What they are into now

Since it is during a period of the municipal assembly election, we often find election campaign cars shouting the candidate name repeatedly through a loud speaker and waving their hands to people on the street.

When my children and I were playing at the park near our house on Wednesday, an election campaign car was coming to the park.

I told my 4-year-old daughter, "Why don't you wave your hands to the car? Maybe they will surely say something to you through a microphone."

She waved her hands to the car, so a woman who was riding the car told her into the microphone,

"Thank you for waving your pretty little hands!"

She and my 6-year-old son were so surprised that they talked to her into the microphone, and they were so glad about this happening.


After that, they waved their hands to election campaign cars every time they found them.

When they heard their voice, they got out of the house and waved their hands!

They definitely replied to them using the microphone.

One of our neighbor watching them told me , "I was so surprised! They answered their reaction like that even though they do not have the right to vote."

I felt funny to hear his impression.

Candidates would seem to be desperate to be elected.

 

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"Koinobori" and a swallowtail butterfly

My husband put up a "Koinobori"(carp streamer) in our garden last Sunday.

Koinobori are cloth streamers in the shape of a carp.

Families that have male members usually decorate their house with "koinibori" anytime in April to May 5th.

May 5th is Children's Day, and on that day, we celebrate and pray for their healthy growth.

My children, especially my 6-year-old son was so glad to look at them.

I wrote that the pupa has turned into a swallowtail butterfly in my latest entry.

Another one turned into swallowtail and it could successfully open its wings!

We were watching that it was changing its figure and it was very impressed.

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A Great Dad and Spring Festival

I attended the PTA general meeting, the class observation day, and the class assembly held at my 6-year-old son's elementary school yesterday.

Two days ago, my 4-year-old daughter told me, "I want to go skating!".

There is a skating rink where it takes about 40 minutes by car from our house and we went there once before.

I answered, "We have to go to his school, so why don't you ask your dad?"

She asked him soon and he answered, "All right."

She was glad to hear that and said, "Hurray! I will go skating with dad tomorrow!"

I knew he would not be all right.

He has been very busy recently and he often came home in the early morning, so he doesn't have enough sleep.

I thought he answered irresponsibly.

She was so excited to go skating with him very much.


My husband came home at 4:30am yesterday.

I asked him, "Are you OK? You must be sleepy. You need to sleep. She was looking forward to going skating with you very much. Poor our daughter!  Don't make a promise you can't keep!"

He said, "I will keep our promise. She will be satisfied if she skates for about 2 hours. I am going to take her to the skate rink in the morning and come back home in the early afternoon."

My children and I had a plan to visit my parents house in the yesterday's afternoon because the spring festival would be held in my hometown.

He went to bed at 5:30am and woke up at 8:00am and they really went skating!

I was really surprised at him.

He kept promise with his daughter though he was so tired and sleepy.

I am proud of him as their father.

After they came back home, my daughter told me "It was so fun! I skated with dad!"

My husband looked so sleepy.

I really thanked him and I thought that I wanted him to sleep more.


My children and I visited my parents house in the evening ( If we are not home, he will be able to sleep more and relax!).

The spring festival is held on Saturday and Sunday in my hometown.

The festival has more than 100 years history.

Six Dashi (floats) parade through the town.

The float has two long ropes in front of it and children and young people hold and pull ropes and walk shouting "Se---rai! Se---rai!"

Ohayasi and drum sounds made us excited.

(* Ohayashi : It is a traditional festival music in Japan. Traditional Japanese musical instruments (flutes, drums, and so on) play the traditional Festival music of the region.)

My children enjoyed walking with the float very much.

They shouted "Se----rai!" in a loud voice with another children.


According to the weather forecast, it will be cloudy, later rain today.

I hope the weather will hold as long as possible.

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The pupa has turned into a swallowtail butterfly!

When we came back home, my 6-year-old son shouted, "Wow! The pupa has turned into a swallowtail butterfly!"

I wrote about striped caterpillars which my son caught in my blog entry of Oct.27.
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http://a-o-j-m.blogspot.jp/2014/10/the-caterpillars-have-increased-than.html

Indeed I didn't think that it would hatch from a pupa after 6 months.

He was so glad and deeply moved to find it, but my 4-year-old daughter stepped backwards because she was scared of any insects.

Unfortunately it might not be able to fly because there were not enough space to open its wings in the cage.

I took off the cover of the cage and made enough space for it and took out another pupa from the cage.

I was glad that we had a good opportunity to see the mysterious phenomenon of nature.

I hope that another pupa will be able to open its wings with no problems and my children will be able to watch the phenomenon.

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How long will he able to learn Electone in the future?

The Electone recital was held by YAMAHA music school yesterday.

My 6-year-old son has learned Electone (electonic organ produced by YAMAHA) for 3 years, and it was his first time to play Electone in fromt of more than 1,000 people.

Before the recital, I met a friend whose kid also learns Electone in another class after a one year since the last year's recital.

I told her, "Actually, my son told his teacher twice that he would want to quit. But he changed his mind twice. So he was able to come here somehow today."

She said, "I also don't know how long he will be able to learn Electone from now on. He doesn't like practicing, but he always says that he doesn't want to quit it!"

I told her, " I hope we I will be able to see you again when the recital will be held in the next year!"

This means our children will not quit learning Electone.

I had also learned Electone for more than 30 years.

I know that to keep practicing is very important.

I hope he will be able to enjoy learning it from now on.



He played one song with 12 students.

Actually he did very well.

I asked him, " Were you nervous while playing?"

He answered, " No, I was not nervous at all!"

He seemed to enjoy playing in front of the audience.

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Spring taste ~Bamboo shoots~

My mother in law sent us bamboo shoots which she got last Tuesday.

A bamboo shoot is one of the popular spring vegetables in Japan.

I stripped the bamboo shoot skins, and boiled them.

It was a hard work for me because it took for a long time and I was asked many things by my children while cooking.

These are boiled bamboo shoots.

I made steamed rice with bamboo shoots and boiled bamboo shoots with soy sauce and mirin.

They were yummy!


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What a kind brother!

My children and I went to the welcome party for new elementary students held by the local children's association yesterday.

It was a good opportunity to meet new people who live nearby.

I was surprised that my children didn't hesitate to play with elder students.

My 6-year-old son was able to introduce himself in a loud voice in front of other students briskly.

My 4-year-old daughter also played with elementary students while mothers had a meeting in the next room.

Even if I was not with her, there was no problem at all.
Then children started a bingo game.

It was planned by officers of the children's association, and gifts were prepared.

The winner could choose his/her favorite gift one by one.

My son came to me and showed me the gift he got.

It was a lunch box of Frozen, the picture of Elsa and Anna were printed on the lid of it.

I knew he never wanted it.

I asked him, "Did you choose it for your sister?"

He answered, " Yeah, of course! I guess she will surely be happy if I give it to her."

He knew that his sister liked "Frozen" very much.

Needless to say, my 4-year-old daughter was greatly pleased to get it.

I was also happy to find his kindness.


After the party finished, we played in the park.

There were a lot of cherry blossoms there.

They are just changing from in full bloom to falling little by little.

The petals of cherry blossoms were fluttering down in the wind.

It was so beautiful that I wanted to watch it more.

Depending on the weather, Cherry blossoms last only for about a week.

When I watch cherry blossoms falling, I always become sentimental.

The ephemeral beauty of cherry blossoms is like a human's life.

After cherry blossom would fall, the season of fresh green will be coming!

  

 

Petals like a pink carpet.

 

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