Jet lag, continued...

Today I slipped off for a massage at my favorite spa here. There are so many places to go - one on all corners, but the one I like tends to be a bit more western in atmosphere and feels more "spahhh like" compared to some. I tried a treatment I have not done before, but for sure will be doing again! Here is the description:

"Happy Landing"
Refresh yourself with our in-house remedy for jet lag and travel discomfort that combines 1 hour Chinese massage with a half hour of Oriental Foot Massage and a special half hour Foot Therapy to relieve swelling. - 2 hours, 340 rmb

The special foot therapy was a peppermint mask applied to the feet, then they were wrapped up tight. My feet are still tingling!

Here is a link to the spa, in case you want to check it out:
http://www.dragonfly.net.cn/pages/welcome.htm

One big concept here in China is the Frequent Buyer Card type deal. Many places offer something similar, and at Dragonfly - if you spend 5k rmb, they give you 4k rmb extra on the card. So you end up getting the treatments for about 40% off. Therefore, the treatment I had today was about 180rmb, or $30. Whoever comes to China to visit, the massage is on me!

This is how we roll.....

I think we need psychiatric counseling. Really, I do.

Jet Lag, day 1...and day 2....

We didn't have jetlag when we arrived in Phx. We all adjusted well, slightly different schedule but it worked - up later at night, slept later in morning. After going to bed Sunday night at 930 - we tried to stay up but could not do it - I woke at 2, and everyone else woke at 300am. yes. 3 am. yikes! I made french toast and scrambled eggs and we unpacked while the kids played with toys and just enjoyed being home. The kids went to school - and did fine during the day. I tried to keep moving as I knew otherwise, I would be snooooozzzziiinng.. About 6pm, D crashed on floor in family room and I decided to take a power nap and get up about 7. Well, I never got up - not good when you are trying to get on the right time zone! We all managed to make it till 4 today - I made bacon, eggs and toast this morning (at 430am), and we all had plenty of time to get ready for school...and I was so perky and awake for my mtgs that began at 6. Now, to try and stay up till closer to 8pm tonight...I hope we can do it!

Women dao le! (we have arrived!)

back in China, that is. Long way. LONG way. All in all the trip was fine, but did I mention it was long? And did I mention when we got to the phx airport I realized we were missing a bag? When you have 10 bags, and 4 carry ons, its easy to overlook one - but yes indeed - *MY* bag was still at the house. Luckily, I was able to have my mom bring it to the airport and we got it checked in with about 2 minutes to spare.

Phx to San fran is only 2 hours, then we had 2 hours in the airport, then we boarded the SFO to Shanghai flight, which lasted over 14 hours this time. Yes, you read that right - 14+ hours. Was nice family time. (ha!)

All in all, everyone did fine -the first 7 hours is the worst..really - if you can get through that, you can get through anything. E managed to sleep? which he never does while I - who normally sleeps - kept peace between C and D. They weren't *quite* as angelic as they were on the way over, but it could have been WAY worse. It's just hard to sit there and we were all tired - but just not quite tired enough to sleep. We did many laps around the plane and saw c's teacher and a girl from his class.

A few travel tips I would recommend to those going long distances with kids -
1. ipod, with favorite tv shows loaded, this is a lifesaver!
2. sticker books/activity books for the younger crowd - D loves to do these and will work on them for quite awhile before getting bored
3. food - bring a few treats, along with something more substantial - ie, pbj, cheese stick, nuts, etc. I have to say all airplane food gets worse and worse...this is a good diversion every so often to pull out something new
4. portable games - of course the DS and Psp are well used
5. computer games - some educational games not requiring internet usage can be fun, too
6. then...just sit back and relax and enjoy not being connected to email or the phone!
( I actually had a mom behind us compliment me on my stash of stuff - I had to laugh, as I am so not the organized one - never had a diaper bag, etc. however, I guess having flown a few times like this you learn quickly - if you fail to plan, you plan to fail and 14 hours of failure is not good!

So, we arrived about 615 Sunday pm...got all our bags collected and made it home - we were all so happy to see Yu Wei...D almost ran and gave him a hug - she stopped herself but was funny. Michele had prepared dinner and helped us get started putting things away and we were all in bed, asleep, by 930.

Any good suitcase packers around?

Today will become a day of packing. I tried to pack lightly coming over. I really did. We brought extra bags we planned to fill and I didn't bring tons of clothes for anyone, knowing we would buy some and I could wash daily. However. It is not going to be pretty. CDR got an electric razor scooter for xmas. That is not a small item. Plus all the clothes, dollies, FOOD items (yes, still bringing back some food - a few items I can't name, but then some other things you cant find - Luna bars? my pumpkin flax granola, bbq sauce, beef consumme, etc..etc...) and we are stuffed to the gills. Anyway. I am sure we will work it out but it may be a long day. Wish us luck. Maybe I'll snap a pic of the finished product!

Quick Sidenote, if you have been following, about Martha...

So you don't think I have it totally together while living 7000 miles away and not speaking the language...the night we had the work party, after I had run around like a crazy lady all day - people finally left and we could just sit down a minute to relax and eat ...I looked down...and had 2 DIFFERENT black shoes on! yes. 2 different shoes. now, they were similar - cole haans, with that Nike shox support heel, but still. Can you stand it? Losing it, I tell you. oy. vey. Oh well, am sure if it was noticed they assumed it was some American trend, right???? Here is a picture at the end of the night, I am the one in the front on the left...in case you can't see me ...

CDR living the dream, once again!

One of c's xmas presents was to go to the Suns Game (which was too bad they lost) *and* he got to be the Suns Ball boy. They get to go on the court for all the warm ups, and the neat thing is when they introduce the players, they intro the Ball Boy, etc. So with all the lights dimmed, music going and people cheering - they say " and now, from Concordia International School in Shanghai China...Its CDR!" and he runs through the players high fiving, etc.

I wish I could be CDR! He had a ball, got to talk to all the players and get a basketball fix. His league starts up after we get home, so maybe he will remember some of the moves to use? though, check out this video from his bball camp - maybe he doesn't need any moves???


Here he is at the game, quite serious....

Merry Arizona Christmas to All!

yes, we are back in the states for the holidays. We arrived 12/18 and we leave on Jan 3rd. It has been great to be here. The kids have thoroughly enjoyed themselves so far - play dates, visiting old schools, Target, geez - going to Fry's and picking out chocolate milk and yogurt has been a treat! It's funny how things you take for granted normally, you no longer do! I am sure one day it will be the norm again, but for now it is still a treat to be able to buy what you want at the store for a somewhat reasonable price. I can't tell you how many times I say - no, not buying those pop tarts for $7...or no Trix, its $11/box...wait till we get home. The funny thing is when we lived here, they never even really asked for those things!

My weekly tally is dropping. I often think I should keep track of my massages, mani/pedi's, etc...by the week ...but I never do. I can tell you I have had no mani/pedi or massage in about 2 wks I think! yikes. I did head right to my naturopath for acupuncture (had to clear that shanghai damp!) and have also been to my beloved chiropractor. He was checking out my shoulders...and finally said... there is a knot here, and I don't think its going away! So, yes, apparentley there is some stres somewhere lurking in our life - could be in getting up at 4am during the week, or maybe it was just the long flight over, but it is there somewhere. I knew there was a reason I went for so many massages!

Christmas itself was great, with the kids getting way more than they needed, and me trying to figure out how we might get all this stuff home! am sure we will work it out.

wishing you and yours a happy holiday...with more pictures to come from the week..there is lots to share - suns game,xmas morning, etc....etc... :)

I have seen the Master...

and lived to tell the tale. I debated back and forth about whether I really wanted to go back to the bone setter. Trust me, if you had gone once, you would be thinking the same. I was not going to go, but after 3wks or so my neck felt like it was getting tight again. The original Dr had told me it was best I see the master as I was a tough case and may need an adjustment. Too many bad habits and my knees would lock again.

So! Last Monday I woke up and decided to just do it. I arrived and the waiting room was very busy - I paid and sat down and then the Dr I had seen popped out and saw me - he was very surprised - said he didnt think I would come back! So, I waited my turn, trying not to breathe in the nasty herbs they burn...supposedly for your health. At one point there was a commotion and I heard some noise and someone ran into the room with towels...I had an inkling what was going on, but thought - no...it can't be? Meanwhile, I am texting with E, telling him he hasn't heard from me in 20 min to call Yu-Wei and tell him to go in and get me...and a lady comes out covered in PUKE! omg. She was having her bone setting done, and threw up due to the pain. See - I told you it was one of the most painful experiences of my life...and here I was back to go again??

I quickly text E about this and said I am going to just leave - and of course he says - no, you are already there, just stay and get it done. You already had it done once and you said it helped. Easy for him to say, sitting in his office at work! Then Dr Huang pops out for me - and I said - I was just thinking about leaving after the last one - he said oh no, its ok - The master is very good. uh huh. sure he is. Then he says Master already saw you sitting there, he says you need setting - he can tell by your legs. Ok, so now we are back to my FAT legs again. I said, listen. I do not have fat legs. I am not asian, no. But I DO NOT HAVE FAT LEGS AND DONT SAY THAT AGAIN! Then said there are many american women with fat legs, I am not one of them. He says ummm....ok. We will make your legs look and feel better and then you can come back and we will further tonify the qi in your legs. Ok, much better. I said now that is fine. Put the positive spin on things. Telling someone they have fat legs (when honestly, they aren't fat..) is not a good sales pitch. I really think he should hire a communications expert!

I sit and Master checks out my knees - ah, yes, still too tight. Then he starts working on them. I would say on a scale of 1-10 - his adjustment was about a 4? the first dr the first time was about a 12. It was really manageable, uncomfortable, but I could deal. He also did an adjustment of my arm - he said my hands were numb due to neck tightness. ( didnt even know they were numb) No puke, nothing. He then had me do a few exercises and reminded me no running, kicking, laying flat with knees locked, etc. and I was out the door. I will say my neck feels fine and I am following orders. Will I go back for acupuncture to improve my legs? we shall see. Maybe after the holidays???

Martha is alive and well in China!

Yes, I pulled off the work holiday party from China this year. oy.vey. 25 chinese people, all coming to see how the "laoban" (boss) lives. It is a bit more difficult to host parties here - mainly the food part - figuring out what to serve, and then many things you might normally do are super $$. I managed to come in just slightly above budget.

I ended up doing a mix of things, some chinese (zhongcan) some western(xican). I catered some really yummy appetizers from a local restaurant, then at home did a few more things - michelle made spring rolls, I did crab rounds, meatballs,cheese/crackers/salami...dessert we put out fresh fruit, and I had made cookies and cupcakes. Chinese are huge on fruit for dessert, I think they ate all of it! All the food seemed to be a hit - There was not much of anything left, a few spring rolls (we had made 100!) and a few indian meatballs.

Kids were quite good and had so much attention but it was Wrigs that was the star of the show. They loved him! So here was our 11 year old dog, doing tricks and getting treats all night long - he was in heaven! Connor sang to his Wii american idol game. D showed off all her babies.
e's admin - who loves to take pictures - got a snapshot of just about everything we own, I think. Was too funny!

It was a long day and I am glad to be done!!! Now I can get us ready to leave this Thursday.

Germs, germs, germs!

I have been told by many people here that we will likely have some viruses and infections we don't get at home - different bugs, germs, weather, etc. Ok, I suppose that makes sense. What I am not fine with - is what DCR had in October. I did not even take a picture of it in its acute state - it was AWFUL! She had gotten a tattoo on her temple/forehead at a birthday party, which had to be scrubbed quite hard to get off. The next day, E noticed a slight rash (I was gone to the states). Well, the day after - full blown rash that looked like an outbreak of the worst acne you have ever seen! When I got back I ended up taking her to the DR, - and though they didnt culture it, he said it was either MRSA or some form of infantigo - a skin infection. MRSA is the penicillian resistant bacteria that abounds in hospitals, though it can be other places too. He said he would give same rx whatever the culture said, so sent us home with rx for bactrim (the packets we mix ourselves again!) and said to do hot compresses 4 times a day. This all started Oct 26. I took this picture of her last night - you can still see the spots. I do think they will eventually be gone - but can you even believe this?? just crazy! SO, new rule in the house - no tattoos anywhere and especially nothing on faces. nuts!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

even in China!

We are surprised at the decorations they have out here locally - lights on trees, santa and his sleigh posted on buildings. Very festive, really. Note my santa next to the tree, E bought it at the flower market for me - he is life size and really handsome!

We didn't bring any holiday decorations with us - for any holidays. none. Just wasn't on the list. So, I was able to find some ornaments at the flower market, ikea and the fake market - some really pretty ones, too, I might add. We borrowed a tree from friends that have 2 here. E was so happy that it was about 8 ft tall and was super easy to put up, vs the one we have at home that takes a village to get up and decorated. We rushed to get it done last weekend as we realized we won't get to enjoy it if we don't get it up now as we leave for Az on the 18th. Here are a few pics, for your viewing pleasure and a few of the house. I never think to post any house pics, but imagine somepeople wonder what its like to live here - and now you will know, it's not so different from being at home!

Chinese Chiropractor?

I don't know how I get myself into these things. Really, I don't. I do go to a chiro in AZ, as well as a naturopath for acupuncture. I have found that going to them on a monthly basis usually keeps me in pretty good shape, otherwise I have a sore back or stiff neck or something causing me grief. So, here I am...in the land of acupuncture - the birthplace of traditional chinese medicine. I had a recommendation for a dr here, he speaks good english and has college degree from canada, then studied for the TCM aspect locally. I really haven't had many issues that required dr'ing here - which is good - but my neck and shoulders were really bothering me. So much that I had to break down and go. Now, I figured a few acupuncture needles, maybe acupressure in a spot or two and maybe chinese cupping. Well. that. was. not. the. case.

I arrive at this clinic, and they have disgusting herbs cooking - it was not moxibustion (a local chinese herb that is supposed to cure all that ails) but it smelled just as bad. Then a young guy pops out (young - I can say as he was probably a few years younger than me!) and says - are you here to see me? um, who are you?
well, indeed - it was Dr. huang. his card says:
Ph.D., Shanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Master of Medicine, China Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Bachelor of Neuro-Science, University of Toronto

I tell him my issue - sore shoulder/stiff neck - and he immediately tells me it is most likely in my knees. All back and neck issues stem from knees, then he tells me he can tell without looking I have issue as my lower body is bigger than my top - means qi is blocked. (at this point, I am ready to knock him out as my legs are NOT fat??? hello? but of course, my vainness krept in and I thought, well what if my legs look better after treatment?? that would be good!)
ok, I say - but my knees feel fine?
No, he says, they feel fine now - in 20 years, you won't be able to straighten them out! He then shows me a "normal knee" - his, and then looks at mine - ah, not normal.
ok...looks normal to me? they are locked, he says. Me - locked? I dont think so? they bend??
no - see, they need to look like this. I can fix them.
hmmm..fix them? how? I just wanted to have acupuncture?
No, he says - it won't work - will be short term. I will fix them then you come back for acupuncture.
Ok, so what do you do? (my first clue should have been when walking into his office - there was a stool next to a handicap rail - and you are supposed to hold onto the rail while he works on your knees!)
So he says he will do a chiropractic adjust on my knees??
yikes! I almost bolted. Really, but my neck was just a mess. So, I sit. and then worry as I had not told E where I was going - what if he breaks my leg or something? oy.

So, I hold onto the rail and he starts "unlocking my kneecap". I very nearly passed out from the pain! I can't tell you how much it hurt! He says - your knees, locked very badly - um, yes...I guess so?
and by the way lets skip the other knee for today - I really feel MUCH better.
No, no. he says....you won't get better with one knee. This will be ok, very fast. At this point, I was unable to say no - trying to catch my breath...so he moved to the next one...truly as bad as the first. Once he was done, he stretched me out, showed me some excercises and gave me a list of things NOT to do for the next month or so, as my knees may lock back up again! I said "what"!!! lock up again? you must be kidding? No, you have to take care. So, no running, big kicks, etc till they settle.

then, he says - my master, he will be here in Dec, you should come back. He has studied bone setting for over 40 yrs, was a buddhist monk in tibet. Bone setting? yes, that is what we just did - chinese call it Tui Na, but its bone setting. Ok, I would not have been signing up for something called bone setting! ack! Adjustment, ok - setting? yikes! You had very bad locked knees, he should check you. I then made my way out as quickly as I could move - was quite shaky at that point and was sure he did my knees so that I would have sore knees and forget how much my neck hurt!

And...the punchline is...I have no neck pain. at all. cured. My knees feel ok now, a tiny bit sore after a few workout classes but no neck pain at all. This is good. So, now to decide do I go back to see the master, or call it a day? Supposedly the master does not hurt. ha! He did say once my knees are ok I can come back for acupuncture. We'll see. E thinks I should go back. I am not so sure....!

Happy Thanksgiving, albeit a bit late!

Hope everyone has had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with lots of turkey and things to be thankful for! We did celebrate here, though not in the traditional way. We went to Lawry's and had turkey and prime rib on Thursday night. It was quite good, though not as good as homeade! We could have put together the meal here - but for the trouble of hunting down the ingrediants, and making it - and the cost - it was just as easy to go out. The turkeys are imported from the US and are about $8/lb for whole turkey, about $12/lb for turkey breast. We'll have ours at Christmas for much less!

The kids got out of school Thursday at 1130, and no school on Friday. Has been a nice weekend so far - Thursday they played outside most of the afternoon and then C had soccer (getting pretty cold for soccer at 5pm here!) then Friday they both had various play dates, friends over and then they headed over to the original clubhouse with Michele and their friends and their ayi - they had a pack of about 12 kids that went to play. It was rough, but E and I went for manicures, pedicures and head and shoulder massages while they were off on their playdate. We met a group out last night at Din Tai Feng, which is pretty much our favorie all time restaurant here.

When we arrived home, we got our Tree up - it looks ok. Not like the one at home, but it was free (we borrowed) and much easier to assemble! The crazy thing is you cant find any ornament hooks here! I had to tie ribbon on to all the ornaments to hang them. Really, was so fun. (???) We didnt bring any ornaments or deco with us - so I bought some at the market, and ikea...and we have plenty. I did win 2 xmas decorations at the school bazaar - so that was good - a nativity scene and a dancing/singing santa/snowman thing. I never win - so was quite excited at my haul!

I know I had more tidbits to share but I can't remember them right now? I will for sure be back. Today will be busy with soccer games, and showing some potential expats the fake market, neighborhood, school, etc then we are going to a party tonight. I'll be back!

Chinese american idol?

I went into the office today. I don't go into the office much, no need, really. Today, I was asked to judge an english contest. 30 people had 2 minutes each to stand up and talk about whatever they chose to....and then they were judged on Manner, Grammar, Fluency, etc. After each person went, you had to give a few comments....I am pretty sure I threw out a few " that was a bit pitchy...and you really have to bring it if you want to win comments!" Paula might want to look out, I may be the judge if they decide to really have a Chinese AI! One guy actually did sing - not very well - but we had to give him props for trying. The topics were somewhat odd and off the wall - random. One guy talked about his gay friend, one girl talked about getting up in the night with her baby and how tired she was, several talked about hope and what does it mean - and success - how does one truly find success (pretty lofty topics, I thought, for someone learning the language?) One gal had memorized McCain's concession speech and recited that? Another acted as the CEO of Google and announced layoffs. Wacky. Then I stood up and they asked me questions like - how to learn english? (um, practice and study?) what is most important element - ( pronunciation works for me - if I can't understand, its a problem!) Fortunately, no one asked me to demo my chinese!

The crazy part was(ok, it was all a bit crazy but bear with me) -when we were done - (2 more rounds to go, so no winner yet) - all these people came over and wanted their pictures taken WITH ME! Me, as in AD? Can you stand it? It happens out and about here with the kids, but rarely do they take pics of me or E, and I was not expecting it at work of all places. I think E's admin was the first one over? Just wild. good thing my hair looked ok today - can you imagine? Anyway, I am not sure why I dont get this reception back in Chandler, but I will sure be letting them know!

Gonna a be a long winter...

2 degrees celcius at 745 this am. That's about 36F. Yikes it is cold if you add the wind and the humidity. Guess I better start shopping.

An Open Letter to CEO of The Coca Cola Company:

Dear Sir -

Though I rarely take time to send suggestions and feedbacks on products that I use - I felt most compelled to write. Whose idea was it to change the Diet Coke (hereby known as DC) Recipe in Asia, therefore calling it the most deceptive "Coke Light"? Aren't the Coke recipes locked away in a secret place and duplicated religiously? Was a taste test done across Asia to determine that those living in the far east wouldn't be happy with the original DC?
Enough of the problem - let's talk about solutions as there is still time to please a loyal customer of over 20 years, someone who ONLY drinks DC normally and would almost give her eye-teeth to be able to have it while in China! The Coke light - ugh...just not good - too sweet, too flat, blech. blech. blech. On the rare occasion I have found a true DC....the cost was $3.00 a can. Yes, $3. I admit, I have bought a couple for that insane cost, but I would be much happier for a bit of a bargain.
Please contact me if I can be of service in launching the real DC here, though I do have a day job, I would be willing to double up and support the efforts to ensure a smooth, affordable pipeline of DC.
Regards,

Cluck, cluck, (organic) chicken!

Not sure how widespread the news has been around the world about the melamine found in eggs here? I know the milk was widely broadcast, but since then, they discovered it in eggs, too. nice, huh? Anyway, I am not normally an organic food buyer at home -sometimes I did but not a requirement. Here I do tend to buy more organic items, at least it seems like it might be better - there is enough crap around on a daily basis. So - the eggs I have normally been buying, which were not found to have the melamine in them - have a color brochure that comes with each box (yes, these are expensive eggs!) - I find it very interesting - here are some snipets -

"sun daily farm is in Mount Qipu, where thousands of ancient cypress release massive negative oxygen ion continually (is this good??)......
All hens are of pure german genetics...breathe joyfully under the shade, walk freely in the forest (I might enjoy living at Mt Qipu, too, I do have German blood!)....
Supplied with nutrition balanced organic corn, soybean, every day - they also can enjoy the green grass, and spring freely!(I don't spring too much anymore, myself...)..
they then go on to say they run an egg researh institute with phd's to ensure the best quality eggs.

Anyway - they are quite good, and don't contain any chemicals, so we will go with them for now. I just thought it sounds like a pretty good life!

Sir Wrigley

As I had mentioned, Wrigley flew back with me a couple of weeks ago. I hired a pet company to assist and we routed through Beijing to avoid the Quarantine here in Shanghai. Please don't ask why there would be a locked up Q in Shanghai but not in Beijing...I couldn't tell you why! While it was expensive I felt it was well worth it.

When I arrived in Beijing, there was a person waiting for me to get off the plane, he took me to get my bags, then to get Wrigley, then to the Q office. Wrigley couldnt get out of his crate there and when he saw me he just howled! I know he said he had to go to the bathroom!!! By this time he had been in his crate for about 19 -20 hours! The Q office filled out some paperwork, took a pic of me and wrigs - still in the crate - then told me to leave. The escort took me out into the airport where another person was there from the company - world care pet - to meet me. She told me he would need to stay there for 3 hours. So, my mom - who was with me, and I got a starbucks...and sat to wait. Side note, had not been to Beijing airport - was huge - and freezing! very nice, but way too cold. So we waited...and waited...and then tried out a Big Mac.....(same by they way as home!)..waited more...then out she came wheeling wrigs on a cart....he saw me and just let out another howl...She then arranged to have a car pick us up so we could take Wrigs offsite to get out, go to the bathroom, have a drink, etc. My mom stayed at the airport with all our bags, and off we went. He was so happy to run around. There were no accidents in his crate - he had held it for about 24 hours at this point! Quickly we headed back to the airport, and then went to check in for our next flight. I felt so bad sending him off again, but we had no choice. Finally, we landed in Shanghai, and went to get the bags....and...the first thing down the luggage carousel was WRIGS! omg! I quickly got the cart over and someone helped us get him off. I have never been so happy to be home in my life! The whole process was about 30 hours...and Wrigs did just wonderful. He is settling in really well.

The other thing we had to do once he arrived was register him - for $150 the police will register him so they wont come to take him away. we hear about them raiding neighborhoods and taking dogs - you have to pay tons of money to get them and sometimes you never get them back. SO, we paid for that and will have to also do it again in Feb - as that is their annual registration period. I felt it was money well spent!

here he is, in one of the pics we took for the police -

An All Star Winner!

C made it to the all star baseball team here in Shanghai...and today they played against a Japanese team. The start did not look good - the other team very coordinated and they play together every week. They were up at bat first and all of them hit the ball way into the outfield. Our boys were really scrambling! A change came about after the first couple of innings, however and they did great! C had more great plays then I can relay - multiple hits, outs, just did a super job all around. Final score was 31-28.

I must say I might need to work on my coordination as I had a hard time - watching and cheering for C, keeping an eye on D (who was running around with other kids) answering e's text messages on HOW IS THE GAME! and trying to snap pics from my phone - which is not a good camera for sports pics, to send to E.
It was quite a disaster. So, I didnt really get any action shots, but here is one of the baseball boy...and my neighbor, thankfully, who wasnt doing all at once did get a few good ones that he will forward my way. After that we made a run into ikea, which was close by, for a few things, and then we stopped at california pizza kitchen - our first time here- we kind of had an all american day, right here in china! As tired as they kids were, the miraculously recovered on arriving home - C ran out the door to his friends and D and Michele went right to the park. I predict good sleep for all tonight!