The fire alarm issue started Sunday and continued until Tuesday, when jumping down the stairs from the second story began. Really! School was interesting this week, to say the least. We are just getting ready to implement a discipline policy that Gina actually created with one of her staffs here. Oh, have I mentioned that Gina has now been moved to her third school since arriving here? I told her she needed to stop being good and they wouldn't move her. She has worked so hard to get her schools where they need to be and she has been so kind to share their discipline system that was set up at her previous school. So we are going to use it.
Sunday was our normal routine of basketball and rugby. At rugby practice parents were talking about what hotel they were staying in over the weekend in Abu Dhabi. The kids have a tournament in Abu Dhabi so we decided to make a weekend getaway out of it. We decided on the cheaper option, as you would guess. While others went with a fancier option. We just wanted a pool and a place where some of our friends would be, and that's what we got.
After rugby I had to stay at the rugby club for a meeting with other Heads of Faculty in regards to a Math Bowl competition we are doing amongst the schools. The schools are trying to have more academic competitions in order to encourage the students to work harder in school. The boys, especially, are very competitive and want to be the center of attention.
We hired a cleaner and she came for the first time on Monday. She did a nice job, but we are still looking for someone to be at the house during the day. Getting the kids out the door at twenty past six each morning continues to be no fun at all.
Monday after school I started feeling feverish and sick to my stomach. Lovely! So I decided to stay home and not go to rugby practice. Stuart went ahead and I put the kids to bed. Shortly after, I retired as well. I think I was in bed by 8 pm. I slept the night away just alternating between sweating and freezing. With a restless sleep, I wasn't sure how I would make it through the day at work. In the end, I didn't. Tuesday I went home around 10:30 am and then had to go to the doctor to get a doctor's note as not to get docked pay. The stomach flu doesn't need a professional diagnosis, but ADEC does, otherwise no pay. I got home and slept, but still felt yucky.
Tuesday afternoon the kids got home and I was still not 100%. Jack had rugby practice and Millie and I stayed home, as to have our 'Mama, Millie' evening. However, Mama was missing in the fun department. I did muster up the energy to make these little treats below before Jack went to rugby practice. I posted them on Facebook stated that our lifestyle here affords me the opportunity to do silly things like this to make Jack and Millie laugh. When you get home just after 2 pm every day and you have very little, if any, work to do at home, there is time for 'extras'.
Tuesday evening Millie was asleep by 6 pm so I decided to try my hand at these chicken pot pies. They are not very lovely, but oh my were they delicious! Even Jack ate one. I am usually not the one who tries something new, especially because I really don't enjoy cooking, but this recipe looked wonderful, and it was.
I was sick on Wednesday as well, but went to school anyway. I ended up coming home again. I slept for a while, which was the best thing for me. I arrayed for Mr. Andrew to bring the kids to our house after school rather than taking them to Kayleigh's. When Millie got home from school on Wednesday this is what she came with.
I'm not really sure what this was about, but Mr. Andrew said he saw some other students in her class with the same look. All I could get out of Millie was that she was a pirate at school today. I asked if they read a story about a pirate, but her answer was 'No, I was just a pirate'. Okay.
Wednesday evening I had decided, once again, I would not attend rugby training. So instead of telling Millie she couldn't go to rugby training with Stuart, but Jack was going to get to go, I put her to bed before it was time for training. Is that wrong? I just avoided the pain of her whining. Jack went with Stuart to rugby training. He loves to run around with his buddies from school, and that is fine with me.
Before they left for training, we were watching something on television. The show mentioned something about girlfriends, I think. Jack just piped up and said, 'Having girl friends is hard.' Stuart and I kind of stared at him. Stuart said, 'Why do you say that, buddy?' To which Jack responded, " I can't decide which one to chose.' Oh to have his issues.
While Jack and Stuart were gone to rugby training, I started packing us for our weekend in Abu Dhabi. Jack had a tournament there on Saturday, but we decided to make a weekend of it.
When Jack got home from school on Thursday I heard him say, 'Mama, I'm sad.' I asked home what happened. He told him that at school that day he was playing football (soccer) and his friend Henry kicked him in the face. The below picture was the result of the kick in the face. Just so you know, it was wobbly anyway so no real harm occurred.
Thursday after school we traveled to Abu Dhabi and checked in at the Premier Inn. It was actually really clean and quite nice. The pool was lovely and the restaurant was good and convenient.
When we arrived we saw several players from the Al Ain teams. We checked in and went to the mall to get a bite to eat. When we got back we put our swimmers and headed to the pool. It was just before 7 pm and the kids were having a blast. Sadly we took over the place and two guys who were in the hot tub weren't very amused by the millions of kids with us, who were also in the hot tub. They were nice about it when we kept apologizing, but I am sure they didn't bargain for this when they checked in to the hotel. Oh well.
Friday morning we got up and had a leisurely breakfast. We then decided to go to the rugby pitch and watch Henry, Jack's friend, play in his tournament. He is only 8 years old, but is playing with the Under 10s. They tackle at that age. I hate that they are so young when tackling starts. When that game was over, there was a Bad News Bears feeling amongst the team. One boy had a bloody nose, Henry had a hurt elbow that he was nursing with ice, another boy had ice on his head, and there were scratches and bruises over some of the other players. They were a wreck, but they loved it and were gearing up for the next game.
We didn't stay for the next game. Instead we headed back to the hotel for a bite to eat. We had brought snacks so we just ate on those before heading to the pool. All of the families who had games on Friday joined us at the pool just after noon. Around 2 pm, the men who were playing rugby that evening, in Dubai, left for their match. It's strange because the organizers of these tournaments had initially told the little boy coaches they would attempt to have tournaments in the same city the men would have matches so it wouldn't be as difficult for the men playing. Most men who coach the kids' teams, also play on the men's teams. Unfortunately, we think they must have forgotten this promise. So the men headed out and the moms stayed behind with the kids.
Gina had come to the pool to hang out with us. We must have been at the pool for almost 4 hours. It was great fun. The kids had a blast and the pool, for the most part, was shaded so the sun burning was not an issue.
I ended up with two extra kids with me from about 3 pm until about 5 pm. Rochelle had taken her kids up for a nap around 3 pm. She called me shortly after that saying her youngest, Evie, was screaming in pain about her ears. In the end, I took her other two kids, Emerson and Louie, and she took Evie to the hospital to discover she had double ear infections. Ugh! We all just take care of each other and think nothing of it. It's the next best thing to family, and comforting to know that people are more than willing to help when you are in need.
Evie had a full recovery and was happy as a clam the rest of the weekend. Here she is with Millie. They are really good friends, and I think most likely they will get into trouble together at some stage. 
The guys returned at about 9:30 pm, but I was out by that time. We had forgotten to put Jack's tooth under his pillow on Thirsday evening, but remembered on Friday night, thank goodness. The tooth fairy came, even though Millie insisted she didn't want him to come. She didn't want the tooth fairy to take her coins. I finally convinced her that the tooth fairy only gave money to the child that had lost the tooth, she was a bit better. I had to promise her that the tooth fairy would totally ignore her and only come to visit Jack. Oh, and by the way, a 50 dirham note, what the tooth fairy left for Jack, looks much different in the dark than a 10 dirham note, which is what the tooth fairy intended to leave for Jack. Oops!
We had an early start Saturday morning because Jack's first match was at 8 am. So we chose to get up early, get our stuff in the car, eat breakfast, check out of the hotel and then head to the rugby pitches.
They played a total of four games, the last one being at 11:30 am. Gina came to watch the last two games, the first of which Jack didn't even play in so that everyone had equal playing time. But she stuck around anyway.
You can tell how interested Millie was in the tournament. It was quite hot on the pitch and very little shade to be had, except for the canopies some of the parents brought. She had about a 45 minute nap while we waited for the last match.
They only won 1 of the 4 games, which happened to be the last game. And guess who scored the try to give them the victory? Yep, it was Jack. He was so pleased with himself. I actually got it on video. As you would guess, I was the foolish voice in the video yelling 'Go Baby, Go Baby!' They won't let me near a sport's field or arena in a few years. I already know this. Poor kid!
Stuart and the team, pictured above, had an excellent tournament. The try Jack got caused them to win the Shield. It is an award that is given to the team that comes second from the last. Really? But of course, Jack doesn't know that. As far as he is concerned they won the whole tournament. He was so proud of himself.
After the medals were given we headed down the road to Al Ain. We stopped and had a bite to eat. We got home just before 2 pm. The kids showered, laundry was started, kids watched some television and had an apple. By 4:30 pm Jack was out so we put him in his bed at 5 pm. Millie was still up and playing, but still went to bed at 6 pm. Our kids play hard and then crash even harder.
We shall see if they both sleep through the night. I would venture to say they will. We ran them pretty hard this weekend and their little bodies need the recovery of sleep.
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