Mommy & Me Errands by Chic Mom Blogger Tara

It can be extremely challenging managing 3 children under 5 years old. At such a young age patience is very short and they still need lots of attention from mom. My oldest child is 4, and over the years I have learned how to get the most out of my day. We live in Japan and we don’t have that many options for childcare. We’ve decided as a family that it would be best for me to be a SAHM. Often, I have to take all of the children with me to run my errands. I have been forced to get creative with how I keep the kids busy and calm while I get things done.

So just recently browsing around the ¥100 store(dollar store) I found these food stickers. They were super cute with pictures of basic items that you would find in the supermarket.I thought it would be a great idea for the kids to use these to help me make shopping lists! They cannot write yet at 2 and 4, but they can use stickers. I could keep them busy for a few minutes making their lists while I change the baby, and get everyone ready to leave.

The first time I tried it they naturally took every sticker and put it on their lists, that was ok, but then I started thinking about how this might turn into something expensive. This is when I decide to get the 100 count pack of blank labels and just draw out a few items that I really wanted to get from the grocery store that week or the night before (it does not require sophisticated art skills….I have none). This way if they chose every sticker it would not be a big deal, and I actually had a practical list to use once we got in the store.

This is working extremely well for me and now that my 3 month old baby is here I need those few minutes to get my thoughts together. Three car seats! Amazing how spending just ¥100 can change your life.

See more from Tara on her blog, TaraKamiya.com, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Etsy.

Tara Kamiya

I was born and raised in New York City where I later met my husband.

We were chosen by an American reality TV show to have our wedding shown to the world in the form of a competition (Four Weddings season 2). It was a fun experience that has led to many other opportunities.

I am currently a blogger, YouTuber and freelance writer. I’ve been to Canada, Africa, and Costa Rica. I now live with my husband and 3 children in Japan.

To contact Tara email her at kamiyatara@gmail.com

May 2015 Meal Plan

Hello, May!

I can not believe it is already May. This is a busy month for us. School registration is next week, Savannah's social calendar is full of birthday parties and we have so school activities this month. Not to mention Little Mike is quite the runner and climber these days so I have been very busy chasing him.

This is my first monthly meal plan in a couple months. I didn't realize that people were enjoying them as much as they were. I appreciate all the feedback that I received on instagram. As promised, here is a meal plan for the month of May.

I hope it helps you as much as it helps my family. This time around I included links to some of my favorite recipes. Click here  or on the pic below to get the version with the links. If these monthly calendars are helping you please let me know in the comments!

Have a great weekend!

#SSSVEDA YouTube Mini Marathon

I'm back!!! It feels so good to have my computer up and running again. She is like my third child and without her I was a little crazy. So glad to have her back.

While I was away I hope you all were checking out my daily vlogs on YouTube. If not, no worries. I have gathered them all here for you. All of these videos were shot and edited on my iPhone. Please don't judge them too harshly, LOL! I expect the production factor to go up now that my computer is back. 

Then again, with the way my life is set up I may have to keep using my phone because it's super convenient. Anyway, I hope you enjoy my daily blogs. Subscribe to my channel to make sure you never miss a new "episode". 

Thanks for watching!

Vlogging Everyday in April - VEDA Day One

I'm joining the fun over on YouTube and logging everyday this month, or at least I'm going to try. If you haven't subscribed to my channel please do! Yesterday I posted a "Day in the Life" video. Today I am sharing my fitness routine and tomorrow I'll be sharing an Easter basket haul.

If you're participating please leave a link to your channel in the comments so that I may subscribe to your channel and see what you're doing this month!



I hope you enjoy getting to see another side of me. Thanks for watching!

Thought Bubbles...

Keeping a journal has been so much fun...

For some reason I only want to write in red ink...

I have learned that my night time handwriting is completely different than my daytime handwriting...

Savannah had her first soccer game last weekend. It was very interesting to watch...

Notice that I didn't share our monthly menu this month? That's because I made a super lazy menu. No one needs lazy advice...

I'm on the hunt for sandals and black high top sneakers...

I actually found the sneakers. Just waiting to pull the trigger on that purchase...

My son is now shooting his basketball like a big boy. College may be paid for. One can only hope...

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Last night I made a cabbage and shrimp Chinese dish that should've been a blog post...

My husband's fried chicken is better than mine...

The weather is finally changing for the better here. Sorry East Coast family...

Potty training is on the list of things I'm not looking forward to doing...

Going to the beach this summer is definitely on my list of things I am looking forward to...

Eating right is so hard. All I want in life is Chipotle w/ guac and french fries...

Exactly how many calories is a glass of wine...

A better question is how much do I have to workout to get rid of those calories...

My son is an expert climber....

I slept in the other morning and it looked like this...

We have a Spring and Summer full of family visits. I can't wait...

My husband is almost done with his grad school program. Practicum here we come!!!

That eBook I'm working on - It's almost ready to be sent to editing...

I wish I had discovered Barre classes a long time ago...

The other day it was raining when we pulled up to the house. I asked Savannah how she felt about walking in the rain. This is the look she gave me...

And yes, that is an old baby phat bubble coat from back when baby phat was a thing...

There are some things I just can't seem to get rid of...

I have also been loving the women's devotional I found...

A return to YouTube and BlogTalkRadio may be in order for the Summer...

Some of the best advice I get is found on Pinterest...

Share something with me in the comments!

Dreaming of Spring & Summer...

It's almost Spring. Thank goodness. Even though the winters here in Texas aren't that cold they are very rainy and dreary. I'm so ready for Spring and even the unbearably hot Summer that I know will be coming soon. 

I think my entire family is ready for a vacation. We're planning a trip back to the beach to kick our Summer off. I'm so ready. The pic below was taken when we went to the beach for Savannah's third birthday. We didn't exactly end up at the "right" beach but she was happy to see sand and water.

This time around we know exactly where to go. 

Another thing I love about the warmer weather months is all the cute clothes. I recently treated myself to some new Spring and Summer essentials. They haven't been delivered yet so I'll be stalking my mailman for the next few days. If you follow this blog it should come as no surprise that most of what I ordered was black or black/white. Maybe I'll share them in another post...

I do plan to get some colorful pieces too. I also need to find some flat black sandals that will be good for everyday. What are you most excited about doing this Spring and Summer?

Mommy Guilt Wife Guilt

Lately I have been feeling super guilty about things and I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I've been taking the time to pay attention to myself more than I did before. I've been going to new exercise classes, buying myself things and taking time during the day to focus on things that I want to do.

This has been tough and at times it has left me feeling a little guilty. Why do I feel bad about doing things for myself or taking a little time out to do things that I enjoy? It took me so long to get to a place where I actually feel okay doing things. It's been fun feeling like the old me again. I just didn't expect so much guilt to come along with it.

Now, this guilt hasn't kept me from doing anything that I want to do but carrying it around has been like a mosquito bite - annoying. Beating myself up for allowing myself to grow is a waste of emotion and it's draining. One night I was talking to my husband about wanting to take a 6am fitness class. I didn't want to go because that meant he would have to do the morning routine with the kids. I would be back to get Sav off to school but he would have to get her dressed, make breakfast and do her hair.

I actually considered not going to my fitness class because I didn't want him to have to do "all that". He told me to have fun at my class and not worry about them. He also made a point to tell me that I really need to start being okay with him being a bigger part of our routine.

His schedule with work and grad school keeps him so busy that it's just easier for me to have a routine that doesn't rely on his help. So whenever I do decide to let go of the reigns a little it doesn't come easy for me and I beat myself up about it...

I tell myself all the time, "He's been at work all day. I've been home. He shouldn't have to come home and...." My wifey guilt is real. I really do feel like he shouldn't have to clean, cook or get the kids ready for bed. When will he have a chance to decompress? I only mention this because I know if I  was working and he was a stay at home Dad I would feel like this. 

The unnecessary amount of pressure that I put on myself is ridiculous thou. I know many Moms can relate to this. I feel like I need to do it all. Even when I know I'm going to be away I try to do everything I can to make my husband's time with the kids easier. For some reason making sure they are squared away makes me feel better about leaving them. What I didn't realize is that doing this was making my husband feel like I didn't think he was up for the task. 

I let my guilt go too far. While I'm sure I won't be guilt-free overnight I think baby steps will help me rid myself of feeling this way. 

Do you ever have issues with Wifey guilt or Mommy guilt? How do you deal with it?

#OurProject52: From Where I Stand

Now that my baby boy is entering toddlerhood I am always behind him. Usually I'm running behind him or getting him down from an unsafe place he has climbed to. He's constantly on the move these days. 

I love how is teddy trapper winter hat has an ear that's one thread away from falling off. I refuse to fix it because I like how he's destroyed it to a point where it's got that worn cute thing going for it. 

From where I stand the days seem long but I know the years will be fast so I try to embrace all the craziness that comes along with having children this young. He's growing up so fast so I don't mind being two steps behind him.

To join the #OurProject52 photo challenge visit Mimi or Lashawn's blog for weekly prompts.

31 Before 32: Bible Study & Journals

Remember my post about 31 things I wanted to do before turning 32? Well, I'm checking things off the list. I had an Amazon gift card to use and I decided to get my bible study resources and a journal with it.

It took me a while to decide on which books I wanted to use. After visiting the Family Christian store in my neighborhood I decided that Amazon would probably have a bigger selection of workbooks. I was wrong. After I purchased my items I ended up finding a christian bookstore website that had tons of stuff. Tons. I'll buy from them the next time I'm ready to get more resources.

I'm always shocked when Amazon doesn't have something or doesn't have a wide selection of something. Anyway. Here are the books that I got.

I really love how the devotional guide is broken down by the week and also by the day. The workbook I chose was the best that I found while I was looking. I wish the devotional book I chose had a workbook. This workbook is pretty good, it just doesn't follow the devotional, which is what I wanted. 

The Husband Project is a book that caught my eye while I was in the Family Christian store. I'm not going to say much about it because my husband reads my blog. Look it up.

 Journaling was also a part of my 31 before 32. I ordered the little red journal through Amazon. It's so small. I'm not sure if I like the size of it but I am a fan of the red leather so maybe I'll keep this one in my purse for fleeting thoughts while I'm on the go.

The silver and gold journal is one I found while strolling the aisles of WalMart. There were so many pretty covers. I went with this one because it was the most grown up looking journal out of all of them.

I've been reading Andy Cohen's diary from 2014 and it has inspired me to write my journal in that way. Instead of making it a deep journal about my feelings I think I'll write about the surface stuff that I'll want to remember years from now. Do I really want to remember every single emotion from this year? No. But I do want to remember what happened to encourage that emotion. 

So. I'm checking these two things off m'list! On second thought, I'll check the journals off my list. I'll check the bible study off when I'm done with it next year. :-) (blogs should have emoji)

Have you checked anything off of your list for 2015 yet?

A Day in the Life of a Stay at Home Mom

You know how you have those super productive days where you get so much done? And then you have those days where you get a lot done but at the end of the day you can't remember what you did. And then there are the days where you have no idea what happened. Those days are kind of like a twenty-four hour blur.

Well, yesterday I decided to keep a journal of what we did. I wanted to see what we had done at the end of the day. Here is a random Thursday in my life. There were pretty pictures to accompany this post but my computer is still a hot mess, so....

Thursday, February 12, 2015

6:30 - Wake Up. Scrolled through IG & email. Shower, brush teeth, skincare regimen.
7:06 - Little Mike wakes up. Diaper change. I put on our clothes.
7:11 - Turn on Sav's lights.
7:14 - Sav is up. I'm still getting Little Mike dressed.
7:18 - Get Sav dressed. We're running behind schedule.
7:25 - Style Sav's hair.
7:34 - Go downstairs.
7:35 - Make breakfast and give allergy medicine to Sav.
7:36 - Play morning music.
7:54 - Bundle up and prepare to leave the house for school drop off.
8:02 - Brother called.
8:06 - Preschool drop off. I forgot her Valentine's Day swap book. Gotta go home, get it and bring it back.
8:16 - Prepare dinner in crock pot.
8:25 - Do makeup.
8:50 - Diaper change.
8:58 - Drop book off at school.
9:05 - Respond to husband's text. Head to MOPS meeting.
9:27 - Finally sitting at table. Little Mike cried at nursery drop off. MOPS breakfast begins.
9:40 - Console Little Mike at nursery.
9:45 - Eat breakfast. Meeting starts. Return Little Mike to nursery.
10:15 - Nursery pages me again. I keep him because he's so upset.
11:24 - MOPS is over. Head home to regroup. I need headache medicine.
11:30 - Diaper change.
11:33 - Check crock pot. Sweep kitchen. Clean countertops and table.
11:46 - Head to preschool for pickup.
11:55 - Got Sav. Headed to Dollar Tree for VDay card supplies.
12:26 - Done at Dollar Tree. Going to grab lunch.
12:30 - MJB's Real Love comes on the radio. I get my life real quick.
12:45 - Sit down to eat at CFA. I got the Asian salad.
1:11 - Made a wish. Sav goes to the potty before we get in the car. Next stop is Starbucks for gift cards.
1:15 - Sitting in Starbucks drive thru. Switched from radio to Brandy's Never Say Never album.
1:20 - Finished at Starbucks and headed to PX because SB did not have any VDay envelopes for their cards. Should've gotten some at Dollar Tree.
1:36 - Arrived at PX.
2:18 - Back in car going to grocery store.
2:42 - Finally headed home. :-)
2:46 - Home. Unloading everything and everybody.
2:54 - Diaper change. Outfit change for everyone except Sav.
3:06 - Uploaded pic for blog post.
3:21 - Blog post done. Heading outside to fly a kite.
3:44 - Decided to head to the playground for a bit.
4:06 - Starting the sides for dinner.
4:11 - Responded to a FB message from a friend.
4:21 - Started Valentine's Day cards. Husband gets home.
5:30 - Ate dinner.
6:15 - Went to gym for a quick workout.
7:00 - Headed home to tuck in babies.
7:13 - The kids are in bed. Time to shower.
7:35 - Called my Mom. Put on PJs. Separated Laundry.
8:00 - Started load of laundry. Folded towels and clothes.
8:23 - Scandal and HTGAWM w/ husband.
10:13 - Sleep
6:16 - Woke up before alarm...

Weekend Recap: 1/26/15

Happy Monday.

By the time Friday came and went I was so beat down tired. I didn't have any energy or motivation left to try to make this past weekend a great one. Luckily, our scheduled dinner out was Saturday. It could not have come at a better time because I certainly did not feel like cooking.

Before heading to the restaurant we went shopping for new cell phones. We both were still you using the iPhone 4S. They were slowly dying on us after all these years. After checking out phones we headed to eat. I was happy to sit and be served.

Savannah and I had a fun little selfie session while we waited for our food to come out. Little Mike surprisingly ate everything he was offered. He never does that at home. At home, all of his food ends up on the floor. I don't know how he survives.

Sunday morning I did lots of sanitizing after Little Mike coughed so hard that he threw up. I hate the smell of milk regurgitated. Eh. That afternoon we had an appointment to get all set up with our new phones. I am loving my new gold iPhone 6. She's pretty. And the pictures that she makes...oh my gosh. Why didn't anyone tell me about how much better everything looks on a phone made within the last four years?! 

I am no longer dealing with blurry and fuzzy selfies. My videos are clear and the fact that this phone has iMovie is exciting to me on another level. I am happy. Sad that my old phone has been reduced to an iPod but happy all the same. 

Later Sunday afternoon I took the kids on a walk. Savannah wanted to ride her back. She rides that thing at a snail's pace. Super slow. She only knows two speeds. Super fast and super slow. Today she felt like riding slow so we strolled our street until she was over it.

This week is a busy one. I'll finally be getting my hair braided, working on some projects and getting back on top of my cleaning schedule. How was your weekend? What are you excited about this week?