Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Fashionista
Tonight, I was in Gabi's room talking to her about her day and I noticed that her calendar had a word written on each of the last 17 days, "Green" "Spiderman" "Polka Dot". When I asked her what they were, she replies "My shirts." Huh? "Yeah, everyday I write in what shirt I wore so I won't wear the same one again too soon."
This is the child who has happily shopped at Goodwill and the Salvation Army her entire life, never turning her nose up at a hand-me-down and for the most part walks around looking like she just rolled out of a dumpster (she's clean, but always wrinkled, sporting miscellaneous holes and pen drawings on her pants and shoes, and never, ever matching). She's never cared about clothes or fashion, never worried about name brands, price tags or...ironing. But suddenly she's OCD about not wearing the same shirt twice in one week?!?!?! Oy.
This is the child who has happily shopped at Goodwill and the Salvation Army her entire life, never turning her nose up at a hand-me-down and for the most part walks around looking like she just rolled out of a dumpster (she's clean, but always wrinkled, sporting miscellaneous holes and pen drawings on her pants and shoes, and never, ever matching). She's never cared about clothes or fashion, never worried about name brands, price tags or...ironing. But suddenly she's OCD about not wearing the same shirt twice in one week?!?!?! Oy.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Birthday Post! Finally!
Only a month late!
Wow, I can't believe my little burrito is 5! FIVE! My last baby is five.years.old! I've always said that if he had been my first, I'd have ten kids by now. He was such an awesome, laid back baby. And that hasn't really changed. He's so low-maintenance, so easy going, and such a mama's boy (in a good way). He's so funny, and such a sweet kid. I laugh now when I remember how I CRIED when I found out I was pregnant with a boy! I demanded a second opinion! I was so set on a 3rd girl, I'd never pictured myself as the mom of a stinky, rowdy, messy boy! But now, I couldn't imagine my life without my angel boy!
For some reason he was insistent on a Diego cake. Diego? Seriously? He hasn't watched Diego since he was 2. He's full on boy now, all about Transformers, Star Wars, battles and shark attacks, construction equipment, and always Tomica. I was sure he'd want a Transformers cake. I even took him to the grocery store to browse the cake catalog, there were some really cool "big boy" cakes. Nope. It had to be Diego. Okay buddy-boy!
Fortunately, he's still at an age where I can get away with just a small, family party. Right now it's still all about the cake and prezzies. I invited 3 neighbor boys that he plays with, very low key, and quick! He opened presents, we sang and ate cake, and I had those boys out of the house in less than an hour! Woo hoo!
Wow, I can't believe my little burrito is 5! FIVE! My last baby is five.years.old! I've always said that if he had been my first, I'd have ten kids by now. He was such an awesome, laid back baby. And that hasn't really changed. He's so low-maintenance, so easy going, and such a mama's boy (in a good way). He's so funny, and such a sweet kid. I laugh now when I remember how I CRIED when I found out I was pregnant with a boy! I demanded a second opinion! I was so set on a 3rd girl, I'd never pictured myself as the mom of a stinky, rowdy, messy boy! But now, I couldn't imagine my life without my angel boy!
For some reason he was insistent on a Diego cake. Diego? Seriously? He hasn't watched Diego since he was 2. He's full on boy now, all about Transformers, Star Wars, battles and shark attacks, construction equipment, and always Tomica. I was sure he'd want a Transformers cake. I even took him to the grocery store to browse the cake catalog, there were some really cool "big boy" cakes. Nope. It had to be Diego. Okay buddy-boy!
Fortunately, he's still at an age where I can get away with just a small, family party. Right now it's still all about the cake and prezzies. I invited 3 neighbor boys that he plays with, very low key, and quick! He opened presents, we sang and ate cake, and I had those boys out of the house in less than an hour! Woo hoo!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
I'm just sayin'
When you complain about not having enough money to pay your bills every time you're approached by the mother of your children, who's asking for money to take care of YOUR FAMILY (when the fact that you have to be asked for extra money in the first place is just sad, and shameful), and you then proceed to spend $80 on a Skype phone, followed by $235 on an iPod Touch and accessories, and over $100 on miscellaneous eBay purchaces, all in less than a month.........
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Do your thang!
Looks like the decision about my job may be reaching the actual decision making phase very soon. Please pray, chant, cross body parts, send vibes, invoke spirits, light candles....whatever it is you do!
As everyone knows, I must have a job on the base to stay in Japan after he-whose-name-shall-never-again-appear-in-this-blog leaves in August. And while I still have time to find another job, they are very, very few, and very, very far between, so my chances of actually finding one would be slim to none. This job is my very best chance.
Although both my direct supervisor and the next boss up have made it known to those inhabiting the top of the ladder that I'd be their first choice for this position, neither of them has anything to do with the actual hiring process. I'm sure that their opinions count for something, but as with everything goverment-ish, filling job vacancies is full of miles of red tape, reems of forms and paperwork and a seemingly endless "Chain of Command" who must all weigh in and give their approval every step of the way. Both of my bosses are very puny links at the veeerrrrry bottom of that chain, so even though they'd be in the best position to choose the right candidate who will work side by side with THEM, in THEIR office, that just not how it works. It's a very tedious, and often extremely frustrating process. I've done everything I can from my end, now we just wait, and pray/chant/cross all crossable body parts, etc. Oy, I feel nauseous.
As everyone knows, I must have a job on the base to stay in Japan after he-whose-name-shall-never-again-appear-in-this-blog leaves in August. And while I still have time to find another job, they are very, very few, and very, very far between, so my chances of actually finding one would be slim to none. This job is my very best chance.
Although both my direct supervisor and the next boss up have made it known to those inhabiting the top of the ladder that I'd be their first choice for this position, neither of them has anything to do with the actual hiring process. I'm sure that their opinions count for something, but as with everything goverment-ish, filling job vacancies is full of miles of red tape, reems of forms and paperwork and a seemingly endless "Chain of Command" who must all weigh in and give their approval every step of the way. Both of my bosses are very puny links at the veeerrrrry bottom of that chain, so even though they'd be in the best position to choose the right candidate who will work side by side with THEM, in THEIR office, that just not how it works. It's a very tedious, and often extremely frustrating process. I've done everything I can from my end, now we just wait, and pray/chant/cross all crossable body parts, etc. Oy, I feel nauseous.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
You asked for it.....
...an update of the UBs, that is. I've gotten lots of comments and e-mails lately, ever so gently and politely asking how things are going, so I figured it's time for an update.
Things between Otis and me have gone from bad, to worse, to gut-wrenchingly horrible. We can't speak at all without the situation turning into a full blown nuclear holocaust. And I'm not ashamed to admit that 99% of the time, I'm the one dropping the bombs. We text when necessary, but that's the extent of our contact. The last 3 weeks or so have been fairly quiet though, he steers clear of me, and I haven't gone too far out of my to cause him any misery, so that's good, I guess.
He doesn't seem at all concerned about the kids, doesn't talk to them, never calls, rarely sees them (not a surprise), but none of them seem to care. Ethan never asks about him, or for him, and the girls seem equally ambivalent.
I'm still full of soul-torching rage, and if one more person tells me to "let go of the anger" or that "time heals all wounds" I swear I'm going to vomit, after I gouge their eyes out with a chopstick. My burning rage is what keep me warm at night, when I'm all alone in my massive bed, and my thoughts of revenge are what get me out of bed every morning. That's just where I am right now, and I'm okay with that. Of course time heals, or at least dulls the pain, and I fully expect for that to happen, but it's not happening for me yet, so if slashing a tire or two, smashing a windshield or draining a bank account is what I need to do to cope with where I am right now, you know what? I'm okay with that too.
I really wish I could spill it all here, air all the dirty laundry, out him for what and who he really is....but while it really would make me feel great for a few minutes, in the end, a lot of other people would be hurt. Even though this whole horrific disaster has left me more than a little jaded, and caring just a little bit less about other people's feelings, I'm not so far gone that I'd intentionally hurt anyone else, so this minor spewage from my black, shredded soul will have to do (can you say drama queen?)
I go out of my way to shield the kids from all the ugliness, they have no clue how bad things have gotten, or how crazy I've gone. They have no idea there's even any animosity. Yeah, yeah, kids know more than we think they do, blah, blah, blah. They're fine, I promise.
My life is going on, not the way I planned, not the way I wanted, but on it goes. Still hoping and praying we can stay in Japan, I have a new boss who seems to think a full-time position is a definite possibility, but the clock is ticking and I'm still worried.
So there it is. Not pretty, but I haven't castrated or killed anyone yet, I suppose that's a good thing, right?
Things between Otis and me have gone from bad, to worse, to gut-wrenchingly horrible. We can't speak at all without the situation turning into a full blown nuclear holocaust. And I'm not ashamed to admit that 99% of the time, I'm the one dropping the bombs. We text when necessary, but that's the extent of our contact. The last 3 weeks or so have been fairly quiet though, he steers clear of me, and I haven't gone too far out of my to cause him any misery, so that's good, I guess.
He doesn't seem at all concerned about the kids, doesn't talk to them, never calls, rarely sees them (not a surprise), but none of them seem to care. Ethan never asks about him, or for him, and the girls seem equally ambivalent.
I'm still full of soul-torching rage, and if one more person tells me to "let go of the anger" or that "time heals all wounds" I swear I'm going to vomit, after I gouge their eyes out with a chopstick. My burning rage is what keep me warm at night, when I'm all alone in my massive bed, and my thoughts of revenge are what get me out of bed every morning. That's just where I am right now, and I'm okay with that. Of course time heals, or at least dulls the pain, and I fully expect for that to happen, but it's not happening for me yet, so if slashing a tire or two, smashing a windshield or draining a bank account is what I need to do to cope with where I am right now, you know what? I'm okay with that too.
I really wish I could spill it all here, air all the dirty laundry, out him for what and who he really is....but while it really would make me feel great for a few minutes, in the end, a lot of other people would be hurt. Even though this whole horrific disaster has left me more than a little jaded, and caring just a little bit less about other people's feelings, I'm not so far gone that I'd intentionally hurt anyone else, so this minor spewage from my black, shredded soul will have to do (can you say drama queen?)
I go out of my way to shield the kids from all the ugliness, they have no clue how bad things have gotten, or how crazy I've gone. They have no idea there's even any animosity. Yeah, yeah, kids know more than we think they do, blah, blah, blah. They're fine, I promise.
My life is going on, not the way I planned, not the way I wanted, but on it goes. Still hoping and praying we can stay in Japan, I have a new boss who seems to think a full-time position is a definite possibility, but the clock is ticking and I'm still worried.
So there it is. Not pretty, but I haven't castrated or killed anyone yet, I suppose that's a good thing, right?
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Earthquakes, Typhoons and Tsunamis, oh my!
I've never experienced a tsunami warning before. We're far enough in land that a massive wave wouldn't effect us at all, but still........we're watching the news reports of all the tsunami preparations that are going on, definitely a different experience.
The Tokyo marathon is in full swing right now (Ganbatte Malcolm!), and all those runners are crossing the finish line on Tokyo Bay, which is right smack in the middle of the tsunami warning zone
Thursday, February 25, 2010
"Su-pa!"
We live in the Kanto region of Japan, an area made up of seven prefectures, we live in Tokyo. Within the Kanto region there is a core group of about 11 English speaking high schools, 3 are American schools on U.S. military installations, and the others are international schools in the Tokyo and Yokohama areas like American School in Japan, Christian Academy in Japan, Int'l School of the Sacred Heart and Yokohama Int'l School.
Our sports teams all compete against each other throughout the year (and against other English speaking schools throughout Japan and the Pacific) and the kids get pretty friendly playing together over the course of several years, even though they're competitors, they're definitely very friendly rivals. It's so incredibly different from what goes on in the U.S., where kids have been actually KILLED over out-of-control high school rivalries! It's pretty awesome seeing so many kids of so many different nationalities cheering each other on at these different events, and I've met some great people from all over the world as we've watched our kids run at cross country and track meets over the last three seasons, and Gabi hangs w/ kids from all these schools at basketball and football games during her off seasons.
Next month there are two "super" events planned, bringing together a bunch of Kanto schools for some fun. There's going to be an "American" football game, sort of an All Star team made up of players from the American/Int'l schools, playing against a Japanese high school team. And there's a "Kanto Plains Su-pa Dance" being held at one of the Tokyo schools, open to all the high school students of the American/Int'l schools. How cool is that? Our school will take buses to both events. Gabi has already bought her ticket for the Super Dance (my offer to chaperon was met w/ a resounding VETO), and we're all planning to go the football game in Kawasaki (though I've already been instructed that I will not be permitted to sit in the Students' section). ** I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the religious schools didn't include: "CLOTHES MUST STAY ON!" in their event guidelines. If not, should I warn my parent-friends from the other schools that our adminstration felt it necessary to include it in ours?**
Our sports teams all compete against each other throughout the year (and against other English speaking schools throughout Japan and the Pacific) and the kids get pretty friendly playing together over the course of several years, even though they're competitors, they're definitely very friendly rivals. It's so incredibly different from what goes on in the U.S., where kids have been actually KILLED over out-of-control high school rivalries! It's pretty awesome seeing so many kids of so many different nationalities cheering each other on at these different events, and I've met some great people from all over the world as we've watched our kids run at cross country and track meets over the last three seasons, and Gabi hangs w/ kids from all these schools at basketball and football games during her off seasons.
Next month there are two "super" events planned, bringing together a bunch of Kanto schools for some fun. There's going to be an "American" football game, sort of an All Star team made up of players from the American/Int'l schools, playing against a Japanese high school team. And there's a "Kanto Plains Su-pa Dance" being held at one of the Tokyo schools, open to all the high school students of the American/Int'l schools. How cool is that? Our school will take buses to both events. Gabi has already bought her ticket for the Super Dance (my offer to chaperon was met w/ a resounding VETO), and we're all planning to go the football game in Kawasaki (though I've already been instructed that I will not be permitted to sit in the Students' section). ** I could be wrong, but I'm guessing the religious schools didn't include: "CLOTHES MUST STAY ON!" in their event guidelines. If not, should I warn my parent-friends from the other schools that our adminstration felt it necessary to include it in ours?**
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Happy Birthday......
.....to my beautiful boy. I love you so much!!!!! Proper post w/ pix coming soon!
Friday, February 12, 2010
A little something to smile about....
I'm going to keep the post for O's dad a the top (just FYI, not the "something to smile about")
Some of you may or may not know that Meg's dad, my ex-husband Jason, is deployed to Afghanistan. His team is reeeeaaaalllly far forward with a bunch of Army guys at a tiny, very remote post. Jay is a member of the Air Force's Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers ( Red Horse ), which is a team of construction guys that basically build new military bases, so they're building a camp now, constructing a post office, chapel, dining hall, etc. It's a pretty tough place, when they arrived they had only the most basic, bare necessities, sleeping in tents, eating MRE's, no internet and only hit-or-miss field satellite phones. They've been working hard and the buildings are slowly coming up.
Back in December one of the guys stumbled on some puppies in a cave w/ no mama dog in site, click below for the full story and updates. The pups were gathered up and brought to the camp, and as you'd expect, everyone fell in love with the little mongrels, and now they've launched a campaign to bring them all to the U.S.
Rescue the Red Horse Pups
In the very top/first pic, Jason is on the far left, sitting in the folding chair w/ sunglasses on.
Jay is a huge dog lover, he's got three pups back home in FL that he really misses and having these little girlies (and guy) in the camp has done so much to lift the morale of all the guys and helped so much to make each day a little easier to get through as they count down the days until they can come home.
Every e-mail Meg gets from her dad has some mention of the dogs, and now she's head-over-heels and begs regularly to adopt one.
If you're so inclined, please donate a little bit to the fund that's been set up to rescue these puppies that have come to mean so much to not only the Red Horse guys, but their grateful families as well.
***Although the blog refers to the Pennsylvania National Guard Red Horse team, they're actually a mixed team from several bases, including Hurlburt Field in Ft. Walton Beach, FL
Some of you may or may not know that Meg's dad, my ex-husband Jason, is deployed to Afghanistan. His team is reeeeaaaalllly far forward with a bunch of Army guys at a tiny, very remote post. Jay is a member of the Air Force's Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers ( Red Horse ), which is a team of construction guys that basically build new military bases, so they're building a camp now, constructing a post office, chapel, dining hall, etc. It's a pretty tough place, when they arrived they had only the most basic, bare necessities, sleeping in tents, eating MRE's, no internet and only hit-or-miss field satellite phones. They've been working hard and the buildings are slowly coming up.
Back in December one of the guys stumbled on some puppies in a cave w/ no mama dog in site, click below for the full story and updates. The pups were gathered up and brought to the camp, and as you'd expect, everyone fell in love with the little mongrels, and now they've launched a campaign to bring them all to the U.S.
Rescue the Red Horse Pups
In the very top/first pic, Jason is on the far left, sitting in the folding chair w/ sunglasses on.
Jay is a huge dog lover, he's got three pups back home in FL that he really misses and having these little girlies (and guy) in the camp has done so much to lift the morale of all the guys and helped so much to make each day a little easier to get through as they count down the days until they can come home.
Every e-mail Meg gets from her dad has some mention of the dogs, and now she's head-over-heels and begs regularly to adopt one.
If you're so inclined, please donate a little bit to the fund that's been set up to rescue these puppies that have come to mean so much to not only the Red Horse guys, but their grateful families as well.
***Although the blog refers to the Pennsylvania National Guard Red Horse team, they're actually a mixed team from several bases, including Hurlburt Field in Ft. Walton Beach, FL
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