Last Friday. Our parent teacher conference at Bran's high school. The Loft. Found Noah a pair of swim trunks for elementary school. Domino's Pizza and a whole bunch more...

Last Friday, June 9th we had a parent teacher conference at Branden's school. The appointment was set for 9:30am. We were there around 9:15am, but by the time we found parking and walked into the school we were just a few minutes early. But still early. : ) The meeting went pretty well. He said Branden's grades are excellent. And that he has lots of friends and that the teacher sees absolutely no problems with Branden... whether it be education-wise or social and friend-wise. So the meeting was pretty short and sweet. He did ask us about Branden's college/university plans and we said 100% without a doubt, Branden will be going to college in the United States. Destination unknown for now... but the USA is most definitely where Bran will attend college. And so this way the high school knows. We were out by 9:50am but we did swing by Branden's class and peeked through the huge open window from the hall to the class. So we can hear what's going on in class. And the class is all white and bright and very nice and modern. A few of his classmates did see Noboru and I, but we really wanted to peek at the class...more so on the down low. And not let the entire class know we were there. So we peeked stood a few minutes listened and we left. The tricky part was... Branden got out of school at 11:30am Friday (all last week actually) and it was barely 9:55am by now. And so we had time to kill...in the city. Hmm...what to do...what to do. So...Noboru and I went to The Loft. The Loft is always amazing, they're all over Japan and Chiba everywhere!!! Certainly not where we live though hahaha. So getting a chance to browse and kill some time in one... was awesome!!! So we did that. And then when it was nearing the time for Bran to get out of school....we made our way back to Branden's high school. I Line messaged him, where we were parked. And as soon as he zipped out of school, we went for lunch! Which is this picture. : ) We went to Mc Donald's. Because we were going to be ordering pizza later for dinner... so eating out for dinner plus lunch...so we wanted lunch to be relatively cheap. So Mc Donald's fit the bill nicely. We rode the highway (toll roads both ways) because considering how far we live and the fact we have an elementary aged kiddo in our town...with a set time that he would be out of school. We really didn't want to be late. So we jumped on the highway after lunch and zipped-zapped-zoomed to our town as fast soon as possible. We got home in plenty of time. And as soon as Noah was out of school, he came home, dropped off all his school stuff. And we went to Narita City.  

I found this pencil case at The Loft and knew how much Noah would get a kick out of it. Bran being a teenager...I was iffy on... if he'd like it or not. So, I didn't buy him one. Which is a good thing because he said it's cute, but he prefers what he has. 

Those "teeth" crack me up! 

Also, my kids have both been wanting a fidget spinner. They were originally created for kids with ADHD. But regular kids love them. And watching YouTube. College age Americans, high school aged Americans, elementary school aged Americans. They're just everywhere now days. Even when we were in Guam at Pizza Hut... some kid had one and Noah was like..."awww man look she has a fidget spinner." : ) So, I knew my kids liked them, but wasn't sure if they actually *wanted* one. At dinner...Monday the Monday before the conference...my kids finally asked to get one (they never directly asked for one beforehand). And I said. Okay. Find the one you like on Amazon.jp...it must have high reviews...4-5 stars. And be reasonably priced. They each found similar ones and they weren't even aware... what the other one ordered, lol. They arrived on Friday. And so they opened these up and spun these while shopping in Narita City. Last Friday. These ones are metal and the metal ones are nicer than the plastic ones. They're both super happy that they finally have them now. : )

The #1 thing we were looking for was Noah's school swim trunks and rash guard. Noah's school swim trunks that he has been using/wearing were Branden's elementary school ones. We had 3 pair that Noah was lucky to be able to use for 5 years, he's skinny... which is why he could get away with wearing 3 pair for 5 years. Because some years he didn't gain weight, but he grew in height. So anyway... So glad that Noah could get usage out of 3 pair of Adidas swim trunks that used be his brothers. However, I can't find the other pair/larger size of Bran's swim trunks...the pair he used in the 6th grade. So...first time for us having to purchase Noah a pair of school swim trunks. Which is fine. It's time. : ) So...I wanted a navy Adidas pair. We went to Aeon first. They had slim pickings! They had 1 pair of black Adidas school swim trunks. A bunch of brand X/store brand ones. And so they were fine... but we walked to Sports Authority first... to see what they had. They had a whole bunch of "swimming competition" race swim trunks. But not plain basic blue shogakko ones. So we left and walked back to Aeon. This is at the opposite end of the shopping mall. 

I am so glad that all 4 of us were there, meaning lots of comments and opinions from the peanut gallery and it helps. And after hearing everyone's idea...I agreed and so I just said....You guys are right.. next year at JHS...Noah can wear competition swim wear next year... when he is JHS...I know that mostly everyone wears competition type swimwear for JHS, it's just sportier and it's what most of the kids wore when Bran was in JHS. Nobody wears the pure plain navy that they wear in elementary school... maybe one or two did, but the majority wore the cooler different styles. And I am lucky in that... I have the experience... since I sent Bran to JHS here already. So, I know for a fact how our particular JHS works. So, I know...Noah will not need to use this plain navy elementary school swim wear... after this year. So...it really doesn't matter if it's Adidas or brand X. So...I said...they don't have what we're looking for. And I really don't want to drive all over town. If Noah were getting usage out of this for 2 years...okay...I could see the need to find a name brand pair. And btw...the prices are pretty much the same whether it be brand X or name brand. It's Japan and that's the way it is. I was just at Sports Authority 5 minutes beforehand and saw name brand trunks for 2000 yen ($19 US)...so since Noah only needs it for this year. And given elementary swim trunks are so freaking ugly anyways. Yes...brand X it is. We will buy the Aeon brand. We all agreed (Noah too)...so we had Noah try 2 different sizes on, in the dressing room and we 3 all looked and decided on size...and Noboru bought it. We all know Japanese swim trunks at elementary school are not the cutest and hey it's okay..I get it. But it fit, was comfy. It was the right color. So we bought it. This is the pic of Noah's rash guard. Rash guards are not really preferred at our elementary school. Bran never wore one at elementary school. However Noah is cursed with pale skin that burns. Noah doesn't tan...he gets painful lobster burn. And skin cancer is no joke. Especially with a kid that burns just going outside to check the mail box! Yes...I know...I have a Jacob and an Edward...LMAO! So the school is aware and Noah is allowed. 

Says for the 1st grade to the 6th grade. Goggles. Goggles get scratched easily. So something that needs replacing once a season. 

They always show you the price without taxes *and* with taxes. This is the price of the goggles. 

Rash guard and swim trunks. @_@ Swimming stuff at the elementary school isn't cheap. But...it's the outfit that's allowed/required. I'm frankly just glad we found everything!!! The swim bag we have...the swim towel we have too. We have tons of swim towels actually... since my kids swam privately for years. The first swim letter came a few weeks ago. It says to sign your consent if you will let your child swim. And we said of course. So we signed. The note said they start swimming June 19th. And now...we just wait for them to tell us what color swim cap for which grade. One year Noah was a yellow swim cap and other years Noah was a green swim cap. In Branden's elementary years... they could wear *any* color cap. But Noah's years...you have to swim with a specific color cap... depending on which grade you are in. I hope it's yellow or green since we have caps for those already. But...I can always run somewhere and get a cap if need be. We'll see. 

I think Noah's swim outfit is actually pretty cute. And after July 21st or so... he won't be wearing it anymore anyways. : )  After the swimming outfit ordeal was done. LOL. We left the mall and went across the street to the free-standing Uniqlo. There is no Uniqlo inside Narita mall. 

Branden found 2 pair of shorts. 

Large is what Branden wore last year. And the size fit yes... but tightly...as in... a strangling type of way. Meanwhile the XL has gobs of room. So Branden is really needing between a large and XL size. However that size doesn't exist. He could barely breath in the size large, so forget that size. @_@ If he wore the size large shorts on a 9 hour flight Branden would die...he'd have the biggest stomach ache ever. Yes...XL is big..but it's not falling to the ground and they're comfy and he can be on a long flight and be comfortable. And they look normal. Not huge. So XL in Japanese clothes this year for Bran and size large in American clothes like Gap and Old Navy.

Bran got 1 navy pair of shorts with a navy pattern on them. We checked out the navy plain shorts but they were so intensely navy...that we kept wondering if they were black? Versus navy, but it said navy on the tag. They were just too dark. But these were more a traditional navy color, so we picked these. And a jean pair of shorts. Seems in Japan lots of boys will be wearing jean shorts this summer. By looking at the mannequins at Uniqlo, lol. 

A nice pattern. and we also...wanted an olive green color, but they were sold out. : (  By now we were happy...happy it was TGIF day. Happy we had a good meeting at the school. Happy we found Noah's swimming trunks/outfit. And happy...in case it gets super hot...at least Bran has some shorts now, that fit. So...we accomplished a whole bunch for 1 day. Right on! Now it was time for supper. 

Literally 1 minute down the street from Uniqlo is Domino's. 4 large pizzas later. They were having great super cheap 2 for 1 deals. We grabbed our pizzas and drove back to town. Long day. Glad it was over. Glad we could sleep in the next day. We went home. We ate. Man we were stuffed! And then we all took turns showering. And watched TV. I think...last Friday.... I shut my computer down at 4pm and didn't turn it back on...until Saturday. 

Saturday morning, I made bacon and strawberry pancakes. I'm going to be making them again this weekend too. That's how good they were! : ) We had leftover pizza for lunch last Saturday.  Saturday night for supper, we had a great big pot of chili. You know...like Wendy's chili. I also skillet fried some lean ground beef too. So if you wanted to add ground beef you could. They all did. But me. : ) And we had a bunch of toppings. And just chilled at home for the rest of the weekend.

Today's Thursday. And I usually do a TBT. But sometimes...I don't. And I like the flexibility that I can do that... when I want or when time allows. And for today...I really just wanted to say...hi. And tell you about last Friday and a little bit about my weekend. : ) 

Bits and Pieces...

Time for one of my fun little bits and pieces posts! I love doing these, because it's like a fun mix of different stuff, different topics, and can be about different people in my family. So fun short snippets. : ) What have I been making/cooking lately? This was about to become cream stew. I made this... the same day Noah had his Observation Day and emergency drill at the local elementary school. 

Another evening, I made a ton of sweet and sour chicken. We're talking a huge bag of bell peppers and other veggies from the local farmer's market and 6 chicken breasts! This was most definitely a perfect amount for a hungry family of 4!!!

I know this was on a Sunday. I don't remember the exact date. But, Noboru had a fun reunion/"get together" dinner that night with the other Japanese guys who lived in Hawaii (about 15 showed up, but 2 couldn't make it), the guys who were all sent there by the airline and this group of guys, is still close to this day. And it was so important for Noboru to go and have a good time. So that night I knew it would just be the kids and myself. So, I threw us a fun little "party" here at home. I made pizza dough from scratch that morning. I sliced up all the veggies for my pizza. And in the afternoon we went and bought ice cream and any other snacks the kids wanted for movie night. 

If you're in Japan and you make your pizza at home... try this sauce as your pizza sauce. It's the best for pizzas if you live in Japan. I have tried every jar/and bottle of pizza sauce and pasta sauce under the sun and hated every pizza sauce there is and believe me I have tried them all. But this one which is technically a pasta sauce...however it's the best for pizza sauce. It tastes 100% homemade and delicious as a pizza base. It's tomato and basil. The basil does this one right. There are other flavors. 2 or 3 others and I tried them too and they simply don't work for pizza. This one does though. So...just trying to help but yeah...if you do make pizzas at home...try this one. It's truly the best sauce for pizza if you live in Japan. : ) And don't try Ragu on pizzas, it's good with pasta... but it tastes like sh*t on pizzas. It's horrible! This one though...truly the best for pizza. 

One Costco sized large pepperoni for the kids. And one personal sized hand tossed for me with pepperoni, mushrooms, onion, bell peppers and jalapenos for flavor and kick! After supper we watched Fools Rush In. : ) 

Noboru's drone. 

This haircut is awesome. And Ingrid was kind enough to leave a thumbnail pic... so that others could take this pic to their own hair stylist if they wanted. And I am grateful because I did take this pic to my hair salon. And I got exactly this. An asymmetrical lob. Shorter in the back and gradually longer towards the front. It's modern, it's classy, it's stylish and chic. And I love my hair. I got mine cut exactly like this, last week. And it's super easy to take care of. And if you're cooking or cleaning the house... you can just clip it back in a clip or tiny pony tail. So practical and easy to take care of too. : ) And looks a bit more modern than a classic bob. : )

What else...I made homemade from scratch peanut butter cookies last week too. I made enough dough for 3 dozen cookies. 

These are what I am growing now. The Million Bell. I am hoping they grow quickly. And so these red ones will be hanging in my hanging baskets on my front porch. 

Last weeks Costco cart pic(s). 2 packs of chicken and 1 pack of lean ground beef. 

Same cart... but on top of the raw meat in the basket part of my cart was a rotisserie chicken (for taquitos) and mozzarella cheese for Italian and buns for burgers. And a new hose from Costco for the plants and grass.

Our lunch date last week. Noboru and I went to the Ohsho before hitting Costco. 

Mid shop when we were in Inzai last week. My drink of choice to keep me hydrated is the clear tea. It's delicious btw. And Boss Coffee is always in a can... but now some are in bottles. And Noboru likes this one. : ) After lunch we went to a few stores and then went back to our tiny town. 

Baked ravioli happened. Along with salad and garlic bread.

I make a good breakfast every weekend. Saturday we had blueberry pancakes and crispy American bacon. Sunday I made omelets, skillet fried potatoes and toast. I decided to take pics on Saturday. About to throw the blueberries into the pancake batter. 

Choice was either syrup or whipped cream and blueberry topping.

Yep, leisurely big breakfasts on the weekend rock!!!! 

My lunch yesterday. I have been eating salads for lunch like 3-4 times a week. Just a quick pre-made salad from the store and a half of this amount of Mini Stop crunky chicken. Some shredded cheese, some black pepper for taste and some salad dressing. And I'm full until supper. The kids always come home and find the chicken in the fridge and finish it. : )  Which is totally fine. 

Last nights dinner. Baked chicken parmesan on top of pasta.

Anyway, today I have an early lunch date with my husband.

Also...this whole week is parent teacher conference week at Bran's high school. So all kids at the high school get out at 11am-ish. Every day this week. Because the teachers have conferences after lunch non-stop until the evening with parents. Our parent teacher conference is this Friday. So after our meeting Branden will be getting a ride home with us. But every other day this week Bran has been getting home around lunch time. Which is so nice to have one of my son's home early. The only down side and I don't see it as a down side really but...I won't be going to Costco this week. Because Bran gets off so early...I swing and pick him up at the train station and we have lunch together. However....I usually do a huge shop in Inzai city... once a week. And this week with B getting home so early. I simply won't make it back to my town. Which is more than fine. I will just do my weekly shopping in the small city nearest me... for this week instead. It's totally fine. And Noboru and I will go to lunch much closer to home today... which is good. So...today is my big once a week shop. And after wards we will go for a quicker than usual lunch. Because I need to pick up B. And I did make 1 extra chicken parmesan last night and have pasta in a Ziploc in the fridge. So Bran's lunch today will be chicken paremsan on top of pasta. He will be so full this afternoon! Hahaha. : )

I am making tacos tonight. Lean ground beef ones for the family and chicken ones for me. Tomorrow we are BBQ-ing in the backyard. Just char-grilled cheeseburgers, hot dogs. So super simple tomorrow. And then Friday...we have Bran's conference at like 9:30am. We 3 will have to grab lunch someplace afterwards. And then rush back to our town to make sure we're here for when Noah gets out of school. After Noah gets out of school Friday.. the family plan is...Noah needs that school swim outfit. So Noah needs plain navy school swim trunks. He starts swimming soon-ish and we need it. And meanwhile Bran will be getting a few pair of shorts at Uniqlo. So Friday looks busy-ish but not stressful type busy. Iykwim. More like...enjoyable. Getting out and about. Type busy. : ) I'm also thinking we might either have Dominoes for supper. Friday night or we'll eat out someplace. But...since I'll be gone from home all day and evening this Friday...I can't cook. I usually do. But, I don't think it's practical Friday night. So we'll have to think of something. : )

Noboru is taking the boys for a hair cut this evening. And that's about it really. Talk with you all later. : )  Have a fantastic day. I will be having Indian food for lunch today. Yum. I can't wait. : )

School progress update. 3 years ahead in English with award saying so from Kumon and a Kokugo/Japanese award for Noah from the shogakko

I haven't updated the progress of Branden and Noah regarding their studies or how they are doing in a very long time. So here's an update.  This up above says, English, Kumon.

This award was given to Noah. And update and progress of sorts. It says on here he is indeed 3 years ahead for his age. Regarding his English reading and writing. I would say, by American native standards he is 1 full year ahead for his age regarding his reading and writing. But yes, by Japan's standards he is 3 years ahead. But, I'd say for a native speaker, his reading/writing ability is about 1 full year ahead. Never the less, I couldn't be prouder, because for many of us foreign mommy's in Japan, it is hard to teach them English reading and writing especially when they are living in a Japanese (speaking) dominent country. Where Japanese is everywhere. So it doesn't just come naturally. I work real hard at making sure Noah stays on track with regards to his reading and writing in English. I read to Noah every night. And we do the American English workbook once a week, we'll sit down for a while and learn something together and he loves doing this with me, some together time. And he also has English Kumon twice a week and interacts with other kids also studying English. Plus he does also have English at the elementary school also. So he does get lots of English writing and reading practice. And the speaking, we do at home and Noah's got a little American accent when speaking English. So in short Noah's English, he's right on track.

Branden, he's also right on track and his award/progress paper also says he's 3 full years ahead. Branden is amazing in English. He loves to read. I read to him also every night or have him read to me. : )  He writes cursive nicer then I do. @_@ I have no worries at all regarding Branden's English writing, reading or speaking ability. So regarding English, no problems for either of the boys at all.

And as far as Japanese, again they're right on track. Here Noah is switching hiragana to katakana. At my parent teacher conference at the Kumon last Friday while the boys were at elementary school. The Kumon sensei said, Noah loves katakana and he's breezing right through it.

More of Noah's stuff he's doing at Kumon.

Noah is having no problem with Japanese study at all.

This says 5th grade class #2. Branden gets weekly kokugo tests.

One of Branden's weekly tests.

Some more of Branden's weekly tests.. Branden's tests always come back very high. For all subjects. Branden is thriving at school. And thriving at Kumon also.  Noah's favorite subject? Math. He loves math. Branden also likes math.

Noah brought home this medal last week. He was so proud.

He didn't even know his teacher would be giving these out. So he was happily surprised.

In the first grade at our school, they want the child to read out loud each page/story from their kokugo book. The parents must listen and mark them off/check it off if they read it. Noah loves a challenge. So as soon as he received this white sheet, he wanted to read. He read each story so many number of times and we would mark him off. Even before bed, he'd once again rip his kokugo book out yet again and want to read it a few more times. On the weekends he wanted to read it 3 and 4 different times of the day. @_@ Slow down we'd say. He'd also get to school early and read it directly to the Yuka-sensei herself.  Yep even the Yuka sensei was captured into hearing Noah read, but she adores Noah so she doesn't mind.  Noah was the first in his class to finish his reading list, she gave him this award. Since then 3 other kids have also received one. He's now on page 2 for his reading list, Noah asked for an extra white sheet so he can continue reading.  The Yuka sensei also wrote a little note on the renrakucho saying..."Noah seems to love katakana. He's so good at it." Hmm, we heard something similiar from the Kumon sensei also. Anyway long story short yet again...Noah's doing so well at our local elementary school here in Japan and also Kumon. Branden is also doing really well. So school is going well for both kiddos. : )