A mum-of-boys

I feel distinctly like a mum-of-boys tonight. Dinner tonight was Pirate Ship Pizzas with various salad accessories (row boat tomatoes, lettuce sea, cucumber turtles etc.) Eaten with much enthusiasm by our boys. I also went shopping with our 7 y.o. to buy him his birthday present with the Gift Card his grandma gave him. We bought a large castle. I even paid a little extra to secure this gift, thinking it'd be a great addition to our family's collection. This boy thing is obviously growing on me. Finally yesterday at the meeting we went to in preparation for a post-Christmas Scripture Union camp, there was some pretty bad "boy" humour going around and I was laughing. My friend shook her head. They decided it was my boys who'd shaped and moulded me! And here was I thinking that I was training them!

Just as I thought

Sarah's name has changed. She's now known as Jessica. No reason given, his owner just decided a change was needed. She also changed shells yesterday. It is all getting rather confusing. We haven't killed any of them yet. In fact they all look distinctly happy. Just as happy as I am to hear the rolling thunder. Rain is invading my sense - I can hear and smell it. We've waited several months for beautiful soaking rain. We haven't heard it in Australia since we arrived. I miss rain. In Tokyo it rains about 122 days a year at an average of 1.5m each year. It's often wet. Wet enough that we all had our own umbrella with one or two spares. Our youngest has had an umbrella almost from when he could walk because he got dragged along on all our kindergarten drop-offs and pick-ups as well as grocery shopping without an undercover carpark. And umbrellas are just a lot less messy than raincoats when jumping in and out of cars. Japan has some very cute umbrellas for kids. One of our son's kindy friends had one which resembled a lady bug. Most Japanese have several umbrellas. A clear one for riding the bike, a tiny folded one for just-in-case days, a large one for parties, a formal looking one and probably several others! They come cheap and expensive. And they're used frequently. Here's a typical photo. Our boys are feeling the rain thing too. Our eldest said it felt like he was back in Japan this evening. Ahhh natsukashiiii! (Japanese for 'a nostalgic feeling'.)

A story on promises

We've had a busy day today with deputation, boys and a Scripture Union pre-camp meeting (more on that later). I'm tired, so here is a Japanese story which came through my inbox some weeks ago. PROMISES ARE TO BE KEPT A fascinating anecdote is told in Japan of the famous 16th-century warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, who wanted to reward one of his faithful retainers. “You can have anything you desire,” Hideyoshi said. “In that case, please give me one grain of rice today, then two grains tomorrow, and four on the day after that,” the retainer replied. “Please continue to double the grains of rice for the same number of days as there are squares on a shogi board.” (A shogi board is a Japanese chess board with 81 squares). “If you only want grains of rice, you're a man of few wants,” he said. “You shall have your wish.” Hideyoshi was dumbfounded by his request. One month later, however, a commotion broke out at Hideyoshi's residence, Osaka Castle. Upon the retainer’s request, a succession of rice bags was being brought out from the rice granaries. The number of rice grains continues to double each day, and by the 30th day, the amount due was 540 million grains. Since one rice bag, weighing about 60 kilograms, can contain about 2.5 million grains, the retainer was due to receive more than 200 bags on the 30th day. The combined amount of rice Shinzaemon received up to the 30th day would have reached 400 bags. Likewise, the retainer was due to receive 800 rice bags on the 31st day and 1,600 bags the following day. On the 45th day, he was due to receive more than 2.5 million bags of rice. Even if Hideyoshi, who managed to unify the nation, had given away all his assets, he still would not have been able to keep the promise he made to the retainer. He turned white and was at his wits end. “It's my fault. Won't you please name something else as your reward?” Hideyoshi begged the retainer. “You should never make a thoughtless promise by offering someone anything they want,” the retainer cautioned his master. The overconfident Hideyoshi had a pang of regret for having made a promise that he was not able to keep. Source: Yomiuri News, by Mr. Akio Hayashida, 2008-05-13

Sarah, Jaz and Spikey

It's more than 24 hrs since we became proud owners of three hermit crabs. They've been named Sarah, Jaz and Spikey. (Sarah and Jaz pictured - though they're very difficult to get a good shot of). Spikey is our 4 y.o.'s. He helped us chose them while his brothers were at school! Much pride! Nearly got himself run over as he left the pet shop and carried them ever so carefully across the carpark, heedless to the traffic he was holding up. Spikey's shell is, well, spiky. We're unsure if that name will hold when Spikey decides to change shells. Jaz (correctly spelled his proud 10 y.o.owner tells me) managed to change shells this afternoon without anyone noticing - quite a feat when we were all home and the novelty of 'hermit crab watching' hasn't yet worn off. Sarah's name was a surprise. Her 7 y.o. owner has a reputation for being pretty anti-girl, maybe that is changing. Of course we cannot tell the sex of the crabs, but for now Sarah is a girl. Her name hasn't changed in 27 hours, despite our fears. She is a challenge to integrate into our household, though. Up till now Mummy is the only one for whom female pronouns were required. She, her and hers should be getting a work-out now, but just sometimes the male pronouns slip in. We watched with amusement when Jaz and Spikey fought over a desirable pozzy in their new home. For several minutes they continuously flipped the other out of the cosy corner. At first Spikey's owner was upset, but soon he realised that no one was getting hurt, they were just playing. Eventually Spikey won anyway and Jaz sulked away to another spot to rest. We've been to three different Pet Shops in two days now, in order to get all the right bits. Certainly a diversion for our household. And I'm still feeling like a new mum, worried that we're going to kill them off in the first week. I'm also wondering how long the "I'll get them some new water." spirit will prevail? We're supposed to bath them in salt water once a week and probably clean their flooring once a month. We'll see how good we are at hermitat housekeeping.

Aussie culture explained for North Americans

There are some very interesting insights into Australian culture for Americans here. I pretty much knew everything about Australia, which is reassuring. I'm not sure I'd agree with Americans trying to say the word "G'Day" much though. They mangle it dreadfully and I'd be tempted to laugh at them. I learnt (or learned for the US educated) some things about America, for example a “main course” (as the US use it) is an entrée in Australia, while “entrée” is the term used to refer to an appetizer.

Preparing for pets

After my last post on pets many gave me helpful advice. Balancing them all up, we've decided to buy three hermit crabs (one for each boy). Yesterday I went and bought them a home, shell grit for a floor covering and a water container. I was particularly pleased that I found them a portable home. It even has handles, so when we're away we can take them with us. The boys were suitably excited. They jostled over who was going to set up the home (with interior decorating, as you can see). They discussed what they could call them and my discerning 10 y.o. wondered why they needed a roof. Told that the crabs can climb, he pondered how. Our 7 y.o. is a little obsessed with names at present. It's been a recent revelation to him - the amazing variation of western names. In the last few weeks he's made a rather long list in a sketch book and is proceeding to name and rename stuffed toys, brothers, himself, toy cars and now, presumably, his pet hermit crab. We're fearing for his poor crab, that it will have itself an identity crisis. Not only will its name change regularly, but probably its sex too. All up, I'm glad that I didn't buy the crabs yesterday. They might have been unwittingly murdered in the frenzied excitment. Tomorrow our 4 y.o. will help me buy them after our dental check-up (which happens to be near the pet store).

A typical day?

This probing question was asked of us yesterday by a friend. It was hard to answer, because we don't really have typical days at the moment. Let me look back at my calendar and give you some idea of what I've been doing. Kids to school and home again. Grocery shopping and the gym. Probably these have been the most routine parts of our days, although the last two have had to be juggled to fit in in recent days. So between 9 and 2.30 I've done these things in the two and a half weeks:

• Seen the doctor
• Visited Koorong
• Professional development (observing an OT treatment session)
• Visited OMF office for more resources for deputation
• Deputation - Japan Focus morning teas
• Visiting with friends
• Spent time with my mother in law
• Lunch with husband !!!
• Slept (after the Manila return debacle)
• Shuffled a boy to Prep orientation day and back to PrePrep
• Tourism (pupil free day on Monday)
• E-mail - answered, wrote, deleted etc.
• Blogged
• Schedule arranging
• Deputation planning
• Cleaned (a little)
• Baked
• Wrote a prayer/newsletter
• Miscellaneous errands like library book returns, pet shopping, banking, photocopied
• Encouraged my husband in his assignment writing for his masters
• Critiqued several pieces of writing for my internet critique group
• Sought after resources on the internet for people

Is that enough? No day has been alike, except for the drop-off and pick-up times for the boys. And after all is said and done, I am still the mum of three lively boys who take up a good portion of time and energy, though thankfully not all at present. My time has been more flexible due to my husband being at home this year. It means that if I don't get to the gym in time in the morning (they are shut from 10.30 till 2.15, pretty inconvenient for school mums), I can go in the afternoon and know my kids will be taken care of. A luxury most don't have, I know. I'm enjoying it while I do! Weekends and after school has been pretty variable too. With swimming lessons, basket ball training and games, church visits, women's convention, a musical and guests for dinner three weeks running. We're keeping pretty busy. We feel it is okay to occasionally take it a little easy during the day as our weekends can be pretty crazy with work, not to mention boys.