Watch, Read, Listen

22 September 2015 I recently found this map on one of my internet-browsing "brain breaks".  This is a map of the literal translation of the Chinese names for the US states. The thing to keep in mind is that many Chinese names for places trying to mimic the sound of the original name so it…

Again…traveling back in time to this past…July.  More specifically, to the beginning of July.   2-5 July 2015 As many of you know, 4th of July is an important holiday in the United States.  It's also known as Independence Day. Let's start the celebration with a pottery class.  It's maybe not the way most Americans…

For this post, please travel back in time to this past June… To refresh your (actually MY) memory, the girls and I were in Michigan.  Annika has just flown off with Lily.  It's just Ava and me right now! 14 June 2015- Strawberry Harvest Moon Festival…or was it Harvest Moon Strawberry Festival?  Or maybe Harvest…

Let's travel back to …. 13 June 2015 Today is a very BIG day for Annika. (and for me! and Lily! and Beth!)  The entire reason the girls and I left China on the last day of school was to get to the USA just in time to get Annika on a plane with her…

Oh my goodness!  It seems to have happened ….AGAIN! Life keeps chugging away at full blast and I am having a difficult time keeping up-to-date posting current events in our family.  So, please indulge me and let me turn back the clock in the next several posts so that I can share with you what's…

13 August 2015 – Well, here's one thing for sure – getting woken up by your husband telling you that he can't go to work that day because there was an EXPLOSION overnight at the port near his work is an interesting and bizarre way to start your day.  It's one that I hope will…

Hi Everyone!   We had a most awesome and excellent summer holiday in the USA.  As you might have noticed, I also took a break from posting on the blog.  Our days were filled to the brim with activities….from gardening to taking trips to Washington state and Dubuque, Iowa to playing and working on the…

3 June 2015 – So…this happened last Friday: Ava jumping as far as she can…. And serving as a goalie: and trying (with her other classmates) to keep this obnoxiously gigantic rainbow ball from hitting the floor:All in the name of Sports Day for the Elementary kids at IST. Normally the event would have been…

May 2015 – Direct flight from Tianjin to Singapore…..here we come! Here are just a few photos (okay, maybe more than a few!) from our recent quick adventure to Singapore. We'd heard lots of great things about this city/country before checking it out for ourselves.  We also had heard that Singapore is *very* expensive.  Boy,…

Annika B Earth is Falling Down Annika's last song for the Singer/Song Writer after school activity.