The fun continues, and the Telford clan is coming to Dubai!

It seems that we have a full teaching staff. We even have someone to cover for our English teacher out on maternity leave. So, my fear of having to be in a grade 1 boys' class did not come to pass, thank goodness. My job on Sunday was to finalize the books we still needed. Just before school was out, I went to another school and collected more books. Now, we are only missing 4 reading sets. That's not too bad considering we were missing about 100 books, initially. I'm sure those other four will show up at some stage, Inshallah!

I got home just before Millie was dropped off on Sunday. Once she was home, she did her reading and then sat down to watch a little television. Stuart got home just in time for me to go and pick Jack up from swim squad. Once I was home with Jack, he started his homework and I was off again. 

Since I sold my car, I needed to get the title changed. But of course the lady that told me all I had to do was bring the buyer up and change the names on the registration was no where to be seen when I was told differently on Sunday. It seems that the insurance needs to be changed to the new owner. That should have been easy, but since we got our insurance online it was a bit more challenging. In the end we would have to go back another day. Oh well, so it is. 

Once I was back from the registration place, I changed clothes and headed to the rugby club to meet the kids and Stuart. The kids finally got their rugby kits, and they looked so cute in them. 

I walked and ran 4.5 miles in an hour, which is a exited for me, I'm pretty sure. I had to combat the cashews I had eaten that afternoon. I also chatted with some folks, and then we headed home for supper, showers and bed. Now that Jack is 8, his bed time has been moved to 7:30 pm. Actually, he has never needed as much sleep as Millie, but the decision to officially move the time was easier for both of them to handle because we attributed it to him turning 8. Well, this is all well and good unless you get home from rugby at 7 and are not finished eating until 7:30. At that point it doesn't seem special because your little sister is going to bed at the same time. 

I love my mornings now. Although I'm late to school everyday, I get to spend about 30 minutes with the kids before they are picked up for school. Their breakfasts, teeth and getting dressed is complete and we sit in the living room until Mr. Brian picks them up. It's great. Clearly, Pumpkin likes that time as well. 

Monday I was in meeting most of the morning. Our Cluster Manager, although he came to our school, had been deleted from emails the previous day. So basically he no longer had a job. In this country your contract can be terminated at any time. They also can release you after you are 60 years old. He knew this might happen and he was prepared. It seems unfair, but we all know what we have signed up for so that's how it goes. 

After school the teachers were supposed to meet with their Arabic counterparts, but instead we threw a surprise baby shower for one of our English teachers. We showered her with diapers to last at least a few months. She was embarrassed, but very grateful. 

After school I headed to Heritage Village to celebrate DeDe's birthday with her and a few of her friends. I stayed for a little over and hour and then headed home so Stuart could go to rugby training. 

When I got home I received a message about an incident that happened at Jack's birthday party. It was a bit of a shame because it seems that the three boys involved had three different stories and one of the moms thought her son's story was gospel. In the end I just said that I was sure the boys could sort it out and I was sorry. What else can you say at that point? 

Jack's second night staying up until 7:30 was a bigger deal on Monday night. He laid on the sofa at 7, watching yet another episode of Alvin and the Chipmunks, and announces, 'It's not 7:30 yet. Mama, thanks for making my bedtime later.'  He was very pleased that he was being given more time awake. 

Oreo was pleased that he was awake longer, as well. 

Once Jack was in bed, I continued watching trash shows on television. His being up later has curbed that for me a bit. Boo!

Stuart got home from rugby, had dinner, and we were both in bed by 10 pm. I hadn't felt brilliant all day and I blamed the humidity. For some reason it has been unseasonably humid the last week or so. I'm really ready for it to cool down. 

Tuesday Stuart stayed home from school with back spasms. However, an injection from the hospital fixed him all up. 

School has settled down a great deal and the new Vice Principals are starting to prove their worth. They have taken on a lot of duties that I used to do, which were the things I didn't like to do. It's awesome!  

I covered in a grade 4 girls' class on Tuesday. It was so entertaining. One students said she had been singing English karaoke. She started singing 'Let's Marvin Gaye get it on', which I'm pretty sure would qualify as haram. 

When I got home from school I helped Jack with his homework. I then rushed off to get the title of the car I sold changed over to the new owner, finally. That was a bit more of a hassle than I had thought it would be, but it's done now and we are back to being owners of two cars instead of three. 

Jack had play rehearsal and I informed the director he would not be there, after Wednesday, for the following four practices. She was not happy, but that was too bad because Stuart's family was coming into town and family time is more important to us than a play. I'm sure him missing rehearsal is not going to totally screw up the play, or at least I hope it doesn't. 

While he was at rehearsal I went across the street to Gift City, again. I found so many items there that are cheaper than anywhere else. This place is a little bit like a variety store they had back in the day. They have every thing you can think of and more. I had a great time shopping. I picked Jack up at 6:30. He had already had 2 pbjs and a bag of Cheetos, but still when we got home he wanted to eat. He's a growing boy, I suppose. 

Stuart and Millie had rugby practice and was home, bathed, and had eaten when Jack and I returned. So she scooted off to bed while Jack had a bite to eat. 

Wednesday morning I had an observation. Our pregnant teacher is due any day now and we had to get her first term observation completed before that time. 

While at school I got a panicked message from Ciera's mom, a little girl in Millie's class. She needed us to collect Ciera from school as the person who normally picks her up was unable to do so and they didn't know until mid day. So thankfully, Brian was able to help us out. I'm not sure how we would make it here without the kind expats that surround us. 

I ended up picking Jack up from his soccer practice. He was super chatty on the way home about what he had been learning in school. We are so thrilled that both kids are so happy at their new school. It makes the money we spend on the school fees totally worth it. 

Jack had rehearsal Wednesday evening and Millie had to go with us because Stuart had training. Millie was weepy after school and didn't really stop until she was asleep that evening. She was clearly tired.  She sounded as if she was getting a cold, so that didn't help. 

Once we were home, Jack ate and showered. Millie faked being asleep so I would carry her to bed. She had already had a shower before we left for rehearsal. Once I was back downstairs she came out of her room and asked if I could come and sing her a song. Cheeky!  

Millie was watching a movie at Starbucks while Jack was at rehearsal. 

Thursday was full of angry parents. I was not involved in any of the meetings, which was so nice. These meetings are often volatile, but have become more manageable with the new Vice Principals. They seem to put people in their place, and they have the wasta (power) to do so.  

When I got home Cathy came over for a cup of tea. We decided we would go to the rugby club. Kids had a swim

We chatted with the Richardsons, Sean, Mandy, Cathy, and Nick, Stuart's rugby coach. Since the restaurant is still not finished at the club, attendance on the weekend is still a bit low. 

We left the club just before 9 pm for showers and bed. Jack had a slight meltdown about his rubics cube, which made no sense at all other than he's 8 years old. He finally hit the bed around 9:30 pm and fell fast asleep. 

We were up Friday and I packed for our two days in Dubai. The Islamic new year gave us Sunday (October 2) off so we were thrilled because we were going to take the day off anyway to hang out with the Telfords coming from England and Australia. 

A boat trip had been arranged for Sunday, but was quickly moved to Saturday when the Telfords discovered Sunday would be a 'dry' day because of the holiday. Crisis averted! 

Friday morning I went to get a pack and play from our rugby friend's house for my new niece, Zoe. When I arrived home I discovered the kids had built a fort.  I ate some breakfast Stuart saved for me and then asked the kids to clean up their mess.  After they cleaned up the fort they were off to Sam and Michael's for a play. 

I headed to have the car cleaned, get gas, and money for our weekend. I also had to hit the grocery store for a snack to share at my Travel Treasures 'favorites' party for Friday evening. 

Stuart and Sean were so excited to wear their kilts after their match in Dubai. They were so excited. They got killed, but it was okay since they had their kilts. 

Kayleigh came over around 5 pm and I headed out for my night out. Stuart had left for his rugby match around 3 pm. It was in Dubai and he wouldn't be home u til late. I had also been invited to a wedding. This is the first wedding I have attended where I actually knew the bride. 

So after a very fun 'favorites' party, I came home and got changed, then headed to the wedding. I wasn't sure if I would see anyone there from school or not. The bride is one of our teacher assistants. 

I arrived at a location that did not seem like a wedding venue, but it was the place Amina had pinned me. I put my hazards on and sat in a parking space for a bit. Before too long a boy, about Jack's age, came up to the car and tried to answer my questions. The conversation went like this:

Me: Is this Amina's wedding?

Him: No English. 

Me: Wedding? Girls? (Pointing toward what sounded like a party) Benat? ('Girls' in Arabic)

Him: (pulling out his iPhone to have me speak into his google translate app)

Me: Wedding (speaking loudly into the iPhone)

Him: Men

Clearly I was in the wrong place. I headed my car to the wedding venue I knew and looked for my principal's rental car. I parked and went in. It was more crowded than I had ever seen in a wedding. I then found out there were three brides there. Wow! Amazing!  

After sitting there for a while, the brides finally started coming in. As each bride came in my principal and I would comment 'that's not Amina'. We did that for each bride. Yes, you guessed it, we sat through an entire wedding at the wrong wedding. We both just laughed and said this could only happen and go unnoticed in the UAE. 

Once I was home I showered, finished packing, watched some television and waited for Stuart to get home. He went up to bed and I did my usual, watched television through my eye lids. 

We got up and headed to Dubai after getting ice for the much needed beer in the gigantic cooler we had borrowed from the club. We got to the hotel around 10:30 and we're able to check in. However, there was no room available that early so we went to James and Lou's room. The kids reunited and all the fun began. 

Jack, Billy, Millie, Josh and Zoe; the Telford grandchildren reunite. The only one missing is Hope, Stuart's daughter. 

 

We headed to the marina just before noon and boarded the boat. It was Stuart's dad and step mum, his step brother (Barnes) and wife (Anna), his brother (Matt) and son (Josh), his brother (James), wife (Louise), son (Billy) and daughter (Zoe), childhood friend (Kate) and husband (Murray). It was a full boat and a whole lot of fun 

We cruised for 4 hours, had adventures on a banana boat, jumped of the side of the yacht, had a BBQ and drank a lot of beer (not me, of course). 

The whole crew was ready for an adventure. 

I was so happy to see Louise and the entire family, especially our new sweet little niece, Zoe. 

The boys and their dad, together again. 

Stuart and his brothers are really close. Stuart might have needed a larger life vest. 

The banana boat was a hit with the kids and the adults. 

And nothing ends a perfect trip like a good BBQ. 

Look at those sweet babies of ours. 

Barnes took the ultimate selfie!

Once we were off the boat, it was a race to get back to the pool bar before they stopped serving drinks. We had quite the time because taxis refused to put up those needing a ride back to the hotel. The marina is a horrible place to get around and if the cab driver knows you want to go to another place on the marina they will avoid the fare. So I did two trips to the hotel in our car. 

Once back at the hotel, we hit the pool bar. By the time the bar closed, the Australian crew were wiped anyway, decided to head up for showers and then a bite to eat in the buffet restaurant downstairs. 

While we were eating with Louise and James, the gave us the ultimate honor. They asked us if, while we were in Australia, we would be a part of Zoe's christening and be her god parents. I nearly cried. I know we life worlds away from each other, but I do feel as if we are close to James and Louise. I was so touched and so thrilled with being that big of a part in her life. I'm so excited!

On that high note, we headed up to our room with Kate, Murray, Barnes and Anna, even though the kids had fallen asleep in the restaurant chairs. We carried them up, put them to bed and enjoyed a good conversation for over an hour. 

They left and Stuart and I called it a night. What a great way to start our week with the family!

Millie's pictures from this week at school. 

All the students have returned, and the Telford family might be too busy for our own good.

School on Sunday was totally crazy. It was obvious that a full moon was upon us. We had two grade 2 boys get into a fight. I happened to be walking by their pod when it happened. My teacher for this class is new to the boys' side, and seeing these boys fight can be upsetting. My poor little teacher cried when she saw me. I told her that it was okay and the boys would be fine. She said she just felt bad because she should have been able to do something. But here, you often times can't predict when a fight will break out. The main reason is because you can't understand the language and don't hear the verbal clues. It can be very unsettling. 

On another note, I caught up on things I had needed to do for my teachers since school started. It was nice to actually feel accomplished again. 

I picked Jack up from Swim Squad. He felt like he did really well. He was excited to be a part of the swim team. He now has three after school activities and the first one was Sunday. On Mondays he will go to Performing Arts and on Wednesdays he will play football, or soccer. 

When I picked him up I noticed a folder with reading books inside his locker. I asked him what it was, and as he closed the locker, acting like it wasn't his, he said, 'I don't know'. I opened the locker and said, 'Well, it's yours because it has your name on it.'  After going back and forth with him, he finally vowed to my demand of putting it in his back pack. 

When we got home I sorted out that these books were his reading books for the week. Each week he will get two books at his instructional level and will have to read them. Then they are to be returned on Wednesday morning and new ones will come home on Thursday after school. I also emailed his teacher to clarify the reading books. I received and email back explaining the process that I explained above. When I asked Stuart if he knew anything about the books he said that he had read about them in the weekly bulletin we get via email. Oops! Needless to say, I may have seemed a little clueless to Jack's teacher. I think he thinks I'm 'that parent', my biggest fear. 

The kids had rugby training so Stuart and I drove separately. Once Millie was finished we headed home for sausage rolls, chips (fries) a bath and then bedtime. Millie was exhausted and was almost asleep before her head hit the pillow. Once Jack was home it was the same routine for him. 

I had decided I would get up to walk just two miles Monday through Thursday mornings. Getting up 45 minutes early is a more tollerable thought than an hour and fifteen minutes early. I had mentioned wanting to walk 2 miles in the mornings while we were at rugby practice. Lara, our neighbor, said she'd go with me. So that was my push to actually do it. 

The alarm went off at 4:30 am and I was up and out. Lara met me in front of my house at 4:45 am. We walked out two miles and were healthier for it. I got home, showered and had a difficult time waking the kids up. Millie is always difficult, but Jack is usually awake just after 5 am. I suppose swim squad and rugby training in one night can wear a fella out. 

Everyone was out the door and on their way to school. It was another Monday, as usual. I ended up leaving school at 2:30 and heading to the grocery store to buy ingredients so the kids and I could make cauliflower pizza. I'm such a domestic goddess. 

Millie stirred. 

They both put the little piles of mush in the tray. 

They were not beautiful, but they tasted wonderful. They were supposed to have pepperoni on them, but we couldn't find any. So we had to settle for hot dogs and salami. 

Once the kids were in bed, I made candied cashews with cinnamon and stevia. They had a bit of an after taste, but they were nice for a change in my diet. When Stuart got home, he ate some of the 'pizzas' and actually enjoyed them. 

Tuesday morning when Lara and I walked we got to a dumpster on the opposite side of our villas and had two kittens follow us back to the entrance of the Village. Cats are all over this country. There is a big problem with feral cats. The large wild cats are not even approachable and wouldn't dare come close to humans. But these babies followed us for almost a half mile. We decided that they had to be domesticated and had been dropped off when the owner felt they could take care of themselves. It was so sad. They were so sweet! Did I just say that? What has happened to me? I've become a cat lover! 

At any rate, they didn't follow us into the compound. They stayed right at the entrance. I told Lara that if they followed me home, I knew myself all too well, and I would end up taking them in as well. I could not allow myself to be a 'cat lady'. Fortunately, because they stayed outside of the compound, I dodged that bullet. 

When I got home I told Stuart all about them. He insisted we couldn't have two more cats, which I knew to be the case, at least in my head. I headed up to take a shower and it was school and business as usual. 

I left school early to go to a curriculum meeting for Jack's class. Stuart met me at home and we went together.

Here the kids are, waiting for us, patiently. 

After the curriculum meeting we picked the kids up from school and had a meeting with Jack's teacher. As I suspected, Jack wasn't listening in class as much as he should. He was formulating what he wanted to say before he listened to the directions or ideas of others. As I was speaking to his teacher and Stuart and I were telling him that we supported everything that he was doing to teach Jack, I realized that the fruit didn't fall far from the tree. My son is exactly like me. As I start to see this clearly, I say it out loud to Stuart and Mr. Seedat, his teacher. I start laughing at myself, realizing I have only myself to blame for his behavior. Now that I can see this, I know I'm going to start treating him differently. Instead of being mad at him, I'm going to train him to act differently. I hope it's not too late. I really have no right to be angry at him. I should be angry at me if I am angry at anyone. I've had some self discovery moments lately. I think your own kids reveal who you truly are and sometimes it's not so nice to see. Ugh!

When we got home from my personal 'epiphany', aka the meeting with Mr. Seedat, we fed the kids a snack. Jack showered and did some of his reading homework. He then got ready for play practice. It was only an hour on Tuesday so I promised him we would get something to eat after it was over. 

Stuart and Millie went to rugby practice while Jack and I were at play practice. When Jack and I left the rehearsal we decided to hit Rosie Lee's Tea Room for a bite to eat. Jack got scones and a chocolate milkshake, while I ordered an entirely too large pot of tea. 

Our obligatory selfie. 

On the way home from the tea room, we saw the kittens, that had followed us in our walk, at the entrance of our compound. I immediately messaged Lara. You see, she had planted the seed with her husband that morning so that once they reappeared they came to the gate and were prepared to take the kittens home with them. I was so excited. They have three boys who were going to be beyond thrilled. 

Stuart had Made dinner for me, so by the time I was home, had Jack in bed, and showered myself, I could sit down and enjoy my cauliflower mash. We also had sprouts and a mango sausage that we used to buy at Sam's Club. It is one of my favorite meals and reminded me of home. 

Wednesday I had a training regarding our national tests. On these days the meetings only last around 2 hours and I don't have to go to my school before or after the meeting. It's awesome. After the meeting I did a little shopping at the mall before heading home and waiting for Millie to get home from school. Jack had football (soccer) after school so I picked him up just after 3 pm. 

Jack had play practice from 5 pm to 7:30 pm on Wednesday evening. I picked up Louie and Jake, two boys in our neighborhood who are also in the play. Their mum is alone at the moment because her husband is with his sick mother in New Zealand. I figured she could use a few hours on her own. Millie and I had a Starbucks time together.

She watched a movie while I sat and drank coffee. After practice we headed home. Jack is apparently a funny character in the play, which Jake informed me of on the way home. 

Thursday was Jack's birthday. He got up and came into my room to tell me it was his birthday. He was so excited. He opened his presents from Grandma and Grandpa, Grannie, and Hope. These were gifts we brought back from the UK this summer. 

He headed off to school in a great mood with muffins for his classmates. Apparently he had a good day, that is, until he got home and I asked him where his reading folder was. Millie came right in from school and got her reading folder out. I asked her if she wanted a snack before she read and she said, 'when I'm finished with my homework'. She felt so grown up since she had homework now. 

Jack finally admitted to me that he didn't bring his reading folder home because he knew that if he had to do his homework, then he would have less time to play with his friends over the weekend. I told him he needed to remember that our home rules were there would be no screen time (television or iPad) until homework was completed for the day. Since he didn't bring his homework home, he couldn't possible complete it, therefore there would be no screen time for that evening. Fortunately for him, there was a school-wide picnic Thursday evening and we were able to get his reading folder. 

We were going to go for ice cream after the picnic but decided to go by the rugby club instead. It was quiet. There were not many people there, yet we still stayed for a couple of hours. The kids and I went home while Stuart stayed and helped sort out the new rugby kits that were delivered while we were there. 

Friday morning we got up and lounged around the house. We made a batch of brownies and a carrot cake for Jack's birthday celebration that would take place on Saturday morning.  We then went to a new church that I heard had a great children's program. We all liked it. The music was great and the pastor was an older man from the United States. 

After church we went to Circle Cafe for lunch. Jack had sushi again, but not as much as the last time we were there, and Millie had sweet potato fries and grilled chicken. After lunch we went home to do the kids' reading for school. 

Later in the day, Millie had been invited to a birthday party, as had Jack.

This little girls' dad is Emirati, so her party was off the hook. 

There was a magician, of course. 

Doesn't every 6 year old have a buffet like this at her birthday?

Initially, Jack didn't want to go, but in the end he decided to go with us. Stuart was at the club all day and had a match with the 1st team that started at 7 pm, but there were two matches before his. We made it back for part of his match. 

We stayed at the club until just after 11 pm. Because the club restaurant is being remodeled, it seems that club attendance is down this fall. However, we faithful still keep the party going. 

Once we were home, the kids took showers and went to bed. Their heads barely hit the pillow before they were asleep. It was the same for Stuart. 

We were up Saturday morning and preparing for the big party. It was finally here. I gathered all the paraphernalia needed for the lunch and desserts, and we took two cars to the mall. Jack had play practice after the party, so Stuart would bring Millie home. 

The kids loved Fun Block. We actually planned it out very well. I thought we would be able to put all 13 kids in the trampoline area, but it seems their regulations only allowed for 11 at a time. So we split them up into two groups. We ended their time at the mall with pizza, brownies, carrot cake and a treat bag when they left. Fun was had by all. 

The bouncing boys. 

Cake for the birthday boy. 

After Jack's party, we were to head to play practice. I thought I could slip in a quick trip to Urgent Care for an X-ray for Jack, who had been walking with a limp for the last few days. We thought it was a result of the fall at the pool party he went to the previous week. But when we got to the radiology department it was 2:30, the time play practice was to start. So I asked the guy if we could come back after play practice. The answer was a big yes!

So I enjoyed my regular Starbucks stop while Jack was rehearsing. After he was finished, back we went to the hospital, radiology department. The convenient thing is that the hospital is where they meet for play practice. This is the only place in the world that you can have the medical staff wait for you instead of the other way around. After two different trips to radiology, because the X-ray tech didn't X-ray the right part of the hip, also the only place in the world this would happen, the radiologist determined nothing was broken and that it must just be a deep bruise that is still bothering him. She told us to keep an eye on him and bring him back in a week or two if it persisted. 

Jack got a clean bill of health and we were off to start our nightly routines; bath, dinner, books, a song and sleep. Stuart and I ordered curry and Sean, our chairman of the rugby club and a friend of ours, came over to eat with us. Cathy came over as well. We sat and talked, halfway watched Gladiator, and then called it a night around 10 pm. 

Another fabulous week in the UAE has been had by all. 

Another day at Raha, a day at the beach, Dreamland and a whole lot more for Eid Al Adha

The Raha Beach Hotel pool was our mid-morning destination, after a wonderful buffet breakfast. We had the kids at one table and the adults at another. It was a relatively quiet breakfast, for the adults at least. 

After breakfast we headed to the pool for a few hours. The kids went off and played while the adults just bobbed in the water or sat on the loungers. 

Rochelle and I attempted to stay out of the sun. 

The dads tried to relax, but were rudely interrupted by these monkeys. 

We got out of the pool just before noon. We got dressed and went to the food court at the attached mall. We had lunch and then bid the Rouvis farewell. They were heading back to Al Ain. So for the rest of the day we were on our own. 

We went to the room for a while and then decided to have more pool time. We got into the water and the kids actually stayed around us for a while. When they did decide to go off on their own, Stuart and I decided to get a coffee and a milk shake at the pool bar. Jack must have sniffed out the milkshake, so we let them share a shake. 

We got out of the pool around 6 pm and decided to go to the hotel barber to get Jack's hair cut. It was quick and painless. 

The guy who cut his hair also spiked it. But we had to wash it because he had been at the pool all day and he had little bits of hair all over his neck. 

After we were all showered we went to eat. We had dinner at McGettigans, again, and the bar was open! I decided tonight was the night I would try an adult beverage. Since I can't have sugar or carbonation, a Bloody Mary was my drink of choice. I only drank about half of it and it had no effect on me. It's just pointless to have another because I'm really not supposed to eat and drink at the same time. So the experiment, nearly 4 months early, was a waste of time. Oh well. I suppose we will continue to save money with me not drinking. 

Millie fell asleep at the table so had to be carried back to the hotel. Once we were back, both kids were tucked in for the night. Stuart and I watched a bit of television and then dozed off for the night. 

We were awake and down for breakfast around 8 am. We then went back upstairs to pack and make our beach lunch. We had purchased our supplies at the supermarket in the mall the night before. We left around 9:30 am and headed to the Corniche to meet the Richardsons, Turners and one other family.

The beach was beyond hot, and as you can see, there were no people sitting close to the beach or in the water. It was too hot. It was very humid and possibly an experience that wasn't so pleasant for this time of year. We forced ourselves to stay for nearly 4 hours just because we had made the effort to get there, but it wasn't nice. In fact, on the way back to the car Stuart nearly passed out. I think he may have been dehydrated. It was nothing that a bottle of water and some ice cream at the local gas station couldn't take care of. 

We got home around 5 pm and I started the laundry. Oh of course, I also had the rug in the kitchen to deal with. It seems when Kayleigh came to check on the cats on Monday afternoon, one of them had gotten on the sink and turned out tap on, which went into our basin bucket and overflowed, running into the kitchen floor and flooding the kitchen. Fortunately, all rooms on the main floor have drains in them and raised thresholds at the entrance from one room to the next. So the flooding was contained to the kitchen. 

After that was sorted out, I could start our laundry from the weekend, which ended up being 4 loads. Stuart went to buy some ant spray because Jack and Millie's bathroom was still infested with flying ants, and the kids showered. 

Once the flood mess was mopped up, the ants were destroyed, the kids were clean, fed and in bed, I took a shower and settled in for the night. Stuart scooted off to rugby training and I ate a bite and watched some television, folding a load of laundry every hour or so. Stuart came home with some take out and then went to bed. I did my usual, falling asleep on the sofa, and when I went to bed I heard water running in the kitchen. Those silly cats had done it again. I had a hair tie on the faucet that I attached to the handle, hopefully making it more difficult for them to turn it on. Time will tell if it has worked. If not, I suspect we will have to change the tap all together.    

Our plan on Tuesday was to get up and go to Dreamland, a water park in Ras al Khaimah. But since we had been in the sun for the past three days we decided to do something different. We opted for ice skating. 

We spent an hour and a half at the rink, and Millie could actually skate without the 'walker' after about an hour. She was very pleased with herself. 

We went to the food court after skating and had a bit to eat. Then it was on to the rugby club pool for a dip. Once we left the pool, the kids took a bath and were essentially ready for bed at 5 pm. They are and hen Jack and I headed off to play practice for The Land of Lost Stories. He still wasn't totally sure of doing the whole thing, but I told him we had committed to it and we had to be people of our word. The rehearsal was 'closed' which just meant I had an hour and a half to sit at Starbucks and chat with Leanne. Xavier got a part in the play as well. 

Millie stayed home and was in bed by the time Jack and I returned home. Jack had a bowl of cereal, watched an episode of Richie Rich and hit the hay. Stuart had made dinner for us and all was quiet by about 8:30 pm. 

We woke up Wednesday morning with the realization that our cleaner would be there sometime soon. When we have days off it's something we have to think about so we are not in his way. The kids and I were headed to see Pete's Dragon at the cinema, leaving Stuart on his own for a few hours. 

We decided against Pete's Dragon. There were too many children who were unsupervised and it would have been unbearable. Instead we decided to go upstairs in the mall and let the kids do the tubes. It didn't last as long as a film, but they had fun so that was all that mattered. 

Millie flew down the slide. 

Jack has been a fan of these tunes since we first moved to Al Ain. 

We did some shopping for swim trunks, the tight ones for . Ate lunch. Headed home and then to the supermarket

Jack and Millie went to play at some friends' house. 

Had play practice. Jack was more excited when he came out on Wednesday night. Apparently Humpty Dumpty is a rock star at the end of the play. 

While Jack was at practice, Millie and I explored the mall close by. There are malls that are built but are not filled with stores for 2 to 3 years after they are finished. This was one of those malls. 

We were home just after 7 and the kids were in bed by 8. Both kids have been fighting a cold, so guess who else's throat was starting to tickle? Lovely! Jack woke in the middle of the night sounding like a bullfrog. I gave him some Tylenol and sent him back to bed. I woke up with a sore throat on Thursday morning and sounded like a bullfrog. Stuart admitted that he wasn't 100% either and then also pointed out that if he got full on sick it would be a debilitating 'man flu'. At least he recognizes he's pitiful when he has a cold. I'm sure we will all live and press on through. 

We really just laid around the house on Thursday. The only time I went out of the house was to go to the bank to pay off my car loan because we sold the red Kia Soul. I thought I'd be sad, but actually I'm not into clutter and having three cars proved to be a bit over the top for us. So now we are back to a two-car family as God intended. 

Cathy had come over for breakfast Thursday morning, but aside from that it was a lazy day. I knew Jack didn't feel well, but he still begged to go to a friend's house to play. I refused to let him go because I knew he was sick. He finally gave up the fight and at 1 pm asked if he could go take a shower and put his jammies on. Poor boy! Of course, since that was his request, it was also Millie's request. So both kids were ready for bed at 2 pm. 

As you can see, they both rebounded a bit by the end of the day. 

In spite of the fact they were ready for bed in the early afternoon, they still didn't go to bed until after 7 pm. After dinner they watched a new movie and then we read books. I decided to put Vick's on Jack's chest, thinking that would help him to not wake up with that 'smoked a pack too many' sound. Sure enough, once he was awake Friday morning he announced to me that he was better. 

Friday was spent at the movies seeing Pete's Dragon, a birthday party for Jack, nails for Millie and me, left over sausages for dinner and another early night for the kids. I didn't actually see the movie because Scott decided he would let Clare and me shop while he took all of the kids to the cinema. Stuart was off to Dubai for his season opener on the rugby pitch, so shopping and coffee was a treat for sure. 

Millie is always up for pampering. 

Saturday we were up early. Jack and I headed to the tailor to get him measured for his Humpty Dumpty costume.

While we were there he started to complain of his head hurting and started to sound stuffy again. Unfortunately, we didn't go straight home from the tailor's. He had to go with me to get my hair cut. His head got worse and he ended up laying down on the sofa in the hair salon and having a little nap. Poor boy!

This was what I wanted my hair to look like over two years ago when the evil hairdresser chopped it off. I like this much better. 

Our plan when we got home was to go swimming, but because Jack was poorly, we decided going to the pool was foolish. Instead, both kids were clean and in their jammies, as was I, by 3 pm. I fixed Jack some chicken noodle soup, and clearly the Tylenol had kicked in because he suddenly had his appetite back. After the chicken noodle soup, he ate some fruit and spaghetti hoops and meatballs. 

The kids were in bed by 6:30 pm, as they had school on Sunday. Stuart and I stayed up for a bit and watched television, and were in bed just before 11 pm. A new week awaits us and we are ready for it. 

Am I teaching 15 periods or not?

I had decided over the weekend that I would just get on with my life and embrace the fact that I would be teaching 6 periods over two days and all would be okay. I purchased some classroom things and was ready to go. 

I was informed there would be a senior leadership team meeting at 9 am on Sunday, which would mean another teacher would need to come and cover my class. In the end, no one came to cover my class, but I went after I had taught my 3 periods. It was then that I was informed that the teacher who was to teach the math and science sections for me was being moved. This meant I would have to teach the 15 periods for that one section of girls. I nearly started crying. I'm not sure what everyone thinks I do all day, but splitting my time as a teacher and a senior leader is not going to work very well. I knew it would all be fine, but right then it was  just incredibly frustrating. 

At the end of the Senior Leadership Team meeting I went upstairs and continued to work on getting my room ready. If I was going to have to teach half of the time, I certainly wanted my room to be cute. I started laminating letters and signs, all the necessary things. I left school just after noon because I had to go collect some books from another school. If the Heads of Faculty don't seek out the extra books that others have, we sometimes won't get them. 

Once I left the other school I headed to the Flower Market, where we buy these cheap rag rugs. They are so cheap that I replace them each year, and since one of the cats barfed on one of my rugs last week, I decided it was time for fresh rugs. 

Rugby training started for the kids on Sunday evening. I decided to walk around the pitches while the kids practiced. Stuart and u drove separately because Millie's practice ends about a half hour before Jack's so getting her home and showered would be vital to her getting enough rest in the week. 

Most of Millie's team has never touched a rugby ball, so as you can guess they are quite hilarious. There is a lot of running in the wrong direction. 

Jack was beyond excited for this day. He has been looking forward to tackle rugby since the day the season ended last March. He was so disappointed that they didn't actually tackle this particular practice. Stuart had to explain that a lot of skills had to be taught before they could just jump into tackling. 

Once Millie and I were home she had a bath a sandwich and then it was time for bed just as Stuart and Jack walked in the door. Jack showered, ate and also went to bed. 

Once Stuart and I went to bed we discovered that there was an irritating squeak coming from our air conditioner. It didn't really bother me or wake me up, but it did Stuart. Every time the unit would rev up it would start squeaking. Stuart would then get out of bed, take his shoe, and whack the crap out of the AC unit. That was what woke me up, not the actual sound it was making.  Bahahahaha!  Needless to say, Stuart was a bit tired and cranky on Monday morning. 

Once the kids were off to school on Monday, I took off towards my school. I continued to get things ready for my classroom once I was at school. Around 10:30 am my vice principal called me with the good news. She told me that the Zone had called and told us we could no longer have 5 sections of grade 1 girls, and we would have to combine them. This meant that one teacher would have to move....wait for it....to grade 3! Ooo, I was so excited. It's amazing how life can change so many times, so drastically, in a few days. 

When I got home I found out Jack had made the swim squad at school. He had stayed after school on Sunday to try out, and he was invited to start practicing with the squad. Because he was bitter towards me, do to the fact I wouldn't let him go to a friend's house, he didn't understand the email I read to him telling him he had been invited to be a part of the swim squad. He only understood when I mentioned it to him again when I tucked him into his bed, then he was excited. 

I had the kids bathed and in bed by 6:30 pm. I thought I would go to work out with the touch rugby girls, but instead I decided to go to Trader Vic's with Leanne. I picked her up around 7:30 pm, while Kayleigh stayed with the kids and Stuart was at rugby training. It was such an impromptu event that turned out to be so much fun. I really like Leanne. We have the most in depth conversations about life. She has some wonderful insight that I totally appreciate and value. 

We sat at the bar. The only thing I don't like about this restuarant is the smoke. It's one of the few places that allow smoking, of cigarettes, inside. A lot of places let shisha be smoked indoors, but seldom cigarette smoke is allowed. 

Hello, crispy duck! This helped us forget the smoke. 

I got home just after 10 pm and watched some television. Stuart continued to hit the air conditioner on Monday night. We had called maintenance earlier in the day but they never showed up. Stuart ended up going downstairs to sleep on the sofa. 

We got up and went for our medical exam to renew our residence visas. Stuart drove me to school so I could fingerprint in, and then we went to his school to do the same. Then we were off to the medical place. There is one right by his school and it is not as busy as the one in the middle of Al Ain

When we arrived at 7 am, this is what we saw. We were the first ones there. It opened at 8 am and we were served first.   It was super quick. We were in and out of there in 20 minutes. If we would have gone to the place in Al Ain it would have taken about 2 hours. My principal had done her medical exam on Monday and it took her almost three hours. Although it was a drive, it was worth it. Stuart would upload all the documents needed once we were home. Thank goodness because I had no idea how to do all that stuff. 

I arrived at school just before 10 am. I got back to my normal duties. It was really nice to get something accomplished and be able to help my teachers, especially the new ones. 

I took the kids to rugby practice because Stuart had to represent the rugby club at an event at a local hotel. I walked while the kids practiced. We saw the weather was turning sour. We ended up having to leave practice early because a storm blew in. However, on our end of town there was no rain, but It was super dusty. 

We got home, I bathed the kids, fed them and put them to bed. Our routines are totally back in place. Sundays and Tuesdays are a bit more stressful because we don't get home from the club until after their bedtime. We will get used to it, I'm sure. 

Stuart slept downstairs Tuesday night because the AC still wasn't fixed and he couldn't stand the squeaking. He has issues with background noise anyway, so this noise wasn't pleasant for him at all. I, on the other hand, slept like a baby!

Wednesday I actually got to school early.  Stuart was home until late in the morning because he had a meeting at a school in town. When I got to school I carried on with my business. I left around 10:30 am to go to a meeting I had in town. Sometimes the meetings we attend are useless, but this particular one was productive and kind of excited me about the potential learning that is going to take place in our school this year. 

After my meeting I met Stuart at 101 Cafeteria for a bite to eat before the kids came home. It was nice to sit and chat without interruption. It's also a really cool, local place where the food is good and cheap. 

The kids got home and Jack's friends, Michael and Sammy, came over to play. Sammy had to go home because his eyes swelled up. Clearly he should not have touched the cats. Ugh! I felt so bad. I messaged his mother to tell her how sorry I was. She said their family is used to the issue so not to worry about it. I still felt horrible. 

Wednesday evening Kayleigh came over to babysit again. Jack had an audition for the musical, The Land of the Lost Stories. So I took him at 5 pm to a local church for the audition. He was such a clown, mainly because I think he was nervous. He went off for his audition and the parents couldn't watch. Boo! He said he did well and they told us we would hear something from them on Friday. On the way home Jack told me he didn't think he wanted to be a part of the play even if they picked him. When questioned, he said he had never had people watch him do something like acting or singing. So we shall see. 

After the audition I decided I would make the evening a date night with Jack at Circle Cafe, where they serve sushi, which is his favorite. 

Jack was impressed that we could order our food on the iPad. 

Believe me, his eyes were bigger than his stomach. In spite of all the extras we took home with us, we had a wonderful evening. We don't do these kind of things enough, so it was really special. 

Once we were home, Jack went to bed. Millie was already asleep. I stayed up and watched television, as I always do on a Wednesday evening. 

Thursday I was told at the end of the day that I would need to plan on teaching 2 sections of English, which meant 12 periods a week, until the cover teacher showed up for our teacher on maternity leave. Really? Oh, and hear's the kicker, it's grade 1 boys. Super!

I came home just knowing that we had a week off from school because of Eid Al Adha, and I wasn't going to worry about the grade 1 boys for 9 days. We had found out earlier in the week that we were going to get the week off instead of the originally planned 3 days. What a treat! When we found out we had the entire week we decided we would plan some things to do. 

Friday I spent the day in Dubai with DeDe, and our friends Hassah and Heather. We went to the art festival and then spent the evening at Dubai Mall. There was some shopping, some food, and a lot of laughter. I didn't get home until almost 1 am. I unpacked the car and  started a load of laundry. 

I also got the email saying Jack was being offered the part of Humpty Dumpty in The Land of Lost Stories. I messaged Stuart and told him Jack and I would talk about it Saturday morning and then make a decision. He said he didn't want to do it, but I think it was just the unknown he was worried about. Once he found out some of his friends were also in the play he decided he would do it. I have a thespian!

On Friday, in Dubai, I had bought new bedding for Millie so wanted to get it washed so I could put it on her bed Saturday morning. Once the wash had started I went upstairs to take a shower. I decided I would come back downstairs and put the wash in the dryer. When I got downstairs the drain to the washer had somehow come out of the hole that lead to the pipe going out of the house and water was spraying all over our laundry room. The fortunate thing was our laundry room has a raised tile at the door that keeps water from going everywhere there is also a drain in every room, somewhere in the floor. This prevents flooding all together. I worked out that somehow the cats had jimmied the hose that drained the water, and they pulled it out. Dang cats!

I fixed the drain, put Millie's new bedding in the dryer, started another load of laundry to make sure the same thing didn't happen again, and went into the living room to watch the season finale of Bachelor in Paradise, total trash. I didn't actually go upstairs to bed until around 4 am. So as you can assume, when Millie came in at 7 am to tell me she was hungry, I wasn't thrilled. But we were on holiday so there was fun to be had and no time to waste. 

I got up and put Millie's new bedding on her bed, then went downstairs to check on the second load of drying I had started on Friday night. It's seems it needed a little more drying time. The kids were awake and asking about breakfast, although they had already eaten a cinnamon roll. 

We decided to leave for Raha Beach just before 10 am we had booked in to the resort for two nights. The Rouvis decided to join us for Saturday night. We arrived around 11:30 am and decided, since our room wasn't ready, to go to the mall that is attached to the resort and look for costumes for the kids for Halloween, as well as party favorites for Jack's birthday, which would be in 2 weeks. 

We then went to the Irish pub attached to the resort, called McGettigans.

It is the highlight of our stay at Raha. We were informed during lunch that the pub would be closing at 6 pm that night for the observance of Arafat Day, which was Sunday. For the 24 hours (sun down in Saturday to sun down on Sunday there would be no alcohol served in resorts or restaurants. Well, what do you know? 

We got a call during lunch telling us our room was ready. So when we finished eating and paid our bill. We went to reception and thought an as

Once we were in our room we got our swimmers on and headed to the pool. 

Around 4:15, because we were told the Irish pub would stop serving food at 5 pm, we got out of the pool and headed to the pub for dinner. The kids had fish and chips and were satisfied. 

The Rouvi kids came to our room for about and hour and then we all crashed. A good sleep in a very cold room is exactly what we all needed. 

School Corner:

Each week the school sends out photos of the kids from their week. So, I am going to start passing them along to you all.