Cherry Blossom Adventures » Things I love Thursday

TILT and Rants…

Lulu — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 07:00:21 +0000

I missed Things I love Thursday yesterday because I had visitors and a friend and her daughter stay over, so playing catch up today while baby naps!

Things I loved this week

Home made ricotta cheese for the lasange for dinner.
Sunny weather yesterday, despite the fact rainy season is DEFINITELY upon us.
Baby napping so I can blog.
Sleepovers with friends- was great having Cassie over (and I can`t link to her today because her blog is down- hope it gets fixed soon hun as it looks like her account was hacked!) and having extra hands to help with Noah and I always have fun spending time with her and her daughter. She is such a lovely house guest too – not only did she watch Noah while i had a shower this morning but she also did the dishes at the same time while simultaneously making sure her daughter ate breakfast. Yeah, she rocks!
2 year old speak from Cassie`s daughter Nana- “dope” for soap (Like, “where`s the dope?”, “mukit” for music oh and when she talks about Noah she always calls him “A Noah” or “Its a baby Noah”- so cute. Can`t wait til Noah starts talking!
Chiba Peanuts playgroup 2nd meeting success- had lots of fun at the oyako cafe the other day and some new members join too. English playgroup rocks!
Seeing Nay, Naoki and Leilah for a bit yesterday- Leilah has changed already and getting so big! So cute in her little black and white outfit.
Been all prepared for father`s day this Sunday. I am prepared because I thought it was 2 weeks ago but still!! Shun`s first father`s day!
Recent videos of Noah- I will eventually get around to uploading them!
Aircon- it has been so hot but I am glad we have aircon. I can`t leave it on all the time though but it is nice to flick it on and cool down the room for an hour.
Looking at houses/apartments online- not that we can afford to buy one right now but looking is fun too!!!
My mum getting time off work to come to Melbourne while I am there later in the year for a wedding.
Parcel from Australia with some stuff for Noah.
Baby sign
Bonus day (not sure if it is Bonus Day for others in Japan but Shun`s work bonus came in today- most salary men in Japan get two bonus`s a year!)
six month birthday for Noah tomorrow- yep, my little koala munchkin will be six months old! Hard to believe that this time six months ago I was sitting on the sofa, probably watching re-runs of ER, without a baby but that I had had him by 11am the next day…(he came FAST!)
Cooled teething rings and frozen wet face washers- Noah is grumpy a lot because of teeth coming in (yet we still have no teeth) but If I give him one of them he will happily sit and chew for awhile which is a bit of a lifesaver.

Oh and onto rants because, well, what week would be complete without some?

I went to go do Noah`s Polio immunization today. For those not in Japan, Polio, at least in most cities, is only administered 3 times a year to all the babies in the area. You don`t make an appointment- you just go, get a number, line up, take bubs temperature and go in. They still do the oral version too (same in Australia, right?). Anyway I went today for it but turns out If I want to do Noah`s 3rd DPT shot on time (10 days away) then I can`t do Polio. Shun rang the clinic previously to make the DPT appointment- usually I would just ring and make the appointment but it was going to be our first time there (although then I got sick and went anyway, oh and then Noah got constipated so we went again!) so Shun rang to make the appointment etc etc. He asked and said we wanted to do Polio today at the cattle call but that the 3rd DPT shot has to be done within 8 weeks of the 2nd (or you have to start over again) and they said the appointment he took etc would be fine, blah blah blah.

I go to get Polio, want to double check first (AGAIN!) and they say, no no, if you want to do DPT in 10 days you can`t do Polio today. And then I said well maybe I would do Polio and reschedule 3rd DPT shot and they look at Noah`s baby health book and say “no no, then it will be more than 8 weeks” and so yeah. a wasted trip to the community centre to line up with all the other mums to get the Polio.

DPT seems to be more important so I am glad we will finish those shots up first but I had been hoping to have his 2nd Polio in October (another cattle call) before we went to Australia but now he will have his 1st in October and his 2nd next February when we come back from Australia. Good thing Australia doesn`t have a Polio problem I guess.

I wish that we could do all the immunzations at the same place and they would just put a schedule in place when the baby is born- would make it a whole lot easier. I would rather do Polio at a clinic instead of a cattle call too but there is no choice for that unfortunately…

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Anyway visiting from FYBF- HI and welcome!

It is Flog Yo Blog Friday over at Mummy-Time so go join in!

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 01:54:49 +0000

I can`t believe it is Thursday already. This week seems to be going by really fast…

Things I am loving this week… (some make my weeks a couple of times in a row!)

Skype chats with my mum and dad. My dad is completely computer illiterate but he was at mum`s the other day and we had a good chat. He likes to look at Noah and make funny faces in the hope that Noah will respond.
Making baby food- we tried banana on Monday and pumpkin last night. Banana, he hated. Pumpkin he didn`t mind. So far only purees but I am definitely keeping the BLW ideas in the back of my mind.
Baby sign class yesterday- I have been doing milk and more signs for awhile but I am doing about 10 signs at the moment (milk, water, yummy, fun, play, giraffe (for Sophie the giraffe toy), bath, more, all finished/done, one more time, ball, drink, eat and more…….okay so maybe more than 10) I am looking forward to the time when Noah starts signing back. Sometimes I forget to sign things to him when I am talking but I am definitely doing it more often now. I am already looking forward to next class and also having some time this weekend or tomorrow to read through all the information we got at the class yesterday. It takes me a bit longer than most to read through the Japanese.
Long naps. It sounds horrible maybe but I love it when Noah naps well- it means I can get some stuff done around the house and still have some time to myself before he wakes up. If we are home for the day then he will usually take two long naps- both 1.5-2 hours. If we are out and about they are not as long so I have found it is best to try and be home at least for one of his naps where possible. If he has at least one good nap then he is a happy little boy. I love the schedule we have now.
Scrapbooking day becoming a monthly thing with two friends in Chiba (Thanks Dar and Sherry!)- will be heading to Darlene`s for pot luck and scrapping later this month.
Watching Shun feed Noah, like he did this morning. Noah loves it when “daddy” feeds him. I guess it is better than boring “mama”…
Receiving a package from the delightful Medea send me a package of baby food that she no longer needed. THANK YOU!
Having no plans this weekend really. I think we will be spending the entire time together as a family and Shun has said that if I feed Noah early one morning then he will take him and let me have a sleep in (Fingers crossed this actually happens!). I have been really tired lately and seem to have a constant sore throat or headache. I think it is all from tiredness and taking care of Noah but I have been feeling pretty fun down.
Discovering a semi-authentic Italian place near my house- it is not so close to the station but I tried it the other day on a lunch date with Noah (the lunch sets were a great price!) and it was great. I am looking forward to going there with friends sometime soon.
10 mummies (and 10 babies) signed up so far for the June Chiba Peanuts Multicultural Playgroup event. Am excited already. If anyone is interested please let me know and I can send further details. Even if you only think you can make it once or twice that is fine- the more the merrier.

Well the Koala munchkin has woken up from his nap so my list is getting cut short. ALthough it was a pretty long list anyway.

Happy Thursday everyone! Please share what you are loving this week.

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:28:24 +0000

Speaking with my mum, dad and brother all in the space of 3 days. My father is doing well health wise which is nice to hear as well.
Giggles, lots and lots of baby giggles. Even random giggles when nothing exciting or interesting seems to be happening Noah will let off a giggle.
Mummy & me English lesson success. The mummies that came want to learn English for themselves more than anything but of course their kiddies will be around too. For an hour or so once a month I will be teaching five mummies in my apartment and earning 7500yen so that is nice (need some more mummy classes I think!)
Chocolate slice using my mums recipe- also a success with the mummies!
FInally having a printer. It is not set up yet but Shun is setting it up as I type.
Skype chats with Cassie & also with Nay (hisashiburi!). Lovely to see Nay and Leilah looking so well. (Cassie looks well too, but I see her ALL the time )
A week at home. Noah and I have not left Funabashi all week.
Shun coming home to tell me that he had spoken with the city nurse (a different one) and then got an apology call from the one that came here (and then rang as well)- he agrees that she is picking on me because I am foreign based on what she said on the phone to him. She said she might stop by again but would ring him first and he told her not to bother because I wouldn`t be answering the door.
Cheesecake with candles for Shun`s birthday yesterday.
Leg warmers- there is nothing better than seeing chubby thighs in some legwarmers!

Things I Love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 20 May 2010 11:28:52 +0000

Blogging more frequently and having lots of helpful comments and advice from others. This is my fourth day in a row blogging and I am glad to be getting back into the swing of things now that Noah is napping longer during the day and sleeping well at night. Not that I think blogging everyday will continue but still it is great to find the time and have the energy to do it!

Monthly letters to Noah- I always enjoy writing them and I hope when he gets older he will enjoy reading them.

Ikea and Lalaport so close to home. I can`t wait til I have a bike because it is within biking distance of our apartment. At the moment I catch the bus or train but it is only about 5km from here.

New friends- made some new friends today and also on Tuesday when we had the first Chiba Peanuts Multicultural Playgroup day!

Giggles caused by silver bowls! Haha

Trial English lesson plan for next week for 5 mothers at my place. This means though I will have to make sure the house is super tidy as I do not want them discussing the state of my apartment AFTER the lesson! I also have another lesson this Saturday- my regular monthly one although it has been almost 6 weeks since I last saw my student because first her daughter got sick and then I got sick so we had to cancel a couple of times. She has recently returned back to work so I am looking forward to seeing her to see how that is going. Plus extra money is always nice!

Design Festa and lunch on Sunday with Cassie, Gaku, Nana, Shun & Noah was lovely! Lots of fun and picked up some cute stuff. Makes me want to pull out my “crafty” supplies and do some knitting, sewing, jewellery making or scrapbooking!

Actually scrapbooking is also on the list this week- I have done some more pages recently and I always enjoy it. Hopefully Noah will like it when he is older too although I really think I am doing it more for myself than anyone! It is great stress relief!!

Apple cake fresh out of the oven!

What are you loving this Thursday?

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Recent scrapbooking layouts- from March and early April! I am now moving on to the rest of the time my brother and his girlfriend were here and then onto his sitting! So about 6 weeks behind but not bad!

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 13 May 2010 12:27:32 +0000

Started at Gala Darling…

Quick list this week- want to go to bed early for once.

Chocolate- it was a bit of a crappy day but chocolate helped!

Getting the living room more child-friendly so that Noah can roam free- when he stars to “roam” by himself that is

Weekend plans! Yay!

Possibility of setting up a mama & baby English class that would hopefully run once a week. Some mum`s in the local area have asked me about doing one.

Noah`s new foam ABC mat. I love it! And luckily so does he.

Lunch with Zoe earlier in the week- it had been AGES and AGES since we caught up.

Wedding anniversary lunch and date with Shun & Noah on Sunday.

A baby that only wakes up once a night between 7:30pm-7:30am- sleep is glorious!

First meeting of Chiba Peanuts Multicultural Playgroup next Tuesday. SQEEEL! YAY!

What are you loving this week?

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 06 May 2010 12:17:47 +0000

Head to Gala Darling`s site to check out the original TILT!

H&M- Cheap clothes for Noah & me. Picked up a couple of cute tops for me (that are relatively breasfeeding friendly) for the warmer weather. Picked up some great stuff for Noah there a couple of weeks back as well. His summer wardrobe is MUCH better than mine!!!

Trip to Shizuoka- I am not sure I will get a chance to post about it but I have uploaded photos to my flickr for anyone interested – HERE! It was so green and lovely.

On another note- meeting Nay`s baby Leilah was amazing! I might see them again in June but if not then definitely late July for Sara`s daughters 1st birthday!

She was so cute (Leilah!) and I do not remember Noah ever been that small but he was smaller than that when he was born. It was enough to make me clucky and want my own “new” newborn.

Big smiles and giggles from Noah- He LOVES to be tickled and is starting to recognize some songs/games I play with him I think like “This little piggy” and “Round and round the garden” because he starts giggling as soon as I start them as if he already knows the ending! He is also beginning to like playing by himself a little bit. If I put him on his mat then he laughs and jabbers away at his toys

Design Festa is just one week away! Yay! Really looking forward to going.

One year wedding anniversary this weekend- yep we made it to a year and we did not kill each other. I think that is a pretty good accomplishment.

Do it yourself facials

Gyoza for lunch on holidays

Warmer weather- yay for Spring and summery clothes

A clean house- did a HUGE clean up yesterday (although can still see some dust-ARGH it is never ending) and I love those couple of hours before it starts to get messy again.

bright pink nail polish- my toes look fab!

Hearing that my mum booked us into a unit up the North Coast after Christmas for a couple of nights- can`t wait to take Noah swimming/paddling in the ocean. The actual OCEAN!!!! That is BLUE!

Catch up chats with Cat- felt like ages since we had a good talk.

Roasted vegies. Yum!

Lastly, I love that the weekend is just the day after tomorrow. LOVE it when holidays fall in the middle of the week.

And so many more things but if I keep writing the list will just go on and on forever so that is enough for this week.

What are you loving this Thursday?

Photo of Noah & Leilah: Their first shot together!

Photo of all of us: Noah looks like a GIANT in comparison!

Things I Love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 11:56:50 +0000

Go check out the original TILT at Gala Darling`s site

Holidays during the week- Shun was off work today and will have Mon-Wed off next week as well. Gotta love Golden Week

Hearing Shun talk with Noah in the other room then hearing them both giggle.

Haircuts- see photos below! Have gone short for summer and now my hair is all original colour. No more dye leftover from last JUNE (Yeah my hair does not grow very fast)

Lasagna for dinner

Finally getting Noah`s koinobori for children`s day.

Anniversary trip from Sunday and also going to see Nay and beautiful baby Leilah!

Homemade pizza`s for lunch

This website – the things he finds awesome always brighten up my day!

Shinagawa aquarium date with Cassie & Nana on Monday- lots of fun and we saw fishies, penguins, dolphins and more and Noah definitely liked the tunnel where he could see everything floating above his head.

Having some interest in the Chiba Peanuts Multiculutural Playgroup- hopefully we will have a nice turn out at our first event!

Lists in general. Lists are great!

Reading new blogs- It is lovely to get an insight into others lives.

Watching Noah entertain himself for 20 minutes with a plastic water bottle. The cheapest toys really are the best (he liked my 2L one that is on the sofa but kept hitting himself in the head with it so I gave him a smaller one to *play* with…

And the hair- (dodgy webcam pics but you get the drift! I love having a fringe again even though I spent a year growing it out!)

BEFORE HAIRCUT

AFTER HAIRCUT

The code on my blog is screwed up at the moment. Not sure what the problem is but I should probably upload to the newer wordpress because working in html sucks since I really am not at all proficient in it. So yeah, if it looks all out of whack to you, that is why.

I am also sick AGAIN! I had the stomach bug earlier in the week and now I have a cold. I have to teach on Saturday AND then we are going away from Sunday so it is a CRAP time to get sick. I have a stuffy nose, sore throat and head and an achy body. All I need now is for Noah to get it then I really will be in trouble! ARGH!

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:40:14 +0000

TILT inspired by an idea from Gala Darling

A sleeping baby! Yep, Noah is down for his morning nap, in his cot and has been that way now for 35 minutes and counting (he usually only naps for 40 or 45 minutes but I am trying to see if we can have less naps a day that are longer. Not sure if he is up for that yet though!)
Veggie soup simmering on the stove. Shun was off work yesterday and we had yakiniku for dinner at home but had heaps of veggies left over that we didn`t cook. So I cut them all up, fried them in the pot, added some beef stock and garlic, some tin tomatoes and some Italian herbs and now it is simmering. Perfect day for some veggie soup too plus I am super happy that the veggies didn`t have to go to waste.
Good friends. You know who you are!
Sock animals for Noah from Melanie- he loves them!! Now he has Takotako (red octopus), wan-chan the bear dog (blue dog/bear), and Froggy McSocky. Yeah I like to name all his stuffed toys.
Playgroup plans for a Chiba playgroup that will meet once a month or so on a weekday- more info to follow once Stephanie (South African friend in Urayasu with 4 month old boy) and I sort out the details.
Finally working on Noah`s 4 month letter…might get it done today.
New blogs!
Family walks and rented dvds!

Oh, and the baby woke up! So list cut short this week.

What do you love this Thursday?

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 05:01:14 +0000

I missed last week with all the excitement of having my brother and Gem back with us in Chiba so this one is for the last 2 weeks

A trip booked for our anniversary next month.
Making Thai curry for dinner tonight. YUM! I hope there is leftovers!
My 1200yen watch- my old watch broke and they said it was going to take 1800yen to fix it and it wasn`t even a really expensive watch so I went and bought a new one. I like it cos it just slips on and off my wrist, perfect for bath times with Noah!
Eyeshadow- I hadn`t worn much eyeshadow in years but a birthday present from Gem & Paul saw me trying out my make-up skills and now I am LOVING eyeshadow again. Napolean eyeshadow rocks!
Warmer (mostly sunny) weather- although today it sucks again.
Co-op- having things delivered each week is great!
Our Sunday walk together as a family- we walked to the Peater Pan bakery (yes that is the name, spelt that way), grabbed some lunch then walked to a local park to sit under the blossoms and eat our yummy bakery goodies and enjoy the AWESOME warm weather we had (25 degrees or so)
Having shun say “My turn” when I went to put Noah back in his carrier to go home that day. Shun likes to “carry” Noah now!! So cute!
New cleaning routine. Sounds stupid perhaps but I love it and it is definitely keeping me more on track of household stuff!
My first ever cheesecake being a success.
The safe arrival of Nay`s little girl Leilah Kate.
Lunch and shopping date with Sara & Sakura yesterday at Lalaport.
The jolly jumper- Noah loves it!
Having our photo taken with a sumo and a fun day out with my brother, Gem & Noah.
Getting everything in order so that I can go to immigration tomorrow and apply for an extension of my visa.
This photo of my little man sitting all by himself. Yep, he is sitting unaided and isn`t even 4 months old yet!

Many many things I am loving this week!

Things I love Thursday…

Lulu — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 12:43:48 +0000

New jeans
Cherry Blossoms starting to bloom.
Good weather forecast for the weekend.
Shun`s project been over and him mailing to say he will be home by 10pm tonight. WOOT!
Seeing my brother and Gemma- looking forward to having them back with us next week too.
Meeting Heather from Shinshu life- oh an her girls too. And seeing Cassie and Nana as always.
Meeting a new friend today (Hi Stephanie!) and making plans to do an English playgroup for kiddies on this side of Chiba!
Yummy spinach and mince lasange for lunch.
Jolly Jumper.
Cleaning out closet and hanging everything up PROPERLY.
Making lists of things I need to do (although should stop writing lists and actually DO the things on the list)
Celebrating Noah`s 100 days old event- I like that we are giving him a lot of Japanese traditions in his life too.
Elmo legwarmers (for Noah, not me!)
Knowing that my friend Nay will have her baby in her arms VERY soon! So excited to meet baby N!
Co-op delivery service- received our first shipment Monday and it was great!
Finally catching up on all the blogs in my reader (well overdue!)
Lots of presents for me and Noah from my brother and my mum (which my brother brought over)- a charm for my pandora, make-up, three summer tops/dresses, toys for Noah, dvds for Noah, jolly jumper and more!
Cuddles with my little koala munchkin.
ALmost daily skype chats with my mum.
Easter eggs! Cadbury Creme Eggs especially!
Eyeshadow!
Day trip to Hakone- exhausting but a lot of fun! Loved the Open Air Museum!

Oh and so much more but it is 9:40pm and I am still awake and still have things to do!!!