Watch, Read, Listen

Welcome to 2014! Ever since we moved to China we've been hearing about the famous Snow and Ice Festival in Harbin.  Mark got to visit it the first year we were here for business-related reasons.  We wanted to go see it last year but as it's a very popular destination hotels book up fast so…

25 December 2013- Merry Christmas everyone!!!! Okay…so I'm a month-and-a-half late …but better late than never, right?  (shaking head in shame) This year we went light on the Christmas cookie baking – I only made one batch of vanille kipferl (Austrian vanilla crescent cookies) and Mark made one batch of fudge (while the girls were…

December 11, 2013- Every winter before the holiday break the school hosts a Winter Concert.  This year's theme was – The Color Express.   Both Annika and Ava are singing in the IST Elementary Choir: Here is Ava's class (wearing martial arts uniforms for whatever reason):  And yes, Annika's class also performed but those photos…

18 December 2013- It's time for a quick get-away.  Many of our friends have left for either their home country or a tropical vacation to exotic Asian countries for the Christmas break.  We're kind of getting itchy to leave but with Christmas RIGHT around the corner I really don't want an extended trip. Where to…

December 2, 2013- The Ritz Carlton hotel in Tianjin proudly presents the IST Elementary Children's Choir for their: Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony! The kids were bussed to the hotel after school on Monday.  The hotel provided a fun, kid-friendly buffet style dinner for the singers before the concert.  Of course Santa and his Chinese elves…

  December 2013- We've heard that the Chinese don't celebrate Christmas but that doesn't mean that the malls aren't decked out in Christmas glory of one form or another.  Check out this Gingerbread Man chilling out in his cool chariot ride.  So…are we celebrating Cinderella's wedding or Christmas????? Ava and Annika got our Christmas tree…

Annika along with two friends in a magazine regarding the Blue for You Day at IST:

November 13, 2013-  Ava's second grade class at IST just completed their Unit of Inquiry : Communication. In this UoI the kids could choose a communication device to research and design their own.   Ava chose the telegraph….and one weekend morning Mark and Ava created a functioning telegraph using parts and tools we already had…

November 9, 2013- We've lived in China for nearly two years and Every. Single. Day. we are blasted with Chinglish (Chinese to English translations that make absolutely NO sense whatsoever).  Actually, these days I'm so used to reading Chinglish that it doesn't even register as odd.   However, every once in a while I step…

November 8, 2013 – (yep…still writing posts from 2013!  I know it's 2014!  LOL!!!) Annika's soccer team participated in a friendly tournament with one of the other international schools in Tianjin (I think it was TIS but not I can't be sure!  That's what I get for waiting so long to write these posts! LOL!!!!).…