Day of mixed success...

I'm sure many expat women out there, especially stay-at-home moms, dread the first day their husbands leave them alone to go to work. Allen had been here for a few weeks getting the "lay of the land" before the kids and I even came over here. Thus, the "newbie" factor was a little softened by the fact that my husband knew a thing or two. He has been especially helpful in getting us to where we needed to go, DESPITE our wayward driver. ;) However, today is Monday and this is the first day he went back to work. I was a little nervous, but one thing I'm not...is afraid. So, with a "come what may" attitude, I planned out our day and forged ahead with kids in tow. I was met with mixed success for my efforts.

:( I found out that our [previous] hostess, with whom I hold a special fondness, will be leaving us as an expat herself NEXT MONTH!! She will be joining her expat husband in Canada. :( I'm sad she will be leaving us for several reasons. She lives only 2-3 doors down from us and I was hoping to continue our budding friendship over the next couple of years. Also, she is our lifeline in any situation regarding communication in Chinese. She has willingly helped us through many situations already and on Day #5, her impending departure makes me more than nervous. And aside from that, I will miss her and her adorable daughter (who is my youngest son's age). I had envisioned many future playdates and Brandon thinks she is his new best friend. :( However, I'm also very happy for her and her future opportunities. :) I wish her every success, as she deserves it ten times over! :)

:) I visited an ayi company (an ayi is a housecleaner, nanny and [often] cook all rolled into one) and was very pleased with my visit. I'm positive things will work out on that front. The company assured me that with hiring an ayi through them, they provide extra service(s), such as being able to call them for any referrals as to where to go for any type of service. If I have to call a taxi, they are happy to do it for me (try explaining how to get to your house to pick you up when nobody speaks english), if I need a vet, they will find a good one for me, etc. I look forward to meeting our new ayi in a few days.

:) I signed the kids up for a summer school program. It begins next Monday and will run for 3 weeks. I KNOW they will both enjoy a little kid time...as well as art, dance, language and music time. They will have field trips for Brandon to enjoy. :) Getting the kids on some sort of routine will be very, very good for them. They are desperately seeking their boundaries with us because they haven't had them through two months of "transition". They are frustrated a lot, and in turn, act out a lot lately...which makes me exhausted and frustrated as well.

:( Me, the boys and Mr. Chen all had lunch together today at a local chinese food place. I wasn't sure how this little excursion was going to turn out, so I felt compelled to wolf down my own food, in hopes to try and stop any "mishaps" on the boys' part. Mr. Chen washed his hands and joined us a few minutes after we started. Things seemed to be going well (despite that the food and milk tasted "funny" according to the kids) and then it happened. Ryan decided he didn't want his funny tasting milk (soymilk) anymore and pushed his cup right over...onto Mr. Chen's lap. Just like that...and quickly! I didn't realize the little restaurant had so many employees until he spilled the milk and they all came out of the woodwork and quickly and efficiently cleaned everything up. I have to give Mr. Chen credit...he moved pretty darn fast and luckily got only some of it on him instead of all of it! My response to the situation was to...laugh. I couldn't help it. The Chinese people look so worried and concerned when my boys do anything, like cry in public or scream or screech or make loud noises or sing or dance. Chinese kids just do those things in public, I guess. And here my boys come in and make a huge mess, disrupting everything. Especially since Ryan did it intentionally. I felt like I was on that credit card commercial where everything is running really smooth and efficiently until someone tries to pay cash...and then everything stops while the person takes extra time to get the cash and pay for the product. I just want to yell, "Yes, I'm one of THOSE parents now...who doesn't seem to be able to control her children!" Ugh... And if that wasn't bad enough, Mr. Chen was being very helpful while I had some grocery shopping to do and he was pushing the cart for me, when...Ryan bent over and bit him!! Mr. Chen looked horrified and I looked mortified! I was like, "What?? You have GOT to be kidding Ryan!" Ryan is not a biter - UNTIL NOW. Granted, he bit him very softly, but in this society...kids just don't do stuff like that! UGH! My kids are sending me down a shame spiral, which is motivating me to work all that much harder to once again set their boundaries more clearly! Brandon too. He is throwing fits in public and crying in public when things don't go his way. You should see the looks that gets us! UGH! UGH!

:) I went shopping and bought some major "essentials" such as a microwave, washing machine, a hair blow dryer and a rice cooker. Ahhh. Now I'm starting to feel like things are coming together for the house. We have a long list of stuff to get - eventually, but some things are really necessary sooner rather than later.

:) I had to run into the bank where Allen has already set up an account. While I was waiting for the teller to do a transaction, I [apparently] made a friend. :) I had started talking to a Chinese girl/lady and she ended up inviting me to go chat and have tea or something. We exchanged numbers. :) THAT was a nice surprise!

:) We ended the day with a meeting with the car company we hired. It turns out that all we had to do was ask for 1) tinted windows and 2) a GPS unit. They said they will have both for us by next week. Wow...wasn't expecting that. haha That was easy. We also addressed and cleared up a couple of other things as well. So, the meeting went pretty well.

I guess you could say my first day of survival for me and the kids went ok. We weathered it pretty well and I'm sure each day will get a little easier.