Saturday, October 28, 2017

Why do the kids have a half term break and we don’t?

Sunday I was off to school, but the kids didn’t have school so I took them to Brian and Lara’s house for the day. After school I  to shop for the supplies for the Halloween party at the club. 


Once I was finished I met Stuart and the kids at the club. Apparently our new television was going to be delivered in the time we would be at the club for training. So, I went home to wait for the delivery. I ended up working on some of the games for the Halloween party, so it was good that I went home. The tv arrived and it seemed huge compared to the old one. 


Once the kids were home, showered, fed and in bed, we ate the dinner I had made. I just threw some soup, a couple of chicken breasts, and a cup of brown rice inta the crock pot, and it was delightful. 


Monday we had a meeting at school with the cluster manager. I hustled around to get things done so I could spend the next two days with the kids. I didn’t leave school until almost 3. I rushed home to get the kids to the dentist, and then went to the club to speak with the club house manager about the Halloween party. 


The kids played at the club and we decided to eat dinner there. My principal, Tiffany showed up and brought her son to play rugby. We chatted for a bit and then we headed home. 


On Tuesday Stuart and I took the kids to the zoo. The zoo has been renovated so we wandered around the new part of the zoo. We had fun, but it was hot. When we left the zoo we went to the mall to get the rest of the items for the Halloween bash at the club on Thursday. We had lunch and did a bit of shopping. Millie bought some new shoes because her flip flops were rubbing blistered between her toes. We spent the rest of the afternoon at home. 









We went  to the club for training. After training Ben came home with us for a sleepover. The boys put themselves to bed around 10:30 pm. It seems that training was exhausting and the PS4 wasn’t entertaining enough to keep them awake. 


Of course they were up early and we headed to Abu Dhabi around 9 am to take the kids to Adventure HQ, an indoor skate park and climbing structure. We spent most of the day in Abu Dhabi. Stuart and I shopped while the kids played. I bought a long jacket for my Austria trip. We ate lunch at Bucca de Beppo, which was delicious. On the way home the kids napped. They clearly played hard at Adventure HQ. 











Ben’s dad picked him up from our house around 4 pm. The rest of the evening the kids and I chilled. Stuart and Sean went to training and ended up coming home to leftovers. 


 I went to school on Thursday and was busy all day catching up on what I hadn’t done on Tuesday and Wednesday when I was out. I stayed a bit later than I cared to, but my principal had left early to go to Jordan. So someone needed to stay late until we knew all of the children were home. 


When I did finally get home we headed to the club so I could set up the games for the Halloween Bash. It was a great night but I was exhausted when it was over. At the end of the night the chairman of the club came up to me and asked me to consider running for the social secretary. I suppose I will. 




The eyeball race was meant to have two people participating. Ha!



Black Eyed Ps!


The decorations were done by the ladies at the reception desk. They were phenomenal. 


Friday morning I got up early and had some coffee. Stuart came down a bit later and then he went to get food from the store for breakfast. After breakfast the kids and I went to the pool. Jack and Millie each had a friend join us. Stuart traveled to Sharjah for his Rugby match. 


We were at the club until about 3 pm. Then I took Reem and Zeina to their relative’s house. I then needed some tortillas but wasn’t dressed appropriately to go into the grocery store. So I pulled up to the door of the supermarket and sent Jack in with money. He told me he felt so grown up. He went in to get two packages of tortillas and a bottle of ketchup. He was well pleased with himself, as was I. 


We got home and the kids showered. I then showered and Cathy came over. Stuart messaged me around 6 pm to tell me they had lost and were on their way home. They brought pork ribs home with them, which we very much appreciated. The four of us (Stuart, Sean, Cathy and myself) sat, ate, and laughed the night away. The kids went to bed sometime after Stuart and Sean got home. They had watched the Emoji Movie, which thrilled them. 


Saturday morning I was up and to the store to buy something for the Halloween decorating party that would take place at DeDe’s. The kids crafted and the parents chatted. 











Once we left, Jack and I had a ‘date’ to watch the Emoji Movie and eat popcorn, while Millie and Stuart went to the grocery store. They came back with donuts for the kids’ breakfast the following morning. 


We went to Clare and Scott’s for a barbecue around 3 pm. The kids played and then some delicious food was consumed. The kids showered at Clare and Scott’s and then ended up putting their same clothes on. 


Once we were home they hustled upstairs to bed. I showered while they were getting settled into bed. The rest of the evening was spent on the sofa, watching tv, our new HUGE tv. 


We are nearly halfway through the first term. Time flies when you’re having fun!


Sunday, October 22, 2017

Basketball has finally entered our lives in the UAEtt

Sunday work was good. Things are  getting much more organized. I still am not doing what I should be, according to my job description, but I getting there. The canteen was better and teachers were where they needed to be. 


I picked up the kids from school. Once we were home, I attempted to do homework with Millie, which I loathe! She’s a bit difficult when it comes to someone trying to tell her what to do. She seems to know it all already. 


Jack got his new headphones for his PS4 and spent some well deserved time using them. The idea is he can communicate with his buddies who are playing the same game as he is at the same time. He had worked hard on his homework, on his own, so I let him spend some time on his PS4. 



We went to the club and I rode the exercise bike at the gym. I hate it but I must do it. It gives me time to finish my blog and kills two birds with one stone. We were home, ate and in for the night. 


Monday school was just another day. Jack had a basketball tournament, but they didn’t even score. However, I did quickly realize why he was asked to play. He seems to have a natural ability in any sport he plays. It’s crazy how he knows not to crowd other players and he has an awareness of the court. He’s fun to watch. However, he was a bit sad and down that they didn’t even score. We reminded him that he had never even played basketball before, but that didn’t help much. 





Tuesday I spent most of my school day trying to get organized. It seems that just as I get started with a task my principal calls and wants me to come to her office, but I’m never really sure why she wants me in there. I think for now I am moral support, which I totally get.


After school we headed to rugby. After practice we stayed for Keith’s birthday party. We stayed a bit later than normal, but once we were home the kids got themselves ready for bed rather quickly and headed to bed. 







Wednesday at school we had a visit from the Ministry of Education which put everyone a bit on edge. The Ministry is taking over our current school system. They have visited many schools so far this year just to get a feel for what the Abu Dhabi schools are doing. 


After school I had a doctor’s appointment so I did a bit of shopping beforehand as I got out of school earlier than expected. I was in search of some winter clothes. I’ve decided to go with Gina to Vienna, Austria, in December, for the Christmas markets and I’m going to freeze. I can’t remember the last time I was in really cold weather. It’s been at least 5 years. Needless to say, I have no reason for real winter clothes. I am going to attempt to layer as much as possible, mainly because I don’t want to buy things I will never wear again. 


Once my doctor appointment was over, I went home and the kids had been showered, done their homework, and were ready to go for sushi. It’s a special treat for us and since Stuart didn’t have to play in a rugby match on Friday, he skippped training. 


Thursday I delivered more books to classrooms and got some cleaners fired. In my 4 years here I have never had such lazy cleaners as I have worked with this year. And a few of them have attitudes and can’t be found most of the time. Add to this information the fact that they don’t speak English or Arabic. It can be challenging. 


Thursday evening, Mandy and Cathy came for dinner. Jack went to a sleepover and Millie was in bed by 6 pm. It was a very relaxing evening with friends. 


Friday morning I went to pick Jack up from Adam’s and took him to his rugby match. It was bitter sweet because his team was dismantled because there were not enough players to sustain the team for the rest of the season. After the match, although Jack played really well, he was very sad and told me he didn’t want to go with Ben for the afternoon. In the meantime I was talked into running the Halloween party at the club that would take place on the 26th of October. My brain started rolling. 







In the end, Jack went with Ben and then decided he didn’t want to be at the pool. He decided he wanted to be with me. He’s a mama’s boy for sure. I went to pick him up from the Mercure Hotel and dropped Millie off at her sleepover. We then went back to Scott and Clare’s for Scott’s birthday celebration. 




The boy was exhausted. 


I was shocked, but Millie stayed the entire night at her sleepover. She had a wonderful time. She insisted she stayed up all night, but Ciera’s Mom messaged me at 10 pm and told me that Millie was the only one asleep. Ha!



Saturday morning I got up and cleaned up some ants in the maids room. It was disgusting. Stuart took Jack and the dogs to the dessert, then went to pick up Millie from Ciera’s. Once she was home, she slept on the sofa for 3 hours. We all lounged around most of the day. Jack and Millie attempted to go to the Karnik house around noon, but Millie came back crying so therefore Jack was asked to come home as well. Shame!


Around 4 pm we headed to Scott and Clare’s for our regular Saturday evening dinner. We didn’t stay long. It was back home and to bed. 


Sunday, October 15, 2017

Sick and sicker!

As I suspected, I was awakened at around 3 am to a very feverish daughter. I gave her Tylenol and prayed she would recover for school. Once she was awake I topped her up with drugs and sent her to school. Mother of the year for sure. 

At school we had several new members of staff on Sunday. The most important once were the leadership. There were three of them and they were all local women. Thank goodness! 

We met with the new leadership for a few hours and then I got some work done that actually had something to do with my responsibilities, rather than just counting chairs and tables. About the time I was getting on a roll with my jobs, I got a call from Millie's school saying she had a high fever and I needed to come and get her. called and I went to pick Millie up. 

Little miss sucky!

Once I was home with her, I gave her a bath and she put her jammies on. She was not well at all. I knew I would have to stay home with her on Monday at least. Once Stuart was home, he took me to pick up my car from the dealership. Apparently the breaks had been rusted so they just buffed them and it was fixed. Not sure how I feel about this, but until they cause a problem again I suppose I will have to believe them. On the way to pick up the car Millie fell asleep.

Cathy had picked Claire and Jack up from school, so on my way back from the dealership I picked Jack up from Cathy's. I stayed for a cup of coffee with Cathy and Mandy and it was decided we would have dinner at our house on Monday evening. 

When I got home, Millie was asleep on the sofa. Stuart took Jack to rugby and I stayed home with Millie who slept until almost 6 pm. In the meantime, the maintenance man came and fixed 3 of our air conditioning units, which I'm sure won't last. They try to 'fix' when really they should replace the units. We shall see how long these fixes will last. 

I made salmon, mashed potatoes and broccoli for dinner. When Jack and Stuart returned from rugby, Jack too a shower as I prepared his plate. I pushed it back as far as I could on the kitchen counter, but don't you know Molly snagged the broccoli and the salmon off of Jack's  plate. Crazy dog!

Millie had a fever through the night. I stayed home with her on Monday. We both slept a lot. I started feeling a bit ill as the day progressed. We decided to go to the doctor just after noon. It was a longer process than I wanted, but I got a sick note for two days, which was good because this virus Millie had was not leaving anytime soon. 

Jack came home from school and said the basketball coach at school asked him to be on the team. He's in year 4 and the team is only for year 5 and year 6 students, so it was a big deal for Jack to be asked to join the team. He was very excited and told us their first game would be in a week. He'd better get out and start dribbling that ball. 

Mandy, Cathy, and Claire came over for curry. Millie fell asleep on the sofa at 5 pm so I put her to bed before they even arrived. Bless her little heart. We had a lovely evening of catching up. Stuart came home from training and ate some curry as well. It was a nice evening. 

There was no school on Tuesday for Millie or myself. We both relaxed and watched television. Millie was feeling better but she was still running a fever. She fell asleep just before it was time to go get Jack from school. Stuart had headed to Dubai to collect the kids' new passports as well as Monkey, which Jack had left at the hotel this past weekend. Apparently the traffic was horrendous. So he would not be back in time to collect Jack. So in her jammies she was thrown into the car and off to the school we went. 

Jack and Stuart went to rugby while Millie and I showered and chilled out on the sofa. She was out again just before 6 pm. Jack and Stuart were back before 7 pm. Jack showered, ate and went to bed. Stuart and I followed shortly after him. At 1 am Stuart got a phone call that Sean couldn't get in the house. He had arrived home from Australia. If we leave the keys in the door, you can't enter with another key from the outside. So Stuart got up to let him in. 

I got up to walk for the first time in the week. The kids were excited to see Sean Wednesday morning. He brought gifts so that made him extremely popular. Millie and I went to school on Wednesday but both of us were still a bit poorly. Things are better at school, but I still feel I'm ignoring the English teachers. Hopefully that will change soon. 

We had a meeting after school and things  felt better. It seemed we decided on some issues that had been ignored. I knew at that moment that things would get better. I was also able to meet with the English teachers and give them some information that was long overdue. That meeting was productive and helped me to feel as if I was making a move in the right direction. 

When I got home, Jack was doing his homework. I had picked Millie up from dance and decided that KFC was the dinner of choice for both kids. Jack had ordered two games from a company like Amazon, and they had arrived while we were at work. I told him if he read two more books on his reading record I would give him a surprise. He was thrilled and spent the next little while on his PS4. 

After the kids showered, they played Jack's new games for a bit longer. They had fun and I got to watch my new obsession, The Good Wife. Oh yeah! Stuart got home just after 8:30 and I was already napping. 

Thursday school went by fast. We had a 2 hour senior leadership meeting. That has to stop soon. I can't get any work done. It's driving me a bit nuts. But at the end of the day I felt a little more accomplished than I had the day before. It is truly getting better and we are all settling in. 

I picked up Millie and her friend, Zaina, from school. We got back to our house and they played for almost two hours. We then went to the mall to a place called Cheeky Monkeys. It's a soft play area, and since Millie is still the size of a toddler, she loves it! Jack, on the other hand, would not be able to come in. He's young enough, but he's too big. So it was best that he had gone home with his friend, Adam, for a play date of his own. They went to the Hilton to swim and then had dinner. 
Our little Cheeky Monkeys!

We got McDonalds for dinner and then Millie and I dropped Zaina off at her house which was close to the mall. By the time we got home it was almost 8 pm. Stuart had picked Jack up from Adam's and they were home when we got there. 

Friday was an early start in Dubai. Jack had a rugby match. Sadly, they didn't have enough players and had to forfeit to the other team. It seems he is going to have to go back to the Under 9s team and the other kids will have to play up a year with the Under 11s. They just don't have enough players to field a team for the Under 10s. As sad as this makes Jack, he will be back with his original gang that he used to hang out with as a 6 year old. So he's excited for that. 

The middle one is my big boy!
Number 9 is the best player on the team, according to his mother.

We got back to the house around 11 am and I volunteered to do the grocery run. The kids stayed home with Stuart and Sean and I went and stocked up on the monthly stuff like toilet paper, paper towels, pet food, you know the stuff that costs money but you hate to buy. When I got home I unloaded the groceries and had a bit of a rest. 

We left for the club around 3 pm for Breast Cancer Awareness night. The first 100 women received a pink cocktail. It wasn't as well attended as was expected, but we still made the most of it. Stuart played the entire match. I know he's pleased with his abilities this year. 
My pink drink!  It wasn't all that pink.


Pink socks for Breast Cancer Awareness!

Millie's new love!

Stuart is in the gold looking straight at the camera  He looks awesome!

Cutest ball boy ever!

Millie and I went for manis and pedis on Saturday morning, while Jack stayed home with Sean, and Stuart went to get a battery for the Land Rover. He needed to get it running so he could place it on Facebook to get it sold. 

Sean went to work later in the afternoon and I got all the beds washed and remade. Clare and Scott came over in the late afternoon. The kids washed the Land Rover while the adults, (well just Scott and myself because Stuart ended up having to finish off washing the Land Rover), had conversations in the living room. 

We had dinner and the kids enjoyed some silly times. They left around 7:30 pm, our kids showered and we hit the bed. It had been a long week, but a very short weekend. 

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Another week at a hectic pace!

Sunday morning I took the kids to school as I always do. I decided that since I was always late to school, maybe taking them a bit earlier would help. Boy, was I right about that. It seems if I leave 5 minutes earlier with the kids, I cut almost 15 minutes off my journey. Crazy!


We had implemented a new duty schedule, and we had made it very clear that all teachers were supposed to be visible by 7 am, yet no one showed up for duty. It was frightful!


During the day, I tried to make sure people were at their posts. Everyone was doing as they like. Im beyond excited for the local senior leaders to show up. When that happens, this lackadaisical behavior will stop immediately. We are hoping this happens by the end of the week. 


After school Sunday, I picked up the kids from school. As soon as we were home, homework started. They had actually done some on Saturday and were starting to get into the swing of things. It's still a bit rocky, but I think they are starting to figure it out. 


I had a snack and then fed the kids. Our house was cleaned on Sunday by a new cleaner, Tina. She did a phenomenal job. She was Sean's cleaner at his old house, and we were not happy with our old cleaner so it worked out rather well. 


I went to the club and decided I needed to start working out on Sundays and Tuesdays while the kids practiced. It seems my butt has fallen and it can't get up. I weigh the same as I did about 7 months ago, but it is obvious to me and my clothes that my muscle tone is not nearly what it had been. So back to the exercise regime for me. When we got home from rugby, it was showers and a snack for the kids, then bed for all. 


I got up and walked with Lara. School was a mess, as it is with a new school. We never have enough hands on deck, nor do we have enough man power to get everything done in the day that we need to get done. We decided to have a parent meet and greet. It was hectic, but necessary. I walked the building with the head of assessment management. We walked around and decided on what was needed to make a complete building. The assessment of furniture was absolutely no fun. I'm not sure if we made progress or not.


I got to my to school on Tuesday and as far as we knew all teachers were in school, until we found out they weren't. Three didn't call in. Since we have to rely on other teachers who don't have full teaching schedules to cover in these cases, we had to rush around to find teachers to cover the classes. It's not a nice job to have, having to tell another teacher they need to cover a class that isn't theirs. 


I left school exhausted but knew I had to  go workout at the club while the kids practiced. I really didn't want to but was glad I did once it was over. When we got home the kids showered, had a snack and went to bed. Naturally I fell asleep on the sofa. 


Wednesday morning we were all up and off to school. My school continues to be beyond hectic. Stuart has been told he is teaching 15 periods of grade 3 this year, which doesn't please him. Needless to say, the start of the year has been a bit difficult for both of us.  Since my Vice Principal found out she was being transferred she's done nothing. That has left everything up to my principal and myself. There is still so much to sort out at this school that we often don't know where to begin. 


After school I picked Jack up and took him to Eleanor's. Millie wanted to stay but couldn't. They wouldn't have had enough room in their car to bring her home. Plus, it was Jack's play date, not Millie's. After dropping Jack, we went to sign the papers for my car. I dropped Stuart off to pick up Sean's car which we had taken in for a service. It seems for the last three weeks we have done nothing but play 'musical cars'. 


Millie and I stopped at wine shop and then headed home. Stuart was going to get Kayleigh's car cleaned, but I had her keys in my bag so that didn't happen. I was frustrated a bit because the plan was to go to Dubai for the weekend and I wanted to get the car back to Cathy before we left Thursday. So it was decided that we would attempt to leave school early on Thursday to get everything sorted out. 


Stuart went to rugby and Millie and I got a cab to the Ford dealership to pick up our new car. We then went to collect Jack from his friend's and headed home. Millie went straight to bed, and Jack followed shortly after her. I wasn't far behind either of them. 


Thursday morning it was a bit windy when we went to walk. We left the house earlier to get to school and decided we would do that from now on as it allows me to actually get to school about 15 minutes earlier, so I'm not THAT late. 


I had two more observations on Thursday. We had initially been told that all new teacher observations had to be completed by the end of the first week of October. Once my 5 observations were scheduled, we found out that actually they had to be completed by the end of October. Since I had already scheduled them I decided to just stick with what I had planned. I left school around noon to get home and get the dogs to the vet for the weekend, as well as get Kayleigh's car detailed. 


We picked the kids up from school and left for Dubai around 3:45 pm. Because we took my new car, we had to stop and get a toll ticket in order to go into Dubai.  Because I didn't have the registration card it was really quite difficult. We finally found a petrol station that I could whatsapp the copy of the registration card and they could process the toll ticket that way. 


We got to the hotel and checked in to the hotel at 5:15 pm. We went to the room and waited for Scott and Clare to arrive. When they showed up they came to our room and we ordered room service. The kids played cards and the adults chatted for a few hours. 


Friday morning I woke up around 6:30 am but just laid in bed. Finally I got up and met Clare at the gym just before 8 am. We worked out and were down for breakfast by 9 am. After breakfast we came back to the room to get changed for the pool. We stayed at the pool until around 2 pm. Stuart left us around noon to go to his rugby match. We had lunch at the pool and a couple of happy hour beverages. 


Once we were back in the room we had a bit of downtime before heading to Kite Beach to go to the skate board park. Sadly, we forgot to bring Jack's tennis shoes which meant he couldn't go into the skateboard park. As a result, no one else went in either. I really didn't pay attention when we decided to add this activity to our agenda, which is why my kids didn't bring tennis shoes. Oops. 


In the end, we walked along the boulevard while the kids rode their scooters. We then stopped for an ice cream and everyone was relatively happy, oh except for Jack who stated that 'we never do anything fun'. He's at his ungrateful stage in life I think. 


We caught the hotel shuttle back to the hotel. We arrived at about the same time as Stuart. They lost their match, but he didn't seem to upset about it. He was upset by the refereeing. Apparently they filed a formal complaint. 


We went to the pool and let the kids swim for about an hour, then got dressed and walked to Pizza Express for dinner. We were then back in the room and everyone went to bed. 


Saturday morning we were up for breakfast just after 8. We then went to the mall. We were looking for Halloween costumes, but came up empty. There were costumes, but they were super expensive. So we went to plan B, making costumes for the kids. 


On our drive home Stuart discovered the breaks on my new car were not so hot. It seems that they shuddered as you put pressure on them. So once we were home I took the car to the dealership while Stuart and the kids went to get the dogs. A curtesy vehicle brought me home and I finished up laundry from the weekend. We  went to Scott and Clare's around 5 pm and had curry. 


The kids played outside for a while, then after we ate they had showers and settled down a bit, watching television until it was time for us to leave. Millie was terribly cranky. I suspect she's coming down with something. Time will tell, I'm sure. It was a busy weekend, but terribly relaxing and needed for all of us. 


Sunday, October 1, 2017

Golf anyone?

Once I dropped the kids off at school, I headed to my old school to collect supplies. I had several conversations with my previous principal, a westerner, and she was keen to help us out. Sadly, she had a change of heart once I was out there collecting supplies. So that was a totally wasted trip. It was very frustrating. I was terribly late to school and had nothing to show for it. 


I got to school just after 9:30 am and hit the ground running. Things were getting more and more tense with certain staff members. There had been tension brewing for well over a week. It seems the line of protocol was curvier every day. It was an awkward and uncomfortable situation. I just wanted that part of our work environment to go away. Being in a foreign country where things are not as you are used to be is bad enough without added stress from people who should really step back and remember their role in the school. Not everyone can be the boss. 


I left school to go to the bank and found out they wouldn't give me a loan on a used car for three years. It seems that Americans are a huge flight risk. Too many have borrowed money and skipped the country. It really makes it difficult for those of us who want to be here and do the right thing. So now I will have to figure out how to get a car and break the news to Gemma and Fechin that we are not buying their car. 


I got home and got the report that the kids had been horrible on the way home from school. So they had no PS4 and no television. They were getting ready for rugby when Millie lost her wad and ended up staying with me and going to bed early. Getting back into the swing of things seems to be more difficult than I thought it would be. While I was bummed not to go to the club, it gave me a chance to fix our school time table........AGAIN! When Stuart and Jack returned from rugby, Jack showered and had a pbj, then he was off to bed. Stuart made some dinner and after I ate I fell asleep on the sofa. It was only Sunday and I was already sick of the week. 


Monday at work was a miracle. The person creating the stress, resigned. It's a long story and may be incriminating so let's just say it was a good thing, but was ugly getting to the final result. Although she resigned via email, I knew it wasn't over. 


Monday after school we went to the club for Tua's birthday party. The kids played games, ate pizza and had cake. My principal showed up and brought her son to join he rugby team. She said he really loved it and would start practicing every Monday and Wednesday. 


Tuesday I went to school and guess who was there? Yep, Stressful Sally. I can only assume she was told to come back and stop throwing fits. It was awkward to say the least. She claims she wanted to come back and finish her assessments for the school. I believe they told her to report to work until they could find a place to transfer her. Time will tell what actually happens to her. Stay tuned. 


I picked up Claire and Millie from school. Jack went to swim club. So just about the time I got home with the girls, we had to turn around and pick up Jack.  


On Tuesday, on the way home from school, Jack lost a tooth. He's been talking about there not being a Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus recently, which makes me a bit sad, but I knew he was getting close to figuring things out. Well, I almost brought him to the realization when the Tooth Fairy only remembered to get the tooth on Wednesday morning, about 20 minutes before he woke up. Thank goodness I pulled it off. Little boy can be a little boy for a bit longer. 

We took Stuart to the Ford dealership to pick up a curtesy car because his truck was still being repaired. We then traveled on to rugby.   When I got home, I worked on the schedule for duties for my school. Since the person who was supposed to do that seemed 'unavailable' to us anymore, it became my job. My eyes went all googley after about 2 hours so I stopped for the evening. 


School on Wednesday was as usual, hectic. The office drama was still there, but the person in question just kept to herself and only spoke to people when it was absolutely necessary. 


I went to a meeting from the assessment team for the district.  It seems our merger with the Ministry of Education is a bit more challenging than we had all anticipated. We were asked to implement a new computer based program, which would be ideal if we all had computer labs and every child had an electronic device. Although the country, as a whole, is very wealthy, there are still the 'have nots'. Some of us became a bit discouraged by this particular meeting. But we will get it done. That's what teachers do!


I went back to school after my district meeting. We had a staff meeting where the attendance was not that great. My principal is getting frustrated at some of the apathetic behaviors. I have told her that once we have a local senior leader, the tide will turn. Truth!


I took the kids to the golf course for free lessons that they had been offering all week. They loved it. It was hot, but they got a little bit of personal attention from the local pro and they were stoked. Of course Jack stayed more focused than Millie, but they both enjoyed it. 


We came home and everyone showered. We then went to celebrate Claire's birthday by going to sushi night at the golf course. Mandy, Cathy, Claire, the kids and myself had a wonderful meal. But because Stuart didn't come with us we actually had to pay full price. That sucked! Ha!


Thursday we all kind of muddled through. The cover plan was awful. We had 3 English teachers out and several local teachers out. When this happens, we have to cover classes with people who don't teach 24 periods a week. Naturally I am the least popular person at school! Many complain, but most just get on with it. My principal spent the morning at a school that is fully kitted out but no children live in the houses in the neighborhood. So that school has been sitting pretty while we are waiting for chairs and tables. Oops! She was told we could have some of their furniture, so that made us happy. 


I was supposed to be at a meeting at 11 am with other Heads if Faculty to figure out the best course of action for the new Pacing Guides that were introduced by the organization we are merging with. Since Tiffany wasn't back until about noon, I was late to my meeting. Not everyone could make it anyway, so it ended up being a little bit of a catch-up session. 


I found out at the end of the meeting that I got a speeding ticket right in front of the school. It seems the speed limit there had been lowered since last I was around there. Super! I love wasting money on speeding fines. Ugh! 


I picked the kids up from school, took them home to change their clothes, and then took them golfing. Stuart went with us this time. We left a bit early because Jack was going for a sleepover as was Millie and Stuart and I were to go to a fund raiser Foot Golf event. When we arrived home, Ben's mum was waiting for Jack. He grabbed his bag and they headed to Bounce for an hour. Millie showered and we dropped her at Cathy's for the evening.  We suspected she wouldn't stay the entire night, but she was going to give it a try. 


We then went to the golf club to meet up with Gemma and Fechin. We were to meet them at 5:30 pm, but as we have come to know, Gemma and Fechin are late to EVERYTHING! So they arrived around 6:30 pm and we headed out for our Foot Golf tee time, which was 7 pm. What a blast we had. The pictures tell the entire story!


We did end up picking Millie up around 10 pm. She was asleep, but Cathy had said she was asking if we were coming to get her. She told Cathy, 'Maybe I can try again tomorrow night. You know it's only the second time I have tried to have a sleepover.'  Bless her little heart!


I got up Friday and Skyped Grammie and Pop. We then went to the grocery store. When we returned we just lazed around the house. It was really nice. We finally headed to the rugby club around 3 and sat and had some alone time. I spoke to a few people and then Jack showed up. He looked wiped out from his sleepover and full day at the Mecure Hotel, where they have a fabulous pool with water slides. I could only believe he would be cranky in a matter of minutes. 

These are often seen around town. 

We left the club after the match. Stuart played the second half of the match, which was for the first team, which he had intended to not play with them this season. I suppose a guy can change his mind. 


The kids were exhausted and really didn't put up much of a fight to go to bed. They were up before I was on Saturday morning. Once breakfast was over and teeth were cleaned, we headed to look for a new car. I was informed that getting a loan for a new car was much easier because if I skipped town before the loan was paid at least they would get the car back. They clearly don't know me. I wouldn't know how to 'skip town'. At any rate, we looked at a Mini Cooper, which was the dream, and then settled at Ford. Ha! So as long as the loan goes through, we will have a new Ford Escape in a week or so. Stay tuned......yet again. 


Once the brutal shopping was over, we went to Scott and Clare's for a late lunch. It was good to really finally reconnect with them. Everyone has been so crazy with the beginning of school stuff that getting together with friends has been more challenging than normal. 


After we ate, Clare and I decided to go to the Karama (fake, knock off handbags, sunglasses, and jewelry) of Al Ain. We had heard about it and had been to the Karama in Dubai, but had never been to the one in Al Ain. Because it is illegal, it is difficult to find. We had to ask around and even people we felt knew what we were talking about wouldn't give up the ghost. We finally walked into a shop and a brace Soul took us to a different location, in a basement, where the goods were stashed. It was awesome and I felt like a criminal. I ended up getting a pair of Roberto Cavalli sunglasses and a pair of black leather sandals, no particular brand. We got much better deals in Al Ain than we had in Dubai. Clare got two Louis Vuitton bags for the equivalent of $81. A steal for sure! 


We got back to Scott and Clare's and then took our two home for showers, a snack and bed. I had a bag of popcorn for dinner. It's not the most nutritious food in the world, but it filled the hump. 


Another week in the books!