Rain? Oh, no, just enough to dirty the car.

Sunday we got to school and it was back to business as usual. It rained a bit during the day which made the pupils a bit whacky. It also rained after school. We wondered whether rugby training would be canceled, but it wasn’t. At the club I met up with one of my teachers from last year. She filled me in on the latest gossip. It seems that the person who took my job has kind of given up. She is returning to New Zealand at the end of the academic year, so has virtually thrown her hands up in the air. It made me sad to hear that, as I loved those teachers and fought for them everyday to make things better. We ended up eating at the club. It rained some more while the children trained. The kids and I went home after we ate and Stuart followed shortly after. 

Monday morning we were up and out of the house just before 7. Stuart went to a training in Abu Dhabi so he didn’t have to leave until later.  After school we went to see two houses. We are hoping to convince the housing department at Brighton that we need to move soon. I’m not sure this will go well, but we shall see. 

Once I was home, Cathy came for dinner of chicken, cauliflower cheese and green beans. Stuart went to training but didn’t end up training. Sometimes the coach sets up a boot camp type of training session instead of practicing rugby and Stuart is out if that’s the case. After dinner, I contacted a few more people about some houses and tried to book some more viewings for Tuesday. We just managed to book to see the single story we had not seen the previous day. 

Jack was at swim squad early on Tuesday so I was able to get some work down before the day started. Tuesday was picture day for my class. My one particular student, that I have made so much progress with, wasn’t terribly sure about the entire picture thing. So I decided I would take him in first and just have his picture taken before he could say anything about it. Well, the photographers obviously didn’t understand my urgency and just faffed about, trying to get everything set up. It worked out in the end and he had his picture taken with no drama. All he said was the lights were pretty bright. However, he was very pleased with himself that he had had his picture taken. And I’m not going to lie, I nearly cried. I was so happy that we had jumped yet another hurdle. 

Once school was over and our staff briefing was finished, the kids and I met Stuart at the one story house to have a look inside. It was very spacious, but there wasn’t any storage. However, the property was inclosed and there was a ton of outdoor space for the kids and the dogs. We still have three or four properties to see and were hoping to get them seen by the end of the week. 

We left the house and headed to dance, while Stuart and Jack headed to Jack’s rugby training. We were 1 minute late to dance, but they started late so really we were right on time. I sat and chatted with some dance mums and then just had some time to myself during Millie’s second class. I looked at available rental houses and caught up on writing this blog. 

Wednesday seemed to be a long day at school. My student teacher asked if she could teach the lesson she had planned for Thursday the following Wednesday. Uh, no, because we will have to move on from that learning objective. Duh! My year group leader ended up speaking to her as she has continued to be late to school, late from breaks and lunch, and really hasn’t been highly involved. We shall see if she gets better. Sadly, the local people are trying to train their own to do our jobs, but the motivation just isn’t there. 

After school we rushed off to see another house. We are hoping we can actually get this one. The entire place is being renovated. The tile is all new, as are the door frames. It’s 5 bedrooms, a nice size back area for a bbq and table, and a great area for the dogs to run around. Now, if I can get the housing guy to call them, that would be amazing. 

We got home and Jack did his homework. Millie pestered him and Stuart and I watched television. Stuart eventually went upstairs to get ready for rugby training. He left just before 6 pm, about the time the kids came back from playing at Ian’s. I fixed the kids chicken nuggets and tater tots. They showered, then ate, and Millie was off to bed. The rest of the evening I just vegged. 

Thursday I went to see the guy in housing, and when all was said and done, his boss kind of vetoed my request to move sooner rather than later. I’m going to still work on it, but am not terribly hopeful we will be moving before July 1. I conned my fellow teacher, Mr Trench, into doing a joint science lesson for period 5, and it turned out to be great. I had had so many blunders in the week, so having a great lesson was a relief. 

After school we headed home. Jack got his things ready for his sleepover and then was immediately on his PS4. Millie got changed and lay on the sofa watching television. I took Jack to his sleepover around 5:30 and then came back to head to Lara and Brian’s for a Mexican night. They had some new friends over and we were invited as the buffers. In case the new people were not ‘our people’, Brian and Lara didn’t want to be alone. However, the new people, Rachel and Jason, were nice people. It was a lovely evening. We ended up carrying Millie home because she went to sleep in a chair. She’s not much of a party animal. 

Friday morning Millie and I headed to church. She didn’t want to go to children’s church because Jack wasn’t there. So she went to the main service with me and asked me about every 10 minutes when it was going to be over. Once it was finished, we headed to the rugby club for the first of two birthday parties she would attend in the day. Fortunately, both parties were at the club. One was on the pitch side and the other was poolside. 

One of Millie’s besties, Ava. 

The dangerous duo. 

Stuart collected Jack from Adam’s just before 11 and delivered him to the first of his two birthday parties in the day as well. 

It was a Fortnight party. 

Stuart came back to the club and we had lunch. He then collected Jack, brought him to the pool party, and then Stuart headed to Dubai 7s to watch the conference team play rugby. The kids and I came home around 4 pm and just chilled for the rest of the day. Stuart got home around 6 pm, but then headed to the club around 7 to celebrate the team’s win. I stayed and put the kids to bed, then watched television until Stuart got home. 

Saturday morning I was up just after 7 am. I finished up laundry and got on to Jack for playing his PS4 before the agreed time. The warning went out that if I spoke to him about this again he would be grounded from the PS4. That electronic is my nemisis. I’m pretty sure he will lose the privilege sooner than later. At what stage do your children become responsible and do things the first time you ask, or remember to do as you ask. I told him Friday evening that when he woke up the following morning, I needed him to strip his bed. Do you think he did it? Nope! Then when I reminded him, he did it but left the sheets up in his room. When I asked him where he had put the sheets, he informed me he had left them in his room. I asked him to bring them downstairs. He got downstairs with them and wanted to know where he should put them. I wanted to say ‘the refrigerator’ but resisted the sarcasm. 

We ran to the supermarket for some provisions for dinner. While we were there, I received a call from Mr. Sultan, the owner of the villa we want to rent. I told him of the circumstances and said I would do my best to have the man from housing call him on Sunday. He wasn’t terribly impressed about having to wait until July, but he also didn’t say he couldn’t wait until July. We shall see. 

Once we returned, the kids finished their homework and then Stuart and I began our marathon of Luther. Creepy! Cathy came over around 4 pm. We had dinner, as we usually do on a Saturday, and then just sat around chatting the evening away. Another restful, yet busy weekend had passed and the rat race was due to start again. 

Half term break wasn’t nearly long enough.

I woke up Sunday morning and FaceTimed Stuart. He was at Ken’s house for dinner. Maytee, John, Lori, Bill and Annette were all there. These are friends we look forward to making more memories with when we return for good to Arizona. It was great to catch up with all of them. Although I am jealous of the fact that I am not there, I am thrilled that Stuart gets to hang out with them for a few days. 

Ken is my version of the Scarecrow in the Wizard of Oz. When Dorothy starts to leave Oz she says to Scarecrow,  ‘I think I’ll miss you most of all’. This is the type of friendship I have with Ken. 

We lazed around Sunday morning and forced ourselves to leave the house around 11:30 am to go see How To Train Your Dragon 3. It was such a good film. Jack and I cried at the end. It was a tear jerker. We had popcorn, illegal sodas and chocolate, and all was well. We did a bit of shopping to finish off Millie’s costume for Tuesday. Once we were back home we finished off the writing portion of her project. Jack claimed he was too sore to go to rugby training. I think he just wanted to play his PS4 since we are technically on holiday. I told him the best way to work our sore muscles, from snowboarding he claimed, was to have a run around. So I forced him to go to training. 

Cathy went with us. Once back at the house, the kids showered, ate and chilled for the rest of the evening. Cathy and I had a frozen, gluten free pizza, which wasn’t too bad. We listened to music until around 9 pm. Cathy went home as she had to go to work on Monday. I stayed up to watch television. I have a difficult time going to bed when Stuart isn’t here. I ended up sleeping in the sofa, which was terrible sleep as anyone knows. 

I woke up just after 6 am and Jack came downstairs. He said the dogs had jumped on his bed. Dang dogs! He started in on his PS4 around 8 am. He came downstairs when he got hungry. In the meantime Millie and I played a card game and she finished her written project for Nikola Tesla. 

When Jack came down he asked if he could have a fried egg. I told him he could if he made it. He’s never done that before. So I helped him a bit, but really his dad needs to help him because he’s the cook, not me. At any rate, he did a great job and was very pleased with himself. 

After the kids ate, there was more electronics and Millie ended up going to bed. She wasn’t feeling well at all. She was complaining of her head and neck hurting. I gave her Tylenol and she pepped up a bit. We finished her Nikola Tesla project and she was set for her Wax Museum day on Tuesday. 

Millie fell asleep on the sofa at 5 pm. I put her in her bed, thinking she might sleep through the night. 

I made chicken nuggets, green beans and mashed potatoes for dinner. I was pleased with myself for boiling and mashing the potatoes. Lara came over after Jack and I ate dinner. She had made chicken lettuce wraps for her family. I am such a crap cook. 

Millie woke up around 7 pm and decided she wanted to eat something. So I warmed up the dinner and she ate a bit. Then she was back in bed at 8 pm, as was Jack. Lara stayed until about 9:30 pm and then I was off to bed as well. 

Meanwhile, Stuart was having a cookout with our friends Vicki and Ryan. 

At about 5 am, Millie crawled in my bed, crying, saying ‘my neck hurts’. I knew the day would be long and most likely it would mean a visit to the doctor. She was determined to go to school, though. She was so excited for the Wax Museum. I pumped her full of meds and off we went to school. Jack moaned about going to swim squad, but I forced him to go anyway. 

These three days this week is our STEAM week (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Our year group decided to use recycled materials to make a Bedouin tent. We wanted to link it to living in the UAE before the oil. We also were planning to make clay pots and build a marble run off a model if the Burj Khalifa. In the afternoon we invited the rest of the junior school to come and see our Wax Museum. The children were so adorable. They did a wonderful job and the parents were totally impressed. The Head of the Junior school asked me whose idea the Wax Museum was and of course I had to tell him it was me. It was a hit! 

Nikola Tesla was the cutest wax figure. The most interesting fact Millie shared was that Nikola was in love with his pet pigeon. It’s true. Look it up! 

After school, we found out that rugby was canceled. Millie wasn’t well enough to go to dance, which made me know she really didn’t feel well. So we headed to the doctor. As I thought about it, I wondered if her neck and headache had anything to do with the finder binder we had the previous week. Then I felt horrible for not taking her to the doctor the previous week. She was diagnosed with whiplash, upper respiratory infection, and was tested for flu, which came back positive. Mother of the Year for several years in a row now. The doctor also said she needed to stay home on Wednesday. Of course Jack decided he needed to stay home as well. Needless to say, he didn’t win that argument. 

When we got home, the kids showered and I made dinner. Millie decided she just wanted cereal. Jack had left over mashed potatoes, green beans and sausage rolls. Millie was in bed at 6:45 pm, having been given her many meds. Jack stayed up and watched television for another hour and then was off to bed. I watched the lastest episode of the Bachelor, or as I like to call it ‘soft porn’. 

I was up and got Jack ready for school. Joan picked him up just before 7 am. When I came back inside from putting him in her car, Millie Moo was laying on the sofa. She said she still had a headache and her neck was hurting. So I gave her more pain medicine. I’m hoping the muscular pain goes away soon. I really think her allergies are acting up again. Back to the nose spray we go. 

We headed to the grocery store because the Princess said she wanted bacon. Unfortunately, we were disappointed because there was no bacon. We had to settle for donuts and strawberries. I was just glad she wanted to eat. Once we were back home and she had eaten, she settled back on the sofa and rested for the remainder of the day. At 3:30 pm she told me she was bored. So she’s recovering and it is back to school tomorrow. 

Jack got home just before 4 pm and immediately headed to Ian’s. I had told him to be home at 5:30 pm. Time dragged on, and around 6 pm I went to Ian’s and asked if Jack was there. Ian said he wasn’t. Then I got in my car to drive around the compound. When I did find him I informed him he would be grounded from his PS4 for the weekend. When I explained his responsibility to me in what he had said to me, he didn’t like it, but u think he understood a bit. 

I had made white bean chicken chili during the day so Cathy came over for dinner. I have decided I might have been a decent stay at home mom. Too late for that now. I’m only motivated to cook when Stuart is out of town, sadly. Stuart arrived home just after 2 am and did a bit of unpacking. Then we were both off to bed. Needless to say the night’s sleep was way too short. 

Thursday it was business as usual. I have been given a local college student who is getting her teaching degree. She is doing a practicum with me and so far she is late to every lesson, left on Wednesday when she found out I was absent, and hasn’t gotten terribly involved with the children. She’s only with me another three weeks, so I suppose I can endure anything. We had an awards assembly for our sport’s day. The upper school received individual awards. Jack won two awards. 

After school we headed home. Jack immediately changed and went outside to play. Some friends that used to live in the Village were visiting another family. He played with his friend Louis, Kennedy and Tua. We then headed to Sean’s for dinner. Jack played with some kids he knew in that compound. He continued to bug me to go to Ian’s, but I told him it was too late. Sometimes you would think he’s lost his best friend when I deny him what he wants. I can’t wait for the teenage years. 

Friday morning we got up and went to church. Stuart slept in and I decided not to bother him. His travels aren’t always terribly kind to him. We picked Cathy up on our way. This was the Evangelical Church in town that we had visited several years ago. At the time, the kids didn’t really like the amount of kids there. But on this day they loved it and all day they sang one of the songs they had learned. It was nice. Both said they wanted to go back the next week. So there you have it. 

When we got home from church I assumed we would be greeted with breakfast. However, it seems Sleeping Beauty needed to sleep until noon. Bless him! Once he was awake, we had a late lunch and then went to the club for a rugby match. Stuart ended up playing for the other team. He wasn’t meant to play for the conference team, and the other team needed players, so Stuart suited up in green. 

After the match we sat around for a while and then decided we would go home and socialize there. The kids showered and Jack fixes himself a chocolate roll up. 

Saturday morning I got up to take my car to be assessed for the damage that had been done in the second rear end accident. When I got home Stuart was still asleep. We have reversed rolls this weekend for sure. 

Once he was awake, we simply sat around and watched television, waiting for the time to pass. We left for Dubai at 3 pm. We headed to Ski Dubai. This week Millie had her Discovery lesson for skiing. She decided she would rather ski than snowboard. So Jack’s lesson for level 1 started at 5:30 and Millie’s started at 6. We decided we would let her have the 6 lessons if she decided she liked it. And as you would guess, she decided she liked it. So it looked like we have a ski slope lover and a snowboarder. 

Weather seems weird. It actually rained!

Sunday I got up to walk. It wasn’t as chilly as I had anticipated. Lara and I caught up on our gossip. We left the house a little later and picked Tommy up. I had to cover one of Joan’s lessons because Alice was to get the pin out of her arm that morning so Joan wasn’t at school, thus the reason we picked Tommy up for school. 

At the end of the day it started to sprinkle. Sprinkles in the UAE get the same reaction as snow does in the Midwest. The kids get crazy! My own children were so excited. On the way home there were WhatsApp’s going crazy about us being given a day off because the Pope was coming to Abu Dhabi for a mass. Everything was a total buzz, but those of us at the private school assumed we wouldn’t get the day off. We did, however, hold out hope for a rain day because it started raining around 5:30 pm. Generally, rain does damage to the schools and we have a day or so off after a huge rain. 

I was the fun stealer and didn’t let my kids play in the rain until the thunder and lightning subsided. Go figure! 

Monday the school was pretty flooded but we carried on. We picked Tommy up again and because of the incident with Alice, the entire staff got another reminder of how our children must not go outside before or after school and must remain in our classroom. Well, when we got to school guess where I found Jack and Tommy. Although I had this conversation with Jack and Millie the evening before, and I spoke with the boys on the way to school, they still ended up outside before school started. When I found them, I immediately took them to the Deputy Head of Operations and asked her to speak to them. I thought they were both going to cry. I just needed them to know that it was serious and it wouldn’t be tolerated any more. I think Jack sometimes hears Charlie Brown’s principal when I speak to him. Because Joan was still not in school so I had to cover her PE lesson. We just played dodge ball. 

At the end of the day Stuart had a meeting with our head of the Junior School, Mr. McArthur. It seems he asked if Stuart could come to the school and start teaching in April because Millie’s teacher has accepted a job somewhere else. He said he would have to inquire as to whether he would be allowed to do that or not. It turns out that he will not be allowed. But we are looking to move before the end of the year, which will help speed his exit process along. 

After school we went to the super market. I then took Tommy home. We got home and got organized. We had a committee meeting that evening at the club, but the good news was I wouldn’t have to go to school the following day. It seems I underestimated my private school. We were given the day off in celebration of the visit from the Pope. 

Tuesday morning we woke up a bit later. Stuart was off to school around 7 am because he still had to be in school even though they had dismissed the students for the day. We ended up watching the live stream of Pope Francis’s mass. It was quite spectacular just simply because it was history in the making. It was the first time a Pope had been to a Middle eastern country, none the less performed a mass. 

Stuart got home around noon and we went to the mall for lunch, although prying Jack away from his PS4 was quite the feat. 

After lunch Stuart had to stop at the booze shop to get beer for the rugby team for the weekend. And since he wouldn’t be around for the weekend he would have to get it before he left. 

We headed home in time to get Millie dressed for dance and then go to the studio. Unfortunately we had a finder binder on the way. Exactly 4 weeks after my first rear end accident, I got rear ended again. Stuart came to get Millie and take her on to dance. Stuart spoke to the guy who hit me. He tried to say there was no damage. Then when the officer got to the scene, he tried to tell him that Stuart had threatened to kill him. He said, ‘I will call the police’. I remained calm and continued to tell the guy that I was sorry he was upset and I understood his anger. To this he said, ‘I know how YOUR people treat my people’. At this statement I said, ‘So now you are saying I’m a racist? Please, call the police and report this. I’m sure my information of you accusing me of being racist will be much more interesting to them than your story of my husband taking a picture of your license plate’. And then he shut up. In the UAE, being called a racist can get you thrown in jail.  When the entire ordeal was over, I went to Gift City to see if I could find a cheap kid’s suit for Millie’s Wax Museum costume. She was to research Nikola Tesla. I love projects like this, because it was my idea to do it. However, I’m not crazy about this when my kid has to do it. I got to dance after running into KFC for popcorn chicken. She ate a bit before her second class. Once the second class was over we headed home for a shower, a donut and bed. What a day!

Wednesday was sports day for Millie. She was a super star, as usual. The event took most of the day and the kids had a great time. 

After school we headed to see a co-worker’s house. Since we have to move because Stuart got his job at Brighton, we are going to see if we can move before the end of the year. So we are looking at possible places that have space for the dogs and are as big as what we are living in now. 

Once we were home Jack took a shower, as he spent the last hour of the day in the clinic because he had a headache. So he was banned from anything but rest. He ate two PBJs after school and a small bag of hot Cheetos. I’m not sure where that boy puts everything. 

Millie went outside to play once we were home and came in for a shower only when we went out to search for her. This aspect of our compound we will certainly miss when we move from here. We had dinner and everyone called it a night. 

Thursday was school as usual. Once school was over we headed home. The kids showered and then we were out the door to Abu Dhabi. We went to Yas Mall and had dinner. We shopped around for a bit and then took Stuart  to the airport to catch his flight to Phoenix. Cathy had gone with us and I was thrilled, as it made the journey home so much easier to have someone to talk with while the children slept. 

Friday morning we lounged around for a bit. Millie worked on her Wax Museum project. 

My little lefty!

Around 10 am we headed to a cheap gift mart called Lotus to look for something that would work as a costume for Millie’s character, Nikola Tesla. We were successful and it was at a cheap price. We went back home and had some lunch. Cathy and I watched Godfather 3 while the kids played on their electronics. 

Millie had a birthday party from 2-4 pm. It was a Harry Potter themed party. So my girl went as Hermione Granger. I think she looked rather cute. 

The Skecher high heel flip flops were an added bonus. 

The evening was spent doing a whole lot of nothing. Jack ended up inviting Ian over for a sleepover. Cathy and I watched episodes of Miranda and behaved as if we had never seen the episodes. Miranda Hart’s physical comedy is epic. 

Saturday morning I was up around 8 am. Jack was already awake, but Millie and Ian were still sleeping.  When everyone was up, I made French toast for the boys and Millie ate banana bread.  

Ian went home around 10:30 am so he and Jack could play Fortnite together. It makes no sense to me, but what do I know?

We left for Dubai atound 2 pm. Jack had a snowboard lesson at 5:30 pm, but would need to be there an hour before in order to get all of his gear on. And going through the experience of watching him put his gear on makes me know why he needed to arrive an hour early. First his boots didn’t feel right, then his helmet didn’t fit. I had to readjust the helmet strap about 7 times, then his ski hat wasn’t right under his helmet. Dear me! This boy is beyond OCD. 

Doesn’t Millie look thrilled?

But, in his first official lesson he did pass the beginner level and is now a level 1 snowboard student. 

While Jack snowboarded, Millie and I shopped around and then went and had some dinner. She was hungry and couldn’t wait for Jack to be finished with his lesson. Once we picked him up, all he wanted to do was get McDonalds take away and eat it in the car on the way home. That suited all of us. The drive home was quiet. The kids went to bed as soon as we got home. I stayed up for a bit and watched television. As usual, I fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up to messages from Stuart. He was having lunch with Stacey, John and Jen. 

They sent me some videos as well as FaceTime messenger wasn’t working. It looks as if his first day in Arizona was a good one. 

Another busy week ahead.

We got to school a bit early on Sunday. We are almost always the first people there. The first half of the day was filled with our lighting dress rehearsal for the Year 2 show. It was just this side of disasterous, sadly. It’s really hard to get 80, 6 and 7 year olds to do the same thing, especially since some of them are not paying attention. We shall see if it all comes together on Monday and Tuesday. 

After school the kids and I took my car for its 30k service. Stuart met us there and we dropped him and Millie off at the house before heading to the doctor, as Jack’s hand had become infected from his biopsy wound. Yuck! We waited for almost 30 minutes and finally got some amoxicillin and some topical antibiotic. She told us to stop the original topical cream we were using and come for a follow-up on Saturday, which means Jack’s snowboard lessons have to be postponed yet another week. 

See the redness up his arm? He said it was really hurting him. 

I dropped Jack home and then went to Abela to get some meat pies for dinner. It’s the lazy way out for sure. When I got back, I fought the kids to take showers. Once the kids were clean, we all sat and watched Full House reruns while waiting for their pies to be warmed. After dinner, everyone settled into bed, or in my case on the sofa. Stuart went to bed, anticipating his interview. 

We all went to school together on Monday. Our dress rehearsal for the production was adorable.  Shows are always shown to the school the day before the parents are invited in. At the end of the show, we had to tell three boys they were not allowed to be a part of the production for the parents. They were fighting on stage. Although we are a private school, we are not immune to misbehaved children. 

Millie was Tinker Bell in our program. 

Stuart had his interview at 10 am. He felt it went well and the head of Year 4 told me she was going to use one of his ideas with her class. They were impressed by him. After his interview he went home to get Jack’s swim kit. We then went to pick up my car. Stuart called as Millie and I were getting snacks. It seems that Jack had forgotten his swim kit somewhere at school. The  swim gala was at another school. Stuart had looked in the lost and found and got him a pair of swim trunks. Jack was refusing to wear them. So Stuart explained to Jack that he couldn’t let his team down like that when there was an option of wearing these swim shorts they found. Because Stuart told him he wouldn’t play rugby at the weekend and he would have his PS4 taken away if he didn’t swim, he decided to put on the shorts. In the end he understood and was glad he had decided to wear the trunks. He won the freestyle race and came in second swimming the butterfly. 

After the gala, Millie and I went to the dentist because her silver tooth had been hurting her. Well, wouldn’t you know, the dentist no longer takes our insurance. So we got McDonalds and came home. Millie was in bed by 6:45 pm. She was exhausted. 

Tuesday morning we were up and out the door before 6:30 am. Our final program for the parents was even better than the day before. But one of my students had stage fright and wouldn’t go on stage. His mother was furious. He was definitely missed because he was one of our best singers and dancers. As a reward, the children spent the afternoon watching Peter Pan. 

Stuart’s school got out early because the UAE were playing in the semi finals of the Asia World Cup. The match didn’t start until 6 pm, so it only makes sense to let students out of school at 11:30 am, right? Some private schools also released students, but not ours. Oh well. Some of my students left early anyway.  We still had our staff meeting. I went to the mall closest to my school to walk around for a bit. I then got KFC and headed to the dance studio to collect Millie. 

Once we were home I heard that Jack had a bit of a scuffle with his friend Adam. Adam is Jack’s friend from his school last year. Jack is in the A team and hangs out with other players on the A team, which Adam is not a part of.  I think Jack leaves him out a bit. After we ate, the kids went to bed. Stuart booked his plane ticket to Phoenix. He has to go back for his biometrics for the renewal of his green card. He will be in Phoenix from the 8th to the 12th for a 20 minute appointment. I’m jealous. 

Wednesday was another day of work. It didn’t go terribly quickly, unfortunately. I had a cracking headache by the end of the day. My team was to go out for a dinner, but in the end we all decided we were too tired, and my team leader was sick and wouldn’t be at school the following day. Instead, I went to bed before 9 pm. 

Thursday morning I picked up Tommy and Alice, who are my team leader’s kids and friends of my kids. The plan was to go to the supermarket after school and then take them home. Unfortunately, Alice and Millie ran out to the play structure right after school, although they are not allowed to play out there after school. Within a few minutes, Alice came inside holding her arm and crying. Yep, she fell off the monkey bars and broke her arm. I nearly barfed. I can handle barfing and bleeding, but I can’t handle broken bones. I had to call Joan to come and get her. Tommy ended up staying with us until the following morning because Alice had to have surgery to put a pin in her arm. I felt so horrible. 

We did end up going to the supermarket after the Alice drama was over. Once we were home the boys played on the PS4 and Millie played on her iPad. Cathy came over for spaghetti and then everyone hit the sack. 

Jack was up at 5:15 am to catch the bus to his rugby match in Dubai. Stuart and I didn’t go because we were supposed to go to brunch with Joan and her husband, Gene, at 12:30, but since Alice broke her arm that knocked them out. So we took Cathy with us. The food was amazing and the sangrias were pretty tasty as well. 

Trader Vic’s for brunch. 

Jack’s team won 8-2 and he scored three of the tries. 

We came back to the house after brunch and Sean came over for a while. The kids went to bed and everyone went home. It was a good day and evening. 

Saturday was a lazy day to the max. We did absolutely nothing. Jack had a follow up appointment for his hand at 1:45 pm, which meant I had to get out of my jammies at 1:25 pm. The appointment lasted a total of 5 minutes. The infection was totally cleared up and we were instructed to start the medicine on the rash again. Everything I have read about granuloma annulare says you really just have to wait for the rash to disappear and it can take up to a year. So I’m hoping around May the rash will be gone. We shall see. 

Dinner consisted of leftovers and then television was watched and we were all in bed by 9pm. It’s tough being totally lazy!