This afternoon Little Fish is going to our chosen kindergarten for his entrance interview. They say it's just a formality but I am still worried. I tried to dress him up in formal clothes but he has decided on his monkey shirt and he is not budging. At least they will be forewarned of what he really is!
I usually have a strict English Only policy at home but last night panicked and started quizzing him in Japanese on stuff. I figure they will ask about colours and his name and age, not sure what else. He did pretty good but keeps saying my name when I ask him for his name. :?
He fell asleep while putting on his clothes so I am focusing on the most important thing in Japan- my appearance. I just spent his naptime plucking out all my grey hairs so all the young mamas won't ignore me. I know 5 other mamas so I'm not [s]that[/s] worried about being ostracized but still I don't want Little Fish to be ashamed of his dorky mama. I sincerely hope the interviews take place without mamas because I have visions of trying to sit on a tiny kindergarten chair and there is no way I can do that all polite and graceful-like! Less gazelle, more hippopotamus.
Speaking of hippopotamuses, Little Fish is starting to wake up. I can tell because he is singing Hippopotamus To You, which is his favourite Christmas carol. Not one you or I know, however.
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This Day in History
7 years ago today I walked into city hall a single woman, and came out shackled for life. Thank goodness my fellow shacklee is such a good guy.
We usually make it a point to go out for our anniversary, but our favourite French restaurant, Café le Parisien, is closed on Sundays (mostly so the owner can go off drowning my husband in a canoe). Also, since our Canada trip this summer I have been wanting to make my husband a dish he had tried for the first time and loved.
So I made Chicken Oscar! It was supposed to be Veal Oscar but I forgot to order veal at the butcher in time. I smothered the pan-fried chicken with shrimp and scallops and asparagus, then drizzled Hollandaise sauce. Quite the challenge with a 3-ring burner. My cousin the culinary genius provided support and I actually got it done. I don't think there are new grey hairs either.
It was quite the success. I wish I made more though, both boys gobbled down theirs so fast I was forced to share mine.
Here's hoping we have 7 more years just as good!
Sad news coming out of the US today. Apparently fear has won over common sense and joviality, and no one in the US is allowed to answer letters from Santa. Honestly, I find this pathetic. We try so hard here to preserve the traditions of Santa and children's joy at Christmas, and people who already have that are letting it be ruined. I feel the same way about people who don't participate in Halloween. Halloween is an amazing holiday. People spending a few bucks to make children they don't even know happy? Absolutely amazing. So why let fear or religion ruin these traditions of generosity?
The happy news is you can still write to Santa at his home address in Canada. The address is:
Santa Claus
North Pole
H0H 0H0
Canada
The lazier among us can even email Santa.
Little Fish already wrote his letter. He asked for a computer and a bike and a bunch of Thomas toys, including Cranky, Emily, and a shed. He promised Santa that he would be a good boy. Then made sure to say "Don't forget the candy!" He is a little kid with big wants. ;) Cupcake is less interested in Christmas and couldn't care less what she'll get. Maybe next year she can write a letter to Santa. Or make me do it.
On Monday morning, Cupcake could get on all fours but not crawl. On Monday night, she could crawl. On Tuesday, she could climb. By that afternoon she mastered using a prop to sit up by herself. How does this happen so fast? I liked the months it took her to roll, I had time to mentally prepare!
She's not alone in her growing phase either. Her brother has got a trick or two up his sleeve too. We went to get Cupcake's final DPT vaccination today, and the doctor's office has a push button up high so that little kids cannot leave (smart!). 
Well, little kids other than Little Fish. As we were leaving he used a chair to get himself up and opened it for us. Then we went to the grocery store where he showed that he can not only put on the seatbelt in the car cart but also take it off. I don't like that I had no idea he could do these things, now I have new dangers to look out for.
So we get home and I am thinking about whether Little Fish's ability to use grocery store seatbelts will mean he can also undo his own seatbelt. And guess what happens? Me worrying about one kid, while the other climbs through the bottom of the chair, and boinks her head on a corner of the table.
It looked awful. Little Fish has had enough head and knee and other body boinks to know that usually a bit of ice will fix it right up. But this time the corner got her in the forehead and there was a dent on her beautiful little skin. So I freaked out and called the doctor I had just seen. He allayed my fears and explained that it's just the fat on her forehead that was dented, not the skull. He was right, and after 10 minutes of icing her head it was flat and beautiful again (if a little blue).
I am so not ready for either of them to be heading into more dangerous situations. I feel like as soon as I get a handle on them, they grow and change.
I want to be a free range parent. I don't want to hover and stifle. But that sheer terror when you think that you have broken your baby or let her hurt herself and is in pain- I never want to feel that again. I know that I will though.
According to Little Fish, everything in the past, from 10 minutes previously to the Ice Age, is Lasterday.
He wants to do everything "by mine myself."
He thinks Big Fish is his husband and Cupcake is his daughter. And man does he get angry when I call my mom, mom. "No, she's Grandma!"
Last week he went with Big Fish to the "Ohana" matsuri (we call it the Ohara matsuri). He loved the dancing but was very disappointed that no one was dressed as a nose (Ohana means nose in Japanese). "Mama, there were no noses at the nose festival."
In Canada, when a kid gets an ouchie, we ask if they want mama to kiss it better. In Japan, when a child gets injured, they say "itai, itai, tondeike" which means "fly away, pain." Little Fish has brought this into English and put his own twist on it. He says "get out of here, ouchie, mama, please throw away my ouchie into the garbage."
Needless to say, he brightens my day. I don't think I've laughed this much since I was a child. Maybe not even then, I was a geeky little girl who was too busy reading books to make jokes myself.
One of the things I love about Japan is New Year's postcards. I love Christmas cards too, don't get me wrong. I'd be thrilled if I got an Eid or Kwanzaa or Hannukah card as well.
This year, however, we won't be sending New Year's cards because Big Fish's grandparents both passed away this summer. I don't really get this part of Japanese culture- if someone has a loss don't you think you'd want to send them best wishes for a better new year, right?
To inform people not to send us New Year's cards, we have to send mochu (bereavement) cards to people on our list. No lottery numbers on these, unfortunately! I know that the mochu cards are supposed to be colourless and boring but we've chosen some nice ones with a cute design and some (muted) colours. I do like to buck Japanese trends!
I love designing my own Christmas and New Year's Cards. I used to handmake them but digital is better, especially because I want to include pictures of my kids. I send postcards as Christmas cards now, mostly because I can't find a printer who will print cards- I'd have to get full pictures done then cut and fold them. Too much of a pain. Also, I like saving the envelope- I know sending cards is bad for the environment but I cannot resist! So it's nice to at least save that envelope paper.
It figures that this year, the year I can't send nengajo, I would have a great idea for them. Also, the post office has software that you can download for free to help design your own postcards- and it works on a Mac too! How cool is that?
This morning I received Little Fish's Christmas pajamas in the mail, so now I can start trying to take pictures for the Christmas card. That I am excited about!
Blech.
Actually the taste isn'thorrible. The smell though...ugh.