Happy White Valentine's Day

We are not the family that celebrates the invented holiday of Valentine's Day. At least, not in the "traditional" sense...

Those romantic dates led to romance which, eventually, led to family... So we choose to celebrate this day with our family and share a meal together. Literally.

It's a holiday for fondue!

Because we are "FOND-O-U" (hisssssssss)

This year, while we pined away for out loved ones back "home", we shared a pot of fondue and a bottle of wine with a family we have come to love dearly! We have been blessed to have the Paluszeks in our lives and grateful they warmed our dining room A&D hearts. Lucky for them, we only live kitty corner from each other as they got to brave the elements (sleet...) on their way over...

The magnum bottle of Costco Chardonnay served me very well today. It made fondue possible at our table, Gina's table (a new V-day tradition for the Cohns as well!) , a glass of vino for Eric and myself - but it also served as a great makeshift rolling pin as Gkna, Dixie and I made a double batch if banket.


We skipped slicing the banket and went straight for the halves!


Today is a day for sharing with the ones we love. This is a day I would happily repeat on any day of the year. I would happily forfeit the marginally good, commercialized chocolate for time with wonderful friends, loving family, fondue and a good bottle of wine. Any. Time.

I might skip repeating the living room re-organizing and the weeks laundry piled up... But that is my life!


HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY TO THOSE WE LOVE! Missing you :/




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Knitting Knews!

Look what came today!  Personalized knits for the boys (THANKS GRAMMIE!!!)

The hat fits the boy - both his head and personality! 

The boy who loves camouflage - just blending in!

And monkeys for the monkey...

A New Year's day tradition in Japan is to fly kites.  The wind was up and so was our kite...

We were the only ones out flying kites.  So much for tradition!  Ha! 

The low flying kite made a good game of chase and leap... 

Ian took his "pedal bike" out for a spin

 

and he figured out that it was a lot easier to go down the hills...

And coast ;)

He then took his snack of mikans and headed to the bush where he hung out,

peeled and munched his mikans

The minion left his hat did not come off, even through dinner.  The minion ate onion.  Soup.

And the monkey slept with his monkeys.  His lovie, his jambes AND his new mittens.

They are all quite satisfied!

Bingo!

The Anthony's can lose at Bingo. Every. Single. Time...

With one exception: Dougie

Last year, he won a kilo of dried mochi. This year? A bottle of wine!




The other two? They each won a washcloth...

He did not just win ANY bottle of wine. He won a reserved bottle of Beaujolais Nouveaux! And a wine glass!




We had to go and pick it up at the Kamiooooooooka Department store. I may have taken advantage and done a little sake tasting. And wine...

And, we discovered that the Japanese really do have muffin tops too! Here is what they look like:




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I wish I...

I wish I had measure the boys a couple of weeks back. I am pretty sure our food is contaminated with fertilizer. These kids are growing. Rapidly!

Last week Ian did not make it home from swimming awake. Not once. Monday he was sound asleep by 5:00. Sadly, he woke at 4:45 the next morning...

Wednesday, he made it a bit longer. But, by 5:15, he looked like this:




He woke up the next morning. At 7:30... And was ready for a nap.

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Digging it UP!

Today was the Seika Autumn Field Trip. All the classes, with the exception of the oldest, goes sweet potato digging.

This is the third year in a row I have done this - you would think I have it down pat! But, alas, no...

I still forgot my name badge, did not bring Ian's shoes out to change into, etc. I have, however streamlined some things. Minimizing bags was not one of them! Some of the Japanese moms have a tiny bag. And that is it. They manage boots, gloves, shovels, lunches, drinks, etc. and then they put it all in this microscopic bag. I think I need to find myself one of these bags. It would be like being Mary Poppins!!!

As it was, we got dressed to dig


Boots on bottom, aplons on top (we might call them smocks...).




Gloves went on at the field and the digging commenced.






Once done, the kids all receive a gift from Encho Sensei of a roasted sweet potato.


Turns out, Ian's had a HUGE bite taken out of the top when he got his... OK, I may have taken the bite...


This year we came home with a giant bag of theses huge sweet potatoes. Many people (read: Americans) don't love, or even like, these sweet potatoes. However, we do. So I try to scam other people potatoes!


Once the dig is done, we stash out stash under the bus and head to a nearby park for a "picnic". It's BYOB style (bring your own bento). The kids get to run free for a bit and then they gather up to so some taiso. It's various dances that are just so kawaii! It would be inappropriate to say they are cute - it just doesn't consider it Japanese-ness...

Judge for yourselves.


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Friday Field Day

In Japan, physical activity is not only valued, a National Holiday surrounds the idea. All the schools organize a Field Day or "Sports Day" of some sort. Many are quite elaborate. All have various competitor games for the kids and, most often, the adults as well.
They divide the school into two teams - red & white. This is usually accomplished by wearing the student's PE cap on its red side or flipping it inside out and showing the white inside.
At Dougie's first Seika Sports Day, I thought he just was wearing his hat inside-out and was semi-mortified at his behavior!
Seika's Sports Day got moved to Sunday last weekend - the same day as Stefan's swim meet. We divide and conquered. Eric went to Sports Day. I went with Stefan.
This last Friday was Hayama's Field Day - a much less elaborate, but super fun day for the kids and parents. Both Stefan and Dougie were on Team White (of course, the one color school shirt we do NOT own!).
They had silly relays holding paper in arm pits and knees, dribbling a ball through (or past... Whoops!) cones,














sack races,


and three-legged races. Dougie and Katrina paired up - once they got warmed up, those two really motored!!











Katrina's mom and I, on the other hand, provided the entertainment!
There was a scavenger hunt and the kids performed a Taibo dance. It was hilarious and AWESOME!

Neither of these boys are likely to be Fred Astaire, but Stefan may be good at break-dancing! Whodathunk?!?
All the kids got medals - necklaces made of candy and chocolate medallions.

All went home with smiles!

After Field Day, we went straight to the bowling alley for a birthday party. Ian and Io (another 4 year old) had a kick bowling. Ian really loved that he got to eat "in a cave"...


It was a long and super fun day!





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