here’s how the Honest Scrap Award works:
i must thank the person who gave me the award and list their blog and link it.
i must list 10 honest things about myself.
i must put a copy of The Honest Scrap Logo on my blog.
i must select at least 7 other worthy bloggers & list their links.
i must notify the bloggers of the award and hopefully they will follow the above requirements.

thanks to chelle (who, btw, designed my blog template!) for this award!

1. i complain too much. i know this. but i don't seem to be able to stop. i think it's a sign of mild depression. *sigh* i do try to complain less, but i'm not always successful.

2. i love cats and despise dogs. i know, i know, but it's who i am. i'm usually ok with dogs as long as they don't jump, lick, bark or generally smell. pretty much any doggy thing.

3. i love my children very much, but honestly: they drive me crazy. i think it's the age(s). we have a lot of fun together, which only gets better as they get older, but they do bicker and fight a lot, which really just drives me up the wall. they are really cute, though.

4. i want to have another baby. big surprise there. but still not planning on it. the urge to have another baby is definitely dwindling. and thinking of labor really puts me off (LOL) but i do miss breastfeeding and cuddling a little tiny newborn. *sigh* that probably will never wear off. at this time in my life i'm pretty sure that our family couldn't afford another addition, and we would probably never go back to the states. i do plan on working soon, and perhaps full-time within two years. but who knows what the future holds and as much love another baby would bring to our family, we still need to think about those who are here and how we could raise everyone healthy and happy.

5. i am happy with my life in japan. this is a bit hard to explain, because it's hard being basically illiterate and sometimes barely about to communicate and sooooo far away from family, but it's safe, it's comfortable (if a bit wet at the moment) and i don't have to worry about war or poverty (of course, i don't have to worry about those things in the US) so life in japan is not bad. sure, sometimes i'm lonely but hey! i've got three children, a loving husband and quite a few friends (even if some of them live hundreds of miles away) so loneliness is easy enough to banish. wish i could get a good hotdog (outside of costco that is). and greek food. yum.

6. i am uncomfortable with my weight at this time. i am trying to adjust my eating and exercise, but still find myself hampered by the kids (and the freakin' weather). but i have less and less to wear and as summer progresses (*snort*) i feel i need to reduce my weight but i don't want to be obsessed with it or drive myself crazy about it, because i'm never going to be slim. i'm not, and i don't want to destroy my peace of mind trying to be something i'm not. but i could probably stand to lose ten to twenty kilos.

7. i wish i had more patience. and was calmer. i tend to fly off the handle more often than i care to admit to. *sigh* i have gained a lot of patience, either from age or from living in japan, but i could do with a lot more!

8. i love to swim. i wish i could swim more. something else to wait for until the children are older.

9. i don't blog as truthfully as i wish i could, mainly because yoshi reads this blog. OTOH, i am trying to complain less so if i complained about my husband, then i wouldn't be improving!

10. blogging every day last year saved this blog. i'm pretty sure i had mild PPD last year and if i hadn't set the goal for myself, i would have stopped writing and probably had not gone back to it. last summer was pretty bad. just check out the archives from july and august 2008. pathetic. i am happy i did it, glad i stuck with it and i think i can learn from it. i also feel so different this year than last. i feel better. i think my blog posts can reflect that.

ok, tagging. i think i would like to know more from:
1. nay
2. gaijin wife
3. shinshu life
4. hyotenka
5. simple things
6. rachel
7. wandering the world

ok, off to let them all know...