Randoms

• We have had two massive failures in the kitchen within the course of a week. I attempted a crockpot curry and Ten concocted a healthy mayonnaise. They both were terrible. Lessons learned: Don't trust a recipe created by someone who has only eaten the food once and then made up their own version. Don't think you can make a healthy mayo that tastes like the original.
• We are now officially members of the Children's Museum of Manhattan. Mia gets to play with sand tables, kid sized trucks to crawl in and out of, and more. It will be our new playground once we have a second baby.
• I have 7 more 17p shots to go. It has not been a pleasant experience physically or financially. I think we should have a celebration after the last one.
• I am on my way to finishing reading a book. It isn't the most interesting book, but I'm actually making progress.
• We are once again trying to improve our living space. We have new bedding and a host of organizational things on their way to us. It is a never ending project but helps a lot.
• I recently read this blog about creating momentum in your day, and it has really been working for me. I'm also breaking projects down into set time slots (thanks Michelle Duggar) so I feel like and actually do get more done each day. For instance instead of trying to fold all of the laundry, I just try to fold as much as possible in 15 minutes. It keeps me sane and helps me get a variety of things done over the course of a week.
• I am finally watching the 5th season of Big Love. I'm glad it only lasted 5 seasons because I'm losing interest, but overall it was a good show.

Anyway, happy midweek everyone.

My Second post in October....shame on me.

I have been wanting to blog for so long now. We have had so much going on though that I just haven't gotten the time to sit down....alone...and think...and type. Anyway, so here is the  list.

• Mia has had a fever for the last 4 days. It peaked at 102 and kind of hung around 100....four days of taking care of her and being stuck inside. I am going stir crazy. We made a rather unsuccessful trip to the park this morning. Mia sat down in some water and made a rather sad attempt to go down the slide....All in all...it ended up in a meltdown, and I had to carry her back to the apartment where I promptly put her to bed and she fell asleep. I tell you it is tough being a toddler.
• On that note, I'm sure part of her crankiness is from the fact that she is getting 4 top teeth at once. Two of those are molars, so that can't be fun at all.
• I'm thinking to have a Halloween dinner. I know that that isn't really a traditional kind of thing to do, but I imagine that it will be a grand tradition to start.
• Speaking of Halloween, I've been making French toast for breakfast in the mornings. Mia has been my assistant and using Halloween cookie cutters to cut it in to shapes. Her favorite shape is the pumpkin. I made Ten a ghost one morning, and he was totally confused....but then admitted that he liked it.
• I have been going through the apartment drawer by drawer, cabinet by cabinet to declutter. It has been a really slow process, and I'm not all that sure that I'm making that much progress....but it is a start.
• I have started working on our advent calendar. You may be thinking...what?! One of those crazies that is celebrating Christmas in October. No, not all. This calendar is just a lot of work and planning. I am doing 24 books counting up to Christmas. So, we had exactly 1 Christmas book. This means I had to look up the best books and then order them all. I started about three weeks ago, and I think I will get the rest of my books in the next two weeks. Then I can wrap them all up and have them ready for the end of November. I'm actually so happy that I'm planning ahead to make the holidays a lot less busy.

Anyway, here are some of the things we have been doing. I really do have a strong desire to make this blog better, but in the meantime life is kind of happening. 

Welcome October

Yay for October! The start of holiday madness. Is it possible not to get burnt out on the holidays? From now until Easter we have a string of 9 holidays (Japanese and US) followed by Mia's birthday. I'm determined to enjoy each one as they come, but I'm not sure if that will be possible. Hear is to hoping.

Anyway, we have been busy in these parts. I've had a grand total of 3 doctors appointments and a consultation within the past month. Ten is joining a new team temporarily at work which has been causing him to get home a lot later than usual...and Mia is always busy with something. So, the blog (along with cleaning and cooking) hasn't gotten the proper attention that is deserved.

Anyway, here is a bit of a recap of what we did over the weekend. On Saturday I asked Ten to please run to Kinokuniya to pick up a pregnancy/child healthcare checkup book for Baby 2. I'm not really sure how to describe this, but it is basically the baby's ID in Japan until they are 8 years old.

I love that I have one place to record all of my health information during pregnancy as well as everything about baby #2 for years to come.

Ten also came home with all of this:

Two puzzles (Mia's baby puzzles are too easy for her), some flash cards, and three Kumon books. We have been doing a few minutes of Kumon every day since we got these....building that muscle memory. 

Ten also brought home lots of yummy food for us. I swear I cannot go long without tsukemono....I have a love for all pickles. He even brought us back lunch, and we all ate...and ate....and ate....until we were so full that we couldn't move, but really happy in our gorged states.

My lunchbox. Ten had fried chicken which I didn't get a pic of.

We also shared this huge portion of yakisoba....heaven.

Mia is a rice kind of gal, but she was enjoying the noodles all the same. I mean how can you not.

You know what else I got over the weekend....my first (and probably last) Pumpkin Spice Latte. Ten brought it home for me because he is just that kind of a guy. He NEVER goes to Starbucks, so he got quite the shock when they said the price was almost $6. I do love me some seasonal drinks....but seriously...I won't be paying that twice....at least not until Christmas stuff comes out :)

We also started decorating for the Halloween. Here is a little glimpse. We also have a glittery skeleton on the door, and I have a few more things that I need to put up in the apartment...off to a good start though.

I love the little stack of Jack o Lanterns on the table. Ten picked those out, and I'm glad he did. He always goes for more classic looking things.

Anyway, we have lots to do this month. We are going to a Japanese music program for kids, a Halloween party at a church, the Pumpkin Festival in Central Park, a parade at Hippo Park, and I think that will be all for this month...don't want to over do it.

 Happy October!

Odds and Ends

I can't believe that September is almost over. It has flown by! Here is the old bullet point list.

• We have finally gotten rid of the stomach bug, and I hope that we won't be getting it again anytime soon.
• Ten took Mia on her first trip to the zoo! They had a great time. She loved looking at the fish and monkeys. He snapped a few pics of their day out together, and it seemed to me like she was most interested in her plum (which she calls an app...for apple). Meanwhile I stayed at home and just enjoyed a quiet afternoon to myself.

Love these two.

•  Mia is obsessed with two things right now....socks and princesses. This combination together just thrills her. She wants to prance around the apartment with her princess socks on all of the time. She wants them on first thing in the morning.

Mia is actually wearing three socks here. One pair of pink ones, and then she found the Ariel sock and had to have that one on too.

• I am finally getting my energy back. This means I cooked...actual food....two days in a row. Ten was shocked. The first night it was just a simple chicken, onion, and pepper stir fry with steamed rice and miso soup. The second night I whipped up an awesome lasagna and side salad. One the menu tonight is leek, potato, and bacon soup with fresh bread from the bakery. Yum!
• I ordered a ton of holiday books for Mia. I may have went overboard just a tad, but who doesn't love a good Christmas or Halloween story.

The Weekend That Wasn't

Our Labor Day weekend was what you would call unremarkable. Gloomy rain clouds were hanging over the city all weekend long, so we weren't really sure if we should venture out or not. We were so indecisive about it that it ended up being not. 

We did normal things this weekend. We went grocery shopping.
We watched the Lion King. Mia forced us to dance to the Disney station on Pandora. I whipped up some s'mores in the microwave... using marshmallows that could have possibly been from Thanksgiving last year. We played with sidewalk chalk. We got Mia her first real pair of tennis shoes. You know all of those kinds of things. We did none of the spectacular things that we thought we should have been doing, but it was all okay. 

I guess one down side of living here is that there is always something going on, so you feel like you should be out having life experiences....whatever that means.

In other news, I guess it is unofficially fall now. Ten had to wear a tie to work today, so that means summer is over. I'm looking forward to less humid days and holidays. I can't wait for lots of pumpkin and apple and then snowflakes.

Tonight, I am throwing a little end of summer/beginning of fall dinner. We will do summery foods followed by a nice fall dessert. It only seems right to say goodbye and hello at the same time.

Now, I leave you with an unrelated picture. I didn't snap a picture of this weekend, so this will have to do. Mia has officially figured out how to open her finger paints. This makes for interesting mornings.

Catch Up

This is just a quick note to say that we are still here. The weather has cooled off drastically since we got back to the city from our Disney trip. I think we can officially say goodbye to summer. Did we fully take advantage of our summer? I'm not sure. I think we could have planned more things to do on the weekends. We have been busy though with just daily life, so I hope that we can do a little bit better in the fall. We may possibly try to make it out to the beach this weekend, but I think its going to be too cool. The temp is likely to be in the high 70s for most of the day, so we may have to rethink that plan and maybe spend a nice day picnicking. We haven't done much of that this summer either.

So, what else has been going on? Ten has been super busy working on a project (not work related) which keeps him up until the wee hours of the morning. We also received our letter for our green card interview...you know...the one to make sure we aren't lying or anything like that. We were shocked to see that the interview was at 7:30 in the morning! I wonder how our lawyer will also feel about getting up at that time.

We also have Mia's schedule set for September, and it is busier than I would like it to be. We have cut out one class, but she still has something going on nearly every single day! There are just too many options here, and it's hard to just sit at home with so much going on.

Anyway, hopefully I will bust out my camera soon to capture a bit more of our daily life. I have been a big slacker...I know.

Random thoughts here...

• I went to bed last night very frustrated....because of the New York Public Library. They sent me an email saying that I had a book that was OVERDUE. If you know me, then you know that that is not true. This wouldn't have been so bad if they hadn't handed me a copy machine card rather than my library card the last time that I went there...and then claimed that I had "lost" my card...so it would be waiting for me in the lost and found. They called me and told me this two days later...when I'm sure the librarian immediately noticed her mistake, but she was just too lazy/indifferent to do anything about it.
• Moving on...I was not looking forward to the huge amount (like 4) of phone calls that I had to make today. In the end I called the dentist (to make an appointment for November!), the doctor, the library (got that straightened out), and Mia's swim school (very rude), and the candlestick maker (not really) and got everything all worked out.
• This week and for the next two weeks, we are having what I like to call "rush week." Basically, I am cutting back on the play dates that we have and going for quality rather than quantity. So, this week Mia has a total of 3 play dates followed by 3 more next week...and then we are making cuts. We are going to narrow it down to maybe 3 moms and babies to hang with regularly. We are just getting too bogged down with all of the scheduled play dates...we need time to breathe. 
• Have you tried MASH? I absolutely love it. I am drinking Ripe Mango/ Blood Orange today, and it is so good. I have one more in the fridge, but I will try to save it for tomorrow.
• Mia is obsessed with chasing and being chased. She loves it and finds it to be hilarious. At 15 months old, a lot of other babies aren't quite interested in playing with other kids yet. So, Mia's solution has been to run up to them and start pushing them with all of her might to make them run....I think some parents think she is a little bully, but really she is just trying to involve them in her games.
• I have stumbled across Dance Moms. Yes, I am behind...I know it...but does anyone else find these people to be...just flat out idiotic. I mean jeez. Also, how is this 300 + pound woman teaching dance. I am not saying anything against the big boned...I just honestly, truly, really don't understand how she does it.
• Finally, I am in a black whole of organization. I am at a point where I am indifferent to Mia losing bits of toys and games here and there. I know that it exists somewhere in the apartment, and I know that I am going to have to do a huge organization/ cleaning of this place soon...it has been on my mind for a few months now...so I'm just being really lax until I get started on it.

Elevator Shafts and Play Dates

Last week was truly a long week. I have never been looking forward to a trip so much. I can't wait to not have appointments, not have to cook, not have to clean, all of that fun stuff.

Our Monday went very smoothly. We woke up and I got breakfast and lunch ready (lunch for Ten since I  make his almost every day), and then me and Mia did some crafty things before she took a morning nap. She woke up and we headed to her 1.5 hour class, where she actually got through the whole thing without wanting to leave early. I was sure that this meant that we were bound to have a good week.

Tuesday...something hit me....exhaustion. I was like super tired. I mean there is always a level of exhaustion that I work around every day (like most people), but today I was just too tired. Mia decided that she would take two naps and one was during a play gym time that I had booked, so lucky me we didn't have to go out. You know I don't think we did much of anything on Tuesday because I was just so tired.  Also, Ten was nice enough to call and tell me that I should take a nap while he picked up dinner. He went to Manhattan Diner a few blocks away and picked up some food.

Meatball sub w/ fries for me.

Cheeseburger with two pickles and two sides of coleslaw for Ten.

Ten decided not to order fries with his burger (b/c they were like an extra $3...crazy) which ended up being a good idea since I had way too many fries for just myself. Ten and Mia helped me eat them.

On Wednesday, I was determined to do better than the day before. We all headed to the elevator at like 7:00 a.m. to say good bye to Ten. We walk him down to the lobby every day. Mia was playing with the apartment keys...and that is when it happened...in slow motion she dropped the keys right down the elevator shaft. Yay. We went downstairs and Ten left for work. Luckily the doorman let us back into the apartment. Needless to say, spare keys will have to be made this weekend. Later in the afternoon, I took Mia to a play date at a little boy's house that we met though one of our classes. She basically ignored the little boy and chased his dogs and cats around the whole time. She also ripped a wall mirror off the wall and broke it. No one was hurt luckily and the mom said she didn't mind since it was an old mirror anyway (which I believe)..Everyone had a great time, so that is all that matters.

Thursday we had another nice play date and then on Friday we met two moms and two babies at the museum for another play date. Friday's play date was unsuccessful to say the least. They are the type of moms that do every single thing together....like everything, so I totally felt like the third wheel. If I asked one of them what they did over the weekend...it was "we" did this and "we" did that....so super hard to have a conversation. I keep telling myself that I won't meet these moms again, but every few weeks I find myself back with them....what is wrong with me? I guess I kind of feel obligated since they are Japanese and I try to get involved in that community her in NYC as well.

Anyway, so I was tired to put it lightly. Ten asked me what our plans were for Saturday....and I said...NOTHING. So, we just all enjoyed a day at home doing a whole lot of watching TV to be honest. Those days are a necessity sometimes.

Mia hanging out in her ball pit...easy day

July 4th, Tanabata, Shopping Trips, and More

Okay, fair warning I'm about to give. This post is going to be a bit long and maybe a tad too detailed for some, but sometimes I like to write these types of posts because it just kind of helps me to organize my thoughts somewhat.

So, where to begin. I will start with the Fourth of July. I was pretty sure that I would not be seeing fireworks this year. I mean sitting in the heat for hours on end just didn't sound like my idea of a good time....though thousands of people in NYC may disagree with me since a lot of people do it. However, I completely lucked out and got to see fireworks twice. On the 3rd, I started to hear a booming noise and assumed it was thunder. When it kept on and on though I suspected that it just may be fireworks, so I ran up to our rooftop deck and somewhere on the NJ side of the river they were having a nice display. Same goes for the 4th. Macy's said that there would be limited visibility where we live, but it was still good enough from our apartment. Ten and Mia missed out both times since they were in bed....but I was glad I got to see some my first 4th back in the States.

What did we do to celebrate though? We finger painted flags, listened to some patriotic music, and I made the infamous flag cake which turned out great (gotta love Trader Joe's). We also (George Foreman) grilled some hamburgers. We kept it pretty simple but maybe next year we will do a picnic or something.

Skipping to this weekend. We were pretty busy in a good way. On Saturday morning we were up by 6:00 a.m. so we headed out to play at the soccer field. We had a good time running around and kicking the ball, but it was so terribly hot by 7:30...or I guess I should say humid. We didn't want to just go sit at home though so we headed to the Metro Diner for breakfast. Ten suggested it and I had been wanting to check it out. I didn't have my phone with me so no pics. Ten ordered the biggest chicken quesadilla that I have ever seen. I had the Mykonos Omelet with toast and home fries. It was a huge amount of food, but Ten finished off both plates! He can put it away. After breakfast, we decided to go to the play room in our building since it was just way too hot to play outside. We met a nice dad and toddler and spent some time playing with them.

Fast forward to Sunday, we headed to swim lessons and did our usual thing followed by a trip to TJ Maxx to pick up a few things that we needed. We ran in and grabbed a new roasting pan, grater, a coverup for me, two pairs of capris for me, and a pair of swim trunks for Ten. All much needed. We also did a few things for Tanabata. I had more planned, but I kind of dropped the ball on both holidays. We ate somen, listed to the Tanabata song, and a few other small things. Nothing big but we did at least acknowledge the holidays.

Let's see in other random bits of news....we just received a large Amazon order of things for Mia. These I do surprisingly have pictures of....

DK flashcards. These are great because the pictures are all textured, and they are so big. We love these, and I definitely recommend them.

Odwalla Chocolate Bars. We all love these, and they will make great snacks for Disney.

I hate how Blogger keeps flipping my pictures. We got Mia a shape sorting elephant, a Rody horse, and a fishing rod with three little fish. All pretty good toys.

Mia adores Rody. We noticed how much she loved him at class, but she only gets to play with him a few minutes a week....so we got her one. She may be a tad spoiled.

Elmo book set of four and Little People books...all great for vocabulary building.

Teach My Baby kit. This sounded like a good product, so we went ahead and decided to try it.

Everything that you get with it. In reality, great concept but the actual cards/books are kind of cheaply made. Mia seems to like it for sure, but I'm not sure I would have bought this for what it sells for. We will still try to get our money's worth though.

Some new cups as well as snack holders. Very cute and work great!

Hmm...let's see other tidbits. I've decided not to buy a planner for next year. I've debated and debated which one is most suitable for me. I need something to write down to do lists, appointment times, a shopping list, weekly menu, and money tracking. Basically, nothing is going to work...so I've decided to go ahead and do away with my paper planner for next year. Instead I've downloaded a bunch of apps that I think will help me like Cozi Calendar, Mint, Color Notes, and a few other things...so far...so good. I'm hoping that this will save a small chunk of money and be most practical. After all, my planner right now is so big that I can't even carry it around with me.

Also, did you know that I have a certificate in Sports Nutrition...yep it's true. I have one more year or so before I need to submit my renewal application with my Continuing Education Units....Not sure if I want to use the money to renew it though....it's not like I'm doing a whole lot with it at the moment. Ten says it may be something worth keeping up to date with though. Decisions to be made.

Well those are just the odds and ends of what has been going on here lately. What do we have planned for this week? Two play dates at friends' homes, a play date at the AMNH, a music lesson, and a day at the play gym...not including a few other soft commitments that I've made....may not have time for anything else though.

Anyway, like I said...long detailed post....but this is just what we have been up to.

July Randoms

I cannot believe that it is already July 1st. This summer is going to be over before we know it. So, rather than an update about our weekend....I'm going to do one of my favorite types of posts....the old bullet point.

• We decided to renew the lease on our apartment which means that we are in some serious need of organization. With that being said, I have been setting aside 15 minutes a day (at a minimum) to decluttering. This has been working very well. In 15 minutes I can get a little or a lot done depending on the project...but I am at least getting things done.
• Ten read an article the other day about parents and cell phone usage. It talked about how we aren't sure of what kind of developmental impact it will have on kids when parents aren't talking to them and have their eyes/ears glued to their phones instead. I wish I could find the article again to link it here. However, take a look around the playground next time and see how many parents are pushing their kids on swings while playing with their phones....very sad. So, Ten and I made a rule that we wouldn't use our phones while Mia was awake....and then we changed that rule to we just wouldn't use them in general except for a once a day check. I  LOVE this change....the less you use the phone....the less interesting it becomes.
• We are in the process of figuring out where we would like Mia to go to preschool. I think a Japanese preschool would be best. We want her to have a strong foundation in the language....but will this make it difficult when she starts an American elementary school? I kind of don't think so....but this is what we are thinking about right now.
• Seriously...I love all seasons. Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring....all great.
• We do a lot of activities during the week with Mia besides play dates and classes...activities when we are hear just hanging out inside. I found this program, and it is great. The Letter of the Week has given me so many little ideas to incorporate into our day without taking up a lot of time. Right now, when we do art projects we listen to classical music. We play games that help Mia learn how to pick up her toys. We sing nursery rhymes while getting dressed....little things here and there....and you know what....it is really helping. Mia can now recognize music by Bach. Love it....takes a bit more planning but makes the day more interesting....for both of us actually.

Anyway, I think that I will end it here....just a few things we are doing right now.

Vacations, Religion, and the Usual

I have been M.I.A. from my blog for a week or so, and I wish I had some fabulous reason why. The truth is though I just didn't feel like logging on and typing anything. We have been relatively busy though.

Let's see...we did go to the Greek festival...and there was really nothing Greek about it...except for the blue and white balloon animals and the loud ethnic music being piped over the speakers...so needless to say we didn't even stop at any of the stands. We just kind of walked right through.

We also went to the AMNH over the weekend. We took Mia through the butterfly house one more time before it closes. They had an exhibit about Global Food which was I'm sure interesting, though we were mainly focused on preventing Mia from getting a little too hands on with the displays.

I thought originally we had decided to go to Japan for our vacation. I mean we were ready to book the tickets. At the very last, last minute...we decided no to Japan. It would have been an exhausting (but worthwhile) trip. Ten and I haven't really been on a proper vacation since Europe 2 years (?) back, so we didn't want to be completely worn out after our trip. So, we ended up booking a week at the supposed happiest place on Earth...Disney.

On that note, Disney is actually a really complicated place to plan. We are reserving our character meals now, and they are almost fully booked. Also, I'm trying to figure out the whole PhotoPass thing...where to find the best snacks...which rides to skip...all of that fun stuff...in the hopes that we will have a stress free week...fingers crossed...but I am VERY EXCITED...and I do not get excited about things easily...Fact.

Also, my mom will be joining us for a weekend next month. We are hoping to go to the Statue of Liberty, hit up Red Lobster, go to Central Park, and watch Mia swim....it is actually a lot for only a few days...so we will do our best.

That weekend is Father's Day and Ten's Birthday! I just kind of remembered that today, so I need to find a way to make it special.

Another thing, Mia got a ton of clothes in the mail from a professor that I do some work for. They were the cutest things, and I need to run out and buy a thank you card for her....people who don't send thank you notes are one of my pet peeves btw.

Finally, I am still meeting with the missionaries...I think. They actually cancelled on me because they didn't want to talk with me while I was discussing the church with a member. Apparently all of my questions were getting a little too intense for them. So, I met a guy that talked about how we need to be able to live with ambiguity in the Mormon church...and that other Christian faiths are overly simple...we can't know all about God and the after life...Also, before I get any comments...yes, Protestant faiths are much, much less intellectually challenging when compared to Mormonism. If you have not investigated the religion, then I suggest you do so before sending me crazy messages...He also explained that he has been a Mormon for over 20 years...and he doesn't follow some guidelines or believe certain aspects of the doctrine. It actually made me okay with a lot of things...though I am wondering if the missionaries will be back...haha.

Anyway, that is everything simplified down into  one post...I shall assume regularly scheduled blogging sometime in the near future...

Really, really random

Okay, so here are some really random things

• We are pretty much officially going on vacation in July for two whole weeks, and we have decided our location...almost....like 85% certain...we will be heading to Japan! There are so many things that we want to take Mia to do....We think she will love kaitenzushi, the Anpanman Museum, and Tokyo Dome...just to name a few things.
• For dinner I made two types of chicken...sauteed and fried...both Japanese style...and they were awesome...per usual.
• I saw an article applauding a size 14 model and how we need to show more average sized women....not stick thin ones. I then was really disturbed by how we are accepting overweight as average and okay. For the most part...size 14 is not healthy...yeah...that's right...I said it. I have a few pounds to lose myself, and I know it. I will not accept it as normal....say what you will.
• I love Desperate Housewives...like obsessed...and am now enjoying the seasons that I've missed since being in Japan.
• Next month I have a consultation with a high risk doctor to talk about future babies. I have the potential to have problems in the future, or I could have a normal pregnancy. I'm pretty sure it is 50-50...so I have no real expectations for this meeting...we shall see.
• I am really, really, really looking forward to the start of Mia's new school. I can't wait to see her doing gymnastics, enjoying puppet shows, and all of that fun stuff. I just hope that the other families are down to earth.
• I've pretty much decided that I live in the perfect area of Manhattan. We are high enough on the west side where we have lots of big playgrounds, but we aren't so high where there is nothing. We also have tons of kids stuff on the Upper West Side....I do love our location (though not the price).
• Ten and Mia look almost identical when sleeping...so funny.
• I'm finally reading again. I took a break from books. I actually haven't found anything I'm really into, so I'm open to suggestions. Anyone?

Anyway, like I said really random. 

First World Problems

My first world problems are bringing me down today folks. They are just gnawing at me...

I should definitely preface this though....not all things are going badly...and like I said...these are first world problems....

Let's begin....

I need to get my teeth cleaned. I haven't had it done since....hmm...about a year and a half ago...yeah overdue...so, I made an appointment yesterday. The soonest that they can get me in is the middle of July!! JULY! Words cannot explain the irritation I feel....so...far....off....why?

Also, I was thinking what kind of fun class we can do with Mia this summer....and then I learned about one of the most horrid things I have ever heard of.... pre-pre-school. I am not even kidding you. You go to pre-pre-school twice or three times a week and do things like art, music, gym, etc for an hour and a half a day. It all sounds like good fun....except this is Manhattan...pre-pre-school means 1) ridiculously priced, 2) the biggest biotch moms you ever did meet 3) and competition, competition, competition....It makes me want to puke a little. I do want to join because it sounds like fun....but the reality is probably dark...very, very dark.

Hmmm....okay....got a letter today...Would you like to renew your lease for September? .... would you like to renew your lease while paying more in rent? Our rent is terrible....I mean it makes me vomit in my mouth...and then swallow it...type of terrible. This additional cost...just makes me want to hide in a hole. I will admit I have started to look at other places online ....and...everything...is...so...expensive. I seriously have no idea what we will do. Maybe if I turn off my internet and only use electricity for...hmmm...nothing...we will be able to afford to live in this city.

Moving on....Ten cut his finger on a knife at work...slicing a bagel. Now, we are bombarded with worker's compensation documents...I mean seriously? Is this necessary? I even called the little number to ask if this was necessary....and after an hour and a half...I got to talk to NO ONE....so answer is...I have no idea.

A while ago Mia cut her lip open from a tumble off the bed. We went to the ER. They gave her a Popsicle and sent us on our way....We got a bill for over ONE THOUSAND dollars...yeah that's right....and we have insurance. This is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever encountered....ever. So, no one in this house is allowed to get sick....like ever...because it could bankrupt us...

So, yeah these are the things that are just on the top of my head that are driving me nuts right now... therapeutic sharing them with the world....or my tiny band of friends who read this thing.

Ms. Keys and Mr. Z...you completely lied to me when you said:

"New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of
There's nothin' you can't do
Now you're in New York
These streets will make you feel brand new

Big lights will inspire you"

Lies...all lies.

Mormons, Anemia, and Charity Walk....oh my

We have A LOT going on here....probably too much actually. 

• This week we will finally submit all of our documents to apply for Ten's green card...yay...so glad that is almost over with...one of my least favorite things to do in the world is to apply for visas.
• Mia is officially anemia free...also a big yay! We found out she was anemic at her 9 month checkup (probably because she was a preemie), and we have been giving iron supplements ever since...which do not have pleasant side effects...so glad that that is all over too....as well as her little shudder attacks.
• Our apartment is screaming out...crying and begging...for some sort of spring cleaning. The piles are building up, the floor is losing space, and it just ain't pretty. How do people with babies find the time?? I'm guessing during nap time....but we are those co-sleeping weirdos you hear about...so can't.
• Speaking of naps, I am convinced I have a thyroid problem. I seriously slept  hours upon hours this weekend and still felt exhausted. Ten says he feels the same, so he must have one too.
• Also, related to energy/sleep...I am attempting to give up coffee...it has been a whole 4 or 5 days since giving it up...at first, I felt like a ZOMBIE...seriously...so I thought that if it makes me feel this way from quitting...it cannot be good...and now I feel great...though my hot chocolate consumption has drastically increased.
• I still have not taken Mia's one year pictures or done a few other things to mark her first birthday...so they are on the TDL for this week.
• Also this week: play date at the AMNH, play date in Central Park, Japanese lesson, Gymboree lessons (at least 2), Mother Goose Time, library story time, Sakura Matsuri, March for Babies, and possibly church...can you slap me now?
• I dyed my hair this weekend...a golden mahogany brown...Ten has asked to please go back blonde...I believe I shall as soon as I find a good place to get my hair did at.
• We have decided that a true family vacation is needed...like one where we stay in a hotel...our choices so far: Hannibal, Fukuoka/Tokyo, Florida, or Hawaii....Ten and I are seriously in love with Hawaii....but it is so far away....

Now for a brief Mormon update: I've had two more meetings with my missionaries...where I actually redid a lesson (on Joseph Smith) and finally got my Book of Mormon. I've finished reading 1 Nephi, and I like it so far...and believe that the Book of Mormon could be true...I mean why not. If you believe Jonah was swallowed by a whale...and Jesus walked on water...it doesn't take too much to believe that the Book of Mormon could be true.

Also, our life is slowly becoming Mormonized...we have a Hawaiian cultural event we are going to next week at the church and a block party the following week. We are also going to start attending services there as soon as we can clear up our schedule...we made an attempt today...but my thyroid problems got in the way ;) ... Also, Sundays are being transitioned into a family day...you know...no work, no TV, etc.

Say what you will, but we are happy hanging out LDS style for the moment....to at least learn more about it....I like to think that I am 70% converted, so negative comments regarding my LDS homies...will most likely offend me...Sometimes, I think that if I said I was converting to Buddhism people would be less offended...I have no idea why though....anyway, rant over.

So, here is what we have going on....no I need to be getting back to work (the paid kind)...yuck!

Rundown

I am so looking forward to the rest of this month. We have Mia's birthday this weekend, and the Sakura Festival at the end of the month. Should be lots of fun.

Mia's gym class and Japanese class are both ending this month, and I am looking forward to having the chance to reexamine our schedules a little bit.

We also have the March for Babies at the end of this month, and I'm a teeny bit worried that Mia may not want to do the whole thing. However, we have our rockin team shirts which I am excited to wear (and don't worry your donations did not go towards those...haha).

Speaking of March for Babies, I have been so happy with the donations that we have raised from friends....and to be completely honest...completely underwhelmed when it comes to my family. A few have stepped up....but not what I was expecting....note to self: lower expectations :(

Speaking of events, there is going to be a Greek festival in our neighborhood next month...and we love Greece, so we are sooo looking forward to this!!

We were so, so exhausted today and didn't get home until around 6 pm...and Ten wasn't impressed with my meager offer of old rice, leftover salmon, and half container of Trader Joe's soup (love that stuff), so we ran up the road to grab some takeout. I ordered a 3 pc chicken with mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and cornbread....heavenly...and plenty leftover for lunch tomorrow....yum.

Finally, wowzer my investigating the Mormon church has brought with it a lot of (unsolicited) advice...I mean like from everywhere...even STRANGERS. I had no idea that people had such strong feelings about Mormons. For the most part, I totally appreciate everyone's opinions.

Well I'm sure I wanted to get some more things off of my chest, but it is nearing my bedtime.

Nighty Night

Randomness

I haven't posted a list of randomness in a while, so I thought it was about time.

• We have a new Pope! Now, I'm not Catholic, but I do get really excited when a new Pope is elected...I'm not talking a little excited...I mean...I'm practically giddy when a new Pope is chosen. I have no clue why, but it makes me happy...haha.
• The weather has been hit and miss recently, but today I decided that winter is over. Yes, that is right, I just decided that on my own. I hung up my spring decorations and busted out a flowery table cloth...I have officially moved on from winter.
• When I opened the box of balls for Mia's ball pit, I saw that the company also included a free felt board. It is a whole town with cars, people, etc....seriously made my day....almost as much as seeing we have a new Pope.
• Here are some of my favorite blogs recently: tiny buddha, Life of an American mommy living in Japan, and Tales of the Trees. The blogs I like to read rotate pretty regularly, but these ones always keep me interested.
• I'm on a reading break. I haven't had the time to really get into a book recently, so I've returned them all to the library. I'm hoping something will get me interested soon.
• One of my favorite things to do is to add things to my Instant Queue on Netflix. I rarely get to watch anything...like almost never...but seeing all of my options makes me happy.
• I recently saw a list online of what your child should know before entering kindergarten, and my how things have changed. I mean they should basically know how to read, count, and everything else. I think it is kind of much, but good to know.
• Pinterest is started to pique my interest again. I was into it for like a whole month, and I haven't really touched it since...but slowly I'm finding it useful again. May have to take some time to go through my boards and pin things that are truly good ideas and things I will try.
• Mia's birthday is in the middle of April which means that we won't have another gift giving holiday for the next five months!! Actually, there aren't any big holidays in the summer months. I'm looking forward to a break!

We will be making it to 2013

It is 9:00 a.m. here and breakfast is done. I've managed to clean 85% of the apartment, read some books to Miss Mia, fed her some mikan (I am more uncertain of what these are actually called in English now that we are back in the U.S.), and even read some of Sutton by J.R. Moehringer while I put baby girl down for her nap. So, I figured with this bit of free time I have, I would get a blog post in.

There has been a lot going on these past few weeks. Mia is now 8 months old (will post pics soon), my mom came to NYC for a visit and we visited Santa at Macy's Santaland, and just general life things. I would so love to type up posts about everything, but really...I just don't have the time/motivation.

I will admit dear friends...in the back of my mind...I have been thinking....maybe I should just give up on this little blog. It has been more than a year since I started it...so I did give it a good go...but really I would hate to give it up...instead I would like to recommit to being a more active blogger.

This is kind of one of the things that I would like to do in 2013...a resolution if you will. I was thinking about my total lack of resolutions of 2013....and well I thought how unacceptable...we all need goals! So, I have been brainstorming...and here is what I have so far:

• Update blog and blog more
• Catch up on Mia's baby book
• Make 2012 Photo book
• Plan a few weekend getaways
• Find a new semi-permanent home

These are really just things off of the top of my head...but I promise I will be posting a full list before January 1.

Anyway, this was just a garble of randomness...but more importantly...the end of the world has passed once again...or a new era has supposedly begun...so I'm hoping to make every day count. :)

Mental Cleansing

Today is one of those days when I look at the bits and pieces of baby rice cakes on the floor and dishes in the sink...and I think....it can wait. So, with all of the things that I should be doing I will instead use this time to share the random things that have been going on around here lately.

• After a long time without caffeine...I am back to old habits. I now have a diet cherry Pepsi...EVERY day! I even throw in some coffee and tea into the mix as well. Even though I know this isn't healthy...I am definitely enjoying the needed boost.
• I am looking forward to the month of December! There are so many great events going on in the city, and I hope to go to as many Christmas related things as possible!
• Speaking of daily, less than healthy habits....can I add in a muffin or two a day. Yes, they are served in our building for breakfast! So, I've been making daily trips down...don't worry...still losing weight though :)
• The other day I was thinking about New Year's Resolutions...and I realized I have absolutely nothing that I want to work on in 2013...is this good? bad? sad? odd? I don't know...but maybe something will come up.
• We have started deciding what activities Mia will be doing next year...and it already looks exhausting. Swimming, two Japanese lessons, and various play groups...plus we will be starting this program that you do at home (you know language skills, music, etc). This may sound insane to some of you....but what do you cut? Please tell me if you know. Here is my logic....she is Japanese and needs as much exposure as possible. So, we can't cut those! Swimming is really for safety and so she won't be scared of the water...and have you ever met a Japanese kid that can't swim well? I didn't think so....and then the home program because we want to make sure we have focused quality time with her every day...and of course play groups for....well play....but any advice would be much appreciated.
• We recently decided to forgo cable and instead get an antenna and Netflix...plus anything else we need DVD wise can be checked out from the library (they have everything!)...this has been such a great, great idea. It saves money...quite a bit...and it prevents us from parking ourselves in front of the TV all day everyday flipping through channels.
• I've decided that if I were a religious person, I would be Mormon...seriously those are some dedicated folks...and I think if you believe in something, then you should go all the way...hahaha...
• On that note, we have decided not to take Mia to church. I would hate for her to have the idea that other religions are wrong...or that if you don't believe in a certain thing then you are somehow less than others...so we will try to expose her to several belief systems to have a understanding of different faiths, people, and ideas.
• Finally, my mother is coming to NYC in a few short weeks...should be a lot of fun :)

That is all for now folks.

Random Musings

• I am completely envious of everyone with all of their fall goodies. I saw a blog with pumpkin hand lotion and see people post about pumpkin lattes...and I get sad...I have so much lotion, I can't really justify buying some just for fall...and the pumpkin lattes...I may have to sneak out and get one sometime soon...but for now I will try to be content with my lone pumpkin spice candle.
• Labor Day weekend went by way too fast. We started off with a visit to Sony Wonder Technology Lab to watch the Disney movie Chimpanzee (very cute and free...so loved it). The next two days were used to continue our attempt to get caught up on paper work, go grocery shopping, and that kind of thing. However, Ten, Seth and Sarah did go to the pool...so that was nice I bet.
• I just searched the Bath & Body Works website and decided to mainly buy seasonal products going forward...but kind of sounds extreme when I type it.
• I went to the drugstore yesterday to buy moisturizer. This was my first time to buy moisturizer at a drugstore in forever!! I had absolutely no idea what I was looking at or what was what. They mix so many things into one bottle, so I will probably be going back to department store brands in the near future.
• Ms. Mia still has not rolled over...I think I may pass out when the little chunker finally learns how to flop her body over.
• So, we were all excited to eat American food when we moved back...and we then saw how unhealthy it was...and have been adding Japanese food back in the mix...its really just so much better tasting and better health wise...in my opinion...so we are happy with that choice.
• On another note, I have lost almost another kilogram (2.2 pounds). I have no idea how it is happening, but I'm not complaining...that is for sure!
• My mom and grandma are making their way to NYC at the beginning of October, so that should be a lot of fun!
• Finally, I am struggling to make some sort of structured program for my two year old nephew to work with during the daytime and that can include Mia too...hint, hint...you know who you are and what I'm talking about.

P.S. Yes, generally I am a lazy blogger and wish I weren't...haha.

Randomness

• After looking at what feels like a million houses and calculating commuting times, we have decided to once again be city-apartment dwellers.
• Our new apartment will be on the Upper West Side and within walking distance to Central Park and Riverside Park, so I am looking forward to taking advantage of all of the outdoor play areas and activities.
• My feelings about living in New York are completely mixed right now. 1. This place is stupidly expensive. 2. We have shootings here everyday...terrible about what happened at the Empire State Building! 3. People are really close minded. When I said that I had just come from living in Japan...two women actually said to me...how was that? (sarcastically)...and then went on to bash Japanese men and the Japanese for being excessively clean (no idea how cleanliness is a bad thing). However, there are a lot of good points: 1. I talk to people every single day and have had little babies for Mia to play with. 2. We can actually use a lot of public services like the library, since I can speak the language....That is all I can think of right now...but I'm sure more will come up as we adjust to living here.
• I am completely missing Japanese food again. After eating it for 5 years, it's hard to let go. Sigh.
• We have absolutely no furniture...so need to think about ordering some...soon....very soon.
• My blog name and look need a desperate update...but I barely have time to blog...so not sure when that will get done...goal for 2013 maybe.
• A new episode of the Duggars comes on tomorrow night, and I CANNOT WAIT. 
• Finally I will leave you with this pic. My nephew and Mia.