March 8, 2016 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

Red Thread Sisters

red thread sisters

Hi Guys, Aidan here with a new book recommendation.

I was at Lissy’s house when I saw this book. She had just finished reading it and although it has a picture of two girls on the front she said I should read it and that I’d enjoy it. She was right.

The book is about an eleven-year-old Chinese girl named Wen who is adopted by an American family. Before leaving the orphanage Wen promises her best friend, Shu Ling, she will find her a home in America too. Of course, that’s not as easy as Wen might think.

One of the most heartbreaking parts of the book is Wen believing if she’s not well behaved her parents will send her back to her orphanage. When her father loses his job and they have to cut back on extras, Wen thinks the of herself as an extra and prepares to return to China.

Wen also finds it hard to attach to her new family, especially her mother. The guilt she feels over leaving Shu Ling behind makes it difficult to even make new friends.

Having two cousins who were adopted from China made this book even more special to me. The book really made me think about a lot of things I take for granted. From major things like knowing my parents love me and would never give me up, to more minor things like knowing presents I get are mine and won’t be given to other people. Seeing American culture through the eyes of someone new to our shores is also really interesting.

I highly recommend this book by Carol Antoinette Peacock to anyone interested in learning more about orphanages and China, but also those who enjoy books about friendship, love and trust.

http://www.carolpeacock.com/

http://www.amazon.com/Thread-Sisters-Carol-Antoinette-Peacock/dp/0670013862/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1457444780&sr=8-1&keywords=red+thread+sisters

October 15, 2015 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

Diving Buddies!

Hi Guys, Olivia here with the second in the series, ‘So You Think You Can’.

Aubrey (14) and Maia (13) have been best friends since listening to Nicki Minaj’s “Starships” together at the USA Diving Regionals in Fort Lauderdale in 2012.

Maia was adopted from Yiyang, Jiangxi (which is the town where Tess is from) and Aubrey is originally from Hangzhou in Zhejiang and has a younger sister, Alison, also from China. Both Maia and Aubrey now live in Florida.

Aubrey was 9½ when she started diving and Maia was 8. Both girls train for at least a couple of hours four to six times a week. Both girls have won many local titles and Maia placed 2nd on her three meter dive for East Nationals and Aubrey finished sixth on her one meter tower at AAU Nationals.

Diving has also enabled the girls to travel, having both been to Georgia, Iowa, Wisconsin and Maryland, plus a bunch of other States, as well as traveling all around Florida.

I was full of questions like – how deep is the pool? A. Eighteen feet. And do your ears ever pop? A. Only if you go right to the bottom after diving off the tower. It turns out that both girls prefer springboard and I don’t blame them. To be honest, diving off towers seems intimidating – even to me. (Maia admits the tower can be scary and Aubrey has broken her ankle twice and popped a membrane in her ear – yikes!) So, I asked them a little about how they got into the sport and what they like most about.

O – What are you thinking when you stand at the edge of the diving board? ‘

A – Don’t die, (jokes Aubrey). And then I think relax, you’ve got this.

M – I think about the correction my coach gave me. Plus relaxing and remembering to breath is always good!
O – Have you ever got to the edge and thought – no way?

M – Going up to seven meters was hard – I was like – no! But I soon realized it wasn’t that bad.

A – A couple of times. I once got on the board to do a back dive tuck and thought no way and it happened again on my front 2½.

O – I asked the girls what’s the hardest dive they can do and Aubrey asked if I meant physically or emotionally, which I hadn’t given much thought to. I have no idea what these mean, but they sound pretty impressive!

A – The hardest dive for me both mentally and emotionally is (105B) front 2 ½ somersault pike of a seven meter platform. Physically the most difficult dive is (522D) back, which is 1 somersault 2 ½ twists on one meter.

M – On springboard, my hardest dive is a (5235D), which is a back 1 ½ somersault 2 ½ twist free on 3 meters. On tower: It’s a (405C); inward 2 ½ tuck on 7 meter high.

O – What is the hardest thing about diving? You know, other than not hitting your head and freaking out?

M – You need to overcome the mental game. You can be physically ready for a dive, but if your brain won’t let you do it, then you won’t.

A – The hardest thing for me is making sure you have a good attitude and keep a positive outlook on everything.

O – What do you like best about diving?

A – In diving there are no limits, you can always get better. The sport is always pushing you to stretch yourself.

M – I like the exhilaration of getting a new dive.

O – Who is your favorite diver?

M – I like Patricia McCormick because she executed dives that weren’t allowed. Plus she won gold medals in two consecutive Olympics.

A – The Olympic Gold Medalist, David Boudia. He is inspirational. He took the time to talk to me about his diving experience and even showed me how he used to draw out his dives to overcome his fears. I also like Steven LoBue because he is small like me!

Aubrey

O – what is your advice to children thinking of taking up diving?

A – I would tell them, don’t let anything stop you. Sometimes you will feel frustrated with the process or have a smack – get up and try again. I have made friends all around the country that I would have not met outside this sport. I have been blessed to have amazing mentors who have become role models. I feel like this diving community is small and even though we don’t see each other at school we still are connected and support and encourage each other. Diving has taught me a lot about myself. It has given me courage to overcome my fears. It has also taught me life skills like the confidence to try new things, be in front of a crowd, to set goals, to be social, to work hard and to prioritize my time in order to accomplish my dreams.

Maia

M – Diving is a fun sport that you will enjoy and you can make great friends from all over that you may not have met otherwise. It teaches you a lot about yourself and being able to put in the hard work to achieve your goals – big or small. You have to be fearless or learn to overcome your fear in order to achieve your goals. Additionally, you have to love twisting and flipping.There is also the opportunity to participate at the High School level in addition to AAU and/or USA Diving competitions.

O – It is so fun to find a sport that you both love and excel at. When I asked the girls where they see themselves in five years they both said they want to train for the Olympic Trials and hope to participate in USA Diving Synchro Nationals. Both girls intend to dive during college and Maia is hoping diving will help her receive a college scholarship. I wish them both well – good luck, girls!

September 28, 2015 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

So you think you can ….

Hi Guys, This is Olivia bringing you the first of a series of interviews called So you think you can … featuring adopted children who excel in sports or academics.

I’m starting the series with a girl named Lily from Massachusetts who I met while in China. Lily is fourteen and just started High School this fall. She lives with her parents and has three older siblings. Lily was adopted from Ruijin in China when she was a baby and will be learning Chinese in school this year. Lily says her favorite subjects are math and science and lists traveling, watching movies and hanging out with friends as the things she likes most.

But Lily is not just an ordinary schoolgirl, having been skating since she was three years old. To keep in top physical condition not only does Lily skate every day, but she also takes conditioning classes, runs four to five times a week and takes ballet. Lily has won medals, competitions and is ranked in the top ten in New England for her level. She recently competed in the 2015 Boston Open, winning gold in the long program and bronze in the short.

Last month I sent Lily a bunch of questions about her chosen sport and this is what she told me.

Olivia: What made you decide to take up ice-skating?

Lily: I first tried skating with my friend, Cade, when we were really little. I don’t even remember why I started. I guess my mom signed me up since she knew I would end up loving it and being so good at it! I actually tried hockey first but refused to go as I didn’t like the brown skates!

Olivia: Who are your favorite skaters?

Lily: I really like Mao Asada (Japanese Olympic Silver Medalist), Ashley Wagner (American three time National Champion and Olympian) and Gracie Gold (American Olympian and 2014 World Junior Silver Medalist).

Olivia: What is the hardest thing about ice-skating?

Lily: Three things. It is very much something you have to do by yourself. You have coaches and family and friends supporting you, but you have to get on the ice by yourself to compete. I am always in the spotlight, which I love, but there’s nowhere to hide if things aren’t going well. You also have to be totally perfect. Every hand movement, edge, takeoff position matters and influences whether a move will be successful. And if it isn’t, you fall! Finally, skating is a really hard sport. I practice every day and it’s hard to take time off from it as jumps are so sensitive. You have to be in great condition physically and it’s really demanding of your body and of your mind.

Olivia: What do you like best about ice-skating?

Lily: I love the feeling I get on the ice when I’m jumping. It’s as close to flying as I’ll ever get. I also love the girls I train with. We are like a family and there for each other. We root each other on and console each other on hard days. Oh, and I am so lucky to have great coaches. They inspire me and make me work really, really hard. I know I can go to them with any problems I have. My skating group is like a second family.

Lily’s Family: mom, dad, brother and two sisters.

Olivia: What would you like to tell other children who are interested in doing what you do?

Lily: I definitely would encourage them to skate since it is the thing I love most. But they need to know it is a big commitment and you need to love it. In order to succeed in skating, you have to fall a lot of times first, so you need to make sure it’s something you like enough that it’s worth it. To me, it is, without any doubt.

Olivia: How long does it take to learn a routine?

Lily: I learn each of my programs over the course of a few months. I work with my choreographer once or twice a week, and we do a little bit more each time. I practice a lot outside of my lessons, so I always remember what I learned. The programs are always changing and being made more difficult and expressive, so they’re never really done until the end of the season!

Olivia: What’s the hardest move you can do?

Lily: I just got my double axel. This was really exciting since it’s a move that all of the top senior ladies compete with. I’m working on my first triple right now too!

Olivia: What would you like to be doing in five years?

Lily: In five years I want to be skating on a college team and still training, hopefully for the 2022 Olympics! I also want to be studying medicine so that I can be a doctor.

Olivia: Thanks, Lily. This was really great information for any girls or boys interested in becoming an ice-skater. Cagney, Aidan, Tess, Lissy and me all wish you the best of luck and make sure you save some front row tickets for us when you get to the Olympics in 2022!

If you are interested in being interviewed for So you think you can … by Olivia and featured on the Five Cousins website please email me at 5cousinsinaction@gmail.com and let me know what it is you excel at!

September 8, 2015 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

CIA – Operation Jewel Thief

As most of you probably know, the third book in the Cousins In Action series takes place in England! Today my aunt got the cover art for CIA – Operation Jewel Thief (drawn by her friend Han Randhawa who I interviewed a few months back), so I wanted to share it with you. I just love it – the fire, the corgis, the expression on Cagney’s face! Check back soon for details of the release date. Lissy Puddleton.

August 27, 2015 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

Women In The News!

Hi Guys, Olivia here.

It was really great to see two women make history last week when Captain Kristen Griest and First Lieutenant Shaye Haver became the first two women to graduate from the U.S. Army Ranger School.

This is pretty amazing. To graduate, the officers (already a military police platoon leader and an Apache helicopter pilot), had to complete a really tough course including completing a twelve mile foot march in under three hours, carrying full military load, participate in three parachute jumps, four air assaults on helicopters and twenty-seven days of mock combat patrols, plus many other tasks too many to list. At the end of the course they then walked the distance from New York to Boston wearing heavy packs. Wow!

The only issue is, that unlike the men who complete this course, neither Grist or Haver are able to apply to join the elite 75th Ranger Regiment, as currently it is restricted to men. Regardless, I want to say congratulations to these two amazing trailblazing women.

February 17, 2015 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

You May Not Know!

Something you may not know about us cousins is that we are all musical.

Cagney sings in the school choir, Aidan plays the guitar. Olivia plays the flute, Tess the clarinet and they both play the piano. I play the violin. See Tess’ drawings above.

At Christmas we got together and played Christmas carols, which was actually more fun than it sounds!

Happy February, my friends. Hope you are all staying warm and dry – Lissy.

August 27, 2014 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

First Stop – Peru

Hello Blog Post Readers. This is Lissy Puddleton, finally writing about our time in Peru.

First of all, as you may remember, this was my first time out of the state, not alone the country. My cousins and I had never boarded a train, never mind a plane. It was all very exciting, albeit slightly terrifying.

To be honest, I barely knew where Peru was before Grandma whisked us off there. True, I knew it was in South America, but finding out exactly where it was (on the Pacific coast, with Ecuador and Columbia to the north, Brazil to the east and Bolivia and Chile to the south – just in case you were wondering), was something I had never given much thought to, until we were on the plane, heading south.

The first thing we found out when arriving was about the invasion of Francisco Pizarro in 1531 and the death of Athualpa, the Inca King, which led to the hiding and losing of the lost treasure of the Inca. To put this in prospective Henry VIII was on the throne of England and had just become the head of the church of England. The story of Pizarro and Athualpa was really fascinating, plus it’s really cool that treasure hunters are still looking for this treasure today, now worth an estimated eight-billion dollars.

Getting to fly across the Nazca Lines was also amazing. Even though I’m sure there must be a logical explanation on how these soil canvases were made, I have to admit, it’s pretty impressive, and does make you wonder how on earth (or not) they did it.

Of course, visiting Machu Picchu was the highlight of our trip. It’s only when you’re standing 8,000 feet above sea-level that you realize what an accomplishment the lost city is. Hiram Bingham’s re-discovery just over a hundred years ago, is also quite unbelievable. Pretty impressive, seeing he wasn’t even looking for Machu Picchu, but another lost city, Vilcabamba.

Having lived my entire life in Texas, I must admit, Peru was a bit of a shock. I never knew a place could smell different – but it did. I never thought I’d be daring enough to try new food – but I did. I also never thought I’d be trekking around the jungle with just my cousins for company – still find this one difficult to believe – but I did.

However, the best thing about Peru was something you can’t read about in books or online – it was the people. From the eccentric Lucila to the enthusiastic Senor Gustavo, I will never forget their friendliness and how welcome they made us feel. Truly, when it comes down to it, it’s the people that really make a country and bring it to life.

Happy travels, my friends.

June 26, 2014 by 5cousinsadventures - 0 comments

Cagney’s Top Ten Tips on Packing

Hello, my friends.

As you can imagine, I am becoming quite an expert on packing for international travel. I am, therefore, going to share my fabulous knowledge with you all, because that’s just the kind of girl I am.

Firstly, if you’ve never traveled out of the country before, don’t worry. It’s easier than falling off a llama (which, as it turns out, is pretty easy). As long as your family doesn’t abandon you once you get there (a different blog post altogether), you’ll be fine.

When my cousins and I first started boarding airplanes I had no idea what to pack and so I took everything – big mistake. Less is definitely more. First of all you have to carry this stuff and wheels on suitcases only take you so far – you still have to lift it. Secondly, there’s always lots of fun stuff to buy when traveling and you want to make sure you have room to bring it all back.

So, you may ask, how do you fit a week’s worth of fabulous clothing into a suitcase without having a complete meltdown? Just follow Cagney’s Top Ten Tips on Packing and you will be good to go.

1. Check the weather – if it hadn’t been for Mrs Snoops, the whole bunch of us would have taken summer clothes to Peru in June – big mistake. Just because it’s 100 degrees in your hometown, doesn’t mean it’s going to be the same where you are going, especially if it’s in a different hemisphere.

2. Make sure you have a sleep mask. Jet lag is a bore and you will wake up and want to go to sleep at the most inconvenient times. Also, for some reasons, the further north you go in summer, the longer the days. When it’s not dark until gone ten and light by 4:30, a sleep mask can come in mighty handy. My personal favorite is purple, padded and plush with the words – “wake me and I’ll bite you” on it, but anything will do in a pinch.

3. Take one spectacular outfit. Just in case you bump into a glamorous movie star who invites you out for dinner – hey, it can happen.

4. Do not carry anything sharp and pointy onto the plane – they get very upset about this.

5. Don’t forget your chargers and adaptors. Weird thing about other countries, they don’t have plugs that look like ours – that was a bit of a shock.

6. Lay out all the outfits you want to take. Make sure your pants and tops match, there’s no point bringing your fabulous lime green top halfway around the world only to realize you have nothing to match. Pack your favorite outfit first and then keep going until you have one outfit for every day – no more. Jeans can do double duty for two outfits, if you are pressed for space. Don’t forget your PJ’s, a sweater and, although it pains me to say it, sensible shoes.

7. Take something to do for the downtime – which there always is when traveling. Aidan brings books – of course. Lissy is inseparable from that darn laptop and Tess – duh – brings food. Just make sure whatever you bring it’s not too bulky or heavy, or if it is, it’s edible.

8. If you’re going to England – take an umbrella.

9. We cannot always choose who we travel with, so bringing ear plugs to drown out your travel companions constant information dump is always advisable.

10. Finally, don’t forget to mark your luggage really well. After several hours in the air, the last thing you need is to have problems identifying one of the gazillion black suitcases gliding around the carousel. I’m not going to go over the top like Tess – whose baggage, as you can imagine, is hard to miss, but subtle is not the way to go either. A bright ribbon attached to the handle in your favorite color is always a good start, or a luggage label with an unusual design. My luggage label states – BACK OFF MISTER, THIS IS MINE! Subtle, but effective, I find.