Lots to Do...

Step One: Take a Home Buying Class

Check!

The Bucket

Poor Gunnar is dealing with yet another anal glad issue. We've resorted to some holistic remedies to ease the pain and hopefully speed up the healing process. This method, we've dubbed "the bucket" is basically where I hold Gunnar's rear in a bucket of warm/hot water to soak. He's not a big fan, but tolerates it well enough.

Oh, and please excuse the Saturday-I'm-not-doing-my-hair-or-makeup-today look. I'm keeping it real, people.

Moa Moa Chicken

In honor of Kent's recent birthday, several of us celebrated at a little place up north in Onna called Moa Moa Chicken. As you can see they only offer two items: chicken and shrimp.

Here's the little set-up that served as the restaurant. We ordered here and sat a picnic table near-by. The food is cooked right there and we could smell the delicious garlic aroma wafting through the air while we chatted.

Here's the shrimp plate with rice. Noa said it tasted amazing!

I ordered the chicken plate with bread. The chicken was also extremely delicious and flavorful. After taking a few bites of the bread, I found out it had bits of corn in it! Random!

I realize this picture is not great (I was playing with the nighttime setting), but I had to include a photo of the birthday boy. Doesn't Kent look so happy with his lovely wife, Tritia next to him?
Gotta love this sign.
The bathrooms are located inside the restaurant that shares the grounds with Moa Moa. These were NOT your usual bathrooms. Check out the stalls:

Yup, that would be a fish tank. I also like this sign inside the stall (yes, I was taking pictures inside the bathroom stall).
The toilet looks just so happy to have a clean seat.

Lots of shells! Tritia and I agreed that it was like Hawaii meets granny's attic. Every inch was covered in something tropical.

Anyway, after taking care of that business, we walked around the area, which is a vacation area with lots of restaurants, little shops, and some resorts and hotels. We found this awesome tree near one of the resorts, which made a perfect backdrop for our last picture of the evening.

Lovely Leprechauns

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Mrs. Hammer's Kindergarten students! Check out these adorable leprechauns and the stories that go with them:

My leprechaun's name is Liam. My leprechaun is hiding gold in the rainbow.

My leprechaun's name is Tom. He wants his gold back.

My leprechaun's name is Sean. He is surprised.

Don't you just love the Irish names they picked out?! I love celebrating the holidays with 5 and 6 year olds. They make it so fun! Today they kept on reminding each other to wear green tomorrow so that they don't get pinched by a leprechaun.

Spring Toes

Tesha and I got our much needed pedicures tonight. She'll be leaving to visit family and friends in the states for awhile, so she went with a detailed flower design in purple with a brown background (the foot on the left). Me, well, I chose something cheerful that my students would enjoy. The colorful polka dots had me at hello. The students do sit by my feet for read alouds and other class activities quite often.

Still, is it pitiful when you choose your pedicure design based on your students' preference??

I guess if I like it, then no!

Weird Things on the Wall

There were a couple of weird things I saw this past weekend that you just don't see everyday. Like this air freshener in a public bathroom. Notice anything strange?

I find it bizarre that the company that makes these are called "Tomato." I almost expected it to smell like ketchup or marinara in there.

I also visited a dressing room in one of the local Japanese clothing stores and had to take a picture of this:

They have "face shields" for when you try on clothes. I guess it's a smart idea considering your makeup can get on the new clothes. I've had the unfortunate experience of grabbing a shirt of the rack and seeing foundation smeared on the collar. Noa thought they looked like they could suffocate you, but I think they are made of breathable papery fabric.

Oh, and an interesting note about Japanese dressing rooms: you have to take your shoes off before going in!

100 Yen Fun: Erasers

I missed last week's 100 Yen Fun, so I'm making this about something that comes in multiples. As always, the Japanese find a way to make something mundane into something fun, adorable, and just plain cute: erasers. Step into any 100 Yen shop and you'll find a vast array of erasers in little shapes and designs. Check it out:

You might not be able to read the packaging, but on the top right it tells you the kind of eraser, these being "restaurant" and "dessert." The sandwich in the "restaurant" package comes apart and even has pieces of lettuce, tomato, and meat! Another kind of eraser is "animals":

I've had students in the past who collect these little guys. In fact, these erasers are headed to the treasure box in the classroom. I personally like the kneadable erasers, which are bendable like putty:

I chose this one because I like the pineapple scent, but there were several other scents to choose from including strawberry, apple, coke, and even beer-scented! Ooookkkaayyy. The strangest erasers I found were definitely the naked babies. The babies, who are anatomically correct come with bottles that go in their mouths.

I think we can all safely assume these will NOT be headed for the Kindergarten treasure box!

Flamingo Friend

Noa recently returned from a trip to New Orleans for a medical conference. Being the thoughtful guy that he is, he returned with a few gifts for the family back home. The dogs were instantly won over by some tasty dog treats, but that was not all he had brought for them. Knowing that Gunnar LOVES de-stuffed dog toys (stuffed animals for dogs without the stuffing), he brought home a new one for our boy - a pink flamingo. Gunnar LOVED IT! Immediately, he grabbed it, shook it incessantly, and then tried to pull out the "feathers" from the wings. I haven't posted about the dogs in awhile, so I thought it'd be cute to post these pics.

Mmmm..feathers....

Sadie: Uh, can I get in here? At least a sniff?

Gunnar: Munch, munch, munch...

What do you mean it's time to put it away?

Mmmm...I love my flamingo friend.