bee

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 05 February 2016 - 21:18

Thanks very much ladies for your suggestions. The nursery hunt for my DD continues. I think I must have visited about 10 nurseries in the Umm Al Shief/ Umm Suqeim area. The only one I really liked was a place called Little Land Nursery. I don't know much about it except that it is Montessori. Does anyone know anything about it? Have your children been to it? I would love honest reviews! Meanwhile I will keep you updated on which nursery we finally choose. :) Thanks in Advance! Hi sunwater, My son went to Little Land for 2 years. He loved it and my husband and I were really happy with it. We had him in another nursery for a few weeks and he couldn't settle there, so we moved him to Little Land. He was hysterical when we left him in the other nursery in the mornings. On his third morning in Little Land, he walked into the class and didn't even turn to look at me. He loved going in every day. The owner Siog is a nurse and Little Land has been open for approx 20 years, recently moving to a new premises. I haven't seen the new premises but some of my friends who have children there have told me the new premises is fab. I honestly don't have anything negative to say about Little Land. Having tried out a different nursery before Little Land and knowing the difference between leaving your young child upset and leaving him knowing that he was happy made it possible for me to be a working mother. For me, language development was important and one of the factors that helped me to make up my mind to move to Little Land was that the teachers and teaching assistants are all native English speakers. One of my friends has her 4th child there now, another has her 3rd. All of their children have been through Little Land and were/are happy there. There is a short video on which school advisor where Siog and some parents and teachers were interviewed. It's a few years old now but if you google which school advisor little land, you can find it. Please don't think I work at Little Land or have any affiliation to the nursery - my son is in big school now. I'm just a parent who was very happy with Little Land and the teachers there.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 April 2015 - 10:03

You can remove your email address now.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 21 April 2015 - 08:11

My company allows up to 12 months, some paid, some unpaid. I haven't heard of any other companies in the UAE offering this. I'm happy to give you the company name if you want to leave your email address.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 March 2015 - 09:00

OP, I have done some research as I also had a difficult choice to make. For JAPS, what it came down to for me was that I wanted my DS to start FS1 in a school as opposed to nursery for another year. That is absolutely down to the child and what the parents want for the child. There were many things that I found in favour of JAPS but when I had other offers of equally good schools, I decided to go with the certainty of knowing where the other schools will be located. I too find it strange that the deadline to accept a place is a week before the location of the new campus will be announced. I know parents who are extremely happy in JAPS. However, when I took my DS to an assessment at another school, I was speaking with a JAPS parent who has an older child in JAPS and she said that she was putting her younger child into assessments for FS1 in other schools hoping that she could then get a place for her older child in one of those schools through sibling priority as she wanted to take her older daughter out of JAPS. She mentioned that a few other children in her daughter's class had left recently. Other than that one lady, it's been quite positive feedback but the location and FS2 start helped me make my decision. I also personally prefer IB curriculum for my DS (although that's a long way off). For JESS AR, I received some very helpful feedback from some ladies here and I haven't heard anyone who isn't happy with the school. I researched JESS AR and initially found most people would just advise, "If you're lucky enough to be offered JESS AR, you have to take it". I needed to do my own research on the school and as I said, I haven't spoken to anyone who had negative feedback on JESS AR. If you want to PM me, feel free to do so ew underscore bee at yahoo dot ie. Good luck with your decision. If you haven't done a tour of both schools yet, try to do that as it helps to experience the atmospheres in the schools to assess whether it's a right fit for you and your child.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 03 March 2015 - 20:56

Thanks ladies, I really appreciate your replies. Any concerns that I had about my son being an outsider have been allayed. All of your replies have helped immensely with our decision. I guess when faced with any decision all you can do is carry out research, seek advice from people who have experience, list the pros and cons and go with your instincts. A potential con could have been that most families were already somehow socially connected which might make settling in more difficult for my son but I now know that this is not the case and therefore can be removed from the cons list. DT, you made me realise that I don't know where any of the parents at my son's nursery work and I can't see this being a topic of conversation at his new school. Catawba, I know what you mean about heated debates. I was carefully trying to avoid that but as I don't know any parents whose kids are currently in the school where we've been offered a spot, I needed to seek guidance from you. I do realise how lucky we are to be offered a place in a good non profit school. As a friend said to me - first world problems - do you choose a Bentley or a Rolls Royce. Thanks again.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 01 March 2015 - 13:35

Thanks DT. I don't know any parents of children at that school so your feedback is very helpful. My main concern is that most of the students will have parents that work in the same organisation or live in the same area so that my DS could be a bit of an outsider with most kids having a sibling in the school or a connection with parents work. Maybe this isn't the situation at all or even if it is, maybe it wouldn't impact at all. Thanks again.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 28 February 2015 - 21:30

Thanks frenchbird. That's a really good point. Do you know if the boards of non profit schools are usually made up of parents of pupils/past pupils? I will have to decide in the next few days and am doing up a list of pros and cons. I like the idea of non profit and although both schools that I'm considering are equally good schools, the profit school is much closer to where I live so I'm really struggling to decide.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 February 2015 - 14:24

That's really helpful. Thanks so much mireillenakad. I hadn't thought about larger numbers and use of the common areas/facilities. You can tell this is my only child so the whole school thing is new to me. :-)

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 October 2014 - 22:17

Emirates home nursing provide qualified nurses for newborns. I've posted the link below. http://emirateshomenursing.ae/maternity-nurses/ I have used them a couple of times for babysitting and liked the girls that came. My little boy was also born at 35 weeks but we were lucky that he didn't need nicu. I do know what it's like being stressed with an early baby. Best of luck. It does get better.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 29 August 2013 - 20:39

When we moved this year, the paperwork provided that we need to pay a fee on renewal. I can't remember if it's for 1,000 dirhams or 1%. I did notice it on signing and still signed so I can't complain if we get charged on renewal. I'll have to check the documents because I'm not sure if it was in the tenancy agreement or a separate document with the estate agent. You might want to check what you signed when you moved in. If there's nothing in the documents, I wouldn't pay and I'd try to work it out with the landlord.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 29 July 2013 - 21:53

Ah, I see. That's very helpful, thank you very much.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 October 2012 - 22:29

No problem Eli, the PRO at work told me about the Change of Status application as I was concerned that our maid would have to exit too. Verdeque, I wasn't asked for a copy of her contract at Immigration. She had her medical done yesterday so maybe I'll need the contract when I go back with the passport to get the visa. Do you know if I can get a template contract from the embassy or do you know if it needs to be in arabic too? Thanks in advance.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 October 2012 - 21:32

I'm not 100% sure on that. I know that in the typing centre they took it off me and looked at her last visa but I'm not sure if they needed to see the original or not. It would make sense that a copy would suffice but maybe when I had the original, they just took that to look at the details. B

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 25 October 2012 - 20:27

I have done this on Tuesday last. The lady had her visa cancelled by her previous employer and had 30 days grace so her cancellation paper said she must leave the country before 25th. In order to sponsor, I needed my tenancy contract which was registered for Ejari in the Land Department. I went to the Land Department first and got the tenancy contract registered. To do this I needed something from DEWA to say that it was in my name, the title deed to the property and the original lease from the landlord to me. Then I went to the Immigration Office near Trade Centre roundabout with a copy of my passport, copy of my visa, copy of the maid's passport, her original passport, passport photos, visa cancellation document and my salary cert. I went to the typing centre outside of the Immigration Department and had the application form typed. Then I went back into Residency section of Immigration building. It is not necessary for the lady to leave the country and re-enter. You can pay for a change of status (AED 610). Immigration sent me back to typing centre for them to type change of status application. I returned to the Residency Section and they processed the change of status. The document that they gave me said that the visa needs to be completed by end of December so I guess they give me 2 months to get medical done and return to Immigration to get final visa. Hope this helps.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 07 September 2012 - 20:53

Thanks DC and welcome back! I'm the same as you were, feeding DS every time he wakes during the night - we don't quite make it to 10 or 15 but could be 6 or 7 on a bad night. I know it's really only habit though and I don't think he is hungry. He arrived 5 weeks early and was a little over 6lb but quickly went from the 5th percentile to the 75th. He's now over 6 months old. Last night he only woke once which was a huge improvement. I didn't know whether it might be an idea to try the CIO while comforting for all of his night wakes but I really don't think I can do that so I'm hoping it will settle down soon and he has more nights like last night. We went to Cecile for ante natal classes and I really liked her so we're going to see how we get on over the next 2 weeks or so and then give her a call. I'm back to work in October so need to not have to feed 6 times at night then.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 September 2012 - 10:22

Kelly, you may wish to contact the tenants. They may have been told that they owned the apartment or were managing it.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 02 September 2012 - 09:43

Kate, can you email me on . Edited to remove email.. <em>edited by bee on 02/09/2012</em>

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 29 August 2012 - 21:11

Thanks for the offer Shellly, you're very good. I stocked up when I was home so I'm sorted. I found them really good when DS got his first teeth last week. xx

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 28 August 2012 - 12:20

Can I suggest that you take the photograph yourself? We had to get DS's passport photo taken when he was only a few weeks old. We put a white t shirt on the floor for the white back ground requirement and it took about 50 attempts to get a usable photo. It will be very difficult to get it done in the photo shop for a newborn. We brought the photos on a memory stick to the photo shop in the Greens and the guy there was very helpful. He took out a list of passport photo requirements (size etc.) per country and went through all of our photos and helped us pick the best one.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 28 August 2012 - 12:13

Hi Ladies, I just wanted to share - had a great night with DS last night. He slept for almost 7 hours. I couldn't believe it when I woke up at 2.45am instead of every hour or two. This is one of the best continuos periods of sleep that he has had since birth. He had been sleeping anything from 5 to 7 hours in one go before we travelled home to Ireland at the beginning of July. Since then, it's been every couple of hours looking for a feed. So, what did we do different???? Well, one of my friends gave me great advice including putting LO down a little earlier and I think that was great. Then I saw an old thread here where Dubaicat explained how she had been with Cecile when her 7 month old son hadn't been sleeping well. The night before last we went the same route as DubaiCat had. We put DS into his cot. (I had been nursing/feeding him to sleep since we went home in July). He screamed blue murder but we knew that he wasn't hungry, sore, sick, too hot, too cold etc. We did everything that we could to settle him except pick him up or feed him. I sang to him, danced, held his hand, leaned over into the cot and put my face next to his etc. DH and I took shifts of 15 minutes each. After 30 minutes he fell asleep. DS would usually wake up every 30 minutes to an hour for the first 3 or 4 hours after being fed to sleep. The first night we put him in his cot, he went down for 3 hours 45 minutes, the second night (last night), he slept for 6 hours 45 minutes. I don't think we have it sorted by any means, but its a start. Here's hoping that he does the same tonight. It might not work for everyone but it gave us 2 of the best nights sleep that we've had in 2 months. I'm not a fan of CIO method but by being there with our LO, I was happy that he knew we were there and were able to comfort him. sparkly, our day time naps are all over the place so once we have a handle on putting DS down at night, we're going to work on the day time naps so I can't help you out there. redleaf - will send you a mail later today. Would love to meet up.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 26 August 2012 - 15:23

Hi Pingu, I don't envy you with the teething! DS's first two teeth came through over the weekend. He also got his 6 month vaccinations on Thursday so all in all, not a good weekend for the little guy. He's in better form today but is hoarse from crying/screaming. It was awful to listen to his little voice squeaking when we couldn't cry out or call us properly. Oh, and we're still waking every couple of hours at night. I think tonight is the night to get serious putting him down to sleep. It took almost 4 hours to put him down on Thursday night. Gingercat, did you get your nanny sorted? I'm back to work in October so trying to get sorted now too. Bee

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 August 2012 - 22:06

I think Bellini in Dubai Mall might do the American size mattresses and fitted sheets so I imagine they would fit a PB cot too.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 August 2012 - 20:33

Livgian and gingercat, your LO's timings sound very similar to mine at the moment. It used to be that whenever DS woke up at night, he would go straight back to sleep after nursing but the past week, it was more difficult to settle him during the night. Last night he went back to going straight back down after a little feed so hopefully he will do the same tonight (or better still sleep right through LOL). Gingercat, I've also been working on DS's day time naps as we had no real routine there due to a lot of travelling from the time he was 3 months. I'm hoping this will help his night routine too. I guess it will all come together at some point in time. FIngers crossed for a good sleep tonight ladies. Giti, I'm glad that your son has been sleeping a bit better. Feeding every hour is tough!

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 August 2012 - 22:13

Thanks for the reply gingercat, it's good to know I'm not the only one who was lulled into a false sense of security thinking that I had a dream sleeper. (Not that I'm glad you're having sleepless nights or anything :-)). I hadn't really considered teething. My LO has been dribbling and drooling since 3 months old and for the past month has been chewing his hands and fingers. Maybe we're going to have an appearance of a little pearly white soon. My hope for tonight is to have 4 hours sleep in a row. Fingers crossed...

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 August 2012 - 12:08

Oh, and congratulation Eli1979!

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 August 2012 - 12:07

I'm really glad to see this thread re-surface. I hadn't posted on it before but did occasionally read it as I was due at the end of March 2012. DS came early in February and I was working throughout the pregnancy so didn't get much time to post. I'd be really interested in meeting up with some March Mums if you are meeting up again. Also, I'm just wondering if any of you have had trouble with your LO's sleep? DS is almost 6 months now and for the past 6 or 7 weeks has been waking up to nurse every 2 to 3 hours and sometimes every hour. He had been sleeping some nights between 5 and 7 hours before this. He was exclusively BF until we introduced solids about 3 weeks ago. I'm not sure if it's sleep regression or just something that happens all babies. We travelled to Ireland in early July and are back just over a week. The pattern developed in Ireland and has continued since we came back. I understand it could be jet lag but if it is just a habit that he developed as he needed extra cuddles because his routine was all over the place, how can I help him get back to sleeping at least 4 hours at a time? I'm not a fan of the cry it out method and have tried pick up/out down but he just screams till he is literally blue in the face when I put him down. Any advice would be greatly appreciated....even if it's just to know that other mums of 6 month olds are going through something like this.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 16 August 2012 - 14:43

Hi Curly, There are a few nice designer ranges at Galeries Lafayette in Dubai Mall. See by Chloe is nice and I like Nicole Miller for special occasions. They can be pricey so good to get them at a sale when there might be 30% off. Also, there's a shop in Ibn Battuta that seems to have some nice dresses. I think it's called Ginger and Lace. In Dubai Mall there is a nice shop beside Galeries Lafayette called Sinequanone. It can sometimes have some nice bits and pieces and is very reasonable. I've also seen a few nice dresses at the outlet mall - Aizone outlet (or even Aizone in MOE), Priceless (which has Harvey Nics price tags on lots of the clothes) or The Outlet where you can sometimes find designer stuff cheaper. The Outlet Mall is very hit and miss though. Good luck!

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2012 - 10:50

I ordered mine on Amazon as I couldn't find it in Dubai. HTH

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 08 May 2012 - 09:54

Curly, I'll check out how dark the No. 4 foundation is and get back to you. I've been meaning to try BB foundation so if it's my colour, I'll let you know.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 April 2012 - 15:17

I thought Cecile was very good for the ante natal classes and like you went with her as I thought I'd like a relationship with her if we needed her post natal. It's only since we brought the baby home and visitors from home made comments like "oh, are you doing such and such a thing this way!" and I could answer in a very knowing way, "well that's how the mid wife recommended we do it" that I realise how much we learned in the classes. I'm using that phrase a lot this week :-) It also made me more confident in doing things our way because as a first time mother, I would probably been swayed hearing, that's not how we did it.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 April 2012 - 15:09

Dubai Mall have a decent sized one. There's a smaller one in Ibn Battuta.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 April 2012 - 15:04

Thanks so much LMAO-DXB, that's great. ;)

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 19 April 2012 - 10:14

Thanks everyone for your advice. I guess she needs to consider carefully if she is going to come here. Luckily she is just considering it at the moment but I imagine she will do lots more research before making any decisions. It's great to get some preliminary advice and thoughts from the forum. :-) Thanks all...

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 April 2012 - 16:37

I'll have to check this with my friend but I think the certificate might have place of marriage being the church. She has both a GCC and UK passport as her Dad is from a GCC country so maybe her passport might indicate her religion. As far as I'm aware, when registering a birth, the mother must give in her passport. Maybe the solution would be to give her UK passport if necessary? I'll have to check the exact details with her and will post back. Thanks for the reply Anon.

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 18 April 2012 - 16:11

Hi, I've been a EW member for a few years but don't post very often. I was hoping that you ladies could give me some advice for a friend of mine living in the UK. She is a Muslim lady married to a Christian. She is aware that this is not allowed by her religion but hasn't been practicing her religion for a few years. She is considering moving to Dubai and asked me if I could find out if she would face any problems here, in particular, if her and her husband have children in Dubai. She is hoping to start a family next year and was advised that she would face problems registering a child's birth in Dubai as her marriage took place in a church in the UK and her marriage certificate indicates this. Does anyone know if she will face any problems here in particular in relation to having children? She is worried enough to change her plans to relocate to the UAE if it would affect giving birth, obtaining a birth certificate or registering the birth. Thanks, Bee

36

Posts

EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 03 April 2011 - 17:58

Thanks ladies, Hunts in Dubai, that's a great idea. There are actually quite a few empty spaces in the basement parking area but security won't let us know which apartments they belong to so that we can ask the owners direct. Security have already reported me to Emaar for parking in the visitors parking so it would be nice to sort something out. On street parking is just a nightmare.

How expats in Germany can get German pension refund

Bye Bye Germany - Hello German Pension Refund?

UAE Emirati Lawyer Awatif Khouri in Dubai and Abu Dhabi

Meet the Emirati Woman Breaking Grounds in UAE Law: Awatif Khouri

Mashreq NEO NXT Account | Why Kids and Teens Need Financial Education

Why Teens Need Real-World Financial Education?

International university transition tips

How to Make the Transition to University Life Easier

How to apply for Germany VBL Pension Refund as an expatriate | Germany Pension Refund

Bye Bye German Public Service Job - Hello VBL Pension Refund

Tourist SIM cards in Dubai guide

Tourist SIM Cards in Dubai: Where to Get One and Package Prices

World's most expensive cities to live in 2024

These Are the World's Most Expensive Cities To Live in 2024

Dubai ranked as one of the best cities to work in 2024

Dubai Ranked Among Top 5 Cities in the World to Work In

What are the signs that your online date is a fraud

8 Warning Signs Your Online Date is a Scammer

10 Expat Experiences You Should Check Off Before Repatriation

10 Expat Experiences You Should Check Off Before Leaving For Good

Best and Worst Countries to Get Started Abroad for New Expats

Best and Worst Countries for New Expats to Get Started Abroad

Under the Mango Tree by Robyn Fok | Expat Books

Expat Author Robyn Fok's 'Under the Mango Tree' Deals With Pet Grief & Loss

Expat Wife, Happy Life: Interview With Expat Author Florence Reisch

(Images: Supplied)

Expat Interview: Meet Florence Reisch, Author of 'Expat Wife, Happy Life!'

Remembering Queen Elizabeth II: A Tribute by UAE Expats

Remembering an Extraordinary Woman: A Tribute to Queen Elizabeth II

10 reasons why expat women love the UAE

10 Reasons Why the UAE is a Popular Choice for Expat Women

6 Common Fears of Moving Abroad By Yourself and How to Overcome Them

Moving to the UAE Alone: 6 Common Fears and How to Overcome Them

Ultimate Babyshop Baby and Toddler Travel Packing List

These Baby Travel Essentials Are Must-Haves For Your Next Family Getaway

Requirements to apply for a UAE Golden Visa

How Do I Obtain a UAE Golden Visa? Requirements, Eligibility, and Process Explained

5 Tip for Expats to Survive Long-Distance Relationships

5 Tip for Expats to Survive Long-Distance Relationships

Opening a bank account in the UAE

A Newcomer to the UAE? What to Consider When Choosing a Bank for Opening an Account

Culture shock in the United Arab Emirates for expats

14 Ways You Will Experience Culture Shock in the UAE

5 Reasons Why You Shouldn't Upload a Resume to Your LinkedIn Profile

10 Secrets to Happiness as an Expat

10 Secrets to Finding Happiness as an Expat

4 Ways to Network as an Expat

4 Ways to Network as an Expat

8 Expat Problems That Are Just Too Real

8 Expat Problems That Are Just Too Real

How to Make New Friends in a Foreign Country

How to Make New Friends in a Foreign Country

Top 10 Countries with the Best Quality of Life

Top 10 Countries with the Best Quality of Life

The best European cities for new expats

Pictured: Prague

The Best Cities in Europe for Expat Arrivals

House in Husavik

10 Amazing Things To Do In Iceland

How to Make Your Own Life as an Expat and Why It’s Important

How to Make Your Own Life as an Expat and Why It’s Important

The Labriz eforea spa location

Why Seychelles is One of the Best Holiday Destinations

The Real Expat: Chasing Your Dreams to Find Your True Purpose

The Real Expat: Chasing Your Dreams to Find Your True Purpose

6 Annoying Things Expats Hate Hearing

6 Annoying Things Expats Hate Hearing