The smell of death...

So, our beloved Mr. Jack-o-Lantern has been sitting on our table for 3 days now. But, this morning when I woke up, I smelled something putrid in our apartment. It took me a while to figure out what was causing the funky smell. I walked around our place sniffing the air the way a dog does when it's dinner time. I smelled the trash can, and it didn't smell great...but it certainly wasn't the cause of the foul smell. Then, when I sat down to eat breakfast, I realized what it was....it was a decaying, mold filled Mr. Jack-o-Lantern. Yucky!


(This is the inside of Mr. Jack-o-lantern. He's growing mold! Yuck!)

(The top of Mr. Jack-o-Lantern was stuck shut by this long, hairy fungus mold stuff. Boy, that can't be good for my asthma!!)

(You can tell that Mr. Jack-0-Lantern has seen better days! You can see the hairy mold/fungus in his right triangle eye. Nasty!)

I guess with the heat and humidity here in Japan, Mr. Jack-o-Lantern didn't stand a chance. Needless to say, Mr. Jack-o-Lantern has been disposed of properly and will no longer be a bio-hazard!

Just another day in Weenie's World!

They are coming!

It's official! YaYa and PoPo (my parents, duh!) are coming to see us. YAHOOO!!! They will be here on December 17th, and they will stay until January 9th. Lord help us all! Okay, okay, they aren't that bad. In fact, for old, retired people they are quite entertaining. PoPo can entertain us with his amazing ability to use the "F" word as a noun, adjective and verb, and he can tell us his favorite dirty jokes. And, YaYa can entertain us with her stories about PoPo doing thing he shouldn't be doing...like falling off the roof, etc. So, we are very excited to have them with us for the holidays. I'm sure it will be a great Christmas, New Year and my birthday.

Since all the grandparents on my side are dead now, YaYa and PoPo should be able to stay the entire time...unlike their last visit when my grandmother (my dad's mom) kicked the bucket. They cut their last trip to Japan short to return home for my grandmother's funeral. So, with all of the grandparents dead, hopefully this trip should be a better one. I'm not trying to be mean or anything, but PoPo had a hell of time being here with his mother dying on the other side of the planet. So, I'm sure this trip will be much more relaxing and fun.


So, with that said...WATCH OUT JAPAN! Two more beaners are on their way to corrupt your way of life! We are loud mouthed, opinionated, feisty, and slightly deranged! Your world will never be the same again!!

Happy Harroween!

Today is Harroween! (That's what how the Japanese pronounce Halloween in Engrish, I mean English.) Yippee! We are going to dress up Jude in his Batman costume, minus the mask and cape, and take him to some of our American friends' homes for trick or treating. As you may remember, we lost his mask and cape at his school Halloween Party. So, Jude will just be half Batman. I'm totally looking forward to getting piles of candy, so my kid can be bouncing off the walls...NOT! But, Halloween is a rite of passage in a young boys life, and I would never deny my kiddo that...even if we do live in Japan.

So, Happy Harroween!! ( By the way, we are a day ahead of you people in the states.)

This week's marathon training...

I ran 4 miles Tuesday, 4 miles Wednesday and 3 miles Thursday. So, my marathon training is going as planned. However, before each run, I've had to take Singulair to help open up my bronchial tubes (Singulair is a small, little pill taken once a day-used to control asthma and allergies). Since I got a cold, about 2 weeks ago, my asthma has been a problem, along with a nagging phlegm filled cough. But, I haven't let it stop me. Remember, I'm in control of my bunk ass lungs...but, sometimes I swear my lungs never got the memo!


I'm running 7 miles on Saturday. I think it is supposed to be 48 degrees Fahrenheit, rainy and windy. But, we train in the rain!

I think I'm turning Japanese, I think I'm turning Japanese...I really think so!

The other day all of our forks were dirty. So, instead of washing them, I just used chopsticks. I felt a little weird eating honeydew melon with chopsticks! It was hard to grab the humongous pieces of melon with them...but I managed pretty well...considering I'm a midget Mexican momma from Texas!

Nail art...why not!!

Okay, I'm a simple woman who can be dressed and ready to go in 8 minutes. I certainly would not consider myself high maintenance. In fact, Husband has to often remind me to fix my hair. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a frumpy house wife, either. I usually never leave the house without concealer, eye liner, mascara and my Victoria's Secret Angels Bra (remember....I nursed Jude for 16 months...my banana boobs need all the help they can get!).

But, when it comes to my nails, I usually just leave them alone. I'm lucky if I cut them once a month. I know some women like to get fake nails put on or get manicures...but I'm not one of those. In fact, I don't really like long nails because I can't pick my nose. Honestly! And, I'm afraid I'll scratch Jude if I have claws.

But, here in Japan, young girls and women love to paint their nails and cover them with jewels and glitter. I think it's a bit silly, over the top, and a waste of time and money.

However, yesterday I went to the big ass 100 Yen Shop (the Japanese version of a dollar store) near my apartment. I was walking around aimlessly in search for useless crap I didn't even know I needed when I stumbled across jeweled nail stickers. You apply them to the tips of your nails and then paint clear nail polish over them. I bought them and applied them to my nails. They turned out okay considering I applied them in a moving car on the way to pick up Jude from school (my friend was driving...so no lives were at stake during the application). I was quite pleased with how my nails looked. I showed all the other moms at the bus stop, and they were also impressed with my 100 Yen find. (FYI- 100 Yen is about $1.10.)

So, now my nails look like the one's pictured above. I showed Husband my "manicure" when he came home from work. His exact words were "that doesn't look like you or something you would do." My response was "When in Japan, do as the Japanese!" Husband laughed...

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Super Model!

As you know, I'm debating whether or not to pimp out my kid. I've been approached multiple times by people who think I should model Jude. In Japan, Westerners are in high demand when it comes to modeling for store promos and catalogues.



So, the other night, we pretended Jude was modelling for the camera. These are the pictures I took....by the way, Husband is in the back ground. I tried to crop Husband out, but he got mad. So, I left the pictures alone. The pics are untouched...as you can tell...


(This is Jude's monster face...so he said.)

(This is Jude's modeling face...so he said.)

(This is Jude's regular face. Cute kid, huh??!!)

Mr. Jack-o-Lantern!

(AAAAAaaaahhhh! It's scary!- I turned off the lights and put a candle inside the jack-o-lantern...Jude screamed like a maniac...as you can see!)

So, I finally broke down and bought a pumpkin. I think it cost around 9 bucks. I wasn't too pleased with the price, but I didn't want to deny my child. So, we brought the pumpkin home and gutted the poor thing. This is the result...

(OOOOOOoooohh, spooky!)

(The pumpkin kinda looks a bit "Rock-a-billy" because of the stem. I love it!)

(Jude was upset with me because I made him put down the carving utensils...it was just too dangerous! For future reference, a 4 year old and knives don't go well together!---Luckily, no one was injured...except the pumpkin (hee-hee).)

(Jude was having WAY too much fun with the mini-carving knives. He said he was pretending to be Bear from Man Vs. Wild (by the way, we love that show!).)

Just another day in Weenie's World!

Sleeping Beauty!

The other day Jude fell asleep watching TV. I took a picture and thought I would share. Sorry, but I couldn't resist!

Crock Pot, anyone??

Do you like to cook in your Crock Pot? Need ideas for Crock Pot recipes?? Well, I did! Luckily, Twin's Mom found a great blogger who cooks everyday with her Crock Pot. It's called "A Year of Crockpotting." Here is the link to the site:



http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/crockpot-bacon-wrapped-cornish-game.html

I love the recipes! She has a great one for Rotisserie Chicken. It sounds yummy, and I can't wait to try it.

As a busy mom, Crock Pots are a great way to cook a healthy, home style, inexpensive meal for my family.

So, enjoy all the great recipes...I know I will!

Thanks Stephanie! You rock!

Just another day in Weenie's World!