Go Ahead. Shoot Me.

 

Makeup Prep

I was a bit nervous today.Why you ask? The Wyatt had his first modeling shoot. I vowed not to become one of those heinous Toddler and Tiara mom's...(which I've only seen once..I swear it) or the "Beauty Pageant" mom who pushes her kid into adult situations in a desperate attempt to reclaim a part of her youth that would have never happened anyway. I think I succeeded. I just wanted to make it through the shoot to be honest. I knew it could go one of two ways..either a monster would be created and he would LOVE it, or he would be bored within the first 15 minutes and we would be trapped in photo shoot hades. I'll give you a minute to guess how it turned out.

He liked it. A LOT.

Actually, he didn't want to leave, he offered to model more clothes, asking the other little boy, soooo you with me? Hahaha. The kid said no. Wyatt modeled his last outfit solo. What a boy. I was so proud.

               

Pretending to be Iron Man. Shocking.

A day in the life of the Big Ballerina

No, not me..but courtesy of the Blind Melon
album cover. Startling resemblance.

So, I feel that while now out of my writer's slump, I have so much swirling around in my head, I'm not sure where to even start.  A lot of what I have to say can be stuffed into other sections..but well it's my blog, and I can put it wherever I want, right? Yeah. Right. So on that note.... 

Can you all believe it's November? I mean Wow. Will has been here one year, and I'm a couple months shy of hitting that milestone. I am blown away- truly. I think I say that a lot. The longer I stay here the more I fall in love with the country....or maybe it's my new lifestyle...Hmm. Though I try not to think about it too much since I've got a little ways to go, I'm nervous about my re acclimation back to the US....but I guess that'll make for more blog fodder at a later date. For now, I'll try to focus on the here and now. With that being said, I miss you all, so let's catch up with one another shall we? I'm sure you've been biting your nails to the quick, sitting on pins and needles waiting.....waiting......holding your breath just WAITING to know what I've been doing with my life. I'm still doing Tai Chi a couple days a week, though my other workouts haven't been quite as hardcore....or existent really. I think I'm OK with that. My life is not the gym and I'm OK with that. Think I should emphasize that point one more time? I am however sadly aware of my size in comparison to the rest of the class....and the country for that matter. I find that this is when my self deprecating humor comes in handy. When speaking of size it kind of reminds me of Kindergarten. Roll with me here. Yes Kindergarten.Though I don't have the picture with me here as proof, you'll have to take me at my word.... I used to be a ballerina. Stop. It's not nice to laugh. I can hear you. So this picture I'm thinking of, has the whole class dressed in their soldier outfits, replete with hats and shiny red sequins....and there I am. Dead center towering above all the other kids and uh, sturdy looking. I never had what one would call a waif like figure. And for the record, my growth spurt ended in, like, ...kindergarten. So needless to say, all I think of is this image when I'm surrounded by small Asian women with all of their amazing flexible tai-chi-ing"ness" around me. It makes me feel a bit clunky and awkward. Despite these horrendous drawbacks, I really love the class and the women in the class are just lovely. In fact we are going for an all day hike on Monday. That, I'm sure will be an interesting blog post. Hmmm, what else?-I've joined a book club which meets once a month, and women's bible study once a week. I've of course got the room mom gig going on and I started volunteering every Monday at the Garden of Hope Foundation; an organization dedicated to working with women, children and youth who have experienced sexual assault/exploitation and domestic violence. They had an annual conference this past Monday and Tuesday with speakers in from all over the world who were sharing innovative practices as to how they empower women/children/adolescents within shelters. I had the privilege to take part and assist in the preparation process of the conference and it was just fantastic. What else? If it works with picking up Wyatt, I participate in activities with the Community Center, go out for coffee breaks with friends and maintain Wyatt's social schedule of 2-3 "play-dates" a week, cooking, swimming, hip-hop and upcoming soccer?! How do you mom's with more than one do it?? Crazy town.But can you see why I have such a good time here? There's no shortage of stuff to do..fo sho. Mo to come. 

Martha and the White Snake

Bowling

treat containers

KA sing-a-long

Uh..ball toss.

Being called Martha Stewart and a wacko simultaneously always makes for an ego booster. Now if I were to do some soul searching, I'd have to admit that one.... or both of these comments was deserved. 
Welcome to the plight of the room mother. I jest not. You do to little, mothers wonder where their monetary donation has gone, fourteen 4 year olds' revolt, are bored and verbally assault you with ruthlessly honest comments and the teacher just shrugs his shoulders with a resigned sigh, unsurprised because the bar for room mothers is set just that low.* Deep Breath* OR, you have me. A terrifying blend of both Clawson and DeSchryver- a drive that won't quit, an unsurpassable work ethic, over achiever and an innate desire to be the very best, to "be" the bar that no other room mother will be able to live up to. I know. I can't stand me either, but can we say mission accomplished? I am officially the whack job room mom who clearly has waaaaaay too much free time. I'm not saying any of this for a pat on the shoulder or an ego stroke.... I was actually starting to embarrass myself. That might have occurred when I forgot I hadn't put my white duct taped, googly eyed juice boxes out. 

The juice boxes

So here's the thing, I actually had no idea what I was going to do, until I saw a post on Facebook about this site called pinterest. I was cooked from there, because they have simple, easy, ADORABLE ideas, and as they say in project runway, I have an editing problem. From the homemade flying bats, to the chocolate pretzel spiderwebs, to the homemade frosting, cookie decorating, coconut bowling, toddler sized ball toss and witch pitch game, ......it was clear that I may have gone slightly overboard. But you know what? Who cares? Other than the fact that it was the teacher who called me a wacko, he also admitted that it was a great party. The moms had fun, the kids were riding a fabulous sugar high as they actually played the games and the bar was set just a little higher. Yeah, I will attempt to wipe the self satisfied grin off my face... In a minute.Well, after this exhausting day, you think I'd just phone in my night early? I think not. Enter William Cooper, husband extraordinaire with a planned date night of a Whitesnake concert and dinner. (*Side Note* We LOVE that we have found a babysitter). If you hadn't noted that that was implied, I want to spell it out. You have NO idea. Anyways, we were having issues ordering the tickets online, so we took a chance and bought at the door. However, first we had to figure out where we were going. Will, being a directional guru of sorts had a general idea, but it took my powers of observation ( i.e. Couple with tight leather and stone washed pants on)...and following aforementioned couple on a hunch that we were most likely going to the same place. Bingo. 
The line for tickets was, uh, small. Like 4 people in front of us.... So tickets were not an issue. We even got bumped further up towards the front with our cheap tickets. Apparently their promoter was a bit off with this trip to Asia. Their loss. The crowd was good, and the band was particularly awesome despite David Coverdale's affinity for his mic stand. Pure Awesomeness  ensued and I have the t-shirt  to prove it. Nothing spices up a marriage like a rock concert..... Oh. Mr. Big AND Richard Marx are coming soon too. Splendid. 

In a Rut....Hoping to emerge soon.......

Feeling as though a lot of my creative energy is going to other places and I've got nothing left when I try to write. I'm trying to pry myself out. I'll emerge soon. Promise.

Bad Case of Déjà vu

We had a great day-the beginning of a long, glorious, Moon Festival weekend. With a superfluous amount of family time on our hands we decided to check out the local sites. A short MRT ride away stands Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall which is flanked by the National Theater and National Concert Hall. Being that Wyatt fell asleep on the MRT ride, Will climbed the Memorial steps solo, though took a fantastic Lincoln-esque (Chiang Kai-Shek) pic from the top. Wyatt woke up, was pacified by some M&M's and ran through the fountain. All was well with the world, only getting better with a yummy meal at a burger/salad place called Forkers and  a sweet treat at Coldstone to wrap it all up. Could it get any better? I mean really!?
Oh, and the answer is no, no it really couldn't.

Why? Well, upon our return back to the SOGO where our bikes were parked and LOCKED up, Will's wasn't there. We looked. We searched. Are we stupid? Do we not see it? At this point Wyatt is becoming frantic (being as his new cup holder had just been installed hours earlier), I'm getting pissed and Will is completely calm. Too calm. The bike had been stolen. Three down. Unbelievable. I have a string of other things I would like to insert at this point, but again, I make it a point to make this blog as child friendly as possible. We go inside to the smashingly dressed information desk girls (I've been trying to nonchalantly take a picture of them since we've gotten here....still trying) and then work our way over to the police station, as is the protocol. *Sigh* Will is telling me to watch myself, as Wyatt is observing every itty bitty reaction of the both of us since the incident began. I mean, he's been through this before and for some reason, I feel as if he's watching me closer this time. Is this a test??????
Oh, and the answer to that one is Yes. As I'm learning, life with a child is always a test. Have I mentioned I'm not a quick learner? Anyway, we enter the police station, attempt a feeble explanation that there was a theft and wait for someone who can understand us. This occurs a bit later and we traipse back over to SOGO where the "incident" occurred. After some expert miming we walk back to the police station. Our officer is in plain clothes and I see Wyatt trying to run up beside him with 'The Wyatt' swagger. Here we go......Will and I can both see that Wyatt is trying to check out the guy's belt for a holster with a weapon of any kind. He ends up disappointed and instead begins telling the guy about his stolen cup holder. As I'm trying to reign my anger in about the theft and Will is apparently trying to not let any of his out; we are both trying to use this as another teaching moment. I am, however, struggling. Wyatt is discussing the specifics of what superhero he can become in order to go into this person's garage and get his bike back. I am trying to tell him that we don't take matters into our own hands, that this is why we have gotten law enforcement involved. We cannot become vigilantes!!!! The timing was also perfect as we have been discussing God's Rules (10 commandments) within our devotionals this past week. I asked Wyatt what one of the rules were. He stated Don't Steal. Yuppers. Will asked for a second one and Wyatt said, Don't Kill. I swear, it's as if this kid is in my head.
We get to the police station and after another long wait, the officers say, what do you want us to do..what do you want to happen? Not that I blame them, because Will and I both know there is nothing they can do. HOWEVER, I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs; It just isn't right!!!! #$*%&! It needs to be reported because people can't steal other people's things and get away with it dammit! (That felt better. My apologies kiddies). The officers really did try though. We even got to see the tape of the guy jacking our bike. Who are we looking for? Asian male, early twenties medium to average build. Uh, sure. The video that we watched no less than 5 times incited me to a slow boiling rage. This guy, who's face was unfortunately blurred, walked over with such confidence and unlocked Will's bike with a "bump"(is that the right lingo?) key. Then rode away. Jerk.
SO......I'm a work in progress and thus far Wyatt has not armored up...despite his grandiose plans to "sneak out" with Will in the middle of the night to uh, check things out. Fortunately for all of Taiwan he failed to set his alarm.

The Art of Fine Dining

Have you ever known you were going out to dinner and looked forward to it, like ALL week long? Or... had your favorite candy bar sitting in the fridge (Hello Lindts Double Milk...thank you Kati Kelly..)just waiting for that special moment of consumption? Anticipatory excitement.... It's like a novelty. Now imagine eating out every night or having to eat your favorite candy bar every day- kind of loses some of that initial appeal, right? Yeah this is the state I currently find myself in- ah yes the trials if being an ex-pat wife. Right. I know some of you may want to punch me in the face right now . I get it. I'm NOT complaining. It's my same old saga of trying to figure things out...out loud... No need to thank me. I've been hearing a bunch of mothers feeling the same way as their kids are heading off to school.
In this respect I feel men have the advantage   (disclaimer* MY opinion*).
Certainly not in every circumstance but in many, the guy goes to work, (working hard mind you), feeling the daily pressures of needing to make ends meet while ensuring that the financial obligations of his family are met. I completely get that that can be tremendously stressful. But the mother.....well that's a different animal entirely isn't it. I feel that men aren't as riddled with guilt or with as many concerns as they make their way into the workplace. Their role is more defined.....but moms? Me? Guilty. Pulled in so many directions- constantly wondering if we're making the right decisions, spending enough time with our kids. Did we give them a big enough hug this morning? Why did I have to yell so loud when he jumped on my head this morning at 6:15 AM? Why after school have we only spent a total of 20 minutes together before I'm disciplining and trying to maintain a shred of patience?  As mothers we tell ourselves, I know I need to work, but is there some other way to make ends meet? I know I really don't need to work....but I really want to......oh God, will he be in therapy because I didn't breastfeed?
And so it goes. On and on- it's endless. So much of our lives, energy and heart go into our kids. My heart is walking around the playground under someone else's watch while I spend yet another morning getting a cup of coffee and going to the gym. All the while knowing that I've GOT to do something else other than what I'm doing. This is approximately my second full week of school being in session and while fun and exciting at first, I'm getting full of the fine dining every day. I've caught up on the first season of Glee, joined a woman's bible study and consumed way more iced coffees than I'd care to share. My husband assures me that once my volunteer job kicks in more steadily, I'll feel more grounded. I sure hope so because I'm floundering, and ultimately I feel incredibly self centered; not to mention with as much time as I'm going to the gym,  I should be in WAY better shape. OH the iced coffees... Well it's a vicious cycle isn't it?
Highlight  of my Debbie downer post? Not sure how many of you know the book Love You Forever by Robert Munsch.- but there's a little song in there that I sing to Wyatt every now and then-
 I will love you forever
I'll like you for always as long as I'm living-
My baby you'll be.
Well this morning Wyatt, always sensing my moods and making the conscious choice to either assuage or exacerbate them, chose in this instance to look at me in all my depths of despair and sing the song to me.
Ahhhhhh my son, my heart.
That my friends, is fine dining and I ate it up. Every bite.

Keep your head up....

Last week was.... interesting. Such a funny word interesting, as it can denote a TON of meanings. Interesting can be taken at face value like, huh, that animal is really interesting looking. OR wow- that outfit with all those crazy colors was pretty interesting. OR ewwww did you see what that guy did over there? That was interesting. But I have to say my all time favorite is when I'm being myself and my Taiwanese friend says...interesting. Ahhhh yes. Anyway last week was....different...interesting if you will. Just as I was getting into the groove and trying to come up with some kind of schedule (gasp)or something for myself, we have a typhoon warning and school is cancelled. What is this, Virginia? The only reason I say that is because nothing happened..which don't get me wrong I'm thankful for, and I know precautionary measures needed to be taken, but.....it kind of threw me all off.
SOOOO Monday-I had a scheduled "interview/meet and greet" for a volunteer position I'm interested (there it is again) in, which had to be rescheduled, no gym, which perpetuated me into a cycle of not going there, (with the exception of Friday) for the rest of the week and really just overall restlessness and feeling kind of weird about Wyatt and this whole school, find a life thing. I really do miss my son people. I need to get over it. It's a part of growing up (for me, not him). I however digress....
The most interesting thing that happened this week? Wyatt armoring up, failing to pay attention to where he's going and running into a cobblestone post. It gave a whole new meaning to...well, that'll leave a mark.......