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. 

We started the week with a birthday!

Of course Jack was awake almost before I was. He was excited to open his birthday presents. 

He got presents from Grandma, Grandpa, Aunty Cheryl and Granny. Grammie and Pop had given him money over the summer and we got him some cologne and a PlayStation gift voucher. 

School seemed a bit more organized for me. I felt more prepared and I anticipate this to be the case from now on. I had a STEAM committee meeting after school that lasted longer than I had wanted since it was Jack’s birthday and we would be going out for dinner to celebrate. Once we left school we took Johan home. He is a one-to-one teacher for one of the children at school and has started riding to and from school with us. We then got home and changed clothes. We headed out to dinner for Jack’s birthday. He wanted to go to PF Chang’s. 

And sushi was his dish choice, as it always is. 

Cathy joined us for the celebration. We ended up going to Dunkin Donuts for dessert as it was cheaper and yummier than anything they had to offer at PF Chang’s. We then headed home for a late bedtime for Millie, which is always fun. 

The birthday bliss did not last long as I got a message on Monday afternoon that Jack had an issue during lunch. He was okay, but had been punched in the head three times by another boy. Apparently he had raised his middle finger at this boy, then was accused of having said some choice words to him in the previous week. Now Jack can by all means be mouthy, so whether he said foul words to this boy or not, only Jack knows. He says he didn’t, but anything is possible. And as he described it, he was using his middle finger to point to things in Math class. I know he knows what he was doing and I’m sure he was just trying to be funny or something. We set a meeting to go and discuss Jack’s responsibility in the whole scenario for Tuesday. No matter what Jack said, no one should ever lay their hands on someone else. Never!

Monday after school the kids and Stuart had to do a border run. This visa process is about to kill us. The fact that they don’t have visas means Jack can’t play rugby yet, which really upsets him. Hopefully it will all get sorted soon. 

I helped out with basketball and tried to put the Jack incident behind me until I got the entire story. After basketball I went to the club and worked out in the gym. Stuart dropped Jack and Millie off at 6 pm and then ran home to change as he had training as well. Jack caught the last half hour of training and then stayed for an informational meeting regarding the touch rugby team he is going to play in this year. We ate at the club and we got food for Jack to eat once we were home. The kids and I came home around 7:15 and they were showered and in bed. Stuart and I stayed up talking about this ordeal with Jack. We really feel he’s being bullied and is trying to deal with it himself. We knew we would get more information the following day, but in the meantime it’s tough to go through these situations. 

Tuesday morning we were able to meet with the Pastoral Care admin and Jack’s House Master. We told them that he was really down about school and that his start hadn’t been the best. They told us the other boy had been excluded for the rest of the day and that they would get the boys together to sort things out if it was okay with us. I felt better after meeting with them but was still concerned about Jack. I hated my junior high years because of mean kids. I don’t want him to go through the same thing, but maybe it just happens to everyone. 

After school Jack had swim squad while Stuart and I were in a staff briefing. Then Jack had touch training at the club. We all went as we had to go straight from school. We came home and had dinner, showers and bed. 

Wednesday Jack seemed to have a better day. Stuart and I are still running around like chickens with our heads cut off. Millie, fortunately, is just getting on with life. She’s a fighter, thank goodness. After school we brought Alice and Tommy to the club with us because Joan had a seminar in Dubai that day and her nanny had to go back to the Philippines last week because her mother was ill. So there was no one to pick up Tommy and Alice. Joan can’t function without her nanny. It’s hilarious. We fed everyone at the club again. Thank goodness it’s half price for us. 

Thursday the Prep team provided breakfast. I brought waffles, as always. Usually Stuart is very competitive with these things, but he could only manage bringing bread, butter, jam and our toaster. I’m sure he will pull out the stops at some stage. 

After school we raced to the club to watch England destroy the US in the Rugby World Cup. We didn’t stay long after the game. We came home and Cathy and Sean came over and we ordered curry. 

Friday we headed to Abu Dhabi so Jack could buy an Apple Watch with some of his birthday money. He was so excited. He thinks he’s so grown up, but emotionally he’s still a little boy. On the way home he got a phone call from a number he didn’t recognize. The boy on the other end said ‘hey, mother f***er’ and then hung up. The next time the call came through I answered it. There was a bit of noise and then he hung up. We then texted the number from Jack’s phone and said that we had his number and if he ever called or messaged Jack again we would call the police and file a charge of harassment and the use of foul language. It’s a VERY serious offense. I ended up saving the contact into my phone and then going to an app called WhatsApp. If someone has the app it will show you a picture of the person. I was able to find out what boy called him. I would message the pertinent people the following morning as we are asked not to email on Fridays. 

When we got back from Abu Dhabi we went to Cathy’s for dinner. We hadn’t properly seen her new place and we never go to hers to eat, so it was time. The kids took their electronics and were fine until about 7:30, then the witching hour started and they started to lose the plot. We left for home and showers. Stuart ended up going to bed just after Jack did. I stayed up to watch television. 

Saturday morning I was up at 6:30 am. I came downstairs and did a bit of work for the next week of school. I wanted to also write the email to the Head of Pastoral Care and Jack’s House Master. I told them the story and basically told them I just wanted them to be aware of the situation. I was emailed back almost immediately saying they would alert the Head of the Senior School and the Head Master, who is like the superintendent of the school. I was shocked, but thrilled, at how seriously he was taking this. Technology might be the best and worst thing that has happened to our society. We monitor Jack’s phone use at all times. I check his messages every evening. Time will tell what will happen to the offender. 

We spent most of the day watching the Star Wars movies and the Jurassic Park films. Jack went to Ian’s for a while in the afternoon and Millie played upstairs. Stuart made meatloaf for dinner which was delicious, but not according to Millie though. Will that child ever eat anything but potatoes?

Week three has begun, and not on a happy note.

I dreaded going into school on Sunday. I knew at some stage I would be meeting with the head of Academics and the Teaching Assistant who said I yelled at her, even though there were two adults in the room who said they didn’t notice anything that was going on. Shewas being terribly over dramatic and it didn’t change over the weekend. 

The school day was weird, and got more weird at the end of the day when I had my meeting. Mrs. Johnstone started nicely by saying there had been an issue on Thursday. She said we needed to figure out a way to move on from this. She stated everything correctly and even said that Mrs. Telford had apologized and tried to make things right. The teaching assistant insisted I followed her out of the room and was yelling at her. She also said I told her she didn’t know how to do her job. Clearly our perspectives were different. She never relented and didn’t apologize for the part she played in the situation. She would not accept my apology. Itwss decided we would move forward and at least be professional with one another. It was so disheartening to think that a grown woman couldn’t accept that I may have done or said something that I shouldn’t have. It was also upsetting that she didn’t see the part she played in this issue. So I’m finished with her for sure. 

Jack had swim squad after school which meant we had to stay until after 4 pm. On the way home from school we dropped Stuart at the club. He had a meeting about the new menu at the club. I came home and fed both kids, then attempted to put Millie to bed. She’s at a very difficult age right now. I really hope these teens years are not always difficult. Wait! She’s still 5 years away from being a teen. Wow! Jack went to bed before Stuart got home. Since Stuart did a good tasting at the club he wasn’t hungry when he got home. We were in bed just after 9 pm. These first few weeks will for sure be early nightts for us. 

Monday morning I got into school and took the extra brownies I had made for the Favorites party. I had enough for all the teachers and teacher assistants in my year group. Even the teaching assistant who can’t forgive me decided she would have one. Maybe she will forgive me one day. After school I helped with the basketball club. It was really fun. It’s just girls and they are Year 5 and Year 6 girls. Once we left school, because Millie had behaved so badly after school, it was decided that she and I would not go to the rugby club for Jack’s rugby practice. She wasn’t happy, but her attitude may kill me. 

Stuart decided not to train so he came home after Jack’s training. Lara and Brian came over for a bit as well to ask us if we wanted to go for a hotel stay in Dubai. We decided against it as we aren’t terribly keen on leaving the kids for the evening. Plus, we are both still a bit overwhelmed with school at the moment. 

Tuesday after school we had our parent meet and greet. I only had 5 parents. The further up the school you go the less parent there are. This is mainly because they’ve heard the speech and don’t care to hear it again. Once that was over we headed home. When we got into the house Jack insisted I sign his school planner. It was then that I discovered Jack had no idea how to use his planner, nor had he been writing much in it or doing the homework he was to do. He had actually forged my name in the first week of the planner. I was livid. After a shout or two in his direction, I finally sat with him and we talked through his responsibilities. We both cried and I told him I would help him figure out what he needed to do so we could sort things out. This growing up thing is hard on everyone. 

Lara and I had decided we would start walking at night since we were struggling to get our lazy butts out of bed in the mornings. We started Tuesday evening. It seemed to work better as we were able to talk about the stresses of the day. 

Wednesday morning we got up and talked through what Jack would do when he got to school. We told him if school didn’t start becoming a priority his sport activities would start being taken away. He went and spoke to his house tutor who told him he knew Jack had forged my name, but wanted to see if Jack would fess up to it. I call total bullshit on that. I think the Senior School has a bit to answer for. Unfortunately the teachers there are not elementary teachers, yet in so many ways these children like Jack are still very young and needy. I feel many meetings with teachers coming my way. Initiated by me of course. 

After school we got home to the maintenance man coming to fix the water heater. He turned the hot water back on, or so I thought. In the end he didn’t and we would have to call him again on Thursday. When the maintenance man was finished Millie and I headed to the supermarket.  We shopped as quickly as we could and then headed to get petrol. The car was nearly out of fuel. We got home and unpacked the groceries, cleaned the children, fed the children and then Stuart and I watched Dirty Dancing once the kids were in bed. 

Thursday couldn’t be over early enough. At the end of the day I found out that my student whose answer to every question last year was ‘potato fork’ was coming back. Although I have the most children in my classroom, I told them I wanted him back in my classroom. I loved that kid, although most days he drove me bananas.We left right after school. When we got home, Stuart started to cook. The Raals came for dinner. Carel is Millie’s teacher. He is from South Africa and his wife Alex is from England. They have three of the cutest little girls. Ava is 5, Ivy is 3 and Una is 2 and talks all the time. They are adorable. We had a lovely evening, but when they left Millie was irritated as the little girls had ‘destroyed’ her room. I helped her to clean up and reminded her that they were much younger than she was and weren’t as good at tidying up. 

Friday we were up and I worked on my lessons for next week. We headed to the club for Jack’s birthday swim party. 

Our cleaner, who also waits tables at the club, put these balloons up for Jack. They say Happy Birthday Jack. It was so sweet. 

The pizza, chips and cake were delicious. 

He had invited boys from his rugby team and from school. He was so excited. Jack had requested that his friends not buy him a gift but consider just giving him money as he was saving up for a big item. He wants to buy either an iPhone X, and Apple Watch or a Go Pro. So we said that was fine. All of his friends gave him a card with money. His friend Zayed, who is the grandson of Sheikh Tahnoon, who rules Al Ain, gave him the equivalent of $270. That pretty much solidified his savings and now next weekend we will be going to Abu Dhabi to make his purchase, but he still hasn’t made his final decision. 

After the swim party the kids, Cathy and myself headed back to our house. We ordered burgers from Hardees as soon as Stuart got home from the club. The Rugby World Cup started on Saturday so the matches were all being televised in the restaurant. He had stayed to watch the first two matches. Sean came over a little later and then we just watched Michael McIntyre on YouTube for a while. Everyone was gone and we went to bed. It had been a full day in the sun. Jack was sleeping over at Ian’s and Millie had passed out in our bed and we had to move her to her bed. 

Saturday morning Stuart was up at 5:30 am. I woke up but then went back to sleep until nearly 8. I worked a bit while Stuart went back to the club to watch another rugby match. We will be in Rugby heaven for the next month at least. 

When he got home we headed to the store to get Jack a gift. We were going to make up the extra money he needed for his new phone, but since he got plenty of money for his birthday, we needed to get him a gift to open on Sunday. We also got donuts for his birthday breakfast. When we got home we loaded everyone up and went to the club for the South Africa versus New Zealand rugby match. The All Blacks beat South Africa by quite a bit. We stayed for a birthday party and Jack had a moan about staying, unfortunately. I ended up grounding him from his PS4 for a week because of his behavior. 

Once we were home the kids showered and Millie stalled as long as she could to go to bed. She was finally in bed just after 7. Jack went at his normal time and then Stuart went to bed. I fell asleep on the sofa as I do all to often. We would be up early the following morning to celebrate Jack’s day of birth.