Expedition to Farmer's Market ALONE!

PSU farmer's market has open for this year since a few weeks ago, and I could not wait to go.

The only problem is the kids. My oldest is very helpful, but sometimes very demanding and dramatic. More problem is the youngest who has super strong will and very physical and loves to run away from me all the time. So, today was a test. How much can I handle???

First, we bought very sweet strawberries. They started eating them while we look around. That was totally fine with me, and I thought they were cute.

Then, we bought two different kinds of cheese. We love the cheese we bought last week, so we went back for more. They kept sampling, sampling, and sampling...

Here is what started to go down a little.

The youngest and I decided to eat a crape. It turned out she only wanted to eat whipped cream. I ate most of the rest. Then, the oldest want a breakfast sandwich. Pine State Biscuit has breakfast sandwich, and I could tell from the long line that they must be good. I decided to wait in line with two kids. I must have been crazy. The oldest might behave, but the youngest? Of course, she ran away from me like she always does. Did I think she would wait in line with us? Of course not. I made the oldest wait in the line as I went to grab the screaming child who wanted to run some more. Finally, we got to order, but the wait was another 5-10 min. So, the kids wondered around the trees and climbing some of them during the wait. Near the end of the wait, we went closer to Pine State Biscuit and made the oldest go up to them when they called her name. The guy refused to give her food because she was a child. She kept telling him "that is me. that is my food!" I had to yell out from 10 yard away "Yes, that is hers!!"

Finally, the oldest is somewhat happy with her breakfast sandwich, but that did not last long. After a few bites, she dropped the whole thing on the ground!! She is very upset and tears coming her cheeks saying "I wanted to have patty!" I salvaged the part that did not touch the ground; egg and bacon, and gave them to her.

Now, we want to look around some more but the youngest still refused to leave the tree area. She rather climbed the tree and fences than look around the market... I once again grab the screaming child, and when she gave up, I put her down and made her walk. Now, she was calmer and we got to see and shop some flowers. Before we left, the kids tried art booth that were there for the earth week. They got to make ladybugs using recyclable material (egg carton).

I am not traumatized from the expedition. I might give a try next week, again.

Portland Food Carts

The last three days, I have visited food carts on SW Alder and 10th. Full of great food at great price! I became a fan of Food Carts Portland on Facebook recently to get updates.

The last Tuesday, I tried Chicken and Rice from Nong's Khao Man Gai. The long line was good indication, so it must be good. $6 for that was not expensive at all. What a wonderful meal! The spicy sauce on chicken and rice.... Yum!

Yesterday, I wanted to try Thai food, so my choice was Sawasdee Thai Food. I have been a HUGE fan of green curry, so I decided to give a try here.

I must say the curry was great but it would have been even better if it was on jasmine rice instead of steamed short grain rice. Slightly on the spicy side even ordered as mild, but great flavor.

Today's choice was Vietnamese food. Forgot the name of the cart, but the line was moderate. I translate that as neither good or bad, just average maybe?

Ordered chicken noodle pho. Quantity was more than enough. Again, never been disappointed with food carts when you are only paying so little.

We walked to a new park area west of Fox Tower and ate there the last two days.

AND, we found a food cart that we should try there.

The name is Violetta; only use local (Washington and Oregon) organic food to make their things on menu! I got to try a potato chip and it was delicious.

There are countless food carts here in this city, and I am just getting started!

Avoid Handmade (for now)

I love handmade. They are unique and always have some personal touch to the products.

Living in Portland is great for handmade lovers like me. But, it certainly hits hard my bank account. I enjoy Saturday Market, and recently my friend introduced me to First Thursday in Pearl District which was almost like mini Saturday Market. We must have spent about $250 in the last month and half by going to these events. As much as we love and use the things we bought, we need to cut back and control ourselves on expenditure at these places.

But, we decided to go back last Sunday when it was nice out.

With one goal. "WE WILL NOT BUT ANYTHING"

We went there to eat the vender food, so excluding that, we did not buy ANYTHING. So, our will was strong.

Then, we went to Rose Garden where the kids can run around (for free) and then the playground (again for free).

What a great way to spend Sundays. I love it when we get to have fun and it does not cost anything!

I must avoid handmade for now, but I cannot stay away from them forever.

Out at the Tulip Festival

Tulip is one of my favorite flowers.

I have known about the tulip festival for a while and have not missed since my oldest daughter "Big H" was 1 year old.
The last year was one of the unforgettable: Visited with three old Japanese ladies (my mom and two aunts) and it was definitely a different experience than the others. More time in gift shop than out looking at flowers because 1. it was "too cold", 2. they LOVE nik-naks sold at gift shops. I know for the fact their houses are full of nik-naks.



It was a cool but the only dry day in this week. Taking advantage on weekday (less crowded and less expensive parking) and enjoyed the visit. "Little H" seemed more interested in playing in mud, and entertained us a lot. Something "Big H" would have never have done at that age.

And, only when we were leaving, we realized her favorite toy "Sponge Bob" had vanished from her hand, somewhere in the huge tulip field. I searched while "little H" was distracted by ice cream, but no luck. The Sponge Bob was long gone...

"Little H" cried herself to sleep longing for her tiny yellow friend...

Growing

Once I killed a cactus. Who can kill a cactus? It hardly requires water, yet I killed it.

My excuse for killing it was that I was oversea for about 40 days, and never bothered to ask my parents whom I was living with at that time to care for the poor plant.

Again in college, I was unsuccessful to care for two potted plants. After that, I was called "Plant Killer."

Now 12 years later, I decided to give another try. I have tried potted flowers as well as vegetables. Had not tried many at the same time, and seems to be working. Now, I have Mizuna just sprouting in a big planter, another planter waiting for Shiso to be transplanted once they are ready indoor, a couple of pots with herbs, and more flowers in different sizes of pots on my tiny balcony. Everyday is exciting to see the changes in the plants and to observe the small growth they have made in a day.

Once a plant killer, not always a plant killer. And, I hope that is true...

Creating

I had never being a creative person as growing up. My art class grades were always around B- or C+, not good enough to be an artist or bad enough to have to repeat the class. My painting was picked once for an award in 6th grade, and I was thinking "what just happened?" That was totally unexpected.

But, becoming a mother changes everything. I don't know if it actually changes EVERYTHING, but it certainly changes several things for me. I started creating.

Sewing...

I learned sewing as a little girl. I was an only girl in the family and youngest. So, my mom spoiled me making skirts and dresses for me when I was little. I watched her make them, wore them, and tried sewing with her sewing machine.

However, most of my sewing experience came in junior high when we all had to take home economics class and learned how to use sewing machine. The basics. Since then, sewing was lost for a long long time.

That is until when I had my oldest daughter 6 years ago. I borrowed my mother-in-law's 30 plus year-old sewing machine and made my baby girl a crib bumper, pillow cases, drapes etc. Then, baby girl number 2 arrived. More drapes, pillows, crib bumper, crib skirt, then eventually the girls matching tops, skirts, bags, bibs and more. My husband gave me an nice sewing machine one christmas and quit using the old sewing machine whose pedal gets really hot as I sew.

My hobby expanded enough to share with strangers by having a shop online. It is a tiny business, but what a great feeling to hear customers happy with my creation. Especially when customers come back again and again and again. I guess B- in art class does not have to tell me what I am capable of. After all, I got C and C- constantly in English classes in high school, and look at me now, I live in US!!!

"Beauty" of Motherhood

These are some things we "mothers" get to do.

1. wake up almost the same time every morning without the alarm.

2. clean up a training pants with poop thinking "I wish I could just throw them away..."

3. answer millions of questions coming from preschoolers mouth from "are babies born with clothes on?" to "what is the difference between DNA and RNA?"

4. try to figure out how to sneak vegetables in meals without kids noticing them.

5. eat with one hand while holding a newborn with the other.

6. eat in 5 minutes without tasting anything.

7. "Don't" get to push elevator buttons any more.

8. step on small plastic toys in the dark.

9. have the "pouch" after having kids and being asked by kids' friends "are you having a baby soon?"

10. order/make one serving of meal thinking I could share with my daughter and end up not being enough

AND order/make two servings thinking that would be enough for me and my daughter and she hardly touches her food.

Here are some things that I, "the hybrid mom" get to do.

1. realize my kindergartener's english pronunciation is getting far better than mine.

2. try to balance the exposures to each culture my children have, especially the languages without upsetting neither of grandparents.

3. find reliable information on good sales, restaurants, schools, and events from other hybrid moms. This network information is more suitable for me than other sources.

4. enjoy what Americans do such as having a huge birthday party for your own child.

5. learn to deal with long trips back home with little kids. Going to airplane lavatory with two small children hovering in the tiny space is nothing!

6. and learn to ignore those dirty looks when my child screams on the plane thinking to self "I will never see these people in my life again."

7. get used not to be humiliated when my kindergartener makes some rude but innocent comment in English in US and in Japanese when in Japan.

8. laugh at myself still when I mis-pronounce "l" and "r". I am still a typical Japanese who learn English later in life. "Would you like some peanut butter and Jerry?"

9. Not have to deal Japanese in-laws.

10. cannot answer a question like "how do you say that in your native language?" because I have been here long enough and start use the English word even among the hybrid moms. How do we say "share" in Japanese? I don't know...