Some answers...and then...something really nice.

Happy Sunday everyone!!! Today was a wonderful day filled with~~~~ a warm, dry breeze that made doing 5 loads of laundry so much easier~~~some good quality international phone time with my mom and a couple of really good friends~~~a little bit of cleaning which was stress free since both boys were out doing whatever it is they do~~~and to finish up the day, we will make pizza and there might be beer involved (juice for the boys). I'm not even dreading the folding of all that laundry as I'm in a pretty damn good mood!!!

So....there have been a couple of questions asked in comments and I thought that I would supply some answers.

katydidnot asked about cleaning our tatami mats....well..first of all...

this...is what tatami looks like:

As it is actual woven straw, when tatami is new, some of it is still green....and will have mold on it. To clean that, I was told a very long time ago, that wiping it with hot water was the best way to get the mold off the mat. Sometimes, if I have left a piece of carpet or furniture too long on the tatami, especially during the rainy season (wet...humid...and more wet = mold everywhere!!), the hot water method doesn't really work as good as I would like it to so I will go and buy some heavy duty cleaning stuff for it. For every day cleaning....or every week, as in my case....just running the vacuum over it will clean it quite nicely. I have, on occasion, used some special cleaner just to freshen it up a bit.

Grandy and Stephanie asked about the Friday Feast that I resort to when time and energy are lacking.....just go to http://www.fridayfeast.com/ and they post the questions every week. Sometimes, the questions are just too....out there...and I will skip. They are kind of fun to do....you should try them!!!

Karen....Oh My Gosh!! Yes, I remember Rush....Tom Sawyer was one of my favorite songs!!! After I read your comment, I spent about 30 minutes in YouTube watching and listening to their stuff.....thanks for that natsukashii moment!!!

Heidi...(sorry it took me so long to get to this) asked about the languages we speak here at Kuroiwa Central....okay...so, I speak mostly English to Issei and Koji. (Koji is kind of hardheaded sometimes---I know...go figure-- and Japanese is just easier for him to understand.) When it is just us, Issei will speak English with me...Koji is starting to really try. But, when we are out, I speak English and the boys speak Japanese!!! The K-man and I speak mainly (okay...so more like 98%) Japanese to each other. Ask Issei if Daddy can speak English and you will get the funniest laugh from him!!! The boys, when playing, either just the two of them or with friends, will speak Japanese. We do get some funny looks at the store from people who are listening to us talk...and yes, they do listen...it's quite obvious at times!!!
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Okay....and now...in honor of Mother's Day...and in honor of my own Mom....I found this poem somewhere on the net...not sure now exactly where, but I thought it was a good one....I have great friends all over the world, but no one quite compares to my mom. Though we had some difficult times early on...we made it through them...and now...it's just a really, really nice mother-daughter friendship.


You can see it in their eyes,
in tender hugs and long good-byes,
a love that only moms and daughters know.


You can see it in their smiles,
through passing years and changing styles,
a friendship that continually seems to grow.


You can see it in their lives,
the joy each one of them derives,
in just knowing that the other one is there...


To care and to understand,
lend an ear or hold a hand,
and to celebrate the memories they share.

Once upon a memory
Someone wiped away a tear
Held me close and loved me,
Thank you, Mother dear.

Linda and Debbie...April, 1965

(check out those Diva Glasses of Linda Loo's...I do come by this naturally!!)

and Linda and Debbie, Christmas, 2004, Japan.

(hug....headlock...you make the call!!! :-D)

When Koji was a month old, we had a "blessing ceremony" at the shrine and Mom, bless her heart, flew over for it. (she did for Issei's too...not bad for a girl who really doesn't care to fly!!) This picture was taken in the garden of the shrine.......the woman on the left is Mrs. K.......the K-man's mom....

We laugh because so many people have started that "Oh, you and Debbie look just like sisters." routine with us....to which I have such mixed emotions....(many of you may be in the same situation)....I'm sure Mom likes hearing that waaaay more than I do!!! :-D

So....to my Mom....to my incredible sister-in-law, Leslie (mother of her own 4 boys!) and to my friends with children much older than mine (Susan, Dena, Cindy Kay, Sue....) who I have watched carefully over the years and have taken notes on how things are done.....to the friends who don't have children of their own ("Aunts" Cheryl, Trenda, Lila, Kim....) yet who have offered tons of support to me over the past 10 years and have treated my sons like their own (remember you can borrow them anytime!!).....to my Aunt Janice and Aunt Marcia whom I love dearly....to my other friends~~both Foreign and Japanese~~~ with kids who, as a group, we have been through so much....to my blogging friends who are also moms....and finally, to anyone else stopping by.....

I wish you flowers....

and hugs....

and a very, very.....
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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