I miss my grandma.

It has been raining so much here I desperatly miss blue skies and color.  I wish I could have gone to the Tulip Festival with Amy and my Grandma Shaw.  Amy was telling me how beautiful it was and what a good time she had with our grandmother.  I miss my Grandma Shaw and wish I could have gone with them.  Instead, I found a picture of it online, printed it out and stuck it on our window.  It is a poor substitute but will have to do. 

Carvin' it up with Matt.

We have been trying to get the kids involved in some sort of sports league or team. Not happening. The Chinese don't embrace sports for kids; after school and weekends are for studying, tutors and homework. The kids that play sports are the ones that have little to no academic ability. The amount of pressure put on kids to excel in school is ridiculous.

Our friends enrolled a tutor to help their daughter get ahead in math. Well so did all of the other parents. Now, instead of being ahead, she is just keeping up and the few kids in the class that don't have a private tutor are falling behind.

Kids here arrive at school at 7:30 and are dismissed at 4:30. They leave school, go into a corner shop, buy an armful of crap and eat it while they walk home. Once they get home they eat another snack their grandparents have prepared and sit down to do homework until dinner. After dinner they sit back down and study some more. These kids are smart but they are also fat. Still they idea of implementing a little physical activity into their schedules is nonexistent.

That was a bit of a tangent. Point is it has been hard to find activities for the kids that don't involve quadratic equations.

So, when we found out a guy, Tyler, at church is in the X-games and he gives skateboarding lessons we jumped on board. (Get the very clever pun?) Matt had his first lesson on Friday and it was pretty sweet. Matt thinks Tyler is awesome. I think he's great because he tells me what every mother wants to hear, 'Your son is a natural. He must get his innate skill and grace from you.' Of course, where else!?

That last one isn't Matt.

Buddha sale; name your price.

We went to the Jade Buddha Temple on Friday. It was beautiful with impressive history and architecture. We heard monks chanting and saw both happy and scary Buddha. It was really nice;   you have your own tour guide that leads you through the various rooms and describes the different Buddha and why you would worship each one; prosperity, health, harvest, you name it, there is a Buddha for it. But they save the best for last.

After you have seen almost everything you are lead upstairs to see the 1000 year old mahogany root carving. It is a huge tree root that took three monks two years to carve. It's lovely and incredibly detailed. Then you start looking around the room with your guide at your heels telling you that everything is for sale. "If you like, you buy. Give me your best price. If too much, don't worry, we take credit card." Then comes my favorite line. "Special price just for you. One of a kind; you get no where else."

It was like going to Temple Square or The National Cathedral and being hounded by used car salesmen. There you are enjoying the Christus when the guide says, 'you like, you buy, I give you special price.' It kind of leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Piper was asleep on my shoulder by this point. When I showed a little too much interest in a jewelry box, the guide took Piper so I could look better. After insisting that I could not afford it and refusing to name a price she got her manager to come and work on me. Same scenario but now I don't know where the guide has gone with Piper so I can't leave. I am walking away trying to find her and my daughter while he trails me telling me about the boxes unique qualities. I find our guide and peel off Piper while pushing the other kids down the stairs to freedom. That sealed the deal; I'm not converting to Buddhism.

Hunchback

Today's day in the life of China, is all about brooms. This is not a subject I have spent much time contemplating but since I started forming a buffalo hump I decided it needed to be addressed.

First off, Chinese people aren't short. I always thought they were. My mother-in-law is short; so is my father-in-law. Come to think of it, Rich is quite short. (Funny I never noticed it before.) Since these people were my gauge, I assumed all other Chinese (besides Yao Ming) were short. Nope, on average Chinese and Americans are about the same size. So my question is, why do they build everything using the shortest Chinese person as the model?

For example: my kitchen counter is 6" shorter than what I'm use to; our shower head is mounted on the wall at my eye-level and mirrors are always cutting off my head. I have learned to live with these things, you adapt. But why do they have to make the brooms so stinking short? My back is killing me.

Me and My Little Tikes brooms. Good thing our apartment is small.

I guess it could be worse. I could be using one of these

Enough about that. 

Here is another little Chinese oddity, ladies dancing in the parks, on the streets or anywhere else they can plug in a radio and busta' move.  .

Seven to seventeen

Lily is in her element.  There is nothing that girl likes more than having her picture taken; so getting paid for it is even better.

We sent some photos (thanks Megan) to an agent and she put Lily to work.  Our little sugar momma's first shoot was yesterday for Disney and Fanapal.  She modeled clothes for next fall and winter. 

The hair and make-up were her favorite part.  It's not what I would choose for a seven year old, but she loved it.

Her favorite outfit.

Her least favorite.

After watching Lily, Mia wants to do it next time.  Rich and I may drive each other crazy but we managed to pull off some cute kids.  My dad told me, more than once, he never would have guessed the two of us would have such nice looking kids.  Gotta' love him, rest his soul. 

Smokin' Deal

China is cheap, especially when the Chinese government wants to put on a good clean show for the rest of the world. The World Expo opens in two weeks so everything is getting a final sweep through. The bootleg shops have all been closed (no more 50 cent DVDs) and the street vendors are being kicked back to the country. Today was the last day they were allowed to sell in the metro stations so they were out in droves. When that many people are all selling the same thing you are bound to get a good deal. I bought twelve necklaces, six bracelets and five pairs of earrings for $40.00. Some of you might be receiving these as Christmas gifts so act surprised. 

Just one big Chinatown

Back to reality, heaven help me. After four days in Hong Kong we are back home in Shanghai. It was a great break and I am surprised by how different it is from here. Rich thinks Hong Kong is like a big Chinatown. It's China but with water you can drink from the tap.

The first difference I noticed is trees and bright green mountains. It was so nice to see both things. If I want to see a tree in Shanghai I have to go to the park. I didn't realize Hong Kong was so tropical and beautiful.

This is Rich and the kids headed up the mountain to see the giant Buddha. Piper kept saying, 'I want to see the big booty.'  Well girl, just look your mommas way.

 

Of course, my kids would rather chase a cow than see the Buddha

Another big difference was the traffic. I didn't see a single moped, motorcycle or bike. The buses and cars, even taxis, stopped for pedestrians and no one was honking, even when they got cut-off. It was nice to cross the street without feeling like your life was in danger.

Hong Kong was a 100x cleaner than Shanghai. Shanghai isn't littered with trash, it is just dirty. There is this film of smog and dust that settles on everything. I think it is the pollution and the lack of trees, oh and the 12 million plus people.

This next one made me a little sad. In Shanghai we have had to teach our kids to push onto the metro and into elevators (Piper calls them alligators, probably because if you are not quick enough you will lose a limb.) There are so many people, it is every man for himself and if they don't push they will never get through. When the doors opened at our first elevator in Hong Kong they did what they always do, put their elbows out, heads down and plow through. Much to my surprise, people were not shoving them aside to get on. They were actually waiting for us to exit before they entered. The whole time we were there, I was constantly reminding them to hold open the door and let people get off the metro before they get on. Now they are totally confused. They have to remember in China manners are secondary to survival and everywhere else you need to wait your turn.

The best difference (according to me); almost everyone spoke, at least a little, English. Rich will disagree but I don't enjoy seeing him suffer. Sometimes I think it's funny but that's different, right? Anyway, it was refreshing to hear him say, 'I can't understand what you're saying.' In Hong Kong they speak Cantonese, a different dialect but not a different language. So he could still read street sings and price tags but he couldn't understand a word that was said. People would look at him and assume he could understand them but no dice.
In Shanghai, people are constantly talking to me in Chinese. When I put up my hands and say, 'I don't understand.' They start yelling because with volume, comes understanding right? It is aggravating and motivating at the same time. But I think something is missing in my brain. It just doesn't connect. I can hear the same word in Chinese a hundred times and it still doesn't stick. Maybe it is all of the paint fumes I've inhaled throughout the years.

Overall, it was a great trip. A few tips for our next adventure: a hotel with shuttle service from the airport and a heated pool or at least a hot tub.

Here is Lily looking shapely in my bathing suit, since hers was left, nicely packed in her suitcase at home. They only lasted 10 minutes in the pool. The water was freezing.

There were lots of great markets in Hong Kong. This is Mia at the bird market.

Mia at the fish market with some sick looking frogs.

Lily with more birds at the bird market.

Matt at the flower market.

The whole clan at a Buddhist Temple. This is just outside of the night market. The night market starts after sunset and goes until midnight. It's a huge market and I'm sure they sell a little of everything and a lot of one thing...toys, of the adult nature. One minute we are safely strolling through clothing and the next thing I know we've entered the lace and leather section. The isles are so narrow I can't turn the Winnebago (stroller) around, so we just barreled through at full trot. Rich is trying to be a blind on one side and me the other. I think, in the end, all the kids saw was a blur of flesh colored plastic and feathers.

  

Sugar-pie Pipey at a Muslim Mosque. We met a guy there that told us all about Islam and the two angles on his shoulders recording his life. He only had two teeth. I hope he gets the others back when he gets to paradise.

 

Hey Jackie.

This was really cool. It is a series of escalators that run through the middle of Hong Kong. You can ride from one end of the island to the other.

Hong Kong at night.  I don't know who that kid is.

Last but not least. We were able to see Scott Gordon while we were there. Poor Brooke is riding solo for a month while Scott gets rock massages and eats meals full of meat. I'm sure he'll get some work in too. Hong Kong has a million tailors so he and Rich went to lunch and got measured for suits. Scott said the guy that measured them was squeezed so tightly into his clothes he looked like a sausage. Scott kept telling him he likes his suits a little loose. I don't know how his turned out but Rich's looks great.

Rich also made it to the temple. The hotel we were staying at said they had babysitting. However, when we asked about it they said it is a lady that comes to the hotel and tends your kids in your room, good times. She come at the bargain price of 1250 Hong Kong dollars an hour. That is almost $200 US. Can you believe we passed on that deal? We tag teamed instead. Rich went on Friday and I was supposed to go on Saturday but they were closed for conference. They tape it and broadcast it a week later, who knew?

That sums it up. Love you all.

Hong Kong

We are in Hong Kong for a few days. We came for several reasons; the first and most pressing is my visa is about to expire if I didn't leave the country. Rich and the kids all have 90 day visas but since I didn't go with them to San Francisco to get them the grumpy lady at the Chinese consulate would only issue me a 60 day visa.

We also forgot to register with the Chinese police department when we arrived in China. They like to keep a tight grip on all 1.3 billion citizens, as well as the millions of visitors that enter the country. Don’t ask me how they do it but all of the sudden a policeman is at your door asking why you haven’t filled out your little slip of paper detailing why you’re here and how long you plan to stay. Boy, I wish I new. Anyway, if you don't register, you're fined. The fine for our small clan was 2000 RMB, that is about $300. The lady behind the counter mentioned you could leave the country and upon return register within the 72 hour period and the fine is waived. A little backwards but we appreciated the tip and booked our flight.

I'll post pictures tomorrow; after Rich dutifully uploads and labels them. You might notice that Mia and Lily are wearing the same clothes in nearly every photo. We got to the airport and I looked at the bags and realized one was missing. My poor fashion diva Lily is in tears. Oh well, she is calmed with the promise of a few new clothes to get her by. I then look at Mia and realize she is wearing her 'new favorite outfit', again! It is the same outfit she has wore the last two days. This poor girl is going to be wearing clothes that are already dirty for four more days. Yikes! I guess we need to do some shopping. Too bad I can't run to a Target or even Wal-Mart and pick up a few shirts, socks and underwear. Not that simple, we will have to find a market and start haggling. The hardest part will be finding something that doesn't have Chinglish or Hello Kitty plastered all over it. I think the rule of thumb for the Chinese children's fashion world is more. More characters, more sequence, more bows, more beads. To find a plan t-shirt is a mission I am not prepared for. Instead, we settle for the correct spelling of English words and the best deal. I love to bargain but it gets a little exhausting to dicker over everything. I offer half of their asking price and usually end up paying about 60% of the original.

There are so many differences between Shanghai and Hong Kong but I am tired; so you'll have to hold out until tomorrow.

Not my strength.

I am not a good blogger! There are so many lights and people and noise that I am in sensory overload. By the time the day is through I am so intensely tired I just lay down on the bed, fully clothed and pass out.

I see and do things all the time and think, 'I need to post that'.

Besides the hyperstimulation, the other thing that is wearing me out is homeschooling. Even though the US education system is a mess, it is leaps and bounds ahead of me. I never wanted to be a teacher. I am not good at lesson plans or creative songs that help my kids remember when 'c' says 'k' and when it says 's'. With this in mind, I bought a curriculum. It touted the merits of self teaching and how a self taught child is confidant and self motivated and has incredible problem solving skills. We set up the guidelines and told them what was expected and let them loose to cultivate creativity and master quantum physics.

My dreams were soon dashed when I realized my children have no self control (especially Matt). I've mentioned how small our apartment is; so, the 'master suite' also became the classroom. However, there isn't room for two desks so we moved in a table. This put Matt and Lily within such close proximity of each other that they couldn't help but touch and poke and tease.

Needless to say, after a week of hearing, 'Matt's stabbing my paper with his pencil.' and 'Lily won't stop singing.' I decided my children needed supervision and separation.

Being the cheapskate that I am, I couldn't bring myself to buy a new curriculum when I had failed at 'not' teaching the one I just bought. I began searching for 'free curriculums and found a good one called Lesson Pathways. You sign up, pick your grade level and it tells you what topics to cover. It even gives you actives and videos to support what your teaching. We are gung ho, ready to learn. This spunky attitude lasts about two weeks. Then I start to fizzle. It's all the activities and 'fun stuff' that do me in. We learn about ancient China and try to make paper. We end up with gray, mucky sludge that takes a week to dry. We attempt to sculpt some of the animals in the Forbidden City but everyone ends up in tears because there isn't enough clay and we only have white because I forgot to go to the international market to buy food coloring.

At this point I'm ready to spend some money. I sign the kids up for Time4Learning. It is all online. It tracks everyone's progress and I don't have to spend two hours a night doing tomorrow's lesson plan. We have only been at it a week but so far everyone seems happy. Time will tell.

See you tomorrow. Because I am going to do this!