Sunday, May 18, 2014

Lots of swimming this week

Like in weeks past, I got to Tuesday and wasn't sure what had happened to Sunday and Monday. 

I do know that after school on Monday, I took Millie to dance. As has happened a time or two before, Millie fell asleep on the way. And, as has also happened before, she sat on my lap almost the entire class. This could be an example of wasted money. However, Jack got to play the Lego Star Wars game on the ipad with his friend Harry while their sisters danced, or in Millie's case, lounged. So it wasn't a total loss. 

We got home, fed the kids, and bathed them. Millie was wiped out, although she insisted 'I not tired!'  I put her to bed just before 7. Jack stayed up a bit longer while I went back to Natasha's house (lady's house where the dance class is) for a Nomad clothing party. I did it to be social and ended up buying something, like you do. I will post pictures of my purchase when it comes in, and know you all will be waiting with baited breath:)

Tuesday Stuart got a call from the nurse to say that Jack was complaining about an ear ache. Stuart gave permission to give him some pain meds and I waited for the dreaded call that said we needed to come pick him up. It never came, but I left school during my planning period (last period of the day) anyway to get him. He was bouncy and totally fine. He stated to me 'I feel fine. Nurse Sophia is the best nurse at Sunflower, ever!'  There was a lot of enthusiasm from him, which made me smile. I spoke with the nurse and she stated he didn't have any redness in his ears. At that point I was pretty sure that the ginormous molars which had just poked through were our pain creators. She said that was quite possible. 

Jack and I went to pick up a chair I had purchased on Al Ain Swap and Shop. This is the time of year to get good furniture for dirt cheap. All of the people leaving the country in July are trying to unload their things and make a bit of money while doing so. So an Ikea chair that retails for 550 dirhams became ours for 100 dirhams. What a deal!

I had one of those 'please don't  ask me' conversations with Jack on the way to get the chair. Why is his dad NEVER around when he asks these things? Here is how it all went down:

Jack: Mama, how do babies get out of their mama's bellies?

Me: Well, sometimes the doctor has to cut the baby out. 

Jack: You mean he just gets a knife and cuts the mama's belly open. 

Me: Yep! (Whew, dodged that....or at least I thought I did.)

Jack: Is that how I got out of your belly?

Me: Nope. 

Jack: So how did I get out of your belly?

Me: (Crap! Here goes.) Okay, I am going to tell you but don't go to school and tell anyone. Remember that anytime we discuss things about your private parts we NEVER talk about it with our friends or other people. Some kids' mamas wouldn't want them to hear something like this from another child at school. 

Jack: You mean because their mama's think they aren't old enough to know. 

Me: Exactly!  So you know how you and I have different private parts, right? (Silence) Well, mamas have an extra hole like a slide that the baby comes out of. Do you understand?

Jack: Yes. Mama. (Long, pregnant pause- pun totally intended) I think I will just forget we ever talked about this. 

Me: I think that might be best. 

After the horrifying conversation with Jack, getting the chair and picking up Millie, the three of us headed to the pool. Stuart was already there because he had gone to workout just after school. We swam for a couple of hours. Millie has remained very confident in the water, even though she can't swim a lick. Her trick on Tuesday was to jump into the water with no floaties.....oh and neither Stuart or myself were within arms reach. So, the PE teacher at Stuart's school was standing in the pool very close to where she jumped in. I calmly said, 'Tim, could you grab her? She can't swim'. She is absolutely fearless. It scares me to death. 

We went home to shower the kids and then headed to a mall in the north part of town. It's close to where Cathy and her girls live. We had never been there before so decided to check it out. Cathy and the girls joined us for dinner at a curry restaurant called Taj Spice. It was good but The Curry House is still our favorite. 
This is Claire and Cathy showing the vastness of our booth at Taj Spice. It was so big that when dinner was over, Jack did a somersault on his portion of the booth. Proud moment for me. Again, so thankful we paid for those gymnastic lessons. 

Being prepared, I put the kids' jammies in the car so they could be all ready for bed when we got home. It was only a 20 minute drive, but seeing how they are usually in bed by 7 and it was just before 9, the odds were in my favor that they would be asleep by the time we got home. Happy to report they were. 

Wednesday was pretty non-eventful. We had our normal play date with Penny and Thalia, Karen and I went for walk, and when I returned Millie was screaming bloody murder. She had rubbed a heinous blister on her heel from her tennis shoes. Naturally the bath water caused the pain that fostered her screaming fit. When she did finally get clean Stuart put on a band aid and she chilled out. I ended up sitting on the sofa and cuddling Jack and Millie while watching Frozen.   Although that was wonderful, it caused the kids to go to bed a little later than I had planned. So that was the second night they had a late night. 

Despite the need for sleep, both kids were up by 6 am. Millie was cranky and whiney from the get go. Boy am I ready for 3 years old. 

My school had a celebration of learning on Thursday. We all were in charge of an academic station for our entire grade level. It was an excellent concept, but past experience has parents believing that 'celebration of learning' means play day and no need to come to school. Only half of my students showed up and I had very few parents show up. The new school model is going to take some time, but I do believe there is great effort being made by all school staff, at least at my school, to drastically change the schools of the past. Like anywhere, there are great schools and marginal schools. I am at a great school. Stuart?  Well, lets just say his is not so great. Behavior continues to be challenging for him, to say the least. We will have stories to share when we get home. 

After school we headed to the rugby club. This may not have been our best decision. The kids were whiney and miserable. When we left Jack cried and carried on. Those moments are so difficult for me, not because I feel badly for him (although I should) but because I don't know how to fix it and get him to stop crying. All I want to do is tell him to suck it up. I am working on having patience, but it is slow going.  Millie fell asleep on the way home as did Jack. They both went to bed without showers which, everyone knows, killed me. 

Because they had three late nights in a tow, and we were able to sleep in, I thought for sure I would get to sleep until at least 7 am. Nope!  Jack was up at 6 am. Why does this happen? I suppose in a few years I will be working on dragging them out of bed at 10 am or later, another thing to look forward to. 

Coffee and some Netflix was on order for the morning. When all people were up we headed to the mall. Thursday morning I found out I am going to have an interview for a Head of Falculty and Vice Principal position on Monday, the 26th. So we needed to find me something appropriate for an interview. We didn't find everything on Friday. but I did find a skirt which I think is a good start. 

The kids remained super whiney so when we returned from shopping they both went down for a nap. The 'guys' and their kids were coming to our house Friday evening while the gals participated in the Glow and Go 5K. Because we knew the kids would require some extra energy, the nap was a must. When they woke up they were in a much better mood for sure. 

Cathy, Karen, Clare and I got to the Glow and Go event way too early. It was held at a place called Wadi Adventure. It is basically a wave pool and a simulated river rafting facility. 

This picture is before the race. Because I have put on some weight since we got here and am now trying to lose it, I forced myself to wear my workout clothes I wore at my thinnest last summer. Not a good look but I am getting back on track. 
The race itself was really fun. Cathy and I didn't run as much as Clare and Karen did, but we did run. For about 3.5 kilometers of the race we were on pavement and dirt. The last bit of the race was the fun part. We entered the wadi (like a desert wash in Arizona). However, this wadi is used for the river rafting so it is man made and filled, most of the time. They had drained a portion of it for the race. The further we went the deeper the water got. My thighs were killing me by the time we exited the wadi. The very end of the race we could either walk around to the beach area or we could jump in the deep end of the wave pool and swim to shore. We chose the swimming part. I think I should be able to claim I have participated in a biathlon. I ran and swam. 

When Cathy and I got to the beach Claire and Karen were cheering us on. So, as obnoxious as I could, I ran through the water to the shore. The commotion caused the media person to start taking pictures of me. Watch me show up in one of their publications. Ha!

We had such a great time. 5ks are more fun when there is a bit of adventure involved. Fortunately we had towels so that my car wouldn't be soaked when we got home.  Here is the after photo. 
Water and dry fit shirts don't go together.

Saturday morning we got up, Skyped Grammie  and Pop, and then headed to the pool. The Rouvis (Jack's fried from school and his sisters and parents) were at the pool as well. We got there about 9:30 am and after a few hours we decided we would go into the club and eat.
The baby pool seems to be the gathering place for all the fun. 

As we were walking up to the club, Scott, Henry and May (Clare's husband and kids) were walking down to the pool. Henry and Jack play really well together although Henry is a few years older than Jack. So of course Jack wanted Henry to come up and play with him on the rugby pitch. Scott and the kids followed us up and said they would come to swim once Clare got there.
The sprinklers were going off on the pitch so the kids had a hay day playing in them. Reclaimed pee pee water is okay for kids to play in, right?  Yuck!

Three hours later, we all returned to the pool until about 5:30 pm, which was about an hour two late because Jack had a meltdown when we left. Spending the day at the club is tough, but someone has to do it. 

Because I was not happy with Jack's response when leaving the pool, which involved crying and telling me 'no' a few times, his consequence was that he would not be going to the pool on Sunday. It is an Islamic holiday on Sunday so we won't have school. After a bit of discussion with Stuart, it was decided that maybe the pool thing was a bit harsh and might not be as effective as taking away the electronic games for the day. Stuart reminded me that if we would have left an hour earlier the meltdown might not have happened, so we needed to make sure we were taking our responsibility in the matter. Plus, if he is missing the pool adventure but can't see how much fun everyone else is having, is that really a consequence?  He misses the games for sure. 

After the kids were bathed, fed and in bed, I headed to the mall. I think I have mentioned how manic the malls are on the weekends, especially at night. However, since I haven't been to the malls at night since we first arrived, I had forgotten. Let's just say it is wall to wall kandoras and abayas. Too many people. But I was on a mission for a blouse. I am sad to report I didn't get the blouse, but I did get banking completed, sunglasses purchased, and Stuart's laundry delivered. So it wasn't a total loss. Also, Cathy met me at the mall for coffee. She had to pick Claire up there later anyway so decided to come along. I left the mall at 10:30 pm and there was still a full parking lot. Crazy! Meanwhile my kids had been asleep for nearly 4 hours. Definitely a different lifestyle. 




Sunday, May 11, 2014

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. 

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Seems God was willing, but not completely timely!

My car needed servicing, which I failed to remember on my days off until it was too late to do anything about it. So I asked Cathy if she could pick me up at the service center on her way (really out of her way) to school on Sunday. She was fine with that so after dropping Jack and Millie off I headed to the service center. Cathy was waiting for me and we headed to school. My student teacher taught another two lessons for me today which meant I only had to teach 4 lessons today. Very tough!

After school Stuart picked me up and we went to get my car. I went to get the kids and ten came home. 
Look what was sitting outside our door in the hallway when we got home from work on Sunday? Miracle of miracles! If you can't tell, it's a bathtub. I guess Mr. Ehab putting it by our door was his way of showing good faith that he would begin installing it Monday. I think Millie was the most excited, but the least understanding as to why she couldn't have a bath that night. 

When we got home on Monday they were working on our AC and I am happy to report it is fixed and cold. But not all was okay in our apartment. They were supposed to have started breaking apart the tile in our bathroom to prepare the space for the bath tub, but by the time I called Mr. Ehab for the forth time he informed me he only works until 5 pm. Unbelievable! All I was trying to do was give someone the keys to our apartment so they could come in and get started on Tuesday. In the end we gave the keys to the AC guy who said he would pass them on. We can lock all of our doors in the apartment so that the only room accessible is the bathroom. Plus, if any of the workers here did anything wrong they would be deported immediately. 

I attempted to go get my hair cut on Monday but the place I went the last time didn't have anyone to cut my hair until Tuesday night. I decided I would get it cut shorter because the heat is unbelievable and I can't pull it up in a pony tail so why not shorter? Well, I got a little more than I bargained for. Pretty sure I look like a boy, which would be fine if I was one. Not going to lie, I cried the entire way home. But, as Stuart reminded me, it will grow back fast. I am not a huge fan, but after I was able to style it myself, it was at least tolerable. In a few months I will probably love it and decide to keep it this short, but i doubt it. Super short hair is great on some people, but not me. 
We got home on Tuesday and discovered they had started to break up the tile in preparation of the bathtub. They said it would take three days so naturally i assumed it would be finished on Wednesday, bit since nothing was done on Monday, that automatically set us back to Thursday. Very irritating. 

Also, Tuesday after school we went to the rugby club to swim. It's so easy and great to go there after school and swim for a couple of hours. Then we still have plenty of time to eat, shower, and read stories before bedtime. It's great! But Tuesday after the swim I went with Karen and Claire (another teacher at Jack's school) for a walk around the rugby club ring road. I brought my workout gear and changed at the pool. I forgot one important thing.....underwear! Oops! Oh well, I am not foreign to going commando. I had on bike shorts so I suppose it didn't really matter. Funny thing is, when I attempted to find Jack's underwear so he could change back into his clothes, we discovered that he had left them on when he changed into his swimmers. So we were both going commando after our visit to the pool. Family bonding is what it's all about. 

We had Thalia and Penny over for a play date after school on Wednesday. They came after I had to call Mr. Ehab to inform him that no one came to do anything on the bathtub that day. Incredible!  He said he would call to see what had happened and why no one had come. Right, because he didn't know why someone didn't come? Sure he didn't. I am not a fan of Mr. Ehab, as you can probably understand. A plumber finally did come and got the tub prepped for the instillation. He promised it would be done by Saturday. Not sure I believed him. 

After the girls went home from the play date, I fed and showered the kids, then read stories and they were sound asleep.  I hate to mention it, but Millie has had three great days at Miss Janet's as far as the potty is concerned. I think taking the movie away from her may have helped. 

Once the kids were asleep, Stuart and I sat down to watch 24. We love Jack Bauer! It was awesome. The only sad part is we can't watch another episode for one more week. 

Thursday was International Day at Jack's school. There are 26 different countries represented at Sunflower. Each country had a presentation, so my principal let me go to the performances. Jack sang the American National Anthem in front if the whole school. He was so cute, a little off key, but so grown up and confident. 
This is Jack's classmate, Christian. He is from Germany. Don't you just low his costume? He is quite a bit you get than Jack and a LOT smaller. 

When Jack stood up to sing I started recording it. He looked at me and kept saying, 'Now? Now? Now?'  You can finally hear me in the video say, 'Sing!'  And when he did, he made his mama cry. He was so poised and remembered every word. I can't believe how mature he has become this year. It makes me a little sad, I have to admit. 

After I returned to school, I had a couple of classes, gave a spelling test, and 7th period we had our going away party for our classroom assistant and our student teacher. There was food all over the place. These girls go all out. Jawaher, the classroom assistant, and Aysha, the student teacher, gave me perfume, two pairs of earrings made of gold (truly), and an English version of the Qoran. Actually it is interesting reading. I am not converting but it is good to know what the beliefs are so I don't seem ignorant about their religion. 

Everything you see on top of the counters is food for the party. 
And then there was an absolute mess. But I am happy to report they cleaned up very nicely at the day.

After school i picked Millie up from Miss Janet's. stuart and Jack headed to Dubai for a birthday party at the Rainfroest Cafe. Wade and Thalia went with them. It was Scarlett's 6th birthday.  It was quite a trek for a birthday party, but everythig is a bit over the top here anyway. They didn't get home until a little after 9 pm and Jack was wiped out for sure.  

Millie and I decided to go to the grocery store so that we would not have to do that task the rest of the weekend. I hate wasting time at the grocery store. Millie was not very keen on staying in the cart. I am not a fan of the 2s. I am hoping she lines things out in the third year of her life. 

After I bribed her with a donut and juice, in the store, she finally settled down. Prior to the donut trick we visited the bathroom a few times to have an attitude adjustment. I hate leaving a cart full of things in the middle if the aisle, but sometimes a screaming child takes priority. 

She ate a happy meal and we headed home. We both had showers and were in our jammies by 4 pm. Millie whined around for a few hours and then when I put her down for bed she continued to say, 'I'm not tired', yet 5 minutes of me rocking her in my arms (which I can still do because she hasn't grown much in the last year), she was fast asleep. 

The rest of the evening was all mine. I watched some movies on Netflix and just relaxed. 

Stuart got up early Friday morning to golf. Millie came in our room and got in bed with me and about 15 minutes later Jack was in the bed. So the three of us got up at 5:45 am. Really? It's the weekend! They usually sleep until at least 7 am. Ugh!

We walked The Little Mermaid, which Jack loved but Millie got bored with. I used to read the book to Jack and he would want to touch Ariel's bare stomach. So funny! So when he finally got to see the film he was thrilled. 

We went out to ride bikes, or at least the kids rode bikes, around 9 am and it was already brutally hot. We rode one time around the complex and then had to get back in the house for some coolness. I fixed the kids pbjs and by 10 am both had eaten breakfast and lunch.  We played an invigorating game of hide and seek in the apartment. Surprisingly enough, there are plenty of places to hide in our pad. 

Because Stuart and I were going to the Rugby Ball Friday night, when he got home from golfing I went to get a pedicure and fake nails. I used to have nails before I had kids but the Desitin under the nails used to gross me out so I got rid of them. I have always said when kids were all done with diapers I would get nails again. Thank goodness that day has come. 

After pampering it was time to shower everyone and get ready for the ball. Kayleigh and Claire were coming to stay with the kids, ours and Karen and Wade's, so the kids were ready for bed and chicken nuggets and fries were ready once the babysitters arrived. 

When we arrived at the ball we saw a few people we knew, then sat at our table and listened to the awards presentations to celebrate the end of the rugby season. Then the dancing started. We had a great time. The food was wonderful and there was a mechanical bull that many men, and women, rode. And no, Sherry Bollard, I did not partake in the mechanical bull fun....this time.  Although, I was tempted. 
Here we are before leaving our house for the event. 
 
Saturday morning was a little rough. There may have been a bit of booze served along with the delicious food. We laid around the house until almost 2 pm and then went to the pool. Millie has decided she can now swim. We broke down and, against advice from Jack's former swim teacher, we bought her arm floaties. We just got tired of carrying her around in the pool. And as a result she now will actually swim without them in the baby pool. It's great!

We couldn't be bothered to fix dinner so we just stayed at the Rugby Club and had dinner. We got home, showered the kids, and put them to bed. Weekend is over and I need another one.