I want that shirt!!

I have always said that shopping here is an experience in and of itself! If you are not bargaining, you are running back and forth between cashiers, located out of the store, trying to buy your items - it is not easy!! Therefore, I rarely buy clothes for myself here. Plus, the quality is not always up to my standards, I would like to wear something more than once before it falls apart!! That being said, Karen and I went on a little girls shopping morning today in search of some spring clothes for ourselves.

We first went to Espirit because we both know the brand and we can usually find the right size that we need! I found some cute shirts, but one of them I couldn't find the right size. I asked the sales lady first if they had it in the size I wanted, she said no. I didn't believe her so I went to the mannequin and looked at the size. Sure enough, it was the one I wanted. I pointed to it and told her I wanted that one (remember, all of this is in my broken Chinese!!). She told me to wait and gave me a different size. I went ahead and tried on the different size, but decided I wanted the bigger one because my ayi tends to shrink our clothes! I told her again that I wanted the one on the mannequin. She handed me the largest shirt - obviously too big for me. I told her that it was too big and I wanted the one on the mannequin. For goodness sake, I'm trying to buy a shirt from a store that is probably not doing really well right now and the woman will not take it off the mannequin. Finally, I walked over to the mannequin and started removing the shirt myself. At this point, she realized that I did not want a shirt that was too small or one that was too big, I wanted the one that would fit me!! She got it off for me (I felt a little bit bad because the mannequin's arm fell off in the process!!) and gave me my receipt.

Paying is always interesting for me, but I'm getting used to it here! I took my receipt to a cashier located outside of the store. I decided I would pay with a credit card because they had the VISA sign, which is rare. The lady studied my card for a bit and then decided I needed to go to a different cashier because it was not a Chinese VISA card. I get to the other cashier and she studies my card and then gets on the phone. She proceeds to tell me that I can't use it - the sign is right in front of me...how frustrating, but I really wanted the ordeal to be over with so I gave her the cash and went back to the store!

Almost 45 minutes later, I had my shirt!!!!! I plan on wearing the shirt a lot after the mafan (trouble) I went through to get it!!

Ellie's 100 Day Celebration

Yesterday I got the pleasure of spending a little bit of time in El's room while they celebrated being in school 100 days. We are actually a little bit behind in celebrating, but it was fun for the kids! They all brought in 100 of something and shared them with their friends. Afterwards the teachers had set up a treasure hunt of 100 little pieces of candy that the children had to find. I was excited to watch the "active board" (Steph E - do you know what I'm talking about??) in action! One of the teachers put up an electronic 100's chart and then the kids could mark off the numbers as they found candy with a special pen. The image from the computer is projected on a special board which allows the children to interact with it. I used to get excited to use the overhead projector in the classroom - I'm thinking this is a sign that I've been away from teaching way too long!

Coop wanted in on the action too!!

A Lunch Date with Mommy!!

On Tuesday I was all prepared to go to Beijing to shop again, but instead, I woke up to this...

(I wonder if it was "real"?!!)

My driver gets really nervous driving to Beijing when it is a beautiful, sunny, dry day, I was not about to make the journey with snow on the ground. You must be laughing in Chicago because it was truly about 1/4 of an inch!!

Since I am not one to sit around, I decided to take Coop to lunch and then a bit of ice cream afterwards. I had a bit of an ulterior motive - I needed to get to Starbucks to get more caffeinated coffee - I've been drinking decaf for a couple weeks and I realize that I need my little pick me up in the morning!! This place has done that to me!!

Coop, of course, picked his favorite restaurant, McDonald's to eat at. It was so cute - he ate 1 1/2 cheeseburgers. I think he probably would have eaten more, but these ladies all around us started talking to him and then they had the nerve to tell him he would get fat if he continued to eat like that. I'm pretty sure they thought I couldn't understand them, so they were quite surprised when I told them that I like fat babies and I hoped he kept eating!! That'll show them!! After that, we headed to Coldstone for ice cream and Starbucks for a coffee for mommy!! I love spending one on one time with my children, when all I am focused on is them! It is a rare treat!!

A Time to Reflect...

The kids received their student reports recently from school. These are only given out at the end of each semester so they will only get them two times! I could not believe how much time and effort went into these reports by the teachers. For each subject, the teacher wrote a very lengthy paragraph specific to the child. My favorite part of the report was at the end, the teacher asked the student to reflect on their learning.

Ethan's reflection...
"Caring means you cannot hit friends. I play nicely with my friends. I don't bite friends. I also play with Oscar. At home I share my tag books with my sister. Cooper doesn't know how to read yet and how to play the games in the book. Ellie, Cooper, and I always stand on the couch and dad does not know. I help my ayi put Cooper to bed but he starts getting wild so I help them."

I cannot wait until he reads this when he is older! He is so sweet and sensitive and brutally honest! It makes me wonder what all he tells his teacher at school!!

Ellie's reflections...
What are your strengths?
"I'm very good at art because I paint a lot. I am very good at reading because I practice a lot. I'm good at typing on the computer because I know how to type my name."
What can you improve (get better at)?
"I can get better at mad minute if I practice my flashcards more."
Pick one IB learner profile and give some examples of how you are this profile. The IB profiles are inquirers, knowledgeable, thinkers, communicators, principled, open-minded, caring, risk-takers, balanced, reflective (and by the way, Ellie can list all of these if you ask her what an IB profile is!!!).
"I'm a risk taker because I moved to China. I tried new foods and started my first day of grade one at a new school too!"

I cannot wait to read what she writes after she has finished the entire year! She has come a long way since kindergarten - most days I cannot believe how much she is learning and more importantly, at this point, enjoying school!!

Fun Friday!!

After two weeks of sickness, I finally was able to escape the house for almost an entire day!! We started our day by going to IST to watch Ellie in her assembly. Every Friday a different grade level puts on a 30 minute assembly for the elementary students. This Friday it was grade 1's turn. Their theme was the human body so they incorporated a bit of dance, music, drama, a quiz, and a couple of poems!! Ellie was a narrator for the drama. She was so calm up there in front of everyone. Each time I see her in front of others, I cannot contain my pride! She amazes me!!

After the assembly we visited with some friends at the school who we hadn't seen for a while. I also picked up Coop's application so he can start nursery next month (big step for us!), and then we stopped by to visit Eens' room so Coop could say bye and give his favorite assistant teacher a big kiss! I loved watching Coop in the school - he feels very at home. I know it will be a wonderful, loving environment and he will thrive, but I will definitely miss him!!

After our trip to the school, I dropped Coop off at home with our ayi and I went with friends to pick out fabric for a flapper dress! The PFO is having a Roaring 20's ball at the end of April. I can't find any clothes that fit me here, much less a flapper dress, so my friend Naoko is setting me up with her tailor - it should be an interesting experience I'm sure!! Anyway, we went to a small silk market and I found some fabric pretty quickly. It was so cheap, about $4.00 for 2 meters, that I bought two different colors because I couldn't decide which one I liked better!! I also found a beaded purse and of course, a feathered boa - all for under $10.00!!

After shopping, we went to our favorite restaurant, Din Tai Fung, for lunch! It was a treat to spend the morning with such good friends!!

After lunch, I came home and put my sweet Coop down for a nap and then I had my manicure/pedicure lady come over! Another little treat for the day! Not long after I was finished, the kids came home from school and they all played nicely, which was a huge treat - it doesn't seem to happen very often!! Ellie ended up having her friend Minori spend the night. I even made them my favorite chip dip from when I was little. My friend Carrie, introduced it to me when I was about 7. Everytime I spent the night at her house, I couldn't wait to eat "the" dip!! It is not healthy at all, but worth every little calorie!! We watched a movie and then they played Barbies until I told them it was time to lay down - they didn't argue so I'm pretty sure they were tired!

I finally fell into bed, exhausted, happy Danny finally made it home, and thankful for a fun day that lifted my spirits!!

Hen you yi sa (very interesting)!!

We had some snow this past week which I found quite unusual because it has been so dry here this winter. The kids loved it - Ellie was playing in it everyday after school with the other kids in the coumpound. Eens was throwing snowballs at the other children trying to provoke them on his way home from the bus! Unfortunately, Coop didn't get to enjoy it because he was recovering from a double ear infection in the house!

I found it very interesting when I discovered that this snow was actually a bit "artificial"! My friend Sharon posted this article on her website (hope you don't mind me using it Sharon!!)...

China: Let it snow in Beijing — via seeding
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29236390/

It is well worth reading if you have time!!

Any runners out there??

Danny and I watched a documentary on the Chicago Marathon last weekend and we were both totally engrossed in it. It is called The Spirit of the Marathon and I bought my copy on Amazon. Originally I thought it was based on the 2007 marathon which Steph and I had run, but it turns out, it was taped in 2005. They covered the training of the first time marathoner, a Boston hopeful, an older man who had run many marathons at a 12 mph pace, and then 2 elite runners! For a runner, it was very interesting and got my mind on trying to figure out ways I can get more running in while we are here!

Besides family and friends, the one thing I really miss is running. Sure, I can go to the Sheraton and jump on a treadmill and run, but it is not the same as going outside and running until I feel like stopping. Here, the air pollution is so bad and the traffic is very heavy so I have yet to venture outside. My goal this spring is to get outside and run - I have to make the best of my situation - right?!! So, my dear husband, who is always looking out for me, found out that there is a 5K run on the Great Wall near Tianjin in May. There is also a marathon, but that is really out of my league!! I am so excited about having a run to look forward too!! How cool to run on the Great Wall!!

Was that a dog???

Yep, it was!! I was so excited to meet up with my friend Robin today and head to Beijing to help rid myself of the winter blues by shopping!! We met at our usual spot on the side of the highway (I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that!!) and we took her driver because he is much more efficient in Beijing - he knows where everything is it seems!! As we're driving about 70 mph along the highway, I see a little doggy right on the road in front of us. The driver tried to swerve into the other lane, but there was a car right beside us, so he hit the poor little pooch head on. Robin and I were both sick to our stomachs about it, but the driver acted like it happened all of the time. He just kept on driving...and all I could think to myself was, "since when did these occurrences become "normal"?". I'm pretty sure that happened the moment I set foot in China...

After a sad start to the day, we managed to have a lot of fun!! We started out at a ceramics market. It was basically a bunch of little stores that sell products that for some reason didn't get shipped to the US - it was like looking for a treasure in a haystack!! I found Danny the perfect gift too - Robin's driver thought I was absolutely crazy when I carried this to the car...

In all honesty, we really did need a wine rack!!!

Here's the street with all of the little shops on it...

After our treasure hunt, we went to a yummy pita restaraunt...homemade hummus, a pita filled with pesto, tomatoes, and mozz - not your typical Chinese meal and I totally devoured it!! Our next stop was a German butcher so Robin could teach me how to buy meat. I'm finally starting to cook a little bit (don't get too excited - we're talking maybe one meal a week!!) and I can't find good quality beef in Tianjin. Robin got me all set up and now I think I can make some pork chops this weekend and maybe even some chili!! Close by was a Jenny Lous where we did a quick grocery run, which ended up costing me almost $100. How can 2 boxes of oatmeal, a can of tomato paste, Ragu sauce, 3 bottles of wine, some OJ, and 2 boxes of granola bars cost that much?? Welcome to the world of import shopping!! Fruit and veggies are super cheap, but when I'm craving a taste from home, I pay for it!

On our way to our next stop we passed by this building that was burned last weekend by fireworks. I think it was a new Shangri La (a very nice hotel chain in Asia) hotel that was not done yet. I guess that was a good thing, otherwise there would have been a lot more casualties. This is why I am not a big fan of fireworks...

I begged Robin to go to the silk market to buy some more purses next...I really don't have to beg too much, she likes it just as much as I do, but our husbands do not understand our love of purses!! We went to a stand that we like and then we were taken to an apartment to look at the "good" ones! Here is the inside of the apartment building and Robin leaving with our goodies in a black bag because it would not be "safe" for the hundred police that surround the silk market (which sells all fake goods) to know we bought fake purses!!! It seems like a waste of a plastic bag to me!!

A year ago I would have thought this was a little too scary for me to venture down an alley, into someone's apartment that I don't really know just to buy purses. But now, it is so "normal"!!!

A Winter Walk

Before everyone in this house got sick, Coop and I took advantage of a nice day and walked down to the TV Tower to see all of the winter scenery before it melts away. We walked along the river we usually do and saw many people fishing. I watched one man use a screwdriver and dig into the ice to make a little hole. Then he started using his bare hands to push away the slush...brrrr!! It is pretty bleak here during winter - very grey and dirty because it is so dry. We actually had our first rain since October last week!! The sun does shine more here it seems than in Iowa, but unfortunately the pollution blocks it out! I'm looking forward to spring, but happy I caught some of the winter action before the lakes and rivers melted last week!

I thought I saw buds on the weeping willows while we were walking!! Dan thinks I'm crazy - I think I'm optimistic that spring is around the corner!

Coop just being his cute little self!!
The very social fishermen!! I'm not sure I would trust the ice to have that many people sitting on it - it really doesn't appear to be that thick! They obviously know better than I do! A little chair skating?? People sit on these chairs for one or two people and then they use sticks/screwdrivers to push themselves along - very interesting! In the picture above, they are trying to retrieve a dropped stick!! Coop wanted to join in, but I wouldn't let him near the ice!!

This was the makeshift pay area and the place you could rent skates or four wheelers for that matter - take your pick!!!

I was very impressed to see so many children with helmets on. Most of the time I feel like safety comes last here, so this was a pleasant surprise!!How do you lose your shoe on the ice??? I hope his feet weren't too cold!!

Green Tea Ice Cream anyone??

When branding a product it is so important to know your consumer! Apparently Coldstone did a lot of research on what flavors of ice cream the Chinese would enjoy. Here are some of your choices...

I can't say that I have tried any of these, but I'm sure they are fine, I mean it's ice cream - right?!!! You can see that the sesame must be a big hit because it is almost gone!!

Don't worry dad - they also have "normal" flavors that you will enjoy when you are here visiting!!

Thanks for sending some love!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

The kids were thrilled to get to open their Valentine's this morning from Grandma and Grandpa, Nai Nai and Pepere, and their aunts, uncles and cousins!! It was odd this year not having to fill out all of the cards for school with the kids - there are not too many Americans at our school, so V Day goes by pretty much unnoticed here!! I had all good intentions of helping the kids bake heart shaped cookies and decorate them for the their classmates, but after our week of illnesses, I'm pretty sure no one would want to eat them. We may make them tomorrow and take them on Monday - we'll see!!!

I did notice while we were out today that a lot of people appeared to be celebrating the holiday. There were lots of roses for sale on the street and even some live bands performing on Nanjing Lu (shopping street). Danny and I have asked our ayi to come in tonight so we can go out to dinner!! I'm so excited for a break - it's been a long week!!

Lots and lots of love to you all!!

If you can hear them....

Then you should just join in!! That was Danny's philosphy this week as Chinese New Year ended and the fireworks went off non-stop!! On Monday night the fireworks started at 5:30pm and did not stop until after about 2:00am. When I say fireworks, we are not just talking about the pretty ones you see on July 4th or at Disney, there are quite a few of those, but there were also a ton of the ones that you just light to make noise. Danny bought 1,000 little fircrackers bundled together and lit it off - it went off for about a minute, so I'm thinking that other people must be blowing up 1,000's at a time!! It seriously sounded, a bit like what I would assume, a war zone might sound like.

Danny decided to use this opportunity to blow up some of his stuff that he had bought earlier!! We have been told that fireworks are not necessarily illegal, but are frowned upon after Chinese New Year - whatever that means!!! The kids loved watching him and he had so much fun!! Here are some pictures of him in action!!

I can't remember if I published this photo - of course this is when we were all well!!

As much as I am not a big fan of all of these fireworks (I think they are dangerous and in Beijing they caught fire to a hotel under construction...), I do think it is pretty amazing the way we have seen the Chinese people come together to celebrate this holiday. Whether they are blowing up fireworks, eating jaozi, or just spending time with family, they put aside everything for this one huge holiday!! It is also amazing to see so many ancient traditions still in place today!! I'm looking forward to learning even more about this holiday next year!!

Stay Away from this house!!

Why is it that everytime we go on a warm vacation, we come back and illness strikes??!! I'm not saying we will not be taking any more warm weather vacations again, but maybe a little airborne or something needs to be given to our children on our way home!! Ellie was the first to go down out of the kids! Last Friday she came home from school a little grumpier than usual and she felt a bit warm so I gave her a little Tylenol and by Saturday morning she was fighting with her brothers!! As we were about ready to leave for our friend's dinner party that night she started acting sick again, a little ibuprofen this time and she was good to go. Sunday morning she woke up feeling good so we went ahead with plans to help our dear friend Sharon celebrate her birthday with breakfast at the Sheraton and family time at our house. After we had been home for a bit, El just didn't look good - I took her temp and it was rising. (So sorry Sharon and family!!!!) By late afternoon El's temp was getting close to 105 F - a little too high for this mom!! She had no other symptoms that she was complaining about, so I checked her throat and low and behold, there were nasty little blisters glimmering at me - ouch!!! I gave her more Tylenol and dosed her up in the middle of the night until we could get to the SOS in the morning. The next morning we walked into the SOS, which thankfully is in our backyard! It was pretty crowded so we had to wait a little while to see the doctor. Because it was the last day of Chinese New Year, I had given my ayi the day off, so I had Coop in tow. He didn't seem to mind because he could play with the toys (I'm not even going to think about how many germs were on those toys!!)!! El laid on me the whole time so I knew she was definitely not getting better. By the time we got in to see the doctor, he took her temp and almost fell off his chair - it was back to 105. It was the quickest appointment I have ever been too - he asked her what hurt and she said her throat. He took one look at it and didn't even do a strep test, he just said she needs medication. He felt her stomach and back for any rashes - none there! We met with the pharmicist quickly and we were on our way with our sachets of antibiotics.

If you think getting a child to take medication is difiicult in the US, you have obviously not lived anywhere where they give you a sachet of granules to "mix with water". "How much water?" I ask..."Oh, just a little, it doesn't matter!". Great, I have a child with an extremely painful sore throat and they expect her to take this nasty tasting medicine. I use bribery as any good mom would. "Honey, if you take this entire dose of medication, mommy will buy you two cartons of ice cream at the store!" My little champ drinks the whole nasty thing and later we decide to put it into drinkable yogurt so it will be a bit more appetizing since we have to do this 3 times a day for 7 days!!

Ellie's temp thankfully starts going down by the afternoon and then I start feeling a bit under the weather. I don't think much of it...late night out, lots of fun with friends, sick child = a very tired mom!! By about 1:00 am I realize that I am not just tired - I have somehow picked up the stomach flu...yuk!!! I deal with the chills and little sleep for the rest of the night! The next day, all I can say is that I am so thankful to have full time help!! My ayi came and I literally slept from 9:00 until 3:00 when Danny came home and dragged me to the SOS.

I've decided that if you want some meds quickly, China is the place to be!! I see the same doctor I had seen the day before with El. Danny gives him a quick recount of my symptoms and he immediately says that they should hook me up to an IV. I have been sick for less than 24 hours at this point and am still able to drink a bit of water and this guy wants to hook me up - no way. I pretty much have to be as dry as can be for anyone to stick a needle in me!! I told him no thanks and he proceeded to prescribe all kinds of drugs. I am very thankful I am not against using drugs to help myself or my family feel better!!! So I come home with my bag of drugs which include, anti-nausea meds, probiotics, oral rehydration packets, and some other tummy stuff!! I did take a few of these cocktails and pretty much knocked myself out so I basically slept my illness away. I woke up briefly to eat and help Danny when Coop pooped in the tub (yes, he had the stomach flu and we had no idea!!) and then I went back to bed until 6:30 am. I felt better!!

Ellie continued to run a temp so I decided she should stay home another day with me. She also reminded me that she could actually help take care of me if I was still sick!! Too sweet and I am a sucker for being totally manipulated! Later in the afternoon I got a call from my friend Karen and she told me I should probably meet the bus because Eens didn't look so good after school. He got off the bus and couldn't make it to the bathroom - he had the stomach flu too!! After repeatedly going to the bathroom once we got home, it was decided that he would not go to school today.

I took El's temp again after the drama with Eens and it was still over 100. I know that is not so high, but having a temp off and on for 5 days really scares me, so I ran her back over to the SOS. This time we had to go through a triage to make sure that we were not dealing with bird flu. Since she had a fever and we had travelled out of the country in the last 14 days, we did get put into a room - just in case! We saw a different doctor this time who I thought was very thorough, probably because she knew I was concerned. She checked her over completely and said that her throat was still not good. She gave her some more meds and sent us home.

So today, we have enjoyed a pajama day and a get rid of the germs day. I changed all of the sheets, threw out toothbrushes, the cleaning people scrubbed the potties, and now I'm hoping we have gotten rid of the germs!! Eens seems to be on the mend, but is loving the Gatorade so he may be "sick" for a bit longer!! Ellie seems to be ready to go back to school - she is getting bored being at home and she was not real happy when I made her take a nap. Coop is completely healed and enjoying his brother and sister being home!! I'm feeling better, still a bit tired (I'm not sure a mom can ever heal completely when she is also taking care of sick children - their needs always come first!!), but I'll rest more over the weekend!! And tomorrow, if all goes well, I've booked myself a facial with an eye relaxing massage (which I highly recommend!!)!! I think I deserve it!!

I don't mean to leave out Danny, because he helped as much as he could, but thankfully he was given a pass on this round of illnesses! He had to leave last night to go to TEDA to meet with a bunch of execs that flew over from the US!!

Hope you are all well and fighting off all of the germs coming your way!! Ellie did remind me that last year all three kids got sick at the same time too and it was also in February - so cute that she remembered!! Love and miss you all, especially our moms who used to drive to our house and help when I was sick!!

A Burns Supper

The wonderful thing about living in Tianjin is that, not only are we learning about the Chinese culture, but we are also learning about other cultures from around the world due to the diversity of the expat community here!! Last night we were invited to a Burns Supper - we were intrigued and had no idea what to expect....


Robert Burns was a very famous poet in Scotland. Yesterday was the 250th anniversary of his death, so we celebrated!! Our friends Karen and John were amazing hosts and they put together quite a night!!

We arrived at their house and enjoyed some cocktails while we waited for everyone else. Once all 26 guests were there, a true Scotsman lead us around the table while he played his bagpipes. We were lead to our seats for the evening. The fun was just beginning...next it was time to address the hagis (spelling??), which is basically sheep intestines. Another Scotsman did this entire poem from Burns regarding the hagis - it was very impressive and I adored his enthusiasm and accent, but I have to be honest, some parts I had difficulty understanding! After he was finished, dinner was served, which was catered and served by the Nikko Hotel. It was fun catching up with friends that we had not seen since before Christmas break. As I looked around the table, I was amazed that we had representatives from so many countries...Scotland, England, New Zealand, US, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, Ireland, and Switzerland!

After we finished with our yummy dinner, which I opted not to try the hagis, but Danny did - yuk -John led us through the rest of the events for the evening!!! It was time for a toast between the lassies and the lads and then we got a bit of a drawn out history lesson on Robert Burns. I think during that part was when I overdid it on the wine!! The fun part was next when everyone shared some poetry from their country. Danny and I thought it was optional, so we were unprepared, but no one seemed to mind and by the time we got about halfway around the table, it was already about 1:30am!! Karen decided it was time for some guitar playing and singing, so the director of the school our kids attend started playing and we were all singing!! Then we danced until about 2:30 when Danny and I finally called it a night!!!

The song I can't get out of my head...

"But I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more to be the man who walked that thousand miles to fall down at your door..."

Thank you for your contributions Robert Burns and for giving us an opportunity to have a party!!! Hope you are all having a great weekend and spending time with family and friends!

Family Fun

After kids club everyday, and typically a little earlier because I missed the little munchkins, we took the kids to the beach or the pool to play. They grew quite fond of the mocktails offered daily!! Eens was so excited he was having a "cocktail" just like mommy and daddy!!

And of course, everyday at the beach Eens found something to be scared of. Here he is trying to escape the huge, gigantic attacking crab his daddy found!!

We also went searching for monkeys that were roaming through the trees at the resort. Danny and I found two, but the kids never got to see them. That is probably a good thing because Eens would have freaked out if he knew that at any moment a monkey could run across the path!

One of the monkey residents!!

One morning I signed us up for an elephant ride. I had no idea what I was getting us all into, and we probably wouldn't have gone had I known!! We were picked up at the resort and driven to an "elephant park". The first sight we saw were two horses mating - Ellie was fascinated and giggling out of control. I asked her why she was laughing and bless her heart, she said that the horses must think they are performing in the circus. It WAS quite a show and I am thankful for my children's innocence!!! We walked across the street to where the elephants were. There were 4 or 5 and I saw a big stand where we were supposed to board the elephants. I looked around and saw a small circled path. My first thought was, " I can't believe I just paid about $65 to ride an elephant in a circle." Of course, there was more in store for all of us!! Ellie jumped right on the elephant's head and then a guide sat down next. He told me to sit down and then Coop was put in between us. There was nothing holding us onto the elephant except the guide and the strong hold my legs had!! We began to walk and it was okay - all I saw was water in front of us, so again I assumed it would be a short ride. Nope, the elephant headed straight for the water. Next thing I know, we are in the water. At first I thought that if I was going to fall, this would be great a place - the water wasn't too deep! Then I looked closer and saw huge elephant poop floating - I decided that I had best hold on tighter!! After what seemed like forever, we finally got out of the water and our elephant decided he was hungry. He couldn't just pick up sticks from the ground, no, he had to reach to the tippy tops of the trees, while we all got smashed together!! It was an interesting ride, one I'm not soon to forget.

Unfortunately, all vacations must come to an end! We took a ride back on the ferry to Singapore and thankfully, it was not a BC!! We stayed a final night in Singapore at the airport hotel - one of the few hotels that offered double beds in a room!! And then set off for Beijing early the next morning!

My blogs will be back to "reality" tomorrow - no more sunny days lying on the beach for a while!!

More Kids Club Shananigans!!

As I said before, we loved Mini Kids Club and so did the kids. There were activities planned throughout the day and then at 4:00 daily there was a family activity. On the kids first full day at the club, they started preparing for a show that was to be done that night. All three of the kids practiced and rehearsed and we really thought they all might do it, but in the end, El was the only one!! After dinner, we took the boys to their rooms to get dressed and they both completely lost it. Ethan was determined that he was not going to dress up and put on make-up (Danny was secretly happy about this!!) and Coop wanted nothing to do with his teachers. I didn't want to ruin the show for everyone else, so I grabbed the boys and headed to the theater so we could watch El!! She had so much fun and for only one day of practice, she did a great job!! It is amazing they are able to pull this show off on a weekly basis with so many children coming and going!

On Chinese New Years Day, the kids marched in a parade to celebrate!! I was shocked to see Coop dressed up, but not Ellie!! Any chance she gets to dress up and put on make-up, she's all over it!!

Another activity El and Eens enjoyed during the day was going to the beach to play in the sand with their friends. They weren't allowed to go into the water because it was too rough, but they didn't care. After time on the beach they got to go to the pool to cool off!
Danny and I joined in on one day at the picnic snack time. It was so cute, all of the kids were outside on blankets or at tables having yummy kid friendly snacks! It was fun to watch all of the kids interact with one another!!

Ellie also learned archery during the mornings at kids club! By the last day, she was able to get the arrow on the target! It was fun to watch her try something new!!