Moving right along

Ok, I've decided to move.
Not apartments, that would be a nightmare, I've moved this blog over to wordpress.lol

You can find me at http://kyushukel.wordpress.com/

I have a few posts I would like to write but haven't, it seems such a waste to have a blog but not be able to write freely. So I'm going to do a few password protected posts instead, because I don't want to give up blogging altogether, and I do value any comments that are left here and I honestly would like to hear the opinions of my loyal readers (the few of you know who you are!lol). As a start I've deleted the last post, although I realise it will still be in readers, because I just wasn't comfortable with it being 'out there', and it is now password protected.

I will send the password to those of you I know read regularly (if I know your address that is!), if you don't hear from me but feel you should have it please leave a comment here with a mail address. I can't promise I will send you the password though, so sorry if I offend anyone but I really do want to keep things reasonably private.

Sometimes I find it hard to comment on other peoples' blogs, it's not always that I don't have anything to say, just that I don't like the idea of people I don't know (or may actually know in real life!) stumbling across my blog from a comment I've left somewhere and in doing so getting to know so much about my family and daily life just by clicking a mouse. It's scary!! lol And for me it just doesn't seem right. So by protecting some posts I figure it might make it easier for those who do comment on my blog to do so honestly and without worrying who might be able to track them down too!!

Maybe it just boils down to the fact I'm scared of lurkers!!!lol

Time is flying

It's been a while since I last posted, lots of things have been going on and it's all been quite overwhelming. Some things I have thought about blogging about but decided against doing so just for privacy reasons. I guess that's what password protected posts are for, it's a shame blogger doesn't give you the option to do that. Anyway, in the end I decided I want to keep my posts as positive as possible so I won't go into nitty gritty details, I mean you never know who is actually reading these posts after all!!!! But at the same time it would be nice to hear some opinions on different things too...

Let's just say there have been (and still are) many frustrating situations, mostly related to S's work conditions, and that being 28 weeks pregnant and looking after two small kids day in day out does not make for an easy ride. Especially when B has turned into an eater from hell, and A has hit the terrible twos. It makes for a frustrated and exhausted Mummy, and as much as I love them both sometimes I just need a break. This break of course never eventuates so you can see the endless cycle of things I'm sure...

Anyway, this pregnancy has just flown by, I can't believe I've hit the third trimester already. The morning sickness lasted for 20 weeks so I guess things just crept up on me, considering it's only been 8 weeks since it stopped. Last week we finally got a ultrasound pic that shows for sure what bubs is. Any guesses? Boy or girl? Weight gain (mine) has been minimal, things are going pretty well in that department so now we just have to get organised and get ready for the jump from 2 to 3 kids!!!

I know people say that going from 1 to 2 kids is a big change, then from 2 to 3 is also, but anything after 3 doesn't change much. Apparently having 3, 4 or even 5 kids is pretty much the same. Personally I didn't feel much change going from 1 to 2 kids, so I'm wondering just what people mean when they say the leap from 2 to 3 kids is big. It's kind of daunting, but at the same time I can't really see there being that much of a difference, well not for at least the first 6 months or so. I hope I'm right...Any thoughts on the matter?

We're back!

Hello there bloggy world!
Well as you would have guessed from the title we made it back in one piece, and I am SOOOOOOO exhausted that I don't even know why I'm trying to blog already.

So I think for now a rating post might be a good way to sum things up.

• Flight 1 8/10 (No major problems except for takeoff when I was trying to convince B he needed his seatbelt on for more than 10 seconds at a time.)
• Flight 2 5/10 (Night flight, both kids slept no more than an hour each, at different times of course, leaving poor Mummy with zero sleep. B got motion sickness, moaned for about 5 hours then proceeded to throw up non-stop for the last 3 and a half hours.)
• Being in Oz 10/10
• Constant help with the kids 10/10
• Flight 3 2/10 (Day flight but lights turned out nearly the whole way. Read: everyone else asleep except for the kids who think it is play time. Maybe one hour of sleep for B before throwing up again for the last hour and a half. Despite taking some kiddy meds. A had a total of 30 minutes sleep, every time she was about to go off something would disturb her and I'd be back to square one. 2 overtired kids refusing to sleep, a quiet and dark plane, and a stressed out Mummy)
• Stopover hotel 9/10
• Waiting at airport for flight home 1/10 (Both kids overtired and wanting Mummy to carry them. Even B, who is always fine with just holding my hand, was nutting out MAJORLY before immigration. He HAD to be picked up. Didn't matter that A was trying to run away every single time I put her down or let go of her hand for the split second I had to so I could pick him up. No matter how I tried I couldn't carry both of them. Ended up having a back pack, another bag, carrying A (who was refusing to walk) on my side and having B somehow attached to me like a koala on my front (on top of 24 week bump) hanging on for dear life as I walked through. Stayed like this for nearly 10 minutes. No better once inside because the playground we went to was under repair. I'd asked the lady at information where the closest one was so was so not impressed. Neither were the kids. Other things happened but I think I'll stop ranting here.lol
• Flight 4 9/10 (Both kids asleep after 10 minutes)

And I'll leave you with that for now til I can find some more energy!!!!!!!!

Trip

This time next week we will be home!
The 24 hour trip will be over!!!
Well I'll still have to manage the return leg somehow, but no point worrying about that yet, right!lol

The last time I was home for a fleeting visit I got a grand total of 2 things done.
The first was getting my Australian drivers licence renewed.
The second was going to an uncle's funeral.

Of course it wasn't planned that way, nothing like that ever is.
Unfortunately he passed away just hours before we were meant to visit.
So instead of showing A off to him in hospital, we were staying at his house trying to comfort my aunty who was being bombarded with endless phonecalls and funeral arrangement meetings.

I'm hoping we can get a bit more done this time, and in a lot brighter spirits.
Meeting up with friends, relatives, seeing some Australian animals, and going to the supermarket are all on my to-do list this time round.

In other news, bubs is going well, and, wait for it, I think morning sickness has finally stopped!!! At 20 weeks, no less. Same as what it was with A, but overall it wasn't as bad as it was with her, thank goodness. Still makes me wonder if we really should try for number 4 or not though...

Any guesses about whether bubs is a boy or girl? We pretty much know already but I'm not quite ready to spill the beans.lol Will keep you all in suspense for a bit longer. Ha!ha!

Not long to go

Only two and a half full days of single parenting to go.
S is still away, he won't get home til midnight Saturday.

Surprisingly there has been hardly any difference in looking after the kids by my lonesome than to when S is actually around.
It has been easier than normal to get them to sleep at night, the part I was not looking forward to handling by myself.

I guess it just goes to show how little he gets to see them even when we're living under the same roof, and also how much I am depended on for everything anyway. Seriously, my 'load' so to speak doesn't feel like it's gotten any heavier. I guess by being a SAHM in Japan I've somehow got used to doing it all by myself, without even realising. Sad but true.

But I sure will be glad when he gets home!!!!!!
And so will the kids!

Things I love Thursday

It's been a long while since I have done one of these. Oops!

Things I am loving this week:

• Tickets being confirmed and paid for
• 2 days in a row not throwing up (yesterday and today)
• Tuna and mayo jaffles (ran out of ham and cheese so made do with these)
• Chocolate (it seems my taste buds are returning to normal.lol)
• 冷やし中華

What are you loving this week?

Daddy come home!!

S is away on business.
First time ever for anything longer than a few days.
He only found out about this 出張 yesterday.
He left this morning, and won't be back til the 12th.

B has been whining all day long, and it's only Day 1.
A is yet to realise Daddy won't be coming home tonight, or tomorrow night, or the night after...
Bubs is requesting I lay down at regular intervals. Read: too much hardening of my tummy.
And to top it all off, the cat has been more vocal than usual, and is being a general nuiscance.

And I thought worrying about the 24 hour trip home in a few weeks time was doing my head in.
What was I thinking??
This has got to be an even tougher test!!!!!

Catch up

I have had so many blog posts written in my head the last few weeks, but that's as far as they got I'm afraid.

So something I'm sure you all want to hear about...
I finally got around to renewing my drivers licence yesterday.
What with going home next month and all I needed to get my act together.

The reception was from 1 til 2, so we got there at 12:20 so we would have time to have some lunch together in the cafeteria, then S was going to take the kids to the park/shops/for a drive and wherever else he deemed necessary for the 3 hours or so it was going to take for renewal.

Well it was a great plan until we walked inside the building to find at least 40 people already lined up 40 minutes before reception even opened, and plenty more people following in after, all standing in single file in about 5 different lines. What to do, what to do..

Only took 5 seconds or so to make the executive decision to ditch lunch and line up.
Said goodbye to S and the hungry but we want to go the park right now kids, handed him over a bag with drinks, bibs, nappies and bumwipes and waved them off with a big よろしく!

It was a weird experience, not having to hold onto my bag, the kids' bag and two small hands, surrounded only by adults, no noise, no whining, no I want to go to the toilet right nows, it was just pure bliss doing NOTHING while waiting in line. The whole 40 minutes of it!!

Of course I love my kids, and (most of the time) everything looking after them entails, but this kidless time was something I very rarely have, and it was lovely. All 3 and a half hours of it. lol

The renewal was pretty painless, except for the 2 hour lecture which didn't seem like it was ever going to end, but it was actually enjoyable! Not sure how many people walk away saying the lecture on traffic safety was enjoyable, but there you go.lol

Totally unrelated but my budget, cooking, grocery shopping, getting to the bank, general organising of things such as bill paying and other necessary housewifey skills have been shot out the window the last few months. Morning sickness really is more than just being sick. I have been feeling better the last few days, finally, but after nearly 19 weeks I've had enough!!!

Disappearing comments

Achan I got your comment and tried to repost it but for some reason both have disappeared!!!
So I'll try and repost it here.

Progress?

Thanks for the comments on the last few posts.

I have just got off the phone from the travel agent and I think we may have made some progress. Finally.

The idea I had about leaving on a Thursday turned out to be even worse than the other days, and so now it looks like I might be able to go on a Monday after all, the week after I was first asking about.

The main problem is trying to arrange the flights between appointments, which will turn into fortnightly appointments straight after we get back. The travel agent (a man) had no idea that appointments may come into consideration until I just told him on the phone that that, and only that, is what I'm trying to work around with the dates. I thought I had made things clear before, but obviously not. Seriously, as long as I can go for about 3 weeks, I don't care what day I fly!!!!! And I think the travel agent finally got it.lol

And for all the number crunchers out there who may be interested, the total price will be just under 24 man for 1 adult, 1 child, and 1 infant. Fares, taxes, surcharge and visas (both kids only have Japanese passports) included.

But only 178,000 yen of that is for the 3 actual tickets.
So that means that about 60,000 yen is just for taxes and the fuel surcharge for 1 adult and 1 child.
Highway robbery don't you think?

Surely Sydney airport must go close to the most expensive airport in the world with a whopping 8,800 yen airport tax!!!!!! It's even 4,800 yen for kids.

Achan, even if it says the ticket price is 6 man, it probably isn't, so make sure you check out what the surcharges are early on. My fare had 31,000 yen worth of extra costs, and the child fare about 27,500 yen extra. Mind boggling isn't it. And Asiana aren't even the dearest with their surcharges, that's actually reasonable!!!!!!! I was looking at Qantas and JAL tickets from Narita at first, but with all the surcharges even a 60,000 yen ticket was more like 90,000 or 95,000 yen. And you still have to allow for the costs of getting to the airport on top of that!!! Don't want to scare you, just letting you know what I found.lol

Thinking thinking

Is it just me or does everyone else have trouble organising trips home?

I've been looking into ticket prices, routes, stopovers and schedules for a while now, and have figured out what I think is the best route for our trip (if it ever eventuates) next month.

But, every single time I try to organise dates and ask the travel agent about seat details (three times already) I get a reply saying one of the sectors is no good. I can't figure it out. Weekdays seem to be fuller than weekends, but wouldn't you think it would be the other way round? Why is it the one day that I really would like to fly (a Monday night) is so booked out? Ok, so I don't really expect anyone to answer that but I wish I knew what the problem was.lol And coming back leaving Sydney on a Sunday seems to be a better option than leaving on a weekday??? I just don't get it.

I've thought about giving up a few times, but every time I do that I get e-mails from the airline I want to use (totally coincidental, usually about mileage or something), or see ads for Qantas and trips to Sydney on the Yahoo page or on the weather page. There seem to be so many signs saying to me just book the tickets already! But no matter how many times I try I can't seem to get things 100% right. And after another depressing e-mail from the travel agent this afternoon I'm back to square one. Aaarrgghhh!!!

There are a few things to consider here, and I'm going to write them down here to see if it helps me figure something out. Although it might just confuse me more.lol

• I will be 6-7 months pregnant, travelling with 2 kids, one who is just under 2
• I need to use an airline who I think will look out for me, and who have friendly staff
• Going to Narita or Kansai, or even Fukuoka is WAY more trouble than it's worth, so I'm no longer looking into schedules of other airlines
• We don't have much money to spare at the moment, just enough for flights
• The amount I was thinking for 3 fares is actually what it will cost for 2 plus an infant
• This is the last chance to go home before flight fares become even more expensive because there will be 3 kids as well as me
• The ticket price for an adult and a child over 2 is nearly the same
• I want a seat for A but after checking out ticket prices have realised this is impossible (it's nearly 40,000 yen for her WITHOUT a seat!!!)
• It's about 90,000 yen for a child fare, and an extra 50,000 yen is HUGE for us at the moment
• Which means I need a flight that is likely to have spare seats
• Why is the fuel surcharge still so damn expensive, and why is it the same price for a kid when they get discounts on other things like airport tax??? Oops, getting sidetracked.lol
• The only 'good' connecting flight is on a Monday afternoon, but is full the day I want to go
• Otherwise I need to survive a 6 hour wait at Incheon
• If I do that I have the choice flying on a Thursday or Saturday as well, not just Monday
• I have to arrange flights between doctors appointments

Ok, I think I need to check out the Thursday flights. I kind of had my mind fixed on Mondays. And if things work out with the flights maybe go to the transit hotel for a few hours (have done that once before with just B). Will keep thinking, but I'm so sick of sending e-mails to the travel agent.lol

16 weeks

When I started this blog I had no intentions of it becoming kid based, but look what has happened! Nearly every post is about kids or pregnancy. lol
Oh well, I guess it can't be helped right now.

So I am 16 weeks today, which means the second trimester has begun!

Morning sickness seems to be nearing the end, but I don't want to go jinxing myself just yet.lol
Still throwing up every morning but the recovery time is getting quicker and quicker as the days go by.

I seem to be showing already, which is weird because I've only put on 1.5kg, so you wouldn't think you'd be able to tell, but you can. Well I think you can. Well I definitely can!lol

I put one of those 赤ちゃんがお腹にいます badges on my bag (didn't bother the first 2 times) a few days ago, just to let people know kind of indirectly, but it seems to be helping with shop assistants offering to carry my basket over to the counter and things like that. I think being pregnant this time round is really making me let myself be helped a lot more. Does that make sense?　

Up until now I would have been adamant I could do things by myself, and not bothered to tell people I was expecting because I didn't want to be treated differently, but in the end I just ended up being frazzled half the time from overdoing it. This time round I have 2 other kids to worry about, and any help is better than no help at all. So I'm trying to be gracious about it, and let people who want to help help!! And it's not as easy as it sounds!lol

Marco pol(i)o!

Wow, second post in 2 days!!

I've just got back from taking the kids to A's polio vaccination. Exciting stuff, I know!lol
It was her second one so no more going to the health centre til she's 3, and boy am I glad about that!!lol. They only do polio (in April and October), 18 month and 3 year old checkups there now. Everything else is done at the docs. She's got a DPT booster shot (probably next month) then that's it for a few years. Yay!

It wasn't actually the day she was meant to go, because she was getting over a cold when we were supposed to go, but I didn't fancy taking her in October when I'm huge and about to pop at any time!! I think a lot of the other kids there were in the same boat, having missed the right day due to being sick or something, so there were so many people there all from different 校区s. I should have known when the parking lot was full and cars were lined up waiting for people to leave. What is a 校区 in English by the way? Designated school area maybe??

I swear I feel like I've run a marathon. She mucked up the whole time we were waiting (close to 50 minutes, which isn't that bad I guess, but a long time when you're being stared at and when your kid is not doing as they're told!lol). B was an angel, sitting beside me the whole time telling A to stop mucking up and chasing after her every time she tried to run away. Ha!ha! My oh my how the tables have turned!!lol

I think she was just excited to see so many kids in the same room, but for someone who is usually so docile the 18 month checkup 2 months ago and todays vaccination sure seemed to turn her into a whole different kid! I was puffing by the time it was her turn to be seen by the doctor! When it was finally our turn I said to B もう疲れたね！To which he replied 疲れてないよ！which made me, and two of the nurses who had been watching us the whole time giggle. It's not particularly funny or anything, but I guess they were sympathising with me or something.lol
I suppose I was expecting him to agree with me, and when he didn't it was kind of amusing in a weird warped kind of way!

Sorry, just rambling here...
Will stop now!lol

偶然

I was driving home this afternoon and was stopped at lights at a fairly busy intersection.
There were a few people standing waiting to cross at the lights, one man happened to be in a black worksuit with a white long sleeved shirt, just like you would see on any given workday all over Japan.

So anyway I could only see the back of this guy, but the second I saw him I thought, wow that looks like S! It's him for sure!! Despite the fact that about 4 days out of 6 he's not even in the prefecture, I just KNEW it was him. Realistically though it could have been absolutely anyone. I mean the black hair, black suit, black shoes, white shirt kind of thing is pretty common, yeah?? But somehow I just knew.

So the lights turned green and I drove past, and of course I was right!!!
There was a conbini across the road so I quickly drove in, parked, hopped out of the car and called out to him. Man the look on his face was priceless!!lol

It was so nice to bump into him like that. It really was. The kids were both asleep so they missed out on seeing him, but it really made my day. Not that we were doing anything wrong but it was like what if somebody sees us?? Ha!ha!! After over 8 years of marriage I know that is a really dumb thing to say, but I'm guessing it's what high school sweethearts must feel like.lol

I love it when coincidences like this happen!lol

Still here

The last few weeks have been pretty busy all round and although most of it was very enjoyable, I'm still exhausted!!

My parents came for a 2 week visit, and their help with the kids (especially in the mornings when I was throwing up) was much appreciated. I am still kind of wishing I could have gone back with them for a few weeks but unfortunately that wasn't to be this time. That being said I can't get the idea of a visit before the next one arrives out of my mind so it might just happen yet.lol

It just would have been nice to have help on the plane. The thought of taking two small kids while pregnant (by myself of course, no way S would be able to take time off) for a trip taking close to 24 hours in total is not the most appealing to say the least. Not all of that is flying time of course, but that's generally how long it takes after stepping out my front door. The more I think about it and imagine what might happen (and most probably would happen!lol) on the plane and in transit the more I doubt whether it's worth the effort. But I want to go home!!!!! So what can you do...

The cravings (all unfulfilled of course) I've been having for comfort? food like meat pies (from a shop down the road from my parents house), sausage rolls (ditto), cheese and bacon rolls (like I used to get in high school from the canteen) and as of early this morning sausage sizzles!!??!! is driving me nuts.lol I feel like I've been transported back in time about 15 years or so. In all the time I've lived in Japan I've never really felt the need to eat Australian food so this is all very weird.lol

In other news I am 12 weeks today, so hopefully that means I'm into the safe zone now. Morning sickness is not over yet, and at the moment I am just praying it stops soon, and not continue until 17 weeks (as with B) or 20 weeks (like with A). It isn't as bad as the last couple of times so maybe that means it will stop earlier too. Fingers crossed.

Time for a new ticker

I had my first (very belated) appointment yesterday.

So officially I am 9w 3d today, which is still possibly too early to get all excited and put a ticker up, but I couldn't resist. It seems like such a long time ago I announced on here that I was pregnant, considering I'm still not into the safe zone yet.

Anyway, things went well with the check-up, and 5000yen later I came home with a huge smile on my face, an ultrasound picture and paperwork so I can get my 母子手帳.

I absolutely love my clinic, it is only very small, and needless to say I am a well-known patient (for obvious reasons, as well as the fact I have been there SO many times over the last few years) and the reception staff, midwives, nurses (and doctor of course) all remember me and were so genuinely excited to see me sitting in the waiting room I had no less than 10 staff members come up to me and ask how the kids were (some of them even remembered the kids' names!) and give their congratulations. It really made my day, and just thinking about it now has me smiling again.lol So yeah, I love my clinic!

The last week or so has not been so good for morning sickness, throwing up on average 3-4 times a day, but even so things are a lot easier than the last two times. A big thank you goes out to those who are helping me through this, it really is much appreciated.

Long time no post

It's been a while since I last posted, I'm kind of glad I could blog every day last month because it would have been an impossible challenge this month!lol

Things are ok, not great, but not too bad.

Cooking is still a problem, I just can't seem to get into it.
Trying to think of meals is my greatest challenge at the moment, there are just too many things I don't feel up to cooking or eating...

I've been having cravings? for Western type food, which is a change from the norm and the kids aren't impressed with the lack of rice recently. I guess morning sickness is challenging for all family members.lol

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• Home delivery services
• Amazon (aromatherapy book is bought!)
• Not feeling sick 24/7
• Friends who are only too happy to help out

What are you loving this week?

A day of thanks

Don't you love home delivery services?
I know I do.

And moreso now that they are my ray of hope in being able to have a (relatively?) well fed family for the days the cook goes into hibernation!lol

Seriously though, I can not recommend these services enough.
Thank you thank you thank you to whoever invented them!lol
You've made the world a much better place to live in!!

Spoke too soon

Well although it's not as bad as the last two times (yet!and hopefully it won't be!), morning sickness has started...
Thrown up twice already today and feeling very tired.
I'm trying everything I can, and I know I have the support of lots of people out there, but if I'm a bit quiet around here, you know why.

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• Minimum morning sickness so far (must be everyone's prayers being answered!!)
• ひな祭り
• 桃カステラ
• B settling down
• A's 18 month old city check up being over and done with

What are you loving this week?

Wordless Wednesday

Settling down

Things have started to settle down a bit now thank goodness.
I've been sleeping with him in his bed for the last few nights (thanks tj-injapan, the 100cm bed really was a great idea!) and that seems to be helping a lot. Things aren't perfect, but we're in a lot better place now.

And this is the 30th day posting since February 1st so that means I'll be crossing the blogging every day for a month off my list! Yay!
And thanks to those who have been reading!lol

Hit the jackpot?

I think we might have progress.
Well maybe not progress as such, as we are still having 'accidents', but I think I might have a better idea as to why this is happening. I don't really think it is a jealousy thing, so I've been trying to think of other reasons.

Thanks achan, what you said about B remembering me collapsing has stricken a chord.

Yesterday B was reading an Anpanman book which has an ambulance and fire engine in it, and he wanted me to read it to him over and over again. Then today he went straight for the same book again and I casually asked, "Hey B, do you remember when Mummy went in an ambulance?". He replied "覚えてるよ！" so I went a bit further to try and see if he really did remember and asked him what he was doing when Mummy went in the ambulance and to hospital. He then said "Poppyと一緒に遊んでた" (I was playing with Poppy). Which he was of course. If you remember it happened when my parents were here, and that's exactly what happened.

So this afternoon when A went down for her nap I filled up the bath (unusual for us to get in so early in the day) and we got in together and after a while he said out of the blue (quite happily) "赤ちゃんが来たね!赤ちゃんに待ってるよと言ったよ。". Which means something like 'the baby is here now aren't they! I told them I'm waiting for them.' So I pushed it a bit more and asked 'If you told them you're waiting for them why don't you want them to come?'. His reply?

"Mummy が病気になるから".

He said a few more things that lead me to believe he actually remembers me throwing up when pregnant with A, along with the ambulance trip.

Ok, I think I've hit the jackpot, don't you?
Now I just have to figure out what to do about it...

And just as an aside, no matter how much I speak to B in English he always replies in Japanese, hence the weird conversations above.lol

Update

Yesterday B had 4 'accidents', and only one today, so I guess that's an improvement. They usually happen the minute I go to the toilet or start making dinner, or if I leave him after playing together.

I asked him what he wanted to do today and he said he wanted to go look at trains, so we went to a park near a train line where he was in his element. I'm hoping the good run around has done him the world of good. We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings when it's back to the 3 of us...

Thanks for all the encouragement, it really means a lot.

Advice please

The main reason I posted yesterday was because I need some advice.
And to be honest, the sooner the better.

B has been telling me for months now that another baby would be 'coming to my tummy'.
He has been pointing above my head and saying things like the baby is watching us and is getting ready and will be here soon, and that Mummy, Daddy, A, Nanny and Poppy are happy but that B is not.

He has been mucking up something shocking the last week or so, doing things he normally wouldn't do. I had a little talk to him a few days ago, asking him what was wrong and why was he being so naughty when he knows he's going to get punished. Of course he didn't give me an answer I was expecting, he just said "the baby is here now".

I half-believed him and went about like normal, then the night before last his behaviour started to deteriorate rapidly. It started off when he deliberately did a wee on the carpet in the living room (he is toilet trained and has been for a long time so this doesn't normally happen). He got in trouble for that and then was obnoxious from thereafter. He refused to eat his dinner, wouldn't put his undies or trousers on, was throwing his mini cars around the room, and basically just wouldn't do anything that was asked of him and was in terror mode. At one stage I settled him down with a hug and I thought he was ok, but within 15 minutes or so he started throwing the kitty litter around like confetti, emptied the cat's dry food out of the bowl and was mixing it in with the kitty litter! Crazy things that he has NEVER done before. Obviously something was bothering him.

When S came home he tried to ask him why he was acting like this, to which B answered again in Japanese "the baby is here now and B's not happy".

So that's when I did the pregnancy test, which was positive, as you know.

Yesterday things went from bad to worse.
He did a wee 8 times in places other than the toilet. Six times in the living room, once in the hallway and once in our bedroom on the tatami mat. What has happened to B, toilet trained B?
When I asked him if it was because of the baby he replied in Japanese "赤ちゃんが来て欲しくない". I know this is the reason why he is acting like he is, and he's sending out distress signals as best as a 3 year old can, but I'm at a loss as to what to do. I've been trying to give him lots of extra hugs and kisses lately (which he has been refusing outright), been telling him how much I love him, playing with him as much as I can, cooking together, doing anything I can. Last night I let him sleep with me and S in our bed and he hasn't done anything naughty yet today so maybe that is what he needed...

I don't know what else to do. It's hard enough looking after two kids under normal circumstances, so I really need to nip this in the bud or I don't know how I'm going to survive... Especially if morning sickness turns into anything like the two previous times.

Any advice anyone?

運命

Ok this post could turn into a long one, so be warned!!

I believe in fate. And karma. Or whatever you might like to call it. I believe that things happen for a reason. Both good things and bad. That we're here to learn. That we're being tested. That you reap what you sow and all that. So where is this post going you might be asking?

Pregnancy.

Can't see the connection yet?

To be honest, even though we would love 4 kids, sometimes just the thought of having to go through pregnancy again is quite offputting. Although some people enjoy this time immensely, I'm afraid I can't say I'm one of them. They say children choose their parents before they are born, so if someone is willing to choose my husband and I then we are willing to give them a chance at life. To have someone become part of our family, someone to share our journey through life with, is enough to make me want to do it again.

But with both B and A the pregnancy started off with morning sickness which lasted all day, every day, for way too long. My weight went down as it does when you're throwing up every day, before finally increasing a few months down the track. So despite the fact B and A were both born 4 days late, my weight gain during pregnancy was 5.8kg for B and 6.2kg for A. They were both over 3240g born btw!

From the moment I conceived I had all the normal pregnancy complaints-no need for any explanations there. Morning sickness lasted for nearly 17 weeks with B and over 20 weeks with A. I was nauseous from morning to night, threw up every day (at least 3 or 4 times a day with A!), was exhausted, could not keep anything down until about 3 or 4 in the afternoon (including water or tea), gagged when brushing my teeth, became aenemic, and basically felt EXTREMELY under the weather. And that's just the first and second trimesters. Don't even get me started on the third trimester!!!!!

So anyway at 20 weeks with A I was finally starting to feel a bit better. Still lethargic, but better. Had a few niggly pains in my side but put it down to being pregnant, as you do. A few weeks later it was Golden Week and my parents, aunt, and uncle were over visiting so we'd taken them on a bit of a trip to see the inlaws and do some sightseeing. But because there were so many of us we'd walked, as opposed to driving, to a famous park about 5 minutes walk from the house and were having a nice old time when it suddenly hit.

Excrutiating pain from my back and around to my sides. I thought I was in labour. I was 24 weeks. I couldn't stand up, was losing consciousness, all the time thinking but if I'm in labour now the baby won't make it!!!!!

The park is actually the ruins of an old castle. There's a shrine at the top and S, my dad, aunty and uncle had gone with my MIL and FIL to the top while my mum, B and I were taking it slowly up the steps. Until I collapsed on the steps that is! My Mum was yelling (in English of course!) "Someone get an ambulance!!!" but we couldn't see anyone around and were starting to panic when a lady from a souvenir shop we hadn't even noticed heard us and thankfully called an ambulance for me.

So a few minutes later I was rushed to hospital and after numerous checks to make sure A was ok (which she was) they said I had kidney stones brought on by pregnancy (made worse because of the morning sickness). But they couldn't do an x-ray or give me any painkillers because I was pregnant, so I just had to lie there with a drip, in non-stop AGONY waiting for the stone to pass!!!! 4 hours later and I was ok. On my pain scale I would have to say giving birth to B is no 1, kidney stones while pregnant is no 2, and giving birth to A is no 3.

But the point is, as timing would have it, my family and inlaws were all there. They looked after B, they wiped my forehead, rubbed my back, talked, and we all just became closer because of it. My FIL really changed his attitude towards me after this happened and I'm eternally grateful for that. He stopped his 九州男児ness (can I make that into a word??) and is a lot more considerate now. MIL also agrees with me there! So bad things turned into good things in this case.

But we shouldn't have been there, altogether, at that particular place or time. The fact my parents were visiting was uncanny. My MIL should have been at work but she took the day off to be able to see my relatives. We had planned to be in another city (about an hour away) long before this happened, but we got stuck in traffic on the way to the inlaws and had arrived a few hours late. We'd planned on just dropping in for a little while but ended up staying for a lot longer, and going to the park was a complete afterthought. So it was fate. Meant to happen. As much as I cringe when I think of the pain!!

Here's hoping nothing like that happens this time round.
Yep, you read that last sentence right!!
Still VERY early days, probably way too early to even be posting this, but as of last night it's official.
Baby number 3 is on it's way!

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• Our tax refund being confirmed


• The kids room finally being sorted out


• Our anniversary and onsen day trip


• Passionfruit slice


• Warmer days


• Our new tv


• Watching the Olympics

What are you loving this week?

ピカピカ！

Thanks for all the suggestions on my last post.
As it turns out I ended up making crumbed chicken and potato bake last night but I will be keeping in mind all the other ideas for next time!

Today I had a visit from my MIL.
She arrived at about 11am and only just left actually!
So we had a busy day to say the least. And considering I didn't even know she was coming til late last night I think I did a pretty good job of getting the place into order, even if I must have looked like a madwoman early hours this morning!lol

Time for bed I think!

Up for the challenge

This blogging every day can be quite challenging at times!
Today is Day 23, so only another week or so left to go.

I just looked over my challenge list and realised I had totally forgotten about the Western type meal once a month thing. Will have to start thinking about what to make... Any ideas? I don't have much of a repertoire when it comes to Western recipes. Potato bake, crumbed chicken in cheese and bacon sauce, pumpkin soup and lasagne (but with a Japanese recipe!lol) pretty much sums up any Western dishes I know how to make.

Main reason being I came to Japan when I was 19 and that's also when I started to learn how to cook. So I don't really know how to make anything other than Japanese food. And while my Mum is a good cook, she NEVER uses recipes so has no idea when I ask for measurements. And with cup sizes being different in Australia and all, it gets just a bit too confusing!lol

Would anyone like to share a Western recipe that they find is a hit with their family? One that doesn't need special ingredients and that is easy to make?

Anniversary

Wow, it's hard to believe but S and I have been married for 8 whole years now!
Just telling someone yesterday we are going into our 9年目 really makes me feel old, and like I should be a lot better at being a 主婦 than I am.

Anyway, those thoughts aside, we celebrated yesterday with a day trip to 嬉野温泉　(Ureshino Onsen) in Saga, and it was lovely. Lovely food, lovely bath, and of course lovely company!lol

It's actually our anniversary today, so I think that's a perfect excuse not to cook dinner. And it's also a great excuse to have some dessert!lol

　

かぼちゃのカレーミルク煮

Here's another easy recipe I found on the net.
Something that tastes a lot better than it sounds!lol

かぼちゃのカレーミルク煮 (4人分)

1/4 pumpkin
200ml milk
100ml water
4 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon curry powder

Deseed the pumpkin, cut off the skin, and cut into small bite sized pieces.
Bring the milk and water to the boil, add pumpkin.
When it starts to boil again turn down the heat to medium and add the honey and curry powder.
Use a drop-lid and cook on medium until most of the liquid disappears.
Enjoy!

Notes: This was another EASY recipe and went down well with everyone. Originally I had planned to use some in a 弁当 but we ended up demolishing it all so that wasn't possible!
With the honey in it you have to be careful what kind of pan you cook it in- something non-stick is definitely a good choice.
Also, I didn't have much curry powder left (probably only half a teaspoon or so) so I didn't use quite as much as the recipe suggested, and it was quite mild. Both kids had seconds which is why there was none left for a 弁当!

On the big screen

No, no, no, any advice is always appreciated!lol
Thanks for that Medea.

But I'm hoping there was no need to worry cause I got what I consider a great deal as it is.

Free shipping, 5 year warranty (I paid a little extra for that), bought from a proper electrical shop in Osaka (as opposed to somewhere on Rakuten or the like), and all considering one of the cheapest prices out there! I already knew what the price should be for this particular tv, cause I've had my eye on it for a while, and the place I bought it from was still 5000 yen or so cheaper than anywhere I'd seen IRL, and that was including the extra 4 years on the warranty!

I checked out a few places including kakaku.com, and while it wasn't the very cheapest out there, it appealed to me because of the after service and just the site in general seemed a lot better than some of the others.

The tv isn't one of the newest models, nor is it one of the biggest. It's a Mitsubishi Real, which came out last May apparently.
It's 32 inches which feels absolutely HUGE to me!!!lol

And at about 56,000 yen in total (tv, 5 year warranty, 630 yen COD charge) with 12,000 yen worth of eco points to come, I feel like we got a bargain!!lol

And, I just saw the new list for eligible products from April and it was still there if anyone would like to buy something similar!

Oops, sorry google readers!lol

The other day I was fiddling around with some settings, and without realising exactly what certain things mean changed one of the feed settings. Nothing looked any different on my screen so I just left it as it was, but I have just realised that most of my posts were cut off after a couple of lines for anyone reading in a reader!!!!
Sorry! It should be back to normal now!lol

完成!

We have bunks! Yay!
The kids are SO excited by them and we had NO trouble getting B to go to bed last night.lol

He's been playing in there all day actually.
Lining up his mini-cars on the shelf, driving the cars on the slats of the top bunk, turning the light on and off. Last night he even told the cat off for jumping into his 'new room' as he called it.lol

And our new tv will be arriving tomorrow!
Yay for things coming together so nicely.

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• The double bunks arriving this morning, WAY ahead of schedule


• Finished DIY products, especially those made by people other than me!lol


• 梅 (ume) blossoms


• Internet shopping


• Lazy Sundays

What are you loving this week?

Done!

The bookcase is up!!

The bruising on my eye is not as bad as I thought it would be, but I have muscles aching that I didn't know I had.

Not that it will come as a surprise to anyone, but it took nowhere near as long to make with 2 people, and I only helped out a few times along the way! It ended up taking about an hour actually. I didn't even curse once this time.lol
And just for your information, S commented that it was harder than it looked to make, but then added that he had no idea why I had SO much trouble.lol

The kids room is coming about quite nicely now, which I am very happy about.
Miraculously all the furniture fits exactly, and not just the things I measured first!! It's like everything was made with the room in mind. The way things are coming together really is uncanny.

And speaking of things uncanny...

Before buying the bunks I was tossing up between buying them and updating our tv. Both needed to be bought, but I thought the tv could wait a bit longer because there was nothing wrong with it.

But, the main reason I thought now might be a good time to update is because of the eco points the government is giving out at the moment. Apparently at the end of this month they will be updating the products that are eligible, and the tv I have my eye on might possibly disappear from the list. I don't know that for sure btw, but it's a possibility, especially with the amount of tvs out there. In the end though I decided to get the bunks first so I could sort out the kids room before my parents come to visit in April.

So anyway, what do you know, the day after I ordered the bunks the tv started mucking up.

We were getting sound and something that could not be considered a picture, but a bit of a tap on the side (yes, that's how old the tv is, tapping still fixes things!!) and the picture would come back on normally.

Not any more. As of yesterday our tv has finally packed it in.

It was my husband's from when he was at uni, so it's 13 years old and is about the same size as the computer screen, probably smaller actually.

So unfortunately (or possibly fortunately!) it looks like we have to get a new tv sooner than I thought, and before the end of February too which means we can get eco points after all. Yay for small miracles.

I guess I'll be back on the net looking for bargains.
All I can say is thank goodness for our tax rebate!!

And I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that nothing else packs up for at least another couple of months.lol

DIY gone wrong

Today I have spent absolutely HOURS trying to put a tall (180cm) bookcase together for the kids room. 2 and a half hours to be exact. And then another hour pulling it all apart again!!!
Talk about a job and a half. And to make matters worse, I'm now back to square one. I'm exhausted, with absolutely nothing to show for it!!

Why oh why didn't I just wait til late tonight when S comes home.
I mean, unlike me, he actually likes putting these type of things together.

I thought I would surprise him and do it all by myself (despite the instructions saying it recommended 2 adults to make it, taking about an hour), but hey, how hard could it possibly be? Well I'll tell you, it's pretty damn hard!!!lol

And I now know the reason why you need 2 people. Because it weighs 32 kg, and it is extremely hard to screw things in while trying to keep everything in the right place. And I learnt the hard way too. I now have a swollen eye (which will no doubt be turning into a bruise tomorrow) to prove it!

So, despite all my efforts (and I really did try, honest!) I still have to wait til tonight to see the finished product. And I have to help S remake it!!! Me and my silly ideas...lol

Let me just say now there is absolutely NO WAY I am even going to try putting the double bunks together when they arrive. Famous last words...

Bed update

After taking everyone's advice into consideration and reading lots and lots of customer reviews on different sites, I decided to order double bunks off the net.

They are very basic style wise, 100cm wide, and have a light and some shelves, with enough space underneath to put some containers. Although I can't be totally sure of the sturdiness until they arrive, going on reviews it doesn't seem like there will be a problem.

Click on the pic to get a better view. And I have no idea why anyone would call a bed Robbie, but there you go!lol



The price was right too. Not one of the cheaper beds they were selling (I didn't think they looked as sturdy), but not way over the top either. And as luck would have it they were having a 24 hour only Valentine's Day sale where 10% of the total is given back to you in rakuten points. Plus they will give you another 3% off if you write a product review. Yay for bargains!lol

I think I saved close to 5000 yen just from getting all the bonus points. And I might add I logged in through my OMC credit card site so they will also give me double points on the purchase too. Gotta be thrifty about these things, especially when it's an expensive purchase!lol

I also ordered the mattresses for it from another site, so I can't wait til everything arrives. Actually the bed is out of stock at the moment but should be here by the end of the month, and the mattresses arrive next Monday.

So thanks again for all the advice!

Straight from the heart

Yesterday when I checked our letter box there was a familiar looking envelope, with two very cute stamps on it addressed to my husband.
Don't worry, it was in my handwriting of course!lol

It wasn't a love letter, but it would have been pretty timely if it was.
No, no, it was the copy of our tax return all inkan stamped and returned!lol

How's that for quick processing!

Well obviously not everything is completely processed yet but they sure got to it pretty quick.
We put our tax forms in a special box at the tax office late Thursday night (which was a public holiday btw), so the earliest anyone would have opened it would have been Friday. So anyway the papers arrived here yesterday which is Saturday!! Thanks guys! Maybe the trick is to send it in before they get busy!! The quicker they process everything the quicker we get our refund so I'm very happy about that!

And now to the title.
Happy Valentine's Day!
Not that I actually celebrate it usually but it's definitely a great excuse to eat lots of chocolate!!lol

The trouble with moving

Trying to remember exactly where I put something away is proving to be very challenging. For the life of me I can't seem to remember where certain things are. I have an idea where I think something might be (and usually it is there) but not today I'm afraid.

I've been searching all morning for a couple of things for the cat (a couple of protector things for the wall so he can't scratch) and no matter how hard I think about it and search, they're nowhere to be found...

It's not that I can't go out and buy more of what I'm looking for, it's just that I'm getting frustrated with myself for not being able to find things I know are around here somewhere, that I've seen within the last couple of weeks, and have now disappeared.

I must be going crazy...

Maybe I 'll just blame the kids. I mean they're always moving things around, and I'm forever finding toys in unbelievable places, so it is possible that it's not my fault here yeah?lol

Back to searching I go...

Help!

How do I get the last post back to white???
When I press text colour and put it on white the text disappears....

101 things update

I know it hasn't been that long since the challenge started, but I thought I'd update on some things I am trying to do, because it might be a while before something is actually finished.

After realizing just how often I try out new recipes (without even noticing that's what I'm doing!!), I decided to increase some of the items to do with cooking. So try out new recipes has gone up from 30 to 80 (with another possible increase later on), and blog posts to do with food has gone up to 30. Other items I've needed to adjust the wording a bit so I can keep track of how many times I'm actually doing things.

Ok, so here are the things I'm trying to achieve:

10. Read one book a day to the kids. If I can't do it get S to. (11/1001)
12. Tell S and the kids I love them every single day (11/1001)
22. Write 30 posts on my blog to do with food. (2/30)
27. Make a 弁当 for S at least 8 times a month (except when I'm pregnant). (0/32 months)
This has actually been quite enjoyable, and I've been writing on my calendar when I made a 弁当 because if I don't there is NO WAY I would remember how many I made! After doing this it seems I make more than I'd realised.lol The first week I made 4, so already half way to the monthly quota just in that first week. But I haven't made any this week yet so I'm glad I got off to a good start last week!lol

29. Enjoy a cup of herbal or flavoured tea at least once a week for 6 months. (0/6months 1/24 weeks)
This is a difficult one to remember to do. I tried a mango green tea (by Lipton, from Oz) the other day which was different. Can't say I was overly impressed with it though.lol

30. Try 80 new recipes. (4/80)
52. Write in my blog every day for a month.
Trying to do this for February, but will do 30 posts.

54. Become better at giving myself angel card readings.
I've been doing this every day for myself and S, and although I know I shouldn't doubt my shuffling, I think it will take me a bit longer to believe that the right cards really are coming out, and it's not just my lack of shuffling skills.lol

56. Listen to music for at least 30 minutes 4 times a month (0/32 months 3/128 times)
70. Do and send off our tax returns before the end of February every year. (1/3)
This is done for this year! But only the first time of 3 so still can't cross it off the list...

71. Continue with my 家計簿 every month. (0/32)
76. Get our weekly shopping (groceries only) down to 6000 yen. Adjust to 8000 yen while pregnant and for the first couple of months after giving birth.
78. Completely pay off the car loan.
This has just over a year left so another ongoing item.

90. Go through all clothes and donate to charity or recycle anything we don't need.
This is about a third complete. Still a long way to go. It's given me some extra space in my wardrobe but nowhere near as much as I'd like.

92. File all received 年賀状 by the end of January every year (February for 2010)(0/3)
93. Update how the list is going on my blog at least 6 times (1/6)
Doing that now!lol

100. Continue to lend money on Kiva whenever the credit balance is enough to do so. Note: Started with 6 loans as at January, 2010.


Obviously some challenges go for the whole time so won't be getting crossed off until the challenge is nearly over, but I wanted to remind myself of what items I need to be constantly working on.

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• Comments from blog readers I hadn't realized were reading


• Listening to the rain outside while snuggled up in bed


• Finally getting washing dry in one day


• Being able to send away our finished tax return


• Today being a public holiday

What are you loving this week?

Wordless Wednesday

Title: Monkey business

もやしと卵のマヨ炒め

This is also from the net, I made this last week as a side dish.

もやしと卵のマヨ炒め（２人分）

1 pack of moyashi bean sprouts
2 eggs
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 teaspoons soy sauce
A little bit of chopped garlic (I used garlic that's in a tube)
A little bit of chopped negi

Put the moyashi in a bowl of water for 10 minutes or so, then drain.
Beat the egg.
Cook until half done in a little bit of oil, then remove from pan.
Add a little bit more oil, add garlic and mayonnaise and heat on medium until fragrant.
Add the moyashi and turn heat up to high, cook speedily?? (is that right?lol).
Return egg to pan, add soy sauce and mix in.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Dress with chopped negi.
Enjoy!

Notes:
This was really quick to make, probably less than 5 or 6 minutes cooking time in total, and the garlic/mayo/soy sauce combination was nice. Will be doing this one again I think! And a VERY cheap dish to boot!

Beds

Wow a week sure flies by! Must be having too much fun!lol

We went out looking at double bunks yesterday.
Does anyone have any suggestions of what to get, or better still, what not to get?

I saw a couple that didn't look too bad, and not too expensive.
One had space underneath for storage which would be helpful I guess.
Another was lower to the ground, (both top and bottom bunks) so would be easier to change the sheets on the top bunk and not so far to fall, and possibly cooler in summer (for the top bunk)...

Am I thinking too deeply into this? Does the top bunk really get that much hotter in summer?

Decisions, decisions....
If you have bought or used double bunks before I'd love to hear your opinion!!!

Sunday

It's finally the weekend! Yay!
Which means a very short post.lol

I'm trying to write on my blog every day this month, for the 101 things challenge.
And not just because February is the shortest month, mind you!lol
Am thinking of doing it for 30 days regardless, and today is Day 7.
Posting every day is actually a lot harder than I thought!lol

The weather has been so crazy lately, I hope everyone is staying healthy.
And I am off to enjoy a day with the family. So until tomorrow, see ya!!

Continuing on

This is just a bit of an extension of the last post, so bear with me please!lol

About the points adding up, if you can find the right card they really do add up. Like Lulu and her 2000 yen a month. That really is a lot!

As for my cards, well I have a few that are better value than others, so I'll tell you about those ones.

The ゆめカード which can be used at ゆめタウン and a couple of other normal supermarkets is SO easy to rack up points on. Especially if you go on 5 points days. I mentioned this before but you only need to spend 10,500 yen (if you only use it on the 5倍 extra points days) to get 525 yen back. The card isn't just for the supermarket, it's for the whole centre. So groceries, toiletries, the bread shop, clothes shops, 100 yen shop, flower shop, toy shop and most restaurants are included in that.

So just say you bought rice for 3000 yen, grocery run 3000 yen, toilet paper, tissues and nappies 2000yen and 2500 yen at a restaurant there's the 525 yen discount back in one go! Seriously, that 525 yen comes back in my pocket every couple of months or so, and I don't even use the card that often.

I also have a couple of home-centre cards (one is ナフコ) which you don't have to accumulate a lot of points to use. I think the minimum is 100 yen actually. So even if there is only 100 yen or so on the card, if you ask they will deduct it from the total so you never waste your points. I like this system because you don't have to be a real loyal customer to be able to get the discount.

I have another card for a family restaurant (it's privately owned and been around for 30 odd years) which we go to maybe once every couple of months or so, and they give you back 1200yen when you spend 15000 yen. This is pretty good value too because they will give you points for up to 8 people at a time. It's somewhere we go with the inlaws when they come, and I take my parents there too so this also adds up quickly.

Not all cards are good value, and I don't use all the cards I have, but there ARE some out there that are worth using, so just be on the lookout!lol

Getting to the point

When writing the being thrifty post the other day I thought this deserved a post of it's own, so here it is!

Point cards.
I love them.
Enough said.lol

If I'm out shopping and asked if I have, or would I like to make a point card, I can't help myself and always say yes.lol

So that means I have a LOT of point cards in my collection!

But the points build up quite easily, and I can't count the number of discounts I've had because of them. 500 yen here and there really does help, and if it's helping to get my budget down, then I'm all for it!

Some places are better value than others though, so whenever I have to buy rice or something expensive, I usually hang on and go when they're having extra points days.

Just another idea for anyone interested!lol

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• Being able to blog every day


• Trying out new recipes


• Eating white chocolate


• The promise of Spring


• Starting the 101 things challenge

What are you loving this week?

Wordless Wednesday

Title: Watching the world go by.

Place: Our old apartment.

Subject: Ivory, the cat.

大根と鶏肉の中華煮

This is a recipe that I found on the net and used last night to make an apparently? Chinese style dish with daikon and chicken. It was quite yummy and I had enough leftover to use in a 弁当 for S, and finished the rest off with the kids for lunch!

大根と鶏肉の中華煮(４人分)

1 Daikon
2 Chicken thighs (I used breasts cause I didn't have any chicken thighs)
1 Carrot
A little bit of chopped ネギ
Flour for coating

Marinade: 2 tablespoons of sake and 4 teaspoons of soy sauce.
Sauce: 4 tablespoons sake
4 teaspoons soy sauce
4 tablespoons oyster sauce
400ml water

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces and marinate.
Leave for 20 minutes or so, then drain any liquid.
Coat with flour.

Mix up the sauce.

Cut the daikon and carrot into bite size pieces.（乱切り）
Cook the chicken on medium until both sides brown up.
Add the daikon, carrot and sauce.
Cook with the lid on for 25-30 minutes on medium heat, stirring every now and then.
Add some chopped up ネギ when you're nearly finished cooking.
Serve and enjoy!

Notes: The original recipe was only for 2 people so everything you see here is the doubled version. The cooking time for 2 people was 15-20 minutes, but basically the dish is ready when the daikon is cooked through. Also, I only used 3 tablespoons of oyster sauce cause I wasn't sure how the kids would go with it, but as it turns out they ate it all with no problems! They actually seemed to enjoy this dish better than daikon dishes that use dashi.

Being thrifty (Part 2)

Here are some other things I do. Nothing particularly special, just more common sense!lol

• Use my credit card when it gives me a discount. I have an OMC card, so if I shop at Daiei on particular days each month, 5% of whatever it comes to is deducted from the total just by paying by credit. Same goes for my Saison card if you use it at Sunny or Seiyu. I still write the cost down as I would for a cash purchase in my 家計簿, and then I make sure I put the money away to be put in my bank account.

I have another variation on this which is buying things on extra points days. Like at ゆめタウン they have ５倍 days, so they give you 5 yen back (instead of 1) for every 105 yen you spend on those days. Which basically means it's 5% off, because when you have 500 points saved they give you 525 yen discount vouchers. If you only bought things on ５倍 days, you only need to spend 10,500 yen (instead of 52,500 yen) to get your 525 yen voucher.

• Don't take my husband with me shopping if I can help it. lol

• Walk to the supermarket. This stops me overbuying cause I have to carry everything home. So if you can picture me walking with A strapped on, one hand holding on to B's, with my bag and shopping on the other, I think you will understand what I mean.lol

• Buy fruit, veges and fish that are in season. Not only do you get more for your money, things also seem to taste better when they are in season.

• Cut out and use coupons. Sometimes I print them out from the net, other times I use coupons I've cut out from local free papers that get delivered.

Sorry, that's all I can think of for now. If I do think of something else I'll do a Part 3!! If anyone has anything else to add, please leave a comment!!

101 things

The challenge has begun....

Meal planning

I was recently asked about how I plan meals, but after thinking about it for a bit I realised that I don't have one set way of doing things.

How do you usually go about deciding what you will eat and when you will eat it?
Do you make lists of what's in the fridge and freezer?
Do you have a general idea of what you will make or do you decide as you are cooking?
Do you buy ingredients especially so you can make a certain dish?
Do you try to come up with recipes using what's in the fridge and cupboards?
Do you write out meal plans and then stick to them?

As for me, well I think I do everything that I just wrote.lol

I like writing lists, I like trying to be creative with using what stuff I have lying around, I like using new recipes, and while it might sound a bit contradictive, I also like having things planned out and being organised, especially on the days that I have something on. Like when I was going to the dentist I would get an order delivered that day and have my meals planned out so I didn't have to think or go shopping on the way home.

I do write out meal plans (usually for 3 days at a time, coinciding with when I have a delivery order), but I don't do it for meals every single day.

How do you go about deciding your meals?

Things I love Thursday

Things I am loving this week:

• Getting surprise e-mails from old friends
• Having dreams and actually remembering what they were about
• Phone calls from home
• A clean house
• Getting to know other bloggers
• Kids doing what they are told (apart from the road and conbini saga.lol)
• Being Australian (Happy Australia Day btw!)
• My numbers coming up 4 times in the 年賀状 lottery (with a prize of a stamp sheet).

What are you loving this week?

白菜のミルク煮

Just tried out this really simple recipe tonight and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd share.

白菜のミルク煮 (4人分)

Hakusai　(1/4)
Bacon (as much as you want! I used about 4 slices worth)
Milk (400ml)
Water (200ml)
Chicken stock (1 cube)

Roughly cut up the hakusai and bacon.
Mix the water, milk and chicken stock cube for the soup.

Cook the bacon in olive oil, add the hakusai then the soup.
Cook (I did it on 4 on the IH cooker) so medium heat I guess, for 10-15 minutes.
Add salt and pepper to taste, and maybe parsley if you have some.
Enjoy!　

It was so quick and simple I will be making it again soon I think.
Great for milk loving families like us!!lol

Coping with kids

Sometimes I wonder if I must be crazy wanting more kids.
How on earth am I going to be able to handle it?
I know there are people out there with it much harder than me, I don't know how they cope.

Take today for instance.
I needed to get to an ATM to deposit some money in an account by today at the latest. Normally I would just drive to the bank and be done with it but I wanted to get out in the sun for a bit and thought walking could be a good option. Had a think about what the best way to go about it would be, decided to strap A on my front and walk to the conbini and pay the extra fee and do it there.

Everything started out ok, B holding my hand and walking beside me, A weighing a tonne, B stopping to pick up leaves on the way, and we eventually made it to the conbini. Nice happy families. Got inside and things went just as they always do. Nothing unexpected there.

B deciding to get a basket and start shopping by himself as I was stuck standing at the ATM machine, ignoring my pleas for him to come over here with Mummy please. B insisting he had to shut and open the doors for every customer who came in. B suddenly holding his pants and yelling 'wee wee 行きたい'(luckily that was just as I was finishing up at the ATM). B insisting he would hold the basket, put everything in it, and lift it up onto the counter all by himself. B yelling 'だめ！自分でする！' to the shop assistant who tries to help. B taking the bag of shopping off the assistant when it was packed. B then proceeding to go to, open, and about to go out!! the door while I'm stuck at the cash register. He turned around before he went out though to see if I was watching (which I was of course!) and came back over to where I was though, so I will give him some credit for that. Ahh, the joys of going shopping with a 3 year old...I know he means well and is so proud of himself that he's a big boy now and can do things just like Mummy does, and he thinks he is helping me out so continually makes comments like 'B君強いね','B君重い！でも頑張るよ' which mean something like 'look how strong I am', and 'It's heavy, but I can do it'. And of course refuses all offers for me to help.

So that part was pretty much to be expected.
It's the bit that comes next that worries me.

Walked back most of the way home (with B carrying the bag of shopping, of course!) and then he decided he wasn't going to hold my hand anymore. There was only about 10m before we were home so I gave in and said ok, but be careful and whatever you do DO NOT GO ON THE ROAD! It's not a busy road by any means and I was right beside him and the footpath is really wide so I thought it would be ok. The next second he runs on to the road. (No cars at this point) Run after him, grab him, take him back to the footpath where he chucks a willy and is lying down going psycho. Try to talk sense into him (is that even possible at 3??), and after a minute or so he settles down enough for him to stand up (I was still crouching down with A on my front trying to get up). Then he runs onto the road again to the exact same spot where I dragged him from a couple of minutes earlier. Only this time cars were coming!!! I don't know how but I somehow managed to get up, run after him, grab him in a bear hug (squashing A in the process, she was on my front, remember)and get him out of the way just in time (the car had seen us and was swerving out of the way), but OH MY GOD!!!!!

I bearhugged him the rest of the way home (kicking and screaming of course), carried him, A, my bag and the shopping up the stairs home, that's probably about 25kg btw (who needs to do weightlifting when you've got kids, hey), unlocked the door, got in and chained it before putting him down, then he screamed and carried on for another half hour after that. I knew that if I didn't chain the door he would be trying to go back and do it all again. It's like he has an obsession with things having to be done in a particular way and once he's got his mind set on something then he just completely turns off and will not listen to anything I say. He has never run out like that onto the road before, but there's no way I'm trusting him from now on.

How do people cope with more than 2 kids?
Seriously.
When does it get better? Or doesn't it?

Comments

Just trying to reply to some recent comments here, cause I'm not sure if people are reading the replies to comments I have written on older posts.

What is the protocol for replying to comments btw? Personally, do you come back and check previous posts or are follow-up comments e-mailed to you if you commented? Is there even that choice on this blog? Sorry I can't tell. Like the word verification thing, that never came up for me when I commented here, but it was on for other people.

So anyway, here are some recent thoughts on comments people have made.
You'll know who you are so I'm not bothering with names here!lol

Carrying shopping while holding kids is a huge challenge and the main reason I started getting shopping delivered. It was ok when there was just B, but got really hard towards the end of pregnancy number 2 so that's when I started looking around for this type of service. I joined up when my Mum went home when A was just over a month old, and get stuff delivered at least once a week, usually twice.

Along with normal groceries, they also have kits for cooking. Everything you need (and a recipe) for a certain dish is included, and all the veges are cut up for you. It works out more to buy things this way, but it has been a saviour in this household, especially after A was born and I had NO time for preparing. That's the main reason I wrote that my budget would be 8,000 yen while pregnant and after giving birth, because I plan on buying some of the sets each week. You still have to cook everything, just no mucking around with cutting things up and going shopping for a bit of this and a bit of that.

Milk consumption.
And buying shares in a cow.lol

We go through at least a litre of milk a day, more if I use it in cooking, so that's a minimum of 7 litres a week, usually 8. Plus I buy banana milk as a treat for the kids once or twice a week so there's another litre or too just for that. Cosmos sell milk for 168 yen a litre, that's the cheapest I've found anywhere. The delivery people sell it for 198 yen so I normally buy 2 or 3 litres from them if I have an order, and all the rest I buy at Cosmos.

Bread.
Bakeries are dangerous places for me, so I try to avoid going if I can.lol
The whole breadmaker versus buying thing is a hot topic at the moment.
We go through a lot of 食パン, but maybe the breadmaker wouldn't benefit us so much. Well not budget wise, although it probably would taste wise.lol

Rice.
How much rice does everyone go through? And what do you pay for it?
I buy 10kg for 2,980 yen (That's when it's on sale. It's pretty much 3,600 yen wherever you go most of the time, and it's a brand of rice we like). It usually lasts just over 2 weeks. We would be stretching it to the max for it to last for 3 weeks.

And angel card readings.
This is something I have only recently discovered and am a beginner with a capital B. Actually, probably need a capital E, G, I, and N in there as well.lol
I guess it's about getting in touch with yourself. And listening to your inner voice. And trusting instincts. Something I need to do more of. As a very well informed source has told me, angel cards are also called oracle cards, and they are positive cards which you shuffle and place down for a reading and then you try to make out what it is you're being told. Just think オーラの泉.lol Correct me if I'm wrong, Kelly!

Passing go

Just a reminder that today is Monday!
Which means, if you're doing the Monday-Sunday budget like me, it's the 'pass go and collect 200 dollars' day.
Or in simpler terms, the 'forget about what happened to your budget last week and start afresh day'.

It's interesting to hear what other people do (or don't do) and I'm having a lot of fun writing about the topic so I think a Being thrifty (Part 2) post will be coming soon! Some points probably deserve a post of their own so might do that too. Wow, for someone who was having writers block the other day I seem to be on fire and posting like crazy!!lol

Being thrifty (Part 1)

Lily, if you're out there reading I would really love to hear your opinion on all this!!

Let me just start off by saying here that it has taken a lot of time (years!) and effort to get the food budget to where it is now. If you told me what we spend now way back when we first got married I would have laughed and said it was impossible. I mean we used to spend over 10,000 yen a week on groceries when it was just the two of us!

That was only until I found out about 家計簿, which I have posted about before here and here, and read the stories in the magazine that came with it. I realised that we were spending way too much and that there were LOTS of 主婦 out there with 2 or 3 kids spending less and eating a lot better (and bigger size!) meals than we were doing at the time. Anyone interested should check out magazines like おはよう奥さん or サンキュ. You can see that they do articles on this kind of thing every month, and the people spend a lot less than what I do!!! 50 yen or 100 yen おかず, how to freeze properly, how to feed 4 people dinner with just 500 yen, and other mind boggling figures!lol

So obviously I can't compete with them, and I just do my own thing, but occasionally I get out some of the menu books and freezing techniques and 使い切り ideas that have come with magazines in the past, and put them to use!

Due to popular demand, our meals are usually Japanese style, a bit like a 定食 I guess. There is usually a main dish (some type of meat or fish with veges), and usually (but not always!) 2 subs (more vege dishes and other things like tofu), rice, pickles (たくあん, 梅干し and 高菜 are popular with B at the moment), and some kind of soup (usually miso). B and S nearly always finish off with 納豆 (nattou) or たまごかけごはん which I don't class as a sub (only cause I don't eat it!). Noone ever goes hungry, and that's the most important thing!! Most things are made from scratch, although I do cheat sometimes!lol I try to eat a little of a lot, and I also like using lots of different ingredients at the one meal.

Most of the things I'm going to list here are pretty much second nature for me now, but I guess they could seem a bit overwhelming if you've never tried to reduce spending before. Please keep in mind that generally speaking fruit and veges are dirt cheap where we live, and are no comparison for the price I was paying for them when we lived in Shizuoka.

So things I try to do, a lot of them just common sense:

• Don't overbuy. Usually I check the fridge and cupboards before going shopping and write a list of what I need.



• Before setting foot out the door I check the net for チラシ details, and decide which supermarket best suits my needs for that day. There is a great site here where you just put in your post code and heaps of pamphlets come up for your area.



• Buy frozen things on half price day (I use the site above to check out when the sales are on). Generally speaking I don't buy too much frozen stuff, but I do buy 和風野菜ミックス and 餃子(for the times I can't be bothered making them from scratch).



• Use point cards. I also find things to be a lot cheaper on the days that they have triple point days. So pay less, and get more points than usual. Win win situation!lol



• Use private brand things. Curry roux and juice I buy from 7-11 (the curries they sell are made by House and S&B by the way, and taste better than the 'real' stuff if you ask me!), tomato sauce or canned tomatoes I use supermarket own brands.



• I have a general idea in my head of what I buy, and where.



• I buy milk, bread, cheese, yoghurt and nappies at Cosmos (a drugstore but they sell food too, ice cream is always 30% off, frozen stuff is always at least 40% off), a 5 minute walk away.



• I buy fresh veges mainly from a 直売 place also 5 minutes walk away, a bit like a 道の駅 I guess. Just to give you an idea, you can buy a HUGE thing of spinach for between 80-100 yen. The supermarket which is next door (while not that expensive) would be at least double for the same size. Or 大根 for about 100 yen. I got half a 白菜 the other day for 70 yen, about 12 small mikans for 220 yen, and things like ネギ are usually between 90-120 yen, but the sizes seem to be more generous than other stores.



• I buy carrots (and usually onions and potatoes too) in bulk from a different supermarket about 10 minutes away by car, and then peel all the carrots, cut them in different shapes and sizes, half cook them in the microwave and then freeze them all. I pay 19 yen per 100g for the carrots, so if you do the math 190yen for 1 kg, as opposed to say 150 yen for 3 carrots which is how they're sold everywhere else.



• Think about and write out meal plans (not all the time though)



• Use the delivery shopping people which although a little more expensive in general, stops me from just buying stuff on a whim like I might do if I was at the supermarket, and also makes me plan meals better.



• I have a price in my head of what I think something should cost, and if it's more than that I think twice about whether or not I really need to buy it that day, or whether I can wait another day or two, and then be flexible about it. Maybe it's not such a good example, but just say I want to buy tofu for a nabe. I know I can buy a 3 pack of 豆腐 more often than not for around 100 yen (from a local maker that I like), but sometimes it might have gone up to 140-150 yen, so I'd skip the 豆腐 that day and check out the prices of 厚揚げ (atsuage) or something instead. It's still 豆腐, just a different kind. Either can be used in the nabe.



• I haven't really found anywhere that sells meat cheaper if you buy in bulk, but if it's on sale I usually buy 1kg or so of whatever it is and freeze it when I get home. If meat is marked down and looks ok, I would buy it and freeze it as soon as I got home too.



• Also I check the marked down sections for fruit, veges and dairy at the supermarket and if there's something there I was planning on using that night then I would buy it. It really depends on the supermarket though, sometimes I wouldn't poke what's in there with a stick!lol That said, there's one supermarket who has their dairy marked down, and ham and things too, even when there's still a long time before the use-by date. It's a 24 hour store, so I guess they just have a lot of stock. But I never buy marked down veges there. I have a different supermarket up my sleeve for that!lol



• I use a discount store to buy dry groceries. Things like packs of udon, furikake, nori, sauces, sugar, tea and lots of other things. There is a MaxValu supermarket next to the store I go to, but the discount store sells the exact same products a LOT cheaper. Like the furikake is 220 yen at the supermarket but 170 yen at the discount store. That's 50 yen on something that is only a little over 200 yen in the first place! So it all adds up. Seriously, it does.



• I also buy things made locally. I always buy hotcake mix, flour, tofu, nattou, udon, and pickles from Kumamoto makers (mainly because I like the taste, but also because that's what is mainly sold at the supermarket).



• To be honest though, I try not to buy things for the sole reason that it's the cheapest. Or because it's on sale. It's only any good to me if it's on sale and it's something I need.



• And lastly, some things I won't budge on, no matter what the price is. I buy what I consider to be relatively good eggs, I check labels, try to pick things which don't use preservatives, and just try to be sensible about things.

Wow that turned into an epic post!
Maybe I don't need a Part 2 afterall!lol

The most challenging item

Just kind of thinking out loud (?) here.

I guess the biggest challenge will be getting the food budget down to 6,000 yen every week. No surprises there!lol This figure doesn't include rice or S's lunch btw. Well it includes 弁当 but that's not something he takes every day.

What with wanting 4 kids and everything this is something I HAVE to do!!! Especially since I'm not working and S's salary is up and down like a yo-yo.

I just checked my 家計簿 from last year and it seems we averaged about 6,800 yen per week, so I'm thinking maybe 6,000 yen is doable. Despite there being 2 kids who eat like horses and milk and bread consumption increasing daily, that average is actually the lowest out of all the years I've had my 家計簿. Go figure. So I guess I'm up for the challenge.lol Might take a while for me to get there but I'll see how I go.

So how should I go about lowering it?

Thinking, thinking.....

Ok, buying a breadmaker could be a good option here.
And a cow!lol

And maybe weighing up if it's cheaper to buy something readymade than to make it myself. I haven't looked into this too much yet, but I have noticed this to be true for some things that I buy from the supermarket delivery people. Like they sell readymade ハンバーグ, 4 in a pack (400g) for 398 yen. This price hasn't changed in the year I've been using the service, it's kind of like their 目玉商品. The mince is good mince (how do I know? It's 70% Aussie beef, so of course it's good!lol and 30% pork) but the thing is they sell the same mince for between 140-170 yen per 100g, and the cheapest it ever gets is 100 yen per 100g, but it's not that price very often. So it works out cheaper to just buy the ハンバーグ readymade. And they taste good!

The same can be said for some of the 和風 salads they sell too. By the time you bought everything and actually made it it's quite possibly not worth the trouble!

On the other hand, a lot of other things work out way cheaper to make yourself.
Dressings and sauces especially. Maybe I should try looking for more sauce recipes. Anyone know how to make 焼き肉のたれ?

And making enough at dinner time so I have leftovers for lunch for the kids and I as well as S's 弁当. I do this occasionally but could do it a lot more often if I put my mind to it I guess. When there are leftovers there's usually enough for a 弁当 and that's it. Or when there's more leftover I skip the 弁当 and the kids and I eat whatever it is for lunch.

What else?

Buy things that are in season.
Freeze some meals for when I can't be bothered cooking.

Ok, I've run out of ideas!!
Any suggestions?

Comment verification

It seems there's been some trouble with people posting comments so I've turned off the verification thing. Hope that fixes the problem!!

101 things in 1001 days

Thanks to Lulu and others for this idea.
Anyone else want to give it a go too?

I'm going to start from the beginning of February, and I'm not 100% sure if this will be the final line-up but it will be something pretty close.

Start date February 1st, 2010. Finish date October 28th, 2012
The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organising and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Blue means completed, italics means in progress.
Items are in no particular order.


KIDS AND FAMILY

1. Make a baby scrapbook for B for the first 2 years of his life.
2. Make a baby scrapbook for A for the first 2 years of her life.
3. Backup (with the help of S) all photos once a month. (0/32)
4. Get pregnant with Baby Number 3.
5. Have baby Number 3.
6. Breastfeed Baby Number 3 for at least a year or until they wish to stop (whichever comes first).
7. Get pregnant with Baby Number 4 (this will of course depend on the timing of Number 3 though).
8. Take the kids home to Australia at least once.
9. Find a pre-school for B from April 2011.
10. Read one book a day to the kids. If I can't do it get S to. (30/1001)
11. Get a passport for Baby Number 3.
12. Tell S and the kids I love them every single day (30/1001)
13. Send at least one pic of each of the kids to my parents once a month. (1/32)
14. Take the kids to the park at least once a week (without S) for 50 weeks (0/50)
15. Make a photo album for both kids (different from the baby books) (0/2)
16. Take the kids to the zoo at least 4 times.(0/4)
17. Take the kids to an aquarium at least once.
18. Do something for every anniversary (1/3)
19. Go somewhere overnight with S without the kids (this has NEVER happened btw!)lol
20. Go on a date with S once every 6 months without the kids (this has never happened either).

COOKING

21. Make a recipe book.
22. Write 30 posts on my blog to do with food. (3/30)
23. Make a meal with my husband once a month. (0/32)
24. Learn how to make something with pastry.
25. Try to make 梅干し.
26. Make a 弁当 for the family and go on a picnic 3 times, complete with plastic sheet and drink bottles (0/3)
27. Make a 弁当 for S at least 8 times a month (except when I'm pregnant). (1/32)
28. Find a recipe that everyone agrees will become our family 唐揚げ (karaage) recipe.
29. Enjoy a cup of herbal or flavoured tea at least once a week for 6 months. (1/6months 4/24 weeks)
30. Try 80 new recipes. (6/80)
31. Learn how to use some of the other functions that are on my oven.
32. Make a Western type meal at least once a month. (1/32)
33. Find a good recipe for chocolate fudge brownies.
34. Learn more about at least 5 different types of tea, how to brew it, and of course taste test them all. (0/5)
35. Make tempura (which surprisingly enough I have never bothered to make myself)

JAPAN/TRAVEL

36. Visit 10 new places in Kyushu. (1/10)
37. Visit 3 prefectures I haven't been to before. (0/3)
38. Visit 10 shrines or temples I haven't been to before. (0/10)
39. Travel to a new country at least once.
40. Take a small trip overseas (somewhere I've been before but S hasn't been) at least once, thinking Taiwan at the moment.
41. Take a trip to Okinawa.
42. Go to a private onsen with S and the kids at least once every 2 months (excluding months which should be avoided when pregnant) (1/16)
43. Research and drive (by myself) the kids to a park they've never been to before at least 3 times. (0/3)
44. Go and stay at a ryokan at least twice. (0/2)
45. Go and stay with S's cousin and her kids for a couple of days.
46. Get S's cousin and her kids to stay with us for a couple of days.

HEALTH/FITNESS/HOBBIES

47. Get back into yoga. Do a 45 minute session at least once a month for 6 months. (0/6)
48. Read a book about aromatherapy (something online is also ok).
49. Learn how to sew something simple.
50. Sew most things B will need for kindy when he starts going.
51. Start a herb garden.
52. Write in my blog every day for a month
53. Get a professional massage at least once.
54. Become better at giving myself angel card readings.
55. Go to the movies at least twice a year (0/3)
56. Listen to music for at least 30 minutes 4 times a month (1/32 months 5/128 times)
57. Read or reread 4 books in English (0/4)

DURING PREGNANCY

58. Do not insist on doing all household chores.
59. Leave dirty dishes in the sink for S to wash up if I feel it's a strain.
60. Do not feel guilty when I can't cook, and use delivery services.
61. Drink at least 1.5L of water every day while pregnant (no more kidney stones while pregnant for me thanks!lol)
62. Accept all help that is offered during this time.
63. Ask for help even if I think I don't need it.

PURCHASES

64. Buy a breadmaker.
65. Buy a new fridge.
66. Buy double bunks (or possibly double bunks with a trundle bed).
67. Buy a sewing machine.
68. Buy another! car seat.
69. Buy a new tv before 地デジ starts(our tv now is smaller than the computer screen!).

MONEY AND SAVINGS

70. Do and send off our tax returns before the end of February every year. (1/3)
71. Continue with my 家計簿 every month. (1/32)
72. Make a bank book in each child's name.
73. Use this bank book to make an education fund, depositing at least 10,000 yen per child per month.
74. Find out about kiddy insurance and join up B and A.
75. Pay back N the key money for our apartment through English lessons.
76. Get our weekly shopping (groceries only) down to 6000 yen. Adjust to 8000 yen while pregnant and for the first couple of months after giving birth.
77. Update the weekly shopping budget for groceries when baby number 3 starts on solids.
78. Completely pay off the car loan.
79. Put at least 5000 yen away per month for a travel fund. (1/32)

EVENTS

80. Have a proper ひな祭り meal for A every March. (0/3)
81. Do 七五三 for both B and A in November, 2011.
82. Get a professional family photo done for 七五三.
83. Take a family Christmas photo (0/2)
84. Go and do お宮参り and professional photos for Baby Number 3.

AROUND THE HOUSE

85. Make a scratching post for the cat (with S).
86. Organise the balcony so it's exactly how I want it.
87. Organise the kids room so it's easy to clean and keep (relatively!) tidy.
88. Do something about the 押し入れ in our bedroom.
89. Get rid of anything we don't use and is still unpacked after 6 months.
90. Go through all clothes and donate to charity or recycle anything we don't need.

OTHER

91. Start making 年賀状 at the beginning of December every year.
92. File all received 年賀状 by the end of January every year (February for 2010)(0/3)
93. Update how the list is going on my blog at least 6 times (1/6)
94. Change the address on my drivers license.
95. Change the address on the remainder of the bank books.
96. Change the printed address on A's ひまわりカード (the computer record has already been changed)
97. Talk to a complete stranger.
98. Wear a dress or skirt out somewhere at least once.
99. Get regular dental checks, thinking once every 6 months (0/5)
100. Continue to lend money on Kiva whenever the credit balance is enough to do so. Note: Started with 6 loans as at January, 2010.
101. Donate 500 yen to Kiva for every unfinished task at the end of this challenge.