So when we were in Bangkok, I shared a bed with my kids. It was quite sweet. Cuddles all round, and barely any sleep for Mummy. But I enjoyed it, as I know this stuff doesn't last. One blink and they will be teenagers.
The only thing is that Charlie talks in his sleep (hmmm, I wonder who he gets it from).
One night I was lying there (not sleeping), and he suddenly said, very clearly,"He looks like....like...a MONKEY!" I of course asked who looks like a monkey, but he had rolled over and was snoring softly.
The next night, he turned to me and said,"Mummy, Connor's mummy is so nice, she always give Kate and me chocolates, even at gymnastics!" (and Connor's mum knows Kate how? and went to see them at gymnastics in Hong Kong when?) I then asked,"What chocolate? What gymnastics?" and he said,"I even just got chocolate in my dream!" and rolled over and snored softly.
Hm.
30 October 2012
16 October 2012
And a Moshi Time was had by All!
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| Kate Crazy Eyes |
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| With Shelly the Moshi |
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| A Nice Photo |
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| Ben Bibendum |
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| Ben Balloon |
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| Decorating Cupcakes |
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| The Cake That Didn't Want to be Made |
Wild Things
Charlie:"Mummy, we have a lot of animals in our garden. It's a wildlife garden!"
Me:"Yes, squirrels, and foxes, and birds...."
Charlie:"But no kangaroos. Or lions."
Me:"No."
Me:"Yes, squirrels, and foxes, and birds...."
Charlie:"But no kangaroos. Or lions."
Me:"No."
14 July 2012
Blast Off!!
As Kate used to say, our plane is going to blast off tonight.
Goodbye Hong Kong.
Hello again, London. It's been a while, but it will be good to see you again.
Goodbye Hong Kong.
Hello again, London. It's been a while, but it will be good to see you again.
20 June 2012
10...9...8...7...
The countdown begins.
Ten days left.
Have I done everything I wanted to? No.
Do I care at this point? No!
I've been relatively stressed out these past couple of weeks, trying to get in everything that needed to be done, while juggling all the end-of-year parties, birthday parties (and last-minute birthday parties! we had about 3 days' notice on one, not good, not only the time of year, but also in light of our leaving activities!), leaving parties, selling furniture, selling the car....
Whew!
But. It's almost over.
Most of the furniture is sold (why doesn't anyone need an IKEA Expedit bookshelf?!?! it's so handy!!), anything left will just have to come with us. The car is sold (within a few hours of listing it!). Most leaving do's are over (one more tonight, another tomorrow night, final adults' one Saturday night; kids' one next Tuesday). Packing will commence on Monday. We fly out on the Friday. I will be so glad to get to Oz and finally relax for a bit, before we begin the whirlwind on the other end, of finding a house, unpacking, readying for school....beginning another new chapter.
And I'm ready to go.
I didn't think I would be able to say that, but I am. After six months of knowing it's coming, and talking about it, and being sad, and stressing about schools, I'm ready for it to be done.
And I'm not as sad now. Possibly because I've been so stressed, the little irritations have become BIG irritations. I shout at taxi drivers while alone in the car (can't let the kids hear me use that kind of language!!!). I shove through crowds. I overreact when someone can't think outside the box.
It's time.
And I'm looking forward to a garden. And Waitrose. And Tesco's. And even Asda!
And I can't wait to see old friends and family.
And go for a morning run with the temperature less than 32 degrees and steamy.
And have milk delivered.
And go on public transport that works. Oh. Wait. That's not London, that's Hong Kong!!
But we will take back our experiences, and they will have made us richer for them. We know (some) Mandarin. We will continue with it. My kids love to try weird things to eat (like donkey! and horse! and jellyfish!). My son wants to marry a Japanese girl and live in Tokyo when he grows up. My daughter likes to wear her cheong sam on a daily basis, not as dress-up. They both want chappatis every day. I actually worry more that they are going to find their London schools weird, with mostly Caucasian kids.
So, England here we come! Hong Kong, it's been wonderful, and we will miss you. A lot.
Ten days left.
Have I done everything I wanted to? No.
Do I care at this point? No!
I've been relatively stressed out these past couple of weeks, trying to get in everything that needed to be done, while juggling all the end-of-year parties, birthday parties (and last-minute birthday parties! we had about 3 days' notice on one, not good, not only the time of year, but also in light of our leaving activities!), leaving parties, selling furniture, selling the car....
Whew!
But. It's almost over.
Most of the furniture is sold (why doesn't anyone need an IKEA Expedit bookshelf?!?! it's so handy!!), anything left will just have to come with us. The car is sold (within a few hours of listing it!). Most leaving do's are over (one more tonight, another tomorrow night, final adults' one Saturday night; kids' one next Tuesday). Packing will commence on Monday. We fly out on the Friday. I will be so glad to get to Oz and finally relax for a bit, before we begin the whirlwind on the other end, of finding a house, unpacking, readying for school....beginning another new chapter.
And I'm ready to go.
I didn't think I would be able to say that, but I am. After six months of knowing it's coming, and talking about it, and being sad, and stressing about schools, I'm ready for it to be done.
And I'm not as sad now. Possibly because I've been so stressed, the little irritations have become BIG irritations. I shout at taxi drivers while alone in the car (can't let the kids hear me use that kind of language!!!). I shove through crowds. I overreact when someone can't think outside the box.
It's time.
And I'm looking forward to a garden. And Waitrose. And Tesco's. And even Asda!
And I can't wait to see old friends and family.
And go for a morning run with the temperature less than 32 degrees and steamy.
And have milk delivered.
And go on public transport that works. Oh. Wait. That's not London, that's Hong Kong!!
But we will take back our experiences, and they will have made us richer for them. We know (some) Mandarin. We will continue with it. My kids love to try weird things to eat (like donkey! and horse! and jellyfish!). My son wants to marry a Japanese girl and live in Tokyo when he grows up. My daughter likes to wear her cheong sam on a daily basis, not as dress-up. They both want chappatis every day. I actually worry more that they are going to find their London schools weird, with mostly Caucasian kids.
So, England here we come! Hong Kong, it's been wonderful, and we will miss you. A lot.
21 May 2012
The Mama Drama
I'm sure most people will have seen this by now, if not at least heard of it.
I was pretty grossed out by the fact that a four-year-old was still breastfeeding, but hey, that's just me, and whatever others want to do, that's up to them. But the bit I was offended by was the insinuation that some of us might not be 'Mom Enough' because we didn't breastfeed until the age of 4, or don't practise attachment parenting (what the hell is that? my kids are pretty attached to me, but they don't get to sleep with me every night, nor do I refuse to tell them no, for fear of traumatising them). Epidural anyone? I'm sorry, but I didn't see anyone handing out medals to those women in the maternity ward who chose not to have one. For me, however the baby gets out, as long as the mother and baby end up happy and stress-free, is a successful birth.
And then I read this, and I thought, yes, there are sane people in this world, and I wish I'd written this, and I would love to meet this lady!
I was pretty grossed out by the fact that a four-year-old was still breastfeeding, but hey, that's just me, and whatever others want to do, that's up to them. But the bit I was offended by was the insinuation that some of us might not be 'Mom Enough' because we didn't breastfeed until the age of 4, or don't practise attachment parenting (what the hell is that? my kids are pretty attached to me, but they don't get to sleep with me every night, nor do I refuse to tell them no, for fear of traumatising them). Epidural anyone? I'm sorry, but I didn't see anyone handing out medals to those women in the maternity ward who chose not to have one. For me, however the baby gets out, as long as the mother and baby end up happy and stress-free, is a successful birth.
And then I read this, and I thought, yes, there are sane people in this world, and I wish I'd written this, and I would love to meet this lady!
10 May 2012
And So.
As much as I complain about my mother, I have just realised: me drunk = her sober nowadays. Is that that bad for an 80-year-old?
24 April 2012
My Cute Little Sh!t
Charlie has become a little sh!t.
In a funny way.
(I know, right, can you believe I am saying this?!?)
So Kate gets told off. A lot. For different things lately. It used to be the faffing about with her hair in the morning. Possibly chewing with her mouth open. But now it's for avoiding homework, lying about doing her homework, faffing about with her hair (more), chewing with her mouth open, being superslow getting ready in the morning.
Charlie very rarely gets told off. In fact, I can't even remember when the last time he got told off was. He's always doing everything he's supposed to do, when he's supposed to do it, often without even being told to do it. He's ready ten minutes before we're supposed to leave in the morning. He wakes up in a great mood in the morning (takes after me). He doesn't have mood swings. He does his homework quickly and efficiently, when he's supposed to. I always joke that all I really need to do is feed him and give him cuddles - he is pretty much raising himself.
And now.
He's started milking it.
I noticed this last week when I was telling Kate off while she was making every effort in the world to avoid doing her maths homework (she expends more time and energy doing that than the actual homework itself would need). Charlie quickly did his homework, pulled out his home reader, came and read it (brilliantly) to me, changed into his pyjamas, brushed his teeth, packed up his schoolbag for the next day, and then asked me to put him to bed - ten minutes earlier than usual. All good stuff. But the giveaway was when I caught him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye while he was packing up his schoolbag (this act in itself should have been the giveaway - he doesn't usually do this til the morning)...he had a little look on his face that clearly said,"Look how good I'm being, while Kate is being naughty and getting told off!" And I had to bite my tongue to keep from bursting out laughing.
Yesterday was even more blatant.
We came home from school and I told Kate she had to do her homework immediately, and she wasn't allowed to even consider doing anything else until it was done. Charlie asked me if he could wait to do his til after dinner (our normal homework time). I said, sure, because I know he will get it done with no complaints or time-wasting. So as Kate sat at the table and started working on her homework, Charlie took a flying leap onto the sofa, lay down on his back, put his arms behind his head and said,"Aaaaahhhhhh, it's sooooo nice to relax on the sofa after a long day at school!"
What a little sh!t!
Of course, I ignored it, but when James came home and I told him all about it, we had such a laugh.
In a funny way.
(I know, right, can you believe I am saying this?!?)
So Kate gets told off. A lot. For different things lately. It used to be the faffing about with her hair in the morning. Possibly chewing with her mouth open. But now it's for avoiding homework, lying about doing her homework, faffing about with her hair (more), chewing with her mouth open, being superslow getting ready in the morning.
Charlie very rarely gets told off. In fact, I can't even remember when the last time he got told off was. He's always doing everything he's supposed to do, when he's supposed to do it, often without even being told to do it. He's ready ten minutes before we're supposed to leave in the morning. He wakes up in a great mood in the morning (takes after me). He doesn't have mood swings. He does his homework quickly and efficiently, when he's supposed to. I always joke that all I really need to do is feed him and give him cuddles - he is pretty much raising himself.
And now.
He's started milking it.
I noticed this last week when I was telling Kate off while she was making every effort in the world to avoid doing her maths homework (she expends more time and energy doing that than the actual homework itself would need). Charlie quickly did his homework, pulled out his home reader, came and read it (brilliantly) to me, changed into his pyjamas, brushed his teeth, packed up his schoolbag for the next day, and then asked me to put him to bed - ten minutes earlier than usual. All good stuff. But the giveaway was when I caught him glancing at me out of the corner of his eye while he was packing up his schoolbag (this act in itself should have been the giveaway - he doesn't usually do this til the morning)...he had a little look on his face that clearly said,"Look how good I'm being, while Kate is being naughty and getting told off!" And I had to bite my tongue to keep from bursting out laughing.
Yesterday was even more blatant.
We came home from school and I told Kate she had to do her homework immediately, and she wasn't allowed to even consider doing anything else until it was done. Charlie asked me if he could wait to do his til after dinner (our normal homework time). I said, sure, because I know he will get it done with no complaints or time-wasting. So as Kate sat at the table and started working on her homework, Charlie took a flying leap onto the sofa, lay down on his back, put his arms behind his head and said,"Aaaaahhhhhh, it's sooooo nice to relax on the sofa after a long day at school!"
What a little sh!t!
Of course, I ignored it, but when James came home and I told him all about it, we had such a laugh.
20 February 2012
Cutting Me Up
So now I have a problem.
My lovely daughter, with her beautiful, long, chestnut hair, is driving us all insane with her daily hair issues. When this happened before (about two years ago), it got so bad there were daily tantrums before school. At that time, I threatened to cut her hair off, and eventually even she had had enough of the daily stress and asked to cut it short. We did a nice little bob and she kept that for a couple of years. Life was good. She could get ready quickly, there was only one style to do, and she could do it herself. As time went on, it grew, and I let her grow it, since she was able to do a ponytail herself and we didn't have any more problems.
Now, though, the problem has cropped up again. With additional hairstyle possibilities, and an increased interest in fashion (could there even be?), she is starting to stress about hair every day. It bleeds into the rest of us. When her hair does what it should, and she sticks to her ponytail, we all have a great morning. When it doesn't, or when she asks me for some special style (like a plait - nothing too complicated, I won't go that far) and it doesn't look exactly like she envisioned it, there are tears, delay, shouting (from James and me), inactivity (from her), and the whole family ends up having to deal with the fallout.
We are at the point where she has had two incredibly bad days in the past week, and if it happens again, her hair is getting cut. I might just take a pair of scissors and hack it off myself in a moment of frenzy.
I know how much she loves her long hair. I know how traumatic it will be to cut it. Because I have no doubt that we will have that next day, where a meltdown occurs because of a stray strand. I know of one person out there who will tell me DON'T CUT IT!! because she remembers the injustice of having her own mother keep her hair short, when she wanted to grow it long. What she doesn't remember is that she most likely had the same hair issues as Kate, and her mum finally had enough! : )
My hair is now long. I went for a haircut a couple of weeks ago, and was stricken with indecision about what to do with it, as it has taken so long to grow it this long. But I think that when Kate has to cut her hair, I will need to do it too. How crappy would it be for me to cut her hair and keep mine long?
My lovely daughter, with her beautiful, long, chestnut hair, is driving us all insane with her daily hair issues. When this happened before (about two years ago), it got so bad there were daily tantrums before school. At that time, I threatened to cut her hair off, and eventually even she had had enough of the daily stress and asked to cut it short. We did a nice little bob and she kept that for a couple of years. Life was good. She could get ready quickly, there was only one style to do, and she could do it herself. As time went on, it grew, and I let her grow it, since she was able to do a ponytail herself and we didn't have any more problems.
Now, though, the problem has cropped up again. With additional hairstyle possibilities, and an increased interest in fashion (could there even be?), she is starting to stress about hair every day. It bleeds into the rest of us. When her hair does what it should, and she sticks to her ponytail, we all have a great morning. When it doesn't, or when she asks me for some special style (like a plait - nothing too complicated, I won't go that far) and it doesn't look exactly like she envisioned it, there are tears, delay, shouting (from James and me), inactivity (from her), and the whole family ends up having to deal with the fallout.
We are at the point where she has had two incredibly bad days in the past week, and if it happens again, her hair is getting cut. I might just take a pair of scissors and hack it off myself in a moment of frenzy.
I know how much she loves her long hair. I know how traumatic it will be to cut it. Because I have no doubt that we will have that next day, where a meltdown occurs because of a stray strand. I know of one person out there who will tell me DON'T CUT IT!! because she remembers the injustice of having her own mother keep her hair short, when she wanted to grow it long. What she doesn't remember is that she most likely had the same hair issues as Kate, and her mum finally had enough! : )
My hair is now long. I went for a haircut a couple of weeks ago, and was stricken with indecision about what to do with it, as it has taken so long to grow it this long. But I think that when Kate has to cut her hair, I will need to do it too. How crappy would it be for me to cut her hair and keep mine long?
12 February 2012
Valley Fort
...and a couple of tries made at today's rugby tournament...Valley Fort Rugby Festival...
21 January 2012
Bittersweet Symphony
Wait a minute, it already is a thing of the past! That was last August, at the Ritz, for James' birthday! Like we'll stay there again!
So some of you already know this, but here's the news: we're heading back to Cali, to Cali, to Cali.
(read: London)
Yep, we're going back to Jolly Olde Englande in July. Um, yeah. Right when the Olympics are starting. Just in time for the crowds. Aiyaaaaaaa!
I can't say I'm totally thrilled. I feel like I've just really settled down here in HK. The first year was spent figuring out where everything is. The second year was spent making those real friendships, not the first-meeting-nice-to-meet-you kind. The third year (not quite over yet) has been spent making a real life here. And now that that's done, we're going to have to leave. Sigh.
AND - I have just set up a business here. Hopefully I'll be able to continue with the momentum once we get settled back in England, but it sucks that that momentum has been broken by this news of the move. Most of the next six months will be spent sorting out the move, figuring out where to live, getting the kids into a school....it's going to be impossible to build a business while popping in and out of town. So: PAUSE. I will start again when we get to England. It's hard not to feel down about it though. HK is the perfect market for this kind of business - recruiting mums to go back to work, doing part-time or contract work that will fit into the flexible lifestyle they desire. The network is here, the qualified candidates are here, and the small businesses that need their expertise are here. Let's just hope Mr. Cameron's push for entrpreneurs will provide the same kind of opportunities for qualified mums in England as there are here.
On the plus side, we'll have a bigger home again, with a garden, near to friends and family. And skiing. Let's not forget the skiing! And golf.
Kate took it pretty well. She initially said she didn't want to move back, but once I pointed out that one of her best friends will likely be moving back to England in the next year or so, and the other one will likely move back to Italy at some point, which is closer to England than HK, she was OK with it. And she's looking forward to the garden. And a house with stairs.
Charlie broke down in tears and cried for about a half hour. Then he declared that he was going to stay in his room all day (well, except for lunch and dinner, after I pointed out that he is not allowed to eat in his bedroom). And then he did two maths books to calm himself down. And then stayed in his room for five hours. He hasn't really spoken about the move since then. My poor little sensitive soul.
I'm glad I finally went to see the Symphony of Lights, with sound. (all these things still to do! must make bucket list...)
07 January 2012
Catching Up
Well it's been a busy holiday season, so not much writing has been going on. But I will try to update on everything from November and December here.
First we had some visitors from Jolly Olde Englande, Nicky and Andy, who I managed to try and kill on their first day of their Asian Adventure. First thing in the morning, when they were still jet-lagged, I dragged them up the mountain to the Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. Their reward? Snake for lunch.
But then we took them to our favourite casual restaurant in HK - Posto Pubblico - for a delicious meal of organic stuff. And then we took them to Maxim's for delicious dim sum. So hopefully that made up for it (despite the wait at Maxim's!).
After they left, Charlie was Special Person in his class. This is where each child gets to be 'Special Person' for a week, and they make a big poster about themselves, and the other children make a little book about them saying all the things they like about them. Charlie's main strengths seem to be an ability at math, eating all his lunch every day, and being nice.
I was off to the races with the American Women's Association, where we were taken on a tour of the Winner's Circle - a rare occurrence in HK.
Then I made the mistake of leaving my camera at home when James and I went out to dinner......
The kids had their Fusion performance...unfortunately I only have a couple of photos, as I got caught up in the performance!
Kate had her choir performances...she did alright for the one at school, but when they went to perform at a local shopping mall, she got stage fright and ended up in tears.
Charlie got his Certificate of Excellence in Rugby. It is now hanging proudly in his bedroom.
And then there was Christmas....
First we had some visitors from Jolly Olde Englande, Nicky and Andy, who I managed to try and kill on their first day of their Asian Adventure. First thing in the morning, when they were still jet-lagged, I dragged them up the mountain to the Peak, the highest point in Hong Kong. Their reward? Snake for lunch.
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| IN the Winner's Circle! |
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| There's my Mummy!! |
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| Smiling again, once it was over. |
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| Girlie sushi lunch |
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| Posing in the DVF store... |
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| Pre-carnage |
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| Very excited! |
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| The start... |
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| Squinkies from Granny Jack! Just what I wanted!!!! |
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| His favourite present - Lewis Hamilton from Cars2, from his two best friends |
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| Kate's carnage |
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| Charlie's carnage |
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| Ice skating lesson |
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| Turkey Pie |
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| Ocean Park |
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| Deepwater Bay beach Thai restaurant |
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| Second trip to Ocean Park! |
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| Turkey Pie #2!! |
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| Reviewing maths the night before school starts |
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| Messing about in Mummy's boots... |
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