The kids see snow!

Yes I will admit it does seem strange that the first time my children experience snow it is while living in the desert! But it is a great way to see it! All fresh powder and after a couple of hours you can leave and defrost in the 39 degree heat… perfect!

Last saturday we took the kids to Ski Dubai which is located in one of the Dubai malls. It is an indoor ski/ snow park. You can ski, snowboard or just play in the snow in the lovely minus 3 degree setting. It even has a quad chair lift and a couple of cafes inside! For the real skiers/snowboarders among you… it has 5 runs (one being a black run) with the longest being 400 meters, like everything in Dubai it has to be the biggest in the world. And this ones claim to fame is the 3000 square meters snow park which is the largest indoor snow park.

Both the children had been looking forward to it for a couple of weeks (it has been a great bribe!) and were so excited once we got there. They looked so cute all rugged up as we went in. Of course they were greeted by a big dressed up bear which Lachie loved and Charlotte immediately ran from… my brave little princess! Once inside they had a fabulous time playing in the snow, tobagganing, sledging and sliding down in the tubes. charlotte found the little tubes early on and stayed their most of the time. Sliding down, then dragging the tube back up to go again. Most of the time she was the only one on the slope and had the attendant’s undivided attention. Lachie climbed to the top of the tobbaggan run (where you have to lie down on your back) as soon as we got there then shyed away from it and headed to the little tubes with Charlotte. But once he got his confidence he progressed to the big tubes and then to the tobaggan and we couldnt get him off! After a couple of hours they were both exhausted!!

We were most impressed with the facilities and the way it is run.The cost of your ticket includes ski jacket, ski pants, socks and ski boots. you needed your own gloves and beanies. the kids also were provided a helmet which all kids under 13 must wear… a good thing too as we lost count of the number of times Charlotte knocked her head! The only downfall to the day was our camera ran out of battery! We did get a few photos and small videos but we shall just have to return and do it again!

What makes a local?

Have only been here just over a year, it feels strange when people at school corner you to ask questions, in some ways I feel like I am still working things out myself! But to people who are just arriving, a year seems like a long time! And in some ways I do feel like a local:

* It is 39 degrees and 98% humidity today and I find myself saying how nice it is now the heat has gone!

* I know the weekend is Thursday/Friday and have stopped planning things for Saturday night! I must say the week seems to go very quickly when Tuesday is hump day!

* The camels on the side of the road no longer get a second glance.

* I could ace any defensive driving course in the world! When driving here I have learnt that indicators are optional, the white lines on the road seem to be a suggestion only, you can stop in the middle of a roundabout if you feel the need to chat and you can overtake on the shoulder doing 160km/hour while talking on a mobile with 3 kids playing on the front seat… nothing I see here on the roads surprises me anymore!

* I think in terms of Dirham’s and noticed when I was back in Australia I converted Aussie prices back to the dirham.

* I am use to being called ‘Madam’ at least 10 times a day

* I no longer feel guilty putting everything in the rubbish bin! But I do wish they would get recycling here at some stage… Clint is working on it!

Polar Opposites

As my children grow it becomes more and more apparent that my angels are complete opposites, maybe thats why they get on so well… the old opposites attract theory.

Lachie is still very ordered, everything in its place and to him everything is black or white. He wears his heart on his sleeve and is devastated if he gets in trouble. He is also somewhat of a perfectionist and if he can’t do something or perceives himself at not very good at it then easily gives up.

Charlotte on the other hand, will look you in the eye and blatantly lie and when in trouble she doesn’t care, just looks at you as if to say “whatever”. She will argue every point and minor detail and if there is a loop-hole she will find it… far to street smart for a 3-year-old! She believes if she can find a path to walk to her bed then the room is clean. She is also very determined and insists on doing everything by herself, she will try for ages until she gets it right or masters a new skill.

Yesterday Lachie was practising his spelling words for the week, one of which is ‘school’. He spelt it out correctly only to have Charlotte announce that it doesn’t matter if he forgets how to spell it cause it is written on his shirt (uniform)… yep how to cheat from a 3-year-old!  The look on Lachie’s face was priceless, the thought of someone cheating horrified him… he will probably tell his teacher that she needs to cover everyone’s shirts/dresses so no-one can cheat!

We love them both to bits but Clint and I shudder at the thought of Charlotte as a teenager!

Party, party, party…

We have only been back a few weeks and already the kids social calendars are filled with parties! Meaning our weekends are also filled with parties, Charlotte is too young to leave by herself yet, not to mention still terrified of clowns. And not many parties are held at home so we  stay with Lachs at the party places as the toilets and things are always outside in the general area, and while the staff are usually lovely, close supervision isn’t a strong point.

Last weekend they had a party and this weekend we had Jasmines 5th, Claire’s 4th and Jacks 6th. Of course the kids love it and have a wonderful time, and I enjoy the catch up with the other parents. Jasmine’s was bowling (Charlotte very proud of her first strike) and Jack and Claire’s was at a party/play centre. They loved the rides, Charlotte’s favourite was the rollercoaster and Lachie loved the “crazy cars” (strapped into a car that goes round while going up, down and jerking sideways), Charlotte came off that one saying it was fun but a little bit scary.

While I have had enough cake and party games to last quite sometime, Lachs is off to another party Monday night- yes you read that correctly, Monday night with school the next day! But it’s fairly normal here for the locals to have late evening parties as they tend to sleep in the afternoon after school and then stay up late. It is one of Lachie’s good friends so I said he could go as long as Clint could be home so I don’t have to take Charlotte too (she just wouldnt cope with the late night) and that we would have to leave early cause otherwise we won’t get home till 8:30 and thats late for him on a school night…. so I guess I will be singing Happy Birthday one more time !