oops, missed two days of blogging. looks like i really was distracted! actually, i meant to post on saturday morning but thought, 'nah, i 'll do it when we get home.' but then was too tired (from dealing with four whiny butts) and just went to bed with the kids. then i thought about posting yesterday morning but though, 'nah, i have plenty of time today.' but was so tired in the evening (i think waking up at 4am will do that to a person....)

so, on saturday we went to a friend's house for a halloween party. yes, it's a week late, but her family was ill on halloween. i didn't think we could go because hiro had a school activity on saturday, but it was canceled because of the flu. we made the long drive out there, had a fun time, had dinner at youme town and then came back home. it was a long day!

yesterday i spent the day with hiro. first i had two loads of laundry to dry (and yes, there was another load hanging outside) and then we went to the AEON in nogata. they were having some kind of health fair so i got tested for diabetes (don't have!) and an alcohol test (this one i didn't understand well, but some kind of liquid patch was stuck to your lower arm near your elbow, then you waited seven minutes, and if your skin changed color, then you shouldn't drink alcohol. i passed, but that's ok because i don't really drink a lot, anyway.) there was a dentist station, too, and i got tested for 'baikin' (bacteria--that is, cavity causing bacteria) and i don't have much, then had a breath test to see if i had bad breath. i didn't, so i don't really know what having bad breath would have signified (i do know that bad breath can mean ill health.)

there were a couple of other booths, one for body fat, but i didn't do that one, it was very popular, crowded with skinny japanese ladies wanting to measure their body fat. i already know i'm fat! LOL then, there was a doctor consulting booth, but i didn't have any health questions (i don't have diabetes! that's what's been worrying me lately) and why bother some bored-looking doctor with my horrible japanese? there were displays on good foods and recipes to eat, but i wasn't very intrested in that.

anyway, in spite of dragging hiro all over the mall (and we didn't even to the metabo- quiz, which was all over the mall. i guess the idea was to make people walk all over--EXERCISE, FATTIES!--and answer questions. who knows what the prize was at the end...) we had a great time, first we checked the movie theater (no kids' movies at the moment) then we had lunch. hiro actually got a lot of loot yesterday, what with the free balloons, mascot plastic thingys and the lunch toy, we had to get him a bag just to carry it all! after lunch we checked out the fabric store and got some buttons for his school smock. next we went to kaldi coffee to get some flour (for bread making, yum!) and a couple of odds and ends, then to the car to drop off some of our stuff. after that i did my first test for diabetes (but it was too soon after lunch so decided to wait a little longer and go back), then the game center, which was fun. somewhere in there hiro had an ice cream...lucky him! after my second test, we went to starbucks where i nearly ordered the dark chocolate cherry mocha thing, because i thought it said 'truffle', not 'cherry' (man, time to break out the japanese study books, methinks!) but had the gingerbread one instead. yum. also ordered the raspberry christmas tree cake, it was so yummy! after starbucks, we went to the grocery store and got supplies for kimchee nabe, then finally got to our car and went home. hiro was such a trouper, walking so much and not complaining, even when we were doing boring health things. i think the balloon(s) helped, and he had a lot of fun stepping on large tiles and avoiding the little ones. such a boy!

after we got home we all did a little garden work. we planted a lemon tree and a mikan tree, i hope they grow well, especially the lemon tree because i want to make things that use lemon zest! so, looking forward to that!

as for waking up at 4 yesterday morning, i usually get up a few times at night to go to the bathroom, and yesterday i started thinking about stupid little things that i have no control over and shouldn't think about, so after not going back to sleep, i got up at 4:20 and started cleaning house. i got a lot done, even though hiro was up at 4:30 moaning about his halloween candy being in the car. i got him back to sleep and then ten minutes later, sasha was up and wanted to go to bed with mommy. after screaming at me for an hour, she finally went back to bed, and i could clean in peace! even though i woke up early, i still can't do the housework!