Sustainability Week at school means chaotic behavior!

Sunday was our first day of our Sustainability Week. The school had brought in the Bee Bus, which is a presentation from a bee expert. She showed us a bee hive and how the bees make honey. It was so interesting. My children loved it. We also went to the Bee Room to create junk models, reusing materials to do so. We also had all academic activities that dealt with sustainability. It was a great day, but the behavior was off because there wasn’t enough structure in the day. 

After school we headed home and Stuart fed the kids. We had a committee meeting at the club at 6 pm, but it didn’t start until later. I would guess this is my last year of being the social secretary. It consumes way too much time from all of us, and in the end it cheats our kids from us being at home. But for now I will plan the Christmas party and see how it goes. I left the meeting early to get the kids home, showered and in bed. Stuart showed up a bit later with some food. We watched a bit of television and then he was off to bed. I followed after some trash television. 

Monday morning we drove separately as I had basketball and parent conferences with Jack’s teachers. His conferences were amazing. His teachers had so many nice things to say about his participation in class, his work ethic and his best handwriting. It was such a relief to hear that at least in classes he was succeeding. When I got home we decided the kids would skip training for the evening. It was good to have a break. Stuart still went to training. The kids went to bed early. When Stuart got home we watched Sherlock Holmes and ate dinner. 

Tuesday morning Stuart and I drove separately again. Millie was a real treat and had an epic meltdown. We ended up leaving the house with a screaming 8 year old who had not brushed her hair, put her shoes on, brushed her teeth, or made her lunch. Needless to say, it was a good start to the day. 

Once we were at school the fun continued. As we were off time table all week because of our special sustainability week, we were all dying a bit inside. It makes the kids totally crazy.  After school I went to get supplies for the dress up day on Thursday. I then went to get Millie a new dark swim costume for her swim gala in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. While Millie and I were at the uniform shop, we decided to get KFC. We brought all of our treasures home and then went to the club for Jack’s touch rugby match. When we got home we all crashed after dinner. 

Wednesday Millie’s start was a bit better than the day before, thank goodness. She was actually ready to go when it was time to leave for school. She didn’t have her shoes on, but that is minor in the scheme of things.  There was nothing monumental about school. Sustainability week was nearly over, thank the lord, and we were close to the weekend. Jack had a football (soccer) tournament after school and then we went straight to the club for training. No one told me these active kids would dominate our week nights. 

Thursday was our last and seemingly longest day of the week. At the end of the day my teammate gave me the gift of letting me have two lessons free while he had both classes and they watched the Bee Movie. It was great. 

Millie was a butterfly. 

My teaching assistant and myself were Lady Bugs! 

Thursday evening we stayed home. Cathy came over for dinner and the kids had an early night. We watched part of Episode 5 of Star Wars, but then we got bored so we watched the latest movie on Netflix called Holiday in the Wild. It was so cute and way more interesting than Star Wars. I’m really trying to understand Star Wars as our theme in my year group for Term 3 this year is Star Wars. 

Friday, Stuart made us bacon and egg sandwiches, a total treat. Then he took Jack to a birthday party while Cathy and I charged the hand hover craft we bought Jack for Christmas. It was so cool. It avoided obstacles and moved wherever your hand was under it. It was so cool. We acted like total children.  

Cathy and I left for Dubai with DeDe around noon. We got the low down about DeDe’s ex leaving the country. It was a crazy and very unsettling story. I think our conversations were good for her soul. We shopped and I was able To get some Christmas shopping done. We came home just before 10 pm. Jack had been delivered back to the house by his buddy and the kids were staying with Carly, Sean’s daughter. We had a successful day for sure. It’s always fun to get away with some girlfriends. 

No shopping trip is complete without a Starbucks pumpkin latte. 

Stuart lost his rugby match in Abu Dhabi and was sore. Poor guy! He forgets he’s not that young anymore. 

Saturday morning we got up and tidied up the house from the Christmas decorations that had been left out for the kids to decorate. The tree was beautiful and I wasn’t going to change a thing. 

After I had packed a snack bag, we left for the swim meet at 10:30. We arrived a bit early, but then we were guaranteed seats. Jack was to swim the 50 meter free style and the 800 meter free style, which we had tried to talk him out of. Millie was to swim the 50 meter free style. Neither had ever swam in a 50 meter pool, so that slowed them down a bit. Millie did the 50 meter in 46 seconds and Jack did it in 36 seconds. Then Jack completed the 800 meter in 15 minutes and 38 seconds. We were so very proud of both kids for even wanting to compete. They did a great job. We got home around 5:30. The kids showered and chilled for the rest of the evening. The kids had eaten KFC (which has been our go-to recently) so they were just relaxing until bedtime. Sean came for dinner of nachos, which is one of our favorites for sure. Once the kids were in bed, the week was called complete. We are one day closer to the December holidays. We are getting so excited for the holidays. They come quickly enough. 

The first week back has been a long one.

Sunday was our relaunch of the Times Tables Rockstars! All the kids dressed up as rock stars and each child took a baseline assessment to test their multiplication and division skills. It was a chaotic day, as all special days are. I covered for period 6, trading a lesson with my team mate Carel, who wanted to watch the South Africa/Wales rugby semi-finals, in which South Africa won. Now South Africa will face England in the finals on Saturday. After school we went home and just relaxed for the evening. It was good to do absolutely nothing. 

Monday school was back to normal. I had a ton of books to mark in order to get ready for our parent consultations that would be Tuesday and Wednesday. When we got home we discovered that the water heater burst in our bathroom. I tried to turn the water on, but a shower commenced on my head and I couldn’t get the water off again. I called the maintenance man to come and help me. He said he would replace it on Tuesday.  

Stuart and the kids headed to the club for training while I went to the supermarket for milk and bread. We seem to always need bread and milk. When I got to the club, I bought Millie her kit for rugby. She was so excited. Her socks were so long that they looked like she had on leggings under her shorts. The kids and I headed home after practice for dinner, showers and bed. Stuart followed after training. 

Tuesday school seemed to drag on. We had parent consultations which wasn’t terribly exciting. We meet with the parents from our English and Math sets. We ability group our children, so I had 33 parents to meet with. Not all of them showed up, but a lot did. We were at school until nearly 5:30. We were exhausted. When we got home Stuart headed off with Jack for his touch match. Millie and I stayed at home to avoid a totally meltdown at the end of the night. We watched a movie and had popcorn after dinner. Jack got home and reported his touch team had won. It is their first win this season. He was quite thrilled. 

Wednesday was just as long as Tuesday. Parent consultations were about the same length of time. There weren’t as many parents on Wednesday as their were on Tuesday, but the day wasn’t any shorter. After school Stuart took the kids straight to training while I headed to buy more sweets for Halloween. I then arrived at the club and collected the kids’ forms for the tournament we were in on Friday. All boys brought their forms, which was a bonus for me. We ate dinner at the club and then headed home for showers and bed. Stuart got home just before 9 pm and then we went to bed. I actually went to bed before he did. That was a first. It had definitely been a long week. 

Thursday was Halloween. We didn’t do anything in school, as we aren’t allowed, but after school we sat outside our house and had an entire community trick or treat evening. We had a few people over. Stuart made chili for Cathy, Sean and Cathy, and then some people stayed after the trick or treating was over and chatted for a while. It was a later night than I had wanted, only because we had to get up early the following morning for the rugby tournament. We had two kids playing in this one. 

Ready for trick or treating. 

We were up and out of the house at 6:15 am. Jack rode the bus, but Millie slept in our car all the way to Abu Dhabi. Jack had a total of 4 matches and he and his team won all of them. They won the Shield, which is the top award in rugby. They were thrilled. Their team doesn’t have as many numbers as some of the other teams, so there were two matches we borrowed two players. Alfie played with us for two matches and ended up winning the Man of the Match for the entire tournament. He was the best sport and gave his all, no matter who he was playing for. In fact, his drive down the pitch is what eventually led us the our victory in the 4th match. He was a great kid. 

The warm ups are boring, but necessary. 

The winners!

Jack and the Shield. It’s not big, but it meant a lot to him. 

Bruises are a part of being aggressive. 

This other leg might have been in worse shape. 

After we had celebrated Jack’s victory, we went over to watch Millie’s last two matches. She did so well. She scored two tries in her last match and their team won the Plate, which is 3rd over all. She was very pleased. I’m glad she’s enjoying since her gymnastics coach still can’t find a gym to rent. 

Millie and Emerson, Louie’s sister. They are on the same team, but clearly Emy is older. 

Millie’s touch team has a lot of players. 

We ended the day around 6 pm and headed to check in at the Novetel. We stayed there with Lara and Brian, as well as the Rouvis. Stuart had actually gone back to Al Ain just after Jack’s second match in order to play in his own match. He decided he would stay at the house so we wouldn’t have to get someone to stay with the dogs. So it was just the kids and myself. Once we were checked into the hotel we went to the pool for the evening. We got food poolside and the kids watched a movie on a huge screen, sitting on beanbags. It was a great evening. We got to bed just before 11 and we’re hopeful for a bit of a lie in. 

We woke up around 8 am on Saturday morning and went down for the every so loved buffet breakfast. The kids and I were riding back with the Karniks and the Rouvis, so we had to wait for Brian to return from the second day of the tournament, as he’s the youth manager and had to be there to make sure things had started out properly. We left around 11 am and arrived back at the club at 12:30 to watch the finals of the Rugby World Cup, which found South Africa tromping all over England. This was Jack’s reaction. This boy hates to lose, whether it’s his actual team or the one he is cheering on. 

He was truly sad. 

After the match we headed home. We decided to order McDonalds, which is my least favorite, but we couldn’t be bothered to cook. Sean came over after a while and we stayed up for a bit just listening to music and talking. Once he was gone, the kids went to bed and we did as well. Another week in the books. I e decided maybe we are too busy. I’m hoping it slows down, but I really don’t see any slowing until December holidays, so bring it on. 

A week of few plans!

Sunday morning we got up and had breakfast. Stuart made bacon, sausage and scrambled eggs. Addison had told Stuart she didn’t like scrambled eggs. So he asked her what type of eggs she did like. She told him she liked boiled eggs. So that sweet husband of mine made her boiled eggs. Ah! The Vallillos hung around all morning and then we played a round of Rummy so that Jack could play. I lost, yet again. I am not the greatest at cards. 

Once everyone was packed, Stuart took the Vallillos to Dubai. Millie and I had a mama/Millie movie day, while I started the 8 loads of laundry I needed to do. We watched the new Dumbo. We also made some jewelry with her jewelry kit. It was such a delightful afternoon where Millie was so sweet and adorable. It was so nice seeing her that way. It warmed my heart. 

Stuart got home around 6 pm and Cathy came over for dinner. We just had leftovers, nothing fancy. We watched the female remake of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, called The Hustle. It was so funny and clever. Cathy went home around 9 pm and I showered only to come back down and watch some trashy television. I am on holiday after all. 

Monday morning Millie went with her friend Ella to the pool. I went to school to get our Emirates IDs that we’re finally ready, and then returned to take Jack to the pool to swim. 

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the club because the kids had training at 5 pm. Stuart came and joined us around 4 pm and then left around 5:30 to sort dinner. I ended up staying at the club until after 7 because Jack had his touch training after his contact training, even though he won’t be at the club Tuesday evening for his touch match. 

We came home and ate, and then discovered that one of Jack’s team mates is actually playing in the wrong age group. This boy’s father is one of the coaches, so if he leaves then that leaves Jack’s team with one coach. Cathy had come for dinner and Brian and Lara had walked over for a chat. We talked about rugby club gossip and finally convinced Stuart he needed to help coach Jack’s team.  Yahoo! He’s such a patient person and really knows how to teach the boys. It was the right decision. In turn I was volunteered to be the manager of Jack’s team. Jack would be thrilled his dad was going to be a coach, but not so sure he would be thrilled about me being around so much. With all that in mind, we called it a night around 11 pm. 

Tuesday morning we were up and were supposed to be heading to Dubai to hang out with the Vallillos. Unfortunately, Stuart had a bit of a tummy bug so we decided to delay our trip. Initially we were going to try to go later in the day, but it turns out that Mike had a call he had to take at 8 pm that evening, so we delayed our trip until Thursday. 

Stuart ended up doing some work for a couple of hours and then went to the club to speak to the Clubhouse Manager, who happens to have a son in Jack’s team, Louie, Jack’s bestie. They spoke about how Stuart can help as a coach. When he got back we all went to the club for Jack’s touch match. Stuart had made spaghetti cheese for dinner but we decided to wait until we got home to eat dinner. Cathy has joined us as well. 

The Oreos. 

The boy loves any sport. 

When we got home from the club the kids showered and did their normal routine. Cath, Stuart and I ate and continued watching Star Wars, which we had decided we would start watching from Episode 1, as the 9th one is coming out in December. We watched the first one before touch rugby and the second one when we returned. I have never focused much and haven’t been able to follow the story lines in Episodes 1-3. We were hopeful that Stuart would be able to help us understand. Considering we fell asleep throughout Episode 2, I’m not sure we are any better off now than we were before watching the first two movies. 

Wednesday morning I got up and finished up some laundry. We piddled around the house most of the day. I made brownies and pumpkin/cinnamon chip brownies while Stuart took his Jaguar to be inspected for its license renewal. He was worried it wouldn’t pass, but it did. He was thrilled.

Millie helped with the muffins, in her sweater. That kid cracks me up!

Around 4:30 we took Jack to rugby training while Millie, Stuart and myself went to the Raals’ for dinner. When I said we would come for dinner I totally forgot Jack would have rugby training. We arranged for Jack to go home with Louie after training. We didn’t stay terribly long at the Raals’ because they have three little girls, the youngest which is 2 years old. Just a few hours is a lot of stimulus for all of them, but ooooo are they cuties! We collected Jack on our way home. When we were at the Rouvis’ house I had to wait for Jack, Louie and Emy (Louie’s sister) to show me their tik tok. And don’t ask me what that is. I have no idea, but it’s funny. 

Thursday morning we were up and out of the house at 9:30 am. We headed to Dubai to Jumeriah Beach Residence area. It’s a lovely area that we really haven’t explored. The Vallillos were staying at the Hilton apartments. They had a great pool and beach that we crashed. The kids played at the beach for a couple of hours, we had lunch on the beach, then visited the pool for a bit. 

Ready for a day at the beach. 

The kids found sea shells, built a sand structure and generally had a wonderful day at the beach. 

Jack found two sea stars. He was so excited. 

The water was amazing, not too warm and not too cold. Perfect!

After showering, we headed to the Glow Gardens of Dubai. It’s a bit like Zoo lights, but no real animals are in the park. 

When we first went in there was a Dinosaur Park to our right so of course we went in. But before that we saw some sweet little dinos being hatched just outside the gate. 

They looked a great deal like our kids. 

Jack insisted he get into this thing's mouth. 

Millie, Addison and Grayson ate their ice cream on this dinosaur bench. 

Will Millie ever smile in a picture when asked? Probably not!

Inside the garden was the Ice Park. It was a building of ice sculptures. It was gorgeous. 

Camels were a must for a picture. 

Of course the girls had to go into the princess chariot. 

The random lit displays were quite entertaining. 

When we finished seeing the lights, we headed to see the fountain at night by the Burj Khalifa at the Dubai Mall. The song that played while we watched the fountains was Baby Shark. Why not? After we had seen the fountains and the Burj at night, which we had never done before, we went to eat at Stonehouse Grill. The food was good but it took a little too long to arrive. Millie started to loss the plot. She got upset with Jack and insisted she wasn’t going to eat at Jack’s table. It was awkward and irritating. 

We made it through and then bid farewell to the Vallillos. They Ubered back to their hotel as it would have taken us an extra hour for us to get home. Mike had google mapped it and told us they were not going to let us drive them back. It was so considerate of them., but certainly not necessary. 

We got home just before midnight and had to get up at 5 am for Jack’s tournament in Abu Dhabi. I ended up sleeping on the sofa all night and woke up to my alarm. I decided to ride the bus to the match with Jack, while Stuart and Millie drove behind us.  They played hard but only won 2 of their 5 matches. Since they are playing a year up, some of the teams just had more experience than ours and they were a LOT bigger. 

Jack was the captain for this match. He’s on the right talking to the ref. I didn’t get a good picture of the other kid but if you look closely you can tell how much taller he is than Jack, and Jack is huge for his age. 

When the tournament was over we came home and showered as we all stunk. Stuart went to collect Jack from the club as he had ridden the team bus to and from the match. We invited Cathy and Carly over for dinner and then we forced Carly to watch Episode 4 of Star Wars. Carly is Sean’s daughter and we are kind of looking out for her while he is in Cambodia on a rugby tour. We ordered food in, but it was initially sent to Cathy’s house as she ordered it in her app. By the time she did get the delivery address changed and it was delivered, and hour and a half had passed. It was a debacle. Carly went home before the movie was over and Cathy decided to stay the night in our spare bedroom. Since she no longer lives across the street, coming to our house for an evening is a bit of trouble so we told her anytime she wanted to stay over, she could. 

We got up on Saturday morning and did a food shop. Stuart made bacon and egg sandwiches. They were delightful. We went to the club at 11 for the rugby match between England and New Zealand. It was an exciting match, but there really wasn’t a threat in the All Blacks winning. 

They are besties until it comes to their teams playing each other. 

England won by a bit of a margin. The Rugby World Cup finals will be Saturday, November 2nd against either South Africa or Wales. It all depends on who wins Sunday, October 27th. We are hoping it’s South Africa. 

After the match, we came home, dropping Carly at her house. She came over later for dinner, which we had put in the crock pot in the morning. Carly stayed for dinner and then left shortly after. We are probably a bit too old for her to hang out with. I’m sure she’ll be relieved when Sean is home. We watched Miss Congeniality and then called it a night. 

For a week where we had few plans, we sure did fill up each day quite well. Only 7 more weeks until the December holidays. We can’t wait. 

5 days before a break! Whew!

Sunday I had my formal observation. I ran guided reading groups, which I find to be boring, but I received positive feedback so I guess I know what I’m doing after 27 years. 

Millie had a bench ball match after school. She is actually more athletically inclined than I knew. She can throw and catch a ball really well, which is key to bench ball. 

Sunday evening we had a meeting at the club regarding the men’s and women’s tournament in November. We wanted it to be a huge success so we wanted a lot of things planned. We got home just before 8 pm and the kids showered and went to bed. We had fed them before we went to the club which was a good call in the end. 

Monday was a normal, everyday school day. After school I had basketball practice with our Year 5 and 6 girls. They really started to improve their skills. We got home and changed for Jack and Millie’s rugby practice. We drove two cars as Jack had touch rugby training after his contact practice and I didn’t want Millie to be at the club that late. She and I came home. She showered and I made her pasta and butter. After she ate she laid on the sofa and fell asleep. Lara came over for a chat. Since I hurt my hip, walking hasn’t been on my agenda so I haven’t spoken to Lara in a while. The prank door bell ringer struck again. I ran outside and yelled, ‘The next time you do that I will call the police.’  I’m hoping that will be enough to scare them, but who knows. 

Tuesday morning Millie was her cheerful self and just yelled at me because it was my fault that she didn’t get ready in a timely manner and therefore I didn’t have time to do space buns in her hair. I can hardly wait until she is a teenager.  After school we had a staff briefing about becoming an Apple teacher. Wow! I’m too old for this stuff, but I will comply and do my best. 

Millie and I stayed home Tuesday evening and let Stuart take Jack to Touch Rugby. We are at the club most every night so being home for one night in the week was nice. I decided to leave the porch light on to deter the prank doorbell kid. It worked. Stuart was home with Jack around 8 pm and the three of us ate dinner. 

Wednesday I had a basketball game after school at a different school. Jack had a football (soccer) match at yet another school so Stuart went with him and Millie was to have swim squad, but it was canceled. She ended up going home with Alice. Stuart brought Tommy to the club from the football match and Joan brought Millie in exchange. It was a game of musical kids. My girls won three of their four basketball games. Stuart stayed for training and I brought the kids home for dinner and bed. 

Thursday we left school as soon as we could. We were ready for a holiday. We finished getting things prepared at the house for the Vallillo family. We went to the store and then went to the club for a guest Scottish team that came to play our Under 19 girls’ tackle team. When we got home, the kids showered and went to bed. I took a nap on the sofa and then headed to the airport at 10:30 pm. Amber, Addison and Grayson arrived and were through customs just after midnight. We got home just after 2 am and all went to bed. 

Millie came into our room around 5 am because she had a bad dream. I Couldn’t be bothered to take her back to her room. Since she got her bunk bed it’s hard for me to put her back in her bed if she ends up in ours. I finally got up around 7:30 and had some coffee. 

Mike Vallillo arrived just after 8 am because he was coming to Abu Dhabi from a business trip in South Korea. Amber, the little girls and myself headed to the mall around 9:30 to see if we could get her a SIM card for her phone. I forgot it was Friday and that the phone store would be closed. We wandered around the store for a bit and then headed back to the house, but not before going to the pork shop so Amber could see what it was all about. 

We went to eat at the newly renovated 101 Cafeteria just up the road from our house. After lunch we headed to the zoo. It was super hot. We stayed for about 2 and a half hours. 

The entrance selfie. 

Shade was welcomed. 

The lion exhibit is always a favorite. 

The splash pad was a hit. 

After the zoo, we went back to the house to get our swim suits. We swam at the club for about an hour and then went over to the pitch side to watch the men’s match. 

We had dinner there and the kids played. I think Amber and Mike and their kids really enjoyed the evening. We came back to our house at about 8 pm and the Vallillos decided to change their hotel reservations and stay with us until Sunday. We were so thrilled! I really do love how friendships sometimes blossom out of no where. 

Saturday morning we got up and went to the Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. It’s changed so much since the first time I was there. It now has a shopping center attached to it. It kind of cheapened the entire experience for me. It’s all about the money it seems. The Mosque is still amazing, but a little too commercialized now. 

I absolutely love the abaya I had to wear.....not!
When we left the Mosque we went to the Corniche. I really thought it would be miserable, but in the end it was a nice dip in the water. 

The kids loved playing in the gulf. 

The beach was virtually empty. I suppose 100 degrees isn’t the best beach weather. 

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home to get stuff for a bbq. Cathy came over and brought dessert. She brought the makings for banana splits. It was a huge hit with the kids. 

We played rummy for a few hours and then the kids went to bed. Cathy left and we ended up playing Heads Up on the iPhone. We laughed and laughed until 2 am. It’s the latest I’ve been up in forever. It was an epic evening. 

Only two weeks until our fall break!

Sunday we had to take two separate cars to school. Stuart and the kids had to do their last border run so I stayed and worked for a bit, then went home for a bit. Stuart ended up stopping at McDonalds on the way back from Oman as we had a committee meeting and wouldn’t have time to feed the kids beforehand. When we got home I had a hard time sleeping because my hip was in so much pain. I finally put a pillow under my legs which helped a bit. 

Monday I was well enough to play dodgeball at lunch time, but probably shouldn’t have. Ryle House needed the points so I had to do my part. I got a call at 1:20 pm and it was from OBH. Dear me! When will this end? Apparently Jack had shoulder budged a kid into the wall after lunch. It seems the kid didn’t say ‘good match’ as Jack would have wanted. I still think there is something deeper and now feel others are goading Jack because they know he has been in a bit of trouble these first few weeks of school. These are not western kids, they are local kids. As the children get older it is definitely an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality. 

We got home in time to get the kids a sandwich and head back to the rugby club. On the way home we spoke with Jack again about his behavior, a bit frustrated and not knowing what to do or how to help solve the issues. I had informed OBH that Jack was not to play football (soccer) during break time until further notice. I was hoping this would be a solution. We got to the club and I was upset and couldn’t hardly

concentrate because of the issues Jack was having. I think if I felt he was the type of kid who was in trouble from time to time, it might be easier to handle. But Jack has never been in trouble at school. After Jack’s training we all came home. Stuart decided not to train in the end. Then Millie decided she was going to play Touch rugby this year which also trains on Mondays and Wednesdays. I was actually pretty excited because her gymnastics class has lost its gym and can’t find another place to train, so I want her involved in something. Once we were home everyone showered, got some food and headed to be in their respective order. 

Tuesday school was busy as always. We were to go to a swim gala after school for Jack. He would be swimming two years up for this. We had a staff briefing and only made his last race. He raced with the Year 9 boys in the freestyle relay. He was the first leg and got them a huge lead. They won first place and Brighton College won the gala. 

We got an email at the end of the day regarding further sanctions for Jack in reference to what happened on the Monday. The email was appalling and said things that we asked not be written in emails. I’m convinced that OBH is clinical and is afraid to communicate face to face. It’s frustrating and I will carry this further for sure. The email basically said Jack’s consequences could be but not limited to being removed from all sporting fixtures if his behavior didn’t improve significantly. All I could think of was ‘my kid LIVES for competition. If he loses that, we will lose him’. 

We headed to the club for touch rugby. Jack’s team didn’t win but they played really well. Playing adult teams is character building and increases their level of play for sure. We got home for dinner and showers. Millie went to bed before Jack, but he went shortly after.  I stayed up stewing over the email we received. I ended up crying myself to sleep, but not until I went to lay in Jack’s bed with him. I just needed to remember how much I love and pray for this child and his well-being. 

Wednesday morning I went to the senior school to speak to Jack’s house master, Mr Keddie, whom I respect a great deal. I decided I would not meet with OBH any more as his communication skills frustrate me. Mr Keddie explained that something really bad would have to happen to exclude Jack from all athletic fixtures for the rest of the year. It could be that if he has a bump again then he might sit out of one competition, which I understand and would support. In fact I would make him attend the competition and support his team, being able to see the effects of his misbehavior. I felt better after my conversation with Mr. Keddie. He also told me he would email Jack’s teachers to ask them to report on his classroom behavior. And as we suspected, he is having no issues in classes. In fact, every teacher was very complimentary about his efforts and assistance to others in class. It’s just in the unstructured times he has difficulty. 

After school MILLIE had her first bench ball game. It’s played a little like net ball. She loves it!

And her team won. 

Wednesday evening we went to the club and Millie played with her new touch team. She loved it and reported that Coach Dave said she was awesome. That kid has no issues with self esteem. The regular routine resumed when we got home. It had been a long week and I looked forward to the weekend for sure. 

Thursday after school Jack served his detention with the head of the Senior School, Mr Hill. Once he was finished we visited with Mr Hill for a bit. I told him how devastated Jack would be to lose all sporting events for the rest of the year. It was all he could do to not roll his eyes. I know he was not impressed by OBH’s email either. 

Millie has gone on a play date with her friend after school on Thursday. Once Jack served his time we headed home and then to the club for the Boot Sale. The weather was total crap and there wasn’t much of a turnout, unfortunately. They were also setting up for the Al Ain Pet Festival for the following day. We ended up coming back to our house with Sean. We didn’t do anything for dinner until Sean had gone home. The kids went to bed at a relatively decent hour. Their week nights are so busy that we almost have to keep to their regular bedtimes at the weekend as well. 

Friday morning I was up and passing out flyers for the annual Halloween Trick or Treat in the Village. I can’t really understand how this country allows trick or treating, but it’s happened every year we’ve been here and now this year I’m in charge of it. It’s actually a great community builder. We all gather outside our houses and sit in lawn chairs. Then children come around and we pass out candy. If people who don’t live in the Village was to come all they have to do is bring a couple of bags of candy and drop them off at one of the houses. It’s really a great night. And this year Halloween is on Thursday, which is our last day of the week. 

After the flyers were all passed out I came home. Stuart has taken Millie to a birthday party. It was at the mall but the invitation didn’t specify where. So imagine our surprise when it was at the ice skating rink and Millie was in a sun dress. Oops! Stuart went to the local H&M and bought her leggings, a long sleeve top and socks. All sorted! He did pretty well. 

Cathy went with me to pick her up and we had a pumpkin spice latte once she was collected. When we got back to the house we headed to the pet festival at the club. Duchess and Duke went with us. They had a blast. It wasn’t as well attended as expected but we had a good afternoon. We headed back to our house for burritos. Cathy and Sean came as well. Lara and Brian were supposed to come over but they stayed at the club later than expected. 

Duke enjoyed his seat in the water bucket. 

Both dogs were hot and panting. 

Saturday morning we got up and I made pumpkin coffee cake from scratch. I was well

Impressed with myself. Stuart went to Sean’s and I followed when my cake was finished.  Sean was getting a tattoo and our friend Tiff was supposed to as well, but she chickened out. We spent the day over there watching Sean wince with pain and we also watched some movies. We ordered food from 101 cafeteria for lunch and then came home just before dinner time. Stuart promised Jack we would order food from McDonalds. Lucky kids to have McDonalds twice in one week, or irresponsible parents? You be the judge!

Just after dinner the kids took showers and settled in for the night. We were all hopeful for a better week at school. 

Only two weeks until our fall break!

Sunday we had to take two separate cars to school. Stuart and the kids had to do their last border run so I stayed and worked for a bit, then went home for a bit. Stuart ended up stopping at McDonalds on the way back from Oman as we had a committee meeting and wouldn’t have time to feed the kids beforehand. When we got home I had a hard time sleeping because my hip was in so much pain. I finally put a pillow under my legs which helped a bit. 

Monday I was well enough to play dodgeball at lunch time, but probably shouldn’t have. Ryle House needed the points so I had to do my part. I got a call at 1:20 pm and it was from OBH. Dear me! When will this end? Apparently Jack had shoulder budged a kid into the wall after lunch. It seems the kid didn’t say ‘good match’ as Jack would have wanted. I still think there is something deeper and now feel others are goading Jack because they know he has been in a bit of trouble these first few weeks of school. These are not western kids, they are local kids. As the children get older it is definitely an ‘us’ and ‘them’ mentality. 

We got home in time to get the kids a sandwich and head back to the rugby club. On the way home we spoke with Jack again about his behavior, a bit frustrated and not knowing what to do or how to help solve the issues. I had informed OBH that Jack was not to play football (soccer) during break time until further notice. I was hoping this would be a solution. We got to the club and I was upset and couldn’t hardly

concentrate because of the issues Jack was having. I think if I felt he was the type of kid who was in trouble from time to time, it might be easier to handle. But Jack has never been in trouble at school. After Jack’s training we all came home. Stuart decided not to train in the end. Then Millie decided she was going to play Touch rugby this year which also trains on Mondays and Wednesdays. I was actually pretty excited because her gymnastics class has lost its gym and can’t find another place to train, so I want her involved in something. Once we were home everyone showered, got some food and headed to be in their respective order. 

Tuesday school was busy as always. We were to go to a swim gala after school for Jack. He would be swimming two years up for this. We had a staff briefing and only made his last race. He raced with the Year 9 boys in the freestyle relay. He was the first leg and got them a huge lead. They won first place and Brighton College won the gala. 

We got an email at the end of the day regarding further sanctions for Jack in reference to what happened on the Monday. The email was appalling and said things that we asked not be written in emails. I’m convinced that OBH is clinical and is afraid to communicate face to face. It’s frustrating and I will carry this further for sure. The email basically said Jack’s consequences could be but not limited to being removed from all sporting fixtures if his behavior didn’t improve significantly. All I could think of was ‘my kid LIVES for competition. If he loses that, we will lose him’. 

We headed to the club for touch rugby. Jack’s team didn’t win but they played really well. Playing adult teams is character building and increases their level of play for sure. We got home for dinner and showers. Millie went to bed before Jack, but he went shortly after.  I stayed up stewing over the email we received. I ended up crying myself to sleep, but not until I went to lay in Jack’s bed with him. I just needed to remember how much I love and pray for this child and his well-being. 

Wednesday morning I went to the senior school to speak to Jack’s house master, Mr Keddie, whom I respect a great deal. I decided I would not meet with OBH any more as his communication skills frustrate me. Mr Keddie explained that something really bad would have to happen to exclude Jack from all athletic fixtures for the rest of the year. It could be that if he has a bump again then he might sit out of one competition, which I understand and would support. In fact I would make him attend the competition and support his team, being able to see the effects of his misbehavior. I felt better after my conversation with Mr. Keddie. He also told me he would email Jack’s teachers to ask them to report on his classroom behavior. And as we suspected, he is having no issues in classes. In fact, every teacher was very complimentary about his efforts and assistance to others in class. It’s just in the unstructured times he has difficulty. 

After school MILLIE had her first bench ball game. It’s played a little like net ball. She loves it!

And her team won. 

Wednesday evening we went to the club and Millie played with her new touch team. She loved it and reported that Coach Dave said she was awesome. That kid has no issues with self esteem. The regular routine resumed when we got home. It had been a long week and I looked forward to the weekend for sure. 

Thursday after school Jack served his detention with the head of the Senior School, Mr Hill. Once he was finished we visited with Mr Hill for a bit. I told him how devastated Jack would be to lose all sporting events for the rest of the year. It was all he could do to not roll his eyes. I know he was not impressed by OBH’s email either. 

Millie has gone on a play date with her friend after school on Thursday. Once Jack served his time we headed home and then to the club for the Boot Sale. The weather was total crap and there wasn’t much of a turnout, unfortunately. They were also setting up for the Al Ain Pet Festival for the following day. We ended up coming back to our house with Sean. We didn’t do anything for dinner until Sean had gone home. The kids went to bed at a relatively decent hour. Their week nights are so busy that we almost have to keep to their regular bedtimes at the weekend as well. 

Friday morning I was up and passing out flyers for the annual Halloween Trick or Treat in the Village. I can’t really understand how this country allows trick or treating, but it’s happened every year we’ve been here and now this year I’m in charge of it. It’s actually a great community builder. We all gather outside our houses and sit in lawn chairs. Then children come around and we pass out candy. If people who don’t live in the Village was to come all they have to do is bring a couple of bags of candy and drop them off at one of the houses. It’s really a great night. And this year Halloween is on Thursday, which is our last day of the week. 

After the flyers were all passed out I came home. Stuart has taken Millie to a birthday party. It was at the mall but the invitation didn’t specify where. So imagine our surprise when it was at the ice skating rink and Millie was in a sun dress. Oops! Stuart went to the local H&M and bought her leggings, a long sleeve top and socks. All sorted! He did pretty well. 

Cathy went with me to pick her up and we had a pumpkin spice latte once she was collected. When we got back to the house we headed to the pet festival at the club. Duchess and Duke went with us. They had a blast. It wasn’t as well attended as expected but we had a good afternoon. We headed back to our house for burritos. Cathy and Sean came as well. Lara and Brian were supposed to come over but they stayed at the club later than expected. 

Why when one problem is solved does another one take its place?

I went to a seminar about STEM on Sunday so was away from school the entire day. It turns out it was more of a sale’s pitch for their product rather than a ‘how to’, but I didn’t have to go to school so there’s something. I ran out of data on my phone on the way home so my journey was a touch longer than normal. I have terrible sense of direction, sadly. I got a call on the way home about the phone issue Jack had over the weekend. It seems that this all started last year in Year 5. It was said that Jack said bad things about this boy’s mom. I know that to be a lie. Jack has nothing but respect for woman and he would have no reason to say anything about this kid’s mother. Sometimes the local kids use ‘he said something about my mother’ as their way to get out of being little turds because they know it is the utmost disrespect in their culture. I’ve decided that Jack just needs to stay away from those boys. Hopefully that tactic will work. 

Once I was home I went walking with Lara and told her all of my woes. I stayed up too late lamenting over this Jack issue. I messaged some of my besties and they sent the sweetest, most reassuring messages back to me. You all know who you are! Love my girls who are thousands of miles away, yet very close at hand when I need them. 

Monday morning was one snooze too many. Work was fine, but  I started the morning by taking Jack to the senior school to talk with OBH (these are the Pastoral Care Administrator’s initials, so I will be referring to him as this from here forward). It’s seems that even though I told Jack under no circumstances was he to speak to this boy about this issue and that the adults would take care of things, he didn’t realize that shouldering this boy as he passed him in the corridor would be considered wrong. That kid!!!! So I made Jack go and admit it to OBH as I told him the cameras probably picked it up anyway so he might as well fess up. 

The school day seemed to fly by. Basketball was after school and I didn’t get dressed out as I was just too overwhelmed. We had to tell Jack he most likely wouldn’t be able to play rugby on Friday as he didn’t have a current visa, therefore had no insurance. The clubhouse manager at the rugby club thinks he might have found a loop hole around it, but time will tell. After basketball we popped home, and after a snack we headed to the rugby club. I brought the kids home after Jack’s training and they ate. We all showered and the kids went to bed. 

Tuesday morning we took two cars to school as the kids had a swim gala and Stuart had to stay for the staff briefing, but I was allowed to go and miss the meeting. Jack and Millie both won 1st place in the front crawl. Jack got second place in the butterfly and Millie got a third place in the breast stroke. Jack had Touch rugby Tuesday evening. His team, the Oreos, didn’t win but they played really well for a bunch of kids. There are only 2 youth teams amongst 8 adult teams. The last play of the game Jack went all out and then got caught short of breath. At this point Jack is known to panic which helps ever so much. He finally calmed down when we got home and resumed his normal breathing. 

Once we were home everyone showered, had a snack and went to bed. I stayed up to watch the 7th season of The Ranch with Ashton Kutcher. I watched it all, which meant another late night for me. I can’t help staying awake when my mind is racing. I think we are all about to get our visas (I have mine, but Stuart and the kids don’t) and then maybe I can chill a bit. However, this stress doesn’t compare with what I might have elsewhere. Life is just stressful no matter your circumstances. 

Wednesday, as you may know, is my favorite day of this school year. I teach very little and can get things ready for the following week. I took our basketball girls to play bench ball at another school. Bench ball is like basketball but you don’t dribble or run. It’s fun and Millie loves it. Stuart was going to have to do a border run, but since we expect to have the kids’ paperwork back on Thursday he decided to put it off for a day or two. The kids will most likely be sorted before Stuart is. He stayed at school to do work while Millie had swim squad and Jack had football. 

I met them at the club. I worked out in the gym and then relaxed a bit while Jack was still at rugby training. Then the three of us headed home while Stuart trained. We were having a very busy week. 

Thursday couldn’t come quick enough for me. School flew by. Jack stayed with Lara and Brian’s kids and Millie stayed with Alice, while Stuart and I headed to Dubai with Lara and Brian for a night away. They had free hotel stay vouchers so we joined them. We had beautiful sushi for dinner, a night of cards, then a delicious breakfast the following morning. 

Sushi!

Cards!

We didn’t take full advantage of the stay as we wanted to get to the club for the afternoon rugby match. Jack’s match ended up being cancelled because it seems he wasn’t the only one without a visa. However, the men were playing at 3 pm so we wanted to make sure we were there to support them.  

Millie was dropped off at the club from her sleepover. She had also been pampered with Alice. 

There was a pretty good turnout at the club. We had everyone over to our house around 7 pm and decided to make grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Saturday I slept in, which is very odd for me. I suppose my late nights do catch up to me once in a while. Once I was up I headed to pick up Jack from his second sleepover of the weekend. Once he was collected we were back home and I contemplated doing some school work but instead Stuart came home from watching Australia play rugby and we all went to the club to watch South Africa and Argentina play rugby.  Stuart stayed for a bit to watch the Japan game but the kids and I headed home. We decided to watch the Secret Life of Pets 2 and Toy Story 4 once we were home. Two or three of us may have napped a bit.  

We had a quiet evening. I did actually do some of my school work and called it a night.