Charlie Brown Cafe.

Auntie Andrianna took my daughter out for a little date in celebration of her seventh birthday, so while they were at the Moomin Cafe, I took my son down to the Charlie Brown Cafe in TST. My husband had introduced the kids to the original Charlie Brown cartoons from 1950 and they have been pouring over them. It was a lovely surprise for my son. We ordered themed desserts and some steamed vanilla milk while we watched some more Charlie Brown cartoons playing on the wall. 

A Date Weekend.

Both of the children were invited to spend the weekend with their Hong Kong besties and that meant that the husband and I got to spend some quality time together for an extended period of time instead of just a couple hours. It was lovely! We ate our way around Hong Kong, shopped, and watched movies. All in all, it was a perfect weekend. Here are some of our pictures of our time together. 

At Kowloon Park With The Kids.

All the ups and downs that naturally come with homeschooling, sometimes I really do love spending my time with my children. It helps us when we get out of our tiny 400 square foot apartment. Sometimes the walls close in on us, but a trip to the park helps brighten our moods. 

Gelato At The Star Ferry Pier.

In Tsim Sha Tsui there is a lovely gelato shop right next to the Star Ferry pier. With the muggy weather in Hong Kong we like to sometimes stop in and purchase a little treat to cool us off. As you can tell, my daughter is a huge fan of sprinkles, just like her mother! 

Riding The Star Ferry {Again}.

I love to take the Star Ferry over from the Kowloon side of Hong Kong to Hong Kong Island. It's a minimal fare of a couple dollars compared to eleven dolllars taking the train or the bus. From our home we can pick up a bus directly across the street that will take us straight to the Star Ferry which will then place us directly into Central. The kids love taking the ferry as well, because they get to look out and let's face it, a boat is just a fun way to travel.

Flamingos In The Park.

Kowloon Park is known for the flamingos that live in the pond. After our breakfast at the Australian Dairy Company on Sunday, we walked over to check them out and were pleasantly surprised to learn that they had migrated to the other side of the water. They were so much closer to us now, and provided us with a fun viewing experience. 

The Spanish Moss Of Hong Kong.

Two years ago when I was riding a double decker bus for the first time down this particular section of Nathan Road, these trees took my breath away because they reminded me so much of the live oaks and the Spanish moss back in South Carolina. Pretty soon we will be back with the Spanish moss and live oaks in South Carolina, but each time I have been down in this area in Hong Kong, it has always reminded me of being back in the United States. 

Field Trip To A Rock Climbing Wall.

One of the homeschooling groups we are part plans different field trips or activities at least once a week. As a homeschooling mother, I pick and choose which activities we participate in, since it's easy to get overwhelmed with so much going on and I prefer routine to so many field trips. We did choose to take part in the field trip to a rock climbing wall at the YMCA in Tsim Sha Tsui. 

My two different kids had different reactions to the experience. My son tried it one time and decided he preferred to sit on the sidelines and play Uno with his best buddy. My daughter on the other hand, loved the experience and kept going back for more. She loved making it to the top of the wall and the coming down again. 

Breakfast With Jamie Oliver.

One of my many favorite things about homeschooling is the flexibility in our schedule. If I want to have breakfast at Jamie Oliver's restaurant and eat some steak and eggs, I can easily find myself in Harbour City sitting at one of his tables with a cocktail in hand. I've learned this year that homeschooling looks different for every person who does it. For our family, it works easier when we take a more relaxed approach to it. Being relaxed helps me as the parent and the teacher, which translates down to my two kids.  

Liquid Nitrogen Ice Cream.

We walk past the Lab Made ice cream stand quite often when we are in Tsim Sha Tsui. I had the kids with me one hot afternoon, and I figured a sweet treat would be refreshing. It was fun for the kids to watch the ice cream being made with liquid nitrogen. A good science experiment for them and I didn't have to get the house messy!!! 

Field Trip To The Hong Kong Observatory.

I may have mentioned that we have been part of two different homeschooling groups here in Hong Kong this year. They have really provided us with a wide range of activities which keep us busy and allows for my kids to interact with other kids who are also homeschooling. 

We went on a guided tour of the Hong Kong Observatory one afternoon. It was interesting to see how weather keeps track of their weather conditions especially since we use their website to check the weather conditions on a weekly basis! 

Hong Kong Science Museum.

We asked our favorite Auntie Andrianna if she wanted to join us one Wednesday afternoon for a trip to the Hong Kong Science Museum. This is definitely a the preferred museum for my kids to visit. We managed to time our visit perfectly when school field trips were leaving and the museum was relatively quiet. The kids loved walking through the mirror room and participating in all of the hands on displays. 

Margarita Monday With The Girls.

Ever since moving to Hong Kong two years ago, our family has been on the search for the best Mexican food in the city. The other night some girl friends and I ate at Caliente on Knutsford Terrace in Tsim Sha Tsui. We ordered their margarita's, guacamole, and the tacos. The dinner conversation was enjoyable while we sat outside on their balcony and talked. 

Date Night.

Friends of ours offered to watch our kids for us, allowing my husband and I to have a date night. We  jumped at the opportunity to spend some quality time alone and decided to try eating on the patio at the {Hullet House} in Tsim Sha Tsui. The evening was chilly, but there were lanterns on the patio keeping us warm. The food was delicious and the view was lovely. It's very easy to find fantastic views here in Hong Kong with the water and the lights from the skyscrapers. 

Cocktails At Aqua.

The other evening I met my friend, Meg, at Aqua for drinks and to watch the sunset over Victoria Harbour. The bar is at the top of the One Peking building in Tsim Sha Tsui. We both ordered the "Kowloon Park" cocktail and settled in for a good chat. The views from this bar are amazing. Floor to ceiling glass windows encompass the whole restaurant. We talked while the sun went down and the lights on the buildings came on. 

Hullett House Christmas Market.

After a day of running around Hong Kong our family decided to check out the Christmas Market that the Hullett House was hosting in Tsim Sha Tsui. It was a small intimate event and we happened to randomly run into several groups of friends. We listened to live music, ate some good food, and browsed the stalls that were set up.  

The Pineapple Bun.

Bakeries here in Hong Kong, are phenomenally delicious and tend to offer the same treats from one shop to the next. The pineapple bun is a staple in the Chinese bakeries. The crust on the top of the bun is made to resemble that of a pineapple. It is a sweet treat with a pat of butter or custard on the inside.  These buns are eaten for breakfast or as a snack at tea time. 

Eating At BBQ 7080.

We were with a friend and had a craving for some Korean barbecue. Some other friends recommended this restaurant to us, and we were so glad they did! We arrived early for the dinner crowd or late for the lunch crowd. Either way you look at it, we were the only patrons in the restaurant for a majority of our meal. 

The restaurant is adorable, right down to their chopstick holders of Weiner dogs! The food was delicious and it was fun to cook on the grill in front of us. We ordered a set meal for two but there was plenty of food for the five of us and we even had leftovers!!!

Chinese Opera Festival.

On our Hong Kong bucket list, attending a Cantonese Opera show was on it. On one of the final days that the Chinese Opera Festival was taking place, we took in a show at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre. 

The show was excerpts from four different operas. As you might expect from the name alone, the operas were in Cantonese. We were able to follow along with the subtitles in English and Mandarin that were printed on television screens on either side of the main stage.

The set designs were simple and in their simplicity they were so beautiful. A thin sheer white curtain was used for the backdrop and a colored light that changed to a new color with each new act lit up the performers on stage. 

The performers wore beautiful traditional clothing with elaborately painted faces. The length of their hair was exaggerated, with the men's wispy beards coming down to their waist and the women's head of black hair falling to their ankles.

Hong Kong Space Museum.

Today we took advantage of the free museum admission day and took the kids down to the Hong Kong Space Museum. We spent most of our time on the first floor in the space science section before moving upstairs to the section on astronomy. We found some of the information on the planets to be dated and no longer relevant! Both areas were interactive, and after a short wait in line, our kids were able to take their turn.

We enjoyed the museum, especially since it was a free visit. However, it was not a favorite for either us as the parents, nor for our two kids. We had arrived later than we anticipated as well, and the tickets to the space show were sold out, so we were not able to participate in that.