Little Miss Sunshine

Upon helping my daughters make paper fans:

M: You're a fantastic mommy!
me: Ah, thanks sweetie!
M: And you're so creative ... just like me.

Guess my worries about my five year old having good self esteem might be unfounded.

My bad ... : (

Bad blogger. Bad writer.
When I started out with this blog it was supposed to be my motivation to park my behind at the computer for more than wasteful purposes and perhaps produce at least a paragraph of prose more than once a week. Well, it would seem that I have completely fallen off the wagon. Funny how life will get in the way of such pursuits.

Next week I vow to get put my writer's hat back on & hit the keyboard ... just after I get my five year old off to grade one, my three year old off to nursery school (not too hopeful on that one), take the same three year old for a sedated MRI (also not too hopeful on that one - she is currently terrified of hospitals) and get a hair cut ...

Beating up on China

Warning: somewhat long winded rant ...

Although I enjoy watching the Olympics I am almost happy that they will soon be coming to a close. The daily bashing in the media of the host country China has become overdone and tiresome. No other venue, in my memory, has been so scrutinized and ridiculed. I have serious doubts if the Games had been held in a western country that so much criticism would have been levelled at the host.

Admittedly I am somewhat biased towards China. It is the birthplace of our youngest daughter. We have friends who live there. I am not blind to the objectionable policies of the Chinese government, but I do not feel that the daily western witch hunt to find flaws with these Games, or more specifically the host country is necessary or fair. It borders on racism.

Does it really matter that the little girl from the opening ceremonies was lip syncing to someone else's words? Prerecording music is used all the time in the entertainment industry. This was certainly not the first or last time it will be used during an Olympic opening or closing ceremony. By the outcry in the media you would think that the Chinese Olympic committee had beaten the poor child. Sure, it seemed mean spirited to replace the child behind the voice with a little girl that the officials deemed to be prettier, but how often in life are children judged by their looks? It happens all the time, in Hollywood, the media, in school yards. That doesn't make it right and I don't think it's appropriate when it happens, but the Chinese are certainly not the first to judge someone based on their looks. Was it a heinous act worthy of an international media frenzy?

Then it was revealed that, gawd forbid, some of the firework sequences from the opening ceremonies were prerecorded and digitally enhanced. So what?! It was a show. It added to the entertainment value of the production. But again, it was portrayed as yet another example of how those untrustworthy Chinese tried to pull a fast one on the rest of the world.

Now we hear accusations that some the Chinese women's gymnastics team was under aged (apparently their younger, tinier bodies would give them an advantage). I have to wonder if this would have been questioned at all if the team hadn't dominated in the event and it wasn't a western team that was perceived as being thwarted in the process.

What about Michael Phelps? Here is an athlete who grabbed eight gold medals and smashed world records in the process. His accomplishment seems implausible, but is he questioned? Does anyone point the finger and say "he must have cheated?" No. He is celebrated. I wonder if the attitude would be different if he was Chinese.

Then there is the Jamaican track team. They dominated "the big" races in winning the men's 100m, 200m, 4 x 100 m relay and women's 100m. Again, in the process world records fell. Does anyone accuse Usain Bolt of doping? No, they line up to hand him endorsement contracts.

I am not accusing any of these athletes of cheating. What I am commenting on is the public perceptions based on the athlete's home country. I have even heard suspicions of judges throwing decisions to the Chinese in situations where there were judgement calls to be made. So now the long arm of the Chinese government has reached out to influence the international judges in several sports?

This China bashing is not limited just to the Olympics. For the last few years there seems to be a marked increase in negative press regarding China.

The Chinese are sending us toxic toys! The toys that were found to contain led paint were but a drop in the bucket of Chinese made products that flood our stores. If the west didn't have such a voracious appetite for cheaply made Chinese goods perhaps incidents such as this would not happen.

The Chinese are selling us poisonous pet food! Don't trust any food products from China!
How about not trusting any food products from Ontario? The current Maple Leaf meats recall in Canada due to an outbreak of listeria shows that any source in the food chain can be vulnerable.

Why the China bashing? I think it goes beyond human rights and remants of a communist ideology controlling the ruling regime. It has to do with power. Economic power and power in sheer numbers. And it has to do with oil. The emerging economies in Asia, with massive populations to support, are now starting to put demands on the supplies of oil that the west is so addicted to. China is seen as a threat.

Maybe I'm overly sensitive because of my child's ties to China. But I don't feel that my sensitivity is unfounded. When the media continuously portrays a particular country in a negative light it isn't long before these negative attitudes begin to permeate public perceptions. Yes, my daughter is Canadian, but simply by virtue of her beautiful face she is first and always seen as Chinese. When adopting transracially we knew we would have to deal with issues of race, we just didn't count on this issue being exacerbated by the media.

One of those days ...

Today was not good. Low energy. Blah. It was a struggle to get through. I'm sure it got off to a bad start because of the lack of uninterrupted sleep from last night. Our five year old has a bad cough (allergy related) and was hacking unmercifully through the wee hours of the morning. At one point I had to relocate her to another room so she wouldn't wake the three year old.

Because of her bark, that seems to be settling into her chest, I kept our daughter home from day camp/swimming lessons today. Unfortunately her little sister had a speech therapy appointment out of town. So by 9 am we were all piled in the van and headed out on the highway. Half way there barky asked for the pewk bucket. A pail probably would have been more appropriate. Needless to say we didn't make it to our appointment.

Once back at home the day seemed to drag on. I felt like I could barely function. I was cursing the new "eating regime" I'm trying to stick to. I'm sure it was partly to blame for my lack of energy. And before any of you start in with the "are you crazy?! You don't need to lose weight!" let me just say you haven't seen me naked. Besides, I'm getting tired of camouflaging those little jiggly rolls under my clothes.

One o'clock rolled around. Thank gawd! The youngest will nap ... a reprieve! Or not. She decided that today she would like not to have a nap. No thank-you. No way. I think it's some sort of sick sense that children come pre-wired with. They can smell when you're weak and they will go for the kill every time.

I tried to relax for a few minutes and have a quiet moment in the family room (I'm not sure where the minions were by that point). One of our kitties decided to climb up on my lap. Nice kitty, purring, trying to make me feel better ... until he anchored himself to my leg with his claws and then swung off. Not only did he cut my leg, but my only pair of shorts that fit me decently (yes, I do need to lose a few). I don't think the day could get any worse. I was close to tears.

Then it happened. My wonderful, shining knight (ok, now I'm going to pewk! ha ha) My thoughtful husband sensed my distress during a phone call and cut his work out short to be home at his usual time and rescue me. After supper he whisked the kids away, not to return until just before bath time. Not only did he bring home two tired children, but also a bag of Lays. My hero! (I'll worry about counting points tomorrow).

Summer Is Waning ...

Can you sense it in the air? There is a distinctive feel to when a season decides to take leave and begin preparations for its successor to arrive. When August makes that turn everything begins to look over done, dry, spent. The crickets chirp anxiously. And the evenings begin to cool, single digit temperatures making for comfortable, restful sleep. I love this part of the summer. I'm not a scorching heat lovin', hit the beach kind of gal. Autumn is my favorite time of year and I welcome it's coming with open arms. I dream of crisp fall days with rust fallen leaves crunching under foot, a trip to the apple orchard and pumpkin patch with our girls, comfort food ... ahhh.
Yep, can't wait.

Missing a homeland that's not my own ...

Tomorrow is the opening of the Beijing Olympics. I have been watching the coverage leading up to the games with a lot of interest and emotion. It was a year ago this week that we were packing our bags and boarding a plane to Beijing. We were embarking on a trip of a lifetime to bring home our daughter.

It was exciting to be travelling to such a foreign land. But what I never expected was to fall in love with that land. I can't say that it was love at first sight. It was a gruelling trip, mixed with strong emotions. But through the mental haze my brain managed to grasp onto the tastes, the smells, the beauty, the people.

Now when I see the familiar sights flashing across my tv screen I feel a strange longing. I miss China. I read about friends preparing to embark on their own journeys to bring their new children home and I feel envy.

I believe much of my affinity for China has to do with the fact that it is my child's homeland. It is where she is from. It is part of who she is.

As I spend the next few weeks being bombarded with images of this familiar foreign land I will feel a strong melancholy. I feel it now. One day I will return to China and introduce my daughter to the home that I miss so much.

Published!

I am very excited that the August issue of Root and Sprout, a parenting ezine, features an article written by yours truly. It is titled Cultivating Community and can be found here.

While this is just a small piece, in my mind it is still an accomplishment. Root and Sprout is a great parenting resource and I am proud to have my work associated with it. It is the first thing I have had "in print" in eight years. It is something that I took the time to write, submit and put out there for public comsumption. It is the first step on my way to hopefully producing much more published work.