Happy Halloween

Early Learners Nursery party night before last..... this is where Naief will start nursery tomorrow. Had a good time, but had to leave early to make our way to another party at the Bahrain School, which was also a lot of fun... but Naief was exhausted. Two parties in one day is a bit much.... but he did enjoy dressing up and getting treats and playing games.

Happy Halloween !!

i love you so much

This is what Naief tells me.... and they're the sweetest words to my ear. I'll tell ya... I am so crazy in love with this little guy. The way he smiles, the stories he tells me, how he whispers stuff in my ear, his sweet imagination starting to take off, how he remembers everything and notices even more.... gosh... he's just the sweetest thing.

I was starting to think that he was turning into a mini monster while in the States, but I'm happy to report that it was obvious boredom. He's had no tantrums since our return, is finally {crossing my fingers} back on his sleep schedule... and I must say... he's sleeping in his own bed now - in his own room - and no longer takes the bottle! We stopped the bottle cold turkey and I think it's finished for good. He slept in his room all night last night - didn't wake up - and was a happy little camper this morning. Hasn't asked for his bottle, since I told him that the dr. said he was a big boy now and didn't need the bottle.... he likes that he's a big boy now.

Had to take him to the dr. last night since he had another bout of blood in his stool... been happening for two months now, but since we were in the States w/ food changes, weather changes, emotional changes, I chalked it up to his not being able to go to the bathroom properly. The dr. decided to take his blood just to make sure there's no infection or other problem and, I'll tell ya, it's so hard having your little one experience such pain. Makes me really think about sick children and all that they go thru...

anyway... i love my little man.... and only wanted to share how much :)

tired and coping

Been back a week tomorrow... and getting back on the time has been a challenge, especially for Naief. He doesn't want to go to bed, waking up every hour on the hour until around 2 a.m. (4 a.m. the first night) and then doesn't want to get up in the mornings. He's so much like Hashim... he's not a morning person.

If I make Naief get up (around 10ish), he's usually grouchy, has fits over getting dressed... doesn't want to cooperate... it takes every ounce of patience on my part, that's for sure. Today we stayed in and he was a tad better, but since he's refusing to go to sleep tonight and we have plans tomorrow... I can only imagine what the morning will bring. :)

Schools have been closed here until November 1st because of swine flu fears. I've been hearing some really negative stuff about the vaccine and I find myself a bit worried tonight over the possibility of children being made to take it. A friend of mine said that it's making ppl throw up terribly and another woman told me that it's being linked to autism and brain problems... not sure how they could know something like this so quickly, but I do find myself questioning it. I'm not keen on giving children lots of injections they don't need and I'm not that scared of swine flu and don't feel that it's something that Naief would need to get... and I just hope that we, as parents, are allowed to make that call.

Many ppl are up in arms about the school situation. Schools have taken money which, in some cases, is quite a lot and there's nothing to show for it. The schools are using the money to pay the teachers who are having to show up to work each day... but the students and parents are suffering at home. One friend of my husband's has paid almost 2,000 dinars for his child's first term and will not see a dime of that nor will it be applied to the next term... I can't imagine.

I must say that I'm really glad to be home. I enjoyed visiting with my family, got into a bit of a tiff w/ my younger sister while we were both at my older sister's house, but all in all, it was a nice time. Naief was bored out of his mind (altho my mom believes that children this age don't get bored - and I STRONGLY disagree) and since there weren't a lot of places to go (that I could find on my own while my sister was at work) and no children to play with, for the most part, we wound up watching a lot of Mickey Mouse, Sesame Street, and various other cartoons while there. I felt guilty for letting him sit in front of the tube, but I found it a real challenge to keep his mind busy and interested in much else. We'd color, paint and while my niece was there, they played Hide & Go Seek, dressed up like a prince and princess - after making their costumes from crate paper, towels and kitchen utensils - play outside and such, but when no one was there and we weren't going here or there, he got bored.

So... I'm glad to be home. I missed my husband, our house, the cats, and just being home. Weird that I call it home, but it feels like that now... and the weird thing is... I didn't get depressed upon my return, which is soooo strange, since I usually do for a good month or so. And it's a good feeling not to feel that depression....

anyway... just wanted to make a quick post... have a good one you guys...

weddings and fairs

some pics from my older sister's wedding in Chicago, at her husband, Marvin's, club (the whole gang), Naief and Katelyn riding the train at the Delta Fair today, and Naief as a ring bearer at my sister's wedding, and, last, but not least, me and Janeen at my sister's wedding...

Haven't been writing a lot.... but will be leaving to go back to Bahrain in less than two wks time... looking forward to going home, but will miss my family.

planes, trains and automobiles

Naief loves planes and trains. My sister lives in the flight path of the Memphis Airport, so we get to see and hear planes every day, to the sheer delight of my dear son. I don't think he'll ever get bored of pointing them out and screaming as loud as possible, "momma, plane! plane! plane!" :)

But... his most excitement came this past weekend while we were all out in another area of Memphis and as we were putting some bags in the car, I turned around, after hearing a train whistle, and realized we were right next to the train tracks... and a train was coming.

Now, Naief loves Thomas and Friends. Knows all of them by name and gets completely crazy with excitement anytime he sees a train in it's stand still state - since he's never seen a real moving train - except on TV, which really doesn't count... I don't think. So... just think how thrilled momma was when she realized a train was coming, and it was a big one. :))))

I immediately grabbed Naief up and told him a train was coming and right then it came thundering down the track, blowing it's whistle several times as it passed us. It couldn't have been better if I had planned it.

His eyes got as wide as saucers and for a minute I thought he might cry from fear.... but he didn't. He was so quiet and still and then got so excited.... screaming at his Auntie when she came to show her the train. The really great thing was that it was a really long train, so he was able to truly experience a big, loud train. It had a big engine as a caboose and everything.... just great stuff.

So... all the way home, all he talked about was seeing that train and wanting to ride one. Even talked out in his sleep this morning about wanting to ride a train. He thinks we can just run over there and hop aboard.... only if it were that simple, eh?

I looked up Amtrak the other day, thinking that we might ride it up to Chicago for my sister's wedding... but don't think it's going to work w/ our schedule, but I'm gonna call this week just to make sure. He'd love that... :)

happy day all.... the clouds are beautiful here and the weather is truly wonderful.

storm clouds

Storm clouds are moving in to Memphis... I love the clouds here. Supposed to rain for the next few days.... am ready for things to cool down a bit.

update: the ghost has been leaving us alone. I did what a paranormal specialist friend told me to do and it worked. She said to confront the spirit/energy since they may not know we're here or that they're being loud, so I did just that and for the last 4 or more days there have been no sounds. :)

Taking Naief to the Memphis Children's Museum tomorrow... just the two of us. I think he'll like it. Altho, just looked on their website and they're doing all kinds of fun stuff on Sat., so I'll take him on Saturday instead.

My younger sister comes next week. We're planning to go to the zoo again and after my older sister gets married, we're gonna take a trip to Madison, my birth place and hometown.

anyway... hope you all are doing great. Take care.

seriously spooked

Hey all... we're here at my sister's in Memphis having our holiday. The weather is fantastic... mostly hot and a bit humid (nothing like Bahrain), and it's rained with thunderstorms many times already... with us having to get in the bathtub once from a tornado warning! :) That scared the daylights outta me, but all was ok. And you know how I love heavy rain, so I'm loving it. :)

Real quick though... before the little one wakes up... last night, for the 3rd night in a row, I heard something in the bedroom where Naief and I are sleeping. It first started about 3 nights ago w/ sounds like a mouse or squirrel in the wall - or what I told myself it had to be - then the night after that, it sounded like something was under the bed and I found myself asking myself if Queenie (a little chihuahua), my niece's dog, was under the bed. That sound went on for a bit and then stopped... but it didn't scare me - I only dismissed it.

But.. last night there were sounds in the room that seriously spooked me. I was on the computer last night until about midnight at which time I heard Chelsea - my sister's dog - growling outside our room. It was a very deep, low growl that continued for several seconds. I got scared, got up and went into the kitchen to check and make sure all the doors were locked. The door to the garage was unlocked, I locked it, checked the front door and went back to bed. She didn't growl again.

After this, I said goodnight to hubby, turned off the light and tried to go to sleep. It was at this time that I heard the first of the sounds.

Sounded as if someone was shuffling papers at the dresser. As if looking for something really. I immediately got scared but talked myself into calmness.... then a bit later I heard another noise right next to me. It was as if someone was closing the drawer to the nightstand next to me. I turned over and looked in that direction.... really terrified that I'd see something, but didn't. I closed my eyes and then reopened them slightly thinking or still wondering if I'd see something. The sound stopped, but again started. This time at the nightstand on the other side of the bed. Same sound.. like someone was closing the drawer or messing with it.

I get chills just thinking about it.

While it was happening or after, I couldn't help wonder why they weren't tripping over our luggage and whatnot in the room... I had the computer on the floor next to the nightstand that was next to me and cables on the floor but nothing moved. We have two suitcases in the room, a box w/ stuff on it - the room is pretty stuffed with stuff... but nothing was touched.

I don't know what it is, but when I got up this morning and told my mom, she told me that she had the same experience in her room lastnight! She had turned off the light, rolled onto her stomach and that's when she heard something being sat down on her dresser. She said it sounded like whomever sat it down had lost their grip and it made a heavy thud when it hit the dresser!!!!! She said it scared her to death. She turned on the light several minutes later, but again, nothing.

I found myself hardly sleeping lastnight... have no idea what time I finally drifted to sleep, but I know this.. I'm afraid to sleep in this room again. I had to talk through it ... telling myself that they wouldn't hurt me and they're here for whatever reason... but still, I'm afraid.

We're gonna tell my sister when she comes home for lunch. I wonder what she'll say. She's never mentioned hearing anything and my niece has never mentioned hearing anything, and when talking to my mom more this morning, she told me that she's had a similar experience in the room where we're sleeping - where she used to sleep. One night she felt the mattress move. It was as if someone was under the mattress and moving it. She said it only happened once.... goodness.

hello travel

Tomorrow is the big day. Leave at 11 pm, flying into Amsterdam with a 9 hr layover there and then on to Memphis - a 10 hr flight. I hate flying. Scares me, and even tho people say that it's much safer than driving, it still doesn't change the fear inside of me. Also doesn't help much that every day, here lately, when I turn on the TV, I see where another flight has gone down. But... trying not to think about it and trying to stay positive... inshallah it makes a difference. :)

Not much going on w/ me lately, altho I was having dinner w/ a friend tonight and she said that I should blog about my current addiction... which is....


Farm Town on FB.

I am sooo addicted to this game. Love, love, love creating my own little farm/ranch with animals, plowing my land, growing seeds, harvesting the crops, hiring ppl to work on my farm, working on other ppl's farms, buying land.... I just love every aspect of the game. I love creating my own little world, I suppose. Can't quite figure out what it is that pulls me in so much, other than that. I love planting trees, growing flowers, designing the layout of the farm... and really, I truly enjoy growing the crops. I also enjoy going to other ppl's farms and working... sometimes working along w/ other ppl or just by myself. I've noticed that when I'm working w/ someone else, it adds more excitement in that you're working against someone to get the most money for the harvest... which adds to my level of enthusiasm.

Hashim got bored w/ it rather quickly... preferring Sims and such, but not me.

So.. if any of you are playing, let's be neighbors! :) I'm on level 24 right now and can't wait until I reach level 25 coz I get to buy more land.

Hello, my name is Tania and I'm a Farm Town addict! :)


But anyhoo... it's almost time to fly away from Bahrain, leave my hubby behind and enjoy being back in my homeland.

Everyone cross your fingers and send positive energy my way in hopes that we have no issues/problems when going thru immigration here... will be checking in w/ his American passport, but going thru immigration w/ his Bahraini... and I'm just hoping beyond all hope that there are no issues w/ these ppl. Every year that we've traveled, we had some issue... but hopefully none this time around.

happy day everyone!

The Farewell

Watching the MJ farewell right now... and no matter what he did or didn't do in his life... I am filled with sadness when listening to the songs, seeing the pictures and hearing ppl talk about him. Seeing his casket sit there... it's a sad thing.

I feel sorry that so many negative things were in his life... the drug addiction, most of all. It destroyed him.

I don't know what's waiting on the other side... and, at times, I wonder if there's anything... but I hope that he's at peace. I'm happy that his demons have been taken from him....

One thing... and you know there has to be at least one thing w/ me... I was a bit turned off in that no one is weeping. His children... the youngest child has a huge wad of gum in his mouth, chomping on it as fast and hard as he can, and when they panned to them, sitting next to their grandmother, not one of them seemed upset with the littleist squirming around, but I suppose it's to be expected. The daughter had her head over on her grandmothers shoulder... seeming very shy. It's all, I'm sure, overwhelming for them. Al Sharpton is on right now preaching .. they all just stood to give him a standing ovation... which is a bit much at a funeral, I think... but...

Oh yeah... the youngest son always had white blond hair.. and now it's jet black. I knew it was dyed.

phew... where to start?

Wow... was shocked to learn of Michael Jackson's death. Knew he was a drug addict long ago, but you never want to imagine it being as bad as it was. Looks like they've come across bags and bags of drugs inside his home, so it's only a matter of days before the world finds out what was hidden in his closet.

Sad that he'd die like Elvis and was married to his daughter.

I felt unmoved by the news at first. Took several days for it to sink in and after watching many a show and reading articles on the net, I feel very saddened, but feel, like many, that he's free of his demons now.

I've loved Michael since I was a little girl (Elvis was and is my all time favorite). Had all his albums, still do, matter of fact, and of the Jackson 5. Saw Michael in concert many years ago and it was the best concert I've ever been to. Had good seats (altho they were at the side of the stage), was seated close enough to get a good view. Over the years though... as he started to look more like an Asian transgendered woman... and after the pay off to the sex abuse victim, the 2nd case w/ such damning evidence, his totally bizarre behavior... I lost that great like of him.

Everyone wants to talk about what a great dad he was... and I have this question to ask.... if he was such a great dad, why was he taking all these drugs? Who in the hell could function on that stuff in your body, all day, every day?? Is it possible? Yeah, I know ppl do it all the time, but doesn't there come a time when it's not possible? I'd think he'd have to be pumped up w/ something all hours of the day - like Elvis was in the last years of his life. You don't function like this. So how can you function as a parent?

Me and some mothers were talking about this the other day and the ones from the UK said that demerol is given to you when you have a baby there... and it makes you totally loopy/out of touch and unable to do anything.

I feel sorry for his kids... partially growing up w/ that mess of a father (having marked their lives in a huge way - forever), and now they'll grow up w/ his family... his father and mother. His mother must have done something right... coz a brother or two have some sense about them.

_______________________________________________________________

Saw an ad at the grocery the other day for free dogs, so I called the woman. She was in Dubai when I called, said she'd be back on Wed. and would call me. Didn't hear from her until the weekend, talked and decided to go see the dogs.

Went there and it was somewhat strange. She had so many freakin' dogs... was living in this HUGE house, decorated **nicccccceeeely**, said she had a daughter, 4 yrs old, w/ the nanny and husband in Egypt... saying that she and her mother were moving there at the end of July. The house wasn't in any shape for a one month move out date. Nice plants in expensive pots all over the outside and inside of the house, huge glass vases in the house w/ flowers and such, everything in tact. Expensive stuff everywhere... made me start thinking about living w/ such and so many animals, having a 4 yr old w/ this sort of environment... which led me to think that she's not telling the truth about everything. She was pushing hard for us to take a dog... telling us when we first got there that they were all up to take, and then when we'd ask about one, she'd tell us all the negatives about that dog and push us to take this other one. **should state that i had asked her on the phone, prior to going, if the dogs were used to children and cats** i think this is why she said she had a child. i thought it was odd that a child would be away from her mother w/ a maid in another country.. but maybe i'm the weird one. not only that, but her mother, a russian that (they said) couldn't speak english, but seemed to comment on a lot of what i said (in russian, of course) was there w/ her.. don't you think that'd be a better environment for a young girl??? especially if they're moving in just one month?

anyway... there's a lot of other things... but this post is getting long, i'll end it here... but i will add, hashim doesn't want to take a dog from them. he got a bad feeling about it.. felt like she was lying, doesn't trust it and whatnot. i feel sorry for the dogs, want to take one of them... but i also got a bit of a bad feeling a few times... just think things don't add up.. and i've asked her for records of shots, if they've been tested for tick fever and does the one, that she was pushing, have a touch of mange. she's yet to reply...

getting through it

The last few days have been pretty emotional, to say the least. Putting Henry to sleep was the best thing to do... for he could hardly walk, wasn't coming upstairs the last day 1/2, wasn't eating and we couldn't watch him in pain or suffering.... but doing it is so very hard. I miss him terribly. I think about him all the time... every time I turn around, I am reminded of him. I see him from the corner of my eye or see one of the cats and think it's him... so I feel sadness many, many times throughout the days.

Not only that, but Naief asks about him probably 10 times a day. Day before yesterday, he cried once and put his head on my shoulder at another point... he's too young to understand, but he knows something isn't right. I tell him that Henry has gone to heaven, then he'll ask if he's sick and show me how he was throwing up. I tell him yes, Henry was sick, but he's better now... and in heaven.

We're thinking of getting another dog or two... but after we come back from the States. Went to the BSPCA yesterday and gave them all the food, flea/tick medicine, treats and such, and while there I told them that it would have been nice if someone had said something/anything to us when we adopted him. We could have possibly saved his life if we had known earlier... not sure, because the parasites could have already been wrecking havoc inside his body... I don't know... but, at least we could have tried some 7 months ago, instead of just two months ago.

While there, a woman asked me what dog we adopted. I told her Henry. She remembered him and started talking about what a good dog he was... I started crying... and left.

Really, I can't think about it right now. I'm so sad still..... he was such a good dog. So kind. Really was so different when we first got him, versus these past couple of months. He loved to play w/ us outside. Running when we'd try to get his tail and he loved baths. He'd let us soap him up and wash him off and then off he'd go.. running up onto the porch to rub his body up and down the wall until he felt he was dried off enough... or something... not really sure why he did that.. but it was the cutest thing to watch.

He loved his walks. Loved going to Saar to the date farm. He'd gallop to us once we had gotten far enough in front of him... with his tongue hanging and his mouth open as wide as it would go. He was so happy. Even here around the house.. when we'd walk him.. he really enjoyed it. Loved eating anything and everything he could find and leaving his mark everywhere.

He loved to bump me with his cold nose to get attention and when he knew we were taking him for a walk... he'd get so excited and happy. His tail would wag so fast and he'd jump up on us and get sooo excited. I loved that about him.

I miss him so much...

With respect to all of this... we got into a huge argument with the in-laws yesterday. While over for lunch, nephew asked me over and over and over and over if the dog was dead and when I couldn't ignore him any more, I got mad and told him to not ask me one more time if the dog was dead. Well.... SIL threw a fit. Saying that he's only a baby and I shouldn't have said anything to him, but ignored him. I disagree. I think a child needs to learn right from wrong. I didn't yell at him, I simply was firm and told him to stop. But... it didn't matter. She threw a complete fit over it after lunch and everyone got into a big argument... except me who sat by the side and listened. She said not a word to me in English but instead attacked me, through hubby, in Arabic. Letting everyone know how wrong I was and how I didn't have the right to say anything to her son. I disagree and no matter what, I will not change my mind nor apologize.

Needless to say, this was the straw that broke the camels back. I'm finished with all of this for a long time. I've decided not to do the school, since it will be working w/ her, which I have been against all along. I refuse to work anywhere near her and she wont be over me. I can not stand her and haven't since the get go. So... all the preparation and stress has been for nothing. I'm a bit sad over this now... but figure it's for the best. Can't imagine having this stress on a daily/weekly basis and then having to pretend all nicey nice... I'm just tired of all the games and crap.

So...

Thanks everyone for all your kind words and shows of love. It truly means the world to me. Chief Rock Chef... you are such a kind person and a real animal lover. It's wonderful to see and I appreciate all your words of encouragement and kindness... it truly means a lot to me. You and your wife and truly wonderful people. I know your kids will be some of the best. Christopher... thank you for your kindness and for the card... I wish I was there with you... that'd be oh so wonderful... le sigh... at least I can dream. You're a sweety and your friendship means a lot to me. And for my friend, Tara, who doesn't blog and doesn't read my blog... she gave me flowers and it really meant a lot. She's so kind and gentle, and was there as soon as she heard my cries on the other end of the phone. And thanks to Roxy for her text message and words of love. You're so sweet and such a loving soul. Thanks all of you. It touches me to have such friendships especially when I'm so far away from home and not around ppl who love animals so much... I feel blessed by having all of you in my life.

goodbye

henry is being put to sleep today... hashim took him just a bit ago. my heart is breaking.

i can't think ... i'm filled with tremendous sadness.

he was the best dog.

goodbye henry...

well....

Henry isn't getting better. He ate the new mix of food for the first 3 or 4 days, but hasn't touched most of it for 3 days now. He digs out the liver (which is only 1 ounce), eats that and leaves the rest. The rest being rice cooked in chicken stock, low fat cottage cheese, two eggs and 3 tlbs of bacon drippings. Also giving him Omega 3's and vitamins A & E. He seemed to really like it at first and I must say I had high hopes... because I want him to live so dang bad...

It all just breaks my heart.

(for anyone who is asking what happened, when i took him to the vet, found out that the tick parasites got into the organs and he's having kidney failure. his numbers should be between 7-25 and his were 172. the vet wanted to put him to sleep that day, but i asked to take him home. once home, i got online and started doing research about how we might possibly bring down his numbers.. which we've been trying to do. it's been a little over a week now...)

Today he's been having dry heaves... starting early this morning and then again around 11:30 a.m. He's been under our bed all day, only getting up at around 11:30 to go wee, then back under the bed. He's not getting up at night... hasn't for a good week. This really worries me... for I realize that it's his kidneys, and it's not getting better.

I can't think about it, but have to.

Hashim doesn't want to put him to sleep... hoping beyond all hope that he'd get better. I told him today that he seems to be getting worse.

He looks like he doesn't feel good.... his ears are always down, he hardly wags his tail, doesn't bark any more... is skin and bones...

I feel angry at myself for not acting sooner... thinking it could have helped. I knew something was wrong. Even talked to a friend about it - they had to have their first dog put down because of tick fever. She told me that it sounded like tick fever... but I waited. Thinking that he was depressed and that lots of walks would make him happier.. and it did... but what I didn't know is that he was sick.

I don't know what to do. Wait it out... for I know he's not getting better.. and is he in pain? The thought of putting him down (which the vet wanted to do when I took him in the last time) is something I'm not sure I can do. I put down my first cat, Baby, many years ago and I still cry sometimes... he got so bad... and I don't want to see Henry like this... in so much pain, not knowing where he is, not seeming to know me, Hashim or Naief...

A few days back I left a string/thought on my facebook about being under a lot of stress... had been stuck in traffic for what seemed like hours, searching for the food to feed Henry, grumpy hubby, tantrum throwing child... and someone made this comment to me,

"why tania try to be more optimistic things always get better at the end look at the bright side of everything you will see a wonderful life then"

and... you know, it just irritates the hell outta me, to be truthful. I was semi-polite in my response.. but really wanted to jump all over her... for as much as we could hope, pray, imagine... life just isn't that easy... all the time. But hey, I'm not the most optimistic person... but still.

Mr. Henry

Looks like we'll be making another vet visit tomorrow. Henry is still sick, it seems. For the last 4 days, he doesn't want to be walked and refuses to go anywhere... staying, mostly, under the bed all day. Tonight he's next to me on the sofa, but asleep. He's not eating really.. had a little of the cat's food tonight, which isn't great, but it's better than nothing.

Yesterday he threw up everything, including his water. Day before was another throw up day... but got meds from the vet today that will reduce the acidity in his tummy and, hopefully, help him keep food down.

They're concerned that his kidneys may be starting to fail... especially w/ him throwing up, and seeing that he's sleeping all the time and his spirit is almost gone, they want to do a blood work-up just to make sure.

Poor guy... for a bit there I thought he was getting better and maybe he will... just think it's gonna be a long road. My hope is that he doesn't have to take any more of the tick fever med because I wont be here. Worried enough about him being here during the day by himself... but that's a good month 1/2 or more... so maybe he'll be on the road to recovery by then.

some good news

I'm really excited... Naief and I will be heading to Memphis this summer! Been trying to work this out for a while now.. hoping fares would be low (since summer is high season for travel in these parts), so I was really beyond belief when we found a low fare a few days ago. :)

Naief has never met my older sis, her fiance, my niece and nephew (and his family), my oldest brother, and he'll get to spend a good two months with my mom. Plus, there's a big wedding planned - my older sis is getting married. :) So that'll be exciting, I'm sure.

I get to leave Bahrain during the hottest part of the year as well, I'm just tickled pink about it. The weather has been hitting 118F the last several days, and heard today that some ppl are saying it could get to 60C (have no idea what that is in F), but sounds way tooooo hot for my blood... so I'm really thankful.

Have been prepping Naief and he knows we're going on a plane and that we'll be meeting all these ppl... he's even practicing the names... :)

On a different note, looks like I could/will be going to work this Sept. My MIL is proposing that I open a play/learning center for 2-3 yr olds and I've agreed to it.. the only thing is... it's all very short notice, nothing is prepared (including the place) and I'm leaving for the summer.. so who will do it??? Get it ready and such? It's already June 1st, so I'm panicking a bit... it all has to be set up (painting, furniture), all material bought, and ready to go before I leave, and MIL is leaving around the 19th of June for holiday and she wants it finished before then. fun fun fun

This is a huge undertaking and assistants have to be hired.. and that's another issue. Finding ppl who will work for the money, that know how to speak English and who will change diapers (that's a big one there).. since most 2 yr olds aren't potty trained. It would be nice to have someone just for that.

and...

I've never done this before. That's the biggest issue for me and, really, it makes me nauseous to think about it all. I taught when I first came to Bahrain and was hugely popular w/ the little ones... and I'm good with kids... so I feel ok about that, but the thoughts of organizing it all, managing it, not losing control of the children, and being able to be creative and imaginative enough for approx 18 kids, every day... I'm worried about. I guess on a positive note, it could help to bring back my creative flow.. which would be nice. I have tons of research to do... printing, tons of administrative work... and on top of it all,

I'm going on holiday and don't want this overshadowing my time. I want quality time with my family with no outside stress weighing me down.... aaaahhhhhh...

fun, fun, fun :)

mad world

gorgeous voice.... he has a quality about him... reminds me of Elvis Presley - the eyes, dark hair, beautiful smile, his style, not to mention his delectable voice.... he's just dreamy....

enjoy....

the lizard caper

Yesterday we went over to the in-laws to say hello and after about 15 mins, my husband's oldest sister screamed for the housemaid to come upstairs and kill the lizard inside her room....

so... off goes little 'ole me with A to save the lizard.

Again... every creature, no matter how big or small, is killed at my in-laws and I see no real reason for it, other than an inability on anyone's part to see that it could be done differently.

When I got to the bedroom, she was on the bed screaming to get it. She told A to go get the Raid to kill it, but I refused to allow it... stating that it would run outside if we scared it and there was no reason to kill it. I also tried to talk about why he might be in the room... since it's piled high w/ plastic and department store bags (with it having been 10x worse earlier in the day, I found out - they moved 50% of the bags that morning into the other outside room), and paper stacks everywhere... making it a safe haven for any creature including ants, spiders, roaches and such... no wonder the lizard is there... he has a feast every night, obviously.

He was a big lizard. White from the wall color... so he'd probably been in there for a while. She exclaimed that she couldn't sleep knowing he was there, hadn't slept in there the previous night, and since she prayed the Quran, he couldn't be there. I laughed and told her that the lizard wouldn't bite her. They don't bite. They might scream a little when you catch them, but that's it. I find them to be totally harmless, really.

No matter how many times I told her that he was having a feast every night in her room and that he wouldn't hurt her, she demanded that he be killed, seeing that we were having a really hard time convincing this little guy to leave the room. He didn't waste any time before running behind her tall cabinets and when we thought there was no way to get him out other than to spray the Raid, like she was insisting, A went and got a long stick w/ a wire hanger tied around the end and we stuck it behind the cabinet to coax him out... and it worked! The little booger!

He finally ran up the wall, over to where the window is and disappeared for a bit. We couldn't decide if he had gotten back to the cabinets or if he was up on top of the curtains... refusing to move. 'A' took her stick and banged a little around the curtain and we finally saw him. We decided to corner him, basically. When he got scared and ran down below the top of the curtain, we were able to trap him between my stick and A's stick... and when he realized he couldn't get past us, he ran down to the window and jumped out!!!! :)

Scared my SIL to death. She was outside waiting to make sure he was out.. and screamed when he jumped. I laughed and me and A high fived each other!

I think we'll start a business ridding houses of lizards! ;)

When my FIL came in to have dinner, later, my SIL told him what we had done and he got upset... saying they were the enemy and why hadn't we killed it. I told him that I don't believe in it and there was no reason to kill the lizard. He said nothing.. but mumbled to my MIL in Arabic. I honestly think my SIL was proud of us... and I know I was really proud of us.... made me feel happy that the little thing wasn't killed.

I did find out from A that they cut down the hive.... she had been coming over to take the fruit and was stung or got afraid of them (not sure)... so they cut it down! I told her that doing that killed the bees... but she doesn't understand.. so I dropped it.

I told my mom about the bee hive and she went off on me... telling me that it's better they cut it down since I wouldn't want Naief getting stung by the bees.... what to say.... no one feels the same as me, except Naief. :)

the bee hive

Took some trash out yesterday, late morning, and on the way back to the house, Naief and I made our way over to the tree to have a look at the bee hive.

And... what do you know....

someone cut it down.

I'm soooo mad about it. I knew it would happen. People can not leave anything alone. It just doesn't do for ppl not to kill every freakin' thing they can get their hands on. I've never seen anything like it.

I have no idea who did it. Wouldn't surprise me if my FIL didn't send the yard guys over to destroy it... or maybe the boys from this boys' school did it, since Hashim saw them getting the fruit from the tree last week and made a comment about it. I know that it looks like it was chopped off, so I'm willing to bet that dear ole FIL had it done.

There's a tiny little piece still left and the bees are clinging to it... sad really.

This bee hive isn't a first for the start of the summer months... not a month ago, the crows were nesting in the palm tree outside his house and one Friday at lunch he told me how one of the baby birds fell from the tree and they had the yard guy take it out to the street so that the birds would follow. (Now I know why I heard all the cries from the birds that day... nice to put it out on the street.. that way it's either ran over by a car or the cats get it) Then... the next day or so after that, he said that the other baby fell from the nest. Funny... but when they were nesting in the tree outside our house (before they were cut down by the Ministry) there were never accidents... no babies ever fell from the nest.

The mother and father take excellent care of their young... they're such good and dutiful parents. Very loving, actually. So good at teaching their young to fly... showing them over and over until they have the courage to do it. It's wonderful to watch.

So I figure he's lying. The entire family seem to be in on it.... MIL, SIL... the housemaids. They just couldn't stand for these birds to be near their house. Seeing it as a bad omen, I suppose. Plus, MIL can't stand their cries... so only more reason to do away with them. And once the babies are gone, the birds are gone. And... it's true. The crows are gone now. And you know... it's not like they live around here. They come here to build their nests, have their young and then they go away. Why is that such a bad thing?

I just don't get why *some* can't let anything live in this country. Ppl do everything in their power to kill everything. Any insect is going to die... no matter. Lizards can count their days if they're living at my in-laws... they'll die as soon as someone sees them. Ants... are sprayed and sprayed until they're all dead. Caterpillars are killed... not even given a chance to turn into beautiful butterflies... baby birds are taken from the nest and put in cages... only to die because they're too young and can't survive.... dogs are shot and killed or poisoned, cats are turned out on the street and starved (because all the new trash cans on the streets don't allow for food consumption - but that's another post)....

What is it???????????? Doesn't the Quran teach you to have respect for nature? (I believe it does.) Does it say to kill everything and not think twice about it? What has happened to kindness towards other living creatures??? Why can't ppl have kindness in their hearts towards animals?

This bee hive is just another example.

reading

Finished reading The Secret Life of Bees.... just loved it. And before talking about it, thought I'd post a pic that I took last week of the bee hive outside our house. It's a good size and I see the honey bees all over the yard. They buzz around the flowers and seem to love the morning glory. I love bees. Have since childhood. Big fat bumble bees are my favorite, but since reading this book, I'm now truly intrigued with honey bees and everything that they do. This is a pic of the hive and pics of the flowers in our yard... wish I could get up real close and hear the buzzing sound. (pics were taken w/ my camera phone and aren't the best.)

I think the book is a must read. It's touching, heartwarming, funny, at times, and sad. Full of life lessons. I found myself thinking a lot about my childhood while reading it. A lot about things I've gone through, what my sister must have gone through and my mom. I thought about my older sisters life back then, my niece and nephew, my sister's ex, who passed many years ago, his family and the neighborhood where we used to play as kids.

I grew up in Madison, Indiana. A small, historic town in Southeastern Indiana. I loved Madison as a child, but as I got older and into junior high, I found my life full of drama... for many reasons.... but this one thing, in particular, is the reason behind my thoughts while reading.

My oldest sister married a black man back in the 70s, had two children - a boy and a girl - and I grew up believing there was nothing wrong with being black.... it wasn't until I was in junior high that I realized that not everyone had the same ideas and beliefs as me, and having a black family and friends just wasn't cool with a lot of ppl.

I spent a lot of time with my sister as a child, playing with my niece and nephew (we're not too far apart in age), and a significant amount of time at my ex-BILs mom's house... in the heart of downtown Madison. There was a playground next to her house and we'd spend hours there. If we weren't there, we were playing in the house where she had a piano that we loved to play. She had a good sized yard or so it seemed when I was small and we'd play tag and hide and go seek there... in the dark, of course. :) I loved that time in my life.

I can remember going to church with my niece and her grandmother (sister's ex-MIL)... all the ladies with their big hats... so much of what Lily (Secret Life of Bees) experienced while living with the beekeeping ladies (wont give anything away here). Lily happens to be a young white girl that has an abusive father, and her best friend is a black servant that has helped raise her.

The book journeys through racial tension, hate, abuse and the ideas, of some, that it was taboo to be around blacks and, even worse, love one and would get some black men killed - if they were to have a relationship w/ a white girl. This is when I started thinking about my older sister. I can only imagine the tremendous struggles she went through. Not only did she have a black husband, but she also had two mixed children. And like I said, it wasn't until I got into junior high that I experienced the suffering that comes along with being anything different from what white ppl want you to be... remembering the racial tension I went through, the name calling, abuse on buses, the fights....

All I can say is - color is only skin deep. I wonder how many, if any, of them realize that now?!

The book ended nicely, but I longed for a bit more. Am wanting to see the movie now. My sis told me that it's really good.

Will add that I'm now more than fascinated with everything that honey bees do... as a result of reading this book. If you read it... or have... hope you enjoy(ed) it.

ladies night out

Going out w/ the ladies tonight to dinner theatre that includes dinner, wine and a show. I'm really looking forward to it and altho it's a British play and you know me and Brit humor (I don't get it!!), I've been told that I wont have any probs following along. Keeping my fingers crossed that this is actually the case.

Sounds funny... it's about a taxi driver who's married to two women. He keeps both in separate places so as not to attract any attention from the law and whatnot... but soon enough the police come calling and all hell breaks loose... not sure if the two wives know about each other or not. Sounds cute to me and I need a break... so I'm thrilled. Thrilled that I don't have to do dinner tonight - even though I cooked earlier for the two of them - I'm still looking forward to having dinner served to me, wine (maybe a few glasses), laughter and fun w/ my friends whom I haven't seen in a while... I think since Christmas, actually.

Took Naief out w/ us lastnight for the opening of the Elham Arts Festival and since we haven't done that for more than a yr 1/2, didn't really know what to expect. Well... that's not a good idea, I learned real fast. Past tired isn't the way to go w/ children, which I knew, but... sometimes you just have to venture down that path to get a real eye opening.... next time baby stays home... or we don't go. :)

Going to the big water park on Saturday for a friend's bday party. He's turning 7. Have no idea what to get a 7 yr old.. guess a movie or something. It'll be a first time for visiting this place and I'm really excited. Naief probably wont know what to make of it and I'm tickled w/ the thought of it and hope we all have a fun time.

Happy weekend everyone...

oh yeah... was reading on a friend's facebook page where Egypt has banned porn sites!!!!! Yeah, way to go EGYPT!!!!!! I'm absolutely thrilled. More countries should do this. Child pornography HAS TO STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And if the only way to do it is to ban porn sites.. then I'm all for it.