Mitsubachi - A Cafe Where Kids are Welcome

We met a friend for lunch today.  Since we don't live near each other and have little kids in tow we looked online for a place to meet in the middle that the kids could enjoy going to too.

 As you can see this isn't your normal kiddie lunch yet yummy enough for kids to enjoy it too.  The quiche lunch plate also had croquet balls, a mini hamburger, some veggies and the very popular bread sticks!  With the drink (non-alcoholic cocktail) it came to 1,300 yen.

The feature which got our attention is the play space.  Our table was to the left so we could keep an eye on the kids while we ate.  Including play time before and after eating we spent about 2 hours there.
Here are the pages which lead us to the Cafe Mitsubachi in Urawa:
http://cafe-mitsubachi.com/
http://blog.livedoor.jp/mango1235/archives/1429466.html

Pre-Signer

What would it be like if instead of crying to be fed your 5 month old baby could let you know that she is hungry?  If you try using sign language you can find out!
Take a look at this on the Signing Way blog.
http://signingway.blogspot.com/2011/01/pre-signer.html

Bicycle Seat Recall

I saw on the news tonight that the most common rear child seats for a bike (in Japan) are being recalled. Actually, the recall was issued last summer but so far only about 14% of the seat have been replaced. That got my attention and then I saw our bike seat is part of the recall.
The concern is that the foot rest can come loose allowing the kids legs to get tangled up with the rear wheel of the bike.

Here is the Japanese homepage with more info:
http://www.bscycle.co.jp/childseat/index.html

If you go to the bottom of the page they show what you need to be looking for on the foot rest of the seat.  From what I understand you can take your bike to a local shop and get the seat replaced for free. I'm going to have my husband check into it when he gets home.


If you have a rear child seat on your bike please check and see if it is part of this recall.

Eat At Our Place!

Whenever Daddy is particularly busy I try to compensate by doing things that are extra fun and extremely involved to help keep the kids minds busy.  Today we took a long walk after lunch to the baby store, grocery store and post office.  When we got home we took out all the cloth/felt food that we own and set up a shop.  The Little Guy had such a great time!

Most of these food items came from Ikea of the 100 yen shop.  They've been collected over the past few years.  I have also made a few items but found it tough to sew with a toddler around! 

The blue box is the one which stores all of the food/cooking items.  I try to limit all toy categories to 1 box each as we have very limited storage space. 
The yellow thing on the end is a little wagon which is holding the spice containers.  I put a little rice or beans in the empty containers so they make sound but won't spill.  This worked well until today when the little guy figured out how to open one!  I guess it is time to glue the lids on!
The boxes which the counter is made of are empty milk and juice cartons.  They've become some of the most used "toys" in our home!  On top of the boxes are some of the dishes which are set aside for the kids to use.

The chef is busy filling orders!
After about 10 minutes he went in search of the apron because it has pockets to hold the calculator and note pad for taking orders. 

Here you can see the stove.  It is a picture of one burner on our stove printed out and taped to one side of a milk carton box.  The pan is the one we used to use for camping.  It is light weight making it perfect for a kid's kitchen!



As you can see by the smile this is a real popular activity.  Before bed tonight the Little Guy asked if we can leave it set up so he can play with Daddy tomorrow.  I love that!

Next Time won't you Sign with me? (ABCs)

Little Guy is 3 years and 3

Little Miss is 5 months old

In our house we use ASL (American Sign Language) as a link between spoken languages.  It also is a great way to reinforce English in a fun way.
Recently the Little Guy has been showing an increased interest in finger spelling and letters.  To help encourage his interest I've put out and ASL ABC page and the Signing Time ABC Signs flashcards.

Even Little Miss is getting into finger spelling.  She has yet to make a clear sign but loves to watch her brother and "babble" with her fingers!

You can learn more about signing with babies / toddlers on my other blog here.