School is out for the kids for a week.

The kids didn't have school this week. Because they go to a British school, they follow the calendar typically used in the U.K.  So they have a half term break. Fortunately, Clare offered to keep them all week. Although that only lasted until Tuesday, it was still very helpful.

 

I had training on Sunday, therefore I was able to take them to Clare's and not worry about being late. My training was to start at 8:15, but of course they didn’t get started until 9 am.  The training was on how to make progress with students in reading, both in Arabic and English.  What I saw didn’t even compare to the progress we are making using the Daily 5.  So in the end, the information wasn’t all that useful for me.

Ice skating was the activity Club Richardson offered on Sunday. 

I was finished by 11:30 am and then went to pick up the kids. When we got home, the kids played upstairs for a while as I decided to make enchiladas.  I made a double batch so I could freeze half of it and pull it out for another time. Once Stuart was home and in charge of the kids, I went to meet a gal getting ready to have gastric sleeve surgery. She had questions and was quite nervous about the process.  Unfortunately, as I have said before, the doctor we are all using is not that great with before and after care.  He relies on the patient to do their own research.  I have started to think I should charge him a finding fee for all of these people who have wanted to pick my brain regarding the surgery.  I don’t have all the answers, but I have done a great deal of research and definitely give them more information than he does.  I have now sent him 5 patients.  That’s a good bit of money I have made for him.

 

Once I had imparted all of the knowledge I had on Reneta (surgery gal), I drove to the club where the kids were training for rugby.  I decided I would swim some laps, as I hadn’t done that in a long while.  I swam about 24 and then it got too crowded.  Since the restaurant is still not open, many people park themselves at the pool bar, therefore their kids occupy the pool as well.  I decided 24 laps was enough, got out of the pool, chatted with one of my teachers, and then headed to the pitches to collect my children.  I took Millie and Jack home and Stuart followed after us.  I started their cleaning routine and Stuart made them a bite to eat.

 

Once the kids were fed and in bed, Stuart headed to an emergency executive committee meeting, which is code for 'come over, I ordered pizza and beer'. Kidding! I know they had many important duties to deal with regarding the rugby club.  When he got home it was just after 10 pm, and I was fast asleep on the sofa. I resigned to the bed, which is probably the earliest I had been to bed in weeks. I love sofa snoozing!

 

Monday I was up to walk, got the kids ready for their day with May and Henry, and drove them down to their house.  Of course this made me even more late to work than normal, but it was unavoidable.

Playground fun was in store for the kids on Monday. 

I had two observations I knew nothing about. It seems that our Arabic Head of Faculty was out sick again so I needed to cover for her observations.  It’s strange and exhausting to sit in on the Arabic observations.  For the most part, I can tell what they are doing, but not knowing exactly what they are saying makes me tired.  Usually someone is in there observing with me to translate, but that makes it exhausting for that other person as well.

 

I kept pretty busy all day.  It was a nice change because I avoided the late afternoon sleepies that I get most days.  I just want to take a nap, not because I’m tired, but because I’m bored.  Oh to have my work load.

 

After school I was home long enough to get the kids ready for bed.  Stuart fed them and then once I had gone, he went upstairs to change for rugby, came back downstairs and they were both asleep on the sofa.  It was only 5:50 pm.  He put them both in bed and they slept through the night.  They must have had quite the day at Clare’s.  Kayleigh came over to babysit while I was at the mall meeting with Kendra (surgery girl number 4) and Reneta (again).  Renetawanted to meet someone who was going to have the surgery the same weekend as she was.  We sat and chatted for almost 2 hours about what they could expect after surgery as well as what they should eat/drink for the first few weeks.  They then headed to the supermarket for some Pediasure, while I headed to shop for a bit.  I didn’t really buy anything other than some underwear, but never mind about that.

The sunsets here are unbelievable. 

As I was leaving the mall, I saw the director of The Land of Lost Stories and her family.  I stood and talked with them for a bit and told them how much Jack loved being in the play.  They laughed and were very complimentary of Jack and all the ‘little guys’ in the play.  I really hope they do some more productions.  Although it was a hectic schedule, I know Jack enjoyed the experience.  I would love for Millie to be a part of something like that as well.

 

Stuart had already returned from rugby by the time I got home.  He had eaten and was on his way to bed.  I, on the other hand, would need some wind down time.  I headed upstairs to take a shower and then came back down to have a bite to eat and watch some television.  The cats curled up with me and the next thing I knew I was headed upstairs for the rest of the night.

 

Tuesday morning Stuart decided he would tell his principal that he would be late and he would take the kids to Clare’s.  It was nice for me because then I was able to be early to school for the first time this year.  He has decided that he is going to stay home with them, until Brian picks them up, at least two days a week so I am not always the one who is late to school.

Club Richardson was very busy this week. 

When I got to school I headed in to our Vice Principal of Student Service’s office.  There was a mom in there who was uncontrollably angry, and yelling at the Vice Principal.  It reminded me of home.  Typically, there is no arguing back from the senior leaders, but we have a fireball of a Vice Principal and she doesn’t take crap off of anyone.  She is the Arabic version of me.  I love her!

 

As the day went on, I had more to occupy my time.  I had discovered that the English teachers on my boy’s side had been given more teacher assistant time, which meant they would have an Arabic speaking assistant in their room more periods of the day.  It was wonderful.  What happens in the classrooms with just boys is that the conversation taking place in the room doesn’t always match up with what they are supposed to be doing.  Sometimes the kids will call each other’s mothers ‘goats’, which is haram to call any human an animal.  Well, people who don’t speak Arabic don’t know those things have happened until it escalates into a fight. When we have a native Arabic speaker in the room as well, those problems diminish.

 

After school I headed to the girlie doctor.  No need to speak more about that unless of course I need some kind of procedure, which she thinks I will.  Let’s just say the plumbing doesn’t work like it’s supposed to so they may need to remove it.  I will find out more on Sunday when I meet with the specialist.

 

After my traumatizing experience at the doctor, I met Cathy at the mall for a coffee.  She had messaged me about my protein bars being on special at one of the kiosks in the mall.  Naturally, I had to head over to take advantage of the sale.  After our coffee and conversation, I headed to the rugby club to meet the family.  I ran into Mandy who introduced me to her father and his girlfriend who are visiting from South Africa. We planned to meet up again on Friday for the rugby matches.

 

Once training was over for the kids, I took them home for showers.  Stuart had to deliver some mattresses to some of the rugby club workers, so he met us at home once he had delivered the goods. In the meantime, I fixed the kids beans on toast.  Millie had tried this combination over the summer at Grandma’s house.  We were pleased that she loved it.  It’s an easy meal for me to fix and we all know how I love the kitchen. While the kids were eating, Stuart Skyped his mum and was able to speak with Hope. The kids did as well but were crazy, as they usually are on Skype.  Hope was on her half term break as well and spending the week with Grandma and Grandpa in Hastings.

 

Once the Skyping was over, the kids headed to bed.  It was almost 8 pm and we had planned a day out in Abu Dhabi the following day.  Since the kids were out on break, I felt the need to take an emergency day and spend it with them.  Clare, Henry, May and the three of us went to Adventure HQ to ride bikes and scooters on the ramps, do the climbing structure, and bounce on the trampolines.  Millie was only old enough to do the trampolines and the kiddie climbing wall, but she had fun in spite of that.  They spent an hour in the morning at the facility and then we headed to eat lunch.  After lunch, we left May, Henry and Jack at the facility, but Millie was too little so we took her with us to do some browsing.  I bought 4 new swimsuits that were on sale as it is the end of the season.  I also bought some new cotton trousers for school.

Our little climber. 

He might have crashed a few times during this activity. 

This boy got quite the workout!

We took Millie back to bounce with the other three around 3 pm.  The kids were super sweaty when it was all said and done, and they were hungry again.  We decided that a donut from Dunkin Donuts would keep them filled until we got home.  On the way home, the traffic was horrendous, the kids were wild and loud and I was a bit of a nervous wreck over it all.  We came upon a wreck that had more than likely occurred because someone was following too closely.

 

We arrived home around 5:30 pm, but about 15 minutes outside of Al Ain a traffic camera flashed as I was passing it.  Now, there were several other cars around so it could have flashed them as well.  However, Clare thinks it flashed me because she thought I was following too closely behind the vehicle in front of me.  The guy behind me was on my tail much closer than I was to the guy in front of me.  I suppose I will find out soon as Stuart will get that report on his phone.  He was not happy, mainly because we were in his car.  Oh no, maybe he was upset because I was following too closely.  Oh wait, there are ‘black’ points attached to this type of ticket, which will go on his license since it’s his car.  Or maybe it was the fact that these tickets are not cheap.  Uh, or it could be all of the above.

 

Needless to say I was not in a good mood when we got home. I yelled at the kids, Stuart was cross with me, and it put a damper on the day, unfortunately.  The kids were wiped out.  Jack tried to make up for things by helping me do the laundry and then helping get food for himself and Millie.  He is still such a little, excited boy that sometimes his behavior is silly and unruly.  Poor kid, I expect him to act older than he is, mainly because he looks older than he is.  I really need to ease up on him.  He’s a good boy.  Millie was a sass pot the entire day.  She does her best to keep up with the big kids and sometimes that means she is inappropriate in her behavior.  Raising kids is the toughest job you’ll ever love.  The Peace Corps has nothing on parents! 

The kids were wiped out from their day, so much so that Millie was going to forfeit eating anything once we got home.  Once they were clean I pieced together something for them to eat, then Millie was off to bed.  While I sang Millie to sleep, Jack fell asleep on the sofa downstairs.  He was mouth-opened sleeping by the time I got back downstairs.  I carried him upstairs, which was not an easy task.  The kid’s legs were nearly brushing the stairs as I trudged him to his bed.  He is WAY too big for me to carry anymore.  However, he was comatose and would not wake up for anything.  Next time I will just have to leave him there until morning, I suspect.   

Once he was in his bed, I took a shower and headed back downstairs for my nightly routine.  Stuart had left for rugby and we had sent a few apology texts, so at least we weren’t still in ‘that place’ with each other.  It was all a bit silly and didn’t matter in the end.  He was concerned for our safety and I wanted the kids to know they can’t goof around in the car because it is dangerous.  I think everyone got the point in the end.

 

As soon as I got downstairs, like all too often, I heard boys talking under our living room window.  The houses we live in don’t have the best soundproofing so you can hear every conversation that takes place if it is right outside your window.  I went out to talk to them, as we often do, and asked them why they didn’t play outside of their own house.  Their response was ‘my neighbors don’t like me playing in front of their house.’ Duh!  Neither do we.  These boys are teenagers and very respectful, although I can’t say that about every teenager we have spoken to, but these boys were nice.  In the end they moved across the street, which was good enough for me.  I tried to appeal to their sense of decency and it seemed to work…..that night at least.

 

Thursday it was back at school and the kids went to Brian’s house for the day.  Clare had some appointments and it was just going to be too much for the kids to tag along with her.  They were thrilled to go to Brian’s, or at least Jack was, because the Playstation 4 would be on all day.  School was uneventful, thank goodness.  I had 6 boys in my office for a popcorn party in the morning and then didn’t really hear from any particular boy the rest of the day.

I left as soon as the kids were gone and headed home to my own two kids. I picked them up from Brian and Lara's and went home to get my bag ready to go meet Gina in Abu Dhabi for the evening. We were going to stay at the Westin, get pedicures on Friday morning, shop for a bit, and then head back to Al Ain for an evening of rugby. 

While I was in Abu Dhabi, Stuart took the kids to the club for the annual Halloween party. They had a blast. 

This was Stuart's costume! He's a comedian for sure. 

Jack even sang kareoke at the rugby club party. The kid does not lack confidence. 

I headed to Abu Dhabi, with my first stop being at RahaBeach Mall to buy cat litter. I know it sounds strange, but it's good and cheap, so worth shooting by there if one of us is in Abu Dhabi anyway. I then headed to Yas Mall for a bit before meeting Gina at the Westin Hotel and Spa. Naturally I had a pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. I think I will cry when the season where these lattes can be purchased is over. I buy one every time I get the chance, sometimes twice a day. This might be my new addiction. 

 

I finally arrived at the hotel and Gina and I headed to the spa for a much needed massage. At one point I thought the therapist was going to break my ankles. It hurt so good. We finished our treatments and sat in the relaxation lounge for a while, in fact until they kicked us out.  We had a shower and then headed back to the room for some room service.  The thought of getting dressed to go out and eat was too daunting.  Plus, it was after 10 pm and the restaurants were closing.

 

We stayed up and talked until well after midnight.  I love my time with Gina as I know we have been through a lot of life lessons together and we appreciate each other.  She is a good friend.  I have always said she is the most loyal friend I have.  She would do anything she could to help her true friends out.  Her Abu Dhabi breaks are fun for me!

 

We were up by 7 am.  Try as I may, I usually can’t sleep past that time.  I suppose the internal clock is always set.  We headed to breakfast just after 8 am, and then on to Al Wadha Mall for pedicures. The pedicure took much longer than anticipated, for me.  I have two big toes that think it’s okay to fall off whenever they want.  So I had to get false/gel nails attached.  That seemed to be the hold up.  So, although I would have liked to get some more shopping in, it wasn’t meant to be.  

 

We did shop a bit after the manis and pedis, and then we decided to grab a bite to eat at Russo’s, an Italian bistro.  We had been there before, but this time the service was beyond crap.  We sat down at a table and the usual garlic flat bread that comes out as an appetizer didn’t show up.  Gina didn’t get her water, and once the food did come, 20 minutes after we ordered, we had nothing to eat it with.  We actually decided to get up and leave just as the food arrived.  And that food looked amazing.  However, if you know Gina and me very well, you know that we dig our heels in and will not budge for anything once we are irritated.  Believe me, it has caused some friction between us from time to time.  But this time we were on the same team and both irritated….and still hungry once we left.   

 

We popped down to the frozen yogurt shop where Gina got a cup of pomegranate yogurt and I had a protein bar that I ate on the way back to Al Ain.  We didn’t starve, I’m happy to report. We got into Al Ain just as Stuart’s match started.  I didn’t see the near fight he got into as the match began.  Apparently a guy on the other team tackled Stuart before he even caught the ball.  Stuart had some choice words for him and restrained himself from punching the guy in the face.  It’s hard to believe that Stuart can get that agitated, but he keeps that side of himself for the rugby pitch, thank goodness.

 

We stayed at the club until about 8 pm, and then it was home for showers and bed.  The kids went straight to bed, but Gina and I attempted to watch one episode of House of Cards. Gina and I had started watching season 4 in August and needed to finish it. We only got through one episode because we were so tired. 

 

I got up Saturday morning just before 7 am to Skype Liz so she could fill in my ballot. Once we actually connected, Icouldn't hear her but she could hear me. It was quite comical. She showed me the ballot and I told her how to draw the lines.  Voting this year was not very fun.  I know that everything will work out as it is supposed to, but it’s a difficult year in American politics no matter which side you are on.

 

Once we were up and everyone had eaten breakfast, we headed to Barari Mall to Fun Block. Gina and I were going to shop while the kids played. However, Millie wasn't allowed to stay on her own even though she had done so the last two times we were there. Naturally my stubbornness came out and I told the people that we would not be there again.  I stated they would no longer get any of my money.  It may be true that they will no longer get any of my money, but we will be there again as Millie has a birthday party there next Thursday.  I didn’t really think of that until after I spouted off my big mouth.  It’s the story of my life!  I’m not proud of that part of me, but I don’t ever seem to learn.

 

We ended up taking the kids with us to shop and they were actually pretty good in spite of the disappointment of not getting to stay and play.  Gina bought some much needed shows, and I bought some shoes I didn’t need, but I liked.  I bought Jack some new tennis shoes for school.  I bought him a brand new pair less than 2 months ago and he has already grown out of them.  I suspect he is going through a big growth spurt again.  I anticipate having to do this kind of buying for the next 10 years, sadly.  He is going to be a giant!

 

When we were finished shoe shopping we went to get some groceries for Halloween night.  We have invited people over for chili and to sit outside and pass out candy.  It should be a good night.  Once we were home we watched the last two episodes of House of Cards and had a bite to eat.  The kids went to at Keith and Ian's. Although I told Jack to be home at 3:30 pm, I ended up going to get him around 4 pm.  Once they were home they played upstairs, while the three adults watched our own television shows. Jack was not terribly impressed by the fact that we were hogging the downstairs television, but he resigned himself to the upstairs anyway.

 

The kids showered around 5:30 pm, got their nails cut, and ate beef sausages and spaghetti for dinner.  We let them eat upstairs in from of their movie, which never happens, so they thought they were really getting away with something.  Millie, although she was in bed at 6:30, did not go to sleep until almost 8 pm. She didn’t like that Jack was still up when she went to bed.  Normally it is not that big of a deal because Jack is downstairs when she is in her bed.  But on Saturday night he was just down the hall from her room, watching tv.  She just wanted to be out there with him. Meanwhile, Jack, who went to his room at 7:15 to read a book, was sounds asleep, with his light on, when I went up to tell him goodnight. Millie dropped off shortly after that.

 

Gina, Stuart and I had enchilada casserole for dinner, along with boerewors (pronounced bore-a-vors), a South African prepared beef sausage, and roasted potatoes. It was a hodgepodge of a dinner, but it was delicious for sure. We watched Sherlock, one of our favorite series to watch again and again, until we were all too tired to keep our eyes open.  Thank goodness Gina doesn’t look to be entertained when she comes to see us.  Our lives can be a bit mundane from time to time.  I think she just enjoys being with people who remind her of home.  I enjoy that as well.

 

Another week of goodness in the UAE!

 

 

 

Woah, what a week!

The busiest week of our lives started out slowly. We were all off to school Sunday morning with little worry about the hectic schedule that lay ahead of us for the week. 

I arrived home about 5 minutes before Millie did on Sunday afternoon, with school being as uneventful as ever. Everything is in a routine and the fights we do still have are minimal at best. Millie did her reading and changed out of her uniform and into her rugby kit. I folded a load of laundry and washed some dishes. Stuart headed to pick Jack up from swim squad just before 3 pm.  

I had made Millie a cheese quesadilla for a snack before rugby. I made Jack a bean and cheese burro so that once he got home, he would change his clothes and get in the car for their extra play practice that had been called for Sunday afternoon.  The turn around was about 5 minutes. I picked up Jake and Louie as well, as their dad's brother in law had a car accident in Dubai and ended up having to go to the hospital. I had some grocery shopping to do so it was no skin off my back to take them and collect them. Stuart would be at rugby with Millie so it worked out just fine. 

When I picked the boys up they said practice went well. They are always entertaining in the car ride home, and today was no different.  Although, as talkative as they are in the car, they have never once leaked out what the play is about.  And, like the rule follower I am, I have not read the script.  I am anxious to see the performances.  

Once we got home, I unloaded the groceries and sent Jack up for a shower.  Stuart got home shortly after us, with Millie. Jack had already showered and had something to eat. Although his bedtime has been lengthened since he turned 8 years old, this particular week I convinced him he would need to go to bed earlier than 7:30 in order to not get sick and run down.  He reluctantly agreed.  So once Millie had snacked on some fruit, and we had Skyped Grandma, and the kids had gotten all riled up, they finally retired to bed. Stuart headed off to a committee meeting and I settled down for my evening of trashy television.  Will I ever get sick of this habit? I doubt it!

Monday morning I got up to walk with Lara.  The previous week I wasn't able to walk because Stuart was living in the lap of luxury in the Maldives.  So it was time to get back at it.  The morning routines were followed and everyone was out the door and on their way to their respective schools.  I was busy at school on Monday, which is always nice.  It passes the time in the day and keeps me from feeling as if I am useless.

I headed straight from work to pick Jack up from Performing Arts at school.  When he was home, he did his homework for the day and then was finally able to go and fetch some of his friends to come to our house to play.  This play has consumed a lot of his free time and the boy really just wants to play. However, he is an attention hog, so the results of the performances will be something he will love when it is all said and done.  

Once the kids' friends had left, it was showers, dinner, and bed for Jack and Millie.  After they were tucked snuggly into bed, I took a shower and started making dinner for Stuart and myself.  He was at rugby training, and although on training nights (Mondays and Wednesdays) we usually get our own food for dinner, I decided I would be a good wife and make him something to eat.  It's not often that I cook because I'm not good at it.  Stuart is the cook and I am usually the clean up crew, unless I fall asleep after dinner and then he is the clean up crew as well.  I can't say I made anything that was terrible palpable, but it filled the hump, which is good enough for me.

Tuesday I covered two classes at school.  I had volunteered to do so, knowing that 4 English teachers were out sick.  They were all teachers who taught on the girls' side, so volunteering for those duties was no big deal.  I had two observations and I finally cleaned out the storage room next to my office so that I could find all of the resources I never knew I had.  It was like Christmas!  I even put some of the stuff in my office for teachers to take.  I have never understood why my school has all of these resources in a storage room when teachers could be using them.  I hate clutter so I got rid of mine and offered those items up to the teachers.  Well, we all know that teachers like anything free, so needless to say most of the things I had put out were gone by the middle of the day.

Once I was home, the kids did their homework and then it was time for Jack to go to practice.  I took the kids and they were picked up by Jane, Louie and Jake's mother.  Once I dropped them off I headed to Gift City, my new favorite place for crafts and cheap candy.  I bought Halloween candy in preparation for the big trick-or-treating event that happens in our compound each year.  It is amazing the number of locals that turn out for this event.  They love to dress up as much as we do.  The suggestion is, if you come into the compound, but don't live in the compound, you must donate a bag of candy to be passed out.  It works out nicely and is a nice community activity.

While I was out, I purchased 4 foam squares for Millie's room.  So naturally I got home and started rearranging her room just before her bedtime.  She had gone to rugby practice with Stuart and was home, showered and fed, by the time I got home.  She was ready to go to bed, but I was pulling her room apart.  She was pleased with the results and then she was off to bed.Jack got home around 8:30 pm, had some fruit and then was off to bed as well.

On Wednesday I had packed an extra lunch for Jack as well as his costume for the play practice that would occur directly after the swim gala that afternoon.  There was a lot of organization that had to take place in order to make sure Jack, especially, got to each of his many events for the day with all the things he needed.  I left school just after 11 am, came home and went to lunch with Stuart at 101 Cafeteria, a local restaurant just down the road from the Village.  We then headed to Brighton College for the kids' parent consultations.  This particular conference was just to inform us of how the children were settling in to the new school year.  Millie's teacher was so very complimentary of Millie and her social skills with other students.  She said Millie was right where she needed to be academically and socially.  It made us more convinced than ever that holding her back this year was an excellent decision.  Once we had finished meeting with Millie's teacher, Stuart and Millie headed to Al Ain English Speaking School for the swim gala that Jack had qualified for.  I went to meet with Jack's teacher.  The first thing his teacher asked me was if I had any concerns for Jack.  I told him the only concern I had was that Jack often had his own agenda and would be a little talkative, either missing or ignoring directions.  He said, 'Yes, that's what I was going to speak to you about.'  Great!  How well do I know my boy?  As I discovered a few weeks ago, Jack's issue come directly from me, so I can't be terribly hard on him. I simply spoke with Jack about trying to talk less and listen more.  Mr. Seedat, his teacher said that Jack usually responds to him, but sometimes doesn't listen to the teacher assistant.  I fear this is something Jack will always have to work on.  I'm pretty sure I was the same student, although maybe not as smart.  

After I was finished at the school I joined Millie and Stuart at the swim gala.  On the way I got a call from Clare (who happens to be Jack's swim coach) asking me if it was okay with me if he rode in the car with her from Brighton College to Al Ain English Speaking School.  It seems the bus that was supposed to pick up the kids for the gala never showed up.  So we waited for Brighton College to show up.  Once they were there, the kids got changed and warmed up in the pool.  Year 3 girls had the first event and then the Year 3 boys, Jack.  He swam the front crawl.  I think he was nervous because this was his first competition in swimming.  He dove in and his goggles came off, preventing him from seeing in the water.  He zig zagged back and forth like a drunken sailor.  It was a bit sad.  When I spoke to him after the gala he said 'Yeah, well, I still got second place'.  I didn't have the heart to tell him that actually he came in forth.....out of four swimmers.  I decided it didn't matter.  Clare and I decided that with all of his weaving he probably ended up swimming about 30 meters instead of 25, so he probably would have gotten second place had he swam in a straight line.

He redeemed himself when he swam the next event, the back stroke. He actually won that competition.  Being the competitive mother that I am, it was a good thing he made a better showing in the second race, otherwise I was contemplating hitting the rugby pool that evenings to have him swim laps.  Kidding!  He then did a relay of freestyle. There were only 2 other Year 3 boys asked to swim in this gala so Jack was ask to swim two of the four legs of the relay. They didn't win, but he didn't zig zag as he had in the individual race. And in the end, he actually gained some ground on the last leg.  I was so proud of him.  

This was where he lost his goggles. 

Here he is waiting for the back stroke to begin. 

When the gala was over Jack headed to his final rehearsal for the play. Conveniently enough the rehearsal was at the same school where his swim gala was. He changed out of his swim gear and into his shorts and wife beater.  It was what he had to wear under his costume.  On the walk over to the theater I handed him his peanut butter and jam sandwich.  Once he had crammed that down he was good for rehearsal. It would be my job to pick the boys up that evening.  The day just got longer.

I headed to Bawadi Mall to meet Leanne.  We did a bit of shopping and conversing and then she was off to take her dog for a walk.  So I spent some time on my own, just having a pumpkin latte and doing a bit of browsing.  I bought some Halloween items in preparation for our craft party that would be Saturday.  Could we pack more into this week?  I would need a rest after this week.  I left the mall in time to pick the boys up.  Jack was wiped out!  He had been gone from home, busy doing something, for almost 14 hours.  I was more than surprised that there wasn't a meltdown at any point. However, once we were home and he was showered, he watched the videos I took of the swim gala.  As I was fixing him some fruit, he said, with tears in his eyes, ''Mama, can you erase that first video?' I asked him why, and he told me it embarrassed him.  I told him it was okay and that I would erase it. However, you do know that I could never erase that video.  So I just told him he should be proud of how well he did the second race.  I told him that everyone has races or events like that and it makes them better when it is all said and done.  He seemed satisfied with this answer and let it go.  He's such a trooper.  He went to bed exhausted. I was a bit knackered as well. I took a shower, got something to eat, and watched my trashy television only long enough to fall asleep. Stuart got home with a pizza, ate and also hit the sack.

Jack was the first one up mainly because he was excited about using the new deodorant spray Stuart had bought for him the previous night. Ms. Tashia, the director of the play, had told all the actors that they would need to use deodorant for each night because they would not be washing the costumes.  Well, Jack thought he was so grown up and decided he would wear the deodorant to school that day.  Stuart just bought him the spray stuff and actually had to show him how to use it so he didn't waste the entire bottle on one application.  

Everyone was off to school and got on with their day.  Once we were all home, the kids did their homework.  While we were sitting on the sofa, before we headed out for the evening, I got an email from Millie's teacher.  It stated that Millie kissed a boy at school that day.  The teacher said she was sure it was very innocent, but she felt I would want to know.  I then asked Millie if something had happened at school that day that she needed to tell me about.  She showed a bit of a sly grin and said, 'You already know what happened.'  I then told her that it wasn't appropriate for her to kiss anyone other than her family, to which she responded with a kiss for me.  She then said, 'Well, we were in the house (a play house on the playground).'  Well, at least they were in the house.  Quite frankly, I am surprised it's taken her this long to kiss a boy at school.  Hopefully this will be the last of it, but I suspect it won't.  She loves the boys!

After the 'talk', Millie got her costume on for a superhero birthday party, while Jack showered and applied his deodorant for his first performance.  I took Millie to the birthday party, then ran Jack to the school.  I decided to go get Stuart so we could go and pick up Millie, then head to the play.  Another crazy, busy day was had by all.

You gotta love an October birthday party. It typically means you get one more wear out of your Halloween costume. 

We arrived at the theater around 6:30 pm.  I wasn't sure how many tickets had been sold, but of course I wanted to make sure we got the best seats in the house.  Once they opened the doors we sat on the front row on the left hand side of the stage.  It was the perfect place, because every scene Jack was in, he came in on the left side and was directly in front of us.  He was a star, if I do say so myself.  He is such a ham and just loves attention.  He thinks he is so funny, and so do we, so that just adds to his 'acting'.  His confidence was off the charts.  He wasn't scared or embarrassed, in fact he was even more silly than I expected.  It was a perfect performance.  He was so pleased with himself and we were so proud of him.  I am not sure his future is in the theater, but if he chooses that, then so be it!  He is a bit of a natural.  He can sing, dance, and makes people laugh, which makes me happy.  We had a celebratory meal from McDonalds and then were home to put our tired children to bed.  It was after 10 before everyone was settled.  I could only hope for a bit of a sleep in the following morning.

Humpty and Flat Stanley put on quite the performance. 

Once we were all up on Friday morning, Stuart was off for his day of rugby, starting out with a hearty breakfast at Sean's.  He left around 9 am and wouldn't return until about 10 pm.  Just after Stuart left, Ian (our little neighbor) came over and asked if Millie and Jack could come to his house.  They left and I spent some time getting the crafts ready for Saturday's events.  Millie returned earlier than Jack because she would rather play with her babies than Playstation 4.  When Jack finally returned we went to have some lunch and do the rest of our weekly shopping.  There were still a few things I needed for the Halloween party so I got those and then we were back to the house for a bit of down time before taking Jack to the theater for his last performance.  Friday's performance was when Cathy, Mandy, Gemma, Fechin and their kids, and Clare and her kids were coming.  Jack was so excited!  He had been nervous on Thursday evening, but those nerves turned to excitement when he knew some of his friends would be there to watch him.  

Millie and I dropped Jack at the theater at 1 pm, then were back to the house for a bit before picking up Mandy and Cathy. We arrived a bit earlier than we should have and just had to wait for them to finalize their sound check.  The sound equipment wasn't the greatest, so that was a shame, but Jack was loud enough that he didn't need a microphone so it didn't effect his performance at all.  His performance on Friday might have been a bit better than Thursday night.  He hammed it up a bit more, probably because his friends were there.  His costume was what made a lot of his 'acting' so funny.  When he moved, the costume moved, which made people laugh.  He was very pleased with himself and I know he enjoyed the actual performances, although there were times during the last 6 weeks that I got a bit of resistance from him regarding the play practices, mainly because this play stole time from his free time.  But, I thin the feels it was worth it in the end.

After the play we all helped to clean up the theater and then we were off for curry at the Curry House.  We sat outside and it was the first evening of the fall that it was really pleasant and not too hot.  The kids were able to run around and the adults could talk and enjoy our time together.  The food and company were delightful.  Eating outside is so pleasant when the weather is just right, and Friday night it was just right.

After curry, Mandy and Cathy came back to my house and had some adult time after the kids were showered and in bed.  They left just after 9 pm, which was about the time I noticed the message from Stuart saying they had won their rugby match in Dubai.  Once he was home he ate the leftover curry and went to bed, saying he knew he would be sore the following morning.  

I went to sleep on the sofa and when I finally went upstairs, after my slumber, I discovered a not so small boy on my side of the bed.  I picked him up and nearly pulled a hammy.  Dang, that boy has gotten heavy.  At any rate, he's not going to sleep in my bed with me.  He's too big!

Everyone was up by 7 am, Millie announcing she was hungry, as usual.  We spent the morning just relaxing, and then getting ready for the Halloween craft event.  Everyone arrived just around 1 pm and the crafting began.  We had three crafts and then some Halloween food.  It was fun, as always, but I think this may be the last year we do these crafting events.  It seems the kids are getting a bit too old for the crafting, at least the boys.  The girls still love it, but we may also be running out of ideas for the crafts.  It's always a good time to see people and converse with the mothers of the kids.  After the crafting and the food, I pulled up It's a Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, on YouTube and then put it on our Apple TV air play.  I do love modern technology.  

For some reason I took no pictures of the kids actually doing their crafts, but I did take a picture of the food! Ha!

The clean up was easy and the food was all nearly eaten.  The food that wasn't eaten would serve as lunch for my kids on Sunday, which was great for me.  It seemed that everyone had fun, so that was the important thing.  Everyone was gone by 3:30 pm.  The kids then went outside to ride their bikes.  Scott had called earlier in the day to see if we wanted to come over for dinner.  So we headed to their house just after 5 pm.

We enjoyed a lovely meal and wonderful time with friends. We stayed a bit later than we normally would because the kids had half term break and were not going to school on Sunday. After the kids took showers we headed home. Naturally both kids fell asleep on the way home. It was another wonderful, but very busy week in the UAE. 

School picture

Millie enjoyed Goldilock's porridge. 

You say 'Maldives', I say 'spoiled rotten'!

I got up early Sunday morning and it still wasn't early enough. It just goes to show me how much Stuart does for me and the kids every morning so that I don't feel rushed. Sometimes it takes him going away for a few days to remind me of how very blessed I am. 

Stuart messaged me that they had arrived safely to the Maldives and were then getting on the boat to go out to Anantara. It seems to be the Telford resort of choice and I definitely know why. It's lush and gorgeous!

This was Lou and James' swim out place. Sucks, huh?

School was relatively uneventful. We have gotten into a groove, or maybe that's just me, and now things seem like normal routine. Although there is still the occasional scuffle amongst students, everything else has settled down and it seems most teachers are just getting on with things. 

I got home just in time for Millie to be dropped off. We went to store to buy some things food for dinner. Millie had decided she wanted chicken on the bone. When we got the groceries in the house, I dropped the bag that had the eggs in it. So, our chicken on the bone became eggs on toast for dinner. It's still technically part of a chicken!

Just before 3 pm we headed to Brighton to pick Jack up from swim squad. We were a bit late and that taught me a huge lesson. Don't be late! The traffics was a nightmare. 

We came home, did homework and fed both kids. Millie did not want to eat because she had a snack before we went to get Jack. Rugby nights are early dinners and then a sandwich or cereal when we get back. It's just too rushed once we are home from rugby if we do it any other way. 

We went to rugby and while the kids trained I ran/walked 4.5 miles in an hour. The reason I needed to do this was because when your spouse is not in town sometimes boredom sets in and perhaps you eat more often than normal. Had I not exercised that much I would have had to go to bed without dinner. Although I have this new 'tool' in my new stomach, I still have to be sensible and use it wisely.  While I was running, I saw Clare and had a bit of a catch up with her while we walked. 

We got home, kids showered, had a bowl of cereal and went to bed. Cathy came over for tea once the kids were in bed. They wanted her to come up to say goodnight, but Jack was the only one still awake when she got upstairs. Cathy brought Millie's duvet and pillows that the cats had peed and pooed on over the weekend. Those cats are sure to be the death of me, but I'm still crazy about them. 

Cathy left just before 10 pm and I stayed up watching television. I'm about ready for fall tv to start. I'm running out of trashy shows to watch. Although the presidential race is a little like some of my trashy shows. It's a bit disgraceful what is going on now. I'm very concerned for our country no matter how this election turns out. 

I got up at 5:30 am on Monday morning. I had a little more time because I had a training that didn't start until 11 am. So I was able to spend a leisurely morning at home. The training, as you would guess, was a bit pointless, yet again, but I would be super happy to use the program with native English speaking students. We will modify it to meet our needs. It will be fine, Inshallah!

I left the training and went to the mall to see if the health food store had any different flavor protein bars. They didn't so I then decided to run by the organic store downtown and found a new flavor, Oatmeal Chocolate Chip. It's the little things that mean a lot. 

I got home as Brian pulled up to our house with Millie. She did her homework and then we were off to get gas and Jack. Jack stuck to his homework and writing thank you notes for his birthday presents, which were way overdue. I was very proud of his efforts. 

Then the kids retired to the living room to watch America's Funniest Home Videos, which they love. I cooked dinner and was quite impressed with myself. As you can guess, I don't cook very often. That is usually Stuart's job. The kids got clean before dinner so that they would only need to brush their teeth before going to bed. 

Stuart had been sending videos and pictures all day Sunday and Monday. I was a little jealous, but was so thrilled he was able to go and spend more time with his brothers. 

We had a quiet night and the kids were in bed at their normal times. I fell asleep on the sofa at 8 pm, woke up at 10:30 pm and couldn't go back to sleep. So trashy television suited me just fine until I got sleepy and then it was off to bed. 

On Tuesday, everyone was up and out as normal. I had a few observations at school and then spent the rest of the day helping one of our maternity cover teachers decorate his classroom. It seems that the teacher who left on maternity leave the first day students arrived didn't feel it necessary to decorate her room. Frustrating!

I was leaving school at my regular time and was called back to a meeting. I barely made it home before the kids arrived. When I got home I was greeted by a kitchen full of food items on the floor. It seems that our acrobatic cats had a field day on our pantry shelves while we were away. They are so naughty. 

The kids did their homework and then ran off to Keith and Ian's house to play for a bit. Once they were home, Jack showered and had a bite to eat before he had to go to play practice. Millie got ready for rugby and also had some food. Jane, Louie and Jake's mom, picked Jack up at 4:30 to head to rehearsal. Because we are in the last two weeks of practice, Jane and I decided we would trade taking and picking the kids up. Tuesday she took them and I picked them up. It was a great arrangement and meant that Millie would only have one late night this week instead of two. With Stuart being gone, she wouldn't have been able to go to rugby practice had Jane and I not made this deal. 

Millie and I left for rugby as soon as Jack was gone. She practiced and I exercised. Her practice lasted just under an hour and then we were back to the house to shower and then go pick up the boys. 

Naturally, Millie fell asleep on the car journey. Bless her little heart! She's still so little and needs tons of sleep. She goes hard all day and crashes hard at night. I had to ask the boys to keep the noise down on the ride home, which was asking the impossible for those three. 

Wednesday I had to take the kids to school because Jack had an extra practice  for swim squad. This practice would decide whether he got to compete in the swim gala the following week. I'm pleased to say that he will be participating. With the last few play practices and performances next week as well, he should be wiped out by October 22. 

I picked Millie up after school on Wednesday. Brian, our driver, was taking people out on his boat, and although he made other arrangements I decided I could handle the pick-up this day. I ended up being about 35 minutes late to get Millie. There was a disabled military vehicle on the road to Abu Dhabi that messed up traffic everywhere, it seemed. Because one exit on the roundabout was closed, no one knew what to do, thus the delay. Ridiculous!  When I finally got to the school I decided we would just sit in the café and wait for Jack to finish soccer. Millie played in the play area just outside the café while I enjoyed a caramel latte. 

Once we had Jack we were headed home to do a quick turn around. Jack and Millie showered, Jack had a bite to eat, and then I went to pick up Louie and Jake and it was off to play practice. Jane would pick the kids up which would mean I could put Millie to bed at a decent time. 

When Millie and I got back to our house I started dinner. I had invited Cathy and Mandy over for a meal. It was nice to have them over. We chatted about life and enjoyed time together. 

I tried to put Millie to bed before we ate. She was impossible. She normally goes to bed pretty easily, but the excitement of having Cathy and Mandy there may have thrown her off her normal routine. In the end she finally went to sleep, but not without a few tears. 

Jack got home just before 8 pm and was off to bed after talking with Mandy and Cathy for a while. The ladies left just before 9 pm, then I was on the sofa with my normal routine. I had thought I would stay up to see Stuart when he got home, but didn't realize he wouldn't be home until almost 3:30 am. He had, ironically, been upgraded to business class which may have ruined him for traveling for the rest of his life. 

Because he didn't get home until after 3 am, we didn't talk much until after his alarm went off Thursday morning. Unfortunately he had developed a cold before he even went to the Maldives. So when he got home he was full on sick, and decided not to go to school. Well, he went and fingerprinted in, but then came home. His principal was fine with this so who would argue?

He slept most of the day on Thursday, while I did mundane tasks at school. Sometimes I feel more like an office worker than an administrator who supports teachers and helps guide students. The thrill at the end of the day was a popcorn party I had with 6 boys from an English class that had been having difficulty. They started table points and got enough this week to have a popcorn party with me. In small groups the boys are very sweet. It's when there are 25 of them together that it is a little overwhelming. 

I stopped at the grocery store on the way home so that we wouldn't have to go anytime over the weekend. I got home just as the kids arrived. Stuart presented his gifts from the Maldives to the kids and myself, and then after doing their reading, the kids were off to Keith and Ian's house to play. I sorted out the groceries and had a nap on the sofa. 

We had a quiet evening and all of us were asleep at a reasonable bedtime, even me. 

The kids were up at 6 am, which really irritated me. I have to drag them out of bed during the week, but on the weekend they muster up the energy to be awake well before their normal 'get up' time during the week. 

We decided to go to the pool around 10 am and ended up eating lunch there. The kids had some friends to play with and we had some friends to chat with as well. After the pool we were back home for a bit before heading back to the club for a breast cancer awareness event, which turned out to be a bit of a bust (pun intended). There were too many things going on with most of the regular members for it to be very successful. There was a youth tournament in Dubai so most of the members were there. Also, the restaurant is still in remodeling stage so it is not as desirable to go to the club right now. The kitchen is limited and it's still hot. Without the restaurant there is no place to go and get cool. 

We stayed at the club until around 5 pm and then headed to Brian and Lara's for a BBQ. Brian is the man who drives the kids to school now and Lara and I are walking buddies. We had some lovely food, the kids played, and the conversation was nice and, as usual, full of laughter. 

We were home just before 10 pm, bathed the kids and ourselves and hit the beds. Saturday morning we had planned to meet Mandy, Cathy, and Sean for breakfast at the golf club. It turned out that Sean wasn't feeling well, so he gave it a miss. We started eating breakfast outside and all too soon decided it was too hot to stay out, so we were back inside for a second cup of coffee. 

After breakfast we went home to chill. Jack left about an hour later for play practice. It has moved to the venue where they would be performing, so it was closer to our house. I picked the boys up around 3 pm. The director had decided the kids were going to need an extra practice next week since opening night was the following Thursday. So it looks like next week will be super busy for the Telfords. 

When I had dropped off Jake and Louie, we drove to Scott and Clare's to celebrate Scott's birthday. It had been over 2 weeks since Jack had seen Henry, so he was excited to be able to play with him for a few hours. Clare made curry and as usual our time spent with them was enjoyable. We seem to gather as families a lot more here than we used to in Arizona. However, it might be that it's easier now as our kids are older and have friends to play with when we go to visit our friends. 

We pulled our 'shower our kids at your house' routine as we always do. And as always, Millie fell asleep on the way home. Jack did as well, but his seemed more of a fake in the end. After the kids were in bed, Stuart and I sat down to watch Sherlock, one of our favorite British television shows. This is the second time we have watched the series. Of course with the way I watch television, it's really the first time I've watched some of it. I just can't stay awake. 

Stuart went to bed before I did. I actually fell asleep shortly after he went to bed, but I stayed on the sofa. I just love sofa sleeping so much. It is a horrible habit that maybe one day I will break. 

It was good to have Stuart home and things back to normal, for the most part. Things will be very busy for us until Christmas, which is kind of how we like it. I hope I can keep on top of everything that needs to be done. 

Still loving life in the UAE. 

School pictures from this week