Guilty Pleasure

Okay...I'm completely addicted...to something kind of embarrassing. I am totally addicted to....The Duggars. Yes, the Duggar Family is my slight obsession. I love watching any show about them, and I check their blog religiously.

I've admitted this obsession to my grandma, mother, and sister...and they have all had the same reaction. WHY? They are religious freaks with a zillion children....and yes, I do see why they could possibly creep some people out....but I love them.

Now, I would like to say that having a million kids is not something that I would personally do, but hey it is their choice.

I love the Duggars because of their infectious enthusiasm and positive outlook on everything that they go through. Here are some of the things that keep me hooked on this family:

• Their commitment to live debt free. Amazing. This may not be practical 100% of the time, but it is definitely something to strive for. Ten and I are completely debt free, but then again...we don't really own anything...haha
•  Their commitment to having a servant's heart. This family helps each other and also dedicates a lot of time to helping others outside of their family. Wouldn't it be great if everyone acted selflessly?
• Many hands make light work. This is something that Michelle is always reinforcing in her household. I like to keep this in mind when I have to help with something that I don't necessarily want to do. The more people that help, the sooner it gets done.
• Giving positive encouragement. One thing that Michelle Duggar does is to give praise to people when they deserve it and to let people know when they are being helpful, thoughtful, etc. Many times we find it so easy to criticize and complain. However, it is so much nicer to find positive words to help shape people.
• Quality Family Time. I love the fact that the Duggars don't watch TV (though they have their own TV show??). They only watch things that are positive, and they try to find better ways to spend time with each other. When our little baby is born, this is something Ten and I definitely want to emphasize.

My list could go on and on. There are so many positive things to take away from this family. I personally fall extremely short in many of these areas, but I try to make a daily effort to  do little things that will turn these into habits. 

....and as soon as I clear out some of my old books...I am so getting both of the books by the Duggar family...crazy?....maybe

Chipping Away....

My To Do List is shrinking and has been shrinking quickly over the past few days....though it is still way to ginormous!! I never thought that I would actually be making progress on this horrible nightmare of ever growing tasks.


In the past few days I have started cleaning different sections of my apartment, finished grading 48 pages of accounting work, ordered Christmas presents for our nephew, made significant progress in sorting through our Santorini pictures, almost finished up my wrapping course, started organizing my new planner, caught up on reading some of that baby book stuff, and put up our Christmas decorations! Whew.


How have I motivated myself to get this done? Very, very simple.


First, I try to keep this quote in mind every day. "Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task" ~ William James. This is so true. It is quite stressful to look at a long list of things to do and have to think about where to start and how you will finish it all. So, I try to keep this in mind when the list feels overwhelming and just start chipping away at it.


Next, Ten actually gave me some good advice on time management. We were talking about how useful it is to make lists. However, you should only put half of what you think you can get done on the list. This has helped me tons!! I can't say how much this has helped me. Each day I write down one big task that I want to finish up along with the small ones that I need to finish up. This has really kept me on track. Before I would write down enough to keep me busy for a month and try to squeeze it into a single day in my planner....bad, bad idea...haha.


This may be the first time that I am able to whittle this thing down for good!!

Tapeless Wrapping....yes it is possible.

Today I learned the most amazing skill. I can now say that I can wrap gifts without having to use tape, and it looks even better than traditional wrapping. It is done through a series of folds and tucks and is amazing. Here is a little snippet of how its done.

And voila! You insert a card in the pocket. Really cute. Everyone said that this was the most difficult style, but I thought it was the easiest. I will never use tape again!! haha

I finished a little bit earlier, so here is a sneak peak of the classroom that we use.

Next we practiced using single sided ribbon to make bows. I have mad bow making skills now...well kind of.

Finally it was furoshiki time! I love, love, love this part of class. We learned how to make wine bottles more presentable for either dinner parties or for gift giving.

Wine bottle before:

Wine bottle after:

Rather elegant don't you think? Now I just need someone to invite me over so I can gift some beautiful wine.

Practical over Flashy....Yes, Please!!

Christmas is in the air in Tokyo....well as much as it can be here. You really have to search for it. I went on a trip to Omotesando Hills with a friend today to solve the mystery of the missing bank statements. I hadn't received any since August!! Come to find out...they had switched to online banking....hmm...I think I remember receiving something in the mail about that....

Anyway, they had a really cute Disney Christmas theme going on.

They had a nice little light and music show...do you see the Disney princesses in the picture? It's kind of hard...

Then as we were walking to Shibuya, I saw this pink wreath. I would never ever have this in my home, but I loved it for a store decoration...cute! 

One of my main goals for today was to find a new planner. At first I was just going to use my iPhone; however, I realized that I need a larger visual and lots of space to write...so I went out with Kahori to find something...At first I contemplated getting an Erin Condren planner from the U.S....since they are super popular right now...but in all reality....my current planner is so much better...so I ended up just buying the newer version.

Why do I love this planner?

Yearly Calendar

Space for Key Dates for Each Month

Monthly Layout

Weekly Layout...with a view that breaks down each day into 1 hour increments

...and 1 full page per day that includes a time breakdown, a to do list section, and free space.

Now, don't let these plain pages fool you. They may not have vivid colors, but this planner is extremely useful, and you can decorate it as you want....

  

As you can see, I've started with some stickers...and will continue with pretty pens.

Now this year, I think I'll give myself a C+ in terms of how I used this planner, and I'm hoping to get a lot more out of next year....maybe A level....oooh.

Example from this past year.

Finally, a bit off topic, but I did get this as a gift from Kahori today....very cute for wearing around the house!! Thank you so, so much...for everything!!

Thanksgiving on Labor Day

We have binged today on food and sleep....hahaha. Today in Japan was Labor Day and falls pretty close to Thanksgiving. Now, we definitely can't do a completely traditional Thanksgiving dinner. I mean we do live in a tiny city apartment, but we sure did do our best. The food extravaganza started around noon with snack plates....so, so many snacks....

Lots of Vegetables

Olives Galore 

Ham stuffed with pickles and cream cheese (for Ten...trying to avoid Listeria for me) and different cheeses

Crispy bread...yumm...all served with Ranch Dip....

We ate every single thing pictured above. In reality, it was probably way too much for two people, but I mean it was healthy... right?... and actually later in the day we ate a bit more...pigs I know.

Also, I made a German Chocolate cake with pecan and coconut icing along with some cupcakes. Ten ate half the cupcakes before I could even put on the frosting...yikes...and we have tons of cake left!! Breakfast tomorrow.... :) 

Finally, we had dinner around 6 pm or so...baked chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, stuffing, and rolls.

And like any other Thanksgiving meal, we have tons of leftovers.

So, the final and most important thing is what are we thankful for this year? After talking to Ten, it seems like there isn't much to not be thankful about. We have had a pretty amazing year all in all. 

• We are so happy to have each other.
• We are lucky to have experienced pregnancy twice this year, and even luckier that our second little baby is healthy and strong.
• We have a new little nephew due to be born in March next year.
• ....and the parents are coming to celebrate the New Year!!

Now time to start gearing up for Christmas...which is the best holiday...ever!!

Christmas Wrapping Fun!!

Today was a nice, calm day....but with a few surprises....For instance, when zipping up my pants I found out that they were...well..let's just say a bit more than snug...hahaha. Now usually this would make me crazy and head for the gym, but well it's all for a good cause.

Anyway, first order of business was shopping for laundry detergent. Usually I buy the same thing every time, but the marketing company got me.

Winter Edition...hahaha...cute box... so I got it.

After doing a bit of household shopping, I headed over to Omotesando for my gift wrapping class. It was pretty tiring, but so much fun. I learned a ton also!!

Now my pictures are really bad today...so sorry...but I was so tired when I got home...they look so much better in real life. This box is wrapped in green paper and I made the card on the front as well. You just insert the card into slits in the wrapping paper....really cute.

Next we practiced with two-sided crepe paper.  This was quite tough since the paper is sooo heavy, and I am quite terrible at making bows...but I will say the v shapes that I cut on the bottoms of the ribbon were really cute.

Finally we practiced with furoshiki which are Japanese wrapping cloths. This was by far my favorite part (because it was the easiest...haha). We learned three styles from most formal to least formal. The least formal is what I took a picture of above. Surprisingly, this was the most difficult style (though none were particularly difficult really). We also learned about the proper way to give them as well as the proper way to return furoshiki. She also told us the small details that help you to wrap them properly. She said that nowadays most Japanese women don't do it properly. They instead just kind of do the general process...which takes away from its beauty.... :)....But I definitely loved these!!

Now, I did keep in mind Ten at the end of the day. I mean the reason that I get to do all of this fun stuff is because he works really hard. So, I picked up a dessert that I know that he really likes....

Blueberry and custard...

Of course I got one for me too!! :)

Waste Not Want Not

Today I ripped everything out of the cabinets and drawers in the kitchen and did a bit of an inventory of all of the food that we have. It was painful, but I got it all done. Tomorrow I start on the refrigerator and hopefully the drawers in the powder room (contains medicine, lotion, etc...not food of course). The reason that I do this periodically is not only to clean and reorganize but also to check expiration dates and make sure that I am using what will be expiring next.


So, the purpose of this blog entry is to talk about wastefulness. It is definitely one of my biggest pet peeves. It irritates me when people buy food and then throw it out. I also hate spending for no reason and buying useless things. So, here are some things that I do to reduce the amount of "stuff" that I use...most of it is probably super common...

• Food: We never waste food!! Leftovers are always made into new dishes. If we have random vegetables, then I will make a soup. Old rice becomes fried rice and of course lots of things are used to make Ten's lunch.
• Money: We only eat out once a month. We take advantage of free days at various places for entertainment. Also, we try to plan our shopping lists around the sales and coupons that are available for the week...really doesn't take much time.
• Furniture and Household Stuff: We get tons of second hand stuff from people moving out of Japan as well as from Ten's mom. We really try to avoid buying something if someone else needs to get rid of theirs...this has really worked out for us. We haven't really had to buy any kitchen stuff, bedding, plastic drawers, tables, etc.
• Other Small Things:
• Egg Shells - I use these to scour pans as well as to crush up and put in the sink pipes to help keep them clean and clear.
• Foil - If you fold up old foil and cut it up with scissors, then it will keep your scissors nice and sharp.
• Old socks - Perfect for cleaning and dusting rags.

Anyway, the list could go on. I'm also always searching for more useful ideas if anyone has any...

I love knowing that trying to avoid waste not only helps my family but also helps the environment... :)

Week 12

Today was our 12 week check-up...well we were actually a few days early because our doctor was all booked up for the next two weeks....but I'm glad that we were able to do it on a Saturday anyway. So here is our most recent snapshot...

A bit blurry, but you get the idea. The best part was watching the little one jump around in there like it was a bouncy house...hahaha. Also, she said that everything looks extremely good, and I have been cleared for exercise!! So happy. She said that usually she doesn't recommend it until 15 weeks, but since everything looks so good that I am good to go...though Ten is kind of demanding that I put it off for a few more weeks...haha. Even better is that I don't have to go back for a whole month. Yes, a whole month without being poked and prodded. Wonderful. Also, we will find out the sex of the baby on January 13....fun!!

Also, I have received a ton of information over the past few weeks...so here is a glance at that as well.

To keep on my bag so people will be nice to me and give me their seat on the train....has yet to work though.....

This little book will hold all of the information about my pregnancy and the baby's health for the next 7 years!!

Above and below are examples of the inside...this book is provided by the government I should add.

We also got some information on childbirth, creating a birth plan, and that kind of thing...

I thought that this was kind of cute...haha

Also, I should mention that we have decided not to go through with any of the genetic testing that we were given the option to do...just seems more stressful than anything.

Anyway, when we were heading back home Ten asked if I wanted to have lunch out to celebrate our most recent appointment....so we kind of went with one of the most unhealthiest meals possible...hahaha...but it was good.

Ten got the fried pork cutlet....he had so many refills on his rice and soup though....it made me sick just watching him eat...hahaha

Fried oysters, fried chicken stuffed with cheese, and a giant fried shrimp served with soup, pickles and rice...this was mine...

Ten serving us the shredded cabbage





There was a whole lot of napping going on after this.

Thanksgiving in a Box

Zzzz. Zzzz. Zzzz. This was how I was spending my rainy afternoon when the doorbell rang. I hit the intercom button and there stood the postman. Yay! A visit from the postman is never bad....usually... :) I greeted him and then turned off the intercom....without letting him in....oops...poor guy stood out there in the cold and rain...eventually he buzzed again...okay so I let him in the building after that.


He then climbed up the four flights of stairs and said there was a package for "Monroe City." hahaha. I kindly pointed out my husband's name on the box, and when he recognized the Japanese name, I think he was a bit relieved.


This poor guy could not catch a break...My mother had taped down the box so much that he couldn't pull out the sheet to get a signature. When he finally handed the paper to me it was so mangled that there was barely room to sign. He was a bit frustrated I think and apologized over and over again, but I finally got the box inside.

Now I should have waited for Ten to get home so we could open the box together, but it was kind of wet...so wanted to make sure everything was okay....and here is what we got....

Snacks...Ten will be thrilled to see Cinnabon stuff...doubt this lasts long

Seasonings and mashed potato mix...

We love these...it has been years since we've gotten to eat them!!

Muffins and biscuits in only a few minutes... love...

fast taco bake...yumm

Jello...I have to figure out what exactly to do with it...hahaha...and crackers

Fruit oatmeal, veggie crackers, and Stove Top (my all time favorite!!)

Cake!! I am so excited to make a German Chocolate cake this weekend...It is my favorite

Coconut Pecan icing....I could it eat straight out of the can...hahaha...but I won't

So, I am going to try my best to put away some of this stuff for our Thanksgiving dinner....however, I'm worried most of it won't escape the weekend.... :( ... P.S. Thanks mom!! I know you will read this.... :)... You definitely helped make the next few days feel more like home!