Yesterday morning (Thursday) Boy 3 was brushing his teeth before school.  He wasn't doing a very good job so I 'helped' him out.  While brushing his teeth and scolding him about what a lousy job he has been doing brushing his teeth he started making a gagging sound.  I thought he was just being a wimp and I said to him "you see all this foam? This is how much you should create each time you brush your teeth."  Then I let him spit - and then I started brushing and scolding some more...this is how hard you need to brush, you can't just barely touch your teeth with the toothbrush, they will never get clean!"

As I was scolding him I could tell he wasn't listening to me his thoughts were someplace else, and that is when he shyly stuck his little hand in the sink and was trying to grab something.  Again, crabby mom says "Why aren't you listening to me?  What are you doing?  Get your hand out of that sink it is nasty, your toothpaste spit is in there.   What do you have in your hand?!"  He just looked at me with his big blue eyes and I could tell he was thinking "Wow, mom has lost it" and then he sheepishly said "My tooth.  You brushed it out."  That is when I lost it and started laughing hysterically.  Then he started laughing hysterically.  Boy 2 & Girl came in and ask what was so funny.  Boy 3 said through rolling laughter "Mom brushed my teeth so hard she knocked one of my teeth out!"   The laughter was uncontrollable in our house after that.  And we finished the teeth brushing lecture on a happy note. 

Now if that wasn't enough, when we walked down stairs we put Boy 3's tooth in a ziplock baggie (as we always do).  I told him to leave his tooth on the counter and I would put it under his pillow for him when I came home.  He did and we walked out the door to school.  Later that day I realized I couldn't find the ziplock bag.  Oh great I though...I must have thrown it away.  When Boy 3 got home from school I told him what I had done and told him we could write a note to the Tooth Fairy.  He was OK with that.  Whee...I'm off the hook.  Right?  Not so fast.

Today after school Girl comes over and says to me.  "Mom guess what I found when I was eating my carrots at lunch today?" And then she hands me this:

I look at her quizzically.

That is when she said:  "Look closely Mom, it is Boy 3's tooth! You didn't throw it away; you put it back in the Ziplock box!  Mom, I will NEVER be able to eat carrots at school again!  I almost threw up today!!"

OH MY GOSH...I don't think I have ever laughed so hard in my life. 

Girl said all the 5th grade girls at her table gagged and laughed with her and they all agreed - NO MORE CARROTS for the rest of the school year.

A few weeks ago when Hubby and I took the kids to the beach I KNEW this was something I HAD to share with others.   We had such a fabulous time (at the beach...not the pension!) and it is so close I couldn't believe we had never been there before. So in true Trish form I put out a FB alert announcing I was heading to the beach with my kids and if anyone wanted to follow us we would love to have company.   We ended up with a 5 car caravan, 6 moms, 18 kids.

I was pretty confident that I could make it to the beach - I drove when we went as a family so I wasn't able to write down "Trish style directions' and it wasn't till the morning of that I had a little bit of anxiety set in.  I AM LEADING A CARAVAN OF 5 CARS.  For any of you that have ever traveled with me, you know I am not the BEST at directions.  I always get there, but sometimes I make a wrong turn and have to do a (cough) 'legal' u-turn. 

The drive was going well.  I listened to the signs....
I did not fall off a cliff.

I obeyed the speed limit.  (At least when we went through 'police enforcement'.)

I avoided danger.

And I exited too early. 
In the states most of the time that would not be a big deal, but in Korea, well taking the wrong exit take an extra 15-30 minutes (or more) of your time, and in our case another toll each way which resulted in each car paying an extra 6,000 won.  I FELT BAD.  REALLY BAD.

We finally made it to the beach, although I figured out we were not at Eurwangni Beach when another friend texted me asking where we were.  Oops...we were one beach over.  So in reality I have no idea which beach we went to.  I FELTED REALLY BAD AGAIN - I sent my friend to the wrong beach, or I rather I went to the wrong beach.  Either way, it was wrong.  (One thing that made me feel a *tiny* bit better was that my friends that drove on their own took the same WRONG exit as we did...)  We never did meet up with our friends that were at the real Eurwangni Beach. :(

                                              Thank goodness for Mojito Man.  He saved the day.

He made everything better for a brief moment in time.

All in all I think everyone had a great day, including the teens!

This takes the phrase O.I.N.K (Only IN Korea) to a whole new level.

For a moment I thought I was back in Texas - this tractor just put a boat in the water! :)

And then I looked around and realized there wasn't enough skin showing for this to be Texas!  :)

As a special bonus we got to watch the Korean Police Academy having an organizational day.  They were so fun to watch.  They would spin in circles for a minute and then someone would blow a whistle - the first guy that made it to the red flag was the winner. Winner of what, I am not sure.

The police academy students LOVED our teens.

Good times, great friendship blooming. 

Side notes:
I did not take pictures while driving, Michelle took them for me.
The mom's only had 1 drink each, and they were weak. 
We are responsible. 
That's how we rolll.

I've seen all kinds of things in the subway, but a bug festival in a a subway stop....who would have thought!  Not this Texas girl!  As soon as a friend told me about this I KNEW it was something my kids would LOVE to do!   I gathered as much information as I could (considering the website is in Korean) and headed out for a day of fun with a friend & all of our kids ~ 2 moms, 7 kids & LOTS of creatures!

This is what I know: 
The bug festival is open 365 days a year!
 It is in the Sindang subway stop. 
The cost is 10,000 won per person - under age 3 is free.
Have more than 3 children?  You get a 20% discount!  :o)
It runs from 10AM-6PM each day.
There are signs like the one above all over the subway stop directing you to the festival.
We spent about 3 hours at the bug festival.

The bug festival was pretty cool.  Each area had a different guide telling all about all the fun creatures.  The guides were awesome and seemed to be very knowledgeable even though we had a language barrier.

The bug festival was cool and all, but once you have had Jungle Jim in your own back yard - well, that is just hard to beat.  :)

Don't worry...I can't drive any faster than he can walk.  In fact he ended up going around the car in front of him.

Nice.

I am not sure that is the phrase I want on my pillow.

Not exactly what you would expect to see as you are driving into Seoul.  We are in Korea - I would expect Hangul not English.  Just sayin'.

It is amazing that his motorcycle doesn't topple over....

Hubby has been working some seriously long hours.
He came home unexpectantly.
He was HUNGRY.
I had prepared NO DINNER.
I ran to the store.

Filet Mignon and Wedge Salad - saving grace.

Filet Mignon.
Soy Sauce.
Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning.
Toss all in a bag - marinate for 10 minutes.
Grill to perfection (very minimal if you ask me).

Wedge Salad.
Ice Burg Lettuce - cut into quarters.
Tomato - diced.
2 sliced cooked bacon - diced.
Ken's Blue Cheese Dressing.
Fresh Italian Gorgonzola Cheese - crumbled.

Look at the picture and do what I did.

Your hubby will think you walk on water because you went to the store & had a fabulous dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes.

Lesson #1 - Don't drive to E-Mart on the weekend.
Lesson #2 - When driving to E-Mart during the week, pull into the parking garage - just when you think you need to pull a ticket the bar goes up and lets you in.  No tickets needed.  They just took a photo of your license plate stamped with the time you arrived!  (How awesome is that?) No fear of losing that stinkin' parking ticket!
Lesson #3 - Shopping carts, sure their shopping carts are just like shopping carts you find in the states, EXCEPT they are all chained together!  How do you get one?  Put 100 won in the slot and unlock the cart.  Take your cart inside and shop away. 

Lesson #4 - E-Mart shopping carts are magical - they will stay in place while going up and down a moving ramp.  You don't even need to hold on.

Lesson #6 - E-Mart is Super Target on steroids.

Lesson #7 - E-Mart does not have shopping bags or baggers.  You put everything in your shopping cart and take it to the 'Self Packing Zone'.

Lesson #7 - In the self packing zone there are boxes, scissors, tape and plastic ribbon stuff for tying your box together.   You do it yourself.

Lesson #8 - Take your boxes to your car.  Return your shopping cart to the shopping carts that are chained together.  Get your 100 won back.

Lesson #9 - Keep your receipts handy.  When exiting the parking lot you have to go through a parking lot toll....if you spent enough money parking is free.  (I always spend enough money.)  Exit the parking lot. 

Lesson #10 - Just like Super Target, you will always spend too much money at E-Mart.

One of the things I love about living in Korea is that Hubby and I have a regular date nights.  AND because we live in the world's second largest metropolitan area in the WORLD (over 25 million people - Tokyo has us beat by 7 million people - thank you Wikipedia) there is always something new and exciting to do! 

Last Saturday Hubby and I had our date on and around the Banpo Bridge.  (Sounds boring I know, but stay with me.)

The Banpo Bridge is a major bridge in Seoul that connects Yonsan with Seocho districts.  We live the Yongsan dristic and we are a whole 10 minute walk from the Banpo Bridge.  I have crossed the Banpo Bridge many times by foot, car and bicycle.  I have always done this during early morning/day time hours.  I KNOW you are going to find this hard to believe, we have NEVER crossed the bridge at night.  Really! Weird huh?  We never crossed the bridge after dark EVEN though we had heard about the amazing waterfall and light show that happens nightly.   (What is wrong with us?)   So this past weekend as I was searching for a last minute date night I happened upon this article and guess what is in the top 10 'creative' dates in Seoul...you guessed it, the Banpo Bridge! 

So, I don't know if this happens every Saturday night or not, but last Saturday night as Hubby and I were walking over the bridge at 8:20PM, just as the waterfall stopped, there was an amazing fireworks show that lasted for at least 15 minutes! 

After the fireworks we continued across the bridge as the waterfall was going.  The Banpo waterfall is the world's longest bridge fountain that set a Guinness World Record with nearly 10,000 LED nozzles that run along both sides that is 1,140m long, shooting out 190 tons of water per minute!  (Again, thank you Wikipedia!)

The waterfall starts at 7:30 each night and runs for 15 minutes at a time every 30 minutes.

I only wish I were a better photographer so I could have better captured the beauty of the waterfall.
Oh, and the waterfall dances to music! 

This date night would have been perfect had I not had a camera.  I was so in love with the Banpo that I kind of neglected the love of my life. For that I am sorry.  I am now imagining he *might* implement a rule that I can't take my camera on dates.

After sitting and watching the waterfall show for a while we took a little stroll...couple were picnicking in the park and hanging out under umbrellas enjoying the evening.

For a picnic you can bring your own or there is a Korean Chicken and Beer place where you can pick up a box of chicken, grab a couple of drinks and hang out in the park area.  There is also a convenience store to buy sodas, water and beer/wine.

This coming weekend as a special treat for the kids we are going to head over the Banpo, pick up some chicken and have a picnic with the kids.  Don't be surprised if you don't see pictures as my camera *might* not be allowed.

We are blessed.  Many people ask us how we do it - referring to how we move so often.  This is how - check it out: 

         Not only do we have Army brats, but we have the Marine, Navy and Air Force brats here as well!  Life is good.
                                                                               Joint Forces, Joint Brats.

We live in a neighborhood with a TON of kids (as you can see) - some people might squirm at the sight, but for us it is a little slice of heaven. When you move as much as we do it is nice to come to a neighborhood that has so many new friends ready and waiting to greet you.  The picture above isn't even a quarter of kids that live in our neighborhood.  Our kids are resilient - they make friends quickly.  When you move every few years you tend to jump right in and not waste more than a couple of days being sad.  You plant new roots even though they may be short you know they go deep and wide and you know you don't have time to waste. You miss old friends, but this helps you not dwell on how much you mourn the loss of friends left behind. 

This past weekend two of our neighborhood teens put together a kickball tournament without any coaxing from parents.  They put notes on every door in our neighborhood and sent out Facebook messages announcing when the game would be and ask parents to bring juice boxes and popsicles.  (Girls after my own heart!)  

They even recruited Boy 1 to be a team captain.

New friends, good times, not dwelling on the past - that is how we do it.
(That is NOT to say we don't miss our old friends because we do, we miss them terribly.)

I was so excited my friends at the fabric market did such a great job with altering our curtains that went back and  used her to make curtains for Girl's room. For some reason Girl thinks she needs redo her room EVERY time we move. I can't blame her though, she is growing up (against my will), and I must admit it is fun redecorating her room every couple of years. (Hubby may not agree, but she is his little girl and she tends to get her way.) Girl has her own unique style when it comes to life, clothes and her room.  I love that she is so independent and doesn't feel that she need to do what others are doing and even though sometimes I don't agree with her choices 100% I typically let her do her own thing as long as it doesn't harm anyone (and she is so kind she wouldn't hurt a flea...seriously, a flea) .  When she told me her vision of what she wanted in her room I wasn't in total agreement. In fact I tried to get her to change her mind.  I gave her ideas and looked up cute rooms on the internet with her.  She was insistent - she wanted bright green walls and zebra stripes!   I had to think about it and come to grips with it before I dove right in and went online shopping with her to see what we could find!  (I mean seriously if I can't stand it we WILL move again in 2 years.)  The other thing Girl wanted was for me to paint a forest on her walls. I'm good, but not that good - no artist am I. (If you are an artist and are willing to do this leave a note in the comments section :)  Finally I dove in and this is the color she picked for her walls:

 
This is what we started with, a SUPER tiny room - as you can see there isn’t even room for a bed!

This is what we ended up with. 

We still need to add a few things to the walls, a small papasan chair and a carpet, but I absolutely LOVE her room!  
(I think there is a lesson in here for all of us moms! ) 

We love the little hide-away under the loft!  Under her bed she has her desk, a chair and a book shelf - along with lots of fun lighting! 

A tween sanctuary!

Hubby had been bugging me for a few weeks to get my Korean driver's license so I could drive off post.  I wasn't motived to do so.  I was busy putting together our house and I was really in no hurry to drive off post.  I wasn't even sure I wanted to drive off post -  in fact let's back up a little bit.....(rewind a few months...) 

When we were moving to Korea I got the idea that I didn't need to drive AT ALL while living in Korea.  I thought to myself; 'there is plenty of public transportation, post has a bus system and if I ever need to go anywhere in Seoul I can take a cab, subway or bus.  Plus - I do have a bike.  There is NO REASON for me to need a car.  We can save money and help the environment - yes, I'm going to go 2 full years without driving a car!'  Sounds like a good plan doesn't it?  I was 99.8% convinced I could do this. I thought I *might* have to drive in an emergency situation, but other than that I don't need a car.  However I didn't share my thoughts with Hubby (or anyone) and it wasn't until we were on the peninsula and Hubby started talking about buying a 2nd car that I shared my thoughts with him.  He laughed thinking I was joking.  When I told him I was serious he looked at me like I had 3 heads and laughed again and told me good luck.  (He knows me so well.) Then he told me that he was still going to buy a 2nd car because HE couldn't go 6 weeks without having a car (his Jeep wouldn't get here for 6 weeks from the time we arrived) and that when his Jeep arrived that we could sell the 2nd car if I still didn't want to drive. OK, I can live with that.  (See how he worked that?)   It took me all of 2 days to realize I WANTED a car.  

Anyway, a couple of weeks went by and I was busy putting the house together.  It wasn't until I put my curtains up that I realized I need my Korean driver's license.  I NEEDED to go to the Fabric Market and I NEEDED to drive there.  You see the last time I was here (2008-2010) I had curtains made for our house in Texas.  Homes in Texas have MUCH higher ceilings than in Korea so when I put my curtains up they were about 3 inches too long!  Grrr! I was so ready to have a completed house after living out of suitcases for so long and the curtains the  were the finishing touch – I almost
cried when I hung them up.  (Just FYI, moving is STRESSFUL and tiny little things can put a typically calm and relaxed person over the edge and bring them to tears.) It looked as if my house was trying to play dress up and it wasn’t pretty. So the next day I went and took my driving test and within an hour of getting my license I was driving to the fabric market (and I'm sure Hubby was having a good laugh on the inside although he never said a word to me about my crazy idea of not driving for 2 years.)

Once at the fabric market I went in search of my designer/seamstress. I had saved all the information from my last tour here.  I had her stall number and a picture of her so I thought it would be easy to find her. I thought this will be simple - I'll find her have her alter the curtains and have them hanging in my house within 2 days.  Well, as luck would have it, my girl was gone.  Vanished.  No longer in the spot she once was.  I would have used the gentleman in her spot, but he wasn't very friendly and didn't give me the warm fuzzies, so I went on my way looking for my cute little designer.  I showed multiple people her picture but I kept getting the little finger "X" sign, which means no.  I'm not sure if that means they didn't know her or she is gone.  Either way I couldn't find her and gave up looking.

This led me to my next adventure, trying to find someone what could alter my curtains the way I wanted them done.  I walked down the sewing aisle of the basement in search of someone that looked friendly.  I made eye contact with one seamstress and smiled, but she was eating and didn't smile back at me so she was a no go for me.  However the little lady next to her (who was also eating) smiled back at me - this was my girl!   I walked up gave the friendly Korean nod and half bow and proceeded to try to talk to her only to realize she spoke no English and my Korean, well, it sucks.  Not to worry, I knew what to do....I showed her my curtains and in Konglish/sign language....I started cutting with my fingers and wrote down how many centimeters I wanted her to cut off.  Because I wanted them done a specific way it made it kind of hard to get my point across.  I considered giving up but just when I was about to move on to someone else  a very friendly and helpful Korean/American came by and assisted by translating for us.  Perfect!   Don't you just love little random acts of kindness? :)

I had 4 panels I needed altered and my friend did it for only 30,000 won!!  ($26.64)
AND they were hanging in my house within 2 days.

These are my new fabric market friends.  Aren't they just the cutest little couple?   The lady that stopped by to translate for us told me the man wanted to charge us more but the lady told him no.   Good job Ajumma! I'll come back to see you and I'll bring my friends!  :)