Wednesday, April 30, 2014

A very long week. The first in a very long time.

Simply not having Stuart here to help with the daily activities was rough enough, but throw in a potty training set back, two parent nights that ran until 6 pm with low parent attendance, two children having difficulty going to bed and getting up, and going cold turkey from coffee and diet coke, makes for a VERY long week. 

Sunday was a challenge because I was used to letting Millie sleep in and not going with me to Ms Janet's, not the story on Sunday. I thought I would be able to let her sleep until it was time to throw her in the car.  But after hearing, at the end of the day, that she had peed once on the carpet and once on the floor, I shifted gears on Monday morning.  When I asked her why she peed on the carpet, she answered by saying 'Cause I wanted to', which was probably true. 

When I picked the kids up from Miss Janet's we went home and both kids showered. I am proud to say that by 3:15 pm Jack and Millie were ready for bed. They had some food just before 5 pm and were asleep by 7 pm. Before they ate we Skyped Stuart, and as usual they were super crazy. There is something about getting on Skype that hypes them up. It's nuts!

Once they were in bed I started watching my new obsession, Orange is the New Black, a Netflix series. Oh my goodness! It is about a middle class lady who goes to prison. It is wrong on so many levels and really good!  Sadly, I only watched one episode, fell asleep, woke up just after 8 pm, and went to bed. The only other time I have been to bed that early was when I was sick. 

Now for the story about negating Diet Coke and coffee from my life. When my dad was hear he recommended a book to me by Rick Warren called The Daniel Plan: 40 Days to a Healthier You. So, because I have so much respect for my dad's opinion, and I have kind of lost control of my health......for the hundredth time, I decided to download said book on my Kindle. Don't you just love modern technology?  The book gives a lot of biblical advice as well as practical dieting advice to help get your physical body back to being a temple of The Lord that is respectable. We shall see what I can do with God's help. The headaches subsided by Wednesday and I think I may be in the zone for at least the 40 days. However, I am not a fan of giving up bread, dairy, sweetener and sugar.  The idea is to see if your body is allergic to the crap they put in food. After a week, I can tell you that I am probably allergic to many things. I feel incredible not eating all that junk. The advice was if it is made from a plant, eat it. If it is made in a plant, leave it. Easier said than done, especially here. 

Monday I drove the kids to school and if it is possible, the traffic flow was worse than ever. I am just praying that once the construction is finished things will settle down. I thought I was moving here for less stress:)

My student teacher, who is really a second year student but doing what we would call a practicum, was supposed to teach a lesson on Monday. But when she started to open here program she realized the website was blocked from our school. I thought she might crumble. I just told her she could do it the next day and would need to bring all of her things on a flash drive. She apologized, but there was no need. I remember having to teach a lesson for the first time and how nerve racking it was. Don't miss that part of my career at all. 

The excitement continued as the day drew on. At 12:45 pm, during 6th period, one of my students told me that another student who had ridden the bus to school with her that day, was not in class all day, meaning she was missing. Well, don't mention it any earlier in the day or anything. That would be silly. Obviously the attendance clerks are not like they are at home. At any rate, I went to the social worker and tried to explain what happened. After a serious of questions and responses I left them to it and went back to class. The social workers showed up in my pod and asked the girl's sister if she was on the bus that morning. The answer was yes, which made me more sick. They stated they would go to the bathrooms to look and then would inform our principal if they couldn't find her. What? Anyway, they did just that. When an announcement came on the loud speaker and said that this girl had won a prize and she needed to come down to receive it, I knew they were trying to smoke her out if she was at school. In the end, they discovered she never came to school and was home with a fever. Someone explain this to me, please. 

After school on Monday was our first parent night. We only had one parent night last term but it was stated parents had to wait a long time to see the teachers.  As you can guess, if parents are given a choice of evenings they will often decide to wait until the second night to come. As a result I only spoke with 15 of my 47 parents in the 4 hours we stayed after school. 

After my 12 hour day, I count from door to door, I went to pick up Jack and Millie.  Fortunately Miss Janet had already fed them. Millie had an excellent day and used the potty everytime she needed to do so. I made her wear her 'potty watch' to help her remember. After discussing it with my mother on Skype Monday evening, we decided that any new place for her may cause her anxiety and to have accidents. I will tell you that I ignored my mother's email on Sunday saying she could Skype and asking how Millie did on Sunday. I couldn't bear telling her that Millie peed twice on the floor. All I could think is that I had failed all of Grammie's efforts. Thank goodness Millie pulled it together on Monday. 

After Skyping Grammie and Pop, they showered, had a snack, and went to bed. I also went to bed about an hour after they did. I am proud to say I beat my goal of going to bed before 9 pm. 

Tuesday was very uneventful. My student teacher did her lesson which was not bad for a second year student. She was nervous but I assured her she did just fine. Oh, I also have a class assistant. She walks around and helps kids while I am helping others. I have three adults in my room each day, which really means a whole lot more learning goes on. I will miss them when they go next week. They are both very sweet and are trying very hard to do everything correctly. The toughest challenge they have is trying not to speak Arabic to the students. I have no choice in this area, but they do. Being bilingual and teaching students a second language is a blessing and a curse, if you ask me. On one hand you are able to clarify for students in their native language if there is NO other choice. On the other hand students take advantage of this and often won't attempt to speak English. It is a balancing act for sure. 

I picked the kids up, picked up Stuart's laundry and a few bits at the store, got home, fixed dinner, did a load of laundry, packed lunches, showered kids, wrapped birthday presents for Stuart (he was gone for his birthday), put kids to bed, watched a bit of tv, then went to bed myself, knowing Stuart would be home sometime after 1 am. Can you say exhausted?  Have I mentioned that I never want to be a single mother?

Stuart rolled in just after 1 am. We talked for a bit and then back to sleep I went, as did he, snoring might I add-him not me:)

When the alarm went off I know Stuart wanted to continue sleeping because I actually got out of bed before he did.  That never happens except on the weekends. I wanted to make sure I was ready by 6 am so I would be able to get the kids up before Stuart had to go to work, and we could give him his presents.  Stuart went and woke up Jack. The first thing out of that boy's mouth was 'Daddy, where are my present?', which I knew would be the case. So it's good that I planned to get them up. Stuart also got Millie out of bed. Can you say cranky? However, she perked up when we told her that Daddy and Grandma had presents for her. Chocolate cures lack of sleep every day of the week. 

After presents were opened, by the kids and Stuart, we all headed to our respective places for the day. Millie cried when I dropped her off at Miss Janet's but was fine by the time I actually left. I carpooled kids to school and am happy to report that the manic traffic has settled down a bit. 

Once I was at school it was business as usual. I made the mistake of telling my wonderful Islamic teacher that I was on a diet and told her all the things I couldn't have. I suppose I wasn't as clear as I thought. Because as we were starting our parent meetings on Wednesday afternoon she stated she had brought me a sweet biscuit so I would not go hungry. On Monday at the parent meetings I passed on having a sandwich because of this plan I am on. So, when Miss Alia, whom I have developed a fantastic relationship with, offered me a biscuit, I had to take it. Did I eat it? Actually the issue took care of itself. I took a break and walked to the other 4th grade pod. While I was gone a parent showed up and her little boy apparently saw the biscuit, wanted it, and was given it by one of the other teachers at the table. At the same time Miss Alia was downstairs getting her coffee pots that I think her driver had delivered.  She didn't even know I didn't eat it. Perfect! Or was it? Once she got back with the coffee, which I am really not supposed to have either, she then offered all of us a bigger package of biscuits. Really? When she handed it to me she said, 'It's diet.' I pretended like I was going to wait for my coffee to cool, which I justified because it didn't have any dairy or sugar. The chai tea she gave me on Monday after school was not so dairy or sugar free. But I feel offending her is out of the question and for that I can fall off the wagon a bit. In the end, none of us ate our large package of biscuits. All four of us sitting at the table, me being the only English teacher, looked at Alia when she offered her open package to each of us. We all refused, to which she responded, in English 'I the only one who eats'. Then we all laughed. Alia is my favorite!

Our parent conferences, overall, I think we're very successful. However, my pod, which consists of 5 classes, had very poor attendance. I only had 15 parents come the first night. So I assumed that on Wednesday I could have up to 32 parents. At 4 pm, an hour and a half after the conferences started, no parents had come to our pod. I think this proves, at least for my pod, that one night would have been plenty (wishful thinking). So from the time school dismissed until the first parent showed up I just sat and listened to 3 teachers talk to each other in Arabic. I don't understand many words in Arabic, but I kind of think they were gossiping. It was comforting to know that all women gossip, in every culture. I thought I understood something they said, once, so I had a facial response. At that point, Miss Alia (the Islamic teacher) giggled and said,'Miss Dana, you are my friend, right?' Nothing nicer could have been said to me that day. Sometimes, as you can imagine, there are preconceived ideas from us to them and vice versa. Miss Alia has restored my faith in knowing that all people are really the same, down deep inside. 

By 6 pm most teachers had already gone home (in fact, some had left by a bit after 4) and we only had 5 parents come. It was exhausting, but it is over now so no big deal. 

When I got home Stuart went back to his school because his principal was having a dinner for their staff. It was the kind of Bedouin dinner that was a plate of rice, a very big plate, with a roasted goat on top of it. Stuart said everyone ate with their hands and the traditional Bedouin meal was once again an experience to remember. 

Thursday after school we officially joined the Rugby Club. So we are now able the use the pool and gym whenever we like. Our membership at our compound turned out to not be the best idea. So we went swimming after school and then had our normal dinner at the club. 

Jack and Millie ran around like they normally do. Jack was an absolute sweat ball. So when we got home Stuart gave him a summer do. Oh wow, did he! Even Jack was surprised, but loves it. It reminds me of pictures of my brothers when they were little and summer rolled around. Summer comes very early here. It has been over 100 degrees here for the last few weeks. So welcome, Summer!
Partially done. 
He had a lot of hair, just like his mama and daddy, when his daddy had some. 
And his reaction when he felt it. Darling! He asked me if it would look this was when he woke up. Ha!

We got up Friday morning to call my niece, Morgan, and sister in law, Julie, to wish them a happy birthday. They both had a big birthdays. Morgan turned 18 and Julie, well let's just say she didn't turn 18. It was great to talk with them. I remember when Morgan turned one year old. I flew to Arkansas as a surprise to everyone. When they say 'time flies' they aren't just making it up. My nieces mean the world to me. I am so proud of the young lady Morgan has become. 

Jack was so excited on Friday morning because he knew he was going to hang out with Louie all day. First they were going bowling, then they were going to be dropped off at our place, we were going to swim at the rugby club and then after that we really hadn't made any plans. By the time the swimming was over Stuart went golfing with some of the guys and we decided to eat at the rugby club because it seemed easiest. However, that may have been our fatal error. The kids played like crazy and were exhausted by the time we got back to our apartment at 9:15 pm (first clue). We walked in our door and Louie started crying and said he wanted to go home. I am typically not a very empathetic person, but I surprised even myself. I immediately told Louie it was fine and that I would take him home. I also was genuinely sad for Louie. When I told him I would take him home, Jack started crying. At that point I was not sure what else I could handle. How do you explain that it's okay for your friend to go home when you were so looking forward to this night? You don't, really. I was so disappointed for Jack, but couldn't fault Louie for wanting to go home. Poor boys. We just wore them out, I think.

While all this fun was going Millie was pitching her own fit, not wanting to have anyone give her a shower but me. She had a rough day. She peed herself once and pooped in her pants twice. Yuck! Setbacks, I understand. Poopy pants, I don't. 

We returned Louie and all was well once he saw his mother. She said it was very uncharacteristic of him. On Saturday we went swimming with Louie and his family. Then his mother told me the story. We don't have a bath.....still. But Louie had never taken a shower. So when I told him he and Jack could take a shower together once we got home he was nervous since he had never used a shower. Bless him!  At least I know it is nothing I said. Whew!

On our way back from Louie's I asked Jack if he would feel better if we stopped and got him a treat? Of course that perked him up. We stopped and bought him something. On our way out of the shopping complex there is a little toy store. Jack looked at me and said, 'Maybe if we stopped in there and bought me a toy I would feel a little bit better, too'. Then a wry smile came across his face. Ah, such a clever boy. We stopped in, but then he decided he would rather have a light saber that we could only get at Toys R Us. So I told him we would go to the mall the following day. 
Stuart became the human surf board for the kids Saturday morning. 

After we swam at the pool we headed to the mall. I was looking for a dress for the Rugby Ball that is next Friday, May 9. Apparently everyone gets all dressed up. I assumed that meant I needed a new fancy dress. And we were also getting the light saber. I'm such a sucker!

Millie's potty training has had an obvious set back. At the mall she pooped her pants again, while we were eating. Classic! Ironically enough it was at the same table she peed on several weeks ago on her first diaperless outing. I couldn't believe it. I am not even sure how to react. So I just told her she was not doing what she was supposed to do so we might need to wear her watch again. Then, once we were home, she pooped herself again. Unnerving! This time, because I had just asked her if she had to go to the bathroom and she said no and because she was watching a movie when it happened, I told her she would not be able to watch a movie again until she could prove to me she was able to keep her panties dry and clean. That may be the ticket. We shall see. 

The kids were eating supper so I decided to finish up the laundry and fold the last load of the weekend. I took the clothes out of the dryer and dumped them on our bed. I turned on the AC and wouldn't you know it? It was blowing hot air. It was almost quiting time so I made the call to the maintainence man. Now I'm not saying he doesn't do his job, but he might not be as proactive as I would like. Remember, we did ask for a bathtub in October when we moved in. Also remember, the reason Jack's friend, Louie, didn't want to stay the night was because we don't have a bathtub. Any questions?

The story here is really too long to write, but let's just say both the husband and the wife that live in our apartment had words for, we will call him  Mr. Ehab (cause that's his name), about the timeliness in which things have been taken care of since our move in date last October.  And let's just say the compressor for our AC unit that we were told would need to be ordered and not in for 3 days, Inshallah, will now be totally in and finished in 2 days. And let's just say they are bringing the bathtub to said apartment on Monday. It might have been stated by the wife that she would be calling the company that owns this complex on Sunday. She also might have hung up on Mr. Ehab just after that statement. It's amazing how fast an explanation, at your front door, comes to you once you let someone know of your intentions. Now, will it happen in the time stated? Inshallah!  I'll let you know. 

Saturday, April 26, 2014

The last week with Grammie and Pop. Waaaa!

Since we didn't have Stuart's car, he luckily had training in Al Ain and was able to take me to work and pick me up. The morning came too early. I stayed up to watch a movie Saturday night and didn't fall asleep until 2 am. I am adapting to the Emirati way of life, but the following day is always a struggle.

Fortunately my class went on a trip to the Al Ain Mall, specifically to the library at the Al Ain Mall. Field trips in this country have changed over the past few years to require the trip be related to the grade level curriculum. This is 'Abu Dhabi Reads' month so the library was justified.  We did, however, find the non-related curriculum link in that McDonalds was the food of choice for the group. When you eat at the food court, who wants to eat the lunch their mom packed? Me neither. 

Since we worked on Sunday, Easter, the church service was held in the evening. We took a picnic, the kids had an Easter egg hunt, and then we attended the service. It was unusual, but wonderful. The Easter bunny visited our house just before we left for church in the evening (the advantage of having more adults in the house is that there is always someone to distract while someone else places the baskets from the Easter bunny).
Baths and rock-a-bye baby, which I have to sing to Millie every night, and the kids were asleep. In my infinite wisdom I decided to go to bed before 10 pm. My mom informed us that when your body doesn't rejuvenate itself with sleep you are not healthy and can get sick easier. I knew that, but needed a reminder. And on that note I went to bed, only to be jolted from my sleep at 3:15 am by Millie screaming in her bed. I laid with her for a while, but broke down and brought her to our bed. I thought she would fall asleep and I could take her back to her bed. I probably turned over to look at her every 15 minutes until 5:30 am, when she was finally asleep. I swear each time I looked at her in the bed her eyes were as big as saucers. I am not sure what woke her up, but I think she might have woken up when she peed in her pull-up and it upset her. I am really just guessing here. 

She ended up sleeping until 10 am because of the lack of 2 hours in the middle of the night. I was still sleep deprived but since when does that matter?  

It seems that my projects I wanted done when my parents were here have all piled up. When we got home from Millie's dance class (or what I like to call 'something I pay for so she can sit on my lap'), my mom had painted our side table. I totally forgot to take a 'before' picture but believe me, it was ugly. As you can see, the after picture is fab!  Thank you, Mom. 
Stuart decided to go to rugby training on Monday night. The team is short on league players so they asked him to come and play. This is more than just 'fun'. They play a lot more games and are in much better shape as a result. 

Tuesday was work as usual, well at least once I got there. I am the carpool driver on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesday. I didn't drive the kids on Monday because our car was still in the shop.  So Tuesday was the first day of the week I drove the kids to school. What a shock I was in for. They have built a new road in front of Jack's school in efforts to elliviate the high traffic issues around his and many other schools. Sadly their efforts have really just made traffic worse. I used to be able to make a left turn out of the drop-off area prior to the new road. But now, the new road goes in the opposite direction with a median between the road heading east and the road heading west, making the old road a dual lane road going one way, the worst way to go. 

Once I realized this, it was too late and I was stuck going the way of all the traffic, down back behind 3 more private schools. I'm not sure anyone would believe some of the things I saw other than to witnesses it themselves. When you travel down a road that is two lane, one heading north and the other heading south, you expect to see cars going north and south. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would see cars traveling on the road in the way I observed on Tuesday. There were 2 lanes, the north and the south, both heading south, a lane of traffic on the sidewalk, and a lane of traffic on the dirt lot next to the sidewalk. It was wall to wall cars and no rules were being followed. Needless to say I was late to work. The drive from Jack's school to my school normally takes about 10 minutes. It took 43 minutes on Tuesday. 

My whole day was thrown off a bit by the carpool stress. I now have a student teacher, which is not like we know them at home. She is with me for 3 weeks and will be teaching a total of 6 lessons. Anyway, she is very sweet and will be a good English teacher. My example to her as a teacher on Tuesday was far from stellar. At the end of the day I apologized for my lack of teaching that day. It wasn't good at all. 

Tuesday I left school after 6th period. My planning period on Tuesdays is the last period of the day. So I went to my principal Tuesday morning and told her I knew I was late, but could I leave early. She was fine with it. Since we were not able to go to Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque on Saturday, we decided to go Tuesday. Millie wore we big girl panties and everything. She has this potty training whipped, I think. She is now telling us when she needs to go.  Way to go Grammie!  

Our Mosque visit was wonderful! We happened to get there just before the last tour so we were able to hear the history of the mosque and learn a bit more about the Muslim religion. I was a bit shocke at how often they referred to Christianity. This mosque is one of very few that you can actually go inside the mosque. The inside, where the men pray (women can come to the mosque to pray, but often don't- make your own assumptions), is just carpet, beautiful, inviting carpet. So inviting that Jack couldn't resist doig a cartwheel at one point during the tour. Needless to say I was mortified, but then later laughed my head off. He will always be able to say he did a cartwheel in the middle of the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Wish I could say that.
 Here we are at the entrance of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.
It was hot as blue blazes at the Mosque. We decided to NOT dress appropriately so we could be given abayas and kandoras, which didn't help with the heat at all. Here are the men in their kandoras.  Lookin' good!
Although people pray inside the mosque, often times when there are thousands of people here during Ramadan or Eid, there are people in these marbled areas as well.

 This was our guide in his traditional dress.
 Honestly, can anyone blame Jack for wanting to do a cartwheel in this place?  Those gymnastics lessons have been worth every dirham!
You can't wear shoes in the carpeted area.  This is a Persian rug and it is so soft.  The kids decided they needed to sit on it.  I have always wondered how they keep order in a place like this when it comes to people kneeling and praying.  That was explained to us when we saw the lines in the rug.  Every few feet there are exaggerated parts of the carpet that look as if they have pressed a piece of furniture on it to indent the rug.  That is how the Muslims know where to kneel.  Clever!
 The sun was just beginning to set.
 Every view of the mosque was more spectacular than the next.
We forget Millie's shoes in the car.  She was asleep when we got her out of the car so someone (who shall remain nameless) left them in the car.  It turned out to be a blessing because then we could tell her that she wasn't allowed to get out of her stroller because she didn't have any shoes.
After we left the mosque we met Gina at the World Trade Center Mall and Central Souq. We wanted to go back there because my mom had found a painting of Bedouin life that she wanted, and we hasn't found anything like it anywhere else on our adventures. We ate dinner at Shakespeare's. We then jammied up the kids and headed back to Al Ain. 

Wednesday morning was another carpool nightmare. I thought I had it all figured out, and although I left a bit earlier and that did help, I still ended up having to pull back around to the backside of Jack's school which meant running into other private school traffic. Going earlier was helpful, but I knew that the following day, even though it wasn't my normal drop off day, I would need to park on the west side of the school and the little precious ones who ride with me would just have to suck it up and walk a little ways in order to save my sanity. I wasn't late to school on Wednesday, which was great. 

When I got home from school on Wednesday friends of my parents were coming by. Dave and Sara lived in my neighborhood when we first moved there in the late 70s and they now live in Sharjah, the emirate just outside of Dubai. They have lived in the Middle East for 15 years. Small world indeed. 

We sat and visited for a couple of hours and then took them to the Curry House. It is by far our favorite place to eat, but not everyone loves curry so it was a crap shoot. Fortunately it seems that everyone enjoyed their food, and if not at least they were polite enough not I say they didn't like it. 

Thursday morning was my last venture to Jack's school and it turned out very well. We parked and walked and that was by far the best decision. It kept me out of road rage territory and helped me to be on time to school with little stress. Whew!

When we got home from school we sat around for a bit and then went to the Golf Club for Stuart's birthday celebration. Cathy and Kayleigh met us there as well as Karen, Wade and their kids. We sat outside, which was hot, but there was a box AC unit that was on us most of the time. I suppose it was bearable. 
For Stuart's birthday dinner he cooked his own steak and yes, that is a giant beer!
We came home and had cake and ice cream to celebrate Stuart's birthday. The kids went to bed, Stuart showered and then he was off to the airport. He flew to England for his granddad's funeral. There are people who provide a service to run you to the airport.  We have a friend who does that so we paid him to take Stuart to the airport so I wouldn't have to drive back from the airport at 1 in the morning.  Stuart's flight left at 5:30 am on Friday morning.  He will be in the UK until late Tuesday. I cried when he left and realized that we are not apart very often at all. I don't know how women having traveling husbands do it. I started stressing about the 5 days without him the second I locked the door behind him.

We were going to go to church on Friday morning but then decided to just spend the day at home playing games with the kids. Since it was Grammie and Pop's last day here it only made since to just hang around the house and enjoy each other.  Naturally I had laundry going.

We played Old Maid and went to the co-op so the kids could play in the soft play area.  Now that Millie is potty trained, the soft play area kind of makes me sick.  I now really think of all the kids who have peed in there.  Oh well, I guess all kids live through it.

After the kids played, we ate at a chicken place in the co-op.  Then went to the grocery store to get Grammie and Pop some snacks for their trip.  We came back to the apartment and everyone got ready for the journey to Dubai.  Cathy volunteered to ride with us so I would have company on the way back.  Of course the kids were with me, but having an adult with you after dropping off my parents was really nice.  The kids were a bit off.  Stuart left the night before and now Grammie and Pop?  Sadly, they were just stuck with me for 5 days.

As you would guess there were tears at the airport, mostly from me.  I can truly say, and not just because I know my mom and dad will read this, that there was not one time that I was ready for them to go home, not even when I dropped them off.  We had such a wonderful time.  The thing I really enjoyed the most was watching them play with Jack and Millie.  I am so very thankful that all of the grandparents of my children like to play with them.  It makes me so happy to think of the wonderful memories they are forming right now.  Especially reflecting on Stuart's granddad this week, I know one of the reasons it was so important for Stuart to go back for his funeral was because his granddad had such a huge impact on his life.  I know that Granddad Tom played with Stuart, his brothers, and his cousins.  The few times Jack and Millie were around Tom, he played with them.  In fact, the only reason our kids know the nursery rhyme 'Round and Round the Garden' is because of Granddad Tom.  So how very thankful I am that my parents can be those kind of grandparents to my children.

After we dropped Grammie and Pop off at the airport we decided to stop at Mirdiff City Centre, a large mall in Dubai, and get something to eat.  The one thing about the big cities is that there is not ever a lack of good restaurants.  We ate at California Pizza Kitchen, which was awesome.  Millie had to pee 3 times, of which only one produced any results.  I think now it is just the novelty of knowing she can go, and also seeing a new bathroom.  I will be glad when her infatuation with new bathrooms ends.

We didn't get home until 11 pm and the kids stayed awake the entire way.  Once we were home the kids went to bed and I stayed up to watch a movie.  I am not going to lie, I do not like being the only adult in the place.  I wasn't ever good at living alone.  Being the youngest of three, I never had to live alone, except when I lived in England for that year.  I didn't like that either.  I finally got off the couch and went to bed around 2 am.

Jack was up just after eight, which is late for him, and Millie rolled out of bed just after ten.  We all got dressed and headed to the mall to do some banking, get Stuart a birthday present because Saturday was his birthday, and we had lunch at.....McDonald's- my favorite (NOT).  Millie threw her toy on the floor because I put her in back in her stroller after we ate.  I promptly took the toy to a little boy who was sitting at the table next to us and informed him that he could have it because she obviously didn't want it since she threw it.  You would have thought I took away her best friend.  I am not really sure she even plays with those toys once we get them home.  At any rate, misbehavior like that where someone could get hit by Tom and Jerry in the barrel needs some kind of consequence.  I think she got my point.

After our shopping, banking, and eating were through we headed back to the apartment just to chill.  The kids showered, Jack without me telling him to do so, and Millie under serious duress because she hadn't picked up her toys and I was making her do that before she showered or watched any television.  She might be the most stubborn child I have even been had the privilege to know.  She digs in her heels almost as hard as I do.  Wow!

We ate dinner and then we Skyped Stuart to wish him a happy birthday.  Jack told him we had bought him a present today and I am surprised that neither kid told him what it was.  They are learning.  The kids went to bed and were asleep by 7 pm, again, Jack very voluntarily after his nightly book, and Millie under duress just because.

I knew I would need to get them in bed early because little Miss Millie was going to be in for a rude awakening come Sunday morning when she is dragged out of bed at 6:45 am after a month of being able to sleep as late as she wanted to.  Oh how I dreaded Sunday morning.  Boo!

We are on the downhill slope of the school year.  We have parent meetings this week and then I can only assume the rest of the year will just fly.  I can hardly believe we have already been here 8 months.  It really doesn't seem that long.  We will be back in Arizona in 11 weeks.  We are really excited to be there for a month and do whatever it is we want to do.

Here's to another great week!

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Potty training, week one

I know this picture has nothing to do with potty training, but this was on Stuart's phone and sometimes I miss posting them when I don't see them. This was taken when Stuart and Pop took Jack golfing. Okay, his form needs a bit of work, but it's just his third time out there. 

Back to the topic at hand....Potty training. Oh what a Sunday it was! It was really nice not to have to drag Millie out of bed early because she stayed home with Grammie and Pop. When she woke up the potty training began.

I called around noon to see how things were going. The report was good. Millie not only had a baby that peed but also a potty watch. The alarm would sound with a potty song every half hour to let Millie know it was time to go use the potty. Grammie reported to me that Millie had one accident in the kitchen but when she was rushed into the bathroom she finished off her wee. Then Grammie pulled up her wet panties and boy was that bad. She said Millie insisted she didn't want to wear those, but task master had to keep practicing so that Millie would remember that sitting in wet panties was not nice. 

After about 5 runs from the living room to the bathroom, trying to show Millie she needed to hurry, Grammie asked her if she wanted a dry pair of panties on, which she did. 

There were no more accidents all day and she was always very excited when her alarm went off. She rushed straight back to the bathroom and dropped her drawers. Now if she was just tall enough with the step stool to get on the toilet, all would be awesome. Sadly, she is not much bigger than she was when we left 7 months ago. Still a little peanut!


These were the dresses Grammie made for Millie and her baby doll.  They were them most days for potty training.  And if you will notice, Grammie has on an apron with treats in the pockets for Millie when she goes to the potty.  So crafty, my mother is.  I am the recipient of her creativity as well because when she leaves I will be getting those aprons.  She has one made in each of the fabrics.


Towards the end of the evening she was exhausted from her normal day as well as the new task of potty training and she fell and hurt herself. As she was crying her watch alarm went off. She looked at me with an open frowny face, clearly confused as to whether to continue her dramatic bawl or go to the potty. The potty lost!

Tuesday Stuart had training in town so I was able to sleep a bit longer and didn't have to take Jack to school. Millie and Grammie continued with their quest for a day of dryness, which I am happy to report was a success. Millie started dance class on Monday which was better than 4 year old soccer teams, and then we headed to the mall to buy Jack's friend Louie a birthday present as well as eat at the food court. 
At least she was dressed appropriately. She did cling to me for the first 10 minutes, but then started to get her dance on about halfway through the class. 

Stuart didn't go with us to dance. He stayed behind to Skype his mum. Stuart's granddad, who has been ill for quite some time, passed away on Monday morning. We know he had a full long life, but no matter when someone goes it is still very sad. Stuart has always spoken so fondly of his grandparents and I know he spent loads of time with them as a child. He admired his granddad and always wanted both of them to be proud of him. He has wonderful memories of his times with his grandparents, which is priceless. When I got home I asked him if he was okay. He said he was, but I was very sad for Stuart and for his entire family. Stuart's mum has done a great deal for her parents over the years, and especially since Granddad Tom became ill. Please say a prayer for the entire family. They will need the comfort that only God can give during the days ahead. 

Once we arrived at the mall after the dance class, we attempted to have Millie use the bathroom. While I was putting her on the toilet, I threw out my back. Really?  You know when you do the same thing you have done a hundred times before and there is that one time that your back goes wonky? Yep! That's what happened. I thought I was going to die. I had to call Grammie into the stall to hold Millie. Needless to say, Millie got a bit nervous and decided she didn't need to pee after all. So instead of insisting, we moved on to the toy shopping. 

After of toy purchases, we ordered our food and the kids were sitting, eating while Grammie and I waited for our baked potatoes to be prepared. That's when I saw Pop and Millie walking toward me, Millie with her tutu almost up over her head. She was holding it up as not to get it wet. From what, you ask? Surely you have guessed. It was the pee that should have come out when we went to the bathroom a mere 20 minutes earlier, or it could have been released in the bathroom when I asked her if she needed to go just 5 minutes prior to the puddle. 

As I walked her to the bathroom in her wet panties, she started crying....that super-hurt-feelings cry that makes you feel a little bit sad for her. We think she was so upset because for two days she had done so well and then being in an unfamiliar place with big toilets, a mother who couldn't hold her on the toilet and had to call for back-up, and the dancing, it was just too much. 

Hey, but thank goodness for chairs with a dip in the butt section. Not one drop of pee hit the floor. 

When we finally reached the bathroom she was beside herself and could not be consoled. I put dry panties on her and, as patiently as I could, explained that she was going to have to tell us when she needed to go pee pee.  We tried to regroup, but think Mama may have messed her up. 

My dad had joked that if she hadn't learned to use the potty by day two it would be time for a spanking. When we got back in the car I reminded him of that joke and my mom said that maybe the spanking should be for his own daughter. This, my friends, is why God sent my mother to potty train Millie. God only gives us what we can handle, and handling potty training is not what I can handle. 

Both kids fell asleep on the way home from the mall, which was just fine with me. 

Tuesday morning, as you would guess, I was virtually immobile. I got dressed as best I could, but with much pain. Because I was walking super goofy, Stuart insisted I not go to work and go to the doctor instead. So, not loving the pain, I decided to go with his suggestion. 

After a shot, X-rays, 2 other pain medications and struggling to get in and out of the car, I was back home attempting to rest. However, with the new potty training regimen, resting was not going to be possible. 

I am proud to report that on Day 3 of potty training not a drop of pee or poop happened outside of the potty. Well done Millie and Grammie. 

After we ate dinner, which Grammie fixed, we headed to the top of Jebel Hafeet, the highest part of Abu Dhabi. We were able to see the lights of Al Ain, which made us aware of how big this city actually is. 

When the wind got the best of us, we ducked into the little restaurant at the top to have an ice cream. On the way up the mountain Millie had a 20 minute car nap. So since that is plenty for her to rebound for a few hours, coming down the mountain she was wired for sound. Neither kid went to bed until well after 9 pm. 

I stayed home on Wednesday as well. My back was better, but I was still in pain. It seems me staying home put a wrench in the potty training plans, at least in the morning. But by noon we seemed to be back in track. For whatever reason Millie would not pee pee in the potty right after she woke up. She had a dry pull-up form the night before but kept saying she didn't need to go. Eventually she did go and happened to pee on Jack's bucket of dinosaurs. She sits on the bucket because it has a lid and makes a nice little stool for her. However, the lid has holes. So liquid would seep through it should it get in the bucket. And that is exactly what happened. 

At this point Grammie told Millie she had to 'practice' so they started the routine. I chimed in but am much less patient than my mom so I did the best I could and shut my mouth, mostly. Well, Millie had a meltdown. She cried and cried and refused to sit on the potty and cried and cried some more. She behaved similarly to Monday when we were at the mall. I think her tears are her frustration at the fact that she didn't make it to the potty. 

The rest of the day she pooped 3 times in the potty, going all on her own. However, she still refused to follow her potty watch when it went off. Therefore she peed again....in Jack's dinosaur bucket. I'm pretty sure the second time was on purpose. Fortunately for her I was headed out the door to pick up Jack. The first time I cleaned the bucket and the little characters. The second time Grammie made Millie help her wash up all the toys. 

When I returned from Jack's school we decided to take the kids up to the soft play area at the co-op connected to our apartment complex. Because Millie had not peed one time on the potty by 3 pm that day, only on the dinosaurs, I told her she would not be able to play with the other kids if she did not go. She complied by sitting on the potty twice before we left, but with no results. Then when we got to the co-op she went and sat on the potty then immediately came off. We went out and I made her watch the other three (Jack, Thalia and Penny) play. She was mad at me and started throwing a fit. I told her when she peed on the potty she could go in there. She decided she would go back into the bathroom and wouldn't you know it, there was pee!  She got to play and all was well. She complied the rest of the evening and seemed fine with everything. 

Both kids had an early night Wednesday and Grammie and I sat and talked. Stuart and my dad went night golfing under the lights, so didn't get home until after 9 pm. It gave my mom and I a chance to talk, and we (mainly me) might have had a bit of wine. It was really great to be able to talk with no one else around. I do miss those times with my mom. 

Our kitchen faucet lost its gasket on Tuesday. I called the maintenance man who sent over Zimal, the guy who normally comes and fixes and issues we have. He came with another guy and replaced my faucet with a faucet that looked to be older than the one I had. As he tightened the bolt I knew it wasn't going to last. The last turn he made was the one that caused the problem. When he turned the water on it sprayed from all points at the gasket. He told me it was fixed. What? I told him, laughing the entire time, that if he thought I bought that he was super silly (yes, I said hose words). He kind of laughed, not really understanding all I said. I told him I needed a brand new faucet the next day. After me making him laugh and continuing to insist he bring me a new faucet the next day, I called the maintenance man again and old him the same thing. Zimal asked to speak to Ehab, said something in Arabic, and handed the phone back to me. I was told I would have a new faucet the following day. As Zimal was leaving I said, 'Zimal, I have to have that new faucet tomorrow. No Inshallah, yes faucet'.  I have come to realize that often time when 'Inshallah' is said, the true meaning instead of 'Allah willing' is 'if we want to get to it, we will'. Wednesday morning guess who showed up with a new faucet? Yes he did. 

I returned to school on Thursday but probably could have done with another day off. By the end of the day my back was a mess. When I got home we decided to go to the mall and eat at the Lebanese Flower, which is in the Al Ain Mall. We love Lebanese food and there is a lot of it here. 

Jack begged for a donut and because we are trying to spoil him and ruin him as a person, we complied:)  Naturally we had to get coffee as well. I have now decided that I like Dunkin Donut coffee better than Starbucks. There. I said it. 

Before we ate, we took the kids to Action Zone, one of Jack's favorite play places. Millie had a great potty day with no accidents, and because threatening her seemed to work the day before (although 'the book' spoke against it) I tried it again. I told her if she didn't potty before we went into Action Zone she couldn't play any games. It worked! She's a star!

Fortunately I remembered Millie's jammies and put them on her before we left the mall. Nighty night to all. 

Friday morning we got up and went in different directions. Jack and Stuart went to Louie's super hero birthday party. Being the stellar mother I am, I forgot to remind Jack to wear his Spider-Man costume. Luckily, Louie has a million so Jack borrowed one, but not until after a meltdown. 

The 'rents, Millie and I went to the Good Friday service at our church. It was a nice service but strange to think we will be working on Easter Sunday. 

We reconvened at home and went to the Hilton for an Easter brunch. It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be. In fact there might have been more locals there than westerners. The food was amazing and there was an endless supply of it, all kinds. We were there for almost 2 hours, with children, eating. It was awesome!  
This was just at the beginning of our meal. We looked way more food-drunk about an hour later.
There was a magic show in the middle of our meal. Jack and Millie were asked to be volunteers for the magician. They were characters for sure. 

On the way home from the brunch the air conditioner in our car went out. Hello! It was already 104 degrees at that point. Ugh!  So needless to say, it being a Friday and holy day, there was no way of getting it fixed. So we decided we would stay in for the evening and head to the pool for a bit. We didn't stay long because the pool was cold and the sun had gone behind the trees and made the water feel even colder. Even Millie and Jack were shivering. Once home, the kids showered, ate, and passed out. 

Our hope for Saturday was to get up and go to Abu Dhabi and visit the Grand Mosque, but the car threw a wrench in those plans. We took the car to the dealer right when they opened and still we were #12 in line. Once we did get to the service desk we were told they would call us by 4 pm to let us know whether the car was fixed or not. We attempted to get a sever-seater rental car for the day, but rental car companies do not have a fleet of cars accessible on a moment's notice. So we ended up spending the day at the mall. Pop stayed home so we were able to fit in the car. Millie had two accidents, but in the scheme of things she did rather well. She just hasn't quite caught on to when she feels she needs to pee. But thank goodness she knows when the other is coming. She hasn't had one of 'those' accidents since the formal potty training began. And let's be real, she is doing wonderfully for someone who started training a week ago. I need to really focus on that part. 

After the mall, the purchase of a few items for the house, and a grocery store run to Lulu's, we got back to the house. The kids showered and ate. Jack watched 'Frozen' for the hundredth time, ignoring his dad when he called it a 'girl's movie'. And we all kind of just sat around. Another week and my folks will be heading back to Arizona. My the time has really flown. We discovered today that there are still things we need to do but we are running out of time. We will get it all accomplished, I hope. Inshallah!

Saturday, April 5, 2014

A week of traveling

After Dewey's marathon of basketball, we headed to Dubai around noon. We picked up monkey, baby, Piglet, and blanket at the roach motel before heading to our lodging for Sunday and Monday nights. It took a while to find the items so we had to rush a bit more than we had hoped. We checked into the Winchester Hotel Apartments (when I booked it I felt it was safe, you know, being an English named place and all), and immediately walked to Spinneys, the place where we were to meet the van to carry us away on our desert safari. We met Cathy, her girls and friends of theirs from the UK. 

We really have not done anything very touristy since arriving in the UAE, but I can no longer say that. We first drove and drove forever. Once we did finally arrive at the dunes we waited for a bit for our turn to go dune bashing. Boy was that worth the wait. 
The kids, my parents, Stuart and I all rode in the same vehicle. I video taped the first 5 minutes and then gave it up. I thought I was going to barf! It was like Disney's Indiana Jones ride on crack. It was so much fun!  Millie was about over it by minute number 9 of the 15 minute ride. When she started to panic a bit, Jack was super helpful by saying,'I think she's going to be sick!' And then Millie started saying,'I'm going to be sick! I'm going to be sick!'  Fortunately we were able to keep things under control, although she broke out in tears just as we finished our ride. 

We got out of the SUV and saw a walled off area with pillows and tables set up around a stage. Outside there were people riding quad bikes and camels. Of course we got in on the camel rides. 
Oh, and we've decided this may be our new wardrobe from now on. Kidding!

After the camel ride we were served some somosas and onion barji (not sure of the spelling, but delish all the same). There was some entertainment (I use that term loosely) and then the main meal was served buffet style. I was escorted to the front of the line because I had a baby, but then felt guilty for 'cutting' and leaving the rest of the family in the back, so I returned to my original place in line. The food was not stellar, but the ambiance was amazing and just what you would expect as a tourist in the Middle East. There was a magician, dancers (belly, fire, and spinners of sort), and a bit of a skit. 
Even the pickiest eater in our group ate something she would eat. 

We returned from the safari the same way we came but with less bashing.  The driver dropped us off where he picked us up. Fortunate for us, it was in front of a McDonalds, so Pop treated us to some ice cream. If anyone knows my dad, they know he is addicted to ice cream. Sadly, ice cream is really expensive here so we don't buy much of it. I can only assume he is having major withdraws. We will need to make sure we visit Baskin Robbins more often while they are here. 

We crashed when we got back to the hotel, knowing we had to be up and out by 7:30 am in order to be at the Burj Khalifa by 8:45 am, our scheduled time to go to the 124th floor lookout platform. 

Stuart's alarm went off at 5:15 am, clearly his school days alarm. In spite of the early start and late night before, we made it to our appointment. The Burj Khalifa is the tallest building in the world and took 6 years from the beginning of construction to the opening of the tours. It's something you just have to do if you are ever in Dubai. You could see all around the city. But there was a bit of dust in the air so it was a bit difficult to see the man made island that holds Atlantis. When I booked it on line there were only 2 time slots left. I was glad I chose the early one because by the time we got down from the top there was a huge crowd. 
We walked around the mall and went to the Dubai Aquarium in the middle of the Dubai Mall. We had been there way back in October when we first came to visit the city. Jack and Millie fed the fish this time, which was a fun experience for them. 
This is a bubble the kids can stick their head in. It comes up in the middle of this fish tank. Jack loves this!

We had lunch at an enormous food court and then headed to Garrett's popcorn shop. It's the best popcorn ever, based out of Chicago. So glad I have found it just an hour and a half up the road from my home. Yum!

We were going to hit the Mall of the Emirates, the place with the ski slope, but were all a bit wiped and decided to come back to the hotel, have a swim, and order food in. 

The food we got was nothing like what the pictures looked like so after trying to muddle our way through the disappointing nuriousment, Dad and Stuart headed to Spinneys to get some ice cream. The world seemed normal again. 

We woke up on Tuesday morning and headed to the Big Bus Tour. We decided to do the opposite ride of what Gina and I did the previous week. We first went on the red line, which took us around to the Dhow cruise and then on to the Dubai Old Souq. This was where I bought my pillows the week before. My mom and I bartered for some lovely Pashminas and got a pretty good deal. However, I think the guy who sold them to us was pretty irrated that we were not willing to go any higher than what we did. Oh well, he'll find another sucker around the corner. 

More of the Souq was open this day then when I had gone the week before. We walked around for a while and then the hunger bug hit. Although we were meant to go on the blue line as well as the red line, by the time we got around the red line we were pretty wiped and also very hungry. 

So instead of the blue line, we headed to Burjuman Mall for a burger, bottomless fries and free soda. The service was incredible and we were given complementary ice cream cones. Everyone was pleased. 

We got home around 5 pm, started laundry, fed the kids, and chilled for the rest of the evening. 

On Wednesday we woke up and laundry was on the 'to do' list. I must have done 6 loads of laundry, including all the bed sheets. Again, I am thankful for a tumble dryer. Stuart, Pop, and Jack went golfing in the morning, while Gammie, Millie and I went to refuel with groceries. We had to prepare for our next three day outing to Fujairah, one of the 7 Emirates. 

Millie napped in the afternoon and in the evening we went to the Rugby Club for the pub quiz and a curry buffet. We actually got third place and won a meal for 2 at the club. It was fun but we didn't get home and to bed until almost 11. 

Everyone slept in a bit on Thursday morning so we didn't head to Fujairah until just before noon. We were going to stop at a market just west of Fujairah City, but once we passed by it we decided to just take pictures out the window if the car. We didn't have room for any treasures anyway. 
The road to Fujairah proved to be very different as far as the terrain was concerned. It reminded us of traveling to and from Tucson or even San Diego. We saw camels, date farms, and many mosques. 
Once we arrived in Fujairah City we stopped at the local mall and had a late lunch. We then continued on to the hotel to check in. This hotel has the Rotana name attached to it which means it is owned by one of the Sheikhs and should be reall nice. It did not disappoint. This is by far the nicest hotel we have stayed in on our journeys so far. 

We regrouped in the hotel rooms and then decided to just jaunt out to the seafront and see what we could see with the small amount of daylight left. We discovered this town is not a beach town except for the resorts who have private beaches. As we were driving along the Indian Ocean we saw fisherman pulling in their nets. 
We drove on and discovered the oil barrels that help to make this country all its money. 
After this little drive we decided to try to find the Al Hayl Palace. We had copied off some 'places to see' from the Internet and this palace was one of them. When we got close to the palace we realized it was just beyond a little village and it didn't look promising. 

We arrived and it looked locked up. However, there was a man who was standing just to the left of the palace waving us vet. We drove around the 'palace' and then turned around, because there was no other choice. We decided to park and when we got out of the car we knew the man who wavedus over would expect a tip for his services. We later found out his name was Abdullah and he was from Bangladesh. And boy what a pleasant surprise he was. I don't normally include so many pictures of one place, but he insisted on taking a lot and they were really great. 

Al Hayl Palace formed a large residential complex that consisted of reception halls, meeting halls, bedrooms, stores, and  kitchens, all surrounded by solid walls that had holes in them to throw small and large weapons through. On the inside the walls would have been decorated beautifully. The palace contained a hall located outside the complex that was less formal and most likely used as a waiting area for visitors to drink coffee while meeting Sheikhs. 

As we were led through these different halls, Abdullah described each one. We had our own personal tour guide. It was amazing and he knew just where to get the best pictures. Needless to say, this was a pleasant surprise and we tipped him well. It was amazing!
The entrance to the old palace. 
We climbed up into the second level of one of the bedrooms. The second level was where they would sleep in the summer because it was cooler. The stairs were terribly varied in height so while climbing down I pulled my thigh muscle. Stop laughing!  This was not a place that would be seen anywhere in the states, or if it was, every area would be roped off and no one would be permitted to enter. As we always say 'welcome to the UAE'. Anything goes. 
Do you know why it looks like there was about a 10 foot drop behind Jack? Because there was! No safety rails here. 
This was a keyhole window that looked outside from the guest bedroom. 
This was at the very top of the palace grounds. 
Here is Abdullah with the kids. He was so nice to them and Millie, especially, took to him immediately. 

On the way back from the hotel we decided to drive by the Fujairah Fort. We had read that it was lit up at night and was quite a sight. I'm not sure if I would have described it that way. 
When we returned to our hotel we went to the pool to see how late they were open. Unfortunately we missed our swim that evening and Jack nearly fell apart. After telling him that I wasn't in charge of when they opened and closed the pool, and promising we would go first thing the following morning when they opened, I think he settled down and was able to cope. 

The kids showered and ate a nutritious meal of Nutella sandwiches, carrots and hummus, yogurt, milk, and Fritos. Then Jack played Old Maid with Grammie and Pop. They brought this game for him and have played it about 100 times in the last two weeks. Jack has been schooled on the strategy of getting rid of the Maid. Sadly, he doesn't execute it well. He sticks the Maid up higher than the rest of the cards and then swears to whoever is picking from him that it is not the Maid. Naturally Grammie and Pop know his trick and sometimes play into it. When either of them pick the Old Maid he falls out laughing and pointing. It is the funniest thing I think he has ever done. Grammie and Pop laugh so hard they often shed tears. He's a funny kid!
Old Maid ended, the kids went to bed, as did Grammie and Pop, and Stuart and I ordered room service. A successful day, all in all. 

The kids slept a little later than normal. They were both on cushions from the sofa in our room and Grammie and Pop's room. Jack was on the sofa and Millie was on cushions on the floor. Just after 6 am Millie started crying so I got up, put her in our bed, and decided since we would not all fit in the bed, I would sleep on her little bed. I am sure it was quite the sight. 

When Jack woke up he told me he dreamed that he had gone to the pool to swim but broke his goggles. He then reminded me I promised him we could go to the pool that morning. We got our suits on, leaving Stuart and Millie in bed, and went to fetch Grammie and Pop for some pool time. I actually swam with Jack, while Grammie and Pop sat on lawn chairs and watched. It was chillier than I like, but I coped for the short time we were there. 

When we returned to the room Stuart and Millie were up and we all got ready to go out for the day.  We initially thought we would eat at the hotel buffet for breakfast, but once we were there we decided against it. We arrived at 10 am and the buffet was finishing at half 10. It looked as if it had already been wiped clean. They had run out of some items and it didn't look worth the money so we decided to leave. As we were walking out I let the hostess know that we were leaving. The manager of the restaurant just apologized all over himself, asking if we wanted him to send breakfast up to our room. We assured him that it was fine and we would come back the following morning. Instead, we ended up going to a different mall and eating in the food court. Sadly, the only place open was KFC. Yahoo! 

We headed toward Dibba, which is a port town shared by two of the seven Emirates, Sharjah and Fujairah, and the country of Oman. There turned out not to be too much to do except take pictures and take in the scenery. Actually that was good enough for us. 

We did stop along a beach so that we could take some pictures and stick our toes in the sand and in the Indian Ocean. The kids played on the swings for a bit and then we were on the road again. 
We drove by some amazing looking resorts but unlike other places we have seen, these resorts did not look welcoming to on-lookers. They were tucked away and looked as if getting in would be more trouble than it was worth. We did see the town of Dibba long enough to get out, go to the bathroom, and assess that it was too hot to be walking along the boardwalk. We headed back to the hotel at that point. 

Once at the hotel we had a bit of down time and then went back to the mall we had visited when we first arrived in Fujairah. We shopped around a bit. Stuart bought some t-shirts and I bought Millie a top for next winter. 

We ate at the food court again. It seemed the best choice since we were in unfamiliar territory and Millie only eats French fries at the moment. To be fair, she has broadened her pallet slightly in the last month or so. She will now eat pasta with butter on it, as well as rice with the same topping, and she will eat a turkey ham and cheese sandwich. 

We came back to the hotel for another round of Old Maid with Jack's hilarity. We played until we could play no more, then hit the hay. It was a successful week full of fun and adventure. 

We slept in on Saturday morning getting home just after noon. We unpacked the car and got laundry started. While Grammie and Pop entertained the kids, Stuart and I went to the grocery store. We stocked up on meal options for the week and also bought plenty of juice. We had to get Grammie prepared for the potty training adventure that would ensue on Sunday morning. 

My mom was so excited about potty training Millie. She might as well have written lesson plans for it. She brought a book about potty training and bought a baby doll for Millie to potty train. The theory is that the child will potty train their baby and then transfer that knowledge to themselves.  We just hope Millie doesn't see Grammie remove the scotch tape from the baby's hole where the pee comes out and then think we are going to tape her up as well. 

My mom made panties for the baby and also dresses exactly alike for the baby and for Millie. I will post pictures once they have the dresses on. 

The rest of the evening was relaxed and uneventful, just how we like it.....sometimes.