New Year's Resolutions

 This year I haven't made any!  It seems that I always make the same ones, make more money and lose weight!  And every year the opposite happens, gain weight and lose money!

Why does this keep happening to me?  Why when I set goals I never seem to get close to them? I've been thinking about this for the past few days, what is the magical blueprint to a better life?  One thing I've realized for myself is that I'm not consistent in what I do.  From studying Japanese to keeping the house clean I do bits and bits but never any consistency.  For example Ill spend half a day cleaning the yard but not do anything again for a month or so, going out every other day to sweep leaves, pull weeds etc would be better but I don't do that!  So this year instead of resolutions I've decided to give myself a motto "Be Consistent".   Let's see how that goes.

One thing that I have to get better at is my Japanese.  31 years in this country and my Japanese is very bad.  David told me about a video he watched about Mormon missionaries preparing to go abroad.  According to this video they are given 8 weeks to prepare during which they have to learn the language of their mission country. 8 weeks isn't enough time to learn everything so they focus on learning what is needed to witness about their faith, then when they are in their country they learn what ever else they need.  I thought this was a good idea so I'm going to focus on learning what I need to teach, how to explain grammar etc.  I need to get better at using Japanese to teach English!

Happy New Year

 New Years Eve was very quiet here.  Only Hannah, me and the cats. David had his night shift, Mikey and Christopher had early start for work.  I think this was the first time we didn't celebrate together.  We had a nice lunch, chance to chat and tell jokes, so that was nice.

New Years Day I made a nice roast dinner.  Yorkshire puds came out great, looks like they are going to be a staple.  Got some really thick pork chops from the supermarket in the next city, they cooked up nice and didn't dry out!

Lovely big yorkshire pud!

Spent most of the day just hanging out, reading and watching TV.  

In Japan there is a tradition of relatives giving money to children in the family.  Usually adult relatives give it to children.  It's called Otoshidama.  I never gave my kids money as I usually spent everything on Christmas! This year David gave Hannah otoshidama, he said that he felt sorry that Hannah never received it from her grandmother so he wanted her to experience it.  He gave her 10,000 yen, about 60 pounds!

Bed time found me really tired, maybe because the weather has gone very cold!  Wondered why my bed was looking a bit funny.  I pulled the blankets back earlier in the day when I was airing the bed, but one of blankets had been pulled over!  Moved it and found a pile of cat poop, right in the middle of the bed.  Hannah thought it was rather funny, "Happy New Year, Mom.  Starting out with shit, how will it end?"

Goodbye 2021

 It's the last day of 2021 and I'm glad that it is finished.  I really hoped that after 2020 that this year would be better, that the pandemic would finish and life could get to normal.  I hoped that my business would recover enough so I could make enough money to start saving, that I could travel a bit and that the kids could have a better year.  But of course non of that has happened.  Even though the restrictions in Japan weren't that strict people were a lot more cautious, especially since the vaccines were rolled out very slowly.  This translated in not getting new students, I think parents were cautious as to where they would send their kids.  Also some people suffered economically so I didn't get many adult students, people are willing to pay for their kids education or if they need English for work but not for hobbies.  I hope that the Omincron variant is the last one, but I'm not holding my breath!

But it wasn't all doom and gloom.  Hannah graduated high school and started university.  She is enjoying her course so far, except for the math!  She also go a part time job and is saving to take driving lessons.  Mikey has been able to do some events, especially this past week or so.  He is hoping that he can start working as a magician soon, that was supposed to happen in 2020, but has been put off.  Both David and Christopher has settled in their jobs, they are still looking for something else but at least they can make some money.

So sending best wishes for 2022.  Lets make it a great year!

Happy New Year from us all!

That Time of the Year

 I always find the week between Christmas and New Year to be very strange.  Kind of a nothing time, the excitement of Christmas is over and it's to early to really prepare for New Years.  Unlike Christmas I don't really have set meals for New Years. In Japan soba noodles are eaten on New Years Eve, for a long life, even though I buy them we usually don't eat them. On New Years Day Osechi is eaten.  The different food items represent prosperity, good fortune and health.  But I've found them to be very expensive and not really good value for money.  Also this year I have to consider everybody's schedules as Mikey, David and Christopher will work over the New Year as they had Christmas off.

This week is also the time to do the big cleaning in Japan.  But it is too cold to do the areas that really need doing, no central heating!  One area is like a corridor running behind the two tatami rooms.  I've never understood the purpose of this area, it's kind of a dead space and we use it to dump things that we aren't using or haven't had chance to throw away, for example all the boxes that we have!  The best way to clean it out is to go outside, open the sliding windows and move stuff out that way but it's so cold outside that I really don't want to do it!  Maybe I'll get brave and do it tomorrow, I'll  let you know!

Other than cleaning I've been binge watching TV, not good but sometimes I just want to not think or do anything.  Now I feel like I couldn't watch another thing, kind of over did it!

 Hannah is happy that her part time job has finished for a few days.  She worked 10am to 10pm Monday and Tuesday.  Today she has been dozing on and off all day! But she still takes care of the cats!

Stand off!

Christmas

 Christmas was nice.  Few presents and good food.  But for me the best part was hanging out together.  Most days we eat one meal together, which I like, but because of schedules it is rushed and there is no time to just be together.  Christmas Day was nice because we could sit around talking, laughing and watching a movie, A Muppets Christmas Carol.  We laughed at the movie, made comments on it and even after it finished we were still talking.  More than the presents and food that for me was the best part.

I didn't buy much this year.  With everybody having their own jobs they buy what they need so I was having a hard time to think what to get.  I got some nice tops for the boys, a nice light but warm jacket for David, he rides his bike to work and it has gone very cold, so he needed a good jacket.  Hannah got a couple of books by Carrie Hope Fletcher and a lap blanket for when we go to see a musical next month.

David spoilt everybody.  He got a model for Christopher, a set of books for Mikey, a lovely set of skin care products and cosmetics for Hannah and a Google nest  for me!

Food was good.  I over did it!  Christmas Eve we had party food, nice ham, fired chicken, pizza, salad and some other things but I don't remember what.  Christmas Day brunch I did a full English breakfast, sausages, bacon, black pudding, beans, grilled tomatoes and mushrooms and eggs!

Dinner was roast pork, roast chicken with stuffing, yorkshire puds, roast and mashed potatoes, cauliflower, carrots and brussel sprouts!  

Christmas Dinner

Trifle for dessert.

So Christmas was good.  Today it's very quiet.  Mikey has hid cotton candy work.  Hannah is working at the juku (after school cram school), she is working 10am to 10pm today and tomorrow!  David is in bed, he has night shift and Christopher just went to the shop!

Next is New Years and I have to figure out everybody's schedule as I think all the boys are working.

Merry Christmas

 It's Christmas Eve morning here.  I've spent the last couple of days shopping, trying to find something nice for Christmas dinner.  I did think about going to Costco but realized that going on the 23rd (the only day that somebody could drive me) would leave me too tired to cook after.  Also with this new covid virus going around I didn't want to risk it,  I know numbers a low in Japan but I think that is to do with the fact that there is not so much testing done.

Anyway Mikey took me to the next city, about half an hours drive.  One supermarket there always has good deals on meat.  I planned on getting some nice steaks, roast meats are not common here as a lot of people don't have ovens and the ones that are available are very small.  Had a look round and found a nice block of pork (about 2kgs) so got that.  Then I saw some whole chickens, very small but whole ones.  Just 1kg!

Tiny chicken

So I got two of those and figured that would be enough.  Then went to another supermarket, this supermarket has a better selection of fruits and vegetables. Picked up a few things, went to the meat section and sitting there was a lovely whole chicken! Just over 2kgs, so I got that one as well.  So now I have 3 chickens!

Good size chicken

Big and small.

So dinner is sorted but it is going to take a lot of work to get it done.  My kitchen is small, so is my oven.  Gets to be a balancing act! 

I hope everybody has a great Christmas!  Let's hope it's the last one with restrictions!

Nine Years

 Yesterday was nine years since Hisao passed away.

In some ways a long time, in others very short.  I still miss him everyday, as do the kids.  He is talked about all the time.  The other day Hannah was saying that one time she had set up her Sylvania family toys, houses, school and a kindergarten.  She was playing happily when Hisao said that he would play with her.  Hannah was so happy until he said "I can be Godzilla"  This was another story I hadn't known about!

Every year we celebrate the life he lived. But I also wonder what life he would of lived! Thinking on that I'm trying to live the life he would have had, being more proactive and not just reacting to things!  Making plans and following through with them.  Hisao was able to step back emotionally from situations and problems to think things through in a calm manner, I'm the opposite, I react and most of the time over react.  So I've been trying to step back, not easy but takes a lot less energy than screaming, ranting and crying.  This is one way I can honor my husbands life.

Managed to find photos with each one of the kids!