Pay day=Good day

This week we got paid, which is one of the highlights of our month. Having a few extra dirhams in the bank does not make me sad at all. 

Tuesday was Jack's last rugby practice until September. So now what? Well gymnastics, of course. They are offering a class at his school for 10 weeks starting next week so he is going to join. He is super excited!

After his practice on Tuesday night a number of families stayed and ate dinner to celebrate the end of the season. It is there that I found out Jack's school is having a Garden Party on Friday from 9:30 am-11:30 am. I should have been aware of it and would have been had I read the school newsletter. At any rate, the Garden Party involves us sprucing up the school play area and garden. It is a community project to make the school look a little more tidy. We feel activities like this are really making us a part of the community. I suppose once you have a child in school that is bound to happen. 

Stuart didn't train on Wednesday night and we hadn't gotten anything out for supper. Naturally that means ordering curry from the Curry House. It's our favorite! A relatively uneventful evening. We might have to stop this blog soon because we have nothing interested to tell anyone anymore. However, there are moments I want to make sure we never forget. 

Thursday evening we did our usual; went to the Rugby Club, had dinner and let the kids run amuck. We have been trying to have Miss Janet not let Millie nap primarily because her naps turn into a night's sleep and then she won't go to sleep at night. Every since that darn 'Pass Fairy' came, Millie's bedtime is torturing all of us, including Millie. She was so cranky when we got home from Miss Janet's house on Thursday that I ended up rocking her to sleep. We let her sleep for an hour before we went to the Rugby Club, knowing she would be totally worn out after the evening out. And what a true reality that became. We met up with Sara, the very first person we met when coming to the UAE. We met her in the Phoenix airport. She's from Arizona as well. It was great to see her. 

Showers and bed were in order once we got home, as they always are. Cathy, Claire and a friend of Claire's came back to our place for a bit and we had a cup of tea and biscuits. Try left around 11ish and I did my usual on Thursday evening, stayed up watching television, or not as is more often the case, and woke up around 1 am to go to bed. 

Friday morning we were up and out by about 9. Stuart wanted to get to the school to get his pick of the jobs. He was concerned that we would be stuck doing something that was less desirable if we showed up late. He ended up helping make concrete (wearing more than he mixed I think). He also leveled the ground where the planter was going. 

Jack painted some of the iron work that ended up on the walls and Millie and I sifted sand to get out any of the trash so they could dump in fresh sand. I am pretty sure Millie brought home more sand than she sifted but that's fine. 

The dad's had wheel barrow races with the kids in the wheel barrows. There were kids activities for the entire time we were there. We all enjoyed our time there and the school looked better for it. 

We had talked about going to the Golf Club after the work day but in the end found out we would have needed to make reservations because it was a horse racing weekend.  So in the end we decided to head in our own directions to get necessary things done and then meet up at a later time at Jack's rugby coach's house. His wife is an ADEC teacher and their kids go to Jack's school. 

A group of us invaded their house around 5 pm and had a BBQ. It was great fun. The one thing I do miss is having an outdoor space. Although we haven't had that or a few years because our yard in AZ is unfinished. So in reality I don't know what I miss. 

It was quite an eventful night. Jack has had a number of friends learn to ride their bikes in the last few months and he has become very envious. We have taken the training wheels off his bike several times. The last time Stuart took them off he told Jack it was the last time and that they were staying off. We've gone out several times to help him and he freezes up and has no interest, usually resulting in tears which everyone knows I can't tolerate. The last time he did this was last week. So we decided rather than frustrate Jack (and ourselves) we would just ask Pop if once he was here, in a few weeks, he would teach Jack. Jack seemed pleased with that and so did Pop. Well, sad news for Pop but good news for Jack. He spent almost 2 hours at the BBQ on Louis's bike (Louis's dad is the rugby coach) and wouldn't you know, he is riding his bike like a pro. He gave up playing with his friends that night to practice on the bike. I think the kicker was knowing that about 5 minutes before he started trying to ride, Thalia (wade and Karen's daughter) learned how to ride as well....on the same bike. 

When he spoke of learning how to ride his bike on Saturday morning he stated that Louis's mom taught him how to ride a bike.  Truth is he just was so determined that he taught himself. No one ever ran behind him, but simply did a little instructing from the sidelines.  

We took him out twice on Saturday to ride around. He was so very pleased with himself. It was a bit surreal and amazing how quickly he learned. While at the mall buying a helmet on Saturday, he just told

us how grown up he was now that he knew how to ride a bike with no training wheels. He may be hard to live with for a while. It's funny because I think I was at least 7 years old before I could ride my bike.  Of course he's the size of a 7 year old if that makes a difference.  Crazy!

Millie, as a result of all the bikes and scooters that were out on Friday evening, now knows how to ride a scooter. She was given one from Karen and rides it down the hall and back again. She continued o show off on Skype for my mom and dad when we spoke to them on Saturday evening. This experience would be much different if technology didn't allow us to Skype or call people from time to time. Skype helps me feel as if we get to see our families nearly every week. 

Another week closer to Grammie and Pop's visit, and our two week spring break. Yahoo!

Hum drum life we live.

We definitely have a routine set in place now. The last few weeks have proven that we are in a grove of sorts. Each week is starting to look the same other than an occasional surprise here and there; most of the time something we didn't expect. 

Sunday is the beginning of the work week as well as rugby for Jack. Then Mondays and Wednesdays have become my evenings with the kids due to Stuart's rugby practices. We are back at the rugby club on Tuesdays for Jack's second practice of the week. Then we usually hang out at the rugby club on Thursdays after a long week. I sense a habit forming. 

The weekends have recently been consumed with either rugby matches or birthday parties and this week was not an exception to that rule. 

Prior to the rugby match for Stuart and the birthday party we attended, was a full week of school. I started out Sunday with a belated 'birthday' present. One of my students brought me an Itouch. It was not new, nor did it have an adaptor or any charge to it. I quickly went to the social worker and asked them to call her house to see if anyone had given her permission to bring this rather costly item to me. It was a bit odd because all the adults involved at school were trying to tell me that maybe she had just brought it as a gift for me. I was pretty sure no one knew she had given it to me, but then again maybe they did and were okay with it. 

On Monday I brought a charger from home to school and thought I would plug it in. As I did, I noticed it was code locked and everything on the screen was in Arabic. Well duh! I am not sure why I was so delusional (or so arrogant) to think it would be in English. At any rate, when the girl who had given it to me couldn't remember the code to unlock it, she told me she would take it home and ask her sister what it was. So I told her that was fine. Then a couple of my students reported to me that her dad had told her she could bring the Itouch to me, but that her mom yelled at her for doing so and she was to bring it back home. I told her I had thought that might be the case which is why I had the social worker call her mom on Sunday. Bummer! Really thought I had scored there. 

On Wednesday I woke up with a sore throat and by Wednesday evening my neck was so achy that I knew I had strep throat. I went to the hospital at 9:30 pm, once Stuart was back from rugby, and 56 dirhams later ($15.12) I was back home with antibiotics and a doctor's note giving me Thursday off from work. I truly did feel like a truck had hit me. In order to not be docked a day's pay you must have a doctor's note, stamped of course, to hand in when you are off from work. I was hoping to have perfect attendance this year, but not going to happen. 

Jack had a field day at the rugby club. He went with his school and they had different events in which they participated. Jack has been having some issues with wrestling at school, which I think I have mentioned. But what I was told today about Jack made me stop and put things into perspective. I have focus so much on what he has been doing wrong at school that I have totally neglected to celebrate the things he is doing right. I hate lessons like this. As adults you would think our rational brains wouldn't need to be jogged in order for us to know some of this, but being human, I guess it happens. 

So what happened that jiggled some sense in me, also made me cry. A grade 1 teacher, whom I happen to know, had asked Jack to do the sack race for the second time because there was one kid who hadn't done it. She asked him to go slowly and said he didn't question why and just did it. Apparently he went ahead of the other child at one stage and when he realised it, he slowed down and waited for the other child to pass. The other kid just stopped with him and Jack encouraged her to go on. In the end Jack let her win! She said she was so pleased at how grown up he was. Naturally, I cried because I know how competitive he is and know that he must have sensed that this child needed to win worse than he did. It's moments like this that make parenting so rewarding. 

I started feeling better Friday morning and it was a good thIng because we had a birthday party to go to and I was on my own with the kids. Stuart got up and headed to Dubai for a rugby tournament. We went to the birthday party and got a text halfway through telling me he was having a blast. He is definitely in his element right now. 

The birthday party was so cute. Jack got out of the car ad said, "I'll take the present because Ava really likes me."  He's right. Ava just turned two and follows Jack around like a little puppy. She loves him! So adorable. 

We came home, I made brownies and we headed to Karen's to make homemade pizzas. She is a little more 'Betty Crocker' than I am so of course Millie and Jack love hanging out at her house with Thalia and Penny. 

Before we went to ther house the kids were playing in the living room. Jack was being silly and dawned this saying that these were his Arabic clothes. He's a character for sure. At least he notices. He has never mentioned the Kandoras or Abayas that a large number of people wear around here. So now I know that he at least is aware that some people dress differently here. 

Stuart came home around 10 pm on Friday evening and was gimping about just a touch. He was sore but said it was all worth it. Here are some pictures to prove he is actually playing. 

Saturday when we got up we headed to Abu Dhabi for another Ikea run. We needed some bedding for our spare bed, a couple of lamps, a few pictures and of course we had to have lunch there with Gina. It's always such a bonus to see Gina when we go to Abu Dhabi. We sat at Ikea for over an hour after we ate to talk with Gina. It was wonderful, as always. 

We got home, Stuart put a few pieces of our new furniture together, saying choice words as he went, and we had dinner and were off to bed in anticipation for another week to start. It's been a great week. 

Dana

Started the week a bit ill, or at least Jack did. Bleck!

I picked Jack up from school and all I saw was a tearful boy who could only say, 'I have a headache'. I felt his head and he was burning up. There were two kids home sick from his class and his little friend, Louis, had been throwing up all Thursday evening. Sadly, I think we just caught our first bug. He ate virtually nothing, a piece of toast and drank some juice, and fell asleep on the sofa at 6:20 pm. We had set him up there as soon as he got home, with a bucket beside him in case he had the urge to barf. I'm pleased to report there was no barfing on Sunday evening. We carried him to bed and Stuart hoisted him up to his top bunk and he fell asleep. I had given him some Tylenol as soon as I picked him up from school so I had to wake him up at about 8 pm for some more medicine. 

Rugby was canceled for Sunday evening because it had rained off and on all day. This was good because I know Jack would have wanted to muster up the energy to go and that would not have worked out well at all.   Although it rained, it did not rain hard enough to warrant kids being dismissed from school, as was the case earlier in the year.  That was fine with me because I was evaluated on Sunday by my head of faculty and my principal. No matter how long you are in education, observations don't get any less nerve racking (or maybe it's just me that feels that way). 

My observation was fine even though I haven't taught in five years. The one thing I know is that I have a good report with my students which seems to help them be less inhibited when learning/attempting to speak English. One of my students who never says a word or participates in class discussions, was the super star of the class. It was so great. I suppose I get to stay another year. 

My class threw me another 'birthday' party on Monday even though I told them that the principal was not allowing parties anymore. But I just decided it being my 'birthday' and all, we would have to go ahead with the party. I got a pair of sunglasses and a nice bottle of perfume. The sunglasses were obviously a 'regifted' item, but the perfume had the plastic wrap on it and everything. Not necessarily a scent I can wear all the time, but very thoughtful indeed. We partied, like you do on a Monday for no reason at all, and they loved it. Sometimes growing these relationships is a large part of their learning process. Next 'birthday' I am hoping for jewelry!  Oh, I also got this card. I am now referring to myself as 'Ms. Dan' (all of us are referred to by our first names- which is referred to as our 'good name'). 

The bed we bought week before last was finally ready for pick up on Tuesday. When Stuart got it home, although I had not smelled even a hint of smoke while in the house, clearly the people that owned it were smokers. Ugh! We contemplated trying to use the remedies we had read on the Internet, but in the end we decided to trash it and buy another mattress. We had purchased the bed frame and the mattress for next to nothing so we still paid less than if we would have bought a brand new frame.  It seems sturdy enough. The test will be when my parents sleep on it for 4 weeks.  We ended up just getting the mattress where we bought the one we sleep on. Lesson learned I suppose. 

Thursday we went to the mall to have some dinner. After we ate we went to watch Astrid perform on the ice rink.  Astrid is the daughter of our Irish friends, Gemma and Fechin. She had asked us to come and watch. On our way home I told the kids we were going to get home, take showers and go to bed. Stuart reminded me that Friday was bed changing day so we could probably skip showers. Yahoo! It turned out that no showers was a good thing because we had no water pressure when we got home. This happens from time to time, for no apparent reason. 

Jack's class has two birds, Mango and Rio. He has bugged us to bring the birds home every since he got into school. We finally agreed to have them in our home this past weekend. I never knew caged birds were so noisy. Most likely Mango and Rio will not be coming back for a visit anytime soon. Pretty but loud. 

Friday Jack had his last rugby tournament. They mixed up two of the teams and formed several teams so they could have a round robin tournament. Then they served the kids lunch afterwards. After lunch, the veteran rugby players played the under 17s. Guess who one of the players was? Yep! Stuart had an absolute blast. I am so happy that he is so happy here. Since he moved to Arizona and married me, I have felt he hasn't really had his own life/friends. He just inherited mine (although he loves you all). Now he has been able to meet new people and together we have found friends with kids the same age as ours as well as some of the same interests. I really love seeing him in his element and feeling at home in this country. By the way, he played really well and wasn't sore at all, though he was afraid he might be. 

Saturday we had a very low key day. The kids and I went to a birthday party at a local park where Spider-Man showed up. However, Jack informed me it wasn't the real Spider-Man. I quote,'Mama, that person was just asked to put on that costume so Charlie would have a good birthday. He's not the real Spider-Man.' Made sense to me. 

Still love it here but as always, miss our family and friends. 

 

A lot of the same......feeling rather boring now!

This week was very similar to last week, although neither of our schools had the inspectors in. 

We did have our first ever parent/teacher conference at Jack's school. As you would guess, he's the smartest in his class (or at least that is what we are going to believe) and he loves school. It was so surreal finally being on the other side of a parent/teacher conference. I heard Stuart say,'I am surprised that he has a 'B' (meaning beginning) for rhyming words.  He's been rhyming since he was three.' Oh my gosh, did he just become THAT parent. She explained that anything he has a 'B' on has most likely not been assessed yet. Easy, tiger!

Stuart pulled his calf muscle at rugby on Monday evening, and started having back spasms on Tuesday evening. He's a mess! Doctor hours are really handy here. He went to the doctor Tuesday night at 6:30 pm and was home by 8 pm.  He didn't even have an appointment.  Muscle relaxers were what was on the meds order. He stayed home from school on Wednesday and was well enough to at least go watch practice on Wednesday evening. As long as he is having fun and does not require major surgery then I am fine with him suffering with a muscle ache or two. 

I am happy to report that Millie has stopped asking for her pacifier. However, I am unhappy to report that she is not going to sleep without me sitting on her bed until she falls asleep. Stuart reminded me that I actually used to lay down with Jack and fall asleep, so there is progress. It's not so bad when she is tired, but nights like Wednesday night when I sat on the side of her bed for an hour and twenty minutes, it got a bit boring. Oh well, at least the pacifier is a faint memory. Too soon she won't want me to even come into her room, so I guess I should count my blessings that she wants me to sit with her. Ah!

Thursday, Stuart went to Abu Dhabi for the day. He was asked to take part in the ADEC curriculum day. He was in a small group of English teachers, principals and advisors who were discussing the curriculum. I think that makes Stuart a bit elite. Hopefully this will give him some advancement opportunities in administration. He really wants to help lead a school. 

Thursday evening, Stuart's staff had a bar-b-que out in the dessert. They were celebrating the raise they got (Emirati staff, not English staff) and invited all of the staff. Stuart and Wade went. Karen and I took the kids to the Rugby Club. It's the easiest place for all of us to hang out. There are great play things for the kids to do and we can sit outside, watch the kids, and enjoy talking. It seemed a bit cooler than it has been so we ended up sitting inside. Never in a million years would I let Jack and Millie run around a play area in the states, but in the Middle Easy....sure, why not?  The thing is, there are so many people looking out for each others' kids that you really don't worry. It's nice for sure. 

We got up Friday morning and took the kids to Fun Farm, a supervised play area in the mall. We then went to eat breakfast. Is that wrong of us?  Don't care! After we picked the kids up we headed to Mega Mart to buy a dryer. I have suffered enough with no dryer to this point but it really is too much for this spoiled little American girl. So I should be loving doing laundry this time next week. Yahoo! 

Millie fell asleep on the way home from the mall so we put her to bed for about an hour. Then, back to the rugby club we headed to watch a rugby match. I just don't understand subjecting yourself to that kind of pain. I was able to just sit and enjoy the weather with a shandy in my hand, while Stuart watched the match and the kids jumped in the bouncy house. I have not been able to relax as much in my life as I have the last five months. The quality of our lives and lack of stress we feel, overall, has been amazing. 

Saturday morning we got up to take Stuart's car for its 5000 kilometer service. We then went to the Gilf Club for breakfast. Miss Janet was cleaning our house so we had to find something to do for a few hours. We ended up staying at the Golf Club for a while because we ran into one of Jack's rugby coaches and visiting with them for a while. 

We stopped at a grocery store to get some rope to tie down the bed we bought last weekend. It ended up the lady who sold us the bed was ill so we had to reschedule getting the bed. 

I dropped Stuart off to pick up his car and headed home. On the way, the delivery guy called about bringing the dryer. It was 1 pm and since they told me they would bring it on Saturdat between 5 and 7 pm it only made sense they wanted to drop it off at 1 pm. 

Naturally I got the laundry going. It's a condenser dryer so I have to dump the water container after each load that dries, but what do I care. I did 2 loads of laundry and had them both dried and put away in a little over three hours. Compare that to 48 hours of drying time at this time of the year and you can understand my glee in my new dryer. 

Livin' the dream, truly!