with a great Australian cab coming in close behind. Was fun, will load some pictures as I can get them downloaded.
Meanwhile, I am really having issues today as I NEED to go shopping. I really need to get into Target, or Nordstroms, even Fry's! I just did some online shopping, which isnt quite the same - but got some things for D, who needs nothing, at www.boden.com...they have the cutest things. I also had some Luna bars shipped to AZ, to have when I get there this summer... now I realize that is aways a way, but I just needed to get them on their way. They have a new flavor that I really liked - White Chocolate Macadamia...very good! A guy from work flew over for mtgs this week and brought some things from AZ - Luna bars, other granola bars you can't find here that kids like, something I had ordered for D's bday, etc. With the travel so constrained due to budgets its putting a crimp on my supply line!
Off to get our day started, figuring out how we are supposed to submit our tax stuff to the company that will process them and get that started...sounds like fun, I know. Happy March 1!!!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Sat night is Open that Bottle Night...so what are *you* opening?
I read about OTBN last year - its something the wall street journal started 10 years ago. You are supposed to open a bottle of wine you have been saving for that special day, but never open. Its fun to get people together and have them tell their story about the special bottle. We did it in AZ last year and are hosting an OTBN wine tasting party tonight. We are serving a Gargiulo Cab, as we have stories and pictures to share of the winery, the Michael Chiarello cooking show we were in, etc. Love the wine and winery. We'll see if its the winner in tonights reviews. We don't have most of our good napa wines here...though we do get some from our favorite local napa store - napa reserve. I couldnt part with the Realm or Silver Oak. We do have more Gargiulo at home, patiently aging and waiting for our return to the valley of the sun. Stay tuned for the results!
Friday, February 27, 2009
speaking of health and wellness...and dr's...
I returned to my chinese bone setter today. I have a friend who has been having a lot of neck and back pain and I kept telling her she probably would be a good candidate for treatment! So, we finally went and yes, she was in dire need of having her knees adjusted! I had told her it was severely painful, but until you do it...I am not sure you can really understand that feeling of hot and cold and dizziness then the feeling like you will surely puke or pass out...then he is done! She was a trooper and did it but agreed with my assessment on the pain level. She was already feeling better when we left. I hope it helps her as much as it helped me as she had been going for massage etc constantly with no relief.
I also had him check me as I was feeling some pain in my hip - very annoying - specially as I have been such the exercise queen lately, with 1 or 2 workouts a day. Sure enough, the one knee was not bad but had locked back some, the other one was fine. So I too had to suffer through an adjustment, but nothing like the first time. It was well worth it, as I already feel better.
Maybe one day, I will get to go and have something else done - acupuncture, etc but he won't do that if your knees are not ok! My friend is taking her sister, mom and mil next month when the arrive in china - and Dr Huang has named me his new PR mgr and will have my referral check waiting, at least he says he will! If you are planning to come this way, let me know and I will get your appt made pronto!
I also had him check me as I was feeling some pain in my hip - very annoying - specially as I have been such the exercise queen lately, with 1 or 2 workouts a day. Sure enough, the one knee was not bad but had locked back some, the other one was fine. So I too had to suffer through an adjustment, but nothing like the first time. It was well worth it, as I already feel better.
Maybe one day, I will get to go and have something else done - acupuncture, etc but he won't do that if your knees are not ok! My friend is taking her sister, mom and mil next month when the arrive in china - and Dr Huang has named me his new PR mgr and will have my referral check waiting, at least he says he will! If you are planning to come this way, let me know and I will get your appt made pronto!
The ski crew...
here we are, the last day of our ski trip.....the whole lot of us in front of our cabin. Really was fun, I think we will do it again next year.
Health and Wellness...
One thing I was concerned/curious about before moving here was the health care available, or not available. We have now been to the dr for several things, mostly small nuisance items - never ending coughs, with the exception of the flesh eating bacteria that D seemed to have last fall! (ok, it wasnt that but it was certainly bad!). There is a clinic very close, about 5 min away that has many american trained drs, all the staff speaks english and the facility is ok - its mainly a dr office - though you could go for some urgent care, too. Its open 7 days a week which is good. A few weeks ago I took D in for a cough that had been lingering for a couple of weeks and just sounded awful. I made the appt, they made with a dr I had not seen yet, so I went to check the website to see his credentials.
Here they are:
MD, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia (U.S.)
BS, Yale University, New Haven (U.S.)
Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia; du Pont Hospital for Children, Wilmington (U.S.)
Fellowship, Nemours Center for Children's Health Media and KidsHealth. org., Wilmington (U.S.)
Medical Director, Christiana Pediatric Hospitalists, Christiana Hospital, Wilmington (U.S.)
Urgent Care Physician, Emergency Department, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (U.S.) 2002-03
Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
U.S. Board Certified in Pediatrics
hmmmm....I realize you can't tell everything by credentials, but he is certainly well schooled and trained, so if he paid attention while he was educated, we should be good to go! He was fine when we met him, and of course it wasnt a dire issue and...as usual, he did what I would have done had I been the dr and gave the antibiotic I would have suggested. So all in all, was a good visit.
We also have been to the dentist here...a bit more cryptic to find one to try....very few american dentists here, only a couple that follow ADA practices. I dont know that was an absolute requirement, but I did want to know what I was getting. I ended up finding a great clinic, very close to our house that was originally just an Ortho that comes from Hong Kong every month...I had emailed him as I was having some drama with a tooth and he responded right away and advised he would also have a collegue coming to Shanghai for general dentistry in Jan. The kids and I saw him this month and it was quite fine. The odd part was he did the whole exam and cleaning, vs the assistant doing the cleaning. I guess maybe that isnt a profession here, but not sure? the equipment was new, modern and seemed fine. He was from Chicago and studied at northwestern. Seemed ok, enough in fact to have a crown replaced.
So, for day to day things, I think we are set. I still hear horror stories of if you have any major issues, but try not to dwell on that - we know where closest emergency rooms are and our service center in the neighborhood has people that speak english and chinese, so I think if we needed to get somewhere and explain something in an emergency, we could do that. I hope we don't have to try it out, however!
Here they are:
MD, University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, Philadelphia (U.S.)
BS, Yale University, New Haven (U.S.)
Residency: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia; du Pont Hospital for Children, Wilmington (U.S.)
Fellowship, Nemours Center for Children's Health Media and KidsHealth. org., Wilmington (U.S.)
Medical Director, Christiana Pediatric Hospitalists, Christiana Hospital, Wilmington (U.S.)
Urgent Care Physician, Emergency Department, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia (U.S.) 2002-03
Fellow, American Academy of Pediatrics
U.S. Board Certified in Pediatrics
hmmmm....I realize you can't tell everything by credentials, but he is certainly well schooled and trained, so if he paid attention while he was educated, we should be good to go! He was fine when we met him, and of course it wasnt a dire issue and...as usual, he did what I would have done had I been the dr and gave the antibiotic I would have suggested. So all in all, was a good visit.
We also have been to the dentist here...a bit more cryptic to find one to try....very few american dentists here, only a couple that follow ADA practices. I dont know that was an absolute requirement, but I did want to know what I was getting. I ended up finding a great clinic, very close to our house that was originally just an Ortho that comes from Hong Kong every month...I had emailed him as I was having some drama with a tooth and he responded right away and advised he would also have a collegue coming to Shanghai for general dentistry in Jan. The kids and I saw him this month and it was quite fine. The odd part was he did the whole exam and cleaning, vs the assistant doing the cleaning. I guess maybe that isnt a profession here, but not sure? the equipment was new, modern and seemed fine. He was from Chicago and studied at northwestern. Seemed ok, enough in fact to have a crown replaced.
So, for day to day things, I think we are set. I still hear horror stories of if you have any major issues, but try not to dwell on that - we know where closest emergency rooms are and our service center in the neighborhood has people that speak english and chinese, so I think if we needed to get somewhere and explain something in an emergency, we could do that. I hope we don't have to try it out, however!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Where does the time go?
I can't believe I last blogged 2/10? Yikes. What have we been doing? Well, pretty much same as we always do, really! Posting a picture here of D in her Chinese New Year get up - they had a show at school and the kids were to wear chinese attire:
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Did I mention they have real Diet Coke in Japan?
It's true. Real, D.C. It was good, too. Now why they don't have it here in China, I couldn't tell you. TCF. I did bring a few cans back in my suitcase. I know, I am losing it.
One thing I found fascinating in Japan was their vending machines. First off, they were everywhere. I mean on every corner. Second, they were so fancy - all showing the products they had to offer. They had machines with hot and cold drinks. Coffee/latte/expresso, hot in a can was a big hit there. We did try a couple and they were good. They also had vending machines that made food - french fries, nuggets - no clue how they worked, I didnt get a chance to try it but I thought that was pretty nifty.
The other thing we got a kick out of was the fake food. All the restaurants have fake food sitting in the windows, so you can see what they have on their menu. There is even a street you can go to that has all fake food you can buy. I have to say the fake food does not look so yummy? so not sure if it really lures people in or not, but it is interesting, to say the least. The 2 pics here were of fake food available at a market in the airport. you could buy fresh fish, sushi, katsu, bento boxes, etc. You name it.
We all loved the food - the kids had sushi every day, sometimes for all meals. There was a lot of other good stuff too - tempura, teppanayki, katsu bowls, yum!
One thing I found fascinating in Japan was their vending machines. First off, they were everywhere. I mean on every corner. Second, they were so fancy - all showing the products they had to offer. They had machines with hot and cold drinks. Coffee/latte/expresso, hot in a can was a big hit there. We did try a couple and they were good. They also had vending machines that made food - french fries, nuggets - no clue how they worked, I didnt get a chance to try it but I thought that was pretty nifty.
The other thing we got a kick out of was the fake food. All the restaurants have fake food sitting in the windows, so you can see what they have on their menu. There is even a street you can go to that has all fake food you can buy. I have to say the fake food does not look so yummy? so not sure if it really lures people in or not, but it is interesting, to say the least. The 2 pics here were of fake food available at a market in the airport. you could buy fresh fish, sushi, katsu, bento boxes, etc. You name it.
We all loved the food - the kids had sushi every day, sometimes for all meals. There was a lot of other good stuff too - tempura, teppanayki, katsu bowls, yum!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Tokyo....what did we think?
We all really enjoyed Tokyo....it was so clean, the traffic stopped for pedestrians, and no yucky smells coming from all over. The downfall would be that it is very $, but for a vacation, I think its ok.
When we arrived the boys went off to a championship sumo wrestling match, and the girls, well, we took the subway and a taxi to Costco! On the way we stopped for a quick sushi lunch....
We were there with another family also from Az and it was great to have someone to run around with. We managed to do quite a bit over the long weekend...tons of sushi, the fish market (the boys went to the auction that is held at 530 in the morning and the tuna's sell for over $10k usd)..we spent a day at Disney. They did a good job there, very much like Disney in Orange county with many of the same rides. We had a beautiful sunny day to be there, and it was a lot of fun for all of us.
I would love to share more today, but for some reason my pictures keep getting blocked and I am unable to upload. (tcf?) I will update more later this week!
When we arrived the boys went off to a championship sumo wrestling match, and the girls, well, we took the subway and a taxi to Costco! On the way we stopped for a quick sushi lunch....
We were there with another family also from Az and it was great to have someone to run around with. We managed to do quite a bit over the long weekend...tons of sushi, the fish market (the boys went to the auction that is held at 530 in the morning and the tuna's sell for over $10k usd)..we spent a day at Disney. They did a good job there, very much like Disney in Orange county with many of the same rides. We had a beautiful sunny day to be there, and it was a lot of fun for all of us.
I would love to share more today, but for some reason my pictures keep getting blocked and I am unable to upload. (tcf?) I will update more later this week!
Ok, how many Weight Watcher Points in a Din Tai Feng jedzhi (dumpling)????
Someone has to know?
For those of you that know me in real life - and I would have to guess most people that read this do, you know that I am a fan of WW. I have used the program several times over the years to develop better eating habits and lose weight. It worked very well for me after having C and D, and I really think it just teaches healthy living. Well, after living what I consider the last few months of NOT healthy eating, an opportunity arose to do a trial WW series here in Shanghai. WW is new to China and in my opinion, targeting to people that aren't chinese, and they are trying to get local expats to try it out. It's free, though they are hoping you will chronicle your tales in one of the Shanghai Expat mags. I sent off a note volunteering and was one of the chose few. For the next 11 weeks, I can attend mtgs, obtain all the books and info and live the WW life. Lucky me. Little do they know my chronicling will be likely be here on Lavida Loca!
I went to the first mtg last week - and it was like one I went to years ago. A mix of people, but no Asians. Lots of Australians. All trying to be healthy. I will say I felt the most informed, having done this before, but its never easy. 18 points of food, well, its not a lot of food! The upside is I have been thinking twice before eating things, and my snacks have all been fruits or lean proteins. I was feeling quite out of control as many of my normal go-to foods, just don't exist here or are way too much $. (tai gui le) For example - I used to eat lean cuisines for lunch most days. Here, there is one store that carries them, and they are $7-9/each. (those are off the list now!) Roasted deli turkey - very little to chose from, and 2x the price as home. 7 or 9 grain whole wheat breads - well, let's just say Chinese people don't really eat bread, so it is hard to find good bread here, most I wouldnt waste the calories on. Yogurt - at home it will be on sale 4/1$. Here the one we like is imported from California - and its about $2.50/carton. I do buy this, as the kids and I do eat it and like it a lot. I figure there is some nutritional value? and the calcium is good for us all. But that is crazy $ for yogurt! What do you do?
I guess the good news is I made good choices while eating this past weekend (mostly out I might add) and I bumped up my exercise. What I dont have the answer to is how many points I ate last night at our favorite dumpling restaurant....and I guess I may never know. I just wrote off all my extra points I had for the week and will call it a day.
For those of you that know me in real life - and I would have to guess most people that read this do, you know that I am a fan of WW. I have used the program several times over the years to develop better eating habits and lose weight. It worked very well for me after having C and D, and I really think it just teaches healthy living. Well, after living what I consider the last few months of NOT healthy eating, an opportunity arose to do a trial WW series here in Shanghai. WW is new to China and in my opinion, targeting to people that aren't chinese, and they are trying to get local expats to try it out. It's free, though they are hoping you will chronicle your tales in one of the Shanghai Expat mags. I sent off a note volunteering and was one of the chose few. For the next 11 weeks, I can attend mtgs, obtain all the books and info and live the WW life. Lucky me. Little do they know my chronicling will be likely be here on Lavida Loca!
I went to the first mtg last week - and it was like one I went to years ago. A mix of people, but no Asians. Lots of Australians. All trying to be healthy. I will say I felt the most informed, having done this before, but its never easy. 18 points of food, well, its not a lot of food! The upside is I have been thinking twice before eating things, and my snacks have all been fruits or lean proteins. I was feeling quite out of control as many of my normal go-to foods, just don't exist here or are way too much $. (tai gui le) For example - I used to eat lean cuisines for lunch most days. Here, there is one store that carries them, and they are $7-9/each. (those are off the list now!) Roasted deli turkey - very little to chose from, and 2x the price as home. 7 or 9 grain whole wheat breads - well, let's just say Chinese people don't really eat bread, so it is hard to find good bread here, most I wouldnt waste the calories on. Yogurt - at home it will be on sale 4/1$. Here the one we like is imported from California - and its about $2.50/carton. I do buy this, as the kids and I do eat it and like it a lot. I figure there is some nutritional value? and the calcium is good for us all. But that is crazy $ for yogurt! What do you do?
I guess the good news is I made good choices while eating this past weekend (mostly out I might add) and I bumped up my exercise. What I dont have the answer to is how many points I ate last night at our favorite dumpling restaurant....and I guess I may never know. I just wrote off all my extra points I had for the week and will call it a day.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Just a quick one....
I haven't had time to upload all the pics we took but Connor's snowboard instructor took these of him from her phone..and emailed us, so they were easy. I still can't get over how well he did with so little instruction. She said he was so determined and focused and he did extremely well for someone his age. It takes a lot of strength to board and he apparently had the knack for it (ok, enough of my proud mom speech, I will be quiet now).
He is ready to go again soon, I however may need a year to recover! The process of getting everyone dressed and undressed in all the gear and boots every day is exhausting! I won't be moving anywhere cold, anytime soon.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Skiing....in Japan!
Last week was Chinese New Years, also referred to as Golden Week. 2009 is the year of the OX. For the week there is no work here and fireworks GALORE. They go off all day and night. Lots of family celebrations - everyone goes home to their families to eat and celebrate. They have lots of customs to follow to plan for their health, prosperity etc in the new year. Its the biggest holiday here. And...well...we left before it happened!
We decided to head out for the week and went to Japan for siteseeing and skiing. We started in Tokyo, where we saw Sumo wrestling, Costco (yes, costco), the fish market and auction, a local temple, took a boat ride, Tokyo Disney, shops, and ate lots of sushi. Then we flew to Sapporo, took about a 2 hour bus ride and arrived at the Rusutsu Resort in Northern Japan for our ski trip. We rented a 24 person cabin with 3other families - had 8 adults and 8 kids. Pictures to come, but I will say the kids had a great time - C snowboarded, D skied, and both did just great. They loved it. We were on our way home Sat but were waylaid due to weather ..we got on our flight from sapporo to sendai, got all the way to sendai, then the plane was turned around due to weather in sendai. So - we went back to Sapporo, spent the night there and then got up and did it again! This time we made it to Sendai, then onto Shanghai. So after almost 48 hours we arrived home! yikes. All was ok, kids were good but it was a bit long. We arrived about 8pm ...made run to Carrefour (the grocery store) and hosted a superbowl party the next morning at 630am for about 15 people. Back later with pictures and more scoop on skiing.
We decided to head out for the week and went to Japan for siteseeing and skiing. We started in Tokyo, where we saw Sumo wrestling, Costco (yes, costco), the fish market and auction, a local temple, took a boat ride, Tokyo Disney, shops, and ate lots of sushi. Then we flew to Sapporo, took about a 2 hour bus ride and arrived at the Rusutsu Resort in Northern Japan for our ski trip. We rented a 24 person cabin with 3other families - had 8 adults and 8 kids. Pictures to come, but I will say the kids had a great time - C snowboarded, D skied, and both did just great. They loved it. We were on our way home Sat but were waylaid due to weather ..we got on our flight from sapporo to sendai, got all the way to sendai, then the plane was turned around due to weather in sendai. So - we went back to Sapporo, spent the night there and then got up and did it again! This time we made it to Sendai, then onto Shanghai. So after almost 48 hours we arrived home! yikes. All was ok, kids were good but it was a bit long. We arrived about 8pm ...made run to Carrefour (the grocery store) and hosted a superbowl party the next morning at 630am for about 15 people. Back later with pictures and more scoop on skiing.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Dontcha wish you lived in Shanghai China, just like me....
Yummy! Check out my latest find....I'll never be able to move back to AZ now!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
A few photos ..from the weekend...
Here are a few from our authentic chinese dinner on Sat. It was about a 5 minute walk from the house and was really good! We will for sure go back..as every dish was great. The kids loved everything, too. We had 17 people with all the kids and our total bill was about 700 rmb, which is about $100USD. Pretty cheap, and it included beer.
Here is a pic of the dining room, is that traditional chinese style dining, family style, big round tables with lazy susans, oh and almost forgot - the cigarette smoke - gack! was bad...when we first walked in all the kids kept their hands over their mouth and noses. They wanted to put us in the middle of the room but we convinced them to seat us elsewhere, I think using e's method of - why? why? why? till they give in:
Here is where you can choose your dinner, if you like:
and here we are, eating! yes, Delaney enjoyed the ribs...:
Here is a pic of the dining room, is that traditional chinese style dining, family style, big round tables with lazy susans, oh and almost forgot - the cigarette smoke - gack! was bad...when we first walked in all the kids kept their hands over their mouth and noses. They wanted to put us in the middle of the room but we convinced them to seat us elsewhere, I think using e's method of - why? why? why? till they give in:
Here is where you can choose your dinner, if you like:
and here we are, eating! yes, Delaney enjoyed the ribs...:
Saturday, January 17, 2009
No dinner problems the last couple of nights at least!
....as we have gone out. I promise to next time take pictures - I got a new small digital for Xmas for the purpose of snapping pics while out and about and I am still in the "oh I forgot to bring my camera mode"...but its coming, really.
Thursday we went to a wine dinner at Lawry's Prime Rib hosted by a wine store we frequent here. It's called Napa Reserve and they are a distributor of only Napa wines. Their family owns Howell Mtn Vineyards in Napa, are Chinese and they have this store here to sell Napa wines in China. The son, Zeon runs the store here and they always have fun wine activities. The dinner was yummy....scallops, prime rib, etc - with way too much wine and champagne flowing a bit too fast. (as in, you have one sip and they are adding more to your glass!) This is good, but not sure it is so good on a Thursday night when you have to get up early the next day! We brought along 2 other couples and there were about 20 people total there. Was very nice. I will digress momentarily to an event I went to a couple months ago they hosted. E was traveling so I took a friend and it was an Opus One tasting, with wines from 9 different harvests. The president of Opus was there and spoke about the winery, and all the scoop. They had prepared a specific amuse bouche with each wine and it was really nicely done. I was quite glad I went despite E being gone.
Friday night, despite the fact we were pooped, we ventured out to the Shanghai World Financial Center for dinner. This is currently the tallest bldg in the world and really amazing to go to the top and see the city. We however, didnt go to the top, we did the opposite and went to the basement! I had heard they have a food court there (yes, called a food court?) so we thought we would give it a try. Well, this was nothing like a food court, trust me. Next time, as we will go back, I will post pics. It was incredible. There were about 12 different choices of "restaurants" and it was very upscale - tableclothes, silver, waiters, a very nice cocktail lounge etc. The kids were thrilled to sit at the sushi bar and have yummy fresh sushi. I was happy to have a brickoven pizza from one of the better italian restaurants in town that has a branch there. We definitely stood out and as we walked to each spot to look at the menus the people working there had seen us arrive and wanted us to sit in their area. Pricewise, it was a bit more than you would pay at a US food court...ok a lot more, but it was really not food court dining, it was more a restaurant type atmosphere.
Tonight, well, we are going out again! Michele was a bit disturbed I think, we are eating out and taking the kids, but oh well. We are going local here to a chinese restaurant - the traditional kind with the huge round tables and you order a ton of stuff to try. We're going with 2 other families which always makes it fun. Maybe, just maybe, I will take some pictures! all for now!
Thursday we went to a wine dinner at Lawry's Prime Rib hosted by a wine store we frequent here. It's called Napa Reserve and they are a distributor of only Napa wines. Their family owns Howell Mtn Vineyards in Napa, are Chinese and they have this store here to sell Napa wines in China. The son, Zeon runs the store here and they always have fun wine activities. The dinner was yummy....scallops, prime rib, etc - with way too much wine and champagne flowing a bit too fast. (as in, you have one sip and they are adding more to your glass!) This is good, but not sure it is so good on a Thursday night when you have to get up early the next day! We brought along 2 other couples and there were about 20 people total there. Was very nice. I will digress momentarily to an event I went to a couple months ago they hosted. E was traveling so I took a friend and it was an Opus One tasting, with wines from 9 different harvests. The president of Opus was there and spoke about the winery, and all the scoop. They had prepared a specific amuse bouche with each wine and it was really nicely done. I was quite glad I went despite E being gone.
Friday night, despite the fact we were pooped, we ventured out to the Shanghai World Financial Center for dinner. This is currently the tallest bldg in the world and really amazing to go to the top and see the city. We however, didnt go to the top, we did the opposite and went to the basement! I had heard they have a food court there (yes, called a food court?) so we thought we would give it a try. Well, this was nothing like a food court, trust me. Next time, as we will go back, I will post pics. It was incredible. There were about 12 different choices of "restaurants" and it was very upscale - tableclothes, silver, waiters, a very nice cocktail lounge etc. The kids were thrilled to sit at the sushi bar and have yummy fresh sushi. I was happy to have a brickoven pizza from one of the better italian restaurants in town that has a branch there. We definitely stood out and as we walked to each spot to look at the menus the people working there had seen us arrive and wanted us to sit in their area. Pricewise, it was a bit more than you would pay at a US food court...ok a lot more, but it was really not food court dining, it was more a restaurant type atmosphere.
Tonight, well, we are going out again! Michele was a bit disturbed I think, we are eating out and taking the kids, but oh well. We are going local here to a chinese restaurant - the traditional kind with the huge round tables and you order a ton of stuff to try. We're going with 2 other families which always makes it fun. Maybe, just maybe, I will take some pictures! all for now!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What is for dinner tonight, ma'm?
This is a daily conversation we have here, Michele and I. One day maybe I will plan for the whole week at a time, but don't count on it.
Today, as always "what is for dinner tonight, ma'm?"
I respond "we'll just have the leftover potato chowder I made Sunday and grilled cheese sandwiches"
Michele says..."wow" ...."even you?"...
Me - "yes, I can eat soup and sandwiches for dinner"
Michele..." but Sir, E? He will eat that for his dinner, too?"
Me - "yes, even Sir E."
Alrighty then. Until tomorrow. Any ideas what we should have for dinner?
Today, as always "what is for dinner tonight, ma'm?"
I respond "we'll just have the leftover potato chowder I made Sunday and grilled cheese sandwiches"
Michele says..."wow" ...."even you?"...
Me - "yes, I can eat soup and sandwiches for dinner"
Michele..." but Sir, E? He will eat that for his dinner, too?"
Me - "yes, even Sir E."
Alrighty then. Until tomorrow. Any ideas what we should have for dinner?
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
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!
"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!
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.
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.
Friday, January 2, 2009
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!
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