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!
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
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