This'll Just Take a Minute

Kenzo's class was supposed to go sledding up at Izumigadake a few weeks back, but the trip got postponed due to a lack of snow. It had been a light winter snow-wise up to recently. Mother nature is making up for that now. So today was the big day. Finally some real mountain snow sledding. Not just papa pulling our sled through our little neighborhood park while constantly pausing and quietly cursing. Kenzo took it super well when the original field trip was canceled. He's learning little by little how to roll with things. When the announcement came that field trip would on the 31st he was so excited. I wrote it on the calendar on the wall by the kitchen. He loves looking at the calendar and figuring out what things we'll be doing and how many days it is until they happen. After all his anticipation and telling Eri and I pretty much daily how he can't wait to go on the sledding trip, this morning as we were set to get in the car and head to the kindergarten bus stop he ...

Eri was a little surprised that I ate all the tripe out of the stew last night. Not a bite was left. There was plenty of vegetables and soup left, though, so for lunch today she added some champon noodles and we did another hot pot. Eri left for school and the boys took a pretty good nap. Even Kenzo. When he came downstairs I gave him his dried potato snack with a jelly and a little chocolate pie thing. The boys love the dried potatoes.  Kenzo sat across from me munching while I was working at the dining table. He took his time today and was observing me. It dumped snow like crazy after five p.m. Eri's school apparently doesn't have windows so when she went outside at eight she was pretty surprised. She took the subway back up to Izumi and drove safely home, making it back just as the boys were getting in bed. Perfect timing. They are always so happy when they hear the car pull up in the driveway and the front door unlock. Kenzo ran down to greet mama and growled like a monste...

More snow last night. We awoke to a fresh layer of powder everywhere. Eri and the boys headed out to Izumi Chuo to play at Nobisuku and find new books at the library while papa had some quiet time. After all that and snack time and nap time and clean up time the boys and I headed down to 1-Chome Park for the second straight day and enjoyed dusk while snow sledding. Even though she spent most of the day with Kenzo and Osamu and was thoroughly exhausted, Eri made a motsunabe for dinner that made me feel like the luckiest person in all of Japan, perhaps the world. She even made it all pretty so when the lid was opened at the table we all oooohed and ahhhhhed.  And the smell. Ohhhh the aroma that fills the house when a good tripe hot pot is on.

Soccer club was pretty cold this morning. Zero degrees and snow falling. Thankfully the kids play on a covered field. Kenzo scored two goals. Osamu is getting there. He just loves chasing after the ball and kicking it. He doesn't care which way. Eri was pretty exhausted after getting up at 4 a.m. to study for her internet marketing exam this afternoon, but when she came back she made crepes for the boys. This was their first crepe experience, and they didn't miss a beat in joking around and calling them "grapes". Eri whipped up some fresh cream, skillfully fried the pancakes, and added colorful sprinkles and strawberries. Kenzo is a huge fan. Osamu not so much. Eri ended up eating a lot of leftover crepe. The snow is partly melted in places that get direct sunlight, but it's still piled up pretty much everywhere you look. The park in front of our house is super shady all the time so the snow is still mostly pristine. A little snowman that some kids must've mad...

We haven't really spoken about it, but Eri seems to be okay with me leaving the shade open at night on the window closest to my side of the bed. For a while she seemed to be against it, maybe because in the summer the sun comes up so early. These days I leave it open and Eri doesn't shut it. I love the morning light coming in through the window. This morning, however, like recent days, I awoke and turned to look out the window and it was snowing. Again. I hopped out of bed as quick as I could because snow means I have extra duties, like shoveling the driveway and prepping the car for Eri and the boys' departure. After quickly doing the boys' teeth brushing and face washing and all the stuff to make sure they have their necessary items for school and look somewhat like they come from a loving home I put on my coat and wool cap and nice new neck warmer from Uniqlo and headed outside. I shoveled snow off the porch and walkway and the steps leading down to the driveway and ...

I sit and do my evening reading and writing and whatnot at the dining table. If I sit at the table in the living room on the heated carpet I conk out fast. I've conked out at the dining table too, but the chances are lower.  However, when I have fallen asleep sitting at the dining table I've come close to seriously injuring myself when my head hits the floor, or the time it hit the humidifier. It's a weird feeling to be awakened by the feeling of pain and disorientation. I am trying to avoid any further experiences of that nature. Last night I was apparently dozing at the dining table again. Eri called me on my phone from upstairs but I didn't answer. She came down and said, "Hey, Pikkun!" That's what she calls me most of the time. It's an inside joke I'll try to explain one day. I looked up and tried to be cool. "Wha wha... what's up?" "Are you sleeping?" "I'm just thinking." (Genius) "Hurry up and come t...

About fifteen minutes before my alarm clock went off Osamu came bursting into the bedroom and announced, "Papa, there's big snow!" I sat up and looked out the window and confirmed Osamu's weather report. I followed him downstairs and he and Kenzo were loving the coziness of the hot carpet while looking out the window at the falling snow, which lasted all day. Aaaaaallllll day. Snow snow snow nonstop for about 18 hours. I used the snow brush to get the car ready for Eri and the boys to set off for the bus stop, but when Eri got back and I was already starting my work day she set about shoveling snow off the driveway. That's my job. I kinda failed today in that department.  I had to go see my psychiatrist to get my crazy pills refilled. It was snowing pretty good so I decided to take the bus instead of walking to Izumi Chuo. The bus was over 30 minutes late. I should've just walked.  After going downtown and back on the subway I decided to walk home. I had on my...

It was a crazy day at work, but I work from home and have it pretty good so there's zero reason to complain. My (soon to be) boss called suddenly and I was glad I didn't take that early lunch break I had been planning.  Eri went out and did shopping and errands, one of which was stopping by our photo studio to pick up the photos we took last month. This is just one. Osamu told me his friend drew him a picture and gave it to him. "She loves me," he said.

The nice babysitter we got through the Izumi Ward Office, Zanma-san, came over today. Thankfully she was a few minutes early because I had a meeting at three and needed to be at my desk. I prepped the boys' snacks and water and when Zanma-san entered the house the boys, who were in their bunk beds for a quick nap but definitely did not sleep a wink, came running down excitedly. They love her. She's a super nice old lady who lives nearby and is great with kids. She even remembered that Kenzo has been into playing with string, kind of like Cat's Cradle but without the game part. So Zanma-san went out of her way to bring a few colorful strands of yarn that both Kenzo and Osamu could could play with. They loved it. As usual, they had an amazing time. Later on when it was time for bed they conked out faster than I've ever seen. Kenzo almost fell asleep going up the steps. The bummer is that I told Eri tonight that I don't think we need Zanma-san to babysit. It's supe...

When I finally got up and went downstairs around 8 the boys had just finished a fabulous pancake breakfast. Eri gave me the look of "papa I know it's Sunday but please try to get down here faster." I'm still dealing with bedtime and general sleep issues. Eri knows, and she is being very patient with me. After setting about the usual morning tasks of bed making, the boys' toothbrushing and face washing, and putting pajamas in the laundry basket, I announced that at nine o'clock, as long as all the other toys that were strewn about the house were nicely put away, it would finally be play dough time. The reaction was jumping and cheers, mostly from Kenzo, who was upset during the week when we couldn't do play dough time due to time and practicalities. I promised him we would do it during the weekend. And so it was. Kenzo made a fleet of 11 play dough airplanes. Osamu was done after about 20 minutes. He apparently had other shenanigans to get into. Before lunc...

Saturday morning means soccer, and it was a cold one. It was snowy and windy for most of the day. The boys were looking out the window and said the snow was backwards. It was indeed being blown up and sideways and all around. But that didn't stop Kenzo and Osamu from having an awesome soccer practice. Eri was home studying for an exam she had in the afternoon, so after soccer I was going to take the boys to one of our favorite parks, but it was too cold and snowy. So we went to a big box electronics store and ran amok. The boys are always keen on the pianos. I am hoping this might mean they have a natural inclination for playing the piano, or any instrument. They love messing around with their ukuleles, but pretty soon I want to see if they can take a next step. While mama was out in the afternoon the boys were as busy as ever. Trains, monorails, paper airplanes, cutting up origami and making "more and more trash" as Osamu puts it. Eri's mom stopped by and got the ...

I had an important management meeting from 5 to 6 this evening. I try to avoid meetings late in the day since that's when I really need to be keeping an eye on the boys. Plus I find my mind slows down the later in the day it gets, especially on a Friday evening. This meeting couldn't be avoided though.  So I prepped the boys. After Osamu's chapstick artwork on the TV a few weeks ago, as well as some other shenanigans, I have committed myself to working at the kitchen table after 3 p.m. They're super good little boys, but they are also super mischievous little boys. If I have a meeting with my team it's fine. They get that I am doing double duty. When I have a meeting with my boss or other managers, they get it too, but I have to maintain at least the appearance of full professionalism, even if everything outside of the Zoom screen view is a combination of escaped zoo animals, a prison riot, and the part in The Cat in the Hat where the cat opens the box with Thing ...

Usually I ask the boys at dinner, but tonight was kinda crazy. I had a long call after 5 p.m. with a customer who needed technical support, and who better than to give technical support over the phone to an elderly school principal in Tokyo than me? I ask Kenzo and Osamu every evening what they think the best part of their day was. I don't force it, of course. They don't have to answer if they don't want to, but they pretty much always do unless they're distracted. That's why I ask at dinner or bedtime - nothing else going on. Of course I'm really curious about their daily life when they're not with me, but I have other motives. I want Kenzo and Osamu to live full, amazing, adventurous, fearless lives, and I think one small thing I can do for them now when they're little is help them practice self-reflection and gratitude.  By asking them the simple question, "What was the best part about today?" I get three birds with one stone: 1) finding out...

Eri was off to school just before 3 p.m. and the boys were settled in for a nap. In the end I had a solid 30 minutes of uninterrupted work time. I've been trying to schedule my meetings for the mornings as much as possible so that in the afternoon I can work at the dining table and keep an eye on the boys. They both did pretty quick naps. Kenzo, naturally, didn't even sleep. I could tell by his hair. No bed hair. Just a mischievous grin when he came downstairs and said, "Hi papa." Osamu slept but not for long. Maybe an hour or so. Long nap or short nap, either is fine for me.  Osamu is a great hugger. He came down and gave me the strongest hug he had in him. Kenzo was coloring something at the table and I called to him, "Hey, man! Whaddaya got? Any hugs?" Kenzo's not as world-class a hugger as Osamu, but he put his pencils down and came running over and gave me a hug that ended up with him wrapping his legs around me and he fell on the floor laughing.

Zanma-san came to babysit this afternoon through the evening when I finished work at six. The boys were pretty excited, so nap time was out.  Kenzo and Osamu love playing with her, and she is a great babysitter. She's a grandma, so she has certain instincts. However, her grandma instincts also incline her to indulge the boys when they step over the line, which they are experts at. They're like ninjas. Around 4 p.m. Osamu came up to my office, already in his jacket, and asked if he and Kenzo could go outside with Zanma-san. I said yes, but to wait a moment until I could go down and make sure that was okay with her. It was, of course. She was worried about what I thought, to which I told her, "I would be outside with these guys right now and camp outside in the garden every night if it was practical."  However, I told her that if she didn't feel like going outside then I will tell the boys that today we're playing inside. Papa's word is final. They went outs...

Eri texted me after she left for school. Actually it was just before 4 p.m. She was probably just arriving at her class. She got a message from Kenzo's kindergarten teacher while she was driving. When she called back they said his teacher had stepped out. Eri texted me to see if Kenzo had said anything. He hadn't. But I asked. Carefully. "Hey Kenzo. So you told me about the fun stuff you did today." I was on my laptop working at the dining table again. Kenzo was in the living room making snowman coloring sheets for his friends. "Did anything not fun happen today?" I am a master of leading questions. He replied with, "No. Only fun things today." Then a pause. Then, "Oh, one thing was not fun." I was on the edge of my seat. He proceeded to tell me very calmly that his classmate Rikuto always wins rock paper scissors and it's not fun. So Kenzo told me, "I cried a little bit." I texted Eri back with my intel. She texted back th...

Eri took the boys to Izumi Chuo to play in the afternoon. Her stated reason was that she wanted to give me a few hours of quiet time. Second weekend in a row. Last week she took them to her dad's house. Her unstated reason, I think, is that she may be feeling that papa gets an imbalance of quality play time with Kenzo and Osamu. Either way, I was so thankful for the time. I think I need more, actually. I can't get used to the quiet house with just me in it. I walked for about 90 minutes and came back and folded laundry. There were a few times I actually felt like an anxiety attack was coming, but luckily I was able to breathe and stave that off without taking one of my emergency panic pills. The boys had an awesome time as always. I love it when they come home out of breath, laughing, and excited to talk about all the things they did and saw. Tonight was the first haircut night of 2023 and Kenzo was reluctant as ever. Osamu seems to love getting his hair cut. He just sits and e...

Eri made the most delicious ramen ever tonight. It was miso I think. I didn't even think to ask. My taste buds were too busy. But there was also that amazing briny shrimp stock flavor as well. Every time she makes ramen I always declare it the best of all time, but this time I think it really was. Kenzo started his day by declaring it was his monkey's birthday. His monkey is a cute stuffed animal that grandma gave him because his cousin in America had one that he loved and grandmas know a good thing when see it.  Kenzo spent his free time today cutting and folding origami presents for his monkey. At one point he decided he wanted an origami heart, but he doesn't know how to make that. He asked me but of course I'm useless. The ancient traditional art of Japanese paper folding? I make a helluva paper airplane and I have tried and failed to make various animals for the boys through watching YouTube origami videos. Luckily mama has a knack for such things. She consulted a ...

Last night as we were wrapping up story time in the living room and getting ready to head upstairs to the boys' bunk bed Kenzo said, "Hey papa, I cut the cheese... and something happened." And it turns out something did indeed happen. He pooped his pants a little. No biggie. Kind of a bummer for me to clean, but I made sure to let Kenzo know, and of course Osamu was listening as well, that it happens. Poor guy. I laughed a lot later when I told Eri about it. We both did. Tonight when the boys pulled up to the dinner table for their curry rice I put on some music, as I like to do. Pretty soon "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles comes on. I was standing in the kitchen drying dishes and Osamu goes, "Papa, is this song called 'Here Comes the Sun'?" That's exactly how he asked me and I wish I recorded it. I responded with, "Yes it is Osamu boy. How did you know that?" I was genuinely curious. "Because he said it." Referring o...

On the second Thursday of every month I have a late meeting, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The participants are from all over the world - Michigan, Moscow, Seoul, Ulaanbaatar. It's challenging to set up a Zoom call across so many time zones. Someone's gotta wake up early and someone's gotta stay a little late. I've lucked out when it comes to scheduling. That late meeting has mostly coincided with Eri's day off from school. I think we had her mom come and babysit one month. Tonight, however, I had the boys on my own and an international Zoom call right smack dab in the middle of the evening. I've been mentally preparing for days. I had a plan to make it work. The first step was planting myself at the dining table to work before Eri brought the boys home. I was able to keep an eye on my Teams chats and the tasks I was working on while greeting Kenzo and Osamu, making sure they washed their hands and went to the bathroom, avoid any arguing or crying about who gets to go ...

Second day back at kindergarten and Kenzo and his friends are at it again. They love writing letters to each other. Today, however, I opened up Kenzo's bag to check for notes from his teacher and to empty his lunch utensil case into the kitchen sink and found a stack of pictures that he and his friends drew and traded. It's a collection of silly, scary faces. This week Eri has no days off from her night school. Monday was a national holiday, so it's four straight days of attempting to do my job while also taking care of the boys from mid-afternoon to bedtime. Today, though, Zanma-san came over. She's the nice old lady who Eri found through the ward office to babysit from time to time. Even just one day a week is a huge relief for me. The boys love playing with her and I can shut my office door and concentrate and even take a break and go for a short walk at sunset, which refreshes me for last hour of work. Around 4 p.m. Osamu came into my office while I was on a phone c...

Eri doesn't really like it, but in the winter months I think she ignores it since the sun rises much later. When I'm tiptoeing to bed after checking in on the boys I like to open the window shade on the window closest to my side of the bed so that the morning light shines in. In the summer the sun rises before five a.m. so I can kinda understand why Eri's averse to it. She's a light sleeper and that July sun shining in super early brings a decisive halt to her slumber. I like waking to the morning sunlight. The problem for Eri, and really for me as well, is that I am a super sound sleeper and I don't necessarily wake up when the light shines in through the window. I wake up when I wake up, whether it's with my alarm clock or Osamu tackling me or just snoozing until whenever on days when Eri takes pity on me and lets me sleep late. So the morning light shines in and is there waiting when I deem the day ready for me to be awakened, and Eri is instantly tortured in...

Eri and the boys headed to grandpa's house today, leaving me behind so I could enjoy some quiet time. I called Eri's dad this evening to thank him for having the boys over and for the huge sack of rice he gave us and especially for the miso cucumber snack he sent along just for me. It really is awesome. Goes perfectly with a nightcap. Kenzo and Osamu had another amazing day at grandpa's house. They love corn on the cob. Grandpa specializes in vegetables. They also love playing hide-and-go-seek around grandpa's house. They took their kites. I packed them in the car, along with a bag of other stuff like bubbles and badminton rackets. Grandpa lives about an hour north of Sendai on the low roads. It's the middle of nowhere, and that's why it is so good and why I love that the boys love going there. I love going, too, but today I was thankful to just have at least part of a day to enjoy the act of being. By myself. Which is something I used to take for granted but ne...

Kenzo's been on a writing craze recently. He writes letters to me, to Eri, and he's gearing up to write letters to his friends for when he starts back to kindergarten on Tuesday. This letter to mama today had me a little perplexed at first. Then I realized he switched directions midway. He wrote left to right for the first three lines and then the fourth line is right to left and the fifth line left to right.  I love that he is not concerned with form or rules and I talked with Eri tonight about how important I think it is to foster that. Penmanship, grammar, spelling - those are all things we naturally get better with over time. Confidence, tenacity, self-esteem - those seem to me to be things that need to be nurtured and cared for, because unlike scholarly learning they're not automatic. I might point out to Kenzo that his writing is a little off, but I won't make him feel bad about it. There's no reason. He's learning.  He writes to me in English and to mama ...