I only had about 2/3 of my class at school on Sunday and ironically enough it was one of my best days of teaching here. I have been told that term 2 is the best because the students really start to show their learning. I think if today is any indication, I am in good shape. Stuart had most of his students, which was surprising. It seems the attendance in the more outlying areas after a holiday is lower than right in the city. So I was shocked when he told me most were there.
I picked up Jack, and one of the other girls in our carpool, after school. When I saw Jack he said, 'Am I going to play rugby tonight?' I asked him who suggested that to him. I know it was his teacher, Karen. We have been talking with them about Jack going to see if he liked the rugby team for under 6 year olds. Her daughter plays and Jack loves her. He was so excited he could hardly stand it. I told him we would go but we were not going to decide to let him play for sure until we saw how well he paid attention and it would depend on whether he liked it or not.
We were home a couple of hours before it was time for rugby practice. In that time I decided to do a little workout of jumping rope. I haven't exercised since we left Arizona:( Part of the reason is I haven't been able to get my butt in gear was because of our situation, part because by nature I am lazy, and the other part is because it is questionable as to what a woman should wear to workout if she is going to walk or run outside. So, since the new year rolled around I decided eating better and doing some kind of exercise was in order. I just happened to stick in a jump rope before we left the states. The reason I tell all of this is because I want to encourage everyone to get two small children around you if you are exercising. It will boost your self-esteem greatly.
While I jumped rope, and in between huffs and puffs as well as tripping over the rope, Jack and Millie would clap and then come up to hug me for my efforts. It was fantastic.
We headed to the Rugby Club just before 5 pm. Jack was so excited. He was eager to be the first one to run to where the coach wanted him to be, to be the person to pass the ball out of the huddle, and to play the hardest he could. His attention span is a little longer than when he played soccer last year. I could really see, for the most part, he was totally engaged and doing his best. Oh there was that part at the end when the kids were playing a monkey in the middle sort of a game and when Jack's team ran from one side to the other, he skipped. Therefore he had both of his flags taken immediately by the other team. Those flags are tough to grab unless you are skipping. Then they just nab them right off of you.
All in all he had a great time. So we decided to let him join the team. It is flag rugby so I have decided to take back the statement 'Jack will NEVER play rugby' and let him participate. They practice every Sunday and Tuesday and have 3 tournaments between now and the end of February.
Monday was relatively uneventful. School as usual and then the kids went for a play date at Wade and Karen's house. I had a professional development meeting but Stuart delivered them and I picked them up. They were wiped out and were fast asleep by 7 pm. I like this 'play date' thing.
Tuesday we had a curry at our favorite place, The Curry House, with Cathy and company. Her parents were leaving Wednesday after being here for nearly a month. It seemed only appropriate to end their stay at our favorite restaurant.
Prior to that Jack had rugby practice again. We went a bit early and officially signed him up and paid the fees. Rugby practice is at.... You guessed it, the Rugby Club. Can anyone imagine taking your child to their little league practice or soccer practice and being able to purchase what's in the picture below? Brilliant! I am so happy Jack decided to play rugby.
Thursday evening Stuart and I went in different directions. He took the kids to the Rugby Club and I went to my friend Helen's house for a girl's evening. Met some new people and had some good conversations.
January 13, is the Prophet's birthday. So we have Sunday off. I realize the 13th is Monday, but I don't make the caledar, I just follow it. A three day weekend works for me.
Gina called on Thursday to see if we wanted to come to Abu Dhabi on Friday for a day at the beach. Some of her other friends from Al Ain were coming as well. So, spur of the moment, we decided that would be fun. A beach day in early January while people in the states are stuck in snow and ice? Sounds like a plan to me. We packed up the car with a cooler of food, beach chairs, towels and a beach blanket, and headed to Abu Dhabi around 9 am. We got to the beach just before 11 and met up with Gina. The beach was a public beach but you had to pay to go in. We paid a little extra to have an umbrella and chair as well. It was like a resort but not nearly as pricey.
The water was cold to me but I did walk in up to my ankles just to show my bravery. Jack and Millie went all in as did Stuart. The kids played in the sand and sun until almost 5 pm. We had our picnic and all was well, or at least I thought it was... Until.... I took the kids to the showers to rinse them off and get them dressed. Our plan was to go out to eat with Gina after the beach. Jack got rinsed and dress, no problem. Millie was a different story.
Down at the beach, just before I brought her to the showers, she started whining and saying 'Owie'. I just thought the sand had rubbed between her legs and she was starting to get a rash, or worse yet that sand had gotten in her swim diaper and was rubbing her bum.
What a lovely surprise I got when I took off her swim diaper. Yep! She had a little, or should I say 'HUGE', present for me. Only a mother could deal with something of such great proportion, and I do not exaggerate. I began to wash out the swim diaper. This is one of the 'diapers' that is made of material and they work really well, as was proven on this particular day. I thought I was going to barf! After the diaper was rinsed I had to figure out how to get all particles down the drain and off the floor where Millie would have to stand on with her bare feet. I moved the shower head around, hoping that would cause the natural draining process. No such luck. In the end I had to just rinse it out like you would a kitchen sink when you finished washing dishes, using your hand, with the need to get the bubbles down the drain. Oh, if only it would have been that pleasant. Once all 'parts' were in the actual drain I had to squish it down the drain. I then needed to disinfect my hand and Millie's butt. The only soap there was the pink soap you find in most school bathrooms. Some was better than none. The whole experience was more than one person should have to deal with after a lovely day at the beach.
We ended up at the Lebanese Flower for dinner. Kids were fading fast and Stuart didn't get his food until Gina and I had finished ours. The only thing that makes up for late food is when the taste is so phenomenal you forget it was late in the first place.
We jammied both kids, chucked them in the car and headed back to Al Ain. Both were snoring within 5 minutes. When we got home we just put the kids in bed and were able to watch some television. I did some laundry and fell asleep on the sofa, waking up at 3 am to go to bed. Whoops!
Saturday morning we set our alarms because Jack had his first rugby tournament. He picked up his kit (aka uniform) on Thursday evening and he was set to go. 
Stuart and Jack left earlier than Millie and myself so that Jack would be on time for the first game. He is still a bit unclear about all of the rules, but Stuart did some coaching in between games and surprisingly enough I could actually see some improvement from one game to the next.
In his second game he actually got a try (translated: he scored). There was an hour and a half between the second and third game. By the third game all the players were a little over it and really didn't want to play. I can only assume their age attributes to that lack of competitive spirit. They all got a medal, but didn't win one game.
We had lunch at the Golf Club with some of the other rugby parents. The kids played on the bouncy and playground while we all sat and talked.
We headed home around 3:30 pm, showered the kids and got ready for Wade, Karen and the girls to come over for dinner. Although our plan was to have an early evening, it didn't really work out that way. We had a nice evening. Their kids are about the same ages as ours and they play very nicely together. We are starting to make some new friends and from all over the world. We are having the experience of a lifetime.
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