When we moved to Beijing we had a little farewell party in London. One of my mommy friends gave me a book: The Unmumsy Mum. After two years I have pulled it out of the closet and read it. Shame on me for waiting two years, as this is one of the best parenting books I have ever read, but I’m also a bit happy, as I was able to shape myself as a mommy blogger before finding one of the coolest mommy bloggers ever.

Sarah Turner is one of the most honest moms out there, and in this book all her blogs come together. It is the most hilarious and informative book for parents. This book should come with the Moses basket (the one you will never use.) We should basically gift this book before people pop out little people.

Turner is wittily self-deprecating, and many situations she writes about resonate with my life as a parent. I believe they will resonate with many moms out there. She describes the park visits, and how kids act like complete idiots sometimes.  Parenting is not always sunshine, but can be hard, and dirty, and not always appreciated by your brood.

Next time you are in Europe or the US, get your hands on this book. It will make you feel more human. It offers solidarity without judgment, and that is exactly what we need sometimes as parents. Read more about her parenting struggles here.

Photos: Pixabay and Goodreads.com

I won’t take credit for this post, as one of my mommy friends send me a huge list of her go-to websites for parenting and life in general. Clearly I was feeling a bit left behind, and said mommy friend took it on herself to keep me busy on the internet this summer. Now, with the regular upkeep of WeChat and work, I spend enough time online. But it has been refreshing to visit some new websites, especially since the Beijing summer has been nothing like a summer with all the rain.

Babble

This website is hosted by Disney, and covers anything from parenting to very stimulating blogs. This is Disney for parents.

Blissfully Domestic

The answer to not being able to access Pinterest. Party ideas, trends, recipes… this website is filled with the cutest things. Even if you are not blissful or domestic, this website will give you some inspiration to try a little harder.

Mind Body Green

Healthy body, healthy mind. This website has mentors who share their tips and tricks for a healthy lifestyle. From meditation to health trackers, this website is a great source of information.

XO Jane

This is the Reddit for woman. Feel like sharing your embarrassing story? This is the spot. Feel like reading about other women’s experiences? Go to this website. Good luck logging off.

Good Reads

This website is a treasure trove for book lovers. You can fill in your interests, and Good Reads will find some new reads for you. You can even have discussions about books. When I am done browsing all these websites, I’ll give it a try.

I have been searching and asking around, because I wanted to find some mommy bloggers who could inspire me. Blogging is a very big part of my job and it does not always come easy. Beijing is filled with great things to blog about, and my family life is a blog in its own. Still I struggle sometimes to pitch blogs, so I thought I could make a post about mommy bloggers. The internet is filled with mothers who write down their funny, motivational, and sometimes sad stories. These are a few of my favorites I have found; do you have any mommy bloggers whose sites you frequent?

Scary mommy 

Jill Smokler started Scary Mommy, and this blog has turned into a community of millions of parents. The blog has a great theme: parenting does not have to be perfect.

We are the history makers and the memory keepers.
We are the snot catchers and the ass wipers.
We’ve seen it all, heard it all, and smelled it all,
but we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We are millions of unique women, united by motherhood.
We are scary, and we are proud.

Rants from Mommyland

Two moms write each other emails about losing their sh*t and having too much laundry. Honest and fun, this blog has turned into something big, with many contributors and so funny to read.

Hands Free Mama

This blog is about letting go of unimportant things and holding on to what really matters in life. Deep stuff, and so meaningful to read.

The Badass Breastfeeder

This mother is an attachment parenting and breastfeeding advocate. Her blog has a huge amount of great resources that helped me during my young parenting days.

Photo: Mommy Bloggers

This year’s Beijing news has been good, bad, and ugly. Some of the blogs were written last year and years before but still remained relevant for families searching information on issues such as where to buy toys, rabies shots, online shopping sites, pollution, and more. Here are the ten blogs that caught the attention of our readers in descending order. Happy New Year!

Beijing French School Teens Believed Abroad Malaysian Airlines Flight
The saddest story of the year to hit the expat community was learning that members of the community were on board the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.  Find out more about who was on board here.

5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
This was written by one of our interns last year, which was a constant in out monthly top blogs as people searched for alternative online shopping sites to E-commerce giant Taobao. The sites do have an English interface that makes them easier to navigate.

Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
Well kids outgrow toys faster than clothes! Parents searched our site to find out where to get toys in Beijing for purposes of getting birthday presents, or just to increase playing time. Find the places where to get toys and bookmark the page just to keep going back to it.

10 Things You Might Not Know About The Year of the Dragon
One of the interesting things learning about Chinese culture is the Shengxiao known in English as the Chinese zodiac getting to know which Chinese year of birth you belong to. The most viewed was the year of the Dragon find out if its a good or bad thing to be born in this year. Also, this is a blast from the past blog written in 2012 but still fresh!

The Painted Skin and Other Scary Tales: A Chinese Ghost Story Primer
Well this is a blast from the past that has stayed relevant over the years. This was written way back in 2011 and people still find it interesting to find out about Chinese folklore and urban legends that would make good movie creations in this day and age of really good effects.

Smogcast App: Tomorrow’s Pollution Forecast Today
Tomorrow’s dress code is sometime determined with a daily check of the weather report. Whether families need to make sure that air masks are out is what made this app popular. This app review was written last year but remains relevant for those wishing to be prepared for the next days. But sometimes a check in the morning works as well.

What’s That Air Purifier Really Doing for You?
Former beijingkids Deputy Managing Editor, used to work for an air purifying company where she was accustomed to answering queries about importance of an air purifier so she wrote this blog to help clear things up about having an air purifier in smog central.

Dumb and Simple: The Trick to Using Taobao without Alipay or a Chinese ID Number
The roadblock most foreign Taobao enthusiasts found was the payment method that was singularly based on credit cards, Alipay, and/or a Chinese ID card number, which made buying difficult. This step-by-step guide shows the use of a debit online banking method that overcomes the mentioned road blocks.

I Was Scratched by My Dog and Had to Get the Rabies Shot
A dog bite is not the only way to contract rabies but even a scratch is just as deadly. Find out how to go about getting the shots to keep rabies away for those without a vaccination. The good news is you can await it out to get the series of shots when your either scratched or bitten but the bad news is you’ll be either scratched or bitten.

Shunyi Foreign Foster Parent of 11 Disappears, Critically Ill Child at Hospital
The reports about American foster father to 11 ethnic Chinese children, Ray Wigdal hit the press after claims of child abuse rose when one of his foster children was hospitalized. This story evolved to our sister publication getting an exclusive interview with the man himself here in Beijing. 

Photos: file footage

As the holidays near in and the year finally ends, we take a look at the blogs that made the month of November busy on our blog section. These blogs were based on Google Analytics data. The classics that have month after month still managed to capture the interest of our readers are still in this list. Before we start digging through the whole year’s top blogs, here is what November looked like:

Beijingle Bells: The Big, Bad List of 2014 Holiday Bazaars
The holiday season in Beijing comes alive in November as most expats leave for the winter holidays by the second week of December. The charity bazaars are a good place to start looking or even get some gifts for family, friends, and pets. There are still a few bazaars left to check out.

Save the Date: beijingkids’ 4th Annual International School Expo Jan 24-25 at Kerry Hotel
The upcoming beijingkids school fair is going to be held in January 24-25 at the Kerry Hotel. The fair has been known for bringing together the wider community with international and some local schools to help families find information about the Beijing school scene. Find out more by clicking the link above.

Chinese Universities Offering Degree Courses Taught In English
The collaboration between Chinese and English instructing universities has made it easier for students to get a hybrid style education in China while using the class structure, degree formats and grading the same as the non-China based universities but at a lower cost.

PECB Reporting: Honest and Poor or Rich and Dishonest?
The debate title “Honest and Poor or Rich and Dishonest” is one that centers on the core ethics of most professional codes of conduct. When students begin to debate this it becomes one of those engaging and enlightening to hear the pros and cons.

We Just Can’t Get Enough of These Blogs:
The Painted Skin and Other Scary Tales: A Chinese Ghost Story Primer
5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
I Was Scratched by My Dog and Had to Get the Rabies Shot

2015 inches closers than we might find comfortable but the upside is there’s still time to cross off one 2014 resolution before carrying it forward to coming new year. Lets get straight to the blogs that made to October’s most viewed according to Google Analytics. The popularity of this list was based on the two factors pollution and Halloween which were topics of concern.

Smogcast App: Tomorrow’s Pollution Forecast Today
October recorded higher than last October’s AQI readings over several days (this prompted a scramble by the government to give school children and officials a holiday that is currently underway). Like the daily weather report, getting a smog report become a must do (still is) and finding out how to use the Smog App was clearly outlined in this blog.

Third Session Added for the beijingkids Halloween Costume Party
The annual beijingkids spooky fest sold out so the powers that be (marketing team) decided to add a third session which sold out as well. Check out the Gallery for the five-part photo series.

Big Kids: HIS Parents Share First Day of School Stories
Hope International School started the new school year at the new campus in Crab Island and the new parents had a lot to share with the community is the first day of school blog series. Check out what the two parents from different countries say about adjustment and living in Beijing.

Shunyi Happenings
The blog that keeps the Shunyi community updated on the latest closings and openings, events taking place and the school scene was at it again with news about where to go trick-or-treating and other newsworthy tidbits. This blog is always up every week on Wednesday mornings.

The Usual Suspects…
These blogs have become information fodder for old and new residents also they feature highly on our blog top ten very month. But some appear every other month. In no particular order here are the linked blogs:

The Painted Skin and Other Scary Tales: A Chinese Ghost Story Primer
Dumb and Simple: The Trick to Using Taobao without Alipay or a Chinese ID Number
5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
I Was Scratched by My Dog and Had to Get the Rabies Shot
What’s That Air Purifier Really Doing for You?

Photos: Archive

Another month gone! As we settle in to the high pollution levels and colder temperatures ushering in the month of October, we take a look at the blogs that were most viewed according to data collected by Google Analytics. The usual suspects are just links at this point.

2014 Family Health Fair Blogs
On September 14, beijingkids and JingKids held its first-ever Family Health Fair bringing together the community and Beijing’s health industry businesses and organizations. The blogs that caught the attention of our readers were the call out to exhibitors and what to expect from fair.

Ten Things You Should Know About the Mid-Autumn Festival
September 8 was a much needed non working day (just happened that there was no make up weekend day) but that was also the Mid-Autumn Festival, which made this archived posted a sure hit as people wanted to known more about this Chinese holiday.

Taobao Made Easy
Online shopping giant makes accessibility to various cheap and expensive goods very easy but for most foreigners the Chinese interface is quite intimidating. The use of taobao agents is just an available option that seems to work for the expat community.

Hope International Moves to Crab Island
Founded in 2012, the faith based international school moved campuses and the new place has some facilities worth a check out. Our School Editor gives a description of the place.

20 Years at WAB: Two Veterans Share Experience
Working in Beijing does present its fair share of challenges but there’s good to be found. The Western Academy of Beijing celebrates its 20th anniversary and they have two employees who narrate their journey with the school.

As usual, here are the links to the other blogs that made the
Dumb and Simple: The Trick to Using Taobao without Alipay or a Chinese ID Number
5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
10 Things You Might Not Know About the Year of the Dragon

Photos: file footage

Well these months just keep zooming past us, we are heading for cooler temperatures, heavier traffic, back-to-school ritual, soggy streets and of course blogs. August in Beijing feels like a re-birthing period, new residents have made the much-anticipated journey to the city. This edition of the top blogs as per Google Analytics brings some freshness to the list that has remained constant for some time. Lets get to it…

beijingkids and JingKids Family Health Fair Open to Exhibitors and Sponsors
beijingkids and JingKids jointly present the first Family Health Fair to be held on September 14 and there was a call for exhibitors from health-related business to sign up. Check out the rules of eligibility to become either a sponsor or exhibitor.

Dumb and Simple: The Trick to Using Taobao without Alipay or a Chinese ID Number
The complexity of paying for items on Taobao can drive most sane people to the brink of insanity. There is now a little trick of using online banking. This blog shows you a step by step guide on how to use it.

To Be or Not to Be? The Dual Citizen Conundrum
Written in 2009, this blog tries to clarify the situation of mixed families children who are born in China yet are foreign passport holders. China does not allow dual citizenship but there is a legal gray areas that are touched on in the blog.

More Bureaucratic Bumbling for Mixed-Nationality Chinese-Foreign Babies
The issue of foreign-Chinese couples’ children nationality status is becoming increasingly confusing as there are no clear policies due to different statements from different public organizations.

Lunar Lessons: Ten Things You Didn’t Know about the Mid-Autumn Festival
With the Mid-Autumn festival shortly upon, getting to know some background on the holiday made this blog a hit.

Links:
PSB Crackdown on Dual Citizenships: Will Families Be Affected?
Little Chinese “Nerds”
5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao
Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops
I Was Scratched by My Dog and Had to Get the Rabies Shot

Photos:

Another month bites the dust! As schools are about to reopen and the thrills of the new academic year are set on high gear, let’s first catch up with what was most read on our blogs in July. Highlighted are those that have not featured on the top most read list before. At the end of the blog we are going to have links with those that have withstood months of staying on Google Analytics most viewed list. Added to the list is  a popular magazine article from our 2014 Health Guide. 

Calling All Newbies: The beijingkids 2014-2015 Home & Relocation Guide Is Out
It was the season for the annual expat migration that’s where the recently published beijingkids 2014/2015 Home and Relocation Guide caters for those arriving, making Beijing homey and those bidding Beijing adieu. The feature length articles in the guide look at school selection to building a support network.

Beijing on a Budget: Top Tips for Saving Money In China
Our guest financial blogger gives ten tips on how to survive Beijing as a spendthrift as families save for the future. The simple tips are doable and can make a difference.

Little Chinese “Nerds”
This blog is a blast from the past but still relevant. The popularity of the coined name Zhai Nan and Zhai Nv referring to the boys and girls who stay at home all the time led to various articles written to figure out why this is becoming the norm.

Question Time: The Silly Things that People Back Home Ask Us about China
Traveling back home for the summer to visit families and take a time out is quite an important ritual for most expats. So when people keep asking the same silly questions after years of living here, how do you answer them? Shunyi Correspondent, Sally Wilson gives a little insight.

Buns, Buns, Buns: The Many Ways to Mantou
There are numerous way to eat Mantou, a Chinese favorite, which has parked interest on how to make the most of this simple snack. Find out how versatile this snack can be.

Now Accepting Sponsors for the beijingkids and JingKids Family Health Fair
beijingkids and JingKids present the first ever 2014 Family Health Fair that aims to bring together health-related business and organizations for a day of information sharing with the wider community. There are booths still up for grabs for exhibitors and various sponsorship deals for the September 14 fair. Check out this blog for more information.

Health Guide 2014: Beijing Blues – An expat shares his experience with depression

The second Health Guide featured in the mental health and counseling section an expat sharing his experience with depression. This article is also looks at the Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).

The blogs that featured last month and this month

5 Chinese Online Shopping Sites to Rival Taobao

Coming to Toytown: Beijing’s Best Toy Shops

I Was Scratched by My Dog and Had to Get the Rabies Shot

The Painted Skin and Other Scary Tales: A Chinese Ghost Story Primer

Photos: archives