SS wants to be a hula girl and JJ wants to date one.

We woke up early on Saturday with plans to do quite a few things, even though I had spent the night with a fever. But when you have one day left in paradise you suck it up and get going. Then we also have the sleeping twins, and waking those two up is a foolish move. Still, P likes to do as much as possible so he went to wake up SS. Opening the curtains and allowing daylight to do our dirty work usually does the trick. SS slept well, but even though P picked her up (the man must have a death wish) and brought her to the living room, she was not budging. I suggested to P that we scrap our plans and just let her sleep, because it was wise to have her well rested for the Old Lahaina Luau that night. Now I was the one with the death wish. P and I went to Kihei to run some errands and shamelessly dumped SS with JJ. We did not even ask, just told him to watch over Sleeping Beauty. SS woke up around 11:30 a.m.

Since we considered SS well rested we did not foresee any drama at the luau. Making such assumptions is the quickest way to ruin one's evening. SS was hungry and in no mood to wait. We completely miscalculated when dinner would be served and were rewarded with the wrath of SS. I have been criticized for being too harsh with SS at times. I have also been criticized for being inconsistent. But like every mother, I am an expert in my children's moods and try my best to be fair. In English, when my kids are insufferable just because, they get what is coming to them, no matter what anyone else thinks. When there is a cause for their obnoxious behavior, they get a pass (within limits). By Saturday SS was ready to come home, no matter how much fun she had destroying Grandpa's house and car. I did not care for her whiny mood, but understood what was going on and was trying to be firm, yet avoid a meltdown that would have required me to stand outside during the luau. For some strange reason P was not being his usual understanding self, and complained about having the worst behaved child at the event. I found myself dealing with two very moody individuals. This made life very difficult because I was equally ready to come home and only willing to indulge the actual child. We eventually found ourselves on the same page when we talked after I almost decapitated P for criticizing my daughter. Dude had been in paradise for 11 days too, and all that sun, sand and surf affected his ability to clearly articulate what upset him. His problem with SS's behavior was valid, I had the same problem. After all that we had a DUH moment. We always have each other's back and that is not going to change. We do not have a choice, we have children and must stick together or they will take us out. BTW, once SS ate her mood improved 100%. SS tucked right into the fried rice and Mahi Mahi.

SS LOVED the hula girls, and the torches. The Old Lahaina Luau is the most traditional luau, so there are no fire tricks. They do light torches at the beginning and here is where we thank Grand Min for her contribution for the addition of another item on our to worry list. SS told me "Mama, I love all kinds of fire!" Huh? All kinds of fire? Who the heck says that? Apparently a little girl who recently had her pyro initiation at a wedding reception. SS was in awe of the dancing and tried to imitate them. There was a tense moment when she demanded to join them on stage and began to cry. But we were able to redirect her easily.

JJ also loved the hula girls but for completely different reasons. We were hoping that JJ would enjoy this trip. What we did not expect was for JJ to express a desire to move to Maui. Grandpa has the space and would love to have him. Why do you think we had lunch at the Culinary Institute? Grandpa is always scheming how to get us to relocate to the island. P thinks the tourism board should hire him. We would be sad to have JJ so far away, but if it makes him happy and improves his earning potential (through education), then we are happy. We can always bring him here to visit, and of course all our vacations would be spent in Maui. The sacrifices we are willing to make, vacationing in Maui, rough stuff.

We had a great time at the luau, and Grandpa was right, the night before going home is the best time to attend. Thank you Grandpa.