We had a lovely weekend. Nicole came over on Saturday and we hung out playing cards with the kids and we braved the cold and went to feed the ducks in the park. I love that my kids love the simple things in life. No Play station portables required just yet. Though I know this is inevitable. Only yesterday, my next door neighbour popped round with a Benesse ‘Shimojiro” (cutesy character used to get young kids to engage in learning) ひらがな　かず　マシーン　(Hiragana Kazu machine). A kids button pushy mock pc thing that helps to teach kids how to read hiragana. Alexa went crazy for it. James can already read his hiragana and despite this still got “new toy jealousy”. No amount of “it’s a bit too babyish for you, James” would do the trick to calm him down. Anyway, my neighbour has signed up for the monthly learning resourses from Benesse for her 3 year old daughter and they sent a duplicate parcel. When she contacted them, they told her to never mind and just throw it away!!! Like it’s a couple of used notebooks and stubby pencils. Anyway, we were the lucky winners to whom she decided to bestow this unwanted learning tool. James has managed to learn hiragana without the aid of a beepy button pushy thingy, but they both love this gadget. At Christmas another neighbour friend came round for drinks and brought an unwanted old Benesse arithmetic button pushy gadget for James. I had to remind him of this yesterday and off he went to locate it in the bedroom. Finally happy. Pushing buttons is the way forward in education it seems.

I was trying to teach James the expression “pushing my buttons” this weekend – despite having lots of fabric softner commercial moments, our weekends (and weekdays, hell, let’s just say everyday!) are punctuated with tantrums and communication misdemeanors from all parties. Yes, they have tantrums at the drop of a hat and I lose my temper with my kids really easily! Lately, I hear Alexa say a lot, “Is mummy angry?” Mmm, that would be a “yes”, I guess. I really don’t have it in me to be that kindergarten type teacher person. It really is a special skill. I have seen it demonstrated everyday by the hoikuen staff. I find it amazing that they don’t raise their voices or get irritated by the naughtiness and whinginess that surrounds them all day. It is truly remarkable, but then again, I also know that all kids seem to tow the line at hoikuen and “gaman suru” (kind of hold in all their angst) until they get home and then release it like a pressure cooker exploding its contents onto the ceiling!

Anyway, I may shout at the kids, but I also apologize for my behaviour and try to remind them that I am only angry at their behaviour and not with them. I tried to explain to James that I can tolerate so much and then I blow. Using the buttons on my cardy I tried to tell him that when he squabbles with Alexa over toys or territory, he is pushing this button (points to big pink button on her cardy). When he does it again and again, and again, suddenly I will make this noise – cue loud ferocious roar like a lion. I point to another button and explain, that when he is friendly, helpful and always smiling and laughing, he is pushing this button (points to another button on her cardy) and if you keep doing it again and again and again, I will make this noise – cue happy laughing noise folllowed by a big demonstrative hug.

I know my crankiness is also a product of living in a very small apartment and cabin fever is another major factor in all of this. There is just no escaping the mess and the noise and you get no down time after a day at work. There really are not enough days in the week and hours in the day to get it all done. Like the dream I have of teaching my kids to read in English. This is not going as well as I had hoped, despite having the resourses and two children that love these Oxford Reading Tree books. By the time we get home from hoikuen (anything between 6pm and 7pm), dinner gets thrown together and eaten, the morning chaos gets cleaned up, the dinner mess gets cleaned up, the washing gets brought in and put away and then more washing gets hung outside, suddenly it’s way after 8:30 and the kids should be going to bed and we get in bed with a load of books which we read together before lights out. We all know this, but I’ll say it anyway, 30 minutes of reading at bedtime is just not enough to get things kick started. I went to school at aged 4 and learned to read easily (I have no memories of finding primary school a struggle) but my kids are not schooled in English. When will the penny drop? I know they are both (Alexa seems more willing and more advanced a reader then James) at the “memorisation” stage. Alexa can memorise a story practically after one hearing. She can point out words in a book like “mum”, “dad”, “dog”, “cat”, plus many more, but she can’t really READ them. She can RECOGNISE them and only on that page with the pictures. I know this is step one, but how do you get them to step two where they actually can sound out the letters by themselves and work out what a word says or how to read it? We have done phonics stuff and James gets bored, but he can understand that letters make sounds and he knows the sounds of the letters and the blends, but he can’t apply it to the books he reads with mummy. He wants a passive role and he wants mummy to read them. Yesterday we were playing with some three letter word puzzle picture cards and after five minutes he starts to complain that it makes him sleepy. He puts them away. I don’t want to push them, but I don’t want them to be “lazy” about learning or bored by it either. How do you make it interesting for a five year old? They genuinely love the books and I guess if you were at school in the UK and had these books thrown at you all day long, in a class of kids who were doing the same thing, it would begin to rub off on you, no?

In other news, we have a new teacher startiing in April. This is good news and Jenny and myself are busy getting things in order so that things will be easy to explain and implement come April. Working as a team of three will be very different and communication is going to be different/difficult due to timetabling. Currenly, Jenny and I teach at the same times and are free at the same times so we can easily co-ordinate who does what and when. Things will be very different with three sharing the workload. I have a 5 day week again – was secretly hoping that I would have a couple of days with back to back lessons leaving a Friday or a Monday lesson free. I do not have a crazy morning on a Monday anymore. This means I can leisurley get the kids to nursery and make up their futons without screaming at the kids to get their coats off and get in that classroom NOW! I still have three early mornings that mean I have to go like the clappers, but at least one of those is not Mondays and I am not tangling myself up in knots with a couple of futon covers. Nice, calm start to the week – Thank you!

In April, I will be celebrating my 12th year in Japan. I never thought I would be here this long and if you had told me twenty years ago, you’ll live in Japan, get married to a Japanese bloke and have kids, then I would have probably laughed in your face. Twenty years ago I was about to enter University as a mature student. Seven years earlier, I had just left school (junior high) and got a job in a hairdressers through the YTS scheme. (A Youth Training Programme in the 1980s in the UK) After a few years as a hairdresser, I became bored and knew that I couldn’t do this for another 40 odd years. I made a very quick decision one August, after a month Inter-railing round Europe, that I wanted to go “back to school” to get all those basic qualifications I couldn’t be bothered to get when I had the chance. One week later I was enrolled at college and working nights at an energy-sapping catering empire. (Pizza Hut – students’ best friend!) 90% of the staff were all Uni students. It’s all very “Educating Rita”, but just like Julie Walters in the film, I am an ex-hairdresser who went on to study English at University. If I hadn’t made this decision, I would probably still be perming pensioners’ hair in Stockport.

After graduating Uni, I went straight into a Post-grad course to get my teaching licence. Fast forward to the mid-90s and I am Head of Media at a rough inner-city comp in Newcastle Upon Tyne – the largest comprehensive school outside of London. Stress up to the eyeballs, mountains of paperwork that MUST be done yet once it’s filed never gets looked at! Another summer holiday allowed me to spend far too long naval gazing and pondering my future. Teaching was great, but the admin and the marking was crazy. One friend suggested I find a new job.

So imagining myself living in Prague or perhaps Paris or Barcelona, I looked at The Times ED Supplement to search for my dream job abroad. To my surprise there were no jobs in the destinations I’d imagined, but there were three very big ads for jobs in Japan (NOVA, JET, GEOS). I’d never really thought about travelling to Asia let alone living and working there. Don’t get me wrong, I loved watching Stephanie Beecham’s ordeal, as Blanche, in a Japanese concentration camp in the BBC’s popular TV show “Tenko”, but I had, I am now ashamed to admit, NEVER heard of Hello Kitty! I can even remember watching “Monkey Magic” on Sunday mornings as a kid, but I just wasn’t interested in Japanese culture at all. I couldn’t even use chopsticks never mind tie an obi!

Anyway, not really expecting anything to come of it, I sent off applications to all three companies and interviews were set up. I only went to one (NOVA) as I got offered a job and if I hadn’t come to Japan through this route, I would never have got off my arse to sort out the particulars that were required to come and live here. NOVA did everything and before I knew it, I was on a plane to Narita and then had my hand held all the way to my new apartment in Fujisawa. I had a three year visa which meant I could stay longer than the year I had originally anticipated, I could change jobs at the end of my contract with NOVA having found somewhere else to live. Each year, I would tell myself, “one more year, there’s still so much to see and do”. The truth is, teaching here is great. I love teaching and in Japan I can do just that. Admin for me, as a foreigner, is minimal. I can keep ahead of the game because I don’t have piles of A-level Literature and Media essays to mark and assess. My job is enjoyable because it is manageable. I’m busy, but not depressingly so. Teaching in the UK is anything but manageable and it is, in all fairness, depressing.

Though, I do have fond memories, too. I particularly remember the six 16 year old girls who surprised me by waiting at the airport to wave me off shouting “Sayonnara Pet!” I am still in touch with them to this day. Aawww!

I was very impressed with the museum and I can see why Tadashi has had a hard time on previous visits dragging James away from the attractions. Lots of trains to explore and even more trains to pretend to drive. Railway heaven for trainspotters and little boys and girls. Alexa was transfixed by some old style telephones that you could dial up and chat on. All those trains and locomotives and she wants to chat on the phone! Overall, I think I’d rate this museum way above the famous one in Saitama (or wherever it is). I remember a very long day out for James’ 4th birthday to this one and whilst they had fun, most attractions were of the running up and down through railway carriages. Less people at this local one, too and only four stops away from our apartment.

The day was not without drama, however, and inbetween leaving and being informed which trains and train paraphenalia they want for their birthdays, Alexa had the mother of all tantrums over a strawberry milk that I refused to buy for her. Big, bad, mean mummy! (for the record, she had already just drank one and was demanding a second!) The screaming accompanied us ALL THE WAY HOME. The stares from people on the train were embarrassingly unbearable as I had chosen to ignore her screaming because I’d already realised that trying to console Alexa was not going to have any affect. Quite the opposite in fact – she would yell even louder and at one point removed her shoes and socks and threw them up the train carriage. She was just too over-tired. Plain and simple. I didn’t expect her to continue this tirade for quite the length she did. Normally she would get so tired she’d resign herself to defeat and slump back in the buggy, but not today. She was still wimpering and sobbing, well more snorting like a pig actually, as she climbed into bed when we got home. She had a good old sleep and is now her perky pretty self again.

In other news, my husband is apparently on a diet. He told me a few weeks ago that he didn’t need me to make any dinners for him as he wants to lose weight. His idea of dieting consists of eating anything you like as long as it’s not in the evening. (I should point out that he gets home way after we have all gone to bed and then proceeds to eat his dinner before going to bed himself. so perhaps it’s not the meals I make but the time he chooses to eat them?) He tells me he is also getting off the bus one stop early so he adds an extra five minutes to his walk home. After one week of this gruelling schedule, he gets out the scales and is horrified/disappointed/shocked/aghast to learn that he has lost absolutely no weight! The other week James came home from the park with daddy and tells me they went to Mos Burger for lunch. Now I am no expert at dieting and have yet to start my own fresh start to 2012, but I do know that dieting involves a lot more sacrifies than this. He is only willing to sacrifice my home cooked meals – is he implying that it is my cooking that had made him gain weight? This could be true as I have also gained weight, but I do not eat on the strike of midnight, nor do I frequent burger bars or eat potato chips for breakfast (this I witnessed yesterday as he took the morning off and was on the sofa watching TV with a big bag of crisps). My inquiries into how his diet was going were met with “Urusai!” (shut up!) I would support him in these endeavours, but it doesn’t look as if he is taking it seriously at all. He hasn’t used his “fatbuster” training belt yet either despite having had loads of opportunities to strap it on as he sits in front of his computer.

Anyway, I am loving the fact that I have less cooking to do. Hurrah!

Yesterday was my sister’s 44th birthday – she doesn’t read here so won’t mind me giving her age away. She’s had a horrible year – the last half of it anyhow. She was diagnosed with breast cancer in the summer and is currently undergoing the horrors of chemo and when this finishes she will have radiotherapy and then a double mastectomy. 2012 is going to be the year she recovers, gets healthy again and moves on. I can just feel it. I KNOW this is going to happen.

Perhaps the saddest news I’ve received all year came right at the end when I learnt that my friend’s 9 month old daughter suddenly passed away right before Christmas. How does anyone get over the death of a child? Does anybody know of any support groups in the Tokyo area? I really am at a loss for words and would like to support my friend through this heartbreaking experince if I can. My friend and her family are constantly in my thoughts…but I know the day will come when she feels up to seeing people again and I would like to be there for her.

In more uplifting news, the kids were pleased with the gifts that Santa brought them. Though it has to be said I was (and still am) a little gutted that hardly a day goes by without the kids saying “For my birthday I want a Fourze belt.” If there was one present that my two kids both wanted, it was this year’s (last year’s!) “must have toy” – The Kamen Rider Fourze Belt. Some kind of supersonic gadget that makes an awful lot of noise in my opinion. They both make a bee line for the display belts at our local Ito Yokado whenever they get the chance. Instead of belts, they got Fourze jigsaw puzzles, which hadn’t sold out like most of the other Kamen Rider merchandise. They seem to like these puzzles, but can’t stop themselves from admiring the aforementioned belt when the puzzle is completed before announcing “For my birthday…” Sigh! The scooters they received have been a big hit and they even scootered all the way to hoikuen on Boxing Day (26th for non Brits). This was a once in lifetime opportunity and we won’t be doing that again in a hurry – not that they did it in a hurry on the 26th mind.

Santa brought me a new Iphone – just in time as the old one was on the blink quite literally and would flicker on and off in a very temperamental fashion and on several occasions would take photos of the screensaver without me having to push a single button. A Ghost in the Machine perhaps? A new bath robe also arrived with the postman on Christmas Day. A present from my husband. A much needed present too. He seems chuffed with his “Mega-flab-buster Training Belt” – at least somebody got the belt they wanted, eh?

Recently, Alexa has decided that she is only going to wear Gokaiger t-shirts. This is tricky as she only has three of these garments. To over-compensate perhaps, during the Christmas break she has taken to wearing a Goseiger (not to be confused with Gokaiger!) dressing-up costume EVERY BLOODY DAY! She refuses to wear a coat over the top – not even her Gokaiger zip up parker – and this I know must make her feel the cold. It could be worse I guess, she could be insisting on wearing princess paraphenalia all the time. Once this bug takes a hold I’ve heard it can take a long time before they recover. I’m guessing she’ll soon get over it. I seem to remember when we were in the UK in March last year her “thing” was Toy Story and this outbreak only lasted until the end of the summer when she must have got bitten by the Gokaiger/Goseiger/KamenRider bug. The things they pick up at nursery, eh?

Tadashi has been away on business in Hyogo Ken for 5 days and returns tomorrow before returning to his usual office in Odaiba the next day no doubt. James was a bit miffed that he didn’t get to do his usual Saturday boys’ day out this weekend. Me and the kids did the Shrine visit with some neighbours and their kids today. A short bus journey to Monzen Naka Cho and it wasn’t too crowded like the times I’ve attempted to go to Kameido Shrine on New Years where everybody is lining up for miles down the main road for hours on end. Once we had thrown our coins, prayed for health and happiness (I bet the kids prayed for Kamen Rider belts!) and after eating Choco bananas (urrgh!), my two went running off to play in a swing park next to the Shrine. Both knackered now and are watching Goseiger and I suspect Alexa will crash very early today given that she hasn’t had a nap for days.

I suppose I should finish with some New Year Resolutions…
1. To blog more frequently – perhaps impossible as this post itself has taken several hours in interrupted bursts to finish. Hence the fragmented ramblings. Ganbarimasu!
2. To be a better mummy – by being consistent and adopting scream free parenting to avoid shouting like a lunatic every morning. Ganbarimasu!
3. To lose the 5kg I seem to have acquired since returning to work – by eating less. Difficult but not impossible. May affect number 2 above as will be miserable grumpy bitch. Ganbarimasu!

Here’s hoping the Year of the Dragon is a good one. Happy New Year!

When we both joined the staff at the school, the previous English conversation teachers had NO resourses. I repeat NO resources! I have no idea what exactly they did in lessons – there were text books for 2nd and 3rd years (and 4th who used the SAME text book as 3rd years!) 1st years had no text book to speak of. There were no materials, no flashcards or visuals, no curriculum, no lesson plans, nothing written down and recorded to show what they did everyday. Unbelieveable, I know. More unbelieveable is the fact that they were allowed to work like this and no-one in authority had the noggin to check what they were doing (or not doing!) They weren’t told what was expected of them either. This is the one thing that really pisses me off about teaching here – the notion that as long as the students are in the same room as an native English speaker, it must be good for them and they will automatically pick up the natural rhythms of native English! They have no idea what they want the native English teachers to do. Fast forward two years and between the two of us, Jenny and myself have created suitable curriculums for each junior high year group and endless practical, reusable resources and visuals to aid the teaching of a foreign language.

We have also introduced listening tests – big important ones that get on the school’s examination schedule – not piddly little ones conducted during lessons. Now Jenny is in charge (and not some slacker man) we get to realize our place in the scheme of things. We are entitled to give proper lengthy tests but you have to sign up for them. The previous guy didn’t want to make more work for himself especially if it meant that the students benefitted and actually learnt something! Anyhow, these tests (current mid-terms start today!) take a lot of preparation and team work. Writing the material, recording the material, (Japanese teachers all want to be ON the test CD) writing the test paper and then checking that the CD and test paper are in synch and that there are no blips. It’s a project that takes a few weeks or longer but as we have a curriculum and lesson plans and we know how many lessons the students will have before the test, we know what to include because we have it all planned out in our curriculum. It’s not rocket science, but it really is great to work with someone who knows what we are doing and where we are heading. Previously, we had to work with the guys who would come in after Christmas break, and two minutes before lessons start would ask “What are WE doing today?” They really didn’t have a clue and actually thought that they were doing the school a big favour by turning up for the classes. One guy, I kid you not, actually commented on my materials ones day. I’m not talking documents or anything, I’m talking about a small plastic box with a handle (100 yen shop!) to carry pens and magnets and little bits and bobs that I may have needed during the lesson. He was amazed that I was so organised and had “loads of stuff”. To him, having a few pens and magnets was the epitome of being organised. That’s all it takes to be a teacher, right? Another guy really didn’t see his “sacking” coming. Right before he went in to talk to the deputy about his next schedule/timetable – he was planning to ask for more hours if possible, he confided to me. I had to sit there pretending I didn’t know that they weren’t going to re-hire him. In the meeting they told him directly that Jenny and me were going to teach all the lessons and that his services were no longer available. Completely clueless about EVERYTHING!

Why am I telling you all this? I’m getting to a point I know I am – something to do with how we are perceived here in Japan. So we are on the hunt for a new teacher, but not through the regular channels but through the grapevine. I don’t know anyone who lives close enough to the school or who only wants to work part time so the school has recommended (now this is the school’s description and this is what set alarm bells off in my head and Jenny’s head) “the pastor’s wife!” We were told that she is really nice and currently works as an ALT in an elementary school, she’s been in Japan for a long time, with a Japanese husband who also used to teach here at the school. So basically we learnt that she was a native speaker “who goes to the same church” as a lot of the teachers who currently work here. The reality is somewhat different we learnt. She is a qualified teacher with a licence AND lots of experience making curriculums and materials for a wide age and ability group. She is a real contender for the job and not just somebody who is a friend of a friend doing a favour for the school. These important pieces of information were absent from the info we got from the school because the school doesn’t think that these are important to the job? Because being a church-going Christian is more important to teaching teenage girls? I’m not knocking Christianity, especially at this time of year, but why did the school give us the impression that they would settle for anybody who can speak English to join the team? No qualifications required. The alarm bells are not so loud now and we have a few other applicants, too so it’s beginning to look like a proper interview process with real candidates. Yeah!

It got me and Jenny thinking about why WE were hired. Not for our experience, abilities and dedication, I’m sure. They don’t consider our expertise half the time. Or they don’t verbalise it the way a westerner would. Back home you get both positive and negative feedback in the place of work. Part of me feels that I was employed firstly, as a part timer 3 days a week, because I was flexible and could work any of the days as I didn’t have another part time job to consider or fit in around the job. Now I work five full days as a part timer with no extra curicular and this suits me at the moment due to hoikuen time restrictions and what not. I was a good choice because I don’t need to work full time because I have a husband who is employed with a Japanese company.

There, I said it! People still think like this in 2011.

It has been bothering me since this business of finding a new teacher has started. They want anyone who can fit into the timetable, but don’t consider if they can fit into the fabric of the school and work like a professional using the relevant skills needed for the job. Lucky for them, Jenny and myself DO fit in and have carved out a respectable path for English conversation to follow. Since we introduced the proper listening tests, the junior high school girls “suddenly” leapt to the top of the ranking in Tokyo for the Benesse Listening Tests. Despite having one less English grammar lesson with their Japanese teachers, they aced the test – the first year we introduced our tests. Yes, I’m blowing my own trumpet and Jenny’s, because the school certainly won’t thank us or recognise the effort involved to get results. Hell no, we learnt AFTER this year’s Benesse Listening tests that the students had already taken to test. Why don’t they actively involve us in these things?

I think it is a Japanese thing about the way you learn languages just by hanging out with foreigners every now and again. Lots of my neighbours and especially lots of the mums at hoikuen are keen for my kids to befriend their kids for this very same reason. Being in close proximity to a native English speaker must eventually rub off on you, no? They don’t even attempt to hide their true colours. Hardly a day goes by without some mother saying to me that wouldn’t it be great if our kids played together and James (never Alexa) can then speak to them in English as they play in the sandpit. Completely ignoring the fact that my kids, who can speak English to each other if they wish, prefer to speak in Japanese to each other. They reserve English for special people, like mummy!

Anyway, better get my arse into gear and get to school to start these listening tests…

Anyway, the photo shoot in Shinjuku Park went well. 15 photos will be arriving any day now I guess and I will post them asap. Some lovely close ups of the kids which will look lovely on the New Year cards that I must get sorted soon. Group photos are always the hardest – there is always one of us with a stupid expression and so ruins the photo. I did manage to choose a few group shots of the three of us. Yes, the three of us. Tadashi is hardly ever available for family events.

The kids still have runny noses and coughs despite taking medicine. I do believe in medicine to deal with illness and to nip it in the bud before it gets worse. Afterall I am the one who has to take time off work if they get really sick. Hub refuses to do anything medical for the kids, but likes to give his opinion about how the kids should be medicated. Sorry, not going to listen if you can’t help out with the basics. Your opinion is not valid, I’m afraid. Here in Japan the medicine is crap and you often have to go back for more. Something I do not really like to do. The staff at nursery are complete nazis about this kind of stuff and insist I take them to the docs for more meds all the time. I then look like a complete hypochondriac with all the return visits to the docs.

Long interlude here while I referree the kids, fetch and carry for the kids and then remember the washing in the machine that needs to be pegged out on the balcony…

Where was I..? Had two days off this last week, one with the kids, one without. Tuesday I escaped on my own to Shinjuku to look at Christmas books. Not the most successful shopping trip. I wanted simple books about the story of “Baby Jesus” but was faced with shelves of Santa clap-trap crap. We already have a few Christmas books like these, but for the love of God I couldn’t find anything I liked about the birth of Christ. You are never gonna find anything overly religious here thankfully, but there was nothing for little kids. I did get one book called “Christmas is…” and it touches upon the first Christmas story, it also explains about St. Nicolas and how he became known as Santa Claus, plus other little bits of illustrated info about traditions and decorations etc… Will try Amazon I guess, but I really wanted to have a look inside the books. I also want some simple Bible stories for kids. I decided this because the other week I sat down to watch the movie “Evan Almighty” with the kids. My sis and her kids had recommended it when we visited them in March. Knowledge of Noah and the Ark is needed to get the jokes and enjoy the movie and it dawned on me that I should really try and get some books to provide this “cultural” eduacation for my kids. Any recommendations from other mums out there? Anyway, Shinjuku book shopping purchases were the following; The Snowman, another Dr Seus (3 in 1 bk) and the Christamas book mentioned above. I also picked up a few books for my nephews as Christmas presents and a big book for James to help with reading and writing (tracing letters and whatnot). Am going back to Shinjuku today and will pop in the big book shop again, if the kids aren’t too boisterous.

Talking of reading, I ventured into the school library the other week. I never have time to peruse the aisles of the large library at the school where I work – over 80,000 books! A couple of bookcases are dedicated to books written in English. I stopped by and discovered shelf after shelf of the Oxford Reading Tree series. These are the books I think are currently used in primary schools across the UK. What a find! James and Alexa are currently enjoying the tales of Chip, Biff, Kipper and Floppy the dog! An endless supply of reading material that no other member of the library is interested in! So much better than the 5 or so “Peter and Jane” books I found at the local public library (at the time I did feel excited at this meagre find). Along with the Oxford Reading Tree series there are other series too – The Pearson/Longman “Story Street” for one. (stories about children of various ethnic backgrounds – Ben, Sam, Jojo, Ravi, Mouse, Sunita and Stinker the dog!) The kids love them and Alexa is very keen to actually read them! She points to various simple words and “reads” them. She’s got lots of sight words under her belt already. I do realise, however, if I wrote the same words down on a piece of paper she wouldn’t be able to actually read them. But we are on the right track. James is more of a passive learner in this respect and gets angry if I point to a word and ask “What does this say?” “Just read it!” he yells. He reads a lot more in Japanese at the moment. The best thing about these books is that the kids LOVE them! Every week I come home with a new selection and they are keen to see what the stories are about. At bedtime I say, “Let’s get on the bed and read the books.” They get on the bed and start flicking through them “reading” the stories as I run around doing last minute jobs like putting the dishwasher on before settling down for our snuggley read in bed. Usually they would be following me round or getting more toys out. They actually look forward to bedtime these days! Yeah!

That was Tuesday… Monday was a busy day. I finally made appointments for health checks and had them done at a dreary old hospital not far from the kids’ nursery. I wish I had known this before I made the appointments. Anyway, they could fit me in when I was available and I could get two check ups done all under one roof. Separate clinics for everything here in Japan so I guess this is a good thing. Had my boobs squished for the first time and was seen to in super quick time. Mammography – check. Had to wait for ages outside the sanfujinka (gynacologist) and then I finally had my fanny fiddled with by a very, very, old doctor, who had learnt bits of English from Beatles records. Japanese people always confess to loving the Beatles especially after they learn I’m from Manchester completely ignoring the fact that the Beatles come from Liverpool.

Wednesday morning the primary school next to our building was having a bit of an open day and so I went to watch a first year kanji lesson. I’ve been dying to have a nosey as this is most probably the school that James and Alexa will go to. It is on our doorstep and I think this is a big positive as do most of the families in our building. Most of the kids go here and James has already told me he wants to go to “Tomoka’s school”. Much to my surprise I could follow the entire lesson and instructions given by the teacher. I hate group situations where I can’t always keep up with the flow of the Japanese conversation, but I can happily report that my kanji ability is way above that of your average 6 and 7 yr old Japanese kid. I think I already suspected as much, but it was nice to have it confirmed. Lots of local kids in the class who all shouted “James” as I entered the classroom. One misconception that Japanese children have about me is that they think that my name is James, too. Sigh. Only this morning a kid in our building shouted “James! Ohayo!” James was nowhere in sight as I’d already dropped him off at nursery.

Yesterday was Bunkasai (Culture Festival) at my school. For the first time in I don’t know how long, the whole family had a day out together. I repeat – a day out together! Naturally Tadashi was still in bed as we were about to leave and it was at this point he tells me that he wants to come to the festival too! The kids were already outside the door waiting for the lift and they then got in a big strop because they had to wait 45 minutes while Tadashi showered, dressed and blow dried his hair! 45 minutes!! Anyway, we had a lovely day at my school. The students fussed over the kids repeatedly as we searched the classrooms for something suitable for them to do. Luckily there were a few classrooms with silly games that they handle. Far too many classrooms with lots of info to read followed by a quiz of some sort. Didn’t get to see any of the musical performances as Alexa got fed up and wanted to sit at my desk and watch Gokaiger on Youtube!

Sunday we are meeting 37 Frames again for our final photo session and then we will have done all our 7-5-3. (Kids have professional photos done at these ages in traditional dress – I think girls at ages 3 and 7 and boys when they are 5.) There is not a kimono in sight in these pics, but they are our 7-5-3 showing the kids as they are in a natural setting instead of the constraints of a kimono and a photography studio. The only downer is the weather. After weeks of lovely sunshine rain is forcast for Sunday… Shinjuku Gyoen in the rain…

I am a slack blogger. It’s official. Lots going on, but no time to update. Mostly work, hoikuen and domestic drudgery which keep me busy and with no time to post. By the time I get round to it, it doesn’t seem relevent or I have half forgotten what we have done. Nothing very exciting obviously.

The above photos show how my hair has gone crazily curly. After a sudden absence of curls after James was born (hormones!?), they have come back in full fury and I HATE IT!! I don’t ever remember it being this curly when it was still in a short style. I look like a reject from the 80s. I have toyed with the idea of growing it again – it looks much better when it is long and curly. Though the hassle of doing this – having a ridiculous uncontrollable mop for about 2 – 3 years seriously puts me off. I really don’t think I can be bothered to deal with long hair. I am incredibly lazy with my own hair. Who’d have thought I used to be a hairdresser back in the 1980s, eh? All I did was mess about with my hair! Though it was cropped short then and bleached to high heaven. Something I would do again, but face is too old these days to carry it off I feel;) Anyway, hair appointment is booked for Tuesday when I have a day off due to mid-term tests at school.

Need to get lots of health checks sorted out – going to get my boobs squished and have my first mammogram. I have received the postcards from City Hall. It seems they send them out every two years. When I was in Kamakura, it was an annual health check though being under 40, as I was at that time, I have never received the mammogram one. My sister was recently diagnosed with breast cancer so am more than a little apprehensive about this process. Will get all the other bits checked too. How is one to fit all these check ups in to a busy working schedule, I’ll never know especially as you have to go to different clinics for different tests. Bloody Japanese health system where you self diagnose before deciding upon which doctor to go and see! Put it all under one roof, you silly buggers!

Been at the dentist recently too. I’m having a root canal job. It takes forever at a Japanese dentist. I’m going back on Thursday for my third visit. He has already told me that then they will have to do the prep for the crown and then get the real thing in place. I want my other crowns replaced as well as they are getting a bit old so I am estimating that I will be in the dentist chair every week up until the end of the year. I hope it is all done by then as “all I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.” Actually all four of them need replacing.

Was off work yesterday with a sick James – high fever and lethargy. Luckily he is fine and dandy now unlike Alexa who had something similar last Friday evening – very high temp with humungous up-chuck in the middle of the night (in mummy’s bed, naturally!) Both recovered quickly, but it must be the change of the season. What is this sudden drop in temperature…? Oh yes, Autumn. It has arrived and I quite like this weather if only the temp wasn’t so much cooler in the mornings as you just never know what to wear and end up carrying extra cardies and jackets en-route home when it is too warm to wear them! Whinge whinge, bloody weather. Needless to say all short sleeves have been put away and I have been getting out all the long sleeves and kitting the kids out with new long pants. Legs have grown considerably lately.

Time to get this weekend started…. a three day event this weekend in Japan, though I(technically) have a 6 day weekend due to a day at home with James yesterday plus Tuesday and Weds next week are mid-terms so no lessons. Will pop in to school on Weds for a big pow wow with Jenny just to keep the wheels turning mind.

The kids had a day out with daddy at Nishi Kasai Train museum. It is a favourite place of James and was first time for Alexa. Daddy hardly ever goes anywhere with two kids in tow. I think they enjoyed themselves and when I got home around midnight both kids were asleep on the sofa fully clothed! Crashed and burned. No attempt had been made to change them into their pjs let alone bath them! I doubt very much as well that Alexa would have eaten anything. I put them both in bed and I followed shortly afterwards. I was knackered. Daytime drinking is never easy.

Last weekend was spent in Kamakura with Dee and Tracey from 37 Frames. Despite having trouble finding the photographers on the beach, and me getting all het up about it as I tried to push a buggy along the sand, the day was lovely and the photos look great. Am having trouble whittling my choices down from hundreds to about 30 photos. Must do that this week. We did get burnt to a crisp as the day was hotter than anticipated and I did not have the foresight to pack the sunscreen. The kids had hats but there was no cover and I was red, red, red. Thankfully a few applications of aloe gel has done the trick and I am a normal colour again. Will post pics when I make my choice and receive the hard copies…

James has lost 4 more teeth recently bringing the total to 6 after losing two very prematurely about a year ago when in a fit of anger he tried to remove his raincoat in an aggressive manner using his teeth. Thankfully this time all the teeth have come out quite naturally and he is chuffed to bits that the tooth fairy has been visiting him and giving him some money in a straight swap for his teeth. He is saving up for some toy or other like a good boy.

On Saturday, I popped to the local shopping centre with the kids because “Gogeiger” super heroes were advertised to appear. We get to the “stage area” and there are inflatables for the kiddies to play on. The Gogeigers weren’t doing a “show” but were “on patrol” every couple of hours or so. So after lining up to jump on the inflatables, I spent a great deal of time chasing my kids, who were chasing after a Japanese super hero, round a shopping mall. Can’t wait for Friday when (on the national holiday) the Kamen Riders (more super heroes) are coming to the same centre to do a show! I can hardly wait… I am subjected to these characters day in day out as they watch them religiously on DVD when I’m busy making dinner or similar. After their day out with daddy yesterday, they arrive home with two more DVDs fron Tsutaya rental shop. Though these were Goseiger, not to be confused with Gogeiger. All the same to me! Alexa is such a tomboy and shows no interest in Hello Kitty or Disney Princesses thankfully. It is quite easy with both of them liking trains, cars, guns, lego, superheroes and the like. Lately, whenever we are out and she sees a motorbike, she pipes up “For my birthday I want a motorbike!” Not on your nelly young lady. She also wants a book about the moon so not all high speed thrill seeking dangerous stuff. My neighbour, Tamiko came round for lunch on Saturday too. She has two daughters who are 9 and 6 and my two love hanging out with older kids. Was lovely to see them all play Go Fish together – something I have to do everyday several times a day. They love it and I think it is a lovely way to spend the evening after a nice bath. We have gogeiger AND goseiger trump cards! I get info about schools from Tamiko – two primary school are popular with the mums in our building, but the one next to our building (where her oldest goes) seems more popular with working mums as the gakudo (after school provision) is very near and it opens til 7pm. I am liking the the fact that we are very close to a school. It will be very easy for the kids to walk home. It’s one thing that lots of working mums have said is important when choosing a school. The other option would be the primary school next to the hoikuen where they go now and we could all go together and walk home together. Still have a year to decide… applications are in the Autumn for the following school year. Time to pick a few more brains before then.

Better get on, a million things to do before morning…