Mini-mom

Penny's starting to use her imagination more. Today I heard her singing some sort of rambling song, and when I went into the kitchen, she pointed at the floor and said, "Get out of the tub!" Apparently the blue rug on the floor was now a bathtub, and she was standing under the shower head washing her hair-- and singing.

And this one was fun. Penny told us that her nipples make Dolly milk (as opposed to Meimei milk, I guess). Later, I told her to come with me, and she said, "Just a second, I have to feed Dolly first." 

Then she plopped down on the floor and proceeded to feed her doll some Dolly milk.

Open sesame!

Last night as I was cooking dinner, Naomi was playing in my spice cupboard. She was occupied and happy, and that makes me happy. I was cooking and cooking, when I smelled something fantastic wafting up from my baby. I'm not kidding. It really smelled great! That's because Naomi had poured the sesame oil all over the inside of the cupboard! By now, there was plenty of material to work with, and she was smearing it around with her hands. It was quite the masterpiece in progress. The top shelf was thoroughly covered, and it had dripped down into a lake on the lower shelf, which was then dripping into a large puddle on the floor.

Now, as far as spills go, dry spills are my favorite. Spill my whole tub of salt (two weeks ago)? No problem. That's why they invented brooms. Or better yet, vacuums. My next favorite is water. You want to help me with the dishes? Fine! I'll just hang up the rug when you're done. Or prop a stool underneath it to pretend that helps. But sesame oil ranks down there with sticky watermelon juice and soda-- though not as low as broken glass-- or broken glass mixed with something sticky.

But anyway... I used just about every rag I own to clean up the stuff. And my house still smells like Chinese food when you walk in. My spices and staples are still pretty oily, but I did wash the floor so it wasn't slick. 

Yes, it was basically full.

 Now, I'm not usually dumb enough to leave open bottles in my cupboards. Happily, most bottles come with lids, and I'm a firm believer in using them. But this bottle was Made in China. You want to know how I know this? Besides the obvious?
Okay, when I went to open it last week, I flipped open the lid and found some foil covering the actual bottle mouth. That's normal. But when I went to open it with a knife, instead of easily piercing it, it just clunked against the top. What on earth? But the flip-top was sealed onto the bottle in such a way that it didn't come off. A few more tries with the knife told me there had to be a better way. So I sawed off the top of the lid.
Inside, there was a bottle-cap-- just like a beer bottle or something.
Let me get this straight. Flip-cap doesn't come off, but inner seal is actually a bottle-cap, needing a bottle-opener to remove? Which you can't get to without removing the non-removeable flip-cap? (*face-palm*)
Welcome to China!!

The lid after sawing it open

But thankfully, it's practically empty now and I can buy a new one.

Farewell, youth! My twenties have been fun...

I guess there's no turning back now. My youth is now behind me as I enter my fourth decade. Blah!
Actually, I don't really have a problem with turning 30. 25 was rough, since I had a crappy job with no end in sight. But at this milestone, I have an awesome-yet-demanding job (being a mom), also with no end in sight. I'm very happy with where I am as I reach this numerical milestone. I'm married to Kevin, and if you've ever met him, you'll know why I consider myself so blessed. I have two beautiful daughters who are learning to be good friends. Kevin's job allows us to live comfortably and see the world. I'm excited to see where the future takes us!
But why focus on the positive? I'd like to focus a little on my failures and what I've not accomplished in the 30 years I've graced the planet with my existence.
30. Writing a symphony. Didn't Mozart write his at age 8?
29. Writing a best-selling novel-- started a handful of times. Pages written: a handful. Readable pages: 0.
28. Learning to play the guitar: gave up after a week because my fingers hurt.
27. Olympic medals won: 0.
26. Starting my own charitable NGO.
25. My digital photography business: Nonexistent. Apparently, in addition to a DSLR camera, you also need artistic talent. Who knew?!
24. Meeting the President.
23. Completing an oil painting.
22. Sky-diving.
21. Bungee-jumping.
20. Spelunking.
19. Starring in a TV show.
18. Owning a sports car.
17. Running a marathon.
16. Running a 5k.
15. Playing tennis.
14. Reading all the works of Shakespeare.
13. Reading the entire Old Testament.
12. Riding an elephant.
11. Scrapbooking.
10. Visiting the southern hemisphere.
9. Reading anything by Tolkien.
8. Finishing anything by Tolstoy.
7. Eating sea cucumber.
6. Writing a list of 30 things I haven't accomplished.

Now let me be clear, these are not goals. That would require motivation, assertion, and let's face it, the coincidental luck of someone like Forrest Gump. I've enjoyed the pace of my life so far, accomplishing or not accomplishing as I go, and let's hope the next 30 years continue in the same vein!

The long commute

This year on my dad's summer reading list, he had us read a book called Diary of a Wimpy Vampire. Just imagine that Edward from Twilight, instead of being smoldering and mysterious, was 14-years-old, pimply, whiny, and had no super powers. He depended on his parents to find him blood, and since he was still an ugly kid, he had to ask for advice to woo girls. His dad told him the best way to woo a woman was to save her life. But since he didn't have any super powers, he wrote in his diary, "What does he expect me to do? Buy her a bicycle helmet? Give her a pamphlet on how to quit smoking?"

Well, I don't have super powers, but I bought Penny a helmet. I'm such a cool mom!

Bike helmets are cool!

Penny didn't need any help putting it on.

Penny is all ready to head to preschool with Dad!

All the cool kids ride on the backs of their parents' bikes.
But Penny's the only one doing it in style!

When Penny tells us about her day at school, her favorite parts are when Dad drops her off in the morning and when I come to get her after lunch. I swear several hours go by in the middle, but for her, those are the highlights.

Torn

I have a neighbor who is a sweet old grandpa. He often walks the halls with his little granddaughter, trying to lull her to sleep. I've even heard him singing to her as he walks.
Now before you get that dopey smile on your face and sigh, "Awwwww," there is more.
He spits. On the carpet. In our hallway. And in other public places in our building.
Now if you're like me, your "awwwwww" is turning into more of an "ewwwwwww."
Exactly.

Commercials are LAME

We spent the last couple weeks glued to our TV set watching the Olympics. I'm sure we watched more ping-pong and badminton, while you watched more gymnastics. But still, it's nice to watch your home country win. This time, we had two home countries to root for, China and the United States, and since they both did really awesome, we had a lot of fun cheering for them.
The CCTV only had like 6 commercials sponsoring the Olympics, apparently, and three of them were by beer companies. So America, complain all you want about McDonald's and Coca-cola sponsoring the Olympics; they're both healthier than beer.
One commercial that really made me laugh every time was this one:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzk3ODQzNDg0.html

When I think of Red Bull, I think of BMX riders, snowboarders, and maybe a skydiver or something. But in China, the man with the biggest Red Bull billboards and most Red Bull screen time is the national powerhouse from the fantastic sport of (*pinkies up**curtsy*) badminton.
So I think Chinese commercials are a little ridiculous. But I just spent a month in the US, and let me tell you, those commercials are messed up. Sample this one:
http://youtu.be/TZ9rCky9VyQ

Come on! Did the guy really spread mayonnaise all over some bacon and then continue to tell me how healthy it is? Really?! And the sad thing is, judging by the girth of the average American, too many people seem to be believing this.
Which leads me to my last example. I saw this when I was stuck in LA after missing our flight, and it kind of made my day. Or at least I didn't cry.
http://youtu.be/0Dv3n-MzylQ

PS: I tried to embed the videos, but it didn't work. And I have other things to do rather than try and fix it. So please follow the links. I hope they work.

Jumping rope

I took the girls out to the Chairman Mao statue last week to jump rope.

One thing about having over a billion people in your country: There are always other kids to play with at the park!

They started jumping the rope this way-- Chinese jump rope, almost. Notice there are a couple people stopping to watch.

Naomi's too small to jump but tried anyway

Within a couple minutes, there was a crowd forming.

I did a rough count, and there were between 80-100 people standing around watching my kids jumping rope. The only thing that surprised me was that the girls kept playing, ignoring their admiring public. Usually someone tries to pinch their cheeks, and then it's all over!

We weren't the only people doing cool stuff at the park. This man was keeping two tops spinning  using a whip.

Here's the old lady dance troup of Zhongshan Plaza

We stayed long enough that the real jump rope club started doing their thing. Penny left her rope in the stroller and just went to jump with them.

She was so excited to be involved!

Bumming around the house

We really haven't been getting out much since we've been back. I blame it on jet-lag, getting sick, and now getting sick again. Joy.

But on the good days, we've had some fun at our house, just doing what we do.

Meimei's best time of day is at lunch time, when she cheeses it up for me while I feed her .

Penny loves doing puzzles, especially her Wall-E puzzle. It's just a bit too hard for her, so she requires help. It's fun for the first 2-3 times every day, but there comes a point when I don't want to sit at the dining room table handing puzzle pieces to my daughter. Wall-E puzzle is now in the cupboard, and the 24-piece train puzzle is out.

Penny helped me make some crescent rolls. She rolled up these triangles herself!

And here's one of the finished products. She also helped me put the cinnamon rolls into the pan. It's so fun that she can actually contribute when she participates!

Naomi's starting to appreciate books. One that she likes now is Curious George. It's such a fun book, but there's no way  it would be published if it came out today! He and the man both smoke pipes, the man poaches him from the jungle and sends him to the zoo, George goes to jail for accidentally dialing the fire department number. It's kind of a messed up little book. But the TV show is cute!

This should be an Olympic sport

Radio silence

We've been home about 2 weeks now, and there's just not much to write about. Kevin says I can't write about my digestive troubles, but that's really all that I've been doing and thinking about. Sorry.
Note to self: when someone offers you some great, homemade jiaozi for lunch and they're still warm, double-check if they're warm from being freshly made or if they've just been in the hot car for several hours.
I'm betting on the latter.

How to travel with small children

Some people ask me how I do it, travelling by myself. The answer is that I'm not sure. I don't remember the last time I traveled anywhere by myself. During this last trip, I was certainly never by myself; I had two small children with me the entire time. I'm not so good at counting, but that sounds a lot more like 3 people than 1.
But now that I've successfully (i.e., we came out the other end alive) done the round trip with my two little ones in tow, I can give advice as if I'm an expert.

1. Have really low expectations
During the 10-hour long haul, I figured I'd sleep for maybe... none of it. And I was right! But the kids slept for about 5. And for 3 hours, they were both sleeping, so I got to watch a movie. That was well above what I was expecting.
I figured my kids would probably skip their naps-- and only one of them did! Win!!

2. Avoid United Airlines
We missed our flight partially because of the incredibly long line at the United check-in desk in LAX. Then on day 2 when we arrived super early, we had our own little emergency. About 20 minutes into the line, Penny told me she had to go potty. Well, I couldn't exactly leave the line, as we weren't even halfway through it. Instead, I had to tell my recently-potty-trained 3-year-old to try and hold it. We got to the front of the line, and she told me again she had to go. Well, I REALLY couldn't take her now. But since our flight had been rebooked from yesterday, the automated system couldn't find our reservations, and we had to wait for an agent.
There are 36 automated check-in desks at the United counter in LAX. There are 4 agents working at the counter. As I waited and waited for easily 20 minutes at the check-in counter, I realized that most other people at the counters were not happily processing their tickets and checking their luggage. They were waiting for agents. And there are only four of them!
After waiting for at least 40 minutes after telling me the first time she had to go, Penny peed her pants right there at the check-in desk. And I cried. Again. (I'd spent a lot of stressed-out time at the United check-in desk over the past few days.) Thankfully, though, the United agent hadn't finished with her first customer yet, and I still had all our luggage. I found Penny a new outfit, bagged her old one, and kept waiting in line.
And then when we got to the gate (early), apparently no one saw us, so they didn't call for pre-boarding passengers. So we boarded with everyone else, restlessly standing in line in the jetway, and avoiding other passengers as they hefted their carry-ons up into the bins. Fun.
On Korean Air, we preboarded, and the stewardesses came around and gave the kids little bags of toys, crayons, and coloring pages. But as long as United has contracts with the State Deparment, Department of Defense, and heck, even the Olympic athletes, they don't need to step up their customer service.

3. Let the kids carry their own weight
I'm not saying Penny was helpful at all. But since she was wearing a backpack, she got to get her own little tub and put her backpack and shoes in it. Then on the other side of security, she was happy to be putting her shoes and luggage back on-- just like Mom!
Then when we wait for our bags at the luggage claim, Penny gets super bored. When there's just one parent trying to keep track of purses, carry-ons, luggage, and bored toddlers as well, my temper starts to flare. So I have Penny put her backpack on the luggage carousel (yes, while everyone else is taking stuff off, we put stuff on). She watches it go down the one side, and then she's super excited to watch for it coming back up the other side. I don't cheer when I finally get MY luggage, but I'm sure we're sort of experiencing the same emotions. Deep down.

4. Bring things to do
After losing an iPod twice, I am now officially banned (self-imposed) from carrying Apple products outside the home. And relying on in-flight movies/entertainment and sleeping to pass the time on a flight has come to bite me in the past. So we brought toys and books and crayons and puzzles. I went and bought some new toys (a plastic birthday cake you can decorate with little plastic fruits and candles) and brought out some favorite toys I'd hidden for a few weeks. (She got an awesome puzzle set for her birthday, and once I noticed she would play with it for hours on end, it got packed up until we were on the airplane.) We went on walks around the plane and chatted with the flight attendants in the back. The only times I started getting irritated were when I was trying to watch my own movie or read my own magazine while they were awake. So I put them away and tried to enjoy our quality time together. Sometimes my smiles were really just gritted teeth, but at least they didn't snap.

5. Prepare for the worst
When Naomi barfed on me, it was pretty rough. But 5 minutes later, after I'd changed into clean clothes and cleaned up everything else around us, we were back to normal. And all in all, it was a good flight. I couldn't say the same if I'd forgotten to bring a couple changes of clothes for everyone. By the end, Naomi wasn't wearing any pants, having gone through all 3 pairs. But we hadn't run out of diapers and it was summer. She doesn't always wear pants at home, anyway.

And there you have it. We still wake up at 4AM every day and sometimes stay up as late as 7 PM-- but that's pushing it. Eventually we'll get through the jet-lag, and then it will be behind us. And we may plan another trip in the future.