YEAH ME!

All week the kids have been going to a camp at a hotel called Wafi.  The place is Egyptian themed and shaped like a pyramid.  They have been doing sports, swimming, dancing and just getting to play with other kids.  Driving to this hotel has had its challenges for me but has also been good for me to get out there and find my way around.  The first morning Deric went with us and helped navigate.  Lately he has been so mean!  He makes ME drive places!  The nerve!  Day 2 of camp I was on my own and you would think I could get there no problem.  NO!  It had to happen sometime and it did this day...I got lost!  Getting lost in Dubai is a very easy to do.  At one point I think I was on my to Oman!  This was the worst worst feeling.  And what was so frustrating was we could see the pyramid but we could not get to it!!!!  Luckily my new car has a navigation system and the lady in the dash kept telling me where to go.  We did finally make it there..about 30 minutes late. Once again it was one of those moments where I tried to stay calm so the kids stayed calm.  I think they might have learned some new words that day from their mama.. words that rhyme with sit!sit!sit!sit!  I had to sit in the lobby of the hotel and decompress for awhile before I got back on the road.  I now have the drive down and I cheer for myself out loud each morning when we make it there!  "Yeah Me" "Take that Dubai!""We made it!" "I did it!"..Seriously..I do this.

The leader of the camp is a very loud Irishman who cheers "Texans!" or "Americans!" everytime we walk in.  He is very loud and a little obnoxious and I think he scares the you-know-what out of Luke.  Luke has whimpered a few mornings about going but seems to have fun once he gets there.  One morning I left him in a line full of boys going out to play football.  When I picked him up he had a skinned up nose, cheek and eye.  I asked him what happened and he said "I fell playing football Mama but it wasn't Texas football it was Dubai football"....It was SOCCER!  The pool they are swimming in everyday is amazing and the girls get to have a fashion show tomorrow.  Speaking of fashion.....

Yesterday after camp a new friend let me follow her to the place you buy school uniforms.  $2185 durham later (divide by 3.7 to get that in dollars), I left with a large bag of khaki shorts, skorts, navy and white polos, button downs, and one very unhappy eldest daughter.  I was very excited about the uniform thing.  No more drama about what to wear in the morning..it is decided for you!  However, these uniforms are just not that great.  The shorts have elastic waist bands and are made of a polyester-ish material and there is no difference between the polo shirts for the boys and girls. I was thinking maybe a cute collar for the girls? Puffed sleeve?  NO- This put Blake into a quiet mode.  I knew the storm was brewing and later that night it erupted.  She cried and cried about how she did not like it here, she wanted to go home, she missed her house, her friends..the list goes on and on.  We laid in her bed and felt sad together and I told her it was okay to feel that way and just to let it out!

It was later that night that I realized it was the UNIFORMS that upset her!!!  Just like it was once SPONGEBOB....It's funny the things that can trigger homesickness in the kids. We revisited the subject this morning and she said it was the uniforms.  I told her that we could jazz them up with cute shoes and hair accessories and that seemed to make it all better...and a promise for some new flats...new shoes can always make it better!  I just love that girl...She may look like Deric but we sure are alike in a lot of ways!  BTW...Olivia and Luke did not seem to care a bit about the uniforms.  (for now)

Lastly, I must mention that when we left the uniform store I had to get myself home.  The navigation lady told me how to get there..I just push GUIDE ME HOME...And I did it without getting lost!

YEAH ME!