Hawaii Mom Blog

THE LATEST

May 16, 2026

Last Call for Menehune Macs at Hawaiian Chip Company

The last of the hand scooped chocolate gift boxes!

Although I have never visited the Hawaiian Chip Company's retail location, I knew that's where they sold their delicious fresh made-to-order taro and sweet potato chips. What I didn't know was that they are also home to Menehune Mac's hand-scooped chocolates. They are currently down to their last boxes and will not be restocking them.

If you want to get a last taste of Hawaii history, make sure to visit to pick up a box. The Aloha Chocolate Gift Box includes two layers of 24 individually wrapped pieces in a gift box with ribbon and bow. Customers can select an assortment of all flavors of Milk Chocolate Mac Nut, Pineapple Snow Mac Nut, and Dark Chocolate Mac Nut. The Menehune Mac 8 Count Chocolate Gift Box includes two layers of handmade chocolates in a gift box ready to share. The 8 Count Gift Box is available with one chocolate flavor per box.

Graduation season is upon us! Individually wrapped chocolates are perfect to use in a candy lei!


Retail location has many chip options!


Macadamia Nut Milk Chocolate Bars will still be available.



Thank you to the Hawaiian Chip Company for the media invite. All opinions are honest and entirely my own.
Read More

May 15, 2026

It's a Nail Story

One happy birthday girl

For my daughter's birthday she wanted to get her nails done. For weeks, she scoured the internet for inspo pics and decided on a sunrise shell design. I looked for a nail salon located close to the UH Manoa campus and came upon Nail Story.

Nail Story had great reviews on Yelp and I liked that I could make an appointment online. The prices of the services was also available when you make your appointment. We arrived a little before 5pm and had to wait awhile before a parking spot opened up in the lot.

My daughter showed her technician the design and she was quoted an additional amount of $46. The technician then went to work and when it was time to do the design, there was a lot of back and forth as the technician had not done a sunrise shell design before. My daughter wanted it just right and asked her to redo it several times. I was surprised her technician didn't take offense, but also happy that my daughter was making sure she was getting what she wanted. 

The technician was great and stayed patient as she tried to replicate the design as best as she could. Finally, after what seemed like the fifth time, my daughter gave a big smile of approval. Thank goodness! | was getting hungry! My daughter loves her nails and I also had a great experience with my pedicure.



Nail Story
931 University Ave Ste 102 
Honolulu, HI 96826




Read More

Bozu Japanese Restaurant

I recently met up with some friends for a great meal at Bozu Japanese Restaurant.

Bozu Style Fried Chicken & Eggplant

Toro Takuan

Burdock Tempura

Hot Kake Udon

Beef Tongue

Seared Stingray Fin

Mentaiko Butter Pasta

Unagi Avocado

French Fries with Anchovy & Butter

What a feast! I had so many faves!  The Burdock Tempura and French Fries were so addicting (I made sure to sop up all the remaining anchovy paste with the remaining fries).  The Beef Tongue was tender and delish - I loved all the green onions!

The Pasta was another fave, and the Udon was just what I needed.  

Definitely come with a big group so you can try all sorts of izakaya dishes!

Bozu Japanese Restaurant
McCully Shopping Center 2nd Floor #209
1960 Kapiolani Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96826

Read More

May 14, 2026

Edible Hawaii

Edible Hawaii cookies are some of my fave cookies on the island, so if I'm at the McCully Shopping Center, I will be sure to stop in for some cookies.



I bought a 6-pack of cookies which included:

•Nutter Butter Peanut Butter
•Caramel Sea Salt Biscoff
•Cinnamon Crunch
•Chocolate Chip
•Smores
•Milk & Cereal

And of course I had to buy a bag of the Mini Chocolate Chip Cookies!


No matter if regular-sized or mini, the cookies are chewy with a nice crisp around the edges.  So good!

Edible Hawaii
1960 Kapiolani Blvd Suite 115
Honolulu, HI 96826
(808) 947-7263

Read More

May 13, 2026

Disney Wonder 4-Night Baja Cruise — Activities

In addition to the food, we also loved how there was no shortage of activities aboard the Disney Wonder.

We participated in all sorts of activities like trivia, crafts, and bingo (nearly all activities were free; certain activities, like bingo, costs $ to participate).  





There was dancing, karaoke, games . . . it seemed like there were endless activities 


We watched movies on the pool deck (or you can watch them in the theatre), shows, and even fireworks!



We were told that Disney is the only cruise line to be able to do fireworks at sea because they are made from materials that end up as fish food.

And of course there are the pools, the slide, a sports area with ping pong tables, football, and basketball court. 



The Disney Cruise Line Navigator app gives you the daily schedule so you can see what's going on and plan out your days (you can also find the activities on the in-room TV). 

There are activities for all ages, all throughout the day!
Read More

May 12, 2026

Dinner at Thirty Eight

We had a really great media dinner at Thirty Eight

Shrimp Toast
Spanish Octopus

Black Cod

Fried Whole Moi

Braised Short Rib
Furikake King Salmon


Desserts currently include ice cream from Please Come Again.

Shiso Mint Chocolate

Vietnamese Iced Coffee

The miso butterfish (black cod) was one of the best, if not the best, miso butterfish dishes I've ever had.  The miso flavor was just amazing, and the tender fish was complemented nicely with the fried leeks and squid ink rice.

Our table raved about the Shrimp Toast and the fragrant makrut lime chili sauce.

The Short Rib was so tender, and the Octopus was cooked perfectly.

The Fried Whole Moi is a must, accompanied by an aliʻi mushroom and lup cheong stuffing.

I love that there is such a great new dinner option that I don't need to go all the way into town for!


Thirty Eight
1135 N Nimitz Hwy
Honolulu, HI 96817

Read More

May 11, 2026

Visit Mexico: La Bufadora

 

While in Ensenada, we went on a tour that took us to La Bufadora, which is said to be one of the largest marine geysers in the world.

The water erupts regularly, so you don't need to be waiting a long while to capture the water spouting (it would regularly erupt every minute or so).

Don't stand too close, or else you will get wet!


Read More
The posts published on Hawaii Mom Blog are personal experiences and opinions only. Press releases and other information from business are shared if believed they may be of interest to Hawaii Mom Blog readers. Press releases/information from businesses do not reflect personal opinions. Unless otherwise specified, products are provided by the sponsor free of charge, and no monetary compensation is received. Hawaii Mom Blog assumes no liability for any malfunction, injury, or other loss or damage, whether direct, consequential, or incidental, arising out of services, companies, or products that have been featured, reviewed, given away, advertised, or written about on Hawaii Mom Blog. Click here for the Terms of Use.