Making money

That is what I need to do. But how?
I have looked at all these different web pages on ebooks, ad sense, affiliates, online marketing but only end up with an awful headache!
I kind of understand that I need to make a home page in a niche market but what. The people making money seem to be the ones who are writing about making money.
With hubby spending the best part of the month in hospital we are really facing problems. He was hoping to work with MIL on the land but his condition prevents him from doing any heavy work!! So that means one line of income has gone. He sells books on line but that is up and down and because he been away for so long he has to basically restart!!
I teach English but have very students at the moment!
So back to googling see what I can find!!!!

Got the Christmas Tree up

Yes I know it is early but I love getting the tree up. The younger kids helped, teenagers aren't that interested in putting the tree up but of course want the presents and food!!!

I made cookies and cakes so this evening we will watch a movie and have a nice evening together.

Going Crazy

Hubby is still in hospital, looks like he will be there until the end of the month. His kidneys are rather bad, which is worrying. According to the doctor with medication and diet he should be able to recover. So a low protein diet is on the cards, basically vegetarian. Poor guy, he says that salads and vegetables are rabbit food! Also have will have to stop salt and caffeine. So I have been googling that for the past few days!
And yes I am going crazy. We live in the countryside, which is lovely, but I don't drive and it is difficult to get around. There are no stores, doctors, dentists or schools nearby. Last week I walked to the nearest store, took 20 minutes, but the store is really expensive and of course I have to go again.
The other night I got talked into a game of chess with D. He got me into check, nothing unusual, I couldn't figure out what to do and sat there for a while, when I got a great idea. I tried to take my own king with my queen. The kids thought it funny and I was rather embarrassed. Then to make it worse, H, who is six, showed me how to get out of check! So that is me going crazy.

Hubby is doing better

My hubby has been in hospital for one week today. Feels like the longest week of my life!
He is doing a lot better, his blood pressure is down which was the most important thing.
He had a check up with a sleep doctor. Seems to think that my husbands snoring and sleep
apnea might have contributed to the high blood pressure. Today he had his kidneys checked.
At home we are muddling through. It tough and very frustrating. One thing I have learnt is that I should not rely on my hubby so much. Time to grow up and take some responsibility. So I have to seriously study Japanese. Oh bother!!!

Shock

My computer has been playing up and not allowing me to access my blog.
Well life has certainly thrown me a curve ball.
We moved to my MIL's house in May. She lives in the countryside, the house is small
but we have a massive yard. We planned to convert the storage area into a Granny Flat as I know that living together would be hard. This hasn't happened. We were hoping that the income from selling the trees and plants that she grows would be a deposit for this but the market is very bad and there is basically no income.
The last week was the week from hell. MIL had yet another of her total melt downs, all over some misplaced toilet mats. She got so mad, accusing me of hiding them, that I should know where they are. There are 7 people living here, I have a hard enough time keeping on top of where the kids school books are, plus clothes for everybody, I'm sorry but toilet mats are at the bottom of my list. She upset my oldest son who punched a hole in the wall! So that is the end. We went to social services and they will come and see her next week.
The same time as all this is going on at home my youngest boy comes home upset. He had been kicked in the stomach during break time so went back to classroom. The kid who kicked him followed with 2 or 3 other kids. They pulled the chair out from my son, threw a ball at him and told him to drop dead!!! I was already upset because of our home situation so this was really bad timing. Husband and I went to the school and spoke for three hours. I told the headteacher that if he wanted C back at school then the bullies must be removed from the classroom. His option was to remove from C from the class. This got me mad. My son is the victim here why should he be separated from the class. If the school has the resources then the bullies should be taken out not the victim.
Then to just top my week off hubby got sick. He went to the local doctor with what he thought was a cough. Turns out that it was a symptom of congestive heart failure. So he is in hospital and will be for a couple of weeks. He seems to be responding well to the medication but this is a long hard hill to climb.
So I am left to cope with four kids and a batty old woman. I think I'll reserve a bed in hospital after my hubby gets out to rest!!!

Of dogs and such

Lucky, our puppy at a few weeks old.

Lucky now at about 3 months old, getting kind of big

Lou our older dog, she is about 6 years old.

Having two dogs I thought would be twice the fun but it is also twice the work. Fortually the two boys who asked, (begged) for the dogs are also very good at taking care of them. They clean up after them, feed them and make sure they have water. D walks his dog everyday, weather permitting, I walk the puppy with C most days. The puppy is as big as the older dog, and she is only 3 months old. I like having the dogs, they make me feel settled, even though this country isn't my home, and maybe will never feel like it, the dogs comfort me in a way that is hard to describe. I guess because they never talk back, on the days that I am down I go and talk to one or the other of the dogs, tell them all my problems and pains and all they do is give me doe eyes. But the puppy is still in the biting stage, I hope she grows out it quickly as it is getting to be a challenge to pass by her without a nip on the ankles!!!!

Computer illiterate

I am so thick when it comes to using the computer. I can surf the web, and check my email but beyond that i get very lost. The reason no updates on this blog is because my husband signed me out of Google and I couldn't sign in again. I forgot my password so created a new one but before I had chance to sign in with the new one I got distracted by my kids. One hour later I came back to finish logging in, entered my email address but couldn't remember the new password I had created. So had to start again!!
Well our new puppy is really growing. She seems bigger every time I look at her. She is still into biting and chewing anything left near her. The other morning I found hubby laughing outside, we had hung the laundry near where the puppy is because of the rain. She had managed to jump up and grab my bra and was busy chewing away on it. Of all the old clothes hanging up there she had to choose my bra. We have been walking her once or twice a day, depending on the weather.
Walking really helps me. I am so stressed at the moment. Living with MIL is turning out to be a lot harder than I thought, most days there is a lot of bad feelings and hurt feeling, on all sides. Getting out with the dogs and a couple of the kids really helps, it is a time to relax, the kids open up and talk to me, which is good.
Time to get something done.

Nearing the end

......of summer holidays that is.
Why is it at the beginning of the summer I felt like I had forever to spend with my kids but now it is time to start thinking about back to school. Because the school year runs from April to March here the kids go back into the same class when they go back. In one way that is good, I remember dreading going back to school because it meant a new teacher, new classroom and some years even new classmates. But the draw back is the amount of homework the kids have here. My 5th grader has a lot to do, one work book for Japanese and math, then he has write out 30 pages of kanji, the Chinese characters that are used in Japanese, plus 20 to 25 pages of math drill. On top of that he has to do his own study. He has been very good about it this time round, but of course he wants to play and mess around. Summers should be about getting out and about, getting in the yard to look for bugs, chasing the dog or being chased by her, not studying all the time!!!

Cicadas

One of the problems of living in the countryside is all the creepy crawlies that we have to put up with!! Spiders roam the house, those I can deal with as long as they as long as they are small. Mosquitoes fed off us in the evening!! Other things that scuttle around I have no idea what they are, but send me screaming in the opposite direction, which makes my boys laugh. But the one thing that drives me crazy are the cicadas. The noise they make is so depressing. They start up early in the morning and continue all day. The constant noise makes the heat seem more oppressive than it is. Once they start I know that summer is well and truly here and here for a few more weeks, at least.

Mother in law back home

Mother in law came home on Thursday.
Lot of things to get use to, kind of tough. Kids are hiding from her, especially D.
Yesterday Oba-Chan got D to move a load of heavy boxes about, at the hottest
time of day!!! Poor boy was really tired after and every time Oba-Chan appeared
he disappeared!
I think Oba-Chan has had a tough life. She was left to raise two kids when her husband
died at the very young age of 26!!!! My husband was just a year old at that time.
She worked literally from dawn to well after dark everyday. She managed to put
two kids through good schools on her own! Pay for two houses to be built, the original
house that was here and the one we living in now. So I guess we should give something
back to her in her twilight years!!!
Would love to write more but there is a massive thunderstorm heading this way and I'm terrified
of the house being hit!!!!!

Tough times

Sometimes it feels like everything around me is in a conspiracy to make my
life difficult.
Our money situation is tight and that is putting mildly so of course the
car needs fixing, the passenger side door wouldn't unlock, simple thing to
fix but cost about $150. Then on Saturday I was hanging out the laundry
Yep the phone had been through the washing machine. So that will need
fixing or replacing!!
Just to add to the misery I found that some cat had pooped all over the
front porch, super yuko. I am so tired of people who get these animals
but don't take care of them. The cats seem to have a favorite meeting
place under my bedroom window.
While I'm on the subject of pets hubby and I are going to see some
puppies tomorrow. Golden Lab mix. We already have a lovely
beagle mix but would love another dog. I must be crazy!!!!

coming home or not?

My mother-in-law has been in hospital for the past 10 weeks or so.
She was supposed to come home today. So at the unearthly time of 6am
I dragged myself out of bed. I was having such a lovely sleep as the room
was rather cool, after a week of no sleep because of the heat it was bliss.
But I wanted to start on Oba Chans room (Oba Chan means grandma).
So I moved some stuff out, the room became a storage place for stuff
we didn't know what to do with. Spent time trying to decided what we
need and what can be recycled. Then at 11am my husband called up.
Plans have been changed. Oba Chan has a fever....again, so she will
spend an extra week in hospital. Actually I'm a little worried and rather
upset by this. Since the operation on her knees, she has had numerous
fevers. I think her immune system is not so good and as she shares a room
with 5 other women, I am sure they are batting around the same fever.
I think a week in a private room would help but who am I? My husband
said that we could still bring her home today but if she is sick I wouldn't
be able to take care of her. With the heat and my allergies I'm having a
hard time just taking care of myself. Another worry is if her immune
system is weak the bugs that the kids pick up from school could be very
bad for her. The school that C goes to has had chicken pox and mumps
going around the past few weeks.
So back to sorting out the room, at least I have a few days now instead of a few
hours.

The heat is on

So that awful time of year has finally arrived...the summer heat is here.
Yesterday was really hard....the mercury hit 35.4C about 95.7F.
I managed to do most of my daily chores in the morning when things
were still manageable, the afternoon just taking things slowly.
I realised that this is the only way for me to survive here. I am
not Japanese and I can't handle this heat. There again I think most
Japanese are also having problems with these extreme hot days.
Even my husband says that he can remember riding his bike around
during the summer holidays and it was never this hot.
Is global warming for real? Will I have to suffer this every year
from now on?
July 18th starts the summer holidays so I am going to get my thinking
cap on to find things for the kids to do. Maybe spend a lot of time
in the library, the air conditioner is great, plus do some craft projects
at home. I want to get a paddling pool set up outside to help cool
off. There is also a load of DVDs to watch and if things get really
tough there are always the video games.

Summer is here

Top picture is outside the house, 2nd picture is C and D by the store room.

The past few weeks we have had a load of rain as the annual rainy front passed over Japan.

This is great for the plants but causes havoc with every other aspect of life. Laundry never really dries and ends up smelling, then getting washed again and again. The whole house felt damp and mould grows every where. Took two bottles of mould destroyer to clean out the bathroom, looked great for two days!

Because this house is a lot smaller than the last place the boys have to share a room, plus I use the same room for teaching. Not an ideal set up. Last week I got really fed up of the kids bickering all the time, so we took off for the day. Typical of us we made no plan, just got in the car and drove. We ended up in city about 2 hours from here. Found a beautiful park, up in the mountains so nice and cool to walk around. Also found a great recycle shop and got the kids some books. All in all a nice day out!

Well the heat as started, 32C today forecast for tomorrow is 33C. HELP!!!

I really can't deal with the heat. Today was okay, I got up early, got laundry out, cleaned up a bit, did an early lunch then from 12 noon to about 3:00 just dozed or read with a fan on. couldn't convince the kids that racing around outside during the hottest time of day was a bad idea. D now has a headache, so maybe he has learnt his lesson!!!

We have moved!!

I have been so busy recently that updating this blog has been at the very bottom of a long to do list!
We moved house the end of April. Talk about stress. This is not the move that I wanted to make but no choice. I have always been able through teaching English make enough money to cover the basics of rent and utilities but this year so many students left and new students were just not to be found. Also my mother in law had to go into hospital and we need to help take care of her business. So we have moved into mother in laws house. The house we left had 4 bedrooms and 5 rooms down stairs, this house has 2 bedrooms, a large tatami room and a kitchen, dinning, living room so we are rather squished. But there is a large garden and we have fields nearby. So when the rainy season finishes we can get out more. I have bought some blackberry plants that I hope will grow and next year I hope to grow more vegetables.

As soon as I can I will get some photos up. I can't find the cord to connect my cell phone to the computer. I know that I could email them but I have no idea how to do that!!!!

April!!!

The past week and a half has been the spring break for the school kids. Weather has been so so but we haven't really been anywhere.
Last week was a festival at the local shrine. Kind of interesting to see the monks dressed in traditional robes and all the different banners hung around the temple. I took the kids for a walk over there but didn't take any money. There are stalls set up selling snacks and tickets to win prizes. I don't like the snack stalls because the people look like they never wash hands before touching the food and the guys doing the prize booths keep changing the rules!!!
C has just 4 more days before he goes back to school. He will be in the 5th grade, hard to believe, it seems like just yesterday he started school! His last school report was okay except for Japanese. He seems to have problems with language because I have found him struggling with English as well. Never mind, I will have to do more with him this coming term!
As soon as I find the cables to connect my cell phone to the computer I will post some photos.

End of school, warm weather and the sneezes

March ends the school year in Japan, with a two week break and everybody going back into a new grade after. The one good thing about this break is no homework unlike the summer and
winter holidays!! The bad thing is that it feels so short, we just get into the swing of being
together and doing some English study when it is time to go back. This April C will be going
into the 5th grade. It seems like only yesterday that he was just starting school. So far he has
had two good teachers, each teacher has a class for two years which is very good. I'm a bit worried about who he will get this year. Unlike England where a teacher will teach at the same school and usually the same grade for their whole career in Japan teachers are moved around from school to school and within the school. So teacher might go from teaching 5th and 6th grade for two years to teaching 1st and 2nd grade the next two years. From a city side school to one in the sticks!!! Just a case of wait and see!!
D will start the 2nd year of JHS. But he hasn't been at school at all this past term and probably won't return for a while. The poor boy had a miserable time in elementary school, with constant bullying and teachers who were more interested in saving face than facing the reality of their class.
He missed about half of elementary school, so his basic knowledge, especially in Japanese is very low. This meant that when the dreaded test came round, about every six weeks, his scores were very low (except in English). He lost so much confidence and became very depressed. So we found a doctor who can talk to him, the school councilor who helps and a special class in the city that he can attend when he feels up to it. Other than that I am trying to home school him. The main problem is that I can only teach in English but he needs to know the Japanese as well.
Still we muddle through and I think (and hope) that he is learning something!!

The weather has finally started to turn. Today was very warm but tomorrow will be cool, with the chance of thunder!!! Not fun as H, who is 5, is terrified of storms. Takes a lot of energy to calm her down, and the fact that I am shaking doesn't help. I have an excuse, I was almost hit my lightening when I was in Florida!!!!
I love spring. It feels so refreshing after the dullness of winter. I love to get out and mess about in the fields. I try to go and help my mother in law. She grows and sells plants, Japanese trees etc. I enjoy weeding!! But I suffer from hay fever. My allergies are year round but the spring and autumn are the worst!! Still I take some medicine, which makes me sleepy but at least I don't have a runny nose or itchy eyes.

Well it past my bedtime so Goodnight.

Looking for snow

First snow!!!!!
Catch!
Too cold!

Last Friday the forecast for our area was snow. Yes, that lovely cold white stuff that seems to

change everything it touches

Saturday morning the kids were up early to play in the snow, all excited, chatting about the snowman they were going to build. Then we looked outside and saw rain, horrible freezing rain. Not nice at, not like snow. Still there was a small chance that the rain would turn to snow that evening. But Sunday dawned bright, with not a cloud in the sky, let alone snow clouds!

So we decide to try and find some snow. We drove to the next prefecture and up the mountains. Hubby had called ahead to one ski resort, they said that there was 80cms of snow. We kept driving, up and up the mountain but no snow. We were just about to give up when we saw a small patch of snow, then another and another. Soon the fields on either side were covered with a couple of centimeters of snow, but not 80cms!!! When we got to the ski resort I understood why they had 80cms of snow. Just the area that people were sking on had snow, the other sides were green. The snow had been brought in for the ski resort. The kids had fun in a field near the ski resort, throwing snowballs at each other, and their Dad. Me.....I stayed in the car where it was warm, I don't like snow that much!!!!

February already

H and C at a park in November.

I can't believe how fast time goes by.

The end of January became very busy and now everbody is tired.

Hopefully got D's school sorted out. There is an alternative school

set up by the city which has just a handful students attending.

Hubby and I went to look and it seems nice, there are only six staff

members. One teacher leads the class the other staff members

circulate and help out. Two hours of study in the morning then

the afternoon is given over to activities. The school is behind the

library and set in a nice park, so hopefully when the weather gets

better the kids will be able to get out more. So one problem

solved, maybe.

Last week we decided to rearrange the rooms.....again. This house

is big, old and falling down. It's a rental and the owner has no interest

in spending any money to do even basic repairs. The tiles on the bathroom

floor are coming up, the old door between the bathroom and the garage

is rotting away, neither of the entrance doors close properly and the

windows don't close so if there is any kind of breeze you can really feel

it. We need to move but I would rather try and get money and build or

if we get lucky move back to England. Until then I rearrange rooms an

try to make the place more livable. It took 3 hours just to tidy C's room.

3 hours in one room!!! I knew it was bad but I got a real shock when I started

but for now it looks good. I have given my room to H. She needed space

for all her Licca Chan toys and her baby dolls. I got so fed up of falling over them

in the living room. H feels very grown up to have her own room. I feel very

sad, no more babies!!

The latest scandel here is the food poisioning caused by frozen dumplings

imported from China. Since last Thursday that has dominated the news.

I feel that the Japanese a very quick to jump on the bandwagon when another

country can be blamed but honestly the hygene at most dentists that I have visited

here would cause shock back home. The dentist I visit now never changes gloves

between paitents, washes his hands and gloves but dries them on a towel whic

is hanging by the sink. Not nice.

Tried to put some photos on. First one was okay but the second one was the

wrong one and I have no idea have to take it off. Plus everybody wants to eat

so I should go and fix something!!!!

I'm back

I can't believe that it has been so long since I posted.
My darling hubby signed me out of Google and I couldn't
remember my password. Then of course I got really busy with
all the Christmas stuff and New Years, after which I got sick.
Just a heavy cold but I think my sinuses were infected and the
nerve got pinched. Had awful toothache but two trips to the
dentist revealed nothing. Anyway I'm feeling a lot better now and
am determined to write more on this blog.
Today is my busy teaching day. Start at 3:30 with a 3 year old and
his little sister. They are sweet kids but they have so much energy
that after just half an hour I feel exhausted. Got the little boy to
say his name in English, in answer to "What's your name", that
took 3 weeks of practice, will try to add to it this week with
"How are you?". Better get my thinking cap on.

I will try and post some photos again later.