A Trapeze Artist in the Making!!

One of the things Ellie was really looking forward to doing on our vacation was Circus School. I thought she might get scared once she saw how high up the trapeze was, but not my El, she climbed up without looking down the very first time! Everyday while she was at kids club, part of the morning was spent working on the trapeze and the tight rope, which was much lower to the ground!!

Ellie Day 1

I'm almost to the top!!
I'm flying!!
I'm trying to lift my legs up - it's harder than it looks!!

Oops - I flipped too hard - I better drop down and try this tomorrow!!

Ellie Day 2

I'm getting hooked up!!
I got my legs up on the second try today!!
Look mom, no hands!!

Ellie Day 3
I'm a pro at this now!!

First swing and the legs are up!!

I'm swinging upside down now!!Just to show off a bit, I'll do a little backflip on the way down!!

Not to be outdone by Ellie's circus performance, Eens decided on his final day at kids club to walk the tightrope!!

They're hooking me pretty tight!! Thank goodness because I'm really scared!!Now, if only I could get the courage to move my feet!!!

I'm not going to cry, really, I'm not!!

In the end, Eens did make it across the tightrope and back!! We couldn't be more proud of our little circus stars!!

A little change in the blog

Due to some spam comments that have been popping up on this blog, I have had to put a monitoring device on all comments. If you decide to post a comment (which many of you usually just e-mail me anyway!!), it will not show up right away. Instead, I will be contacted through e-mail to approve the comment.

I am sad that I have to do this, but I do not want this blog to be about other's political or religious beliefs. Of course, my views and values shine through because that is who I am, but the main purpose I started this blog was to share with family and friends about the joys and struggles of living the expat life. This blog has also become great therapy for me - writing has always been an outlet for me to release my feelings and get a grasp on the true situation! And lastly, this blog is a journal for my family - one day we will look back and see in great detail the adventure we embarked on. We will see how different experiences shape us and make us better people!!

Thank you for continuing to read and follow us on this journey...

"The journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." Lao Tzu

Vacationing Club Med style!

We decided to try a Club Med for vacation for several reasons...it's all inclusive - no worries about where we are going to eat and find cocktails for the beach, the kids club had planned activities from 9-5 for all three children, the resort was totally private with a private beach, we thought we would be able to use the sailing equipment (unfortunately black flag for 6 days!), and we really wanted a stress free, family vacation!! We got exactly what we came for, except of course the sailing!! The resort catered to our entire family's every need. By the time we left, the kids "teachers" were asking for our e-mail addresses to keep in touch!!

Here are some pictures of the resort...I'll post more on the trapeze later - it's part of the circus school that was offered!!

Every room was facing the ocean - I loved hearing the waves crashing everyday!!

A view from our balcony!

Another view from our balcony!

The zen area - I did not partake in any yoga - I was too sunburned!!

While the children were away, the parents must play. Danny and I joked that we had our first vacation in 7 years!! We were able to relax on the beach. Actually, I relaxed and soaked up the sun and read while Danny restlessly walked up and down the beach looking for sea creatures!! We tried the daily cocktails by the beach, we played tennis, and we ate long lunches!! When you live overseas away from your family, it is really hard to get good quality time away from our wonderful children. It was a treat and I am so grateful for those days of doing nothing!!

Danny enjoying a coconut!!
A couple of Danny's sea creature finds!

Danny wishing he could calm the sea!!

And I did say that we wanted a family vacation, so I will fill you in on all of the kids activities and the family activities tomorrow!! Good night!!

The Barf Cruise!!

I'm sure you have all been anticipating what the barf cruise could be, was it my kids, was it everyone, did we go on a cruise??? To answer your questions, we were on a ferry from Singapore to Bintan Island in Indonesia for the barf cruise. It was not supposed to be a BC (as Danny renamed it!), but due to the waves and the weather, it turned into just that!!

Danny and I have dealt with our share of motion sickness with Eens, so we knew we were not taking any chances on the boat - we were all taking dramimine. I had just enough clothes to get by during the rest of the vacation, so we had to stay clean. Unfortunately, that was not the case for the majority of people on board...

It started out fun as we entered the ferry terminal and the kids saw the boat! They were excited and I just kept telling myself that it would only take an hour to reach our destination. We went to the back of the boat where it would be a little more stable (or so we thought) and found seats by the window! There was a family in front of us that were very excited about the beginning of their vacation. They were passing all kinds of food and drinks around - including milk.

The ride started out rough from the beginning. The captain eventually came on the PA and told everyone where their seatbelts were. The people in front of us were the first to go down, and then all around us we saw people clutching their blue bags. At one point, one of the crew members carried around more blue bags to refill everyone. It was truly disgusting. I kept looking at my watch and was very disappointed that due to the conditions, the trip took longer than an hour. Danny in the meantime was giggling away, counting them as they went down!! The kids were thankfully playing their DS's, so they were unaware of the chaos. We eventually made it to land and I couldn't have been happier!!!

Danny giggles as another one (notice the blue bag) goes down!!

Singapore Zoo

On our second day in Singapore, we decided to devote the day to the zoo and the Night Safari. The zoo was probably the best zoo I have ever visited. They use natural barriers to keep the animals in their area, but to the guests, it looks like they are in their natural environments. In fact, there were monkeys sleeping in the trees directly over the walkway and the kangaroos were just hopping along ready to be pet. The kids loved walking through the zoo, although by the time we got to the kids area they were ready for a break! We were all in for a real treat because the kids area had just opened in November and it was wonderful. There was a carousel, pony rides, obstacle course, playground, shops, KFC, and right in the middle a water play area. We did not realize they had this, so without swimsuits, we let the kids have fun in their clothes - Coop once again plopped himself right into the water!!

Mini Wisconsin Dells!!
While we were leaving we got a picture with the fortune man (hopefully he will be helping the poor economy this year!) and we got to watch an amazing dragon dance. We could have stayed longer, but we wanted to go back to the hotel and rest before the Night Safari!

While the boys were resting, El and I ran to Borders - I can't resist buying books when I can find them!! El is reading a ton lately so I had to buy more chapter books (which as of right now she only has one left to finish!) and I needed more chick lit. I was also trying to find some books on raising children in different countries (how they deal with their identity, what do they consider home, etc...) but had no luck, so today I placed an order on Amazon!! (Mom - the books will be heading your way - please send them to me in an envelope or two!!! Thanks!!)

After rest time, we took the kids to the Raffles Hotel, which is quite extravagant, and I'm not sure they appreciated our lovely kids playing in their fountain!! But, we had to have a Singapore Sling - I have no idea what was in it, but it cost about $16 so I hope it was something really good!! Truly it tasted like juice, but we had to get one where they were created!!

Our three misfits!!!

We found a Din Tai Fung (favorite restaurant in Tianjin) and couldn't resist trying it for dinner. It was good, but I think the one in Tianjin is better - they didn't have our favorite mini dumplings!! We were all full and happy, so off to the Night Safari.

The Night Safari sits adjacent to the zoo and it is one of the most popular attractions in Singapore. We sat on a train and rode while a man told us about all of the animals we were seeing. It was interesting seeing all of the animals at night, but to be honest, I was so tired that I almost fell asleep!! As we were walking out we witnessed a guy doing fish reflexology. This picture doesn't do it justice, but you put your feet in the tank and the fish come and suck at your feet. I love the spa, but I'm not sure I would be up for this!!!

Another fun day in Singapore!! Stay tuned tomorrow for the "Barf Cruise"!!!!

Spectacular Singapore!!

Please bear with me, I have never been on a 10 day vacation, so it will take me a few posts to fill you in on our holiday!

We flew into Singapore last Thursday from Beijing. The flight was 6 hours, and we didn't arrive until about 10:30pm. We found a taxi driver who was great - he told us all about Singapore and gave us some advice of places to visit while we were there. He also drove us around the area near our hotel so we could know where we could walk too. And yes, it costs us a little bit extra, but it was well worth it!!

We stayed at the Fairmont Hotel in the Marina Bay area directly across the street from Raffles Hotel. It turned out to be a great location and the view from our balcony was beautiful of the city. When we travel in Asia, we almost always have to get two rooms. It is nice that Danny and I don't have to go to sleep when the little ones do, but it also adds up! The reaon we have to get two rooms is because most hotels have rooms with either a King bed or 2 twin beds!! Not going to work with our family! So, we spend a little more, have more space, and in the end enjoy ourselves a little bit more!! I was explaining to Ellie that when I was little, her grandma and grandpa tried to take myself and 3 siblings on vacation at least once a year, but we never had a lot of money. I told her that what typically happened was that we would all six squeeze into a room. Mom and dad would get a bed (although sometimes dad would get so annoyed with us that he would sleep in the van!!), T and I would share a bed and then Steph and Rob would fight it out on the floor!! It was quite comical and made for wonderful memories to share with my children!! Anyway, below are some pictures from our balcony...

Some of the things I loved about Singapore were that it was very compact, everything seemed very accessible and easy to get to, almost everyone spoke English (or at least a little!), tons of food options (delicious BBQ pork baozi - one of our favorites!), loads of shopping (even a Borders), and it was extremely clean!

On our first full day in Singapore we ventured off to Sentosa Island, a 20 minute cab ride away. We had a ball and it was so easy to get around. They have a free bus that takes you to each attraction area - again, the buses were clean and air conditioned which was good because it was hot out!!

We went to Underwater World first. In true Eensie form, he was asking to leave the moment he walked through the door. He had seen a peacock stutting it's stuff on the road, then a gentleman was holding a snake wanting people to pay to take a picture with it, and then to top it off, when we finally walked through the door, a stingray was jumping up the side of the pool. He cried off and on during our entire stay! El and Coop had a ton of fun feeding the fish and riding on a conveyor belt through a tunnel looking at the aquarium and the sea creatures! I had to carry my 40 some pound son the entire time!!

This picture definitely depicts Ethan's behavior throughout the aquarium - how can you be afraid of fish enclosed in glass???

Next we went to the beach for a quick walk and to get our feet wet. It was a small beach, but it was clean and the water was calm. The kids love playing in the sand wherever they are!!

Our next stop was to the luge, skyride, and skytower!! I'm not sure how Eensie can go on a luge ride down a mountain, but can't make it through an aquarium, but, he did it!! We put on our helmets and then Ellie got on her own luge, Coop and Danny rode one and Eens and I were together. Coop and Danny went so fast I don't even want to think about it. El was a little slow, so Eens and I stayed back with her - I couldn't leave her on a mountain. After we made it to the bottom of the mountain we took a sky ride back up! It offered a wonderful view of the city! Eens really wanted to ride the skytower next because there was a picture of a tiger on it (and he is so brave you know!!). We rode that up and once again saw a view of the city!!

If there is water, my children will find it!! Here is a fountain that they decided to get right into!! I'm not sure if they were supposed to or not, but they were hot, so they cooled off!! Of course, Coop was soaked by the end - that boy cannot stay standing!!

We still had one site left to see and that was the pink dolphins. We once again travelled by bus to the Dolphin Lagoon to see the dolphins. They have shows throughout the day, but we made it a quick look and see trip. As you can see, they were truly pink - Ellie was thrilled!!

We were all exhausted so we headed back to the hotel for a swim! Ellie refused to get in the pool for a bit so we witnessed a little 7 year old drama, but eventually we all had a fun time!! After swimming we went to one of the hundreds of shopping malls to find dinner! In this particular mall there was a hawker food court - there were about 20 different food vendors (all licensed!!) and you could choose whatever sounded good! Danny and I were all up for it, but the kids would have nothing to do with it. They have seen too many unsanitary food stalls in China! So, we went to a western restaurant and then Danny and I ate some BBQ pork baozi on our way out!! Our last stop for the day was to see the Fountain of Wealth light show. The fountain was cool, the light show was a bit disappointing - we waited for 15 minutes and it lasted about 3 minutes!!

We were ready for some serious sleep after our very busy day!!