Na Leo Pilimehana singer-songwriter Lehua Heine often gets asked whether she's penned any new tunes lately. Her standard answer: "Well, I've been pretty busy with kids one, two or three ... but I've been thinking about it!"

If she sounds unworried, it's because she's decided to put her children first these days and let the songs just ... come when they come.

In an essay she authored exclusively for www.HawaiiMoms.com, she writes: "I do realize that considering that (songwriting is) something that I've made my living at, I should be consciously trying a little harder to deliver a tune or two. The thing is, I've got better things to do! Like watching my 18-month-old pull the colander out from the kitchen cabinet and wear it on his head like a helmet; listening to my first-grader read a 'real' book — you know, the kind without rhymes or pictures; or laughing at my 5-year-old as he sings ... while doing his business in the bathroom."

To read all of Heine's essay on what goes into raising her children and writing her songs, check out www.HawaiiMoms.com. Along with her narrative, you'll find: