甘い言葉にご用心！

I wrote about love and marriage the other day, and then some strange 'Sponsored Links' showed up at the bottom of my entry. Have you noticed it? Every time I do a new entry, 4 Sponsored Links show up. I don't(can't) do anything about it, but somehow the links are related to the entry or the words I used as if they know what I'm writing. It's scary!

Anyway, did you check the links of the entry 'Love and marriage'? There are very strange links.(You can still see them if you click the entry.) One of them says, 'The way of making men fall in love with you in 5 minutes'! No way, it can't be true! Life is not that easy, isn't it? If there was such a good way like magic, I would definitely try it!(Just joking.)

There are lots and lots of attractive words in our everyday lives, for someone looking for a lover, for people who want to make money, for English learners, and etc..
Everyone, be careful of words that sound too good to be true!(but I have to admit that I can't resist good words for people who want to lose their weight..)

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "甘い言葉にご用心！"

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～!!"

ライダー!?

This is my husband's new bike 'Yamaha FZ1 fazer'. It's a 1000cc bike. I had imagined that it was a very big bike, but it was not that big. I tried to get on the seat of the bike yesterday as if I was a really biker. What do you think?

If you see the picture, you will find that something is wrong with my face. I was going to put the picture on the blog as is, but I couldn't because the bike didn't look good on me and I wasn't brave enough to show you, so I decorated(?) it. I don't look good, but the bike is cool, isn't it? I don't really like the noisy sound of a bike, but the sound of the engine of this bike is very nice and low. When I hear the sound, it makes me feel excited!(lol) I wish I could ride a bike and feel the wind..

My husband says that I can go to the driving school to get a motorcycle license, but he doesn't think I can actually get it. He says,
‘You can try it if you want. You only have to finish the school for 9 months.’
I'm going to surprise him someday soon!

PS Alex, if I could get a motorcycle license, why don't we go for a ride someday?

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "ライダー!?"

木の温もり。

Have you heard of tole painting? It's a kind of coloring with acrylic paint. It's not that difficult. You can do it even if you are not good at drawing a picture. There are a lot of books about tale painting, and there are a lot of designs in the books, so you can trace them. You can paint tin and wooden objects and furniture with acrylic paint including tables and chairs. I like making something by hand, so it's one of my hobbies.

Here is my favorite work.

How do you like it? This picture is designed by Mutsumi Deguchi who is a professional painter. I love her works especially the colors.
I've painted a lot of different objects, but I like this one most. It looks like a tree stump or a slice of tree, doesn't it? I love wooden objects and furniture. It feels nice and warm, and it makes me feel at ease and relaxed.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "木の温もり。"

信じる？信じない？

I went to an electric shop yesterday and got a new camera! There were so many different kinds of cameras that I had no idea which one is good for me, but I thought, ‘If I got the same camera as my old one, it would be easy to use because it might have similar functions.’ Then I asked a man at the shop about it, and he said 'yes', so I chose the same one without question. It was a good idea, wasn't it? The man said, ‘It's very popular now, so let me check if we have any more in stock.’A while later, he came back with a new camera and said, ‘This is the last one.’ I was glad to hear it.

I talked to my husband in the car on the way home that we were lucky to get the last one, but he said, ‘The man knows how to sell something.’
Me: ‘What do you mean? You mean he told a lie?’
My husband: ‘Probably. I'm not sure, though.’
Me: ‘If you are not sure, don't tell me that. I was happy to get the last one..’
My husband: ‘OK, OK. We are lucky to get the last one.’

What do you think about that? I think my husband met so many liars at work(He works in a bank and lends money.) that he can't trust people easily. I think it's a kind of work-related disease. I feel sorry for him.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "信じる？信じない？"

ハツラツ冒険家先生♪

Yesterday was my son's Kateihoumon Day, and my son's teacher came to my house on time! Actually, the teacher arrived here 10 minutes earlier, and I was still cleaning the house(It was a final check.), so I was a bit upset..

I was worried about how my son was doing as the leader of the class, but the teacher said, “Don't worry, he is doing well. He'll get used to speaking in front of the class or the students soon. To tell the truth, I was thinking that it would be interesting if he became the leader. Of course, I didn't do anything for it.” I'm so glad to hear that. Actually, the teacher has become an assistant coach of the baseball club(My son is in it.) since the end of last year, so he has known my son for about 4 months already.

He said, “Teachers often give parents a call when something bad happens at school, but I don't really like it. Of course, I have to call them when their children did something bad, but I also want to call them when their children did something good, so please don't be surprised if I call you.”
I never heard of such an idea, but I liked it, so I said, “OK. I'll be waiting for a good one.”

After talking about my son, I asked him, “Why did you go to Africa to become a teacher?”, and he said, “I wanted to be one of Japan Overseas cooperation Volunteers and go to Africa. That was my dream from when I was little. I got a teaching license to become a member of it, and I wasn't going to be a teacher at that time.”

When I was listening to his story, I felt like that I saw his strong will with passion in his eyes, which I often find in people's eyes who are not afraid to follow their own dreams.
I hope my son will learn something from the teacher.

PS If you are interested in my son's character, please have a look at this entry.

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "ハツラツ冒険家先生♪"

スプリングクリーニング？！

Today, my oldest son's homeroom teacher is coming to my house, which is called 'kateihoumon', so I'm going to clean up the house more than usual! I know I don't have to do that, but something makes me feel 'have to', you know. I'm going to vacuum the living room, clean up the hall, and the toilet too.(The teacher might use it.)

Last year, my son's teacher came to my house 3 hours late. The teacher said that he had no sense of direction, and neither do I, so I couldn't blame him. I hope my son's new teacher is not going to get lost. Well, I think the teacher will be okay because he has wandered around 37 foreign countries. Yes, that interesting teacher is coming to my house today. I have a lot of things that I'd like to ask him, so I'm sort of looking forward to it.

By the way, have you heard of 'spring-cleaning'? In Japan, we do 'year-end cleaning', but in America, they do 'spring-cleaning'. At this time of year, my house becomes very clean.(I pulled up the weeds in my garden the other day.)　'Kateihoumon' has a good effect on me! Maybe I can call this 'spring-cleaning';-)

Anyway, I'm going to clean up the house!

PS I'm still waiting for you to find the courage to click the post button. It took me several hours when I did it, and Anne said that it had taken her a few month. I know how you are feeling.
So, the subtitle of today's entry is ‘続・1クリックの勇気’!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "スプリングクリーニング？！"

1クリックの勇気。

About two years ago, I posted my very first comment on David's blog. I had never joined anyone's blog before because I thought it was dangerous like,‘If I do that, I would get involved in some crime!’(lol) When I clicked the 'post' button for the first time, I was very nervous and my heart almost jumped out my chest!
Looking back now, my English(and my life) started changing from that moment. I'm really glad that I found the courage to click the button. Two years ago, I never dreamed of having my own blog like this!
Now it's your turn. If you really want to be a good English speaker, try to find the courage to click the 'post' button.(Although I'm not sure how many people are reading my blog except the regulars of David's blog.)

David told us this before;

“If you are scared that your English is not good enough, remember that there is only one way to improve it, and that is by trying your best with the English you have now.”

I think it's so true, he was absolutely right. If you are still scared, you can practice 'clicking' here;-) Just one click, and your English(or something) will be starting to change!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "1クリックの勇気。"

心の一句。

My washing machine is a hard worker. There are five people in my family, and I have two sons who always come back home with dirty clothes, so the washing machine works every day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
I do the laundry every morning, and it feels nice to see the empty laundry basket, but every night, I find it full of dirty clothes...
When I saw my son putting his laundry in the basket last night, I was inspired to write this,

Arattemo nakunaranaiyo sentakumono.(with an extra syllable)

Anyway, it's a beautiful day today too. I'm going to hang out the third laundry!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "心の一句。"

デジカメが・・。

As I mentioned yesterday, we took some pictures of us riding(?) on the bike. I was going to put one of them on the blog, but my camera seems to be broken. I got it 4 years ago, but the camera doesn't work right these days, so I guess it's time to get a new one.
I don't really like to get new digital products like a computer or a video camera because they have so many uses that I can't remember them easily. It takes me a lot of time to get used to new digital goods, but when I get used to it, it's going to be broken soon. Is this the aim of people working for electric companies? Digital products are convenient, but I might prefer analog to digital.
Anyway, I need a new camera!

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "デジカメが・・。"

バイク効果??

My husband looked very happy and went for a ride on his new bike yesterday. The weather report said the day before yesterday that it was going to be rainy yesterday, but the forecast was not right, and my husband was really happy about that. He usually sleeps late and takes it easy on his weekends off, but yesterday, he got up early and got himself ready. He was in a good mood, and he made me a cup of coffee and did the laundry for me. I asked him, ‘What happened to you?’, then he said, ‘Nothing much. It's just a lovely day today.’ Wow, the new bike has a good effect on him!(lol)

Before my husband left, we all tried to get on the seat of the bike and took some pictures. My oldest son said, ‘I might want to get a motorcycle license before I get a diver's one.’(He said that he didn't want to be a biker because it seemed dangerous before he saw the bike.) My second son said, ‘Cool!! I want to be a biker someday, too!’, and my youngest daughter said, ‘Me too!’ Then my husband said, ‘Let's go for a ride someday!’...Oh no, they are all becoming bikers?! What will happen to my family??

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "バイク効果??"

あ～、もう。。

My second son had a slight fever last night, but he is feeling better this morning and has gone to school. Today, I'm going to his elementary school to see his class, and of course there is a meeting for parents and teachers, so we are going to choose the PTA staff for this year.(Again!) There is a rule that we have to be one of the staff at least once while our own children are in elementary school(no matter if you are working, bringing up small children, and new in the school), so sooner or later, I have to do it for my second son. As you know, I have three children, so it means that I have to do it 3 times in the elementary school and another 3 times in the junior high. 6 times in all!

My sister went to the school yesterday, and she has become one of the staff. She said to me, ‘You should be in my group.’ I said, ‘Nooo, I did it at the junior high last year, you know. I want to take a break this year.’, but she didn't give up and kept saying, ‘Let's do it together!’ Then I finally said, ‘All right, I will...’ Ahhh.., I wanted to take a break from PTA job this year..

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "あ～、もう。。"

あ～、良かった。。

I took my second son to hospital this morning. He doesn't have a fever, but the right side of his neck is swollen and painful, and he keep saying, ‘I feel sick..’I thought that he might get mumps and took him to see the doctor.
Fortunately, it's not mumps but lymphadenitis. I'm glad to hear it. None of my children have had mumps yet, so if one of them gets mumps, it will be going around among them!
Well, they would get it sooner or later, and I think they'd better get it while they are young because the younger you are, the sooner you will recover.
My sister got it after she has grown up, and she had severe symptoms. Her neck was swollen really bad, and she had a high fever and had to stay in bed for a week. I still remember her face at that time. It was terrible! I had to ask her, ‘Who are you??’(lol)

日本語 version　は続きから。。

続きを読む "あ～、良かった。。"

晴れた日には。。

It's a beautiful day today, and so was yesterday. The weather was too nice yesterday, and it made me feel like, ‘I have to do the laundry a lot!’ I did it 4 times and washed all the lace curtains on the first floor. They are all clean now, and it feels nice!

Doesn't a nice weather make you feel like, ‘I have to do the laundry a lot!’ or ‘I have to hang out the futon!’? It's a kind of the feeling of ‘I have to’ for housewives..

For people who have hay fever, hanging out the laundry and the futon is not a good idea, but I like the smell of them after doing it.
I call it 'ohisama no nioi', and I love it.

I kind of understand the feeling of cats sleeping on a 'engawa' in the sunlight. I don't often see a house with a 'engawa' these days, though.

日本語 version 続きから。。

続きを読む "晴れた日には。。"

強い意志。

The other day, I found a nice saying.

“Where there is a will there is a way.”

Isn't it a nice saying? I think it depends on how strong the will is, though.
When I was young, I didn't have a strong will.(not much has changed, though..) I think I was always looking for easy ways.
I think people who have made their dreams come true have a very strong will. People who have a job that they really love are very lucky, but it's not just luck. They have a strong will with passion and never give up.

If I could live my life again, I want to live like them, I want to become people who are not afraid to follow their own dreams.
It's too late.. or never too late?


日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "強い意志。"

私のシャドーイング。

Have you heard of ‘shadowing’? It' one of ways of speaking practice. While listening to native speakers' English, you follow and copy it without textbooks.

Here's my favorite book with a CD.

I think Everyone knows this program 'eigo de shaberanaito.'
Actually, David was on the program on September 22nd in 2006. When I heard that David was going to be on it, I was kind of interested, then I got the book.(I haven't been watching the program since then, though.)
There are some rules about how to use it and 10 stories in it, and　you have to read one of the stories every day(for 30 days).
The things I liked about the book are that each story has a connection with our everyday lives; the Japanese translations for each story are friendly, casual, and easy to understand; each story is not that long(or rather, it's short.); and there were a lot of expressions 'I can understand but I couldn't have produced myself.'(Plus, the book has a CD, and it only costs 980 yen!)
Of course I tried the 30-day lesson, but I gave it up on the 12th day.. ha ha ha. Now I'm only using the CD for my 'shadowing'. The CD has 4 versions for each story; a slow speed version and a natural speed one in a woman's voice, and the same ones in a man's voice. Before I started doing 'shadowing', I read the stories with the book several times. Ｉｆ there were some words or expressions I didn't know, I looked them up in a dictionary. It was difficult at the beginning, but I tried it again and again. I was doing it for about a month with the CD before, and I've memorized more than half of the stories, so now I can tell them by heart.(but I never tried to memorize them.)
When I listen to the slow version, I'm trying to copy the native speaker's pronounce of each word. When I listen to the natural version, I'm trying to speak exactly the same way as the speaker, the same speed, timing, and stress. Well, technically, what I'm doing now with the CD is not 'shadowing', but I'm not sure what to call it.

Anyway, if you are a beginner of 'shadowing', I recommend the CD.(It's not for 'shadowing', though.)

日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "私のシャドーイング。"

涙がじわ～。。

A very good thing happened yesterday. I was very happy about that, and it brought tears to my eyes..
It's about my oldest son.

I think he has a good heart, but he is a bit timid. He doesn't like challenging, and it always takes him a lot of time to get used to new things. For example..
He went to a swimming school when he was in elementary school. He was slow to run and not good at sports, but he was good at swimming. There were sometimes events at the swimming school. Every time I asked him, “Do you want to try it?”, he always said, “Absolutely not.”
The nights before his school trips, I asked him, “Are you excited?” Then he said, “I'm a bit nervous..” He never says, “I'm looking forward to that!” or “I can't wait!” before these kinds of events. He says “I had a good time.” after events, always 'after' he gets home and is relaxed. That's my son.

The day before yesterday, he suddenly said, “I've become the leader of the class.” I was really surprised to hear that and said, “You've become what?! Really??” He said, “I told my friends not to vote for me, but.. I was chosen.” I asked him, “Didn't you have a choice to say 'no'?” He said, “Yes, I did if I really didn't want to become, but.. I said, ‘I'll do it.’
I said, “Great!! I think it's a good challenge for you. You can do it!”, then he said, “I don't think so.. ”

On Friday, I went to his junior high to see his class. The class was homeroom activity, and there was a handout about the students' New Year's resolutions as a second grader. I was reading my son's one, and it said, “I think new students are very nervous about their new school lives, so I want to be careful about how I treat them. I hope they get used to their new lives soon. “The teacher said, “Everyone wrote about themselves, but ○○(my son) wrote about others, and I think it's a very good point about him.”
I want to my children to become who care for others' feelings, so this made me very very happy.

After the class, I talked with the teacher. I said, “I was very surprised to hear that my son has become the leader of the class. He's never tried this kind of stuff, kind of hated it.” The teacher said, “He will be a good leader, and new students will trust him. All he needs is having confidence in himself. He'll be OK.”

Many good things happened, but the happiest thing for me was that my son said, ‘I'll do it.’ when he was asked if he would become the leader. I thought that he finally took the first step to challenge himself, and this made me really happy and cry..


【日本語 version】は続きから。。

続きを読む "涙がじわ～。。"

肩の荷。。

I'm going to my son's junior high school to see his class today.　I guess you think,　“This early??” Yes, the school takes place this event at the beginning of April every year because we have to choose new PTA staff for each section.(There are 4 sections in the school.) I was making school paper for PTA, and luckily or unluckily I was the leader of the team. Sometimes it was tough, but I tried to enjoy it. Well, I think I've learned something from my job.
After seeing the class, there is a meeting for parents and the teachers, then we have another meeting with our children's homeroom teacher and choose new staff at the meeting. After that, all members of the staff get together in each section and choose a new leader and a new assistant leader of this year's team.
I'm going to be very busy today, but I'm happy about that because I can take a load off my mind. Whew!

I'll write about my English study later.(I don't think I can do much today, though..)

日本語 version　は続きから。。

続きを読む "肩の荷。。"

自由だ～！！

Yaay, I'm free!! My daughter's kindergarten's life has just started, so I'm having a perfect free time! It's just a 3-hour free time because I have to pick my daughter up at 11:40, but nobody calls me ‘Mom!’ or asks me like ‘Let's play!’ or ‘Can you do this for me?’ ..Now, I can take off my 'mother face'. It's so quiet..
Since I gave a birth to my first baby, I've been spending with my children almost all the time for a long long time. It's about for 13 years! I had some hard time, but also a great time with them. Well, I want to say ‘You tried hard, well done!’ to myself.

From today, I'm going to enjoy myself and study English more and more. I'll write about what I've done today for my English study later.

Have a nice day!

PS I love having a chat with you all(including new people, of course), so feel free to drop me a line!


日本語 version は続きから。。

続きを読む "自由だ～！！"

悩殺ポーズ？？

We, mothers sometimes become a Japanese teacher.

Yesterday, my second son(He is 8.) was watching a children's program on NHK educational channel, and he seemed to get a question about a Japanese expression. He asked me,

“Mom, what does 'nousatsu pose' mean?”

“What did you say??” I said.

“'Nousatsu pose.' What does it mean?” he repeated.(Again, he was watching the program on channel 3!)

“Well, ... it means ...uh ...” I was trying to find a good explanation.

How can I explain that? The part he doesn't understand is the word 'nousatsu'. I think it means 'nayamashii', but it's still difficult for him. ...Should I demonstrate it? No, I can not do that!

Then I said, “You'll know when you grow up.”

I couldn't answer his question this time. Does anyone have any good ideas?
Being a mother is not that easy!(lol)

日本語 version　は続きから。。

続きを読む "悩殺ポーズ？？"