kpea | ExpatWoman.com
 

kpea

kpea
90
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Latest post on 05 October 2015 - 11:51
For JI it really depends which cluster, and even which villa, I think. We were there 4 years and only twice had water cut off (once with plenty of warning from DEWA) and another time because of our own pump failing. But other people in other clusters seemed to have water problems every day. Overall EMAAR (who run Meadows) do a much better job than Nakheel. I agree about having kids in JI - even though there is so much nice open space I never felt comfortable having my kids play outside much because of the way a lot of people drive. Meadows is nice but much more built-up than JI. I think Meadows 5 good because you're closer to facilities like Town Centre (shopping centre). Not sure about 6-8...
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 April 2015 - 12:32
Thank you Nomad. Really appreciate the response. The cat used to be 'feral'/a stray - would never come close to people but would wander around the neighbourhood and come visiting the garden for a few days at a time angling for snacks before moving on somewhere else. He wasn't a dumped pet and seemed pretty self-sufficient. At some point someone has domesticated him as he disappeared for a long time and when he came back / visited again was desperate for attention/strokes etc. I guess those people have since moved on because he now considers himself 'our' cat. He has let himself inside the house but was very skittish, and very stressed when he knew the exit was blocked. I know he'd be very easy to domesticate with a bit of time and get comfortable as an inside/outside cat, but my three cats really dislike him and have made it very clear they'll sort of tolerate him outside, but there's no way they allow him inside the house. I wouldn't be worried about him except he clearly now relies on people and seems to be going blind (at least in one eye). We are moving in the summer and I don't particularly want to rely on others/neighbours keeping an eye out for him and feeding him although he might do just fine. If I could get my other cats to accept him I would try and do that, but I just need help with the how of doing it. I could try bringing him inside a bathroom & going from there, but I kind of see that as a 'no way back' route, and as my other 3 cats already know him and dislike him I'm not sure they would ever accept him (?).... Anyway, thanks again for your advice.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 November 2014 - 21:53
Always delivered to my home address by courier when I've ordered.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 11 November 2014 - 12:33
Nad Al Sheba Vet Hospital definitely been the best we've experienced so far in Dubai. We've dealt with Dr Doreen and Dr Violaine. Very thorough etc and really take the time to explain things, discuss etc. Also have on-site lab facility which came in handy when was an emergency as results were available immediately. We used two of the vet practices you mention & in both cases moved over to nad al sheba.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 15 September 2014 - 11:48
No, we certainly don't buy all her toiletries. She gets to take whichever soap and toothpaste is in the store cupboard. We didn't discuss it when we hired her and she never asked. I've told her she can take whatever shampoo happens to be there as well but for whatever reason she doesn't. As for anything else, or any specific brands, she gets her own.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 September 2014 - 18:33
Brilliant - thank you Daza and Ummmuhammad123 for your responses. They've helped to give me some perspective, and I'm glad that my thinking doesn't seem too out of whack...Thanks again.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 01 September 2014 - 11:33
We have a live-in maid who seems really good at filling a whole morning cleaning just one room if that is what's 'scheduled'. She's good but really slow although she can definitely hustle if she really needs to. My two children have just started school so we're all up earlier than before. I'm trying to rearrange the schedule so that we get some help getting the kids out of the door on time in the morning, she has enough time to keep the house clean (4 bdrm), do the ironing, and ideally I'd like her to start helping in the kitchen a bit (not cooking meals etc but maybe some prep/kid's snacks etc). I don't actually care about how many hours she works every day as long as it's fair & the work gets done, but she seems to expand work to fit the day in some strange time/speed warp black hole magic so I've lost perspective on what's reasonable. I know the answer of what's a standard working day for a live-in varies from family to family, but would love to get more of a sense of what other live-in maids are working with a similar role. Would appreciate your experiences....Thanks.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 17 August 2014 - 10:51
Drives me mad & no idea why I get them either! One explanation I read was tiny splatters of hot oil from cooking causing the holes to develop...
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 July 2014 - 08:58
Thank you everybody. Will take a look.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 May 2014 - 20:32
Crate & Barrel mall of emirates had some.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 March 2014 - 13:56
I have some grains if you still need some.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 February 2014 - 19:14
RSD. Can't remember what acronym is for - probably something like Room Service Delivery.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 February 2014 - 18:10
Great. Will get in touch with them. Many thanks!
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 February 2014 - 13:57
Hello - could anybody recommend a person in Dubai who could give advice on taxation issues in Australia? Many thanks.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 28 January 2014 - 09:31
Hi Singarosa - I would also really appreciate getting them too. My email is katercu at yahoo dot com. Many thanks.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 December 2013 - 12:39
Sorry to hijack, but anyone seen just plain passion fruit (tinned fine) anywhere? I've seen every other kind of fruit but can't seem to find passion fruit. TIA
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 November 2013 - 14:01
Had a terrible experience with them. Complete waste of time and money for us.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 October 2013 - 10:17
Yep, all your ideas are what we ended up - buggy board, walking etc. The only thing I've been tempted by recently for when we're out a long time/lots of walking is a side by side lightweight umbrella. Side by side because then once they're older they don't argue about who sits front/back etc and, and umbrella because it's so much easier to 'handle' than another type of stroller.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 27 October 2013 - 09:47
I got a second hand Sport for my then 2-3 mth old and toddler. The toddler in the front was fine, but personally my baby in the back wasn't great. The recline/lie flat position was awkward to get her in and out of and when she was old enough to be upright in the seat, because she is quite tall, her head would hit the back metal bar. It was an older Sport version so maybe they've improved. In general I also found it extremely heavy and difficult loading and unloading from the car as you have to take seats off etc. I also found I got flat tyres and problems with wheels (even with the stuff they put inside at the bike shop). Sorry - don't want to put you off but that was my experience! If you already like P&T and your baby isn't long then it would be fine. I wasn't fussed as I bought it second hand but I have since seen a few alternatives that I would have much preferred if I'd been spending the money to buy new.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 24 October 2013 - 14:57
Party World in al barsha (behind Lulu, just next to Pan furniture) have them. 1 table & 8 chairs for Dhm 100, with 200 deposit. As long as the kids are small it's ok but a bit squeezed. Maybe they rent extra table or you can compromise like i did and just add a little side-table at the end. Good luck.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 12 October 2013 - 15:52
I'm looking for a young child's bike - something decent quality that won't fall apart and is safe, but not exorbitantly expensive....can anybody suggest a good place to buy? I don't really have the time to go everywhere, but was thinking of The Toy Store, Go Sport, Wolfie's? TIA.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 September 2013 - 19:07
Great - thanks so much for the feedback, very useful. Guess worst comes to the worst it's all over in a couple of hours!
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 September 2013 - 09:56
lcoolie - sorry, can I ask whether you had/have any negative side effects like halos, reduced night vision etc? Am thinking of having it done but not sure how common it is to have minor 'inconvenience' side effects.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 25 May 2013 - 19:02
Yes, it's supposed to be safer and I think it must be. I used one for my son - I think it definitely helped keeping him in his seat for take-off / landings etc. It would probably help a bit with sleeping, although not quite the same effect as carseat because they're not really 'cocooned' the same way in a plane seat as they are in a carseat. The other thing is that there is no crotch strap so they do/can slip down.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 22 May 2013 - 13:37
We live in JI and I think most/all the houses have pretty much the same size of maid's room. Of all the houses we looked at it was actually the biggest maid's room! It is small though but perfectly workable. As someone else said, some people have the bunk bed so you get space under the bed. Ours doesn't but she has a fridge, microwave and kettle. Our current maid seems to prefer to cook a couple of times a week in the kitchen and then reheat in her room. She is supposed to cook in the kitchen but also has some independence with fridge etc. I definitely wouldn't offer the downstairs bedroom. Don't know what the layout of your house is, but in ours it's definitely more 'in' the house. It sounds like you're lucky to be walking distance to shops. A lot of maids organize a regular ride system to get to ibn battuta which has the big bus stop/metro and /or club together for a taxi on days off.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 21 May 2013 - 12:12
A few sips of orange juice worked really well for my DD and seemed to be pretty 'fast acting'.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 March 2013 - 21:45
We're looking for somebody. If you could email on katercu at yahoo dot com that would be great. Thank you.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 30 January 2013 - 14:26
My son was the same for 3 months or so. Although we just let him climb Into bed with us and he'd go straight to sleep. We made a big deal of buying him a 'big boy' bedside table and a Gro Clock and that helped a lot. Now it's very rare that he gets out of bed. I think the Gro Clock worked partly because the novelty of getting out of bed was wearing off.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 20 January 2013 - 14:07
M1dono - your situation sounds very similar to mine, although we didn't do a real attempt at sleep training/controlled crying for that long. My DD is same age and started about same time as yours needing me next to her to sleep or she would scream. Everyone told me I needed to bite the bullet and let her cry as she was too old to change. Anyway a few nights ago she decided to 'let me' put her in her cot, turn off light, and stand outside her door until she was relaxed and nodding off. I'm hoping 2 or 3 more nights and I'll be able to walk away without her checking I'm still there. Her night sleep has also improved, waking me up once instead of 3 or so, as has her early morning waking. I'm just writing this because I had all but given up, was exhausted, and ready to have her CIO but something clicked and she felt safe enough to go to sleep on her own (more or less). I think that she had a phase that has passed, so don't get disheartened!! I don't know if there was a trigger. I had been telling her what a big girl she was etc etc and could fall asleep by herself but can't think of anything else.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 10 January 2013 - 20:07
I can't remember if she got any stamp from the omanis (I don't think so), but she definitely needs to board the flight out of dubai and come back in. It's all very organized - I.e there will be many other maids doing the same thing and both at the UAE end and Omani end they'll be well organized. When our maid went they wouldn't even let them go to the toilet in Oman because of the tight turn-around...
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 January 2013 - 20:20
Hope it's the same as what you were looking for. Base is separate though. http://www.mumzworld.com/en/maxi-cosi-pearl-total-black
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 January 2013 - 16:22
Thanks a lot Daza. Definitely had not considered that as an option but might be a great idea. Would also help when traveling and sharing hotel rooms etc as they'd already be used to it... I guess I am/was concerned that her night waking for her comfort feed might wake him, but then if she's crying loud enough he wakes up anyway as his room is right next to hers. Thanks again.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 08 January 2013 - 16:13
Looking online for carseats and saw that Mumzworld have the Pearl for 1,150.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 14:28
When I was looking Just Kiding had them.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 January 2013 - 14:10
I bought one second hand for my 2 1/2 yr old son who would be really really difficult to keep in his seat during take-off and landing. I would say for me/him it did help, partly I think because it reminded him of being strapped in the car seat. One draw back is that there's no crotch strap so they can slip down if they're really working at getting out. But overall it definitely helped initially. After a couple of uses he didn't seem to need it as he was ok getting belted in and sitting quietly. Whether it's worth the money I guess depends on how wriggly your DD is! In my case definitely worth it.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 October 2012 - 13:18
I got my period about that time after both babies (maybe a little later with first). And I believed that it would be months before I did if I was breastfeeding! It did nothing at all to supply, that I could tell anyway. I had read that babies can go off the milk at that time because the taste changes a bit apparently. But I didn't find that at all in my case.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 October 2012 - 09:06
Geant at Ibn Battuta had lot too
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 18 October 2012 - 09:05
Hendy - sorry, can't help with rehoming unfortunately, but please consider a bit more time. Seems you now have some good leads from people here and I know that rehoming, or even finding temporary shelter until a permanent home can be found, takes a lot of chasing and calling and nice 'pestering'. If you do have a bit more time, hilsbils mentioned the 'cat guy' on TV - Jackson Galaxy. He was mentioned on a previous thread (I think you may have been the OP maybe). He's well worth watching in terms of alterations to living environment that will make a cat feel more secure and happier (and therefore less prone to bite/scratch), particularly if there's a toddler in the house and he's had a traumatic start in life. Chronic stress in cats due to them not feeling 'secure' (in cat terms) often manifests itself in this type of aggression/behaviour. We also have a rescue cat that scratches/bites for no 'reason' although he has calmed down a huge amount since changes to his living environment. We have two toddlers, both of whom have had scratches near eyes. Both of them now know that if they go too close to the cat without me there or deliberately provoke him then they will get scratched. So they leave each other alone. You may have already tried - but maybe claw caps would help alleviate worry over a bad scratch/eye injury? Just google claw caps or look at www.softpaws.com (just one example). Hope it works out
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 03 October 2012 - 13:47
Pharmacy on the left as you go into the ibn battuta mall geant entrance sells weleda stuff (both baby and some adult). Might be called al manara pharmacy.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 26 September 2012 - 19:02
Our cat was the same (also adopted off street at very young age). Out of nowhere sometimes he would suddenly attack myself or dh really viciously. He would do that sometimes when the stroking got too much for him, but also for no apparent reason whatsoever. He has never done that to our kids fortunately....but has gone for the odd swipe. I watched a 'cat whisperer' show (can't remember the name of the guy), and basically he said that cats are either 'tree dwellers' - ie they like to be perched up high watching what's going on, or they're 'ground dwellers' - ie they'll find a little hole for themselves in which to feel safe/watch the world. In many cases like this when the cat is acting aggressively (assuming there's no medical/pain issue) it is because they do not feel safe in their environment, and they don't feel like they have a place that's theirs. So for a tree dweller s/he has no place up high s/he can retreat to etc. People need to look at their home and make changes to accommodate that. Strangely enough after moving into a villa our cat hasn't attacked once. He has his spot half way up the stairs from which he can look down on the living area, and that's where he retreats to if a stranger comes to the house so it's definitely his 'safe spot' - and I guess he's a tree dweller...In our previous apartment he didn't have the equivalent but we just didn't realize it. I think there's a lot in the theory as our cat has changed so much.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 23 September 2012 - 20:01
Lucie - just want to say thank you for stopping and taking the time to help that lost cat. I seem to see so many people being completely uncaring about animals around them or even just downright cruel, so it's nice to know that there are people who care and do something about it. Just hope if my cat ever gets lost he'll come across someone like you!
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 September 2012 - 14:02
Got it. Thanks.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 September 2012 - 13:58
Great! Yes, I'll check for yr email address & will be in touch.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 09 September 2012 - 13:51
My DD is also 16 months and would love to get her to interact with other kids her age a bit more as her older brother is now back at nursery. So would definitely be interested in playdates. Guess it just depends what area of town....We're the Meadows/Marina end of town.
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 02 August 2012 - 12:36
I have a light blue moby wrap I no longer use (bought about a year and half ago). Think I have the bag and instruction booklet somewhere. It had very light usage. if you're interested mail me at katercu at yahoo dot com
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 19 June 2012 - 22:08
According to DEWA it was due to a main line break. Apparently this has been fixed now and water should be back on in 1-2 hours...
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 13 June 2012 - 13:31
Might be worth putting a notice on the JI residents Facebook page. We're in cluster 46 so will keep a lookout...
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 06 June 2012 - 13:44
Yes, those shops are at IB mall & H&M has a kid's section. Sorry, haven't tried peekaboo. <em>edited by kpea on 06/06/2012</em>
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 05 June 2012 - 09:04
Our maid cooks her own meals from whatever is in the fridge 2-3 times a week and heats that up with rice throughout the week. There is no way I would be cooking for her! I just buy general groceries for the household and she uses what is available. She only uses veggies, frozen fish, some meat and staples so I haven't done a separate budget as such. She takes soap, toothpaste, shampoo, and toilet paper from the household stock (so again the cost in her case is pretty negligible in terms of household budget). Anything else in terms of toiletries, phone etc she gets herself. You will find a big range of what people offer their maid. Some give them a salary and modest food allowance as 'contribution' (eg dhm50/week) and the maid then has to buy all her supplies. Others cover absolutely everything, buying them their preferred type of chocolates and particular moisturizers etc. Again, as long as you state clearly during hiring then expectations should be in line. You can always increase once they're on board but much harder to decrease...
kpea
90
Posts
EW NEWBIE
Latest post on 04 June 2012 - 16:38
JPS1 - That sounds pretty much like what our maid does. She also does all the cleaning (4 BRs/villa) not just the bathrooms/kitchen, ironing, helping with bath time for kids. Apart from the cleaning and ironing the biggest help I've found is with the cleaning up after kids' meals. There is no way she is 'overworked'/runs out of time. She takes things pretty 'sedately'. However I take care of the kids unless I need a hand to run an errand etc. She has at least 1 1/2 to 2 hours of rest/break at lunchtime while kids are sleeping. She starts at about 7 am and finishes at about 6.30 or so. Occasionally we ask her to babysit in the evenings once the kids are in bed, but never anything late (sadly!), and sometimes for Saturday lunchtimes. Once you get into a routine I've found a useful thing to do is allocate what days you want her to do what, and that might include one day a week (or whatever) when she has more of a role with the kids to free up more time for you. At the end of the day you're hiring someone to make life easier for you, so just be clear what you want her to do - everyone's household & preference being different...Also I've found that when people are bored (not enough to do) then they get fed up/homesick etc, so it's better for whoever you hire to be busy (within reason of course...) than for you to be worried about too much for a 40 hr week. Good luck.
 
 
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