Sandstorms.. and ice cream

So as I was on my way out of the store, i hear the checkers start running to shut the doors saying something, no idea what, as usual :) Then i see trash go blowing by. It was my first real sandstorm! Of course as I try to call hubby and let him know, he doesn't answer. According to him this wasn't a real one, but everyone else seems to think so. There were little guys trying to put the flags at etihad plaza back up as they kept blowing over. Kind of silly, but i guess it's a job. The sand was blowing in my eyes, and at one time in one place it was hard to see. But by the time i got home it was just windy. The house is blocked by other houses, and the store is in an open field where the sand can blow more. But, it was still interesting to see.

Plus here's a little surprise we found out here too, and boy were the kids happy!

Po#$ Room

Okay, so when people think of a muslim country the most i hear about is the lack of alcohol, and the lack of pork. Neither of these have had a huge impact in our lives:). I must say i hear more about drinking out here than back home! I guess some people respond to the lack of something, by indulging more in it? So, let me explain these things, and how they work here, to the best of my ability.. You can drink out here, there are liquor stores. Haven't seen one myself, but we don't have a need. You can get alcohol at the hotels, and at some of the hotel bars/clubs. Some would be shocked at how good the night scene is here, so i hear :) To get a drink at the hotels, you can just buy it. To get bottles of liquor at the stores where they are sold, you need the license. And if the police come into your home, which they can and you posses the alcohol you best have your license!
Now onto the subject i do know, pork...ssshhh. Kidding, it isn't a big deal really. There is a pork room at some of the stores. Spinney's which has lots of american stuff. We got our A&W Root Beer there :) Also Abella's, which i think seems to have more british stuff. But they each have a pork room, at Abella's you can even get fresh pork, as they have a butcher at the counter in there. We get our sliced lunch meat there. What is odd, is the things in there. Makes me wonder! Pop Tarts? Marshmellows? Kind of scary, and makes you go hmmmmm.....

Pork Room at Abella's

My Root Beer :)

Sports Day...

Midget had sports day at her school. For those of you back home, it's field day :) She had a fabulous time, and it was a sunny beautiful day for it. They had running races, an obstacle course, long jump and a few other games. They wore ribbons so they can earn points for their different houses. I hope hers wins!
Monkey's part of the upper school, and he hasn't had his sports day yet :(

This is her class.

She looks ready to go, doesn't she?

Blah..

We had some more blah weather, but i think the sun is out today. Finally!! The dad's took the kids out to dinner and to Sparky's. The kids are getting so spoiled with every mall having these funzones. Ice cream cone's were one dirham, which is about 27 cents! Needless to say the dads kept giving the kids the coins, and each had 2. So we had some tummy aches :)
While they were there, my new neighbor and I indulged in some girl time, and it was much needed! We went to the nail spa around the corner. So nice! It had been a while, so you know it's bad when you sign up for a treatment called "Bye, Bye, Callus". But it was heaven, and so relaxing! She's been here just over a week, so she needed some relaxation! We went and had a nice dinner and brought the kids and dad's home some little pastries from Ms. J's cafe. This was before we knew of the ice cream incident :)
Monkey took his psp to the hamed centre and got it hacked, and then hacked it some more. Now he can play halo on his psp. Apparently this is big in the gaming world :)

On the hob...

So, i have looked this term up, and this is what it says..
1. (Cookery) the flat top part of a cooking stove, or a separate flat surface, containing hotplates or burners
I learned that from my British version of our families favorite butter and herb noodles. We found them in British form, and therefore costing half of the American version. Score one for mom!
So here are some pics of the FABULOUS spice section at our local Carrefour store. Its somewhere between a wal-mart and target, but not quite either. But the spice section is just amazing. I got some fresh cinnamon, lemon salt (not sure what to do with it, but it sounds promising!), and basil. And i have to say, the car smelled so good on the way home!

Then i made it to the other side to the olives. There is a restaurant back home that has these fabulous greek salad's. They have these kalamata olives in them. I didn't know that was the name, until the lovely man behind the counter told me. we used to fight for the olives, my mom and I. They never had enough, so i bought some, and they were 6 dirhams! That's about $1.50. I get the feeling i am going to get a stomach ache eating these....

And this is midget and monkey's new favorite snack. Something I don't think they ever would have picked back home. Our polish neighbor gave it to them once, and they loved it. Pepperoni/salami on a dinner roll. Go figure? But they love it:)

And lastly, my one tearful moment in the store. I couldn't believe it when i saw it.... Blue Bell!!!

Blah weather..

So we had a couple sprinkles. This by no means is crazy weather as was predicted. Maybe since it isn't sunny, that makes it crazy?
It is very blah and cloudy though. So my new neighbor and I were both feeling a bit blah and funky. So we decided to head out and go get some coffee. We went down the road to Mugg and Bean. I had heard they had the biggest meringue in the whole UAE. That alone was reason to get out of a blah mood! So here it is, and I have to say my grandma would be envious of this meringue!

And oh my gosh, it was as good as it looks :)

Groundhog day...

So since we have been here, since the 30th of august, the weather has been the same. You wake up, and guess what... it's sunny. Next day the same... I told the hubby it's like groundhog day here. Everyday, sunny.

I kind of would like some change every now and again, a little rain? I'm not asking for hurricanes again, not by any means. But who doesn't like to sit and read a good book with the rain outside?
So last week we had some fog... and i have to say, i'm a little concerned now. I may not want groundhog day to end... but today in the headlines, and i do mean headlines... watch out people! It may rain!!!! Now one would think this would be like crazy downpours. No, slight to moderate rain makes the headlines. Mostly because these people can't drive in anything but groundhog day weather. It's frightening! So when the rain comes, which i guess i might have to go buy an umbrella? I shall be white-knucling the steering wheel in the slow lane with all the other frightened expats. Cross your fingers!

Unstable weather expected in UAE from Sunday evening


Dubai: Unstable weather conditions and rough sea has been forecasted by the officials, from Sunday evening until end of the week.

The National Center of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) issued a warning to motorists to be extra cautious while on the road since low visibility is expected in addition to slippery roads due to rain.

After UAE was swept through by the southern and south-eastern winds on Saturday, forecasters expect the north-western winds to bring in more instability on Sunday evening.

Southern and South-eastern winds blew across the country on Saturday kicking up dust especially in open areas in the western region, leading to low visibility in many areas. The visibility in Jebel Ali, for instance, came down to 3000 metres. The temperature increased from 2 to 6 degree Celsius. The wind speed led to waves at seas going up to 5 feet high.

Forecasters expect the winds to recede by Sunday, however on Sunday evening the north-western winds will bring in a cold spell.

“The weather will be unstable in the country until end of the week”, NCMS said in a statement.

It will be cloudy and showers are expected in the northern areas. Slight to moderate rain is forecasted with highest amount of rain in coastal areas and islands. The clouds will continue to increase.

The highest amount of rain is expected on Tuesday.

There will be a gradual decrease in temperature across the country. Nights will be colder comparatively.

strange building...

Looks as if it is going to roll of doesn't it? The kids love this building. It's the headquarters (looks like a quarter too!) for the main building company out here. The Aldar company. Such a strange looking building. I have heard that when they finished it, they couldn't get some of the interior building parts in, and they had to get dropped in through the top. Funny.... So typical of here. Our friend had to have his washer and dryer brought in by a crane, as it was on the 3rd floor, and the stairway to the 3rd floor where the laundry and maids room is was too narrow. Hubby said they should do like the dutch and have special windows.. :)
As for us, we vegetated all weekend, and it was heaven. We've been going and going, it was nice to sit around and do nothing... which meant laundry, video games, and lots of calico critters.

16 years...

16 years ago today i married my very best friend. We've had our share of ups and downs, been thousands of miles apart, lived in our tiny apartment and now in this too big house, and i would say i would do it all over again. What a life we have to share, and 2 wonderful kids. It certainly isn't a dull one!
This is my favorite...

My family..

Hubby's famiily....

The buddies...so young!

aww...

My gosh we were young..

My daddy...

Silly things... but good ideas

So the escalators here. Most don't start until you get near them. Very energy efficient. I get that, it's a very good idea. But when you are not used to them, and you have 2 right next to it, it leads to embarrassing situations. I try not to look any more ridiculous here than i have to. So i've found looking lost, as i usually am is not a good thing. So, coming up to an escalator with the men looking at you like you are an odd one, i just keep going and try to not get noticed. Alas, you look like a big, and i mean BIG goof going on a escalator that is not going to go up, when you need to go up. Standing there wondering why it isn't moving, and then bam. There it goes and an arab man is coming down it looking at you like, what are you doing? It isn't just me though, it happens to others. I've heard of our 6 ft 5 friend and our neighbor going to them thinking they have to climb them, and then falling into each other as it starts to move. That i would have paid to see!
But in case you are ever near here, or come upon non-moving escalators... here is my lesson to you...

The red light, which if you know to look for it is obvious.. means... yes, you guessed it don't go here... it's the wrong one.

Green means go :)

Dragonmart

So we went on a little adventure... not really it's only an hour away, but it makes it sound more exciting doesn't it? Dragonmart is a HUGE place, full of little shops with things made in china. We didn't see 1/4th of it. The stuff there was likely 99% junk. We went looking for a cheap quad bike, aka a 4 wheeler back home. We had heard from some friends that they had them there. We saw kid ones, but not bigger ones. Then we get a hold of them and they are supposedly on the other side of the mall. the mall if over a kilometer long, so we gave up. We had given midget some of her money left over from the garage sale back home, so she "translated" it. How cute is that? So she had 140 dirhams, sounds like a lot, but it's about 35 dollars. She got a hello kitty purse, wallet, a compact pink mouse for her laptop, and headphones, and last but not least, the cutest little chinese style dress. Can you believe it? Funny...
Monkey got a knock off gameboy, not quite sure why? It came loaded with games though,and was 25 dirhams! Nuts... But it was mostly junk. Lot's of knock of purses, but i had just gotten my favorite one, so i didn't want another. Although the burberry looking one, was calling my name. Had it not been in the DuDu store. :)
We also had some wonderful news, our new neighbors, who are old friends of hubbies have arrived. With them, 3 fabulous kids! And there oldest is close to monkey's age, and he is thrilled beyond words! Midget is excited too, they have a 3 almost 4 yr old girl, and she is all set to be a mama to her :) I am excited because they are the nicest couple and are from home!
Here is a link to dragonmart if you are curious!
http://www.dragonmart.ae/OurStores.html

A little tailgating, you can't tell how crazy close he is...

This is how we get from the other side to dad and monkey....

on the golf cart, for 5 dirhams, you can get a ticket and a ride!

We both want one of these awesome trikes!

And last but not least, the thrill of the day for both my boys.. giggles :)
The DUDU Store!!!

Desperate times...

call for desperate measures. As some of you may know, when the hubby was away we partook in some fast food... Chik-fil-a was a staple in our dinner menu. Let me just defend by saying midget's ballet class got out at 645 p.m. So by 7, there was no time to cook, bath and homework. I also saw many a friend at that drive-thru, so no judging please :) I don't know what they put in those sandwiches, but we have all been craving. So to carefour i went and bought my pressure cooker. I was wondering the reason for the varied prices, 100 dirhams, to 725? I think i should have gone halfway, as mine had no thermometer?? But it worked anyway, and we made ourselves a chik-fil-a sandwich! They were pretty good too! Hubby figured out the right way to close the silly pressure cooker, so i think using that right, will make them even better. But the coating was just right!

wow...

Ok, I hesitate to post this video, as i am sure this is a far extreme. The muslims i have met have been extremely kind, and extremely respectful. This guy must be an extremist, or have taken the quran and read into it as he saw fit to him. There are nuts in all religions...
But a etiquette to beating your wife?

woo-hoo!!

So it has only taken 4 months, but the day has come... I finally finished the laundry!!! How sad is that? I think there is a wife/mom police that was going to come and revoke my mom/wife title for having it go so long. No dryer for months puts a damper on things... get it? damper...
So that was our day. Doing the laundry... fun, fun. We also met midget's new teacher. I hope she does allright. I'm a little worried, she looked like she was in tears missing her kids. They won't be here for 2 weeks. She's supposed to be helping midget, and i think the poor woman needs help. She seems very nice though, and midget really liked her. I can't imagine being away from the kids for a couple weeks. So maybe being busy with the class will help. She is from Scotland, but worked over here for 15 years. Went back to Scotland, and is now coming here for a better education for her kids. Seems to be a common theme. So cross your fingers :)
We are waiting on hubby to bring home some Fuddrucker's. He was picking up my bank card for the bank here. In celebration of the completion of the laundry, we get Fuddrucker's. Now can i convince everyone to not dirty anymore clothes?

New Year's Day

Cool little cars that drive through Italy :)

There's some excitment...

They waited, and got to the ride, and his feet couldn't push the pedals... such a bummer. But dad won the race!




Look mom no hands!

Cool little chopper isn't it?

Here is the woman yelling at the man... She must have stood there for 10 minutes!

Racer girl! Call her Trixie :)

Happy New Year everyone! We had a quiet new year's even. Hubby took the boy who know resembles my son again, who formerly looked like a beatle for a hair cut. There were melt down's had, and a few harsh words but he is ok with it now. Mostly... We then went to Ferrari World for New Year's, thinking there would be fireworks... wrong. The park closed at 11. It was fun, i suppose we would have been more excited, had we been Ferrari enthusiast. It felt a bit like a Ferrari infomercial. It was a huge park though, and almost all indoors. The decor, and building were amazing though!
Midget did get her very own Ferrari driver's license, and they did have fun driving the cars. Although the kids cars were so slow! It was interesting watching some of the local's trying to scoot past in the queue, not line, because we now stand in long queue's. This one lady actually walked through the exit, took her kid put her in a car, even though my kids had been waiting 20 minutes. Then she proceeded to yell at the worker for asking her to wait in line. So her kid is crying, she is yelling, and i'm thinking my kid is waiting for this woman who is teaching her child what? Sad.... But amazingly enough, they didn't let her ride until she stood in line, which by the way, they refused to do.
So New Years, by midnight we were all still barely awake, watching the fireworks on Dubai One news, and thanked heaven we decided not to go see them at the Burj Khalifa, there were thousands of people there! But we sat snuggled up on the couch to watch them all together. So one peaceful new year's eve down in Abu Dhabi :)