The Joy of Cooking!!

Those of you who know me well, know that cooking is not one of the joys in my life!! Cooking for me in the US involved dreading the decision of what to make, making sure I had all of the ingredients, hoping it tasted okay to consume, and then really dreading the clean up! I have a new outlook on cooking here in Tianjin, I have found a little bit of joy!

There are a few reasons why cooking is more enjoyable for me, and the first is that I don't have to do it every night!! My ayi cooks Monday through Friday for me which allows me to spend time with the kids and chat with neighbors outside!! This means that I do not have to plan 7 nights of dinners that will hopefully please most of the family!! The kids have learned to eat and enjoy Chinese food, and ayi has learned how to put a western twist to some of her dishes!! One night she did go a little overboard by stir frying chicken and pineapple and then adding Monicals dressing (a tangy sweet dressing from one of our favorite pizza places in the US)!! It was disgusting and I really didn't feel right forcing the children to eat it!! She always makes a platter of fresh fruit, so if the kids won't eat the main courses, I know they don't go to bed starving!!

Another reason why I am beginning to enjoy cooking is that when I do cook, I can ask my ayi to do the prep work (ie, wash and cut veggies, meat, basically whatever I need)! I made tacos and a cucumber/tomato salad the other night for dinner. It was so easy because all of the veggies were washed, cut and ready to eat!! So, maybe I cannot call a meal like that cooking, but it sure was good!!

Probably the biggest reason why I enjoy cooking over here is that I don't have to clean up!! Of course, I am not a complete slob, I do wipe up spills and wipe down the countertops, but the pots and pans go directly in the sink!!

I guess to sum it all up, the real reason I find cooking more enjoyable is because I have an ayi!! I need to give her all of the credit and in the next two years figure out a way to fit her in my suitcase when we return!! Hehe!!

Easter Celebrations!

Holidays in China, I am finding, are difficult, yet in some ways easier to celebrate than in the US. For me, they are difficult because I really miss being with my family and participating in all the traditions we have had in place since I was little! I know my family is sitting at my mom and dad's house eating tons of food (even though my mom tries to play it off like it's not a big deal!), catching up with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and teasing and loving on each other!! I miss that so much and really can't wait until we can be there again!!

They are easier because there is no commercialism, so much so that I couldn't find plastic eggs or chocolate eggs. My kids didn't even ask if the Easter bunny was coming (he did of course, but it would not have been a big deal if he hadn't). They understand why we celebrate Easter and I think they were thrilled with all of the simple activities we did with our friends!!

Thanks to my dear mom and wonderful sister-in-law, we had four boxes of Easter egg kits to share with the kids in our compound. On Friday my ayi and I hard boiled 45 eggs to dye after school with the kids! Most of them had never dyed the eggs like we do, they typically paint the eggs. We all had a fun time and I was thankful for nice weather so we could do it outside!!

The finished products!!

On Saturday we woke up to rain and an egg hunt put on by our compound. We all ventured out with umbrellas and searched for some 200 hard boiled eggs that had been hidden! The rain stopped after a bit and it was a fun time with friends!

Saturday night, Danny and I got to go out for some adult time. We went to a Mamma Mia themed party - scary since I know the lyrics to the entire soundtrack! We probably had a little bit too much fun, especially my dear husband, who had to wake the guards with his friend to get into the gate at the entrance of our compound because it was so late!! Hehe!!

Bright and early Sunday morning our sweet little children woke us up after they discovered that the Easter Bunny, did in fact, find them in China! We played and had a light breakfast before heading to fellowship. After fellowship, we met up with friends and went to a fabulous Easter brunch put on by the Sheraton. I think the pictures speak for themselves...finally a chocolate bunny, loads of sweets, another egg hunt, a bounce house, egg painting, and time with friends!!

Apparently we were with someone who is pretty important!!

Eens on a bit of a sugar high!!

I can't find chocolate eggs, but they can find bunny costumes...amazing!!

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend and were able to spend time with your loved ones! We miss you all so much!!

One Way to Protect Property!!

I was in the car the other day with my driver and had to do a double take when I saw this...

A little bit closer up!!

I am assuming they had used broken bottles so no one would go into the construction site. Apparently there is no such thing as a barb wired fence here!!

Student Led Conferences!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of going to my first student led conferences with Eens and El. It was such a neat experience and it really gave the students a chance to reflect and realize what they have learned this year. In the US it seems that we have these idealistic ideas of how to make students responsible for their work and we start the process, but for some reason we can never completely finish it. Of course, the biggest obstacle in the states is the size of the classroom in the public schools. As a teacher, I cannot imagine accomplishing what I experienced yesterday effectively with 28 students.

Due to our circumstances (the main one being that my kids do not speak Chinese!), they cannot attend a local school, so they have to attend an international school where most classes have less than 20 students. We are extremely fortunate to be able to send the kids to a school where so much emphasis is placed on the learner profile and guided by a curriculum that allows for individual growth! I have enjoyed watching El and Eens grow into little "thinkers", but most of all I am thrilled that they love school!

The student led conference was exactly that, completely led by the student. The teachers helped the kids prepare beforehand, but during the conference, they were present for questions and a quick chat (which of course I can't resist!!), and the student was completely responsible for the material being shared!! Eens chose to show me how he signs in everyday, his portfolio, his newest "invention", and a favorite computer game he plays!!

Ellie had a longer conference than Eens. Hers was scheduled for 55 minutes, but because she insisted on taking me to every special class she has (6 total!), it lasted over an hour!! She first had me sit down to listen to her read a story she had recorded on the computer from October and then a recent one to show her oral reading improvement. Then she made me take a mad minute math test (I missed one - thank goodness for calculators!!). Next she showed me a report she had written on the human body. Through the entire conference she would either tell me how she had improved or why she was proud of that particular piece of work! I could tell that she had truly done some reflecting on her work. After our trip to all of her other classes, we came back to her classroom and she showed me specifically what areas she will work on and areas that she feels she has mastered. After we talked about why she had given herself certain marks, then I was able to write down two goals for her to work on the rest of the year!! It was neat to see that her and I were both on the same page on areas of improvement and subjects she is doing great in!! I try my hardest to be her mommy and not a teacher (this is much more difficult than you think!!)!

Here are some of the highlights of our afternoon...

Waiting for the fun to begin...

Time to show off all they have learned...You have to love the pirate!!

Hen Da (Very Big)!!

I celebrated my first birthday in China and it was an extremely relaxing day!! It was actually a national holiday (how nice of China!!), so Danny didn't have to go to work, but the kids had school!! I was able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast with my dear husband, go for a run outside, and get a facial! It was great!! I also enjoyed all of the calls and messages from so many dearly missed friends and family - thank you, thank you!!

My ayi could not resist giving me these flowers...she is so sweet and has definitely become a part of our family!!

T, do you understand why I was giggling so much when we were chatting now??!!

See the Resemblance!!

I was taking photos of Coop on the way home from school yesterday and I couldn't help but see the resemblance between him and Eens. I have never thought that they looked alike at all, but this one picture captured a certain "look" they both have!! I guess you can tell they are brothers!!

A little school update for you...Coop loves school!! Yeah!! He now goes into his classroom and asks first if they are going outside and then if one of the teachers will read to him!! He is all smiles when I come to pick him up at 12:00 and has recently started telling me about certain children in his class! It is a big deal for Coop to learn someone's name because that means he really likes them. It has helped that we have a new little boy from our compound that started on Monday - it is nice for him to be with someone who is familiar!! He is growing up right before my eyes!!

Shanghai Suprises!!

We just returned from a wonderful little 4 day vacation in Shanghai! Last week the kids had a mini spring break, so we debated over going to Shanghai or Japan. Shanghai won out primarily because I didn't need to do a lot of research and we can sort of get by with our broken Chinese!! Also, I looked into booking hotels at Tokyo Disney and they were all booked, which told me that it was going to be too crowded!! We'll go to Japan next year - I have to have something to look forward too!!

Anyway, we arrived in Shanghai and found our hotel quite easily. We stayed at the Ascott due to the convenience of apartment living with little kids!! My thoughts on this Ascott were that it was in a great location for what we wanted to do, but it could use a bit of updating. It was definitely older than the Beijing Ascott, but it was still very nice! The hotel was located in Pudong which, for those of you who know Shanghai, is on the opposite side of the river from the Bund. The view from our balcony was a skyline of fantastic modern architecture!

After settling in, we decided we were hungry. You see, on domestic Chinese flights, they feed you even if the flight is only about 1 1/2 hours, but, the food is not really to my liking!! Ellie eats the roll and the boys pick at the noodles! I wonder what the Chinese people think when they fly around the US and for most flights, you are lucky to get a drink!! So, we are hungry and Danny gets the grand idea that we should go to Hooter's!! I agree primarily because it is located in the mall that has a Toys R Us, plus I really miss spicy chicken wings and buffalo chicken sandwiches! We make our way to the mall and find Hooter's. We are basically the only customers there, so we are given quite a bit of attention, much to Danny's liking!! As I was walking to the restroom with Ellie, she asks me ever so politely, "Mommy, why is this place called Hooter's?"! I'll leave that question for her daddy!!

After eating, we were overwhelmed to be in what I would call, a real mall!! There are 6 floors of shops that I have heard of...Toys R Us, Best Buy, Zara, Next, Espirit, Sketchers (they don't stock shoes big enough for me though!!), you get the point! Even though it was a beautiful sunny day, we spent over 4 hours walking the mall, shopping and letting the kids play at the play area!!

On Friday we woke up to grey skies, so we made our way to the French Concession area which is also home to the brand new House of Barbie. We were there when the doors opened, although it wasn't necessary because there were only two other customers at the time!! There were six floors of pure Barbie. The boys were not happy about this at all even though there was one bathroom with Hotwheels lining the wall (they were not too impressed!)! Ellie decided to design her own Barbie, so she went off to the computer "design center" for about 45 minutes to work while we tried to control the boys!! She was very proud of her finished product...Lin!
We decided to lunch at a very popular tourist restaurant called M on the Bund. Probably not the best place to take three children for lunch!! I should have known when I saw the white tableclothes that we were not wanted!!! We acted as civilized as possible and made it through the entire meal without spilling or breaking anything!! After we finished and paid about $12 for two small glasses of Coke, we went out on the deck to get a view of Pudong from the Bund. Too bad the weather was still grey!!
Next stop was the aquarium...I am so like my father...I insist on checking out zoos and aquariums wherever I go!! It was very clean and an added plus was that it had an English translation for all of the exhibits!! A lot of places we visit do not have English descriptions, so I have learned to enjoy by observing and creatively thinking what things might say!!!

The kids had had enough sightseeing for the day!! Here they are in front of the famous Oriental Pearl TV Tower!!


Later Friday night we met up with good friends of ours to eat at California Pizza Kitchen and then go to watch the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe. All I can say is that the kids were mesmorized the entire 1 1/2 hours during the performance! It might have helped that we were there with their principal, but I was happy I actually got to enjoy it!!!
Saturday was a rainy day, but no problem because I decided we would go to the Science and Technology Museum!! The museum is huge, with 4 different Imax theaters in it! We chose to see Dinosaurs in 3D only because it was showing in the next 10 minutes. Eens was not a big fan - he flinched everytime something came towards us, even a little harmless bug! He really did not enjoy the huge dinosaur opening his mouth and looking at us like we might be lunch either. Not such a good choice for the young ones, but it was fun to see a film. Oh yeah, the whole thing was in Chinese!! We roamed the museum for a couple of hours and then got hungry (of course!)!
Maybe this is a bit gory for children, don't ya think?!!!
After a much needed afternoon nap, we made our way back to the mall (I think we went there everyday at least once!!). Coop was insistent that we play at Tom's World (think huge arcade with hundreds of Chinese people!)! It was his little Chuck E Cheese fix I guess!! Danny and I both had a headache by the time we finished!!
Sunday was a warm, sunny day, so we walked and walked and walked!! We ended up back at the mall for lunch! Then we went along the river and found the underground tunnel to take to the Bund. It was quite entertaining, but when we reached the Bund we were overwhelmed by the sheer number of people there. It was suffocating and a bit irritating because as usual, we were about the only foreigners out and we were gawked at and had our pictures taken over and over. Friends in the states, over the summer, please take lots of pictures of my kids because otherwise they will feel really out of place!!! Hehe!! I told Danny that I needed to have a T-shirt made that reads "Yes, I really have 3 children!!" translated in Chinese characters of course!!

First, we took a leisurely stroll through Lujiazui Park. This picture is taken from the Pudong side of the river with a view of the Bund!
On our way to the Bund in the underwater tunnel!!
Tai duo ren (too many people) had the same idea that we did - visiting the Bund!We are now on the Bund with a view of the Pudong side!!

After a whirlwind four days, it was time to leave this east meets west, old/modern city with its spectacular skyline and architecture!! Enjoy the contrasts, amazing these are all in one city!!