おしいんだけど･･。

There are a lot of strange things in languages.
The other day, my second son said to me, “Mom, it's ‘koame’today.” I said, “Yes, but we don't say ‘koame’, we say ‘kosame’.” He seemed to think of something. “We read 大雨 ‘ooame’. Why do we read 小雨 ‘kosame’?”, he asked me, and I said, “Hmm.., that's a good question, I wonder, too..” It was a difficult question. Does anyone know why?

My second son is 8, so he is learning Japanese language in his everyday life, and he often makes interesting and funny mistakes. When we had dinner with my sister's family the other day, my niece was studying how to call months in old style. Then my son suddenly said, “I know how to call December! It's a name of fish, isn't it?” I asked him, “A name of fish? What do you mean?” “It's ‘shirasu’, isn't it?”, he answered with confidence..
It's a funny mistake, isn't it? He often makes us laugh like that. Of course I told him, “It's not ‘shirasu’, it's ‘shiwasu’. Nice try, ○○.”

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "おしいんだけど･･。"

書くこと。

Writing is difficult. It takes me a lot of time to write something both in English and Japanese, but I like writing because I have enough time to think and can express something difficult to say. I tend to be honest with myself when I'm writing especially at night, but I feel embarrassed when I re-read what I have written the next morning.. Have you had that experience?
I've been joining David's blog for a long time, and now I have my own blog, so I have a lot of chances to write. It's nice to have a chance to express myself because it makes me feel refreshed, but maybe I should try not to re-read my writings because I often feel embarrassed..

Speaking of writing, people used to use a pencil and papers, but computers and cell phones are very popular now, so we have less chances of using them. Because of this, I'm losing my ability to write kanji. There are a lot of kanji that I can read but can't write. I think I should do kanji practice with my children!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "書くこと。"

恋愛と結婚。

Do you think romance is one thing, and marriage is quite another? I don't think so. We are talking about a married life on David's blog now, so I've been thinking about this. I have heard people(women) talking about that their husband is just a family member and there is no love between them anymore. Some said, ‘I don't want to wash my cloths with my husband's because they are dirty.’ or ‘I would divorce him when our children get old enough.’ When I was younger and before marriage, I have a lot of dreams for my married life, and I thought, ‘I don't want to hear that! Don't disappoint my dream!’ Well, I have to admit that I was dreaming too much..

When I was working, a senpai co-worker(a man) who was married and seemed to be happy said to me, ‘If you have such a big dream of marriage, it might break like a balloon.’ I didn't(or didn't want to) understand it at that time, but I've been married for about 14 years, and now I understand what he meant.

I think there is a difference between love and marriage, but I don't think love is one thing, and marriage is another. When you 'really' love someone, you will want to be spend for the rest of your life with the person. That's why people get married. Of course it has ups and downs, and you need to make an effort to stay happy, but it doesn't mean you have to work hard to keep loving the person. I think there is always love if you get married to the person you 'really' love, even if your love(feelings) changes. Living together and sharing a lot of things (not just living in the same house), that's a married life, I believe.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "恋愛と結婚。"

証明写真はプリクラで？！

As you know, my sister is working in my daughter's kindergarten, and she is an assistant teacher for the youngest class. The other day, she told me an interesting story.
When the children enter the kindergarten, parents need to hand in a paper with a picture of their family so that the teachers can remember all the faces of the children's families. The other day, my sister couldn't believe her eyes when she saw one of the papers. What she saw was that some pictures of a family taken by a print club sticker machine! She said to me, ‘Can you believe that? Print club stickers! And one of them is a lovey-dovey couple shot!’ I asked her, ‘Is that okay? Can we use print club stickers for the paper?’ ‘Well, there are no rules about that, but I never thought that parents use print club stickers for the paper they need to hand in. The time has changed..’, she said.

Speaking of print club stickers, young people today (especially girls) love it. My 12-year-old niece is one of them, and she showed me a small note called 'puri chou' the other day. There are lots and lots of print club stickers in the note that she took with her friends, and I noticed that my niece had a very beautiful skin in some pictures. I asked her, ‘This one is very nice. Your skin is beautiful.’ She said, ‘I took it with an effect of whitening.’ ‘What?! Is there a machine with that effect??’, I asked, and she said 'Yes'. Then I asked again, ‘Doesn't it have a good effect for wrinkles?’ She said, ‘Yes, some machines have that effect too. You asked me the same question as my mom, ha ha ha.’

Wow, the latest print club stickers machines are amazing! Next time I need some picture of me, I will definitely use that machine!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "証明写真はプリクラで？！"

息子の肩の荷。

I've been worried about my oldest son because he hasn't seemed very happy lately. For the past week, he looked very tired and seemed to be frustrated, and he tended to keep in his room. I thought something was bothering him.

My son is going to take a school trip next month, and there was a meeting for the parents, the teachers, and the students for the trip yesterday afternoon. I had to hand in some papers to my son's homeroom teacher. When I handed it to the teacher, he said, ‘○○ doesn't seem like himself these days. Something's wrong with him?’I said, ‘You've noticed it, too?’

I thought we need a talk, so I asked my son last night, ‘You look very tired these days. What's wrong with you? Is it your job of the class leader or your club activities?’ He said, ‘It's 'seito soukai'. There was a meeting for all the students and the teachers in the gym the other day, and I had to write an essay and read it in front of them.’ I said, ‘I see, you've been worried about that, right?’ ‘Right, but it's over anyway..’, he sighed.

I was relieved to find out what was bothering him. He is shy and gets nervous easily, so it was really tough for him. I hope he will be strong!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "息子の肩の荷。"

またやっちゃった・・。

I was in a good mood this morning because the weather is beautiful, and I'm going to have lunch with my friends at a nice restaurant today, but when I opened the washing machine, the good mood turned into a bad mood. What I saw was that the laundry was messed up! I always check all the pockets of the laundry, but I forgot to do it today.., so there were some tissue papers in someone's pocket. Oh no, I did it again! If you have had that experience, you understand how I felt. I had to get all the pieces of the tissue papers out of the laundry. Ahhhhhh....., it was very tiring. I'll make sure I'll check all the pockets of the laundry tomorrow!

Anyway, as I said, I'm going to have lunch with my friends today. We haven't decide which restaurant we'll go yet, but maybe we are going to an Italian one. I like Italian food especially spaghetti with tomato sauce. A 30-minute drive from here, there is a nice Italian restaurant. The food at that restaurant(including sweets) is very good. I was very tired this morning(it was my fault, though.), I think I deserve to have some sweets.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "またやっちゃった・・。"

で～きた♪

I was going to do this entry yesterday, but after writing a long comment on David's blog, I was very tired and my brain didn't work well.
Anyway, I finished making the dress, and here is a picture of it. Please have a look at it.

My daughter loved the dress very much and she was turning herself around and around and around in the dress with a very happy look. You know, when you wear a circular skirt or something and turn yourself around, the skirt will open up. My daughter loves it.

Basically, this dress is a smock(I used a pattern for a smock), so you can put this on like a T-shirt. My 4-year-old daughter can put it on and take it off by herself, and the good things about making a smock is that you don't need to use a zipper tape or make buttonholes, so it's easy.

Anyway, I'm finished with the work. Now I have to get back to my English study. A day is too short to do everything I want!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "で～きた♪"

小さな恋。

It seems like that a boy is in love with my daughter.

We went for a picnic on Saturday. When my daughter and I were in a line at the kindergarten yard in the morning, there was a boy called ‘White kun’ in front of us. As soon as White kun saw my daughter, he called her ‘Peach chan!’ with a lovely smile, and my daughter called him ‘White!’and started to touch his cheeks with her both hands. White kun was just smiling at my daughter and let her keep doing it.. There was also White kun's mother, and she said to me, ‘White loves Peach chan. He is always talking about her at home.’

On the bus ride to the amusement park, we were sitting next to White kun and his mother, and White kun was looking at my daughter with a smile all the time. A while later, White kun and my daughter started chatting in a good mood, and sometimes they were holding hands!  Are they in love with each other?

When I got home, I talked about this to my husband, and he said, ‘What?! That's not good news..’
I guess fathers can't accept their daughter's boyfriend, ha ha ha.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "小さな恋。"

早起きしなきゃ！

My daughter is going to take a field trip called 'oyako ensoku' tomorrow, so I'm going with her by bus. We are going to an amusement park, but it's for little children, so there are no roller coasters.(I love them!) Well, I think we'll be riding on an observation wheel, a mini locomotive, or something like that..

I have to get up early tomorrow morning because I have to make our lunch and go to the kindergarten at 7:40. Plus, my son has a baseball game tomorrow, so I have to make his lunch too! What time should I wake up? I'm not a morning person. Every morning, I force myself to get up..

My sister who is working at my daughter's kindergarten is going there too. Of course, we can't get on the same bus, but we can hang out and have lunch together at the amusement park. Oh, I remember now that she said to me yesterday, ‘I'm going to make only rice balls, so I'm looking forward to your lunch!’ Oh no, she is too wise!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "早起きしなきゃ！"

創作意欲に火がついた♪

The other day, when I was doing the iron some shirts and handkerchiefs, my daughter asked me, ‘Mom, can I use these handkerchiefs?’ I had no idea what she was going to do with them, but I said,‘Yes.’, and I got back to my work.
A while later, she said, ‘Mom, look at me! How do I look? Cute?’ She tied the handkerchiefs and was wearing it as a long skirt, and she was turning around with a happy look..

My daughter is 4, and she loves pink and girlish frilled dresses especially long ones, but I don't think long dresses are good for playing, so I don't usually let her wear it.(or rather, she doesn't have a long dress.) But when I saw her wearing the long skirt she made with the handkerchiefs, her happy face made me want to make her a nice long dress.

As I mentioned before, I like to make something by hand, so I have a lot of cloths in stock. There was a nice gauze cloth with a flower pattern, and my daughter liked it, so I'm making her a girly frilled dress now. I'm looking forward to making her face happier!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "創作意欲に火がついた♪"

雨ニモマケズ。

It's rainy, and the sky is heavy gray today. I prefer sunny days and a blue sky to rainy days and a grey sky, but I don't hate to have the weather like today's one.
When I was walking my daughter to her kindergarten this morning, the cold rain reminded me of some lines from a poem written by Miyazawa Kenji.

“Ame nimo makezu, kaze nimo makezu...”

I can't remember what comes next, but in the end of the poem, it goes..

“Souiumono ni watashi ha naritai”

What kind of person do I want to be? Hmm.., I think I still looking for it.
I learned a lot of famous poems or stories at school, and I still remember some of them.

“Boku no mae ni michi ha nai,  boku no ushiro ni michi ha dekiru” -written by Takamura Kotaro.

Isn't that a nice line! I was going to try to translate it into English, but I thought that as is is better. I like English because it is a positive and friendly language, but I like Japanese as well. I think Japanese is an artistic language with atmosphere. There can be deep meanings in a short line.

日本語 version　は続きから。。

続きを読む "雨ニモマケズ。"

世界にひとつ。

This is my TV cabinet, and there is only one of its kind in the world because I designed it and ordered, so it's a custom-made TV cabinet.(but it's not that expensive.) As I mentioned before, I love wooden objects and furniture, and there are a lot of wooden furniture in my house, but this is my favorite one. It's made by Mr. Bear who is a country style furniture maker. He is a genius! He can make anything from wood even a motorcycle! The surface of the TV cabinet is as smooth as silk. It means that he sanded the cabinet with great care. He does very good work!

Actually, I use to make small wooden furniture like a magazine rack, a bread case, and a shelf. I have my own electric power tools like a drill, a table saw, and a trimmer. I think I'm better at DIY than my husband!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "世界にひとつ。"

花より団子？

Yesterday was Mother's Day. My son didn't have baseball practice, and I didn't have any special plans, so I slept late on Sunday. When I got up, it was about 10 a.m., my oldest son was gone already.. My husband made me breakfast and did the laundry for me, and my second son and my daughter massaged my shoulders. What a nice day! I was going to spend in my pajamas the whole day, but somehow I couldn't. When I was young, I would often spend a whole day in my pajamas..

I got some presents for Mother's Day.

My husband and my second son gave me nice flowers, my oldest son gave me chocolate that I love, and my daughter gave a nice picture that she drew at the kindergarten. It's a picture of me. Aren't they nice? I'm a very lucky and happy mom!

All the presents made me happy, but when I was eating the chocolate, my husband just look at me and said, ‘Better fill your belly than your eye.’
I said, ‘No, it's not true. The flower also made me happy.’, but I guess he is right..

Anyway, I had a great Mother's Day!

 

続きを読む "花より団子？"

頭がぐちゃぐちゃ。。

As you know, I have three children, a junior high school boy, an elementary school boy, and a kindergarten girl, so it mean that I'll have the same event 3 times, like a field day, a school trip, and a parents' visiting day. Actually, yesterday was my second son's 'kateihoumon day', but I almost forgot about it! Today, there is a meeting at my son's junior high for parents and teachers for club activities. Next week, my daughter is going for a field trip, and my second son is going for a school picnic the week after next.. Oh no, my head is a mess! I can't remember all the schedule of my children. I'm taking a note of their schedule on my cell phone, but I often forget to check it..

In my daily life, I'm a bit(?) forgetful. I always make a shopping list, but I often forget to take it when I go shopping. The other day, when I was going to hang out the laundry, I saw the laundry flapping in the wind already, ..so I had forgotten to bring in the previous laundry. I just thought, ‘Oh no, I did it again!’

Do you have any good ideas how not to forget?

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "頭がぐちゃぐちゃ。。"

若さの秘訣。

When I was rushing to get ready to go this morning, my sister dropped by my house on the way to work.(We live near each other, and it only takes 30 seconds to get each other's house.)  She said, ‘I had a great time yesterday!’with a happy look. I asked her, ‘What are you talking about?’, then she said, ‘I told you that I was going to WaT's concert with ○○!’(←her 12-year-old daughter) My sister and my niece love WaT very much, especially Koike Teppei.‘Oh, yes. How was it?’, I asked her again.‘It was awesome!! They were so cute!!’, she said this and rushed to work..

She still seemed to be very excited and in a dream. I think she's still young and never get old. Maybe that's because she knows how to enjoy her life. Doing what you want and enjoying yourself, I think that's the key to a happy life and staying young. I should follow in her steps!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "若さの秘訣。"

このままじゃ・・

My father came to my house this morning with some fresh eggs. Have you hard of silkies(ukokkei)? It's a kind of chicken, and both their skin and bones are black. My father have two silkie hens in his garden and often give me fresh eggs.

Here are some pictures of silkies(but it's not my father's).

They are beautiful, aren't they? I can't believe that it is a kind of chicken! Their eggs are light brown and smaller than common ones, but it tastes good! I recommend eating it raw like 'tamago gohan'. I think you can find the difference between a silkie's egg and common one. If you have chance, please try it;-)

By the way, I'm a bit worried about my father these days because he is very interested in having pets. He started with only one dog, but now he has 3 dogs, 3 macaws(They are as big as a parrot and can speak.), some tropical fishes, and 2 silkies. I keep saying to my father, ‘If you get more pets, your house is becoming a zoo!’ Well, he seems to be very happy with his pets, and I'm happy about that, though.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "このままじゃ・・"

露天風呂で、☆△×!?!?

We went to a hot spring resort in Gunma yesterday. My husband said that it was a famous 'roten buro' in Japan. The onsen was in a mountain and right next to a big river, so the scenery was really beautiful. But, it was an onsen that men and women take together! I've never had that experience. My husband and my second son looked very happy because they love onsens, but I wasn't at all happy. Then my husband said, ‘Don't worry, there is another onsen for only women over there.’ I was so glad to hear that.

On the way to the onsen for only women, I had to pass by the one for men and women, and there were a lot of people there(most of them were men), so I tried to not to see them. But I had to pass by some of them, and they were walking toward me with a towel in their HANDS or on their SHOULDERS!! I rushed to the onsen for only women and I thought, ‘If you have a towel, use it properly!!’

I talked about it to my husband in the car on the way home, then he said, ‘You know, when you are in nature, you become open, right?’ I said,‘I understand that, but they were too open!’, then he said, ‘Ha ha ha. Wasn't it a feast to your eyes?’I shouted,‘No way!’

The onsen was wonderful, but I do not want to go there again..

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "露天風呂で、☆△×!?!?"

食いつぶされる～。。

My children love meat. We had a barbecue with an electrical hot plate last night. We went to a big supermarket and got a lot of meat for dinner, but all the meat disappeared in an instant!(It took less than 30 minutes.) The TV was on while eating, but no one was watching it. What they were watching was only the meat on the hot plate! They didn't even talk much.

I have two growing boys, so our food cost is getting bigger and bigger. They are growing, so they need to eat, but they might be going to eat ourselves out of house and home..
Now, my oldest son is the biggest eater in my family. He eats a lot including snacks and sweets, but he doesn't get fat. He is slender and has long legs. I envy him.

I like fuel-efficient cars, but I don't like fuel-efficient body!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "食いつぶされる～。。"

お役御免♪

Today, I'm going to my son's junior high school to attend the meeting which is called 'PTA soukai' as the old leader of the PR team.(It has a difficult name, but it's not a difficult meeting.) I have to make a speech in front of the teachers, parents, and some guests. It's my last job as the leader, so I hope it goes well.

Last year, I attended the same meeting as a new leader and made a speech. I was very nervous at that time, but not so much this time. Maybe I've got used to speaking in front of people a little. Wow, I've grown up!(lol)
I saw the principal gave the old leaders a testimonial last year. It's nice to get something as a thank-you gift or an award no matter how old you are, so I'm kind of looking forward to it.

Well, my job is finally going to be finished this afternoon. I think I did my best, so I'm proud of my work.(I had never used the expression 'proud of', maybe I'm taking it a little too far..)

Anyway, have a great GW holiday!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "お役御免♪"

もっと、自由だ～!!

It's May 1st today, and my daughter is going to have lunch at the kindergarten, so it means that I have more free time from today! I made her very first kindergarten lunch this morning, and she was really looking forward to have it with her friends. I hope she'll have a good time.
For the past a month(It was a long time for me), I had to pick her up at 11:40, but from today, I pick her up at 2:10, so I have 5 hours my own time! I can enjoy shopping, having lunch with my friends at a nice restaurant, and I might be able to go see a movie as well.
But, there is a big problem. All my close friends are working!(including my sister) Now I have a lot of time to enjoy myself without wearing a 'mother face', but I don't have anyone to have fun together.., poor me! Can anyone hang out and have fun with me? Maybe this is a good chance to force myself to study a lot, ahhh...

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "もっと、自由だ～!!"