I can tell you Where The Wild Things Are...

In this whole process the moment I I dread the most is ....actually getting my children into China and through immigration and customs without a three ring circus. If you have spent any amount of time in the car with my children you will know exactly why I fear this. I am constantly trying to envision it and plan for it by prepping the girls. Lectures, pop quizzes, random drills testing their ability to follow directions, stay close and NOT cause any structural damage in the process (you get the idea).

You see,  my children could have their own reality show. They are as different as they could possibly be, and incredibly loud. First up we have Olivia, drama queen extraordinaire, typical type A and she sticks her nose in only two places, a book, or somebody else's business. Then we have Mia, independent and incredibly sensitive. Though the typical middle child is a peacekeeper Mia is dauntless, I vote her least likely to back down. Lastly Rosie, she embodies all that is the family baby, and then some. Her feet can't walk, they MUST dance- no matter the location.

When we enter China I see it going several ways, the first is every parent's dream and the second ? A total nightmare.

Start scene... cue the music, I pick Karen O, "All is Love" from Where the Wild Things Are soundtrack, and throw in some sunshine and butterflies....

My children skip into the airport, bag well stocked with games, crayons, electronics, books and such. Something for every hour of the trip. We find our seats and are greeted with smiles by our fellow passengers. The flight takes off, my children enjoy the experience between all of my preparations and the inflight entertainment and  they take an 8 hr nap! We arrive in China well rested. People smile and say what lovely little girls we have. We claim our baggage, glide through immigration and customs as though we have wings on our shoes and golden tickets. We arrive in our new home in Qingdao and have a group hug, show the girls their rooms and celebrate with giant ice cream sundaes. We feel at home.

Believe me, I know this is entirely unrealistic, but I have every right to dream,  right?


Start scene....cue the music...Now lets go with Karen O's "Animal", also from Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack ( are you noticing a pattern?)...throw in some dirt and feathers...

We arrive at the airport, we are late, and we have forgotten at minimum two important things. My hero husband will tell me it's okay and we will buy whatever we need, but I will mentally be kicking myself for at least 30 minutes. We find our seats, and are greeted with shock, awe and obvious grimaces. You see not very many children fly business class, and most adults who fly business class do so to escape the horrors of children trapped in a small space for 12 hrs. My children find nothing to do, they hate every inflight movie option. They hate the food, they spill drinks....they get motion sickness ( you see I forgot the Dramamine, and we forgot to buy some in the airport). They fight, they perform cabin gymnastics, they sing loudly. They do not sleep. We finally land and are escorted off the plane, clapping passengers rejoice that they can have respite from "that obnoxious American family"....we are detained and sent to a facility for the criminally insane. The end.


The truth is we will probably land smack dab in the middle. I never claimed to be perfect, (well there was that one fight three years into my marriage but I have since rescinded). We have legitimate visas, and my husband WAS recruited to build an important high-speed train....so China if you want him, then you HAVE to take us, he won't survive otherwise! Even if we frighten you at first, sooner or later you'll come to love us :)...

"Motherhood has relaxed me in many ways. You learn to deal with crisis. I've become a juggler, I suppose. It's all a big circus, and nobody who knows me believes I can manage, but sometimes I do." ~ Jane Seymour