What we are reading, eating, and doing...

In an effort to try to eat healthier, I am going to a 95% Japanese menu for the next week. Even some of the most unhealthy Japanese foods are a million times less bad for you than typical American dishes.

So, I made up my list and we were all set to head to the Japanese supermarket together....however, Mia decided that she would take a nap instead. Ten volunteered to make the trip alone :( ... but it all worked out. Here are some of the things that were on my list.

Lots of tofu...grilled and normal. We are going to use this for the last nabe of the year as well as miso soup, etc

Natto (for Mia and Ten), takana, and miso

Dashi powder, furikake, 2 boxes of curry, 1 box of cream stew, and snacks for Mia. No idea why this picture is all stretched out.

Nori, cooking sake, white sesame seeds, ajipon, and bath powder (milk protein type). I was especially excited about the bath stuff!! Seriously...the best.

Ten also brought us back bento and a jasmine tea for me. I had the salmon and he had fried chicken...Mia ate bites of both. Seriously...in Tokyo this would NOT have been an exciting meal...but it is like a taste of...home...I guess you would say. 

After putting everything away and having an early dinner, we decided to head over to the Dinosaur Playground. We were surprised to see that they had the water features on since it was kind of chilly out, and of course Mia toddled over to the water as fast as her little legs could carry her.

Not a flattering photo I must say...and where am I looking ?? Creepy.

Getting ready to run through the water.

Needless to say, we had a great time...but we were cold and wet so this meant that when we got home we did showers and took baths.

Finally, Mia's library has been getting a little bit bland shall we say. We only have about maybe a dozen and a half Japanese books. English books...tons from the library, but we needed to switch them out. We took a quick trip over...and here are just a very few of what we are reading right now. Some of these Mia picked out herself...and some I found from recommended reading lists.

The Napping House, Moomin books, Dr. Seuss nursery books, Dear Zoo (the best book!), and some DK books. Ten also grabbed the Row, Row, Row your boat book since he recently learned how to play it on the xylophone...I know we are super cool.

We also placed an order with Amazon Japan for some Japanese books, but we decided that it would be best to go to Kinokuniya and pick up some new ones while we are waiting.

I guess you would say these are similar to ABC books...but they have so much more in them.

Different sounds and the faces that you make when you say them...so cute.

The Japanese version of "Do, Re, Mi"

Anyway, so that is what we basically did this weekend. Our summer is about to kick into warp speed from this week. Lots of classes, play dates, planning for vacation, working on projects, figuring out apartment stuff and so much more! How to avoid burn out...this will be the challenge. Wish me luck!

Memorial Day Weekend

This past Memorial Day we made zero plans. We just considered it a long weekend to get some things done. Lots of people in the city left to go to beach houses and things like that. The weather was pretty terrible on Saturday though and then chilly on Sunday, so I think we made the right choice to stay put.

Also, on Saturday we had this on our hands.

You might not be able to tell, but Mia had glassy eyes, a runny nose, a pretty bad cough, and by Sunday a 101 fever. She was not feeling good at all. She also couldn't sleep well because of her bad cold. The cough was even making her throw up, and I learned that sometimes...you just can't shower after being puked on....a clean shirt will have to suffice.

Ten ran out and got some Pedialyte, cough medicine (for ages 1 and up -- so basically honey), and some saline spray. After we loaded her up on all of this and gave her some baby Tylenol, she was finally able to get in a good nap...I'm talking a three hour nap! Enough time for me and Ten to clean, make dinner, watch some YouTube videos, and take a nap ourselves. Amazing.

On Monday, Mia was much better so we hit the park pretty hard.

It was definitely not warm enough for a tank top...haha.

Let's see, over the weekend...we bought Mia some much needed new shoes. I made these wickedly good cinnamon rolls. I mean they were amazing! We also did a bit of (George Foreman) grilling...haha. Ten also made a run to the supermarket to pick up some fast foods (pizza, hot dogs, etc) for when my mom comes to visit in a few short weeks. We don't want to have to spend a lot of time cooking.

Also, a few other random bits and pieces. Mia is moving to her new swim class next month, and she is also switching from Saturdays to Sundays...which means I will have to break it to the missionaries that we won't be attending church with them. It is either Sundays...or no days...There is a waiting list to get on the waiting list for the Saturday classes!! I actually know one person who has been waiting for 4 months now, so I think we will take what we were offered!

The rest of this week we will just be going to the park and continuing our activities at home. We may check out the museum and have a play date but nothing concrete. Oh, and I signed Mia up for a Japanese play group on Friday, so that should be fun.

My New Love....

I have found something that I absolutely love...now not more than the Duggars, but definitely more than let's say...meatloaf...and I really love me some meatloaf.

I have fallen completely in love with...wait for it...the...DICTIONARY. Seriously...who knew there was so much information in it. I'm only half joking. We all know what the dictionary is...but have you ever took the time to look up words in it. I'm not talking about when you have to because you are filling out a form or because someone uses a big word that you don't understand and want to look it up in case they drop that word bomb again....but just to really understand the meaning of a word. Well this is something that I have been doing lately. Whenever I read a book and come across a word that is common and used very frequently because of its positive connotations...then I go ahead and look it up and write down what it means...crazy you may say...but to me it has been really entertaining...and a great learning experience.

So, here are some of my favorite words and definitions:

Discipline: Now I looked up this word because it is Ten's favorite word to use...I mean like ever...he is always talking about discipline and how everyone needs it...sounds scary....but let's look at what it means....training that corrects, molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character....hmm...yeah...maybe everyone could use some more discipline in their lives.

Family: two or more people who share goals and values, have long-term commitments to one another, and reside usually in the same dwelling place....I kind of like this definition of family...I in fact love the part about shared goals and values...because that is what makes a successful family!

Courage: mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty....I think using this definition...we may no far more courageous people than we believe.

Diligent: characterized by steady, earnest, and energetic effort. Hard work isn't just about doing the work...but it is also about doing it energetically...hmmm...maybe there aren't enough diligent people today.

Anyway, the next time you write a greeting card or send out an email like this...

Bill you are such a hard worker and we are happy to have you with us.

Wouldn't it sound better to say this...

Bill you are a steady, earnest, and even better...an energetic worker. We are happy to have you....etc...

So, let's all bust our dictionaries and put words to good use.

Early, early morning...

4 a.m. seems to be the witching hour around here. Mia has been waking up every night at the same time, and last night was no different. I looked over at 4:05 and there she was smiling at me and looking as if she were ready to jump out of bed and start the day. I picked her up and talked to her a bit about how it was far too early...so she promptly got all sleepy eyed and fell fast asleep.

This left me wide awake though, so I picked up my trusty phone to do some blog reading...but then quickly got bored...and switched to Internet surfing. Ten has been getting baby eyes again. I can guarantee that within the next year and a half or so...he will be wanting another one. So, I decided to do a bit of Google searching about pProm...and then I realized that sigh...no matter how I word it...I will be classified as a high risk pregnancy. 

I did a quick search of high risk doctors in NY, and I came across one clinic (can't remember the name now) that is so good it was featured in O (the magazine...though not really sure if that actually means it is good). I digress. It is one of the best places, so I was scrolling through the website and gleaned some information. 

I have almost decided not to have a baby until we leave the US after searching through the website. Why? Well in case of emergency...leave a message and someone will get back to you. Also, you have to go to a different place to get ultrasounds done...and they will try to do tests that fall within your insurance plan...so unnecessarily complicated and definitely not the level of care that we have experienced before.

Anyway, uninteresting story...but...highlights lack of convenience of some things here.

In other news, I am waiting to here back about a Japanese mothers' group. Comical since I'm not Japanese, but I actually got invited by a Japanese woman at Whole Foods....Also, must have Ten follow up with Shin Nihondo this weekend. It is a Japanese grocery store that delivers twice a month to Manhattan....much looking forward to getting food that I am now more familiar with cooking with...and is healthier.

Finally, I've lost 1kg this past week. Yay! I haven't even been able to get to the gym...now if I lose about 15 more...all will be right in the world.

In All Directions

I was reading a book this morning about life management by Elizabeth George, and I came upon a sentence that said there are three kinds of people in this life. There are people that pull you up, people that pull you down, and those who pull you along. Kindle had this passage underlined as a favorite of other readers of this book, and I thought...wow...those are some powerful words. How are people in my life pulling me? What categories do my people fall in?

As I thought about this more, I finally realized that these words were giving too much power to people in our lives. Yes, we are influenced by others...but ultimately it is up to us to be pulled down, up, or along.

For instance, I've had friends from every walk of life...and quite a few who could be called the type to pull you down. They were involved in things that were sure to limit their future, but I never got involved in those things at all. Instead, I created friendships with these people while choosing not to get involved in their kind of lifestyle.

Also, you can be given every chance in the world to improve yourself. You can be surrounded by those who want nothing more to pull you up, but if you don't do it yourself...then you don't stand a chance. You have to make the choice to change yourself for the positive!

So, am I pushing myself in the right direction. I would hope so, but it is definitely something I need to be more aware of...and when I meet those people who want to pull me up...I need to make sure that I'm not weighing myself down!

A Case of the Malevolent Purples

Yeah that's right, yesterday I woke up with a serious case of the malevolent purples. The blues didn't quite describe it and neither did the mean reds, so I had to come up with something of my own.

So, what are the malevolent purples? It's that feeling that you have when you wake up in the morning and want to punch someone in the face...or maybe you just want to smash something...but either way you get the idea. Ugh, so Ten's mom left after spending two days (but less than 24 hours) with us. It was a bit chaotic considering the fact that it was her first time to see Mia out of the NICU and we are in the thick of this whole move thing.

So, why did I have the malevolent purples or great need to injure someone...The apartment was a disaster!! I mean words cannot describe it. There is something like the Great Exodus going on in Tokyo right now, so for three days in a row we had people drop stuff off at our apartment that they were getting rid of before they said goodbye to Japan. A lot of this was things they didn't need for their kids anymore (so much appreciated) and others were things that would be going with us to NY for storage. So, walking space was limited. 

Also, with company over for the weekend...no cleaning got done, so we had piles of stuff everywhere....there was also no food in the apartment...and we are in the process of trying to get pre-approval for a mortgage (who knew you needed to go into debt to get a loan...not logical)...visa paperwork...surveying companies...and more....plus taking care of small human...so, yeah I was feeling violent.

So, what did I do.....

Source

I literally had this phrase pop into my mind, and I'm lucky I did. So, I just started tearing through the apartment one room at a time. I actually got to throw away a few bags of stuff and put more baby clothes in boxes, etc....so I felt a lot better. The malevolent purples slowly slipped away which is great because if you let them they can stick around for a whole day and make everyone miserable.

Source

Hopefully I can get through the rest of this process without another case of the malevolent purples.

P.S. Pictures of Mia's visit to the shrine coming soon...and temple...but will wait until we go to both to post!

Catching Up

I can't believe it has been over a week since I've last posted something! Things have just been so hectic around here...and exhausting...I am so beyond tired...even with an 8 to 9 pm bedtime. So here is a little bit of a catch up on what we have been up to.

First, things are going fairly smoothly with our move so far. Mia has received both her Japanese and American passports and birth certificate. Also, her Social Security card arrived at my mom's house a few days ago, so she is ready to fly out whenever. Ten has his visa interview at the embassy on July 11, and then he should get his visa in a week or so after that. So, if all goes well we could be out of here around the 19th or so....but at the latest it could be around the 25th...either way it looks like July will be when we are leaving...so once again we will be flying or moving around the time of my birthday! This has happened every year for the past 4 years! It's kind of too bad for me...hahaha...but that just seems to be the way it always works out. 

Also, I recently had a bunch of things sent to me from the US, and I got them all yesterday.

I finally got Mia's bedding in. She hates sleeping in her bed, so Ten and I thought maybe making it a little bit cozier might help the situation....and I have to admit...these are just so cute that it makes me happy to look at them.

Here are some thin blankets that she can use for both the summer and winter. I absolutely love the goldfish print. Goldfish remind me so much of the summer time, and you can find lots of cute goldfish patterns here in Japan...so I was happy to find these blankets!

Here are her crib sheets. Little owls sitting in a tree. Also, on the bottom you can see her fairy blanket. The back side has cupcakes on it...so sweet...This blanket is mainly for the winter though since it is four layers of muslin.

I also went ahead and started getting some things that I think will be useful for the plane trip to NY. We will fly business class, so it really won't be that bad...but I still needed a few things.

On the left is my new changing pad from Fisher Price...this thing is great. My current changing pad is too tiny for Mia now...and this one has a place to hold wipes and comes with little disposable bags for diapers...great choice Sarah! Also, on the right is a 31 bag from my sister. It's really cute, and I may start to use this as my diaper bag....it might be a bit small for the plane though so I might have to bring a small carry-on.

Some Clorox wipes to disinfect seats and tables on the plane since those things are never cleaned and some more diaper sacks...and no I'm not a germaphobe...but we do have to be a bit more cautious since Mia is a preemie.

Magazines for me...though I'll actually read these before we go I'm sure...hahaha. I love O Magazine by the way...probably my favorite.

Supplements for Ten...also not related to the move...but he just "needed" them...hahaha.

I've also been in a mad scramble to try and finish my Sports Nutrition course...and it has totally paid off...I only have one more essay to finish...and then I will be sending it off to be graded next week. So, I will be DONE...what a relief!! 

So, I had to find a way to keep Mia occupied while I typed up about a million essays...so I did what any good parent would do...turned on the TV....and you know what her favorite shows have been so far.

Not sure if you can see it...but Anpan Man...Keeps her entertained for like 20 minutes at a time...which is a lot for a 2 month old.

And you know what her all time favorite show is.....

...The Real Housewives of New Jersey...not even kidding. She can watch this for like an hour straight! And, what's even crazier...she will start talking like crazy. I've never seen anything like it. Ten's says that we should be worried about her expectations growing up...She will probably demand a BMW for her 16th birthday...so scary...She also has a lot of leopard print clothes and zebra striped outfits that we dress her in...so it is also probably our fault...and my sister's for buying her all of those clothes.

Anyway, I think I've went on for long enough right now...so I will dive back in to the mountain of laundry that I have and piles of dishes...that way I can move on to more exciting things like going through closets in order to prepare for the move...FUN! --please note the sarcasm :o)

Delusional or Hopeful?

Okay, so I think I may be slightly delusional. 


The story starts with a basic fact: Ten went to Hong Kong on Sunday and won't be back until Friday. Very simple.


So, before his trip I was planning all of the wonderful things that I was going to do in my mind. I had images of early morning yoga followed by a healthy breakfast, baking breads and cookies, scrubbing the apartment down until it was absolutely spotless, catching up on some admin stuff and reading, maybe a trip out to a cafe, and a even a day out with a friend. I mean I could achieve a lot without having to do laundry every day and not having to cook three meals for two.


Well my friends, this little plan was a delusion. So far, my week has turned out nothing like the above. Sunday and Monday were pretty much spent on the couch watching episodes of All American Muslim and Gangland. I mean not a total waste since these programs are a bit on the educational side....right? And today wasn't a whole lot better. I mean I did at least shower and straighten up the apartment, and I was able to catch up on some reading. (FYI: Currently trying to read a book a week so that we can clear out some space in the apartment....might I add that our books are painfully boring and academic...so not as relaxing as it sounds...haha)


Anyway, I also came upon some stumbling blocks. I realized that indeed making it up the giant hill to go to Starbucks or to go anywhere is rather difficult when you can't walk properly. Also, I can't really bend my ankle, so the cleaning part isn't as easy as well....and yoga...what in the world was I thinking? As for baking....well it's just me...so I would have way too much for one person...so that will have to wait.


This leaves me stuck inside with not a whole lot that I can actually do. However, I'm not giving up hope yet. I still have three whole days where I might be able to start on some of these projects....here's to hoping that when I wake up tomorrow...the ankle will be completely healed...haha

....and the continuation

I will hopefully check this post for grammar errors since Ten said that the last one was terrible, but did I mention that I was extremely tired?

Anyway, so the first evening that the family arrives Ten decides that it would be best to go to the countdown at Zozoji. My mom grabs my all time favorite scarf from my closet, and off they go. Well, I guess everyone forgot that I couldn't walk. They left me sitting in the dark and cold. No one thought to turn on a light or the heat....haha. When they found me lying in the cold, dark bedroom when they returned; my mom mentioned that oops she had lost the scarf. I have no idea how you lose something that is tied around your neck. They proceeded to look through pictures to pinpoint when the scarf went missing....not that that does much good...but oh well.

Let's see...New Year's Day rolls around and they head off again to Meiji Jingu. On the second, I can finally hobble around on my crutches and am talked into going to the Emperor's New Year's Greeting at the Imperial Palace. I am really glad that I went though as the message was really nice, and it's not something that you can do very often. This was followed by a quick trip to Shibuya for shopping where a little girl steps on my foot. By the time I make it back to the apartment...I am in greater pain than the day before...sigh.

The third goes relatively smoothly with a trip to Kamakura to see the Daibutsu...which is always impressive. I absoultely love it there. I also finally got my murasaki imo korokke (wasn't that special). The next day, we headed to Disney. This was maybe the worst Disney trip ever. It was crawling with people like never before with ridiculous wait times. Also, being pregnant and injured meant that I got to sit outside a lot in the cold. So, I had nothing to do but eat. I think I ate everything in the park: pizza, cream puffs, roast chicken, ceasar salad, bread, honey popcorn, hot cocoa, and a caramel apple eclair...yes, that is basically all I did.

The next day we decided to stay at home for the morning since I was beyond miserable at this point. However, things were about to take an all time turn for the worse. My mom checked her email, and they had found out that my step-dad's mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. There was a lot of silence and then some debating about what to do. Not only is it Stage 4, but it is not treatable. After much discussion, it was decided that they needed to see her as soon as possible. This definitely turned out to be the right choice as when they arrived in Phoenix she had already been hospitalized.

Anyway, the next few hours were spent on the phone with the airlines (terrible, terrible people). We were told that it was impossible to get tickets, etc. However, with Ten where there is a will there is a way. Needless to say, he got the route changed and a flight out for that day. This sent us on a mad dash to get them to the airport. I hobbled along the road to get them to the train station. We barely had enough time to get them on the train to the airport, but off they went to Phoenix to see his mom.

We then realized that Ten's mom had already arrived in Tokyo, so he went to her hotel to meet her...and I crashed on the couch until they got to our apartment.

So, now here we are on the 8th and finally able to rest. I feel like the first week of January was a whirlwind. We are very happy that we got to see my family, but it definitely wasn't the trip that we expected. I hope more than anything that the rest of the year isn't as hectic or bring anymore bad news.

On a positive note, tomorrow we reach 20 weeks in the pregnancy!! Half way done! It has passed so fast!! A longer post on that later in the week.

Be careful what you wish for....

Remember that post where I talked about our pretty uneventful Christmas and how we would make up for it on New Year's? Well, as I sit here surrounded by clean laundry on the floor, a bag of vegetables sitting out since yesterday in the corner, two electric kettles boxed up next to the wall, and just general messiness everywhere....I'm thinking that uneventful would have been just fine.


Also, I have no idea where to begin. This may have to be a part one, part two type of entry....


So, got a call from my mom and step-dad on the 30th...saying that their flight was delayed by a whole 24 hours. Kind of sucked since they would lose a whole day here, but I mean can't be helped. Also, pretty easy to rearrange the schedule.


I put off grocery shopping until that night since there was no rush, so when Ten came home...off we went. Well, I was walking on a completely flat road....with no steps...when all of a sudden my ankle popped....and then the other ankle popped. Down I went on to the pavement. All that was running through my head was...How stupid do you have to be to twist your ankle while walking on a flat service....dumb...dumb...dumb. 


Ten helped me hobble back to the apartment, and after a few hours of not being able to walk at all and being in intense pain...we decided that the hospital was best.


However, it would have be completely impossible for me to hobble down the four flights of steps and then up a hill to catch a taxi...so, we called 119 (or equivalent of 911 in the U.S.). 


Our tiny apartment was quickly filled with at least 7 rescue workers (paramedics and firefighters) who were taking my temperature, checking my ankle, and asking about if the baby was okay. I also noticed that they removed their shoes before coming in...kind of smiled to myself there. These were probably the most polite people I have ever met in Japan. They even made arrangements to send me to a "foreign friendly" hospital...since Ten insisted English speaking doctors would be best.


So, off we went to the Red Cross where I was X-rayed and checked out by a not so friendly doctor. Turns out I had sprain my left ankle pretty badly and the right one was also moderately sprained. Also, the nurse informed us that there was about a 50-50 chance of the baby being okay....ummm....she completely didn't know what she was talking about. When the OB/GYN came in....he explained it was about 99.9% safe to say that the baby was indeed fine (which is what we kind of thought as well...I mean I didn't fall down steps), but we opted to have an ultrasound just in case....indeed Baby was not phased in the slightest.


So, off we went back to our apartment around midnight...where I was forced to have Ten partially carry me up some steps....but that was so uncomfortable I decided to crawl up on my hands and knees for two flights....I felt like a lame dog at this point that desperately needed to be put down.


Anyway, off to bed we went....but little did we know more was about to come...which I will continue in Part 2.


Also, not to self...I need/want to make some goals for the New Year...which I will also post...after using the weekend to recover from sheer exhaustion. 

Savoring the Moment

We are moving right on through December. It seems like time is flying by. The rest of this month is about to get super busy...and it seems like the busyness will continue right into next year.


.....let's see...tomorrow we have our 16 week doctor's appointment...fingers crossed....and then we will be working on the details of Ten's mom's visit to Tokyo...as well as straightening out the details of my mom's visit....a lot of shopping to stock up on food for our house guests :) ..... and as Ten has told me there will be a deep clean of this apartment...yikes.


Also before everyone descends on our tiny apartment, I need to find some time to squeeze in a hair appointment. Right now, my hair is T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E. Everything about it.


Then the end of the month will contain a whole lot of sight seeing. 


Next year....oh...let's see....maybe a possible move (would so love this!!)...Ten has a ton of things happening at work including some trips abroad....tax time (never fun and time consuming)...and getting ready for a baby.


So, the point of all of this rambling? How do you stay focused on enjoying every day and not getting caught up in just getting things done and over with? How do you avoid getting caught up in the details?


I think that Ten and I are always thinking about getting things out of the way and what is coming next. It is really hard to slow down and just enjoy the moments that we are in now. I'm hoping that by typing this up today....it will help remind me of this as we move into the weekend. For example, instead of thinking..."I want to get tomorrow's doctor's appointment over with," I should be thinking...."This is an interesting TV show that I'm watching...right now." Or "I'm going to do these dishes right now so that we can relax tonight." Not "I need to do these dishes so I can start....insert next task here."


So, while I have totally kicked the habit of procrastination it seems, now I need to focus on making a better environment for myself and at home.... Otherwise, as morbid as it might sound...we are kind of just counting down the days until...well...death.... Yes, a terrible thing to say, but entirely true.