Another new start.

 It is October... how is it October?!  I am sat in my bed typing this and feeling good that I am finally picking up my blog again.  The last few months have been a little bit manic to say the least. 

We have now entered our third year of our adventure in the land of sand.  Posey is in year one and Lochlann is in FS2 (reception).  My husband and I had settled well into teaching out here and spent last year leading our year groups; responsible for the curriculum and progress of eight classes each.  Fast forward to now and we are in another new apartment, in a different area of Abu Dhabi and have changed schools too! Like I said the last few months have been somewhat challenging!

Although it had many ups and downs we did enjoy our time at our last school and we learned a lot but we felt it was time for a new challenge and hoped that this new school would be the school we stick at.  We have moved homes 5 times in the past 4 years - I would like to stay put for a while now (I have a serious distaste for packing).  I want our children to continue to grow their friendships and have a chance to feel settled.

We now live on Al Reem island which is much closer to the city than we previously were. A delayed apartment meant we spent a few weeks living in a hotel in the city which was far from ideal but these things tend to happen as an expat teacher (everyone seems to have a similar story).  Although I am not in love with the new apartment, we finally have a home again, we have three bedrooms now and we do have amazing views over the water.  It is taking time for us to get used to being in a new part of Abu Dhabi however now the weather is finally cooling down we are getting the chance to explore a little more.  Al Reem has a great communal park with a skate park which my husband and our two littles were very excited about when we decided to move.  We brought two skateboards back home from the UK with us so the children are eager to get out on those.


Changing schools has brought with it lots of positives but I am not going to sit here and say it was easy. I really dislike being the 'new girl' and have struggled to relinquish control.  My confidence was definitely hit as year group leader last year but in many ways I did really enjoy it and I believed in what we were trying to achieve.  It was always going to be a challenge to come to a new school and learn their approaches.
Posey and Lochlann however continue to astound me.  Yes we had tears and talks about missing their old school but overall they have coped amazingly well with the change. They are making friends, they talk to us about their day and their teachers are pleased with their progress.  For a while I was worried that we had made the wrong decision and that they needed the security of staying put in one school but our littles are tough and they've proven me wrong! :) I am honestly so proud of them both.

We are now coming to the end of October half term but it has been amazing to slow down and not think about school for a while.  To just be mama and daddy.  I won't say I am excited to return to work (who ever is?!) but I am feeling more ready to tackle this new half term.  I am not new anymore, I know my little class and I know my own children are thriving.

Look at how grown up they are now ... Holly and the not so littles should perhaps be the new name for my blog! :) 

If you're still here, thank you for reading my waffly post... I am definitely a little out of practice but it is good to be back!

A little life update...

It's the end of May, how is it already the end of May?! ... I know it is a cliché thing to say but the past two years have literally flown.  We are coming up to two years of living in the Middle East and our lives have changed so much.

When we decided to move out here we made a pact that love it or loathe it, we would stick our two year contract out and then see where we were at and how we were feeling.  Now we are reaching that first set of goal posts and I am actually very proud of us.  We left our friends and family in search of a better life for our children and that is what we achieved.  I mean don't get me wrong the #expatlife is far from perfect but when I sit back and look at our daily lives now I am pretty impressed.

Here is a little round up of what makes me most proud;

1. We can afford to pay for our children's music, ballet and rugby lessons all on our own

2. We have been able to ignite a passion for travel in our children.  Before we moved here the most exciting trip Posey and Lochlann experienced was a ferry trip to Ireland for a family getaway with my lovely in-laws (which was lovely by the way) but in the past two years we've lived in Abu Dhabi, visited Copenhagen and Bali as well as traveling back to the UK! - Posey and Lochlann now have places like China and Italy on their bucket lists!

3.  Our children have friends from around the world.  They are getting to learn about and experience many different cultures.

4.  Not only has our marriage survived, I honestly believe it has now begun to thrive - it took time to settle and to get used to being with each other basically all the time but honestly now I think we are stronger and happier than ever!

5. We have started to take care of ourselves a little better - eating better, having a healthier mindset (me) and working out together at the gym.


When reading those things back they all seem pretty normal, mundane things, things that I am sure many people take for granted in their daily lives.  But they're not small things to me.  When our children were very small our family helped us to provide for our children and give them all they need and whilst there is nothing wrong with that - we wanted to be able to do these things for ourselves.
I hated the guilt of knowing I couldn't always afford things for our children - only holidaying in Wales because we were fortunate enough to use our family's caravan.  The children only wearing the nicest of the cheap clothes because that was all we could afford or them having things bought by our family - I was so grateful but I yearned to do things our way - to take them to places we wanted to visit and for them to wear or play with things that we had chosen for them.
I am struggling to put this across in a way that doesn't sound like I am totally only interested in the materialistic side of life but I just mean that I wanted to feel like we could do things for our little family all by ourselves.  I guess I wanted to show what we could achieve even though we got together quickly, got serious even quicker and became parents within 18 months of being official.
I wanted to show that Sam and I were strong together, that we were meant to be despite it all seeming so rushed.

I mean between 2011-2015 we got together, fell pregnant, bought a house together (with help from our parents), welcomed our daughter into the world, fell pregnant for a second time, got married, welcomed our son & then moved house AGAIN!

Fast forward to New Years 2017 and you found Sam and I in our beautiful detached four bedroom home, the home we stretched ourselves for in the hopes it would become our forever home.  Sadly we fairly quickly got bogged down in nursery fees and mortgages repayments.  We have some really wonderful family memories from our time in our house but I vividly remember sitting down together in the New Year just after Posey's and Lochlann's birthdays and deciding that something needed to change. We knew our home wasn't what we wanted for our forever home. We were sick of working our butts off for little pay off and money always seeming tight.  Something needed to change.  We wanted to made our children's lives fulfilled with two happy parents, family adventures and a little spare cash to make life easier and that is what moving to Abu Dhabi has given us.

We arrived with two toddlers, one still in nappies and 8 rather large suitcases.  Two years later we've had two successful years in our current school, our children have both started school and really love it.  Now we are getting our little family ready for our a new adventure in a new school.


                               Us not long after we arrived...

                                Our first trip to Dubai

                                Posey is 3 here and little L is only two

                              On a desert safari for Sam's birthday

How long we will be here?  - In honesty I don't know.  Sam and I stick to our decisions and see them through. Our new contract is for another two years therefore we will be here for at least that.  It gives us two more years to save money and will see us move to another part of Abu Dhabi with new places to explore.

I do worry about the children not experiencing their childhood in England surrounded by our family but the opportunities we can give them here mean that they can spend summers getting in that quality time and the rest of the year living where our weekends involve guitars lessons, the beach and trips to the pool.  We definitely couldn't say that when we lived in Warrington!

                                                            Us now...

I am aware this post has been a ramble fest and possibly doesn't even make much sense but as these first two years draw to close I wanted to get my thoughts down.  There are honestly still moments daily where I still cannot believe that this is where we call home.

I am so glad we started this adventure, I love my little family so much.
💛

If you've reached the even of this long winded post then thank you. 🙏

A simple start to 2019...

Perfect place to enjoy a walk in 2019

Hi there and HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I won't sit and ramble about how quickly Christmas came and went but I will say that the whole, 'new year, new me' pressure is in the air and it isn't how I want to start my 2019.  Before I had my daughter I always hated New Year and the pressure to make this year, 'the best year yet!'  Then I had Posey on New Years Eve which made the whole day far more enjoyable.

I still feel the pressure though and even last night as I sat on the sofa waiting to ring in the new year (I lasted until 10:30 and went to bed... how rock and roll) I felt anxiety in the pit of my stomach.

I woke up this morning feeling determined to not let the New Year hype engulf me but instead make conscious choices to make the day to day more simple and calming.  I am a mum of two and a full time teacher; I need calm in my life!

With that in mind, I thought I would share with you how I plan to make my start to 2019 calm & simple.

candles //
 we all love a festive candle but I am a year round candle lover.  I think it is the whole hyyge thing. I am going to make a conscious effort when I arrive home or even when I get up in the mornings to light a candle and just take a moment to myself before I carry on with whatever it is I have to do.  That way I'll have a moment to myself to breathe and the apartment will smell glorious, win win!

music //
I don't know about you but the TV on the background has become a bit of a bad habit in the Brookes household.  Most of the time we aren't even watching it, Sam and I will be in the kitchen and the children are usually busy playing!  I much, much prefer listening to music.  So I intend to play much more music in our home in 2019.  Sam and I are really enjoying the new Mumford and Sons album, they are one of our favourite bands and always make me feel calmer and more relaxed.

health //
If you didn't know I turned 30 in December and I am still not quite sure if I am bothered or not.  Can't decide.  However what I am more aware of it my health and that of my family's.  We usually eat fairly well but with the Christmas break and alot of traveling nutrition has gone on the back burner and I am really feeling it.  I am not going to sit here and say I am going to make my whole family vegetarian like me or that I am going to do veganuary but I am going to continue to make small changes that we had already started in 2018.

Sam and the littles are really good with their intake of water, me on the other hand, not so much.  I have one of those hydrate m8 style bottles which does help encourage me so I am going to keep working on that.

I am also going to make the conscious choice to buy Weetabix as breakfast for the whole family.  We all like Weetabix, it is obviously good for your body, I like the fact they don't use any plastic in their packaging and to top it off they are vegan.  So if you eat them with soy or nut milk, hey presto a vegan meal every day! - good for you, good the world.  🌎

a good clean //
Once the tree is down and you've organized the festive clutter I always feel like our home needs a good clean.  I am no Mrs Hinch by any stretch of the imagination but using Method cleaning products always helps to motivate the cleaner in me.  My favourites are the clementine and the French lavender.

walking //
Again not a unfulfilled promise to over haul my exercise regime it is me noting that walking really helps me feel calm.  We live in such a beautiful part of Abu Dhabi, we have the beach right on our doorstep and water surrounding us.  I find the water really soothing and a walk is a great way to silence the noise in your head!



Here's to a new year, same me but making choices to be calmer and more content.

Thanks for stopping by,

Getting fruity with Kibsons.

Before I get started with this post, I feel inclined to say hello! I haven't written in a while and wanted to say hi to the few lovely people that take the time to read my blog.  How are you? What have you been up to? I would love if you left a comment to say hello on this post!

Right back to the post.

A little while back, we were very kindly invited to a little event with https://kibsons.com over in Dubai.  Kibsons is a fresh food delivery service in the UAE.  We love the company and have been using the service for a few months so were delighted when they invited to spend the morning with them.   The company was established over 30 years ago and prides itself on its relationship with customers and the quality of the produce it delivers.


Posey and Lochlann thoroughly enjoyed the event as they got to paint on canvasses using a variety of different fruits and vegetables.  You can see their creations in some of the shots below.  It was a really lovely way to spend the morning with the children and has encouraged us to get the paints out with children more often.

After the masterpieces were complete, the children were treated to a complimentary box of healthy Kibsons treats whilst myself and Sam were interviewed on camera (eekkk!) giving our reasons for using and enjoying the service.

We love to use Kibsons because we know we can trust their produce.  The children get really excited when the blue box arrives at the door and it has such a positive effect on our eating.  The best thing about Kibsons for me has to be the price of the fruit and vegetables.  If you are someone living in the UAE, I would highly recommend using Kibsons.  The quality is great, the price is reasonable and the fruit lasts longer than it seems to from the supermarkets.

Thanks Kibsons! I look forward to ordering from you when we get back to Abu Dhabi!

* This post is in no way sponsored and the opinions included are my own.

England awaits; our top 5 - can't - wait - for - list

It is pretty much mid-May and my mind is already on our trip home this summer. We are still loving the roller coaster that is this expat life but I can't deny that our trip home is coming up in conversation more and more.

We were sat around at lunch over the weekend discussing what we love most about living in Abu Dhabi and what we are excited about for our summer holidays.  It is clear that we all still really love the lifestyle of hitting the pool or beach each weekend and being able to spend more quality time together out here... the sunshine definitely appeals too (even though I am a total winter baby).

Having said all that, we are all very much ready for a trip home and here is what we are looking forward to most.

Me:

1. Seeing friends and family's faces, especially when they see how much P and L have grown and have learnt over the past year.
2.  Catch ups with some of my most favourite people.
3.  The greenery!  My goodness I miss the trees... get me on a forest walk pronto!
4.  The rain - I know, I shouldn't wish for rain especially in England but I'm hoping for a shower or two just for nostalgia's sake!
5.  Witnessing the marriages of some of our closest and oldest friends.

Sam:

1. Seeing friends and family.
2.  Heading down to the local pub for a beer and a Sunday roast (on an actual Sunday without it costing about £11 per beer).
3.  The stag do for one of his best friends
4.  Hopefully some child free date time... with me obviously! 😂
5.  Asda pizza!

Posey & Lochlann:

1. Seeing their grandparents' new homes
2. Seeing all their aunties
3. Playing with their cousin Jude
4. Going to the caravan on holiday
5. Playing with Findley and Inca.

Posey also told me she's quite looking forward to going to Asda 😂 and is hoping to hit the toy isle!

I may also be looking forward to a trip to Primark or two!

There we have it. 8 weeks and counting...

Thank you for reading,

Design & Dine

So it is has been a while since I blogged ( I think that is how every post of mine begins LOL) but I tried something a little different last night and fancied writing about it.

Design and Dine was something my friend told me about a while ago but we've never got round to going.  When they announced this month's one had a travel theme I was really excited to go.  Once a month a lovely lady called Gemma hosts a brunch with a difference in Dubai and in Abu Dhabi -  the difference being that not only to you get to eat and drink to your heart's content you also get to create a piece of art work.

Last night, as I said earlier, the art work was travel inspired.  We were given a canvas, a world map and a quote.  We had to draw or trace the outline of the map and quote onto our canvasses, all the while sipping a cosmo or two!  The setting was just beautiful as it was in the Venetian Village at the Ritz Carlton.  We were lucky as we got a table right on the water's edge which created a lovely, calm and relaxing atmosphere despite it still being around 38 degrees! 



Once we had drawn out the outline we were seated for dinner.  We enjoyed 4 courses from the Olive restaurant which included: gazpacho, mozzarella flat bread, patatas bravas, olives, ricotta ravioli and then a trio of desserts to finish.  After devouring the delicious treats it was time to head back to our canvasses and get painting! We were given all the equipment we needed and shown a few design ideas.



I decided to go for a more pastel style with mine and as I hoped to hang it in our apartment, I painted the background a subtle grey rather than painting a blue for the ocean.  I certainly won't be giving up my day job anytime soon but it was fun and I like my finished product.

Now I plan to hang it in our apartment and buy some cute pins to place on it to show where Sam has been, where I have been, where we have been together and where we hope to travel to as a family.

If you live in the UAE or are on a holiday and fancy doing something a little different, I would defiantly give the Design and Dine brunch a go!

I love how many new little opportunities I have been lucky enough to have since we moved out here!
There is another brunch coming up during Ramadan so if you fancy going just search Design and Dine over on Facebook for more details.

Thats all for now :)

Thanks for reading,

Confessions of a regular mama

It seems to have happened... the one thing I promised myself I would never turn into when I had children.  I am a shouty mum! Sometimes even a yelling one and quite frankly it makes me feel like crap.

I am not sure when it happened... don't get me wrong I was never a perfect mama by any means and occasionally I did shout but as my children grow out of their toddler years I seem to be doing it much more often.

Since moving out to Abu Dhabi our lives have been filled with emotional highs and lows and sometimes these are pretty extreme.  I think this has had an impact on my parenting.  It has taken time to adjust to the earlier get up times, a new job, a new home, the fact that we are constantly together and of course the heat.  We still use 'time out' as our main form of discipline and yet I seem to be raising my voice more and more.  The truth is the more I yell, the less I am heard and the more both Posey and Lochlann seem to push the boundaries.  But then of course they do, who wants to be shouted at by their mama.  I need to remember they are still my babies, they are only 3 and 4.  Shouting is not the answer not matter how tired or emotional I am and no matter how much they are testing my patience.

Lochlann has hit three and although he is still such a sweet and gentle soul he now has fits of anger and frustration.  This frustration sometimes causes him to act out by hitting his sister or yelling, 'no' at Sam and I when we ask him to do something.  I think that I know the reasons behind his behaviour though.  Not only has he gone through all the changes that we have as a family, he has also been toilet trained and is being weaned off his dummy.  I know he is finding the latter of these very difficult so I need to bloody well remember this when he is acting out.

The thing with Posey is that she is a bright young lady and she is testing her limits and ours.  She has learned that she can tell lies (by lies I mean little fibs) and this is something we are tackling.  She also has a cheeky attitude and now stamps her feet at me if she doesn't get her own way.  It absolutely infuriates me when she does this.  I then shout and plonk her in time out when really it probably just needs a cuddle and a discussion about the right ways to show her frustration.  She is only four after all.

This isn't a, 'oh woe is me, I am such a terrible mother' post.  Instead it is me recognising something in my own behaviour and vowing to change it.  I am going to talk to my little family and let them know that this is something I am going to work on.  I need to speak more softly and hope that I am heard better.  I need to go to bed earlier and get more sleep whilst we are off and replenish my energy.  I also think making healthier eating choices and taking some time to exercise (aka have some time to myself without feeling mega guilty) will help me be a calmer, happier mama. 

I love my babies, I am in love with my little family and I need to make sure they know how much they are loved.  Shouting is not my parenting style and it stops here.

Thanks for taking the time to read.  If you are a parent reading this, I hope you can understand.

7 months in...

The wall of dreams at Yas Beach.

7 months in doesn't quite have the same ring to it as 6 months in but I have been one busy lady recently so, alas, it's now mid March and we are 7 months in!

7 months into living a 7 hour flight away from the UK. 7 months into working in a new school.  7 months into the littles settling into their new home.  7 months into apartment living and 7 months into living in the desert heat!

How do I feel about it now?

In the interest of being honest, it hasn't always been an easy move but then we never expected it to be.  We moved two small children away from their home comforts and we have all had to adapt to a very different culture.  There have been many ups and downs along the way.  They say it takes at least 12 months to feel settled and to think of this place as 'home'.
Having said that, there are so many positives here that sometimes I wonder how we will ever go back to England.

Highlights of the past 7 months include;

• our marriage has survived!! Wahoooo!! 😂
• settling into and beginning to enjoy a new workplace
• watching P and L settle and thrive in their classes 
• copious days enjoying the swimming pool
• a yearly membership to the local waterpark (Yas water world which is 10 minutes away and fantastic for children). 
• Trips to Dubai 
• Our desert safari for Sam's 28th birthday
• making new friends
• watching Sam enjoy playing for the Saracens Rugby team (not going to lie I think it is rather hot watching him run around the pitch in his shorts!)
• visits from Sam's sister Kate and my sister Sophie 
• I got to see one of my best friends and her beautiful baby girl on a trip to the UAE for her 30th
• trips to the beach for birthday parties 
• watching Beauty in the Beast in the park, all sat together on a blanket munching treats whilst the sun set 
• Sam cutting off all his hair (I am pretty much his no.1 fan at this point)
• playing in fake snow at the Galleria Mall at Christmas time
• Christmas Brunch at the Westin Abu Dhabi 

... the list goes on.   I could go on about the negatives that we have experienced (like me crying every time it bloody snows in England and we aren't there to enjoy it) but then, nobody really wants to hear me moan.  Those aren't the things I want my children and I to look back on either. 

In short, yes we get homesick quite often but the move out here was absolutely worth it.  Work is going well, the children are happy and my husband looks great with a tan! What more could I ask for?! 

We are very much looking forward to our holiday back to England in the summer.  There are lots of people that we miss terribly and I can't wait for everybody to see how much our two littles have grown.  I am so proud of my little family and despite everything, I am really proud of us for moving out here. 

I am now going to share some of my most favourite photos from our time here so far - most of which are just iPhone snaps...

Our first date night in Abu Dhabi

P and I at the Crowne Plaza on Yas Island

P and L enjoying an ice-lolly at Dubai Mall

Our first trip to Dubai

On the boat ride to watch the amazing fountain show at Dubai Mall

Our first ever time trick or treating.

When Sam plays the name game at Starbucks! 

When Posey won star of the week and got to take Popsy home.

My handsome husband on his birthday trip to the desert. 

Me feeling awkward around a camel... 

At the F1watching Mumford & Sons ... what a great night! 

P and L all ready for National Day celebrations

Christmas 2017 at the Westin Abu Dhabi 

Posey just generally being her usual self :) 

Our boy at Yas Gateway Park 

After our winter picnic at Yas Gateway Park 

and then she turned four. 

And he turned three...

When my beautiful friend and her family visited during their stay in the UAE for her 30th.

Mother's Day celebrations at Lochlann's nursery.

A special moment with my boy and I whilst waiting for Daddy to bring the coffees. 

When Auntie Katey came to visit.

When Auntie Sophie popped in for 3 hours on route to Nepal. 

One of my most favourite things about Abu Dhabi... the sunsets. 

Our littles on a recent visit to Jumeriah.

If you have reached this point you are an absolute legend because I included FAR too many photos! Thank you for reading, I am sorry my posts never follow a pattern or schedule, I'll get there one day... maybe! 😊