Eri had her business plan stolen. By her mom.
The drama just got ratcheted up a few notches. I felt terrible for laughing, but it's so ridiculous that it's funny. Eri doesn't think so. Which makes it even more humorous and makes me even more guilty for laughing about it.
Today was the big day where our neighborhood association planted summer flowers in the planter box along the main road.
I made a video and shared it with our neighborhood chat group.
The chairman of our neighborhood association was even sporting his favorite cap.
There was also some major lizard play before soccer.
And late afternoon play at the park and all over the neighborhood with friends.
A light squall came through as I was walking through the Dounji graveyard. I took a video, but it doesn't do the moment justice. The smell and the humid air and the sound and the bugs are not capturable by any means other than the human nervous system.
In a moment of inspiration, I invented "The Bad Boy Express."
Kenzo and Osamu love the book, and recently the movie, The Polar Express. I gotta say, I was skeptical. I sorta remember when the movie came out, and the first time I reviewed the book for possible inclusion in our home library I had qualms. The illustrations are beautiful, and the overall story about believing in Santa Claus is charming, but there's some creepiness in it as well. No spoilers here.
The boys love it, though. So it was decided. The Polar Express made the jump from library borrowing to Amazon shopping cart.
This afternoon while cleaning up after some intense play with blocks and toys I mentioned to the boys that there's a train that comes by at night and that I saw it.
They asked me if it was the Polar Express, and I said, "No, that train only comes on Christmas Eve. The train I saw comes around any time."
They asked me what it was and I told them it was a train just like the Polar Express, except it doesn't go to the North Pole. It goes somewhere boring (the worst possible outcome for Kenzo and Osamu) and only bad boys ride it. And yes, they asked me if there is a bad girl express and luckily my improv skills are still relatively sharp so I did some good "yes and..."
Kenzo was especially worried, but I told him the Bad Boy Express passed our house and didn't stop because there are no bad boys here. However, I added, if there are ever any bad boys who don't listen to their mama and papa (in that order since papa could easily get called onto the Bad Papa Express), then that train will stop at our house and you will go somewhere super not fun.
Genius.
Kenzo is somewhat worried that the Bad Boy Express will come for him, but not so worried that he's ending all the mischief. I think he has a healthy, back-of-his-mind sort of feeling that if he listens to mama and papa then there's no reason to worry about getting called on that boring-bound train with a bunch of bad boys.
For now I'm ridin' this express train all the way.
At bedtime Kenzo kissed mama on both cheeks and I asked him, "Hey man, how come I don’t get kisses like that?" So he gave me kisses on both cheeks too. I said, "Dude, you’re so European."
To which he immediately and earnestly responded, "What's a pee-an?"
Eri's mom has apparently been copying her online selling strategies, to the point where she even copies and pastes her merchandise descriptions and makes handmade goods that are almost exactly like Eri's. I kinda get it. Eri is really good at what she does and her mom wants to try it out since she's not as savvy with marketing but has an incredible work ethic. It's just a bummer that Eri has to bear the brunt of getting her territory moved in on by her own mom.
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