Marissa's Grown Up - Straight Hair, Chinatown & 1st Grade!

I bought a "Chi" straightening iron so that Marissa would no longer have to stand in front of the mirror and attempt to straighten her hair by dowsing her hair with water then pressing it down against her head with her hands. :) It was fun to watch but frustrating for her once her hair dried curly again. So last Sunday I took a few extra minutes with her to flat iron it. She absolutely loved it and everyone kept complimenting her (how grown up she looked). I don't want her to grow up too fast so I told her only on Sundays and special occasions. :) She also just started 1st grade this week and loves her new teacher who is a bit strict (according to Marissa) but very dedicated and caring. She's one of their best teachers, we're so lucky to be in her class this year. She really emphasizes advanced reading, which is good because Marissa's Kindergarten teacher said she was her best reader last year. We've been practicing sight words with Marissa and now she knows 200 on the Dolch list (they're suppose to know 220 by the END of 1st grade so we're happy with how fast she's progressing). She's got her Dad's knack for memorization, definitely not her mom's. Also, last week before school started I decided to have a little 1 on 1 time with her so I arranged childcare for our other 2 girls and we hopped a train to Chinatown in Yokohama. She felt like such a "big girl" with her own train ticket and using it like a pro. We had such fun exploring all the interesting shops together. She got a Chinese silk covered notebook, compact mirror and a ring. But the trip wasn't all about Marissa, I had to go up there to buy Chinese decorations for my friend Dayna's birthday party (which I'll post pictures of later). I found some great lanterns, placemats, napkins and fortune cookies. It's funny, but in the States it's actually easier to find fortune cookies than in Japan (since they're Chinese). Before going to Chinatown I'd go into the Japanese 100 yen stores (like our Dollar stores back in the US) and I'd ask them for Chinese decor but they thought I didn't know what country I was living in because they'd get all offended and say, "No, this Japan. NOT China!" But we had fun in together just the two of us and I was able to find everything I needed for the party!