All things pass …

I said in my last blog that I would try to keep the updates more frequent but we’ve been so busy with school and day to day life that I haven’t found the time to just sit and gather my thoughts. If I’m honest with myself, some days it has been easier to not think about the chance we took, the changes we’ve made and the people we left behind. Having said that, at this moment in time, I know this is where we’re meant to be. To be here and to have this opportunity is something we will forever be grateful for. James said once ‘just look where we are’ and he was right, we’re living and raising our children in one of the most amazing places in the world.

It’s been over 6 months now since we moved and reality has started to sink in. It’s starting to feel more like home now, we’re settling in well and the kids are both happy and thriving at school. We always ask them are you ok? Are you happy to be here? Both have always said they are, unless Sienna is in a bad mood and then she will tell you she wants to go back to the UK and that you’ve ruined her life, quickly followed by ‘ I didn’t mean that!’.

Of the two of them, Sienna has taken to this new life better than we expected. We were always worried that she would struggle. She still has her moments and that girl does not like to get up early, but, all in all she’s doing really well. She has made some lovely friends and her confidence is coming on so much. She’s no longer into princesses and fairy tails and is finding her own style and individuality. Never more so than when she is with her bestie, Willow.

As for Zach, he misses his friends so much and has been a bit upset recently. We’re currently four hours ahead of the UK, three when the clocks change back, but that extra hour really plays havoc with keeping in contact with people especially in the week. Seeing him so upset made me question everything but we had a good chat and he told us he is happy here, he just misses the lads, which is understandable as they have been best friends since 3 years old. That night I curled up next to him and didn’t leave his side, no matter how old he gets he’ll always be my little boy, the boy who made me a Mum. Having said all that he has made some really great friends here and has fitted in so well. Its great to see him so at ease with his classmates and football team. He has a lovely friendship with a girl called Tulip, she only lives in the next community and is in his class. They hang round with each other most weekends, being daft and having fun. They also decided it would be fun to knock and run on a few villas here, until security was informed.

After the Christmas break the kids were straight back into school on the second of January. This meant that we needed to sort a second car quite quickly so that I could do the school runs and James could get to the office. We looked at all sorts of cars but in the end we decided on a Jeep Wrangler so we could go into the desert and have some fun. We bought the Jeep from Jeepers which is a dealership that modifies your Jeep to whatever spec you want. We also get access to the Jeepers club and we get lessons on how to drive in the desert safely. We’ve had a few of our own modifications added to it so far and James has been on a few lessons which he has really enjoyed. Zach went on one too and said it was the best thing he’s ever done.

Our first road trip in the Jeep was to Kite Beach in Umm Al Quwain. It’s only an hour up the road and the beach and the water is so beautiful and so different from the beaches you find in Dubai. The water was so blue and clear. We had a great day and it was lovely to be there with our friends, Nathan, Chloe, Harry and Peg the Dalmatian. The weather had been quite unpredictable but on this day it was glorious and warm.

Our first brunch of the year was at Caesar’s Palace, it was a British Sunday Brunch and it didn’t disappoint. As we booked through British Mums we also received a pool and beach access day for free which we’re looking forward to using before the weather gets too hot, its getting hotter by the day!

Next up, Zach turned 11. He was in school all day and it rained. His football practise was cancelled so we had pizza at home that night and his friend from across the street, Olliver, came over. Zach has changed so much since we got here, he’s maturing before our eyes and growing taller by the day. He is nearly the same size as me too,which isn’t hard, I know.

For his birthday we arranged for him to go on a motor cross bike, off-roading with James. The night before the heavens opened and they didn’t stop for hours, the water was leaking through the living room, it was like a waterfall at one point. We didn’t have enough towels and the water just kept on coming. It was also coming through the windows upstairs and through the balcony door. All the roads around us had flooded too. It was one of the lowest points we have had since we got here. The houses are just not built for rain neither are the roads. I prayed that there would be no more rain and eventually it stopped.

They say after every storm comes a rainbow, and this was a very short lived rainbow as it turns out!  I had decided to start baking again. I got myself a Kitchen Aid mixer and the first batch of cupcakes I made were Sticky Toffee Pudding and Carrot Cake. Nothing burned and they tasted great so I decided to log back in to ‘Mrs M Makes’ and go from there. However, on further research I discovered that unless you are an Emirati or from a GCC country you can’t legally bake from home. I would have to rent a cloud kitchen and pay for a licence yearly. So for now I’ve parked this idea, if it’s meant to be a better solution will come along, I’m sure.

Next up was Sienna’s showcase at school. She was so nervous but also really excited. She loves performing and singing but she can be quite shy. We went to watch her and she was brilliant, she was beaming the whole way through. We were so proud of her.

One of the biggest moments of this year so far was Zach going to Bahrain with his school football team. It was the first time he had been on a plane on his own and true to form he was his usual laid back self and ready for an adventure. They played in a tournament against other British schools in the Middle East and won! Such a great experience for them all and one he will never forget.

Whilst Zach was away I went to a pottery class with my friend Sam. It’s safe to say I wont be opening a pottery shop anytime soon, I really enjoyed it but I ended up with more clay on me and on the floor than on the wheel. Sam on the other hand was a natural at it! My finished bowl looked ok though and it was a great laugh. We’re looking forward to going back to decorate and glaze it.

We also had our friends Nel and Andy over, they have three children and are new to Dubai just like us. Sienna and Annabella hit it off straight away. Their son Rupert reminds me so much of Zach when he was little, he is adorable and so is his baby brother Rory. We’re really lucky to have the people that we do around us, it makes it that little bit easier being away from home and family. It’s also great for the kids to have other kids to play with whilst the adults catch up.

Sienna’s sports day was next up and apart from refusing to do the penalty shoot out she did great. She was doing really well at the 400 metres until one of her friends fell over and she stopped to help her, that to me, was better than seeing her win the race.

After a busy week we went into the desert with Dylan, Sam and the kids. We both have Jeeps and it was fun to do some dune bashing together and let the kids run free in the desert. I even had a go myself, which wasn’t too scary.

By February, we hadn’t had visitors for a while so it was lovely to see Lynn and Ronnie on there way back from Australia and Bali. We also saw Dave and Carol who we haven’t seen since we last went to Calpe about 5 years ago. We had a lovely week with them. Most memorable was Taco Tuesdays down at Studio One. Unlimited Taco’s and margaritas for 2 hours. We also had a BBQ at the Villa, went into the desert and joined them down at JBR for the afternoon.

We’ve been to Studio One a few times now that we have realised it’s only 10 minutes away from us, it’s a hotel with some really  good restaurants in it and because it’s a hotel we can have a drink too. We tried Aprons & Hammers last week and the food was amazing as were the cocktails.

We also had another visitor, a little stray cat, who the kids named Toby and James decided it would be a good idea to feed him tuna. He hung round the garden for a few days (till he realised he was only getting kitty kat). The kids loved having him there but he’s not been back for a while now. I sometimes see him at the shop and as much as I would love to foster him we just can’t commit right now.

Our friends Chloe and Nath have bought a sailing boat and we went down to the Marina to see it and although it didn’t go to plan we still had a great day in the sunshine planning our first camping trip to Fujeriah. This also didnt go to plan as James has got a few inflamed glands in his eye and needs to keep out of sun, dust and sand. He will need to have an operation to get it sorted which will hopefully be done in the next week.

For World Book Week parents could go in and read to their child’s class. I went to Sienna’s and read them a few stories from Percy the Park Keeper. It’s the longest a child has sat and listened to me for 10 years.

I’ve always said I would look to find a job after six months, once the house was sorted and once I knew the kids were settled. I needed something that would fit round the kids and pick up times and where I could have the holidays off with them. So, Miss Mitchell starts her new Teaching Assistant role on Monday, helping out in FS1 at the kids school. Ive no idea if I’ll be any good at it but if this move has taught me anything its that if you dont try you’ll never know.

I think that pretty much covers the last few months. High and lows again and i’m always reminded of something I read a few years ago ‘all things pass’, and they do, whether it takes one week or one month, one day you’ll find yourself looking back having made it through the storm, a little bit wiser, a little bit more resilient and ready for what life throws at you next, good or bad, we’ve got this!