Shiro's Saimin Haven

After a long day adventuring with three kids, we were all hungry and craving a comforting meal. We headed to Shiro's Saimin Haven in Aiea for some saimin and hamburgers.  Shiro's has been serving homestyle local favorites for over 50 years! They have over 64 different bowls of saimin on the menu, fried saimin, entrees, sandwiches, burgers, breakfast, and desserts. 

Here's what we all ordered:

Medium Old Fashioned Saimin with extra char siu

Hot & Spicy Saimin with Spicy Broth, Wun Tun, Vegetables and Garnishes

Country Fried Noodles with Mochiko Chicken

Hula Burga

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The kids really liked the old fashioned saimin, burgers and grilled cheese sandwiches! I had the country fried noodles - it was OK, but there are other places that make better fried noodles IMHO. But the portion was generous, and I had a lot of leftover for lunch the following day.  The service here is REALLY friendly. They are very kid-friendly. We would definitely come here again with the kids.

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SHIRO'S SAIMIN HAVEN
98-020 Kamehameha Hwy

808-488-8824

 

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Keiki and the Pineapple

New to the hip, vibrant Kakaako area is a small, locally owned coffee shop called Keiki and the Pineapple. It's a place where parents can come with their keiki to relax with a cup of stellar coffee or a refreshing smoothie, grab a bite to eat, and mingle with other parents, in a kid-friendly environment. 

What makes this coffee shop great for parents is that there is a lot of open space, and a nice play area for the keiki. 

It may look like it's just for babies, but believe me, my 5 year old twins could find ways to entertain themselves here.

And unlike other places where store owners or customers give you "the eye" if your keiki is wandering around the shop, at Keiki and the Pineapple it's totally normal to see toddlers walking around the shop (if you're lucky, you'll catch a glimpse of the owner's handsome lil dude), and it's OK! It almost feels like you're a friend's house for a play date. 

K&P Cold Brew

As for the menu, they have a great selection of coffee, tea, toast (sweet and savory), and menu items for the keiki (toast recipes that are geared towards kids' tastes). 

Americano + Keiki Unicorn

They have events throughout the week, like story time, live music, arts and crafts, etc. Some activities/events are free, some are for small fee.  

Beach-inspired tees and onesies by Kana'i Kai

Check out their website for their complete menu and calendar of events!

KEIKI AND THE PINEAPPLE
909 Kapiolani Blvd
(808) 369-7025

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56th Annual Hawaii State Farm Fair

Complimentary passes were provided for review purposes.

This morning we went to the first day of the 56th Annual Hawaii State Farm Fair. We've been going to this annual event for the past two years and our boys look forward to it every year. 

The Kamehameha Schools Country Market and Plant Sale consisted of a wide range of fruits, veggies, plants, and flowers for sale. 

This year, there were A LOT of farm equipment on display for the kids to climb on. 

The Keiki Farm Hands provided hands-on entertainment for the boys.

Meadow Gold had games and lots of cool prizes for participants.

 The Hawaii Department of Agriculture's "Buy Local, It Matters" Education Pavilion had a lot of exhibits and local products available for sale.

The 4-H Livestock tent was filled with chicks, chickens, sheep, cows, goats, and pigs, some of which were shown by their owners/handlers.

While we were here, we saw the corn husking competition. Some of these guys were really fast at husking corn!

There was a good variety of food vendors this year - Thai food, grass-fed beef burgers and chili, kettle corn, roasted corn on the cob, shave ice, plate lunches, and Waimanalo Country Farm's famous lemonades.

There was even a special appearance from the Blue dinosaur from the latest Jurassic Park movie on display!

The Farm Fair is open until 7:00 p.m. tonight (Saturday) and continues tomorrow, Sunday July 15, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Kualoa Ranch. Check the website for more information!

Hawaii State Farm Fair

Kualoa Ranch

49-560 Kamehameha Highway

Free parking

Admission: $5 for adults

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Paw Patrol Live! Race to the Rescue

Disclosure: Complimentary tickets were provided for review purposes. 

The ever-so-popular hit TV show PAW Patrol has come to life at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall!  Paw Patrol Live: Race to the Rescue is a fast-paced, action-packed musical complete with colorful costumes, catchy songs, and an easy-to-follow story-line that is appropriate for kids of all ages.

We arrived for the 10:00 a.m. show at 9:30 a.m., which gave us plenty of time to park and browse through the things that were available for sale, such as ...

PAW Patrol hat with popcorn packages...

and official PAW Patrol merchandise such as t-shirts, stuffed animals, lanyards, glow wands, and bottles w/straw lids. 

 If you don't have time to shop before the show, don't worry, you'll have plenty of time during the intermission or after the show.

While we were waiting for the show to start, my boys kept asking me "is it time yet?!"  They were so excited to see the PAW Patrol gang!

The lights went out, the music started and out came Ryder to get this party started!

Then, we were introduced to each pup one by one ...

It's the day of the Great Adventure Day Race between Mayor Goodway and Mayor Humdinger. When Ryder and the PAW Patrol pups learn that Mayor Humdinger can't race due to injuring her foot, they step in to take her place in the race.

The PAW Patrol pups and Ryder race to find all the clues and find the finish line first, before Mayor Humdinger and before the sun goes down.

My boys were mesmerized through the entire performance, probably from seeing the TV show come to real life before their very eyes. They recognized a lot of songs and catch phrases from the TV show that they watch on a daily basis!

The show was a little over an hour long, with a brief intermission at the 35 minute mark. Time went by really fast and before I knew it, the show was over. During the show, a lot of the children in the audience were clapping, singing, and dancing, and even the adults were getting into the groove as well. And in addition to its entertainment value, the show also teaches you about heroism, bravery, and working together to help people (and animals) in need.  

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Tickets for the remaining 10 performances on Oahu are available at Ticketmaster.com or at the Neal S. Blaisdell Box Office.  The show will then head to Maui, HI from July 13-15, 2018 (click here for ticket information). 

PAW PATROL LIVE at the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall

777 Ward Avenue

July 5-8, 2018

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