Tidbits from our week! : )

Last Friday, right on the date, the backpack for Branden's elementary school, that we ordered, was supposed to be delivered. It indeed got to our home by delivery, right on time! It came nicely packed in the box. Came with a lot of little extras, like protector pads for carrying the backpack. A book bag and even a shoe bag, etc (even though we will use our own handmade bags we bought already, but it was nice they gave them to us). I opened the box and took a good look at the backpack to make sure it was indeed the correct one we ordered, which of course it was. But heck, better to check. Checked for any flaws, and it's flawless, perfect actually and I checked every stitch, every dot of this backpack. And when I was satisfied, I packed it all back into the box and put that box into the brown cardboard box and put it safely into Branden's closet and there it will stay until the new school year begins this coming April. Man, things are coming into place with regards to the first grade. We also got a paper sent to the house. Saying Branden is ready to pass to the first grade. And he will be passing and completing yochien. Noboru told B that he got his "license" in the mail. I like that he termed it that way. And now he can move onto the first grade this coming April. He's very excited! : )

Branden's best friend, Genki-kun went skiing last week, while Branden was in Guam. Genki-kun gave this cute little box of cookies to Branden! He was so happy to get it! We usually give and trade omiyage with Genki-kun's family.

And a few pics of the obento lunches I made for Branden this week. What do we have here? Karaage (I had made karaage the night before, so this was an easy fry up in the morning), french fries, steamed green beans, with some butter, salt and pepper. White rice and some fresh strawberries (my god these were so sweet, I bought 2 packs one for him to take to school for a few days and some for us to eat in the house, we loved these this week!) and a mikan jelly, that's it.

Another day, I made some pizza toast. 2 mini pepperoni pizzas, I made that morning. A toaster oven, toasted hash brown, some steamed green beans. Some more fresh sweet strawberries and a grape jelly.

And thinly sliced sweet honey ham and some good swiss cheese, some miracle whip, made this a fantastic sandwich to send B, to school with that day. I also gave him a small handful of fries and some steamed green beans. 1 mikan and a white peach jelly! : )

On Friday, which is today, I sent Branden to school with this obento! It's an all beef Oscar Meyer hot dog that I pan fried, yumm! Put some ketchup on there. Some Kraft mac and cheese and some steamed brocoli. A mikan and a strawberry jelly! Kept things simple regarding the lunches for my son, as always. But I wanted to get a good variety of meals for him, as well! Every single lunch came back, totally empty! Phew about that! : )

Tonight, Friday Feb 1st, I am making fried shrimp/ebi fry! I always buy bigger ones for the hubby and me. And easier to hold smaller shrimps for both the boys! Although, yes they could have the big ones sure, but they always like the smaller sized ones, go figure! I also got my big shrimps on sale and they are huge! We can't wait until we eat ebi fry tonight!

Tinier tidbits of the week are going here: )

Things I have watched on TV this week! I saw the last and grand finale of "so you think you can dance" And if you haven't seen the finale, please do not read any further! But, I must say, I loved the grand finale! I am glad how they had some of the last 20 top dancers come back for the finale and get to redo/redance some of the most loved dances from this season. I especially am/was fond of the Hummingbird dance with Hok and Jamie. Also, did anybody hear in real life, Hok and Lacey are really going out? And I was really glad Sabra won! Her personality in my opinion was always fantastic, she was always smiling, so cheerful. I think she gave 100% every performance. And I was just really glad she won! I was also *really* happy to see the new season of Nip/Tuck had started! I watched that this week, as well. And movies, I've seen on the ol' satellite this week, are, Robocop 1 and 2. Benny and Joon (I love this) Aliens, I have seen twice this past week, ha ha ha. And has anybody been watching the Entertainment Tonight episodes they have been showing on the Fox channel? I have seen every single one of them! I loved the one they showed on the Osmond family. The 10 most shocking moments was good too. I've also been watching the George Lopez show on the GLC channel and it just cracks me up that show! I have also been watching the Gilmore Girls off and on, whenever I can catch an episode, I watch it. And I obviously can NOT wait for the new Season of American Idol coming next week to the Fox channel. I will no doubt be watching that show, from beginning to end. Ha ha ha. : )

Also, on Thursday, Jan31st, yesterday rather. I went to lunch with 2 of my Japanese girlfriends to the ANA hotel in Narita. I shoulda took pics, but I didn't : ( They are the 2 funny ladies I went and sang karaoke with, remember them? I went with Kaya-san and Rumi-san. Kaya-san and I are friends because our 2 sons go to the same yochien and same swimming school, plus her personality is very kind, sweet and we have fun hanging out. And Rumi-san and I are friends, because we are neighbors and B will be attending the elementary school her 2 daughters attend. And she's just freaking hilarious. I won't say, who said what but, or in detail what we talked about but we talked about, the topic of breast implants came up and we were dying of laughter about some talks about that. And no, I am all natural with that and would never get them, but the talk was hilarious. Being comfortable in swimwear also came up and I think actual tears of joy or hysterical laughter were coming outta my eyes. We also discussed more serious subjects about educating our children. And I left with the feeling, we are all going through the same thing in one way or another, we all have the same concerns and worries. Regardless if I am American or they are Japanese. We all have concerns and out of love we worry a great deal. And we are all just doing the best we can. So, it was nice. Nice to ponder things like Kumon (how long is enough fo example, and Kaya-san has 2 kids in Kumon at the moment so it was good to get her thoughts and B goes to Kumon too meanwhile Rumi-san does not send her kids there and that's okay too, and she does send her kids to things like English lessons, so it was great to see everyone's opinions and listen and even though we stick with our own ways of parenting and stay true to what each of us believe in and what's best in our own individual cases, it's nice to hear other mother's takes and respect others in their own choices and I loved that we could talk like that, and probably why I enjoy spending time with these 2 ladies so much and why I consider them, real friends) and so on. It was a good day. The food was great, especially the desserts. Also, and maybe I should not mention this but, have any of you reading this, ever seen a woman just flat out, fall flat. I mean totally wipe out? Rest assured it wasn't any of my friends. But, Rumi was getting food, so I don't think she saw. But, as Kaya-san and I were eating lunch and discussing something. All of a sudden this woman, slipped on one of her high heel stilletos, she was wearing a pant suit, thank goodness, she wasn't wearing a skirt. But, she slid and she fell flat on her back, it was loud. It happened so fast and her head actually made a huge thud sound onto the hard cement or tile floor (must have hurt like hell). I wanted to run to her and see if she was okay, that was my first instinct. But again, I didn't wanna make a blunder. So, I looked around, clearly everyone else saw her too. She laid there on the floor for about 10 seconds. She went splat in front of 2 full tables of woman. Nobody got up. To me that was a bit shocking. Perhaps to be fair though, they were trying to not notice, as to not embarass her? I don't know and I often do the wrong thing in situations like this in Japan. So, I just copied what everyone else did and watched but did nothing. She did get up, and she actually walked it off as if nothing had happened. It was like it didn't even happen. And she continued to eat and everything. But the sound of her skull hitting that hard fancy shiny tiling, or whatever it was. It was so loud, her head hitting the tiles. I wondered if she almost needed an ambulance at first. Either way, she might need an MRI, seriously, just to get a look see. She really hit her head hard! Anyway, that was my interesting tidbit from the lunch from yesterday.

I did take B to Kumon twice this week. I also took him swimming on Wednesday and I will be taking him to swimming this evening as well, for the makeup class, he missed while we were in Guam. So, I should be busy all day today and well into the evening.

Also, at our yochien at the moment, a few kids seem to be down with the flu. A few of B's good friends have it. Especially Genki-kun, he's missed the last 2 days of school. And Branden and Genki-kun are seriously best friends, these 2 kids play together every single time after lunch in the playground. They play on the bus together and ride the bus together. They even meet up on their days off. They're as thick as theives, I tell you! Ha ha ha. So glad they will be going to elementary together! So, it was a real bummer for Branden that Genki-kun is sick. I hope he gets well soon for Branden's sake because he truly has been missing his best friend at school these passed few days! : ( On the other hand, my kids have not got sick even once this year. Isn't that weird? I think it's odd. They got sick last year once or twice, but not this year yet. Ha ha ha. Oh well, knocking on wood about that! You watch, now that I say that, it will be my kids next, ha ha ha! Crosses fingers about that. But I hope all the kids get well soon at Branden's school! They are all good sweet kids!

Anyway, I better go in the kitchen now and panko the shrimp and go make the rice and get things prepped for tonights dinner for after swim school! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! : ) Noboru is off today and tomorrow, so, we will be having a nice family type weekend starting this evening. Some DVD's and some board games! Okay, I better motor! Have a good one, you guys!

PS, a tiny grumble grumble! When I got back from Guam, Noboru did not throw out the fruit or bread while I was away. When I got back, there were black old stinky bananas sitting on the green counter. I worried if they'd leak some banana guts or anything but they didn't. And the bread had grown actual mold spores on them. I think Noboru doesn't do much while I am away does he? Ha ha ha! Shakes head and smiles! Sigh! : )

Okay have a good weekend! : )

We bought Branden's backpack!!! : )

We had planned to go look for backpacks on Monday. However, we ended up making a whole day of it on Sunday, (a whole day early), instead. Now, Noboru had done a huge amount of research, as did I. However we didn't agree, lol. He came to the conclusion that he wanted Branden to get a Miki House backpack (granted maybe a big fancy brand in Japan, but it's certainly not in the US, so I am not exactly impressed or dazzled by this brand, sorry to say, but I'm just not). The hubs liked it because it is expensive, had name brand appeal and blah blah blah! Now, I came to the opposite conclusion. I also did a helluva lot of reseach and I wanted B to get a Rara brand backpack. No fancy shmancy name brand appeal, so what!!! It had quality and that's what I looked for straight away, most important! Remember when the yochien gave us a stack full of backpack catalogs, the past few weeks or so ago? Well, after flipping through each page about a zillion different times, I decided that the brand I preferred was the brand "rara." They just seemed to have better features, bar none. Better quality and whatnot. So hubby and I, went to see the Miki House first. Lucky for us, Miki house backpacks are in Narita. So close! This pic is of Branden trying on the Miki House! I will cut to the chase and tell you, I hated it! Quality seemed like crap, no offense. I wonder what the poor sales girl thought, as Noboru, Branden, Noah and myself were looking at them at Miki House. I was polite and gracious, but if I didn't like it, I said so. But the backpack was such an important item and has to last so many years. That today, I pulled no punches with my wonderful hubby! You can see Noboru's hands looking and touching the backpack in this picture.

Again since this is a huge freaking investment, it had to be held up to an unbelievable high set of standards. So, I looked at that Miki House over with a fine tooth comb. And now remember the Rara had 9 key points that made their backpack superior, lol. And as I flipped through the Miki House, I told Noboru, "Aha, this Miki House does not have feature #8, like the rara's have!!!" LOL, a bit dorky yes, but this was an important purchase! Meaning no light reflectors! The ones on the Miki House were just silver metal, no refelctors at all. Granted I doubt my son would be walking around at night and needing a car to see him, but for that absurd price they should have had them, was my point. But, again, if the Miki House didn't have that feature. Not good. I showed Noboru and said, see? It also was missing a few other key features as well. Also, the material looked flimsy. I told Noboru, look at the material? It looks flimsy and cheaply made. This won't last six years! And then I said, "Are we just buying the little logo on the side or we actually looking for a quality backpack for Branden. And then, I backed off and said....but you tell me what you think sweetie! But I don't think this is good. Noboru was meanwhile silent, but shaking his head when I spoke. And he kept touching and feeling the backpack. And then he turned to me and said. "I think we better go see the other backpacks" I knew right then, Noboru didn't like that backpack either. So, we took off. We saw a few other ones in the mall. Benneton, looked really nice you guys. Puma and the Aeon brand ones are actually really super quality. Really really nice actually! However, I was dead set on that Rara one. Or at least knew we had to take a look. Their main shop (lucky for us) was in Chiba city. A bit far, but not bad. Also, look at the bottom of Branden's sweatshirt here in this pic? Clean right? Well, in the next couple pics, it isn't. He ends up sitting on a smooshed piece of chocolate that was stuck on his car seat! Ugh, what a mess! Ha ha ha! Oh well, it's real life! And sometimes important days like today, your kid can end up sitting on some chocolate! Ha ha ha! Oh man! : )

These are the features, I loved about the rara brand. Granted not a fancy brand like Miki House, but a well known and trusted manufacturer of school backpacks in Japan. The thick padding for your kids shoulder. Plus you get shoulder pad covers too, not that you need them though because the straps are comfy anyway. Also, the shoulder straps are actually ergonomically shaped as the man explained it. Like an hour glass or whatever, the straps do not slip off your child's shoulder at all. The shape of them makes sure the straps will go in the right place and no slippage. The light reflectors. The double stiching. And so on. The back support. Very cushiony. Some are just hard and have no cushion at all. The Miki house did not have the shapely shoulder strap and they were not padded either, they felt, thin and like they would slip down all the time. I really had to be hard and tough when I went choosing the backpack. And I checked each backpack we looked at and saw if they contained all 9 of these things. Most didn't. Some came close though, but no cigar, ha ha ha! : )

I really loved the picture in the rara catalog of the little old Japanese granny sewing the backpacks. They are all hand sewn, and all made to order! Ours isn't even made yet! So it's quality! Really good quality. Some of the cheaper ones at the shopping mall when we were looking at the Miki House one, looked like they came off a huge conveyor belt of mass production. In other words, they looked cheap.

This is the type of backpack we ended up getting for Branden. In the rara catalog there are so many different styles. But this style really hit me. I saw this picture of the two little Japanese kids wearing their normal or street clothes mind you. And they were wearing them, just basic backpacks, but they had just that little bit of flare with the stitching. That really hit me! I loved that one! Basic yes, but still having that little extra special thing with the stitching. I must have stared at this pic a million times, you guys! Ha ha ha! Hey, at least Im being honest! I was head over heels about this backpack.

The color variation was wide. And the one I fell in love with was the black one. Hubby really liked it as well. But then he chose the Miki House first, but since being totally disappointed by the quality of the Miki House, we saw in person, we drove down to rara. And like I told Noboru, Miki House is fine and all, but they are not technically specializing in backpacks either. The quality isn't going to be equal of a company specializing in nothing but backpacks from generations back, know what I mean. If that makes sense at all. Again just our families opinion though.

Also, since most Japanese houses have little storage space. When your child ends elementary school and now starts junior high school. You would want to keep the backpack for your child as a keep sake, right? However since the backpack is large, you can have it shrunk. Made smaller. And down to a size that fits into your hand. See this picture? Ha ha ha! I am guessing they would actually cut it down, to make it that small. Interesting concept, huh? Many companies do this though. The rara company does this as well.

The actual Rara store. Not in part of a mall or anything. It looked closed at first. The website said it was open Sundays. However the sign on the door said, closed Sundays. Did we just drive all that way for nothing? Noboru pushed on the door and sure enough it was open. Phew! It was a little Japanese grandpa and grandma who own the store. The elderly man was *very* nice! Both of them were! I brought my trusty well used rara catalog with me. He saw, I came prepared, with my own worn 2008 catalog. Showed him the picture of what I was looking for, though I could find it myself. He knew by the catalog that we didn't just wander off the street. We planned to go there. We meant business! Ha ha ha! : ) But again, I was going to be, tough when judging this backpack too though, without mercy! Ha ha ha. I ran it through a full look over with a fine tooth comb, yet again too. Ha ha ha! Wink, wink! : )

We had Branden try it on a few times, at least. Poor kid, "on again Branden" "off again Branden" "on again Branden" Ha ha ha!!! I looked through the blasted thing 3 times! Noboru looked through it twice! We also looked at every other backpack in the entire store, until we decided that this was indeed the one!

The side of the backpack also has a side reflector. And yes, some companies that may sell backpacks with them on the back, yet a lot don't have the reflectors on the side. But this one has reflectors on the back and the sides. Safety! And I liked that as a mom, to me that was really important! The stiching on the sides. I loved that preppy diamond shaped stitching. Not just boring on the sides, like the Miki House or most of them are. It had these little details that made it different, that made it special and unique. I loved the quilted stiching on the sides a bunch. It looks like good quality when I see that stitching. My sons backpack may be basic black that is true, but I will be able to find his backpack, right away! : )

See the smashed choco on Branden's back of his sweatshirt? Geeze! And we didn't even give him a dot of chocolate today. And they rarely eat sweets, and especially not in the car. We have been stumped over the chocolate. But as I wiped the bit of smooshed chocolate off the seat belt, it is indeed sweet chocolate. Halloween candy, I am guessing, hmm!

The backpacks are so cute. Some are classic looking. Some are so new and cutting edge. And some are basic with stylish stitching to stop them from looking boring. Like these girl backpacks in the picture. The girl backpacks were so gorgeous, I am so glad I don't have a daughter. Only because they were all so cute, how would I ever decide which backpack to choose, if I had a daughter. Ha ha ha. The choice would be hard to make. Also in this picture you can see the double stitching better since the stitching is white. They are indeed all double stitched. Double stitched all over. Even the outter rim of this red backpack, is stitched with red blendable thread and thin stitched with 1 line of white. But indeed they are all double stitched everywhere. Same with Branden's black one, he got today.

This blue striped backpack is the one I really *really* wanted for Branden. But, I worried about him blending in and if he would be asking us for a black backpack a few month's later. Meanwhile, Noboru wouldn't even consider the blue backpack with stripes, he thought it was just weird, sigh. Ha ha ha, I liked it : )

The basic, of basic ones in the pic on the lower shelf. And the ones with a stripe on top. Their whole business is backpacks and they know a whole bunch about them. I felt better buying from an actual backpack manufacturer. They indeed all have warranty's for 6 years. And if anything ever needs to be fixed (highly doubt that), they will give your child a loaner backpack. Now, that's excellent customer service! Ha ha ha! : )

See that enormous backpack, is that Totoro's backpack or what? Ha ha ha! It's actually a visual to show how they will shrink the backpacks after your child finishes with elementary school. See the 2 smaller ones down below? Also, I think as of right now, we won't be shrinking Branden's backpack in 6 years. I think we have enough storage room and we will just keep his actual size, ha ha ha. But nice to know it's an option though! : )

Quality was fantastic. The look, traditional mostly. But with that little smidgen of difference to make it special, like the stitched stars, which our family just loves! Two little circle light reflectors down below. It's all double stitched, just like the girls ones, but with the black stitching you really can't see the double stitching, but it's there! Didn't seem flimsy, not even a bit. Really strong and well made. What's in this picture, is what B's backpack will be looking like once it gets made.

Nice back support and padding for the back. So it's not just like a piece of hard plastic or whatever hurting B's back. So it's comfy. And the shapely shoulder straps and padded straps. They don't slip off or slip down. Also, the stitching on the arm straps. And those little hooks, the 2 metal hoops on the straps below the stars. One is going to have a kid alert device. And if anyone tries to grab our child, as he is walking, all he has to do is pull it and it lets off a blinding screetching earth shattering, attention grabbing noise. It's an alarm. Very poplular in elementary school kids in Japan. So if anyone tries to take our child, the noise is enough to scare the living daylights outta the abductor. And people will come running! However since school kids, all walk together, he should be fine anyway. But we are getting him that device anyway. It's nice that there's a place he can hang it.

This is how the backpack opens and closes. It opens from underneath the backpack. And it's a turning type. We feel so relieved! Because in Japan the 2 big things you have to get outta the way are the backpack and the desk. And just having knocked the backpack off the list. We feel really accomplished about it now! Yay, we are getting ready you guys! And what does Branden think of his backpack? He loves it! As do we! We placed our order! And, since we ordered early enough, we got a choice of getting it delievered on January 25th, Feb25th or March 25th. Now, being early birds, we went with the earliest date of January 25th. And according to the older man and his wife, the #25, is lucky for school children. And Japanese tend to be into good luck days and bad luck days, and such. And so, they said, for our child to have a succesful school year, they chose the 25th for all delivery dates that they sell. So, it will be delivered to us on January 25th, we can't wait. It's also coming with a ton of freebies. Like cushions, covers, book bags, etc. I know it's about 6 years too early, but when Noah enters elementary school, we will be buying our backpack from this company again, without a doubt. What advice would I offer a fellow gaijin gal pal, if she was about to buy a backpack in Japan? I guess, I'd just say, buy whatever is best for your family. Buy whatever you guys like, first and foremost. Check what's popular in your own city in Japan too. And from whatever company meets your own families expectations. In closing there really is no right or wrong choice. Anyway, Im just glad we found the perfect backpack for our son and that it met our families expectations! I really am! : )

On our way home from the backpack store, we stopped off at Mc Donald's for lunch and then we hit the video store. Rented the kids one DVD. And we rented The new Harry Potter dvd, and Spider Man 3. Had dinner at home, and popcorn with the movie. I also threw Branden's sweatshirt into the washer as soon as we got home. I Spray and Washed it, ha ha ha, and then washed it asap. It came right out! Phew! ha ha ha! : )

Some more backpack talk from the luncheon and other whatnots! : )

The little blurb about the luncheon and the backpacks was this. During our lunch our rectangular table, of say about 8 woman,asked each other, if they all had bought the backpack. And every single one of them have indeed bought their child's backpack *already*. Except for me. Ha ha ha! We are planning to go look and buy B's on Monday. And we have it already narrowed down to 3, so far. And every single mother of a boy at our table, the color they bought, was black. Black backpacks seem, *at least where we live*, to be the one most mom's gravitated for. Well, except for my good friend, she bought a navy blue one with turquoise stitching. But everyone else went with the traditional Japanese color of black for boys! Seems that even with all the new popular colors they sell nowadays in Japan, the classic black one, is the one most of the moms and kids are picking. I found that really interesting.

Also,as we were driving, towards the luncheon. I asked my good friend, Kaya-san, if she had bought her sons backpack yet. She said, yes. And color, she chose also, was black. Again, I guess it's ultimately to each mother what she chooses or what her child decides, I guess. Also each area, town or city might gravitate towards their own favorite or own popular color for that particular area, some areas may favor navy blue more. But our area of Japan sticks with the basic black. Long story short, there is no right or wrong color. Up to the family and check the area you live in and find out what's most popular in your own area whenever the time comes. Like I said, for our area the color of choice for boys, seems to be black. And like I mentioned about our neighbor who lives across the street from us, Ayumi-chan's mom. She told my husband a few weeks back, she told Noboru (and her daughter is in second grade and attends the elementary school B will be going to), she said all the boys she sees when she drops her daughter off at when she runs to the school for something, she said most of the boys she sees have black. And she added to my DH, that she only has seen maybe one or two navy backpacks. Hmm.

It's all new to me, because I'm walking a road, I have yet traveled. I've never sent my child to elementary school in Japan before. : )

But, for me, I trust the mom's I know a bunch. They are all quite smart.I value their opinion a lot. I also trust my own decision making 100%. And we've known the dominant color of backpack around this area is indeed black, so we will go with that. We decided that for Branden, we will ultimately be buying him a black one. That way, he can be just one of the guys! Being hafu means he is already different to begin with. Having an obvious American mom, who will be picking him up from school on rainy days. geeze, the stares my poor son must face already! Ha ha ha. I just want Branden to be as normal and fit in Japan as much as possible. And so, if all the boys will be using a black backpack, then that's what Branden will have as well. I don't want my son to be singled out in a negative way at all. And up until now, he has never been treated any differently at school. He's treated just like everyone else, as it should be. He has a mad amount of friends and I am glad he fits in well. Really relieved! : ) But the Japanese have a saying, and I think for those of you in the US, you may find it interesting. It goes something like this. “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.” So, if you can understand that saying, then I guess you will understand why I want my child to have the black backpack like everyone else. Granted, I'd like to say, I am cool enough to turn up my nose at society and all it's pressures and let my child cruise to school with an orange backpack, say, if he wanted to. But, we all know how kids can be and I'm not the one who has to go to school, Branden does. Especially in a culture that believes things like, “The nail that sticks out gets hammered down.”, ha ha ha, so a black backpack it will be. And sure, it will still have that little special something that makes it different. But just a bit. : )

Now all I have to do, is get my butt in gear and we have to buy that backpack pronto! : )

Also, the mom's were already talking about the suit the kids would be needing for the entrance day ceremony. Boy, are these mom's on the ball, or are they on the ball??? They always make me feel so behind, ha ha ha. But I do totally appreciate the advice and stuff they give me. That they are already thinking "suit" at least gives me food for thought. However, we won't be buying Branden's suit until February because as his mom. I know B can have a month where he won't grow but a dot, and then next month he'll grow 3cm!!! So, with that being said, I don't want him to outgrow the suit before April. Besides the suit is not really that important to me. I don't really care, if it's expensive or moderately priced. Call me crazy, but a suit, a child will wear only one day and then never again? A one day, only suit basically? Granted Noah can wear it if he wants. But, it's not nearly as important as the backpack. At least the backpack has to be top quality because B would have to use it daily for the next 6 years, know what I mean? But, the suit? A one time only? Ahh, it can wait until February. Beginning of February though. Anyway, that's where we are regarding the "getting ready for school" stuff right now. : )

Preparing for the first grade...the Japan edition! Ha ha ha! : )

As, I am sure everyone knows by now, Branden will be entering the first grade at the beginning of the new school year. The new school year might start in August or early September in the US, however in Japan the new school year starts in the beginning of April. Now, as I have only been educated in the United States, and admittedly don't know too much about the "ins and outs of elementary school in Japan", I will just as I always have and do. I will use this blog and continue to type and tell "our" journey of entering the first grade in Japan. Everything I find out. All the mistakes I make, because I am sure there will be a few flubs, ha ha ha. So anyway here is where we are at this point. In September, we ran into some friends of ours at a local small shopette. The guy works with my husband. And they have 2 kids in elementary school, the same school B will be going to. So, anyway, the mom said to us at the bookstore that day. She said something to the effect of. "Branden will be going to the first grade this coming year, right?", My husband told them, yes he will. And then she said...."oh I imagine from November you will be *REALLY* busy then" Again, not knowing much about Japanese elementary schools, at all. I just smiled, nodding my head and said "yes, you are right". I asked my husband about that and he said, in Japan, parents usually start getting ready for elementary school in November. Again, it's all new to me. Now on October 31st, Halloween day, as I picked up Branden from the bus meeting point, where all students and mothers were. About 60 mom's in total, plus kids. The thing of the biggest topic for the big class, was getting ready for elementary school. The buzz was mostly about backpacks. I have received so much advice. So much advice and funny because some advice conflicts with other advice. Oh brother, ha ha ha. : ) And I think it's pretty obvious how confusing all this, is to this American mommy. So anyway, on Friday, today, Branden came home with a packet of about 4 backpack maker catalog's (from the 4 main makers). And I flipped through them. Thought deeply about what all the mother's had told me. Sigh, grumble, grumble. Ha ha. I will get this all sorted out, I am sure. The pic above is of the catalogs all wrapped up. : )

2008, these are all the newest models. And for those of you in the US, what is the price range for backpacks in Japan? Cheapest ones are about, $180.00 US, and they go all the way up to about $600.00 and some can even be more expensive as well. It all just depends. Some are leather, and some are not. That's what I found out. The basic colors and models are. Girls wear red, plain red. And boys wear plain black. Some boys, I gather from the mom down the street says, very few boys at our school, wear blue (I wonder why that is, hmm). Most of them use black. Double sigh from me. In the US here's how the backpack stuff goes down, your parents go and buy you a nice $20.00 or $30.00 Jansport backpack, or if you're younger say kindergarten or elementary school age, maybe a Care Bear or Strawberry shortcake one, if you are a girl. And boy's maybe choose a Spiderman or Superman. You replace them every year, so no big deal. No life altering big deal, like I said. Certainly nothing to worry, fret or have a stroke about. But in Japan, the kids must use them for the entire 6 years and given the price, they have to last that. So, as you can tell, we have been in deep backpack discussion mode at our house.

Now here is the paragraph where I will share every one's advice, that I have been given. And heck I do appreciate all the advice I got from my friends.

#1, everyone seems to agree on one thing. They have all told me to buy a quality one. Again not the most expensive. But they told me to buy one that was leaning on the more expensive side, rather then the cheaper side. And they said, the cheapest ones do tend to break and fall apart. So, after hearing that same advice from about 6-8 ladies who already have kids in elementary school. Plus they also went to school in Japan, themselves, I am inclined to believe this. So, we agree about this.

#2, one of my friends, told me to buy a backpack that closed more in the middle of the bag, versus closing on the bottom. Now, nobody else has mentioned a thing about this to me at all. So I am taking this with a grain of salt. But again, the advice was appreciated. Not sure, if I am going to follow it though. : )

#3, my good friend, her older daughter is in elementary school. And her other daughter attends the same yochien as B. She is really beautiful, by the way. Her style is exceptional. And she gave me a ton of advice the day I went to pick up B from the field trip. She's the lady who brought us the case of mangoes when I had that BBQ in the summer, if you recall. So I listened to her advice intently. She said, they have automatic closures on the better bags. And I didn't know that. And she also said this advice. She said, all the mom's are buying the backpacks already and all the more popular ones will be sold out by the end of December, so she told me, "please Gina buy yours quickly", because the popular ones go outta stock quickly. This advice, I will 100% listen to. So my plan is to buy ours before December 1st. My husband and I have decided November we will research and make this our month to buy our backpack. We don't wanna go to buy one, only to find it's outta stock. That would totally suck! She also told me to buy my school supplies by the end of December as well. My god, I thought, this lady is like an elementary school, guru, if she's kind enough to dole me out some advice, I better listen! : )

Her final thing, has got stuck in my head and I can't get it out. What is it? I'll tell you. She said, when her older daughter started the first grade last year. All the mom's bought all the cute fancy red ones. the ones with the flowers, and patterns on them and floral stitching etc.. And the mom's of the boy's did the same. And at the end of the first week, the kids all asked their parents if they could just have the basic red and basic black instead. Meanwhile, the parents had bought the more fancy ones and were shocked and actually she said, many took the bags back to the shops and asked for exchanges for the more basic model. And yes, as she was saying this to me. I sat wondering, they gave them an exchanges? Ha ha ha. But, again, I was just listening. Sigh. So anyway. That's what I have been told so far. And a few more good points as well, but they would take too long to type out. Sorry.

So, with all the good Japanese girlfriends, I have. And this time it totally pays to have good Japanese girlfriends, because they really, really know all this stuff. And they really jump in and help me. And boy do I need it and appreciate it. So where am I, at in terms of the backpack? Well, we know we will buy it by the end of November for sure. We don't wanna drag our feet with that. And we know, we are going to buy one that leans to the expensive side. Just because it has to last the full 6 years. However, I wanted to buy Branden a really cute pattern one I saw in the catalog, however I worry the advice would be true and B would hate it after a while and wanna change it to a basic color, with no pattern. Hmm. Because whether we admit it or not. All kids wanna sorta be the same as their fellow classmates. Nobody wants to be the odd man out so to speak. And if I sent him with the only odd or different color bag, I wouldn't want him to hate it. So anyway that's where I am about the bag. A lot of thought and searching is going to be going on this month! : )

Final thought about the bag and this is what a coworker of my husbands had told us. He said this. A sign of a good Japanese elementary school backpack is it is going to have a **6 year warranty on it.** And anything with less, proves it won't last. And yes, as I flipped the catalog, I saw many with only 4 year warranty's on them. And many had 6 year warranty's on them. Also, consider Japanese backpacks are about 20 to 25 pounds. They are freakishly heavy. So also consider the weight of the backpack. Sigh, so much thought has to go into this purchase. Anyway, again that's where we are in the backpack buying journey! Ha ha ha. : )

Branden has a medical exam to take next week. It's one of those "mass cattle call" type exams for all 6 year olds entering the first grade in April. His good friend, Genki-kun will be taking the exam with him too, since they will be attending the same elementary school together. They have that medical exam on Tuesday November 6th. And on November 12th, I think is when Branden will have to go back and all the 6 year olds who will be entering elementary school, they will be taking a test. They want to know how much your child knows. It's a knowledge test. I am not worried about either test. The medical or the aptitude test. Branden is pretty smart. Really smart actually. He reads and writes in both English and Japanese. Speaks in both English and Japanese. Although between you and I, he prefers English. Ha ha ha. And I hate to say it but, this is where I am thanking my lucky stars we started him in Kumon in July. Just by looking at that rather thick stack of work sheets he has finished. I have absolutely zero worries, if he will be okay or not. I know he will be fine. He'll ace that test come November 12th. And come on, us mom's can be proud of our kids, right? Of course we can! : ) Heck, we'd be odd, if we weren't! He he he! : )

He can read all this. For not even being in first grade yet, he reads really well. When we go to the store, he points, at a bottle and says, ...yakitori! Mikan. Ha ha ha. He can read it and it's really helpful actually. Ha ha ha. His reading is spot on for his age. In both languages actually.

And as the teacher at Kumon quiz's him, and you can see his score here. It's always 10 out of 10. he never misses a beat with regarding his reading. And honestly, the relief this gives me. Phew, I won't have to worry about B at school, now. Phew! : )

His writing, he does writing drills at Kumon all the time. he does know how to write his name in both English and Japanese. And considering, his level will only get higher before April rolls around. I am really pleased. So here it goes, the beginning of our journey to elementary school begins! : )