The Big Birthday

Birthday's are no small affair in this house. In fact, my birthday just two weeks ago was a "surprise" that as E told me to hide in my room meant they were preparing the dining room.  The surprise was more for the kids than for me and the smiles on their small, nearly identical faces meant more than than anything else...cake is hard to eat on a hangover (more about that later).

More Than One Misnomer

You know there's no Facebook in China and for that matter, no Twitter and well they all ride bikes and there's no foreign news...right? China, naturally is still closed to the "Western" ways of the world. And if you believed all of this, you couldn't be more wrong.

A Bit of Ingenuity

Some people just assume that women my age can't cook or that we do take away meals or some sort of nonsense. More and more I find that in my years spent living abroad I learned how to cook "outside of the box" because necessity is the mother of invention and induction.

The Things People Say

About 7 years ago someone told me and my husband that our lives were about to change and said with a hint of sarcasm that life would never be the same again.  Granted we were about to become parents for the first time and honestly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into but what we were about to discover is that our lives were going to be less ordinary.

Adjustment in Reverse

If there are some things that seem a given when moving to China you may not expect the same those same things as a given when returning to your home country.

You Think They Have Good Chinese Food Here?

There was what I can only imagine was a take out menu on the table this afternoon for a Chinese restaurant in town.  Being curious by nature I took a gander at it and decided that it was not Chinese food, more Asian food with variety of menu items from around Asia...so not Chinese food as advertised.  Okay no problem, I would find good Chinese food. 

Hey Beanpole...Listen Up!

The other day I sent my former boss and friend a link to a new app that alerts residents of Beijing to changes in air quality.  He wrote back "we are all gonna die" to which I replied "that's a guarantee" and then rambled on a bit about the trade-offs involved in living here where I can smell everything and living there where I can't smell anything, after all where ever it is you make your home their are positives and negatives.

Endless Summer

Some people might think the title here is going to be all about the glorious weather we have been lucky enough to enjoy for the past six days, but it's not.  While moving back to Boston was not a decision we made quickly the move itself, took place over the course of week give or take a day.

A Harsh Reality

One of the unanticipated things about coming back to Boston has been the news...it starts at 4:30 in case you didn't know...and the harsh reality of what life is like here, as opposed to there.

Surprises In Store

As we were leafing through the Sunday paper circulars this morning F announced loudly that she wanted all of the items in a particular section for her birthday (it's not until August).  Grammie pointed out that all the must haves this season were from Toys 'R Us to which F responded with surprise "you have that here too?"!

The 33rd County

If you've ever traveled to Ireland you know that being from Boston is like being part of a remote 33rd county.  Nearly everyone you meet has a story about Boston or a relative that has gone for a while and some for good.  This past weekend was tip of the hat or a tipping back of a pint to your own heritage or that of a friend.  After all, on St. Patrick's Day everyone is Irish.

The Biggest Upset Eva!

Until last night there were only a few people outside of the NY/NJ/PA tri-state area that knew where Lehigh University is...today the entire country knows after the triumphant win (but not too showy) of the Mountain Hawks (previously Engineers) over the Duke Blue Devils.

One Less Car

For years...at least two, we haven't had a car.  There have been bikes, bike trailers, scooters, ebikes, a super subway and taxis if all else failed...but rarely a car...we didn't see the need. 

As American As Peanut Butter & Jelly

It occurred to me today for the first time in quite literally years that I was not going to be able to offer peanut butter & jelly in any fashion as K head off his first day of kindergarten. Which prompted the question: What can I send? 

Whole Lotta Hoopla

Seems there is a whole lot of hoopla about a toddler who had a um, meltdown on a flight from Turks & Caicos to the United States.  Apparently it was so bad they had to turn the plane around after it had pushed back from the gate...but how bad was it really?

Interesting Tidbit

One of the fun things about creating your own website is seeing who reads it, where they are from and how they get there.

Summer House Memories

Maybe you saw the news earlier.  An entire stretch of Humarock beach was destroyed by a wind-fueled house fire that ended with the total destruction of four houses.  House fires destroy properties and personal items but after the fires have been extinguished they will have taken much more.

Back To School

In the next week our family will have the ultimate moment in "back to school".  After about two weeks of collecting forms, signing paperwork and having medical checks we had all our ducks in a row so to speak and off I went to register K for kindergarten. 

Blue Sky Amazement

It wasn't that long ago that we left Shanghai for Boston, 13 days ago in fact, so there are lots of things that still seem sort of new and amazing to me. Awaking to clear blue sky and crisp sunlight this morning is one of those things that will never get old.

And You Thought Unpacking Was Hard...

Yesterday I mentioned the 11, yes 11, suitcases we brought with us from Shanghai to Boston and if I thought that just the van that brought us to the airport was overloaded you should see the house as we attempt to find places to put all of it. 

I ♥ the Red Sox

When we packed up our 11, yes 11, suitcases we had to make some pretty hard decisions about what we were going to be bringing back.  There were some obvious I lived in Asia items; handmade scarves from Laos, a wooden Buddha head from Thailand, a red ceramic Mao face, a Mongolian hat and along with the clothes and toys were four Red Sox caps in a variety of sizes and colors that had all made the trip over and would make the trip home.  After all, Red Sox fans never leave a cap behind.

I Am No Tai Tai

There are friends at home I still haven't told about our hired help.  Their astonishment at my need to have someone at my beck and call would give them a moral coronary.Having hired help is of course where my my tai tai life ends.

Animal House No More

I don't know who this woman is but I found her on Boston.com under "yell here, don't yell at your kids" and I was like alright, let's take a gander.

Hidden Challenges

As it turns out, the grass is always greener. I can fully attest to this theory. For the past 7 days I have had access to a car and car seats, car keys too and have been able to buzz around town, well at least theoretically.  

Beansanity

Jeremy Lin has nothing on the Bean.  Okay I get it, he's brought the Knicks back from the point of no return in a few games and well behind on a number of occasions, but "Linsanity" is nothing once you've been in the company of Ms. Bean.

Waiting For Snow

If the jet lag accompanied by three small people hasn't undone my brain the weather forecast calling for snow certainly will.  In Shanghai I expect the world to come to a full-stop when freezing rain or nay, snow touch the ground because well, they have palm trees there and that's unnatural and that umbrellas "yu san" only work in sun and rain, and bikes don't come with snow tires unless you have an unnamed friend's mountain bike.

I Just Flew In

Back to Boston is the theme here...after 2.5 years (although I call it 3 years) living in China because quite frankly a day in China is like 1.5 days in regular life.  Time takes longer when it's life as opposed to say, a holiday because everything is harder when it's regular life.  There is no hotel gift shop in real life with all the little essentials you might have forgotten.

Stick With Me

Welcome to BostonMamas!
I'm still figuring out Blogger...it's a new back end for me and I have loads of things to test and tinker with but here's what BostonMamas is all about; if you are new to Boston, coming back to Boston (like me), want to share your favorite find in Boston, are a new parent, were once a parent, are a dad, are a mom...if you have something to ask or a something to share you can find it here. 
So bear with me but this is going to be wicked!
Ms. Bean