I am a Basketball Mom

Well it’s official…..I am a ‘Basketball Mom’ and I love it!!!!
This is not just because my child is on the team…but because off I go and shout and cheer with the best of them…..I am sure my kid is cringing inside… Even when he is not on the court, I get carried away when we score.
When I know more the rules I am sure I will be as vocal as G…
I am slowly learning the terminology of Basketball….
Traveling… I thought that was what we did at summer and Christmas break????
Double dribbling…..???I thought what happens when you both fall asleep with your mouth open???
I am still not understanding it all…but I will get there eventually…I now know you don’t just throw a ball at a hoop….
Slam dunk/Dunk……I am sorry but I don’t care, this what you do with a biscuit and a cup of coffee!!!!
I even know / or can see my child plays better as a point guard than in other positions and not because I have been told.
I am sad to think the school season is almost over…well I suppose I have a year to figure out all the rules…

It’s been a lonnnng morning. Even after my 90 minute walk last night I decided I still needed to get out there this morning. Up I got…weighed…ANOTHER loss..REALLY…So off I trotted.
I decided to walk on the other side of the main road this morning…NO idea why…All the shutters where down, could see nothing and the sun was right in my eyes….I mean who needs sunglasses middle of January at 7 in the morning…I mean come on any need????

Finished all my almond milk…more needed to be made….
Butternut squash fries AWESOME….
Move over Martha, Rachel and Nigella!!!!

The highlight of my day today will be my new dish washer… American as well…
I told the real estate guy…dish washer does not work properly..At one point we even had to open the door of the machine and bang the back of it….how we figured that out I have no idea….
Well after a dish washer repair man come to the house..in his broken English…’your machine no good’…
REALLY Sherlock, your pull my leg???
Estate agent…’You need to wash your dishes properly before you put them in..Try using very hot water’…
Me “ I do rinse my dishes but I not WASHING them and then putting them in the dish washer to be washed again..Not when that SHOULD be doing a better job than me!’
Estate agent..’ but you must’
Me… ‘Have you seen the cost of water in Japan? Remind me what a dish washer does again’…
So after another phone call where I said I am going to apologize now, because I am making ANOTHER call about the dish washer that is useless…THAT YOU RECKON IS THE BEST ON THE MARKET , BUT IS USELESS!!!
I get a call ok you can have an American dish washer…
I don’t care where it comes from..I want a dish washer that works!!!
So it will be in English…it should be idiot proof as well…

Today has been mind numbing, while praying for friends in Australia it has made
Me realize how lucky I am to have the friends and family I have!
While we might not talk daily, weekly or even monthly, you all mean the world and more to me!!!


Today I went out and did my walk. A 30 minute walked turned into A 90 minute walk. Not a good idea with ribs still on the mend I might add!!!
I walked with lady R. I realized along the way that I have been truly blessed having the
The chance to meet truly amazing people!
I am not talking Big movie star, I am talking truly wonderful everyday people.
At times I want to be with loved ones who are miles and time zones away, it makes the calls, emails or visit so much more special.

Praying for, and sending positive thoughts, love and hugs
To friends in Australia

Well…..I was going to stay in bed and let G take J to morning practice..Well that was until I went and weighed…I had actually lost weight…..NOT 20LBS might I add…but it was a start…I rushed to get dressed so I could get a ride to school and walk home.
So…..I start walking..IPod all set..NOT!!! It kept skipping. So I had to play press play for each song….
ANY NEED????
All fixed now…thank goodness.

I made my almond milk today….I was pretty impressed with the results…so much so that I made another batch…I warmed some up and had it with my oatmeal…have to say pretty impressed .. I was so impressed that I actually made another batch.
Only 40 calories per cup….Oats needed no flavoring..Consistency a little thicker…but REALLY, REALLY impressed! Also all the mushy stuff left over is my new secret ingredient to the curries we had for dinner….No way was I throwing it out…Nuts cost a fortune! I was not telling G and J until they had cleared their plates.
Now I am not saying I would drink this almond milk stuff like normal milk…but it was good.
I even made some chocolate mousse.
So now for the butternut squash fries…I loved them!!! They were good… So move over Martha Stewart, Wendy’s in the Kitchen on a diet and needing food.
The fact that the food on my plate did not look like the Umpa Lumpa’s had helped make it was also a improvement!

I went to the gym…still have not found a exercise machine that will take 20lbs off on instantly…but I did find a exercise bike that I can sit on like a chair and read my book. So I will make sure I have a few books in my car…Not ready to start leaving the car at home and walking to gym…May be in 2012!

YouTube and butternut squash…..REALLY!
Well…I have a butternut squash to use up and I was looking for ideas on new recipes.
I did a search on butternut squash and I found ‘Roni’ think that is her name showing you on YouTube how to cut a butternut squash….REALLY I did. I mean who knew. I don’t know how ‘Roni’ thinks people have been cutting up squash…I am thinking we all pretty much cut a squash that way…well if you’re from planet earth
When J is watching YouTube I hear a lot of laugh and G goes and see’s what he is watching and then I normally hear them both laughing…I have tried to join in sometimes, but what they are watching is about as funny poking yourself in the eye!
Well….’Roni’ still not sure of her name mentioned butternut squash fries….guess what I was planning on my dinner tonight???? ..Well it never happened as I needed to do a quick Costco run.
I might add..I think I will be going to Costco around dinner time every time from now on…
I am thinking around dinner time is no:
Bring the screaming kids to Costco Day
Bring the whole family to Costco day
Bring your kids to lie on the floor and get in everyone’s way at Costco
Or they had finally found out that the 10 minute wait for that sample… really are samples and not a full size meal……Whatever the reason the decided not to congregate at Costco around 5.30pm, well I like their reason!!!! So future shopping will take place at dinner time
So…………….. tomorrow night I plan on having Yummy butternut squash fries…How do I know they are yummy…I think ‘Roni’ said…but also when I searched butternut squash fries, the word yummmy kept appearing..So here’s to the lovely yummy fries I get tomorrow…G did not look impressed.
While watching ‘Roni’ I also found out about almond milk…So I am actually in the process of making almond milk…REALLY, I am!
So go me!!!!
I am betting that I hate both!!!!

Yesterday I started at the gym. I had my iPod all set up, I had my towel and I wandered around the gym thinking machine which was going to make me lose 20 lbs with one gym session.
Also I had to find something that was not going to make my ribs worse…
So 1st I sat on the bike…Ok I can do this I thought…..Until I looked at the buttons…ALL in Japanese!!! REALLY, any need?
So somebody helped, I started the work out, forgot my iPod, but started to read my book.
I would rather have watched Dr. Phil.

Today J started back at school, even though it is a national holiday here.
The national holiday is Adult day…Yep really…cool or what?
I also found out the Japanese word for Mother can be ‘HaHa’ The reason I say can be is …there seems to be many ways to say one thing. Not sure if there is many ways of saying Mother, but not taking any chances.
Don’t get me started on how many ways to say numbers.
I was told as well there is a Haha day…..

Tonight we had lamb chops for dinner…I decided to have sweet potatoes with mine…I went with the purple sweet potato and decided to mash them…I mean they are only slightly purple …right???
Wrong….my plated looked like Willy Wonka’s Umpa Lumpa’s had helped with the mash…REALLY!!!
I am sorry now I never took a picture.