Blahday

Lately the air quality in Shenyang has been less than ideal.  I'm not sure if it's the wind blowing sand and dirt around, pollution or a combination of both.  Either way it makes for lots of inside days.  Sigh.  There are several indoor places I would like to take the kids but don't have the gumption to deal with You anymore than is absolutely necessary.  However, we found out today that there is space for Nicholas at the Yu Cai Kindergarten so he will be starting there August 29th.  In the meantime I am going to find a playschool that I can take both kids to so they can have some fun and I can do some stuff on my own.  That will mean driving with the You to look at prospective schools, unless I want to wait another two weeks, which I don't.

Ayi was here today and since we are having trouble with our second toilet I decided to leave the kids with her while I walked to Carrefour for a plunger and some drain cleaner.  I had been going to take them with me in the morning and stop at Happy City but they were driving me insane and wouldn't get dressed so I quickly ruled that out.  I figured they would be alright with her even though she doesn't speak English.  It was only 45 minutes but everyone was still alive and well when I got back and Ayi didn't seem too disturbed.  I made a fried egg for Nicholas and she tried to explain to me a different way to make it.  From what I could tell by her talking and charades she was scrambling it and puting it in the microwave.  I told her that he won't eat scrambled eggs.  She then told me that she could teach me how to make dumplings.  I think I am actually starting to pick up on some of the Chinese words.  Just to verify I put "dumplings" and "You want to teach me how to cook" into google translator and that was what she said.  Perhaps she didn't enjoy my lunches so much!

Since Monday is a holiday I asked her if she would be coming and she said she would.  Tim has that day off  so he will get to meet her and we think we might make that a cooking day.  He wants to learn how to make some stuff too.  I told her that if she bought the ingredients I would pay her for them but she said no, that she wanted to come with me to the grocery store so we can pick out everything together.  After that I asked her if she knows anyone who does massages at your home.  She said that she would!  I'm not sure if she normally does them or just decided to start today, but she rubbed my shoulders for a few seconds.  I'm really starting to like her!  I think I might continue to look for someone else to do the massages though.  She was a little on the rough side and it would be nice to keep the housekeeping and massages separate.

I guess that's about it for today.  If the air doesn't improve tomorrow I may have to brave the You and go somewhere just to get out.  I'm not much of a homebody.  Just for fun, here are a couple pictures of the view from our bedroom window on May 20th.

And here it is today:

Anyone want to come visit???