IKEA is just "adult" Legos...

Our air shipment is still under lock & key somewhere down at the docks... in Customs. 

It's been 5 weeks since both our air & sea shipments departed our house in Texas. I KNOW our air shipment has been here in Abu Dhabi for two full weeks. I have no idea where our sea shipment is.... 

I like to think our sea container is sipping a fruity drink in the shade of an umbrella on the deck of some oceanliner already on it's way, but who knows? It could still be standing in the "cattle-line" at the departing port, bags in hand, crumpled boarding papers at the ready...

Sigh. 

What I DO know is that we can't continue to live in this state of limbo. I spoke with a man from Australia yesterday who told me that his sea shipment took 3 months. 3 MONTHS??!!  Another man overheard us & said his took 4... Oh dear....

Ok... It's time to pull my head out of the sand. The reality is that we are going to be living in this apartment for a substantial amount of time before our regular furniture arrives. It's time to pick up a few things from IKEA. 

The kids & I are already no stranger to the store. We have, in fact, our favorite parking space. The lady at the cafe knows us by sight & has our 1 AED ice creams at the ready. 

This trip, we picked up a tiny couch, a comfy chair, a bathroom caddy, 2 side tables, & a TV stand. Of course, it's all flat pack. 

Let's face it, IKEA flat pack is just Legos for adults. I mean seriously, I loved Legos as a child. Who didn't?! There's the excitement of opening the package, checking out all the parts, the anticipation of the finished product.... 

I am a read-all-the-instructions-first, check-for-all-the-parts-before-beginning kind of girl. I want it all organized before I start... & I clean up as I go along.  My husband, on the other hand, must have been one of those kids who totally ignored the included piece-by-piece pictorial instructions & just plunged in using the front of the box as a general guide.... open plastic baggies & scattered pieces everywhere. 

I bet he ended up with lopsided, structurally unsound final products too. MY Lego creations were solid, precision-built pieces of art! 

I wonder if there is a correlation between Lego building styles and future career choices? ...  I ended up training as a classical physicist & my husband went the route of computer engineer. Hmmmm....

But back to my IKEA purchases...

Obviously, since my hubby & I have such different approaches to assembly, it's often better for only one or the other of us to work on any given item. Plus, I'm kind of girl-on-a-mission these days; he was happy to let me have a go all by myself. 

So, last night I put together the chair & couch. I did have to have some help holding the sides... & I will admit to putting at least one part on upside down before I quickly discovered my error. But, all in all? Easy peasy!

This morning, I set my sights on the 2 side tables & the bathroom caddy. So, I made myself a cup of tea, popped open the first box, & set about sorting/organizing myself. In no time at all, I had it all done. 

Another successful building project to proudly display! It's just so satisfying. 

I think I'll take a break before tackling the very big TV stand, though. I'm gonna need to clear out some work space.

Yup, Legos for adults....

So 3 kids & a camel walk into a Souk...

After a late start this morning, we drove over to Al Wahda Mall to do some school supply shopping at our favorite superstore, LuLu's. 

It was a long tedious process because the list was so vague no one knew for certain what we needed. The store had a large selection of everything but, when the list calls for "small square graph paper".... Um, how small? There were 4 choices ranging from large to micro. How small is "small"? And, do I get the loose leaf paper or the tablet? In a spiral? Perhaps hole punched... 2 holes or 4? 

We had a similar problem with "binder with lined paper & 5 dividers". Does this mean a five subject spiral notebook or an actual office binder and dividers? And what size? In binders, you can get A4 or A5. In bound or spiral notebooks, you can get A4, A5, or A6.  Regular ruled paper or college ruled paper? And, if it is an actual binder, 2 rings or 4? 

Grrrrr.... Who knew it was going to be this difficult?! I'm pretty sure I at least got the glue sticks right. 

So after such a frustrating morning, we treated ourselves to lunch at the food court. My youngest wanted McDonald's (no surprise). 

I have had numerous friends ask me if the menu is any different from the American one. In truth, it's pretty much the same with the exception of the biscuit (the English muffin reigns supreme here) & the typical regional items (there's no Homestyle Burger, etc). 

But I did notice two other little differences today. There are no "Mightly Kids Meals" ... only one size "kids meal" & they do have a regional "burger" called the McArabia. 

Huh. It doesn't look like more than a double meat burger but with the bun replaced by a pita. I haven't tried it. 

So, with our bellies full of greasy goodness, it was off to a new mall that we've never visited before. Only a short drive away is the World Trade Center Mall & Souk. 

It took us two full cycles around the mall to find one of the entrances to the underground parking. Nothing is labeled very well so we completely missed the sign & garage entrance the first time. 

Parking underground is always an adventure, but a necessity if you don't want to return to a car of molten metal after your excursion. But it's hard for me to remember where I parked each time. (I am over 40 now.) So, I try to use technology rather than relying on my memory.... I take photos of my latest spot. 

Sometimes, the car parks are well labeled & even numbered... & then there's times like this. Two or three rows had this same sign. Oh boy... Cross your fingers. 

Once we found our way inside, I was throughly impressed. The Mall is huge with several familiar stores & several regional ones. It's four stories tall, not counting the parking areas. & it covers more than one city block. But it doesn't "feel" huge when you are walking it. It actually feels... intimate. 

There is no shortage of technology, either, as evidenced by the interactive mall directory. 

All the directories are touch screens! The map at the top has a "you are here" dot. The bottom of the screen works like a file list. You can "search" for a specific store by category or name. In addition, a thin strip in the middle allows you to click on icons for restrooms, escalators, elevators, prayer rooms, parking access elevators, taxi stands, etc. The map will then start at the "you are here" dot & SHOW you (via animation) the closest route to your choice. 

Awesome!!! We could have played with the directory for hours!!! 

I pulled the kids away from the directory & we headed over to the attached Souk. The Souk has more traditional arts, crafts, perfumes, gold, & jewelry. It also has local spice traders. It's an amazing place. 

There are no live camels, but they would have been right at home. I'll definitely come back when I don't have so many little people "helping" me shop. 

"Nacho" regular dinner....

Apparently, once a month the hotel throws a themed dinner night. Tonight was THE night! 

It's a pretty big deal no matter what the theme because it means a major variation from the typical steam table fare. Invitations are slipped under all the doors at the hotel & people actually show up early to watch the staff put together the final touches on the decorations. 

Tonight the theme was.... Wait for it.... Mexican food!!! 

The staff decorated the cafe with cut outs....

... and were even sporting ponchos & sombreros! Ole!!

I have to admit, I was pretty excited. It's been almost 4 weeks since I've had even a fast food taco much less honest to goodness Tex-Mex! Ahhhh, the thought of sizzling fajitas, gooey bubbling cheese, tangy guacamole.... & my favorite, the spinach enchilada. Goodness, it makes my mouth water. 

But, let's be honest.... I'm a looooong way from home; I should probably lower my expectations a bit. So, it was with cautious optimism that I approached the steam table.

The chef had prepared a kind of burrito buffet. To be honest, it reminded me of a Freebird's burrito restraunt.... an assemble-it-yourself Freebird's, if you will.  You had your overly large tortilla, choice of seasoned chicken or beef, & "green" rice (which turned out to be white rice with an excessive amount of cilantro). 

THEN you had "toppings" which ranged from cold corn relish salad to Pace picante sauce... with the typical shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, pickled jalapeños, etc.

I had to giggle a little at their cheese offerings. Look closely at the yellow stuff in the first bowl after the chips. This is the "Nacho bar" complete with that nacho cheese that comes in the giant can... you know, the one at the consession stand of every football game? 

Yeah, well that's the yellow stuff in the little bowl. Straight out of the can! They didn't heat it up... at all! LOL! Oh, & those chips? Not a crystal of salt on them! 

All in all, I give them a 10 for effort. The food was tasty, just not flavored like any Mexican or Tex-Mex I've ever had before. We had a good time & did enjoy the desserts; their Tres Leche cake was fabulous!

My girls had a great time visiting with the other kids & hamming it up for photos. 

But, at the end of the day... I'm still craving spinach enchiladas. I wonder if I can find a good recipe online? 

It's a Small World After All....

So, the world really is shrinking. Or, at least, it feels that way. 

Before we even left Texas, a friend told me of another family in our same hometown who were ALSO moving to Abu Dhabi. We met the mom & 4 kids before leaving the states. Our husbands work for different companies, but the destination is the same. 

Then, my Mary Kay consultant tells me she met a lady while getting her nails done in Dallas who flies back & forth between the UAE & the States because her husband works for the Shiek here in Abu Dhabi! What?? 

THEN I get a Facebook tag from my friend, a realtor, who says I need to meet this couple who just used him to list their house in Rowlett so they could move to Abu Dhabi! She took a job with the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) to teach over here in Al Ain! What? What?

And of course, I've met other families here in the UAE who are also working alongside my husband... Like the cuties we met at Al Whada mall today. They are from Sachse! 

James (AKA Superman) & Justice (AKA Batman) really enjoyed playing with Devin's turbo car game. The twins were a little shy at first, but quickly adopted Devin as their big buddy. 

Their mom & I enjoyed the grown-up conversation while my 3 kids entertained her 3 kids. My girls especially enjoyed showing little Gwyneth all the "special effects" to be had on their newest app:

So, it's crazy... But the world must be getting smaller. Or maybe, Texas is getting bigger! 

Random bits...

I spend a lot of time waiting these days....

The kids too.... & they're getting more creative about it. 

(Don't get me started on Devin's fashion sense. I keep telling myself he'll care once he notices girls... Sigh.)

They used their "beds" to make a fort... 

All I can say is all that extra padding in the room is helping to dampen the echo. 

Currently, I'm waiting for the second maintenance team to come address the thermostat issue in the bedroom. The first guy that showed up only does gas & lighting. Oh, & let's not forget that LuLu's is delivering the TV sometime "this afternoon". Seriously, that's their best time estimate. 

On the bright side, I now have a working hob ... & the name & direct cell # of the maintenance guy for THIS building should I need help hanging light fixtures, or such.  (This was forthcoming AFTER I tipped him.... Hmmmm. I think I've discovered a secret.)

As I understand, tipping is not required in this country. I've actually had a tip handed back to me by a worker. He wouldn't take it even when I insisted. Maybe it was because I was alone & am female. I don't know. But, aparently, our maintenance guy feels differently... 20 ED & he was quick to supply his number for future jobs. Ok. I can work with that...

Now, back to the waiting.... 

You can only drink so many cups of tea. 

... And I already did the breakfast dishes..

I AM working on the laundry, but it's slow going. We have a 7 kg capacity. It sounded like a lot in the store.... But TWO beach-sized bath towels & it's stuffed. 

That's ALL towel in there. You can't even see the silver drum at all. The "regular wash" cycle takes about 90 minutes. 

What to do, what to do?

Tea, anyone?

Camping out... AKA "Moving Day, Take 2!"

Our company-approved time in the hotel ends this week; all our stuff is still held up in Customs with no delivery day forthcoming. The kids start school in 7 days & Lindsey is about to have one of "those" weeks at work.  

Hmmmm.... What to do, what to do???

IF we wait until the last possible moment -- check-out day at the hotel -- then I have to move EVERYTHING from the hotel with only the kids help. (It's a work day at the office for Lindsey.) 

IF we move this weekend, Lindsey can help & we can settle into a routine before school hits, but there is no internet, no TV ... um, no furniture to speak of... for we-have-no-idea how long. 

These are the questions we pondered since Wednesday of last week. It's been a surprisingly difficult decision. The hotel offers security (staff are everywhere), sanity (kids have internet), & serenity (there's a coffee/tea bar 24/7). None of this is true at the apartment.... There's lots of big, empty, echo-inducing space... and an IKEA table. 

Never let it be said that I take the more pampered, quieter, sane road... Nope, not me. 

Looks like we'll be transitioning to the apartment sooner rather than later. 

So, after a terrible Birthday-day on Thursday... (nothing went as planned... right down to Lindsey's meeting running well over an hour late pushing my "chauffeur duties" out past 7 pm!) AND spending most of Friday hunting a microwave, TV, kettle, & crockpot with three kids who hate to appliance shop... I was already exhausted before we even packed (repacked) the first suitcase today! 

But it gets better!!! (Not in a good way....)

It takes 3 loads in the CRV to bring most of our stuff over. We had 65% humidity today. Lugging all those suitcases, bags, duffles, dress clothes that must be carried to prevent wrinkles, & backpacks (WHY did bring all this stuff?!) down to the hotel carpark... then up 8 stories from the apartment carpark... in such heat & humidity was almost the death of me (& Lindsey!)

After the first load, we put the kids in charge of their own rooms & stuff. But, remember... We have NO furniture. No dressers, no beds, no side tables, etc. I haven't looked, but they somehow managed. 

We did buy them these little pallets to sleep on tonight. It's pitiful, but at least the kids are looking at it as "camping". 

Lindsey & I have a bed because we couldn't ship our king size (it wouldn't fit in the bedroom here) so we bought something from IKEA.... That's a full size & it just about fills the room. 

But get this..... The A/C unit in our room appears to NOT be working. <Sigh> It's always something. 

Whatever.  We're in the apartment; we'll cook a home-made meal. 

Ahhhh... that would be true IF the Hob were working! There's no gas coming to the burners.... and the oven won't come up to temperature either. 

Of course not... 

... & I also notice I can't get hot water from the kitchen sink. 

Dear Lord, send me patience. Send it now...

I CAN get hot water in the bathroom sinks & showers (thank goodness for small favors!!!) We all agree that that's where I would've drawn the line: no hot shower, no spendie the nightie in the apartment. 

Period. 

So, We made 2 calls to the 24 hour emergency maintenance number, but nothing so far. 

We ate dinner out at Applebee's... where I managed to drop some kind of red sauce into my lap... on my very light tan pants. Grrrr... At least my washing machine works.

After a quick stop so I could change, we ended the night walking IKEA, dreaming about our own couches in Customs, & having an ice cream. 

Seriously, IKEA ice cream is the best deal in town. One Durham ($.36) per cone!  

In the end, no maintenance call back today... Guess we'll just lay on top of the duvet & sweat it out tonight, have cereal for breakfast in the AM, & boil our own water for dish washing.

Hey, it really is just like camping!

TOAD... It's not your typical frog legs

So within a few days of moving in at the hotel, I found this magazine outside our door. Of course, I haven't really had a moment to read it until now...

Time Out Abu Dhabi (TOAD, for short) is actually a wealth of information. It's full of restraunt reviews, upcoming events, movie releases, shopping venues, spa & health services listings, etc. I'm pleasantly surprised. 

I will admit to being totally baffled by this listing... 

... Until I realized "grape" means "wine"!!!

Ahhhh.... That makes SO much more sense. 

But, can you only enjoy "grape" on these 3 nights? I have no idea. It's going to take more investigating.... 

Yellow dog....

The kids will all be attending the same school here in Abu Dhabi. 

It's a pretty big deal as schools here are private & have an application process.... for each kid, individually.  It's not uncommon to have a family with kids split over two schools because space was an issue at their first choice. 

We were fortunate. GEMS American Academy had available space in all 3 of the grades our children will attend.  Whew! So today, we took the official school tour. 

The guide walked us through the lower floor where Olivia will spend the majority of her time. It also contains the indoor swimming pool, indoor gyms, clinic, auditorium, & cafeteria. The upper floors (there are 2) support the middle school & high school classrooms along with all the music/dance/theater stages. There is also a green screen production room, a library, & a 3D planetarium! 

I was impressed. 

Devin & Madeline really liked the black box theater (it's like a theater in the round.... but square), but Olivia said she's really looking forward to time in the planetarium. 

The school follows the international baccalaureate plan. I don't think it will be much of a factor in my kids' current class schedules as IB truly affects the high schoolers (which I don't have yet).  But, it will be very interesting to see how it plays out over here. Rockwall is starting their IB  program this year; I have several teacher friends who are involved. 

Since we only have the one car, we will be making use of the school's door-to-door bussing service. We happened to see the busses today, although we did not go inside one. 

I guess they were doing maintenance & driver checks ... Or perhaps the yellow dogs were the transportation for staff. Apparently, new teacher orientation started today. Our guide told us that they had 50 new teachers on campus!

Dry & dusty...

Sunday is the first day of the business week here in the EAU. That means all the offices are open & the schools are hard at work getting ready for students. 

I took Lindsey into the office just like any other work day. But, along around 3 pm, the wing picked up. 

I mean it REALLY started blowing....

Here's our view on any given day so far....

And this is what happens when you mix a lot of wind with all the sand around here....

Take a good look at those trees. They are plastered to the left. You can't even see the water anymore. 

Within a few minutes, visibility dropped to a few hundred feet & you couldn't see across the Plaza. 

Lindsey sent me this photo from his office window. 

I was supposed to pick him up at 6 pm, but the concierge suggested I wait a bit. It was crazy windy with no visibility to speak of. 

It did finally start to calm down enough that I felt confident enough to drive. It gets dark here around 7 pm & I just didn't want to add lack of daylight to this already murky conditions. 

The normal 20 minute drive took closer to 30 minutes, but I made it. 

Lindsey brought a water bottle with him & I was glad. The dust lodges in the back of your throat; you can't help but breathe it in. I felt so bad for the day laborers all along the roadsides. They had their head scarves wrapped in such a way that only a small slit for their eyes was visible. 

It took a few hours for the dust storm to completely clear. It has left everything -- I mean EVERYTHING -- coated in a very fine layer of sand colored dust; it's like a fine dusting of talcum powder on everything. 

Surprisingly, the streets don't seem to be greatly affected. They don't have large amounts of sand piled along the edges or between the lanes, as I expected this morning.

It was my first sand storm & we weathered it well.... But, honestly, I'd take a good ol' fashioned Texas thunderstorm instead. 

It may be 110 outside, but there's some "Frozen" in here!

Lindsey is still working on his dissertation. So, just to get out of the 600 sq ft of shared space we call home, he sometimes goes down & works from the "business area". I usually accompany him; I need a break from the kids too!

The business room of the hotel also serves as a library & "quiet" (ie board) games room. Access to the hotel desktops & printers is just on the other side of a half wall divider. Since Lindsey uses a laptop, we just sit at one of the tables near the windows. 

Lindsey & I were the sole occupants for almost an hour... the clicking of his laptop keys a nice backdrop to my manual reading. (I got a local phone; I always read the instruction booklet. Nerdy, I know...) Suddenly, we both hear...

"Let it go!!!! Let it go!!!!", sung in a tiny little, but surprisingly loud, voice. 

A slip of a girl no bigger than 4, it seemed, had found the computer & loaded a YouTube video. It was a Frozen sing-a along & she was belting out the parts she knew.... with a slight accent I couldn't identify. Lindsey & I both burst out laughing. We were so startled. 

Just as we were deciding to pack up, Olivia showed up looking for us. Seems I was distracted by my new local phone & missed the SOS texts from her & Madeline. 

From Maddie: "Mom can u come back Devin is wrestling us and we can't do anything about it. He's pulling our hair, body slamming us against the bed and so on I'm hiding in the bathroom now and Olivia is going to lose it soon."

(Sigh). The joys of close quarters... & brothers. 

By the way, (not that I'm giving y'all the number) here's my new local phone....

Isn't it cute.... & tiny! If you look really close, you can make out the Arabic on the buttons for texting...

Devin told me that I'm going to have a hard time texting on this thing.  Yeah, it's OLD school! But hey, that's how I roll.....

Parking, Moroccan food, & British airplanes....

The last few days have been a crazy combination of odds & ends. The kids are just about adjusted to the time change... & we ALL are just about done with hotel food. 

I can't wait to get into the apartment full time. The only down side will be our assigned parking places. We have two spaces, but they are tamdum... as in, pull-thru-the-first-to-get-to-the-second...  but then you hit the wall. Ug. And it's that straight type of parking. 

Personally, I'm done with parking. Everything is straight-on parking. It's bad enough that I'm resorting to pictures in order to keep track of my parked car, but these straight parking spots next to huge SUVs in tiny spaces is about to do me in!!!

I will purposely pick a further out spot just so I can manuver into a spot without taking off the fender of the next car over. To be honest, most people back into these parking slots... I'm beginning to wonder if it's just easier to park that way. 

The only place I've found angled parking this the underground car park at IKEA. <sigh>

So last night, we branched out from the hotel standard dinner fare. Several of Lindsey's co-workers planned a dinner out at The Galleria for Moroccan food. Wow! What an experience! The food was tasty & (fairly) kid-friendly. The live band & DJ were very entertaining. 

Lindsey & I tried the traditional tasting dinner for two (a 4 course affair) while the kids had a whole roasted chicken (w/ roasted veggies) & "hamburger". I honestly couldn't tell you the names of anything. The soup was a kind of tomato based veggie w/ beans & unidentifiable meat bits. (Seriously, I don't want to know...) I had the chicken while Lindsey had the lamb dish. It was all served with lots of couscous. LOTS of couscous!

My favorite part, however, was the after dinner tea & assorted Moroccan pastries. Yummy!!! Tea must be a big deal for the culture because the servers made a big production of the pouring. It was definitely an experience. 

After all that good food, we slept in a bit this morning. 

However, Lindsey did promise Devin a little time together bonding today over some War Thunder.

Apparently, it's a WW2 airplane game. I've been hearing a lot of talk about British vs Russian vs American planes. It sounds like Devin & Jackson (also playing online back in the states) are better than Lindsey.... for the time being. There is a fair amount of smack talking. 

Boys. LOL! 

Uniform shopping....

The kids will be attending GEMS American Academy here in Abu Dhabi. They are required to wear uniforms. 

We followed the instructions in the school email to a uniform shop in a very tiny local mall: Al Raha Mall. It has no covered parking & the food court only takes cash. It's a VERY tiny, not very crowded, mall. So it was really easy to find Zaks, the school uniform Mecca. 

The store is divided up by the various schools. We quickly caught the eye of a young lady in a Zaks T-Shirt that said, "Did you find everything?" & she became our personal shopper. Her name was Leigh. 

Leigh really knew her stuff, thank goodness! The sizes are pretty much by age for the shirts, but by waist (in inches) for the trousers/skirts. She was able to size up the kids pretty quickly. 

Devin's trousers have to be altered, & he's missing the striped tie & black shoes in this picture.... But you get the idea. 

Madeline liked the skirts over the trousers, but even the smallest skirt was too big. Leigh is on the right. She's measuring how much to both shorten & take up the waist to make this the correct size. Madeline will also wear a neck tie & black shoes to complete the uniform. 

Olivia gets to wear skorts. (Aren't those chicken legs cute?!) And instead of a neck tie, she'll have a bow tie. Add in little black Lady Lanes & that completes her uniform. 

I bought 3 full uniforms for each child. In addition, each kid had to have a physical fitness uniform (t-shirt & shorts w/ the school logo) & a PE bag. 

By time we had all the bits & pieces... right down to the correct shades of approved socks... Well, let's just say my CC flexed it's muscles today. Yikes!!!

When all the alterations come back (my kids are just too short & too skinny to buy off the rack), I'll take a fully decked out group photo. This might just give Devin the time he needs to have his daddy teach him how to tie a necktie. Madeline can wear a clip on, but Devin's not going to get to cheat! 

Thank goodness for Haagen-Dazs

After the laundry fiasco of last night... Oh, maybe you don't know about the laundry fiasco... Let me catch you up. 

The washer/dryer combo thing in our room ran ONE load for 4 hours & the clothes were still wet. I had 5 more loads to go. Yeah, not happening. So I dragged everything down to the hotel laundry where I found someone had left their 3 loads in the washers. Since I had checked before lunch, I knew these same 3 loads had pretty much been there all day.... It was now going on 8 pm. 

I hate touching other peoples clothes. Especially wet I-don't-know-these-people clothes. But, desperate times... I moved them to the driers & put my stuff in the washers. 

In the end, I had to babysit the "stranger clothes" until they were dry enough to dump into the folding bin. (I draw the line at folding your unmentionables, people.) 

Even with 3 washing machines & 4 dryers, it still took hours to get it all done. Each washer can only hold about 3 kg (which is not very much, for those of you trying to do the conversion) worth of clothes. The dryers aren't the most efficient, either. I stayed with my laundry until it was done which means I ran my Nook out of battery. No one ever showed up for the dry, but now wrinkled, mess of "stranger clothes". 

Needless to say, I was beat by time I made it back upstairs. Which explains why I overslept this morning. 

The kids begged for a day of NOT going to IKEA, or the empty apartment, or hanging curtains, or putting together furniture. So, we had a "down day"; we did.... nothing. 

Well, we all know that a kid "nothing" & a mom "nothing" are... well, nothing alike. 

I still insisted that the kids bathe, get dressed, & brush their teeth. Madeline somehow managed to use so much shampoo that we had a giant bubble mess oozing out of the drain in the bathroom floor.

I should have known then this was going to be one of THOSE days...

The temps today were up... like WAY up. The high was expected at over 115 degrees so eventhough the kids wanted to go to the beach, there was no way I was going to brave those kinds of temperatures.  Nope, we stayed in the hotel room. 

But, by noon everyone was hungry for lunch (remember we missed breakfast....again). Lindsey was working from the hotel today, so I left him with the kids & I ran over to Waitross for some lunch fixings. 

Waitross is a grocery store. The one at the bottom of Bldg D in our apartment complex is kinda like "small-mart" in Rockwall. It's got the essentials, but selection is limited. Still, all I really wanted was fixings for a simple meal. 

Spaghetti it is! 

I mean, seriously, that's about all you can make in this hotel kitchen. The stove only has 2 burners!

The beef is from New Zealand & is actually pretty good. A package (I have no idea if it's a full pound of meat or not) was about 16 dirhams ... around $4.34. Spaghetti sauce was $2, but it's a brand I've never seen. I had no other spices to work with, not even salt. The kids ate it, but said I've made better (little food critics, they are!)

The afternoon was spent napping, gaming, creating with PlayDoh, & generally being lazy. For my Type A personality, this is like torture. 

I did organize my apps, download GoodReads, mark several books for future reading, check my email, & catch up on FB.... 

Then there was dinner. The hotel serves dinner 4 nights a week. It's always a little scary as you never quite know what they are going to serve. The kids (& I) have so far managed to find at least one thing we can identify enough that we are willing to eat. I wouldn't say it's bad, per se, just that it's not really ... tasty.

Not tonight, however. Tonight they had some kind of cinnamon rice with beans(?), a creamed spinach with unidentified meat, & what looked like chicken & dumplings but was actually shredded chicken with boiled potatoes & chickpeas in a not-familiar-with-this-flavor broth. The kids did try a bite of each, so I'm proud of them for being adventurous. The only thing they would eat, however, was the little chocolate brownies & tiny cups of chocolate mousse.  Sigh. Whatever, we have PB in the room. 

Bedtime cannot come soon enough. 

My only consolation was that I was not alone in suffering today.  There is a family from Germany here at the hotel with an infant, Henry. They've been here 5 weeks. Everyone knows Henry; he learned to walk 2 weeks ago. His mom said she had a similar day today. Their villa is ready, their goods shipment has arrived, but their "papers" are not yet in order. She is sooooo ready to be out of the one bedroom hotel room! I can't even imagine. She's been here all this time with no family (other than her husband). 

She said she took a taxi to the villa today just to stand in it & breathe deeply. Of course when she got there (with Henry on her hip, of course), the keys wouldn't work, there was no AC, no electricity, & no water. None of the utilities were on yet (but she was told they were) & she had to go to the leasing office twice before they finally found someone to rekey the entire villa. 

Okay, she wins. Her day -- out & about in this heat with an infant on the hip -- was WAY worse. 

She & I both could use a good glass of red.  Unfortunately, the hotel doesn't serve alcohol. 

They do sell Haagen-Dazs by the pint...

Is it a washer... Or dryer? Or both?

Long story short, today did not go according go to plan. 

Whatever. 

I'm certainly not stressing about it. But I do still need to wash some clothes. Luckily, our hotel room comes equipped with a washer/dryer combo under the counter.... In the kitchen! 

Yup, you read that right... A CLOTHES washing machine. Makes perfect sense, right?! There's no dishwasher, but you can wash a few clothes...

Well, I'm trying it out. The washing part was easy... But it did take 1 hour 45 minutes for one load. Now it's time to dry & there are two settings....

I'm thinking....the Gentle dry. The timer says 2 hours. Wait! What? 

Oh geeze... At this rate, it's going to take days. 

I'm so glad I didn't get the combo unit for the apartment...

Disaster!!!

We overslept this morning & missed the hotel breakfast.  No big deal... Lindsey's office is connected to a shopping mall, so we'd just eat at the food court.

Devin knew there was a McDonald's there so the kids decided that's where we'd have our breakfast. They planned their orders on the drive over:

Madeline wanted pancakes & sausage with an extra sausage...

Olivia just wanted sausage ... And maybe some scrambled eggs...

Devin wanted a sausage biscuit. Maybe two.

Hmmmm... There's a theme here. What I'm not completely certain is IF sausage (at least what we're used to) is even served in an Abu Dhabi McDonald's. We are in a country that, generally speaking, doesn't eat pork. Isn't that the supposed basis for McDonald's breakfast sausage?

I said as much in the car on the drive over. 

It sparked a debate as to whether USA McDonald's uses pork in their breakfast sausage patties (versus chicken or beef) & if there might be a reasonable substitute here. The kids' thoughts were, "how can you have a McDonald's in ANY country without a sausage biscuit?!"

Devin, especially, was adamant that there MUST be a sausage biscuit. It just couldn't be a McDonald's without it! He even said, "I just don't think I can live 15 months without a sausage biscuit. It just HAS to be there!" 

So... We dropped Lindsey at the front of his building & then drove down to the underground car park. 

There was still much discussion on the escalator ride up to the third floor. They all rushed to the counter where they smiled in triumph: sausage was on the menu! 

Wait, .... There were no biscuits! Only English muffins. 

Disaster!

LOL! Devin did give it a try, but he says it's just not the same. He's going to miss his new favorite: the sausage biscuit. The poor thing looked so dejected sitting there eating only his sausage patty. 

I asked him & the girls if the patties tasted the same as in the states & after a little debate, they think it's pretty close. We figure it's a different meat since it's lighter in color than we're used to, but a really close match on flavor. 

The bread is a different matter; none of them think the English muffin is a fair stand in for a buttermilk biscuit. 

Frankly, I agree with them. 

We couldn't even get buttermilk biscuits at KFC either. The meal comes with a "roll" which is actually an uncut hamburger bun. Sigh....

I guess I'm going to be making old fashioned buttermilk biscuits from scratch. You just can't find them here. So, if you have a really great recipe for fluffy biscuits, email or PM me. My kids will be eternally greatful... especially Devin. 

Cheap labor!

Since we were pretty much stuck at the apartment waiting for our white goods deliveries, I put the kids to work. We had been to IKEA & Ace Hardware the day before so there was plenty to assemble. 

I put the kids on the table & chairs...

I worked on cutting down some tension rods to fit our windows for the curtains. (Sorry, no pics of me!) But the kids worked really hard & finished in no time. 

Then our fridge arrived....

It looks so tiny... But it's all we need. 

By comparison, the dishwasher looks a bit too big for it's new home. 

But the dryer just looks lonely.... 

The washer arrived later; I just forgot to take a picture. Both of them are pretty small (nothing is very big here anyway) with a 7 kg capacity. 

Tomorrow, we wash!!! 

... Well, after a little trip to LuLu's for some much deserved reward. The girls want playdoh & Devin wants Legos (I think...)

Running on empty...

Our white goods were expected to be delivered sometime today (Sunday afternoon). Well, you know what that means.... I get to hang out at the empty apartment all day with 3 kids! Yea me!

Now, we only have the one rental car. It's a nice Honda CRV. It's got some quirks, but all-in-all a great car for the 5 of us. But since I would need the car, I got to drop Lindsey off at work. 

Driving in Abu Dhabi is not hard as long as you have a good GPS navigator on your phone (I prefer Waze & it works fabulously).... & you have a sense of preservation about yourself. The natives WILL drive faster than the posted speed, pass you on an exit/entrance ramp, & cross directly in front of you from the 3rd lane to take the exit. Driving here is not for the faint hearted.....

So, in preparation of today's solo expedition, I did a little practice driving yesterday. I'm feeling pretty confident except for maybe the roundabouts. 

The key to a roundabout is this: once you are in it, you must OWN it! Oh, & stay in the second lane unless you really do intend to take the first exit. Sounds easy enough, right? Well, I haven't wrecked yet & I'm feeling more confident. I guess time will tell. 

But, I digress. I dropped Lindsey off with only a slight error. I totally missed the exit for his office building (it's really a mall...) so we were forced to go all the way back around. The scenic route... through more sand & construction... But we made it. 

Now, here's the solo part: I needed to get back to the hotel by myself! <Gulp> I can do this! I've got Waze on my side. I loaded up the program, set off, then noticed.... the gas light switched on.  Crap. Where do I get petrol? 

Now, in the states, gas stations are highly visible, you pass one every 5 miles, & getting on & off the freeway is a breeze. None of those things are true here. 

There is only one brand of petrol here: ADNOC. I have no idea what it stands for. You don't see them very often & they are NOT located just off the major traffic routes. 

I was in big trouble. Waze could not find one close to me on the fly, so to speak. I went back to the hotel in the hopes that they had some petrol there. No luck. 

The concierge was able to direct me to the nearest station... 14 km away. The car said I only had 9 km of gas left..... It would be close. 

The kids & I loaded up, crossed our fingers, & headed out. If I could just manage to NOT make any wrong turns, we just might make it. Devin was in the front seat with me. He would announce the remaining range as we drove (because, you know, he's super helpful that way...). I swear we caught every red light.... 7 km of gas remaining... then 5... 3... & finally zero... 

There was no petrol station in sight. Only sand & houses under construction.... 

You know that sick feeling you get... the one in the pit of your stomach... Yeah, that "oh-no-I'm-about-to-be-in-serious-doodoo" feeling? I was there. 

The girls were wide eyed. Devin wanted to know if UAE cars had a "reserve" in the tank like US cars. (Gosh, I hope so!)

... And then, there it was! 

Like an oasis! 

I've never been so relieved in all my life! 

There was a line, but at this point, if we ran out of gas... Someone would be there to help us push the car to the pump. Whew!

And, I was in for a pleasant surprise... a guy pumps the gas for you! No extra charge! He did it for each car. 

Awesome!!! 

But the absolute BEST part? I completely filled up the tank for less than 100 dirham. That's about $30 folks! Totally full!!