Bangkok or bust! One week of school and then we are off.

Sunday after my meeting at a local school, which ended two hours earlier than it should have, I went for a much needed pedicure. After having my feet scraped, I went to get Millie and took her to the doctor. She has complained about ear aches, off and on, for about the last year. It was a bit of a kerfuffle with the way our new insurance rules work. We have to now call a hotline and wait for an approval email to go to the doctor, unless it’s an emergency. Because they approved us for a general practitioner, and when the receptionist checked us in she checked us in with a pediatrician, it was rejected by the insurance. It was a phone call and a pain in the butt later, but she got to see the pediatrician and was referred to a pediatric ENT the following day. 

The evening was a blur. I didn’t get my usual television time because Millie and I spent so much time at the doctor. I went to bed at 9 pm because I was simply exhausted. Jack and Stuart got home from rugby before we did. Dinner was given and bed was for all. 

I was up to walk at 5 am. I needed to get a couple of pounds off to leave some splurging for Thailand. On our walk, there was a new clothing collection box and Duke freaked out. He could possibly be a great watch day if he wasn’t so scared of his own shadow. 

School on Monday was me writing an email to the health care company about my displeasure of their new system, getting our taxes finished,  and getting our paperwork to our property management company to list our house in Queen Creek to rent. Not much time was spent on actual school work. I did finish my portion of the math assessments. Since I have had them for about three weeks, I suppose it was time. 

Millie and I went to a specialist for her ear issue. There was no communication to let me know I was to call back when I got a referral. Ugh! I spent 10 minutes on the phone telling them how crap their new system was. Our appointment was at 3 pm. By the time we got everything sorted and got into the doctor’s office it was 4 pm. This new system is supposed to be convenient and save us time. So far, what used to take us a couple of hours to sort out, has taken us over 36 hours. Super!

We got home around 5 pm, of course after we stopped to buy some ice cream treats. Stuart left for rugby training and the kids and I stayed home, had dinner and showers and went to bed. Boring, but necessary. 

Tuesday I went to another school to finish our continuous assessment for term 3. I got home just after 1 pm. I got a message from one of my teachers telling me about a practical joke my principal had played on one of my other teachers. She basically brought her in and indicated she was being fired, while another teacher video taped the encounter. It’s illegal for anyone to video someone else without their permission. If this teacher wanted to, she could turn my principal and the other teacher into our head office and they would both be fired. It might just happen. Poor decision on my principal’s part, for sure. 

Once we were all home from school and work, we ate dinner, bathed and watched television. Rugby training was canceled so it gave us a night of relaxation. 

Wednesday we finished continuous assessments for term 3. There were no students at school on Wednesday, as is always the case at the end of the term. I went out to lunch with my test writing buddies.  Stuart picked he kids up from school and then we all went to the club to have dinner. 

Thursday I went to school and did my evaluation with my principal. It was pretty positive and I already knew the improvement areas, so it wasn’t a surprise. 

We were able to leave school at 10:30 am, which was great. It gave me time to go and get Easter basket gifts before I had to pick the kids up from school at noon. I needed to get that done so that when we return from Thailand on the night before Easter, I won’t panic!

I picked the kids up from school at noon and then it was home time. We decided to go to the golf club for dinner. We returned around 9 pm and Stuart sat up the sheesha pipe. We sat out on the back porch for a couple of hours. Cathy and crew went home around 11 pm. 

Friday we were up and getting jobs done before heading to the airport at 4 pm. I washed and changed all the beds, as well as three loads of clothes. I love having a clean house to come home to. We decided we would park the car at a hotel close by and pay their fee rather than getting a cab to the airport. It was cheaper in the end. 

The kids napped just after noon, and then we left for our holiday at 4 pm. We were meeting the Richardsons at the airport. Our flight didn’t leave until 9 pm so we had dinner and just hung around the airport. 

Once on the plane, Jack fell asleep immediately and slept the entire flight. Millie didn’t sleep until after the meal was served, and Stuart and I dozed off and on for the 5 hour flight. 

We arrived in Bangkok at 6:30 am. We were met by a mini van that took us on a bumpy journey to Pattaya, about an hour and a half journey from Bangkok. 

When we arrived at the villa we were too early for check-in and there was no one to meet us so we could drop our bags. We had been told by the Airbnb site that we could drop our bags but not be able to get into the villa until 2 pm. We decided to make the best of the half hour we had to wait for the hotel lobby to open. The hotel was owned by the same people who owned the villa. We sat at the restaurant across the street from our villa and had pork friend rice and a beer, as you do in Thailand on holiday. 

Once 10 am hit, the hotel lobby was still not open. Then I read the sign that indicated they wouldn’t be open on a Saturday. The lady taking care of the grounds of the hotel, named Sue, let us in the lobby to put our bags. We figured it out, as we always do. 

Once the bags were ‘safely’ stored, we set off for an adventure on foot. We found the closest 7 Eleven to us, but saved going in for when we needed an ice cream. We carried on and discovered some things we might want to do in our week in Pattaya. 

We have yet to find out whose eggs these are. 

We ate lunch at a local restaurant and then headed to the family mart to just have a nosey for some basics. We knew we would head back later for a proper grocery shop. 

Once we had walked back to the villa we were able to get in. Scott and I went next door to collect our bags. By the time we got back the kids had stripped down to their knickers and were in the pool. The wait was definitely worth it. 

After some much needed pool time, some unpacking time, and pool table time, we headed to the supermarket again for snacks and breakfast food. Once back at the villa it was time for swimming again. We may have picked the best villa for our needs for this holiday. We are very pleased with our choice. 

The kids came in and showered around 7 pm. They had pot noodles and grilled cheese sandwiches, then settled down for a good sleep. We had a very productive first day, but some very tired kids....and adults, as none of us had a full night’s sleep the previous night because of travel. 

Once the kids were in bed, Stuart and Scott went out to get us a pizza and some red Thai curry. We ate and then hit the sack as well. We are very excited for what our week holds for us in Thailand. 

Science projects for Jack and Millie😡

Sunday was another thrilling day at school, monitoring exams. Yahoo! I think making 6 years olds take exams is terribly effect, don’t you?

I only had tolerate it for a few hours as I left for my usual Sunday meeting. I’m going to miss these meetings next term. Once our term 3 exams are finalized we will not need to make them again as the whole system is likely to change. 

I stopped at the supermarket for some fruit before heading to pick the kids up from school. My favorite supermarket is close to the school where we meet for our assessment writing. 

Once the kids were home we worked on their science projects. Now I know why parents used to hate me. We didn’t finish so planned to finish on Monday after school. The kids had their dinner before rugby training. 

We left for the club just before 5 pm. Stuart and I sat and had coffee while Jack practiced and Millie played outside. We were home by 6:30 where the kids showered and had a snack before going to bed. 

I turned in early for me, 10:30 pm. I have decided that my weary bones need more rest than they used to need. Approaching the big 5-0, so I had probably start taking afternoon naps as well. Wait, I already do that. 

I walked with Lara on Monday morning. We caught up a bit on our Sunday walk and then more on Monday. Once I was at school, I scored exams all day. It was a productive, yet boring day. I picked Jack up from swim squad. We then went home and finished the science projects. I had both of the kids present their boards to us and I recorded it. Millie’s was painful, I’m not gonna lie. It was her first attempt at a science project. She did really well, but wasn’t terribly convicted about her results. 

The kids ate and went to bed. Stuart went to an executive committee meeting and then on to training. I relaxed and watched television. Sean got home from work and didn’t want to go coach so he watched television as well. I fell asleep on the sofa and woke up when Stuart got home. Stuart had done something to his hip and had decided to go see the doctor the following morning. 

As the social secretary at the club, I had gone back and forth with the club house manager on Monday night and Tuesday morning regarding the Spring Fair event we were having on Thursday. I’m starting to lose that loving feeling for this social secretary position. The general election is on April 12. I may not run to be re-elected. I already have one full time job, I don’t need another one. 

Most of my day on Tuesday was spent monitoring a grade 1 English exam. That was super painful. The remainder of the day found me in the meeting room, scoring exams. 

After school I went to the mall to buy some plastic eggs for the Spring Fair as I was concerned the eggs I had ordered to be delivered from the Amazon equivalent here would not arrive in time for the event. 

I picked Millie up from school. Her teacher said her science presentation was really good. She said she just told the kids what she did rather than trying to read each section. Whew!

Millie had a snack at home and then I took her to dance. I went to drop her off at the club, then I went for my 9 holes of golf that we had delayed because of my eye surgery. We played about 6 in the end, which was great fun. Our next set of lessons begins April 10. 

I got home and took a shower, then had something to eat. I nearly fell asleep on the sofa, so got up to go to bed around 9:30. 

I didn’t get up to walk again on Wednesday. For whatever reason I’m having some full on hot flashes at night. I LOVE getting older, not! So sleep has been terribly interrupted lately. 

Wednesday I tried to finish scoring exams but I got interrupted for other regular duties. We had a meeting at the end of the day which proved to be interesting, as always. It was on child protection. One of the things they said we must never do is shout at the children. So there you have it. 

Wednesday after school I went to Gift City to get sweeties for the Easter egg prizes. Since my order still hadn’t arrived, I had to go with plan B. The candy is a bit more odd, but way cheaper. Once I was home, I fed the kids. Then Lara and Kayla came over to help stuff candy bags. We stuffed 120, but still didn’t have any idea how many kids would show up Thursday evening. 

Thursday at school I finished up some loose ends, scored exams, and ran school grade reports. I was contacted by my new Professional Learning Community leader as well. It seems we will be meeting on Sunday for our initial training. Thrilled!

I picked Millie up from school. Jack had gone home with Adam, and Claire was still out due to her wisdom teeth being removed the previous day. Once we were home we loaded up the car with the Spring Fair items and headed to the club. 

The decorating commenced. People showed up and the festivities began. We had stalls and games and an Easter egg hunt. Well, it wasn’t so much of a hunt, rather a gathering. We put the eggs on the pitch and separated a small area for the kids 5 years old and younger. When it was time we had the younger group go first. Fortunately, we hadn’t filled he eggs. The whole idea was the children would collect eggs and then turn them in for a treat bag. In the end it is good we did it that way. When the youngest group started we couldn’t contain them in that small area. It was like a scene of the wild animals in Jumanji. We tried to stop them from entering the larger area, but in the end I told my helpers to just let them go and we would redistribute the eggs for the older group of kids. It was manic. I’ve never seen that many little ones in the same place at the same time. There weren’t that many at the Winter Festival. We must have had 200 kids, in total. Fortunately, the club house manager had bought more sweets and bagged them up for us. It’s always very hard to gauge how many we will have for these events. It was a fantastic evening and we got a lot of compliments. All of the kids seemed to have a wonderful time. And the food and beverage made 2 and a half times the amount of money they make on a typical Thursday evening. It was definitely a success. 

Friday morning we were up relatively early as Jack had a rugby match at the Dubai 7s. He and I rode the bus to the match. Stuart and Millie followed us in my car. This match was their last one of the season. They won the match, 10-0. The entire team played flawlessly. It was a good way to end the season. 

We let Jack ride he bus back with his team. Stuart, Millie and I went to the outlet mall to try to buy some last minute items for our trip to Thailand. I needed some shorts. I don’t really wear shorts here because they are frowned upon. It’s too conservative in Al Ain for shorts, except at the rugby club. Fortunately we were successful and now are ready for our trip. We ate lunch at the food court. Stuart and I actually shared a meal and had no leftovers. We really have to work this food thing out, but we don’t always like the same things so it’s tricky. 

When we got back to Al Ain, we headed to the club to watch the community team play. After their match we gathered our sunburnt son and headed to Scott and Clare’s for dinner. We had a lovely evening, as we always do with them. 

Saturday morning we did our weekly grocery shopping, which thrilled the kids, as you would guess. Once we were home, we gathered the clothes that needed mending and altering and headed to the tailor. Jack has ripped his PE shirt twice now, straight up the seam. We are making him pay for the repair this time. Fortunately for him, it’s cheap. 

Once we were back from the tailors, Stuart started preparing the 4.5 kilo lamb that had been in our freezer for a while. We were having 24 people over for dinner. It was a bit last minute, really. He made a full roast dinner. It was delightful! I cleaned up after the meal, as is often my job. I will be the clean up crew all the time. Cooking is not my talent at all. 

Everyone was gone around 7:30. The kids showered and then headed to bed. Evening like this remind me why I love where we live. We have a load of people over and the kids get along so well. We seldom have arguments or anything other than kids giggling and having a blast together. 

Stay at home Mom is not a job for me!

Sunday I got up and I didn’t have to go to school. So I decided to get my hair done. I am very pleased with the outcome for sure. I find the older I get, the worse I look with long hair, mainly because I’m too lazy to fix it so I end up with a ponytail every day. 

New hair and new eyes! Old laugh lines!

My hair took most of the day. I didn’t do much the rest of the day, which was nice. Jack didn’t have Rugby training so we literally did nothing Sunday evening. The kids did some homework, went out to play for a bit, came in to shower, eat and go to bed. Sometimes our week nights are nothing but lounging, and I love it.  

Monday morning, since I was still signed off school, I met with Hannah to discuss the Spring Fair and the Masquerade Rugby Ball. We put together a list of what decorations we would need and how much money we would ask for from the committee that evening. 

I got home in the middle of the morning.  Stuart was home when I got there. He had a meeting regarding textbooks that ended early so he came home. 

After school we went to Jack’s basketball tournament at school. Because he doesn’t practice with them on a regular basis he isn’t the most skilled player out there. However, he’s still better than half of the team. 

Jack is he one on the far left in the back row. He’s two years younger than everyone else on his team. 

After his tournament we went home, got the kids changed, and went to the club. We had a committee meeting and didn’t get a babysitter, which is not always the best for the kids because sometimes the meetings run extremely long. Millie sat in my lap for most of the meeting because she didn’t feel well. I was sure she would need to stay home on Tuesday. 

Somehow, I convinced her to go to school Tuesday morning. Neither kids were terribly well, but I am under the impression that sometimes they need to suck it up. 

Tina came to clean so for part of the day I had to stay out of the way. I just laid around the house most of the day. I will admit that I was beginning to get bored on Tuesday afternoon. 

Tuesday evening I took Millie to dance. I came back and made Stromboli. Jack and Stuart went to Rugby training and when they got home Cathy came over and ate dinner with us. 

Wednesday there was more laying around. I should have been it and about doing some things for the Spring Fair and the ball, but I couldn’t be asked. Stuart went to training Wednesday evening and we just had leftovers. 

Thursday I got up and did some laundry. I then decided that I should head out and do some shopping for the Easter egg hunt. I went to the doctor for a check up and all was well. 

Thursday evening we went to the club for International Women’s Day. We had cake and brought out the Giant games. It was a fun evening. It wasn’t terribly attended but fun all the same. 

Friday morning Stuart made breakfast which is always our Friday treat. We thought about going to Abu Dhabi and letting the kids use their Adventure Head Quarters passes. But in the end we decided to just stay home. So instead, Millie went to the pool with her friend Ava. Jack played his PS4 after being grounded from it for two weeks, and then went to the pool with his friends. So at one time we were childless. 

We went to the Richardson’s just before 5 pm and took Duke. He barfed on the way down. Poor dog! He gets car sick every time he gets in the car. We ordered curry and the kids played outside and on the computer. It was a great evening. 

Saturday morning I slept in until almost 8 am. Once I was awake, I picked Cathy up and we went to the outlet mall so I could pick up my gifts for the ‘Favorites’ party I was going to that afternoon. We went to have breakfast at a new restaurant called The Telegraph Cafe. It was so cute and the food was amazing. There are few places that serve breakfast in Al Ain, so it was a good find. Afterwards we went into the Coop next door and found some good grocery deals. 

Breakfast! Yum!

On the way home we stopped in at the club so I could sort out the ball tickets and explain them to the reception staff. We were hopeful they would actually go on sale Saturday, and they did. We are so excited about this event. We’ve done a lot of work on it and hope it is a huge success!

I stopped at Abela to get a snack for the ‘Favorites’ party. That party was from 3-5 pm. It’s was fun, as usual. Once I was home, Cathy and Claire came over for pork chops, potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Millie actually tried a Brussels sprout. She didn’t like them, but she tried them. I call that progress. 

I went to bed kind of looking forward to getting back into the routine of school on Sunday. I discovered that if I were a stay at home Mom I would be fat as a fiddle. So it’s probably best I have a job.

Random ‘my dad gave me my summer buzz’ picture. 

Random ‘my dog’s bigger than your dog’ photo. 

 

The eyes have it!

On Sunday my principal was back at school. She decided to do all of the observations except for one, so that freed up my day to get prepared for my presentation the following day. 

I worked on putting together our reading A-Z books. I’m not sure if we will be any more prepared than before, but I’m giving it my best effort. I left school at 10:30 to go to my continuous assessment meeting. We were a little more productive on Sunday as it dawned on us that we only had two more meetings before we had to be finished with our term 3 assessments. Seems maybe we did more chatting than working this term. Oops. 

I picked up the kids from school. I dropped Jack at home and Millie and I went to Hannah’s. She and I needed to finalize our rugby ball ideas as well as make sure we were set for the games night on Thursday. Millie likes to go with me because she plays with Sam and Ava, Hannah’s children. 

When I got home I started in on the books I still had to finish. I convinced Millie to stay with me. She bathed and then helped me attack the books. Jack and Stuart headed to rugby training. 

Around 6 pm, Millie Skyped Grammie and Pop and talked for a long time. Once Jack was home, he started speaking with them as well. Millie went to bed and Jack continued to talk. I think it thrilled my mom and dad. It was good to hear the kids really talk to them. Usually I can’t get them to stop being silly long enough to have a meaningful conversation. 

Stuart made bubble and squeak with pork chops, and the three of us ate while watching Dr Who. Jack was in bed at half seven and we followed shortly. 

Monday morning I walked and finished up the books I needed to finish. At school I tried to wrap up last minute details, knowing I would be gone for close to two weeks from school. I ran my professional development on the Daily 5, for all staff. The English teachers got more out of it than the Arabic teachers, but hopefully they gained some ideas from the presentation. 

We went to collect the kids from school and then headed to get my car from the service station. Once we were home, the kids went to play. Stuart left for Rugby training, I fed the kids and then they were in bed. Once Stuart was home, he and I watched television until he had to head to the airport to pick Sean up from his 3 week holiday in Thailand and Australia. They got home just after 1 am. 

I decided not to walk Tuesday morning, and instead I got up a bit later, showered, changed our sheets and finished up the laundry I had started Monday night. 

We took the kids to school, stopped at Abela to get some food for the kids’ lunches for the rest of the week and then came home for about an hour. Just before 9 am Stuart took me to the hospital to get ready for my surgery at 11 am. I got to the hospital and checked in. I was all dressed up and ready to go at 9:30. Stuart left just after that. 

That is some lovely purple pen I have on my eyes. Is she cutting all that off? Yep!

I was taken into surgery just after 11 am. I was in recovery around 2:00 and back in my room by 2:30, wide awake. I’m so fortunate that I snap out of anesthesia so easily, as my mom has a terrible time doing so. I had patches over my eyes and had to pee desperately. They wouldn’t let me get up for an hour, but offered a bed pan or a nappy (diaper). No thank you! I waited the hour. Stuart left to take Millie to dance and I laid in the dark, totally blind for the next 3 hours. They brought me food around 6 pm, but since I couldn’t see it, I couldn’t eat it. When Stuart arrived at 6:30 pm, he helped me drink some of the soup, which was way too salty, and I had two bites of rice and one bite of the mystery meat. Ugh! 

Once I saw this picture I was so glad I hadn’t eaten much of the food. It’s a bit green and brown. 

Stuart asked why they had left the parts they cut off my eyes! Gross! He wanted to take the vials home. Ick! He settled for just taking a picture. I won’t make anyone barf, so I’ll spare you the photo. 

Once I had eaten a bit, they discharged me. When we got home, Stuart had made up a bed for me on the sofa, which was so sweet. Jack made some jokes about seeing a beautiful sunset and asked if I had seen it, clearly seeing the patches on my eyes. I then proceeded to take off the patches and got a bit of a fright. 

I iced my eyes every hour for 15 minutes, most of the night. So I didn’t sleep much. The swelling wasn’t that bad Wednesday morning, thank goodness, but my eyes were more bruised and it was obvious they were still bleeding a bit. 

Someone said it looked as if Stuart had done a number on me. Then they laughed very loudly, saying, ‘Like you would ever let that happen!’ Comedian!

Stuart took the kids to school and then returned home as he had a meeting in Abu Dhabi that didn’t start until later. He drove me to the hospital for my follow up appointment with Dr Faten. She was pleased. I walked home from my appointment and rested on the sofa, icing my eyes every hour. The kids got home from school and did some homework. I washed a few dishes and was spent. 

We had a committee meeting at the club about the upcoming rugby ball. It got a bit heated as I felt everyone was being a bit discouraging. Turns out, our business manager went to meet with the venue and ironed out details that were pleasing to all of us. 

I got home and put Millie to bed. Claire had stayed with the kids while we were at the club. Jack stayed up for a while and made himself a snack. My eyes had started to swell a bit from my lack of ice for the 2 hours I was at the club. 

Thursday I laid around and watched Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Clearly, I haven’t been keeping up. I decided I could make it to the Giant Games night at the club. It wasn’t greatly attended, but the kids that showed up had a great time. Of course, it rained. It NEVER rains here. The games got a bit wet. So at the end of the evening we bagged everything up, knowing I would have to go to the club Friday morning to sort it all out. 

Most of Friday we lazed around the house. We went to the club to sort out the soggy games. I ended up bringing most of them home to clean them and let them dry out. The Men’s match was canceled due to some refereeing conflicts. So the two men’s teams decided to split and play each other. Jack had a tournament in Abu Dhabi but neither Stuart or myself went. I didn’t think my eyes could handle the entire day, and oh what a day we missed. The boys came second in the entire tournament. The semi final game was won 1 to nil. That one try was scored by my boy! I know I’m bias, but he’s an incredible athlete. 

Back at the club, we watched the men in a bit of a hilarious match. Jack arrived around 6 pm and was beat, and upset they hadn’t won their last match. He’s so competitive. We had dinner after the match was over and then headed home. It rained all day on Friday as well, but not enough to really bother anyone. 

Saturday we got up and went to the grocery store. We seldom make the kids go with us anymore, but Saturday we did and they both were terribly whiny. It was not a pleasant experience. Once we were home the kids ran out the door so we couldn’t force them to do anything else with us for that day. 

Clare and Scott came over for dinner. Stuart made nachos, one of my favorite meals. The kids played and the adults discussed our upcoming trip to Pattaya, Thailand. Just three weeks away!!!! 

The bottom photo is before surgery. The above picture is 4 days after surgery. I actually have eyelids. They are still a little swollen, but I’m thrilled with the results. No more Deputy Dog eyes for me.