This has got to be the smallest bag of popcorn that I have ever seen (45g!!)
The happy boy with the finished product!Because blogger only allows a certain amount of fotos at one time...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
diary part 2
This has got to be the smallest bag of popcorn that I have ever seen (45g!!) The happy boy with the finished product!
spring vacation diary in pix
This was at a park that we went to with his cousin and her friend. It's not officially opened yet (plus there was a really strong wind!) so there weren't many people.
This was us making soy bean gnocchi. Hiroki was really good at cutting them! And below, the finished dinner.
Well, I don't have much to say. I have been trying to spend as much time with Hiroki as I can. I still have been teaching my private classes and busy trying to get ready for school. I feel so busy and school hasn't even started. *sigh*
Anyway, here are some pictures to give you all your little boy fix.
Sunday, March 25, 2007
tagged
I got tagged by Andrea (I miss you too!)-the topic-being a Real Mom. (Oh dear, I just read the rules(?) and it said that I'm to pick one thing that makes a real mom. post a pic, and tag 5 people) but that's not the way I did it. Oops!) Since I am a child of the 80s and also used to enjoy watching Letterman, the top ten format always comes to mind. So here's my top 5 list of what makes a real mom:
5) Conversations about various bodily fluids any time anywhere (including dinner table) -puke, poop, snot, etc do not bother you in the slightest.
4) When asked what book you are reading/like, you either a) can't remember because it has been so long since you picked up a book (read? who has time for that?) or b) can think of plenty of kids books that you like but you don't really want to admit that you aren't reading any adult books now. (BTW, I really love the illustrations in this book)
and in the same vein (vain?)
3) You can't remember the last time you were in a movie theatre to watch a movie made for adults
2) When you do lots of little things to make your kid feel special-giving extra big hugs, giving little treats, sending your kids who live in another country care packages, helping them to get tickets to fly home (thanks Mom!) .
And the number 1 thing that makes you a real mom is-
"Because I say so!" makes so much sense to you now.
Now I'm going to tag Caro, Tigermama, Gina, Lily, and Marianne. I know that all of you are busy and therefore I am not holding my breath for your replies, but if you have a chance...
Also, one more thing-I haven't been leaving comments on anyone else's blog because blogger won't accept my password. Does everyone hae to type their password to leave a comment?! I am geting really annoyed by it all.
Love to you all.
5) Conversations about various bodily fluids any time anywhere (including dinner table) -puke, poop, snot, etc do not bother you in the slightest.
4) When asked what book you are reading/like, you either a) can't remember because it has been so long since you picked up a book (read? who has time for that?) or b) can think of plenty of kids books that you like but you don't really want to admit that you aren't reading any adult books now. (BTW, I really love the illustrations in this book)
and in the same vein (vain?)
3) You can't remember the last time you were in a movie theatre to watch a movie made for adults
2) When you do lots of little things to make your kid feel special-giving extra big hugs, giving little treats, sending your kids who live in another country care packages, helping them to get tickets to fly home (thanks Mom!) .
And the number 1 thing that makes you a real mom is-
"Because I say so!" makes so much sense to you now.
Now I'm going to tag Caro, Tigermama, Gina, Lily, and Marianne. I know that all of you are busy and therefore I am not holding my breath for your replies, but if you have a chance...
Also, one more thing-I haven't been leaving comments on anyone else's blog because blogger won't accept my password. Does everyone hae to type their password to leave a comment?! I am geting really annoyed by it all.
Love to you all.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
hey there
Well、I am enjoying my last couple of days of free time at work. Because that’s really what it is-only 2 or 3 more days left. The graduation ceremony is on Monday. Monday! Time goes by so quickly. The graduation ceremony here is much more emotional, I think. (Maybe it’s just cause I didn’t feel very sad about leaving my junior high school?) A lot of these students have been together since elementary school and everyone goes off to different high schools. There are entrance exams for high school here, and apparently which high school you go to can have a big impact on your future university/career. (Also high school here isn’t mandatory or free!!) So the ceremony is always in the (freezing cold) gym, and since it’s allergy/cold season now, everyone has the sniffles to begin with. Then people start crying and we have one big sniffle-fest. Oooh, looking forward to it. :P
Then about a week later there is the farewell ceremony. All the teachers know who is moving but it’s a big secret from all of the students. Teachers are told around the beginning of March, but the city employees, like the janitor and secretaries, librarians and ALTs (that would be what I am) find out around the end of March, usually just in time for the farewell ceremony. (Keep in mind that not everybody is happy being transferred or happy with their new placements.) (Most of the teachers know I am leaving and I am continually asked about my replacement-not that I have any idea about who is coming) We have to line up in a special order (ALTs are almost last, depending on who else is moving.) Then we have to go on stage and I think the principal says a few words about us, how long we have been at the school and what school we will be going to next etc. Then I think we have to give a speech, from last year’s experience we go out for a coffee or lunch or whatever. It also is a pretty formal ceremony.
Still don’t have any idea about when my next job is starting. I know I have to go to a big meeting with all of the staff (at least the jr and sr high, I don’t know about the uni-hope not!) I also have to get an x-ray (chest) before beginning. But I don’t know when.
BOY UPDATE: Last weekend Hiroki and I spent hours at the dr’s office AGAIN. He had a fever Fri night and I gave him medicine that night and Sat morn. Actually, I was surprised because he really couldn’t walk by himself. This was the first time I have ever seen him so bad! We went to the dr in the aft because he still had a fever of 38 degrees even after taking medicine. We had to wait 2 hours to see the dr. It sucked. Luckily (?) by the time we got in to see her, his med had worn off and he had a fever of 40.4 degrees! She was worried so she tested him for influenza and gave him a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. He didn’t have either, so that was good, but we had no idea why he had such a high fever. Anyway, we got more medicine (including antibiotics) and by Sunday morning he was soo much better. It was such a relief.
Now he is mostly fine. He has been in a pretty bad mood (read tantrums and crying) I think because he is still a little sick and I think he is pretty tired from not having naps anymore at daycare. They are trying to prepare everybody for no naps next year but all of the poor little guys end up falling asleep at the table sometime in the afternoon (before their snack). Poor things.
We are going to Yokohama this weekend to see Daddy as he hasn’t been able to come back much lately. We will also be in Yokohama the following weekend as we got tickets to see a family concert (one we went to before-but I don’t know if the singers will be the same or not). Busy.
Take care everyone.
Then about a week later there is the farewell ceremony. All the teachers know who is moving but it’s a big secret from all of the students. Teachers are told around the beginning of March, but the city employees, like the janitor and secretaries, librarians and ALTs (that would be what I am) find out around the end of March, usually just in time for the farewell ceremony. (Keep in mind that not everybody is happy being transferred or happy with their new placements.) (Most of the teachers know I am leaving and I am continually asked about my replacement-not that I have any idea about who is coming) We have to line up in a special order (ALTs are almost last, depending on who else is moving.) Then we have to go on stage and I think the principal says a few words about us, how long we have been at the school and what school we will be going to next etc. Then I think we have to give a speech, from last year’s experience we go out for a coffee or lunch or whatever. It also is a pretty formal ceremony.
Still don’t have any idea about when my next job is starting. I know I have to go to a big meeting with all of the staff (at least the jr and sr high, I don’t know about the uni-hope not!) I also have to get an x-ray (chest) before beginning. But I don’t know when.
BOY UPDATE: Last weekend Hiroki and I spent hours at the dr’s office AGAIN. He had a fever Fri night and I gave him medicine that night and Sat morn. Actually, I was surprised because he really couldn’t walk by himself. This was the first time I have ever seen him so bad! We went to the dr in the aft because he still had a fever of 38 degrees even after taking medicine. We had to wait 2 hours to see the dr. It sucked. Luckily (?) by the time we got in to see her, his med had worn off and he had a fever of 40.4 degrees! She was worried so she tested him for influenza and gave him a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. He didn’t have either, so that was good, but we had no idea why he had such a high fever. Anyway, we got more medicine (including antibiotics) and by Sunday morning he was soo much better. It was such a relief.
Now he is mostly fine. He has been in a pretty bad mood (read tantrums and crying) I think because he is still a little sick and I think he is pretty tired from not having naps anymore at daycare. They are trying to prepare everybody for no naps next year but all of the poor little guys end up falling asleep at the table sometime in the afternoon (before their snack). Poor things.
We are going to Yokohama this weekend to see Daddy as he hasn’t been able to come back much lately. We will also be in Yokohama the following weekend as we got tickets to see a family concert (one we went to before-but I don’t know if the singers will be the same or not). Busy.
Take care everyone.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
pix from last wknd
Starfish at the aquarium we went to. I love the colours.
Some of the smaller sharks swimming around.
One of the many pictures I took of the manta rays.
A turtle carrying a fish on its back.
Jellyfish.
more pix
This is a tree that has branches growing down from it and is therefore called an octopus tree.
This is one of the views of the plum blossoms at the park.
The bridge beside the bamboo grove. If you look closely you can see the little guy's arm.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
another update
Oops it’s been a while again. Aah, that’s life I guess. So, what’s been going on, hmmm, let me think. Well, I went shopping for some new clothes for my new workplace last weekend. Hubby and I drove to Yokohama so I could help him clean his apartment and in return he took me to a couple of outlet malls. I was specifically looking for another suit as I need at least 1 more. I hate feeling like a freak when I go shopping here. I went bra shopping at the first mall. Why could I not find many bras in my size? (ie-the smallest size!) I mean, come on, this is Japan! Women here are not known for being buxom. Sigh. Anyway, found some. Then I went suit shopping at the second place we went to. In one store I looked at, the regular size was 60 cm waist, or about 24 inches. When I asked the salesperson where my size would be she pointed out a couple of suits that were larger and said that I would need an EX 11 or something like that. EX? As in extra large? I don’t know if that’s what it meant but I was not impressed. In the end I found lots of suits in another shop that were my size and I tried on 3 (I was running out of time) and found one that fit and it wasn’t ridiculously expensive. Good. I think I have to get some more clothes that are not as casual for my new job.
Then last week we all went to the doctors. My MIL is STILL sick with a cold /stuffed nose/ears/ etc. She is going to the ear nose and throat doctor. Then I got another sinus infection. I went to the same ENT doctor to get lots of medicine. The dr is a woman who lived in England for 2 years so was quite happy to speak to me in English. Her English was pretty good, too, considering that she hasn’t spoken for a while. Ironically she told me that when she was observing a medical practice in the UK she felt that drs there only gave patients lots of medicine and little explanation. (I got 4 different meds-antibiotics, anti-histamine, eye drops and a nose spray.) I think it’s ironic because I have always felt that the system here is much like that-lots of medicine given out. I always have to ‘barter’ with the one dr that I go to. He always wants to give be 2 or 3 more medicines that I refuse. (me-What’s this one for? Dr-It’s stomach medicine, in case this medicine makes your stomach bad. Me-I don’t need it.)
We were planning to go away for the weekend. We were going to leave early on Sat morning but the little guy ending up throwing up a couple of times Fri night. Too much phlegm. When we woke up Sat morn he had a scary sounding cough so we ended up going to the dr for him, too.
We went away after that, we went to a city about 3-4 hours away by car. His grandmother ended up taking him by train, just because he loves the train so much. Hubby and I drove. We went to a park that had lots of plum trees blossoming. It was lovely. It also had an old house that we could walk through and look at, too. When we were finished, we went out for ankou nabe. Ankou is anglerfish, and nabe means everything cooked together in one big pot, kind of like a soup. It was good? I’m not sure. Apparently there’s lots of collagen in an anglerfish, it felt kind of oily to me. I liked the hotpot, though. I also tried anglerfish liver sashimi. It was better than I expected. I think it tasted a bit like foie gras or pate.
Sat night we ended up staying at a really nice hotel. It looked nice and it was clean. It was nice to get away, too. On Sunday we went to an aquarium near there. It was pretty expensive but I loved watching the sharks and manta rays swimming around. The tanks are sooo biiig! It was cool and the little guy enjoyed it, despite feeling grumpy because he wasn’t feeling well. (He threw up Sun morn and had a fever all day, poor guy.)
It was a great weekend though.
Then last week we all went to the doctors. My MIL is STILL sick with a cold /stuffed nose/ears/ etc. She is going to the ear nose and throat doctor. Then I got another sinus infection. I went to the same ENT doctor to get lots of medicine. The dr is a woman who lived in England for 2 years so was quite happy to speak to me in English. Her English was pretty good, too, considering that she hasn’t spoken for a while. Ironically she told me that when she was observing a medical practice in the UK she felt that drs there only gave patients lots of medicine and little explanation. (I got 4 different meds-antibiotics, anti-histamine, eye drops and a nose spray.) I think it’s ironic because I have always felt that the system here is much like that-lots of medicine given out. I always have to ‘barter’ with the one dr that I go to. He always wants to give be 2 or 3 more medicines that I refuse. (me-What’s this one for? Dr-It’s stomach medicine, in case this medicine makes your stomach bad. Me-I don’t need it.)
We were planning to go away for the weekend. We were going to leave early on Sat morning but the little guy ending up throwing up a couple of times Fri night. Too much phlegm. When we woke up Sat morn he had a scary sounding cough so we ended up going to the dr for him, too.
We went away after that, we went to a city about 3-4 hours away by car. His grandmother ended up taking him by train, just because he loves the train so much. Hubby and I drove. We went to a park that had lots of plum trees blossoming. It was lovely. It also had an old house that we could walk through and look at, too. When we were finished, we went out for ankou nabe. Ankou is anglerfish, and nabe means everything cooked together in one big pot, kind of like a soup. It was good? I’m not sure. Apparently there’s lots of collagen in an anglerfish, it felt kind of oily to me. I liked the hotpot, though. I also tried anglerfish liver sashimi. It was better than I expected. I think it tasted a bit like foie gras or pate.
Sat night we ended up staying at a really nice hotel. It looked nice and it was clean. It was nice to get away, too. On Sunday we went to an aquarium near there. It was pretty expensive but I loved watching the sharks and manta rays swimming around. The tanks are sooo biiig! It was cool and the little guy enjoyed it, despite feeling grumpy because he wasn’t feeling well. (He threw up Sun morn and had a fever all day, poor guy.)
It was a great weekend though.
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