Week 3 of Ramadan, and special deals to be had.

Sunday my teaching assistant was back, thank goodness. After school Jack went home for a sleepover with Tommy. I would normally never let this happen on a school night, but since we don’t have to be in at school until 8 am, it didn’t bother me. Millie and I came home after school. We were going to go to the pool but the weather outside was dreadful. It was dark and was thundering. Sadly, it never really produced any rain, which we desperately need. 

As the day progressed we found ourselves being totally lazy. Millie had pot noodles for supper and then pitched an absolute fit about going up to take a shower. This episode ended her in bed a half hour earlier than normal. I’m hoping she’s growing and is cranky because of that. I need this to be something that will pass, for sure. It seems to happen at least a couple of nights a week. Once Millie was in bed, Stuart and I watched television and then he went to bed and left me alone with my programs. I love watching Netflix when everyone is in bed. 

I decided that I needed to get a bit more serious about getting these few pounds off that I have gathered over the last year. So Monday morning I got up to walk, even though Lara and I only walk on Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Lara, as I may have mentioned, isn’t the most aggressive walker. Therefore, socializing is the main reason I walk with her in the mornings. So I’ve decided I will get up the other two days of the week and run a mile, then walk two miles....with the dogs. Well, a dog started barking on our walk and scared Duke into my legs. He’s really big enough to knock me off my feet. Fortunately, I side stepped him without any damage to either of us. After my workout Monday morning, I got ready for school. When I got to school, Jack came running to me and hugging me. He’d spent one whole night away from me. He truly is a Mama’s boy!

After school I dropped Millie for a play date at a huge Emirati’s house. Her friend Shahad is in her class. It’s typical for the local people to invite expats to their houses during Ramadan. I’m not sure of the significance. I hope it doesn’t fulfill the pillar of Islam of charity, although I assume we would qualify for charity compared to some of the local people. I went to the pool and got into it with one of the lifeguards. They have taken our large pool and decided to make it an exclusive lap pool. It’s so stupid. We’ve always had three lanes and then the rest of the pool has been for everyone else to play in. Now they move lane ropes and try to tell everyone where they need to swim. This lifeguard moved the lane rope because he didn’t like that I chose where I wanted to swim rather than where he told me to swim. There was no one in the double lane and Jack wanted to swim with me, so I moved to the double lane to swim with Jack. After a lap I realized what was going on. His wife and son were coming to swim. He was making it convenient for them. They do triathlons. Once I pointed out that now I understood what he was doing he told me he would no longer talk to me. He also told him I needed to let him do his job, to which I said, ‘Your job is to make sure people don’t drown. It’s not to make sure your wife and son have a lane to swim in at their convenience. The rest of us have had to wait up to 30 minutes for a free lane before.’ I then told him he didn’t have to talk to me. I marched up to the restaurant and spoke to the general manager, who came and talked to Mr. Nepotism. It was such a frustrating situation. 

After my laps, Hannah messaged me to let me know she wouldn’t be able to make the gym. I worked out without her. She just sent me my workout again. When I got home from working out, Stuart had fed Jack and I showered. We then went to the hospital to see Cathy. Her surgery was a success, but she was in a lot of pain. When we left the hospital, I went and picked Millie up. Whew! What a busy day we had! It’s good to keep busy during Ramadan because otherwise you just sit at home and eat. There is little open and you can’t eat or drink in public. It discourages you from going out during the day for sure. 

On my way home from picking up Millie I stopped at the store to get Millie something to eat. She decided she didn’t want to come in, so I left her in the car. I was buying my things and in she walks, her school

uniform all wet. She was really upset and said she thought I would be upset if she came in. From where I park the car to where I enter the store is about 20 feet. What she really meant was she thought I would be angry at her because she peed herself. She had gotten out of her car seat and peed in the middle seat on the upholstery. She had peed herself in the car. What? We got home, she showered, ate and went to bed. Jack followed shortly, as did Stuart. Stuart and I both ‘grubbed it’ for dinner. That’s my mom’s term for ‘fix ya own damn food for dinner’, although that’s not how she would say it of course. 

Tuesday morning I got up and was determined to finish the personal development and English narrative of my school reports. So, any free moment I had in the day, I worked on these. By the end of the day I only had two English reports to do. I was so thrilled. 

After school, I brought home two girls from my class, Orla and Sofia. Millie normally goes with them on a Tuesday because Sofia’s mum and myself normally have staff meetings on a Tuesday. Orla’s mum is a teaching assistant so she doesn’t have to stay for the meetings. She then brings them to dance for us. Since it is Ramadan, we’ve no staff meetings on a Tuesday until after Ramadan is over. I decided for this week and next, I would do my part and bring all the girls home with me and then take them to dance. I ended up sitting and waiting for Millie to complete both of her classes. It was nice to just sit and play mindless games on my phone. Millie led the warm up in her second class. She’s a crack up. She’s the youngest dancer with the biggest personality. 

We swung through the McDonalds drive thru on the way home. The kids ate and then Millie was off to bed. Lara came over and we walked to Cathy’s house to see her. She had been released earlier in the day. She sounded so much better than she did the day before. She was still in a lot of pain, but I guess that’s part of it. We stayed for about an hour and then I was back home to put Jack to bed. Stuart followed Jack into his own nighttime slumber. As usual, I stayed up and fell asleep in front of the tv. 

I was up and walking at 5:45 am. I walked 3 miles in 45 minutes. After my run on Monday, I decided running wasn’t great for my knees. When I got home the kids were up and getting ready for school. I finished my reports on Wednesday, which was such a relief. It seems this school year has not had one down moment. I still have a few things to do before Ramadan is over, but it feels as if the end is in sight. 

After school, Tommy and Alice came with us to the pool. The plan was to swim and then go up and eat in the restaurant. After my lap swim, I went to report there were swimming bugs in the pool. It just so happened to be to the guy I had a few words with two days before. I told him about the bugs. He didn’t even acknowledge that I spoke to him. I walked away and went into the office to tell the assistant general manager, as I could tell Jay (or shall I call him ‘Baby’?) didn’t appear to here what I had said. Oh, and the pool had returned to normal. There was a sign that said lane swimming was restricted to 30 minutes per person and if there wasn’t a lane available you would need to wait. 

Once we had eaten dinner, we headed back to our house. I made my two take showers, but made it optional for Tommy and Alice. Alice and Millie actually took a bath, while Jack showered and Tommy opted out. The boys played on the PS4 and Millie and Alice played with their babies. This was Alice’s first sleepover. Her mum thought she might make it since her brother was with her. So I had the girls settled into bed around 7:30 pm. The boys went to bed at 8:30 pm, and he girls were still giggly. I thought all was clear, but when I heard Pumpkin, our cat, rummaging around at 12:30 am, I wasn’t as convinced, as she woke up Alice. I threw Pumpkin outside and went back into the room with Alice and Millie. At that point Alice asked me if she could go home. I told her I was really sorry, but it was nearly 1 am and her mommy and daddy would be sound asleep. I asked her if she wanted me to  scoot Millie to the middle and then I would lay in the room with them? She said she did, so I did....until 2:30 am....and she was still asleep. I finally got up and told her that if she would go to sleep the time would pass faster and it would be morning before she knew it. I assume she went to sleep because when I went in at 5:30 am she was sound asleep. 

Lara and I walked Thursday morning, although I was exhausted. The kids were all up when I got back. Stuart had fed them all. They were getting dressed and just plying. School seemed to never end, as I was so tired from the sleepover. But the good news is Joan is taking all 4 of them next week. 

Thursday evening we had a stag do for Peter, our new team mate. There were quite a few staff members who showed up. Our Head of Junior school bought the first round of drinks for everyone. We stayed for a couple of hours, then we went to our neighbors, Jakes and Chantelle, to play darts. I am terrible at darts, by the way. We got home around 11 pm. 

We left the house Friday morning around 8 am to go to Abu Dhabi. We arrived at Yas Waterworld just before 10 am. We were quite alone at the water park until around noon. Then it got a bit crowded. Stuart wasn’t feeling well, so around 2 pm he went to check in at our hotel. He returned just as the boys got off the big trampoline. We had stayed longer and waited for them to jump on it. In the end, it wasn’t as exciting as they had anticipated. We had a great day of water park fun. It was not without injury, though. The first water slide I went down dumped me out. I broke the bursur sack on my left elbow. Any idea how many times in the day you bump your elbow and don’t notice it? A lot!

The wave pool!

The boys on the trampoline. 

The Telfords, Karniks, Pritchards, and Rouvis (not pictured as they left earlier) all gathered for the weekend to celebrate Jane’s birthday. 

We got back to the hotel and everyone showered. We met at the Belgian Cafe for Jane’s birthday dinner. It was lovely. Jack had mussels, of course, and I shared Millie’s calamari. We had a birthday cake and the restaurant got totally quiet to play Happy Birthday over the loud speaker. Everyone had a great day. We went back to our room around 9:30 pm. The kids were on their iPads for about 10 minutes and then it was lights out for them. Stuart and I followed shortly after then. 

We got up Saturday morning and headed down for breakfast. The rest of the crew were a bit later for breakfast. They also decided to go to the pool for about an hour before we all met up at Warner Brothers Amusement Park. During Ramadan they were running a special for the theme parks. If you are a teacher, you could get 4 tickets for the price of 1. So we decided to take advantage of the savings. 

From tears to laughter. She’s had just been mad at me two seconds before. 

Bedrock!

Felt we were back in Arizona with Roadrunner and Wiley Coyote. 

The Mystery Machine is a bit smaller than I thought it would be. 

We spent the entire day at the park. The rides weren’t that crowded so the wait time was reasonable. The park closed at 6 pm, and that was when we left. Ian rode home with us from Abu Dhabi. We got home just before 8 pm. Millie showered and went straight to bed. Jack showered and stayed up for a bit. I unpacked all our laundry and started in on that. It was a great weekend, but after being so busy I always want another day. 

Working out is not my favorite.

Seems the punch Jack received the previous Friday resulted in a bit of evidence on his face. Bless him!

Sunday I was up and walking with Lara. We walked our normal 2 miles and I was home in plenty of time to make the kids’ lunches and shower to get ready for school. School flew by, yet again. In the middle of the day I got a call from the golf club. I had won a Mother’s Day gift basket from a raffle I entered. I paid around $6 for the three tickets and won probably $200 worth of spa vouchers and Body Shop products. Score! Naturally, Millie felt she was entitled to some of the spoils. 

I worked out without Hannah, but she sent me my instructions so I knew what to do with my weight regime. Once I was finished at the gym, I went down to the pool where Jack, Millie and Stuart were. It seemed none of our friends came to the pool. I wasn’t going to do my laps, but in the end I figured I was already there so I’d might as well get some more fitness in. So I swam for 30 minutes. 

When we got home Stuart made me a Mother’s Day dinner of lamb. Millie actually ate hers without throwing a fit! It was delicious. 

Once the kids were in bed, Stuart and I started watching Jailbirds on Netflix. Those women are rough. We love shows like that as it always makes our lives look like a piece of cake.  

I got up Monday not feeling so hot. I was just a bit flu-like all day. At school we had to fill out our intent form. So as crazy as it may sound, I indicated I wasnted to move to Year 1 (Kindergarten) to be the year group leader. I want to make sure if any other leadership positions opened up, I would want them to know I had expressed my interest and willingness to be a year group leader. And, since I know what the children need to be prepared for Year 2, why not share my knowledge as the Year 1 team leader? 

I decided not to go to the pool or to work out. I went home and chilled while Stuart went to a meeting regarding the new kit for the rugby team’s next year. I went to bed at 8:30 because I was frustrated that the kids wouldn’t go to sleep. I ended up waking up at 2:30 am, thinking I’d had a full night’s sleep, which for me, I had. Needless to say, I tossed and turned the rest of the sleeping time. My alarm went off at 5:30 am, so I got up and walked with Lara. 

I felt better on Tuesday, so after school I went to pool and swam. I then worked out at the gym. I came home and bathed the dogs. I think bathing the dogs was the best workout. I was sweating like a horse after that experience. I showered myself after all of that, and relaxed a bit.  Cathy came over for dinner. She was a bit anxious for her doctor’s appointment on Wednesday as she was fearful her collapsed lung had returned. I went to bed early again. This working out thing can wear a girl out 

Wednesday I woke up without an alarm. I love that feeling. My teacher assistant wasn’t at school on Wednesday so it made for a very long day, even though we were on shorter hours. 

We decided not to go to the pool, but instead came home. On the way home I got a call from Cathy. She was crying. It seemed her breathing issue was back. They decided they would have to do surgery to cotterize the polyps that were bursting and creating the extra air in her chest. She was scared, but I assured her it would be okay. 

Jack and I worked on one of his homework projects. It was the first time I have ever sat down and enjoyed working with him on a school assignment. He took my suggestions and it was a lot of fun. It did involve chocolate, so that didn’t hurt matters. 

Hehad to prove that he could melt chocolate and then reshape it. 

He and Millie enjoyed the reshaping. 

Cathy came over for dinner. Carly came over as well. Sean has been in Australia and our cleaning lady has been staying with Carly. I saw Carly at Abela and she said she was bored, so I invited her to dinner. She jumped at the chance and stayed until about 9 pm. 

I think Cathy was in a better mood when she left, so that was nice. She does have strange medical things happen to her. 

Thursday my teaching assistant wasn’t in school again. It’s crazy how reliant I am on her presence in the class. The day flew by, which made things easier. We went to the pool after school and picked Carly up on our way. I felt bad we had not really invited her to do more while Sean was gone. 

After we swam for a bit, I took Jack to Adam’s for a sleepover. When I returned to the club I met up with two of my teammates for dinner, Joan and Peter. When we had finished eating, we came home and Carly and Millie watched Mary Poppins Returns. Millie fell asleep on the sofa around 8 pm and Carly decided to go home around 9 pm. She just lives across the street so she walked home. Stuart has gone to bed just before Millie fell asleep because he had to get up early to collect Sean from the airport. 

I woke up around 5:30 am Friday morning. It was way too early. I folded a load of laundry and then went downstairs. I decided to make blueberry muffins. I continued shuffling laundry and then fed the dogs. Millie woke up at 6:30 am, which is also too early for her. When Stuart returned from the airport, we went to visit Cathy. She had been admitted to the hospital even though she was not due to have the surgery until Sunday. After our visit, we picked Jack up from his sleepover. 

Once we were back home we all showered and got ready to go to brunch. We went with the Weirs and the Farahs. They have children about the same age as ours and the same gender. The kids sat at one table and we sat at the other. The kids all had their iPads and would pop outside from time to time to play. I’m sure we could have won Parents of the Year at that brunch, as we clearly ignored the children the entire time. 

Dressed up for the brunch. 

After brunch Sean came over. I heard some rustling out in our carport. When I went outside there was a sofa being delivered. We had purchased a sofa for the loft for about $35 from our friends, Jenny and Alex, who delivered it to us around 6:30 pm. I returned with them back to their house for a bit of a girls’ night. 

Saturday morning we got up and went back to the Rotana to pick up my car. We had cabbed it home Friday as both of us had a cocktail. Stuart had meeting at the club. I sat around the house doing what I love to do on a Saturday, NOTHING!!!! The kids went to play at Ian’s and I decided to make Hasselbavk Chicken. What? It was gorgeous. 

Stuart had another meeting at the club on Saturday evening. While he was gone, I invited Lara over for a chat. I do love living so close to our friends. Now, I’m just hoping she and her family don’t have to move. Their new contracts haven’t come out so they are not sure what their allowance will be for their accommodations. 

Another weekend in the books. We are halfway through Ramadan and all is well. Also, for anyone concerned, the travel advisory from the states to the UAE is only a Level 1. We are safe and fine, no matter what the news says. A travel advisory from the US to the UK was sent out at the end of April as a Level 2 due to terrorism. So looks like it’s safer to be in the UAE. So come for a visit. 

 

Ramadan Kareem

Well, we went to school on Sunday waiting for the announcement of Ramadan. Our hours are shorter during this month, which is our perk for sure. It was assumed, and the assumption was true, that our shortened days would start on Monday. 

Jack got to school and was disappointed he wasn’t invited to the Aquathon that was taking place that morning. When this Mama Bear found out the children were chosen from a paid after school club, and then randomly selected by the PE teachers, I was hot! I finally got my point across after the PE teacher emailed me for a third time and said ‘I am all about letting children participate and not as concerned about winning at this age’. Needless to say, I was irritated. I seldom defend my kids when they don’t get something they want, but this time I had to speak up. Jack is the fastest swimmer in the Junior school and he has won every running race in Year 5 this entire year. When I emailed back saying, ‘So you are telling me if our school was in a Math competition, we would seriously consider sending a mediocre math student?’ I also said, ‘So if we aren’t at a competition to win, then we are there NOT to win?’ I went on to say that participation and competition are very different things and there is a time and place for each of them. He got my point! Sadly, this attitude of everyone needs a trophy is what has created some of childish behavior in professional athletes. Give them their due because they are talented, but sometimes they are spoiled brats. Off my soapbox now. 

I walked Monday morning with Lara. It was also our first day of Ramadan timings. The day flew by. After school we went directly to the pool. I swam 1500 yards and then played in the plunge pool for about an hour. I then met Hannah in the gym to do my weight training. We ran 2 kilometers around the pitches. I was so pleased that I did it without stopping. The kids had stayed at the pool with Lara, so I ran down to get them. 

When I got home, I showered, ate dinner and headed to the hospital to see Cathy. She had been admitted because she had a collapsed lung. She is a medical phenomenon. We really shouldn’t giggle about it, but if I were to get a cold and Cathy were to catch the same cold, hers would end up as a collapsed lung because of complications. It’s so strange. 

Once I was home from the hospital, I went up and kissed the kids goodnight. Daddy had been in charge of getting them to bed. I continued watching my new series, Dead to Me. Sadly, there’s  one season out, so my obsession won’t last for long. 

Tuesday morning we were off to school. The frustrations that the morning brought on convinced Stuart and myself that the kids needed some new ‘to do’ lists. They have become a bit entitled lately, too expectant. It’s as if they feel we owe it to them to make their breakfast, bring them a glass of milk, and put away their clothes after I’ve washed, dried and folded them. It’s not that I don’t do these things for them, it’s just that they have started not helping at all. So, on Tuesday afternoon, once we were home from school, that all changed. The chore charts were posted on the kitchen cabinets. 

We went to get some flowers for Claire because her exams were starting on Wednesday. Since Cathy was in the hospital, we wanted to make sure Claire was being taken care of. 

I took Millie to dance and then headed to the mall to exchange a shirt I had bought for Stuart for his birthday. I failed to remember most of the shops would not be open. During Ramadan most shops don’t open until after the sun goes down. Of course American Eagle, where I got the shirt, was closed. So I headed back to the dance studio to wait for Millie to finish. 

On the way home, Millie talked to me about her ‘other mom’. She asked me how old she had to be to meet her. I told her when she was 18 if she wanted to find her I would help her. A few minutes passed and she suddenly said, ‘I don’t want to meet her!’ I asked her if she was okay and she just started sobbing, telling me she didn’t want another mommy because I was her mommy. I felt so badly. All I could say was , ‘Millie, no matter what you do in your life, I will always be your mommy!’ When we were home, she ate, showered and went to bed. I cried and cried after she was in bed. Then I messaged my mom, sister in law and niece for some advice about Millie’s feelings. Their words gave me strength and I know they are praying for all of us. 

Wednesday the kids got up and did the things on their new chore list. They were very excited. I had my end of year conversation with the head of the junior school.   It seems I’ve done a decent job this year. Whew!  After school I took the kids swimming. Jack and Millie ate at the club. Stuart had a meeting while I worked out with Hannah. When we were finished at the club, we went to visit Cathy. She had been released from the hospital with a clean bill of health. 

We got home a bit later than normal, but now that the kids don’t have to be up until later, it doesn’t really bother me. They showered and then went to bed. I wasn’t terribly hungry so I showered and perched myself on the sofa. I do love that sofa. 

Thursday, even though some of our staff are fasting, it was the prep team’s turn to bring breakfast. I brought/made waffles, as is expected now. I actually went early enough to get all of them made before class started. After school on Thursday Millie went to Alice’s to play. Jack and I went home and then Stuart joined us at the pool. I swam laps and then dipped in the pool with my friends for a bit. Jack went home with Ian and Stuart and I shared chicken wings before heading home ourselves. We had purchased a game for Jack on his PS4 that would help him earn Vbucks and stop asking us to buy them for him. I understand nothing of what I just wrote, but I do know he will stop pestering me now. 

Once we were home, Cathy came over. She was feeling better and we had curry for dinner. Jack played his PS4 and Millie showered and went to bed when she got home from Alice’s. 

Friday morning we got up, had coffee and went to the golf club participate in the parent child morning class. We had breakfast after an hour at the driving range. 

The family outing. 

Jack!

Mills!

Once we were back home I went to get a rug from Al Ain Swap and Shop. Since Duchess seemed to think the rug in our office was her personal pee pad, we needed a new rug. This time of year, when people are selling things to go home, you can get some real bargains. We moved the rug from the living room into the office and then put the new rug in the living room. I think it’s lovely. 

Lovely new rug!

We went to the club for a women’s match of 15s. It was a fun night until Jack got punched in the face by one of the most docile boys on his rugby team. Unfortunately, it was his mouth that got him into the mess in the first place. However, they were calling him ‘gay’, which he didn’t like and decided to slap his friend that said that to him. The great part was that since we are all friends, they all hugged it out and went on their merry way. 

But this shiner showed up on Saturday morning. 

After the match Friday night, we invited people back to our place. I am not sure I fully enjoyed it as I was upset about Jack’s evening. Lara, who has two boys older than Jack, told me that was just boys and he was bound to get into a fight at some stage. Ugh! I don’t like the ‘some stage’ feeling. 

Saturday morning we lazed around for most of the day. We went to look at a roof rack to put on our car so we can go camping. The one thing we screwed up when we sold Stuart’s F150 was the ability to go camping. When you no longer have a vehicle to put all your camping crap in, it makes it difficult to go camping. We decided it would be a good purchased for us. Again, the best time to get things is when people are desperate to sell things. 

The kids played at Ian’s most of the day. Whenthey got home, they showered and we had dinner. Then to bed they went to start it all over again. Week 1 of Ramadan is over. 

Mr Milnes does not disappoint

Sunday was the first day for Millie’s new teacher, Mr Milnes. Let’s just say, she loves her new teacher. He seems to be a bit more strict than her previous teacher, which is not necessarily a bad thing. It was his first day, but according to Millie he is the best teacher ever. 

The school day was long. But I had my new workout regime to look forward to.....Not! I started this dreaded new program with my co-social Secretary, Hannah. She’s a fit little gal and is going to help me get back into shape a bit. Over the last three years, since my surgery, I have let a few pounds creep their way back onto my ass. So I figured I had better get serious about getting it off so that I didn’t let it get further out of control. 

When I got home from the club, after the workout that nearly killed me, I  showered while Stuart made dinner. After dinner, the kids went to bed, and Stuart followed shortly after. I went to bed around 11 pm, which is a bit early for  me, sadly. 

Monday went fairly quickly. After school we went to Jack’s last swim gala. He got 1st in the freestyle swim, 2nd in the butterfly and he was the third leg in his relays. They didn’t win their relays, but in both races he surpassed the other teams on his third leg. 

Long and lean and ready to swim. 

He has to be the third leg in the relay because he’s the best diver off the blocks. 

After the gala, I stopped at the supermarket to get some ground beef. The kids had McDonalds, because we were too lazy to make them dinner.  I showered and ate dinner. The kids went to bed, and Stuart finished off his treasurer’s report for the Annual General Meeting and then went to put his last monies into the safe at the club. I know he is excited about his new role as Co-Chairman. 

I fell asleep on the sofa and got up to go to bed at half ten. I then woke up at 1:15 am and felt as if I’d had a full night’s sleep. How excited was I to find out I got to sleep four more hours?

Tuesday, school was busy as usual. Tuesdays, as I may have mentioned a time or two or ten, is my toughest teaching day. Yet I find myself to be most productive on this day, which is nice. When I left school I went to work out with Hannah. I thought I was going to cry. She’s a machine! 

I left the gym with wobbly legs and went to pick Millie up from dance. When we got home dinner was ready. I watched television for the evening, which is my way to have brainless input after a long day. 

Wednesday after school, we went to the pool to swim. I thought this would help me to work out some sore muscles. We decided to eat at the club. During the session at the pool, we found out that all our friends who work for Abu Dhabi Education Council will have new contracts next year at a lot less money. It’s so sad to see this happen. Private schools seem to be fine st the moment. And although this is still a very lucrative gig, the cuts are happening and will continue to happen. 

Thursday after school we went to the club around 5 for the AGM (Annual General Meeting). The kids swam during the meeting. The new committee was elected and the new Chairman, our friend Sean, immediately got his ducks in a row and started planning for the coming rugby season. We got home around 8 pm and went to Lara and Brian’s for a chat. 

Friday we just lazed around the house. I took the kids to the pool around 2 pm. I worked out while they swam. Jack was there for a birthday party. We left around 5:30 pm to come home and go to Lara and Brian’s for their annual Cinco de Mayo party. We had a great time with friends. We planned for future outings with our friend Jane who is returning to New Zealand this summer.  At the end of every school year we all start to load up our social calendar with those who are returning to their home country for good. This year I feel there will be an extra few leaving after the new contracts came out. It makes me sad, but I totally understand their reasoning. 

Kiwi friend Jane, and Lara photo bombing in the background. 

Saturday morning we got up and went to test drive a Ford Ranger. Stuart loves buying new cars. Sean went with us and while he was driving a dog ran out in front of us and he hit it. Ugh! Not nice. Sadly it didn’t kill the dog because we drove by on the other side of the road and the dog was kind of sitting up, but clearly couldn’t move it’s back legs. The good thing is, usually, someone in a truck stops and moves the hit animal to the side of the road. I hate to even see birds get hit. It’s so sad. 

After the unfortunate event of the dog being hit, we headed to the  grocery store for some things we needed for lunch this upcoming week. With Ramadan starting in a few days, the grocery stores are packed. The traffic is a bit like it would be at home on Christmas Eve. Everyone is making that mad rush for those last minute items. It’s manic!

We spent the rest of the day at home. Stuart went to the club to meet with the Chairman, Sean, his bestie, and the Clubhouse Manager. The members decided to change the Clubhouse Manager’s role a bit. He is now in charge of the business side of things and negotiating contracts from sponsors. With that comes extra responsibility, therefore a raise in salary was asked for, and granted. We are already heading in the right direction with this new committee. 

I took Jack to another birthday party at Bounce at 4:15 pm, while Stuart was in his meeting. He, then, had to collect Jack at 6:30 pm. Anyone want to guess what the Saturday evening is like on the roads the two days before Ramadan. The trip home should have taken about 20 minutes, instead it took nearly 45 minutes. Joy! Millie was already in bed, and Jack showered, had some fruit and went to bed. 

The weekend was one social event after another. This time of year, when everything slows down, we wouldn’t have it any other way.