Workout kid

Play date

Not far to travel - just upstairs to another apartment in our building.

Unsupervised play

Max had fun with his 'back to school' felt pens - tattooing himself in the few minutes it took me to eat breakfast this morning in another room. Taking him out today I feel like other parents are judging me as a bad father of some sort of out of control delinquent.

Orientation day at school

Shanghai ferries

On Saturday we took a Shanghai ferry across the river. It was a clear sky day and the view was quite spectacular. Max had fun pretending to play ship captain.

Correction

Sorry - just did the calculation again. Cr wash was RMB 25 which is less than $5! Super value!

Car wash Shanghai style

Proper hand washing here. High pressure water spray, soap, chamois and vacuum all for well under $10.

Summer slumber

A daytime sleep - a rare occurrence for Max these days.

School holiday outing

On Wednesday we went to the Shanghai Science and Technology museum with our neighbours Emma, Eleanor and Edmund (not in picture).

Train ride

Today we ventured out in the 35 degree Shanghai summer heat to travel into the city to meet Tanja for lunch. We went by underground train - it is only 3 stops from where we live into Nanjing West Rd. Due to the humidity, the kids spent most of the time at the cafe slouched down in their seats complaining that they were hot and tired. A different story on the train when they were full of energy and pole dancing skills were second to none.

Back in Shanghai

August - and we are back in summery Shanghai after a long visit back in wintery Australia. School holidays are still with us for a couple of weeks - Zara starts late August and Max in early September. This year both will be going to the same school - so a dash to the bus stop in the morning will double the fun! No more cycling down to Hong Mei Lu with Max on the back. For the moment though we are just keeping ourselves busy as far as possible during days of mid 30s temperatures.

Making Lemonade

Today was our first attempt at making lemonade. Lemons, soda water and sugar syrup all in generous quantities. Result: good enough to sell!

There is a first time for everything

Today we spotted a quite respectable looking elderly Chinese couple pushing a pram - but rather than a baby, there was a shaggy brown poodle inside! And even stranger was the shape of the pram at the front that suggested it was made specifically for pushing pooches. I couldn't whip my phone into camera mode quick enough to get a good shot - below is the best I could do!

Wet Wednesday

A wet start to Wednesday in Shanghai - and subsequently a puddle-filled walk to the bus stop. No problem for the kiddos as they quite liked dressing up in their raincoats and gum boots.

Great Wall Marathon 2012 - Beijing

A series of photos from the Great Wall Marathon in Beijing in May 2012.  A good 8 or 9km section was on the Great Wall with around 2,500 steps - this was the most challenging bit - but the view and general scenery was spectacular.  The remainder of the course was flatter, racing on roads and through a small Chinese village where we were cheered on by the locals!   I ran the half marathon (21.1kms) in 2 hours and 43 minutes and placed 182nd in the men's half category out of about 500 runners.  The organisers offered full marathon (42kms), half marathon (21kms), 10km and 5km fun runs - but the number of total runners was capped at 2,000.  

Max's kindy journal 27 May

Max continues to be a great tidy up helped this week!  He sings our tidy up song along with the teachers, but in Chinese.  He made sure all his friends were helping out too so we could move on to the next activity.  Fantastic work!

During circle time the children enjoyed singing the wheels on the bus with each of them having their own verse including their name. 

This week we continued our focus around the weather with clouds, rain and thunderstorms.  We sing 'rain, rain, go away' so we can enjoy our outside time when the sky is grey and 'itsy bitsy spider' too!  On Friday, we used our musical toys to create a loud storm.  Everyone had great fun creating different noises to mimic rain and thunder!

Join the club

We have jumped on the bandwagon called Nespresso with a new machine, an aerocino frother and dozens of beautifully colored coffee capsules. The popularity of this whole concept is incredible and has got to be one of the biggest marketing success stories of this decade. Admittedly the coffee is very good.

Orders please

Here we are in Beijing - Sunday lunch with some friends - replete with lazy susan. Oh and a slightly-larger-than-usual sized menu at the restaurant.

Kissing trains 2

Trains kissing

We took the new high speed train from Shanghai to Beijing - top speed 310km/h. The train line was only completed last year and has proven to be quite popular - a good alternative to oft delayed flights. We swiftly covered the distance in just under 5 hours. A bit of iPad entertainment, a few walks to the dining car and some games helped pass the time for Zara and Max. After disembarking in Beijing, the kids spotted another high speed train on the adjacent platform and proclaimed that the trains were kissing.

Band aid saves the day 2

Band aid saves the day

This weekend we are in Beijing. Great Wall half marathon attempt for Dad tomorrow - and a weekend away for the rest of the family. Max took a tumble on the street at Wang Fujiang and decided he needed a bandaid to make it better. He said it was his lip that was sore so that's where the bandaid ended up. A close up shot to follow.

Spotted in China

No doubting the ingenuity of the Chinese.

Pretty darn cute

Taken in the busy lanes of Tianzifang.

Max kindy report card 14 May 2012

Welcome back Max!  We all missed your smiles.  Max has been having some tears during drop off and after lunch but this is very normal with the change in routine after a long break.  He enjoys playing for most of the day with his friends and he had no problem remembering people's names or our circle time songs.  Great job!  We had a surprise visitor when a little bird flew into the classroom on Monday!  Ms. Sheri was able to catch it and give everyone a peek before we released it outside.  We celebrated two birthdays this week!  Nolan and Aishi both turned two and brought in special treats to share with their friends.  Everyone loved Nolan's panda bear cake and Aishi's fish cake!   

During outside play we brought out the bubbles and everyone enjoyed chasing them around.  The children loved how each one was different sizes and colors. 

With the warmer temperature here to stay we have been talking about the weather and things in the sky. During art we created our suns and clouds.  We also celebrated our mom's by creating a mother's day project and during circle time we practiced saying 'happy mother's day.'  Everyone was very excited to have a small gift to give to their mom!  We hope every mom enjoyed their special day with their family!