Spring Forward

Both kids are off on spring break now and that means days spent outside, exploring and playing at the park. Aftershocks have become less frequent and the store shelves are filling up more and more day by day. For now, we are just going to enjoy the warmer weather!

Day One Done

Both Bailey and I made it through our first day of quarantine. Although we didn't stay inside all day- there was a trip to take Sophie to the bus stop and another to pick her up as well as a stop by the grocery store for salad stuff and eggs.

I got caught up on laundry and finally turned those just about to go bad bananas into banana bread. Bailey got caught up on video game playing and he even helped out around the house quite a bit.

I have been monitoring Bailey like the school told us to- temp checks in the morning and the evening and going through a list of questions with Bailey each time. Does your throat hurt? Do you have a runny or stuffy nose? For now he is healthy and if he stays that way through tomorrow, I am thinking that we might sneak out for a while on Friday- since it is some kind of public holiday and both Sophie and Hubs have the day off. Fingers crossed!

Almost Forgot. . . . . .

what the old blog looked like. Shortly after my last post, our old computer kicked the bucket and we just got a new one this past weekend. The keyboard layout is a little different and it is taking a while to get used to it, but I guess we will keep it!

I went to Bailey's school today for observation. The theme of the class was "What I learned to do in the first grade. Some kids juggled, others played piano or sang songs. Bailey choose to demonstrate his soccer skill, but got so nervous he would swing his leg in the opposite direction of the ball! He tried his best and more than a few people got a little chuckle out of it.

That was the good news and now for the bad news. Out of 35 students in Bailey's class, 8 have contracted influenza and so they have decided to close the class for the rest of the week. The bad part being that we pretty much have to stay inside and only go out when absolutely necessary. Bailey shows no signs of being sick, so I guess I will just have to use my imagination to keep us both busy and sane.

Pear Shaped

Bailey was the only one who got where he needed to go yesterday, on time. For reasons I am still not too sure of the trains weren't moving in the morning. This meant that Hubs couldn't get to the office. Because the trains weren't moving, people that had to be somewhere had to find another way to get where they needed to go. That meant move people driving, which resulted in a big traffic jam that made Sophie's preschool bus late.

Since Hubs was home anyway, we decided to just take Sophie to preschool ourselves which turned out to be a good idea because the bus driver gave up and just headed back to the school. If we wanted our kids to get to preschool we would have to bring them ourselves. But, by the time I got the phone call from our bus stop "Leader" Sophie was already changing into her play clothes at school.

A little while later, the trains started moving again and Hubs headed out to work around 11:00 or so. Everybody eventually got to where they were going it just took longer than usual!

Things Checked Off

I suppose that if I were to blog with any kind of regularity I would have lots to say, but as it is I forget half of what we do. November might be a good month for weekly updates!

It is field trip season here in our neck of the woods. Bailey had his a few weeks ago and Sophie's is coming up this Thursday. Rain or shine they are going to the zoo, just like they do every year. Still, Sophie is super excited and keeps counting down how many sleeps are left until the trip. Thursday just also happens to be the day that the kids are scheduled to get their second flu shot. The first time around, Bailey was stoic. Sophie not so much. Screaming before, during and after the shot, left the doctor proclaiming, "She's a feisty one!"

Bailey passed the test a swimming school last Saturday that enabled him to move up from a pink swimming cap to a read swimming cap. Sophie also did well on her swimming test, but the instructor said she had a little ways more to go before she can move up. In the mean time, she is content to try on Bailey's red swimming cap.

Next month will be Bailey's seventh birthday, so we are trying to decide what to get him for his birthday. He wants a new pair of shoes and a bigger bike, but that is just this week. In week's past he has asked for a basketball, an American flag, and a ton of toys. We will see what the next few weeks bring before we decide.

Hopefully, I will remember the camera next time we do something exciting!

In All The Excitement Of Life

As usual, there has been lots going on around here. Sports day and field trips and getting ready for the annual pre-school bazaar. The weather has cooled off (some days, anyway) and there has been a lot of baking and trying out new recipes. Bailey is getting excited about his upcoming birthday and just yesterday I found Bailey and Sophie circling toys in a magazine that they want for Christmas.

I am thinking of getting a few mini pumpkins for the kids to draw or stick faces on for Halloween. We didn't carve a big one last year, so if I get to Costco anytime soon I will probably pick one up. I always try to have some kind of Halloween themed food too. One year it was ghostly pancakes with mini chocolate chips for eyes and mouth and another year it was a jack o'lantern pizza with olives for the eyes, nose and mouth. What to make this year? Cookies, maybe?

We are still here. Still busy. Still having fun.

Planted

Bailey has been growing a morning glory at school and during summer vacation he had to bring it home. While we were in the States, SIL and her family looked after it. They did a good job, but it has been such a hot, unrelenting summer here that when it finally come back to us, it was looking a little worse for the wear. So began the revitalization effort- with thrice a day waterings and a few blasts with the water gun when the kids thought nobody was looking.

By the time last Sunday rolled around and it was time to take it back to school it was looking pretty ok. Bailey says it is still hanging on, but I wonder how much damage the typhoon (actually, I think it was downgraded to a tropical storm) has done to it. Guess we will see tomorrow.

Anyway, I got used to having the morning glory around and kinda missed it once it was gone. So, I got two new plants today. I have tried to grow plants before, but despite my best efforts they usually wilt, wither and die. Here's hoping I have better luck this time!

A Cooler Area

It has happened. The heat has zapped my desire to do anything even remotely productive. When we first came back at the end of August, a friend encouraged me saying, "If we can just make it through this week, next week will definitely be cooler." Well, darn it, I want my cooler and I want it now!!

This morning, I thought I might somehow beat the heat and get at least a few things done. Hanging out laundry at 7:30 am with sweat running down my face, I knew that today would be another of those energy zapping days. So, I spent a good part of the morning enjoying a nearby coffee shop's air conditioner and a good book.

Just keep cool and lay low. It all has end sooner or later, right?

Put The Spray Bottle Down And No One Gets Hurt

I think it all started with the new refrigerator. First, cleaning up the old one inside and out (silly, maybe, but Sophie insisted that cleaning it was a good way of saying good bye). Then re-arranging things to make space for our bigger, better more Eco-friendly refrigerator and I have yet to lose steam. I am on a major cleaning and purging binge. Our kitchen looks so nice right now all cleaned up and shiny and also not having to worry that something is going to fall on your head when you open one of the upper cabinets.

The weather has been crappy lately- either cloudy or raining- and I have been spending more time at home. After I got tired of the Internet and the TV, I started cleaning. Tonight, I even skipped TV in favor of tackling the storage container cabinet. I just wish I could muster the same enthusiasm for the toilet and shower!

A Break From Silence

Good lord, how did it get to be the end of June already? Before I know it, it will be summer vacation and we will be heading back to the States for a visit.

Bailey has been staple free for about two weeks now and is back to doing all things boy- swimming, climbing trees and the like- with the same zeal as before. The cut healed really well and you don't really notice the scar unless you are looking for it. We usually get Bailey's hair buzz cut in the summer and I was worried that the scar would be too obvious, but it doesn't look like that will be a problem.

Sophie is as full of life as ever and she really loves being able to go to "two pools"- one at preschool and one for her swimming lessons. Recently, she loves helping out in the kitchen- doing little things like pulling the stems off of cherry tomatoes or shelling peas- as well as hanging the laundry up to dry.

Our refrigerator bit the dust. Or maybe, I should say it died a slow death. Butter was melting, drinks weren't getting cold, but still we kept hoping- maybe if we adjust the settings a little or maybe it just needs a good cleaning. We got it when we were first married, a hand me down from a family member that had used it for three years before giving it to us, so we figured we had better replace it before we all got food poisoning.

We picked out and paid for it on Saturday and it was delivered on Sunday. After the delivery men left, Sophie went to introduce herself and give the new fridge a big hug. She even said good bye to it before we left for school this morning.

Our new fridge is much bigger than our old one and I am trying to resist the urge to go to Costco to get stuff to fill it up. Since we will be leaving in a few weeks, I wouldn't want to waste anything. Hope I can hold off until we make it back from the States.

Tip Jar

A little shuffle around and change of plans has left me with some free time, so I thought I oughta update the old blog.

*Bailey's sports festival is coming up in a few weeks so I have been trying to determine how many people will be coming and getting a rough idea of the menu. I have finally found a really good Japanese style fried chicken recipe that I like (one that takes a little more planning, but tastes oh so good whether fresh out of the fryer or at room temperature), but I can not for the life of me make a rice ball that doesn't fall apart. I have asked several friends and have gotten some good advice- use less filling, make the rice balls with freshly cooked rice, use firm pressure when shaping the rice balls, try using plastic wrap and more- but I still can't make the perfect rice ball. Any ideas, suggestions or tips?

*One of the biggest adjustments for Bailey transitioning to elementary school, is that he has to remember a lot more than before. At preschool, the teachers checked to make sure that he had everything that he needed to bring home, but at elementary school he has to remember it all himself and it is proving to be quite a challenge. For example, he will remember that he has math homework but not to bring the math book home. I am just wondering what I can do to help him remember. I hope that it will be easier for him to remember once he has been in school a little longer,but in the interim any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Buzy Buzz

Man, there is a lot of stuff going on this week.

Monday was a trip to the dentist for me. My gums were swollen and bleeding so that it hurt to chew on the right side- turns out I have been brushing a little too roughly and left little scratches on my gums that were causing pain. He put some kind of medicine on my gums to help heal the scratches and I have to go back in a week to be re-checked. Then it was my English class at daycare. The weather was bad so the kids hadn't been able to go outside and run off all that extra energy, which made it hard for them to pay attention. Fun times!

On Tuesday Bailey's teacher came for a home visit. After a little bit of a rocky start, it seems that Bailey has found his way and the teacher said he is doing well and getting along better with his classmates. I asked how the learning part of school was going and he replied, "Well, but a lot of Bailey's hiragana have an American feel to them. Same for the pictures that he draws." Still trying to figure out what that one means.

Wednesday, I had a class meeting at preschool for Sophie. Although I absolutely dreaded the self introductions, I put on a smile and just did it. I enjoyed talking to and getting to know some of the new to me moms. I was also happy to find out that I wasn't the only one feeling a little overwhelmed by elementary school. Having one kid in preschool and one in elementary school really keeps me on my toes. It was so much easier when the went to school together.

Today is Bailey's turn at the dentist. He has a brown spot on one of his teeth that the school dentist noticed during a routine school check up. He said some people just naturally have brown spots on their teeth, so we will get an X-ray today to see how deep it is and how to proceed from there. It is a baby tooth and it doesn't seem to be causing him any pain, so I am not that worried. Bailey really is a champ at the dentist. He asks a lot of questions and tries to talk when the doctor's finger is in his mouth, but he has never cried or refused to go. Sophie, on the other hand, claims to hate all dentists and cries at even the mention of going.

Tomorrow is back to the dermatologist for me. The hives are gone, but I am still itchy. He told me to cancel the appointment if the hives cleared up, but I would like to get some more of the anti-itch cream he gave me so I think I will go back.

Man, all I want after a week like this is a warm bath and a good book!

Itchy, Itchy Ichabod

On Wednesday, my left shoulder itched like crazy- all day long. On Thursday morning, I noticed some raised patches that were warm to the touch when a took a shower. When I woke up this morning after a night of itch, itch, itch the read patches were halfway down to my elbow. So, after getting both of the kids off to school, I headed to the doctor's.

Turns out I have hives. From what? Who knows? But he put me on antihistamines and gave me an anti-itch cream. If they haven't cleared up I have to go back in a week. God, I hope that I will be itch free soon!

Just Words

Lots of things have happened since my last post.

Bailey went to the elementary school for a health check (eyes, ears, teeth and the like). Bailey celebrated his sixth birthday twice (once with cousins, aunts and uncles and once with just the four of us). Hubs celebrated his birthday as well. And, the whole family went to Disneyland.

But, the camera is in the shop and might be there for up to two weeks, so there are no pictures to post. They are supposed to call us and give us an estimate and when they expect it to be ready but a week later and no phone call yet.

We are considering getting bunk beds for the kids. The main reason being that Hubs and I are tired of getting punched and kicked numerous times during the night. It leaves us all grouchy in the morning and that has gotta change. I hope that we can find a good, not too expensive set. I think we will try Ikea first and kinda go from there. We might even get the loft type of bed so that we could put Bailey's desk (if we decide to get him one- the PILs are insisting) underneath and later, Sophie's desk as well, but I am not sure that we will have room for that or not. We will have to do a little measuring and shopping around first.

Wishing I could have a lazy lay in front of the TV and do nothing kinda day today, but there is laundry to do and classes to teach so I better do it while I still have the energy.

I Don't Wanna Know. . . . .

what the kids are doing the living room, but nobody is fighting or screaming or hitting so I would say all is good.

I just heard Bailey say to Sophie, "I killed it, you can come out now."

Sophie's reply? "Bailey, you are so cool!"

"But, it might have bitten your leg, so you should get a shot."

"I hope we can get an appointment," Sophie sighed.

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It is amazing what kids pick up on. Just yesterday I had a conversation with a preschool mom in which we were complaining about not being able to get an appointment for the flu shot (the regular flu, not the "NEW" one) while the kids played hide and go seek around us. Just when you think no one is listening. . . . . Makes me wonder what else they heard??

There were three confirmed cases of influenza (not sure which type) on Monday morning at the preschool, so it was decided that the school would be closed for the rest of the week. Maybe I should have enjoyed Monday a little bit more.

A couple of Moms are of the opinion that we should keep our kids at home and not venture out. I, on the other hand, have taken the kids to the store for groceries and to the convenience store to pay a couple of bills. We aren't painting the town, but we defiantly aren't being hermits. The kids show no signs of being sick (I am still taking their temperatures every morning like the school asked us to do) and while I am avoiding indoor play places, I figure a little fresh air from a walk or a trip to the park can't hurt.

Guess I gotta go figure a snack playing has some how turned into yelling and crying about who gets to give and/or receive the shot.

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night. . . .

As I type, the most magnificent thunderstorm is going on right outside my window. The thunder was so loud that I gave up on watching TV. Good thing the kids are sound sleepers.

Lots has been going on since the last time that I updated, but I will be darned if I can remember half of it, but I will give it the old college try anyway.

*The kids had their sport's day the first Sunday of this month. It was originally scheduled for the first Saturday but got rained out.

*Our camera is being moody. Sometimes it works and sometimes all you get is a blank, white screen when you turn it on. It makes me a little leery of plugging it up to the computer, so no pictures until we figure out what is going on or I get the courage to plug it in and see what happens.

*The whole apartment building is being "maintenced" and will still be being "maintenced" well into the new year if I read the notice right. Our building is draped in scaffolding and canvas tarps that make it hard to tell if it is morning or night or cloudy or sunny. Because of all the scaffolding they had to take down our satellite so no more Ugly Betty or Grey's Anatomy for a while. I wish that the video store was in walking distance.

*Last Thursday we went to a friend's house so I could help her daughter with some English homework. Monday morning I got an email from that same friend telling me that her daughter had come down with the "New" flu and that I should take the kids to the doctor at the first sign of a fever or cough. So far, so good.

*The cooler weather gets me in the mood for cooking and baking. There has been a lot of good (if I do say so myself), comfort food cooking going on around here. I even tried my hand at from scratch curry last night and for a first attempt I would say I did alright.

*I just recently started wearing my wedding ring again. I stopped wearing it not because of any ill feelings towards my husband, but because I was forever having to stop and take it off to wash dishes or help Sophie get dressed (the ring scratched her face once when I was helping her put her shirt on) so I just went without it. Not that that is so uncommon here. Out of all of my friends and family here I can think of only two people (one male, one female) that actually wear wedding rings. Hubs wears his everyday. I don't think that I have ever seen him take it off. I wear both my wedding band and engagement ring something even rarer here in Japan. So, I wonder, for those of you married and living in Japan, do you wear your wedding and/or engagement rings?

*The storm is starting to let up, so I think I will head off to bed.

Back To School

A half a day of preschool and Sophie comes home with mud encrusted shoes and a daily temperature log for the month of September. Influenza has struck early this year and in an effort to curb the spread of it, the preschool is asking us to take our kid's temperature each morning before we send them off to school. Great, another thing I have to remember during the morning rush.

Tomorrow is a full day, which means lunches to make as well. Making lunches isn't that bad, though, pretty much arranging last night's dinner, slicing up some fruit and every once in a while adding a couple pieces of cheese. (Just occurred to me that I forgot to buy Anpanman candy cheese- a potential crisis if Bailey actually sees his lunch before he leaves home. Hubs if you are reading this, please pick up some candy cheese tonight after work.)

Why do I have the strange feeling that I am forgetting something else???

Reads Like A List

This is the latest I have been able to stay up since we got back (it is 8:41 now) and I am rewarding myself with Oreos (unfortunately no double stuffed here) and milk.

I will have to say that the jet lag this time has been rather mild and I think we may have made it back to the land of local time. The weather has been really mild- not too hot- and so I have been trying to take the kids out to the park in the morning and for a walk in the afternoon. I got all of the suitcases unpacked yesterday and now I am just waiting on the three packages I sent via airmail to arrive.

The kids start back to school next Tuesday and I would like to get both of them a haircut before then. If Bailey had his way, he would go back tomorrow. He is really excited to tell his teacher and friends about all of the things that he did during summer vacation.

I guess that's it. Just wanted to check in and let everybody know what is going on. Eyes are starting to get heavy. I think it is time to go to bed.

Winding Down

In about two weeks, we will be making our way back to Japan and there are so many things I still want to do.

*Get a haircut
*Get my eyebrows waxed
*Get a couple pairs of hose and maybe one more pair of shoes
*Get a few more foodie things
*Get a manicure and pedicure
*Yikes! Just remembered that I have not yet gotten any presents for the folks back home.

Itty Bitty

This picture was actually taken back when Mom was here. Sophie got her cast taken off a little over a month ago and of course, we had to have cake to celebrate. The doctor suggested that she do physical therapy for a while and she just finally finished up her three time a week visits this week. I think that we are all glad to be done with that! The therapists were really nice and did a good job working with someone as young as Sophie, but we were all getting tired of rushing off to physical therapy right after pre school let out.

Tonight, Bailey will be spending the night at pre school. They are going to make curry together, do lots of fun games, play in the pool if the weather is ok and the teachers are even going to put on a fireworks display. Bailey has been looking forward to this for weeks. On a side note, Bailey has his first loose tooth. if memory serves me right, it also happens to be the first tooth he got as a baby. It is pretty wobbly and he asked me to cut his corn off the cob last night because it hurt to bite down on, so I think it will be out pretty soon. He wants it to stay in until we get to America because he is convinced the tooth fairy can't possibly fly all the way to Japan.

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We are going to be heading back to the States on Sunday and staying there for almost two months. I am trying to pack all of our stuff in just one suitcase (ha!) since it will just be me and two tired kids going through baggage claim and immigration before dashing to make our connection. America, here we come!