About Us

I'm mom to four kids, teaching college, and living a bilingual, bi-cultural life with my immigrant husband in the rural Midwest. We are two-cultured in a number of ways: Japanese/American, Autistic/Neuro-typical, Cosmopolitan/Rural. In other words, we are fish out of water practically everywhere we go. 

If you're looking for a super mom or a Pinterest-worthy blog, you're not in the right place. I'm about as crafty as a sock. I can cook but hate it, and the only thing I seem to DIY consistently is pack. My parenting style is more cerebral than might be healthy, but my posts are always honest, often funny, and rarely sappy. If that's your thing, this is the place for you.


Cast of Characters

Skywalker (a.k.a Sky) gets his name from his strong identification with and affinity for Luke Skywalker. Star Wars, Lego and drawing are his passions. He's also really into music and figuring out how things work. He is a teenager and diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Believe me, this explains a lot!

Falcon, who used to be called Pink Princess (a.k.a. Pink P), is a few years younger than Sky. These days she's into archery, horses and fantasy reading. Falcon's just feisty enough to manage life with her two brothers, and she has a knack for getting them to do things when I can't. She has asthma and severe food allergies to a variety of things, and recently we learned that she's AuDHD.

My Little Stowaway (a.k.a. Stow) is our zen yet stealth ninja baby turned preteen. His favorite thing in the whole wide world used to be pandas, but now it's tanks. He's also massively into Lego. His collection of stuffed pandas includes so many of them named Paul that I lost count. He is also on AuDHD, which can make life pretty interesting around here.

Big Sissy doesn't live with us anymore because, well, she's all grown up. But she still she comes to visit from time to time. And thanks to her, I got to warm-up my momming skills without having to change any diapers! She was my first kid and I was her first mom no matter what anyone tells you.

Renaissance Man (a.k.a Ren) knows a little bit of everything about everything, can fix anything, and has a solution for most of life's conundrums. In a past life, he worked for the Japanese government. In this one, he is the stay-at-home-parent glue that holds the family together. For a man who has been through SEVEN spine surgeries and has a titanium rod from the base of his neck to his tailbone, he is amazing active and much more agile than I am.

Mom on the Edge (a.k.a. Moe). That's me. Things that seem like good ideas to me don't to other people. How else can I explain asking my spouse to give up his very lucrative job so we could move to the US so I could get a Ph.D.? I suppose you could say I like to face challenges head-on and live life on the edge. Funny how having kids lets me do this daily...


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