- Goma-chan`s room is pretty much complete and we only have some last minute baby things to pick up the month before he is due to arrive. The elephants for his room arrived last week and I finally got around to putting them up… Cute huh? Not much decorating of the room is possible since we are renting but these stickers are easily removed and made from material meaning they can be re-used and moved around. We may be a little over prepared for baby if that is possible.
- I am writing again for myself after a long hiatus- well long for me anyway. Working on a couple of pieces and even wrote some short fiction the other day. One piece was for a women`s magazine based here in Tokyo, one I have written for before when it was first started up again. It will come out in November- it is unpaid though. I am trying to write a little each day, even if all I do is a blog post or write in my journal- I guess it is better than nothing. Would love to do more freelance stuff but think I need to hone my skills a little more first, namely editing!
- We are off to the sumo on Saturday- I am so excited as have never seen it live. Shun thinks I am silly because I don`t watch it much on TV but I am the same with other sports- don`t watch a lot of cricket, football or soccer on TV either unless they are major games but it is much better when you are actually there and I am sure sumo will be no difference. I am trying to convince Shun that we should wake up early and go see the stables at Ryogoku before the matches start. Getting Shun to wake up early on a Saturday though is going to be tough!!!! I think I can convince him though since he has Sunday-Thursday to sleep in next week due to his holidays off work.
- A box of clothes arrived for Goma-chan the other day from Karen- Karen and I have never met but she reads this blog and offered up some of her son`s old clothes. We are so grateful for all the cute little American outfits she sent through, some of which are hardly worn. It guess it is true what mum`s say and that babies rarely get to wear an outfit more than a couple of times before they outgrow it. Anyway the box was huge (much bigger than I was expecting) and it was so nice of Karen to do this for someone she has never met. We have received so much kindness from new friends in the last couple of months!!!
- Money has been a hot topic in the Cherry Blossom Adventures house these last couple of weeks as we are trying to sort out our budget for the upcoming months. After a couple of large credit card payments came out of the account last month (and this month) it put us off track a little but we are getting back on track- it was mainly expenses for furnishing our new place and also things for Goma-chan. Shun also has two weddings coming up in the next 6 weeks and at 30,000yen each plus the money for the after parties it is eating into our monthly budget – luckily after that we have no weddings for awhile. I have been invited to both after parties for the weddings and I did go to one a couple of months ago also but they are so expensive (about 8,000yen each) and most of the time I eat barely anything and of course I am not drinking at the moment. I have decided not to go to the next couple- I feel a bit bad as they are good friends of Shun from university (and came to Australia for our wedding) but since I am coming into the 3rd trimester we think it would be okay for me to pass. Of course Shun will still attend the weddings and the after parties. Is it sad that we have a date tomorrow night to write out our budget and expected spendings until the end of the year? Oh how exciting is married life!!!! At least if we write it up (and stick to our savings plan for six months) it will be something I can cross off my 101 things in 1001 days list.
- A couple of other shout-outs. Cassie from here, has started an online shop for knitters out there!!! If you are a keen knitter or interested in natural fibres then be sure to check out The Fiber Republic! Also, Jen, a friend from Australia, has started a new blog, titled “Science of Stuff” which deserves a shout out also!
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I am just a twenty something Aussie girl living in Chiba, Japan with my Japanese husband trying to make sense of the crazy Japanese world we live in! We welcomed our first son in December 2009 (Noah) and a second son in January 2011, 2 months premature (Shion). I am working hard at raising them to be confident, bilingual, happy kids!
I love the cot, the red insert is so cute! Can’t wait to meet Goma-chan!
I LOVE the bed, and your choice of bright colours! The elephants are too cute… I remember when we were little we had tonnes of those peely sticker things in our rooms.. once we got a bit older it was fun to move them around on our own lol 101Dalmations I think I had…
This year is crazy for weddings eh?! (Including both of ours!) Tetsu has 2 next month as well, including that one in Hawaii Grrr…. I’m not going either cuz of Missha. Feel free to msg me on Skype if you’re home alone bored
Have fun at Sumo! I’d love to watch one day too~~
I think the elephants in the room make a lot of difference!! They are very cute. You mentioned to me that there were several places you could get them from over here? I think they are a great idea for decorating a nursery in a rented apartment!
I think Goma chan is going to be a very spoilt little boy!! He has so much stuff already and there is still 3 months until his arrival! I loved looking at all his stuff though – they are gorgeous!! He is one lucky boy to have a mum like you
And a lovely grandma back in Australia too!!
Hope you have a wonderful time at Sumo on Saturday!! It’s something I have to cross off my 101 things in 1001 days as well… Better get Naoki to start looking for me!
Love those elephants too:) And yes,we have had a run of weddings as well;I had to miss the first as Millie was sick but of course had to give the money anyway,boo hiss.Another has finished and DH has his best mates wedding next weekend.All go everywhere it seems!
And have fun at the sumo;I am like you when it comes to sport and totally agree that live games/matches are different,ditto World Cups!
I am lusting after your cot and bedding (for my son, not for me..although…). And the elephants are a really nice touch. When I look back at the money my husband and I used to get through before we had children, it really makes me think. But it is not so difficult to change your spending habits. I think your “date” is a really sensible idea. We mostly cut back on eating out, which we used to do ALL the time when we were both working full-time. Even that makes a huge difference. These days, we only eat out once a month, take drinks/snacks out with us, and try to avoid hanging around shopping centres when we are out together. It really isn’t that hard, and we can still have fun doing free stuff
It’s true what they say about spending what you earn.
My husband has a wedding coming up. Last year was the worst, with 3 friends all married in the same month. I wouldn’t worry about not being able to attend your friends’ weddings. I used to get annoyed when I wasn’t invited to my husband’s friends’ weddings, but he says that often people don’t invite both of a married couple due to the expense, so I’m sure they understand your situation. Especially with Goma chan on the way.
And Yusuke calls going to the supermarket to buy meat for the BBQ while MIL and SIL watch the children, a “date”…
Hi Lulu! Jonah went to bed early so I’ve had a chance to actually catch up on a few things including peeking at your blog. Your bump is wonderfully round and already looks really genki
And when I saw your post about writing I wanted to pick up the phone and call you right away- perhaps I still will, maybe during silver week. Are you on skype at all? That would be even better. I love Goma-chan’s bedroom- the elephants really change the room. Hope to talk to you soon!
I really love the cot set you’ve chosen and the elephant motif on the wall! You’ll be able to use them if your next child is a girl and Goma-chan won’t outgrow the elephants for a long time! Good luck with the savings plan! It’s really great that you and Shun can talk openly about financial stuff!
The elephants make the room look so vibrant, sorry I’m late commenting, but it looks like your baby-bump-room is in full swing and looking fabulous!
Love those elephants! I’m a big elephant fan so I’m sure that when we start a family they’ll be totally elephant-ed out! We just came back from Amsterdam and there was a really cool elephant parade with decorate elephant statues all around the city! So cute – I wanted to bring one back with me!