Sunday work was very boring, dare I say. I mainly worked on data calculations. There were several teachers in my office which kind of kept me from the work. I have plenty of time to complete it, but if I get a transfer I want to be ready to possibly go to my new school before the end of the year. So I really need to get my butt in gear.
When I left school, I took the cats and dog to get shots. What a fun car journey that was. They all handled their injections quite well, but on the way home Molly peed and barfed. Lovely! As soon as I was home, I called Brian to tell him to send the kids back home. They changed out of their uniforms and we went to Bounce. I did sign up on Sunday, and nearly broke my neck, literally. I was bouncing on the long trampoline that feeds into a big pillow. When I got to the end I kind o slipped and couldn't decide what I wanted to do, so naturally I should attempt a flip and land on my neck. I was stunned for a moment, realizing I needed to get off the pillow. I crawled to the edge where an employee met me and asked if I was okay. Clearly I was not okay. My arms had gone numb and when I hit my neck I heard a crunch, very similar to twisting an ankle. I sat up against the wall while someone bought me a bag of ice. Wow! How stupid to pretend you are in your 20s when you are approaching 50! I just sat around for the remainder of the time and attempted to do some stretching. I will now stick to the flat trampolines that don't dump into a pit.
Once we left Bounce, we headed straight home. It was almost 6 by the time we got home and the kids headed to the shower. Once they had eaten, Stuart face timed us. It just before he was getting in the cab to go to the airport. He looked thin.....in the face. That's a constant running joke with us. When fat people start to lose weight, the worst compliment you can give them is to tell them 'I can really tell you've lost weight, especially in your face'. That just is irritating. I always wanted to say, 'How about my ass? Can you tell I've lost weight in my ass? Because that's where I really want to lose it.' I digress.
After we finished speaking with Stuart, we rearranged the living room so I could make up the couch for Stuart. I felt it was important that he was on the sofa, facing the television. Once I had it rearranged I decided I liked it better than the old way. It only took Stuart having surgery for me to figure that out.
Once the kids were in bed I did some tidying up and decided to go to bed as well. Stuart was due to be back home at 5 am so I wanted to be up to see him. I didn't sleep so well because of my neck. However, I did have a heating patch, that my mom swears by, to help with the pain. It really did make a difference. Thank goodness for mothers with tricks to cure your pains. I also kept waking up in anticipation of Stuart's return. He messaged me just before 3 am to say they had landed. I got up at 5 am so I could help him settle in. I was dressed when I got the text from him. He was already in the house. He said the ride home in the cab was miserable, but he seemed to be getting along okay. Apparently, the guy Dr. Ali had hired to bring them home, brought his kid with him. The kids was drinking a Coke and eating Doritos all the way from the airport.
While he laid on the sofa I finished getting the kids' lunches ready, and doing other things to get ready for the day. I emptied his back pack and put his laundry on to wash. I took his back upstairs and emptied that as well.
Jack was up just after 6 am and had breakfast. Stuart was asleep so Jack didn't disturb him. He got dressed and ready for school, then watched Phineus and Ferb. Millie was awake just before 7 and also got ready for school after some breakfast.
Stuart woke up briefly to speak to the kids. Then we were all off to school, leaving Stuart to rest for the day. I left school early to come and see what else I could do for Stuart. I didn't really do anything but be home with him. I wasn't feeling great because of my neck and I had developed a bit of a cold.
The kids got home and did their homework. Our internet wasn't working so well last week so Jack had several math lessons to do on a math website. I was very proud of him because not only did he stick to it for almost an hour, he actually knows a lot about fractions and money. It was very impressive to see.
The kids left the house at 3:30 and returned at 5 from Keith and Ian's. Stuart and I napped. We went to the club on Monday evening for dinner. Stuart insisted on going to the committee meeting, which I think he might have regretted. The kids got to play with their friends and I didn't have to fix them anything for dinner.
After we were home, the kids were clean and in bed, I headed to the hospital to collect Stuart's meds and get a sick note for myself as I wasn't feeling well. The doctor ended up giving me two days off of work. I didn't say anything about my neck, but that was my main issue. The cold was coming on strong as well, so I suppose his diagnosis was justified.
Tuesday I got up early because although I had no school to attend, I still had kids to get ready and lunches to pack. Once the kids were off to school, I slept most of the day. I read somewhere that when you injure yourself, such as the neck injury I had, your body sleeps in order to heal it. I'm so thankful it wasn't any worse than it was. Stuart slept a lot as well, but he was getting along really well.
Tuesday afternoon the kids played at Ian and Keith's until around 5 pm. When they got home they took showers as I was getting their dinner ready. Cathy and Mandy dropped by to see Stuart. The kids were wild the entire time. They don't want to be in the same room as us unless we have company. Unbelievable.
After Cathy and Mandy had gone the kids ate dinner. Then they were forced into getting some of their toys downstairs and as Jack would say 'play the old fashioned way'. Really?
Once the kids were in bed, Stuart and I took our places on our respective sofas and watched television for a few hours. I went to bed around 11 pm, woke at 2:30 am to take Molly out, and then was back to sleep until almost 6 am.
I got up and got everything ready for the kids' lunches. Jack was awake by 6:30 am and getting himself ready. He ate breakfast while I went up to wake Millie. Once the kids were ready for school they played with Molly until Brian picked them up for school. When they were off, I headed to the store for some items. Astrid, our friends Gemma and Fechin's daughter, was coming over to bake on Wednesday evening, so I needed some items for the sweet rolls we were going to make.
When I got home, I had a cup of coffee and then Stuart and I headed to the Ford dealer to take the truck in for a service. We got home and sorted out our Scotland trip in August. I also helped Stuart get the sticky residue off his belly from the bandages he had before he got home. It was a special bonding time for both of us.
Once the kids were home they got dressed and back to Bounce we went. I had decided since I had been off of school for two days and my neck was still a wreck, I would sit out on Wednesday. I was sure by Friday I would be back to normal, or at least I hoped. They bounced for two hours. Then Astrid and Oscar came back to our house. I made spaghetti for the kids and Astrid and I got our bake on.
There was a bit of a mishap while baking, and the cinnamon rolls that were to be delightful and soft turned out as hard as a rock. The kids reported that they were still good, but a bit hard. It seems that when you are pouring sugar from a plastic bag you must be careful as to not dump in too much. And if you do make such a mistake and attempt to correct it, be sure that you also add more yeast for riding purposes. Epic fail! But when I took them to work Thursday morning, my staff was not put off at all and ate every morsel.
Once the baking was over, I took Oscar and Astrid bake to their house, popped in for a cup of tea with Fechin and Gemma, and finally got home and showered a little after 11 pm, forgetting I had work the following day.
My alarm went off at 5:30 am and it dawned on me that I didn't get up at al with Molly to take her out to pee. She is growing up, bless her. I came downstairs, fixed the kids' lunches, and sat down for 30 minutes with my cup of coffee. The small pleasures in life are something to thankful for.
The kids were awaken by yours truly just before 7 am. They both stumbled downstairs for breakfast, cinnamon rolls, of course. Then they were dressed, brushed their teeth, combed their hair, and played a bit of soccer with Molly, in the hallway. They snuck into the living room to tell Stuart goodbye, and then the three of us were off to our schools while Stuart laid on the sofa and slept. What a lucky man.
Once at school, I got organized from the two days I missed and tried to sort out crap on my desk. We have a new crew of cleaner in our building now and the one who cleans my office insists on moving all my papers around on my desk.......every day. It's us terribly unnerving. She doesn't speak English, and my charades only gets me so far, so needless to say I get to work with a new 'look' on my desk each day.
School hours passed very slowly, but it was Thursday and the weekend was about to begin. Once I was home and settled, the kids arrived. I had decided that I would give them the option of going to Bounce Thursday afternoon or Friday morning. They chose Thursday afternoon, which was easier for us since we had to go pick up the truck anyway. The dealership is just around the corner from Bounce so it was super convenient. Stuart came by Bounce after he had collected the truck and he broke the good news to me. The truck needed 4 new tires. Super! Truck tires are cheap, right? Not hardly! It's always something. Thank goodness for good paying jobs.
I stayed with the kids until 5 pm. I have come to enjoy my 2 hours of peace while they have fun. Although I will be glad when I can go bounce again. Once we left Bounce, we headed for home. Normally I would stop and get something for the kids to eat, but being Ramadan, no eating establishments are open until after the sun goes down each night, except for the golf club and the rugby club. It's a bit inconvenient, but probably healthier in the long run.
So once we were home and they had showered, we had our lazy special; peanut butter and jelly sandwich and Nutella sandwich. The dinner that has no nutrition in it whatsoever! As you can see I'm still in the running for 'Mother of the Year'.
Millie went to bed just a bit after her normal bedtime, but Jack convinced us to let him stay up later since it was the weekend. We made him watch Anthony Bourdain specials about food from Vietnam and Cambodia. We think this is going to be our Christmas destination. He admitted he would try the crickets. No thank you!
Friday morning we lazed around the house. The kids played nicely for the most part while Stuart and I continued our Anthony Bourdain marathon. He eats some pretty strange things. I went to the super market to get some items for a snack to take to Lara and Brian's that evening. It was our friend Elizabeth's birthday and they were having people over for the celebration.
Just before 3 pm I too Jack for his play date. He was going to Sheikh Zayed bin Hazza Tahnoun Zayed Al Nahyan's house. Say that three times fast. This little boy is in Jack's class and invited Jack and his friend Harry over for a play date. They live in a compound with all of his cousins, aunts and uncles, as well as his grandfather, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed, one of the 19 sons of the founder of the UAE. So he is royalty.
As we neared Zayed's house there was another gate and another guard. The guard came out and waved us through the gates. We pulled up to the side lawn and two men were setting up a gigantic bouncy water slide, as you do on a random day during Ramadan. Harry's mum showed up with Harry just after we pulled up. We were all a little overwhelmed. I left and reminded Jack to be on his best behavior. I knew there would be thousands of stories for me when I picked him up at 7.
In the meantime we went to the party for Elizabeth for a bit. Stuart said hello and everyone was shocked at his progress in only 10 days. He had lost 33 pounds in those ten days. It was unbelievable. We sat and chatted until just before 7 and then headed back to the palace. Millie came with us because I think she was curious about the palace. To be honest it was just an ordinary house, called a palace as a requirement of the royalty that lives in it.
When we arrived, Zayed's Australian nanny, Belinda, asked Millie if she wanted to go on the slide. Not dressed in a swim suit, of course she did. So fully clothed she had a couple of turns before we had to leave. Belinda had taken a lot of photos and told me she would send them to me that evening. We thanked her and Zayed and went on our way. On the way home Jack asked if he could invite Zayed for a play date to our place. I told him I wasn't sure how that worked but that I would ask his nanny and see if it was possible. He told of stories of seeing Zayed's monkey (apparently he has a pet lemur) and how much fun he had. What a memory for Jack. I'm hoping even after we leave Brighton, Jack can stay in contact with Zayed. Belinda won't be his nanny any longer after the summer so it might be more difficult, but we will make the effort.
Stuart went inside when we got home and the kids and I went back to Lara and Brian's for a while. Lara and I decided we would start walking again on Sunday even though the weather is brutally hot. We both decided that our bodies had not benefitted from our lack of exercise so it was time to get back at it. We left their house around 10 pm. The kids showered and went straight to bed.
I woke up to Molly barking at about 5:45 am. Jack was up and ready for the day. Why does that kid get up so early? I look forward to the teenage years when I have to drag him out of bed.
Once the whole house was awake, the kids had breakfast and got dressed. Millie and I left for Dubai at 11:15 am. She had gymnastics, which she has actually grown very fond of. It's a shame it is so far away. I'm hoping we can find something closer next year.
After gymnastics Millie and I visited the Park and Shop again. I stocked up on pet food and cleaning supplies for the summer. I also bought some more jello for Stuart. There might have been a treat or two for the kids, and a few pet toys. This shop can definitely take my money away.
On the way home Millie fell asleep. I was hoping she would sleep through and I could just throw her into bed. But, as fate is typically against me, she woke up and it was ever so difficult to get her to go to bed, even at 9 pm. She did agree to a shower once we were home, and then laid on the sofa watching Harry Potter with Stuart and Jack.
I went out to get Stuart some protein powder so he could start with his second week of the meal plan. He's not exactly keen on the protein powder, but it's a must.
The kids finally were in bed just after nine and Anthony Bourdain was entertaining us the rest of the evening.
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