Put Down the Phone, and Play with your Kid

I take my kids to community playgroups that occur every week.  Sometimes, we go out to a nearby park for them to run around and go crazy.

Without fail, I see a parent that's sitting on a bench, looking at their smartphone, and sometimes even a tablet, instead of watching their kid.

Boxes Are The Best Toys

 All the best toys come with big boxes.  This is because your kid is going to have way more fun with the box than they ever will with the toy that came in the box!

This is one of Murphy's Law's of parenting.

Luckily, I remember my fondness for boxes, so we skipped the toy step, and just gave our kid's the biggest boxes we could find.

They like these boxes so much, that they hardly play with their other toys.

REVIEW: Alpha Omega Elite

If you have a car, and you have a kid, then you are going to need a car seat.

You are going to probably need 3 actually: Infant carrier, toddler car seat, and eventually a big kid booster.  Not all at once, luckily.

Sadly, these seats aren't cheap.

But, what if you could buy one seat that could last you from newborn to big kid, and get it cheaper than any one of the above mentioned seats?

What if I told you that you can?

Japanese Food: It's part of the Deal

Sukiyaki. It's Delicious!

Part of the fun of dating someone from a different culture is learning and experiencing their culture, as well as sharing yours with them. Part of that culture is the food.

If you discover that you do not like the food at all from their culture, it may be hard to continue the relationship. Think of a hard core vegan dating a butcher. There's going to be some difficulties in the relationship.

So, I'm sure you can imagine my surprise when I meet a married couple , and one of them can't stand the food of the other's culture.

Usually, it's one partner that can not bring themselves to eat Japanese food.

White Day - The Valentine's Day for Guys

White Food on White Day

White Day is Japan's version of Valentine's Day.  It occurs a month later on March 14th, and The Guys are obligated to get things for The Girls.

For Japanese Valentine's Day, things are reversed from the American tradition, where the Guys have to get Girls things on Valentine's day.

Japanese Guys don't get it that easy though.  They have to return the favor a month later.

Justifiable Homicide?

Source: Flickr. (C) Bob Jagendorf

So, my 3 year old has really gotten the hang of this potty training thing.  She's been consistently telling us that she has to go potty, and we've stopped doing diapers during the day entirely.

She's so proud of herself that she has been keeping her big girl pants clean, and hasn't had any accidents for a while.

Recently we went to the zoo, and she told me that she had to go, so we went to the nearest bathroom.  All the stalls were full, so we waited.  She's now dancing.

"Daddy, I have to go potty!" she pleads.

Finally, a stall opens.  Luckily, it's the larger one.  The guy walks out.  We walk in, and the guy has completely trashed the stall.

Oh, the things I wanted to do to him.

No Pants Babies

So, there's something new happening in our house.  Our toddler has reached the phase where she's decided she doesn't need to wear her pants or underwear.

Luckily, this has only been happening at home, and only at night or when she's taking a nap. 

Hopefully, she doesn't try doing this at preschool during nap time too!

Monkeys Jumping on the Bed

Boing! Boing! Boing!

We call our oldest daughter lots of things.  Most of them are nice. 

We call her a worm when she wiggles, a puppy when she barks or licks things (usually us!), and a kangaroo when she is jumping around the house.

Recently, she got her own room and Big Girl bed.

Needless to say, she loves jumping on her bed.

"I wanna see the Worms, Daddy!"

It's been raining in Los Angeles.  Like, alot.  Too bad it's not going to help us out with our drought.

When it rains, the worms come out to play.  Our toddler knows this thanks to the Wild Kratts, so today she nearly threw a fit because she wanted to go outside to see all the worms!

Mommy thinks worms are yucky and gross.

This looks like a job for Gaijin Daddy!

Always Know Where your Towel Is: 8 Travel Tips for Japan

There are many things that you can learn about Japanese culture just by absorbing it from movies.  You will learn alot more by having Japanese friends.

If you want to know even more, you can pick up a travel book, or even look online.

However, there are some things that you can only learn by going to Japan.

And Bingo was his Name-o...

One of the things I was looking forwards to with my kids was hearing the Japanese lullabies.

The lullabies I grew up with I've heard again, and again, and again.  Especially with a much younger sibling, I got to hear them ad nauseum.

Little did I now that my wife was thinking the same thing, but in reverse.

REVIEW: Combi Shuttle 33 Car Seat

Time to take the baby somewhere.  You need an infant carrier.  But not just any infant carrier, one from a Japanese company.

This carrier is lightweight, pretty straightforwards, and adjustable to accommodate your growing kid.

This won't last your kid forever, just because they are going to outgrow it.

The carrieritself however, will possibly last quite a while.

Japanese Valentines Day

She made this with Daddy!

Valentines day  is the day for lovers, or the day that the greeting card, floral, and candy companies get together and do a collective KA-CHING!

It's also one of the busiest nights of the year to go out for dinner.  Which is quite possibly the best excuse you can have not to go out for dinner.

Regardless of what you think of the day, it's a very important day for some people.

If you are a guy in Japan, Valentine's Day is quite possibly one of the best days of the year.

REVIEW: BabyTrend Diaper Champ - Diaper Pail

Poop Goes Here

So, you have a baby.  Babies poop.  And Pee.  A lot.

You have to put the soiled diapers somewhere.

Cloth, disposable: It doesn't matter; You have to store your stinkies until the next time they can be picked up.

I recommend this because you don't need anything special for it to function.  You are not forced to continue giving money to one company just to store your dirty diapers.

Toddler Regression

I'm Going to Become a Baby!

As your kid's get older, it's great to see them doing things on their own.

Partly because you no longer need to do those things for them anymore!

Toddler's develop a sense of independence, a feeling of "I'm a big kid" that can do it all by themselves.

All that seems to go away when there's another baby in the house, then they suddenly want to be a baby, too.

Water Conservation in California

Drip, drip drip

I grew up in California, in the Los Angeles region.  This area is known for being a dry desert, with not too much in the way of water.

My wife grew up in Japan, a country that is just teeming with water; It has large rivers around it's cities and small streams throughout the neighborhoods.

So when it comes to water conservation, we are coming from totally different experiences.

REVIEW: Puj Foldable Sink Tub

Puj Tub

So, it's time to wash the kid. Again.

If you got a newborn, this means a trip to the sink.

The bathtub is too big, and if you're like many people, you don't have the space for a dedicated baby tub.

So, what should you use?  I recommend the Puj Tub.

Natto Revenge: 3 American Foods That Will Gross Out Your Japanese Friends

No, It's OK, you can have it all

Mmmm.... Natto.  Just the thought of it makes you want to not eat your next meal.  The Japanese say it's an acquired taste, and to that, I'd agree.

Yes, it is one of the stranger things that can be consumed in a Japanese diet, but not as strange as some of the things that Americans will eat.

Behold, the food equivalent of Japanese Kryptonite!

"I wanna see the Moon, Daddy!"

Man, Cow, Bunnies? Cheese or Mochi?

So, I'm sure you're all familiar with the classic bedtime story "Goodnight Moon"(Available in English and Japanese). Well, our little girl became so enamored with the moon, that her nightly routine was to look out our bedroom window and say Goodnight to it before going to bed.  Then, later that night she might wake up in a panic, and wouldn't go to sleep until she saw the moon again!

So, it became Daddy's duty to take her to see the Moon.

Japanese Women and the Cleaning of Ears

So Kawaii!

Seriously, what is the deal with Japanese women and cleaning others people's ears?

I've never heard of an american girl cleaning their boyfriends ears. If you even suggested it to them, I bet you would get some strange looks.  Or be out a girlfriend.

My Japanese girlfriends have enjoyed having me lay down on their lap as they put a special ear cleaning stick in my ear.

We shall refer to it as The Probe.

REVIEW: Deuter Kid Comfort III Kid Carrier Backpack

So, wanna carry your kid around, but don't want to have them in those kangaroo pouch looking things? Want to have them on your back, but also want to bring baby gear?  Are you into real hiking, and know what a hydration pack is?  Then this is the pack for you.

If you know a little bit about this pack and you're on the fence about it, then I'd say save yourself some time and stop reading now, and click buy.  You won't regret it.  Unless you're near broke, and need food instead of a backpack, then you might have some regrets.