A busy week ahead!

On Sunday the school day seemed to never end. It seems there closer we get to the end of the term, the more things that are piled upon us. Thank goodness this job is so rewarding!

I had a follow up appointment at the doctor about my knee. He concluded that he could go in and repair the torn meniscus that they found, which he believed was partially scar tissue from the first surgery I had 4 years ago. However, he said that what they really do is just continue to shave that torn part off. After a while there is nothing to shave off and a knee replacement becomes the solution. He said if I wasn’t suffering of pain too much it would be best just to leave it alone. He said if the fluid on the knee didn’t go away in another week to come and see him and he would aspirate it. Bye bye knee doctor!

Jack had a golf lesson that Stuart took him to. Because I was at the doctor, Millie had to go with them. I met them there afterward and we had dinner. During dinner we started to talk about the expectations he would have upon him next year when he joined the senior school. We told him that we would expect him to start helping pack his own lunch. He then stated to me that would be fine with him as he didn’t ‘fancy’ all the fruit I put in his lunch each day. Any idea how difficult my children will find reacclimating into the Arizona world once we return? Their use of language will be foreign to all they encounter. It should be interesting. 

Millie has edemame for dinner. This kid’s eating habits totally baffle me. 

Once we were home I headed over to Lara’s for a chat. One of their kittens was struggling, not eating and the breathing was belabored. It made me so sad. I suppose that’s nature’s way sometimes. 

Monday I was up and off to school as usual. I met with the Head of the Junior school for feedback from my interview for the head of year postition. In that I was told Mr McArthur wanted me to consider going to Year 3. I was actually very excited as I wanted to take the one student who I have worked so hard with this year. So at the end of the day it was decided. 

Millie had gymnastics and was, once again, the only student in the class. So the coach took this opportunity to have her learn the floor routine they would be performing in September. Since she will be moving to the advanced class at that time, it made total sense to me. She did amazing! She learned it in the hour we were there. I think he was impressed. I know I was. 

We headed to the club for a meeting about the Splash Bash. Our committee seems much more organized, yet a bit more stressful than the last two years. However, I think we will be more efficient and productive. 

We home and were watching television. Jack was watching his iPad, but always has the volume on his head set low enough to be able to keep tabs on what Stuart and I are watching. Millie was already in bed. He overheard something on the television, definitely adult humor but not a show that we would even think about watching only when he was in bed. I ended up having to explain ‘a relationship based on sex’. These conversations with my kids just seem to get more fun by the day. 

Tuesday morning we were up and out the door. Jack has his year 5 show rehearsal in the morning and Stuart  came to school to see the performance for the parents in the afternoon. Jack was very entertaining. He did what he could to engage the audience.  Jack went to swim squad after school. Millie went home with Stuart and he took her to gymnastics. Jack and I came home after he finished swim squad. On the way home we stopped to get him McDonalds. Then Stuart got McDonalds for Millie on their way home from gymnastics. I’m afraid McDonalds sees a bit too much of us these days. 

Jack was a character from the game Clue. The show was based on video games compared to board games and the different human interaction you have when you play board games. It was an excellent production. 

After we were all home, Cathy and Claire came over for take away. The kids had to sleep in Millie’s bed as Jack’s air conditioner had not been working for over a week. They kicked up a fuss and didn’t end up going to sleep until around 9 pm. Millie can’t stand it when we have people over and she has to go to bed, even on a school night. Both kids get confused between ‘their time with us’ and ‘adult time’. 

Wednesday morning both kids had difficulty getting up for school. Jack spent the day in the Senior School for his transition day. The rules in the senior school are much more strict. I’m afraid the adjustment period for him next year might be a bit rough. We shall see. We had our moving up day in the junior school as well but it was only for an hour. All my current children found out I would be a Year 3 teacher next year. Although I will not be looping with my pupils, we do stream children according to abilities so there will be times I have several of the same children I had this year in either Math or English. 

When we got home from school on Wednesday, the kids got ready for a play date with Salma and Adam. A little later in the day than I liked, but because it was the end of the week I wasn’t terribly bothered. Salma and Adam are going back to Egypt for good this summer. It continues to be the hardest part of living here. Eventually, people leave. While the kids were at their play date, Stuart and I had a date. We went to the mall and then had dinner at Chili’s. We did a bit of grocery shopping and then headed to pick the kids up. 

We forfeited showers and both kids went straight to be. Millie was a nightmare again. She’s such a creature of habit. If she goes to bed more than an hour after her regular bedtime, she finds it difficult to cope and actually go to sleep. She screamed and yelled the house down. Needless to say this behavior cost her the iPad for a few days. When the kids lose their iPad as a consequence, it’s truly awful. Because we only let them use their iPads at the weekend, they are limited to begin with. She was not happy. 

I meant to get up at 5 am on Thursday morning because my team was to provide breakfast, but I must have turned my alarm off. And I woke up at 6 am. I had too much to do in too little time, but I managed in the end because Stuart finished my egg casserole and brought  it to school for me, along with Millie, who wasn’t ready for school when Jack and I left the house. I also made waffles when I got to school. We ended on a good note for breakfasts for the year. 

Although Jack is the size of a teenager, he is still in the mind of a 10 year old. He came to me before school started to tell me he was going to get Star if the Week. He was so pleased with himself. It was because of his engaging energy in the Year 5 production. 

After school we rushed home in order to get to the club for the annual Splash Bash. It was epic. The foam machine, water slides, and water games were phenomenal. And as always, my volunteers were amazing. They make my job as the social secretary so very easy. 

There were two water slides and a foam machine. 

The kids couldn’t get enough of the foam. 

One of my helpers. 

Even I got in the foam. 

After the evening not to forget, and a weary set of kids as well as myself, we headed home, Tommy in tow for a sleepover. The boys stayed up for a bit after showering foam and grass off their bodies. Millie had grass in her butt crack. She quickly went to bed. They all had played hard and were exhausted. It was a wonderful end of the year event. 

Friday we kind of lazed around the house. Gene picked Tommy up at 10 am after a breakfast of bacon, sausage, eggs and toast. When we asked Tommy if he wanted bacon, his response was ‘I don’t know if I’ve ever had bacon’, which confused us, but we went on with breakfast. When the bacon was on his plate, he said, ‘Oh, rashers!’ I think told him he had learned a new English word. He’s Irish, which just goes to show you that even though it seems you speak the same language as someone else, it’s not always that easy. 

In the afternoon we went to the pool to hang out with Jane, Bryce and their kids. As I have mentioned in the past two weeks, they are leaving for New Zealand for good in a few weeks. I find that when I realize someone is leaving for good, I seem to try to get closer to them. However, we have found that sometimes the only way some of our friends can cope is by pushing people away when they realize they will be separated. Human reaction is so strange. We will see the Prichards again. They are good people and we’ve had some good times together. New Zealand, we will come visit at some stage. 

At any rate, we spent about 5 hours at the pool. The kids had a blast, except when Jack got hit in the face with a tennis ball by Stuart and pouted for over an hour. That child doesn’t always make the best use of his time and energy. He just makes himself miserable and tries to make others feel the same. I’m hoping he grows out of this, gets over things he can’t change, and  starts enjoying time with friends a bit more. 

Once we were home, we all showered and the kids went to bed. Stuart and I stayed up to watch television for a bit and then Stuart went to bed. I stayed up and rekindled my love for Keeping Up With The Kardashians. They are an interesting family, to say the least. 

Saturday morning we got the delivery of our new air conditioning unit. Yahoo! The dirty and sand nearly kill units in a year if not cleaned properly. The men started working while I made cupcakes for the Favorites party I was going to at 2 pm. 

I also made brownies for a little party my team was having for one of the teachers who is leaving and going to Saudi next year. That party would be Sunday during period 2, but because our day was so busy, I thought I had probably get them made in the morning while the oven was on. 

While our unit was still being installed, Millie and I headed to gymnastics. I’m amazed at how much she has improved in these three weeks we have been coming to practice. I so look forward to her being in competitions next year. We have finally gotten her into an activity that she will excel in, I believe. She’s so happy. 

After gymnastics we took my car to the dealership to have it serviced. We dropped it off and they would be servicing it on Sunday morning. We came back to the house and I headed to DeDe’s, with Cathy, to the Favorites party. I really enjoy these few hours with the girls. It’s always nice to be with friends. DeDe is continuing to have a bit of difficulty as she navigates her way through her divorce. It’s so sad to see families break up. It seems it’s more exaggerated here because we all become ‘family’. It just makes me concentrate on my own marriage and causes Stuart and I to have needed conversations to protect our relationship. Prayer is also needed on a daily basis. 

The party was really nice but most of the participants were a bit disheartened over all the changes made with the government schools this year. Their contracts have changed dramatically. However, we all still make a lot more money here than we would at home. It’s just that the government schools are not doing what they planned to do when we came here 6 years ago. Fortunately, for Stuart and I the private schools are making a huge difference and our kids love the diversity. 

We had a committee meeting at 5:30 pm on Saturday night so we headed to the club once I was home from the party. We discussed the Open Day we would have once we returned to the new school year. It’s time to get away for a bit. 

On a good note, Stuart rearranged our room and our AC unit was FREEZING! Score!

Fluid on the knee you say? Something caught in my esophagus, you say? Getting older you say?

I woke up Sunday morning with a tiny child in my bed and a super puffy knee. It was clear that I had fluid on it. I went to school and as the day went on, it started to ache a bit more. It was clear that I would have to see a doctor pretty soon. 

I finished up my reporting while at school. The day flew by and the children were better behaved than they had been the previous week. Once school was over, we headed to get some chocolate for Stuart to go with his Father’s Day present. The kids got a chocolate as well, of course. I made Millie dinner when we got to the house. Jack had a snack while I took a skirt, that needed mending, to Lara’s. When I returned home we left for the golf club for Jack’s second lesson. Millie and I had a soda in the restaurant and waited for him to finished. 

Of course when we got home Jack had to show me what he had learned with his driver. He nearly broke a mirror. Why did he think it was okay to demonstrate his new found abilities IN the house? Who knows. More importantly, why did I not stop him? Who knows. 

He and Millie went up for showers and then Millie had a snack and went to bed on time, for a change. I sat and watched Real Housewives of New Jersey, which is such trash. Jack has a snack and then went to bed. I waited up for Stuart but dozed in and out of sleep. He landed around 11:30 pm, but didn’t actually get home until after 2 am. He unpacked and we talked for a bit and then I think we realized that sleep was important, so we went to bed. 

Monday morning’s get up was difficult. The kids were excited to see Daddy and of course they enjoyed the presents he brought. Stuart was off to work just after 6 while I finished off lunches. Once we were at school I discovered I would be covering for a Year 1 teacher for the second lesson. As bummed as I was to not have that hour free, I enjoyed being with those little ones. The rest of my day flew by. At the end of the day I had a meeting with a father whose son is a bahavior problem as well as struggles with academics. The Head of the Junior School was with me and made it very clear that this child could not return to our school next year without having a one to one shadow teacher for the next school year. In this country, those one on one shadow teachers are at the expense of the family. So as you could guess, we wondered what the reaction would be. To our surprise, they were very supportive. 

We missed Millie’s gymnastics class. Fortunately, we can go any three nights we chooose, so we decided to skip Monday’s class and make it up further in the week. We went to Lara and Brian’s to see that one of the kittens had opened her eyes. How do I know it was a ‘her’, you may ask? Well, because it’s a calico cat and all calico cats are female, which I never knew until this cat was born. 

When we left Lara and Brian’s, I went to the doctor, as I had decided I needed to have the fluid on my knee looked at. The doctor ordered an MRI just to make sure everything was okay. So I will just wait for the approval to come through and go from there. I got home and had some of the casserole I had put in the slow cooker on Sunday evening. Stuart finished unpacking and sorting his stuff from his trip. When I got back from the doctor, Millie went to bed. She was exhausted for sure. Jack followed shortly as did Stuart and myself. We all needed a good night’s rest. 

Tuesday morning I was up and raring to go. Jack had swim squad, or so we thought. It turns out that it is no longer held in the mornings for the remainder of the year. Instead, he went after school as I was in my staff briefing. Then the three of us headed to gymnastics. As Millie tumbled, Jack and I went to get water balloons for the upcoming Splash Bash at the club. It’s our last big event of the year. We returned to watch Millie for about 15 minutes. After gymnastics, we went to the club for dinner. Stuart had a meeting there so it only made sense for us to meet him there and eat. I was going to sort out the things I needed for the Splash Bash but they had been moved and no one knew where the things were. The club house assistant manager promised me he would find the things the following day. 

Once we were home, both kids showered and Millie went straight to bed. Jack made himself a PBJ as he has gone off the food at the club recently. He then was in bed by 9 pm, which is past his bedtime, but we stayed longer at the club than normal. 

I stayed downstairs after Stuart went to bed. When I woke up I had this horrible pain in my esophagus. It was as if there was food stuck in it. It was a bit like acid reflux, from what I remember when I was pregnant with Jack, but it was quite a bit more intense. I hardly slept because every time I swallowed I woke up with the pain. It was horrible. It just got worse throughout Wednesday, to the point that I had tried Gaviscon, chewable antacid meds, and even milk. I told my Deputy Head of Academics as she was interviewing me that morning for the Year 1 team leader. I told her if I suddenly gagged it had nothing to do with her. She just laughed. 

The interview went well. I suppose I will find out in a little bit just how well it went. Our Year 1 team has been a bit disheveled all year.  Since I was in Year 2 this year, we received their children from the previous year. There seems to be a disconnect between our nursery children, our Year 1s and our Year 2s, but our Year 1s have had the biggest struggle and always will. Year 1 is a huge jump as this is where the curriculum gets more intensive for children. The British curriculum is about a year higher than the states, which is a whole other challenge. Anyway, I think I’m the best person for the job, but I may not be. We shall see. 

Our Year 2 children went ice skating on Wednesday for our last school trip. Millie was a natural but I was amazed at how many children needed the supports. It might have been a bit dangerous. Oops!

After school, with esophagus still in pain, we headed home. Millie got her leotard on and Jack got his golf gear on. We were each taking a kid to a sporting event. I dropped Millie at gymnastics and headed to Mcadonalds, thinking ice cream would soothe my issues. Unfortunately, that was not true. In fact, it might have made things worse. I picked Millie up at 5:30. When we got home, she showered and I fixed her pasta with butter. White food! It’s what’s for dinner. Stuart had stopped to get pies for him and Jack. I told him I didn’t want anything. If I didn’t get this throat thing sorted, I wouldn’t be eating anything. It hurt too badly. Once he was home, I headed to urgent care, where I sat with about 20 other people. What a way to spend a Wednesday evening.  In the end I was referred to an ENT and seen that evening. She did a endoscopy, which is terribly pleasant, especially for someone whose gag reflex is so sensitive. Every time I gagged, I apologized. In the end she diagnosed me with GERD which is an issue for older people. There you have it. At any rate, she gave me a medication and Gaviscon. She told me if it wasn’t better in two weeks to come back to see her. I expect to lose weight with this issue as I truly couldn’t swallow anything. I got home around 9 pm, showered and slept downstairs in order to be able to prop myself up. That was also a recommendation of the doctor. 

I didn’t sleep well at all, but was hopeful the medication would start to work. Work was a bit disappointing as I was informed I didn’t get the Head of Year 1 position. The person who was appointed was someone who has never taught anything lower than Year 3 and doesn’t have nearly the experience I have. However, I am a true believer that what happens is meant to be. The Head of the Junior School set a time to give me feedback regarding my interview. He said he appreciated my honesty throughout the interview, but sometimes I was too honest. I will listen to him and do what I can to improve upon myself, but I’m also under the belief that the way I interview is who I am and if it’s not a fit for someone or they don’t like that part of me, then I’m not the person for the job. After 51 years I’m not going to dramatically change who I am. It’s not possible or reasonable. I was disheartened, but recovered quickly. I had no choice. 

Thursday evening we stayed at home and watched a couple of Bond films. We had invited people over but everyone had other plans. I still wasn’t feeling brilliant so that was all to fine by me. 

Friday morning we got up and went to the grocery store. We also went to fill our propane tank. Friday was Lara and Brian’s anniversary. We had their family and Sean over for a cookout. It was so hot outside that only Stuart went out were the grill was. He made everything! Bless him. We played cards most of the evening, which was really fun. We played a game called ‘Oh heck’, which was fast paced and a bit brainless. There is a strategy to it, but of course I never figured that part out. 

Saturday morning we were up and had breakfast. I took Millie to gymnastics and then headed to the club to sort out the Splash Bash items for Thursday, which thankfully they had found. It just took me a few minutes, so then I headed back to the gymnastics class. We got home and Millie had lunch. I took some more Gaviscon after I ate. My burning esophagus had subsided quite a bit, which I was so thankful for. 

At 3 pm, I headed to the doctor for my MRI on my knee. Stuart took Jack to a birthday party at Bounce and Millie has to ride along. Because Bounce is on the other side of town, Stuart decided to stay on that side and take Millie to McDonalds for dinner. Jack would eat at the birthday party and then both kids would be sorted for the evening. After my MRI I headed home to watch some trash television in total seclusion. I’ve discovered I enjoy being alone at times. 

When Stuart got home with the kids, they went to take showers. Millie went to bed shortly after her shower. Jack stayed up for another hour and had a snack. Cathy dropped by after Claire’s graduation. Claire will move back tithe U.K. this summer. It’s hard to believe that we now have to break in a new babysitter. Cathy will be an empty nester, but she’s coming to work at Brighton next year so she will have some new single friends to hang out with. Plus, she’s moving to a complex where a lot of Brighton people live. I think she will have plenty of social activity to keep her busy. Stuart and I called it a night once Cathy had gone. Only 10 more days with students. Yahoo! We are almost there. 

4 weeks left....4 LONG WEEKS!

Getting up earlier than we did during the month of Ramadan proved to be very challenging for the kids. I was up and walking at 4:45 am, so I clearly didn’t have a problem. Jack and Millie faffed about until their inability to get out of the door on time threw me off my routine causing me to leave my phone at home. Ugh!

School drug on for forever. I had my interview for the lead teacher for Year 1 (kindergarten).  I felt it went alright, but suspect since I have never taught that year group, I won’t be seriously considered. Time will tell, I suppose. 

I was going to go to the gym after school to workout, but since it was 113 degrees outside, once I got home I had no interest in going back out into that oven. Plus, my knee was still pretty tender. Jack had his first golf lesson at 5 pm. Stuart took him. A video was posted of his first shot and a shot after 30 minutes of instruction. He really does listen to and follow instructions unless they are given my Stuart or myself.  Jack and Stuart got home and we all had dinner. The kids went to bed and Stuart and I watched some television. 

Monday during the first lesson, Joan and I went to get sweets  for our sweet shop we were having later in the week. We ended up eating breakfast at Le Brioche. Cheeky of us, I know. Stuart came to change over the title of the Dodge Durango we decided to buy off of a guy who is leaving in July. We are serial cat buyers. It’ss nuts! So now we have to sell Stuart’s car. 

After school the kids and I came home. I took Millie to gymnastics and she loved it. She had her own personal lesson, which was awesome for her. When Millie and I got home we had dinner. When I put her to bed she had a meltdown because Stuart was leaving in an hour. Just after Jack went to bed, and Stuart left for the airport. I slept on the sofa for a while. I almost always go up to bed later than Stuart, but when he’s gone I stay on the sofa even longer. 

I got up and walked the dogs on Tuesday morning, knowing my day would be super long. I had a disciplinary issue at school which was terribly draining. Private message me if you want to know what it was. 

We had our staff briefing after school. Then I was off because Millie had her demonstration performance at ballet and gymnastics dance. This was the last time she would be with these teachers as they are both returning to the UK. Her teacher named two girls as the ones with the most potention and gave each of them a gym mat. Millie was one of those girls and was so pleased. 

McDonalds was our dinner of choice, as is with every Tuesday evening. When it was bedtime, Millie had another meltdown because she had lines to memorize for the assembly Thursday as a member of Pupil Council. I clearly wasn’t helping her the way she wanted me to.  I so look forward to when her hormones actually kick in. She finally chilled out and practiced her lines, after a shower.  All the children were in bed by 9 pm. It was a later night than I cared for and I suspected getting ready for school on Wednesday would be challenging. 

My alarm went off to walk the dogs but I just couldn’t be asked.  The kids actually got ready much more easily than I had anticipated.  Once we were at school, I met with the naughty child’s mother. She was very supportive. My students at school are off the hook. They are already on summer holidays and having difficulty concentrating. 

On the way home from school we stopped at the supermarket Jack got a hair cut. 

Slick!

Millie had gymnastics again on Wednesday evening. In three lessons, I am amazed at what she had done. 

We got home and I made dinner for the kids. They showered and then were off to bed. Lara came over for a chat but left just before 10 pm. 

Thursday I was thrilled the week was over.  On the way home from school, we stopped at the grocery store for some needed items. Jack was collected at 4:30 to go to his golf tournament, where he shot a 30 and won 1st place in the division 2 group. He was so pleased with himself. He had one lesson and improved his round of 9 holes by 17 strokes. Amazing, that boy!

Fraser is the golf pro who has been giving Jack lessons. 

Friday morning I had every intention of going to church but didn’t feel so hot. The kids played and I laid on the sofa. My knee was kind of giving me issues so I considered going to the doctor, but in the end decided I wouldn’t. 

Friday was Cathy’s birthday, so we went to dinner with her, her mother and Claire. We went to Off the Hook, our new found favorite seafood place. We had a lovely evening and because I didn’t get her a birthday gift, I decided to pay for dinner. They all came back to ours for a while and then we called it a night around 9 pm. 

Saturday morning I invited some of my girlfriends over for a light brunch. I made an egg casserole and muffins. We spent a couple of hours just gabbing to each other. Lara left first as she had to tutor. Rochelle and Leanna left just before 1 pm, at which point Lara came back and Brian joined her. 

Lara, Jane, Jenny, and half of me. I’m not the best at selfies. 

Then our friends from New Zealand, Jane and Bryce, came over. They are leaving this year for good. Jenny and Alex Brown also wandered over. All of these people live in our compound so get togethers are super easy and happen quite often, without prior planning. The kids ate and showered just after 6 and then the crew moved the party to Brian and Lara’s to play darts. I’m not a dart girl, so the kids and I called it a night. 

New tires, a week off work and all is well

The first day of our Eid holiday I didn’t wake up until 8:30 am. Jack actually woke up to come and ask Stuart why Tommy wasn’t still at our house. Stuart explained that Tommy decided he wanted to watch the Liverpool match with his dad, which started at 11 pm our time. 

Once I was up, I Skyped Grammie and Pop and we sorted out details of Stuart returning to Arizona in a week or so. I can’t remember if I wrote about it, but his new green card he came to get in February never showed up at my parents’ house. So, lucky him, he gets to do it all again, which requires him to attend an appointment in Arizona. We also talked about our holiday in Italy this summer. We are all very excited. We do love to go to different countries with our family. We get to spend more quality time with them when we go to a destination. 

Stuart went to get new tires for my car and now hopefully that car is sorted for a while. We then went to the grocery store. It was our big outing of the day. Once we were home, Joan had messaged and said she would pick up both kids at 3 pm for a sleepover. It really helped us out as we had our committee meeting at the club Sunday evening. 

We left for the club just before 5 pm. Our meeting lasted nearly three hours. I’m hoping that was a one off, otherwise I may have to step down from social secretary. 

Jack and Millie called to say goodnight. Jack informed me that he scored a 29 on the academy golf course that evening. It seems he’s a bit of a natural. He is going to have some lessons this month. Why does he LOVE every sport he plays? It’s going to get expensive! 

Stuart got up at 3 am to go with Brian to fish in Fujeriah. Allegedly they were going to do some maintenance on Brian’s boat, but I think it was just an excuse to catch some fish. I just hoped he would bring home some fish. 

The kids and I really did nothing all day. I did some laundry and then parked it on the sofa for the day. Stuart messaged around 3:30 pm to say we were going to Lara and Brian’s for fish! 

Here is the Mahi Mahi he caught. 

Once Stuart was home we went to Lara and Brian’s for fish! It was delicious! The Barricuda that Brian caught was a bit bony, but the Mahi Mahi was quite tasty. 

Tuesday morning we got up and went to see Aladdin. Cathy and her mum came with us. The film was amazing, even Jack liked it. He was cranky before the movie because I was forcing him to see it with us. He admitted that he was glad in the end. Since he has lost his PlayStation ......again because Stuart got an email from PlayStation warning he might lose his playing privileges due to questionable content in his chats, he didn’t have anything else to do. When he fessed up to what he did, which was write ‘F you’ to someone he was playing with was being rude to him. Of course, said person reported him to Sony, as you would. We have told him countless times to not get into a conversation with people who he doesn’t know. It’s so aggravating to take that silly PS4 away every other week, but at least we have a consequence for him that really matters to him. But never mind!

Aladdin and snacks!

After the movie, we walked around the mall and then decided to have lunch. Then, because Jack and Millie couldn’t stop pestering each other, we headed home. Once we were home, we watched Netflix. Then Jack and Stuart headed to the golf course, while Millie and I headed to her next to last dance class for this school year. 

When we got home, Millie showered and ate dinner, as did Jack. Cathy and her mum came over. We had an evening of chatting and music. I do so appreciate our friendships here, although I miss my friends from home for sure. 

Wednesday morning we got up and got ready to go up the mountain to the Mercure, a hotel that has a pool and water slides. We met Joan, Tommy and Alice up there. We stayed for several hours. Tommy and Alice came home with us. Stuart took the boys to the driving range, while Millie, Alice and I watched Trolls. We were exactly sure if Alice would spend the night, but she did. And this was how the 4 of them slept. 

Jack took up almost half the bed. Bless their little hearts! Millie was actually supposed to be in between Alice and Jack. Not sure what happened there, but they all slept through the night, although Millie must have been kicked out in the middle of the night because I found her in her bed the following morning. 

Breakfast was waffles with Nutella and syrup. 

Clearly all children didn’t reapply sunscreen from the previous day. Oops! 

Stuart had his broken tooth extracted at 9 am, then went to the club for a meeting with Andrew. He returned just before Alice and Tommy were picked up around 11 am. Jack and Millie headed to a birthday party at Ian’s at 1 pm. After the party, one of Lara and Brian’s friends came to our house and sorted out our television so I could indulge in my trash tv once again. 

I took Jack to his first ever golf tournament around 5 pm. It was recommended we follow him around for the first couple of tournaments so he knew all the rules and was less inclined to cheat. 

He was in a group of three. One of the boys was Tommy, the other one was Jacques, one of my former teacher’s sons. So I walked around with Shannon as well. While I was at the tournament, Millie lost another tooth. She had to send me a picture. She’s so funny! Jack didn’t do so well his first round, and he was really discouraged by it. But he came out of it pretty quickly. He had fun and said he would do it again. He starts lessons on Sunday, so that will help. 

I was up Friday morning and went to Dubai with DeDe I hadn’t seen her in so long. She has been going through some rough times so it was good to catch up with her and do a bit of shopping. We also ate at our favorite Mexican place and did our usual shopping trip to Park and Shop. It was a great day. 

I was home by 4:15, which was much earlier than expected. Stuart had gone to brunch with his rugby team. 

He and Sean came back to ours after brunch, but Sean didn’t stay long. Stuart went to bed early and I watched trash on television. It was a good day!

Saturday morning I woke up at 5:30 am. Why is our body clock so bossy sometimes? It’s irritating. We all lounged around until about 10:30 when I took Millie to her first gymnastics class in Al Ain. It was a beginners class so I wasn’t sure she would like it. I was hopeful that the coach would watch her and maybe decideshe could cope with the advanced class. She was clearly more skilled than the other little ones in the group. 

After the class the coach told me for this last month of school she would be enrolled in the general class and then when school started in September she would be moved into the advanced class. She was thrilled. She gets an official leotard and everything. 

Once we were home from the class, the kids played and we watched television. It was another lazy day. I love them so. Around 3:30 I got a message that Lara’s cat was getting ready to have her kittens. We all went over for a while, but the silly things didn’t come until around 7:30, so we didn’t actually witness it but the kids were still excited. 

Sean, Carly, Cathy and Pamela (Cathy’s mum) came over for take out. They all left around 9 pm and we called it a night. 

The kids insisted on playing Pie Face when Carly and Sean arrived Saturday evening. Millie was the only one who got the pie in her face, and hair, and on her shirt. Ugh! Why do people think this is a good birthday present? 

Last week of Ramadan hours....we think.

I got up Sunday morning, and although I was tired from the weekend, I had to walk. Lara had hurt her foot at the water park so she was out, which meant I could go a lot faster and it would benefit me more. So off I went. I was stopped about halfway on my journey and asked for my phone number by a local guy. I find this to be so funny, as it’s Ramadan and that’s a no-no on a normal day, let alone during Ramadan. He asked my why I wouldn’t give him my number. I told him I was married and had children. He then said, ‘Okay, well you are very pretty!’ I said thank you and went on my merry way. The nerve of some people continues to astound me. 

Sunday school was school.  Jack didn’t want to go to the pool, after school, with his friend Adam so I took him home and Millie and I went to swim. I swam laps and Millie played with a friend. Hannah met us at the pool and stayed with Millie while I worked out in the gym, under her orders. We came home after my workout. Jack and Millie showered and then Cathy and company came over. What a pleasant surprise to see Kayleigh, who had flown in for the week to be with Cathy. They stayed for a bit and then were off. 

Monday I walked alone again. School was nothing special. Although I love the fewer hours at school, I am ready to get back to our regular schedule in two weeks. I took the kids swimming after school. Jack went home with Stuart. I followed shortly after with Millie. We received the email to say we had the entire week of Eid Al Fitr off. 

We received news on Monday that Stuart’s grandmother had passed away. She was 93 years old. 

We all showered and got ready for the Brighton College Iftar at the Danat. Jack and Millie ate absolutely nothing. I warned them both that when we got home the kitchen would be closed so if they wanted anything to eat they would need to get it while we were at the hotel. They both refused. Once we were home, they went straight to bed. Neither of them said one word about food. I think they have finally learned that when it comes to food offering, we are serious.

Lara and I walked on Tuesday morning. She was especially slow, but also said her foot was killing her. Once I was at school, I kind of lost the will to teach about half way through the day on. We are reviewing skills from the entire year. You would think I hadn’t taught a thing all year. Ugh!  

After school, Millie’s friends, Sofia and Orla, came home with us. I took them to dance and hung out at the studio until Millie was finished with her second class. I kind of enjoy that alone time.....with 10 other mothers. 

Once we were home, the kids ate dinner. Cathy and her family came over for a meal and a chat. Sean showed up as well. The kids went to bed very easily, thank goodness. Stuart and I retired around 9 pm. 

Wednesday I walked on my own, which turned out to be tragic. Duke got spooked in the last mile. We were close to a garbage bin and something made a noise inside, most likely a cat. At any rate, he jumped sideways, bumping me and causing me to fall, hitting my face on the sidewalk. Because I had both dogs, I broke the fall with my face. I banged up my knee as well. I got up and kept telling myself just to get home. I was about a quarter mile from my house. I had scratched my eye, so I was bleeding. I was a bit of a mess. I showered and got ready for school. 

Face that battled with the pavement. 

Knee that battled with the pavement. 

Once I was at school, the personal assistant to the Head of the Junior School forced me to go to the nurse and rest for the first lesson. It was my free time anyway, so I complied. Everyone kept telling me to go home. I wasn’t wanting to do so as it would mean another teacher would have to cover my class. However, when I figured out that my teaching assistant and another teaching assistant in Year 2 could take my period 5 class, I decided to leave. I didn’t have to teach period 6, so it was no big deal to leave after lunch. 

Before I left for the day, Millie was collected by Stuart for a dentist appointment. She has another hole in a tooth. Why can’t this child learn that if she would brush properly she wouldn’t have to go through this pain? I truly believe she will be the girl who insists on learning the hard way. We are learning the expensive way, on her behalf. Stuart also had a tooth filled and a consultation to decide what to do about his broken tooth. 

All better. 

After the dentist and school, Jack and Millie headed to Bounce with Alice and Tommy, and their suitcases. They were invited for a sleepover. Since we had the lot the week before, and it was still Ramadan, Joan paid us back and took all four of them Wednesday night. What a treat! 

Maccas at the Weir house. 

I wasn’t feeling that great and around 3:30 pm decided to go to the doctor as I still had a headache and was nauseous. I was concerned about having a concussion, as was Stuart. So it seemed it was better to be safe than sorry. Plus, the right side of my face was numb in certain spots. 

Once I was finished at the doctor, I headed back home for a bit of a rest before going to sushi night with Cathy, her mum, Kayleigh and Claire. As always, the sushi was delightful. I was a bit out of it, but still enjoyed not getting after kids and being able to enjoy a meal. 

Thursday morning was weird waking up with no kids to get ready for school. They pretty much get themselves ready, but it was strange not hearing them arguing or the ‘humpf’ from Jack when I asked him to brush his teeth or hair. He has developed quite the teenage attitude recently. Joy!

I had arranged to have cover at school for about an hour so I could go for an orthopedic doctor appointment. Well, wouldn’t you know, I got there and the doctor was in surgery. Did they think about calling me? Nope! Did they apologize and try to reschedule me an appointment? Nope! I was irritated, to say the least. Then I decided it was probably for the best. My knee was feeling better and I know he would have said I needed a knee replacement because I have no cartilage on the outside of my knee. Or he would have suggested we scrape the knee again, to which I would have denied either procedure. So why go?

I returned to school and survived the rest of the day, which seemed to drag on as it was the last day before a week holiday. Once the day was over, we headed home to get to the rugby club for the annual Rummage/Boot Sale, which seemed to be a huge success. We were there until about 9 pm. Cathy, her mum, and Kayleigh cane over for a bit just so we could see her again before she returned to the U.K. Friday evening. We were heading to Atlantis on Friday so wouldn’t see her again before she left. 

The rugby club boot sale. 

Friday morning we were away from the house by a quarter past eight. Although we wouldn’t get our room until after our day at the water park, we didn’t care. Unfortunately, our trip was delayed a bit due to a flat tire on our car. We pulled over and a couple of guys stopped and changed the tire for us. 

I’m sure these men were on the way to the mosque for Friday prayers, but they stopped to help us. Stuart could have changed the tire, but the Muslims, for the most part, really do live out the pillars of Islam. Stuart tipped the guy, which is pretty common as well. 

We headed back to our house to get our other car. The kids were upset because they hate riding in Stuart’s car. We were on our way after quickly moving the luggage from my car to the Jag. The journey went quickly except that we had to stop for fuel....for the second time. We got a snack and then carried on. Once we were at Atlantis, we got checked in to the Imperial Lounge and headed to the water park. We spent a little over an hour there and then came out to have afternoon tea in the lounge. It’s really the best way to experience Atlantis. It may initially seem more costly, but by the time you pay for meals, drinks and snacks, you are spending more money than you would to upgrade and have the lounge and all its aminities at your finger tips. 

We met up with the Weirs in the lounge and then went to the resort pool for a poolside icey beverage. The kids swam and we relaxed, well at least Joan, Stuart and I did. We had gotten into our rooms but Gene and Joan’s luggage wasn’t in their room when we were ready to go to the pool, so Gene waited for it.....for over an hour. In the end he went to collect it himself. It wasn’t the greatest of customer service. I got a phone call as we were leaving the pool area to go to happy hour in the lounge. It seems they knew we were upset, and since the rooms were booked in my name, they called me to try to make things right. In the end, we received dinner for 8 at Saffron, one of the resort buffets, and when we got to the restaurant, Gene got us $150 worth of drinks for the evening. Score! So in total, Gene’s hour of inconvenience got us about $700 in food and beverages. We probably wouldn’t have gone to have a proper meal anyway, but since it was given to us, we took advantage of it. 

The kids love this place. 

Such a difficult life these kids lead. 

Dinner was delightful!

Saturday morning we were awake just after 7 am. We went to the breakfast place at 8:30. The Weirs are our friends who are late to everything, so we knew they wouldn’t be to breakfast for another half hour, at least. We also know that if you show up for breakfast at these restaurants at 9 am, you will queue for quite a long time. So we went and got the table for all of us and waited for them. They showed up at 9, ate breakfast, and then we went to our rooms to get ready for the waterpark and to check out. 

We headed to the waterpark for a day of fun. We rode the family rides, which were so fun. Of course, Joan had to be talked into it, but that made it even more fun. We stayed until about 3 pm. We decided to feed the kids snacks on the way home and then invited the Weirs over for take away curry. 

Best buddies. 

We drove home from Dubai and Millie fell asleep. The kids were exhausted. 

Once we were home we sorted out luggage and started laundry. The kids showered and I went over to Brian and Lara’s for a chat. Lara had messaged me around midday to ask if I would be home late on Saturday. She needed a friend. One of their dearest friends from home suddenly died. Lara was just feeling down, being so far away at a time like this. It is the downside of being an expat. Life seems to move on with everyone from home and often we miss life changing events. 

I got home, took a shower, and got a message from Joan saying they were running a bit late. When they arrived, we fed the kids and ordered our food. They left around 9:30. Tommy stayed for a sleepover. Millie was going to go to Alice’s but unfortunately she was absolutely disrespectful to me on our way home and quickly lost that privilege. Unfortunately, when the boys went to bed, Tommy came back downstairs to ask me if he could go home. I told him he could. It seems the football match he wanted to watch actually took more of a priority than he thought. It was all fine. I took him home and then wrote a note for Javk explaining why Tommy wasn’t still at our house. I was hoping go when Jack woke up he would see it on his door. 

When I returned from delivering Tommy home, I sat down and watched some television. It was a busy, but very fun weekend.