; drew a face and buttons on the caps to look like a snowman; attached a gift label to one side and then added a ribbon for hanging!(Note to self: next time put the tag on the front of the tin, so it really looks like a present!) 

Imagine all the possible surprises you can hide in an Altoid tin!

It came out pretty cute and I know Momo is proud of OUR project! :)

If you are looking for more ideas on easy, kid-friendly recycled Christmas ornaments check out my Pinterest Board: "Recycled Christmas Ornaments."

Happy Christmas Crafting! 

Hometowns: Honolulu and Chicago

Recently I was contacted by travel expert extraordinaire, Kendra Thornton, who asked if I would be interested in a collaborative blog post sharing a little bit about why we love our hometowns.

SHUT. THE. FRONT. DOOR. Really?!?

I was skeptical. Why would a TV spokesperson, PR businesswoman, former Director of Communications for ORBITZ, and full-time mommy of three be contacting ME? But after asking a few questions and making sure she was the real deal I sucked it up to being an awesome opportunity to share a little bit about this awesome state that I live in, and to learn a little bit about her hometown of Chicago!

I can't say that I know much about Chicago, but I can tell you for certain that it is faaaaaaar away from here! (4,246 miles from Honolulu! Yes, I Googled it!) And since that is pretty much the extent of what I know about the windy city I think it's only appropriate that Kendra takes over from here! My take on Honolulu will be next! Now heeeeeeeere's Kendra!

An Insider's Guide to Chicago 

Chicago, the “Windy City” has so many things to do that it might be intimidating to a first time visitor—it can even be intimidating to a lifelong resident!  However, this assortment of activities and to do’s makes Chicago what it is: a fun, big, culture filled city.  There is an almost endless list of wonderful attractions, shopping, and restaurants.  There are many choices of places to stay while visiting our fair city.  To list them all would need enough pages to fill a book.  However, I can point you to some of my favorites.

On South Lakeshore Drive stands the Field Museum of Natural History.  It is a wonderful place to take children.  It has a balance of educational things to see and fun things for children to do.  They always have traveling exhibits in addition to the wonderful selection of permanent exhibits such as the massive, Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur fossils.  With the traveling exhibits, a visit to the Field museum is never the same experience twice.  

If you enjoy artwork, the Chicago Cultural Center is a must-see.  Located across from Michigan Avenue and Millennium Park in the famous Loop, it is one of my favorite places to visit.  It is one of Chicago's most visited attractions, with hundreds of thousands of visitors each year.  It is home to the world's largest stained glass Tiffany dome, which is 38 feet in diameter and contains over 30,000 pieces of glass. The center is also host to many free public events, and is located right near Millennium Park is you want to venture there as well.

Of course, Chicago is filled with history as well.  Some of the older hotels, like the Drake, are filled with Chicago history.  No matter if you're looking for something historical, or something new and shiny, Chicago's hotel industry has something to meet your needs.  Even if those needs are simply the best nightly rate for you and your family, the information you need can be had quickly and easily.  I find that gogobot is a great resource for finding the hotel that best fits your needs.   

Naturally, you're going to need to eat while you're here.  Among all the wonderful breakfast shops throughout the city, Lou Mitchell's stands out from the crowd.  Some of the best food in town is served here by “Uncle Lou” and kids love coming here.  One of Chicago's most iconic restaurants, it also has the benefit of being reasonably priced.  The fair pricing ensures that you can have a wonderful meal without breaking your budget.  A fun fact about Lou Mitchell's is that they hand out Milk Duds to all the ladies and children who enter.  The reason being that Milk Duds were invented in Chicago and the creator was a friend and customer of Lou's.   

While there is much more to see and do in Chicago, I hope I have given you some ideas.  No matter how you spend your time here, I am sure you will find many ways to enjoy your stay.  The history and beauty of our fair city offers much to do, with even those of us who live here often finding new things to do and see.  I wish you a fun and happy adventure!

So many fun adventures! Thank you, Kendra, for sharing! 

Now, what to say about Hawaii? How hard can it be to write about this state that I love?

Uhhhh, much harder than I thought.

When I actually sat down and started thinking about what to write I couldn't. It wasn't for lack of trying! It's just that....well....I hate to brag but there is so much to love about living here! The weather; the people; the beaches; the food; the music; the culture! I could go on and on! Unlike those that suffer from the occasional  "Island Fever" (the feeling of needing to get off "the rock") I never do!

So what to share? It was agonizing trying to narrow my choices down but I was finally able to. Since I am a full-time mom of two young girls I thought I would share two of our favorite FREE things to do on Oahu. While it is possible, it is highly unlikely you will find these places listed as "must-dos" in travel guides.

#1 The Beach: Baby Makapu'u

When we have a free day and the weather is cooperating (almost always!) we go to the BEACH!  But which one? Living on an island we are surrounded by miles and miles of beautiful beaches. I recently gave a circle-island tour to some friends who were vacationing here. They nonchalantly mentioned, "Yeah, we drove around and saw the beaches, but they all look the same."

Ahhhhh. Yes. I could see where someone not from here might say that.

Water. Sand. Rocks. Repeat. 

But that is where they are wrong. The beaches are not the same, not at all! As a matter of fact, what beach we go to depends on what we want to do while there. Snorkel? Boogie board? Paddle board? Kayak? Play in the tide pools? Swing on a rope into the water? Also, not all beaches have bathrooms, showers or parking.We also have to take into consideration any ocean conditions that might be hazardous such as high surf, man-o-war/jellyfish, strong currents or dangerous shore break.

Hands down one of our most favorite beaches is "Baby Makapu'u" (also known as "Cockroach Bay".) The water conditions (high-tide, low-tide, high-surf, or no-surf) will determine how you will spend your day there! The view is guaranteed to always be amazing! Take a look!

View from Baby Makapu'u - Rabbit Island (Hawaii State Sea Bird Sanctuary) in the distance.

View from Baby Makapu'u: To the left - Makai Pier. Can you make out the hang glider in the sky?

 Almost every day is good for checking out the tide pools:
 

Or sitting in them:

Or jumping into them when the tide is high and the water is deep!

Or looking for sea creatures.....

Or just hanging out! See how amazingly clear and calm the water can be?

 

 And there is always room to just sit and enjoy the view.......

Or play a little football.......

Stronger/older swimmers can enjoy snorkeling in the deeper water and/or riding on their boogie boards, surfboards, skim boards, etc.

  

 

Wipe outs are inevitable:

But we always have a great time! 

A few things to know before you go:

1) There are no signs marking the location of the beach.

2) Parking is available. Please be sure to secure your valuables and vehicle.

3) There are no showers/bathrooms, however, there is one up the road at Makapu'u Beach Park if you are willing to make the trek.

4) The rocks can be slippery and sharp. Use caution.

5) There is minimal shade. 

6) There are two spigots, one on each end of the parking lot that you can use to rinse off your feet/equipment.

7) There are also trashcans available near the parking lot. Please use them! 

8) This is a popular beach for families so it can get crowded. I recommend going early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Location:

Baby Makapu'u is located in Waimanalo between between Sea Life Park and the Makai Pier. 

Coming from Honolulu/Waikiki: Follow directions to Sea Life Park (41-202 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo Beach, HI 96795). Pass the entrance to Sea Life Park on your left. Watch for the exit (which will quickly approach) as the road to Baby Makapu'u will be almost directly across from it. Turn right, then at the fork in the road turn left down into the parking lot.

Coming from the Windward side:  Follow directions to Sea Life Park (41-202 Kalanianaole Hwy, Waimanalo Beach, HI 96795). Drive through Waimanalo town. Pass Makai pier on your left (you can't miss it!) After you pass the pier the next road on the left will be the entrance to Baby Makapu'u. Turn left, then turn left at the fork in the road down into the parking lot.

The second place I would recommend has beautiful ocean views but does not require you to get wet!

#2: Cardboard Surfing at Kaka'ako Waterfront Park

Kaka'ako Waterfront Park is located south of downtown Honolulu. It is a free public park where people come to jog, picnic, ride their bicycles, fish, and enjoy the view. It is also home to the infamous body surfing spot, "Point Panic".

The park has large, grassy hills. People of all ages bring their cardboard boxes to try and cardboard surf down the hill. The goal is to slide down the hill as fast and as far as you can!

Here are some pictures from the last time we went!

The kids picked which hill they wanted to slide down first. Some of the kids had larger boxes which they sat in. The other boxes were a bit smaller so they flattened them:

 

They weren't too impressed with this particular hill so they packed up and went on a search for another. They also swapped out their cardboard boxes for their boogie boards. The leash on their boogie boards made it easier to pull one another:

Big sister pulls little sister....

Little sister laughs when big sister wipes out!

Riding double and being pulled is the way to go!

Wipe out!

Surfing down the hill standing up!

Sliding down on her knees!

Sometimes those little legs get moving a little too fast and cause a wipe out! See the fear and anticipation in their faces?

But the day always ends with lots of laughter, tired legs, and some grass stained clothes!

Things to know before you go:  

1) Free parking. Please be sure to secure your valuables and your vehicle.

2) Bathrooms, showers, and water fountains are available.

3) Lots of shade and picnic tables.

4) Paved jogging path.

5) While there is beach access via concrete stairs, there is no sand at this beach. This beach is mostly used by experienced body surfers.

 
Location: Kaka'ako Waterfront Park is located at the end of Ohe Street, next to the Children's Discovery Center (102 Ohe St, Honolulu, HI 96813). 

That wraps up two of our favorite family-friendly and free things to do on Oahu! Whether you live here or are visiting, hopefully you will have the opportunity to try both! Many thanks to Kendra Thornton for asking me to be a part of her "Hometown" series and for sharing about her home town of Chicago! You can find Kendra on Twitter at @KendraThornton.