Busy Creating, Giving, and Learning: Paper Cranes

While packing up my stuff at my parent's house, I came across this:

I made it after Maeve was born.  If you keep up with this blog, I had mentioned in a post a while ago, after the earthquake in Northern Japan, that I wanted to make paper cranes with my kids.  I bought the book, Sadako and the 1,000 Paper Cranes, and we read it together each day at lunch.

In the back of the book were instructions how to fold a paper crane.  I sat down one day, and made each step and mounted it to a piece of white poster board to help the kids visualize the steps easier.  There are many tutorials on the web, some better than others, I tried a few unsuccessfully, but the ones in the book were easy to follow.

Here's a close up of the pieces, I just don't have the time right now to do a step by step, but you can get the general idea.  Unfortunately, since I just love colors, my origami paper was a rainbow pack, so each piece could not be the same color, but I tried to go in color family order:

My plan is that once I'm in my new house, I will hang this on the wall and have the kids help me fill a box full of paper cranes to send to Northern Japan.  I plan to attach messages to them too.

This is a great way to teach the kids fine motor skills, creativity, patience, and giving.  This is a skill that all children in japanese schools learn.  When visiting historical places in Japan, or attending festivals, we encountered many groups of school kids wanting to practice their English on us.  In exchange for the conversation, even a simple "Hello", we would be given an origami as a thank you.  Oftentimes, the kids' backpacks were full of origami creations!

The cranes are a symbol of peace and hope.  The first time one of our visitors went to Hiroshima, the site of the first atomic bombing in Japan by the US, he came back with a backpack FULL of paper cranes!  I never made it to Hiroshima, but here are some pictures Dave took on a trip there- there are just cases and cases of them:

Here are some pictures of paper cranes I took in Nagasaki, the site of the second bombing.  It is incredible how many there are.  I don't know how to make the chain, but it is beautiful to see.

Even at the airport on our trip home when moving, the woman at the check in counter saw that it was Addison's birthday and the next thing you know, they had made him all these origami stars and smiley faces for a present, it was amazing.

I am planning on making a mobile of pink, green, and red paper cranes for Maeve's room, I think she will really enjoy looking at them, don't you?  As soon as I find my origami paper, I'm going to start it.  I think it will be nice for her to have in her room a small part of Japan, since she never got to live there.  Pictures to follow when it's done.

We have in our shipment many more books of origami that we purchased while living in Japan.  I hope to put up more pictures of fun things my kids and I make together.  Maybe we will carry on the tradition of giving origami to strangers we meet to brighten their days.

Busy Travelling: Travelling Halfway across the USA alone with 5 kids

And why I'd rather travel halfway across the world with kids in a plane any day over a car.

My new house is approximately 1049 miles from my parent's house, but who is counting?  It is about 300 miles further than from my old house.  It just enough extra distance that the drive is too long to do in one day.  I've been fretting about my move from Japan for this reason for a long time now- it's almost impossible for me to travel to visit my family alone now- and I'm afraid that even though I'll be living in the same country, I'll see them less because the trip is just too far of a drive.  As if the drive wasn't long enough, add in the factor of travelling with a baby who needs to eat every three hours.  So, I've been making a list for those of you that thought I was crazy travelling 24 hours door to door from Japan to Massachusetts of why I'd rather do that trip over this drive.

1) I have to be the pilot. (enough said)

2) Tendency to overpack when you take the car, cramming stuff in everywhere, especially under your feet, which makes for an even more uncomfortable ride.

3) No one is coming around to pick up your trash.

4) No one coming around serving food and drinks.

5) You cannot get up and walk around.

6) Getting lost.

7) Unexpected delays due to traffic, really bad drivers on the road, weather, or frequent stops for various kid related reasons.

8) Stress from other people trying to convince you not to do it alone when you have no choice.

9) You cannot close your eyes to rest even when the kids are awake.

10) You cannot pick up the baby that decides to scream as you are getting off one highway and needing to merge through three others for a ten mile stretch outside a major city where there is tons of traffic and no shoulder, so you are forced to listen to ear piercing screaming for a half hour on top of the bickering.

11) There is only one tv for everyone, thus lots of bickering about which show to watch.

12) One of my kids gets car sick.

13) There are no tray tables.

14) No bathroom on board.

15) Travel time (Japan- Boston 8,000 miles, time=24 hours), (Boston- Illinois 1,049 miles time=3 days)

Strawberry Crumb Bars

I know I just posted a strawberry muffin recipe, but I feel the need to post this one too, that's how much I loved it.  You would not believe it based on the amount of strawberry pastries I like to make, but until I lived in Japan, I HATED strawberries.  The strawberries (ichigo) in Japan are so knock your socks off good and I wanted to get this recipe in for my friends in Japan before the strawberry season is past.  You will see good strawberries in Japan from about February until sometime in June (you might not see them again until the next January- since they are only local).  Occasionally, you will get some imports at Costco, but they just aren't the same.

This recipe is something I never would have thought to do on my own, in my life, I have only ever seen or tried Raspberry Crumb Bars (and they are usually made with raspberry jelly as the filling).  I will only use fresh fruit in my crumb bars from now on!!!

I have already made these twice and am planning on making them again this summer.  It took me a while to post because I'm not happy with the photos I got.  Comparing mine to those around the web, I'm slightly embarrassed, but hey, I'm trying and I think I'm getting better each time.  While looking around for photo tips, I came across this food photography book for sale by Matt Wright.  Guess what??? He is donating 100% of the profits to Japan earthquake relief.  If you are interested in food photography, check it out, it's a bit pricey, but worth it for the cause.

On to the recipe, which I found at Smells like home blog.

Oven: 375'

(This make a generous amount, 9 x 13 pan; if you want, cut the recipe in half for a 9x9 or 8x8 pan)
1 1/2 cups sugar (1 cup for crust, 1/2 cup for strawberries)
1 tsp baking powder
3 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
zest of 1 lemon
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (I've had equally good results with unsalted and salted)
1 egg
4 cups strawberries, cut up into 1/4" cubes
4 tsp cornstarch
juice from 1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375'.

1) In the mixer, with the dough hook attached, combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar.   Then add the salt and lemon zest.  Finally, add butter (cut into tablespoon sized squares) and the egg, let mix until it is crumbly pea sized balls.

2) While the butter is cutting into the flour, cut up strawberries into small pieces.

3) In a medium sized bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch (it is pretty lemony, if you're not a huge fan of a lemon/strawberry flavor, use half of the juice from the lemon).  Add in strawberries and toss until coated.

4) Remove ~3/4 cup crumbs from flour mixture, set aside for crumb topping.  Press remaining dough into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Remember to press up about 1/2" around the edges for a crust.

5) Spread strawberry mixture on top of the prepared dough, then sprinkle the remaining crumb mixture on top, pressing it down gently.

6) Bake for 45 minutes or until topping is golden brown.

These are soo good hot out of the oven!

When Disaster Strikes

On Friday, March 11, there was a major earthquake in northern Japan.  Exactly three weeks prior, my four children and I relocated back to the US.  Exactly two days prior, my husband did the same.  I have received a lot of calls and emails from family and friends, as well as my family receiving calls from their friends and coworkers too,  to ensure my family's safety.  First of all, I would like to thank everyone for thinking of me and caring enough to check.  I lived in the city of Kobe, which was over 600 miles from where the earthquake struck, so it was not affected.  I know a few of my husband's former coworkers saw projectors shake and some of my neighbor's children had to hide under their desks at school.

I remember when I first moved to Japan, my son hid between two buildings and my husband freaked out that if there were an earthquake, he could be sandwiched between the buildings- that's when I had to really become aware that the potential for that type of disaster was there every second of the day.  But, no matter how much you are aware, you can never truly be prepared for what this disaster can bring with it.  Sitting in my parent's house, watching the events unfold on the news, I realized I had no true sense of how bad it could really be.  I don't think anyone truly does until it happens to them.

I am very relieved to be safe at home, yet my heart is aching for the people of Japan and all my friends and neighbors I left behind.  Even though we were so far away from the devastated area, if nuclear problems amount to something, you just never know.  There are talks of rolling blackouts throughout major cities to redirect power to the north and hoarding at grocery stores and gas stations.  I have even heard of some countries that are trying to remove their citizens from Japan until the nuclear threat is under control.  I know my husband's company is doing a great job of keeping its employees and their families informed.   Even though I know if I were there, they are not allowing civilians to go up to the affected areas to help, it's hard to know I won't be there when that might be a possibility.  That country was my home for the past 4.5 years and I grew to have the highest regard for the Japanese people.

Yesterday, I mentioned that I was going to post about ways to help Japan. I have come up with a few, most of them you probably already know, but in the case that I reach one person that didn't, I helped Japan a little more.

1) Donate money to the Red Cross.  I have been looking around online and honestly, am not a fan of donating to big organizations.  I always wonder is my money going to pay for administrative fees or will it help.  They actually have a blog, and I read about their initial response and then I read ALL of the comments to their post.  A lot of people are hesitant to donate because it is Japan relief and Pacific Tsunami fund.  Most of us are feeling like the Pacific Tsunami wasn't a big deal at all and all the money should be sent directly to Japan.  Only a small amount will be sent to the Pacific, and the Red Cross did send 10 million dollars upfront, not to mention, they have store houses of supplies around the world, which they are releasing a lot of these supplies to the people of Japan.  I think at this point, given the fact that we are so far away, and dealing with a different currency, this organization might be the best and easiest choice as far as an organization to donate to.  (I am looking for places in Japan that will accept foreign currency donations and I know are in direct need).

2) Donate to one of the organizations on this link, I read this article on CNN that warned of fake organizations, especially ones that show up as soon as a disaster has occurred, those people should certainly be ashamed of themselves.

3) Donate old clothes/shoes to Salvation Army. They might reach Japan.  They are currently NOT looking for direct clothes, food, water donations because the shipping cost to Japan is so high and in the affected areas, postal service is actually stopped.

4) If you have a friend, classmate, coworker or neighbor that is Japanese, has family in the affected areas, or is a former expat from Japan, do something nice for them.  Initiate a Random Act of Kindness.  In many cases, if a person is here away from their family in Japan, it is too expensive for them to go back right now, not safe for them to go back, or just plain not possible.  Imagine how it must feel to be here not knowing or feeling helpless.

5) Encourage your children to donate some money from their piggy banks, let them help you choose which organization to donate to.  Have a bake sale or car wash to raise money, teach your children about  giving.  I plan on making cupcakes with my kids and putting a pick with a Japanese flag on top and selling them at our local grocery store, after the baby of course.

6) If you know someone with family or friends in the affected areas, ask how they need help, maybe you can directly send them money.  I plan to ask a friend of mine whose husband's parents house was destroyed if I can send her money to help them and their neighbors fix up their house.

7) Make paper cranes.  I went to Nagasaki while living in Japan, and many of my visitors went to Hiroshima and there are millions of paper cranes hanging there.  There was a story about the 1000 paper cranes, when a girl was ill after the atomic bomb and the cranes are a symbol of peace.  I say make the cranes to symbolize a wish for peace for the Japanese people affected by this earthquake.  I have been in numerous places in Japan, when my children were handed paper cranes from Japanese school children, it is a small gesture to show we wish the best for you.  I looked online and found out there is even symbolism in the colors:  green is for healing, harmony, and finding balance; white is for hope, a fresh start, and innocence; and tea (light brown) represents remembering and fond memories.  Of course, you can make any color crane you want but these colors would represent wishes we have for the Japanese people now.  I plan on posting a tutorial when I get out of the hospital.  For now, here is a link to a video.

8) Be positive.  This week, I noticed on the news and then online forums, there are just rotten totally negative people out there who have nothing better to do with their time than criticize a country that has had a national disaster.  No one deserves to be in that situation, not to be punished for how they built something or what their ancestors did in wars past.  If someone is being rude, mainly it's to draw attention to themselves, walk away, change the channel, or just plain set them straight.

9) Accept things as they are.  It is frustrating to be far away and not be able to help.  Let this be a time for you to initiate some type of volunteer effort near your home where there is a need for your presence.  Also, accept the fact that every where in the world poses some type of threat from natural disaster and DO NOT criticize the Japanese people for living in the ring of fire or close the the sea.  I have lived in many places, each one posing their own potential threat (northeast US- hurricanes, southeast US- hurricanes, snow disaster due to ill preparedness, midwest US- tornadoes, in fact, I am currently building a house in tornado alley).  Japan- earthquakes, I didn't even have a disaster relief kit and didn't even have the emergency numbers posted in my house.  I didn't have an "it can't happen to me attitude", just a "it won't be that bad if it does happen".  People all over the world live near nuclear facilities and use their power, after the tsunami in the Indian Ocean, people are still vacationing in Thailand and Indonesia, people still live in New Orleans after the hurricane disaster, and people are still living all around the bases of volcanoes world wide.  So, please, if you can do nothing else, do not criticize, but accept the fact that no matter what, we can not completely protect ourselves from natural disaster and that when disaster strikes, people need to be helped, not criticized.

Random Acts of Kindness

I wasn't sure whether or not I was going to reveal a secret club my kids and I had started.  In light of recent events in Japan, I have decided to reveal what we've been doing- we've been acting as the Shioya Random Act of Kindness Club.  I feel like maybe this will be an inspiration to others to start doing the same thing.

The Shioya Random Act of Kindness Club was something I had on my mind for a very long time, but took forever to implement.  Basically, I just wrote a nice note, with a small gift and left it randomly at a neighbor's house.  This past Christmas, I was inspired by this blog of a photographer named Katherine Marie.  For Advent, she had her kids do a random act of kindness a day, something I plan to do next year. Then, in January, she implemented 52 weeks of Kindness and provided links to some more inspiration, this one I really liked, Secret Agent L.  I finally decided to start my own Random Acts of Kindness Club.  I feel like it is teaching my kids a valuable lesson about doing nice things for others when they least expect it.

Disappointed by the fact that he did not get a golden ipod for Christmas, my oldest son asked me if I thought Cupid would bring it for Valentine's Day or the Easter Bunny for Easter.  I began to realize the expectations he has grown to have for the holidays.  I wanted him to have a better sense of the feeling of giving and not just receiving and that a holiday wasn't necessary for giving.  I noticed myself that it is always around Christmas that we send packages to homeless families and give more money to Salvation Army.  The other time we really give is when a tragedy strikes, such as the recent earthquake in northern Japan.  Why do we wait until such times to give or let someone know that we care.  I wanted to let my children know the excitement that comes with truly surprising someone with a random gift or uplifiting someone when they least expect it and mostly that people need things at times other than just holidays.

Living far from home, it didn't take much to think of ideas for my neighbors.  Each one received a special note and gift- I found some inspiration for the notes from these sites, kindness quotes, friendship quotes, motherhood quotes, and smile quotes.

First, was the neighbor who was home alone with three kids while her husband was away on business:

Then, there was a neighbor whose husband was working very late A LOT and had a particularly bad morning with her kids:

A neighbor who is always so cheery, and had recently been feeling sick:

A few neighbors who had recently moved in:

A neighbor celebrating yet another birthday far from family:

A neighbor who had recently got some news about someone's health in her family, always hard to hear, especially when you are so far away:

There are the neighbors who have lived away from their home countries for so long, but still get pangs of homesickness and forget about the special treats stores sell around the holidays.  There are neighbors, who like myself, are getting ready to move and sad to say goodbye.  Neighbors whose kids are in college, neighbors who seem completely wonderful with no care in the world, neighbors who learned English in Japan, so they could communicate with us.  The bottom line is, there is always someone somewhere no matter what that can use a nice note and a good smile.

With the tragedy that is upon Japan right now, I am more encouraged than ever to keep delivering "random" notes and smiles to people.  While a holiday gives us a perfect reason and forces us to let people know we care, I challenge you to try it on a non-event day. Even if you can only do it once a year, once a month, or once a week, you can send a card, an email to someone you lost contact with, make a call, give a gift card to a completely random stranger.  You don't want to miss the chance to tell someone you care, that they are special, or that you love them.  Take the time to notice someone today.

In the past few days, many people have been asking me how to help the people in Japan that are suffering right now, and that is something I am trying to figure out.  I have a few ideas and will be posting more on that in the next few days (may be a slight delay due to the arrival of a new baby), but I can say they are more than deserving of whatever act of kindness we can send their way.  Stay tuned.

A favorite quote I've come across in doing this:

"Today, give a stranger one of your smiles.  It might be the only sunshine he sees all day."  ~Quoted in P.S. I Love You, compiled by H. Jackson Brown, Jr

Moving Halfway around the World

I haven't been around much lately because the past month I've been busy packing up all of these:

And this week, I've been busily unpacking them.  I only have about five more to go, not bad for battling a cold, jet lag, awesome pregnancy onset heartburn, and taking care of four kids.

Thank you to everyone who helped me pack, clean up, and try to organize my house and for those who are currently helping me try to put my life back in order- Thank you too.

Travelling with Kids- A Visit from the Backpack Fairy

A few years ago, at the Osaka airport, I let my kids get their first Happy Meals from McDonald's.  The toy that came with the meal proved to be a gem on the flight.  The kids must have played with them for at least two hours each.  The next time I flew with them after that, I put a few toys that I had secretly hidden from Happy Meals in their suitcases and a few toys from the "gumball" machines that are EVERYWHERE in Japan.  The next thing I knew, they started talking about their visit from the backpack fairy, and the tradition was born.

The night before we travel on a big international trip, the kids leave their carry-on bags open next to their beds and when they wake up, they are closed and filled with new goodies for the trip.  It is in a way more exciting to them than Christmas.  It makes the night before traveling a joy for me because they want to go to bed so the fairy can come sooner.  However, the next morning can be a bit chaotic as they excitedly unpack their bags to see what treasures they received and I have to try to make them keep it in the bag and not lose it before the trip.

As we haven't travelled back home in a while and we were moving, this was a BIG visit from the backpack fairy.  Here is a picture of the goodies lined up on the table before I went to fill the bags.  Normally, there is not this much stuff, but since we were moving from our home and all the fun goodies that are available in Japan, I couldn't resist the extra stuff.

Some items that I have put in the bags in the past are:
the plastic bubble toys you get at the outside of the grocery store (I never usually let my kids buy them, so they are a real treat for them to open)
scratch and sketch books
invisible ink books
coloring books
new markers or crayons
a glo stick
a book to read
a magazine
a small stuffed animal
new toy matchbox car
sticker book with stickers
lollipop
pez dispenser with refill
new Nintendo DS game (if they are REALLY lucky)
new DVD
travel game
mad libs
book of puzzles

Here is a bag open at the airport, while we were waiting to check in:

Thank you backpack fairy for making this move as stress free as I hoped you would!

Saying Goodbye

Today I am saying goodbye to my home in Japan.  I will be leaving a place that is currently the only home my kids can remember.  I started out with a 4 month old, a 20 month old, and a 3 year old.  I am leaving with a 7 1/2 year old, 6 year old, 4 1/2 year old, 3 year old, and one on the way in 6 weeks.  It is hard to believe how quickly time has flown by and how much my life has changed as a result of living here.  My family and I will never be the same again.  The Japanese people and their culture have taught me a lot about living and respect.

I am getting on the plane today with a one way ticket.  It is hard to think I might never come back or to think I might never do certain things that I've grown accustomed to.  I will be starting a new life today, but I will start it with memories and lessons I have learned from the Japanese people.  I am going to use less stuff, be more helpful, care about my appearance, smile more, be more respectful, and the list goes on.

Over the past few weeks, I have not had much time to be sad about leaving because I've been busy preparing my house for the packers and trying to get rid of stuff we don't use or want anymore. As I get in the taxi and leave my house for the last time, I know my heart will break.  It will be weird to wave good bye to all my things for the next few months and my husband for the next few weeks, and possibly some friends forever.  One of the downsides of living abroad is it's never permanent.  You see people come and go all the time.

Recently, while cleaning out my pantry, I found the phone list from when I first moved into my neighborhood.  There were over 40 names on the list.  Now, as I compared it to today's current list, there were only 4 names that were the same, one being ours.  So, three families outlasted us of 40, that's how many friends I've waved goodbye to over the years (and that doesn't include the ones that came and went in between). This is a hard part of living abroad, you get close to your neighbors, sometimes you are all you have, and then you have to say goodbye and it's not just to move to the next town, it's another country, like Africa, Australia, England, America, or China. I often wondered how it felt to leave, knowing you may never come back.  I can tell you right now it feels surreal and I don't think it's as hard for me because I didn't watch the packers put my house in boxes and drive them down the hill. I am leaving a full house and my husband will take on the job of overseeing the packing.

With all the heartache and stress of leaving your home country to temporarily live in a new one, and then leaving that country once again to go back to your home again (sometimes even a different city or state, as is the case for us), living abroad was probably the best experience of my life.  I know for my children it is a memory they will always treasure and I will be sure to never let them forget.  I thank my husband for taking us here, even though I wasn't sure of it at all.  I am hopeful for everyone I know that they will have the unique opportunity to live in another country and experience another culture.

As I wave goodbye in the taxi today, I want all my friends to know you will be missed and I am thankful for each and every one of you.  It is my friends and neighbors that have gotten me through this hectic time.  For a week straight, I had friends at my door, willing to help pack and clean up- without you, I'd have been up all night last night.  I want the Japanese people to know that I am thankful for their amazing customer service and help surviving the past few years.  I will be way more helpful to lost looking foreigners after I move home.  Sayonara.

Here is a picture from our first week in Japan:

Here is one from our last month:

Arigato Gozaimashita!

Japanese Grocery Stores

The grocery store is something that I mainly will not miss about living in Japan (with a few small exceptions).

For the most part in Japan, a grocery store is never just its own building, it is usually in a large multi-story complex with other shops, movie theaters, a food court, entertainment center, bowling alleys, you name it!  They can often always be found on the basement level of major department stores.  The grocery store closest to my house is called Saty.  It has made itself a legend amongst many of the visitors I've had over the years.  After many frustrating visits to Saty, I thought I'd write about what I will not miss about going to the grocery store.

Top ten things I will not miss about going to the grocery store:

10) Tuesday is sale day, crowds are unreal and it's all to save a few yen on potatoes and carrots. Why does it seem like I ALWAYS had the unavoidable need to go to Saty on a Tuesday?

9) Prices.  At 100-300 yen per apple at times, or 3,000 yen + for a  melon, I'm ready for savings back home.

8) Fish in 25% of the store or more.  I will be happy never to see a fish with its eye still in tact being sold for dinner, or fish that are tiny and could be mistaken for sprouts, or dried fish flakes to sprinkle on your food, or octopus tentacles ever again!

7) Not knowing what I'm buying (I have bought corn starch once, thinking it was flour).

6) The portion sizes.  The frozen bag of strawberries had 10 strawberries in it (for over 300 yen)!

5) The lack of whole grain bread choices.  Most bread is thickly sliced and comes in loafs of 5-6 slices.

4) The carts- all 4 wheels swivel and it is sooo annoying, especially when your kids are trying to push the cart around the store.  Not to mention, I can barely fit a weeks worth of groceries for my family of 6 in it in one trip.

3) The 1 Liter containers of milk.  I usually buy 24 a week, can't wait to only have to buy 3 gallons.

2) The delicatessen.

(you can see it's not your average deli)

1) The entryway to Saty:

Straight ahead:

To the left:

To the right:

This reason alone could be the sole reason I will NEVER EVER miss the grocery store.  It adds 20 minutes to my trip in and 20 minutes to my trip out of the store.  It is a busy mother's nightmare!

As I mentioned above, there are things I like about the Japanese grocery store:

1) The fruit is always delicious.

2) Meat is quite clean.

3) Everything is always arranged perfectly.

4) Cashiers are very efficient.  Look how she repacked my food in the basket- heaviest on bottom, lightest fragile items on top.

5) You always bag your own groceries, so you don't need to bring home 1 plastic bag for each item.

6) There is a dry ice machine in case you have a long way home on hot days.

7) There are refrigerated lockers so you can put your groceries in them while you scold your children for spending so much time entranced in the arcade.

8)  You can do all of your shopping (not just grocery) in one trip.

9) Thanks to the small portion/packaging sizes, you don't overeat.

10) You buy only what you will actually eat or need, due to the high prices, cutting down on a lot of waste.

Jet Lag

When I announced last week that our family would soon be moving from Japan, I mentioned that there would still be posts in the category "Life in Japan" for some time to come.  I want to tell you right now something I won't miss about life in Japan, JET LAG!!!  Right now, I am on day 2 of my 5 day house hunting trip and I am suffering from the worst jet lag of my life.  So, yes, if for no other reason, I will be happy to repatriate for the simple fact of not having to have jet lag on a semi-regular basis.

I know there are those of you out there that think I am completely crazy for even mentioning jet lag as a reason for not wanting to live over seas anymore- and that's probably because you've never had it.  My husband used to travel to Europe a lot for his job.  I had never been overseas to experience true full on jet lag, let alone done it with 4 ticking time bomb alarm clock kids.  I always thought it was in his head and didn't understand how you couldn't sleep if you were tired due to some problem with your own internal clock.  

Well, my first true jet lag experience came when I went on my house hunting trip to Japan 4.5 years ago.  I was 35 weeks pregnant with my third son and had a very painful varicose vein in my leg, needless to say, even in first class, I didn't sleep at all on the flight over.  I was so tired, I thought I'd have no problem sleeping- WRONG!  I'd go to bed at 8 every night and be up at 2 in the morning, laying there, staring at the ceiling.  Being pregnant, I couldn't test out my husband's sure fire jet lag reducing method of drinking a few beers before bed.  After that trip, I started to believe him that there was such a thing as jet lag.

When I moved, with the kids, I firmly believed him about all of his jet lag warnings and started to listen to all of his advice, except the drinking beer before bed part.  I didn't take naps (under any circumstances) and I stayed awake late the first few nights.  Now, this advice is pretty good, except for one tiny problem (KIDS).  They were going to bed early, in fact, one night, my son fell asleep in the tub at 5 PM, so staying up late doesn't matter, when your kids get up in the middle of the night anyways.  Does my husband take his own advice - NO!  On many occasions after business trips, etc. or upon arrival to the US a few weeks after us, he can barely keep his eyes open past 3 in the afternoon (which means an early rising,since he didn't have tired kids waking him at 2 or 3 am). What's the bottom line?, don't listen to your supposed expert jet lag dealing husband's advice!  Don't nap, don't give the kids naps the first few days, but when they go to bed, YOU GO TO BED TOO!  There is nothing worse than dealing with overtired cranky kids when you are overtired and more cranky than them, trust me.

So, yesterday after an exhausting and downright depressing day of house hunting, I could barely keep my eyes open at 3:30 in the afternoon.  I didn't want to go to bed for fear of waking at midnight and being up all night.  However, when Hazel fell asleep at the same time, I should have taken my own advice and gone to bed when she did.  I stayed up until 8, then I woke at midnight with her anyways.  From midnight until 5 AM, I tossed and turned - of course, she fell back asleep, but I lay there with my mind racing.

I tried everything, counting sheep, yoga breathing, repeating the ABC's over and over in my head, but nothing would bring sleep.  What was I doing?  I was not excited about looking for houses, I did pray that the ones I see today did not consist of the following categories 1) smell of wet pond dog fur the minute you enter the house, 2) pantry smelling more like dog food than the bowl probably does, and 3) carpet used as a dog toilet, so much to the point, that I didn't want to take one step on it even with my shoes on.

Those thoughts led to me thinking of Penzey's spices- we drove by a Penzey's today, which was right across from Barnes and Noble's.  A gourmet spice shop across the street from a book store full of cook books I need to explore.  I was thinking of all the recipes I could try without preparing for them months in advance, all the cookbooks I could run out and pick up.  I was not thinking about where I was going to live to do all this cooking.  This led me to think about juice because I was thirsty, but unfortunately, being pregnant, I can't drink in the middle of the night because my heart burn is too bad.  I was imagining myself walking into Target and looking at all the juice varieties and which ones I would choose to drink today.  I wonder if I'll actually make it to Target today or if I'll be too tired to care about drinking that juice.  

That led me to think about this blog and that I wanted to write about jet lag, that I wanted to learn how to use photoshop. I began wondering if my blog is too busy with all the stuff I write about and if I should seaparate it into two different ones, one for cooking stuff and one for all the homeschool/kid craft stuff I do.  I kind of like it all together, it's who I am, I am busy, and jet lag aside, I normally get up when I wake up because my mind races as soon as my eyes open.  Then I wondered if it was just too much in one place, what do you think?  I like to encourage people that life can go on when you have kids, that you can do these things with them and when you have them.   Thoughts?

Finally, I couldn't stop thinking about Cook's Illustrated, and how much I love their recipes, and their explanations.  I have a chemistry degree and cooking is kind of like chemistry, you need to find the right combinations and take care with your measurements.  I like that my kids like to cook with me and that they are learning how to carefully measure and the purpose of all the ingredients. I can't wait to buy all the Cook's Illustrated cookbooks I've been wishing for and start putting them to use.  I can't wait to not have jet lag anymore, so my days aren't wasted with early morning bursts of energy and inspiration, only to be followed by afternoons full of wasted time because I'm so tired I feel sick.

The only fun thing about jet lag is the first day you get home and you are up early and dressed before the rest of the world, and you know you'll be the first one in line at Starbucks that day.  Once you have that coffee in hand, you will be ready to take on every single aisle at Target to catch up on everything you missed for the months you were away.  That's the only thing I'll miss, that first morning excitement that jet lag brings.

So, yes, my current number one thing I'll miss about life in Japan, jet lag, it's a nasty little thing!

  

A Busy Busy Year

It's official, my life can't get any crazier.  Last November, my husband found out it was possible we'd be moving before the summer as we had originally thought.  Well, guess what, the official job announcement came out today and we are going to be moving back to America.  It's funny, a few years ago, after I'd first moved here, I was talking on the phone to one of my good friends from North Carolina and I was going through my schedule for the year with her, trying to decide when my life would not be so crazy- and she said "you're life is always going to be crazy!"   Boy was she right.

In February, the kids and I will broken heartedly move from Japan to America.  Can you believe you can actually hear someone say that they will miss taking that 24 hour door to door flight with their 4 (soon to be 5) kids, half the times alone?  It will be weird boarding the plane with a one way ticket, knowing that I may never return to this place that I have come to grow so fond of.  When I moved here, I always knew I'd be returning to America for summers and most Christmases.  Living here, I could have my Japan and America too.

In the end of February, I will hopefully join my husband on a trip to Illinois, where we will be relocating to eventually and try to find a house.  SCARY thought, having to buy a house and take care of it again.  In the past four years, we have had this amazing property management company, Shioya Tochi, that has pretty much done everything for us besides lift a fork to our mouths.  It's incredible the services and assistance they've provided.  To think, we are actually going to have to take care of a house and yard ourselves.

In the end of March, I will have my fifth c-section.  I am getting nervous about it, but I am excited too.  I found out the other day for sure, it is a girl, it only took the Japanese doctors four ultrasounds before they would 100% confirm it for me.  I plan on enjoying all five days in the hospital- it's going to be my vacation.

In the end of April, provided there were no complications for me or the baby, I may go back to Illinois to continue looking for houses if my first trip is unsuccessful.  Or it may be to help my husband try to unpack, paint, sort stuff out before the kids arrive.

In May/possibly June, I will drive 17+ hours across the US from Massachusetts to Illinois with my five kids, one of them a newborn who will need to eat every three hours.  This time, I will stop at a hotel.  It ought to be a special treat, this trip, since the longest trip my kids have had in the car was 3 hours going to Maine last summer.  We do most travel by plane or train here.  This drive may end up taking much longer than that 24 hour door to door from Japan, who wants to race me?

In July, who knows, I might be crazy enough to go back to Massachusetts for another visit before August rolls around and school starts.

In the meantime, I spent the past 8 days with one or the other of my family members vomiting, great timing since I'm supposed to be sorting through everything that we own.  I am fortunate enough now to have the task of getting rid of anything that might take up too much space in our shipment, yes, my life is about to get packed up into a many small containers, driven down a steep windy hill, put into a bigger container, put on a boat, sail across the Pacific, get on a truck, driven halfway across the US, and hopefully delivered all in one piece to my new doorstep.  Then, there's the whole issue of what is irreplaceable and too risky to send on a container that could fall into the ocean- which by the way, if it does and my life ends up on your beach, please return it.

I would like to thank all my family and friends for their support during this time and during the whole time we've been here.  Thank you for listening to my adventures, even if I told them to you more than once and please bear with me when I move.  I heard moving back can be harder than moving away.  And don't fear, the Life in Japan category will still have plenty more entries before I leave as I dote on all the things I will miss and remind myself of those that I won't!  And, with all my free time while I'm at my parent's (cackle), I plan on organizing all my photos, and there's some great things we've done since we've been here, that never made it on.

Stay tuned, this could be my busiest year yet!

Christmas Eve in Japan

This is a quick post, but it's something that makes me chuckle.  Since it's our first Christmas here, one of my neighbors who has spent several Christmases here, gave me some tips.  If you don't like to bake, you can always find a lovely little Christmas cake- they do not really do cookies here, but they can make a cake look very pretty. If you need to go out last minute shopping, there's no rush, stores are not too crowded, and they don't close early.  Also, if you are done opening gifts on Christmas morning and you forgot batteries, you can always go out and get them because Christmas day is a normal day to Japanese people.  Most importantly, all Starbucks are open.

The one thing she warned me about though, was to beware of Kentucky Fried Chicken on Christmas Eve. It struck me as odd that KFC would be a crowded nightmare on Christmas Eve.  I asked my Japanese teacher why and she said they associate the American holiday with eating turkey, but since most of them have tiny ovens or no oven at all, they can't cook a turkey, so they eat chicken.  You know, for the first time ever, I found whole oven roasting chickens at our local grocery store, most were precooked, but there were a few that you could cook on your own.  Guess what I have in my freezer now?

Well, I proceeded to ask another Japanese friend about the KFC situation.  He pointed out that they have a clever ad campaign that makes Japanese people think they should have the custom of eating fried chicken on Christmas Eve.  Now, I wanted to witness the madness first hand, so in the early afternoon, we went to the food court of our grocery store.  Here's the KFC- yes, the colonel is dressed up like Santa:

Then, this was on the side:

Check out the massive amounts of these buckets.  I didn't know Japanese people would even want a bucket that big of chicken.

I wanted to go back at night to witness the long line and see people filling up the buckets but I couldn't bring myself to leave the house.

I was talking to my brother on the phone today and he was saying how they were getting together with some friends to get Chinese take out.  Then, it clicked, KFC is the Japanese equivalent of our Chinese food.  Dave swore Chinese food on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve was only my family's tradition, but I asked him why there was always a 2 hour wait.  So there you have it- they probably think we're strange for wanting Chinese on those days too.

On Christmas Eve, the stores selling the Christmas cakes get very busy too.  Check out Baskin Robbins selections for this year.

Here's the room full of the preorders- quite a bit for a country that recognizes the holiday but does not celebrate it.

Oh, and look at the sundae selections, too bad they didn't have stuff like this at the BR in the US:

This made me chuckle because I think for the most part, many of us would not even think of KFC as our go to place for a Christmas Eve meal.  We could not bring ourselves to follow the Japanese Christmas Eve tradition to fill up a bucket with chicken- instead, we stuck with a family tradition of making swedish meatballs.

However you and your family choose to celebrate Christmas Eve, I hope it's a good one!

Japanese cell phone charms

I have been thinking about posting about the cell phone charm madness that is quite evident to anyone that comes to Japan.  When people come here, they have an idea in their head of what they want to get for souvenirs. However, they quickly realize that magnets and keychains are not common, and in fact, a t-shirt with Japanese characters is super hard to find (bad english=easy; your size=not so easy).  Almost every Japanese person, young or old has a charm on their cell phone and maybe even more than one on their bag.   The cell phone charms range in size from small as a dime, to pretty darn big (size of a donut).  Some people have so many on their phone, it's a wonder, they can even find their phone.  I saw this girl on a train in Tokyo- and YES, they are all attached to her phone:

When it is time for me to make a trip back to the US, I get a lot of requests to bring back cell phone charms.  I also encourage visitors to bring them back as souvenirs.  Every touristy site, train station, or city has their own charm.  Not only will the charm be a memoir of a site you visited, but also it is just so very very Japanese to have one.  I started collecting charms from places we visited around Japan- they are cute and it's funny to remember what the area is famous for and how it is represented.  We went to Hokkaido a few years ago and a very popular cartoon character was a green guy with a "package".  It turns out his name is a similar sound to the Japanese word for the package and he represents the seaweed in the many lakes up there.

This one I got when I went to hike Mt. Fuji, a cartoon mountain with ice cap and smiley face, on the back it says 3776m for the height:

When we went to Nagasaki, I got several: one was for the dragon boat festivals they hold every year, one was for cheeseburgers (evidently they have some obsession with cheeseburgers there), and the other was for castella (Japanese pound cake they are famous for- I could not find it today, so it's not pictured).

You may notice the dragon charm I got is a Hello Kitty one, not only does every area represent their specialty on a charm, but there is ALWAYS a Hello Kitty donned in character.  Yesterday, I was in Osaka at the Sanrio store, the entire third floor was pretty much devoted to Hello Kitty cell phone charms.  I could not believe the thousands, yes, thousands of different ones there were.

This might be a bad shot, but it's from my cell phone so that's why, but imagine this times at least 5, that's how many were on the back and side wall:

Here's some cloth ones, all Hello Kitty sushi:

My neighbor was with me, looking for Christmas ornaments to give to her niece and nephew that would be visiting Japan for Christmas.  She ended up deciding to get the cell phone charms because they really represented Japan. They had all the Hello Kitty charms for every area of Japan.  We were able to find quite a few for our city, Kobe:

Pictured above are the airport, the ropeway my husband takes the kids on-dressed in the uniform of the baseball team, a park we go to a lot, the Harborland area of Kobe we frequent quite a bit, and the shinkansen.

Below are some others I got that I thought were so cute.

Don't you just love this one, it's for our new baby who will probably never get to live in Japan.

I stole my neighbor's idea and we hung them on our tree, they are lightweight and festive with their jingly bells: