mothers on the verge

Dear Lauren, You'll be pleased to know that I finally got off my lazy behind and picked up my Arabic book. So far I know three whole words - Salam (hello), marhaban (welcome) and shokran (thank you). Considering the atrophied state of my brain (caused by full-time Mommydom or the heat, who knows?) I'm feeling fairly smug. By my calculations, if I can learn three new words every week then I'll be speaking Arabic by, erm, 2012. Onwards and upwards! I haven't hit the gym yet or completed any of my other resolutions, but this week has been better than last week as I've been quite busy, mainly due to having a couple of nice friends here who are hell-bent on rescuing me from my home-alone mummy doldrums. I've also been making myself useful by helping out at school and with extra Dyslexic Unit sessions for Firstborn (more on that another time). Other exciting news from Dubailand is that the mangy stray cat that adopted us when we moved in should be giving us the double...

Dear Kate, What-to-do-with-yourself-itis is plaguing me as well over on this side of the world. Although I am trying to fill it with random tasks. By now Swine Flu fears have swarmed North America. I don't know if real cases have hit Dubai. The U.S. is definitely on alert. Our local CVS is out of surgical masks. Even the neighbor wonders if she should be nervous with her two young children. I went out an bought a few extra cans of soup, some Mucinex and tissues. Today I'm going to buy some antibacterial stuff as well, but I'm trying not to think too much on it. Still, it's a diversion from the economy — and hey, it's getting me to buy stuff. However my sense is that even with worries of a pandemic, the recession is still playing front and center. Sure most of the media outlets— as well as the government — are trying to make it seem as if the downturn, while not exactly over, is not in free fall anymore. But my own profession continues to be decimated, practically da...

Now I have these huge swathes of time available to me in between the school runs, here's what I plan to do: 1. Blog more often (er, yes, I know this is a promise I make on a regular basis, but now I have no excuse not to) 2. Learn Arabic (as predicted, the teach-yourself-Arabic book that I bought before Christmas is still in it's wrapper, untouched...) 3. Meet hordes of intelligent, funny, independent and hopefully sarcastic women and persuade them to hang out with me... I need some girlfriends this side of the world or I'm going to have to start talking to the cat 4. Do some exercise (ugh... but starting to become necessary as it's all heading south; got to face up to the fact that youth is no longer on my side) 5. Start to paint again. I unearthed my old art folder recently and some of it was fairly decent, need to get back in the flow 6. Do all the boring things, like sorting out all the stuff that has been sitting in Everest-like piles waiting to be filed away and o...

My latest post up on TwitterMoms.... (And yes, I promise to respond to Kate's letter shortly!) Do Charities Test Your Limits? They're testing a lot of people in today's economy....

As always, I'm full of good intentions. I fully intended to blog from California but didn't take my laptop (me+2 kids+luggage= travel light) so was reliant upon my using my dad's laptop BUT he's distrustful of cookies so I couldn't use Blogger (he's a vintage 1970's computer boffin with security-fear issues). Sorry, y'all. Anyway, Fresno was a blast (in a kind of low-key way) and it was great to hook up with my family. I could go on about it, and probably will another time, but for now I'll just say that seeing my kids enjoying the stuff I most enjoyed about Fresno when I was a kid (my doting aunts and uncles, hanging with my cousins, cuddling my Grandpa, digging up the garden and ready access to the overstock of fizzy drinks in the outside refridgerator) sparked a major trip down memory lane. Bitter-sweet. We're back in Dubai now and sweet Alpha is happy again, despite the noise, mess and general chaos (the secret to a successful marriage: go on...

Dear Kate, I apologize for the long delay. Some family health concerns right now with extended family, which will also make this short. I hope you can fill in with a longer post in my stead! I feel that everywhere I turn I hear of another friend who has been downsized, forced to take a pay cut, or is so worried about these things it's affecting their ability to focus. I know the President has said he feels he seeing signs of recovery. I think that would be wonderful. I don't know if he's just trying to make people feel better, or if I just know the unlucky ones. I remember after Sept. 11th the city went into an economic lock-down. It was practically impossible to find work if you were out of work. But somehow I don't remember the mood as this negative. I have to wonder though if part of what's going on is everyone buying into the bleak reports. In other words — if they say it's bad, it's bad. Well, that could be true. But I also think some people are using t...

Hi Lauren, For some reason my internet connection is slow on a Neanderthal scale, yet AGAIN, so I’m sending you this via Outlook Express which for some reason seems to work even when everything else is at a snail’s pace. Causing a bit of a problem with blogging, as you can imagine. The girls and I are off to the States tomorrow for a family gathering, the first time the bulk of the family will be together in one place for more years than I can remember. I’m really excited t o be seeing my American family, especially my Grandpa; he’s 90 now so I am acutely aware that every visit could be the last time I see him, especially since Granny died just over a year ago. We’re having to leave poor Alpha in Dubai as he can’t get the time off work; he’s pretty cut up about it and has had a long face all week. The kids have been weird all day and the Small(er) One had a little weep about “leaving Daddy behind” – when you’re that small I guess a two week absence from your father is...