Turkey Day?

Everyone has asked if we had Thanksgiving in Japan? Well, the kids did get the day off for parent/teacher conferences which lasted all day, but Glenn had to work as usual. The Japanese don't celebrate the Native Americans and pilgrims first feast in early America... go figure. It was a long day so I called Glenn at work and said, "remember that scene in Christmas Story where the turkey gets ruined and the family goes out for Chinese food? Lets do the same for Thanksgiving." Glenn was on board with the plan and we met him in Roppongi for dinner.... it wasn't Chinese, it was Outback, but it was funny nontheless.

*side note, we did have a more traditional thanksgiving dinner on the following Sunday with some friends.

What Goes Around Comes Around

Everyone in my family knows the infamous story of "Tracey and the Tunafish Sandwich". I was 4 years old and was told to eat all of my tuna sandwich before I could eat my ice cream (vanilla served in a brightly colored cone with random names from the 70's... Pam, Bonnie, Sharon are some I remember). Well I figured out quickly if I hid my sandwich I could get that ice cream sooner. So, like the genius I was, I hid it under the couch. However, my mother who was smarter than me found that sandwich and made me eat it, crust and all.


Well as it turns out, my son Jonas who is almost 4 years old, inherited more than my blonde hair. He too was supposed to finish his sandwich before getting his ice cream. After he valiantly claimed to have finished it, guess what I found in the bathroom trashcan?? Yup. At least his made it to the trash. And, after consulting with Glenn, no we did not make him eat it.

Good Will Hunting

Shailey burst through our front door with a blast of excitement, shouting, "mom, mom, look what I got for FREE! It is the cutest outfit ever!" She ran to the bathroom and came out with this...Her school had a fund raiser where they asked families to donate gently used items. Then they sold the items for really cheap, mostly $1 (100 yen). Even at those incredible prices, no one wanted these amazing finds. So, after the fund raiser was over, Shailey rummaged through the leftover piles came home with a whole new outfit: earrings, belt, skirt, purse, and shoes. Isn't she jazzy? I just love this girl.

It's Dog Gone Gross

The Japanese people are extremely clean. Extreme is the key word here. Recently we noticed that dog owners carry "wet wipes" to clean their pet's bottoms after pooping and urinating. This particular pet cleaning moment I caught on film, required two people to clean the dog's bottom: one to hold the dog between their legs and the other to do the wiping.

CAUTION: if this is already too much information, then do not read on... there is more. Japanese pets are not cleaned with a quick wipe, but instead are cleaned by proding the poor animal's anal canal with a series of wipes, making sure not a speck of feces or urine remains. We kept waiting for this particular couple to finish cleaning their dog because they were right in the path we were taking.....but they kept cleaning and cleaning and cleaning. It was disturbing and well... dog gone gross.

All Aboard!

We signed our kids up with a modeling agency here in Tokyo because many advertising agencies use Americans for their models. We learned about this from Glenn's Aunt Kim, who did a lot of modeling with her kids in Tokyo. The modeling process is more simple here than in the states: we paid $10 per kid, they took our photos, I sent in more photos (that I liked better), and next day we got our first audition. We average about 1-3 auditions a week.

The FRINGE BENEFIT of all of this modeling business is that it has forced me to learn the train/subway system. As you can see from the map, it is slightly intimidating.

For our first audition the agent helped us get there on the subway. When the appointment was over she said goodbye.... "wait, you are not going with us on the subway???" Nope. So I had to figure it out myself. At one point Shailey said "Mom, this is not right, we are getting on the wrong train, lets go back up, I know where to go." I trusted her and she was absolutely right. Whew! Later Emma figured out which exit to take once we got off of the train (another complicated part of the process). Again, whew! I am thankful for intelligent children who are paying more attention than their mother.

Choo choo!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Emma's first audition landed her a commercial for Bridgestone Tires! She will be in magazines, a video promotion, and a commercial. Here is her first day of filming... playing Nintendo DS and drinking tea while waiting for hair and makeup. * side note: our kids have learned to enjoy tea... it is served everywhere you go... and yes it is herbal. Starting the hair fixing process... and I think her hair dresser is totally good looking... have I been in Japan too long?
Now in costume...

I was only permitted to take a few photos on the set. Here Emma sits for her "stills". She had to pretend to enjoy an ice cream cone while seated in a van.She made the crew laugh in between takes because she was acting silly, mocking the poses they were having her do.
At the end of this session, she said through a gritted teeth smile, "Can I stop smiling? Good. My cheeks are killing me"- Barbie, from Toy Story

This is her last costume change, for the group shot, where she sat in the "pseudo van" with her "pseudo mom, dad, brother, and grandparents". She had to pretend to chat with her grandparents seated in the back seat (wish I had pictures of that). She had no problem pretending to chat... she is a very chatty girl. She made the grandparents laugh until the camera crew instructed them not to.
We had a great time throughout the process. No one could believe it was her first job. When it was all over, the entire crew gave her a round of applause and told her she was a natural. She will film the commercial portion next week. When the web commercial is up, we will give you the link. Fun!

Halloween Quiz

This quiz is designed to find out if you participate in Halloween activities for the love and adoration of your children or for your own selfish desires?

(Inspired by my favorite moody blogger, Natalie Hoopes)

PUMPKIN CARVING, do you...

a) carve pumpkins to encourage your children's budding artistry?

b) carve pumpkins even though it is a hassle, messy, and expensive (in Japan they cost $20 each) but you want those gross and festive pictures to scrapbook and/or blog?

KID'S COSTUMES, Do you...

a) let them choose what they want to be and let their creativity soar?

b) choose their costumes for them so that you get that contrived family theme you were looking for even if they really wanted to be something scary? (however, if they cry enough you let them change into their Buzz Lightyear outfit after taking the "themed" photos first)?

CANDY, Do you...

a) let them keep their candy and even if they eat too much and get sick you know they will learn from their mistake and isn't that what life is all about, learning?

b) sort their candy... suckers, jolly ranchers, and gum get pitched, best candy bars (Japanese Muji chocolates, Bits, and Lottes) get stashed for chubby parents, 1 ziplock of miscellaneous candy gets donated to Dad's work, and what's left the kids get a little at a time if they eat all of their dinner, clean their room, do their homework, don't fight, and complete 5 extra chores?

(Evidence the candy has been sorted, plus, notice the "Japanese" elements in the stash?)

PARTIES, Do you...

a) let them attend all of the parties and Halloween activities they want because childhood is a celebration?

b) only let them attend those parties with the best photo taking opportunities, with the least amount of work, and that offer to feed them a meal?

WHEN HALLOWEEN IS OVER...

a) do you take your pumpkins to the trash immediately so that your children are not scarred for life from seeing their masterpiece shrivel up and die?

b) do you leave your decorations through November because after all pumpkins are a "fall theme" and if you wait until your pumpkins are so soggy with mold they will smash down more nicely into your trash can?

*If you answered mostly "a" you are a free spirited hippie parent who doesn't know the meaning of the word "control freak". Your children will grow up to live happy and healthy lives full of meaningful childhood memories.

*If you answered mostly "b" you are definitely a control freak and you need to be stopped. Your children may need medication or the "obliviate" spell to forget their childhood memories.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

It was "Mommy" day at Jonas' pre-school set up with a variety of activities for kids to do with their Mommies. Keep in mind that there are only a few boys his class since it is primarily an "ALL GIRL" school. One of the activities was "Mommy Paints Daughter's Nails". Uh, Houston, we have a problem. I asked Jonas if he wanted me to paint his nails. He shouted, "no way, I am a BOY. Painted nails is for GIRLS (pronounced guhls)." Oh. Then with complete seriousness, he says, "come on Mommy, you're a guhl so I will paint your nails."

This one is my favorite... the "look away shot" while he is painting my nails.Ooh, glitter and everything... I was the only Mom getting her nails done and did I feel jazzy!

Thank you Jonas for my gorgeous manicure. You're hired.

Mikey Likes It

Emma is our extremely picky eater. This was a great concern of ours knowing we were moving to Japan. To make matters worse, her school here is "nut free" and does not allow peanut butter, nor nuts of any kind... Emma's 2 basic food groups. After 2 months of living on ham sandwiches for lunch, Emma decided to branch out and try an......... ONIGIRI (pronounced O-knee-gih-dee). This is a seaweed wrapped ball of rice.












She sniffs it. She bites it with surprise. She likes it!

Scariest Ride at Disneyland

Warning: There is perfectly good reason The Haunted Mansion IS the scariest ride at Disneyland...... because it is the most dangerous. That is right. While it may seem like a perfectly safe and harmless ride, do not be deceived, it is perilous, and maybe even fatal. I was enjoying a comfortable Haunted Mansion ride with my son this summer when we reached the end of the ride and were forced to exit........ the moving walkway. That is when it all happened. It seems like a blurr it happened so fast. On his way off the ride, Jonas tripped on the moving walkway and I toppled over him, landing on the front rail of the car. We lay there in a tangled heap while the moving walkway surged onward. The eerie bell hop worker pressed a button and manged to stop the walkway before we got sucked into the dark abyss of the ride. Fortune was with us that day and while Jonas escaped unscathed, I managed to leave with only a large and painful bruise. We are lucky to be alive.

The creepiest part of this story.... I had a premonition just before the ride ended that this event would take place.... and then it did (Glenn doesn't call me "Gracie" for nothing).

(photos taken 2 weeks after the accident... we should have bilked Disneyland for a lifetime of free passes for ruining a perfectly good set of legs....darn)