I got up Sunday morning, and after many times communicating with the illustrator of my book and letting her know it wasn't uploading correctly, she fixed it. I uploaded it and then I just had to wait for a response about the printing. I was so excited! Whether I sell one copy or not, I have fulfilled an item on my bucket list. I can't wait to get a copy in my hands.
Sunday at school we moved our books for next year. It was hard work, but now all books are where they belong. I ended up leaving school early to go to the kids student led conferences. They had portfolios that could make a mother cry. They were so beautiful. Both of the kids have made such wonderful progress this year. Jack has become a phenomenal writer. I can hardly believe he has just finished second grade. His writing is definitely beyond his years. Millie has also made so much progress. He writing and reading have really started to take off. Although they are leaving Brighton College, I am hopeful the move won't interrupt the progress they have made to this point.
Once we were home from the conferences, the kids hustled to get their bags unpacked and their clothes changed so we could head to Bounce. Ciera, Millie's friend, came and her parents needed me to keep her as they were getting a new car. So she stayed with us with the intention that I would take her home. However, in the end her mother came back and I was off the hook.
After the kids were home and showered, we had dinner and then it was off to bed for them. They were exhausted and so were we. The heat and boredom are causing such sleepiness in all of us.
Monday I started cleaning out the closet next to my office. What an incredible daunting task. The cleaners had brought up many materials from other classes that were not being used. I was sure I would never get it all in. I left most of it outside the door, thinking I would tackle it first thing Tuesday morning.
Monday after school we went to Barari Mall to shop for a bit. I bought the kids a donut and got told off by the security guard for letting them eat the donut in public. Uh, kids can eat in public during Ramadan, but adults can't. At any rate, I apologized and stopped them from eating.
Once we were home Mandy came for a visit. Millie had already showered, eaten, and we had played a game of Kurplunk. Jack came home from Austin and Keith's and did the same as Millie. Once Mandy was gone I put Millie to bed and went to the store for some milk.
Jack was in bed just after 8 pm, and Stuart and I ate a dinner of mashed butternut squash and some leftover spaghetti sauce I had frozen a week ago. Stuart had about a half of a cup of food. It is still baffling to me to think he had this surgery. He's done so well and I hope he's happy with his decision. The rest of the evening I spent trying to get my book uploaded as an ebook. I finally got it all organized, which was a relief.
Tuesday morning I got up to walk because I couldn't think of a good excuse not to. When I got outside and met up with Lara, she made the exact same comment. We both decided we had better just get going and get it over with.
Tuesday at school I totally reorganized my storage area and all the crap that was outside, piled to the sky, actually either got tossed or fit into the closet. I completed that task around noon. It felt good to be finished with that particular job.
When I got home from school I got a text from the nanny of Zayed that said he would be coming to Bounce with his mother (the Shaikha) instead of the nanny. I got all nervous. People who can afford nannies often just send their children to an event with the nanny, especially the royal children.
When Zayed got to Bounce he recognized me, but still yet his nanny called to make sure I was there. Zayed then asked if Jack could go to IMG World, an amusement park in Dubai, the following day. Well, he technically had school but since they sent his books home Stuart and I decided he could skip school the next to last day.
Also, the Shaikha insisted that in December we come to the desert with her family and camp. Uh, ok. We had a lovely conversation. She was very normal, had her abaya open so you could see her kandora, which is not common at all, and her shayla was just draped on her head instead of being wrapped tightly.
Zayed only stayed for a little bit. He wasn't exactly keen on bouncing but wanted to come, according to his mother, because Jack had invited him. Jack and Millie bounced another hour after Zayed and his family left.
We got home and had a rest before going out to dinner to celebrate Cathy's birthday. We had missed her celebration last week so we thought we would prolong the festivities. We went to the rugby club because we knew Stuart and I would be able to eat salmon and mashed potatoes.
After we were home and the kids were in bed, I got message from Belinda, Zayed's nanny. She said they would leave Al Ain the following day at 3 pm and would come and pick up Jack. Seems Zayed wasn't up for an early morning trip because he had been staying up very late during Ramadan as so many locals do. It made me giggle a bit. Missing school was not needed after all.
Jack woke up ready to go to IMG World. I broke the news to him that he would not be going until after school. He was disappointed but was okay in the end since he still got to go.
Work was full of a whole lot of nothing to do. My closet was clean and my data was analyzed. So sitting around and chatting with everyone was what my day consisted of. It was nice, but I'm ready for the dull days to stop.
After school I rushed to Al Ain English Speaking School to pay the kids' school fees. It's good to get that out of the way. They are ready to start a new year, you know, after an 8 week holiday, which we are all excited for.
I got home just before Jack got home. Once he had unpacked his things, he changed his clothes and got ready to go on his adventure with Zayed. His ride arrived just after 3 pm, and we were all a bit stunned. I gave Belinda his ID card and his health insurance card, to which she said, 'we won't need that', and then I tried to hand her some money, to which she said, 'we won't be needing that either'. Not gonna lie, I was glad she didn't want the money. Ha! Once they were off, Stuart and I went to pick up some shoes for my mom and then headed to another mall to walk around a bit before having to pick Millie up from her friend Ciera's house.
We picked Millie up around 5:30 pm, got her home and clean, and then fed. Sean came around for a chat. I hadn't seen him in a month so it was good to catch up.
Belinda had sent pictures throughout the evening, showing what the kids were doing. Jack arrived home around 10 pm with lots of gifts and lots of stories to tell. He had been spoiled to say the least. He was tired, but really excited about his day. Naturally I thanked Belinda and Zayed, as did Jack. The pictures tell it all.
Thursday was the kids' last day of school. Although I know Jack will miss Brighton, I think he will be fine. He said his last day was fine and we promised to keep in touch with his class mates there.
Thursday after school we went to Bounce. Claire and Kayleigh met us there after Jack and Millie had been bouncing an hour. Both the girls said they didn't know how Jack and Millie bounced for two hours at a time. We will miss our Ramadan Bounce pass, but we will get one again next year.
When we got home Stuart had the kids' dinner nearly ready. They showered and then ate. They stayed up for a while, but were exhausted from their day so were easy to put to bed. The air conditioner in the living room was still acting up so I didn't even stay up as long as I normally do. We need to get that sorted out before we go on holiday so that the lady who is staying with the animals does roast all summer. Inshallah, we will have it al fixed once Ramadan is over.
Friday morning I got up and went to Dubai with DeDe. We started at Times Square where we usually attend the Arte show. However, there were not a ton of vendors there so we didn't stay long. We then decided to go to a place called Dragon Mart. I have heard people talk about it and how you can find anything there. It was a huge swap meet. There was everything you would ever want in there and some things you would never want in there. It was good for a couple of hours. We then opted to go to Murdiff City Center Mall and have something to eat. We ate at the food court that was blocked off as not to offend Muslims during their fasting hours.
While I was in Dubai, the kids went to Bounce and then ate lunch at the club. The ended up going home and then chilling for the rest of the afternoon. I know they were tired from their last day at Bounce.
DeDe and I ended up getting home after 10 pm because we decided to go to Mall of the Emirates and eat at Chili's for dinner. We had a very full day for sure. I bought some things to keep the kids occupied on our flight to London in two weeks and I also bought some pajamas for my niece and nephew who were coming to Dubai on Sunday.
Saturday morning we got up, finished packing and headed to Dubai for Millie's last gymnastics class. She did well again and the owner of the gym wanted to speak with me regarding Millie coming at least two hours in the first term next school year. It seems she is going to be put on a team, which is very exciting. However, the drive to Dubai is not going to be as exciting for me. But we can't deny her the opportunity to explore a talent just because it's not convenient for us.
Stuart decided since we were coming to Dubai on Saturday anyway that we should just stay over. Our plan was to stay with my sister in law, Louise, the kids, Billy and Zoe, as well as Louise's mother, Evelyn, Sunday and Monday night at Anantara on the Palm. So what was one more night in Dubai? We stayed at our favorite, Le Meridian Mina Sayahi on the marina. We checked in after Millie's gymnastics class and then went to the pool. After and afternoon at the pool, we ordered room service and called it a night. The kids were very excited to see their cousins the following morning. We also found out that our holiday for Eid would only be three days instead of 5 days. They saw the crescent moon on Saturday evening so we would head back to on Wednesday. The local newspaper shared this news to us. It's how we roll in the UAE.
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