7 weeks left with kids, but whose counting?

So usually parent meetings are held at the beginning of each term. And although we had a parent meeting a week ago, some of our parents didn't attend. There were a few parents, as there always are, I really wanted to see. One of them didn't come but the daughter has some discipline issues and, after a few incidences in class, my principal had the social worker call the home. There are not, at least that I am aware of, voicemail services or answering machines in this country. As you would guess, without the ability to leave a message, sometimes a phone call is made with no results. 

Last week this child was told not to come back to school without her mom or dad coming to the school to speak with me. Wouldn't you know, she showed up today but not with her mom or dad. So I took her to the social worker and she called home. Within 10 minutes her mom and dad were in the principal's office and the conversation began. Her parents were very supportive and were not okay with her misbehavior.  In fact, the father had a small cane-like thing made of wood with him. He handed it to me and, although I don't understand Arabic, I know he told me to whack her anytime she misbehaved. We told him we couldn't do that, but he insisted we take it. He must have offered that thing up to us 4 or 5 times. 

We came to an agreement that the child would ask when she needed help and would start listening to me and stop being disrespectful. In hind sight I wish I would have taken the stick. How many people can say they have a stick given to them from an Emirati? I would have never done anything with it, but how cool would it have been to have it?

When we got home from school on Sunday they were finally finishing up the bathtub. What? It was only 6 months and 3 weeks late from the first time we asked for one, and only 4 days late from Mr. Ehab promising me it would be finished 3 days from the day they started. It had to dry for 24 hours so the kids couldn't take a bath until Monday. 

But once we were home from dance, oh and a visit to the Baby Shop to buy bath toys, it was home, supper and a nice long bath.....with bubbles. They were so happy! Stuart asked me if I was happy. Well, really, for me it was easier and faster  for me to shower them, but much more trouble because I would usually get wet and I would have to disrobe, typically. They are going to have much more fun with a bath than the shower could ever bring. So thrilled we now have one. 

Do they look happy or what?

Prior to the bath adventure, Millie had dance class. Unfortunately she fell asleep while eating cereal on the drive to dance. I was afraid that would be it for dance tonight, but she actually rebounded after the first 5 minutes of class and actually started dancing, without me right by her side. Maybe her performance anxiety has vanished. We can all hope:)

Tuesday Stuart went golfing with some members of the golf club so he golfed for free. He was very excited about that fact. The kids and I went to the pool for a dip on the not so cool day. When we got home it was dinner, bath and bed, a totally normal family night. Boy do we love that bath tub!

Stuart got home and was in agony. He had pulled something in his back. He ended up going to the doctor on Wednesday morning and they did X-rays and gave him some good pain meds. The doctor gave him 2 days off from work, which I know did not upset Stuart in the least bit. 

I headed to get some groceries after school on Wednesday while the kids went for a play date at Karen and Wade's house with Penny and Thalia. When I got home with Happy Meals in tow, Stuart headed to the Rugby Club for a meeting about next year. It seems that his team has been moved up to the competitive league so they will play at least 13 games  next year. He is really excited about it. Um, didn't he just strain his back playing golf?  Oh well, can't stop the love of a game. Although I have been promised to have a girl's weekend with Gina if we want to travel somewhere, which is good for me. 

Thursday there were 9 kids absent from one of my classes, the Arabic teacher wanted to switch classes with me which caused me to get two planning periods, and it was the last day of the week. Who doesn't love Thursdays here?

After school Millie had a birthday party to go to. One of her little dance friends, Ophelia (Pheelee), turned three. So we headed to her house right when I got home from work. Stuart and Jack went to the Rugby Club and we met them there after the birthday party. 

This was the first birthday party Millie has been to without Jack. Pheelee's house is gigantic. The villas in this country are really too big for a family of 4 or 5. They really are built for 2 or 3 families. This villa had 3 floors, but it appeared the family only lived on the second floor. The great room had a play structure in it that had two swings, a small tree house of sorts that had a slide that came out of it. It was so cool. Another mom and I discussed that we would pay Natasha (Pheelee's mum) 25 dirhams to let us bring our kids to play at her play structure. 

You can see a portion of the play structure just behind the kids. So cool, literally!

Our usual night at the Rugby Club and then home, baths and bed. A good week, yet again. 

Friday we got up and went to church. After church we made our way to the Rotana Hotel for a pool party. It was my friend, Mary's birthday, so we went to celebrate with her. The entrance fee gets you a day at the pool, a buffet, and two drinks per person. There was music around us and immediately I thought I was in Fort Lauderdale at an MTV Spring Break taping. So not our gig, but at least now we know. Jack and Millie had a great time in the pool, but overall we would have had just as much fun hanging out at the Rugby Club pool. We won't be doing that again. 

We got home around 6 pm, bathed the kids, fed them cereal for dinner because we are conscientious parents who want only the best for their kids, and sent them to bed. Friday night was our first attempt at Millie wearing real panties to bed, rather than pull-ups. She has been dry at night all but one night for the last three weeks. It seemed like a good night since she insisted on wearing her real panties, and it's the first time she has even wanted to put on real panties with her jammies. I was nervous. I'm not going to lie. 

I am happy to report, that although I woke to Jack crying, at 6 am, in the living room because he kept hearing something 'scratching' under the coffee table as he was trying to turn on the television, and later discovering it was the DVD player turning on and off as he punched buttons on our universal remote, Millie did stay dry all night. Wow zee, is all I have to say. She is a pee pee super star, if there is such a thing. 

Once the kids were up then we were all up. Why is it I have to drag them out of bed just after 6 each school day, but on the weekends they are bright eyed and bushy tailed well before they should be? The age old question, I would guess. 

We had to get out of the house anyway because Miss Janet was coming to clean, but we didn't have to be gone until 9 am. So the kids ate breakfast, we Skyped  Grammie and Pop, and around 9 we headed to the mall. We decided we would let the kids play at Fun Farm and we could get a coffee and shop around for an hour. 

We ate lunch at the food court and the headed to the pool. I have decided that even though Queen Creek, Arizona and Al Ain, Abu Dhabi have very similar climates, Al Ain is hotter for longer for sure. We have been above 100 degrees here for several weeks now and these temperatures, and hotter, will continue until November. Super hot!  I know it has been super hot here for a while because Saturday afternoon at the pool I got in with little to no hesitation. In Arizona I am still iffy with full immersion into the pool until mid July, at least.  

Millie usually spends her time in the baby pool at the Rugby Club. We bought her floaties and they have given her a new confidence. She now gets in the baby pool without her floaties and starts 'swimming'. She kicks her feet and throws herself face first in the water. It's great. 

What's not great is when she decides, like today, to get out of the baby pool, not put her floaties on, and slide into the big pool. And although I told her not to get in the pool without an adult, she proceeded and as she held onto the side of the pool, Claire got close enough to grab her just as Millie pushed off and out into the pool. We all watched, but Claire was heroic enough to jump in and get Millie. Millie can tread a boy but not for very long at all. It wasn't really scary, but it could be if so many eyes weren't on her. She has no feat of anything. It scared me and now I know how I made my mom feel all those years ago. 

We got home from the pool, the kids took a bath, and by the way it has not lost its novelty. They had some banana bread and Millie fell asleep on the couch at 6:15. I put her to bed and then read books with Jack. He fell asleep within 5 minutes. Wearing out the kids is very easy to do here. There is never a dull moment.