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,

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! 😊

My Two #7

My first, 'my two' post of 2018.  I am still striving to be more consistent with my blog but, as I am sure anyone who reads my blog understands, the pressures of a full time job and being a mama to two small children.

We entered this new year with a 4 year old Posey and a 3 year old Lochlann.  It is so strange to me that we are leaving the baby and toddler years behind with these two.  I feel like I have been a mother to babies for such a long time with them being so close together.  They were so excited for their birthdays.  However Posey now walks around telling me how she is nearly five.  Why do children do this? Ha.  I remember doing it as a child.  If only we had the ability to savour our childhood when we are children.

Anyway, I digress...

#1
Our biggest love, Posey Margaret Ivy.  Our sassy, bright and inquisitive little four year old.  She continues to love school and life in the sunshine but misses some of her family terribly.  Here in Abu Dhabi we are unable to use things like FaceTime and Skype meaning that talking to loved ones, back in the UK, is pretty impossible.  Unfortunately it affects our little P the most.  She's a brave one though.  If you ask her at the moment, her favourite friends in school are Eduardo and Isabella and she loves reading and writing her name.  She has definitely got into crafting and art of late.  She has a great imagination and is often drawing and creating pictures to give to family at home when we visit in the summer. One humorous yet tiring thing to note about P at the moment is that she often wakes in the night to tell me she is hungry and that she must have a snack.  I am thinking it is down to a growth spurt and that it won't last long!  She is very much into babies right now.  She is desperate for a little brother or sister, in fact she has put in a request for one of each (I am massively broody so I won't deny that I am pleased she would like more siblings).

One final thing to note about little miss P right now is how excited she gets when she goes to watch her daddy play rugby.  She beams with pride and gets all giddy.  It really is the sweetest thing.

#2
Without a doubt the biggest thing to note about our littlest love, Lochlann Armstrong Samuel is that he is FINALLY toilet trained.  Can I get a hallelujah?!
We are so, so proud of him.  He has just turned three and in all honesty I was beginning to panic about this but we are there, he's done it.  In fairness he has actually done really well which goes to show you really just need to chill and they will do it in their own time, when they are ready.
I am not sure whether it is that he has turned three or what but I have noticed recently that he has become a little more stroppy and defiant at times.  The time out spot has remained pretty warm of late.  The term, 'threenager' has definitely sprung to mind once or twice.  Nothing we can't handle though.  His is such a funny little character, he often has Sam and I in stitches with his facial expressions and outlook on the world.  He is such a wind up merchant too, always winding his sister up!

He is continuing to do well at nursery and plays with the other children more and more.  This week we have had a little mid-term break but L has still been in nursery.  Instead of taking him in for seven on the dot we have had slowish mornings and dropped him off between eight and nine.  This has meant I have been able to see him happily skip off and play with a few lovely little children that are so happy to see him.  My mind has been put at ease now.  Yes this is a little boy that is happy in his own company which is great but now I am confident he has some little friends too! What more can a mama ask for eh?!


And there we have it, a little update and the two smallest and most special people in my life.


Quick question - we would love more littles but can't decide on the number of them.  If we wait another year or two for baby no.3 do you think stop there as I'll be 31/32 or go for baby no.4 too?!  I would love to hear your thoughts, especially if you are a mama to 3 or 4.

Thanks for reading,

A typical Weekend for our little Expat Family.

It is time to go back to work but this weekend has been a pretty good one so I thought I would document it.  Being considered an 'expat' is a strange concept.  It is almost like you're on holiday but you have to do all the normal stuff like work, pay the bills and pack the school bags.  What I will say about being an expat is that the weekends have the potential to be pretty great.  Like a mini holiday and this weekend was just that!

Friday. 

As we have my lovely sister in law staying with us this week we decided to go to Dubai.  Our first stop was Riverlands Dubai.  This is one of the attractions at Dubai Parks and Resorts which also has Legoland, Motion Gate and Bollywood Park.  We hadn't been there before so thought it would be a good one to tick off.  We did toy with visiting Lego land whilst we were there but decided that our littles are still a little too small to get the most out of it.  Riverlands has a really pretty French village and lots of great places to eat.  We had a little wander, visited the park and then settled on having lunch at The Irish Village.  They served soda bread which made me happy and Guiness which made Sam very happy indeed.  Once we had eaten we headed off to The Dubai Mall to show Kate the Burj Khalifa.  As usual the mall was massively busy which can be a struggle with two small children but it was good to show Kate one of the main tourist attractions in the UAE.  We stuck around and waited for the foutains show, which is really great.  Posey and Lochlann love it.  Posey words literally were, 'oh wow!'

It was a long day but a lovely one.  Potentially the most memorable part of the day though was the fact that we drove home on a empty tank of petrol.  It was honestly so stressful.  We expected to be able to fill up on route home but the petrol station was bloomin' closed.  Over here they are few and far between.  Luckily though we managed to fill up with only 2km to go!! - I just read that back and it is so boring but Sam and I will remember the anxiety for years to come so I HAD to include it! HA.

Saturday. 

Saturday morning came with a lie in... sort of.  Posey woke up early but got in our bed and went back to sleep.  Hallelujah! We all managed to sleep past 9am which is literally unheard of in the Brookes house.  After a slow start we finally managed to get out and headed Yas beach to soak up the winter sun.  It does annoy me a little that you have to pay more to go to the beach at the weekend but it is really lovely.  We paddled in the sea and in the pool.  Kate and I even enjoyed a cheeky little cocktail.  Posey and Lochlann really enjoyed playing the sand and building sandcastles.  It was a really good way to end the holidays.

I am still tired, but then again, I have been since I fell pregnant with Posey... I feel fairly refreshed and ready to take on a new term at school.  I am determined to feel more positive and I think spending more time at the pool and the beach at the weekends will really help this positivity! :)

Hope you had a really lovely weekend with those close to you.

Thanks for reading,

Disclaimer*  There were a few tears and tantrums along the way from the two small people don't get me wrong but hey sometimes it is just good to remember the nice bits! 

Four months in...

Well, we are four months in to the expat life.   We arrived in Abu Dhabi on the 18th of August and I am sat writing (well typing this) whilst my son naps and my daughter is sat beside me watching Elf.  We are one week away from our first Christmas away from home.

What is it really like? I hear you asking.  Is it all you thought it was cracked up to? When will you come home? ... ok so seeing as I have all of about 6 people read my blog you might not actually be asking these questions but I am going to answer them anyway!


It is utterly cheesy to describe life as an 'adventure' or a 'rollercoaster'  but in a nutshell that is exactly what the past few months have been like.  We are either extremely happy and pretty much loving life or just a little pissed off and ready to board a plane.  Leaving our schools at home was a great leap of faith in itself, nevermind packing up our lives, our children and moving across the world.  So I guess there were always going to be be dramatic highs and lows.

Don't get me wrong teaching is still teaching where ever you are but there are different challenges here and some we never expected to face.  We are learning how to overcome them so I firmly believe the next term will be even better for us but safe to say the first term has been a steep learning curve.  The staff here though are so supportive and look out for each other.  I think in a previous post I mentioned some of the amazing people we have met out here and I tell you they really do care about things working out for you, which is pretty brilliant.  Our acting head of primary has been particularly great - just so understanding of the fact we have two small children and we are out here alone.

In terms of the children, they have actually settled really well out here now.  Their school and nursery have played such a big part in that as they love it so much.  Don't get me wrong we still often struggle taking Lochlann in at drop off but that is probably entirely my fault because he is my baby boy and he would much rather stay at home with us than go anywhere else!  Drop offs still cause me heartache but that is one good thing about sharing a car.  Sam takes him in every morning whilst I sit in the car with  Posey and do my make up.  Speaking of P, she has pretty much grown up over night. Anyone from home that we speak to says the same.  Her personality is developing rapidly and she is thoroughly enjoys life at school.  She has made some lovely little friends but every now and again she asks about our home in England and when we might go home.  I struggle with this as it makes me worry about whether we did the right thing pulling them away from everything and everyone that they know.  They were settled in their little life and love their family very much, most of whom we won't see until the summer.  The mind of a mother is a terrible thing.  No matter what choice you make it will manage to taunt you and make you paranoid about the decision you've made.  Does anyone else find that?

In all honesty I did worry that moving out here might put a strain on our marriage.  That the working together and living out of each other's pockets might create a tension that we just can't diffuse because we are just ALWAYS together.  Sam and I are pretty good at knowing we can be together and do our own thing and that is ok so moving out here and being together twenty four-seven could have been a potential nightmare.  Overall though, despite a couple of blow outs I would say that we have managed pretty well.  You hear stories out here of couples entering the country together and leaving separately.  But I really don't think that will happen to us.  Sam and I have been through worse things we really have.  What has really helped is us both trying to forge our own little lives outside of us as a couple. Sam goes cycling at the formula 1 track whilst I have girly nights in devouring hulloumi fries and he plays football once a week.  He's partial to a pint or two with the boys and I enjoy the odd shopping day.  Doing these things separately allows us to enjoy the time we have together and actually miss each other now and again.  Missing each other is so necessary! I am a big believer in a little time apart to make you realise what you have and I am lucky to have Sam.

So all in all... we are basically still figuring out life as expats.  It is so great in many ways but the festive season and all the bloody snow that England had, has made me pretty homesick at times.  I do miss the run up to Christmas at home (especially as my mum and I love Christmas so much) but I think that is mainly just because the cold and the twinkling lights everywhere signal Christmas.  Here, you need to seek out the festivities.  However, I have to say when you do they are pretty great and we have definitely spent more time together as a family than we ever managed to do at home.  So I think we made the right decision almost 12 months ago to start a new adventure, just the four of us.

There we have it, I guess four months in we are doing okay.  There are many positives to living here but at the same time I am excited for our life back home when we finally return the UK (with another baby in my tummy if I have my way!!!  :)

That's all for now.

Thanks for stopping by.

Lots of love,

Holly xx

5 things I love about living in the desert.

We've been living in the Abu Dhabi for three months now so I think it is time I wrote down some things that I have been really loving about living in the UAE...

#1 The Sunshine.

I am not going to lie to you I have always been an Autumn and Winter kinda girl. When Spring and Summer roll around I find qualities in them that I love. However, nothing compares to the cosy excitement when the leaves start changing and the air becomes crisper.  So when my close friends and family heard about our move to the land of the sand they were ever so slightly surprised.  Waking up to glorious sunshine on a daily basis is such a treat though and it makes me feel so lucky.  Don't get me wrong when we first came out here in August it was HOT! But now we have acclimatized and enjoy evenings on the balcony in a cool 28 degrees.  The sunsets here are unreal too!  I am off on a desert safari later so expect a blog post and some photos from that some.

#2 Leisure time. 

The weekends here are pretty amazing.  We get to do so much more together here as a family which is just great.  Whether its time to go and treat the children to some lunch,  a new book or simply having the extra pennies (or in our case dirhams) to order a take out.  Small things like that actually make a big difference.  It means we have more time to just enjoy being together without worrying so much about money.  We also have access to two pools and a number of different parks where we live so have managed a couple of evening swims after school which is just amazing.  Evenings at home consisted of the rush hour traffic, the rush to get the littles to bed and then that irritating mum guilt for not having enough quality time with my babies.  I am not saying we get to do all of these lovely things all the time because we don't.  Teaching is hard work and demands a lot of our time but when we do get time off its bloomin' brilliant.  

#3 New friends. 

I honestly can't tell you how lovely and supportive people have been since we moved here.  I have literally made some life long friends. Not sure if any of them read this but if they do - Becka, Sophie and Leoni I am looking at you!  When you get here, people tell you so many stories of their expat journey and all of their highs and lows.  People know all too well what you are going through and just want to help!  So many have helped us whether it was a useful piece of advice, some directions, some kind words, getting their friend to drop off sickness medicine for your children or bringing a vanilla latte up to your classroom 😭.  There is a sense of community amongst people here and that is lovely. Special mention to my friend Becka here (who also happens to be P's teacher.  Becka has literally been our rock and is now basically considered part of the family. 

#4 Chai Lattes

So a totally super superficial thing but you know a little more cash in the back pocket means a few more trips to Starbucks.  A few times the husband has surprised me by bringing a Starbucks latte home for me and Chai just happens to be my new favourite.  Yes I am so late to the party but I don't really care.  Side note - the fact that Christmas cups are still available here makes me a very happy gal. 

#5 Posey & Lochlann, friends for life. 

Moving out here has made the bond between these two even stronger and that makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.  They totally still argue like cat and dog but I have noticed how protective they are over one another and slowly but surely they are getting better at sharing with one another.  They share a room here and as much as I worry about them going to sleep on time I really love listening to them giggle and play with one another when I settle them into bed for the night.  When they giggle I have that little moment where I think, 'wow, we made those two little people in there!' 

And there we have it. Five reasons why I love our Abu Dhabi life.  It has been emotional but overall, life as a family, is pretty good. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Lots of love, 

Holly x

Big Adventures... Moving Aboard!

I have been wanting to write about this for so long now but had to wait until we had told our family and friends about it,.. after a long time deliberating, discussing and imagining what life would be like we have decided to take the plunge and move aboard to teach.  Come mid August we will be spreading our wings and starting a new family adventure in Abu Dhabi!

This all started well over a year ago but if I am honest it has always been something I have fancied doing but another one of those things that I was never sure if I was confident to do or not.  Being with my husband has really helped with my confidence issues though and so has becoming a mother.  So whilst I am still quite insecure in myself and my abilities I feel more empowered to make decisions that I/we feel are right for our own little family.  So a couple of Christmases ago my friend Hollie popped up on my doorstep on Christmas Eve and took me completely by surprise as she was supposed to be in Qatar not at my door.  She was teaching at an international school and wasn't due home that Christmas.  It was fantastic to see her of course and I loved hearing her tales of travel but being almost 9 months pregnant and fit to burst I really didn't ever think I would be planning to do the same!  However every visit from Hollie that followed sparked ideas in both my head and Sam's.  Perhaps this was something we could do as a family after all?

So why now? Why haven't we already gone?
That's easy.  Family.  I am not blaming them at all but with Sam's mum suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and my mum becoming desperately ill with anorexia (she was hospitalized with it when my son was only 5 days old and has been in and out of hospital ever since but is more stable, thankfully) we just didn't see how we could possibly take their grandchildren such a long way from them.
 I struggled with the guilt of wanting to move for so long and I know Sam was unsure too. I think he knew deep down that his family would be supportive and see the benefits of this adventure for our family but he was patient with me and understood that I just wasn't able to leave my mum the way she was.  My guilt wouldn't let me.  It has been a long, tough road in regards to my mum's mental illness and I would love to write more about it, when I am ready and when I have the right words.  I would hate for anything I shared publicly to hurt or upset her.

So anyway, I digress... when January 2017 rolled around we decided we needed a change.  Something NEEDED to change.  We craved more time with the children and to be frank more money for the amount of hard work and hours we put into our jobs.  We discussed it at length and decided it was now or never really.  The children are growing so fast if we were going to do this we needed to do it this year before they both start primary school.  From there we kept an eye of TES and other sites advertising teaching posts.  We interviewed for two positions last month over Skype and were offered both and the rest, as they say is history!

We have both been offered positions in the same school and as Posey is already three she will start in their pre-school in September which is great as it means her schooling is paid for.  Lochlann will go to a private nursery for the first year and then will join us at our school in the second year when he is three.

We choose Abu Dhabi after ALOT of research, it just seems more family orientated than some of the other places we looked at.  It has lots of things to do and places to explore but also has some home comforts like Ikea! Lol.   We have so much yet to sort out like documentation and what we are going to do with our own house and right now I can honestly say I still cannot believe we are going.  I am nervous but that said I am incredibly excited.  I know it'll bring tough times but I also know it'll bring us closer together as a family and will allow us so much more quality time together.  Not to mention the year round sunshine and fabulous weather!

So now it's all about planning and preparation.  So if anyone has any tips about moving aboard, travelling with young children and acclimatising to a very hot country then please let me know!

I am so proud of where we are already, as if I am actually moving aboard.  - I am usually so plain and boring!  Time to inject a little more colour and excitement into all our lives. And of course it'll give me lots of write about on here too!

Before I go I do just want to say thank you to all our family and friends just in case you are reading this... some of you were supportive from the start and for others it took a bit longer which was totally understandable.  Now, in spite of your trepidation you are all being super lovely and supportive about it.  Thank you so so much.

To Sam's mum and my own ... You are two of the strongest women I know and you inspire me to be the best mother I can be so although I was scared to leave you both... you are also two of the people that gave me the motivation to do this as you have both been so strong for your own children so for so many years and now it is time for me to do the same for mine!

And Hollie, if it wasn't for all your encouragement at each yearly visit this probably wouldn't be happening, so thank you to you too!

Right, I think I'll stop waffling now the littlest has had me up since 5 and this mama needs another cup of tea!

Thanks for stopping by,

Lots of love xx

A Mini Midlands Adventure.

As I write this I should be cleaning our house and packing the essentials ready for our half term break to Wales but as my writer's block finally seems to have cleared, I thought I would take 5 minutes out to write a quick blog post to document our weekend. 

This weekend was the beginning of a long awaited half term for us and started with a trip down to Staffordshire (where the in-laws live) to celebrate the engagement of two very special friends.  Sam's parents said they would babysit and this gave Sam and I the opportunity to dress up, stay up past 11 and actually go out on a Friday night! It was so lovely to go out just the two of us and celebrate.  We ate some scrumptious food, drank a glass of wine or two and remembered what it was like to actually socialize with adults in an environment other than the workplace... Of course I forgot to take any photographs! 

On Saturday we woke up and decided to do something special with our two littles.  Lochlann has been in love with trains for a long while now and we have been planning on taking a train ride for ages but life has a nasty habit of getting in the way.  Saturday was the day we were going to make one little boy's dreams come true.  Posey was very excited too which was brilliant.  We ate breakfast, got dressed and headed off to Stafford train station.  The children were literally bouncing with excitement which was such a thrill to see.  Sam turned to me at one point and asked what was wrong, happy tears glistening in my eyes... I am such a sentimental idiot.  We headed to our platform and waited patiently for our train to arrive.  All the while P & L were discussing whether Gordon, Percy or Thomas would come to collect us.  At last we boarded the train and two little toddlers watched in amazement as we departed from the station and headed down the track.  I sat and wondered why we hadn't done this sooner, such a cheap yet thrilling adventure for the littles. It was such a happy moment.  When we arrived at the next station we said goodbye to the train and headed for lunch at a lovely little pub in Penkridge, though I forgot to take any photos of our delicious lunch and cannot remember the name of pub (bad blogger) I was too busy enjoying the moment and devouring a delicious pint of diet coke and a cream cheese and pesto faccocia.  Yum. 

When we finished lunch we took a leisurely stroll through the village and headed back to the station.  

A lovely collection of memories from our mini London Midland train ride. 

Best sign off now, lots of cleaning and packing to do before we go off on our next half term adventure. 

Thanks for stopping by. 

Lots of love. x