Day in the life {5.10.2016}

Up and at em at 6:00 am!  I sat in bed for 15 minutes and check my email,

Facebook, and snapchat.  Then I headed to the kitchen and made coffee.  I usually use a tumbler since I will be taking it with me to the bus stop with the kids.

While I'm in the kitchen I filled up the kids water bottles for the day and made lunches.  Well, I make Amelia a lunch and Nolan a snack since he is only half day.  This was a super simple bento.  Amelia hasn't been too into sandwiches these days so this is my version of a lunchable.

After I packed lunches and snacks I packed the kids backpacks.  I make sure they have their assignments and anything else they need depending on what activities they have that day. 

Then around 6:45 I woke up the kids. I feed them breakfast. Today it was waffles and bananas.  I got them ready and we head out the door at 7:30 am to get to the bus stop.

Sometimes we walk to the bus stop,

takes about 10 min, but the summer heat is already upon us so we drove!

On Tuesdays I go to the grocery store.  I went there right after the bus left.  I'm one of those crazies that is there when the doors open.  I like being there early because there are less people and it's cooler out.  So by the time I'm done and I get home it's not scorching when I have to bring in all the grocery bags. 

After the grocery store I headed home.  I put all the groceries away immediately.  This afternoon Nolan and I had a play date with my friend and her son so I packed up some things for the afternoon.   

I picked up Nolan from school then we met up with our friends at an indoor parked called Mihama kids park.

We love going to this indoor park.  It gets so hot and humid in Okinawa that indoor parks are a must.  The prices are reasonable and you are able to pick how long you want to play. We opted for the 2 hour play time since it was already noon. Another convenience is that this kids park has a little cafe.  So us mamas got some iced coffee and we were able to order lunch for the boys. We had a great time there, it was a chance for the boys to play and us moms to chit chat. 

After a couple hours of playing the boys were good and sweaty.  But before we headed home we walked around the  corner to Blue Seal for "big dip day ", you get 2 extra scoops for the price of 1.

Around 3pm we headed home.  Nolan immediately knocked out in the car.  It was perfect timing because we were able to pick up Amelia at the bus stop right before we got home.

When we got home I put Nolan in his bed because he was still asleep.  I fixed Amelia an afternoon snack and we got started with her home work.  

Around 5pm I started prepping dinner.  It was Tuesday,  I generally keep it Mexican inspired on this day.  So I made shrimp

tacos, refried black beans, and a side of chips.  Not pictured was my margarita on the side lol.

Morgan works late on Tuesdays so we started eating dinner without him.

After dinner I put on Kung Fu Panda 3 (it's been on repeat in our house for the past month) for the kids while I clean up the kitchen.  

7 pm I started showers. Morgan got home around then too.  He was starving and immediately devoured dinner.  After showers we finished up the movie.  

8 pm the kids brush their teeth and its story time then bed time.  The kids are in bed and lights are out at 8:30 pm.

After that Morgan and I caught a couple shows and we were in bed by 10.  That was kind of a late night for us...we are such oldies! Lol

Shurijo Castle

                                 

After 5 and a half years we FINALLY made it to Shurijo Castle.  I was told before that it wasn't very stroller friendly and to go when it wasn't scorching hot out.  The stars aligned perfectly  and we finally made it.

 It was a busy day when we went, lots of visitors.  The castle opens at 9 am, we left at 9 am ( took us about 30 minutes to drive there).   Unfortunately it wasn't early enough, all the free parking lots were full, but we were able to pay for parking pretty close to the castle.

Seeing the castle was pretty cool.  You are able to walk around outside and check our the castle grounds for free.  There is a small fee to go inside the castle and tour the rooms.  When touring inside the castle you are not allowed to wear shoes.  The staff hands out plastic bags to carry your shoes around.  Inside the castle was like a museum, lots of artifacts and information.  The kids were not that into it.  They shuffled quickly from room to room, while Morgan and I tried to read up on the displays.  All in all it took about 1 to 2 hours to tour the castle and the grounds.  It was a nice morning trip with the Oki Fam and finally checking this site off our Oki Bucket List.

Read Across America

In most schools across America, March is read across America month.  Celebrating reading and the almighty Dr. Seuss. Just because we live overseas doesn't mean we can't participate. haha We'll Amelia goes to a DODEA school so lots of stuff is just like being in the states. Unfortunately Amelia wont get to participate with most the activities since we'll be on vacay for half the month.  But, we're gunna make the most out of the time we are here.

M is already on leave so we decided to volunteer at Amelia's class to decorate their door for the Read Across America door contest.  So happy that he came with me because we were the only parents that volunteered.  Plus Amelia was so excited to see us in her class and her teacher was super grateful!  We were more then happy to help!

 M and I were able to tackle most of the door ourselves.  We picked Dr. Seuss' Oh, the places you'll go as our theme.  I LOVE this book.  Its' been a favorite of mine ever since I was a lil girl.  I was more then happy with this theme.  It was a fun task to do together for our lil sweet pea and her class.  Her teacher was so stoked, she just wants to personalize it with a lil something for the kids.  I can't wait to see the finished product!  Fun times

Got my badge!  The bathrooms are so small and cute!

Couples that volunteer together, stay together!

LOVE it, turned out soo good!

Sunday's Best

This year, I really wanted to grow spiritually.  I've struggled with my faith for awhile now and every year it weighs more on my heart.  So that's why I've made it a point to focus on my religion this year.  M and I have struggled  with it too.  I grew up catholic, he bounced around a few churches and religions.  We couldn't really find a happy medium.  Well, I wasn't really willing to budge.  {I know such a B} I was scared, Catholicism was all I knew, for a long time I thought he would convert.  Change is very hard on me, especially when I was younger.  We got married in a Catholic church and baptized both of our kids in the Catholic church, because that's all I knew....it was a safe bet.  But here was always a part of me that felt like it wasn't the right fit for our family.  I know how the church can be and how intimidating it can be , M was always such a good sport and very supportive.   I knew I wanted something different for our family, to be comfortable in a church and to have religion in our household. 

For the first time in a long time, I agreed to go to a church that wasn't catholic.  This was a BIG {huge, gigantic,ginormous}  Truth be told, I was always so scared.  The catholic church is so intimidating, I thought that's how most churches were going to be like.  So I asked a friend {who grew up catholic too} about where she goes and she told me of this church that was so friendly and welcoming. 

The first Sunday of 2015 we went to Calvary Church.  It was like a breath of fresh air.  It was so different.  When we left, I felt like I understood what the pastor was talking about.  I understood the passage in the bible in a whole new way.  I was able to understand the passage and I could relate to it in my everyday life.  After the service we went out to eat and M and I were talking about the church.  We talked about how much we liked it there,   I was so happy to have found a place that fits our family. 

We've gone every Sunday since, and every time I'm more convinced that this church is great for us.  I'm definitely not knocking the catholic church, it was really great for me growing up.   I've learned a lot from it and its word.  It got me through a lot in my life.  It was great for my mom, dad, brother , sister and myself before I was married.  But once you get married and have a family sometimes what worked for you growing up with your family, doesn't always work the family you've made.  As of right now, its still very new for us.  Its still the same bible and the same teachings, just in a different way.    I feel so terrible about waiting so long to find a church for our family.  I guess, its better late then never.  I'm just so happy for myself and my family.  2015 you are so awesome so far!!!

Our Sunday routine now consist of church a lunch out.  Last Sunday we went to one of our favorite sushi spots!! Yuuuum

Side Gigs

Being a SAHM, its important to have your own thing.  I practically work at home all day every day, 24-7.  There needs to be some away time to recharge your batteries, get your mind away off the chores, the babies, the bills, the house.   Morgan is always encouraging me to get into something , go out with the girls, go to the gym, go shopping, go do something.  He totally understands!  He likes to go to the gym and play basketball.  He goes to the gym weekly and is in a basketball league.  So I did it, my friend and I signed up for cake decorating classes.  I always loved baking, but totally sucked at decorating.  To be fair, I haven't put much effort in trying to decorate.  I've always used fairly easy methods to decorate my cakes and cupcakes.

The class was a Wilton cake decorating class.  There are 4 courses and 4 sessions per course.  One, two and a half hour class a week. Course 1 is building butter cream skills.  First week we decorated cookies, second week we decorated our first cake, third week we learned how to pipe flowers and decorated cupcakes, the fourth week we decorated tall cakes all on our own from start to finish.  Our last sessions ended last night.  After all is said and done I'd have to say that its a lot harder then it looks.  I watch all those cake decorating shows on TV and they make it look super easy.  I was fooled.  Its no joke.  There are a lot of components that go into making a nicely decorated cake.   I'd have to say tho that I loved it, it was very informational, challenging, and fun.  Its a great beginner class and the tips I learned I'll probably use for the rest of my days.  I liked this class so much that I'm planning on taking all 4 courses.   I'm definitely not opening up my own bakery anytime soon, but you never know. lol

Living Overseas

November is Military Family month so I thought I would talk about military life. 

Living Overseas

We’ve lived in Okinawa for 3 years and 2 months.  So it’s been awhile, well in military life it’s awhile.  When Morg first got orders here I cried my eyes out.  I didn’t want to go overseas.  We were stationed in Bremerton, Washington at the time and I still felt like it was far from family, now having to be across the globe…. that was terrifying. 

My dad is a retired Navy officer, but we never moved around.  Well, at least when I could remember.  Early in his career he was stationed on the east coast, Guam, and Japan.  I was non- existent or too young.   After he got stationed in San Diego he hasn’t moved since.  As for Morgan, his family was a whole different story.  They moved around a lot.  His father too is a retired Navy Officer.  They were also stationed overseas in Japan and Puerto Rico.  He grew up moving around and he’s had experiences living abroad so I don’t think it was that big of a blow for him. 

Everywhere we have moved, I’ve hated it!!! I compare everywhere to San Diego.  I missed my city that I loved so much.  Okinawa was no different.  I think I hated it more since it was a foreign country;  the time difference from home, the distance from home, and it was just so unfamiliar.  After some time, probably a year or so…. I ended up loving it.  Even now I talk it up to my fellow military spouses. 

There are definitely lots of pros and cons about being overseas.  Being away from everything you know is a very exciting and scary thought.

My 5 pros about living in Okinawa

1)  The experience about living in a foreign country, learning about its people, culture, traditions and foods.  The people here are the nicest people I’ve ever met.  It’s just so crazy how nice they are.  Maybe I’m jaded by growing up in the states, but if all people were as nice as they are here it would be a better world.

2) It is so safe here!  I never hear about crimes happening.  No murders, no burglaries, no kidnappings.  People here leave their doors unlocked and their kids can play outside safely, even at night.  One time I left my yen wallet (I keep 1 for yen and one for dollars) at a restaurant.  There was probably 5000 yen (roughly $50) left in there.  I didn’t notice until the next morning and I called the restaurant as soon as I found out and they had it waiting for me.  ALL the monies were still there.  If that were the states, I doubt I would get ALL my money back.   

3) Being overseas has a whole different vibe.  The military community really comes together.  Here we’ve made friends that have become family.  People that we love and love us.  It’s great being able to connect with people who are going through the exact same things as you.

4)  Travel.  We love ASIA!  Being here we’ve been able to take some great vacations.  I mean we live on a tropical island!  So we don’t have to go far for beautiful beaches.  Now that we’re staying longer we plan on taking more trips around Asia.

5) Food.  I know I touched on it for #1, but the food here is just too good.  The Japanese snacks, drinks (especially coffee), food, desserts………it’s all so good.  If we could afford it I would eat out every day.  The food is delicious, the servers at the restaurants are so friendly and you don’t even have to tip!  I prefer going to the Japanese grocery stores because their snacks, produce, bread, and drinks are so good.  There is never shortage of where to eat here.  Also my kids love eating here!  It’s not like the states where on every kids menu is chicken and french fries! Lol  My kids eat yakisoba, sushi, udon, curry, ramen, edamame,  and etc.   The kids menu rivals the adult menu. Haha

My 5 cons about living in Okinawa

1) It costs an arm and a leg to get back to the states!! Now we are lucky because our families live on the west coast.  People who are from Hawaii are even luckier.  But generally its 2 flights to get back to CA.  Average cost per person is $1200, now multiply that by 4 and that’s $4800.00.  We are a one income family, so to just shell out $4800.00 takes some planning and saving.   When we go back to visit, we usually take about a month there because it costs so much to get there and the travel time is about 14hours.  Most recently we went back to the states on short notice and the tickets for all four of us was almost $9000.00.  Then the money we used just being on vacation there.  It was a costly vacation for sure.

2)  Being away from family.  I’m sad that my kids don’t get to grow up by their grandparents, aunts, uncles, or cousins.  Lots of my family was located in southern CA so we got to see them often growing up.  My grandparents used to watch us while my parents were at work.  We don’t get that here.  I wish I could just drop the kids off at my parents’ house and have a date night.  I wish I could invite my kids’ cousins to their B-day parties.  I wish we could have a huge Christmas with our families.  I wish our families didn’t have to watch our kids grow up via Facetime, Facebook, and Skype.  Luckily we’ve been able to make the trip back to the states yearly, but I know lots of families that aren’t able to.

3)  Island fever.  Being here can get old.  I mean the island is about 463.72 sq miles.  It’s small.  Everyone knows everyone.  I miss the stores in the states; like Target, Walmart, Costco, and etc.  Mainly we have the Exchange and the Commissary.   I go to both weekly.  The deals aren’t that great, the brands that they carry aren’t that great, and they run out of stuff constantly.

4) Being lonely.  During Morgan’s first tour here he was gone a lot.  He would get deployed here and there for weeks, sometimes months.  Being a stay at home mom isn’t always fun and easy.  The days are much longer then the nights.  Most of my friends work or have older kids, so a lot of the times it’s just me and the kids. 

5)  Driving.  Here they drive on the opposite side.  That isn’t really the problem.  There are just so many things going on when driving here.  The opposite side, motorcycles,  scooters,  bikes,  pedestrians, really really narrow roads, and slow drivers.  This island is really small, so you would think that it doesn’t take long to get anywhere.  WRONG!  It takes super long.  The speed limits here are very slow.  I think on the freeway the max speed is 49 mph!!  That is the freeway!  So you could imagine the regular streets.  For instance, Amelia’s school is probably 5 miles way, it takes me 20 minutes to get her there!  Maybe its because I’m from CA and we drive crazy fast there.  I don’t know, I know I’m not the only one who isn’t a fan of the driving conditions here.