mum2girls | ExpatWoman.com
 

mum2girls

mum2girls
1097
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 01 March 2014 - 15:09
Not outdoors, but the world's best Creme Brûlée can be found at La Petite Maison, it is out of this world !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 01 March 2014 - 15:03
Why is my helper spending 3 months salary on electronic equipment to send home ? I just don't get it, she lives apart from her kids for 11 months a year since they were born, and then spends all her hard earned money on luxuries, instead of saving it so she can go home sooner with a little nest egg. An iPhone for her 9 year old daughter is just turning my stomach. Her kids don't even get a private education from her earnings, which is what our previous helper spent her money on. it's none of my business, but I am so tempted to tell her what I think !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 25 February 2014 - 18:29
Honestly, I would say you won't have much luck getting a refund. Emirates are good in the air with a great network, but their customer service is atrocious. I had a ticket which was issued with an error and I have never been more frustrated in my life dealing with their customer service agents to try to have it cancelled. Supervisors and managers have no leeway to make any decisions. Eventually, through a business contact who had some leverage with Emirates, they refunded me the price of the ticket, but they still deducted a handling charge.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 25 February 2014 - 09:42
OMG, that is the most inappropriate advertisement I have even seen in my whole life ! It is disgraceful. Unilever is a huge global company, there is no way that Domestos advertising campaign was approved at a global level. Some junior idiot put that together, maybe someone who was about to lose their job !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 24 February 2014 - 10:30
Exactly !
mum2girls
1097
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 24 February 2014 - 10:23
Thanks ladies, thanks Sarahlou. I just checked the UB40 website and Ali Campbell and the other two founding members are playing at the Aviation Club in April and not at the Emirates golf club. phew ! I would have been SO disappointed if I had gone, only to find out Ali Campbell was not the lead singer. <em>edited by mum2girls on 24/02/2014</em>
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 24 February 2014 - 10:02
Awful accident, I also got stuck in it too, wish I had listened to the news before I left home !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 February 2014 - 11:03
Was not a Rolling Stones fan, but am now ! I went, somewhat reluctantly with a group of friends, because I had a free ticket. They were amazing, what a performance. Mick Jagger was incredible, such energy and not one note missed. Gosh he is tiny, it's really hard to believe they are all in their 70's, Off to download a few Rolling Stones tracks.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 19 February 2014 - 13:44
Thank you all. W777, yes I am worried about kids getting bored in the car. Jessp, do you remember how long it took from Bentota to the airport? Will we need vaccines and malaria tablets ?
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 19 February 2014 - 13:00
I suggested the one NOT to go to, but it must have been deleted. Draw your own conclusions about that one!
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 February 2014 - 17:38
I agree with the others, if you haven't done the visa, just call it quits now. If you do want to keep her, then you should tell her that you are not going to entertain any dealings with her Aunt about anything and she needs to make her aunt aware of that. I think your best option is to cut your losses now, I think she will prove troublesome over time.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 February 2014 - 17:29
Thank you W777. I have a 10yo and 5 yo. We decided against staying in Colombo, as our trip is pretty short, and we want to make the most of seeing the country.. <em>edited by mum2girls on 17/02/2014</em>
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 February 2014 - 17:26
Thank you Gentle, I didn't realise they were so close together, it makes sense to base ourselves in one of those spots rather than move. We are thinking of travelling in April, is the weather good at that time of the year ? Any hotels you would recommend in those areas, we are planning on staying in the Heritance Kandalama in Dambulla, which I believe is really nice.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 February 2014 - 15:27
Hi ladies, Would like an idea for an itinerary for a family holiday in Sri Lanka. I have heard the roads there are terrible and very slow going, so do u think this itinerary is doable? 2 nights in Dambulla, 2 nights Kandy, 1 night in Nuwyeria Elia, 2 nights in Wadduwa. I have read that 1 night is enough in Kandy, what do you think ?
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 16 February 2014 - 15:03
There was a similar thread a few months ago. It happened to our helper, she delivered a very ill baby and the cost almost ruined us. Good luck with your decision.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 12 February 2014 - 21:55
I don't mean to second guess you or the nursery without knowing the details, but does a 3yo at nursery really need a shadow teacher ? seems a bit extreme to me, even with a speech delay.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 06 February 2014 - 15:28
Poor you, what a scare. Glad your baby is fine, hope you recover quickly.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 06 February 2014 - 15:07
Only here on EW would you find people thinking that it is OK to stop elevators on a flagship world renowned property....................that this is a good thing :-P Well said. IOTS, your logic is bizarre to say the least.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 06 February 2014 - 12:04
Her posts are now deleted ! I hope she is ok.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 05 February 2014 - 07:23
We are very happy with the Special ED at Dubai American Academy.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 04 February 2014 - 19:18
Sending positive thoughts your way for everything to be okay. I can only imagine how worried you must be ((hugs)),it's every parents nightmare. Please let us know how everything goes.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 04 February 2014 - 14:27
thanks for the info. ! and another possible day of school .. .......... At a press conference held at the Dubai Police traffic department, Major General Al Zafein said other roads in Dubai are expected to be congested during the event. “We are calling on the Ministry of Education and the Knowledge and Human Development Authority [KHDA'> in Dubai to announce Thursday as day off for schools to avoid having the students stuck in traffic,” he said.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 03 February 2014 - 19:04
We went to Dr. Ruba Tabari also, lovely lady and would recommend her, although I do not have any benchmark to compare. She charges AED500 for the first visit and then AED5000 for the assessment.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 03 February 2014 - 15:29
I had a lovely experience once at a parking spot. I was waiting patiently for a parking spot when someone pulled in around me and took the spot. Just as I was about to pull away, a policeman walked in front of me, indicated to me to stay where I was and told the other guy to pull out and relinquish the parking to me. I was so impressed. I was pulled for an illegal U-turn once and the policeman was so polite saying 'I'm sorry but I have to fine you'. My friend was pulled by 2 scruffy guys who turned out to be plain clothes policemen, again very polite and courteous to him.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 02 February 2014 - 19:49
I also had a bad experience there, Dr. totally misdiagnosed my daughter. Apparently the Al Zahra hospital beside it is a better option for an emergency.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 31 January 2014 - 11:21
That is unrealistic of her to think you should pay her the price of a flight ticket 12 months in advance. No you are not being unfair if you insists she has to wait until the end of her contract. Of course, if she has an emergency, changes her mind or decides to not renew her visa, then yes you will have to pay for a second ticket.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 30 January 2014 - 18:34
The Developing Child Centre NEVER answer their phone. I have left numerous messages and emailed but have never gotten a response. Was planning on calling KidsFirst too, but guess I will meet the same frustrations there. Ugh
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 28 January 2014 - 14:32
CChicco77, what was her final answer ?
mum2girls
1097
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EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 28 January 2014 - 14:28
Arabian Adventures camp - 1 night AED550. Grade 5
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 27 January 2014 - 07:52
The guy made a stupid ill considered joke. It was clearly tongue in cheek. The fall out from it is just unbelievable, where is the common sense these days. How can this garner so much outrage when people are dying from hunger, disease, terrorism, genocide and oppression in all corners of the world today. It's ridiculous.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 27 January 2014 - 07:22
City and American seem to be the two go-to hospitals for expats, generally.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 January 2014 - 15:47
No, I would not hire her.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 January 2014 - 13:48
oh great, thanks Starsouthern, I will go ahead and order.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 23 January 2014 - 11:40
It really depends on the age of your child. When they are little they LOVE having you show up in their classroom. At our school we help out with reading, there is a weekly schedule and they hope that each parent will read to the class at least once during the school year. Helping out with parties and showing up for sports days etc. As the kids get older, they are less motivated to have their parent show up at class, for parties they prefer now for the parents to just drop the food and goodies rather than hang around.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 January 2014 - 14:57
That is a really interesting interview, thanks for posting. Some hard hitting questions he was faced with. It's the first time I have heard him speak in English.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 January 2014 - 11:32
I agree with Gentle's approach too. Sometimes these girls get their heads turned by other people, they listen to others and regurgitate what they say to them, without having the intellect to form their own opinions, make their own decisions or consider the implications. I think once she hears in black and white the potential repercussions of her refusing to go with yout, she will in all likelihood made the right decision and hopefully you can put it behind you. The worst case scenario is that she will maintain her stance and refuse to go or will go but be resentful about it. Good Luck, let us know how it goes.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 January 2014 - 09:45
You are delivering your second baby in the summer and she is refusing to go with you !!!! ..... that is a whole different ballgame. I would absolutely tell her she is coming to Europe or her contract is terminated and she is going home. As others have said, if she is refusing to help you at such a delicate time , then she absolutely has no loyalty to you and your family whatsoever. Plus she has no appreciation or gratitude for all you do for her as a great employer. If it was me, I would absolutely dig my heels in and not allow her call the shots on this one. <em>edited by mum2girls on 22/01/2014</em>
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 January 2014 - 08:08
I agree with the others that it is definitely setting a precedent if you give her a phone now. You could wait until a Birthday etc. We learned the hard way that money is king, anything electronic we gave to our helper was 'broken', 'stolen' 'Lost', 'didn't work' etc. AKA ' SOLD'. Even the weekly DU cards I was giving her turned out that she was selling them to her friends at a discount.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 22 January 2014 - 08:02
I agree with the others, she needs to realise travelling with her employers during the summer is part of her job. At the end of the day though, you can't force her to travel with you, so you have to decide how important that is to you. It may be the case that she sees the summer break as an opportunity to work as a freelance and make extra money. I don't think you cannot pay your maid though for the 2 months you are away. The only alternative is to send her on her 1 months vacation during your 2 month summer vacation, that might already make her think twice about not joining you if it means her holiday timings are determined for her. As DM has said if you hire someone now it will be difficult to get a visa to Europe, as an alternative you could find yourself a university student for the summer months, we have done that a few times and it has always worked out great. We had a lovely girl who was in teacher training and she came with us 4 years in a row. Try greatau-pair.com if you decide to go that route. Keep us posted on how it goes !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 January 2014 - 19:22
How tragic ! Hopefully the Royal family will hear about this and help out, they are so generous and altruistic that I am sure they would help this family without hesitation. There was a very heartwarming story of how Sheik Mohammed help a Scandanivaian family repatriate a person who had died here.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 January 2014 - 19:12
Have to agree with Hotrice and Elmpark, my kids nagged me to go on the bus until finally I relented and they love it ! The teacher assistant takes the kids to the bus, they are scanned onto the bus, seatbelt wearing in enforced, and the kids are scanned on and off the bus and they expect a designated person is there to meet them when they are dropped off at their home. The kids are very aware that school rules are applicable until they get off the bus at home. I think the quality of the school transportation is in part related to the schools involvement in how the school transportation operates.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 17 January 2014 - 18:57
Glad to know it's not just me ! I have been getting that message too for the last few days, and I have already registered like the rest of you. I bet it's a glitch in their system and no one had realised. It's SO annoying !!!!
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 16 January 2014 - 15:02
My kids come home on the school bus since September, but they are 6 and 10. I give my 10year old our spare mobile phone on the days they do come home on the bus. I felt anxious and nervous too and mine are older than your DD. <em>edited by mum2girls on 16/01/2014</em>
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 16 January 2014 - 14:59
Probably because people began to question if the incident happened on a school outing. It is scary though !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 15 January 2014 - 18:10
I had a scary traumatic Vag delivery for my first child, but I didn't do it naturally as I had an epidural. It took me quite a while to recover physically. I had a planned c-section with my second child, the anaesthetic made me nauseous and I really didn't like the whole sensation of the cutting and tugging, nor the surgical theatre aspect, but I recovered much quicker. I bonded equally with both kids, despite my 2nd one being very ill, and I didn't feel disconnected or cheated. If I was doing it again, I would probably chose a c-section over a vaginal birth, my recovery was much easier.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 14 January 2014 - 22:11
Agree with Zuma OKKU La Petite Maison, La Serre in Vida hotel. Roberto's have a nice terrace with a view of Burj Khalifa Hakkasan, they also have a stunning terrace (no view though) Beach Bar and Grill in the One & Only, it's by the Beach Gaucho's for great steak Atmosphere in the Burj Khalifa for the wow factor Pier Chic for the location
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 January 2014 - 22:39
Ross Gilmour used to work at Smartfitness and the Smartfitness trainers are all top notch trainers. You would not go wrong training with him.
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 January 2014 - 18:43
I had an open MRI done recently at Open MRI Clinic on Beach Road. http://openmridubai.com/about/about.php
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 13 January 2014 - 07:51
What a crazy woman ! can you just imagine the quality of life in their home, someone like that will find a fight with everyone and anyone on a daily basis. Can you imagine stewing through a whole movie about the people beside you who moved seats, she has some serious issues that woman ! nothing you could have said or done in the situation would have made any difference, so don't even think about that side of it. And there is absolutely no reason for you to feel humiliated or stupid, you just had the misfortune to come across a very insecure woman, a disgusting smelly bully ! Pulling the racist card is so lame, it's the new weapon now, frequently used by people who are utterly insecure about themselves. I think your response to the husband was spot on, hopefully he told her that you think she needs a bath, that should keep her on the boil for a while yet !
mum2girls
1097
Posts
EW OLDHAND
Latest post on 07 January 2014 - 08:46
Absolutely.
 
 
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