So how come CPL is crazy?

Here are some solutions for various pregnancy ailments that work temporarily:

1st trimester nausea
  Don't pick up your dog's poop while you're on walks.
  Never don't eat!

2nd trimester nosebleeds
  Blow nose regularly.
  Don't leave tissues in toilet because that grosses the kids out to try peeing on the bloody tissues.
  Take allergy pills daily and wipe inside of freshly picked nose with carmex.

3nd trimester stretched skin and feeling like upper belly is on fire
  Put out the fire with ice on that baby.

For upper back pain in conjunction with corresponding rib pain while sitting or sleeping
  First use heating pad, until pain is no longer fazed by heating pad.
  Upgrade to back vibrating massager every 1/2 hour while attempting to sleep.
  Never sit down.
  Never sleep.

The Ultimate Guilt Trip

You know as a kid, sometimes it seemed a little pointed when your parents offered an especially specific prayer, or the songs they put on seemed like they were chosen just for whatever you were doing wrong at the moment?  It bugged me like crazy, but most likely, I was just already feeling guilty, and so super-sensitive.  This is a hilarious example of coincidence, and I'd honestly have to admit, way too pointed to not share.

At 6:30 this morning, before I jumped in the shower, I heard the kids' alarm going off in my room.  Apparently the iPad mini was still charging, so it did a wonderful job of waking up the dog, instead of the kids.  Well, as much as I like Phineas and Ferb, when I brought it in to their room, they didn't emerge, so I thought: it's still early, I'll put on some peaceful soul-lifting religious songs to give them a good first-of-the-day boost.

After skipping past the first song that came up on my shuffle, I heard the familiar sounds from "My Turn On Earth," and figured that'd be something they know and appreciate.  As I stepped into the bathroom, however, I paid a little more attention to the lyrics of this supposedly peaceful wake-up song:

...
I don’t like to get up and I love sleeping in. All I want is to do is to play. 
I’ll lie around the house till noon, and wear my pajamas all day. 

Chorus: 
When you choose the very first step on the road, you also choose the last. 
So if you don’t like the end of the road, you better back up,
you know you better back up fast!

 Totally made my morning; love how these things work themselves out!

"There is a season" - Ecclesiastes 3:1

Our lives have just been turned upside-down... again.  We moved home from China, and landed in Seattle, WA (Renton area).  This time, though, we're flip-flopping roles.  So much was going to change, and it finally felt right for Karl to start up his business, while staying home with the children.  It's my job, now, to get a job while the business is not yet standing.  As an LDS woman with children in the home, this is a hard role to swallow, but I listened to a beautiful song that helped me feel at peace while heading up to an interview:

We Belong by Womanhood...Enjoy to the End!

A young mom of two small children;
A grandma kind and wise;
Another not yet married;
Of varied shape and size.
There are women with large families;
There are those living alone;
Some who must be in the workplace;
Some who work all day at home.

And though we differ in a million other ways,
We are the same when we remember what the Savior says.
For We Belong to something glorious and grand,
And we belong where righteous women take a stand.
Against the wrong, Spreading the light, Defending truth,Teaching what's right
In every land.
And we belong wrapped in a tapestry of lace
Fragile but strong,
Crocheted by wisdom and His grace.
So when we find our task complete
We have the hope that we will meet
And kneel to kiss the Savior's feet
And hear Him say:
"Here you Belong"

We're devoted to our Savior
Seek the spirit as we should.
We strengthen homes and families
And find joy in womanhood.
We delight in serving others.
Life-long learning is our goal.

As we stand for truth ___ sustain the priesthood from above
Temple blessings we rejoice and come to see
That as we strive for exaltation as our destiny
To know that we belong to something glorious and grand
And we belong where righteous women take a stand
Against the wrong, Spreading the light, Defending truth, Teaching what's right
In every land
And we belong wrapped in a tapestry of lace.
Fragile, but strong
Crocheted by wisdom and His grace.
So when we find our task complete,
We have the hope that we will meet
And kneel to kiss the Savior's feet and hear him say:
"Here you Belong"

Sometimes we stumble or we fall
And feel we don't fit in at all
But love can bridge an ocean-wide
And there are millions on your side
To tell you "You Belong" to something glorious and grand.
And you belong where righteous women take a stand
Against the wrong. Spreading the light, Defending truth, teaching what's right
In every land.

And you belong, wrapped in a tapestry of lace
Fragile, but strong,
Crocheted by wisdom and His grace.
So when you find your task complete
Cling to the hope that you will meet,
And kneel to kiss the Savior's feet and hear him say:
"Here you Belong"
____
"You Belong"
One in faith, One in Christ
"We Belong"

Yard Sale: China Style

In an attempt to begin preparations for the big move back to Seattle this summer, we cleaned out a couple of closets.  Mostly it was our clothing.  Then, wanting to try something new, we loaded up the treasures and trekked to our local unkempt field to try our hand at a yard-sale.

Here's how it went:

MOM: It rained this morning.  I hope it doesn't rain during the yard-sale.
Kids, do you want to earn some money?  We can have a yard-sale in that old field.  We can bring the dog and the iguana to play while we try to sell our old stuff.

KID #1: No, thanks.

MOM: What if I let you keep the money we make?  We can sell each piece of clothing for 2 RMB.

KID #1: No, thanks.

MOM: How about if we sell everything for 5 RMB?

KID #1: No, thanks.

MOM: 10?

KID #1: Ok.  But you can't take the iguana.
KID #2: Can we take the hamster?

MOM: No, she's too small. She'll get lost.

KID #2: What if we put her in a circle so she can't get out?

MOM: Ok.  Kids, let's gather some hangers, and tape and permanent markers for marking our prices.

KID #1: I want to sell some old toys.
KID #2: Me too!

MOM: Ok, just get together what you want to sell, and we'll head over there.  I need to borrow your clothes rack, please.

KID #2: How about if I take everything out of my cubbies and we can put stuff to sell in the cubbies?

MOM:  That would take a really long time, and then you'd have a huge mess.  Let's go!  I need you to carry this bag and you to carry this bag, and I need you to put the marker and tape in here, and the hamster goes in here.  I'll get the dog and this rack.

[Accidentally hits dog with rack and dog bolts ahead only to get caught because he's on the leash]

MOM: Oops.  Please get the elevator, kids!

KID #1 (to KID #2): You can actually walk through Jello.
KID #2 (to KID #1): Woah, wooh, oooHh!  Part of my body is in the Jello and the other part of my body is out!

MOM: So nobody wanted to push the button?  What are we waiting for?

KID #2: We're waiting for somebody else to choose to come up to the 4th floor so it will open and be ready to go down with us.

MOM: Right.  Ok, I'll push the button.

[ding! Elevator stops on the 2nd floor and a mother with baby in stroller eyes the situation and decides to wait for another elevator]

[ding!  Elevator stops on the 1st floor and we all unload, carrying oh so much stuff]

MOM: Ok, kids, lets get to the field.

[Chinese neighbors, knowing how weird we are, still stare and wonder what we're up to with a clothes rack, 2 bags of clothes, a children's tea set and a dog]

[Chinese pedestrians whisper while the caravan makes their way to the forested portion of the field. Mom says to Kid #2:]

MOM: Can you take the dog for a minute while I set up here?

KID #2: Sure!  [Accepts dog leash and trots away]
KID #1: I want to mark these toys for 3 RMB each, and this one can be 1 RMB

MOM: Wait a minute.  I should mark this rack of clothes first.  [5 RMB] Ok, here's the marker and tape.

KID #2: The dog doesn't want to walk with me anymore.  The field is really wet and he won't go with me.

MOM: Ok, I'll take him for a bit.  You guys can put your prices on your toys for a while.

[Shop-owner creeps farther from shop door to be closer to the street to see what is happening with the two foreign kids and the small rack of clothes]

[Mom watches from the safe covering of the little jungle section to see if intrigue will convince anybody to actually browse the items]

[Minutes pass, feeling like hours]

[Dog is wet and cold and no longer interested in the smells of this cold, wet place]

[More curious passersby get a little closer, or slow down in their cars to see what is happening, but nobody is curious enough to ask or stop to browse]

[Mom decides positioning the items in the wet grass might be a hindrance to the effort, and calls to Kid #1:]

MOM: Kid #1, please take the dog around for a bit;  I'm going to move the clothes rack to a better location near the walkway out of the mud.

KID #1: Why?

MOM: I think more people will be willing to stop if they aren't needing to cross the wet field to get to the goods.

KID #1: Ok.
KID #2: What're you doing, Mom?

MOM: I'm going to move these things over there so more people will come look and buy it.

KID #2: I'll help you, ok?

MOM:  Can you please stay with the hamster, instead?

KID #2: I can bring the hamster with me, ok?

MOM: Ok.

[Mom and Kid #2 relocate while Kid #1 attempts to interest dog in more of the cold, wet areas of the field]

[Mom leaves rack to go get other bags.  Rack is blown down by wind recently exposed due to lack of proximity to forest/jungle/rock-pile portion of the field]

KID #2: I'll get that!

MOM: It's ok [coming back], I've got it, Kid #2.

[Fixes rack and goes back to get other bags]

[Sets up in new area.  Waits for minutes that seem like hours.  Takes pictures of cute little field-sale.]

KID #1: Mom!  Dog won't go anywhere except towards home.  Can I take him home?

[Mom, believing that the cuteness of foreign children are more likely to bring interested parties thinks she should instead let the kids try together for a while and offers:]

MOM: No, I can take him home and get more hangers.

KID #1: Ok.  But I don't want to see my toys anymore.  I just want to go home.
KID #2: I don't want to sell my tea set anymore.  Just my ball.

MOM: How about we change the price of these clothes? [marks 1 RMB on the other side of the 5 RMB paper]  We can give in 5 more minutes, ok?

[Ball drops and rolls into the street.  Kid #2 chases ball into street just like in movies where a car comes to make cute little hood ornament of Kid #2.  Only 1/2 of passersby are staring before Mom yells at the top of her voice:]

MOM: KID #2!!  STOP RIGHT NOW!! LEAVE THE BALL!  STOP, KID #2, STOP NOW!!

[Now all passersby are staring]

[Ball rolls downhill, and kind strange man picks it up and holds the ball for Kid #2 to come get it from him... unseen by Mom...]

[Kid #2 starts running again when Mom thinks Kid #2 has lost it again, and screams again:]

MOM: LEAVE THE BALL!  WE'LL GET IT LATER!  DON'T CHASE THE BALL; DON'T EVER CHASE BALLS INTO A STREET!

KID #1: Look, Mom.  That guy got it for her.

Mom: ..... [looks and is quite ashamed of the spectacle unnecessarily created] oh, Ok, go get it.

[Kid #2 runs down the hill to the man who has been holding the ball for almost a minute now, which must've seemed like an hour, wondering what kind of mother would not let her child retrieve a found lost-ball]

[Kid #2 happily returns with the ball]

MOM: Ok, I'm going to take the dog back now, and get some more hangers.  You stick together and stay with Ellie, ok?

KIDS #1 & 2: Ok.

[As mom walks away, Kids have their first customers: a family with a little boy stopping to look at the overpriced 3 RMB used toys.  Probably not thinking the singularity of the experience is worth 3 RMB for a used toy from inside a chocolate bar, they walk away.]

[As mom gets farther away, the clothing rack falls down.  Mom thinks to herself she should not get more hangers, but just return soon to take everything down and give up.]

[Dog is returned, and Mom is walking back towards Kids, and sees they have a once-again upright clothes rack]

MOM: Ok, let's be done.

KIDS #1 & 2: YAY!!

[Gathers things as a car pulls up next to the rack and stops traffic behind it.  Horns honk.]

[A surge of excitement at the prospect of a customer stopping for a yard sale just like it would be back home in the good ol' entrepreneurial USA makes Mom hesitate, but, seeing the passengers of the stopped car remain fixated away from the little clothes rack, continues dismantling]

MOM: Here, Kids, please take these bags, and this hamster.

[Kids take bags and hamster.  Mom walks behind them, musing at the interesting lack of interest in this neighborhood with such a gulf between the rich and poor, and nobody brave enough to come see the used clothes for only 1 RMB]

MOM [speaking in broken Chinese to woman carrying a bag of used drink bottles she's collected from the garbage cans]: We don't want this.  Do you want this? [holding a large bag of clothes]

SURPRISED WOMAN: You don't want this? It's so nice!  Ok.

KID #1 [after Mom arrives at elevator]: Weren't you carrying another bag?

MOM: Yeah, but there was a lady who wanted it.

KID #1: So you gave it to her for free?

MOM: Yeah.

KID #1: Ok.

[Suit later donated to local dry cleaning lady that likely sells unclaimed items somewhere anyway, but sadly, we don't know the buyers.  Being Caucasians in China, we don't really send out the 'come hither and buy these used items' vibe... more like the 'come hither and stare because we look weird and we're doing weird stuff' vibe.]

Fun day!

 

Setting up

 

Distracting the dog

Philippines Day 5: Nalusuan

We all woke up early this morning to get out Island Hopping.

We made arrangements with Shangri-la’s affiliate, Scotty’s Sports Center, since we didn’t like the hidden fees we had experienced with other groups.  It was a bit more expensive, but a lot more professional!

Jared’s hanging out while we prepare to head out to Nalusuan Island.

Here’s our port and Banca boat.

Our guide was especially kind to take some pictures of the whole family.  I love taking pictures, but usually that means somebody’s missing.

Here’s our guide helping Ella.

More pictures.

Ella got excited about the water spraying up, so she moved to the front of the Banca boat to get super-soaked.

This island was interesting to me since the low tide exposed it’s underwater shape.

Here’s our snorkeling spot.  It was quite deep where we got off, but we quickly swam to the other side and found our underwater treasures. 

Jared’s holding up his arm, since it was reacting to something in the water.  We were on our way back to the boat to take care of him when we found this skinny starfish.

A typhoon interrupted our explorations, so we had to re-board, and head back a little earlier than planned.  Ella was scared of the depth, anyway, and honestly, so was I. All those shark movies really shouldn’t bother me, but I was grateful to get out of the water when it started to darken and the waves came rolling around for the typhoon.  I didn’t really want to be in the water with this guy.

One worker was in the water helping us stay in the safer areas.  One time we got too shallow and the kids couldn’t help but break off corals with their flippers, and he helped us get out deeper again.  Then, he helped Jared come towards the boat to treat his arm, but on the way back, the waves were tossing more violently, and the boat had to come to us before the storm hit full-force.  The water isn’t so deep in this picture, as you can see from the turquoise color.

Ella curled up under one of the towels our guide provided, and it got soaked from the rain.  Still, it was warmer under the towels.

When we got back to the Shangri-la in Mactan, Cebu, our kids explored the Resort.  It was so nice that we vowed to stay here if we ever came back to Cebu.

Back in our area of Cebu City (Capitol Site), we went for a late lunch at KFC.  We wanted to try their new Mac & Cheese bites, which were delicious!  Also, the other food there was much more to our liking than what KFC serves in China.  No Fair!

Smoothies were a nice dessert.

Back at the hotel, the kids were happy to find a sewing kit, and they fashioned a button for Jumpy’s overshirt.

When we showered, we were joined by this cute little lizard the kids named Lindot. 

Crazy fact about leaving the Philippines that we didn't know: beginning in August of 2012, you need to pay 750 pesos per person for airport terminal fees. I wish they would include this in the price of the ticket. We were so blessed that even though we didn't have enough in PHP or USD, we could convert our emergency HKD and CNY stashes to make it. Thankfully we made it back through HK and Shenzhen without anymore mishaps!

Philippines Day 4: Ayala Mall

We finally rode on one of those Jeepneys.  That evening, though, I spoke with a frequent visitor, and apparently, these little busses are not very safe, since it’s easy for a person to jump on, demand your money with a knife, and jump off again.

Ironman had to have a Shawarma, so when we saw them here, we had to do it too.  It’s pretty yummy, and if we could just get the recipe for the sauce, I think we might make them for ourselves. Hey! http://shawarmarecipe.com/ might be a useful site.

Ella loved her new raincoat so much, she used it as a cape when I accidentally found it in my purse from our last shopping trip.

We found a playland for the kids to run amok.

We ordered fried pizza!  Having fun waiting.  By the way, fried pizza is really really good!

We bought a souvenir shirt for the frog.  Our stuffed frogs are well-travelled… they deserve it.

Froggy didn’t make it to the mall this time, so we picked up a shirt to bring back to him.  Jumpy’s lookin’ good in his shirt, though!

Philippines Day 3: Bohol

Room Service breakfast! We originally planned to play at the beach today.  We called to make arrangements at the White Sands Beach Resort Hotel, but when we arrived, it was a very muddy, small, pitiful little beach. Thankfully, the desk immediately refunded our day payment, and we called our friend, Alan Augusto, from our first boat-trip, who promised a trip to Bohol for 3000 PHP. The desk managers were so kind to help us make the phone calls (we had to pay for the calls but it was still nice that they were not too upset about our requested refund to help us). Alan was a bit wary of the time, since it was after 7am, but then he said he could come get us anyway.  We felt so blessed that he came right away, and off we went to the port.  He explained that since it was already so late in the day, we wouldn't have enough time to take a slower private boat, so we took the ferry across. That seemed more economical, and if it can get us across quickly enough to still enjoy our day, I'm all for saving him money and still giving him his fee for all the help.
A breadsticks/lightsaber duel to pass the time.

The ferry took almost 1.5 hours.  When we got off, Alan hired us a cab driver, we picked out our favorite spots on the island to visit, and we drove, and drove, and drove.  On the way, Ella wanted to take lots of pictures of the sky.

This is the Tarsier Sanctuary: a small dome “monkey” habitat.  Really small, but fun to have a not-monkey on our arm.  The guy placed him on us, snapped pictures, and the monkey jumped off.  That was that, but hey, here are the cute pictures!

Jared was stoked he was going to get to hold his “second favorite kind of animal, almost.”

The Chocolate Hills were just like yummy dollops of chocolate ice cream, and the experience reminded me of the Candy-Land game. Fun!

There was a ledge for taking pictures.  Most of the posted pics showed people jumping, so it looked like they were flying over the Chocolate Hills.  Ella and Jared attempted to do the same.

We didn’t.

It was a tiny, but fun hike.  The kids enjoyed their freedom to run ahead a little.

I made our driver stop to take this gorgeous pic.  I think it was an animal habitat visitor center.

Panglao Beach

We love our tent for consolidation of stuff.  We weren’t there long enough to rest much inside, but it was nice to see everything safely behind a few zippers while we played in the water….

… with a LONGBOARD (and inner tube)!!   

Breaking camp.

Apparently we played hard!



------------ Read ahead for boring details perhaps helpful if you intend to book something similar--------- We were apparently very misinformed about the price.  Instead of only being 3000 PHP, Alan said that was the price of the boat, only.  I asked him on the phone, earlier, about other fees, and he reassured me that he would cover the fees for us, so we were very uncomfortable with this new price tag (12,000 PHP).  We broke it down, and it started to make sense: He hired a driver for 5000 PHP for the day.  The driver should have cost closer to 2500, not 5000, according to this website: http://www.boholtraveltours.com/boholcountrysidetour_a.php Our ferry tickets were 200 per person per way, so 200 x 5 people x 2 ways= 2000 for the day
Daytime access to the beach was 10 per person = 10*6 people (we now had a driver)=60
Showers ~ 100
Monkeys ~ 150
Chocolate Hills = 50 adult, 10 child = 50 x 4 adults + 10 x 2 children =220
Tube rental Alan paid for = 75 If they didn’t take any payment for the day, it would come to:
2000+60+100+150+220+75=2605 If our half-day driver got 5000 (generous=$120), that's 2605+5000= 7605
That left our tour-guide (services for 10 hours) with 12000-7605=4395 ($105)
We’ve got some great memories, and we’ve learned a bit from our experience.