it's funny how child welfare services... {hawaii foster care blog}

it's funny how child welfare services wants you to love your foster child, but not really.

what do they expect when they place a 4lb 26week, sick premie in your care...that you won't attach and bond and love. a friend of mine was told that her family was too attached to the child they've had in their home for 9 months. are you serious? because they have toys for him? because he feels like it's him home? because he feels he has a family?

when our daughter was a foster child we were discouraged from giving her a 1st birthday party. why? because she's not our kid. then what's the point of foster homes? why dont we just place them in a hole where they never attach to anyone. in the end i did what was in the best interest of her. a party. so she could have photos, and know she was loved from the beginning of her life. image that...being loved in foster care.

these foster children DESERVE to have a family. even if it's a temporary family. a mom, dad, sisters, brothers, rules, parties, toys, and everything that comes with it. our foster babies deserve to NEVER know the drama and and politics that surrounds them.

so make up your mind CPS, do you or dont you want me to make my foster children feel at home?

I heart faces - Photojournalism {hawaii photography blog}

photojournalism. my chance to tell a story. with one photo. i knew exactly which to enter in this weeks i heart faces challenge.

you pretty much get the picture. ha! here is a young man sitting in the middle of a sidewalk in Beijing, China - sewing a shoe, with a sewing machine older than my grandmother, working for cents, for a shoe WE will buy at 300 X's the cost to make it.

Go check out the other entries.

just when i doubted god... {hawaii blogger}

just when i doubted god had my back He goes and pulls a miracle.

Starbucks is bring back my favorite - Pumpkin Spice Latte - TOMORROW - i dont have to wait till november!!!

(sorry if you thought this post was gonna be some deep spiritual insight - but i got nothin')

fix it friday {hawaii photography blog}

i had a really hard time editing this photo...hhhmmmm good thing i heart faces gives me so much practice. here's to getting better....

ORIGINAL



FIX

i wrote a blog yesterday about... {hawaii motherhood blog}

i wrote a blog yesterday about my 1st time buying Mascara at the age of 34.5. i'm lame. i know.

THEN, my daughter found that mascara. and her experience overshadowed mine. she had the right concept. putting it on her eyes and lips...guess i wont be buying any more make up.

i am not a good cook... {hawaii family blog}

i am not a good cook by any means, that's why i love me some EASY recipes! Here is one from the Kamehameha Schools Project Grad Cookbook - it was delish!

Mochiko Chicken

2lb chicken
5 tbsp shoyu (soy sauce for the mainlanders)
4 tbsp sugar
1/4 chopped green onion
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 eggs
4 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp mochiko flour

Combine shoyu, sugar, onion, garlic, and eggs in large bowl - mix. add in cornstarch, mochiko flour. marinate for a few hours. Heat oil in pan, and fry until golden brown. Add sesame seed and onion to garnish.

Fix It Friday {hawaii photography blog}

Here's a challenge from I Heart Faces...beautiful little girl!

ORIGINAL


MY FIX

this is a face only a.... {hawaii mommy blogger}

'

this is a face only a mother can love. and i DO love her.

this weekend i had my.... {hawaii senior photography}

this weekend i had my first opportunity to shoot senior photos.

i was a tad bit nervous. he was my first senior and he was a HE. thank god he was totally comfortable, nice, and patient!

i'm glad we got some good shots...Thank you Kaulana for being my guinea pig. It was good fun!

last night my sister became... {hawaii family blog}

last night my sister became a stylist at the fabulous J Salon. J Salon was named one of the top 100 salons in the US - the only in hawaii.

i am so incredibly excited for her. and proud of her. she put her mind to something, graduated from the Paul Mitchell - The School in Costa Mesa, and now this.

needless to say i'm happiest about free haircuts for life. don't you want to look this good?...call the salon to make an appointment with Vanessa! 808-550-4441. call now fools.

yesterday i think i cleaned... {hawaii blogger}

yesterday i think i cleaned my ears about five time...

rephrase: i cleaned my ears 5 times yesterday.

i maybe falling off the wagon.

wonder if i'll run into any celebs at rehab.

Gotta Wear Shades - I Heart Faces {hawaii childrens photography}

This weeks challenge at I Heart Faces is Got To Wear Shades!

I just love this photo taken of my niece about 6 years ago with my Sony CyberShot - OLD SCHOOL!!

Before we had kids we'd take our nieces and my brother on vacation - back when we were fun.

Fix It Friday {hawaii photography blog}

My attempt at becoming a better editor...Thanks to the folks at I Heart Faces

ORIGINAL



MY EDITS

i've been really privileged to... {hawaii photo blogger}

i've been really privileged to take some photos of my friends, their kids, and their babies. when i'm done editing their photos i burn them onto CD and place it in a generic envelope. so not pretty. so not me.

i finally got on the ball and found a fabulous shop on Etsy called LiveBeautiful. i purchased these awesome customized CD covers with classic stitching and jute sting, that suites me perfectly!

Stop by LiveBeautiful, they can customize their products to your business and/or event.

stormie has had a rough... {hawaii adoptive mom blog}

stormie has had a rough time transitioning back to preschool. we had a great summer and kept busy, so i think she misses that, but MOSTLY - i think she misses ME. that makes me feel a million tingly's inside! Now, before you start judging me about why i send her to preschool - i HAVE to. She requires services i can't provide, like behavioral therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy.

i have never heard her tell me she loves me and misses me so much - EVER then i have in the last week. she's just not an outwardly loving kinda person like that. in fact, when she was still a foster child we were scared she was showing signs of Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD).

the other night stormie had her first nightmare, so i slept in her bed. when she woke up, she told me she feel into the water (without her floaties) and mommy saved her.

it may not seem like much to you, but to me it means the world. it means she knows i'm her mommy. her provider. her rescuer. it feels good to know we are creating an unbreakable bond together.

i love taking kaleb to... {hawaii mommy blog}

i love taking kaleb to the library for story time.

as soon as the librarian opens the book i am 3 again. intently listening to the adventures the story. i RRRRRoooooaaaaRRRRR out loud with the others, i stand up and shake my sillys out with the others, and i laugh when the silly mouse plays a trick on that bastard cat.

then, in the side of my eye, i catch a glance from a parent and i turn a very sophisticated 34 again. i hate being sophisticated.

fix it Friday {hawaii photography blog}

Please visit I Heart Faces to see many more examples of their Fix It Friday challenge.

BEFORE



AFTER EDITS

this poor little lady... {hawaii blogger}

this poor little lady took some heat for this article she wrote - and god forbid used the term "ghetto parenting," which got a bunch of peoples panties in a bunch. it's funny how the least ghetto of people get all nuts on behalf of ghetto people. i actually thought all the examples she gave were clearly *ghetto parenting*

Ghetto parenting is cursing around, and at, a child.

Ghetto parenting is brawling with your man or your woman in front of your child.

Ghetto parenting is letting your child roam the streets until somebody else's mother has to tell the child to go home.

Ghetto parenting is putting your child off on friends and relatives because you want to hang out in the street.

Ghetto parenting is getting so hooked on substances that the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has to remove your children and place them with strangers.
- Mary Mitchell

sounds about right to me.

i may or may not be guilty of ghetto parenting....

I told my dad... {hawaii lifestyle blog}

I told my dad that grows the tastiest mangos ever...he said it wasn't
him, it was the dogs that fertilized the tree. O-YUM!

although i'm not a professional...{hawaii children's photographer}

although i'm not a professional photographer it's something that i LOVE doing and am very passionate about. this week at I Heart Faces it's a "Random Acts of Kindness" week, paying special tribute to an organization called Inspiration Through Art . the object is to show how you have used your photography for good.

Baby Jaliyah was born while her father was serving our country in Iraq.



i photographed her when she was born, so he wouldn't have to miss a thing.



and i got to capture her first meeting of her with daddy



and their first time together as a family.



a few months later, her mom left on deployment, and missed her 1st birthday.



so thankful for soldiers who sacrifice these special moments.