Rediscovering an adult hangout through a child's eyes

One of the many hats we wear as parents is the "All-Inclusive Court Jester and Constant Entertainer." Now that Tanner is reaching the one-year mark, his "awake times" are a lot longer and he needs more than a whirring, buzzing plastic ... Read more »

Finding preschool options in Shanghai

Iwas returning to school when they asked me, "So what school is your son going to?" "Oh he's only 10-months-old," I replied. "Precisely," they said, without blinking an eye. Oh. I thought 3 was the earliest age for school. However, I have now found ... Read more »

Exchanging your extra “stuff” online via Freecycle

As I was cleaning out our closets to get ready for the change in seasons (hard to believe, yeah?), I was amazed by the amount of things I have accumulated in one short year. I had no idea that adding one more little ... Read more »

Summer's over–it's time to get your kids ready for the big day

It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating with "End of School" parties and excitedly sharing our summer plans, and now here I am writing a "Back to School" column. While I was a teacher ... Read more »

Mothers get involved in order to help out the community

The Shanghai mom community is a subculture that is so much more than just a group of moms chit-chatting over lunch. Once you have a child, you become much more sensitive to the plight of children around the world. Something ... Read more »

Getting the kids to behave while maintaining your sanity

As any parent who has been to the Bastiaan Bakery & Konditorei knows, the bunnies outside are a great hit with the kids. I was having lunch there the other day and noticed a little boy to my left, screaming to get ... Read more »

Finding vacation spots minus the jetlag

When I decided to become a stay-at-home mom, I imagined packing my little family up and jetting off to far away destinations for a quick getaway. However, in reality, my life has become quite the contrary. Now that Tanner's eight months old there ... Read more »

Finding just the right gift for Dad this Father's Day

Watching my son rolling around on the floor with my husband just brings a smile to my face, as I see my husband let go of all the stress from work and spend time being a kid again. This ... Read more »

Get prepared to avoid the summertime boredom blues

It's hard to believe that it's that time of year again. This lovely spring time weather seemed like it would never come, but it's finally here... which leads me to start thinking about what's coming up--summer! Summer means ... Read more »

Balancing the social dynamics of sibling rivalry

A few of my friends have either had their second babies or are about to. Usually after the big "Congrats!" and "You look great!" comments, the next question is, "So how's the older one taking it?" A new baby is a huge ... Read more »

Getting kids of all ages to enjoy meal time

Recently, I celebrated one of the most unforgettable moments in parenthood--watching my son take his triumphant first bites of solid food. As he opened his mouth like a little baby bird and gulped down the mushy goodness, I realized a whole ... Read more »

Eco-friendly children's consumables come to Shanghai

So it seems like everywhere I turn these days everyone is talking about "green." Let's go green, let's be green-Cit was just St. Patrick's Day and everything was green. Even on the bottom of my husband's emails it says ... Read more »

Making sure to keep Dad's place when he's away

I saw a commercial the other day while in the U.S.: A little boy is eating an Oreo cookie. Next you see his dad, also eating an Oreo. While it seems that the father and son are in ... Read more »

Where did all these allergies come from?

Before I moved to Shanghai I always felt bad for the people who suffered from springtime hayfever symptoms: runny noses, itchy eyes and non-stop sneezing. However, during my first spring here I noticed that I too was plagued by horrible allergies. This is ... Read more »

Disasters strike when ayis replace parents

My friends often joke with me that I always take my baby everywhere. So much so that it has given me a semi-complex about always taking Tanner with me. When my little family and I went back to the U.S. for a recent ... Read more »

New ways to get back in pre-baby shape

I was sitting with my girlfriends at Whisk indulging in chocolate goodness when the conversation quickly turned to what women who have had kids would talk about while eating chocolate–our waistlines. I always imagined that I would automatically be able to ... Read more »

Remembering to have "fun" over the holidays

With Chinese New Year approaching, it got me thinking back to my previous life as a teacher at the Shanghai American School. The last minutes before school let out were usually filled with excited students all pushing to get out the door-except for ... Read more »