A product review of sorts~!~! Ashley Durapella Furniture..

#$#%^^Q%#!! Are you kidding me. $%$^###$B$#^$!!! Upon arriving in Japan we were told our household goods were lost. They were doing everything they could to find them (the nice little man at inbound assured us). So off we went to our house with NOTHING!! They did bring us loaner furniture to use. (imagine the most hideously uncomfortable plastic sofa) that is what we got. This went on for 3 months. Every time we would call, we were told a different story. GRRRRRR!!!

Well 3 months later and they found our stuff. Hallelujah. We were on our way. Delivery date was scheduled, the kids were set to be out of the house all day. Things were great. until the movers showed up with our crates. The nice Japanese man (who of course spoke no English) opened the first crate, and I immediately knew there was a problem. The inside of the crate was wet (not just damp, I mean soaking wet). Inside said crate was my sofa and love seat. They were BLACK! Covered in mold, and my sofa was broken almost in half. It seems they made it fit. We also ended up with a broken dinning table, broken bed, and 4 boxes missing. (wouldn't you know it, the boxs had our linens).

We are not ones to buy anything new, (for obvious reasons), but I could not take 1 more day on that hideous office furniture they were so gracious in loaning us. Off to the furniture store we went. I found a sofa and love seat that I could live with. The price was not to bad either. Both pieces for 700 bucks. Home we came with Ashley Durapella (they say you can clean anything off durapella). I have 3 boys, so it made for a perfect fit. We have all lived happily for the last 19 months. Until, yesterday. My sofa is BROKEN!! The wood frame in the back of my sofa just broke. P was sitting on the sofa reading his latest book, and he heard it snap. He walks around the back of my sofa and there are the boards coming out of the back. WHAT THE HE##. We just bought this set. And it was brand new.

So now instead of taking the boys to Saipan, we have to trot over to the furniture store and see what other pieces of crap they have marked way to high and buy something safe for the boys to sit their butts on. If you are thinking of Ashley furniture for anything STOP! Walk out immediately! Buy something else!! We are not rough on our furniture, I clean it, and everything. It is just CRAP!!

I am thinking this time we are going with leather.... Any suggestions?

To Good Not To Share... Last one I promise..

OK, by now you all are sick of hearing about my job.. But, I have to share this story... It is to funny not to...

I was hired to work to-go. 20 hours a week, decent money, and I set my own hours. After the first few days I worked, it was somehow decided I would be a trainer. It is a bit more money, and a few more hours. I think he has hired 3 trainers because he still needs 3 more managers and is having a hard time finding them. I think I was offer the job because I was the only American working while we were open. We now have about 15, (mostly bar tenders).

Fast forward to last night. I have to learn all of the draft and bottled beer we offer. Junie (a Taiwan trainer) writes all the bottle beer on a white board. I am writing it down, along with the Japanese wait staff. She asks, "what beer is no alcohol"? I am looking for Sharps, or a similar brand. Junies says O'douls. It is no alcohol. Then she amends this on the white board to say it has 0.05% alcohol. Junie says " so this one O'douls, we can serve to kids, if they come here for dinner or something". I immediately look up, see her pointing to the O'douls, and said umm Junie, no we can't. She says "yeah, sure, this one OK to sell for kids. At this point the Japanese wait staff seem confused, so I ask the owner (he was sitting in the corner with his food guy, who is American).
me: Umm, David, we can not sell O'douls to kids?
MWR food manager : No, No you can't ( at this point he is standing up, confused as to why I would ask)
Junie: Yes, it's OK, I think O'douls, so little alcohol.
MWR guy: no, no, under no circumstances, you can not sell that to kids. Not in American restaurants.
Junie: This Japan, so maybe I think so. I will check.
At this point David the owner decides he should say something.. He says NO!
Junie: I will check on this for you..

The problem with this exchange is simple, if you tell the Japanese employees they can do something, and then tell them they can't it causes confusion. YIKES!! We are set to open in a week. And my only worry was if people would get their burger on time and cooked right...

The Comedy of my job~!

As many of you know I recently got a job at Chilis'. We opened, it was a nightmare, so we closed for more training. Now we are in full training mode. The staff is comprised of Japanese nationals, Taiwan trainers and managers, and a few Americans. Communication is sketchy at best most of the time. We are all trying, and laughing. With any luck we will be open in a week or 2. Originally we were to open Jan third. Someone forgot to tell the owner the first 4 days in January are a HUGE Japanese holiday. Everything is closed, so they will not be working those days. David doesn't want to open on a Friday or Saturday (although here I don't think that will much matter). We will be slammed from day one. Here are a few funny moments from work.

note: all the trainers and managers from Taiwan have given themselves American names, Chinese names are hard to pronounce. At times they seem to forget what American name they have adopted.

We had a meeting the first day of training. Eric (a corporate manager from Taiwan)
Eric: Hello, thank you all for coming.. I do not speak Japanese, and my English is not so good. So I will speak in Chinese, Junie (another trainer) will translate to Japanese, and later we will tell the Americans in English. HA HA!! It has been this way from day one. He speaks great English. We are slowly getting better at the translations....

I have an American friend that is a cook, one night while I was doing QA (checking the food, I have to memorise the ingredients). She says ummm, Sabrina what the heck is road ash? HA HA! This was supposed to read load mash (loaded mashed potato's). There is no letter L in the Japanese language, and at times we will have to type it in... Problem solved, and no one got road rash...

Last night Joseph (another trainer from Taiwan) Sabrina we have to go over the 3-D. I will give you a book, you need take home, study and learn ingredients. I think this is a bit difficult? Yes? (me) I am sure I can learn it Joseph. We walk over to his area, he hands me my book. Ummm, Joseph, it's all in Japanese. Yes, Yes, we no have English, (everything in English has been in the mail for weeks). so you translate and write English. Yeah, Joseph, I don't speak Japanese. Really? ( with a perplexed look on his face). OH, well I tell you what to write, but I don't not read Japanese... This was fun, we had picture cards, and I think we figured it out... The other half of the books we get to do tonight.

Another trainer from Taiwan (Nicole) training us on the dressings, and what goes on what (can I just say they have way to many dressings). She smells the ranch and says : peww, Ranch sour, but they like, so we serve. ( she was referring to US the Americans).

We all had to sing a birthday song. The manager got us a working mic, and we had Karaoke night. They think it's funny that Americans are shy when it comes to singing.. I think we all got through the song OK.

I enjoy working there, the people are fun, the food is soooo good. We get free dinner every night while we are training. I am sure I have gained 10lbs. We need to hire many more people, and still have a lot of training to get through. I hope it works out, the hours are great for me. The true test will come when we re-open for real customers. I can be home during the day, P has the kids at night.. He is doing SO GOOD! Last night I came home he had the tree down, and vacuumed. What a great husband P is....Wish me luck with my new adventure...

John Mayer - Belief

I heard this song on my new CD, it spoke to me. If you believe in something, hold that belief...

Japan, The Year In Review.. Off the Beaten Path

We have loved this last year here in Japan. We try and live like tourists as much as we can. It is about that time again to just take off with the boys and venture out. We have seen most of what is within 2 or 3 hours from us. This year we plan to spend a few days in Tokyo. So far all we have done are day tours there. Saipan is also on the agenda. More day tours (these are great for those on a budget). I wanted to do a year in review of the boys, P, Japan and all around about the family. I decided to start with Japan, some things they don't put in a brochure.... Enjoy the pictures... This is a hotel close to my house. Notice the statue of liberty on top. From what we understand it is a rather expensive hotel, but we have learned they are all expensive. This is the beach in Chiba. It is a prefecture (city) that is about 4 hours away from our home. The waves are always tumultuous. Not a place for surfing. This is our Greek hotel in Japan. The outside has huge Greek statues, inside is a nice quiet, expensive Italian restaurant. This is 7-11 here in Japan. You can get Chu-hi, or sushi. 7-11 is not kid friendly here, half the store is a men only section...

Yes, the girls here only get 1 skirt in Kindergarten, they have to wear it until they graduate.. Not really, they roll them to and from school. In reality they are supposed to go past their knees. My kids enjoy McDonald's Japanese style. They have shrimp nuggets, and terraki burgers. The inside is like a 4 star restaurant in the states. The first weekend we lived here our friend took us out on a tour. I was thirsty, so we ventured into McDonald's (I assumed they would at least have coke). I ordered a coke, paid the waitress and (having been told to always bow and say thank you, and if they bow lower, then you bow lower)) I bowed, and she bowed, so I bowed again, and she bowed again. Do you see where this is going? Thankfully Mel rescued me. I fear I would still be standing there bowing at the nice young lady.... Monkey Island (I am unsure of the real name, even the locals call it Monkey Island). We had a great time. The island was used during the war, the Japanese used it to shore up the port. The room behind the boys in this picture was where they stored their ammo. The island is full of tunnels, and caves. A perfect place for young boys to explore. We love Monkey Island and spend a few days there in the summer. We can see the island from our house. Japan has some of the best parks I have ever seen. They are big, tons of climbing, bridges, and slides. My kids love to grab a Aquarius (similar to Gatorade) and hang at the park all day. What amazes me is their ability to play with the Japanese children and never utter a word. Somehow they all seem to understand each other. The Great Buddhas shoes. The story is these are his real shoes. They do seem to have some wear and tear...

If you venture off the beaten path to some of the smaller shrines you might just get lucky and get to enjoy a traditional Japanese wedding. We got to see this when my mil was here. What a beautiful sight it was to watch. The ceremony is choreographed. It was interesting. Our very own Starbucks, and yes that is Mt. Fuji in the background. Japanese do love their coffee. One of the best days we have had was Kurihama. It is a huge flower garden, spa, and park. We spent the day there with some Japanese friends. We all got to try Jasmine flavored ice cream. It was sooooo good. We have also been able to try sweet potato ice cream. Here the sweet potato's are white on the inside and purple on the outside so the ice cream is purple. If you get this way try it.. Skiing in Japan is a blast. We left our house at 2 am , drove for 6 hours, and were rewarded with the best day on the snow ever. We plan to go again this winter season. The meal of the day was ramen (of course). What better way to end a day skiing then a wonderful bowl of hot ramen. (nothing like ramen in the states)
I struggled with the decision to post this picture or not. Here fertility is not just about having babies. It is also about have a bountiful crop. So once a year in March they have a fertility festival. They have huge shrines (of the male organs). They carry them from the female shrine to the male shrine. They have great food, and the Monks throw pounded rice cakes at the crowd. All of the celebration is in hopes of having a good harvest. It was a blast and something I am so glad I did. I have other great pictures I may post after the new year. And last but not least, here is a traditional Japanese potty. If you travel this way take a quick lesson in using this style potty. Hint: you stand facing the wall.......

The Aftermath....Pictures at nauseam..

Well the day has finally come and gone. I love Christmas, the time with friends and family. Making hot coco, and spending time curled up reading a good book with the boys. Watching Holiday movies over and over (this year it was the Grinch). I wish this year we would have done more of the reading, and less of the running. Next year we are going to make a point of not saying yes to every thing we are invited to attend, or places we are asked to volunteer. Here are a few pictures from this weekend.... My pirate boy, he is my imaginative child. Halfway through the day he said to me, "Mommy, I like the Wii, but I like my action toys better". He will sit for hours and imagine his own world of pirates, super hero's, and army men. Somehow they all seem to thrive in Noah's world peacefully.

And here is he again.... Peace has become his sign of the time. Everyone he sees, he throws them the peace sign...
Ohhh, he was so excited to have these blocks, the nursery he attends (part time) has them. He plays with them all the time. Once we had these open he was done...
Half way into gift opening, Peyton walks over with daddy's watch, keys, cell phone, and of course money. He was ready to hit the road...
What a face. Who could not love this baby..... The cute ones are always trouble..

They have had these Santa hats forever. I think it's time to lay them to rest...
P and I are not sure what Heroscape is. He asked for it. I spied it for 75% off so the kid gets it... After reviewing the box, we think it's a type of dragon game...
This is by far one of my favorite gifts, we get to build and make dinosaurs. Again something I got for 75% off. There seemed to be a trend here at the NEX, if it was not electronic, and was the least bit educational it was on sale. Do other people not buy fun, educational, and interactive things for their kids? Don't get me wrong we are a electronic family, but we love to build, play and explore things....
Wonder what he is thinking about? My serious child. Everything is black and white in his world. As his mother I hope I am able to show him some of the grey.....

I love him in red. He seems to have an overabundance of red clothes, and shoes...

I get to spend my post Christmas day, listening to Continum by John Mayer, and cleaning. Somehow the Mayer evens it all out. It is back to work for P and I. We will have another 4 days this weekend. Our plan is to not answer the phone, and just be with our boys. I hope it all works out. Somehow I doubt it. P is being followed by a pesky cell phone...

A truley international Christmas....

I was thinking today how truly lucky my family is, to live the life we do. We miss our family dearly, Noah would love nothing more then to spend Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa. But, we are blessed. I got to enjoy some time out in town, exploring, shopping, and visiting with our wonderful Japanese friends this weekend. They explained how the Japanese celebrate Christmas. Here it is a holiday for couples to celebrate together. They buy strawberry shortcake from lavish bakery's, along with KFC (yes, Kentucky Fried Chicken). Apparently here in Yokosuka you have to pre order your cake and chicken well in advance of Christmas. All the stores are open Dec 25, and people shop and prepare for the week long New Years holiday that is right around the corner. We were invited to a dinner party at Mel's. He and P work together. His wife is from Brazil, she prepared the most wonderful food, and gave us this Brazilian soda to bring to the kids. (it was an adult part) She explained to me they celebrate Christmas mostly the same as us. We had a great time. (even if if meant dressing up yet again).
And this wonderful desert was a gift from my neighbor. She is from Italy. It is called Pasteria (spelled wrong). This pie takes 2 days to make. But it is wonderful. Depending on the region of Italy you are from you will either make this for Easter or Christmas. She makes it for both. When we lived in Italy we celebrated La Bafina the boys had a wonderful time. We now celebrate it with the neighbors and their kids.

Having grown up in Germany we do the candy in the shoe in January, as well as the Pickle gift. My kids will have many fond memories of growing up around so many wonderful people and learning a bit more about the world. Merry Christmas all.... Enjoy your day however you celebrate.......

Just one of the ridiculous comments I wonder about.....

I posted a response that was deleted, along with many others. The blogger seems to have her own rules for what she will allow. Fine by me. Here is a comment she did leave up on her blog.

This comment was in no way altered. It is in it's entirety.


Comment by tami lewis — December 22, 2007 @ 5:31 pm
for the record- the pearls believe in spanking, not beating your child. they recommend the plumbing supply line because it doesn’t injure a child which a spoon or belt or other item can. and yes some parents use those things and hurt their child without meaning to. that’s the reason the pearls made the recommendation , as other child training books have also! it all boils down to if you believe the bible recommends using the rod for discipline. i do but i don’t believe in beating my child.gena was simply defending the pearls by showing how ridiculous the accusations against them were. she was stating the obvious- the line doesn’t leave an injury! if you don’t believe in spanking, then don’t read the pearls and don’t get involved in “debates” because we are on opposite sides right off the bat. but don’t boycott and innocent party.


How ridiculous is this commenter I ask you? There is no way the commenter or Blog owner can justify using a pipe or anything else for that matter to hit your child. It really does turn my stomach. Again it's about controlling a child. These people see Children as objects, and not as loving people, with feelings, ambitions, and personalities. I know many of you who agree with this Abuse will see this. So here is my proposal to you. You all seem fond of comparing the loving and raising of children to training a dog. I ask that you do what any good dog owner would do. Try a training technique one yourself before you administer it. Allow someone to hit you with a piece of pipe. I bet you won't.

To Train Up A Child... My thoughts.....

I read blogs, tons of blogs. Some day I will start a 12 step program for blog addicts such as myself. A few of my favorites are Doc, The Foil Hat, The Gookins, Bad Home school Mom, Land of our FourMother and the list goes on. For some time I have been reading about the Home School Blog awards. I think the Christian (and I use the term lightly) group that runs them are a bunch of nut jobs that use God and Christ. They invoke his name not for the sake of love and sharing in his joy, but to try and stand on some moral higher ground. To me these people are no different then those who have no direction. We all know or have someone in our lives that needs drama, chaos, or has to be in the mix all the time. Telling us everything that needs to be fixed in our lives and avoiding their own. These fundamentalists are so far off the plain of reality I am stunned and shocked. Don't these people have enough on their plates (training up their children and all). I have read the fodder for months now, and commented on others blogs. Then I read "train up a child" (should be titled "how to abuse your child using the Bible and God for cover). The link for that trash is available at www.TheGookins.net if you want to read it. (thanks Gookins for posting it, I think everyone should be made to read it. Then I dare them to defend the authors). This is SICK! Plain and simple it is ABUSE!! God and the Bible should not even be a part of this discussion. Here is a quote from this trash " the same principles the Amish use to train stubborn mules, the same technique God uses to train his Children". What the hell? Umm, someone please tell me where in the Bible it says for me to hit my child with PVC pipe? I missed that lesson in Church. While you are at it, can anyone find that passage that says to hit my 4 month old with a switch, to get my baby to stop trying to climbing the stairs? Ever heard of a baby gate you freaks? Someone explain to me how it is remotely OK to compare having, loving, and experiencing the relationship of motherhood compares to a mule, mouse, or dog? This entire sick and twisted abuse manual serves one purpose. It teaches people how to abuse children. What I don't understand is how these people are not locked up? Abuse (and I don't care what religion you are, it's abuse) is Abuse. Hitting a child with a PVC pipe, is abuse. I am still stunned and sickened by this. There are really children out there who have no freedom to enjoy life, experience life without the fear of being hit. And they do it all the while calling themselves Christians.
For those of you who will comment about my obvious inability to parent (to them it seems if you are not hitting your kids with something, your kids won't be wonderful children). I have to say. HOGWASH!! I have 3 boys, ranging in age from 10 to 20 months. We have wonderful kids! They do what is asked of them. They eat their vegetables, clean their rooms (OK, so the rooms could use some work), and are loving boys. We are often complimented while out with our boys, on how well they are behaved, and what great manners they have. (now someone write a book on how to get my boys to use their manners while eating at my dinner table, and I will read it). The difference between me and the Fundamentalist Christians that subscribe to this book is a simple one. I have a relationship with my boys. We play, talk, and are a family. I did not have kids to train them! I did not have kids to have someone smaller them me to control. I did not have kids to cook my meals, clean my house, and take care of the other kids. (I did however have kids to drive me where I need to go, when they are old enough). There is an entire section of this book dedicated to having a friend over for hours and expecting the children to play quietly alone. In fact it seems to me most of this book is designed to produce children that are never heard and rarely seen. Ummm, OK, then why did you have kids? Oh, yeah I remember now to take care of the babies.....My boys have chores, responsibilities, and know what we as their parents expect from them. And you know what we did it without abusing them. I am still stunned by the hitting a 4 month old baby with a switch on the legs! Are these people for real? I as a Christian will be saying a silent prayer for the children that are forced to live in such conditions... I ask that everyone else do the same....

Pictures for Grandma!!

He wanted me to wake the boys up. He was mad they were sleeping..
Here Peyton let's wear these silly hats, so mom can blog it for everyone...
My Noah, he loves his alone time, he asks me all the time why his brothers are so loud....
Yeah, there is no way I am eating that stuff. It's mushy, and smells bad. (it's oatmeal)

Aren't they just the cutest little boys ever? Yeah, don't let the faces fool you... Brats all 3 of them....

Emergency dental, and the day!!

Christopher had a space maintainer, jaw mover (that is not the technical term), and a retainer cemented into his mouth 2 days ago. They put them on top and on the bottom. We are preparing him for umpteen years of braces that loom in his future. My oldest and dearest was blessed to have my teeth. We are looking at years of braces, jaw movers, and possibly a permanent retainer into adulthood. Thank goodness for Traicare. We may just stay OCONUS for the free orthodontics. After 2 days of a totally liquid diet, and many doses of Motrin later I had enough. Called the dentist, he never called back. So like any good mother, I loaded him up and off we went to the dental ER. Once we arrived things went from bad to worse. The dental tech was trying to tell me it would take 2 weeks for him to feel better and be on a soft food diet. Umm, not so much. If that is the case, just take the dang thing out. I asked he to call the dentist (hey he gets paid the big bucks, he can come in at 7 on a Friday night). She asked me to try wax first, I politely and forcefully declined. She calls the dentist on her cell phone. Him and I speak, I hear every 3 RD word or so. After a few min he agrees to come in and take a look. Once we finally get him in a chair and the dentist looks inside his mouth, he finds the problem. When they put the metal (whatever they are) on his teeth, they did not fit them properly. Christopher was biting down on the metal, and pushing it further into his gums. Sounds painful to me. The dentist drills and files, (man I hate the whine of a dental drill). After what seemed like forever (did I mention I hate that drill sound) we are done. Christopher is home, and eating pasta at the neighbors. I tell you what, when it's time for his braces to go on, we are grabbing a burger at the O club right after his appointment. If there is any pain we are marching right back across the street..

Tis the Season...

To be tired.....We have finished up with so many things this last week. The Christmas play is over, football is on break, Karate is over until January, and we have nothing else for weeks. I have been tired for 2 days. I can't seem to get a good nights sleep. Peyton and I are fighting a cold. We have about 3 days to get better. P is finishing up his last few major things at work, then we all have 4 days off. No work, no school, no commitments... How wonderful.. I plan to relish in my nothingness. I may not even leave my house. ( I say that now, 12 hours into said break I will be climbing the walls).
We are finishing up our last week of school before I officially call a break. This is a huge milestone for Christopher and I. We have both made it. Survived, and I feel great. Being both mother and teacher has been frustrating, funny, trying, exciting, and all around hard work. I feel as though I have learned as much as him. Reading and exploring. The funny thing about a break, is we will still be learning, and studying. Over the holiday Christopher wants to rent some National Geographic videos they recently got at the library. I am all for that. I love NG.. Today while Christopher and I were talking he said, "I don't really want to go back to school". I asked why he thought I was going to make him go back? He said, "Oh, I was just saying in case you wondered". I am so keeping him home. Noah gets to have a test run. We will see how things go with 2 of them at home. Noah has not had homework for 2 week in preparation for the holiday break. That is the school system for you.

As for my job. I still have one, a job at a non open restaurant. HA HA~~! For now that is all I know.

We are as ready for Christmas and we will get. I am not buying another thing for another person. I refuse to bake one more cookie. We have watched every single Christmas movie ever made. It is time for Christmas to come and go. I am tossing out the tree on Dec 26 TH. Then it's onto the New Year.

Shotest run in history....and home school talk...

Well Chilis' is closed. It was the fastest opening/closing in history. The owner hopes to be back open for business some time in January. I will be working there still, just without the customers. Things have to start all over. A new training team will come in sometime in January. Until then we will be, umm who knows what we will be doing. On a positive note I get a raise to stay on. Tonight it was a mess. They had no ribs, and sold out of half the menu. No silverware, napkins, lids, bowls, and the list goes on. It is fun working there with the Japanese people. They are great, hard working, and have put up with way to many mean Americans. Let's hope the grand re opening goes better. As for me, I will stick it out for now. The owner understands I can only work 20 hours a week.

On the home schooling front, Chris is doing great. Noah is begging us to let him stay home. So over the winter holiday (it's 3 weeks long here), we are going to see how things go. I am going to fight tooth and nail to get his handwriting therapy done via the hospital, or here at home. We are reading a great book on the explorers of our time. This week even with me working I managed to get our school done. YEAH ME!! My whiteboard is up, the books are organized, and we are looking like a real school. How great is that? I will post pictures tomorrow. The next few weeks we are going to start studying more inventors. I am still looking for something a bit more interesting in the History department. So if you have any ideas pass them along.

A new ChiliHead... but for how long???

What a long week this has been. Our new Chilis' opened here Monday. P and I took Chris to try it out on Tuesday. The food was sooooo good. The wait and service was not good at all. On the way out P and I were joking about me calling and getting a part time job. (they need someone working there that knows what ranch dressing is). P and I have been talking about me working a little part time job. I was going to apply for a job at the utility office on base. Easy job making good money. Later in the day, I thought about it and decided to call Chilis'. I don't want anything full time, just a couple days a week for extra money. (we are taking the boys to Saipan in April, so extra will come in handy). I call, speak to Ziggy, he asks me to come meet the owner at 4. OK, can do. I was planning on trying to start next week or so. With the boys finishing up a few things this week, I could work a few nights a week. Fast forward to half way into the interview with the owner. He asks when I can start, I asked when he needed me to. His reply, umm, right now. David went onto explain the corporate trainers were leaving Monday and he would like me to train with then for a few days. I could write a schedule for him and he would honor it. I made it clear I was available 20 hours a week ONLY!! Yeah, that lasted as long as my sanity when I took the job.
Now it's not a hard job on a normal day, under normal circumstances. It really is like a sad comedy of errors. Starting with David the owner (who really is a nice guy, I think), hired all Japanese workers to open the restaurant. Now is a good time to clarify my statement on ranch. Japaneses people do not know what ranch dressing, bbq sauce, blue cheese, and so many other things Chilis' uses on a regular basis. The cooks are great, funny guys, but try asking them for a BB Wings and they stare at you. I am the ONLY American that will be employed there after Monday when all the trainers leave. I am no help. I have seen a Chilis' once a long time ago I think. The sign looks familiar to me. A restaurant is a restaurant so for the most part it's the same as say a TGIF, but the food, I have no clue. They have different burgers all with different things on them. They use a shorthand system (that even I can't translate after 4 days). What started out as a part time job for me has become a fun, long, tiring, stressful, and in so many ways strange week. Here are a few of the finer points of working this week.
1. The Japanese employees will not answer the phone, (we take call in to go orders). So every time the phone rings they grab me.
2. They don't know what American money is. Japanese yen is different colors based on the denomination. So they look at the color and know what Yen they have. Green backs are all just that, Green. So there were many times, they would grab a 10 instead of a 5 to give change. Let's not even talk about the difference in a quarter, nickel, or dime. So anytime they need to give change they call me.
3. The trainers from corporate have not a clue when it comes to dealing with Japanese employees. They tell them (and me for that matter) 5 different ways of doing something. Then what happens? The people working, stop working, back up against the wall and wait for someone to direct them. I would do the same thing in the situation, but when we are slammed and still have a 2 hour wait for a to go order or 3 hours for a table, it's not a good time, for it to just be me.
4. They have a total of 60 (that is being generous) employees. There is no way he can keep the store open the way it's running. He hired Japanese people for many reasons, mostly money I am guessing. He thought he could pay them less then Americans from the base. Now he is dealing with that decision. David owns a Chilis' on Oki, and it seems to flourish, but I think what he forgot was simply, we are not a small isolated island. The Japanese workers are not going to work double shifts every day for little to no money. They can take the train to Tokyo and work there. American employees are not going to work there for 8 bucks an hour when we can work anywhere else for 10 and up.
5. He has lost his General Manage, His Assistant Manager, they both quit. And not in a good way. The GM walked out halfway through dinner rush 2 nights ago, and the AM who the heck knows, but she is not comming back. Each shift I have worked he has cooks, Waiter staff, bartenders, and others just walking out the door. I had some time to talk with the Corporate Training Manager yesterday, and now at least I understand a bit more about what is going on. He opened this store way to soon. David did not train his all Japanese staff long enough, he is not paying them enough, and he is bleeding money like a stuffed pig. He has been plagued with construction issues, supply issues, employee issues, and so many other things. Poor guy! By the end of the second day he was out of food. We have no basil, no mushrooms, and he closed early Tuesday because he was just plain out of everything.

As for me, I am not sure how long I will be a Chilihead. (OK, that was just funny to me, when I read the book he gave me). I ended my shift Thursday night, grabbed my stuff and as I was walking out David said "see you tomorrow", my reply to him was "I doubt it". While I was outside calling a cab, David came to talk to me. I was FURIOUS! During this mad dinner rush, the GM pulled me aside and told me David does not like Americans, and he did not want to have to hire them. He then when on to tell me how bad of workers Americans are. I was stunned. Now I know I have seen a Chilis' only once in my life. But I have worked this industry before. The job is essentially the same each place. With a few changes here and there for the menu. On my second day of work the corporate trainers that are leaving in 2 days pulled me aside and said " you have to train these people". You need to be giving them direction, showing them what to do. OK, no problem. I agreed to miss my kids practice Friday and work the lunch rush because he had no one. Only to find out he really would have preferred not to hire me because I am America. In my not so subtle way, while he and I were talking outside I let him know how I felt. He is not American, he is from Thailand, (but he sure doesn't seem to have an accent, and he was raised in the states) but he chose to open an American restaurant on an American base. So to my mind he would have to hire some Americans. Or at least people that can speak, read, and write some English. Not to mention what he told me about my pay was being changed by GM, and Corporate trainers. I let him know I was not working there for beans. He explained he would love to hire Americans but they don't want to work. Umm, ya think, not under these conditions, and not for crap pay. I asked about my tips that I still have not received as I type this. He assured me I would have them yesterday. Yesterday it was a different story. We will see what he says today. I like the job, I like the people, but good grief enough already. I wanted a part time, mindless job, for extra spending cash on vacations. Yesterday when I arrived at work, David was letting me into the locked room to put up my bag (we still don't have lockers). As we walk by the bar there is a money bag, filled with cash, just lying on the bar in open plain sight. Anyone could have walked off with it. I mentioned it to David, he said (insert curse word here) grabbed the bag, and looked angry. Again management issues.
By the end of my shift, I had learned they are either going to close all together Monday, and start all over, or they will go to 1 shift a day. What I know is if David and I can not come to terms on my employment today, he will be one less American. Just what he wanted....

Ah, what a job!! cleaning out my fridge. It was a wreck. I recommend everyone wait 6 months or so to clean theirs. It was like Christmas at my house. I found 2 bottles of wine all the way in the back. That was my treat for a job well done.. Gee shh, I need to clean this thing more often...Before and after photos!!

Spring Cleaning in December...

I am a very organized person, in theory. I like to think we live by "a home for everything and everything in it's home". How wrong I am. As often as we move you would think we don't store, collect, and keep junk. Well, we do. So this week is my yearly traditional go through every nook and cranie in the house and get rid of it all. This year is much worse then past years. We have sheets from our old bed, 5 sets of dishes (now I ask you who the heck has 5 sets of dishes?), and we have 3 boys rooms to make it through. I seem to have kept every single piece of paper anyone has ever written on. Don't ask why, because I honestly don't know. Not to mention we are back to collecting books again. My fridge looks like one huge science experiment gone horribly ari. This is a task I usually save for before the mother in law visit, (God forbid she see how we really live). But, it can no longer wait. So what a fun filled week I get to have. There is no more putting it off. It has to be done. Once we have accomplished this, I will have tons of free space to start accumulating new crap. It's a vicious cycle. Every year I swear we will not end up as pack rats and every year we some how do. I swear there it's a sickness. Maybe I need to watch TV for a few hours and find a new prescription drug that will cure me of my illness?

Did you say 6:30 AM??????????

I have mentioned before my disdain for early morning sports. My boys play football, and baseball, so I am stuck for the time being. This week had been long and I am tired. We tore through school, Chris wrote a report on Electricity and Thomas Edison. (thanks DOC for all the great unit printouts). He managed to muddle his way through math-u-see. Next is fractions. Yeah me!! Another great curriculum we got from DOC was Expository Writing. We are halfway done. I am still struggling with spelling. I hope the new curriculum I ordered gets here soon. Christmas is right around the corner, and we are trying to get into the spirit. Our tree is huge, (this is our first year with a real tree, it looked smaller when it was on the lot). I love the smell of a real tree. We may just have to keep it forever. Hubby and I decided that we are going to have a small Christmas this year. If we really want to move back to the states then we need to get on the ball and grow our savings. Things like rent and electric are scary prospects for us. Anyway, back to the week. I have been on break from my school for about 2 months now. How wonderful a time it has been. No papers to deal with. No all night reading marathons to stay caught up. All that will soon come to an end, so I am gearing up for the change. Dealing with my academic advisor (who is not in my time zone, heck she is not living the same day as me), has me up till all hours on the phone. I think I have it all sorted out. I also mentioned in an earlier post that P and I were going on a real live date. Well we went, and it was great. The food was so-so (that is to be expected with Navy cooking). We won several things, a bottle of wine, P won a 3 days lib pass, and we got a free meal at the new Chilis' that is opening on Monday. It is going to be the largest Chilis' in the world. With the most expensive burgers. $11 for a cheese burger. We will eat there when it's free. Back to the week... The party went VERY late. By the time we hailed a cab, arrived home, got the boys settles, it was almost morning. Of course P had to work at 5 am. He is back to no schedule, on call, and working 7 days a week again... grrr how short lived our break was. I had to get Noah off to school, and Chris had work to do. After this long tiring week I was so looking forward to sleeping in until 8. No one had a game before 9 and the field is across the street from my house. Then I got THE CALL! Chris's coach letting me know their game had been moved to Atsugi, so he has to be at the bus at 6:30. ACK!! I thought about telling him Chris could not make it. Then reality reared her ugly head, and I assured him he would be there pressed, dressed, and ready to go. BLEH! Will I ever get to sleep in again?

cool photos and parties....

Yup, Yup, it's a witch!! HA HA! One of hubby's friends has a plane that looks like a witch..

There is a storm a coming..........

I get a date. A real live get dressed up, (thought not in a dress) and have a good time DATE!! So what if it's at his Command Christmas party. So what if I have to survive him talking to 50 people about work. So what if the food is not the greatest. I get to have dinner, (and maybe even a few drinks), with just my husband. Now I just have to find something to wear......

Random Stuff and Pictures......

His toe is still discolored. He is so proud! (how long does it take to heal)?

Let there be light!!!! (he and Michael are having a great time wit this cheap Electronics kit I picked up for him). I wish I could find more cool, inexpensive things for him like this. If anyone knows of a site to order please let me know.......

E.T. E.T. E.T (the older boys did this to my baby! Then followed him around yelling E.T. forever...
The Baby with 1 Red Shoe?

We have had a long, long weekend. Monday has become my "day off" (except for school, errands that need to be run, cleaning the house, and cooking). I am doing nothing today.. What a glorious day.....

Conversations with my kids...

(hubby, me and Noah)

Me to Noah: Noah, you need to get all your Star Wars guys off the table.

Noah: But mom they are dead, that is why they are laying down, then need a funeral.

Hubby: If you don't put them away they will get a burial by trash..

Noah: OK, fine. But if I put them in my room, I will forget to have a funeral for them..

Hubby: Well when they start to smell, I will remind you....

(Chris and I walking to Church)

Me to Chris : you will give me the I Pod when we get to church..

Chris: But mom, I will keep it in my pocket, I promise.

Me: I don't care, you are not listening to it in Church when we get there you give it to me

Chris: Fine, but it's not like God doesn't already know that you let me listen to Panic At The Disco..

Me: Keep getting smart and I will keep it...

I love being THE MOM!!!!