Pixel Bug Weekend--Digging Sweet Potatoes

A common activity in kindergarten here in Japan is to harvest sweet potatoes ( oimo hori ).The kids have planted on the garden at their school and when the harvest day has come, they digged it up and then eat them at school. I' m glad Wakaba and Haruka experienced digging up sweet potatoes and never mind how much dirt they would get and proud that they were able to get a bigger sweet potato. It was roasted and it tastes heaven!!

In the Philippines, it is comon to hear " Tahooo " on our fave magtataho, it is also common here in Japan to hear " YAKI IMO, ISHIYAKI IMO "( a sweet potato, baked over a stone) recorded tune where you can purchase it from a yaki imo truck vendor who makes rounds at the neighborhood. Whenever I hear the shouts, it means more cold weather is coming because ishiyaki imo is only sold during that time. Bbbrrrrrr!!!
Kinder students digging for some sweet potatoes
Wakaba got one!!
And another one!!
No matter what the size is, what matters most is the expression of her face-- joyous smile!!
Look at those sweet potatoes!!
Haruka did her part at Pre-school after Wakaba' s batch
Dig it up, Haruka!!
It was a surprise to dig a bigger one!!

The sweet potatoes were wrapped in a foil and roasted
Introducing the school' s Director/ Principal

The PTA also did their part of cutting and serving sweet potatoes to the students and Moms who participated at the oimo hori.

Ittadakimasu!!

Yours trully also have a share of the sweet potato and sit with Haruka's classmates and Moms who participated that day.
Haruka on her second piece lol!!

Happy Monday and enjoy your week ahead!! For more Pixel Bug Weekenders, head up here

Food Trip Friday---Yonezawa and Sendai Gyu (beef)

We went to our favorite Yakiniku restaurant during my birthday and filled our hungry stomach with best and high quality meats. I would like to recommend the famous beef brands in Japan, the Yonezawa and Sendai beef-- the moment it touches your tongue, you will be amazed and impressed by the surprisingly sweet and tenderness of the meat. Expensive but totally worth it. Those meats tastes like heaven, so soft and melts to your mouth.
Wagyu Karubi ( beef karubi )

The main-- Yonezawa Gyu ( Yonezawa beef ) and Sendai Gyu ( Sendai beef ) --famous beef brands in Japan
9 cuts per plate for whooping 3, 780 JPY !!

Wagyu Beef Tongue
Horumon ( pork offal ) soo tasty!!

For Food trippers join us here. Chibugan na!!! \(^0^)/

Mommy Moments

It' s Friday once again and it's time for Mommy Moments and for today' s theme is Chore Time--It' s never too early to start nurturing love for cooking and baking--- cooking and baking with Wakaba and Haruka is an excellent way to bond with them, creating a special time to talk although sometimes the kitchen can be a messy and that should be expected lol!! I enjoyed being in the kitchen encouraging my kids to help around the kitchen and some other chores at home. Haruka loves peeling off the onion skin and sometimes getting her eyes irritated but still would not stop until she's done lol! Wakaba loves cleaning up our ofuro ( bath tub ) and helping me with laying our Japanese futon to sleep on and folding them next morning. Giving small chores or jobs to them may experience responsibility and a sense of accomplishment. They love getting a pat in the head and a hug from us praising them for having a job well done!

Wakaba sifting the flour
Wakaba doing some decorations of the cake

Haruka doing her part--she's now in the stage of " I want to do this and that! " thing
Wakaba loves helping me in the kitchen most especially when doing a heart shaped carrots using a cookie cutter

Please share your Mommy Moments and stories-- join us here. We' d love to hear from you! ^_^

Girl's Talk--Precious Gifts!

Every gift to me is precious most especially it's given with someone you love--thinking about you on your special day, most especially friends who send their greetings and presents during my birthday. I have posted about them in my previous post here and here ---I have cried buckets already reading my blogging friends sweet birthday posts for me, the video made especially for me by Bambie and her gifts--I was touched when I saw a smile sticker at the package. Yena and Mommy Seiko suprised me with flowers which I haven' t received for years and received a lot of goodies and purse from Ate Rose. Thank you so much of all the thoughts!! It was the most memorable birthdays that has ever done for me with my friends! I have received a gift from my husband but it's a secret ^_^
I'd like to share this champagne glass that has a very sentimental value for us coz we bought them together and promised to use them only on our Wedding Anniversary with Moet&Chandon Brut Imperial Champange at it's best! ( I love the Rose though)
We will be celebrating our 8 years ( and counting!)Wedding Anniversary in the Philippines next year!


How about you? Any Precious Gifts to share? For more Girl's Talk, head up here

Happy Birthday, Grace!!

Dear Grace,

On your birthday brings a special prayer that God will bless you always and keep you in His care--May His constant blessings, as He watches from above, fill your day with all the joy you' re so deserving of.

To my dear friend, my comforter, my jolly mood maker GRACE-- MAY ALL YOUR HOPES, WISHES, DREAMS COME TRUE!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACE!!

With Love,

Clang

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Please visit her with your warm birthday greetings thru this linky love and I' m sure she will be glad for your coming!!

Couple's Corner

First Year of Getting Married--During the first year of our marriage was a full of adjustments--after years of getting used to live in a busy and noisy city in Fukushima, we started to live together with my PIL,BIL, 2 SIL(not yet married at that time ) and Yochan' s Great GrandMother at an quiet, isolated place ( with no neighbors near them )in which I'm calling The Bukid Of Tralala. It is unusual here in Japan to live all together in one roof but due to Yochan' s work, we asked to live with them for a year. A year of learning Japanese culture( until now ), the language, the pakikisama and all that. Me and my 2 SIL share responsibilities inside the house, teaching me to cook whenever they have time-- it wasn't easy to cook for big family coz it's like you're cooking for fiesta. A main dish, salads, soups and appetizer --unlike in my country that if you have the rice and main dish,it' s fine.Imagine all the dirty dishes after! It was hard at first but it is an everyday life and doing them just the same when I'm still in the Philippines, the difference is only the numbers of dishes--and it's normal. Although I don' t have problem with dealing with my BIL and SIL (we're almost of same ages but still they're respecting me as their elder bros wife ), I could feel somewhere that I'm not still accepted as a family by Yochan's Great Grand Mother during that time. When they're all gone to their work, it is only me and Obachan (85 years old Great Granny) that is left at home. I was trying my best to approach her, talk to her ( with my bulol nipponggo ) but she would make " dabog " and won' t eat what I serve during lunch time.Despite of the feeling of being unwanted in the family, I was hoping that she would accept me even not that soon but eventually. Until one day, my prayers was heard-- she invited me to have a coffee break at the living room and we started to talk for the first time before we moved out from them . I'm really glad for my answered prayers although it took me for awhile!! She's one kawaii obachan ever!! First Misunderstanding--I'm a jealous type of woman before and I'm really irritated whenever we attend some Motorshows and same kind of events with lots of girls, companions, race queens, etc and taking pictures of them. I sometimes would not talk and just ignore him and he's like " Why are you mad? I thought you love Motorshows?" Don't get me wrong--I love motorshows alright but I can't really express it well (that I'm soo much jealoused taking time peek-turing those ladies lol) because of my poor nipponggo and he told me that he' ll listen even if it will took hours to explain how I feel--gusto nya ilabas ko raw lahat ng nararamdaman ko and so I told him the reason why and laughed at me. Well, he told me the main is the machine and not the girls ( who knows lol!). We have a couple of disagreements and sometimes fight over little things ( because of me being childish)but we just move along and make up. We' re like this BEFORE: Yochan wanted me to speak up everything I have in mind. NOW: HE WANTED ME TO SHUT UP LOL!
Our marriage ain't perfect, but it's a work in progress.^_^

For more talks at Couple' s Corner, head up to Mommy Liza' s fun meme HERE:

Package from Korea!!

Just received a package from Ate Rose ( she's my senior here at blogosphere that' s why I'm calling her Ate ) for my birthday!! Please check the link for a visit, her blog has inspired me in many ways and she's trully loved by many. I' m trully blessed with good friends!! Thank you for your birthday gift and well wishes!! Your generosity overwhelms me! I really appreciate the thought. Thank you so much for brightening my day, Ate Rose!^_^

Many Thanks!!
Thank you for not only taking the time to think of me on my special day, but to send this gift of love to me!! I really love 'em!!

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Happy Birthday, Niko!!

Dear Niko,

You give away the gift of love so freely, day by day in every warm and caring thing you find to do and say...

And so today, your special day as well as all year through, the special gift of love you give is coming back to you.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NIKO!! ^_^

With Love,
Clang

Food Trip Friday---Ebi Katsudon with Soba Noodles

One of my favorite Japanese foods is SOBA noodles--a Japanese noodles made of buckwheat flour and can be served hot or cold. I' m so delighted with this set menu during lunch after a PTA meeting with some other Mums. Ordered EBI Katsudon ( panko breaded prawn cutlet sauteed with egg and veggies on rice ) with soba noodles for a very reasonable price and yet delicious!!


Ebi Katsudon with Soba noodles set includes a Tongiru soup and daikon (radish )pickles
How to eat a Soba Noodles--put some wasabi ( if you like ) and negi ( leeks ) to your cold Tsuyu ( mine is a cold dipping sauce for a cold soba noodles ) and pick a small amount of soba from the tray and dip the noodles to the dipping sauce and eat. Enjoy!!



For Food trippers join us here. Chibugan na!!! \(^0^)/