HKG009: Quiet, Please!

today, the kids and i started our day at the park where we had a bunch of fun. after livie's friend left for school, we headed out to get a snack and then to check out the library. we weren't in the library for more than 5 minutes before we were being shushed (this is a library where the kids' space is about 2x the size of the adults' space). we knew this was a risk, but honestly, i figured we'd be okay for more than 5 minutes. silly me.

we have run into a situation several times since we've been here...a situation in which our kids are the loud, rambunctious...okay obnoxious ones, and they stand out as such. i know my kids aren't perfect and that they are pretty active, but i have never seen them stand out in a negative light like i have here. i know i should expect cultural differences, but this is honestly not one i expected to run into. i don't know what the fix is or if there is one; i will continue to be vigilant in teaching them to be respectful and polite, but i am not interested in quashing their natural curiosity and enthusiasm. we'll see where this gets us; i do not want them to be singled out as "problem kids," and may have to change my tune if this is what begins to happen.

after our quickly abandoned trip to the library, we headed up one more floor in the building that houses the library to check out an activity area. it turned out to be much like a mcd's playscape without the mcd's. the kids had a great time playing for a while before it was time for us to pick up laundry and head home for lunch. after a very american lunch of grilled cheese, chips, and grapes, the kids got some rest to prepare for our afternoon adventures.

unfortunately, the adventures started before they started. quinn has developed this nasty habit of shoving his hands into his diaper to check out the contents. YECH! after a code brown and resulting emergency shower, we headed out for more playtime at the park and trip to the grocery store to get stuff for dinner. that is the first and last time i will go to a grocery store after 5 in the evening...it was a madhouse and an unpleasant trip of trying to keep the kids calm while waiting in long lines and staying out of other people's way. it was super cheap, though...i just can't get over how cheap some stuff is after we do the conversion from HK dollars to US dollars.

funny sidenote : we are a peanut butter loving family. we can go through a US family sized container of peanut butter in just over a week. i bought a medium sized jar of skippy here and nearly fainted when i saw that the price was about 5 dollars in US dollars. a couple days ago, i saw the store brand (called no frills) at wellcome, and picked it up for about a buck fifty US...much better. typically american stuff is very expensive, though. tonight, i picked up a can of campbell's soup, and it was a whopping 3 bucks in US dollars...vs a dollar or so at wal-mart in texas. wow! our diets could do with less "cream of" soup anyway :-)