Happy Halloween

While Hubby couldn't be here, we still had a pretty ok Halloween.  This year I was well prepared with oodles of candy.  Last year I ran out in one hour, I was so not expecting that many trick or treaters!!

I asked- and you said you would like to see my sewing projects, so here you go.  I made Sissy and her BFF matching costumes.  Well- I made them skirts.  They were super easy and super fun.  At times it is good to do a simple and fun project.  There is something to be said for enjoying the completion of a project.  Am I right?

I was inspired by the tail and ears that we found in a Japanese department store.  The little witche's hat is too cute.

I made the fur piece as a belt- but with the sweater (needed to keep warm), we decided to tie it around her shoulders instead.

Sissy's skirt was orange and black, and her BFF's skirt was purple and black.  I originally planned on doing two different fabrics with the same colors.  But Jaime and I saw the polka dots and I knew they were "it"!
The fur pieces were made from a boa I cut up and sewed ribbons to.  I didn't get a very picture of the girls together unfortunately.  I should have taken a moment and made them step inside where the light was better...



And Brother...  Well he is past the point where he will let me make costumes for him.  I tried to order something for him, but he wasn't inspired enough to tell me what to order.  Today he just grabbed some black capes out of our costume trunk (ie an orange Rubbermaid tote).  He asked me to make him look like a vampire.  I don't have any costume make-up, so I grabbed some powder and black eyeshadow and eyeliner.  I added a little green under his eyes as well.  It wasn't too bad for not having the right tools!

Tonight he cracked me up.  He totally got into "character" and made our front porch into our own haunted house of sorts.

want some candy?

He thought of this all on his own.  The Japanese visitors were so freaked out!  He scared a few people by suddenly opening his eyes and sitting up.  I think next year we will get him a job at the haunted house! ha ha

These guys were taking all kinds of pictures, at first they weren't sure he was real.

Braaaaiiiiins!!  Not to be outdone by the vampire get-up,
Brother discovered that the make-up I put on him doubles as zombie make-up!!

I think next year we are all going as zombies.  We have the walk down and everything!

Hoping you have a wonderful and sweet-filled Halloween!!

before the image uploads are disabled...

Blogger image uploads are going down for maintenance so...

I thought I would hurry and share some pictures of Sissy from her modeling job last week.  I think this is my favorite photo shoot so far.  It was held in the coolest and most beautiful studio.  I could have lived there- all it needed was a full bath and maybe a bigger kitchen.  I am not hip on all the deco speak- I am not exactly sure what one would call the decor style.  It was sort of European/shabby chic.  The walls were bright white and it had huge windows and the most beautiful doors.  Sissy's agent commented that the studio would be a great place for a party.  I want to have my next party there now!  Of course I couldn't afford the price tag- I know the hourly rental fee was mighty high.

The other models (all adults), were from the US (NYC), England and Australia.  Being around the models and the Japanese photography crew- I felt so big and fat!  I know- the models don't count because they don't eat and Japanese are naturally thinner than Americans.  It sounds good in theory- but I still felt out of place.

They were all so good with Sissy.  She was the only child there and they just doted on her.  She did so well they took some extra shots.  My only disappoinment was that she didn't get to wear designer clothes again.  We brought her own clothes to the shoot.  Luckily someone had handed down a bunch of velvet holidayish dresses to Sissy a couple of years back- and they all still fit.  She did get to wear a fur scarf of sorts- real fox fur.  I think it creeped her out.  It did me too to tell the truth.  I have never been a fur person- I don't see the intrigue to wear a dead animal's fur on my body.  Now if you are talking leather- I am all for that! ha ha 

I got some great pictures.  The lighting in the studio was just perfect- so even my click and shoot did a decent  job...

loved these doors- I want a house with these doors...



forever my goofy girl..



Engrish anyone?  Her (Japanese) agent suggested she take the picture pointing to the bad English.

That's all for today!!  Maybe tomorrow I will have another post for Food Fun Friday- I make no promises...

A Sweet Moment in Time

Today we picked up Hubby from the air terminal.  Brother knew we were driving to pick up Dad, but we kept it a secret from Sissy.  Lucky for us, she was clueless and lost in her own thoughts in the back seat as we drove (2+ hours) to pick up Hubby.  Brother accidentally mentioned picking up Dad several times, but Sissy never caught on.

Her face was too precious when she saw her Dad finally.  I wanted to get a better picture of her expression, but she moved faster than I had anticipated!

 I just had to share- doesn't it make you smile?

I had her play in the kids' room while we were waiting. 
She thought I had a meeting and we were just taking a break there.
So here she is running to her Daddy when she saw him walk into the room.

SO happy!

One of the benefits of living in Japan...

Is that my daughter gets the opportunity to model- something not accessible (and frankly- not desirable), in the States.  My daughter has the blonde hair/blue eye European look to her- and that is something the Japanese love (or like).  The modeling agencies actually come to the different bases (to a 'modeling fair') so one can sign themselves and/or their children up.  Last year we attended one of those modeling fairs.  We handed out Sissy's info (name, height, weight, etc), and the agencies took her picture.

So now we get calls and/or emails for different auditions and jobs coming up.  We have gone to 4 auditions- with no luck at any of them.  However, she did get three jobs just from picture selections (no need to audition).  She probably would have had more jobs by now, but often times the auditions and jobs are at the same time as school events and/or sports that Sissy is involved with. 

I have taken her out of school a couple of times and have picked her up early.  I anguished over it at first.  But a friend told me something that I think is very true- "don't let school get in the way of your children's education".  Now- don't think I am saying that MODELING is a replacement for school!  But, the times I have taken her out of school have always involved seeing new parts of Tokyo and Japan.  I take the time to look up the area and we find unique and new things we haven't seen before.  And frankly- we would never have been to some of these places if it hadn't been for a job or audition.

I made it sound worse than it actually is- I have only taken her out early or for the day 6 out of those 7 trips.  She is also a good student, so I am not worried about her falling behind.  (In other words- Brother wouldn't be a candidate for modeling- EVEN in he wanted to.)

Sissy has had a great time at the three jobs she had.  I know I have blogged about it before, so I will stop there.  I have, however, decided, after the last audition, to stop going to auditions.  If she happens to get a picture selection, that is great, but we don't have time for all of the auditions.  If we were closer to Tokyo, it would be easier.

That said- her last audition was for a famous American clothes company.  To give you a hint- they told us not to have her wear Ralph Lauren, because [insert designers name here] hates Ralph Lauren.  That cracked me up.  She didn't get picked- too bad- it was good money and I am sure the pictures would have been awesome.  Speaking of which- that is my favorite part.  For your viewing pleasure here the pictures she did for a jewelry designer at the beginning of the year.  They were shown at an exhibit- I wish I could have been there!



This was on the postcard invites to the exhibit


If anything- she will have some great stories to tell of her 'modeling days' in Japan!

PUNK!

Help me, I am over reacting to something I should be above over reacting to.  It has to do with an 11 year old kid and his co-horts.  Lately it seems these kids have just become meaner than normal.  I give them slack because they are Navy kids, and I understand the stress of being a military child and dealing with deployments and such.

Realizing I am over reacting, I wonder what kind of reaction I SHOULD have?  A few pre-teen neighborhood kids (and therefore schoomates of my children) have caught my attention with their bullying, foul language, disrespect and littering around the area.  I am at the point where I want to start visiting some parents.  One of the bully's, whom I suspect has been picking on Sissy and her BFF, has started picking on Brother again.  This was an issue we had at the start of school- a problem I thought had resolved itself.  I think the truth is that Brother has learned to ignore him for the most part.  Recently Brother has started to complain about being bullied again.  Sissy came and got me one day to tell me that said Bully was picking on her and her BFF.  As it turns out, it looked like Sissy was stirring up trouble that day.  I still had a talk with the boy- in a friendly yet authoritive manner.  I suspected he had picked on the girls in the past- the fact that he and his co-horts wouldn't make eye contact made that evident.


This week the bully has been picking on Brother because of the rash that Brother has on his face (doc thinks he had some kind of allergic reaction to something.)  Then today Brother tells me that this kid told him that I am "ugly" and a "bitch".  I told Brother that I don't care, which I don't.  But in a way- I do.  What is wrong with me- why does this kid chap my hide.  Why does the other neighborhood kid who is always cussing make my hand itch and want to track down his mama?  Why do I wish that it be ok for Brother to knock the kid who is bullying him, on his @ss?

Brother needs to learn how to deal with this- and I definitely will not help by fighting his fights for him.  It just brings out the protective mama bear in me.  The fact is I need to stay out of the kids' affairs and not get caught up in the drama.  I don't get caught up in "adult" drama, why get into the kids'?

But.

I WILL say something to any older kid that picks on Sissy or her BFF.  I WILL seek out their mother if need be.  I WILL say something to the child who swears in my presense.

I WILL calm down

Eventually...

Have you ever dealt with bullies?  What did you do?

Sleep is the answer

Sissy once had an accident at our local Home Depot.  She was running towards her Dad, who was pushing the shopping cart.  We all thought she knew it was directly in front of her and expected her to stop.  But I think something caught her eye and the next thing we knew- whack!  She smacked right into the cart.  At first our impulse was to laugh, because this was a "typical" accident of her- at least it appeared like it.  But when she was completely silent we knew she was sucking in all the air she could for the screaming that was to come from her poor mouth.  Hubby grabbed her and went straight for the bathroom.  I knew she hit her mouth, I knew there was blood.  When Brother and I caught up to him, his shirt was covered in blood and so was her face.  I looked in her mouth- her front teeth had been pushed back.  I tried to pull one back, and Sissy gave such a painful shudder that I immediately let go.   We cleaned her up- declined the offer to submit an accident report to Home Depot- mainly because it wasn't their fault.

We took her to the ER and waited.  And waited.  And waited some more.  By the time we got her in to see a doc, she had fallen asleep.  So in his very bad bedside manner way- the doc says we need to get her to a dentist.  And he tells us it "must not be that painful since she fell asleep." 

I should have cussed him for being an a-hole told him that I was worried that she may have had other injuries to her face or jaw.  I should have told him he is an idiot.  Sleep is a natural defense when we are in pain (at least for some people).  Not to mention we had waited a good long while AND it was her bedtime.


That was almost 5 years ago.  I thought of that story because right now all I want to do is sleep.  I realized a couple of years ago that sleep is a coping mechanism of mine.  The first time Hubby deployed, we had only been married for 6 months.  We had just moved to NAS Whidbey Island earlier that summer (where I knew no one).  AND my best friend had been killed in a car accident the month prior.  I dropped him off at the terminal early in the morning.  After that I drove home and slept.  I was supposed to go to work that morning, but I slept in and went in late.  I have felt the urge to sleep whenevr Hubby deploys, or when something sad has happened- such as when my father passed away- I took the kids to my neighbor so I could handle some details.  I made flight arrangements, and then took a long nap.

Today all I wanted to do is sleep.  I had to fight the urge and make myself get up and get things done.  Realizing the urge to sleep- it became clear to me that Hubby's deployment is affecting me more than I realized.  This is deployment #5 for us.  That does not include all of the detachments, training, what have you. 

It is a natural reaction to want to just hole myself up- not see the world for a while.  But I did that when we got here after a stressful move, I don't want to do that again.  I am going to fight the urge for now.  I am looking on the bright side- we have already been together longer this year than we were all of last year (we were together 3 out of 12 months.) 

Last year was bad.  When we dropped him at the airport for his flight to Japan, the kids cried like I have never heard them cry before.  It was the most heartbreaking sound I have ever heard.  I did not let myself cry then.  But that night, I woke up around midnight and started to sob. 

Yesterday was the longest day ever.  Someone described it as a band aid that just needed to be pulled off- I agreed.  We tried to drag out the last moments together- but those moments were stressfull and too rigid- trying to anticipate the loss.  Finally last night we dropped off Hubby and said goodbye (see you later).  He was crying, he didn't want to leave us.  Brother and I didn't cry.  But when we drove away, Sissy started to bawl.  I hated to hear it.  My stomach was just a big ball of hurt.  I was worried, and I think holding in the tears wasn't helping.  Luckily, both of the kids fell asleep easily last night- I was afraid they would be up all night with bad dreams or just worrying about Daddy being gone.  But they slept soundly, thank goodness.

I think sleep is a comfort to them as well.

Emotional Rollercoaster

Our household is in total upheaval.  We are getting ready for Hubby to leave us again for who knows how long.  The kids are not happy about it, I am not even sure HOW I feel right now, and Hubby- well, he is extremely stressed out and worn down.

Okay here is the truth.  Last month I was angry with Him- as in my husband.  It is a classic tale of a wife feeling like she does everything and feels resentful- while the husband doesn't understand what the fuss is all about.  He just knows she is storming around the house and not talking to him.  That is- when he is aware of her presense whilst playing World of Warcrap.  (I hate that and every other MMG out there.)
Knowing that in the future he would be leaving again- I wanted to have some help with household chores since once he leaves- it's all on me. 

I am NO angel by any means.  But I was upfront about it- clearly indicating what needed to be done and asking nicely.  What I got back was hostility or a promise to do it later.  And we all know how that ends.  Eventually I became tired of waiting and asking and just got angry.  That's my side of the story. 

Let me tell you I am the type of person that tries to look at situations from both sides.  The checker who was rude to me maybe was having a bad day or not feeling well.  The school secretary who never smiles (true story) maybe is physically unable to move her mouth into said facial expression (but I think I saw her smile once- so there goes that theory.) 

So I tried to be patient- knowing that he had a lot on his plate at work.  But even then- I was still mad.  If I am having a hard time at work- working overtime or what have you- I STILL take care of all the household matters.  So while I was not talking and being angry in my passive-aggressive manner- I did not nag once!  So there!  To top it all off- I felt like if Hubby were to leave right there and then- life would be easier for me. 

Truly- I am not writing this to bitch about my husband- only to explain my "emotional rollercoaster."

Moving ahead- I regained my patience once I realized being mad wasn't helping and plus I have a hard time holding a grudge (yes I tried to- shame on me.)  Add a pending seperation and my anger completely disolved.  Now I am running errands- taking care of things he needs as he is working 12+ hour days.

Enter the children.  Sissy is crying over everything.  I think some of it is her age- but I know a big part of it is the fact her Daddy is leaving.  Brother has his ups and downs as well.  We all are strung tight, being snappy and dealing with aching stomachs. 

I have been a Navy wife well over 14 years- a little separation is no big deal I was thinking.  In fact- I had been worrying about what we will do when the day comes that Hubby is no longer in the service.  He would be HOME ALL THE TIME!  Damn- I sound like a cold hearted bitch.  Imagine my shock when I started crying when it hit me that he is really leaving.

Thus my emotional rollercoaster.  Sometimes I am sad and weepy, other times I am optimistic- making plans and thinking of things to keep us busy.  And I have been a complete air head!  I tried putting the car in gear without stepping on the break and thought my car was broken.  I almost ran a red light right in front a Japanese squad car (my passengers stopped me luckily.)  I have stubbed my toes on every possible corner in the house and even tripped on the stairs, breaking my big toe nail all the way down one one side.  Ouch!  I am forgetting words and sometimes I forget what I am doing and walk around the house aimlessly.  It is so frustrating!  So now I am making a special effort to be wary of my actions- for example basic walking.  I am also trying to be extra patient with my children and not let them see my frustration and stress.  After all- if they see Mom is not dealing- then it must be bad, right?

I am dreading "D" Day.  For now I will keep busy.  Needing something to do- I have been cleaning and cleaning some more (which is normally not my fave activity.)  When the day comes, I must be strong and not break down when the children cry when we say our goodbyes.  It's choking me up just thinking about it... 

Hubby's boss told me yesterday that in his family- they never say goodbye.  They always say- "I will see you later."  I didn't really get it until just now.  I think that is a practice we will put to good use.

You ripped my picture

My kids love to draw, we have paper and markers and crayons all over the house.  Lately they have been drawing "Pokemon" characters (Pocket Monsters). 

It is Pokemonmania here.  This is a by-product of living in Japan of course.  We have even visited the Pokemon Center in Yokohama.  It was all crazyness with people everywhere and someone talking on the loudspeaker- didn't understand a word they said.  I admit, some of the little guys are pretty cute- my favorite is the monkey name Chimchar.  At the commissary they sell a lot of Japanese baked goods (because lets face it- bread coming from the states is not very fresh.)  They have these little sweet rolls that come in Pokemon packaging.  The kids love them because there are stickers inside.  You want to see a fight- watch one try to take the other's sticker!  Like I said- its Pokemonmania around here.

Last weekend Sister spent a good deal of time coloring her pictures- one she was especially proud of.  This time, instead of Pokemon- she was working on her Littlest Pet Shop animals (those with little girls know what they are).  After coloring we ran to the store for a few things, leaving Brother at home.  When we came back to the house there was a note left for me saying he went to his friends house.  Ok, no big deal. 
He came home an hour or two later and next thing I know the kids are fighting (not unusual these days.)  Sister comes to me with her picture- it has been ripped!  She accused her brother- he denies all wrongdoing and then goes back out to play.

A little bit later- Sister notices the note Brother left me.  It is small piece of paper that was torn from a larger piece of paper- namely her artwork.  She was livid!  When he came back home he was made to apologize- but it wasn't sincere.  I knew it, she knew it. Eventually she managed to move on and created some more masterpieces.

Later that night after the kids were in bed I saw something that made me bust up laughing.  In the same spot where Brother had left me the note on the stolen paper- was another piece of paper.  It read:
[Brother] you riped my pitcher

I love it.  The woman in her would just not let her let it go!  I love that little girl!

If They Were Smart...

Lately Sister has been a pill.  I think she is just plain sick and tired of me and wants her Dad.  I don't blame her.  Tonight she was in an exceptionally good mood- I enjoyed every minute of it.  She did her cheer thing this morning and got to have a picnic with her very best friend this afternoon.  I was kid free for a few hours today- it was delightful.
Sister came home at dinner time.  While we waited for dinner to finish cooking- Sister entertained me with her book of songs she kept from the first grade.  I even joined in on the Christmas songs and "She'll Be Coming Aroung the Mountain..."  Afterwards we got in to a discussion about Santa Claus...

Sister: "Does Santa go all over the world to deliver presents?"
Me: "Yes, to all of those who celebrate Christmas."
Sister: "They don't really celebrate Christmas in Japan do they?"
Me: "Not for the most part- but some do."
Sister: "Well- if they were SMART they would!"

I almost wanted to correct her and say that not all people have the same beliefs and customs and that doesn't mean they are wrong- yadda yadda yadda.  But then I realized- she was thinking about Santa- its all about the presents right?  (to a 7 year old it DEFINITELY is!) 

Presents... and snuggles and new PJs.  Life is good.

Why I Locked Myself in the Bathroom (or Why Too Many Days off from School and Video Games are Bad)

Dude! I need a break. The kids have only been to school for 4.5 days in these past two weeks. Nearly 2/3 of these students have single parents at home because their other parent is deployed. Are they trying to kill us? The summer is one thing- but when the weather is cold and they need to stay indoors because of the torrential downpour- well- that makes for children climbing walls and their mothers pulling out their own hair.

I thought I would be nice and let them play video games (they are very limited on their playing time these days). That only makes things worse. Video games makes crazy kids, I am not kidding. Actually if I did some research I am sure I could find studies to back up my claim.

I'll spare you any more details except to say that after dinner I ended up running upstairs- into my bedroom- locked my door- into the bathroom- closed the door- into the comode/shower room- closed the door- put the toilet lid down and sat down with my head in my hands and let the tears come.

That helped a little.  Right now Sister and Brother are upstairs jumping and screaming- it sounds like they breaking down the walls. Granted-everything sounds much worse from downstairs. Still- it is NOT helping my headache.

I love my children and can't imagine life without them. I feel bad about complaining and venting- I am grateful they are happy and healthy and I know things could always be worse. But...

I can't wait until bed time.

My little girl will be 7 next month

Tonight Sissy helped cook dinner- at her insistence. She is always asking to help, but i get nervous about letting her use the stove. Tonight I realized how big she is getting when she stepped right up to brown the ground turkey. She knows to hold the pan just right and how to be careful and not burn herself. When did she go from being a baby to being able to help cook dinner? Pretty soon she will be MAKING dinner. While the thought of having someone cook for me doesn't sound so bad- it makes me sad that she is growing so fast.
Brother had a baseball game tonight. There is a big pile of dirt right behind the playing field. Sissy ran right to it and started to dig. I told her to stay out of the dirt, but then changed my mind. What's so bad about her getting dirty, playing in the dirt? I am glad she still enjoys it. It is so much better than chasing boys! I am sure that day will come, but for now I will remind myself to enjoy the playing in dirt days.

This last picture is Sissy sleeping with "Wolfie"- Brother brought it home for her from Great Wolf Lodge.