Expat Express

A few weeks ago I was complaining about not having any clothes to wear, and asked for suggestions on how to order from o/s. It started out with me wanting some maternity clothes, so I looked on "motherhood" and while they ship internationally, the shipping cost is determined by the cost of the clothes you buy, so up to $100 costs $55 to ship. We have also bought stuff from REI in the past, and they have the same shipping pricing policy. The only problem with REI is that they wont ship certain brands to Japan. This is probably because the retail price in the US is often half if not less what you pay in Japan for EXACTLY the same items.

Anyway, Illahee suggested Expat Express (thanks!), so I tried them out, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. You do all your online shopping as normal, pay by your own credit card, and get the items shipped to their US address. You can buy from as many stores as you want, Expat Express will re-pack everything into one box and send it to you in Japan, with the shipping price based on WEIGHT.

This time I bought from Old Navy, Motherhood (cheap and comfortable maternity tees and hoodies, and some cute long sleeved shirts for K) and also from REI (3 pairs of shoes!!!, one for me, 2 for J, and some camping equipment for J). I also ordered a pair of room pants for me, but not knowing American sizes, I messed up and ordered way too big. But I guess that is the risk of buying online. The shirts all fit perfectly, and shoes, I already had the same shoes so just ordered the same sizes and no problems there.

Expat Express charged a flat rate of $15 for each order, then $1 extra for every item over 10items, so for 20 items, we payed $26 handling. The shipping was a mere $47.87, so I think it worked out pretty cheap! We had to pay the customs fees when the box arrived, as COD to the shipping company, which was a bit of a bummer (as sometimes in the past, it has been hit and miss, and we have gotten away without having to pay these fees in some cases) but it was only 10% of the entire order, which I think still worked out cheaper than if we had have tried to buy through each store individually.

If you are looking at buying a few different things, from different shops, I would recommend Expat Express. From the time I ordered until everything arrived only took 2 weeks - a week or so for each shop to send to the US address, then as soon as the last item had arrived, Expat Express shipped it out to us straight away, and it was here in 6 days.

All in all a happy shopping experience! I can see my credit card getting a work out in the future like this...

in the area

We passed a small hoikuen when we went for a walk with R this afternoon - it is literally less than 100m from our house (and basically flat to get there, which is why we passed it today, as had K in the stroller for our walk, rather that on my back in the ergo, in which case we head down the stairs to the park at the bottom of the hill). While I already knew that the hoikuen was there, it was the first time I got sort of up close and personal to it - I didn't realise that it had a big park right behind it! Anyway, this prompted me to google it when we got home - seems that they also do 一時保育, for about 300yen an hour (how cheap!) Good thing to know!

Then I started googling some more hoikuen in the area, and was super suprised to see the range in prices....found one (that obviously looks very good) but it actually charges 2100yen PER HOUR. OMG . that is just crazy. I realise that 300yen an hour is rediculously cheap, but it seems that about 500-800yen is a normal range. how can they charge 2000yen an hour ??- are they serving the kids caviar and champas for lunch...would want to be for that price!! We won't be going there anytime soon. So, I think I might go to the 300yen an hour place sometime this week and enquire about it...

Also found more shops (supermarkets, dry-cleaning, etc) in the area, about 5mins drive by car, and a bread shop(still yet to visit), 100yen lawson (bread and milk!), and cake shop(yummy cheesecake) all within walking distance (5-10mins walk)

Yay, am slowly getting my bearings.

me, myself and I

The other day I left K at home with J during her afternoon nap and hit the shops to get some baby presents for 2 gorgeous little girls that friends had last month and last week. I remembered that around this time last year, I was in my "I never get any time for me" mood, feeling all sorry for myself, and getting pissed off with J for not understanding why I needed time off on my own, away from K, I needed to feel that I was more than just a boob to hang off, more than just a mum!! On our trip home at Xmas, mum looked after K lots of times so I got to go out with friends and go to the movies etc etc which was sooooo great. And earlier last month, J looked after K one Sunday afternoon while I went out to a movie and izakaya with a good friend. etc etc

So it wasn't the first time that I had been out without K. But perhaps it was one of the first times that I had been out and about BY MY SELF. ALL ALONE. JUST ME. NO ONE ELSE TO THINK ABOUT. NO ONE ELSE TO TALK TO.

ME, MYSELF AND I for the first time in a very long time.

I felt awkward, fidgety, lonely. Sitting at the train station waiting for the train, I wished that K was with me so I could at least be talking to her, telling her about the kids playing in the park beside the train station or whatever.
Huh, wierd, hey.

For so long I wanted my own time, and yet already I am lost without my little side-kick for even a few hours. I wondered how my mum did it, before dad retired, being home all day by herself, going out shopping by herself. She must have been lonely too. I can't wait until K is a few years older, old enough to be able to go shopping with and sit down and have a snack with at a coffee shop and have a "chat" (as in, chat with kid type chat). Already she is so funny sometimes the things she says, the things that take her interest. I used to go out with my mum a lot, often a trip into the city, by bus, and later when the bus route no longer came down as far as our house, by train (30mins or so), to the mall to do shoppping. Often all we came home with was rye bread from the coles in the mall(exotic food not stocked at the local suburban coles) but I remember it was fun. I hope that I can do with same with K too.

Of course, my lonliness faded as soon as I walked into the shopping centre and realised I didn't need to race through the shop in 5 mins flat before someone lost interest and started a tanty, and I began to enjoy my random browsing. As for presents, I got a cute little 3-6month summer set for the little baby girl born last week from a UK store "N****" that I was a bit peeved about when I asked for it to be wrapped as a present and they said that I could either have it in the 200yen box or the 100yen bag. Ok, not really the price that matters but surely they could wrap it for free, like every other shop I have ever been in to in Japan does - how stingy!?!? (I payed 200yen for the gift wrapping in the box, fwiw, lol). Only got a little t-shirt for Feb's baby, it is for a Japanese couple, so I think I will have a look at Costcos when I go later this week for something a bit different for them.

Tomorrow is hanami/easter party for playgroup. I have made up about 25 "easter baskets" (out of milk cartons covered with 2 pieces of origami paper and stapled a ribbon on them as a handle) for the easter egg hunt! yay. hope it is warm.

k is for klepto

K has in the past shown tendancies - playing with toys, kitchen timers, cups at other people's houses only to shove them in her bag, where I find them at our home hours or days later. Yesterday, she may have taken the cake (not literally - it was more about taking the toothpaste!).

We were out shopping, and she takes her little shopping bag with her, just to have something to hold, rather than the entire basket which was already weighed down with goods. Yesterday I gave her the toothpaste and told her to take it to daddy, as she was getting bored of the whole "hold hands in the shop, don't touch everything" routine. At the register, she didn't have anything in her hands, but was getting antsy so we proceeded, J paid for everything while we took the anpanman nappies and started to walk to the car for a nappy change, after which we spent 15mins trying to get her into her car seat. It was during this time that she pulled out a nice new UNPAID-for tube of toothpaste from her little shopping bag! oooooooooooooooooooops.

ok, theoretically, we were still in the carpark, and could have gone back to pay for the tube of toothpaste, but...well.....too much hassle. and still had a not-wanting-to-get-in-carseat-for-anything-kid to deal with so we let it go. bad me! But I really must watch her next time and check HER bags for things before we get to the supermarket. Or else I may see her on tv, being busted by the manbiki g-men !

all sausaged and shopped out

First a quick review of the past few days:

Sunday was a crazy busy day. We went to breakfast with friends of my parents from 8:30am (although we were 10mins late since Sunday was the ONLY day so far that K decided to sleep in.) Then we got home at about 11am, only to pack our esky up to go to my brother's house for a bbq. Since he lives over the other side of town, it takes about an hour to get to his place, so I was plying K with all the sandwiches and snacks about the place that I could find to try to keep her quite for the whole trip, so that for whatever reason, she fell asleep like 2mins before we arrived!
We had a nice drink and bbq around their pool area/outdoor deck. K was well behaved most of the time (except when she was "riding" the paper mache zebra, but that was probably my brother's fault for showing it to her) and fell asleep in the car on the way home at 6pm. I was nearly falling asleep driving home too. What a big day.

Monday my friend H came up from the coast, and we left K at home with mum to go to see a movie, "Four Holidays". It was entertaining and I enjoyed it. And the half-dozen cinnamon donuts we shared during it. After the movie, another friend met us and we did their Christmas shopping, had lunch at a cafe in the shopping centre, did more shopping, walked around more so that our feet hurt, so we indulged in a little pedicure (was lovely) and yet again was buggered by the time I got home near 6pm.

Today a friend I have known all my life (really, her parents live around the corner and they knew me when I was a bump!) and I caught up. We had a fantastic tapas lunch/glass of wine/cappucino then cruised around her favourite dress shops, where she bought a lovely dress, and I tried on 4 but bought none. 2 of them were ok, 1 was really nice, but I couldn't justify it - I really have nowhere to wear it in Japan. And it was $175(on sale!) That is too much for a dress to wear once on Xmas day then forget. It *was* a cool dress though, longish with a fab pattern in brownish almost paisley pattern that reminded me of a peacocks feather for some reason!?, halter neck type top with a band of glittery bling under the bust. It matched my toenails too (painted purple yesterday @ pedicure). Got home and skyped J which was nice, and just fell asleep before in front of the TV because I was stuffed yet again. I did manage to wake myself up enough to watch "Judging Amy", my latest TV addiction. I am gonna miss THAT when I leave. I doubt they have it at my local video rentals place.


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I love bbq sausages, and miss them when I am in Japan. There is something about the bog-standard aussie bbq sausage that floats my boat. But after having had sausages 3 days in a row since Friday night and the 2 bbqs on the weekend, I think I am a bit over them. Luckily Xmas here is not a bbq. I will probably ask for one more sausage sizzle before I go back to Japan though, just for good luck.

As for the shopping, all I have actually bought since back here is 1 singlet top and 1 tshirt, a pair of togs for me, a pair of ugg boots for K and several Aussie animals reading books for K. Even when I can go shopping without K I do not really find myself that interested in it. Even when I find nice clothes/shoes I can't bring myself to buy them, because a) I already have so many clothes that I never wear and b) I honestly can't see myself wearing the clothes once I get back to Japan. I have no need for strappy high heels and slinky dresses there. I used to think it was because people in Japan are more varied in their fashion (as in it is acceptable to go out to an izakaya in a t-shirt and jeans where as in Aus I would want to dress up to go out) but I think it is more my mind set. I don't want to dress up, I don't feel the need to dress up in Japan. Does that mean I have become fashionably lazy, or just fashion lazy?

checking in

Well, a week has passed since we got on the plane for Aus. The flight over was surprisingly easy, I managed to get K to sleep (yay for my ergo!) after the meal was served, at about 11pm, and she slept through until I had to wake her up for landing at 6:45am. how cool is that!! The train ride out to Narita was memorable (K in ergo on my front, 50L backpack full of nappies on my back, lugging along a 23kg suitcase - my fault for choosing a mid-day flight when J couldn't take us to the airport,) but it worked out in the end as we had 3 seats to ourselves for the pretty empty weekday flight, and both K and I were lying down most of the flight over.

Spent the first few days seeing family (nieces and nephews, bro and sis) and just lazing around really as last week was quite hot. I also had a bout of reverse culture shock/why did I want to come home again? feelings over the weekend, but am happy again now, and settled in to our "summer niiiiiiiiiiii-ights"! This week has been more bearable heat wise too.

I even got my first K-free day yesterday, when mum minded K while I went shopping with my friend (and despite my will not to buy anything, I came home with two shirts, nothing fancy, just a tee and a light cammi type thing). It was sooo nice to have some girl time with a friend, without K ( only really my 2nd ever K-free time). Today mum and I went shopping at a local shopping center, where we bought not much, but spent about 4 hours there (most of it trying to get K to sleep in the stroller so we could actually LOOK at something in the shops)

The fam and I went to a local Japanese restaurant tonight, and it was an interesting experience to see how Japanese food is presented here in Australia.

We had:
a tuna and cucumber sushi roll, for K
yakitori - which turned out to be chicken on a skewer, served with a soupy type of sauce
*karaage - which was just like tempura chicken
*takoyaki - very nice!
*yakiniku - which was like a korean bul gorgi dish
*roast duck - at a Japanese restaurant?!? hehe. It was delish, though. in a yummy ginger soy sauce
*sukiyaki calamari (!! what the...?) - it tasted like a chili sauce/chow mein style sauce over veges and calamari
*curry - can't go wrong there
*rice - long grain, just not the same

We enjoyed it, and the meals were huge, so we all rolled out. K was great, sitting up at the high chair for almost 2 hours during dinner - she got given a hello kitty sembei near the end form the lady in the shop! she was SO stoked!

Haven't been online much as pretty worn out after long hot days of family fun, followed by a few days of not being able to access a computer, but hope to blog a few more times over the next few weeks here.

Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday (happy birthday!). In the morning, we are off to see auntie L and uncle J for morning tea. Probably end up going shopping somewhere on the way home, as we ave the kids next week once school breaks up for Xmas, so we have to get all our retail therapy out of the way before they are with us, as a 12year old boy and 7 year old girl and 20month old K will probably not be that much fun to take out shopping.

sooooooooooo

I bought the sewing machine today.

It is still sitting in the box at the front door.
It may never see the outside of that box.
I haven't the faintest how to use it.
I vaguely remember the apron we had to do in grade 8 (Mrs Trudjian, our home ec teacher, and yes, the name fits the image of her.)

I need to hem a dress of k's and take up a pair of pants I bought. So I bought the cheapy sewing machine to do that, basically.(The ones at the local janome store had too many extra zeros in the price tag....they could probably cook up a roast at the same time as overlocking though. Well, they would want to for the price!)

I am not having second thoughts, just letting it sink in for a while.
I mean, I bought an iron earlier this year, and now a sewing machine.

Since when did I become so Martha???

born to shop

Had 2 funny little experience in a shop today.

It all came about because J is going away for the long weekend to a tropical island resort (uuuuh, actually more like a volcanic island resort!) and he wanted a frisbee to play with. That sounds quite ridiculous now that I wrote it, hahaha, but last weekend we were at a picnic for our playgroup families, and he was playing frisbee with an American daddy, and he was like, wow, I haven't done that in ages, it was fun! And since he is going away with his mates for a wild (as in natural, in the bush type) weekend, he thought a frisbee would be just the thing to take with him.

So I said leave it to me. I went down to the local k-mart style store, and found one there, but I knew that he would be stoked if I got him the Patagonia one he searched on the internet for (and left the page open for me to see). So after lunch today, I loaded K up into the stroller and we headed off to the Patagonia shop, which by chance(!) are having an end of season sale. I wasn't really planning on buying anything more than the frisbee, and maybe a shirt or something for J (he's been working hard, he deserves it! And every time we go out lately, we end up with something for me,so I guess it should be his turn once and a while, haha). But you know when things are on sale..........

I still managed to be sensible about it, and even refrained from picking up the fleece vest I have been wanting for ages, but I did end up coming out with a reversible jacket for K, that will hopefully last this winter AND next winter (am I crazy to think that?); 2 base wear shirts for J, the type that take the sweat away from you and keep you cool/warm whatever the case may be. and of course the main reason I went there:

Tried to take photos of the actual clothes, but K wanted to wear it all, and got upset when I took it off her, haha. And I couldn't let her have them, because I am not sure I got the right size for J or not (gasp! she doesn't know her hubbys clothes size! double gasp!!!)

Anyway, the funny experiences:
1) The staff must have thought I was a freak or something, going up and down and around the aisles, but it is hard with a baby in stroller and tiny shops with lots of people eager for a bargain. Finally one staff member had enough courage to ask me in English if I was looking for anything in particular. She guessed my accent when I said "a frisbee" - turns out she lived on the Gold Coast for 5 years, and I was like, well, I am from Brisbane. Then we were talking about some things, her hubby is a kiwi, my hubby is Japanese, yaddah-yaddah-yaddah, and as we were rounding up the small talk, we both said "excellent" at exactly the same time. That really made me giggle. But I am wondering now, if "excellent" is actually something I caught off J and my kiwi friends? Do Ozzies say that? Hmmmmm.

2) I go up to pay for the goods, and pull out the money I have stashed in an envelope for our weekly shopping (actually, it is supposed to be enough to last for the next 2 weeks) and would you believe that it was almost the EXACT amount, only 40yen out! It was a sign from the shopping gods that I was MEANT to buy all those items. That money was born to pay for the patagonia goods.
I was so happy walking out of the shop, probably the happiest and most satisfied I have been when shopping recently (I seem to have lost my shopping groove).

When J comes home for the 1 hour family visit between his business trip last night and heading for erupting island tonight, I will first bring out a frisbee I bought at the 100yen shop - can't wait for his reaction (bet he is totally pissed off). Then I will bring out the shopping bag. Hehehe!

big few days

We went down to the (PILs's) summer house for the weekend, left Fri night after J got home from work. Decided to try the local roads instead of the highway, and got every single red light for about 40kms straight. J said we would stop at a supermarket along the way to get some supplies, but it was after 10pm before we got to our destination - we were so sure the supermarkets would be shut, but lucked out with one open. J bought up while I waited in car with sleeping K (and sleeping R). When he got back in the car, I said that he should go into the house first and lay out the futons so that I could just run in with K and not wake her up too much. He slapped the steering wheel and let out an expletive as he said "I forgot the keys". We had just driven nearly 2hours, and were 5 minutes away from the house. I did the only thing I could do - laugh! We tried the house just in case his parent's were there (they weren't) or there was a spare key hidden somewhere (there wasn't) then decided that we would head back to pick up the key and come back again - another 2-3hours of driving! Since K was asleep, it didn't really make much difference, except that everytime I was about the nod off in the car, he would turn around and ask a question or make a comment about the car in front or something. Oh well. Finally got to the house (with the key!) at about 1:40am. K woke up and took a while to settle again. Then I couldn't sleep anyway. I think I got about 4hours sleep before K woke up at the crack of dawn. Normally at home, I just let her run amok because really there is not much she can get into, But at the house, it is like one big amusement park (read = danger zone) for K, so I had to be up to supervise her too. We still get to relax a bit(J usually does all the cooking etc on the weekends)but it was a big weekend with lots of playing in the blow-up pool, running around the garden with R, walking down to the fishing port etc etc, so I was buggered by Sunday night.

Tomorrow, a friend is coming over with her daughter who is 3 months older than K to visit. I am usually the visitor - no one ever comes here. And when they do, I spend days before hand SLOWLY cleaning the place up (i.e. I tidy the area near the genkan, then procrastinate for an hour, then I might hit the kitchen, only to wipe the benches before I start thinking about something else and end up on the sofa watching the 2pm drama on tv (which is "鬼嫁日記" or "The Housewife from Hell Diaries" with Goro, comedian from Garage Sale in it. I quite enjoy it, even though I think I have seen the whole series twice already....)oops, double bracket here, see, I am pretty good at getting OFF track....)

so, the friend tomorrow, I met her while I was doing tea ceremony lessons - she was preggars when I joined, then I got preggars, and saw her at the same hospital I was going to, at the preggar's yoga classes. She got a shock to see me there, as I hadn't told my tea ceremony teacher or the others that I was "with child" yet. So we gave birth at the same hospital, and used to catch up with a few other mums from the same hospital for the first several months or so after all the kids were born, then we moved, and I haven't really seen her (or the others) for ages. So she is coming all the way down (nearly an hour by local trains) to see us tomorrow and we are excited!! yay!

Then have another friend coming over Wednesday afternoon with her kindy aged daughter. So with all these visitors (yes, only 2, but as I said, noone ever visits,so I am psyched!) I hit Costco today to get some goodies. Actually, J has been a member for years, and until now, we used to go every other month or so and get stuff, and it was fun going once in a while and buying up big! But we recently moved close to a costco - only 20mins drive away, so I started getting the urge to go there to just buy a few things....like the yummy cakes or muffins, or a frozen lasagna that I could simply pop in the oven tomorrow when friend comes. So I joined up for myself today! yay! But for some reason, everything I wanted, they didn't have it today. There was no frozen anything that could be used for lunch tomorrow, so I am going to have to make a quiche up I think instead (gonna start on the pie crust after I finish this) and I also wanted to buy K this bathing suit that had floaties in the top of it which I saw a few weeks ago when I went, but they were not there any more!!! I was also looking for some unagi (eel) if they had it, to try to beat this dull feeling both J and I have in this heat (夏ばて - why does it sound so stuid when you try to translate it into English?), but it was really expensive there, so I ended up getting it at local supermarket anyway. All in all, a bit dissapointed in becoming a fully-fledged member. Oh, and K cracked a willy-wonker as I was trying to get through the check-out, but that was more my fault for taking her out when it was nap time (I stooopidly thought she would sleep as we went around the store - I was gonna Ergo carry her on my back, but the excitement of Costco obviously got to her too, and she was wide awake, but TIRED!!!and getting grumpy)
We enjoyed the hot dog though.

Right, off to the kitchen with me I guess - pie sheet here I come.

silly mummy

went for a morning walk to the local park so K could have a play before heading off to the supermarket/department store about 30mins walk away, just for something to do!! (we have other super/depato about 5mins walk away)

probably couldn't have picked a hotter day for it, lol. anyway, K fell asleep in the stroller on the walk over there, and woke up after I had been shopping around for new socks (for me), t-shirts for K and some other random stuff that I didn't need, but ended up throwing in the shopping basket anyway. When she woke up, she tried to take her teevas off, so I took them off her, gave her a drink and a senbei to keep her occupied while I finished shopping. Went to go change her nappy after we had paid, and when I went to pull the nappy out of her bag, I realised that there were no teevas anywhere!! She only had the teevas for 2 days and I had lost them already?!?! man! but I thought calmly through what I had done, and went back to where I took the shoes off her and gave her a drink ,and there they were, sitting in the middle of one of the aisles waiting for me!! "silly mummy"!!

then I got home to fing a letter from the gas company, hand addressed. thought I was in the sh*t again...opened it to find a letter telling me that I had paid the SAME BILL twice, so they were going to refund the money. Again, "silly mummy"!!

I thought I had lost it when I had pregnancy brain, but I seem to be getting much much worse every day. .... however, I now know all the words for several Japanese kids songs!

I think I need a "socks" tag on here

lovely day today - supposed to be 22degrees! I know it was definitely hot when I was at K's playgroup at the 児童館 this morning. It was our 2nd time, but last week they had a special guest in who takes the kids through a whole heap of songs and dance and stories. Today was the regular mums doing the "leading". So we started off by singing a hello type song, where everyone sits in a circle, and when it is your turn, you say your kids name, and then the whole group sings "where is so-and-so" and then the kid has to raise their arm and say "HAI" (here I am). We have been practising this with K actually at home. Sometimes she does it, sometimes she also does it when we say to Rosie "beg (欲しい人) for food" which is pretty funny. But she was a bit slow on the uptake this morning, so I quickly raised her hand for her. Feel like a bit of a stage mother (hehe). Then about 15mins of songs and walking round in a big circle and acting like elephants... you know, all the usual stuff that would make you feel so embarrassed until you have a kid of your own, and actually find yourself doing it at all sorts of random places and times anyway (like in public toilets, trying to keep K quiet and calm while mummy has a raz. lol!!)

Today we made fish. It was K's first EVER time to play with crayons (and yes, of course, they went in her mouth straight away!! but obviously they don't taste that nice, coz she only did it once, which is a near miracle!!) so I drew the fish

(not bad if I do say so myself) and cut them out while K scribbled. all over the paper and all over the floor. lucky they crayons wash off in water, so all I had to do was a quick wipe over of the floor with her おしりwipes when we finished. And the crayons are triangular! yes,　三角クレヨン so they are easy to hold for the littlies. what a great invention.

so as I was sitting on the floor, busily making my (ah, I mean K's) fish and fishing rod, I happened to turn around to look at someone else's (trying to copy, probably!!) and as my head turned back, I caught a glimpse of my own feet underneath me... AND THE DIRTY ROTTEN BIG HOLES IN BOTH OF MY SOCKS!!

aaaarrrrrrgggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh. major faux pax! if it's not K with no socks on, then it's me with holes in my socks (lol)
I then spent the rest of the time trying not to let anyone see the bottom of my feet, while sitting cross-legged (ah, impossible) or even 正座Japanese style - seiza (just as impossible). I don't think I have done the sock gaffe for a while. Sort of refreshing actually - I guess it means that I haven't turned Japanese yet, hehe!!

oh, and in a timely development, I actually bought 2 new pairs of socks, which arrived yesterday with our teeva collection (bought on-line from REI on sale. Also got a cool orange 3/4 length top. For some reason I am really into orange at the moment! And J got a cool rain jacket. And K got a really cute hat... we bought up big!!) But they are hiking socks, so I might now have to go out and get some "round the house" type socks too. Now I think about it, a lot of my socks are getting a bit 危ない... probably bought them all at about the same time, so the holes are just starting to develop now. So it looks like some sock-shopping coming up soon!

all teeva'd up for summer

new teevas for the whole clan

memo to self

never, I repeat, never ever go back to the supermarket at 4pm.

I just ran down after K woke up from her nap, to get some milk, and some greens to go with planned spag bol for dinner.

OMG, It was like shopping warfare in there. I swear about 20 ba-ba-tarions* jumped over K's stroller (or ran into it, actually) to get past me. I couldn't move. there were people EVERYWHERE. I actually stood in the corner shaking my head at the pandemonium going on around me. wish I had taken a photo!!

as it turns out, got an email from J JUST as I arrived back home to say that he has to go out for dinner with the boss. so planned spag bol is being まわすed to tomorrow night!!

vocabulary list:
ba-ba-tarion: a human-like looking female form with the strength of 20men. Can leap shopping trolleys at will. Can pull 100yen broccoli out of the special cart with one hand, while simultaneously grabbing the largest bunch of bananas for 100yen with the other. Same species that pushes everyone and anyone out of the way to get into the lift/onto the escalators/ through the door first, and makes comments about babies without socks/ hats/ blankets on. Cousin of inaka-ba-baba, often seen at inaka festivals catching mochi with their apron or umbrella.