I Got Caught!

She walked in on me. "Mom why do you have leaves in the blender?" Dang! My secret got out. "Um because I'm making you a special treat." I don't think she was convinced...but loves her 'Green Banana Smoothies'...how would this affect it? I figured if I could slip un fried tortillas in Max's Green Chili Chicken Enchiladas (Shhhh!!) then I shouldn't have a problem pulling this one off. She was a bit confused until I informed her that "Captain Carlos" would say it was nutritious and makes us strong like Popeye. "Who's Popeye?" Um, never mind that...I'm showing my age I guess. She was okay with it after she asked to eat a whole 'leaf'. Wshew! That was a close call. Now I'm left to explain only some leaves are for human consumption.


Just in case it interests you...great for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day:



Ingredients-
Banana (I use 2 for the kids and I)
about a cup of Vanilla Yogurt
splash of milk
ice to your liking
and the secret ingredient...a handful of fresh spinach


DON'T YOU SAY EEEW...try it!!! I got the combination from a Japanese smoothie bar in "MM21" (a mall in Motomatchi area of Yokohama). Them Japanese come up with some healthy yummy stuff. Too bad the baby food jar size serving cost Y480 (about $4.50). My friend Cindy looked at me like I was crazy when I got it...but even she didn't mind the taste of it.


blend the spinach, yogurt, ice and splash of milk first then add the banana towards the end. ...and in summer I'll be freezing them to make pop's for the kiddo's.

Moral: I don't need to hide all super foods...unlike many kids (and adults) we actually like them!

SOOOOO, after you try it....let me know how you like it!!!

Get Smart!

We took a trip to Target today. Gosh I love that place. Japan really made me appreciate it. Actually, it was the lack of having any of those convenient places that made me appreciate it. I was trying to match the kids shower curtain with towels and such and their we stood in the middle of the isle having a conversation that sounded like this...

Kalee: "Mom, I can't wait to go to college to get smart".
Me: "I know baby. Having an education is important and Daddy and I want to see you go to college".
An older lady that was halfway down the isle looking at some merchandise on an end cap strolled my direction and said: "Good job, you have her on the right track".
Me: "Thanks, we try."
Lady asked Kalee: "Do you have your college picked out already?"
Kalee: looked at me and said "Um, one that will make me smart"
Lady: "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
Kalee: "Umm...I don't know."
Lady: "A doctor...a lawyer...."
Kalee: "Whats a lawyer?"

Enough said! The girl just knows she wants to go to college. Further into the conversation with this perfect stranger...how do I always manage that?...I gathered the lady must be an educator of some sort. On the way home I got all the questions. "What's a lawyer? What is a judge? What is court?" Had a whole 'nother game to explain. Basically now if Mommy speeds, and gets pulled over, she has to go to court, with a lawyer, and talk to a judge....how else do you explain something some consider so simple?

Me? Addicted?

Who would have known I was so addicted?

I powered up the computer before I started fixing pancakes yesterday. After breakfast I proceeded to check if Max has responded to the e-mail I sent at 2am the night before. Why so late...I dono. I can't sleep. I'll get help for that after I complete the 10 step program for this addiction. I sat in front of the computer staring at a black monitor. I could have sworn I turned it on! Max taught me that the monitor does this thing called 'hibernate'....so I wiggled the mouse. Nothing. Then I hit the space bar thinking maybe the computer 'hibernates' too. Again, nothing. Usually computer problems follow with me getting on the other working one and sending Max an e-mail. Sadly I managed to decommission my craptop laptop only days after he left. My palms started sweating. It was difficult to fill my lungs with air. Now what was I to do? Remembering all stories from his dreaded help desk days, I checked to make sure the computer was ON and all the plugs were in their matching color holes. You'd think the computer manufacturers knew I was clueless as to what goes where. Ok so all was on and connected and still a black screen. By this time I had the shakes and started scavenging for the nearest paper bag. Instead I found the phone and S.O.S.'ed the "geek squad" at Best Buy. Thank goodness I brought it to them to determine it was indeed the monitor that went out. Only a geek could tell ya that. I started to gather my thoughts and tried to think like Max while looking at the new monitors. Ok so he would start in the isle with the 58 inch...this is when I usually pull him back down to earth by saying "it would cost more then $1,000.00 per inch Babe"...but no one was there to play me. A nice employee who obviously could tell I was puzzled asked if I needed help...I handed my son to him as I said "yeah, thanks". I felt like Stretch Armstrong...Kalee pulling me towards the fridge with a TV in it...and Bear going the other direction to look at the vacuum that had a sticker with a dog on it. Sheesh! How hard could it be to buy a computer monitor? Finally, I threw the towel in and called my receptionist cousin Dani to send Max an e-mail. Thankfully he was smart enough not to respond to my problem via e-mail. After finding out kinda what he wanted I returned to Best Buy today to find the best buy on the first monitor I pointed at with my eyes closed....

...After all, if I were to send him out to buy pantyhose that's what he would do!

Hairy Milk Maker

I took a shower tonight. You know, one of those things I do twice a day...but have failed to shave my legs for some time. Today I decided I'm now growing for locks of love. It's too late to shave. Rather not call a plumber to snake out my drain...how embarrassing, that's my husbands job. Then again if he were home...I would have the time and a reason to use daily preventative drain clogging measures. So, as I was stepping out of the shower my conversation with my daughter went like this:

Kalee: "Wow Mom, you need a boob job!"

Me: "what does that mean?" trying not to burst into laughter

Kalee: shrug "I herd you say it on the phone when we were in Japan a long time ago ."

Me: with my as a matter of fact voice "Well, for your information my boobs do have a job....they make milk!"

Kalee: "I know thaaat!"


Well, um, I'm speechless! I know my day will come that these girls can apply for higher seating. Hopefully Victoria will have some good Secrets by then. What more of a reason to have cute bras...you look at them several times a day. Just because they are "working" doesn't mean they don't require support. Heck, she may get smart and design one to support going from a B to D in about 2 hours...with the option to inflate the other side because one works overtime. Maybe Fredrick's will invent something to turn ski slopes into mountains again. Sigh

It's a good thing these kiddos of ours are worth it...even if I am playing hacky sack in 20 years.

Never!

Three years ago I would have never though I'd say this, but I miss Japan. I miss that place in a weird way.

I miss:
Driving on the right side of the car/ left side of the road...my brain works better that way

The fish bowl community...why I couldn't leave the house w/o running into someone

The deep bath tubs

Responding "hi"(yes) when either an American or Japanese asks a question

Teaching my PT TOTS and Hoppy Hour classes...I miss those kids

The curtious drivers that dim lights to parking when stopped at a red light

The 15KPH (about 7mph) speed limit on base

Blasting the heater and opening the windows at the same time...on the Navy's dime

Relaxing to a cup of tea listening to the rain with my friend Cindy

Leaving my car unlocked...all the time

Pushing the stroller up weather hill for a workout...or lunging up pool hill

Taking my kids to the beautiful seawall park...or a different playground every day

Whining about the NEX's selection....or lack there of

Walking down "Blue Street"

Mr. Doughnut's rice flour pan-an-ring

Going to the sushi bar with friends (cuz Max sure wouldn't)

How the base shuts down for 'superbowl monday'

Mongolian night at the CPO club

The water fountain by Holmes

Calling for a hair appointment daily to get in 6 weeks later

The 'little red ramen house' between Main gate and Womble

The safety in that country

Experiencing the "ghost town" feeling because the fleet was out

Listening to the base TV channel just for the music

I miss the humidity...weird I know...at least I had an excuse for my hair

and most of all.....

I miss blaming my disgusting dinners on the Commissary not having the ingredients needed to complete the recipe.

Never thought I'd say this...but I actually miss that place.

How Long?

For long am I allowed to say "Please excuse the boxes, we are moving in"? Really! Think about it. When I moved to Virginia after we married, we just started collecting our belongings...not much unpacking involved. Then unpacking when we ventured up to Newport, Rhode Island consisted of no time at all. Once we relocated to Coronado, California it was no problem...then again my tool savvy muscular husband was on shore duty. When it was time for us to leave the beautiful Silver Strand we had Kalee in tow and found out we were being displaced to Negishi, Japan. Unpacking that time was awful. I was in my first trimester of pregnancy with Bear....and we I eventually moved to Yokosuka, Japan... Yeah, I managed that one at about 6 weeks post-pardum. Fortunately the ship was in and out (out more then in 3/1) so often that when then pulled in for a port visit (in their homeport) of about 4 days he helped knock out a lot of the unpacking. We moved back to Virginia this past fall...and I have found boxes that I packed myself in Rhode Island?!?! Never mind they were left in storage while we were overseas. Months later I'm still unpacking shoes and hanging up curtains. It would be too easy to have all this done if Max had been home all this time. ;) So my question to you is: How long is too long to use the "pardon our boxes" or "I haven't got the chance to hang pictures because we are still moving" phrases?

Whoops...Kalee found another door jam with this mysterious lime green substance on it. What ever it is has yet to come off of Bears forehead and is about his eye level. Day number 2 of finding his secret art areas. Duty calls. I'm the messer cleaner upper.

By the way folks, the above mentioned was in about a 6 1/2 year period of time and all under orders. A lot happens in such short time if the military can help it.....

What's that saying?

"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." He got out of the tub to get the horse from his room. I had a lovely trail of wetness to clean up. Next thing you know....voila! 'Orse' either had a nasty cold or an allergy to the bath soap because it took 2 bath towles to get his nose to stop draining.

Today, I finally got a shower curtain rod. I was looking for one of those fancy ones that bowed out so the cold curtain wouldn't goose you. I asked the guy at the register how much installation was and when was the soonest appointment. He just stared at me with a blank look. I couldn't help myself...the person in front of me was buying munchies like she was an addict (I'll leave out I was on base and she was probably sending her deployed hubby snacks)...and the guy behind me had a hammer and a pregnancy test. Make your own assumptions on that one...payday brings out the freaks and I had to say something being cought in the middle. Then this evening I thought 'humm, I can install this rod when the kids are in the tub'. Once I opened the directions I realized tools were nessissary. Duh! How else are you gunna get that thing to attach to the wall Averi? So I gathered nessissary tools and the phone. Yeah the phone. I had to call in for reinforcements...I couldn't find the stud (there was no shoe near-by Mom) and had to use the drill...with those dreaded hollow wall anchors. Let's say the kids had a long bath playing with wall shavings...but the task is complete...well kinda, I forgot to buy the rings to hold the shower curtain up. What was I thinking? I wish my anchor...wait, no, butter, buttered-anchor was here to do this stuff...after all he is my backbone. (only intended for Navy to understand)