Our family stuffy Squidward

Our family stuffy Squidward
In a world where emotions can sometimes be challenging to express, a new companion has emerged to lend a helping hand. Meet our adorable stuffed animal, whom I've named Squidward. He has a happy face side and a sad/mad face side. This cute and cuddly toy not only brings joy to children and adults alike but also serves as a valuable tool for understanding and describing emotions when identifying and articulating words may be difficult.  

This stuffy is a friend to everyone, regardless of age. Whether your child is navigating the complexities of emotions or a stressed out overwhelmed mama that might not know what assortment of feelings are coming up, this toy lends a listening ear and a comforting hug. Its soft and huggable exterior makes it the perfect companion for moments of joy, sadness, or frustration.

Understanding and expressing emotions is an important aspect of emotional intelligence and I'll be honest up until a few years ago there were many times when asked how I was feeling my answer was everything. It was burdensome to name it before processing and working through it.  This stuffy has served our family as an excellent tool for my son and I with the wide range of emotions we experience. By simply flipping the toy's face, we can portray the energy we are feeling visually and thus starts a conversation.  

I even saw a Squidward on a car's dashboard and giggled to myself. I can picture the happy side out for when the driver and car ride is going smoothly and then flipping it inside out to the mad side if someone cuts them off or traffic gets crazy.  It's a much better option than flipping other drivers off in my opinion. 

Our family loves and appreciates our Squidward. To us, this cute stuffy is more than just a toy; it's a companion that helps bridge the gap between emotions and words. Whether you or your child is learning to navigate feelings, this cute and cuddly friend is a very useful tool  I'm grateful for our Squidward. It's a great conversation starter for us and will also get us laughing to shift our shiitake. 

Oh by the way, if you'd like to grab one for your ohana, here's the link:https://bit.ly/ahmsquidward and if not no worries.

One thing to bring families together



I’m on vacation in Hawaii right now to spend time with family. Our matriarch Grandma Zorayda, or Grams as we affectionately call her, turned 91 years old. To celebrate, family came from all over the country. It was like a mini family reunion. I can’t remember the last time we were all together like this. The age range was from 8 to 91 years old. 

My favorite part of the trip overall was the conversations happening. I loved hearing stories of how our family was connected and memories from different people. I loved hearing more about my moms childhood and stories of my Papa who passed in 2003. We laughed and cried together. At Grams birthday party my uncle from Nola was a riot. He sang Ilocano songs to my grandma and she was laughing hysterically. One of my cousins recorded it and Grams loves watching the replay and laughing just as hard as she did when it was happening live. 

At dinner one evening, our party was large so we had to be seated at 2 different tables. I was at the “kiddie table” and loved it. I had a pretty deep conversation with my cousin about what I went through in the years we were apart. I told her about my desire to help other single moms to not feel alone but supported. I told her about the courses I’m creating and the life coach program that I’m developing. I told her that I realize now that having a big heart is my superpower when before I shied away from it and was taught to be seen not heard. 

Last night was my favorite. The older cousins hung out and talked openly. No topic was off limits. We opened up and learned a lot about each other and the family. And I realized that what brought us closer together was having these talks. No judgment or criticism, just curiosity and openness. It was a beautiful thing and a huge contrast to how things were in the past. When we are kind and loving, showing aloha to ourselves and each other, we can have tough conversations, resolve any issues and get closer. 

Now that I’m a parent I have an even bigger responsibility to continue the legacy by holding space and participating in these open and honest conversations and to be a safe place for my son to express himself fully. We may not always disagree but we can always be kind. If we need space it’s ok to take a pause for some fresh air or take a bathroom break. 

Coming together with kindness instead of the rough and gruff fear tactics ways of thinking is a much better way. I choose to be loving and kind and have a positive impact on the world one day at a time and one conversation at a time.  

If you love this and would love to be a part of a high vibing community of women who are uplifting, inspiring and empowering each other to find what feels good and what we would love, hop into my group All Heart and Hopeful Happy Healthy Moms.