Living in Ikego: One Year Later

August 1st will mark one year since we stepped off a plane at Yokota Air Base and started our new life in Japan. We had a lot of decisions to make, and we've learned more about how to have a successful PCS move and transition. A couple of you have asked how things are going - specifically, how we feel about our choice to live in the Ikego Housing Detachment - so I'd like to update you. It's hard to believe our first year (of three) is already over!

So... how to begin? Let's go over what Ikego offers and how the main base - Yokosuka - compares. I'll also add my $0.02 about how things in Ikego have worked out for us.

Commissary/NEX: Ikego does NOT have a commissary, but we do have a small mini-mart (NEX) that sells some fresh produce (very little, and overpriced), books, magazines, kids' toys, office supplies, liquor, non-perishable and staple foods (bread, milk, cheese, eggs), toiletries, DVDs, a few home goods, and auto/home maintenance supplies. You'll find the large commissary and NEX stores in Yokosuka.

While sometimes it's inconvenient to drive to Yokosuka for groceries, I usually meal plan and only go once a week. If I was needing to go every day, that might be more annoying. I also try to get some produce and meat from the Yorkmart down the road. It's just a few blocks from our front gate, has a parking garage, and has a nice selection of foods (along with a clothing store and 100 yen shop - I think I have a blog post about it too). Lots of people do their grocery shopping in the local economy, but the commissary is my main source for groceries. The simple fact is that it's easier to go there with two small children, than out in town with carts that don't hold kids, Japanese written on products, and cramped aisles. I can get in and out more quickly on the base.

Salon: We have a small salon (two chairs) located right beside the mini-mart, and Yokosuka has a much larger salon. However, I REALLY like ours. The ladies in there are really nice and, unlike Yokosuka's salon, will allow me to bring my two children as long as they are occupied (an iPad usually does the trick).

Pool: Ikego does have a pool, though Yokosuka has two. Ours is much smaller, but does have a couple of slides and a kiddie pool. Some people love the pool here and I think it depends a lot on whether or not you have kids, and how old they are. I don't think the pool is that great. The kiddie pool is maybe 1-2 feet deep, but other than that, there is no other shallow area for kids besides a ramp going into the big pool. The big pool's "shallow" end is 5 feet deep - I can barely stand up there! (I'm 5'3") The big Yokosuka pool has a much bigger kiddie pool and though I haven't gone there, I know a lot of people who prefer it.

Library: Ikego does not have a public library. You'll HAVE to go to the main base for that. However, if you have kids - school-age or not - you can ask the Ikego Elementary School librarian to let you check out books. The school library is probably 4 times bigger than the children's section at the main library. You just need to give the librarian your contact information and she'll let you check out 5 books. We just end up driving to the main base anyway because 5 books is not nearly enough for my kids. But recently, the librarians from the main library started coming out to Ikego on Monday mornings to do story-time for the kids. They also bring books (children and adult) and DVDs that you can check-out and turn-in right there. That's been a great addition to Ikego.

Gas Station: Thankfully, we have a gas station here so I have yet to go to a gas station out in town.

Child Development Center: We have one, but I have heard that it's hard to acquire a spot for your kids. I have never sent my kids there, so I can't tell you what I think about it. One of the complaints I often hear from parents in Ikego is that there is no other option if you can't get your kids into the CDC. Unlike main base, I think there is only one Child Development Home (someone who does childcare in their apartment/townhome) in Ikego. If someone wanted to open another one, I'm sure they'd make a lot of money!

Post Office: We have a post office and if you are even considering living in Ikego, DO NOT get a post office box on main base. Wait until you figure out where you're moving. I know people who got boxes in Yokosuka and then moved to Ikego, and it's such a hassle to get their mail.

Gym: We have a small gym and "the bubble gym." The bubble gym is an indoor (I use that term very loosely) basketball court that is used for LOTS of different things - movie nights, roller derby, youth sports and more. The other gym on base is open 24 hours (I think...) and I NEVER use it. I am not allowed to take my kids into the area with machines, which means I have to stay in the women's locker room with a "kids play area" and a couple of cardio machines. The play area is a padded box on the floor with a tv mounted up on the wall. Not my cup of tea. I have heard rumors that they are going to be building a new gym, but most people who are serious about working out end up using Yokosuka's Purdy gym. You can find information about it online. Oh, and there are some group exercise classes offered here. Check out the MWR website listed below.

MWR/Youth Sports: Despite it being smaller, Ikego actually offers a decent variety of classes for both adults and kids. Visit www.mwryokosuka.wordpress.com and check under "Community Center" for a complete list of classes.

Schools: Ikego Elementary School is the only school in Ikego, and they are in the process of constructing a new elementary school building that should be done for the 2014-2015 school year. Currently, IES only serves K-3, but when the new school is finished, I believe it will serve K-5. I have NEVER heard anything bad about IES. Our school only has about 200 students, compared to Yokosuka's elementary school's (Sullivan's) 2,000 kids. Once your kid is over 3rd grade, they will be bussed to/from Yokosuka for school.

Train Access: Unlike Yokosuka, if you live in Ikego, you have your own train station. That's right, we have a station connected to our gate. Train access couldn't get any easier. This is a huge reason we love Ikego. I have two kids who are too big for strollers, but still get tired on long walks. I drive down to the mini-mart, park my van, and walk across the street to get on the train. If we were living in Yokosuka, we'd have to walk across base (it can be a LONG walk, depending on where your home is located) and then walk about 5 blocks to get to the train.

So, what is my overall opinion on living in Ikego?

I love it here! If you have kids - especially young kids - Ikego is a great place for families. Most people who live here have families just like yours. You won't find a bunch of single sailors here. It is much more wooded and not so industrial-looking as Yokosuka. I have found it much easier to meet other moms and there is a community feeling here that I'm not sure is as apparent in Yokosuka. It's quiet and feels like my very own little gated neighborhood.

I'm not going to lie, there was a short time after we moved here that kinda wished we had waited for a home in Yokosuka (you will probably be offered Ikego as your first housing offer because they are trying to fill it up). A lot of that had to do with the fact that my husband wasn't fond of his commute. It's maybe 20 minutes, but can be a lot longer if traffic is bad. We daydreamed about my husband being able to walk to/from work and pop in for lunch with us. But truthfully, it's probably worked out better that we are here. When he leaves work, he really LEAVES. I think if we were living in Yokosuka, he'd probably go into his office even more than he does now.

In reality, there are pros and cons to both Ikego and Yokosuka. The thing is, no matter where you end up, you might as well try to like it because you don't have much of a choice otherwise. :)

If you have any questions about Ikego or Yokosuka, please feel free to ask!

We Got Our Furniture!

Our furniture was scheduled to arrive sometime on Monday morning. We expected them to come around 8:00am because the Japanese have shown themselves to be incredibly punctual. We also had scheduled our loaner-furniture to be picked up that morning as well - hopefully, as early as humanly possible so that we could get it out of the way before all of our furniture arrived. 

So when the doorbell rang at 6:58am, I was impressed that the loaner furniture was getting picked up so quickly. A nice Japanese man greeted me and said, "Good morning! I have your furniture to be delivered." WHAT?! The movers were there and ready to begin before 7:00am?? Maybe some American moving companies (or any company, for that matter) should take some notes from the Japanese.... ha!

With only TWO men, they had all of our household goods unloaded and into our 9th-floor apartment by 9:00am. It was amazing. And to help with any confusion, I had numbered the rooms (a sign on the doors) so that instead of wondering if they could understand my English or not being clear about which room was what, I could just say the number and they knew where to take the boxes. A friend had offered to come by around 9:00am to pick up the girls and keep them out of the way, so she was surprised to find the movers finishing up when she arrived. She was still wonderful enough to offer to take the kids over to her place for a while so we could try to get some things unpacked.

Because the Japanese do trash and recycling a little differently than we do in the US, the movers asked if we also wanted them to unpack the boxes so that they could take all the boxes and trash with them. No surprise that it only took them 30 minutes to unpack EVERYTHING. It was great to have all that trash taken away, but when they left, it looked like my house had thrown up on itself. It was overwhelming.

We started putting things away one room at a time, and I was having a horrible time because I had to unpack a lot of cabinets in order to put things in them the way I wanted. In my kitchen, for example, they just unpacked everything and stuck it in cabinets to get it out of the way. So I had to unpack the cabinets again to put things in them. With my house looking like this, you can only guess how stressed I was....

However, by the end of the day, it was starting to feel more like home.

I still have to put things on the walls and organize a few things here and there. But, overall, we don't have too much left to do. When I feel like things are 95% done, I'll post some more photos so everyone can see how I've attempted to make this industrial building feel more like a home. I'm just so happy to have our things back! My mattress has never felt so good!

PCS Redo: What I would have packed in the Express Shipment

We have been in Japan for over a month now, have gotten placed in military housing, and are receiving our Household Goods (HHG) in 3 days (THANK GOD!). So, that means we've been living with just the items from our Express Shipment - also known as Unaccompanied Baggage (UA) - for the last two weeks that we've been in military housing. Next time we PCS, I am going to be packing a few more things. And, I hope my updated list helps you if you are getting ready to PCS too - especially overseas.

Here, you will find my former list. Items that you see in bold are items that I didn't pack, but would definitely pack if I had it to do over again.

Bedrooms:
(1) Queen sheet set, 2 pillows, 2 pillow cases (**DO NOT, for the love of god, put your pillows in Space Saver bags. Ours did not fluff back up and I had to break down and buy some new ones.**)
(2) Twin sheet set, 2 pillows, 2 pillow cases
(2) Twin comforters/blankets
(1) Down comforter
(2) Quilts
(3) Sleeping bags
(2) Formal dresses (just in case)
Hangers (My clothes have been sitting in piles at the bottom of my closet for weeks now.)
Bathrooms:
(2) Adult towels
(2) Child towels
(2) Washcloths
Shower rod
Shower rings
Girls’ shower curtain
Hair Clippers
Extra Toilet Paper (The first thing my oldest child did, upon walking into our new home, was to go take a poop in the bathroom. And we had NO toilet paper.)
Toys:
Aircraft carrier
Toy Story Imaginext
Mr. & Mrs. Potato Head
Toy computer
Disney Princesses/Barbies
Large floor puzzles
Dress-up Dolls
Workbooks and crayons
Board games
Variety of children’s books
Musical instrument set
If you have children, include as many toys as you can. I thought we had a pretty good list here, but my girls have gotten horribly bored with these few toys after a few weeks.
Living Room:
Rotating fan
Small black fan
(2) Throw pillows
TV (Why in the heck did we NOT pack our one and only tv? We borrowed one from my husband's office, but weren't able to use it for long.)
Kitchen:
(1) Large skillet
(1) Small cookie sheet
(1) Spatula
(1) Wooden spoon
(1) Large mixing bowl
(1) Small mixing bowl
(1) Silicone muffin cups (to be used on cookie sheet)
(1) Toaster oven
(1) Medium pot
(1) Oven mitt
(1) Colander
(1) Large glass measuring cup
(1) Small glass measuring cup
(1) Set of measuring spoons
(5) Towels
(5) Washrags
(4) Plastic plates
(4) Plastic cups
(2) Coffee mugs
(4) Forks
(4) Spoons
(4) Knives
(4) Blue plastic bowls
(4) Green plastic bowls
(1) Medium cutting board
(2) Cutting knives
(1) Small cooler tote
(1) Pair of scissors
Glass bowls/plates (At least one or two. I didn't pack anything that I could put in the microwave!)
MY CROCK-POT (Good god! What I could have been cooking all this time!)

Office:
Small tool box (This has come in REALLY handy, believe it or not.)
(2) Extension cords
Extra household cords (chargers, A/V, etc.)
Sharpies
Pens
Envelopes
Bank deposit slips/envelopes
Printer and ink (There are so many forms you need to fill out for the military. It would have been nice to have had our printer all this time for printing things and making copies.)
Garage/Outdoor:
(2) Adult camping chairs

(2) Child camping chairs

Small Bissell vacuum
Mop
Broom
Shark Steam Cleaner
(4) Beach towels

Professional Gear:
Medical books/folders
Some professional clothing

Before we even arrived in Japan, we were visiting family for a month. And during that time, we received an email saying that our HHG had arrived in Japan on July 18th. We were so excited that our stuff had arrived before we did! But when we called the Property Office to schedule a delivery of our furniture upon our arrival at military housing, the dude LAUGHED AT ME on the phone. He said our stuff was still out at sea and probably wouldn't arrive for a month. The lesson we learned is that you never know how long you'll be surviving on your Express shipment, so pack well! I hope this list helps you decide what to bring and I hope your goods arrive quickly! Good luck!

The PCS Files: We've Arrived in Japan!

Travel Day 2 was intense. We woke the kids up at 2:00am to go get our boarding passes and as soon as we had them, checked our bags, and went through security, we headed off to find the Children's Play Area in the airport. I got the kids some food and they played in that playroom for almost 4 hours! They made several little friends, and by the time we left, they looked like they were getting crazy tired. We got to board our plane around 7:30 and we scheduled to depart around 8:30 or so. We got on the plane, got settled and then passed out - all four of us. I woke up about an hour later to find that we were still sitting at our gate. Apparently, flights papers weren't matching up right so we just had to sit there on the plane until everything got straightened out. So, the first hour of our flight to Japan was spent sitting still. When we finally got moving, we were told the flight would be around 9 hours, 45 minutes.

Want to know something shocking? My kids only slept about 2 hours during that entire time! After being awake since 2am!! They really did remarkably well, only have a couple of meltdowns when it was obvious they were tired and just couldn't fall asleep. When we began our descent into Japan, Thing 1 looked like a zombie. She was barely keeping her eyes open.

We can see Japan!!

 

A little closer

 

Flying into Japan was great. It is beautiful! So green! And with lots of mountains and forests - it reminds me a lot of East Tennessee. It also felt a lot like home when we stepped off the plane into some killer humidity. We were soaking wet by the time we got inside and picked up all of our bags. Most people getting off the plane with us had to ride a giant tour bus to base, but we were lucky in that a Chief from the Command was sent to pick us up in a nice van. As soon as got on the road, the kids passed out. And though it was only a 50-mile drive, it took about 2.5 hours because the speed limit is lower in Japan and there wasn't really an interstate to take. We were driving through the main streets of towns. I probably should have taken more pictures while we were driving, but I was just taking it all in. I couldn't believe we were in Japan!

Since the kids had been getting by with 1 or 2-hour naps all day, I figured that once we arrived on base, they would wake up and push through a few more hours before going to bed at a slightly earlier - but time-zone-appropriate hour - that evening. Boy, was I wrong. They were done. Done with travel. Done with being awake. When we woke Thing 1 and asked her to get out of the van, she said she was too dizzy. When we got inside the hotel lobby, The Hubs went to check us in while I talked with our Sponsor and the Chief. I looked over, and Thing 1 was leaning across one of the end-tables sound asleep. And drooling! Ha! We got them up to our hotel room around 4:00pm and they didn't move a muscle.

Our home for the next month

 

 

Of course, now we are sitting up at 1:42am because they got plenty of sleep and are ready to start the day. Ugh. I have a feeling the day is going to draaaaaag. I may try to make them go back to sleep for a few more hours before morning. The Hubs has to go have breakfast with some of the higher-ups in his command while the girls and I go downstairs to the Housing Briefing at 8:00am. I thought we had to go through a week of orientation before getting on any of the housing waiting lists, but we can do it as soon as possible! Yay!!

The Hubs is also getting a little anxious about all of his responsibility. He got bombarded with information last night by our Sponsor, who also happens to be who he is replacing. I'm sure he'll do fine, but I know he's a little overwhelmed at the moment. Our Sponsor also said he would try to drive us over the commissary and exchange today so that we can get some groceries and get cell phone plans. He also offered to take us somewhere for lunch and give us a tour of the base. I'm sure if the kids will hang in there for all of that, but I hope so. I'm VERY interested to find out about housing and I should probably have another blog post coming up about that shortly.

We are in JAPAN. Hard to believe. But I'm excited to finally settle in and make a home for us for the next three years.

 

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The PCS Files: Travel Day One

It's 1:45am and I'm sitting in the Family Room at the USO somewhere along the West Coast. I can't tell you where, of course, because I don't want the military getting mad at me for blogging too many details! We left Nashville around 2pm, hung out in Minneapolis for a while, and then made it here by 8:00pm. I really couldn't have asked for the day to go any better. Between eating meals and taking advantage of the airport play areas, we didn't even have to open their backpacks to keep the girls entertained until our second flight. And for most of our shorter first flight, the girls fell asleep.

Of course, now is where the real fun begins. In 15 minutes, I'm going to have to wake up my kids to go stand in line for our boarding passes. That's right - we have to get our boarding passes at 2:30am. The Hubs went and got our luggage that will be checked and he started standing in line around 1:00am. (Apparently, the line is a helluva long one.) Then, we have to just hang around until our flight leaves for Japan around 8:00am (or so...I forget the actual departure time). They've been asleep for roughly 5 hours, so I hope that will be a good enough nap for them to make it through departure time and maybe one meal on the plane before passing out. I've heard that our flight is not full and I have only seen 1 or 2 other kids as young as mine.

Our cell phones should be shutting off sometime today, and I never got a chance to call a couple of my family members back last night. Oh, also, the day before we left, my grandmother wound up in the hospital for high blood pressure and she's got an artery 90% blocked. She will have a small surgery on it later today. I know she will be in good hands, but it's exactly the type of thing I hoped wouldn't happen while we were in Japan. I guess I should get used to it though....

Well, it's time to wake up my babies. Send us some good vibes today!

 

 

 

 

Look at this awesome vending machine at the Kid's Play Area in Minneapoliis!

Mt. Rainer!

Beautiful mountains near the West Coast

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The PCS Files: Flight Logistics

We are beginning our trek to Japan tomorrow. Holy crap. Like, for real. HOLY CRAP.

We will be flying out of Tennessee early tomorrow afternoon and after a layover in the middle of the US, we will make it to the West Coast by 8:00pm. We had assumed we would get a hotel that night before catching our flight to Japan the following morning, but when we started talking about it, it didn't seem to be working out very well.

We have to report for our military flight to Japan in the wee hours of the morning on Tuesday and if we're not getting in until 8:00pm the night before, we might only have a few hours to get to our hotel room and sleep before having to get up for the next flight. So, I called the USO at the airport we'll be flying into. This is our first time on military flights, so we weren't sure what to expect. I talked with a lovely woman who told me about the facilities available to us once we arrive. There will be a family room with a crib, cots, and mats on the floor. There will be a USO Luggage area where we can drop off our checked baggage until the next morning.

She also informed me that we will need to get our boarding passes a few hours before dawn and that we can start lining up for them just after midnight (?!). All four of us have to be in line for them, so that should be interesting.... We also have to pick up our baggage from the USO Luggage area shortly after they open up the boarding passes so we probably won't be getting much sleep. After we get our passes and luggage, we will still have 3-4 hours before our flight actually leaves for Japan.

So... what the heck are we going to do? Here is my plan.

Try to get the girls to sleep on one or both of our flights to the West Coast tomorrow. If they will only sleep on one, I hope it's the later one so that maybe they will stay up most of the night. Once we get to the West Coast, we are going to try to keep the kids up all night. I HIGHLY doubt it will happen, but even if they sleep for a few hours in the middle of the night, they would probably do okay. Airports are usually much less crowded at night, so I'm hoping we'll be able to find a spot for the kids to run around and not bother anyone. The reason we'd like to keep them up all night is so that maybe, juuuuust maybe, when we leave for Japan the next morning, they will sleep for a majority of the time on our 10-hour flight. When we arrive in Japan, it will be the middle of the day. It would be great if we could push through the rest of the time and put the girls to bed at a normal time that night.

Of course, plans always SOUND great... but they are simply plans. Who knows if things will go anything like we hope they will. My main is to just go with the flow. The last thing I want to do is fight with the kids in a crowded airport or on a cramped plane. So, please send us some good vibes, positive thoughts, prayers or whatever you prefer. We will probably need it. I don't know when I'll be blogging again, but I hope to keep you updated throughout our travels if time (and internet) allows. Sayonara!

 

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The PCS Files: What's in that carry-on?

In two days, we'll be traveling for a good 24 hours with two small children. For weeks, I've been looking up information about traveling with kids to try and prepare for our first long flight with our girls. Though we're not on a super-tight budget when it comes to buying things for our trip, I'm still quite a tight-wad and I made an effort to spend as little money as possible. So, here are all the things that are going in my girls' carry-on's. I probably could have fit a few more things in their backpacks, but I wanted to be sure not to overload them so that they can actually carry their backpacks by themselves through the airport (at least that's the plan).

• Two BPA-free water bottles
• A coloring book for each of them
• A Highlights magazine for Thing 1
• Some semi-healthy snacks (fruit chews, dried apple crisps, peanut butter and crackers)
• Two sticker-books for each
• One neck pillow each (though these are actually packed in a different carry-on)
• Headphones for each
• Bubbles
• A new, small toothbrush for each
• Two small flashlights for fun
• Twistables crayons
• Knock-off Polly-Pocket set with two dolls and lots of clothes
• Puzzle
• LeapPad for each with 4 new games/videos downloaded on each

One of the BEST ways to transport anything with small pieces or cords is to buy $0.97 pencil bags. They are more durable than plastic baggies and their zippers are easy for little fingers to open and close. I put the Polly-Pockets, crayons, puzzle, headphones and LeapPads in these. 

As for me and the hubs, we are each taking a backpack and my husband is taking an additional rolling carry-on with a change of clothes for each of us and extra diapers and wipes for Thing 2. Here are some of the things we are packing in our backpacks:

• Our iPads and all iPad accessories (chargers, keyboards, etc)
• Our Japan notebook
• Navy records that my husband will need
• Cell phone chargers
• Wipes
• A few diapers
• Snacks for the kids
• Water bottle for each of us
• Camera and accessories
• Toiletries (deoderant, hand sanitizer, medicine for the kids [in case of allergies... or needed sleep....], makeup removing wipes, toothpaste Wisps, makeup, and even shampoo and conditioner for our night in the airport)

I'm sure we'll acquire some new things throughout our airport stays, but I *think* we have things pretty covered. It will be quite the adventure.... And I'll breathe a huge sigh of release once we're in Japan. 

The PCS Files: Four Days and Counting

To all my readers (all, 5 of you?) who have been following along as we make the move to Japan, I want to apologize for not writing much this month. As you can imagine, we have been BUSY. We headed to Tennessee to visit family for a full month before we left the country and though I thought I'd have lots of time to blog, read, and sleep, that has NOT been the case. We have been at a different family member's home each week and we have tried to cram in as many visits and activities as possible. This hasn't been completely my idea, but when you're leaving family for years and they want to take your kids to all sorts of fun things... it's hard to say no.

Unfortunately, my kids have gotten so out-of-whack that there have been times where I wonder if we should have come home for a month in the first place. My girls already seem tired, bored, stir-crazy, and cranky. Thing 2 has had a resurgence of bad behavior (LOUD, behavior too) and Thing 1 has started having some epic meltdowns over... well... silly things. For instance, one of these meltdowns happened this morning when she begged me to let us live in Osaka, Japan instead of Yokosuka. What?! Yes, my child wants to live in another city in Japan instead of the one we're assigned to. I guess I'm just happy that she's learning some geography.

But, anyway, on to PCS matters.

On Monday, we'll fly to the East Coast and on Tuesday, we'll fly out of the country. Tonight or tomorrow, I'll be heading to the store to get anything else we need for our carry-ons and I plan on spending the last half of our weekend doing laundry and packing. I may try to put together a blog post about what is going in each of our carry-ons, but it totally depends on whether or not I have time. Any blogging that needs to be done before we leave HAS to be done before we fly out because I know that once we arrive, I am going to have a TON of things to write about. So, stay tuned. I know that I haven't blogged much the last few weeks, but I think it's about to REALLY pick up.

The PCS Files: Limbo

The day after the movers packed our house, loaded our things in wooden crates, and drove away with everything, we headed to middle TN to visit family for roughly a month before we fly to Japan. We have planned to spend a week with my husband's family, a week with my mother, a week with my father, and then back to my in-law's home for the last week that we're in the States. Unfortunately, my husband has had to travel back to our previous home for those two weeks that we're visiting my family because he has to check out of his command and take a Surface Warfare Training course in preparation of his overseas tour.

 

So, we've been out of our home and on the road for a little over a week and though my girls are doing pretty well, I think Thing 2 is already getting a little out-of-whack. She's going back to some previous behaviors that we had worked hard to get rid of (screaming, yelling, talking in her demon-voice, hitting) and I can't help but think that it just might be all the transition she's going through. We're moving somewhere different every week, she doesn't have all the familiar toys that keep her occupied for hours, our family is excited to treat the girls so their diets aren't exactly the same as usual, and our days have been action-packed with lots of visits to friends'/family and fun activities like swimming. I really hate that her behavior is going downhill - especially around family that we never get to see. I've heard a lot of comments about how Thing 2 is so much different than our first or how Thing 2 is such a handful, and I hate it for her. It's so easy to start thinking of a child a certain way and without even realizing it, you begin expecting bad behavior from the child. In a way, you are asking for it.

 

We still have 2.5 weeks until we fly to Japan and we'll probably have around a month in a hotel before we find a house. I'm almost craving our old routine back - our own house, our own toys, our own schedule... our own way of doing things. Maybe I just need to try to bring some routine into this time we're spending with our family. And what other choices do I have really? I just have to remind myself that this time will go by more quickly than I think. I have to take a few deep breaths now and then and just hug on my girls when they're having a hard time. Transitions can be rough. But they are just that too - transitions. We'll get back to our own sense of normal before we know it.

 

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Packing Day!

Oh. My. Gosh. I have been so busy these last few days, trying to get everything ready for our move. Anytime I say that to someone, they always respond with, "What do you have to do? The movers are packing everything for you." Yes, the movers are packing everything. But I don't want to send anything to Japan that doesn't have to go. So I've spent the last few days going through every room, the garage, and the attic, removing anything that can be trashed or donated. I had to go through my food and get rid of almost all of it. I washed just about everything in the house that could be put in the washing machine and spent all day yesterday packing suitcases and carry-ons. This is what our To-Do List looked like:

Want to know exactly what was on the list? Here ya go:

• Sort the garage
• Take recycling
• Clear out attic
• Clean out all rooms/closets
• Take donations to the local thrift store
• Clean out food
• Change addresses (bank, insurance companies, etc.)
• Pack luggage and carry-ons
• Set-aside all things we are taking home to family
• Wash: sheets, dishes, all linens, towels
• Mark landlord's things so they don't get packed
• Take out all batteries
• Take apart electronics
• Strip the walls of all pictures/wall decor
• Patch small holes in walls
• Clean the entire house

Everything that didn't need to be packed (our luggage, carry-ons, dog-stuff, and things to send to family) went into the guest room with instructions for the movers to leave that room alone. It looks like a wreck at the moment because I've thrown some things in there last minute, but I'll get it all cleaned up and packed this afternoon.

If my husband had been home more, I probably wouldn't have gotten so stressed out over all of this. However, he has been working all week and the last few days, was on night-shift. So I've really been doing most everything on my own while trying to keep the kids from getting into things and keeping them occupied. I am VERY happy to have the movers here doing the main packing for me. Once everything is packed up, we'll be on vacation visiting family and friends until we fly out at the end of July.

So... here is what my home looked like before the movers arrived this morning.

Pretty bare, right? 

I was quite surprised when the movers arrived at 8:30am (I was honestly expecting them to be late) and things are moving right along. 

It's a little crazy to see big wooden crates for our things. It makes it more real that they'll be shipped to Japan! 

I will add more pictures as the day goes along. Right now, I'm trying to keep the pictures to a minimum. I think the movers are a little creeped out when they see me trying to sneak in some pictures of their work....

The PCS Files: My PCS Binder

My PCS binder, also known as "The Japan Book" around here, is the brain of our house these days. I cannot take credit for this idea because I saw it mentioned over and over again on military discussion forums, blogs and Pinterest. Of course, I'm an organizing gal, so it instantly appealed to me. This binder will never leave my side as we make the trip to Japan. There is SO much involved with moving overseas that the binder has almost become essential. I'm going to share with you what my binder includes in hopes that it might help anyone else that may be interested in making one.

In the front of my binder, I have our passports in a document sleeve, but those will be going in my purse with me for our plane ride. I also want to mention that we scanned and uploaded all of these documents into mine and my husband's shared Google Drive account so that if we lose the binder (lord help me!), we will have access to copies wherever we are.

The very first section of my binder is filled with all of our official military documents. I have about 6 copies of our official orders (I was told we would need copies for multiple things in Japan - cell phones, cars, off-base housing, etc.). I also have two copies of our Family Entry Approval Form. The last thing I have in this section is an emailed copy of our Port Call, or our flight information.

The second section of my binder holds all the information that will be helpful to us once we arrive. These things include every single piece of correspondence from our sponsor, information about the Navy Lodge where we'll be staying, a print-out of our Overseas Housing Allowance (OHA), and our Overseas Cost of Living Allowance (OCOLA). 

I merged all of the emails from our Sponsor and put them into one large document that I could print out. I highlighted all of the dates that so that everything would be in order and easy to find.

The third section of my binder has information about our shipments. This includes two copies of our Personal Property Checklist, our Entitlement Summary (how much weight can go in our shipments), two copies of each inventory from our movers (we only have one of these thus far, but once our HHG is picked up, that inventory will go in here too), and some helpful information about how to move from the Navy's Shipment Counseling website.

In the fourth section of my binder, I have a guide for moving to Japan that was emailed to us by our Sponsor and Ombudsman. 

The last section of my binder has ALL of our important documents that I would HATE to lose in my luggage or HHG shipment. This is another reason that this folder will be with me at all times. This section has our Social Security Cards, our Insurance cards, our Marriage License, all of our dog's records (I will be giving these to my mother-in-law when we leave our dog with her), each of our family records (birth certificates, immunization records, etc.), copies of my husband's diploma from medical school, my husband's medical school transcript, a copy of our renter's and auto insurance, and a list of contact information for all the companies that we use (banks, insurance agents, cell phone, etc.). 

My binder is definitely full and it's going to add some weight to my backpack on the plane. However, it will be so nice to have EVERYTHING we need inside it. I know it will make the transition easier once we arrive in Japan. I hope that my binder will help you if you are wanting to put one together yourself. 

If you have any suggestions for other things to include, I'd love to hear them!

The PCS Files: DLA and Flights

So, a couple of more things have happened that are necessary for our move to Japan.

1) We received our Dislocation Allowance (DLA).

Dislocation Allowance, or DLA, is an allowance given to military members when they are going to PCS. The amount varies based on rank/rate, but essentially, it is money given to you by the military because they know that moving can be expensive. We do not have to pay it back and it is given in one lump sum that was deposited into our bank account. It can be used for anything. We will be using it to help with things like a rental car, food, an airplane ticket for my husband (he has to fly back to the Naval Hospital for 2 weeks of overseas warfare training while we're in TN visiting family), and probably our hotel after we arrive in Japan (we pay for it upfront, but that expense will be reimbursed by the Navy). I won't lie. It's a nice perk of military life.

2) We got flights scheduled.

This was something that we were slightly concerned about because we are only a month from leaving for Japan. I'm not exactly sure what office handles the flights (and my husband isn't around for me to ask), but after he called and checked in, we received an email a few days later with our "Port Call." It's basically a travel itinerary. We found out that our flights were scheduled for the end of July. We were scheduled to take a commercial flight from our current residence to Washington State and then fly to Japan from there. However, because we're planning to be in TN for the month of July, we were really excited to find out that we had the option to switch our commercial flight to another airport for $30 per ticket. That was nothing to pay compared to flying or driving back here. Though we have tourist passports, we will need our government/no-fee passports for our flight to Japan. My husband had to go by the travel office and pick up our no-fee passports, along with a travel envelope for each of us and it was there that he was able to switch our commercials flights to an airport in TN.

So, everything seems to be moving right along and I think all that we really have left to do is actually move out next week. My pre-move survey is this afternoon and I'll be sure to blog about that and let you know what to expect. I think that someone just comes to the house to see how much stuff they will need for packing materials, but I also want to find out about things that I'm not allowed to move (cleaning supplies, food, etc.). We are sooo close!

The PCS Files: Unaccompanied Baggage is gone!

Some of our things are on their way to Japan! It's hard for me to believe.

The movers said they would come between 8-10am, but showed up at 11am. So, what did we do while waiting for them? We had a tea party! A costume tea party, to be exact.

I don't think The Hubs enjoyed his change in costume.

So, when the movers came, I promised myself I would take some pictures for all of you who have never done a military move. Every time the moving-dude went out to the truck for something, I ran back into the guest room to take pictures of his progress. He put some things into large boxes and wrapped most everything in brown paper. I think he was in and out of the house in about an hour. 

This is what the finished product looked like. Everything was taped up and was labeled with our last name and info about where it was going. I also signed an inventory he made of each package and got a copy for my own records. There were also a few other papers to sign that said he hadn't damaged my house in any way, that he had been pleasant and done a good job and that I knew where my stuff was being sent (I think...?). 

Once everything was packed, he took it out to the truck and put it all inside a wooden crate. Once it was filled, he nailed it all shut and off it went! It's crazy to think that some of our household will be going to Japan ahead of us, but it's also nice to know that we'll have those things there as soon as we arrive and get into some housing. 

I've got a few more posts coming in the next few days, so be sure to check back. We got information about our flights and are sorting that out, and I had a friend ask me what we're doing with all our important documents during the move (she is getting ready to PCS to Italy this winter). We'll also be getting ready for the big move NEXT WEEK! Yikes! I feel like there is sooo much to do, but at the same time, I feel like all that's left to do is move. Sounds simple doesn't it?