Frank and Josie's House

Warning! This post is full of waffling and random pictures from our garden. Oh my poor kids. They just don’t know what they’re doing at the moment and have no idea what to expect any time soon. We’ve started socialising with 2 different families but that’s it. Schools in Japan prepare to return next week and my kids are so nervous. For the older two it’s optional. It’s just the last 3 weeks of term for them as the school follows the western school year of August/September to June/July. The school want to get kids back in just so they can all reconnect and the learning stays predominantly online. Each grade/year only goes in once or twice a week and there are many measures in place to stop any spread of infection. I spoke with my older two about this as we figured they’re the ones having to go into the unusual school environment and they can choose so let’s give them a choice. Neither of them are keen on wearing face masks and they don’t like the idea of having to remember to walk one s...

Hi there, peeps. How are we all? Everyone coping alright? How’s the lockdown/state of emergency/ ease of restrictions treating you? We’re feeling very far away from our family and friends right now. It’s so odd seeing how differently Japan are handling the Covid19 situation to the rest of the world. Being in a group of friends who mainly hail from the UK or the US we regularly discuss how things are “back home.”  Lately, however, I feel that I’ve taken more of an inward look. As regular readers will know I suffer with depression and endometriosis. One of my focuses has been my personal health. I could sit and drink all day but it’s better to keep a lid on it and stay focussed. So I focus on the kids when they need my help and in turn I’ve explained to them that I need rest every day too. I’ve also realised that my health not only effects me but everyone around me. Something I really should have realised sooner and perhaps I did but I didn’t acknowledge it. Some days I find the best...

Hi all, long time and no writing from me. As with everyone life has been busy in these unusual times. Coffee shop meets have been replaced by FaceTime and lots of text, Google meets are a regular part of the older kids timetable for school, Zoom meets are for the little one and family and friends catching up and I’ve begun to use the word meets regularly and about 17 times a day! Life is very different right now, isn’t it? I am just not stopping. I’m quite envious of those who are watching Netflix all day. Some days I’m lucky if I sit down at all whilst the kids are awake. This is my day: 6.40am - alarm 6.50am - 2nd alarm 6.55am - 1 of the children arrives for a snuggle before we face the day. 7am - 3rd alarm and simultaneously snoozed alarm 7.30am - talk about the fact we should get up 7.45am - admit defeat....almost. Husband sighs and taps or laptop still in jammies. 8am - really must get arse out of bed and feed kids before their ‘meets’ start. 8.05am - breakfast and much needed tea...

A lot of people seem to be very productive during this lockdown period. Whilst I think “good on you” I also think “how?!”. I can barely manage to get through a day before falling into bed. Making it up the stairs for that last time is sometimes so hard. Sometimes I find it best to remind myself of what I’ve achieved during the day. At the moment that can be as simple as ‘got everyone fed and in bed at a good time.’ But on days when I’ve pushed the boat out (mainly thanks to excessive coffee drinking) I find it best to remember that I’ve achieved a little more so that in future days I can look back and see what I’ve done. So here’s what I’ve managed above and beyond the call of housewife, mother, homeschool (online co-ordinating) teacher, friend, sister, daughter and juggler extraordinaire. I made Easter baskets for the kids! Simple but effective. And the kids loved the little goodies hunt around our garden. We’ve got out on lots of walks and really explored our river this season. And p...

Hi all, Aren’t they beautiful? We are so lucky in that these wonderful blossoms are merely 5 minutes walk from our house. So I thought I’d share them for the world to see. I thought everyone needed some beauty right now. I’m not going to complain about the fact I’m not happy with how the Japanese government is handling the COVID-19. Instead I’m focusing on the beauty that Japan has to offer at this time of year.  When I was out with just my boy yesterday he suddenly said “I love Japan in the spring. It’s so beautiful.” So here is some of that beauty just for you. From sakura in the rain.... To sunset And amongst the fantastic sakura were these beautiful little spring flowers with there yellow, as if they’re trying to compete with the pink and white sakura. It’s the fullness of the blossoms that gets me. Like nothing else I’ve ever seen and when they’re so full they remind me of snow. And what would I be doing if I didn’t take a selfie under the blossoms. Stay safe. Stay home. Speak...

Several people shared this with me. They know me so well! Anyone else finding life extremely surreal at the moment? I am for sure. I’m contacting my family back home all the time because I’m worried about them and feel so far away when the ridiculousness of it all is that I can’t be in contact with them right now for fear of spreading this horrendous virus. COVID-19 seems to have taken over all our lives completely. The strangest thing for me (after watching the U.K. following Italy, France and Spain into lockdown) is that Japan seems so calm about it all. Too calm for my liking. I have my own opinions as to why but mainly I think it’s being played down due to the Olympics. Hopefully with the postponement of the Olympic games having been decided they will have no reason to pretend life is normal and start taking this all seriously. Much mixed opinions are circulating amongst the expat community here. Some feel we’ve dodged a bullet, some feel we’re not out of the woods yet. It’s true t...

So online learning has begun thanks to the coronavirus! In fact it began over a week ago. I have to say that I’m so proud of my older two kids. Being in grades 6 and 5 (or for those in the U.K. years 7 and 6) they’ve been given a lot of responsibility to moderate themselves.  Our eldest just gets on with it, but she’s a self-confessed bookworm and has made sure that all of her free time is taken up finishing the Harry Potter series or looking up theories on Harry Potter. Also, Hermione Granger is her role-model. Could be worse, eh? J.K. Rowling has done most of the work for me in terms of the importance of knowledge, friendships and strong women. We’ve all been made to take the ‘Which house are you in?’ test and are all a mixture of Gryffindors (the husband, eldest and middle child) and Hufflepuffs (myself and our smallest). The eldest loves that her 2nd closest house was Ravenclaw “I am just like Hermione because everyone says she should be in Ravenclaw”. It’s made us all think ab...