Our egg-citing and fun Easter party we threw on Saturday!!! : )

Our party started at 1:00 pm. I was ready for them! I had a whole bunch of drinks bought. Calpis, the kids seem to love that stuff. Apple juice, oolong tea, Kirin straight tea (my fav) Tons of ice waiting in the ice maker area portion of the fridge ready and rarin' to go! I had made my usual cupcakes, that I seem to make every holiday (those of you reading this in Japan that have actually been to one of my parties are probably laughing) Predictable, me! Ha ha ha! So, I made my cupcakes and got some baskets and filled them with some chocolates and sweets! Easter goodies for the kids! I bought a whole bunch of Easter baskets very affordably from the 100 yen shop. And thought it would be a great idea for the kids to use for the Easter egg hunt later! Turned out to be a good idea because the mom's loved them and so did the kids!

Happy Easter and Spring time pastel colored cupcakes! Decorated with some colorful sprinkles I brought back from the US. The frosting was a delicious buttercream. Really good!


A close-up of my Easter cupcakes! Can you tell, how egg-cited the holidays make me, or what??? Ha ha ha! Nerd, nerd nerdy me! : )


Oh my god, talk about "old school", anybody remember the double bubble brand egg shaped gums? I loved those every Easter! Ha ha ha! We also had tropical jelly beans, as well as Jelly Belly brand. Pastel colored M&M's, sour gummy bunnies, lol.

Reese's peanut butter shaped eggs, Butterfinger egg's, and Snicker's egg's. Next thing you know, the doorbell rang and it was everyone ready for fun! Yay, party time! : )

Yupper's, my lovely son, takes pics with his eyes closed, lol! Good going, B! Wink, wink! Okay, so I was inside mixing all the Easter colors and bringing them outside from the inside of the kitchen. And I thought they would wait for me, to explain "how to" first? Nope, I was wrong, they started without me. Which is totally fine. Except for 1 teeny tiny thing. Nobody used the little "egg dipper's", you know the things that you dunk your eggs in and out with. Branden has been dying egg's, since he was younger then Noah, so he did it right. But the other's had a bit of trouble with their hands turning colors. God bless em' Their hands were all dyed blue! Ha ha ha. I didn't want to say a word and hurt their feelings. Also, it honestly didn't matter, because they were having an absolute ball. And it did actually wash off their hands. So no harm done at all! Phew! : ) Also, 1 mom made a tiny mistake and brought brown eggs. I didn't say a single word. And I never would, not ever. Because, to me, she tried her best and that is all I could ever ask for. She was brave enough to come and do holiday with us. So, she rocks in my books! I think of all the times I've made a mistake in Japan and hoped and prayed nobody would notice. Ha ha ha. But you know what? That's why I boiled extra eggs for. For in case of any unforeseen something or other. And good thing I did. I knew she was nervous, I could tell by her face. The dye wasn't changing her brown eggs at all. My heart went out to her and I ran in the kitchen and got 10 extra eggs and brought them out to her. I placed a basket full of white eggs next to her and without ever having to say a word, she dyed the white ones. Right on for her even being brave enough to try a holiday, probably really foreign to her and to give it a whirl! To me, in my mind, the entire day went perfect. These mom's were all so outgoing and ready to try something new to them! I respect them a lot! And the fact all our kids go to the same Catholic yochien, it will just make us all even closer now! Learning new things from each other and having fun with each other! Very cool! : )

The 2 boy's wearing the baseball style t shirts that say Glendale on them. The one in the orange's name is Taito-kun. And the other one is his older brother. Same Catholic yochien and same swimming school. We know them doube-ly good! Their father is a policeman in our area! The girl next to Taito she is an identical twin and her twin is actually sitting next to Branden (Mao-chan and Mio-chan very lovely girls.) The twin girls are facing each other. And their father is a doctor. And the mom studied in Hawaii in university, I think. There is a Hawaii connection, I recall. Because she asked us last year, if Branden was born in Hawaii and we said yes and she said she used to live there as well. And of course on the right of Branden is Aoi-kun and his cute little sister Itsuki-chan. Again, same yochien, same swim club. So all of us pretty much were very comfortable with another because we all see each other's faces all the time. ha ha ha. So, it was not a stressful day, just a totally fun day and relaxed day! By the way Taito-kun's mom is also an identical twin as well. Her twin is off living in Saitama somewhere ha ha ha! Seriously you guys, I had a *blast*!!! The party was supposed to end at 3:00 pm and yet everyone didn't even leave until 5:30 pm! We just actually had *that* much fun! It was crazy, how much fun we all had!

This was just as new and exciting for the kids as it was for the mom's actually! And as for me, I was thrilled, we invited people to join us in our Easter celebrations! I will totally be doing this again next year as well! : )

After all the eggs had dried. 2 of the mom's volunteered to take the kids on a walk through our community, where I live in. We asked them to give us 10 minutes, that way we would hide the eggs throughout the backyard!

Rie-san, Noboru and I started hiding them quickly! I have to say, we did a fabulous job of hiding them. The kids could not find 2 of my eggs though! Bwahahaha! Wink, wink! I am pretty good at hiding eggs. LOL! : )

I hid one in the baby tree we are growing. That was found pretty early, shucks! Ha ha ha! : )

I made this one easier to find, Noah found this one actually!

Look closely, do you see how I hid a green egg in with the green leaves of the hydrangea? Nobody found this one. I remembered this one about 8:00 pm and had to send Noboru out in his sweatpants in the backyard to go and see if it was still there? Yes it was! In the olden days, my mom and dad, hid them so well, always 2 would be missing from the dozen, never to be found again, sigh ha ha ha. They would unscrew light bulbs and hide them where light bulbs used to be. They'd be everywhere! So, now that it's my turn to hide them. Watch out! I will hide them super duper *really* well! Okay I will make a few easy ones. But definitely be on the lookout, if I'm hiding them! Ha ha ha : )

I did leave a few in obvious places though, I tried for the younger kiddos! : )

See the blue colored egg? I made this one even harder and covered him completely. Nobody found this one either! Ha ha ha ha! Oh come on, if I woulda made them hidden in easy peasy places it wouldn't have given them any incentive. They loved it because it was a challenge. And they were totally up for the challenge. They all did so excellent!

This one I made obvious, I was thinking of my little Noah-chan when I hid it here, ha ha ha. He was the youngest kid. Everyone else was either age 5. Or the 2 older siblings, which were 6 or 7. Oh yeah and Aoi-kun's sister is just 3 years old, how cute. So for Itsuki-chan and Noah-chan we made some easy! : )

Aha, Noah trying to steal/err borrow?, one of Branden's eggs that he found!

And Genki-kun was a bit late, but it didn't matter a single bit. He jumped right in there with his egg's and his older sister was with him and of course Genki-kun's mom in the yellow cardigan sweater, they live in the same community where we live and B and Genki, take the school bus together everyday, they are *really* nice people, good family! And maybe this is TMI, but one time last year, Branden was having a stomach flu and he vomited as soon as he got to the bus stop (yuck, lol). I wasn't there, I was at home with Noah cleaning house. Noboru took B that day. And he said, Genki's mom, the one in the yellow sweater, did NOT hesitate for 1 second she started wiping and cleaning up Branden's throw up and helping him. Used her own mini-towel/handkerchief thing. And Noboru was so shocked by their kindness. Noboru told me...how many mom's would clean up another kids vomit without hesitation! Maybe many, who knows, but her kindness was awesome! Noboru really likes that family and so do I. Genki-kun's sister's name is Momo-chan.She is now officially the 3rd Momo-chan that I know, lol. : )

Rie-san, brought 2 pizzas. In boxes and still warm and everything. However after the Easter egg coloring and hunt. The pizza got cold, so no worries, we just threw them in the oven and they got hot and were really good! How thoughtful of her to bring pizza like that! I'm really glad I am friends with the moms, who's kids attend the same school as Branden. Having friends never hurts. And we all know, you can never have enough friends in this world! Besides these are some of the nicest ladies, you'd ever meet! So open, so thoughtful, so warm and kind! If you got good friends in this world, then you really are truly blessed! These are the things that count to me, the most, good friends and family, kind hearted kids and a good hubby and my health! : )

Munching away after our second or third Easter egg hunt! I honestly don't know who had more fun, the mom's hiding them? Or the kids finding them? Tough call honestly! Ha! : )

The eggs taking a much needed breather!!! They were hid absolutely all over the yard!!! And yes, the kids peeled some and I brought out the salt and pepper. And they ate some. Oh yeah and 3 eggs met an untimely death from being crushed during the actual Easter egg hunt! Poor dearly departed eggs! And the one's that survived the hunt and didn't get eaten, I told all the kids they could take *all* of them home. We didn't need any, besides I knew I was going to let my 2 boy's color eggs the following day all over again. So why not totally let the kids take the eggs.

Boy oh boy, did the kids love the cupcakes! And the mom's too! And yes, before everyone left, I told the mom's to go ahead and take the rest of cupcakes home with them. Heck, I can make more, no worries! They were like..."right on" they wrapped them up and took them home! And Rie-san was taking pictures, as you can see bits of her in this pic. And the other mom's had their cell phones out taking pics as well. All this stuff was all pretty new to them and so they all wanted pics of their kids and the eggs and of taking part in this holiday! It was just really cool for all of us! : )

You know how Jelly Belly jelly beans have unusual flavors? Well, the ever helpful B, turned to Genki-kun and asked him in Japanese, have you ever had a popcorn flavored jelly bean? Here, try one. And then, ahve you ever tried this such and such flavor? No? Okay here you go. I think by the end Genki-kun was filled with more jelly beans then a pinata! ha ha ha! Oh well, he was just trying to be helpful, lol! : )

Open up! Ha ha ha! After this, all us adults went inside, and I made coffee and we opened up the gorgeous cheesecake Taito-kun's mom brought which was really thoughtful. And the doctor's wife brought a beautiful artificial floral arrangement and I love it and I put it in my kitchen (In Japan usually japanese women come to visit bearing gifts although they are *never* expected at all). So us adults went into the kicthen while our kids all played wonderfully together since all our kids are all friends to start with. The twin little girls (the doctors children) are also baptized catholics. And Rie-san is converting to Catholicisim as we speak, she should be done by April 20th, it's been a long road for her, her DH is already Catholic as well. So all of us adults chatted a bit about religion a pinch, and then we shifted to school talk. Stuff like, how many new students are enrolling starting this April. Who are they,etc. And since 2 of the mom's are heads of the PTA, who were at my Easter shindig today, Noboru suggested we have a dress up in costume, thing around Hawlloween and they actually loved the idea, so who knows, lol! It lasted like, I said until 5:30 pm. Everyone had a wonderful time. Nobody felt nervous. Everyone was at ease and laughing. Especially when all of us asked eacho ther, what age we all got married. And also, how long all of us kew our husband's before marriage. Very surprising answers! One lady and her hubby were actually childhood sweethearts, isn't that sweet? And another admitted, who shall remain nameless, said she only knew her hubs 3 month's before marrage. All of us were cracking up so hard, at all our answers. We all had second cups of coffee and seconds on the cheesecake actually as well. Oh man, we were laughing our absolute butts off, talking about some stuff we did. Oh and we also talked about obento a bit. Someone asked me, if I can make onigiri. You'all reading this know I can. I was just really polite because it was a very fair question. I said, yes I totally make onigiri. They were like, how cool! The more they see me, they are realizing we are really not all that different really! We are all girl's at heart after all! And at 5:30 pm, everyone left, we all walked them to the front of the house and we waved from the porch and said, our goodbyes. With easter egg's, and cupcakes and easter candies, chocolates and various easter sweets in hand, they all left, happy and very glad they came. And heck....we were happy they came too! A very wonderful Easter party indeed! : )

Bits from our 3rd and final week from the school break!

After baths were given and supper was eaten. And Noah was fast asleep. Noboru and I were watching TV downstairs with Branden. Until B, went upstairs to hang in his room for a while. I see his light on, yup he's in there alright. I go in and check on him and to give him a cuddle.

There he was, just hanging out on his bed and playing his DS game before bed. Our week has just been really awesome actually. Just sorta kicking back, staying home. Renting movies from Tsutaya or watching good stuff from the satellite, nothing major going on here at all. The boys and I playing in the back yard together all week. Cooking meals with my 2 little ones. Reading books. I also have been getting ready for yochien a bit. I sent Branden's uniforms to the dry cleaners on Monday. So everything will be ready for him to go back to school in a fresh uniform next week. But this week, we have just been enjoying ourselves. We sleep in and snooze every morning. I stay up until midnight, every night watching all the shows, I never get a chance to see during the school year.

This picture is titled. Never let your husband go and pick up the pizza, you guys ordered for dinner on his scooter! Or else it may look like ours did! With pizza all smeared onto the box on one side, ha ha ha! One night this week, we decided let's have pizza! It was on Tuesday night of this week. We were watching that show, "my wife is a foreigner" on TV Tokyo. And we love that show although we just started watching it about a month ago. Before that we always wanted to watch, but always forgot to watch it, for about the past year, ha ha ha. But we are back on track and watching again. We thought pizza would be quick and we could eat it, while watching the show. So he zipped down there. But he must have took a hair pin turn, because it really did look like half the toppings were on the actual box instead of the pizza. Ha ha ha. Oh well, it was still good. Pepperoni and mushroom, yumm! : )

I also made curry this week. It was really hot. I separated some of it, before I added the curry. And I made a smaller batch of cream stew for the boys while Noboru and I had curry. The weather in Chiba? Well, some days are very warm and spring like. But then some days have been as cold as winter. It has also rained a few days this past week with big giant booming thunder at night and lightning and the whole bit! We still have to keep the heater set to 78 degrees in the house, and the floor heaters are still on. We are really waiting for the weather to heat up, so we can finally turn the floor heating off and not have to use the heating so much. I am looking forward to some warmer spring weather. I really am.

This Saturday is our Easter party (tomorrow). I think 4 mom's are coming (many who can't make it, are at their grandparent's homes for the 3 week school break, which no wonder swim school has been dead lately, everyone is off visiting their grandpa's and grandma's). And of the ones coming, I think many have 2 kids. So I am expecting a good turn out for our Easter party. I just hope the weather cooperates for me this coming Saturday. No rain please! : ) Life is still wonderful. Simple country living. Wonderful hubby. My MIL is treating me and the kids fine. Although I was pretty darn tootin' upset about the treatment of Jun's beautiful little one. But other then that. I have no complaints. Today I will be cleaning the house from head to toe though, since company is coming tomorrow. Also, I am going to Costco next week and that's for 100% sure! Reason? I need some toilet paper pronto, we only have 4 rolls left! And that TP package, is just way too big for the Flying pig to ship ( I mean I think they would, but we wouldn't dream of having them ship it...just too big) Plus some more Mr. Clean or whatever is needed as well and basically it just got to the point where we have to go, I could no longer put it off. So, yup we will be in Makuhari sometime next week. That is sorta big news for us. Granted not thrilling news mind you, ha ha ha! But you all know, I never get a chance to go there! So I am sorta happy about it, ha ha ha! Okay, I better hurry up and post this and crank up my music downstairs and get to scrubbing toilets and mopping and dusting and stuff. Sigh! Ha ha ha, have a wonderful day everyone! : )

The mimikaki!

I'm just curious do any of you use a mimikaki? And what did you think when you first saw one? Were you like, yikes? Or what? First time I saw one was at Noboru's apartment when we first started dating. Must have been about 14 years ago. He likes the really long ones. Like twice this length of the pic I'm showing. He would use it. He offered me to use it and I was like. Hell no! To me it looked like some sorta thing people would pull the brains out of the nose when making a mummy. I coulda swore I saw a television program, a long time ago on Discovery, that explained how long type instruments were used to pull brains out from the nose when making mummys a long long time ago and this just really freaked me out! Ha ha ha. Also, it was so long, wasn't he afraid to puncture his ear drum? We dated for years. And I still used my trusty Q-tips. He kept telling me. "If you just let me clean your ears with this, you will get hooked. It feels great!" I think right around when we got married, is when I first let him clean my ears with a mimikaki. I laid down with my head on his lap and he gave it a go. And it actually felt awesome. Really could get a good scratch, if I wanted. What bliss! He was right, I was clearly wrong. It feels awesome and I have been using one for about 10 years now. I still use Q-tips once a week. But my mimikaki never leaves my side and I use it daily. It's the one pictured above, that's mine. It's the short one. And it's not a fancy one, it's probably the most generic one in Japan actually. But I take her with me on vacations, or wherever. I use it every morning. And after my baths at night. And this is the bad part. I am almost like a mimikaki addict. I use mine twice as much as Noboru does. He warns me and worries, that I use mine too much! And if I don't stop using it that much I will end up with an ear ache! I know he's totally right but, it's just that good hook and scratch in my ear that I really love. About once a year I actually do over use it. And I end up giving myself a mild ear ache. (clears throat), Ummm, I sorta did that to myself this week. Ha ha ha. I have a slight ear ache in my right ear. I have had it for a few days now. I have been taking Advil every morning for it. And I have laid off my mimikaki. Sad, sad, I really miss the ol' girl! Ha ha ha! So, do any of you use one? And what did you think when you first saw one? : )

Soccer! : )

Today were the soccer try outs. Oddly enough, Noboru has been trying to talk me out of sending Branden to soccer all week. I just didn't get this at all. Noboru played soccer in junior high and for a year of high school, until he moved to the US. However, he told me, he disliked it and that in Japan the coaches yell, scream and are verging on being verbally abusive. Again, I tell him...but that was the olden days, I'm sure it's not like that now a days! And for that reason, he doesn't really want B to be in it. I think this is just nonsense. But he is like super against it. Hmmm information that might have been helpful to me, weeks ago, perhaps! As it was too late, my friend was meeting us there. We continued to walk towards the field. Noboru is more a water guy...boogie boarding, surfing type dad. Beach guy, he sorta wants his sons more like that. But I say let Branden decide for himself. Meanwhile, we walked toward the field.

Branden was the boy with the Black Adidas long sleeved shirt and gray sweatpants. Aoi-kun was next to him with the gray pants and gray shirt on the right of Branden, with his arm bent. : )

The older boys are already in soccer. And they helped the younger ones.

Branden was very good with this. He listened completely! He loved it!

Noboru had taught Branden this move in the backyard already. Branden was having so much fun. Noboru said he didn't like a single thing about this soccer club! Grrrr! I just don't understand that! I felt it was wonderful! Telling me the coaches were saying mean things, but I said, I didn't think the coaches were mean at all! And I was listening!

Half of the kids, put on the yellow and the other half wore the blue and they started to play a game!

This coach bending down to B and the rest of the yellow team was so wonderful and nice.

This Japanese lady bending down behind Branden and talking with him and her son. This mom's son attends the same catholic school Branden does. And her husband is one of the lower ranking coaches. She is really nice though!

The one and only tarp/plastic sheet actually allowed on the field belongs to the coaches! However, since the coaches wife is a friend of Rie-san's and mine. Rie-san and I got to sit there along with Noboru and Noah! I felt sorta bad, because there were about 50 families, who don't attend the same yochien as our kids, all standing behind us, while we got to sit on our asses. Talk about Catholic guilt, ha ha ha!

Yup that is me taking a pic of myself sitting on this plastic sheet. My little black ballet flats sat next to the mat, since no shoes are allowed on the sheet, ha ha ha.

See, the big kid in the green? Now see Branden behind him and kicking the ball? Out of all the kids, he took to soccer the fastest. And for that, I felt very sad, because I think he shoulda been allowed to stick with soccer if he wants. But Noboru is just so anti soccer right now. I just don't get that at all!

Branden and Aoi both got the ball. B was #9 and Aoi was #10!

He's having so much fun with it! They gave us all a paper and the hours will be 9-12 every Sunday. And that was the thing that got me. Because I can decide to do soccer and Noboru will deal with it. But the thing that got me, is do I really wanna wake up before 9:00 am every Sunday? I already wake up at 7:00 am every Monday through Friday. But do I wanna do that every Sunday as well? Also 1 or 2 hours is sorta okay. But 3 long hours? Keep in mind, I will also be amusing Noah at the same time as watching Branden and it dos get tough. Would our lazy snoozy Sunday's become a thing of the past? That was the stickler for me! That was the only negative to me. But it is a biggie. Because weekends are a big thing for us. Noboru also said he would vote for a 2 times a week swimming, if we forgot the whole soccer thing. So that is an option as well. Now what will we ultimately do? I don't know. I have a week to think about it. I'll let you all know. And while Noboru isn't crazy about it, but he isn't a bossy man and would certainly, not care if we went for soccer anyway. He just gave his opinion. But it's that 3 hours that kills me. And if it starts at 9:00 am, what time do I have to wake up and start breakfast then? 7:00 am? See what I mean? So...right now nothing has been decided, but it is under great discussion at our house. Ha ha ha : )

Sunday night, Noboru and I made dinner together. We kept it quite simple and we made Chinese food for dinner. We had gyoza, fried rice, karaage, buta kimchee, and egg drop soup.

I see little Noah hands, ha ha ha! : )

Gyoza was cooking on the right that Noboru was making. meanwhile I was making the chicken fried rice on the left. And the karaage was in the Ziploc that I shook all the breading on already.

We had more dishes then this. The buta kimchee dish and soup and stuff, but this is an idea of what we ate Sunday night, before we took our showers and got ready for American idol at 10:00 pm. It comes on every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00pm. We have had just a really nice week, not doing too much, but totally appreciating, not doing too much either! Ha ha ha! One more week of our school break left, ahhh how sweet!!! : )