In lieu of the approaching holidays, mamasurfs will be taking a break from the typical “Wives tale Wednesday” posts and replace it with something more in the spirit of the season.

I am hoping to promote a handmade holiday season where gifts are given from the heart and with a low impact on the Earth. Although most featured items will be handmade, I think it is also important to impress the idea of buying local and supporting family businesses. Keeping it simple is also important. In my opinion, none of us, children included, need lots of gifts. I believe that taking the time to really think about who you are purchasing for and limiting your gift giving to one special item is the way to go during the holiday season. Our earth needs to be better cared for and each of us has a choice this holiday season, hopefully some of the items featured here will ease your holiday shopping, wallet and the strain on our precious planet!

* If you have an item or know someone who is creating handmade gifts for the holiday season and would like to be featured on mamasurfs, please shoot me an e-mail and we can chat*

As much as I love summer weather (and summer weather year round), there is something special about Fall. Living in Hawaii there aren’t many visual cues to signal the coming of this special season and we missed out on winter all together last year. Despite the lack of changing colors, falling leaves, crisp air and cooler nights we do our best to embrace this time of year and celebrate Fall much like we used to on the mainland.

Each year we look forward to Halloween, the kick off to our fall/winter celebrations.

As a kid my family would take a trip up to Apple Hill in Northern California where we would bundle up, brave the cold, grab a cup of steaming apple cider and hunt through the pumpkin patches searching for that perfect pumpkin. Out here in Hawaii our “hunt” is more like a quick drive to Safeway and sifting through overly priced barrels of broken stemmed pumpkins.

Unlike in California where you carve and display your pumpkin for days/weeks before the 31st, here in Hawaii we literally have to wait to carve until the day or so before. The humidity, bugs and warm temperatures make for a truly frightening Halloween surprise that you can smell from a mile away…YUCK!Stench, mold and fruit flies aside we still love carving up our pumpkins and trying to out do ourselves from the year before.

This year we invited friends over for a pumpkin carving celebration. Our creations were pretty ridiculous since all of Hawaii was out of carving sets and we had to resort to tableware knives. Minus this little hiccup, the night was fun and we ended up saving, roasting and devouring all the pumpkin seeds while watching scary movies.

Even more fun than carving up pumpkins is deciding on, sketching out, shopping and creating our costumes. You all know how much we LOVE a reason to dress up and Halloween is just an excuse to go bigger and better. Past years hits have been cavemen and women, samurai and geisha, “knight”light and Tinkerbell and lots of other non-Halloween standouts like our Super Hero party outfits. This year we decided to stick with the whole expectant parents gig and dressed up as Mother Earth and our very own Baby Harper.

Adding to our Halloween excitement, dear hubs started the morning off with what I hope will become a long standing tradition in our family- Ghoul Toast. How cute, clever and absolutely adorable are these ghoulish little treats?

Now that Halloween has come and gone the celebrations, traditions and smells just keep getting better and better. Fall decorating, pumpkin spiced candles, baked goods (mama’s favorite pumpkin bread and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies), as well as plans for Thanksgiving dinner are all well under way. In addition to all this fall inspired goodness, we’ve actually had about a week of rainy, colder weather that has set the tone perfectly.

The past week we’ve been enjoying much needed rain and a break from the humid/hot temperatures of late October. We’ve been taking advantage of the few sweatpants, socks and blankets we have, snuggling on the couch watching movies and sleeping in listening to the slow drizzle outside. We’ve welcomed these sweet reminders of Fall and “home” and appreciate the slower pace they have brought to our days, especially as we count down the days to meeting our little one.

I for one hope that this weather continues, or at least that we continue this slow, relaxed pace, enjoying quiet nights, working on little house projects and relishing in each sweetly scented moment that passes.

Well I went for it, I paddled out today for my first ocean trial run with the paddle dear hubby made for me. It was an interesting experience, one that had me bouncing back and forth between frustration and elation.

To start with, paddling out to the line up was a breeze! Once out in the break I practiced turning, paddling faster and getting on and off my board. It seemed like all was in order for a great surf session. That reality was quickly shattered when I decided to go for my first wave.

Balance, position, timing…I was back to square one. I felt like I was learning how to surf all over again and rather than paddling out, catching waves and feeling like a rock star, I was frustrated, waveless and growing grumpier by the minute. After many failed attempts I gave up and passed the paddle over to hubby. I returned to catching waves on my knees and after a few rides my stoke was back and my mood had improved.

I attempted to catch waves with the paddle a few more times, this time in better spirits ,but still no luck. It looks like I’m back to that place of trial and error once again. I’m trying to remind myself to just stay mellow, appreciate the beautiful scenery, the fact that I’m in good enough health and condition to even paddle out in the first place and to be patient with myself. I truly am proud that I’m still out there trying at 7 1/2 months pregnant and I think I deserve to cut myself a little slack and take it slow.

I’m so thankful to have this space to record these triumphs and defeats. It’s such a great reminder to appreciate the ups and downs of this crazy pregnancy roller coaster and journey to parenthood. Thanks for all of your wonderful comments, support and encouragement! I’ll be back out there, paddle in hand, determined to figure this one out and stretch my days of surfing as long as possible…

This Moment — a Friday ritual. A single photo, no words, capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor, and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.

I’m trying TRYING to keep in as best shape as I can throughout this whole pregnancy but I must admit that a Costco sized box of ice cream mochi has mysteriously gone missing in my house…hmmm

As surfing grows ever more difficult I’ve found myself having to rely a little more on the cardio/land based exercises and as many of you know there is nothing I dislike more (ok- I dislike the smell of mustard a whole lot more) than working out on dry land. Lucky for me, 24 hour fitness somehow messed up my account years ago and has credited me with 3 free months of gym membership and they are conveniently located on my street over looking the ocean…not a bad gig. I guess if I MUST work out, at least I can gaze longingly out at the surf and cool off with a nice swim afterwards.

In addition to 24 gym I’ve fallen in love with the prenatal workout by Suzanne Bowen titled, “Long and Lean”. Although I don’t feel so long and certainly not lean, this DVD is perfect for the pregnant woman and something that I can and will actually do.

The DVD offers a 20 minute standing series with natural motions that don’t necessarily feel “hard” or “workouty” but really get your heart rate up and you can feel the toning the next day. There is also a 20 minute mat workout followed by 10 minutes of gentle stretching. Depending on my mood and how much time I have, I’ll play with which workout I do. Mixing up the different “series” keeps the workout interesting and allows me to target different areas. I also love the music that plays after the workout is finished so I can sit and meditate or just relax and bond with baby. The Long and Lean DVD is developed by both a Pilates instructor and a dance instructor making the whole workout smooth and not forced. There is such a nice flow to this DVD and workout that I have to recommend it to any woman who is expecting or as a gift for someone you know that is!

You can order through Amazon here.

According to Hawaiian tradition a pregnant woman can only wear a lei that is loose at both ends. If a pregnant woman were to wear a lei in the traditional style, the umbilical cord would become wrapped around the baby!

I found out about this myth when presented with a lei from a visiting friend. Shortly after placing the lei around my neck, I was swarmed by aunties trying to help untie the knot and save my little bundle!

However wacky these tales may be, it’s funny to see how superstitious we become and religiously follow their advice when it comes to babies health.

I’ve been a bit of a slacker when it comes to updating this blog lately and that is because of all the awesome gifts I received at my recent Circus themed baby shower. Since returning from the fastest California trip of my life (red eye Wednesday night and back in Hawaii by Sunday evening) I’ve been ooing, awwing and organizing tiny little dinosaur outfits and surf trunks, up to my ears in stuffed animals and MONKEYS MONKEYS MONKEYS!!!

We love us some monkeys.

A bit about the shower…

My wonderful aunts, mama and sister-in-law organized the cutest circus themed shower complete with circus treats like apples dipped in carmel sauce, chocolate dipped marshmallows on a stick rolled in sweet candies, kettle corn popcorn died in fun colors, chocolate dipped Oreos rolled in delicious sugary goodness, mozarrella sticks, pizza bites, mini sandwiches (all favorites of mine like cucumber, chicken salad, egg salad) and delicious chicken skewers with a peanut dipping sauce. There were red vines, animal cookies and the most life like little popcorn bucket cupcakes you have ever seen thanks to my talented cousin Clarissa. So many little details went into this shower to make everything perfectly circus and Heather catered…I can’t begin to THANK everyone who planned, attended and spoiled me on this special day!

Just look at this amazing spread, decorations and loving guests–Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!!

In addition to an amazing baby shower in California, my timing was also perfect for our families annual trip to Apple Hill. Memories of this place litter my childhood from our annual pumpkin picking, to the day I caught my first fish, the many Christmas tree ornaments purchased at the local craft fairs, delicious treats, pine cone collecting and Christmas Tree hunting…

Nothing says “Holiday Season” like the smell of hot apple cider and crisp air that this place retains year after year. No matter how old I get, or how far away I live, I will always look forward to coming home and visiting these magical little farms nestled up in the hills. I can’t wait for the day that I’ll get to bring my own kids to Apple HIll and start our own cycle of holiday traditions and memories.