So much FUN!

So anyone that has a Wii can totally understand this!

Before we left Phoenix, AZ we grew really close to Kim and Derrick Logan..Oh how I miss their faces!  She was prego and just the happiest pregger EVER!  Anywho we usually played Wii together (the 4 of us) while Elijah watched the million Disney movies Kim owns. 

We always (for real ALWAYS) hung over their house --- we lived in an apartment and the free space was pretty limited!  ha ha ha..... ohh good times!  Eddie and Derrick played Madden late into the wee hours of the morning...Kim and I usually fell asleep on the couch!  Ok, ok long story short.......both couples have Mario Kart Wii and we played online last night together...while talking on the phone.  It was the best time!  It was so funny, thrilling, and relaxing.  I just love them 2....now it's 3...Lil Jude arrived while we were here:(  Oh I am so sad about not being able to at least hold him for a second as an infant!  

We definitely gotta get back to Phoenix to relive old times!  

P.S. We are up for a game anytime ....as long as Derrick gives every other play a CHANCE!  

So the first week of school is over and my feet are killing me!! FOR REAL YOU GUYS!  The classroom floors are concrete with carpeting put on top...no padding....I have resulted to wearing tennis shoes to work with EVERY outfit.  Ha ha ha I am not joking...I really wear them with every outfit! Sad, but true.

It was a great week!  I do miss my old school.  I think I had been there so long and knew what all the acronyms were and who did what it got comfortable to me.  I really had to ask a lot of questions this week, but I work with the BEST team. Really supportive and VERY experienced teachers!  I am blessed!

Elijah says he is doing well in school.....but.....his teacher already came and had to talk to me?  HUH?  I had to pass that on to Eddie.

YEAH Eddie is back and I am still SUPER excited!  It's awesome having him around.  He is sooooo helpful and does so much around the house.  He always tells me "You have a job outside the home - just like me so we have to both do our share at home"  How wonderful! He brought me back this gorgeous formal dress...my fav color!  That is the first time in 4 years he has ever bought me clothes!  I was proud of him....it fit perfectly!     

What happened to summer?

Why has the high temp been 65 degrees for the past 7 days?  Whew, this is a far cry from 7 years in Phoenix, Arizona!  (I am not complaining though -- it's hard to miss 116 degrees) This winter is supposed to be colder than last:)  Yeah another white Christmas!  Good thing heating the house is FREE!

First Day of School

YEPEE!  So the first day of school was great!  Out of 5 years of teaching, I have started the first day on rainy day schedule more then not!  Huh?  Educators can understand the dilemma!  

Elijah was more than excited to go to 1st grade!  He had his backpack packed full of paper towel rolls, Kleenex, hand soap, folders, two journals, pencils, Elmer's glue, glue sticks, scissors, Lysol wipes, crayons, colored pencils, markers and his sack lunch....pretty sure it was heavier than he was.  I sat down and explained to him that we are blessed to be able to afford to buy all these school supplies and that he should be proud to carry the load, because some families can not afford it. He looked at me and said, "But Mom, we can afford school supplies but not school lunch everyday?" I mean really?  That lunch is expensive!  It's $2.20 a day x 5 days a week x 180 school days! NOT HAPPENING!  Eddie and I pack our own lunch and we got JOBS! 

P.S.  EDDIE COMES HOME TOMORROW!!!  

MAN I AM BEAT!

Summer break is exactly 67 days long and apparently I am not used to actually working!  I am exhausted!  FOR  REAL....like I've never worked a day in my life.  I have not cooked a day this week! I know, I know I love cooking for the family, but by the time I get off I am exhausted. Hmmmm maybe I could use more iron in my diet?  Whatever! (have you noticed I ALWAYS bring food up in my blogs?) 

Subway and Chinese fried rice (yes in Japan -- the irony) have been our subsistence this week.  

We had one of two open houses today.  It went GREAT!  The parents were really receptive to having a 'new' teacher on the team! My class size is 23....can I get a Hallelujah? I've never had it so good in my life! I am looking forward to starting the school year off Monday with the kiddos. Eddie comes home in 4 days! 

Earlier this week someone asked me 'how' I do it.  I asked 'do what?' They said become a single parent while your husband is gone repeatedly, keep the house running, faithful to your husband.  I told her I do it because nights alone aren't permanent, missing him reminds me of how blessed I am to have someone to miss and because I am not afraid to make sacrifices for TRUE LOVE.   

Applause for the Japanese Farmers

Okay so if you really know me you know I LOVE TO EAT!! Not just any food.....it needs to be QUALITY food.  So with that being said.....Japan has the best produce I have ever tasted.  Mind you I've been around the world a couple of times but, the Japanese will almost bring tears to your eyes with the goodness of their food. 

So there is a 'fresh market' right outside the gate here.  No frills believe me -- actually I am pretty sure they don't have any lights in the building....just nature.  Whatever!  They sell cheap DELICIOUS produce.  I am not talkin' Sprouts quality!  These will almost make you dance in the street!

So my friend called me to go get some peaches (they were on sell for 100 yen/each) and she told me to get this 'mystery' fruit that was 'sooooo goood'.  Of course, I got off work early to do this (no lie).  Grabbed the peaches and the mystery fruit.  It was as round and large as an apple.  Purplish in color, purple fleshy meat and so much juice I had it running down my chin.  YUMMERS!!  I ate it (while I was driving).....drove home....went to the gym.....and went to buy some more!

When I got to the counter I asked the lovely Japanese woman the name of the fruit.  She said in her ever so lovely English with a Japanese accent "nectarine"!  HUH?  This was no normal nectarine guys!  It was incredibly scrumptious.........I seriously pulled the car over to the side of the rode to finish it because I didn't want to have any distractions!  Man I don't know what they do to their fruits/vegetables, but I am the first tall, Black female in the Japanese markets to buy them up!

P.S. I can't believe I blogged about fruit! You would understand if you were here!  Wait til I tell you about the carrots!

Spaghetti anyone?

So I had to post this one.  Two nights ago we had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner ( I love to cook for my family).  Elijah's FAV food is spaghetti and he always seems to finish A LOT of it in record timing.  It's astonishing actually!  So I wanted to know his secret!  As I observed him 'inhaling' a MAN-SIZED plate of spaghetti I was baffled!  Elijah LITERALLY does not chew his noodles up!  He just swallows  the noodles whole....allowing them to slide down this tongue, down his throat and right into his belly without a single jaw moving chew!  

HOW YOU ASK?: Well he eats the meatballs and sauce first.....then goes for the "Michael Phelps speedy" finish with the noodles!  Mind you, I don't break my noodles apart when I cook them.  I mentioned to him that he may want to chew his noodles up to help in the digestion process.  He just looked up at me.....with a noodle hanging out of his mouth --- that I imagined was halfway in his stomach on the other end--and smiled.  

He finished his dinner eating in his very own UNIQUE fashion!  

Yep...can you believe it?

...I know....I know....what you are thinking...Love actually started a blog! Kim go ahead and knock it off your list!  Actually we figured it would be the easiest way to keep up with all our stateside family and friends, since most people don't have MySpace accounts (I am a bit bored with it actually)

May I just begin with Elijah's first sleepover last night!  Goodness gracious is all I could say last night.  He earned a sleepover with two of his friends.  I figured it was a great way for Elijah to experience siblings, because that is as close as he is going to get here in Japan!  I was in a house with a 9 year old boy and 2 six year old boys for 16 hours.  The four of us played Wii from 9pm to 11:45pm! Actually I played for an hour with then and Eddie called (he is TDY) so I voluntarily stopped and let them go at it.  I had to shut the operation down at 11:45pm....against MUCH protest!

Anyhow I popped popcorn...Oh wait!  That was the most fun thing of the evening.  As a teacher I am amazed at how many children have NEVER seen popcorn pop outside of a microwave bag.  I mean that is the ONLY way I pop popcorn at home.....FOR REAL!  It taste so much better....hmmm the air feeling with the sweet aroma of freshly, popped popcorn and real, hot, melted butter (I didn't say it was healthy ....just tasted better) I showed our guests how popcorn pops and explained to them why it pops.  So many teachable moments huh?

The boys grabbed sleeping bags and watched The Incredible Hulk movie.  Whatever....it gave me time to have my quiet time!  They went to sleep circa 2:30am...once again under protest:( 

It was a really good night actually.  Those boys are really well-behaved kiddos and Elijah was overly excited to have friends spending the night!