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,

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,

A Valentines Date Afternoon

So, I may or not have started drafting this post and then forgotten all about it and never uploaded it... OPPS.  Still very much an amateur blogger over here!

I still wanted to document the lovely afternoon Sam and I had during our visit to the Saray Spa located within the Marriott Hotel Al Forsan, Abu Dhabi.

We visited the Marriott on a bit of a whim really.  It was during our half term break, Lochlann was still in nursery and our good friends had offered to take Posey to the waterpark with them.  This meant one thing... a child free day!!!! Don't get me wrong I love my children dearly but time alone with Sam was needed.  So off the children went and we were left with most of the day to explore the endless possibilities.  Do we get on top of the chores 😂, go and chill at our pool or go out for a nice lunch? In honesty, I really wanted to do something a little more special as Valentines was just around the corner and although we don't usually celebrate it, I thought it would be nice to do something a little more special.  I just didn't know what.

In the end, whilst I was getting ready I heard Sam on the phone arranging our trip to the spa for drinks and a couples massage.  I was so excited, as parents we don't often get chance to appreciate each other and I never expected that this afternoon off parenting would result in a little spa date!
We quickly got ready and headed off as we needed to be at the hotel for midday.  This gave us three and half hours before we had to go and collect Lochlann from nursery.


Our arrival.

When we arrived we were shown to the hotel lobby where they had the most delicious pastries and cakes on offer.  With the package we had bought we were able to choose something to eat and a drink each.  In the end we opted for a lattes rather than bubbles (the reality of needing to parent later that day).  We sat out on the terrace in the sunshine and were served our little treats.  I had a vanilla latte and a chocolate orange macaroon and Sam had a hazelnut latte and some sort of chocolate delight.  I loved this part of our date, the treats were scrummy and we got to sit and just chat to one another without any distractions... lovely!

Saray Spa.

At half one we strolled over to the spa.  We were greeted with a glass of chilled cucumber and lemon water before being escorted into the spa.  Whenever I have been to a spa before I have been really nervous and unsure about what I am actually supposed to do but the ladies at the Saray Spa were so lovely, calming and reassuring.  Plus, I actually took a lot of comfort in the fact that Sam was there with me too.  We were given really luxurious bathrobes and were given time to make ourselves comfortable.  As part of the valentines package we were also treated to a full body scrub which was amazing.  I throughly enjoyed this and really appreciate the fact they cover your eyes over during this... can you imagine how awkward it could be otherwise! After our 30 minute body scrub we were given time to have a shower.  Which I am sure any mother will agree with me, a hot, uninterrupted  shower is like a spa trip in itself!

After we had showered we then had an hour's worth of a full body massage.  It was so soothing and calming, I think Sam even dozed off for a while it was that good.  I really enjoyed the extra little touches such as the heated massage table and the oils that were used to fragrance the room.  I honestly don't think I have ever felt more relaxed in my entire life.

After the massage, you were invited to relax, stay awhile and enjoy the hotel's facilities.  Before leaving the spa, they give us some nuts, dried fruits and a cup of lemon tea and honey.  We didn't have the time to enjoy the pool and things as we needed to collect Lochlann but I did soak up the last few minutes of calm with my tea.

As someone who can be quite nervous and awkward I was never quite sure about spa days but I have to say I throughly enjoyed this afternoon with Sam at the Marriott.  Being there with my husband put my mind at ease and the ladies in the spa were just so lovely. I would most definitely recommend the couples package to any parents that are in desperate need of some. R & R and time together.

 This post isn't sponsored or anything (I am probably one of the smallest blogs out there) we just had a genuinely lovely day and I wanted to share how much we loved it.  If you live in the area or are over in Abu Dhabi on a holiday, I would absolutely recommend a trip to the Marriott Al Forsan.  Thank you to all the lovely staff who made us feel so welcome.

Thank you to my gorgeous husband for treating us to this little spa trip, Sam we need to spend time together like this more often.  💌

Here is a little instagram husband outtake of me to make you smile! 😃

Thanks for stopping by.

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,

Shop small in 2018.

So,  I wasn't sure whether to write about this now or save it for February (I am longing for pay day don't know about anyone else).  But, after watching so many lovely ladies on Instagram supporting small brands over the Christmas period, I really wanted to write a post about which small brands we love and why.

All my life, my dad has run his own business.  It's a football merchandise business and I spent many a weekend working for him.  He, pretty much, works every day of the year with really long hours so I have seen first hand the blood, sweat, tears and passion that goes into running your own business.  This is why I think it is so important to support small brands and help their business grow if you can. At the end of the day,  supporting the brands I am going to feature in this post allows a mama to keep doing what she loves and spend more time with her children too - whilst allowing you to enjoy amazing products.

I hope you enjoy this post; let's get into it.

Brand 1.  Birdies and Bearcubs http://www.birdiesandbearcubs.co.uk

This is a brand I have been admiring for about two years now.  They are a children's clothing brand and do a few items for adults too... after all twinning is winning!  They stock tees, sweaters, hats and hoodies.  Our most favourite items are the tees and sweaters.  Most recently,  we purchased their special edition Santa tees. For Christmas,  Posey received the gorgeous red 'we both matter tee' and Lochann got the Mumma's boy tee in a beautiful burgundy colour.  I also have my eye on the, 'darling you're different' tee for Posey and the, 'I am enough' tee for myself.

The quality of this range is really brilliant, I honestly cannot fault it.  The clothes are really comfortable and my children love wearing them.  In fact,  my son often strops if his momma's boy tee isn't clean! I often size up when I buy for my littles from this brand but that is purely because I want them to fit them for as long as possible as we love these items so much.  They wash really well too, which is a winner!

Jade, the lovely lady who runs Birdies and Bearcubs, is really friendly and super stylish.  She also gives me major hair envy as she has gorgeous locks and a fringe to be proud of! 😊 You can follow her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/jadelarrah/

Tops: Birdies & Bearcubs.  Shorts Cribstar 

Tops  Birdies & Bearcubs 

Brand 2. Cribstar https://www.cribstar.co.uk

Ok, Cribstar is another stylish children's clothing brand run by a lovely mama.  This is my go to shop for trendy little tops for birthdays.  Last year,  I got my children matching ones that said, ' not your basic 2 year old and not your basic 3 year old.'   This year, we went for something slightly different and bought the candle tees which both the children love.  Again, the quality is great and the prices are reasonable.  For P and L's birthday outfits this year, I also treated them to a pair of matching shorts each.  They are comfy little grey numbers with a leopard style print on them.  I love Lochlann's little bottom in his and Posey looks super stylish in hers.  I like to team these little outfits with their converse.  Honestly my children are far better dressed than I am!

Top Birdies & Bear cubs Shorts Cribstar 

Top: Cribstar Shorts: Next from a pack of three.

Brand 3.  TeddyandCo http://teddyandco.bigcartel.com

This brand is a little different as it isn't a clothing brand.  This lovely lady sells prints and wooden peg dolls.  I have followed her instagram shop for a while now and have often sat and thought about how much my two would love the peg dolls.  I love the fact they are not plastic- fantastic, much more pleasing to my eye!   Plus I love the idea that these are custom made.  I decided to buy some for Lochlann's third birthday.  We are now the proud owners of Batman, The Joker, Woody and Buzz!  Both Posey and Lochlann love playing with the dolls.  They are brilliant quality and look lovely sat on the top of our Ikea play kitchen too!  Another fabulous thing about this brand is ' Fiver Fridays.'  Every Friday,  you can grab yourself a peg doll or a print for just five pounds.  How great is that?
I am planning on adding to our peg doll collection very soon.

Photo credit  Teddy and Co. 

That's it.  There are LOADS more small businesses that I could mention but these three are my favourites at the moment.  Three great quality brands, three lovely mamas and lots of beautiful products.

I know there is a general consensus that buying from small brands is too pricey and I do sometimes understand where people are coming from.  In all honesty though, the brands I have bought from have produced some lovely things that are really great quality.  I plan to buy less ' stuff ' and spend more wisely in 2018.  I am going to shop small in 2018.  I love so many small businesses and what they are all about.

Which are your favourite small brands?  Share yours in the comments!

Thanks for reading.

Lots of love,

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!