Babes in Babylon

★ End of year favorites ★

2011-12-30T21:47:00.005+09:00

Almost 2012! Omg what a year it has been here in Japan! Definately looking forward to putting this year behind us and moving forward into hopefully a more positive/happy/less harrowing 2012.

Have been thoroughly busy the past few days with Osoji and making a stockpile of baby food for Leon thanks to the help of one of my fave baby food and kids cookbooks (above). He's finally eating well again after a stomach virus and is already up to eating his baby food twice a day. (*^_^*)

Also on the favorites list for Leon at the moment is this nurturing balm from EPISENCIAL since he (and I !!) are getting chapped skin from the dry winter air. Love it!

Well, only one more day to go for 2011!

XOXO

Christmas Party 2011

2011-12-19T16:36:00.005+09:00

Hardly post these days due to the usual excuse of being way too busy!

Boo hoo!!!

Things are slowly coming together for next year though as Taiga got into the Shogakko and Gakkudou that we were trying to get him into. Now that that's checked off the list and off my mind we just have to wait and see about whats going to happen with Leon's hoikuen next year. Phew.

Taiga had his final hoikuen Christmas party recently :

Nencho percussion

Sensei Sazai-san Christmas performance

Im so sad as I love this hoikuen so much! Only 3 more months left to go!!!

XOXO

Autumn in the Mountains

2011-11-23T11:11:00.002+09:00

XOXO

Autumn in the Mountains

2011-11-23T11:09:00.002+09:00

XOXO

Autumn in the Mountains

2011-11-23T11:07:00.002+09:00

XOXO

Autumn in the Mountains

2011-11-23T11:05:00.002+09:00

XOXO

Autumn in the Mountains

2011-11-23T11:04:00.002+09:00

XOXO

On a walk

2011-10-11T16:59:00.011+09:00

(having a whinge)

Thanks to an unexpected day off I got to have a nice long walk with Leon! xoxo lol

XOXO

2011 ★★★ Undokai

2011-10-10T19:19:00.002+09:00

XOXO

2011 ★ Undokai

2011-10-10T19:14:00.004+09:00

It's Undokai season once again and Taiga's hoikuen had theirs yesterday at his future Shogakko.

The final hoikuen undokai for Taiga!

XOXO

Skate event

2011-10-10T12:03:00.006+09:00

FAT BROS skate event yesterday where Taiga had a ride.His own board has become so boroboro now from age and wear and tear that we are going to get a new one custom made for him within the next few weeks which he's looking forward to!

XOXO

The Boys

2011-10-03T21:58:00.003+09:00

XOXO

Oops .......

2011-10-01T20:54:00.005+09:00

Totally neglected the blog for the past month!!! Sorry! All is good and well as usual - Have just been sooooooo omfg busy - with work (which has been great), all Leon and Taiga's stuff (and starting to organize Taiga's shogakko stuff already) plus planning to move to a new place which is just the tip of the iceberg on what I've been up to. Also have been planning the long awaited short trip = yay. Hopefully this month I wont be too lazy on the posting front!

XOXO

2011 ★ 保育園の夏祭り

2011-08-30T17:05:00.003+09:00

Taiga's last Hoikuen Natsu Matsuri ever! I'm kind of sad because I really really like his hoikuen and it will be sad to leave (;_;). I'm trying to get Leon in there next April but the competition is pretty fierce so I'm not sure how that will go. I actually start work again part time in September and Leon couldn't get into ANY (public or private) hoikuens in our area due to all places being totally full (just as I thought) SO he has to go to a hoikuen in Shinjuku-ku until somewhere in our area is available. Most likely in April. I don't care where (public or private) as long as it's close!!!!! 2 kids at 2 different hoikuens is bad enough (though enevitable in Tokyo) but 2 kids at 2 different hoikuens in 2 different wards is just totally mendokusai as I have to drop Taiga off at where he goes, catch the train to take Leon and drop him of then get back on the train and get to work, all in a mad rush and with the return trip as well. Mendokusai!!!!! Especially since Leons so small still. Fingers crossed on that front.

The teachers annual crazy performance ...................

Taiga helping run one of the stalls as all of the Nencho kids had to do. His was the edamame and onigiri stall ..................

Bon odori............

Taiga going nuts with his friends ....................

Natsuri Matsuri for 2011!!

XOXO

IKEBUKURO SUNSHINE AQUARIUM

2011-08-18T15:18:00.005+09:00

Another hot hot day in Tokyo yesterday with 34c temps and a trip to the newly reopened Ikebukuro Sunshine City Aquarium which was a slight relief from the heat ..........

Almost the end of Natsu yasumi!

Yadaaaaaa!!!!

XOXO

Ikebukuro Sunshine Aquarium

2011-08-18T15:15:00.004+09:00

XOXO

☆ Ikebukuro Sunshine Aquarium ☆

2011-08-18T15:13:00.003+09:00

XOXO

★ Natsu yasumi☆ ... so far ... ★

2011-08-15T13:40:00.004+09:00

Natsu yasumi so far - Kind of different this year since we haven't gone on a holiday out of Tokyo yet as we usually do (boo hoo!) but we've been to the pool almost every day, met friends in the park almost every day , have been to 2 movies, and not to mention Taiga had his 6th Birthday yesterday and his first tooth fell out the day before that .........

Fun times BUT want to get out of here!!!!!!

Yakitori after the park .................

First tooth out!!!!!!!

To be continued ................

XOXO

☆ POOL ☆☆

2011-08-07T21:32:00.004+09:00

Pool before a massive thunderstorm rolled in! Heaps of friends there today = So much fun!

loves!

XOXO

★ summer = POOL ★

2011-08-07T20:59:00.002+09:00

Summer = pool time and since it's Taiga's last year of being able to go to the local park jabujabu the most should be made of it! It's kind of sad that he won't be able to come next year since weve come here the past 6 years, though we will still be coming in the future for Leon (if we are still in Japan that is) so its the end of an era for Taiga but the start of one for Leon xoxo.

XOXO

★ Hara Ice Cream ★

2011-08-05T21:24:00.004+09:00

On the way from our place to Taiga's hoikuen there is a HARA DONUTS that I have to hold myself back from going to on a daily basis - but now it's even worse that they have started to make Tonyu based ice cream as well!!!

The chocolate one is seriously yabai, with chunks of donut and chocolate in it! Evil!

Loves!!!!!!

HARA DONUTS ICE

XOXO

frog

2011-08-02T20:30:00.006+09:00

Froggy feet

XOXO

The ride

2011-08-02T20:18:00.003+09:00

The Tik has mastered the bike with no training wheels

................. almost

XOXO

☆ お祭り☆ Day 2 ☆

2011-07-24T20:55:00.003+09:00

XOXO

★ お祭り ★

2011-07-23T22:43:00.004+09:00

Our first Natsu Matsuri outing of the year and Leon's first ever Matsuri .............

Round 2 to be continued tomorrow ................

XOXO

Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory

2011-07-23T16:42:00.001+09:00

I just can't get this song out of my head!!!!! I don't know what it is about Summer in Japan but I always get Gaga tracks running through my head every year !!! waaaa

XOXO

★ Bizmom ★

2011-07-21T14:44:00.006+09:00

Love Bizmom , magazine for working mothers with tips on things such as getting into hoikuen, time management, financial planning, planning schedules for working moms with kids in shogakko during school holiday time, profiles of other working moms and business women, quick recipe and obento tips etc. Honestly I wouldn't really care about a lot of this kind of stuff in Auz but I find it really helpful in J, particularly with advice on getting into hoikuen since (in our area at least) getting in to either public OR even private sometimes is sooooo incredibly difficult it really is almost like winning the lottery - all the advice and help you can get is definately worthy. Loves!!

XOXO

These days ......

2011-07-19T13:56:00.006+09:00

These days are pretty boring ones for me (to say the least!!). Although a lot is going on and I'm super busy all the time I'm not one for being stuck inside all the time/ staying in one place for too long and that is whats going on right now!!! It can't be helped I guess since Leon is only just over 1 month old making it harder at this point to do stuff, especially in the baking sauna like heat that is Japanese summer, though Natsu yasumi is just around the corner and so far haven't made any headway on plans to escape yet .............

Must get onto that ............

It's a pretty bleak day today with a typhoon is on the way so chilling out with an afternoon tea of donuts and movies and hopefully some time to catch up on sleep!!! (Not much chance of the latter though!) ..........

Leon is one and a half months old now and I can't believe how much bigger he has gotten so quickly and how fast the time has gone by since he was born!
I know when he starts toddling around there will be crazy times ahead but I'm really looking forward to when he can run around and play with Taiga..........

XOXO

WFXS x The Sisters of Mercy

2011-07-15T23:53:00.003+09:00

Paying tribute with the yearly ode to Willeth

Wilhelm Fransiskus Xarvarius Serantak
20th September 1973 ~ 15th July 2004

XOXO

★ Tanabata ★

2011-07-07T23:00:00.004+09:00

Tanabata today

Taiga's Tanabata wish for this year was the same as every year - he wants to be KAMEN RIDER.

My wish is to at least get half a nights sleep if possible this week !!!!! And to go on a nice holiday ASAP.

XOXO

★ Holiday ★

2011-07-01T16:02:00.006+09:00

Ive been planning on and off to make a trip to North Western India or Bhutan for some time now but to be honest, with my schedule the way it is at the moment I just can't even contemplate going there at this point in time, or at least for the next year or two until Leon's a bit older.

Dreaming of a holiday though and am being inspired by Yumie Kazama's GLAMOROUS HAWAII to take a nice, easy, relaxing, tropical vacation to Hawaii for the time being until bigger missions can be tackled!!!

Definately need a vacation at the moment though everything is awesome (even though I'm only getting about 3-4 hours sleep a night/ day at best these days!) I'm totally enjoying the time Ive had off work since March and the past month keeping pretty quiet adjusting to life with a new baby again but now that Summer is here feeling the need for fun times and adventures out of Tokyo!

XOXO

Taiga and Leon

2011-06-11T22:09:00.005+09:00

XOXO

病院の思い出。。。

2011-06-11T21:40:00.009+09:00

Pix from the hospital gardens where I would have mini escapes during the one week I was in hospital. YY's whole family was born here as well as Taiga and now Leon ....

Leons first walk outside after leaving hospital.

XOXO

3rd June 2011 ..............

2011-06-09T14:14:00.003+09:00

Welcome Leon !!!

XOXO

★ Books from Auz ★

2011-05-29T22:02:00.004+09:00

Some books that we brought back from Auz that were amongst Taiga's favorites while we were there -

TIKKI TIKKI TEMBO

(which actually was one of my favorites when I was Taiga's age!) and was the inspiration behind Taiga's nickname 'Tiki'. Thanks to my sister for the new copy since my old book was looking pretty rough! It was really awesome that i could pass down and read one of my favorite books to him that he really likes now too.

DINOSAURS GALORE

which is really big, bright and bold and he can try and read/repeat the words easily. I really love all the books by Giles Andreae and David Wojtowycz for the same reason - really bold and bright illustrations for younger kids and easy for kids Taiga's age to read or repeat.
Taiga loves! xoxo

XOXO

★ Before and After Favorites ★

2011-05-24T11:20:00.017+09:00

Love these Organic Herbal Teas from YOGI for before and after birth. I usually try to make teas from scratch myself but when I'm too busy, tired or in transit they are really quick, easy and great to have on hand. Loves! I used them with Taiga and they were really helpful so I'm using them again this time round.

Another long time favorite that I'm always going on about ~

these DOKUDAMI bath packs from

NATURAL HOUSE.

Dokudami is really good for any skin troubles but its also recommended for pre and post Natal skin care and is a great de-stressor.

XOXO

Nine months

2011-05-20T10:18:00.010+09:00

The nine month mark has passed and the new little man

will be coming out within the next few weeks!!!

OMG!!!

Time has FLOWN by since we arrived back in J land ~

I just can't believe how quickly the time feels to have flown by actually ~

It's great because I'm really looking forward to Summer and the events of the next few weeks and months ahead but there's still so much to be done before June and so little time left to do it !!!!

Have been sooooo busy catching up on the 6 weeks we were away's load of things to get done since we've been back - full of shopping and hospital visits, massive clean out of apartment, Taiga catching up with his friends and returning to hoikuen,

blah blah blah ............

Possibly one of the last pix of the bump ..................

Exciting!!!

On another note, introducing some new pre-summer bling ~

Really love black stone jewels at the moment in contrast to the

vitamin colors coming out for summer ~

Loves xoxo

Here's to an awesome summer for 2011!

After everything that's happened in the past few months over here I'm hoping this Summer time will be a really great one for everyone !!!

XOXO

こどもの日

2011-05-05T21:51:00.014+09:00

Back to Life in Japan again and Kodomo no Hi today ~

This years hand made Koinobori ^ ^ ^

It' s good to be back so far and things do

seem to have calmed down a lot in the past 6 weeks

however with the thought of the next massive Tokai earthquake

looming around the corner set to strike at any time AND

the fact that we have numerous other living options out of

Japan available to us YY and have made up our minds that it's probably better to be elsewhere since we have the choice of safer alternatives -

It would be pretty redic not to go when I think about it actually.

I feel like I've given Japan a pretty good run - 10 years and it

feels like a good time / the perfect time to move on...............................

Anyway, that's the thought for now although we will be here for the time being (until Summer at least) to now focus on the birth of the baby and wait until things have settled down after the birth ........................

Moving is the next mission to focus on .........................

XOXO

Storm rolls in ................

2011-05-04T23:18:00.003+09:00

Life in Auz ..................

Storm rolls in at the beach

XOXO

In the North .............

2011-05-04T23:14:00.004+09:00

XOXO

Shadow of the bump

2011-05-03T22:17:00.003+09:00

XOXO

Auz life - Up North

2011-05-03T22:14:00.003+09:00

More beach time with a trip up North ~

XOXO

Life in Auz - ★ SRES ★

2011-05-02T22:30:00.004+09:00

A day at the Sydney Royal Easter Show ...............

XOXO

Nekochan

2011-05-01T21:02:00.003+09:00

大我の大好きな "Evie" xoxo

XOXO

Taigas Auz Life

2011-05-01T20:51:00.004+09:00

Taiga's Auz life!

Going to Australian Elementary School

(Which he LOVED! ) .....................

End of Term assembly >

his first Auz school event ...........

And lots of playing!

XOXO

Taigas Auz Life - Pool

2011-05-01T20:50:00.001+09:00

XOXO

In the garden

2011-05-01T20:41:00.003+09:00

One of the great things about Auz life for Taiga was having

a garden/ being able to play in the garden - one of those things

simple but really important things that you take for granted

living in Auz but DEFINATELY miss living in Tokyo!

He loved it!

XOXO

Auz life - Beach ★★★

2011-05-01T13:27:00.002+09:00

XOXO

Auz life - Beach ★★

2011-05-01T13:25:00.001+09:00

Auz life - Beach ★

2011-05-01T13:23:00.001+09:00

Auz life playback - Beach

2011-05-01T13:14:00.005+09:00

Yes indeed we are FINALLY back in Japan after

spending 6 weeks all over the place in Auz

(Though mostly in Sydney). Finally able to upload pix!

XOXO

Heading Home

2011-04-08T08:14:00.004+09:00

Slowly winding things up in Auz in prep to head home to Tokyo!
Could stay for longer in Auz, though kind of just want to get back home and get on with things there and my window of time for plane travel is closing with only 2 months to go before the baby is born ....................
Things still aren't the best over there though now Ive had almost a month away and a good time to relax and be out of the thick of it >>>
Ready to go home!!!!!

XOXO

Life in Auz

2011-04-01T07:08:00.010+09:00

2 weeks since leaving Japan and although Auz life is way less stressful than being in J at the moment, the past week in particular has been a mad scramble getting Taiga's Auz citizenship, trying to enrol him in elementary school here (since he's of school age in Auz) and getting all our Auz medical documents and banking details up to date as fast as we can. Also been trying to organize medical checkups and a hospital to give birth in if it so happens that returning to Japan is impossible.
Its a whirlwind to say the least but at least we are being kept busy!!! Looking into returning to Tokyo at the end of April/ mid May at the latest if the coast is clearer than now with the radiation issue in particular - so fingers crossed on that!!!
As usual, have a massive backlog of photos to upload again but may not be able to do so until our J return since Ive taken alot of pix on my keitai which obviously doesn't work in Australia. That's all for now I guess, other than enjoying the usual glories of returning to your homeland after an extended absence = time with family and friends, the abundance of organic food / fresh juices here (that are hard(er) to get in J), the clean beaches with golden / white sand, fresh air, a garden (!) a pool at home (!!!) and of course AUZ SHOPPING! Taiga in particular is going sick over Western toys and keeps hassling me to take him to the toy shop constantly .....................
I don't know how I'm going to get all the stuff back to Japan that we have aquired in only two weeks!

To be continued ..............

In Auz .........................

2011-03-22T11:08:00.004+09:00

Have been safely back in Auz for a few days now. Everything here feels so safe and solid - no daily earthquakes to keep the stress levels contstantly at peak , nice sturdy houses with decent space (In contrast to having to worry if our small J apartment will collapse at any moment in the event of a major aftershock ), no worrying about radiation, particularly in our food and water!. No worries at all basically! It's all just starting to sink in. Realizing how different Auz life is to J life - Its just so relaxing here! I like my ' bata bata' busy to the extreme life in Tokyo but Im realizing since Ive been here it mayby is a little rediculously too busy..................
Anyway, now is a good time to step back and reflect on EVERYTHING ....................

More to come .................................

Fleeing Japan .......

2011-03-18T15:01:00.003+09:00

Ive been battling with the decision on whether to stay in Japan or leave for the past week now however its with much sadness （much to my suprise since Im always keen to get out of here - its just sad under these circumstances）to say that we are leaving for now for the sake of Taiga and my pregnancy. The Australian Embassy upgraded their alert for Tokyo to critical and urged its citizens to leave so we took that as the final cue. The Japanese government seem to be playing things down but other government embassies, one by one are upping their alerts to critical and moving their major functions out of Tokyo to Osaka. Its all just a precaution in prep for a worst case senario but .......if they are going to these lengths we may as well take precautions too and leave while we still can!!! So we are heading to Sydney but hopefully we may be able to come back to Japan if its deemed safe for the birth of the baby. Much to my despair my husband is staying behind to hold up the fort here - I really dont want to be apart for the birth and Im really worried for his safety so these are definately not fun times .............

more to come .................

Life in Limbo

2011-03-16T12:19:00.008+09:00

So it seems that the situation with the nuclear reactor just keeps getting worse and worse, we are getting daily aftershocks from the quake AND there was a large earthquake last night in Shizuoka (6+magnitude felt in Tokyo as 4+) that's not being considered as an aftershock but a separate incident.
There's so much information swirling around from the government, embassies, the media and the electric company (that's responsible for the nuclear plant) amongst many other sources, many of which of is conflicting on whether or not it's safe to stay in Tokyo or not, that EVERYONE I know is very very confused and not knowing what to do. Some friends have left the area/country, others are leaving ASAP and some are totally fine with staying. Everything's feeling pretty messy and up in the air. I'm completely in two minds about what to do - I'm kind of OK staying but then a major part of me keeps thinking that could potentially be a big mistake. I think I MAY go back to Auz in the next few days, but just stay for a few weeks or so until we know for sure whats going on and some of the panic has died down.
AND just as I'm writing this another big earthquake just struck in Chiba.

Honto ni dou shiou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????

Park Escape

2011-03-14T16:53:00.003+09:00

While most people in Tokyo are panic-buying I am panic-parking instead. Yes, I have indeed fled to the park but its mostly just to relax, contemplate and try and assimilate all that's happened since Friday. It was a good chance to do so since my office was shut down today （Woo hoo! Thank F for that- another day of being able to avoid a potentialy deadly train／subway situation） and with Taiga at his （nice, safe, newly built, earthquake hardy） hoikuen I was also left child free today to have some quiet time to myself! After a few hours of lazing around here I'm already feeling much better and not focusing so much on the fact of being on the brink of possible death（Although in the time that Ive been here Ive already received afew Earthquake alerts on my phone!） - At least I'm in safe in my 'safety zone' the park!!!

xoxo

On Edge ..........

2011-03-13T14:05:00.008+09:00

(Pic of my phones Early Earthquake Warning System messages for all the aftershocks that have occurred that are over (I believe ) magnitude 4 or 5. More have arrived on my phone since this pic! We have had hundreds of aftershocks since the quake but they have mainly been in the
range of magnitude 1 to 3)

3 days after the quake and very much on edge as aftershocks continue quite regularly. Another very nerve racking prospect is that they are predicting a 70% chance of an aftershock possibly closer to Tokyo with a magnitude of over 7 within the next 3 days.
Very scary. Everyone is rushing to get supplies and the atmosphere is one of shock still from the initial quake and tension for what could come (including a nuclear meltdown !) Personally, I can't sleep properly as I'm in our apartment most of the time by myself with a small child as well as being 7 months pregnant (when not at work - that's a whole other fear in itself! Especially imagining what would happen if I was commuting to work and the 'big' aftershock struck - I'm picturing the train flying off the tracks or the subway collapsing etc etc amongst various senarios!!!) so I'm feeling pretty scared/vulnerable at the moment! Am really worried about what could happen to Taiga obviously and the baby yet to be born. (Am seriously considering camping out in the middle of a nice open park with nothing to come crashing down on us if the 'big' aftershock hits!!!)

On another way more serious level its just been absolutely surreal/ heart wrenching/unbelievable to watch all the scenes unfolding on the news and net of the devastation
up north. I's just absolutely unbelievable to see many entire towns totally washed away and to think of how many people were washed away in the tsunami also that couldn't get away in time. It makes me feel totally, totally sick. So far we have been incredibly lucky in Tokyo and even though feeling very scared about any more disasters that could unfold in the future, also feeling very, very thankful at the same time since it could have been a whole lot worse here in the city.

more to come ..............

EARTHQUAKE

2011-03-11T20:17:00.013+09:00

Holy F＊＊＊ING Hell!
Today was DEFINATELY one of the scariest days of my entire life!!!!!
I was in the middle of Shinjuku when the biggest recorded earthquake that has ever hit Japan (could be wrong with that statement but that's what Ive heard) struck and it was seriously petrifying! A complete stranger and I grabbed hands in the panic and held on to each other for dear life! I cant even begin to imagine how utterly terrifying it would have been to be closer to the epicentre in Miyagi at the time. Everything's pretty chaotic in Tokyo right now with patchy phone service and no way for most people to get home from where they work or where they were out at the time the quake struck. This was definately one of times I was very, very thankful for living where we do, for it was still abit of a trek but I had to walk home from Shinjuku（along with thousands of other people!） No doubt the walking exodus from central parts of the city will be continuing throughout the night - even right now where I live the sidewalks are thronged with thousands of people trekking home - if they can reach home at all!
As news of the damage／injuries/lives lost unfolds I'm sending all of my thoughts to the people of Miyagi/Iwate/ Sendai and Fukushima
who have been the hardest hit. I don't even know when this mail may reach the blog since its been almost impossible to phone and mail all afternoon. Heres hoping!

Along the thought of snow ..........

2011-03-10T22:43:00.012+09:00

Flashing back to February, the day after the heaviest snowfall
of the year in Tokyo
(not very much compared to other places .... BUT still ....... )

On the way to hoikuen ....................
Taiga had a great time throwing snow balls
around (mainly aimed at me!)
(@_@)

XOXO

Snow

2011-03-07T12:35:00.005+09:00

Like a very, very bad joke after the awesome Spring l
ike weekend we just had it's now 2゜C and effing snowing as
the bump and I dropped Taiga at hoikuen are
racing to the office .......(*_*)!!!

★ Lunch ★

2011-03-06T17:05:00.006+09:00

★ Lunch ＆ Vietnamese coffee @ PEPPERMINT ★
It's been exactly a year （or more!）since we've been here!

XOXO

Beautiful Sunny Sunday II ★

2011-03-06T15:57:00.003+09:00

XOXO

魚

2011-03-06T15:55:00.002+09:00

XOXO

Beautiful Sunny Sunday

2011-03-06T15:12:00.004+09:00

★ Finally its getting warmer and easier to venture outside!!!
I really ☆REALLY☆ cant stand long cold Winters - it gets
so incredibly depressing and tiring especially when six months
up the duff - need the energizing vibes of a good, sunny warm
Spring day!!! Feeling happy and refreshed!!! LOLs! ★

XOXO

March

2011-03-05T15:52:00.004+09:00

The lazy blogger is back! Finally all the electronic
woes in the Kobayashi household are ALMOST
sorted out! Just in time too as I have a huge backlog
of pics in my camera from various February adventures
...........................to be continued!

............xoxo

January

2011-01-23T20:38:00.008+09:00

.....The month has flown by and has been a super busy one for Rah as usual! Haven't been able to post any pics for awhile as the camera on my phone has gone kaput (AGAIN !） AND our internet is down while we change server so I cant upoad photos from my computer either ...... Hopefully things will be sorted out soon - until then I have to deal with a busted phone and internet withdrawals ........Nooooooo! ......... On another note it's been FREEZING in Tokyo recently and Ive been wishing I was somewhere warmer! Cant wait for Spring - can't stand this cold for much longer and not looking forward to when it starts snowing! ........ Other news - - - I'm around 5 months along with the new baby now and it most certainly looks like it's a boy! As of June Im going to have 2 boys on my hands! Taihen!!! But looking forward to it of course ....... LOL ..... Anywayz, hope to be posting some pix again soon 〜

XOXO

NEW YEAR 2011

2011-01-05T11:56:00.007+09:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

Wishing everyone the very best for 2011!

Had a really busy New year and now
it's going to be a really really busy year to come!
Waaaaah!
Can't wait!

XOXO

Christmas Season 2010

2010-12-24T22:26:00.001+09:00

XOXO

Tori Amos - Winter

2010-12-23T21:18:00.001+09:00

Another song for the cold times ...................

XOXO

Monday

2010-12-23T20:58:00.003+09:00

Monday in Ginza .................

Shopping and afternoon tea .........................
Enjoying the holiday time ...................

With the emergence of 'The bump' .....................

XOXO

Bjork Aurora

2010-12-18T21:25:00.004+09:00

Another Winter Glory from Bjork >>>>>>
Perfectly sums up the feeling
of these frosty Winter nights >>>

XOXO

Christmas Party

2010-12-18T20:41:00.005+09:00

It was a nice start to the holiday season last weekend with
Taiga's Hoikuen Christmas party! xoxo
Winter is is most definately here now - It's been absolutely FREEEEZING!!!
We are only half way through December and I'm totally over the
cold already!!! Yada!
Another 4 or 5 months of cold weather to go ............
Waa ha haaaa!

Anyway .................
The party had all the usual moments such as;
Santa and present time ..............

Taiga intoducing himself after the 年中 class
performance ........................

The Christmas art .....................

So everybody ...............
Merry Christmas!!! (One week early - Or two in the
case of the party!)

XOXO

Park in Autumn

2010-11-28T18:50:00.001+09:00

Last week in the park ................

XOXO

Bike riding in Autumn

2010-11-28T18:41:00.001+09:00

Bike riding in Autumn .............

XOXO

November favorites

2010-11-27T13:22:00.003+09:00

Thank goodness the week is over! Had to spend afew days in the hospital on a drip and the rest of the week/ this weekend out of action due to severe morning sickness plus a virus.
Not fun at all!!!!! Totally having a rough time with this pregnancy at the moment!
Definately one of my number one favorites now as it seems to alleviate my severe morning sickness somewhat ~ WELEDA Rose Bath Milk from

COSME KITCHEN

On another note .............
Another little goody I was so happy to find
(as it's a rarity in J land!)
BAKLAVA!!!!!!!
Woo hoo! Loves!
Happy!!!!!

XOXO

November 14th ~ 七五三＠明治神宮

2010-11-21T20:02:00.009+09:00

Unfortunately for me I was feeling
TOTALLY TOTALLY sick this
day (which is the norm for me lately ~ boo hoo ~ one of the
worst parts of being preggers ) so I
couldn't put much effort into getting dressed up
like the rest of the fam (won't post their pix out cause I'm
not sure if they're too keen about being put on the blog (!)

XOXO

November 14th ~ 七五三＠明治神宮

2010-11-21T19:55:00.002+09:00

XOXO

November 14th ~ 七五三＠明治神宮

2010-11-21T19:34:00.004+09:00

Shichigosan was on the 15th of November but since that day was a Monday
we went to Meiji Jingu on the 14th with the whole family
instead to celebrate Taiga being 5 years old!

XOXO

Birthday

2010-11-07T21:08:00.006+09:00

My birthday today! Had a very low key day/ weekend mostly
due to the fact most of the time I'm so sick I can hardly
move ~ however had a lovely afternoon of
Pancakes with Lah yesterday for a mini celebrate.

Hmmmm ................
Pancakes ..............

XOXO

Thanks Lah!
xoxo

XOXO

中華街 ~ by night

2010-11-04T20:57:00.003+09:00

XOXO

中華街 ~ by night

2010-11-04T20:52:00.005+09:00

中華街

2010-11-04T20:45:00.005+09:00

XOXO

中華街

2010-11-04T20:40:00.006+09:00

XOXO

Yokohama

2010-11-04T20:26:00.003+09:00

XOXO

YOKOHAMA

2010-11-04T11:21:00.005+09:00

Beautiful day to go to Yokohama .................

XOXO

HALLOWEEN

2010-10-31T16:07:00.007+09:00

Been quiet on the blogging front again since my
morning sickness has come on full force now and haven't
had the energy to do anything much. It's been pretty
bad - I don't remember being this sick with Taiga.
Not only that, after the hottest summer in 100 years that we just had
suddenly the cold has come on in full force which has made
it all the more harder to adventure too far outside.

Lots of events/travels coming up in November though
so looking forward to the month to come!

So, today is Halloween and I'm totally not a fan of it
(or any other Western holiday ) that is
celebrated in Japan due to how badly they have
misconstrued the whole event >>>
However, must do these things for Taiga!

He got one of those Chocolate countdown calenders
where you open one chocolate a day until the event,
however of course he couldn't be patient and pretty
much ate them all at once!

Hmmmmmmmm......................
Chocolate .............................

Chocolate ........................

Chocolate ..............

So even though Halloween in Japan is a
total crock at least its a good excuse I
guess to eat lots of sweets!

XOXO

Hoikuen Undokai 2010 Part 3

2010-10-18T12:28:00.004+09:00

Class dance ......................

XOXO

Hoikuen Undokai 2010 Part 2

2010-10-18T12:15:00.002+09:00

The younger classes game time ..............

The adults warming up for a Kids and Parents race ...........

YY and Taiga doing an obstacle race .................

Taiga's team won!

XOXO

Hoikuen Undokai 2010 Part 1

2010-10-18T11:59:00.002+09:00

Taiga had his Hoikuen Undokai yesterday,
held at his future shogakko .......................

More pix to come .............

XOXO

Tree of Life Goodies

2010-10-16T20:25:00.009+09:00

Picked up a few treats today from

THE TREE OF LIFE

- Stretch mark & Soothing oils ........................

Cut out my favorite Coffee and replaced it
with Organic Rosehip tea - Going to have to really
work hard at trying to stay awake at work for the next
few months before I finish without Coffee! Nooooo!

XOXO

The News

2010-10-16T20:15:00.004+09:00

So the big news is - Baby number two is on the
way - however it's still in the really early stages so still not
quite in the clear yet. Fingers crossed everything will
be OK!
Being the shopping freak that I am I've already
started gathering goodies !!!!!
So excited!!!

XOXO

Cold October Rain

2010-10-10T08:42:00.008+09:00

Hiding out from the cold rainy Sat night with a
sweets getaway!!!

I've been lazy with the bloggy thing again lately as
per my usual excuse - busyness to the extreme, work
where I'm always traveling around and kept on my toes,
along with other stuff and looking after Taiga ...........

On another note,

Some major news on the way
(Mayby later today IF I'm not too busy!!!!)

Enjoying another lovely evening with Lah .............

Getting into the sweets ...............

Loves ................

Lah and Taiga having a Princess Leah VS Kamen Taiga moment .......

XOXO

SLY Boots

2010-09-23T10:22:00.000+09:00

It's kind of hard to think about (or shop for) Winter fashions
when we are still going through a major heat wave in Tokyo
with the hottest and longest Summer on record, however
hot or not I caved when I saw these Hiking~heel short boots from
SLY the other day and of course had to get ASAP!

One of the reasons why I totally love these boots is that
the whole inside of the boot, including the sole is
lined with soft fur ~ so lux , comfortable and
warm and quite special for a heeled short boot.
Totally LOVES!!!!

Love SLY!

XOXO

Lah on the move

2010-09-22T10:43:00.006+09:00

Lah on the move .............

Thanks for the awesome day as usual, bebe!!!
Until next time ...............

XOXO

Date with Lah

2010-09-22T10:34:00.006+09:00

Lah and I had our regular date in Daikanyama
yesterday with a mini feast of Mexican food ~

It's been such long time since I've
eaten guacamole! OMG! About time!

OMG Soooo spicy but so good!

XOXO

Night on the Bay

2010-09-22T10:21:00.007+09:00

XOXO

Evening on the Bay

2010-09-22T10:14:00.006+09:00

XOXO

Rah & Tik

2010-09-22T10:13:00.001+09:00

XOXO

Odaiba

2010-09-21T23:11:00.009+09:00

XOXO

Babes in Babylon

★ End of year favorites ★

Christmas Party 2011

Autumn in the Mountains

Autumn in the Mountains

Autumn in the Mountains

Autumn in the Mountains

Autumn in the Mountains

On a walk

2011 ★★★ Undokai

2011 ★ Undokai

Skate event

The Boys

Oops .......

2011 ★ 保育園の夏祭り

IKEBUKURO SUNSHINE AQUARIUM

Ikebukuro Sunshine Aquarium

☆ Ikebukuro Sunshine Aquarium ☆

★ Natsu yasumi☆ ... so far ... ★

☆ POOL ☆☆

★ summer = POOL ★

★ Hara Ice Cream ★

frog

The ride

☆ お祭り☆ Day 2 ☆

★ お祭り ★

Lady Gaga - The Edge Of Glory

★ Bizmom ★

These days ......

WFXS x The Sisters of Mercy

★ Tanabata ★

★ Holiday ★

Taiga and Leon

病院の思い出 。。。

3rd June 2011 ..............

★ Books from Auz ★

★ Before and After Favorites ★

Nine months

こどもの日

Storm rolls in ................

In the North .............

Shadow of the bump

Auz life - Up North

Life in Auz - ★ SRES ★

Nekochan

Taigas Auz Life

Taigas Auz Life - Pool

In the garden

Auz life - Beach ★★★

Auz life - Beach ★★

Auz life - Beach ★

Auz life playback - Beach

Heading Home

Life in Auz

In Auz .........................

Fleeing Japan .......

Life in Limbo

Park Escape

On Edge ..........

EARTHQUAKE

Along the thought of snow ..........

Snow

★ Lunch ★

Beautiful Sunny Sunday II ★

魚

Beautiful Sunny Sunday

March

January

NEW YEAR 2011

Christmas Season 2010

Tori Amos - Winter

Monday

Bjork Aurora

Christmas Party

Park in Autumn

Bike riding in Autumn

November favorites

November 14th ~ 七五三＠明治神宮

November 14th ~ 七五三＠明治神宮

November 14th ~ 七五三＠明治神宮

病院の思い出。。。