My Everyday Normal

Hello friends.  Today I thought I would take a minute to share with you a little bit of my everyday.

My first picture is of my thermostat.  This is how I control my air conditioning and heat.  Everything is in Celsius, not Fahrenheit.  The little dial on the left is the temperature.  In the middle I can turn the fan of, on low, on medium, or on high.  The switch on the far right is the light switch, which Landen has mastered quite well.
 

This next photo is of my cell phone.  I put it next to my Ipod touch so you can see the size difference.  This thing is huge...and such a pain to use!  It takes me like 5 minutes to type a text...literally!

I am the lucky winner of living on the corner of a quad-plex.  Basically what that means is I have four times the yard to mow and I have the garbage pile right outside my window.  My first month in this house I was shocked that people sit the trash on the edge of the sidewalk like that, just waiting for the the trash man to come.  So gross.

These little snails are EVERYWHERE!!!  They cover the wall of our building.  They are on the sidewalks.  They are on the playground (Landen tries to eat them).  This one is the size of a dime.  Bigger snails about the size of an egg are also in abundance.

My washer and dryer.  Nothing really significant about it.  Just wanted to point out that I have a beautiful set back home in storage.  Front loaders in sea blue.  The government supplies us with these nasties (yes, I created my own word).  Loud, no timer, and they don't even match.

Next, are my curtains.  The Japanese have it going on when it comes to curtains.  Instead of sliding them through a rod, they clip onto a gliding track.  Love them!

This is our power outlet in the bathroom.  I can't even plug my hair dryer into it.  You have to go underneath and plug up inside.

The bathtubs in Japan, or at least the ones I have seen, are huge.  This surprises me since the people are so tiny.  This is our bathtub.  When I kneel on the floor to bathe Landen the edge of the tub comes to my shoulders.
 

De-humidifiers.  We have two. They get emptied twice a day.  Each one holds several gallons of water.

Since we live on a small island that is really overcrowded, they are very adamant about recycling.  We have to recycle everything and it all has to be categorized.  I feel like a spoiled American when it comes to this task.  Yes, I think we should recycle.  But gosh, it sure isn't fun.

And to save the best for last.  Our toilet paper dispenser has a metal cover.  I am not really sure why.

Is anyone still there?

I know, I know...it has been FOREVER since I have written a blog.  You guys got used to me being a stay-at-home mommy and supplying you with an abundance of reading material and updates via my blog.  And - I promised I would continue to provide updates which thus far have been less than promising.  Now that my life is calming down a little....well, as much as life can for a full time worker/student/mother/wife...I hope to provide you with more updates on the oh so exciting life of an American trapped in Japan.


Since I have last written, we have found the most AMAZING place ever to eat at.  Japan is definitely not in short supply of wonderful restaurants with yummy grub. FYI - as a side note I will point out that I had to use spell check for the word definitely.  Moving on...so this place of which I have no clue what the name, is absolutely the best place we have been to eat since arriving on island.  This probably doesn't say much since we all know how cheap financially responsible I am and as result we have only dined out a small hand full of times.  But, it is also my co-workers favorite place to eat and she has been on island much longer than I.


So, why is this place so cool you ask?  You pay one fee.  You order as much as you want.  You grill it yourself at your table.  Ice cream is included.  Could life get any better?


Here is a video of our evening out with friends:

Last weekend we went to our first concert here.  Iyaz came to Oki.  If you don't know who he is, he sings Pretty Girls, Replay, and Solo.  Landen enjoyed the music but passed out before it was over. 

I also thought I would thrown in that I went for another pedicure and my design this time was especially cute.

I found a new produce market (new to me anyway) and this one is amazing!  They have the largest assortment of produce, baked goods, fried goods, gifts, and flowers.  I picked up some muffins and three flowers.  I am absolutely in love.  The flowers were only 100 yen a piece!

Last night we went to a pumpkin carving party at a friend's house.  We had a great time.  My favorite part was all the themed Halloween food.  I love it when someone knows how to throw a good party.  

Our pumpkin is the haunted house on the top left.

Back to work

This week has been very eventful.  I went back to work.  And while I probably should be in bed right now, I am hyped up on caffeine trying to stay awake and finish schoolwork. I have to finish what I can when I can, which often means late in the evening when Landen is asleep...remember I am a single Mom these days.  


You are all aware of my ever conflicting emotions towards going back to work.  Well thus-far, I must say this decision was for the better.  I am happy to be back to work and Landen is happy to be back to daycare.  So happy in fact that he threw a fit when I picked him up today.  He literally cried the entire way out the building after trying to run away from me.  I was literally horrified thinking what the child development center must think, probably that I don't feed him or he is beaten.  Then my emotions turned to sadness as I realized I was so happy to see him and he was not as happy to see me.  He just wanted to play in the music room.  


Well, anyway...back to my new job.  My official title is "Prevention Specialist" for Counseling and Advocacy.  It is strange to go from being a program manager working solely by myself, to working under someone with a dozen or so other people.  It is a good strange though.  I am enjoying the friendships I am building.  The people are so nice.  Working with so many people in the counseling field is neat, I just want to sit there and tell them my whole life story.  They have a way of being so inviting.  


My coworker in the prevention department has been so helpful.  She has really helped guide me this week.  I am certain I have talked her head off all week after being stuck in a home with a 15 month old by myself for the past few weeks.  She probably goes home and tells her husband that I never shut up.  I will work on that....maybe.


I will no longer be counseling or seeing clients, which is sad to me.  I will however, continue with the briefing and education pieces of work.  Instead of briefing finance I will be briefing prevention.  Suicide prevention is a large part of our work as I am learning of the high prevalence of suicide in the military and how every 2 days a service member commits suicide.  Sad.  I also brief on stress and anger management, healthy dating and relationships, and effective communication.


On my 3rd day of work I got to be on the radio!  I am talking the whole deal with the head phones and microphone.  I was so nervous, but once I started talking I was having the time of my life.  Maybe I should just become a radio personality?  I know, Katie Markley, another career to add to my list of "when I grow up".


That's it for the week.  You will be proud, I did manage to cook meat twice this week and only reverted to cereal or peanut butter and jelly on three occasions.    

short and sweet

This weekend we....

ate crayons

jumped in a bouncy house

played with fairies

dug for buried treasure

Weight loss and running tips

*General disclaimer:  I am not a licensed medical professional, nutritionist, wellness coach, or any other form of professional weight loss guru.  I don't even play one on TV.  The following blog is insight from personal experience and generalized public knowledge that can easily be obtained through my best friend, Google.  

I have thought of writing a blog on weight loss and running for some time now.  I can't tell you the number of personal messages I have received from friends, seeking my advice.  I decided not to write the blog last month, figuring I had already talked to everyone personally who was interested....but then....I got another influx of messages.  So here we go...

Background:

Why do people ask me for weight loss tips?  Well, for those of you who haven't followed every second of my existence (whats wrong with you, geez?) I grew to the size of a baby elephant during my pregnancy.  Well, that may be a slight exaggeration...I'm not sure the exact size of a baby elephant and no, I am not going to go look it up.  Anyway, here I am on Landen's due date in all 229 pounds of my glory.

Now, for all you who told me I was "so cute" and "all belly", I have one word to say to you: LIARS!!  But, thanks for trying to make me feel better when I had thighs the size of my husbands stomach.  So...91 pounds later I am purchasing my SECOND pair of size 4 shorts.  This in itself is a miracle because (a) I have not worn a size 4 since I was ten years old, and (b) I was wearing shorts again!  The day before this picture was taken I had a uncontrollable breakdown in the dressing room of the Motherhood Maternity Store as I was unsuccessfully searching for a pair of shorts or capris to wear in the hot southern weather.  Sadly, nothing would fit my enormous body.  

How to loose the weight:

This part is not rocket science people.  I hear friends all the time doing crazy diets.  Not eating carbs, only eating one meal a day, drinking nothing but soup.  STOP IT!  It's basic math - you don't even need to have a background in finance to calculate.  

Step 1: Find out how many calories your body needs to maintain its CURRENT weight.  Go to this calorie calculator and it will do all the work for you.

Step 2: In order to loose 1 pound you need to get rid of 3,500 calories.  To loose 1 pound per week you need a deficit of 500 calories a day.  You can either consume 500 less calories, or you can consume 250 less calories and work out to burn 250 calories.

Example: Pretend you need 2,000 calories to maintain your weight.  You want to loose weight.  You need to    consumer 1,500 calories a day....or you can consume 1,750 calories a day as long as you work out and burn 250 calories.

Doing this will allow you to loose 1 pound per week.  To loose 2 pounds per week you need a deficit of 1,000 calories a day instead of 500.  Please don't try to loose more than 2 pounds per week.  The weight won't stay off and if you loose weight too fast your skin won't bounce back as fast....so you will have saggy, droopy skin and possibly stretch marks.

That's it!  It is not complicated.  In fact this methodology is out there for you to research.  It is the right way to loose weight and it is easy.  You have to remember that calories count.  Note: Fruits and vegetables are not calorie free.  They are better calories for you because they have nutrients and are low in fat, but you still have to count them.  Just because you work out does not mean you can eat what you want.  In fact, you are better off watching what you eat and not working out.  Studies have proven that what you consume is the key to loosing weight, not how many hours you kill yourself at the gym.  I lost my weight working out ONE DAY a week.  Full time grad student, plus full time new mom, plus working forty hours a week meant that I did not have a lot of time for exercise.  My job was sedentary.  I was not blasting calories like someone working in a daycare.  I was a counselor.  Meaning I sat.  All day.

A Typical Day:

Next, people are always asking me what I eat.  I am fairly planned so this is easy for me to do.  This is MY diet though.  Just because I eat this, does not mean you have to.  Remember it's the calories that count.  So eat what is enjoyable to you.

Breakfast- 400 calories

• 1 cup of Kashi Go Lean cereal with 1 tablespoon of dried cranberry's and skim milk
• 1 banana
• 1 cup of coffee sweetened with splenda

Lunch- 400 calories

• Turkey sandwich with Olive Oil Mayo
• Sliced Apple
• Box of raisins

Snack- 200 calories

• Yogurt (any brand that has under 100 calories)
• grapes

Dinner- 500 to 600 calories

• Dinner is always different.  I make what I want and just watch the portion size.

* On a daily basis I  stay away from drinks with calories and drink a ton of water and crystal light.  I would rather eat my calories than drink them.

Personal Tips:

1. Don't eat after dinner.  Brush your teeth and use strong mouth wash.
2. If you are hungry drink water and chew gum.
3. I weigh myself right after dinner.  I know that is backwards, but once I see my weight I won't eat again.  Either my weight is good and I want to keep it low or my weight is high and I don't want to make it higher.
4. My favorite snack is cereal, Yogurt Cheerios to be exact.  Low calorie, whole grain, and you get to eat a bunch.  Much better for you than crackers or chips.
5. Have some motivation.  My friend Katrina once said to me "Nothing taste's as good as skinny feels."  The quote stuck.

Running:

For those of you who want to start running or are trying to run farther here is my advice.  This is what works for me, you have to find what will work for you. 

• Focus on distance first, then speed.  If you are trying to run a 5k and you can't make it, slow down. 
• Interval training is good for increasing speed and distance.  Run really fast for a minute and then slow down to a jog or walk for a minute.  Do this for several miles. 
• If you are running with a jogging stroller, spend some money and invest in a good one.  It is the single best piece of equipment you will buy.  I have a Bob.  It is amazing.  I am sure there are other good brands out there too.  
• A GPS watch is also a necessity if you are going to be a serious runner.  You will run farther and improve your run time if you can vary your route.  A GPS watch will track your distance wherever you go.  I have a Garmin Forerunner 205. Love it.   
• Try to run four to five days a week.  One day a week you should have a long run, where you run longer than normal.  This will help build your stamina.
• Find hills.  Nothing is better for building your run time and distance than a good hill.  Plus you blast extra calories.  
• If you plan on running with a jogging stroller, run with it as often as possible.  Meaning when you run with the husband do not let him take over.  Running with a stroller zaps a ton of calories, plus it is an excellent way to build strength for longer runs.
• Make sure to hydrate. Carry water on your runs.
• Most experts agree it is best to run in the morning if you can because your body has more energy than it does at the end of the day.  I know this is different for everyone.  I have friends who swear they run better at night.  If you can run in the morning, do.
• There has also been studies to prove that a cup of coffee before your run will give you the boost to run farther and faster.  Just make sure you drink water too.
• Wear good workout gear.  Cheap shoes won't cut it.  A good pair of running shoes costs around $80.  You should have at least 2 pairs and you should rotate them daily.  I have 4 pairs that I rotate.  Shoes will last you about 300-500 miles each.  This includes walking, so try not to use your running shoes for anything else.  You don't want the added miles on your expensive shoes.  
• Also make sure to stretch good.  Not stretching well and running in inadequate shoes will cause injuries.  

Doctor Fish

For some reason the title of this blog makes me think of Doctor Seuss.  Maybe its the One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish?  Well, anyway, doctor fish are like little tiny minnows that eat away all the dead skin off your feet.  Sound gross?  I don't know, I guess it kind of is...which is probably why I haven't tried it yet, or maybe it's because the thought of dozens of little fishes nibbling on my feet sounds like a big tickle fest that I could not handle.  But, my ever so studly and manly husband decided to give it a whirl.  The result: smooth feet that felt like baby skin.  And yeah, it was really hard for him not to laugh because it did tickle a lot.

These little Doctor Fish booths are frequently set up in malls or shopping centers.  This one happens to be in the ToysRUs shopping center in Naha.  For 500 yen the fish get to feast for 5 minutes.  We even let Landen try, but that lasted about two seconds.  He was not a fan.

The primary reason for our trip to Naha today was to get Landen some new shoes.  That boy grows so fast.  He is now in a size 7 shoe!  That is really big for a 15 month old.  Note to self: do not buy a toddler 3 pairs of Nike's, a pair of New Balances, and a pair of Timberland's all in the same size.  Yeah a bunch of wasted money on shoes he wore for two months.  But here is the nitty gritty.  Everything for girls is in abundance.  And it is all so cute.  What is left for the boys?  Crap.  So I make up for it in the shoe department.  The Japanese are pretty obsessed with shoes.  The kids shoes are really, really bright and colorful.  You may have noticed children shoe departments in the U.S. to be minimal for toddlers.  If you are lucky you have ten shoes to chose from.  Here you have...well...umm...I will let the picture speak for itself.

  

You can just hear the angels singing when you walk in.  So many choices....we looked at Nike's, Asics, New Balances, and Adidas.  But, we decided to go outside of the norm and get Landen some shoes true to the Japanese culture.  So, here he is...pointing at his new shoes with his fat little fingers and deliciously chubby ankles.  

Torii Beach

Sometimes I really can't believe that I live in such a paradise...swimming in the crystal clear waters of the East China Sea, walking on beautiful beaches, eating fresh sushi, and meeting amazing people.  But I do, and it is wonderful.  


At one point today I was stopped at a red light in my car, my music was going, and as I was looking around I felt like I was sitting in the scene of a movie.  The sun was shining, the wind blowing ever so perfectly.  A young Japanese woman rides by on her bicycle with groceries in her basket, listening to her iPod.  An elderly woman is doing yard work.  A business man, sharply dressed in a suit he probably purchased at the Armani outlet, is talking on his cell phone.  The flowers are in full bloom, everything is perfect.


The beauty that surround my days is ever growing.  On Labor Day, we went to a new beach.  I thought it would be just another beach, but no...this place has so much more to offer.  This beach, Torri, is on the coastline of Torii Station, the Army base out here.  I know I am always mentioning different bases. I have no idea how many there are here...8, 10, 12?  There are a lot.  

Here is a short video my husband took of Landen and I on the beach.

The best part about this beach, besides the beautiful water of course, is that is has a huge water slide and splash fountain!  And of course, you all know how my little Lanny is a big fan of the splash fountains.

We set up camp for about 4 hours.  Our huge beach umbrella gave us the perfect amount of shade and my Egyptian Cotton sheet made the ground feel like silky heaven.  There is a restaurant on the beach where you can purchase meals, but we brought sandwiches and fresh fruit from home.  There are camping areas and cabins on the shoreline that you can rent for the night.  They also have other things for rent such as dragon boats, paddle boards, and surf boards.  

To make the day even better, my parents bought us each a mask and snorkel set so we could see all the pretty sea life in the beautiful waters. My next step is to learn how to scuba dive.  I am hoping to get certified within the year.

The Unscheduled Life

The hubby was supposed to leave for a month of training in Korea on September 2nd....then it was moved to August 29th...then pushed back to September 1st...then September 4th....now they are saying sometime next week.  Ahhh, this is my life....hurry up and wait.   

Meanwhile we have been doing more exploring!  Last night we headed to American Village AFTER DINNER.  We stayed out until 9PM!!  We are such homebodies.  And very scheduled.  We like to be home at night.  

Okay, so we made a random decision to go to American Village.  Lots of shops.  Lots of places to eat. Bands playing, people drinking.  I felt a little out of place.  Like I was too old to be there, despite the fact that everyone there was my age.  Hmmm....I don't need to grow up, I need to grow down.  If that makes any sense.

We have been here several times before.  It is one of the main attractions on the island, and it is only 10 minutes from our house.

Ferris Wheel and huge 3 story indoor shopping area.

Across the street is more shopping

Two story shopping area.

I think my camera was over stimulated....

Look, the Japanese guys are giving us peace signs...something they all do in pictures.

This was Friday night.  Fast forward to Saturday morning and we made another random decision to go to breakfast.  The second "unscheduled" event in the Drake household this weekend.  I am breaking out of my rigid, scheduled, organized, planned shell.  


We went to the Ocean Breeze on Camp Foster.  Camp Foster is the base we live on, the Ocean Breeze is about a mile down the road.  It is a restaurant and holds the enlisted clubs.  Breakfast was buffet style.  You name it, it was there; waffles, pancakes, french toast, eggs, omelet bar, sausage, ham, bacon, cereal bar, grits, oatmeal, gravy, biscuits, taco bar, pastry bar, plus more!  

  
After our yummy breakfast we headed out to the Camp Foster flea market.  It is held at a different base each weekend.  The first weekend of the month they hold it at Camp Foster.  My find: a Japan T-shirt for Landen that I got for $1.  I was super pumped to buy this off a Japanese lady.  I had been looking at the T-shirts at American Village, but they were 1900 yen ($25.27). 

The next stop was Mona Kids Jungle.  I know, I know, we were super busy today!  This Jungle is an amazing place for kids.  Okay, I admit it's pretty cool for adults too.  There are a ton of yummy snacks for purchase and it is so much fun to watch the kids run wild.  For 500 yen ($6.65), Landen could play for 3 hours!  He tired out in 1 1/2. 

Can you find Landen?

We ended our perfect day with a trip to the Rocker NCO (non-commissioned officer) Club on Kadena Air Force base for cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory.  This base is about 15 minutes down the road.  So tonight I will savor white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and dulce de leche cheesecake.  I am going to have to work out extra hard tomorrow.

AEON Mall and a Festival

When I hear the word mall I think Gap, Macy's, Bath and Body Works, etc.  Unfortunately, we do not have any of those stores here.  We DO have a mall...there are a few actually.  I have no idea what the names of the stores are because the writing looks like this  インターネットをもっと快適に.  Maybe one day I will learn how to read the writing here.  Probably not.

Today we went to AEON Mall in American Village.  It is difficult to describe the malls here.  The stores are packed together and it is hard to tell where one stops and another starts. 

I ignored my diet and went straight for Mister Donuts.  You will be proud, the three of us shared one donut.  And by share I mean I had three fourths of it.

Yes, those are green donuts...melon flavored maybe??

                

You can see Blue Seal ice cream in the back...those are everywhere.  Most of the food is in English, ha!  They must know Americans like to eat.

There are several clothing and home good stores.  They have a lot of places to eat, and they even have a grocery attached.  Some of my pictures are blurry.  I'm sorry.  I was trying to take photos as we were walking.  I was using my iPod because I didn't want to draw attention to us (never mind the fact that once again we were the only Americans there and I am a good foot taller than any woman around....and some of the men too).

This afternoon we went to the Camp Hansen Festival, held on another Marine Corps base.  It is about 30 minutes north of us.  Landen met a friend.  This little boy is 2.  Landen turned 15 months today (he is in the 89th percentile for weight, 96th for height and 99th for head size....so in short I am growing a football player with a big brain).

They have a lot of entertainment planned.  The main attraction was Alien Ant Farm.  We were there for the Eisa performers.  Here is a short video:

   

And of course a festival wouldn't be complete without a lot of yummy, greasy food.  There were vendors with traditional festival foods such as pizza, snow cones, BBQ, and funnel cakes.  There were also Japanese vendors with yakisoba, yakitori, and tempura.  I chose a grape slushy for my treat.