When the children return from school, the TV remote control battle begins.One day, Naomi adopted the strategy of carrying the remote everywhere she went, preventing Ichi from getting hold of…
Naomi loves school meals. This might be the reason why she is so eager to go to school. She says school meals are more yummy than mummy’s food. Well, I suppose she’s…
“Ichi! Eat quickly! Got it?"“Ichi! Brush your teeth now! Got it?”“Ichi! Wash your hands after the toilet! Got it?” Naomi bosses Ichi about. Naomi is four. Ichi is eight. But Naomi…
September 2020. After 5 month closure, schools finally reopen for all children in England. It’s great my children are both in school now, but the bad thing is, they aren’t in…
I have a stubborn child. Is stubbornness hereditary? If so, her stubbornness must have come from my husband. But he doesn’t seem to think so... On a positive side, she is…
My children often make me realise something I didn’t notice before. The other day during breakfast.Ichi: "It was fun yesterday, wasn’t it?"Me: "Oh yeah, your friend came to play."Ichi: “That was…
Ticket machines. I often have a problem with them. They eat change. Coming from Japan where everything is so precise, I’m used to vending machines that never fail to give…
I’m currently working on my next picture book. And I often have a visitor to my desk. My 4 year old daughter loves my coloured pencils. She is convinced she…
I'm used to seeing people wearing face masks in Japan. It’s common etiquette for people who have a cold, or those who have hay fever. But it feels very strange…
We’ve recently bought a robotic vacuum cleaner. My children loves it. They named it Robo-kun. They think Robo-kun is cute, quiet, and so much nicer than mum operating a loud,…