Shopping, what a pain

We shop a lot here. More than a lot. But always for things like purses, kid's clothes, and custom made clothes from the fabric market. Truthfully shopping here is anything but easy.

I've mentioned how I have to grocery shop several times during the week. I go to at least three different stores to get what I need. I'll have a recipe in mind but can't seem to find all of the ingredients. Its frustrating.

When shopping in the mall, or even local stalls selling fake goods, the associate or shopkeeper follow close behind you. Watching you, asking you to name a price. Always pulling out their calculator ready to barter for a deal. You can never just window shop or browse.

Today we went to a Nike Factory Store. I am in need of new tennis shoes and thought this would be the place to find them. Sure they have tennis shoes, but none that fit. Unless I want to wear men's shoes. Most of the women's shoes stopped at size 7.5, I take a 9.5!!! There were two pair available in my size. Let's just say they are less than appealing. It baffles me that the Chinese have such small feet. Surely there are some out there with big feet like me.

So add shopping to the list of things I miss from home. I miss the ease of shopping. Being able to just look. Not having to bargain for a price and wonder if I paid too much. I miss creating my menu for the week, determining what ingredients I need and then doing one big trip to Kroger. I miss being able to head to the mall when I need a new outfit for an event the next day, not worrying if I have time to get to the fabric market to have something made. Only to hope that it looks OK when I do get it back. I miss being able to run to Target on a rainy day, just because I can.

Easter Pics

Here are our Easter pictures!!! It really was a great day. Enjoy!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Yay...we're back!!!

Not too sure what was taking place before but we're back now. I'll give you all a brief update to bring you up to speed.

We had a great Easter as you can see in a following post. The weather was perfect and the Easter Bunny was generous.

Chuck is back to work this week but will be done on Friday. Morgan is off from school for Spring Break, so Nancy and I have been enjoying our time with her. We've done some shopping, swimming, bike riding, and just hanging out.

Molly is getting ready to run a marathon soon. Well...maybe not a marathon, and probably not too soon. But she has taken a few steps on her own and it is only a matter of time before she chases her big sister down. She'll have new teeth soon, given away by her recent fussiness and excessive drool. Poor thing. But she's a trooper.


We will all leave next Wednesday, April 2 for Beijing. It is a three day trip filled with visits to the Great Wall, Forbidden Palace and other great sites. There will be pictures and an update once we return on Friday, April 4. Then Mark and I will be attending our first black tie event on Saturday, April 5. Depending on how my gown turns out (a whole other post), there may be pictures. (Mark's tux looks great, by the way.)

I think that is all for now. Hopefully I can continue updating the blog without any further difficulties.

Nancy's Day Out

Chuck's been busy working, so Nancy and I are having a great time together. When I asked her what she wanted to do today, she replied "we don't have to go shopping everyday." "I know", I said. "But that's what we do in Shanghai. We shop, we lunch, we spa."

Eventually we decided to visit YuYaun Garden, a traditional Ancient Garden with great architecture. Nancy was very impressed with the rooftops of the buildings and the tile work. Unfortunately Yu Garden is quite touristy now and is more of a souvenir shop than anything.

We stopped into the Pearl Market close by just to get an idea of what they have to offer. Both of us bought a few things and believe it or not, spent most of time there. We had plans to meet Mark for lunch so we didn't have much time to explore the rest of the area. We did however have a few minutes to watch traditional Chinese dumplings being made. You will see in one of the pictures a woman stuffing pork into the dumpling dough. In the next picture you will see a man slicing the dough from a HUGE block of dough. This restaurant is very famous for their dumplings and the line to try them is extememly long.

We met Mark for lunch where Mom tasted pan fried pork wontons and even ate them with chopsticks. She had practice though. Last night she ate her entire dinner with chopsticks. Including rice!! We made it home just in time to get Morgan home from school. I wonder what we'll do tomorrow....shopping, or more shopping. ;)

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Last week I was suffering from laryngitis, and could hardly speak. On Friday, Mr. Yu noticed this and he asked me if I had any medicine. I told him yes and that I needed to take some. Come Saturday I was still struggling to talk. While we were all out shopping, Mr. Yu had taken it upon himself to pick up some traditional Chinese medicine to help me get my voice back. He said I need to take 20 pills 3 times a day. The pills were little yellow balls, a bit smaller than a bb pellet. They came in a small white bottle , with a foil safety seal. I have no idea what they're made of, but I trust Mr. Yu so I decided to try them out. When I woke up on Sunday my voice was back. Mr. Yu was pleased with this. He said, "Chinese medicine, very good." And I agreed!

Remember when....

....Molly's hair was so spiky it wouldn't lay flat?





















Well, that's no longer an issue. Her hair is so flat and staight. It keeps getting thicker, but it doesn't seem to grow in length. She's still our beautiful girl!!

Gymnastic Champ

Today was technically the last day of gymnastics for Morgan. They will have one make up lesson next week, but today was treated as the last. At the end of the lesson, each of the kids received a badge and report card. The coach's comments said Morgan is a "good listener and takes on the competencies being taught." I am really proud of our little gymnast. Chuck and Nancy were able to watch and they were impressed with the coaches and how well the class ran. And even more impressed with Morgan's moves!! She really seems to enjoy the lessons, so we have signed her up for the next session which begins in April.

A good first day!

Morgan stayed home from school on Friday so she could spend time with her Nana & Grandpa. We went to the near by import grocery store in the morning and then walked around the compound before lunch. Mark was home shortly after and took them to the bank and for a little tour of Shanghai.

For dinner, we headed down to the riverfront. Nancy was impressed with the speed of traffic and the number of boats on the river. They are mostly cargo ships and river cruise boats. Morgan was excited to point out the Oriental Pearl Tower.

We had dinner at Paulaner Brauhaus, a traditional German style restaurant. (Hi Uncle Donald, Uncle Ronnie, & Uncle Ed!!) The food was good, but unfortunately Molly was a bit fussy so we had to make the evening short. It was dark when we left the restaurant, so it was nice to see the buildings all lit up. And once again, Morgan pointed out the Pearl Tower.

Today we will all take Morgan to her gymnastic lesson. Then we are heading to the fabric market. My gown and Mark's tux are ready to be picked up.

he times

I couldn't resist pulling out the camera today when Molly caught hold of my Time magazine. I hope you enjoy the pictures as much as I enjoyed watching her "read".

They're Here!!!

Yay!!! Our first visitors have arrived. Chuck and Nancy, and all of their luggage, landed late last night. They said the flight was good, but got little rest. So they were able to sleep all night long to get ahead of the jet lag.

We are anxious to get out to show them around our city. We have lots of shopping...errr...sightseeing to do. We'll keep you updated on our itinerary.

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting....

The swimming and gymnastic lessons are winding down and new programs are starting up. Morgan took a Kung Fu lesson on Monday after school. I think she enjoyed it, but definitely not as much as she enjoys gymnastics. The instructor was very nice but isn't good at keeping the active 4 year olds focused. I noticed Morgan looking around, then asking for something to drink, then lying on the floor. After her lesson I asked if she liked it and she said yes. Then I asked her if she'd like to do it again or try something different? She wants to try something new. So this weekend we would like to take her out to the tennis court and she if she is interested in tennis.

That is one thing about being here in Shanghai. There are so many kids activities and programs. They certainly don't get bored. Its a great opportunity for her try all of these things and then decide what she'd like to stick with.

Flower Market

Today, Molly and I went with my friend Katherine to an outdoor flower market. It was great! There were loads of vendors selling all kinds of flowers, pots, trees, landscape supplies, as well as fresh cut flowers and turtles. Molly enjoyed being out in the sunshine and fresh air. It reached 72 degrees today!! So it was nice to take advantage of the nice weather. I bought a bunch of fresh cut flowers for about $5 usd, and a small pot with beautiful annual flowers in it for about $4. I also came away with ideas for our patio. There is a small strip of, well weeds right now that I'd like to landscape. I'm just waiting for approval and hopefully money from the landlord to do so.

Sorry! I took some great pictures today, but apparently you need to have a memory card in your camera if you actually want to see them. Maybe next time.

Little Shopper

Today we met up with someone Mark knows from work and did a little shopping in the "fake market". Morgan had some money she was looking to spend, so we took this as the perfect opportunity to teach her how to bargain.

Before we left I explained that once she found an item she wanted to buy, she would then ask the shop keeper "how much?" The shop keeper would name a price but "you need to shake your head and act insulted by the price. You will name a price you want to pay and the shop keeper will either accept or name a new price." Morgan did very well with this and the shop where she did end up purchasing a ball and a magnet was very friendly. Practice makes perfect.

We had a good day and made some great bargains. Although, Mark is a little nervous about all the shop keepers that seemed to recognize and great me like an old friend.

If you could see the backside of the little boy in the blue shirt in the 4Th picture, you would understand why they say that the Chinese babies have two sets of rosie cheeks. He was wearing a pair of pants with a split seat....and nothing underneath. His little cheeks were just flapping in the air for everyone to view. You should have seen Morgan's face when she realized this little boy was baring it all. It was priceless. I was tempted to take a picture of his cute little booty, but thought better of it.

The final picture is just too sweet. This is how Molly ended her day. Mark was in his glory.

Does it come in a can?

Sophia and I made a trip to Carrefour, the local major grocery store. I needed a few things and I thought she could find them quicker for me as opposed to on my own. We found the honey and peanuts with no problem. The last thing on my list was bamboo shoots for tonight's dinner. We get to the produce section and she guides me to the fresh bamboo. I looked at her and asked, "does it come in a can?" Sophia, in all seriousness, replied "Can no good. Fresh is better. Very nice."

Once we were back home, Sophia showed me how to peel and clean the fresh bamboo. Which by the way, did not turn out like I expected it to. I had stir-fried it with some other vegetables according to the recipe. But personally, I'll take the canned bamboo over the fresh next time. It was chewy and I think still raw.

I showed Sophia the recipe I intended to make and she asked me if I would cook it. Like, you're going to cook? I said yes, and she sort of smiled. I explained to her that in America, I liked to cook and did every night. (We'll almost.) But here it is different. The stove isn't quite right and I have a hard time finding the ingredients I need. You might see a certain item in the store for several weeks. Lets say ricotta cheese. But the week you decide to make lasagna, they're all out. It's actually quite frustrating.

But I'm learning to cook different ways and different recipes. That's why I've been so eager to try my hand at Chinese cooking. The way I see it, when in China.....

All in a day's ride

I know I've mentioned that I ride my bike quite often to pick up a few things now and then. Just to give you an idea of the convenience of our area of the city, this is what I did this morning:

Morgan and I left the house at 8:45. We rode to school which is only about a 5 minute ride. She LOVES this! I dropped her off and went another 7 minutes to the bank, then across the street to Starbucks for a little caffeine. In the same complex is The Pines, an import grocery store. I picked up some chicken and vegetables for tonight's dinner (chicken with peanuts over rice) and some fruit. Right next door is the major grocery store, Carrefour. I needed to grab a few things in there before heading back. After another 5 minute ride, I was home.

This little morning outing lasted about 1 hour. Not only can we do our banking, get groceries, eat out, we can get a haircut, buy a DVD/book, mail a letter and more. All within biking/walking distance.

This afternoon, I will take the bike out again to meet a friend for lunch. Then I will pick Morgan up at school.

What's in a name?

Most of the local Chinese people that we have met have an "English" name. From what we understand they are given these by their teachers in school. Apparently it's easier to determine Ann from Ping-Lee. We seem very common English names from Mary, to Jeff. Our ayi goes by Sophia, and our driver, Mr. Yu, goes by Sam. There is even a Molly at the local hair salon. (The girls all giggle when "our" Molly walks in.)

But we have also come across some unusual names as well. For instance in the spa, there is a Kiwi, Apple, and Lovely. Just recently I met a man named Bingo. You have to wonder what the teachers were reading or watching to come up with such unique names.

Nightly Entertainment

We hardly watch tv anymore and so we have come up with new ways to entertain ourselves. Last night it involved watching Morgan trying to perfect a cartwheel. At one point, Molly was even watching intently and then clapping when Morgan was finished.



Molly took a late afternoon nap and wasn't ready to go to bed right at 7:00 when Morgan did. So she and I played on the floor together. I kid you not that we played with a small plastic purple cup and a plastic yellow spoon for well over a half hour. She would mix and pour and sip, then hand the pair to me. I would mix and pour and sip and then hand them back to her. We were surrounded by other toys, but she got the biggest kick out of this.



We never know what the nightly entertainment will be, but we always look forward to it.

Sisterly Love

Lately, Morgan has been asking to share a room with Molly. So today, we made it happen. We moved Morgan's bed into Molly's room, along with all of her belongings. Tonight will be their first night together. It should be interesting.

This actually works out. Now we can turn Morgan's "old" room into a guest room. As of right now, our guests have to sleep in the basement. But now they can be a little more comfortable in a room upstairs.

Speaking of guests, we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our first visitors in two weeks. Mark's parents are coming for a visit and we couldn't be more thrilled. We are so excited to share our new city with them. So.....who's next?!?!?