Lang-8にアップしている日記（２０１２年）です。
Here are some excerpts from my diary in Lang-8.
I appreciate it if you correct my English :)
("-chan," which you often see in my diary, is something used when we call or mention someone who is very young. It's also used when you call girls' names in Japan, as in "Hanako-chan," "Fumie-chan." This "-chan" plays an important role in Japanese in that it gives you a vivid image of a little kid instantly in your mind. I may not use "-chan" when I write something in English, but it has become part of my daughters' names when I call their names, so I cannot help but use it :) )
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- January 1
New Year's Ritual
My little daughter Tomo-chan started to cry and yell when my father refused to change the TV channel.
Tomo-chan : That does it! I hate you! I wanted to watch something!
Mother: Tomo-chan, let your grandpa watch it for a while, won't you? He has been looking forward to watching the New Year's Ekiden marathon relay.
Tomo-chan : I don't care about the marathon at all, people! I want to watch what I want, and I need the remote NOW!
Mother: By the way, how many mochi rice cakes would you like to have for your ozoni soup?
Tomo-chan: Ten.
- January 2
It's My Kuromame
My one-year-old daughter Haru-chan lovess kuromame sweet black beans better than any other New Year's food. She kept going back to the kotatsu heater table where we were preparing New Year's osechi festival meal yesterday. I told her not to eat kuromame before all the food was ready, but she wouldn't listen and kept sitting in front of her kuromame.
When I went to her for the third time, Haru-chan had placed two plates of kuromame in front of her.
- January 3
The List Goes On
On Sundays and holidays, I take my daughters to the places they like. I sometimes can't decide where to go, so I tried to determine the priority list by asking my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan yesterday.
Me: Tomo-chan, which do you like best, the zoo, the park, the doughnut shop or the hot springs?
Tomo-chan: I like the zoo, the park, the doughnut shop, the hot springs, the ice cream shops and the toy shops best.
- January 4
Ice Cream Fight
My family and I went shopping yesterday. We dropped by an ice cream shop, and bought two ice creams. I shared one with my second daughter Haru-chan, and my wife and our first daughter Tomo-chan shared the other one.
My wife opened her mouth and turned to Tomo-chan. Tomo-chan put her ice cream into her mouth and she took a big bite. Tomo-chan gazed at her ice cream for a while, and then turned her back on my wife.
- January 7
Winter Night
When I closed my eyes to sleep in the bed last night, my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan, who was lying beside me, covered my right shoulder with my futon quilt.
- January 8
Yo-ho?
My daughters and I went to a park today. My one-year-old daughter, Haru-chan, went up to a tall shute and yelled at me, "A-hooooooooo(Hey, you stupid)!"
- January 9
How to Get Younger
(Tomo-chan is my four-year-old daughter)
Me: Do you enjoy the nursery?
Tomo-chan: Yes. I can see Shiho-chan, Koki-kun and many other friends there. You envy me, don't you?
Me: Yes, I do. I wish I could go to a nursery again.
Tomo-chan: You can go to a nursery when you get younger.
Me: When I get what?
Tomo-chan: Younger.
Me: Is there a way to get younger?
Tomo-chan: Yes, there is. And in the nursery, there's a slide where we play during the lunch break --
Me: Ho -- hold on! I want... can you... could you please tell me how to get younger?
Tomo-chan: It's easy. Eat less and you'll get younger. Don't eat too much, Daddy. Have you seen grandpa's belly before? You don't want to have that kind of belly, do you?
- January 10
My Little Squirrel
Whenever my one-year-old daughter Haru-chan falls down this winter, acorns fall out of her jacket pockets.
- January 11
Milk Mustache
My four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan loves milk. Last night, she drank a glass of milk, turned to me and said,
"Daddy, look at my mustache!"
- January 12
Train
My family and I usually hold hands when we go from the living room to the bed room at night. Last night, I held my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan's hand, when one-year-old daughter Haru-chan asked me to hold her hand.
I reached out my hand to her, when Tomo-chan held Haru-chan's hand.
- January 13
Lecture
My father sometimes confuses my daughters' names. When he called Tomo-chan Haru-chan, Tomo-chan said something to him;
Tomo-chan: Grandpa, let me get something straight. I am Tomo-chan, and she is Haru-chan. How many times must we go through this?
(She's four, and 71 years younger than he)
- January 14
Pls Don't Call the Police
I’m in charge of the badminton club at my school, and I play badminton with my students after school. I sometimes practice jumping smash in the school corridor when no one is around.
Since no one was around, I jumped high up in the air on my way from the teachers' room to the men’s bathroom this morning, when a teacher came out of the women’s restroom.
- January 15
Pecking Order
My father is the oldest and strongest in my family. No one can argue back. Except for one person, that is.
Tomo-chan (my four-year-old daughter): Grandpa, stop drinking already! Alcohol is bad for you. Uh-uh. No buts, please. Daddy, don't buy him any alcohol.
- January 16
Growing Up
My four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan sometimes makes a tunnel with her legs so her baby sister Haru-chan can enjoy crawling through it.
Haru-chan has been growing fast lately, and she sometimes ends up lifting Tomo-chan when she goes through the tunnel.
- January 19
Where's the Verb?
My one-year-old daughter Haru-chan has recently learned how to use the Japanese conjunction "to (=and)."
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Haru-chan: Daddy?
Me: What?
Haru-chan: Grandma and mommy and daddy and Haru-chan and, and Ne-chan(=sister), and, kitty and...
Me: A-ha?
Haru-chan: ...and grandma.
- January 20
Magic
Last night in the bathroom, my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan said to me,
"Daddy, would you like to see my magic?"
I said yes. She smiled and grabbed the cap of the bubble liquid bottle. She then waved both her hands around, put the cap between her thighs, and asked me,
"In which hand do I have the cap?"
I answered,
"Ah, didn't you put it between your legs?"
Then my wife coughed and elbowed me, so I said,
"Oh -- Open your hands, will you? Oh, my! The cap's gone!! How come? What on earth did you do to the cap!?"
It was too late. She wouldn't talk to me for the next two hours.
- January 21
Big Sister
Yesterday, my pet dog Hana jumped toward my one-year-old daughter Haru, making her cry.
Watching that, my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan stood in front of her, and yelled at Hana in a very loud voice,
"Hey! DO NOT bite Haru-chan!"
- January 22
Hands
Last night, I asked my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan what she wanted to do on Sunday. I expected she would like to go to the zoo, the park and the hot spring as usual. She thought for a while and said,
"I want to hold your hand."
I asked her,
"Is that it? Hold my hand? Why?"
Then she answered,
"Because your hand is warm."
- January 23
You Mean, Pan (Bread)
Yesterday, my family and I went out. I asked my one-year-old daughter Haru-chan what she wanted to eat for lunch. She said, "Panda."
- January 25
Decision
Yesterday, my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan told me that she would sleep with my parents, not with me, my wife and her baby sister Haru-chan.
My wife asked her why. Then she answered,
"I don't want Haru-chan to catch my cold."
She was a little feverish last night.
- January 26
Poor Bear
My younger daughter loves her stuffed toy bear very much. She has started to carry it on her shoulders recently, as if she were a mother.
The bear is sometimes upside down, making her look like a hunter.
- January 27
Birthday Every Day
My younger daughter Haru-chan turned two years old yesterday. My wife and I gave her three Totoros (stuffed toys), and a birthday cake.
Her big sister Tomo-chan enjoyed the Totoros and the cake so much that she asked me, "Whose birthday is tomorrow?"
- January 28
Discovery
When my wife calls my two-year-old daughter "Haru," she answers "Hai (Yes / I'm here)."
When called "Haaaaaruuuuuuuu," she answers "Haaaaaiiiiiiii."
- January 29
A New Family
My son was born yesterday. The due date was February 24th, so my wife and I were very surprised.
Though he was born about one month earlier than expected, his weight is 3,058 grams -- a normal weight for a baby, I guess.
My wife started breastfeeding him shortly after he was born
Holding him in my arms, I wondered how many times I had been held by my father, who is now in heaven.
We're thinking of naming him Yuta -- yu means kind, and ta means first.
My two daughters are very mischievous and strong, so I hope he won't be overpowered by them!
- January 30
Mommy
My two-year-old daughter Haru-chan was sick yesterday, so I asked my parents to take care of her while I took my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan to the hospital to let her meet my newborn baby yesterday.
On our way to the hospital, we shared chocolates in the car. Tomo-chan wouldn't touch the last two, so I asked why. She said they were for her mommy and brother.
Tomo-chan said "pretty" dozens of times, touching her baby brother's hair.
At night, Haru-chan was getting better so she joined us at dinner. During dinner, she picked up one of my wife's chopsticks from the chopstick-holder, placed it on my wife's place on the table and said, "Mommy."
- January 31
Prayer
My mother seldom dumps food, so our fridge is usually full. When she has to throw some away, she holds it with both hands, closes her eyes for a second and says, "I'm sorry."
- February 1
Winter Gift
Someone has given a scarf to the stone fox statues in my favorite park.
- February 3
New Family
My wife came back home from the hospital with our newborn baby, Yuta.
My daughters and parents were overjoyed.
My pet cat, Kuromi, was a little scared and was sitting away from the baby for a while.
In the evening, though, she sat right next to him licking his face.
- February 5
Telling Off
My daughter Tomo-chan wouldn't get up last evening, so my wife said to her,
"Tomo, get up already or I'll eat your dinner."
"NO! That's my sis's food," cried her baby sister Haru-chan.
- February 6
I Hear Ya
My wife was busy taking care of our newborn baby Yuta, so I cooked lunch and dinner yesterday.
After eating Udon noodle for lunch, I asked my two-year-old daughter Haru-chan what she wanted to eat for dinner.
She thought for a while, when her big sister Tomo-chan whispered "curry" in her ear.
Haru-chan then turned to me and said, "Curry."
- February 8
Revenge
My badminton club students, some fellow teachers and I played badminton matches in the school gym after school yesterday.
Eighteen students and four teachers joined the meet.
Students hit smashes after smashes towards teachers.
- February 10
Little Volunteers
I jogged in the park with students from the badminton club after school yesterday.
They were running way ahead of me. All of a sudden, they all turned to their right and went up to an elderly man.
A little while later, they greeted him and started to run again.
I couldn't get what they had been doing and saying in the distance, so I ran up to them and asked.
One of the students answered,
"That elderly man accidentally knocked down his bicycle, knocking three other bicycles. So we helped him stand the bicycles."
I was very proud of them.
- February 11
Hungry Girl
Last night, my two-year-old daughter Haru-chan picked up my eraser and said,
"Oh, mochi (rice cake)."
- February 12
Wedding
My family and I went to the wedding party of my wife's cousin yesterday.
My daughters wore a dress for the first time.
My four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan was overjoyed to hear that she would be able to eat cake at the wedding. She asked, "Can Kuromi go to the party too?"
(Kuromi is our pet cat)
It was a heartwarming wedding.
In the wedding, the groom wrote a thank-you letter to his aunt, who kept making dinner for as long as five years after his mother passed away.
His father remarried a woman. She, his second mother, was crying, teaching me that a foster parent is no less affectionate than a biological parent.
- February 13
Name of Love
My four-year-old daughter can read Hiragana characters, but she can't write them. So in the space for names in her textbooks, she always draws a heart.
- February 15
Her Address
My mother asked my four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan her address yesterday.
"Say, Tomo-chan, you've got to remember your address in case you get lost. Do you, by any chance, know your address?"
"Of course I do. My address is near the nursery. No, wait! On second thought, it's a little far from the nursery."
- February 17
Double Bubbles
My two-year-old daughter, Haru-chan, has recently started to blow bubbles in the bathroom with her big sister Tomo-chan. Now I see twice as many bubbles as before at bathtime.
- February 18
Angel
When I get home late at night and end up eating alone, my little daughter Tomo-chan comes over, sits down beside me and says,
"I'll sit right beside you so you won't feel lonely, Daddy."
She usually plays cat's cradle while I eat.
Last night, she was sick, throwing up every now and then.
When I came home late last night and sat at the dinner table, she sat on the farthest chair from me.
- February 20
Their Interest
I talked about my university days in my class the other day. It was the class in which students were supposed to get the image of what university life is like, so I talked about everything I remembered: friends, how to commute, academic records, club activities, part-time jobs, the thesis and so on.
"Do you have any questions?" I asked at the end.
Two students asked me the following questions:
"Did you have a girl friend in university?"
"How did you meet your wife?"
- February 23
Dream Job
Weeks ago, my little daughter Tomo-chan replied to my wife when asked what she wanted to be in the future,
"I want to be an ukulele teacher."
Last night she said,
"I want to be an English teacher."
I am an English teacher and play the ukulele (though I am not good at it).
I wonder if I made my father just as happy when I told him I wanted to work for his company a long time ago.
- February 24
Novice Magician
My little daughter Tomo-chan showed me a magic trick in the bathroom last night.
She told me she would make the cap of the bubble soap bottle disappear. She then started waving her hands around.
I was looking at her hands, when she said to me,
"What are you looking at? Close your eyes till I hide it."
- February 25
Hands
When I waved at my two-year-old daughter Haru-chan last night, she waved at me back with both hands, smiling.
- February 26
I Hear Ya
Last night, my little daughter Tomo-chan whispered in my mother's ear,
"Grandma, tell Daddy that I helped you with the laundry this morning."
- February 27
Snowman
I saw a snowman at my favorite convenience store this morning.
- February 28
Dinner
My daughters and I went to a local public spring last Sunday.
It was a cold day, and all the bathtubs were crowded.
My two-year-old daughter Haru-chan poured some water into a pit of the rock with a basin, turned to me and said,
"Daddy, dinner is ready! It's curry!"
- March 1
Reporter
"Tomo-chan is four years old."
"Oh guess what, my baby brother Yuta-kun was born."
"My sister Haru-chan and I blew soap bubbles last night. Didn't we, Haru-chan?"
"Grandma cooked curry yesterday! I ate three bowls of curry, and my sis, two."
"My Mommy often tells me to clean the room."
"My cat Kuromi scratched my buttocks yesterday. Kinda hard to hold her."
"Daddy said sorry to Mommy yesterday."
My little daughter Tomo-chan talks about everything happening in my house at the cash register of the local supermarket.
- March 3
Afternoon Snack
When my two-year-old daughter Haru-chan hears me say, "I'm hungry," she makes a circle with her forefinger and thumb and says, "Daddy, here's a doughnut."
- March 11
Ukulele
I played the ukulele in front of an audience of 500 people in the school gym for the school festival the other day.
It was the first time for me to play the ukulele in front of so large an audience, so I was really, really nervous!
So I wouldn't get a stage fright, I wrote the number 120 on my left thumb: I practiced the tune for the stage, "Arigato," 120 times at home.
It was no use. The moment I sat in front of the audience, my mind went blank.
As I was playing, though, I somehow remembered my wife playing "Happy Birthday" on my ukulele on my 32nd birthday, four years ago.
She had seldom touched my ukulele before then, so I was very surprised.
She made mistake after mistake, blushed and said, "Huh?" "Hmm."
After playing it, she murmured, "Happy Birthday."
It was the poorest and the most beautiful ukulele I had ever heard in my life. She made my day.
Before I knew it, I finished playing Arigato.
My wife couldn't come to the festival, so she sent me a text message, "How was your ukulele performance?"
I replied, "Dunno."
She replied, "I wish I had been there!"
"You were," I said to myself.
- March 15
Student
(I teach English and badminton at school. I also teach Shorinji Kempo, which is a type of Japanese martial arts, on weekends)
My little daughter Tomo-chan asked me to make pancakes the other day.
"Daddy, make me some pancakes for my breakfast."
"I don't know how."
"Then you can learn from Mommy."
"Got it."
"Until she wakes up, I'll teach you a new trick of cat's cradle. Get me that wool string."
- March 16
Would-be Elementary School Girl
(My daughter Tomo-chan asked my father to buy her a school backpack yesterday)
"Grandpa, buy me a school backpack."
"Tomo, you're four years old, so you've got to wait for another, what, three years to get one."
"You know what, grandpa? The school backpacks will be sold out today."
- March 17
Grass-eating Archenemy
My little daughter Tomo-chan loves the zoo in my neighorhood, so she asks me to take her there every weekend. Last night she didn't ask me to. I asked her why.
"You don't want to go to the zoo? Why?"
"Because the goat is walking around."
(The zoo lets some animals out of the cage so that children can touch and feed them. They sell leaves of cabbages so that children can feed the animals)
"He isn't scary, is he? So woolly and cute."
"No. He sticks his tongue out over and over again and tries to get my cabbages."
"Your sis wants to go to the zoo."
"Hmm... Tell you what, Daddy. If the goat approaches me, lift me up on your shoulders"
- March 18
Scientist
When I wash my daughter Haru-chan in the bathroom, she puts some shampoo and body soap onto her hand, gazing at it with a frown.
- March 21
BBQ
It was a national holiday yesterday, and I had a barbecue party in my yard with 31 students from the badminton club and a Lang-8 friend of mine, Edward.
Girls took care of my little daughter Haru-chan in the nearby park, and the boys and Edward enjoyed playing soccer after eating.
This is the second barbecue in my yard, and it's always difficult for me to buy the right amount of food -- my family has to eat barbecues for the next five days!
- March 25
Big Sister
I told my little daughter Tomo-chan to clean the room yesterday.
"Tomo-chan, clean the room and I'll buy you some sweets."
"Really? Will you buy some for Haru-chan too?"
(Haru-chan is her baby sister)
- March 28
Balloon Keeper
The other day, my little daughter Tomo-chan got a red balloon at a barbershop. She liked it very much.
When we were about to step out of the car to stop at a supermarket on our way home, she said to my wife,
"Mommy, can you stay in the car and keep an eye on the balloon so that it won't be stolen?"
- March 31
Aggressive Karuta Fighter
Since my little daughter Tomo-chan has learned how to read Hiragana characters, we played karuta cards last night.
When I got my first card, she glared at me.
When I got the second, she growled and stuck out her tongue.
When I got the third, she started to cry.
When I got the fourth, she robbed me of the card.
When I got the fifth, she made a new rule that the person who put his/her palm onto the card "second" would get the card.
When I got the sixth by placing my palm onto her palm, she yelled at me, "I got it! You're so slow!" and took the card away.
- April 1
Strawberry Cake - Strawberries = Cake
My family and I went to eat at a cake shop yesterday.
My wife felt like eating strawberries, so she ordered a strawberry cake.
There were two strawberries on the cake.
"Mommy, I want to eat a strawberry," said our daughter, Haru-chan.
"I want the other one," said our daughter, Tomo-chan.
- April 4
Not Now
I was practicing the tune "The Rose," the ultimate love song, on my ukulele last night. My little daughter then came up and said to me,
"Daddy, I gotta poop. Let's go to the bathroom."
- April 7
Kiss Permission
"Chuchu, iiyo (You can kiss him)."
"Chuchu, Dameyo (You can't kiss him)!"
I need permission from my two-year-old daughter Haru-chan to kiss my baby son, Yuta.
- April 8
You're Not to Blame
My four-year-old daughter Tomo-chan showed me a letter this morning. She is going to give it to her best friend in the nursery, Shiho-chan. When I asked her to read it to me, she said no.
Later, my wife said to me,
"She wrote, 'We are not in the same class this year. I'm sorry.'"
- April 14
Yu as in Yuta
I bought a hiragana-character chart at a 100 yen shop the other day. It can be put up on the bathroom wall by wetting the back.
In the bathroom last night, I read out one hiragana character after another and my little daughter Tomo-chan pointed at the characters.
When I read "Yu," her younger sister Haru-chan suddenly turned to me and said, "Yuta-kun!"
(Yuta is her baby brother)
- April 15
Perfect Fighter
I asked my wife a question last night. She seldom watches movies.
"Who starred in the movie Edward Scissorhands?"
"-- Arnold Schwarzenegger?"
- April 16
You're Supposed to Say Happy Birthday
Yesterday was my birthday. I turned 37.
When I got home, my little daughter ran to me and said,
"Welcome back, Daddy! Where's the cake?"
- May 4
Cat Food
(My wife hates me kissing our pet cat, Kuromi)
When my wife was making rice balls for my lunch at work the other day, she saw me kissing my cat Kuromi. She turned to me and said,
"Would you like some cat food in your rice balls, darling?"
- May 5
Artisan
When I scold my little daughter Tomo-chan in the bathroom, she starts to connect her bubble straws together, making a long sword.
- May 6
Haru vs Hana
Yesterday, my dog Hana jumped at my two-year-old daughter Haru-chan, and licked her face. She started to cry, ran to me and yelled,
"I was eaten! I was eaten by the doggie!"
- May 7
Count Down?
Last evening, my little daughter Tomo-chan came to the bathroom and said,
"Daddy, I'm gonna close the door! So hurry up! Four!"
"Daddy, I'm closing! Four!"
- May 19
Two Seconds
My two year old daughter, Haru-chan, got angry yesterday. So I said sorry to her.
"That's it! I hate you, Daddy! I won't forgive you!"
"Haru-chan, I'm sorry."
"Never mind."
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