Since I’m on the topic of strollers (see my rant on Strollers / Prams and HK Taxis), I made a reminder to myself that I needed to share my story about the Chicco Cortina / Extreme Stroller. 
In general, I am a big fan of Maclaren strollers.  However, since the birth of baby #2, we needed something a little more versitile and after walking through Chicco in Hong Kong - we are regular shoppers at Chicco and own most of their basic pieces (crib, travel cot, newborn stroller - which I …

Why this sudden urge to buy a high-powered, high-end vacuum cleaner?  Well, it all started with a visit from a “Rainbow” vacuum representative.  A friend had referred us to see their in-home demo and so because part of the demo included a mattress cleaning, we figured it would be worth it check it out.  The Rainbow Cleaning System is truly cool.  When the rep showed us the amount of “stuff” (dead skin cells, bed bugs, bed bug droppings, hair, dirt, dust) that came out of our mattress, it scared us.  …

This is one amazing game for preschoolers.  It’s educational and it’s fun!  It’s even better when played with an adult to reinforce the learning.  Since Vanessa has just started learning her alphabets at school (I think they are on the letters L, M, N), this is a great way for me to teach her more and it demonstrates just how far she’s come in her learning.  The words that are in the game aren’t very complex, they contain words that she already knows, but just doesn’t know …

It seems that any new expectant mother I meet will ask me about my birthing experience, particularly if they reside in Hong Kong.  I feel like I’ve told this story a million times and well, since some do ask and I do have pictures, I’m posting it here.  I will talk about costs, experience and drop in some pics (obviously not the ones where I look half myself).  In all fairness, this post is really focused on the private system in Hong Kong.  I personally haven’t gone through the public …