Confessions of an A.D.D. Crafter in Japan

New Year's Eve 2011

2011-12-31T18:24:00.000+09:00

2011 will be one of those years that I don't think I'll ever forget.
This was the year that I realized just how much love I have for Japan, a place I had wrong, stereotypical impressions of nearly 5 years ago when we found out we were moving here. On March 11, at 2:46, in our minds the world stopped, but it sure didn't feel like it at the time! That earthquake will always have an impression on me and as I think about it now, I can't help but think and praise about how God protected our family and happened to place us in this country at this time for such a time as this. The emotions that I felt during that time varied from excitement to worry, to fear to humor, then to anxiety as we had to deal with the information pouring in about Fukushima. Trust me- we didn't know who to believe. Do we believe the over-sensitized media reports of David Piper (who I still want to punch in the face) or our command or information from Wikipedia about what really is cesium, plutonium, and radiation? So we lived on the side of MAYBE... maybe go, maybe stay. Maybe it's serious, maybe we're safe. Sometimes I had it all figured out and then I would go to school and get all worried thanks to my parents who were coming in all worried and pumping the rumor mill. So, the best decision we made this year was to stay. And the second best decision was to make that decision because previously we had lived day-to-day. We almost left... but I'm glad we didn't.
That brings us to the word of the year for us: Sievert- the form of measurement of radiation.
And the most interesting thing we learned: Plutonium doesn't go very far.
The rest of the year took us to big snow with our new church, as well as a trip to Hiroshima on Shinkansen. This summer I escorted my 3 children to the states to visit family while Russ stayed in Japan due to work. I hated that I got to enjoy Arby's without him, but I did bring him back some Mean Pig BBQ which lasted us about 6 months. We just used the last of it. We survived 3 different soccer teams with 3 different teams and 3 different practices (I completely understand why people stop at one child). Russ and I were honored to coach t-ball together and watch a great group of 5 and 6 year olds learn such an exciting sport. I survived my first full year of teaching 4 year olds and signed up to do it again (with plans to continue next year as well).
This became the year that we lost the last of our "first friends" that we made when we moved to Yokota, and now we are people's first friends- and they still may leave before us since we extended to 2013. This year our last kid FINALLY became a scout and almost won first place overall in his first pinewood derby race. As a family, we reached our 200 mark on geocaching and placed many travel bugs (one went to Honduras).

So, that brings us to 2012. Our future includes a move (don't worry, it's only about 200 yards away) in our very near future to a new house, a special spring break trip since the following year we'll be getting ready for retirement, Alexis in HIGH SCHOOL (OMG!), another pinewood derby race, another busy (but not so busy because it's only 2 teams) soccer season, and whatever else God blesses us with.

I hope and pray that this year is even better for you and this year we can see God's opportunities that He gives us to work for Him.

A Girl With Curl

2011-12-19T20:28:00.000+09:00

I have to admit- I have curly hair and I grew up not knowing what to do with it. Some days it would be a frizz ball, some days it would be pretty. Lot's of days I'd fight it and try to straighten it. MANY times my mom would nearly pull my scalp off trying to shove it all in a ponytail. As I grew up and became an adult, I thought "Okay, now it should behave, I'm older." Well, not so much. I still fought with it, I still straightened it, I still was a frizz ball, and RARELY would it look okay. In fact, it was getting worse. Maybe it was all the straightening I was doing (daily) to my hair to get it to calm itself down. So, in looking at pins on Pinterest, I saw a friend's pin about what to do with naturally curly hair. Curious, I checked it out. It followed the "Curly Girl Method" of no brush (duh Tiffany! I saw that and realized I always hated brushing my curls away, but did it anyway because it was 'right'!) and no shampoo (ew- doesn't that mean dreadlocks?). Saw a girl's post about her 6 week journey and how her hair actually looked better. So, found the book in the kindle store and read it... all... in one night. Yeah- it was that intriguing. And then gave it a try. Washed my hair with no shampoo, only conditioner, then put gel in it (usually didn't use gel, but what the hey) and only brushed my hair in the shower when wet. The next morning- it was curly, and it wasn't bad! But I was worried- very worried because conditioner wasn't all the way rinsed out, and it was gelled, and I didn't use shampoo...
So here's my photo story:

December 6th

Showered last night using only conditioner, didn't really rinse fully (like I used to), patted dry, added gel and did not put my head in a turban (felt weird I tell ya!). Then waited a bit (actually read the Curly Girl book) and then went to bed (very nervous about going to bed.) Woke up, scrunched hair, pinned back two curls that were annoying and done.

December 7th

Day 2- A shot from the back today- decided to pin it back halfway. I was worried last night because I fell asleep on the couch and when I drug myself upstairs, I noticed it was flat and frizzy. Woke up this morning and spritzed some water on it and kinda rubbed down my "halo" aka frizz and it was okay.

December 8th

Day 3- Dec. 8 I showered last night and washed again using conditioner then applied gel after my shower. Woke up and WOWZIERS! What crazy hair I have! I decided to pin it back again to help control it. I'm beginning to think I need to cut some of my curls to control them, but which ones? Then I noticed today white flakes in my hair. =( I think it's gel... I hope its gel.

December 10th

Tried today to take a shower in the morning, let it set, then move on with life. It took a while for my hair to dry, but the curls looked a lot better. This is a side/back view. Some of my curls are so pretty- some forget to clean up themselves!

December 10th

later in the evening- curls stuck around and didn't loose too much control. However, I still think a cut is needed soon. Too bad we don't have curly hair salons around Japan!

Then there was the horrid day- maybe December 13th- my hair was wretched- stringy, half straight half curl, full nappy. I didn't want to brush it, so I shoved it into a pony and "gasp" straightened my bangs. It was that bad. Took a shower that night, and it was all well the next morning. No picture for you. I feel bad for my students that had to look at me!

December 17

Got a little better- I think I realized the most important thing is placement of curls when wet. And I've realized that I can only go 2 days with curls, then shower and do it all over again. This was actually the second day with those curls and it looks much better, although I'm doing the half back look a lot. It just makes my hair look smaller.

December 18th

I showered in the morning and waited to crunch it in the afternoon. I really don't like how my hair looks all gel-set, so I don't think I'll ever do this during the week and go to school with the wet look, but on weekends that have special evenings, I'll do it because it looks better.

Well, I've been doing this for nearly 2 weeks and I do have to say that waking up in the mornings can be quite a surprise. One day all my curls were on top of my hair and I was about 4 inches taller. Had to pin those back on that day. Have my curls gotten better? Yes, I guess, because I know how to control them a little more. I also know how to spray those limp curls and pin them up to get them to curl again. I asked Russ what he thought and he likes it, but he still says I look pretty in pictures when my hair is straight.

So, I'll keep going- seeing what will happen next with my hair, trimming here and there, and taking photos as I progress to pretty curls and try to figure it all out. At least I don't have dreadlocks like I thought I would and at least my hair is not a battlefield anymore. Just don't take my picture until I can pin it where I want it to be.

To be continued...

The Cube of Ribix

2011-11-06T21:18:00.001+09:00

princessmorange sent you this page: Dream Big by Peter Fecteau | koikoikoi

For Alexis

2011-10-11T22:39:00.001+09:00

Watch "Ohio University Marching 110 - The Party Rock Anthem (LMFAO)" on YouTube

Hosanna!

2011-10-02T20:25:00.000+09:00

This is a song we sing quite often at church. We song it today and I just love the way it says exactly what I need to say when singing to my Lord.
What is amazing is I also remember the Japanese part of this song. See, in our church, it's completely bi-lingual. So we sing in English and Japanese. I found myself in the commissary humming this song today and thinking the words in Japanese. I don't know exactly what they mean, but somehow, it stuck today.
Enjoy!
And if you'd like to see the live bi-lingual version at our church, you're welcomed to come. Grace Christian Fellowship in Ome is our church home. Go check them out because they are doing wonderful things for the people of Japan and around the world.

1:00am

2011-10-02T00:50:00.001+09:00

So, it is approaching 1:00 am here in Japan and all my children are sleeping, but Russ and I are patiently waiting.

While we wait, I've decorated a quilt square for school, we've played scrabble ties together, and surfed the web.

While we wait, we munch on the dessert I made tonight and drink coffee... yes coffee.

So, what are we waiting for?

Football of course!

That's what we get for being Razorback football fans!

I have to say, I like the 1:00am kickoff much better than the 4:30am one.

Go Hogs! Beat the Aggies!

Loving SEC Football!

2011-09-27T21:46:00.001+09:00

It's no lie, I'm from Arkansas and proud of it.

And, thanks to my husband who, although was not born in Arkansas, he is probably more southern than I am, I love me some Arkansas Razorback Football.

So, we call the hogs in Japan. Sometimes at 4:30am (because that's when kick-off is).

And I have a razorback on the back of my van (and I'm pretty sure the Japanese people that drive behind me are thinking "Why does that gaijin have a red wild boar on her van?")

Now, being at a military base, where thousands of people from all over the country are thrown together, you can make sure to let people know just where you are from. You wear your shirts, you decorate your car, and you talk to your peers (espically those with a southern accent, because that always leads to SEC football talk).

So, being here, I've gotten to meet nearly every SEC football fan. Well, except maybe Kentucky. Is anyone a fan of Kentucky SEC football??

I got to meet a really neat woman named Donna. God bless her soul, poor thing is an Alabama fan. They are so confused about their mascots!

Anyway- she sent me this email and I wanted to share it. Enjoy the giggles it brings!

Well, It's time for College Football.

Planning for the fall college football season in the South is radically different than up North. For those who are planning a football trip South or are NEW to the South… here are some helpful hints.

Women's Accessories:

NORTH: Chap Stick in back pocket and a $20 bill in the front pocket.
SOUTH: Louis Vuitton duffel with two lipsticks, waterproof mascara, and a fifth of bourbon. Money not necessary - that's what dates are for.

Stadium Size:

NORTH: College football stadiums hold 20,000 people.
SOUTH: High school football stadiums hold 20,000 people.

Fathers:

NORTH: Expect their daughters to understand Sylvia Plath.
SOUTH: Expect their daughters to understand pass interference.

Campus Decor:

NORTH: Statues of founding fathers.
SOUTH: Statues of Heisman trophy winners.

Homecoming Queen:

NORTH: Also a physics major.
SOUTH: Also Miss America ..

Heroes:

NORTH: Rudy Giuliani
SOUTH: Archie, Peyton & Eli Manning

Getting Tickets:

NORTH: 5 days before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus.
SOUTH: 5 months before the game you walk into the ticket office on campus, make a large financial contribution and put name on a waiting list for tickets.

Friday Classes After a Thursday Night Game:

NORTH: Students and teachers not sure they're going to the game, because they have classes on Friday.
SOUTH: Teachers cancel Friday classes because they don't want to see the few hung over students that might actually make it to class.

Parking:

NORTH: An hour before game time, the University opens the campus for game parking.
SOUTH: RVs sporting their school flags begin arriving on Wednesday for the weekend festivities. The really faithful arrive on Tuesday.

Game Day:

NORTH: A few students party in the dorm and watch ESPN on TV.
SOUTH: Every student wakes up, has a beer for breakfast, and rushes over to where ESPN is broadcasting "Game Day Live" to get on camera and wave to the idiots up north who wonder why "Game Day Live" is never Broadcast from their campus.

Tailgating:

NORTH: Raw meat on a grill, beer with lime in it, listening to local radio station with truck tailgate down.
SOUTH: 30-foot custom pig-shaped smoker fires up at dawn. Cooking accompanied by live performance from the Dave Matthews Band, who come over during breaks and ask for a hit off bottle of bourbon.

Getting to the Stadium:

NORTH: You ask "Where's the stadium?" When you find it, you walk right in.
SOUTH: When you're near it, you'll hear it. On game day it is the state's third largest city.

Concessions:

NORTH: Drinks served in a paper cup, filled to the top with soda.
SOUTH: Drinks served in a plastic cup, with the home team's mascot on it, filled less than half way with soda, to ensure enough room for bourbon.

When National Anthem is Played:

NORTH : Stands are less than half full, and less than half of them stand up.
SOUTH: 100,000 fans, all standing, sing along in perfect four-part harmony.

The Smell in the Air After the First Score:

NORTH: Nothing changes.
SOUTH: Fireworks, with a touch of bourbon.

Commentary (Male):

NORTH: "Nice play."
SOUTH: "Dangit, you slow idiot - tackle him and break his legs."

Commentary (Female):

NORTH: "My, this certainly is a violent sport."
SOUTH: "Dangit, you slow idiot - tackle him and break his legs."

Announcers:

NORTH: Neutral and paid.
SOUTH: Announcer harmonizes with the crowd in the fight song, with a tear in his eye because he is so proud of his team.

After the Game:

NORTH: The stadium is empty way before the game ends.
SOUTH: Another rack of ribs goes on the smoker, while somebody goes to the nearest package store for more bourbon, and planning begins for next week's game.

______________________________

And for SEC Fans:

HOW MANY SEC STUDENTS DOES IT TAKE TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?

At VANDERBILT: it takes two, one to change the bulb and one more to explain how they did it every bit as good as the bulbs changed at Harvard.

At GEORGIA : it takes two, one to change the bulb and one to phone an engineer at Georgia Tech for instructions..

At FLORIDA : it takes four, one to screw in the bulb and three to figure out how to get stoned off the old one.

At ALABAMA : it takes five, one to change it, three to reminisce about how The Bear would have done it, and one to throw the old bulb at an NCAA investigator.

At OLE MISS: it takes six, one to change it, two to mix the drinks and three to find the perfect J. Crew outfit to wear for the occasion.

At LSU: it takes seven, and each one gets credit for five Semester hours.

At KENTUCKY: it takes eight, one to screw it in and seven to discuss how much brighter it seems to shine during basketball season.

At TENNESSEE: it takes ten, two to figure out how to screw it in, two to buy an orange lampshade, and six to phone a radio call-in show and talk about how much they hate Alabama.

At MISSISSIPPI STATE : it takes fifteen, one to screw in the bulb, two to buy the Skoal, and twelve to yell, "GO TO ...., OLE MISS".

At AUBURN: it takes one hundred, one to change it, forty-nine to talk about how they did it better than at Bama, and fifty to get drunk and roll Toomer's Corner when finished.

At SOUTH CAROLINA : it takes 80,000, one to screw it in and 79,999 to discuss how this finally will be the year that they have a decent football team.

At ARKANSAS : None. There's no electricity in Arkansas

What Was I Thinking?

2011-09-26T16:19:00.000+09:00

Mondays involve play practice, soccer practice and cub scouts.
Tuesdays involve play practice, soccer practice and sometimes meetings at school.
Wednesdays involve play practice and bible study/ youth group.
Thursdays involve play practice and soccer practice.
Fridays involve play practice.

Some days things end at 6. Some days things don't end until 7:40. What have I done??? When are we supposed to have a sit-down dinner together? When are we supposed to do homework? When are we supposed to see each other?
AGGHHH!!!

Test

2011-09-25T21:38:00.001+09:00

Just seeing if I can blog from my tablet.

Creative Curriculum Review

2011-09-23T22:26:00.000+09:00

If you are not a teacher, this might be a little boring for you. Sorry... but it's totally worth blogging about.
Our Pre-K program just received an updated version of their curriculum. Apparently they have been using Creative Curriculum for years. Which is a good program for pre-k, including the idea of 10 centers in the classroom, as well as using checkpoints to assess a child. I liked it. It was more of a framework and you plugged in your stuff to make the system work. Now DoDEA has upgraded. And I LOVE IT!
The new Creative Curriculum has EVERYTHING you'd need. Including all the read alouds you would need to make the curriculum work. It is designed with 6 themes throughout the year. You start off with "Beginning the Year" then you can choose from the following: Trees, Balls, Reduce Reuse Recycle, Clothes, and Buildings.
They literally have your lesson plans written out for you, so it's like Preschool for Dummies (although there is a lot more to preschool than curriculum). Anyway... they have really convenient little cards called "Mighty Minutes" where you can plug in a quick learning activity, and the new assessment program is more of a spectrum instead of a hierarchy of growth. Then it has instructional learning cards to help with small groups or large group activities. Everything tells you which objective it is covering so you can make sure to watch for it during the activity.
It really is genius when it comes to teaching the way kids learn. I'm very happy with it.
I have used it for 6 days and I'm pleased so far. I can't wait to dive deeper in the system to see what else it has.

Bonus Day

2011-09-21T16:30:00.000+09:00

When we've got people going here and there and everywhere in between due to soccer, school, and scouts, having a bonus day is totally worth it.

Even if it's due to a typhoon (we are right in the middle where the orange and pink begin).
Typhoon Roke has made a very special visit to Yokota today, causing school to close early and my husband to come home early. And everything else has been cancelled.
That leaves all 5 of us at home.
We're playing games, watching Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, and looking outside every once in a while.
Cleaned downstairs, did some laundry and had a pajama day.
It's been quite windy, lots of rain, and our neighbor has lost part of her fence (it fell down, but still around). So, we are enjoying our bonus day together, knowing that tomorrow will probably be the most beautiful day ever.
Until then, we'll just hang out and make chili for dinner, because it's a PERFECT chili day.

Obsession

2011-09-20T20:32:00.000+09:00

I have a new obsession. It's a website and I find myself on there now more than facebook, my email, or anywhere else. It's called Pinterest.

Imagine all those websites you visit with yummy recipes, or cool crafts, or great ideas and you want to remember them. So, you save them on your favorites. Then you get to where you have about 500 favorites and honestly, how are you even going to remember why you favorited some of these sites, ideas, inspirations anyway?

Now, imagine saving a little picture on the internet that links back to that page, back to the inspiration, back to the yummy recipe, back to whatever you wanted to remember. And you can look on a board and see all the different things that tickled your fancy.

That's Pinterest.

A virtual pin board for anything you want.

It has helped me so many times, from ideas for school, to recipes, to planning for my Halloween feast. It is a dream come true and now my favorites bar only has a few things on it now. Including Pinterest.

I've even got Alexis hooked. She's got the ipod app for it. I can't wait until they come out with an android version.

Girl's Day- Harajuku

2011-09-19T21:25:00.000+09:00

Sunday, September 18th.

Misson: Girl's Day

Opportunity: The boys head off to Motegi to see an Indy Race

Location: Harajuku in Tokyo

First Stop: TGI Friday's for lunch!

To Drink: Strawberry Lemon Slush and Pina Colada

To Eat: Fried Mushrooms as appitizer

Alexis had Philly Cheesesteak Wrap

I had Oriental Shrimp and Avacado Tacos

Problem: My shoes are giving me blisters! Solution: Buy men's flip flops and wear those instead!

Mission: Shopping!!!
Places: H&M, Forever 21, Clair's
Cost: Never going to let anyone know! Girls' secret!

Misson: Getting through the crowd of people while avoiding the freakishly weird guy dressed up in all pink.

Alexis' Mission: Find and get a Christiano Ranoldo jersey
Solution: Found one
Problem: It cost $125

Sorry- not today!

Misson: To complete one of my 101 things in 1001 days- Visit Yoyogi Park on a Sunday

Misson Accomplished... but....

Man that place is weird!

How you ask??? Try street ballers- freaks in blue, pink, white, any color hair dancing and not allowing pictures because they are in a "meeting." - Michael Jackson Dancer- African Drummers- Man singing into a wooden microphone- man wearing onigiri hat and arguing with a police officer about a group of Elvis Impersonators.

Yeah... quite weird.

But...

I want to go again!

Next time to take videos!

Thanks for a fun day Lexi Kay. Sorry we couldn't get your jersey this time.

So Here's the Deal...

2011-09-18T10:10:00.000+09:00

I'm fat.
People have been overly nice to me. "Tiffany, you've lost weight." "Oh you're tall, you're not overweight." "You don't look 165 lbs!"
Well, let me admit something.
I have more clothes in my closet that don't fit me than those that do.
I don't want to buy bigger clothes because that means that I actually fit that size.
I keep thinking that I don't want to get rid of the smaller clothes because it's a waste and I'll be that thin again.
I am doing nothing about it.
Until now.
What am I going to do? I don't know. I don't make the time to work out. I think about working out right around 10pm. But then I know that if I do, then I'll be up even later and it will be killer in the morning.
I am not happy with my body shape.
I bought a swimsuit this summer online and ordered a size large bottoms. Opened the package and thought "Wow, these are too big." Put them on and they fit perfectly.
Yeah... that was a shocker.
My butt is that big.
So, can you help motivate me?
Can you help me by giving me some advice?
My current plan is to try to go to a workout session that's at school 3x a week for 45 min. But I have to make sure I have clothes and shoes on those days to change into.
I really need to cut back on my soda consumption.
And I really need to stop snacking (it helps now that I'm working again, too busy to snack).
And I really need to drink more water. Lots more water.

So there it is... I've made it public how I feel about myself. Quite negative, but now that it's out there, maybe I'll hold myself accountable and maybe in about 6 or so months I'll have a new post that will start off with "I'm happy with my body." because right now, I'm not.

Well, what do I like about myself (physically)?
I like the way my hair feels down my back. It can be hot, but I am so happy to have longer hair again.
I like my tan, even though it's all uneven.
I like my angel kisses. The angels really like me because I've got spots everywhere!
I like my flip-flop line on my feet.
I like my height, except when I want to wear heels and my husband is with me.
I like my hands.
I like my eyes.

Now to get to where I like my butt...

First Few Days of School

2011-09-17T20:41:00.000+09:00

And so it begins... my second adventure with Sure Start. A journey that takes 18 students, most if not all have never been in school before, onto an adventure to learning about the world, the alphabet, numbers, and whatever else we can stumble across. This year has already started off better than last year. Our first day did not include a fire drill! However, Monday will.
I have 8 girls and 10 boys. And 2 of my students are already 5! This is a big deal because last year I had a very young class where over half of my class didn't turn 5 until school was out for the summer. So far, the atmosphere of the class seems very mellow, calm, laid back. Of course, the first day it was shock and awe with the gigantic woman trying to teach them silly songs. Friday they warmed up a bit and tested the waters. Wonder what next week will bring!
I have to say, I love my job. Seeing these kids realize that they can actually open the ranch dressing if they tried. Or seeing them make their mats all by themselves really makes my day. Of course, it's never a dull day in Sure Start. Friday involved 3 kids having accidents, one girl spilling milk 3 times, and the beginnings of learning how to share with 17 other kids.
It's like breaking 18 horses... all at once.
But they turn out to be totally ready for kindergarten once they leave me. =)

An Update on Alexis

2011-09-14T21:10:00.000+09:00

Alexis is now in 8th grade and this year already seems to be better than last year with school. Last year was a challenge. This year she currently has A+s and 1 D. Let's hope she brings that D up soon or she's going to be seeing a grounding in the future. She seems to be slowing down on her growing. According to her, she only grew 2 inches over the last school year. I'm thinking she's not going to make it to my height. Either way, she'll always be my little girl. She's been very busy with soccer. She's been playing goalie a lot more this year since she was the only one on her team that had goalie experience in the past. She's hoping next year when she's in high school (OMG where has the time gone???) to play for the high school team. She's playing french horn for the 3rd year and is really talented. She really has grown up to be a pretty good kid, just the occasional spontaneous outburst of "UHHHH... WHY-EEEE," but the frequency has cut back some. She's been chasing boys (she seems to have her eyes on 3, one has been crushing on her a while, but they won't admit it to each other, the other is leaving at the end of the school year, and the other just moved 6,000 miles away) and loving her ipod. I've been giving her a $15 gift card each month for itunes and it's gone by the end of the first day. She loves music, art, and soccer.

An Update on Samuel

2011-09-13T20:36:00.000+09:00

Samuel is now in 3rd grade. His teacher is Mrs. Ferch (who happens to be his first ever female teacher). Working at the same school he goes to gives me the advantage to hear all the praises the teachers in school have about Samuel. He's very respectful, he make sure to follow the rules, and he's very kind. He's got them all tricked because he's not that way at home all the time. He's got a pretty solid group of friends, mostly neighborhood kids, and some from class. He seems to be secretly start the "girl crush" phase of his life. He won't admit it, but his eyes sure light up at the sound of their names (3 to be particular). Samuel started working this summer as a paper boy. He delivers 13 papers around the neighborhood daily and earns about $30 a month. His first month they had a subscription drive and he not only got 5 new subscribers, but $75 in bonuses. He has become a money saver, saving his money until he can buy what he really wants, such as a camera, or his recent purchase of a portable DVD player. Samuel has a love for reading and is in love with Bad Kitty books. He'll sit on the couch and just giggle, even after reading it before. Samuel is playing soccer this year on the "Yellow Dragons" where Russ is the coach. He is learning about goalie this year, but he seems to do well in midfield (because he's aggressive everywhere). Samuel is a Bear Scout and seems to be the only calm boy in the den! This weekend he'll be taking a trip to an Indy car race with the scouts.

An Update on Ben

2011-09-12T20:22:00.000+09:00

Ben is now in 1st grade. His teacher is Mrs. White. He has 4 friends that were in his class last year and he's already tracking down a new girlfriend (LORD HELP US!) According to his teacher, "He's very shy." According to the rest of his family, he's pretty funny. Ben is becoming quite a good reader (he read Scardy Squirrel by himself the other day) and his hand writing is better than his brother or sister. Ben is playing soccer for the second year. His team is called 'Soccer Kids.' He's a pretty good little player and is very aggressive on the field, and he makes sure to "avoid the blob" that 5-6 year old soccer kids like to form on the field. Ben is also a Tiger scout this year. He is really enjoying being a scout on is own instead of doing everything that his brother does with scouting. Although, there will be some opportunities to do activities together. Ben likes to read, he likes to ride his bike, and he likes to play outside with the neighborhood kids. He's also been very good at trying different lunches at school to see if he likes them. And it seems as if he's been secretly working out because he's got some awesome arm muscles.

6 Months and 10 Years

2011-09-11T17:20:00.000+09:00

10 Years ago: September 11, 2001

Who: It was just Alexis and I in our little family. Alexis was 3 years old. I had just met Russ on an online dating service a few weeks before. We were talking via email.
What: That morning, I had dropped Alexis off at day care and didn't have class until that night. I had to stop by a clinic for my TB test (I had to have one in order to be a teacher). When I got in the car to drive to work, I had heard on the radio about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. During my drive, news came in that another had crashed into the other tower, as well as the pentagon. Once I got to work, I notice Mary, my co-worker, had the news on and I got the first images of the events on that day. There came news that another plane had crashed in Pennsylvania, but it was unsure if it was related to the other 3 crashes. I remember standing at the copier in aw and saying to Mary, "They are going to have to tear those buildings down. There's going to be so much damage." 10 minutes later the first tower collapsed. Then not too long afterwards, the second one followed.
Where: We were living with my parents in Shannon Hills, Arkansas and I was going to school to be a teacher at UALR. I was also working at Asplundh Tree Company in Maumelle, Arkansas
How I felt: Scared, worried. I didn't know what was going on. I was afraid and thinking "What's next?" I remember calling my professor of my class letting her know I wasn't going to be in class because I wanted to donate blood and she told me if I missed class it would be unexcused. It was extremely hard to focus that day on anything. I don't even remember eating. I remember rushing to where Alexis was (with her dad) and scooping her up to give her a hug. I never needed that hug more! As far as around the town, American flags popped up. I remember writing on my car with shoe polish "God Bless America" reapplying it as it faded. I think when I finally sold it, it still had it on there. All the planes were grounded and it was eerily quiet. I was at a candle light vigil when a plane flew over and everyone cheered. I knew Russ was in the Air Force, and since I knew nothing about military, I thought he would instantly be sent off to fight for our country. I remember thinking, "Should I get to know him more, because he may get sent off to fight soon and he might die. Would it be better to let him go without knowing him too much, or knowing him well?"
Russ didn't go off to fight until the summer of 2006, after we were married and added 2 boys to our family. And then he went to Iraq to teach Iraqis how to fix C130's.

6 Months ago: March 11, 2011

Who: Russ, Alexis, Sam, Ben and I were living at Yokota AFB in Tokyo, Japan.
What: I have already told my story recently. You can read it here: http://princessmorange.blogspot.com/2011/03/earthquake-march-11-2011.html
Where: I was at school, getting ready to leave for the weekend. Russ had picked the boys up from school and Alexis was riding the bus home.
How I felt: Initially: thought it was exciting, eeiry, weird. When it continued and didn't stop: I was scared. I was wondering where it was centered and how strong this earthquake was. We saw the footage of the tsunami and it was a nightmare. Scared for the people. We couldn't help but tell people on TV to drive the other way, but they never knew it was coming and they never had a chance. Since we are so near the tsunami devastation, I didn't know if Russ would be leaving to help or what we could do to help. The atmosphere of the base completely changed for the next 2 months.
Then came the evacuation choice we had to make. That was so stressful to decide to leave or not leave. We would have left my husband here, as well as my class, which I was concerned about leaving here with another teacher. We decided to stay and once the decision was made, it was a HUGE relief. We lived on and enjoyed a quieter, calmer, less crowded Yokota for a few weeks.

September 11, 2011 is doubly sad for Americans living in Japan that were here during the earthquake. I kinda feel like I've been reliving two very sad days throughout one.

My Classroom

2011-09-10T09:39:00.047+09:00

This is my second year in this classroom. The teacher before me did a pretty good job of leaving it ready for a new teacher (although just today I found an old, real pumpkin). At the beginning of last year, I had the same aid the other teacher had, so I just had her set everything up like it was before. I made some tweeks throughout the year, but this year, I started from scratch. Nothing but the computers are in it's original place!

So, shall we take a tour?

Before we go, please keep in mind the following: I am in a magnetic building. The entire room is magnetic (except doors and cabinets). I have a kitchen. I have to have 10 centers. Can you find them all?

As you walk in my room from the hallway, you will notice my Monkey Tree! Last year I had a paper tree that looked pretty pathetic. This year's tree is made of wood colored contact paper. This tree will stay up all year and change with the seasons.

The monkeys were generously made by my friend Shawn. I had them laminated and I reuse them every year. Sorry kids, you can't keep these!

This is another view from the corner that enters into my door. The leaves are supposed to fall over some, (you can see tape on some of those!) because not all leaves go up!

You can also see the first 5 cubbies. Our school mascot is the panda. You'll be seeing it around the room quite often.

This is right when you walk in my door. We have the math/ table toys center right when you walk in, then to the right is the reading center. Behind that is the science center. In the middle of the room is dramatic play, to the left by the door is art. And where my Ben is located is over in the blocks center.

Here's a closer look at my literacy center (it includes a library, a listening center, an ABC exploration center and a writing center. I personally think the rocket is pretty cool because my daughter made it for me. She also drew the panda pilot! There will be streamers behind the rocket come Monday.
Raise your hand if you use the CAFE wall? Well, in Sure Start, we still are recommended to use the CAFE wall too, so my wall is going to be an Ice Cream CAFE (still need to make the header). Once we master a component, we'll write it on an ice cream scoop and build our ice cream!

Here's a better look at my housekeeping/ dramatic play area. You can also get a peek of my circle time area behind there. We gather there first thing in the morning, during circle time (when we do weather and group writing) and at the end of the day.
I have an ELMO projector and I use it quite often, especially on small books. It's projected on the big screen and it really makes it larger than life, therefore easier to see!

Here is our large sink. We wash our hands before lunch here and brush our teeth after lunch here. I decided to use the window space this year to display my birthdays. I used my cricut machine to cut my cupcakes. =)

Just to the right you'll see "MAST". Well, it's my art wall and it says "MASTERPIECES" We'll hang up fine art from those clips =)

Here's a look at my circle time board. We don't do a lot with calender until later in the year, but we do dress the panda every day, talk about the weather, and do everyday math. I used patterned contact paper to dress up my white board. I might add another section of clouds to the right of my panda.

When I sit in my rocking chair, this is what I see. The far left board that is black with purple writing will be my 3-d alphabet wall (I'm going to have actual items that begin with that letter hanging in baggies, one for each letter). The blue board in the middle will be our "Read Plan Solve Look Back" board. We solve a specific problem every week using that technique, then we hang it up on our board. Still gotta make a sign that says "How Sure Start Solves Problems."

And here's my instructional aide's rhelm- the kitchen! We have a full kitchen where the children can come in and eat snack as they'd like. The green alphabet board will hold food labels for environmental print.

The bears are used to have the children move over their name to "I have eaten snack" once they are done. That way we can keep track of who ate and who didn't. We don't have to tell parents but it is there if they ask.

And that's my classroom. I have decorated my outside door, but it's not completed yet. I've gotta print some photos of my kids before I can take a picture of it.
So, what do you like?? What don't you like? Any suggestions (because I'm always open for something new!)??

18

2011-09-09T16:12:00.000+09:00

Over the past 3 days I've gotten the opportunity to meet 17 really cool kids (my last one isn't in the country yet). Some are shy, some are verbal, some are funny, some are excited and some are scared. All of them will be part of my life for the next 8 months and I'm so excited to have them!
So this week I met them on their turf, meaning I got to meet them at their home. On Monday we are meeting again on my turf because they will come to class and explore their classroom. Then Thursday is the big day- First day of school.
I have to tell you though, today was extraordinarily exciting. We found my hamster that had been MIA for 2 weeks. YES... 2 weeks. She looked sorry once she was finally caught. Poor thing.

I really need to take some pictures of my classroom... so I can share where I'll spend most of my day.

I am a Teacher

2011-09-08T19:14:00.000+09:00

I teach a wonderful program called Sure Start. It's a pre-k program that is designed to help the lower ranking airmen and their families. I get a lot of interactions with parents (since it is required for them to volunteer 30 hours in their child's classroom). Sometimes I feel like I'm teaching the parents how to be good, interactive parents in their child's education.

So, there's this article going around facebook among my teacher friends. I wanted to share it with you and ask "What do you think?"

I think it's pretty honest, I'm quite freaked out about lawyers and being fired because of cleaning a kid's face. But, I have to say, right now. I love my job. I love the kids and watching them grow. I love helping the parents and getting to know them.

So, even if you don't have a kid at school, read it anyway. And when you are in line at Walmart (lucky you!) and you hear someone talking bad about their child's teacher, please speak up because most teachers are getting a bad rap.

What teachers really want to tell parents

By Ron Clark, Special to CNN

September 6, 2011 -- Updated 1312 GMT (2112 HKT)

Teacher Ron Clark is pictured with his students.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Ron Clark is an award-winning teacher who started his own academy in Atlanta
He wants parents to trust teachers and their advice about their students
Clark says some teachers hand out A grades so parents won't bother them
It's OK for kids to get in trouble sometimes; it teaches life lessons, Clark says

Editor's note: Ron Clark, author of "The End of Molasses Classes: Getting Our Kids Unstuck -- 101 Extraordinary Solutions for Parents and Teachers," has been named "American Teacher of the Year" by Disney and was Oprah Winfrey's pick as her "Phenomenal Man." He founded The Ron Clark Academy, which educators from around the world have visited to learn.

(CNN) -- This summer, I met a principal who was recently named as the administrator of the year in her state. She was loved and adored by all, but she told me she was leaving the profession.

I screamed, "You can't leave us," and she quite bluntly replied, "Look, if I get an offer to lead a school system of orphans, I will be all over it, but I just can't deal with parents anymore; they are killing us."

Unfortunately, this sentiment seems to be becoming more and more prevalent. Today, new teachers remain in our profession an average of just 4.5 years, and many of them list "issues with parents" as one of their reasons for throwing in the towel. Word is spreading, and the more negativity teachers receive from parents, the harder it becomes to recruit the best and the brightest out of colleges.

So, what can we do to stem the tide? What do teachers really need parents to understand?

For starters, we are educators, not nannies. We are educated professionals who work with kids every day and often see your child in a different light than you do. If we give you advice, don't fight it. Take it, and digest it in the same way you would consider advice from a doctor or lawyer. I have become used to some parents who just don't want to hear anything negative about their child, but sometimes if you're willing to take early warning advice to heart, it can help you head off an issue that could become much greater in the future.

Trust us. At times when I tell parents that their child has been a behavior problem, I can almost see the hairs rise on their backs. They are ready to fight and defend their child, and it is exhausting. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I tell a mom something her son did and she turns, looks at him and asks, "Is that true?" Well, of course it's true. I just told you. And please don't ask whether a classmate can confirm what happened or whether another teacher might have been present. It only demeans teachers and weakens the partnership between teacher and parent.

Please quit with all the excuses

The truth is, a lot of times it's the bad teachers who give the easiest grades, because they know by giving good grades everyone will leave them alone.
Ron Clark

And if you really want to help your children be successful, stop making excuses for them. I was talking with a parent and her son about his summer reading assignments. He told me he hadn't started, and I let him know I was extremely disappointed because school starts in two weeks.

His mother chimed in and told me that it had been a horrible summer for them because of family issues they'd been through in July. I said I was so sorry, but I couldn't help but point out that the assignments were given in May. She quickly added that she was allowing her child some "fun time" during the summer before getting back to work in July and that it wasn't his fault the work wasn't complete.

Can you feel my pain?

Some parents will make excuses regardless of the situation, and they are raising children who will grow into adults who turn toward excuses and do not create a strong work ethic. If you don't want your child to end up 25 and jobless, sitting on your couch eating potato chips, then stop making excuses for why they aren't succeeding. Instead, focus on finding solutions.

Parents, be a partner instead of a prosecutor

And parents, you know, it's OK for your child to get in trouble sometimes. It builds character and teaches life lessons. As teachers, we are vexed by those parents who stand in the way of those lessons; we call them helicopter parents because they want to swoop in and save their child every time something goes wrong. If we give a child a 79 on a project, then that is what the child deserves. Don't set up a time to meet with me to negotiate extra credit for an 80. It's a 79, regardless of whether you think it should be a B+.

This one may be hard to accept, but you shouldn't assume that because your child makes straight A's that he/she is getting a good education. The truth is, a lot of times it's the bad teachers who give the easiest grades, because they know by giving good grades everyone will leave them alone. Parents will say, "My child has a great teacher! He made all A's this year!"

Wow. Come on now. In all honesty, it's usually the best teachers who are giving the lowest grades, because they are raising expectations. Yet, when your children receive low scores you want to complain and head to the principal's office.

Please, take a step back and get a good look at the landscape. Before you challenge those low grades you feel the teacher has "given" your child, you might need to realize your child "earned" those grades and that the teacher you are complaining about is actually the one that is providing the best education.

And please, be a partner instead of a prosecutor. I had a child cheat on a test, and his parents threatened to call a lawyer because I was labeling him a criminal. I know that sounds crazy, but principals all across the country are telling me that more and more lawyers are accompanying parents for school meetings dealing with their children.

Teachers walking on eggshells

I feel so sorry for administrators and teachers these days whose hands are completely tied. In many ways, we live in fear of what will happen next. We walk on eggshells in a watered-down education system where teachers lack the courage to be honest and speak their minds. If they make a slight mistake, it can become a major disaster.

My mom just told me a child at a local school wrote on his face with a permanent marker. The teacher tried to get it off with a wash cloth, and it left a red mark on the side of his face. The parent called the media, and the teacher lost her job. My mom, my very own mother, said, "Can you believe that woman did that?"

I felt hit in the gut. I honestly would have probably tried to get the mark off as well. To think that we might lose our jobs over something so minor is scary. Why would anyone want to enter our profession? If our teachers continue to feel threatened and scared, you will rob our schools of our best and handcuff our efforts to recruit tomorrow's outstanding educators.

Finally, deal with negative situations in a professional manner.

If your child said something happened in the classroom that concerns you, ask to meet with the teacher and approach the situation by saying, "I wanted to let you know something my child said took place in your class, because I know that children can exaggerate and that there are always two sides to every story. I was hoping you could shed some light for me." If you aren't happy with the result, then take your concerns to the principal, but above all else, never talk negatively about a teacher in front of your child. If he knows you don't respect her, he won't either, and that will lead to a whole host of new problems.

We know you love your children. We love them, too. We just ask -- and beg of you -- to trust us, support us and work with the system, not against it. We need you to have our backs, and we need you to give us the respect we deserve. Lift us up and make us feel appreciated, and we will work even harder to give your child the best education possible.

That's a teacher's promise, from me to you.

Life as we know it

2011-09-07T19:48:00.000+09:00

Life as we know it is now:

An 8th grader

A 3rd grader

A 1st grader

Life as we know it is now:

3 soccer teams to cheer on

6 hours of practice a week

Being a soccer mom (when the heck did that happen!!!)

Life as we know it is now:

Another year as a Sure Start teacher

18 new kids starting next week

18 new families to get to know and interact with this year

Life as I knew it was:

Searching for our class hamster

Buying a new class hamster

Completely rearranging my classroom

Using wooden color contact paper to build a tree in the hallway

(I will take pictures and add them soon)

Life as we will know it is:

Busy

Tiring

Productive

Fun

We've been here, there and everywhere in between. Thank goodness this weekend gives me a chance to see all three of my kids play soccer, shopping for a new purse, staying in a suite at New Sanno, eating mexican food, and eating brunch. As well as relaxing.

Can't forget relaxing.

Especially in the pool.

Meet Skippy

2011-08-03T16:29:00.000+09:00

I've been one to like animals. Big ones (horses), small ones (hamsters), regular ones (cats) and odd ones (frogs). In my imaginary world, I'd run a zoo. Kinda funny because in my real world, I do sort of run a kid zoo!!
Anyway, if I always followed my impulses, we would have a lot more than just Yasumi, our cat.

The other day, it was not just my impulse that was nudging me, but the boys were nudging me too.
We saw her at Joyful Honda and thought she was so funny. So we got her.
For about $65.
Yeah- crazy. I know some people have these in their back yards and they want to get rid of them. And now we have one as a pet, that we paid for.

Meet Skippy

Our cute, feisty, dizzying chipmunk

She's only bit me twice.

Since this is supposed to be a crafting blog...

2011-08-03T16:25:00.000+09:00

I thought I would share something that I do with my stamps. It's one of those things that I have an "organized" feeling with, but I've been so busy over the school year and this summer, that I neglected doing it immediately.

When I get new stamp sets, I get an over-sized index card (can be purchased here) and stamp the images from that set onto that card. Then I label the card and flip it over to the next side to stamp a new set.
I do all this so when I get bitten by the crafting bug (or I have to make something), I thumb through my cards to see what stamps I have and I'm easily able to find the set I need. It is also helpful when you have that lone stamp wondering around without it's friends. It helps you to find his friends quickly. This is also good for my children, who want to craft with me. They can pull out the cards that have the stamps they want to use and I go searching for the set they belong to. Now that they are a little taller, maybe they can go find what they need and not interrupt me!

Let me know if that was helpful for you. If you have any organizing tips, please share them with me!

Pinewood Derby 2011

2011-07-16T17:02:00.000+09:00

Both Samuel and Benjamin participated in the Cub Scout's Pinewood Derby race this year. This was Samuel's second derby and Ben's first derby. The original race was supposed to be in March, but due to the March 11th earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster, they postponed the race to a time that was better for the base and our Japanese Boy Scouts who join us.

Ben's car was called the Yokota Racer. He decided on the design, helped in all steps, and told me how to spell it (I painted the letters on for him).

Samuel's car was called Mr. Tank. He also did all the design process and choose the toy tank to use on his car.

Here are a few shots of some other cars:

The Tiger Scout Cars

The Bears Cars

The Adult and Sibling Cars

Pinewood Derby Cars 2011

First up was the Tiger races. Each car raced 2 times on each lane- 6 races. Ben was up first!

Ready for the race!

Ben is in the lead!!!

HE WINS!

Ben not only won EVERY race in his age group, but also had the fastest speed of the day at 197 MPH.

He won first place in his age group! He told me "I didn't know I was going to win a trophy!"

Then Samuel's group raced. Out of 6 races he got 2 first, 2 second, and 2 third place finishes.

That earned him a 3rd place trophy in his age group!

Two new trophies in our house!

Then came the finals.

Both boys were racing in the Pinewood Derby finals. Three races and the fastest time wins.

Samuel had a first, second and third place finish in his races.

Ben won all three of his.

Ben comes in first!

Samuel's finishes third.

Another Win for Ben!

Ben Wins 2nd Place Overall!!!

Wow! Close scores!!!

Our scouts with their trophies and cars.

Our main display in our house, for now!

Great job everyone! I think overall, everyone helped to make these cars race and look totally awesome.

Great job Mr. Tank and Yokota Racer!!!

30 photos about me- updated June 19th

2011-06-19T21:55:00.000+09:00

I stole this from a friend's page and basically counting on her to give me the topics because she took it from one of her friend's pages. The idea is to follow my life for 30 days. You might want to double check your seat belt...

Day 01- A picture of yourself with 10 facts

I am an only child.
I am coaching t-ball for the second year.
I hate my toes.
I would rather drink yummy drinks than eat yummy food.
Many times I will agree just to avoid conflict.
I wish I was an artist.
I'm left handed and I think the world is against left handed people, from scissors to the ladles for soups at the e-club.
I honestly feel really bad that I have passed on the recessive trait of red/green color deficiency to my boys. I feel like I'm hindering them from fulfilling their dreams.
I have two tattoos with plans for two more in my lifetime.
I taught myself how to crochet, then one year later taught myself how to knit.

Day 02 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest

I have been with Alexis since October 2, 1997, the day I found out she would be part of my life. We've had many ups and downs and drama and fun, but in all she's a pretty cool kid.

We have a lot in common, even thought sometimes she would rather not be associated with me. We get the whole "Wow, she looks just like you" thing quite often. She's pretty gifted in music (more-so than I was at that age) and she's crafty and creative. She has a love for reading that mirrors mine EXACTLY. The bad thing for her in knowing that is I know that when she gets in trouble, taking her books away hurt the most!

I hope that she is able to have more choices in life than I did as she gets older. She's got lots of potential and I know that she'll become a beautiful, strong, woman no matter what path in life she takes.

Day 03 - A picture of the cast from your favorite show
An all time favorite show that I find myself watching no matter when it's on (and I have to admit- I haven't even seen every episode!)

Quite possibly our family's all time favorite show. One day we will be on the Amazing Race, but right now since we are not "residents" of the US, we are intelligible. =( But we do love this show!

Day 04 - A picture of your night
This was just the other night, on my baby girl's birthday. It could have really sucked big time if it wasn't for a friend of mine (who happens to be my daughter's teacher) and her husband. Alexis invited 7 friends to karaoke.

No one showed up.

So I called, and she obliged, even though she had tons of stuff to do. I owe her big time!
So, sing your little heart out, my baby girl. Happy Birthday!

Day 05 - A picture of your favorite memory

This is totally a not fair statement. Being married and a mom of 3 awesome kids, there's no one favorite memory. But since Russ and I were just talking about this photo today, I had to share it.

This is Samuel when he was 1. Samuel loved to eat the little microwavable bowls of noodles and raviolis. He called them "Hot Hot". We would sometimes help him out and Russ would grab a meatball and say "Meatball alert!" That kid would eat nearly everything and eat it fearlessly.

Now he's an extremely picky eater. Go Figure.

Day 06 - A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day

Why not! People tell me I resemble Snow White (especially on my wedding day), so why not! Why not be all kind and gentle and have people take their picture with me. Who knows, maybe I can get the woodland animals to help me clean my house.
To Be Continued::::

Day 07 - A picture of your most treasured item

Day 08 - A picture that makes you laugh
Day 09 - A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
Day 10 - A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
Day 11 - A picture of something you hate
Day 12 - A picture of something you love
Day 13 - A picture of your favorite band or artist

Day 14 - A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without

Day 15 - A picture of something you want to do before you die

Day 16 - A picture of someone who inspires you

Day 17 - A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently

Day 18 - A picture of your biggest insecurity

Day 19 - A picture and a letter

Day 20 - A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel

Day 21 - A picture of something you wish you could forget

Day 22 - A picture of something you wish you were better at

Day 23 - A picture of your favorite book

Day 24 - A picture of something you wish you could change

Day 25 - A picture of your day

Day 26 - A picture of something that means a lot to you

Day 27 - A picture of yourself and a family member

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

Only In Japan

2011-06-19T13:10:00.000+09:00

Maybe there are cars like this in America....

... but I doubt it.

Only in Japan.

Then there's this guy...

He's definitely an "Only In Japan"

3 Months

2011-06-16T22:05:00.001+09:00

It has been only 3 months since the Great Japan Earthquake and although much has been done, there is still much to do. Here's a link to some amazing photographs showing the progress and the work to be done.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2001984/Japan-tsunami-earthquake-Pictures-recovery-3-months-later.html

Don't Stop Praying For Japan
http://www.crashjapan.com/ for specific ways to pray for the people of this country.

Art Show 2011

2011-05-11T19:34:00.000+09:00

I don't know if we have more kids in school this year or they've been more productive, but it took quite a while to hunt down Ben and Samuel's art during the art show. There was so much beautiful art on display. Now I have to figure out where to put the boys' art when it comes home next month.
Below I have made a slideshow of each boys' art but you can look at each individual piece at this link. Enjoy!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Previous Year's Art Shows can be found here:
2010
2009
2008

Slide Vs. Ring

2011-04-25T17:58:00.000+09:00

When my husband initially bought my engagement ring, I was very happy with the choice. Not too big, simple, not too chunky to get play dough in it (since I was going to school to be an Early Childhood Educator at the time).

It has lasted many bumps and bruises, one prong was even a little twisted once, but nothing like the Slide Vs. Ring incident of today.

Three of my kids returned to school today after evacuating (YEA!), so they were super excited to play on the big playground at school, since they have been gone since we switched to that one because workers were working on our regular playground. One of my boys asked "Mrs. Tiffany, can we go down the slide together?" Of course we can! I have done it before, why not now?

So, down the slide we went, I was in front and he was behind me with his legs wrapped around me. Then POW- hit the slide with my hand. It hurt! I looked down at my finger to find an empty facet.

Great- some kid is going to find this diamond on the playground, take it home and say "Mommy, isn't this pretty!" I had to find it. I had to hold the kids back while I looked for it. Thank goodness I found it quickly. I'm afraid that if I didn't find it right away, I would have not left the playground until I did.

I emailed this picture to Russ with the subject of "Sorry." He was very sweet about it. He just asked how it happened, then asked if my finger was okay.

So, my finger is nice and bruised and it feels really weird to not have my engagement ring on. I'll just have to get used to it because we probably won't get it fixed until we go back to the states this summer to the jeweler we got it from to have them fix it for free (since it has a lifetime guarantee).

Silly me, I'm not supposed to do this until 2013 for our 10th anniversary! That's when your engagement ring is supposed to be upgraded!

Easter 2011

2011-04-24T17:36:00.000+09:00

Even in Japan we celebrate that our Savior has risen! I even learned how to say "He has risen indeed." in Japanese! Hito ni Yomimaererumashita! Nevermind that I have to count on my fingers the syllables to remember to say it right! But I'm not sure that is even right... it's been a few hours since I've practiced it!

Easter Service was held outside, in a park, where we were blessed with BEAUTIFUL weather! The sun was out with a few clouds (one looked like a rabbit), the wind was mild and the butterflies were fluttering all around. We sung praise songs in English and Japanese. It was neat to look away from our church group, and see other people in the park enjoying the music we were making. Some were even clapping along. I hope that once we return to the states, that the church we go to, we can take our Easter Morning service to a place that will grab attention of passer-bys.

We of course, did the traditional egg dye last night and had an Easter basket for each of the kids (nail stuff for Alexis, and light sabers for the boys). I really miss having a Christian book store around here. But my kids know that the gifts are from us telling them that we love them, not from the Easter Bunny (and the kids know that we hide the eggs, because all day long we've been taking turns hiding eggs all over the place).

I hope you take the time this weekend and share the good news that the tomb is empty! He is Risen! Hito ni Yomimaererumashita!

We're still movin!

2011-04-21T23:17:00.001+09:00

6.1 tonight and the epicenter is quite close. And here I was thinking things were calming down...

Jump

2011-04-13T21:37:00.000+09:00

Took a spring break outing to Showa Park. And when you're at Showa Park, you just have to jump among the clouds...

3 Weeks

2011-04-01T15:53:00.000+09:00

Well, it has been 3 weeks since the world's attention fell on Japan and now we, on base, are comfortable with our new "normal."
As you may know, we were given a Voluntary Authorize Departure order. In small words-we could leave if we wanted to. They would pay for us to get out of Japan to somewhere in the states (now it has extended to other areas such as Hawaii, Guam, Thailand) and then they would pay us per-diem for the first 30 days then 1/2 per-diem for anytime after that. However: you can't return to Japan until the VAD order has been lifted and right now, they don't know when that will be.
Let me tell you, making a decision to stay or go was not easy. With iodine pills being passed out, rumors flying everywhere, having all your children's friends leave without even saying goodbye, and then pressure from family back home to come home now created quite a stressful atmosphere for our family. I have to tell you, ACTUALLY being here, knowing that it is not a "dire situation" like it has been portrayed in the media and hearing from our honest, real, and straightforward command almost was overshadowed by the stresses above. I really did send a text to my husband telling him to put me on the list, I'm ready to go. But God had a plan. The list was closed on that day and didn't open up again until that evening. So when we got the phone call to go and pre-process that evening, I began to cry. That was my sign that I needed to stay put. If God wanted us out, He's going to make a way.
So, we are staying put. We are staying at school and we are staying together. Our new normal is fewer friends, fewer kids in school, daily radiation reading announcements, more military around and more family time.
Now, before you forget about Japan, if you want to help directly with the efforts, I want you to go to http://www.crashjapan.com/ to find out about a program that is designed to help local Japanese churches so they can help Japanese people. If you have any questions about it, just let me know. Our church here in Japan is a HUGE part of this and I assure you that all funds collected through here are safe and will reach people now. Our pastor just went to Cosco and bought LOTS of stuff to help up north.
I ask you again... Please Don't Stop Praying For Japan

And Yet Mother Nature Rocks Us to Sleep Again...

2011-03-19T22:17:00.000+09:00

Nearly every night we have been rocked by an earthquake (usually 5.4-6.1 magnitude). Tonight was no different, just a little bit earlier in the evening, thank goodness, because the kids weren't in bed and I didn't have to run and quickly make a decision of who to throw in the doorway first. Luckily most earthquakes we've had the past few days haven't been long enough to even get to the kids to throw them into the doorway, so that rests my soul a little. Even with all these earthquakes, they still make my heart stop while they are going on. You just never know if this one is going to be big again, or if it's little. Because when the 9.0 earthquake hit on March 11, it started off pretty little and just a little swaying. Then it became more violent and then it didn't stop. Recent quakes have been by far less violent and by far much shorter. I just hope Mt. Fuji stays asleep and the Tokai earthquake stays quiet for now.
As for our little base of Yokota (you can follow things including a daily paper called Tomodachi Times here at this site CLICK ME! ), we are doing some amazing things for the people of Japan. Because of our efforts, the Sendai airport is up and running with supplies of fuel, fire trucks, and basic needs being brought in by C-130's. There are drives for blankets, food, toiletry items that are being collected for CRASH and there are the Voluntary Authorized Departure order that has come into effect.
So what is VAD? It means we can leave if we want to and apparently they will take us to a safe haven location until it's safe for us to come back. So that honestly means that if I want to, I could pack my kids and my cat up and leave Japan for a while. Please realize that I'm not taking my husband with me. Many people at our base have had to make tough decisions on whether or not to leave. There are many different factors going into this decision. Our current status is to stay. Please understand that this is a status that could change at anytime. The window of exiting won't close on me and create a trap for us. Right now, I feel that our command has been honest with us and I feel that our command is looking out for the best of all families stationed at Yokota. The reason for the VAD is due to the Fukushima-Diachi nuclear plant that is 145 miles Northeast of us. Our base bio engineers have not detected any elevated levels of radiation at Yokota (and they've got some really cool equipment they are using to make sure of it). So, right now, there is no need for our family to be split apart. We are safe, we have food, we have gas, we have water, we have clean air, and we have a home.
That doesn't mean we are not getting ready to leave. We are getting organized to leave if the time comes. We have gotten everything ready for Yasumi, our cat, to travel with us, as well as our paperwork in order. Who knows, maybe I'll even pack a bag or two tomorrow.
Until then, maybe I'll sleep soundly like I did last night. Maybe I'll even sleep through an earthquake instead of be woken up by one.
Please don't stop praying for Japan. Pray for us to make the right decision for our family and pray for others that are still making decisions to stay or go. Pray for all the military that are working together to help Japan. Pray for those that are displaced to find comfort. Pray for those who are still searching for family members. And now after watching this video, maybe pray that Nuclear Boy doesn't poo outside his pants.
Enjoy the video that is being used to explain to children in Japan what is happening. They should play this on Fox news instead of that punk David Piper.

Update: Earthqakes and Meltdowns

2011-03-16T07:34:00.000+09:00

Dear Friends and Family,
Looking around, if you look past the gas lines and the empty shelves, you can't tell we even had an earthquake. But here at Yokota, we've got visitors from around the world with lots of helicopters to help with the efforts north of us. We have felt earthquakes over the past few days (I have friends who live in towers that stopped counting at 60 earthquakes). The picture above is the earthquake we felt last night around 10:30 (March 15th). It was a 6.1 and this one was in a place that we haven't had any activity in since the big one hit on the 11th. This one was by Mt. Fuji. We felt it (my friend, Kristi, was on the phone with me and was really good at calming me down).
School is still on and life is going on over here. We are 143 miles south west from the Fukushima nuclear reactors. Currently our air is clean with no elevated levels of radiation (because afterall, everywhere has radiation with the sun, earth, and other stuff making it naturally). Our base has checked the air 2-3 times a day and they send us out a report on their findings.
I ask that you PRAY! Pray for this country. 1% of this country claims they are Christian. All others travel to temples to pray to gods who live in the temples. Pray that these people of Japan turn and pray to the one true God instead of the ones that can be washed away in a wave. Pray that those in the north that have been displaced stay warm. It is still winter here in Japan and it's getting cold again.
Pray for the peace and calm for the people who are here and want to go home. There is a lot of anxiety around us. Pray they find peace and find a purpose to be here until the time comes for them to leave.
We are currently not at a point of evacuating, but there is always a chance (like there has always been). I will keep you updated as much as possible, but now I get to go back to normal and ensure my 18 students have a normal day withouth the blaring worry and fear coming from American media sources.
Thank you for being concerned about us and thank you for praying for us. Please don't stop praying for Japan.

Tiffany

Earthquake March 11, 2011

2011-03-11T22:06:00.000+09:00

At 2:45 pm we had an earthquake measuring 8.9. I was at school talking with a friend and thought I was getting dizzy. I looked at my friend and she asked "Do you feel that?" Then we heard others in school and we ran outside (completely against our normal earthquake practice which would be to go under a table or in a doorway). It was the weirdest feeling ever. At first, I thought "Oh cool... this is awesome!" because it was rolling, almost shaking in a circle under my feet. Kinda like I was surfing or something. Looking around, the trees were shaking, the power poles were wobbling, the swings were swinging 5 feet in the sky with no children on them, my van was rocking back and forth. And then it got a little stronger and then it didn't STOP! That's when I began to be worried. It lasted about 45 seconds. When it ended, I grabbed my stuff and went home to a very excited family. Here at Yokota, it measured a 5.0. Looking a the picture, the x is the epicenter. It is about 150 km away. We live right at the bottom of the orange blob. One of those orange blobs are ours. These blobs are sensors placed all over Japan to measure earthquake activity. We've actually seen 2 of them (because of geocaching). This is considered the most powerful earthquake on record for Japan.
Because of the earthquake, all Tokyo trains have stopped for the remainder of the day (now people are stranded). They closed Narita and Haneda (because they are near the water) and have routed planes to our base that would have landed at Narita.
We have no damage. In fact, Alexis was heading home on the bus when the earthquake hit and she didn't feel it at all. We had an aftershock about 20 minutes after the first one, so she got to feel that instead. She was quite nervous. All of my children are a little scared, as they are asleep right now on the couch because they don't want to be alone.
Thank you all for asking about us. We are all okay. The tsunami was north of us (that was amazing footage). If I hear of a way to help, I'll let you know.

Ben at school

2011-03-04T23:29:00.001+09:00

While my kids were playing outside, I noticed Ben in his class working hard. Had to snap a quick picture.

A Song To Share

2011-02-19T00:16:00.000+09:00

I love Pandora- type in one song you love and it will play all sorts of songs you might love too. And it has introduced me to many songs I have never heard of before.
I wanted to share this one to you. It's called Gravity by Shawn McDonald. I think it hit me because all to often I let the world get to me. I let it guide me throught the normal stuff instead of having my Lord guide me. Gravity does pull me down in the forms of 4 and 5 year olds some days. And Lord, I never want to fall away from you, even for a second.
And it's got a catchy chorus and good melody. =)

The ways of this world are grabbing a hold

Won't let me go, won't let me fly by
It’s taking it's toll down on my soul
‘Cause I know what I need in my life
Don't let me lose my sight of You
Don't let me lose my sight

Chorus:
I don't want to fall away from You
Gravity is pulling me on down
I don't want to fall away from You
Gravity is pulling me to the ground

This world keeps making me cry
But I'm going to try, going to try to fly, GOTTA FLY HIGH
Don't want to give into the sin, want to stay IN YOU ‘til the end
Don't want to lose my sight of You
Don't want to lose my sight

Chorus

I want to fly
Into the sky
Turn my back on this WHOLE world AND
Leave it all behind
This place is not my home
It's got nothing for me
Only leaves me with emptiness
And tears in my eyes

Chorus

Today is Brought To You By the Letter T

2011-02-17T20:04:00.000+09:00

Rules: It's harder than it looks! Copy, paste, erase my answers and enter yours. Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real...nothing made up! You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question. And I had to change it up a bit- add a photo that goes with each of my answers. Enjoy!

1. What is your name : Tiffany

2. A four Letter Word: Tool

3. A boy's Name: Trent

4. A girl's Name: Tracy

5. An occupation: Teacher

6. A color: Teal

7. Something you'll wear: Tank Top

9. A food: Tiramisu

10. Something found in the bathroom: Toilet

11. A place: Tokyo

12. A reason for being late: Traffic

13. Something you'd shout: "Thank you!"

14. A movie title: Titanic

15. Something you drink: Tea

16. A musical group: Train

17. An animal: Tiger

18. A street name: Trumper

19. A type of car: Truck

20. The title of a song: Thriller

Military Spouse Share

2011-02-16T21:09:00.000+09:00

As you probably know, I am an Air Force wife. I have stood on a soap box before (you can refer to it here), but some friends shared a blog post by an Army wife and I thought it was worth sharing with you. Some of my friends think that military spouses are just like the Army Wives TV show. Although I've never seen it, I can tell you that no one could ever know what it's like until you've taken the ride of deployment.
My husband has been deployed and will probably be deployed again some time before his career is over. It's never easy, no matter what. The only thing to look forward to is my mom's goulash, which Russ doesn't like (He makes beenie weenies when I'm gone). But I do know when it happens, that it will be a test, and God will be with me and so will my true friends. I hope you enjoy reading her post. If you happened to stumble upon a military spouse who is in the middle of a deployment, don't ask, "Do you need anything?" because, chances are, we won't tell you we need something. Instead, offer to do something specific that is a huge chore for us, such as mowing the lawn or getting the car tuned up and an oil change. Or even offer to take our children away from us for just the afternoon.

Photos from my phone- 2009 version

2011-02-16T16:58:00.001+09:00

In 2009 we were lucky enough to travel home to California, Texas and Arkansas (and even visit our old house with our handprints still in the sidewalk). We went to the All Japan festival again, we climbed Mt. Fuji, went to the zoo, saw Nickleback, and punded mochi. Ben began to attend Japanese preschool, Russ traveled to Okinawa, Samuel began soccer and Alexis began middle school.

Photos from my phone- 2008 version

2011-02-15T22:03:00.000+09:00

In 2008, Ben turned 3, Samuel turned 5 and started Kindergarten, and Alexis turned 10 and began to play softball.

We traveled to a Sumo Match, the Ueno Zoo, Disneyland, saw our first Fireworks Festival, went trout fishing, and Russ and I attended our first Air Force ball together.

Photos from my phone-2007 version

2011-02-15T21:38:00.000+09:00

I was able to get a new phone (yippie) and I decided to send all my photos from my old phone to my picasa page- well then I decided to share them with you! Enjoy some photos from 2007- right after we arrived in Japan. Ben was only 2, Samuel was turning 4 and Alexis just began 4th grade.

ABC's of Me

2011-02-15T21:20:00.000+09:00

Since I really haven't had a chance to blog about myself and my sweet, blessed little life I live, I thought I'd bring you up-to-date of sorts by a little review of some ABC's. After all, I am a teacher.
The ABC of Me!

A - Age: Oh my goodness- this is the first time I've typed this since I reached this. I'm 30!

B - Bed Size: Queen (and always with two blankets because I always steal one)

C - Chore you hate: Dishes

D - Dogs Name: I had a great dog when I was a kid named Winnie, but no dogs now. Maybe when we leave Japan we'll get one and name him Yoshi.

E - Essential Start of the Day item: My computer

F - Favourite Color: Green

G - Gold or Silver: Silver

H - Height: 5'11''

I - Instruments you play: French Horn

J - Job: Teacher to 18 soon to be kindergartners! We have so much to learn!!!

K - Kids: A beautiful daughter, Alexis, 12; And two entertaining boys, Samuel, 7 and Ben 5

L - Living Arrangements: On a military base in a Suburbia Tokyo, sharing a building with 3 other families.

M - Music You Love: Train, Goo Goo Dolls, Matchbox 20, Christian Praise

N - Nicknames: "Babe" or "Mrs. Tiff-uh-neeeeeeeeeee"

O - Overnight Hospital Stay: 3 child births

P - Pet Peeve: Just about anything having to do with the toilet paper- looking for the end, having an empty roll on the holder, having a roll off the holder...

Q - Quote from a Movie: "That's my boat"

R - Right handed or Left: Left

S - Siblings: None- just blessed with wonderful sister- and brother-in-laws

T - Time you wake up: 6:40am

U - Underwear: Usually lacy, most of the time boy shorts
V - Vegetables you dislike: Black Eyed Peas
W - Workout Style: I used to elliptical, but now I just chase kids all day

X - X-Rays You've had: My brain (MRI) and my teeth

Y - Yummy Food you make: Cheesecake

Z - The best place to Visit: Tokyo

Ikibukuro- Ice Cream City

2011-02-14T21:08:00.000+09:00

Are you daring? Do you eat things first and ask questions later? Heck, did you ever want to know what ox tongue ice cream or even viper ice cream tastes like? Take the time to go to Ikibukuro to Sunshine City and find the Ice Cream City (cost 300 yen to get into where Ice Cream city is). Ikibukuro is a very popular shopping district (and it has El Torrito too!) with Build a Bear Workshop and an Ice Cream Museum with 100's of versions of ice cream. From crab to viper to strawberry to honey, you can find something you like or even something you'd like to say you have ate. We took a trip in November to try it out (after finally convincing my husband to go) and was completely entertained. We eventually bought 12 types of ice cream and just passed them around. Here is what we picked up:

So- here's the lowdown: Mikan- VERY strong orange flavor; Rice- mild but has actual rice grains in it; Avacado- too avacado-y and didn't eat much of that one; Tulip- Any flower flavor probably tastes like a garden and this one tasted like you sprayed tulip perfume in your mouth; Coffee- Good, just like you'd by from Breyers or something; Onsen- (which by the way is what the Japanese bathhouses are calle) milky, almost like Calpis soda (for those who know what that is); Old taste- like homemade snow ice cream or even cheap vanilla from the ice cream man; Honey- Just like honey, sweet and mild; Corn- frozen corn kernals, and yes, it had actual corn pieces; Curry- Indian Curry, just cold and it was quite good; Squid Ink- kinda a bubble gum, sweet, slightly fishy aftertaste to it; Ox Tongue- Beef jerky ice cream- yes, real pieces of ox tongue were used in making this ice cream.
So there you have it... the low down of these flavors. We stayed away from the fish options (tuna, squid, octopus), but there are plenty to choose from. I hope you get the opportunity to go one day because it was definately an experience to have. Any visitors we have we may have to take them there and blindfold them just to have them try some unique flavors.
Here's our video review: enjoy!

2011-02-11T17:29:00.002+09:00

Cache no. 90

2011-02-05T14:21:00.002+09:00

We went geocaching around Tokyo today and found an awesome shot of Tokyo Tower. I love Japan!

We Eat Whale!

2011-01-13T19:32:00.000+09:00

365 January 8

2011-01-08T09:50:00.002+09:00

This is the start of my new niece, Brooklyn´s baby blanket. She'll be welcomed into this world in about 11 weeks. Gotta get working on it before she comes!

How I spent my Wednesday

2011-01-05T13:55:00.001+09:00

Sorry, but my team is in the Sugar Bowl. I gotta watch the game! Go Hogs!

Mt. Fuji

2011-01-04T16:37:00.001+09:00

I love living here!

Blogging from my droid

2011-01-04T16:28:00.000+09:00

Let me just say that I love my new phone and it's been a long time commin´. I'm trying for the first time to blog from my droid, so we'll see how it goes . Maybe it will help me become a more frequent blogger. I'm sharing a picture that Ben designed on an app on my phone.

365 Challenge Day 2

2011-01-03T20:13:00.001+09:00

We went to check the mail from our vacation today. 8 packages. I was really hoping to have my Cricut machine in one of those boxes. Now I just get to anticipate it instead. Where is it Joanne?

FO: Merry Christmas Socks

2011-01-02T16:12:00.000+09:00

Pattern: Waving Lace Socks (from Favorite Socks)

Needle Size: 2

Yarn: Lorna's Laces Shephard Sock Yarn

Color: Holly Jolly

Made For: Ben's Kindergarten Teacher

This is my second time to make socks from this pattern. Love the flow if it and absolutely LOVE the yarn. It was hard to give it up, but since it was in my stash for a year, it was time to venture onto another's foot.

365 Challenge Day 1

2011-01-02T16:07:00.000+09:00

Woke up this morning with this knocking on my bedroom door. What creativity they have! =)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-11T12:54:00.000+09:00

Motegi Speedway

2010-11-23T19:49:00.000+09:00

Samuel was given an AWESOME opportunity to travel with Cub Scouts to Motegi Speedway to see a real Indy Car race. It was sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America car (#19) and so the whole trip (aside from teh $30 bus fee) was completely free. We got to tour the garage, meet the driver (Alex Loyd), and sit right behind the flag box. I'm not big into racing (infact, when we lived in Arkansas and my husband would watch NASCAR, I would take a nap), so I thought it would be boring and loud. Loud I was right on. Good thing we brought earplugs. Wow those cars are LOUD!

Our driver, Alex Lloyd (Samuel and Ben got to shake his hand!)

We had a wonderful experience and I hope you enjoy the video (to come) and pictures!

Motegi - slideshow with music

Thanksgiving School Project

2010-11-21T18:54:00.000+09:00

Ben had a family project of making a turkey with the family to share with the class. We decided to make a turkey parade instead. From left to right, we have Yasumi's pawprint that is a turkey, Russ's feather turkey, Tiffany's fingerprint turkey, Alexis' paper turkey, Samuel's leaf and paper turkey, and Ben's painted turkey.

It's a Turkey Parade!

Happy Halloween 2010

2010-10-31T20:54:00.000+09:00

Ben as Big Ben, Alexis as a Witch, and Samuel as Uncle Sam

The Halloween Feast
Bloody Coffin
Brain Salad and Cheese sandwich
Bloody Haystacks
Pumpkin Poop
Edible Skeleton
and of course.... Blood

The Candy Stash

The Pumpkins

Despite the cool and the drizzle, my sweet family still made it a day to celebrate being someone you are not and had a wonderful time seeing the neighborhood dressed up. Happy Halloween!

Alexis' First Dance

2010-10-31T15:25:00.000+09:00

Alexis was finally able to go to her first dance. Being in 7th grade, it's all about the drama, so where else can you find drama than at a middle school dance. We went shopping at H&M and found a super cute dress. Luckily she already had some socks to go with it, wore some short boots and borrowed a witches hat from a friend of mine.

Apparently she had a whole lot of fun. She talked Russ' ears off on the ride home and then proceded to talk my ears off when she got home. She quoted as "I danced like a freak." and apprently even a few days after, she's still feeling the effects of her partyness.
I'm so glad she had fun, because my middle school dancing experiences were not always so fun. I remember being all sad because my crush was dancing with another girl.

That's okay... I have a much better life now than I ever expected to have, plus I have a beautiful young lady to be so proud of.

Mt. Fuji is Singing To Us

2010-10-11T21:30:00.001+09:00

While attempting to get to Mt. Fuji to climb part of it this summer with my children, I heard the road make a strange noise (I completely thought it was my car at first, which, by the way, we did spend part of our trip on the side of the road because of my car). Then I realized it was a song. So, we turned around and took the trip again- 3 times. We were unable to go up Mt. Fuji as the drive just to the 5th station would have taken 4 hours- uh... no thank you. Good thing we extended. We'll try again next summer!

Children's Play Place at Diamond City

2010-09-20T20:19:00.001+09:00

Attention Yokotaians! There is a wonderful play place to take your busy children to! It can be a little expensive, but it's located in Diamond City mall (now called Aeon Mall) right behind H&M. There are lots of cool play areas, including balls, pretend play, trains, dress-up, and sometimes the workers come out and do an activity with the kids. It reminds us a lot of The Wonder Place in Little Rock.

We visited here on a day in July when the power was out because of the floods we had. (Our house was not damaged, but the power was out for some time)

If your kids are driving you crazy, head out to Diamond City and hold "If you want to play, then you need to be good while Mommy shops." over your children's heads. =)

Diamond City Play Place - free slideshows

Father Daughter Dance

2010-09-20T18:26:00.000+09:00

One of the qualfications of falling in love with Russ was that he had to love Alexis as if she were his own. He's done a pretty good job at that, even through the dramatic 12 year old life that we get to be involved in. Most days it's good. Some days it's crazy.

Before Alexis headed to Arkansas for the summer, her and Russ went to their annual trip to the Father Daughter Dance.

This year Alexis was not wearing boots. She's growing too fast.

Here's 2009s version.

Poet and Did Know It

2010-09-20T18:20:00.000+09:00

I'm so sad and dissappointed that I never shared this with you! Last year, Samuel became involved in the poetry club at school and they had a poetry slam one evening. He read two poems.

Now if Samuel can ever find the poems, I'll share them with you.

Molecule: Read before leaving

2010-08-17T13:06:00.000+09:00

I love Etsy.com and I found a great store that provided me with something better than a lifesize cut-out of Jesus. Go check it out (they even sent me a free sample that has a perfect place in my kitchen). Easy to apply and looks beautiful too!

Wall Worthy

Top 3 Complete by our 3rd Japanniversary!

2010-08-17T11:41:00.002+09:00

When we moved to Japan 3 years ago today, we had already decided we would make it a point to visit 3 specific places.

Kyoto for the history (and for the shinkansen ride)

Sapporo for the Snow Festival

Okinawa for the beaches

Misson complete!

Now what to do for the rest of our time here...

maybe venture outside Japan- say Singapore? =)

How to Get to Okinawa With As Many Forms of Transportation as Possible

2010-08-07T09:28:00.000+09:00

Step1
Wake up really early during the summer (5:00 wake up for the whole family and depart the house at 5:30) and drive to the terminal on base.
Step 2
Tell them that you are here and wait patiently to see if you get to get on the free airplane (military space A) to start your vacation. Then you grimace when you see 23 marines walk into the terminal after you (because they have bigger priority than your little vacation.
Step 3
Wait very anxiously for them to call your name, and then have to revert to Plan B when they only call 5 families and then say "At this time, all seats are full."

Plan B- commercial airways
Step 4
Go get the van and take the family to the train station and then have them wait for you as you (I) take the van back to the base and walk a bazillion miles to meet up with them (okay, not a bazillion, but it was about a 30 min walk).
Step 5
Get on the train- with 5 suitcases and 2 children.
Step 6
Change trains in the world's busiest train station (Shinjuku) to one of the busiest lines (Yamanote) in Tokyo with 5 suitcases and 2 children.
Step 7
Change to a monorail to take you to an airport that is operating at 98% capacity. (BTW, the monorail goes underground at some points, so we considered it a subway ride as well)
Step 8
Arrive at the airport and find a ticket counter with JAL and pull an "Amazing Race Moment" and say "We need to get to Okinawa as soon as possible."
Step 9
Buy tickets for a flight leaving in 30 minutes and get rushed through security (BTW- I'm thinking last minute ticket purchases are the way to go in Japan... it was over $175 a ticket cheaper than anything we saw online) and arrive at the terminal with 3 min. to spare before boarding.
Step 10
Fly JAL to Okinawa and arrive at Naha Airport (which actually shares with a Japanese air self defence base, kinda cool).
Step 11
Take a taxi ride to Kadena to sign up for a (hopefully) free flight home next week and pick up a rental car.
Step 12
Get the rental car.
Did you loose track? Yesterday we traveled 10 different ways to get to Okinawa.
1. Van
2. Foot
3. Train
4. Monorail
5. Subway
6. Escalator
7. Elevator
8. Plane
9. Taxi
10. Rental Car

Was it worth it? Heck ya! It's beautiful here and the ocean is ready for us to stick our toes in.

Molecule: Kitty Wants to Go Too

2010-08-04T15:27:00.000+09:00

Yasumi can always tell when we are about to leave. She gets extra anxious and extra clingy. I think she wants to play at the beach too.

FO: Earth Friendly Tote

2010-07-25T11:04:00.000+09:00

Pattern: Earth Friendly Tote from Crochet Today Sept/Oct 2009

Hook: G

Yarn: Sugar and Cream Cotton

I started this when the project first came out in the magazine. Was going along fine until I ran out of green yarn. I put it to the side for a long time (thinking I would just get more green yarn), and found it the other day while I was cleaning my craft area and decided to finish it up with white yarn. I followed the pattern exactly for the bag part, but made up the handle on my own. I like the style of it and it is a HUGE bag, able to fit 3 towels and 2 snorkels. I might give it away. Any takers???

FO: Spinning Dolores

2010-07-25T10:56:00.000+09:00

Oh My Goodness! Look at that! I actually made something!!! Well, in my defence, life turned quite busy in March when I had to figure out how to be a working mom again. Now that it's summer, I can revert to my old crafting habits for the next month (until school starts again).

Anyway- I had this yarn for this project for over a year. Got it at the 100 yen store, so the whole thing cost about 550 yen. It was the first time for me to use the Solomon's Knot and it was super quick to make. I like that the black yarn has specks of silver woven in it.

Pattern: Dolores (available for free at Knitting Daily)

Hook Size: E

Yarn: Kira Kira Cotton from the 100 yen store

This was supposed to have some negative ease, but I've got none. But I love the look of it and I'm enjoying wearing it in the hot summer sun!

Crashing Cars

2010-06-30T20:37:00.000+09:00

Sounds like a band, but instead it was 2 hours of entertainment for the boys today (and gave me a chance to take a summer nap). They received these pez dispenser cars from Grandma and Grandpa for Christmas one year and decided that it would be fun to do demolition derby with them.
Ben's car won. His is the last one able to still roll on all 4 wheels since Samuel's front axle was knocked off.
I wonder what they will think of next...

Art Show 2010

2010-06-28T15:42:00.000+09:00

At Samuel's school, we have the world's best art teacher. Every year he puts all the kids art work together and has an art show that is wonderful to see all the talent our school has. This year, we only had to track down one child's artwork, so it was a little easier (plus I was able to scout out the location of some since I work there now!)

Samuel said this was a picture of him and Ben (Ben is the skinny one in the back).

Previous Art Shows:

2009

2008

Molecule: Who Needs a Big Screen When...

2010-06-28T09:54:00.000+09:00

You have a projector for under 1/2 the price? Now all we need is a power source and we've got a theater in our house. Sweet!

Oh Yeah...

2010-06-28T09:36:00.002+09:00

In looking through my youtube videos I posted, I realized I never shared this one with you from Russ's birthday at Strong Arm Sushi. Sadly, it reminds me of A Christmas Story.

How to Get into the Guinness Book of World Records the Easy Way

2010-06-27T19:24:00.001+09:00

Step 1: Be in the right place at the right time.
Step 2: Participate

Now, you will not find our names in the book, but I have photographic proof we were there!
For Father's Day, I got Russ tickets to see a Yakult Swallow's Baseball game (because he has this goal of seeing a game in each of the Professional Japanese baseball stadiums, and since there are only 12, it's actually attainable). This is our 4th stadium to visit. Jingu Stadium was built in 1926. It reminded us a lot of Ray Winder Field in Arkansas.
As we were entering into the stadium, they gave us a cup, a coke, and a sheet of paper that looked like this.

In looking at it, I thought at first it was a challenge to see if you can chug a drink in 30 seconds. Russ was all ready for it, but then we realized during the whole thing it was just say "Kampai" (which is cheers in Japanese) to this guy (in a photo below). So, according to life.com:
People Make Simultaneous Toast To Challenge Guinness World Record

TOKYO, JAPAN - JUNE 26: Fans make a simultaneous toast, raising their cups, in the Guinness World Record attempt for the largest toast during the fifth inning of the baseball game between the Tokyo Yakult Swallows and the Hanshin Tigers at Jingu Stadium on June 26, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. The new record, officially confirmed by the adjudicator, was recorded at 27,126 people in the attempt to break the previous record which was 26,564 people at an event in Portugal in 2009.

Therefore, we made it! We are in the Guinness Book of World Records. Something I've secretly always wanted to do, and now I can cross that off my list (however it wasn't on my 101 in 1001) of things to do.

Russ loading his cup.

The crowd joining in a Kampai!

We are toasting to this guy- have no idea who he is.

It's official!

My cool kids

2010-06-23T08:32:00.000+09:00

Alexis just turned 12 and is about to journey to America.
Samuel just became a wolf scout and has a mohawk.
Ben just finished his Yochien experience and is getting ready to begin Kindergarten.

My kids are beautiful and wonderful and Russ and I are truely blessed beyond measure.

Every Ending is a New Beginning

2010-06-13T21:27:00.000+09:00

My short adventures in kindergarten come to a close in a just a few days. Jumping onto "a moving train" is how I felt back in March, but now that I see how far we have all come together, I look at my 19 wonderful children in my class and I'm so proud of all of them. They have all grown so much since I have had them and I hope I was able to plant a little seed of curiosity in them about something amazing in the world.

And this will be a short chapter in my career as next year I will not be in kindergarten. Instead, I will be teaching Sure Start (pre-k) to 18 new, wonderful children. This will be an adventure for me but I feel that God has really prepared me for it with my recent experiences in the PWOC watchcare program. 4 year olds are so full of joy and curiosity. Now, I just have to get over my lack of singing ability and have fun!

Here's an excerpt from the DODEA website about Sure Start:

Welcome to Sure Start

Sure Start is an exemplary, research-based preschool program that serves military children and families living overseas. In addition to offering a high-quality educational program that reflects best practices in the field, Sure Start also provides health and nutrition, social, and parent involvement services. Close collaboration between families, schools, and the installation community is viewed as essential and a required part of the program.

This multi pronged approach to the delivery of services distinguishes Sure Start from all other DoDEA programs. At the same time, Sure Start ensures that participating children receive the same uncompromisingly excellent education that all DoDEA children are guaranteed.

Sure Start's comprehensive model, although appropriate for all preschool children, targets preschoolers who are "at risk" for later school failure because of economic circumstance or other health and/or family factors.

DoDEA believes that with a sure start, children in all military families can develop the social/emotional and academic competence needed for productive, lifelong learning. The Sure Start preschool program is based on the premise that children's potential for learning is influenced by their early cultural, physical, social, emotional, linguistic, creative, and cognitive experiences. It incorporates the tenets of child growth and development and family systems theory that stem from the works of Piaget, Erikson, Vygotsky, Smilansky, Kolb, Bronfenbrenner, and Gardner, among others.

Because children who are identified as being at risk for school failure may have limited access to opportunities that enhance development in all domains, Sure Start provides children and families with an intensive curriculum that teaches requisite skills in a way that addresses children's unique learning styles and intelligences. The Sure Start program is wedded to the beliefs that risk is not destiny and that early intervention can ameliorate risk factors.

Enrollment Eligibility

Sure Start is a program for command sponsored dependents. It is primarily a program for qualified four year olds. (The child must turn four years old by September 1 of the current school year.) Children qualify for Sure Start based on family dynamics which may put the child "at risk":

◦based on rank of sponsor (E-1-E-4 or civilian rank equivalent, first priority)

◦single parent household

◦parent(s) not a high school graduate

◦parent a teenager when first child was born

◦one or both parents speak a language other than English as their primary language;

◦low birth weight;

◦parent is on remote assignment (TDY) three months or more;

◦four or more children close in age, living in the home;

◦child has older sibling with a severe disability.

Different Models

The Head Start Model

Sure Start strives to incorporate the many features of Head Start that are correlated with high quality:

◦full day program

◦four-pronged delivery system - education, health, social services, and family involvement

◦medical, dental and developmental screenings and follow-up assessment

◦nutritious lunches and snacks

◦active involvement by family

◦developmentally appropriate practice at the core of all programming.

Features Unique to Sure Start

To make Sure Start fit into DoDEA culture and regulations, Sure Start has evolved into a program with a distinct personality. Specifically, Sure Start differs from Head Start in the following ways:

◦oversight of the program is by DoDEA, rather than the program itself;

◦while Head Start uses income as the defining criterion for eligibility, Sure Start regards family income as the most important- but not the sole- factor in enrollment eligibility;

◦whereas Head Start mandates that a minimum of 10% of classroom slots be reserved for children with disabilities, Sure Start does not use disability status as an enrollment criterion;

◦parent involvement in Sure Start is a mandatory part of the program;

◦Sure Start uses DoDEA PreK Foundational Standards to base its curriculum. Teachers and program assistants receive

◦training in its implementation to ensure consistency;

◦Sure Start specifies a ratio of 2 adults to 18-20 students.

A Day in Sure Start!

Although every Sure Start program is different, most programs follow a schedule similar to the one below:

◦8:15 - 8:45 Quiet Centers to start our day. We can work on the computers, play a game with friends, do a puzzle, draw a picture, write a story, read a book, choose a table toy...

◦8:45 - 9:00 At Group Time we sing songs, recite poems, listen to stories, do fingerplays, and share with our friends

◦9:00 - 10:00 All Centers are open for exploring! We can dress up and play in our housekeeping/dramatic play area, build a tower or make a road in the blocks center, play at the water table, make and eat a snack, paint, create with play-doh, read a book, write a story, create with Legos, paint or draw, work on a special project....

◦10:00 - 11:00 Outdoor Play. Ride bikes, climb, slide, run, kick a ball, play in the house, work at a center...

◦11:00 - 11:15 Group Time - listen to a story, sing some songs, share with our friends, review our morning work...

◦11:15 - 11:45 Lunch. Set the table, Eat with our friends, teachers and parents, talk with our friends, eat healthy food, clean up.

◦11:45 - 12:00 Brush teeth, get ready for rest time.

◦12:00 - 1:15 Rest time. Our bodies need rest to grow.

◦1:15 - 2:15 Eat snack and work at our centers

◦2:15 - Good-bye! See you tomorrow. We can't wait to tell our family about our day in Sure Start!

My day begins at 7:50 and ends at 1:30, so the schedule will be a little different. I'm extremely excited!
So a new adventure begins...

Happy Birthday Alexis!

2010-06-12T11:51:00.000+09:00

12 years old

Wow!

Where did the time go?

5'3''

size 8 shoes

size 1 pants

Happy Birthday my angel!

I love you to the stars and back!

No Longer a Mother to a Preschooler

2010-06-11T22:14:00.001+09:00

I thought I would write about our most recent birthday before we celebrate another (actually tomorrow). For a recap of birthdays in the past, please see this post and this one.

And now he is 5 and he has requested we never call him Little Ben anymore- don't even try to call him Medium Ben because it's Big Ben now. I want to call him Big Ben Kindergarten, but he said no. He's quite picky.

We headed to Hakkeijima Sea Paradise with a Space Shuttle Birthday cake so we could watch and touch dolphins. And we were successful!

Happy Birthday Ben! I can't believe he's already 5 years old. Did you realize he's spent most of his life in Japan?

Sumo!

2010-06-06T15:30:00.000+09:00

Let me tell you, scouting in Japan provides so many neat opportunities. Although it was a rainy Sunday, the boys stripped down, tied on their sumo loin cloth, and bouted with American and Japanese scouts in a traditional Sumo tournament. It was a lot of fun, although at first Samuel was completely against putting on the sumo cloth.

Sumo wrestlers have nicknames they use as sumo wrestlers. Samuel was called "Dr. B" in reference to Dr. Bad Guy and Ben was called "Beanie Weenie."

Here's the boys together just before the parade of wrestlers. They only wore their signs for the parade around the ring.

Here is Samuel and Ben looking "mean" before the tournament started. I'm thinking they are looking quite thin.

Ben's first bout was with the biggest kid there. But, he was fearless and fought with all has might. Even though he lost, he never lost his determination. When he lost, he snapped his fingers and said "So close!"

Samuel had a more even match, but the other boy would grab him and Samuel would succumb to the pain instead of driving through it. He fell and got hurt twice while sumoing.

Ben had another bout with a big kid (he's in 3rd grade) and Ben tried his hardest to stay in the ring. He had his toes on that rope for at least 30 sec while this guy tried to push him out.

It was a lot of fun to see the boys sumo. Alexis said she wanted to sumo next year... we'll see.

And although the boys didn't win any of their matches, Samuel happened to be on the winning team and won a gold medal in the team event.

Another Season in the Books

2010-06-05T13:17:00.000+09:00

Russ and I have just finished a very exciting season of coaching t-ball to 11 amazingly fun kids. We had a great time this year and I think they all learned a lot. Samuel got his best hit of the season today (it was in the air all the way to the outfield) and Ben did an excellent job as bat boy.

As for Alexis, I hope she's doing well. They've got a tournament at another base today and could play all day long. They've won nearly all of their games, so I hope they play well today. We'll find out tonight when she is home and I'll let you know how it went.

By the way... I did not authorize the mo hawk.

Sigh...

Molecule: Long Time Coming

2010-05-31T23:28:00.000+09:00

With only 13 more days to go in first grade, this 6 1/2 year old little boy had a tooth that was loose. This morning (on his brother's birthday) he came into my room with a hole in his face. I asked him where his tooth was and luckily he was able to find it laying in his bed.

I'm so glad he finally lost a tooth.

PLAY BALL!

2010-05-27T22:13:00.001+09:00

Alexis is playing softball again (after a year hiatus due to grades) and Samuel is enjoying his second year of t-ball. Unfortunately, Ben doesn't get to play until next year, so he is the world's best bat boy for now. So, you can guarantee that every Saturday we will probably eat breakfast at Sunrise Bakery and then head to the field (since ALL but one of Alexis' games are away games, she's usually on a bus, but we were able to see 2 of her games) and Russ and I have taken on the challenge of coaching Samuel's t-ball team where we have 11 very fun and active kids running around the field. Sometimes they run the right way and sometimes they completely forget what to do after they hit the ball. It's highly entertaining.

Breakfast before the first game of the season

Alexis at bat (she was walked)

Look! She can run!

Samuel ready to wack the ball (and me hoping he doesn't hit me with the bat. I haven't been hit... yet.)

Samuel rounding the bases, smiling all the way around.

I'm really enjoying ball season this year. I played softball for 10 years growing up. I love being able to pass my knowledge onto other kids and watch them grow through the season. Plus, it's lots of fun for the whole family this year.

Lion King

2010-05-26T23:02:00.001+09:00

I wrote about our trip to see Lion King in Tokyo a little, but I never really told you the impact it made on our family... well, maybe it wasn't really the play that was the greatest impact. I think it was this video. Go watch it again so you can understand what the boys are doing...

So, that brings us to a Sunday morning after we saw the play in Roppongi where we found a geocache in what we now call Kitty and Frog park (since this was the park that we found the geocache with the frogs and there were quite a few cats making themselves comfortable). After finding the geocache and petting a kitty, Ben took on the slide... step by step until he reached the top for a gigantic roar.

And of course, Russ and Samuel had to join in (that's Roppongi Hills behind them) on top of the jungle gym.

This park is pretty close to where we stayed at Hardy Barracks. If you are military and want to stay in Tokyo and don't mind somewhere that reminds you of an old dorm room, go there. We stayed in Roppongi for 2 nights for only $100... NO WHERE in Tokyo can you do that. We were going to stay at the New Sanno (which is really nice), but they were booked. So we stayed at the Hardy Barracks (which is a 7 min. car ride from New Sanno- close enough for Sunday Brunch) and enjoyed Barbacoa, geocaching, Lion King, and brunch at the New Sanno from there.

Geocaching with Bean's Club

2010-05-25T21:23:00.001+09:00

I had heard some friends in the states talk about Geocaching a few years ago. Kinda looked into it, but not too deeply. Thought it might be fun to do, but didn't really know where to start. Well, the best way to start is find a friend who does it and tag along. So, we found some friends and they drug us through the woods to find our first 3 geocaches. We had such a fun time together as a family that we decided to have Santa bring us a handheld GPS device. And then it began. We now try to find geocaches wherever we travel to, whether it be down the road a piece, to the Sapporo Snow Festival, Nagano, downtown Roppongi, just wherever we go.

Geocaching is a world-wide treasure hunt where you go to http://www.geocaching.com/ and find the coordinates to somewhere you would like to find a treasure. Sometimes they are in a park and sometimes they are right under your nose. Once you find the treasure, you sign the log and (sometimes) trade for something in the box. Our team name is Beans Club and so far we have found 36 geocaches. You know it's addicting when your husband asks, "What would you like to do for Mother's day?" and the answer is "geocache." And we have hidden 2 geocaches ourselves. Here's the links for them! Go find them!

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=d230d399-0d23-467c-a0cb-7c1a124d56d8

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=4817e76e-c50b-4185-bdfc-87e548b217c2

Below are some photos of our geocaching experiences. Enjoy!

Sapporo Snow Festival

Found February 2010

Park in Roppongi

Found in April

Bullet Train Library

Found in April

Old Train Line

Found in April

Near Hakijima Sea Paradise

Found in January

Spring Break 2010

2010-05-24T21:51:00.000+09:00

Spring Break was very easygoing, for the most part. Nothing major... just local fun. One of the things my older two kids wanted to do was ride their bikes at Showa Park. This is easily done with Alexis and Samuel, but at the time, Ben had a little bike and was just painfully slow because he had to work so hard to get his bike to go fast.

Showa park is a park we visit quite often. It used to be Tachikawa Air Field (US military base) until the 70's and the Japanese turned it into a beautiful park (think of Central Park) and a Japanese coast guard base. The park is set up so that you can travel anywhere on bicycle and never encounter pedistrians. You can rent bycycles (even 2 seaters) from there, but we just loaded up my van and hauled our own.

While we were there, they were having their annual flower festival. The tulips, sakuras, and other flowers were in full bloom. I really enjoyed taking pictures with my new camera and Samuel enjoyed taking pictures with our smaller camera. He really blended in with the other Japanese using their photography skills. You can see both of our skills in the slideshow below.

Of course, the best thing about going to Showa Park in the springtime is having Sakura ice cream. It is SO YUMMY! Alexis had this great idea to try to catch sakura petals in her ice cream. She finally caught one and said "Hum... pretty good.!" Then after she chewed on it a bit she said "Maybe not. I can't swallow it!"
We then went to the newly cleaned clouds and had a fun time jumping and chasing each other (as well as one of my students and several kids from the base that had the same idea we did about coming to Showa for the day.)

Ben now has a new bike that is bigger and he is able to go faster on. Hopefully sometime this summer we'll be able to go again and take Ben with us on a bike ride through Showa because riding your bike is the best way to go. =)

One of These Things is Not Like the Other...

2010-05-22T09:16:00.002+09:00

Living on an airbase gives us plenty of opportunities to see airplanes (which is awesome for my boys). Sometimes they are F-18's, C-17's, C-5's (which look like a house landing), 747's and the list goes on (and I know which ones are which).
Here at Yokota, we have 3 aircraft stationed here- C-130's, C-12's (Russ' new airplanes he's been working with for about a year), and Huey Helicopters (needless to say, I don't know much about helicopters). Since we live on the east side and everything we would ever want to go to (other than school) is on the other side of the base, we have to cross the flightline.
Now, what if an airplane is wanting to land? Well, there is a little red light that turns on with a ringing bell telling us to stop or we might get hit by an airplane. Say the dude forgets to push the button to stop the drivers, they still have their booties covered by a sign that warns us to watch out for low flying aircraft. I haven't heard of an incident of car verses airplane here, but they've got it covered. However, if the dude forgets to push the button again to let the drivers go, there's nothing but disgruntled residents who are now late because the light has been going on for 10 minutes and unless there is some sort of stealth, invisible-to-the-eye airplane coming...

So, that puts us to the game we will play with this picture below. We were heading home after picking up Ben from school and noticed fire trucks, and all sorts of hoopla waiting on an airplane. So we waited too (excitement!) and realized it was a C-130. So... can you see what is wrong with this airplane? Don't see it yet? Look at the prop engines.
Three are blurred and one is not. Apparently they had to shut down one of the engines and in taking necessary precautions, they called in reinforcements.
And if you look behind the airplane, you'll see a big, black building. That's Joyful Honda... our favorite store off base. =)

And this was a little peek into living on an air force base for those who could never imagine doing it...

Update on Samuel

2010-05-21T21:39:00.002+09:00

Samuel has just 17 more days left of 1st grade, then off to second grade. This year he has really enjoyed being a cub scout (however, he doesn't like his uniform because "It has too much stuff on it"), he had a very successful soccer season, he has improved greatly on hitting the ball in t-ball, and he has discovered a love passed on by me... the love of books. He will read and re-read Junie B Jones and Magic Tree House books and laugh while reading them on the couch. This past school year he also was diagnosed with a red/green color deficiency which I also passed on (through a recessive gene I received from my dad who is also red/green color deficient). We had always noticed he would get green and brown mixed up, so after Googling an initial color test, we though he might be affected. So, a test with the doctor confirmed it. He will never grow out of it and always live with it. But he's very smart and super inquisitive, so although it might be some of a challenge, he will not be slowed down, however, he can't be a pilot or electrician. Of course, looking at the picture above, he's still a sweet little boy with his little boy cheeks that I hope will stick around for a few more years.

Molecule: Family Picnic Day

2010-05-21T21:36:00.002+09:00

Ben's yochien had a family picnic day at Showa park today. They enjoyed games, food, and watching the trees. Unfortunately I enjoyed a classroom with no air conditioning on a day that was over 80 degrees. I'm so glad Ben had his dad there to spend the day with! He doesn't get "just Daddy" time too much.

101 in 1001

2010-05-21T11:53:00.001+09:00

While browsing blogs, I found a challenge. And I'm always up for a challenge... so I took it on. Well, I took them on. 101 challenges in fact. The idea is to make a list of 101 things to do or not to do over the next 1001 days. So, starting today, May 21, 2010 I have until February 15, 2013 to complete this list.
Are you up for the challenge? Start thinking about what you have always wanted to do and see if you can come up with 101. It was hard for me (I had to google other's list to get ideas), but I'm excited... because if I complete it all, then I will get to go skydiving, be a size 9 again, and own Tiffany Diamond earrings. ;)

~~completed tasks~~
working on tasks
haven't done it yet tasks

On the Crafty Side of Life

1. Make an afghan for my bed
2. Write a pattern
3. Submit the pattern
4. Get the pattern published somewhere
5. Teach someone how to knit or crochet
6. Finish Samuel’s first year scrapbook
7. Finish Ben’s first year scrapbook
8. Start Japan scrapbook
9. Catch up on Japan scrapbook
10. Catch up on Alexis’ school scrapbook
11. Start Samuel’s school scrapbook
12. Start Ben’s school scrapbook
13. 26 things alpha photo project (a is for Alexis, b is for Ben... etc)
14. Figure out how to use Photoshop
15. Yarnbombing in Yokota
16. Make 25 hats for Tokyo Homeless (0/25)
17. Make a garment for Alexis
18. Make a garment for Samuel
19. Make a garment for Ben
20. Make Russ dress socks
21. Sew curtains for the boys’ room
22. Do a “picture a day” of myself for a year
23. Create a photo montage of the photos
24. Make a pair of earrings
25. Knit myself some socks
26. Make a thank you card and give it to someone 1x a month

Gotta get healthy!
27. Run a 5k without stopping
28. Stay at a size 9 for at least 6 months
29. 200 sit-ups program
30. Limit soda to 1x a week
31. Walk or ride my bike to work 1x week

Go outside the gate!
32. Travel on an airplane somewhere with only Russ
33. Take an airplane ride over Tokyo
34. Catch a wave on a surfboard
35. Go on a mission trip
36. Go horseback riding
37. Go ice skating
38. Go to Okinawa
39. Go to Nikko
40. Go to Japanese horse racing
41. Go on a little boat ride and dinner in Tokyo
42. Eat at Hiruki Sakai’s
43. Visit a Sumo Match
44. Have a girls weekend with Alexis
45. Try 10 new restaurants (0/10)
46. Do the zipline @ Mt. Fuji
47. See Phantom of the Opera in Japanese
48. Visit Yoyogi park on Sunday
49. Visit somewhere other than the US or Japan
50. Travel to the states
51. Take a picture with Col. Sanders in a Santa suit
52. Attend Samurai Arrow Horseback festival
53. Have Beans Club find 75 geocaches (36/75)

Bookworm
54. Read a Jane Austen book
55. Reread the Harry Potter series (0/7)
56. Memorize 20 bible verses (0/20)
57. Read all the books in my shelf and in my reader
58. Finish “Wreck this Journal”
59. Finish “This is not a book”
60. Lead my family in Nightly Devotional
61. Read RR Tolkien’s books
62. Secret… can’t tell ya!
63. Read 6 chapter books in a year with my family (0/6)

Education
64. Begin my masters
65. Take a photography class
66. Complete a bible study on schedule
67. Have my homework done for the bible study during the whole duration of the study
68. Go back and finish unfinished bible studies

I have always wanted to...
69. Get a Japanese tattoo
70. Go skydiving
71. Have a food fight with my kids
72. Have a monthly date with Russ
73. Host a Japanese child for a weekend
74. Have a “yes” day for my kids
75. No Facebook for a week
76. Get Japanese Nails
77. Solve Rubik’s cube

$$$
78. Consult a Financial Planner
79. Buy Photoshop
80. Don’t buy yarn for a year (until May 8, 2011)
81. Pay off student loans
82. Own Tiffany Diamond Earrings
83. Purchase a pair of Tom’s Shoes
84. Buy clear shoes to show off socks
85. Start college savings fund (x3)
86. Own a telescope

And other things that don't fit into a catagory
87. Perform for offering in church
88. Take lunch to work every day for 2 weeks
89. Share Christ with someone face to face
90. Introduce 5 families to Geocaching
91. Go without TV for a week
92. Write a story of us
93. Send 3 postcards to people every month
94. Pray about everything
95. NaBloPoMo
96. Kick myself off the computer after Russ comes home for a month
97. Actually use my video camera
98. Make DVDs out of current videos on camera
99. Stay up after my alarm goes off in the morning for 1 month
100. Call my dad 1x month
101. Get Pluto’s autograph

Our Special Mother's Day Celebration, Yochien Style

2010-05-08T09:56:00.001+09:00

Ben's school had a special Mother's Day event on Friday. I decided to take my first day off and be a mommy all day long.
Before taking Ben to school, we stopped by my school to re register Samuel for school next year. He will be a 2nd grader. I also registered my Baby Ben to be in Kindergarten next year. Even though I work with kindergartners all day long, it's hard to believe my little baby will be all grown up and in kindergarten! Sure, he's been going to Yochien this year, but Kindergarten is a huge step!
After dropping Ben off at school, I sneaked over to Starbucks to grab a drink and catch up on my bible study. Then back to Ben's school for their program.
We met in the sanctuary where they prayed, sung, recited bible verses, and told a story (all in Japanese), then to his classroom where he had 2 special gifts just for me.

The first gift was an illustration of me on a flower. I giggled when I saw how he drew me. But then I laughed out loud when he told me, "It reminds me of Michael Jackson."

The second gift was, I believe, supposed to be a cookie that looks like mom. However, Ben decided it would look better as a butterfly with chocolate hair. When he got home at the end of the day, we cut it in half and shared it. Yum yum!
Thank you Ben for making my Friday special. I'm so glad I got to come to your school for Mother's Day!

Church not for you?

2010-05-06T16:49:00.003+09:00

You can always get salvation in the shower! ;)

We traveled to one of our favorite Flea Markets near Summerland and saw some Jesus soap on a rope for sale. Another reason why Japan is awesome.

Now, if you are looking for salvation, it is not recommended to use Jesus soap. However, Jesus will get you there. Jesus came to this earth for everyone who ever was, ever is and ever will be to atone for your sins you committed in the past, right now, or in the future. Putting your faith in Him gives you salvation... trusting Him gives you peace... and loving Him gives you an abundance of joy. Jesus is the bestest friend you could ever imagine and way better than any boyfriend/girlfriend or wife/husband God could ever give you. Even my husband isn't as awesome as Jesus.

Want to know more... just email me and I'd love to tell you about MY LOVE for Jesus.

Mt. Takao Trick Art Museum

2010-05-03T17:40:00.000+09:00

Rainy day in Tokyo... happens to be an American holiday... what do you do? Go to the Trick Art Museum in Takao and have fun with some friends. Oddly enough, this museum is located on top of a gas station (or is it really a real gas station?). It was fun to see how your eyes will play tricks on you. My favorite photo opportunity was with the kaleidoscope tunnel. My kids are cute!

Ouch! That looks like it hurts!

Look what they found!

To get to the trick art museum, just head to Mt. Takao and you'll see it right across the street from Takaosanguchi train station. The website is here and don't forget to print off your coupon! You'll want it. It's 1300 yen for adults and 700 for school age.

Enjoy some more photos from the museum below:

Molecule: Japandasia Day

2010-05-03T17:07:00.002+09:00

Today at school was an annual event called Japandasia Day (where we celebrated all different Asian cultures). Samuel and I dressed in our yukatas and got to enjoy most of the festivities together watching Taiko, Hawaiian dancers, Phillipeno dancers, Okinawan drums, Karate and lots more. Although Samuel got to eat Yakisoba and I didn't. =(

Molecule: Taiko Drum

2010-04-25T16:34:00.004+09:00

Oddly enough, we have been wanting to own a taiko drum for a long time. Now we have one to keep us entertained, annoy the neighbors, call the kids down for dinner, and as a wake-up mechanism.

Hai!

Molecule: Lion King ライオンキング

2010-04-24T22:26:00.003+09:00

Tickets to Lion King: $50 a piece

Program: $18

God putting a wonderful friend at just the right place so she could go to where we were hours before to pick up our backpack we left that happened to have our play tickets in it: priceless

If you get the chance to see Lion King, go. It's amazing- no matter what the language is.

And here's a link to our favorite Japanese promotion video for Lion King.

To Cheer Against the Giants...

2010-04-24T20:59:00.005+09:00

... Is to Cheer Against Prosperity. Don't believe me?

According to Japanball.com:

Japan's most popular ball club, the Yomiuri Giants always attract standing-room-only crowds. Because the Giants won nine straight Japan Series championships in the 1960s as Japan was becoming an economic superpower, many fans consider a Yomiuri championship a symbol of financial success. To cheer against the Giants, therefore, is to cheer against prosperity and against Japan

Therefore, we cheered for the Giants. We even got involved in their chanting of their players (although the guy behind me seemed to have been a Giants fan all his life because with every chant and cheer, his voice was heard... probably not by the players, but I sure heard every word of it!) such as "Home Run! Home Run! Rameriez!" Yes- there was a guy on a Japanese baseball team named Rameriez. He even hit a grand-slam home run while we were there.

There are actually quite a few foreign ball players on teams across Japan. However, they do have restrictions on having only 2 foreigners on each team. Now, I suppose you have to be pretty desperate to come play in Japan because they don't get nearly the pay that US players get. That's probably why Ichiro and Matsui are hanging out in the states instead of playing here in Japan. Although the Japanese still love them both because we get updates on how they are doing on our Japanese news station. So, to help support the Giants, we now own beating bats, a key chain of Rameriez, Japanese baseball cards we can't read, and a kawaii clippy hat with the emblem on it (which is Alexis' but I'm modeling it for you). Now, when will we ever use any of it ever again... who knows. Although Ben does have his key chain hanging from his backpack in true Japanese fashion.After cheering the Giants to victory 11-2, we walked over to our favorite Tokyo Dome City eatery- Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. I love that place (and so does everyone else). It's quite expensive, but it's quite American too, and it's like walking into my favorite movie of all time.

And to top it off, Bean's Club Geocaching team was able to find one of two geocaches in the area (we had found another during a previous trip to Tokyo Dome, and realized there were two others in the area). Pretty soon when it begins to warm up finally, we'll have to go back to Tokyo Dome City to ride the rides like we have done before. =)

The big 4-0

2010-04-24T19:26:00.003+09:00

You know, it's very hard to successfully pull off a birthday celebration when you have to work full time. But, at least one good thing was I was able to get Russ something for his birthday that he had been wanting and although it cost more than $100, I didn't think twice about getting it since I'm making the big bucks now!

So, for Russ's birthday I took the kids to the YCC and shopped till we dropped. I got him a 10 inch digital picture frame, Alexis found a nice shirt for him, Samuel got all the things needed to take care of his teeth (new toothpaste, toothbrush, and floss), and Ben got him something that he said Dad always needs, pills (which ended up being Tylenol).

After opening presents and attending a t-ball meeting, we headed off base to one of our favorite sushi places that we call Strong-Arm sushi. They are very loud and fun there and we had yummy sushi and a little song to go with it.

I hope you had a wonderful 40th birthday. You are very special with me and I'm blessed to have you in my life. Thank you for letting me spoil you. I velo you!