SunDevil | ExpatWoman.com
 

SunDevil

SunDevil
774
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EW GURU
Latest post on 01 August 2011 - 21:15
I'm in the states for the summer and my boys are loving playing with all the Imaginext stuff their friends have. Do they sell it in Dubai? Maybe Toys R Us? I'm thinking I'll have to load up on this stuff and bring it back if they don't have it there. I don't know why this is the first time I'm finding out about these toys.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 July 2011 - 10:15
I've definitely seen CLR at Ace. Also, I like to clean my showers with Comet and they sell it at Safestway.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 07:17
Do you have to get these in advance or is it something that can be filled out and signed in the immigration office? We have to sponsor a maid out of AD where our residency visas are at and I don't want to keep going down there for multiple trips if I can help it.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 06:47
Silly question, do you pay all the fees in cash when you register your maid's visa? Does anyone know the current cost? We have to register our maid out of AD where our residency visas are at.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 15 July 2011 - 06:46
DinAces21 just wondering if you ever got this sorted out. We are about to take on the same situation. Live in Dubai, visas in AD, maid's current sponsor is planning on canceling the visa and then we start the process to sponsor.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 July 2011 - 21:00
You really need to prepare for the container to take a lot longer. As Rubberduck stated, the container doesn't come straight to your house. Customs will go through it first and since it's happening during Ramadan it could take A LOT longer. Things slow to a snail's pace at Ramadan so plan on at least a week, minimum, until your container arrives at your house. Welcome to AR's!!
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 July 2011 - 06:12
Gotcha!! There are 13 states that do the tax free weekend and fortunately for me, all three states that I'll be in for July and August are included in that group. Yay! There are also places like TJ Maxx that offer great deals on designer labels, you just have to dig through the racks. I'm a Dillards and Macys girl myself. And sometimes at the outlet malls, the designer, like Gymboree, has a separate line of clothing designed for the outlet mall. Some people complain they aren't as good of quality like what you would find in their regular stores, but I haven't had any problems and you can get some really good prices.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 July 2011 - 19:30
Also, the ipad is hard to read in bright light or glare. I like to sit outside and read while my children play in the yard and the ipad is very difficult to read outside vs a Kindle or Nook.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 July 2011 - 16:04
We were there last month and they didn't check our stamp either.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 July 2011 - 09:17
So I guess I should be lucky our bill was only 4600 dhs!
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 11 July 2011 - 09:16
Keep in mind that many states in the US participate in tax free back to school weekends. They usually run the end of July to beginning of August and you'll get shoes and clothes tax free. Also, some states include computers in those tax free weekends. The stores always run big sales during that time.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 17:04
Smarty I have to say, the shops you are talking about are some of the most expensive shops in the US and are not indicative of the true pricing for shoes like Nikes in the states.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 14:16
What size are they? We are in AR and have two in our bedroom that are about a foot and half square. They are on the east wall so they have to be covered b/c of the sun and are up high so they aren't even good for a view. My sister just gave me the idea last week to paint a piece of thin wood or thick paper and insert them into the window. She did it at her house in the states and did 3 windows in a row and did zebra strips in tan and black and it looks awesome in her bedroom. I'm going home to the states next week so I'm going to pick up some scrap booking paper in a pretty design that will compliment my bed spread and attach the paper to some card stock and then insert them into the windows. I figure they are cheap and I can change them out when I get bored with the color or change them for the season.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 July 2011 - 13:10
Bounty is the only brand we use here. They sell them at Safestway and Lulus at MOE. I like them b/c they have the "select-a-size" where you can tear off a whole sheet or half sheet for light jobs.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 July 2011 - 22:35
Mom*3 you can reach me at . Let me know when you get the email so I can delete it. And you couldn't pay me double to teach high school. No way, no how!! LOL I plan out lessons with my almost 5 year old and we do them in the mornings, 4 days a week, for 2 hours a day. I do language arts in the first hour and math in the second hour. In the fall, I'll add science to the mix as well. We have a table in our classroom and when I'm working with my 4.5 year old in writing, my soon to be 3 year old is at the table working on "writing" too. I give him chunky crayons and have him practice drawing shapes and practice writing his first letter of his name. If my oldest is using the dry erase board, then the youngest does it too. Most of the time I let him free draw but make sure he's holding the pen the right way so he's learning the feel of writing. When oldest is working in math and using math manipulatives, youngest is using them too but in a way that's appropriate for a 2.5 year old. 4.5 year old can sit at the table longer, while the youngest gets up and down a lot more but he's figured out he has to stay in the classroom and "read" books or play with small toys while the oldest works. The youngest is really motivated by what big brother can do and wants to do everything the same. Two weeks ago oldest was working on "the" sight word and finding it in his reading and on packages around the house, etc. Now 2.5 year old randomly calls out, "I see "the" mama, I see "the"." He doesn't see it really but knows he's looking at words and one of them says "the". LOL So he's really picking up on stuff fast and most of the time it's just b/c he's sitting by big brother during his lesson. Ziii, the great thing about home schooling is you don't ever have to assign homework!! :-) I don't have a maid so I do it all by myself. My house is clean but some things have to slide. Like my upstairs balcony is so dusty there is no way you could walk on it. But my four year old is starting to read and write beyond his years so if the outside balcony gets dusty, so be it. edited by SunDevil on 08/07/2011 <em>edited by SunDevil on 08/07/2011</em>
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 July 2011 - 15:33
It is not one location against the other, but on this forum when someone say w"where should i leave in Dubai" the answer is always Arabian Ranches.. There's a reason for that. I love AR and we wouldn't live anywhere else in Dubai. Unfortunately we don't have any kids in our area and have only met one neighbor. Our neighbors aren't very social and the park in the afternoon is filled with children and nannies, no parents. But we still love it here, especially since it's so quiet and convenient to everything.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 July 2011 - 15:30
We live in AR and I homeschool my two boys. One will turn 5 in Nov and the other 3 in October. I taught Kinder and 1st grade in the states for 10 years before moving here so I just shipped my classroom stuff here and set up a full classroom in our upstairs family room. It has worked out great for us. I plan on joining the HS group once school starts again in the Fall. I use my own curriculum that I brought from the states. In the summers on my time off my district hired me to write curriculum based on the Texas teaching standards so I use the curriculum I designed, no need for me to pay someone else for the job I did.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 05 July 2011 - 06:25
If you are searching maps, you'd look for Big Sur, Lake Tahoe and the "1fwy" is Pacific Coast Highway also known as PCH and it runs the coast of California. To do that trip and give yourself enough time, you'd need at least a week but that wouldn't give you a lot of sightseeing time in places like LA and San Fran.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 July 2011 - 14:37
DH just used Hand Brake on our mac last night to convert some videos to mp4 and then loaded them on my iphone 4. What part of HB are you having troubles with and I can ask him?
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 04 July 2011 - 14:36
I have to add that people wear all sorts of completely inappropriate clothing in Dubai and they generally get away with it very easily. Go to the MotorCity Spinneys any time of day and look at all the women wearing gym clothes with spaghetti tank tops and bra straps hanging out. You'll be just fine in the workout clothes you are wearing.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 29 June 2011 - 05:47
Can she chop out verrucas and is she under direct billing? She does not bill insurance companies. I just had a toe nail removed on Saturday and paid all out of pocket.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 26 June 2011 - 11:13
Bump
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 June 2011 - 08:43
This subject always makes me chuckle. We adopted both of our boys from Russian orphanages and the stuff they told us over there makes me laugh. I couldn't sit down on the porch steps out front of the orphanage b/c I could catch a cold, don't give the children cold water, it could give them sore throats. There was more but I forget. I grew up in Phoenix, AZ and it gets hot, very hot and the temps there right now are the same as here in Dubai. I drank ice water, my sister drank ice water, my cousins all drank it. Not one of us got a sore throat or cancer over drinking ice water. My boys drink cold water straight from the water cooler and both are the healthiest children one could ask for, touch wood.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 June 2011 - 08:34
That's the only flight and airline we fly when we travel back home but we fly the business class b/c the seats lay completely flat. I like to do that route since it gets so much of our flight out of the way with it being 15 hours. I don't like a lot of layovers when I travel with two children under 4. I'd rather get them settled into their seats and then get it over with rather than do shorter trips with layovers. The guys traveling on that route are Army contractors, not soldiers, and some are funny but I've seen several get on rather tanked and I'm not sure that would make an enjoyable seat mate for 15 hours.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 June 2011 - 15:19
Thank you everyone for your help and advice, I had a nice time at the wedding. I'm glad I went. Turns out I didn't know the groom after all. LOL When we arrived at the wedding, DH called his co-worker who I thought was the groom and told me he'd be waiting out front with his son. I asked DH if this was a second marriage and he told me his co-worker is the cousin of the groom. Great, now I have absolutely NO ties with the groom and I'm going to be in a room full of women and certainly not belong there. Well the room full of women ended up being several hundred women, probably close to 500 and first thing I did was walk into the receiving line. I was the only blonde in the entire place and I had no idea who anyone was and there wasn't a bride so I just breezed on in smiling to everyone and found a place to sit down. Eventually women started coming up to me introducing themselves as M's nieces (DH's co-worker). They pulled me over to their table and told me to "eat, listen to the music, watch the men dance on the TV screen, but no dancing for you". And then proceeded to heap my plate up with food, lots and lots of food! I told one of the nieces that their dresses were so beautiful and she said, "Yes, you are dressed very plain." LOL I didn't bother trying to explain that I had a day's notice that I was going to the wedding, I just laughed. The nieces tried to convince me to wear an abaya everyday and do my makeup Arabic style. They were really nice but the music was so loud it was hard to talk to anyone. Then a woman made an announcement in Arabic and all the ladies scrambled to get covered up. I turned around to ask one of the nieces what was going on and every single one was covered and I couldn't find the English speaking ladies I was talking to so I just waited to see what was happening. The bride came in with two men on each side that I found out were her brothers and they helped her get on the catwalk and then they left. All the women uncovered and the bride, who looked young and scared, did a couple laps on the catwalk while people threw flower petals on her. Her dress was very, very elaborate, with beautiful beadwork all over the entire dress. She sat down on stage and another bride comes to the door. I asked one of the nieces who she was thinking she was a bit overdressed for a bride's maid and the niece said it's another bride. I asked her if the groom married two women that night and she laughed and told me the bride's were just sharing the hall. Apparently they were cousins or the groom's were cousins, I never figured it out, and they decided to have their wedding the same day but the nieces knew both brides. After that the dancing started but it was past 10:30 pm and the wedding was in Al Ain and we had to get back home so I thanked them for being so gracious to me and we headed out. I had my 2 year old with me and the little guy couldn't catch a break from all the women holding him and kissing him. He had lip marks all over his cheeks. The women kept giving him food and treats and chocolate and I'm pretty sure he would have traded me for one of them by the end of the night. DH had our four year old and when we met up afterwards, four year old had a dancing cane and pretend Arabic dancing gun so he was in hog heaven. It was a lovely night and I'm really glad I went.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 19:28
What should I dress my boys in? The four year old has some khakis, white long sleeve dress shirt and tie. My two year old has a classic Strasburg Jon Jon outfit with white knee highs and white and blue saddle oxfords. Too much or not enough?
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 18:33
Just keep in mind the article didn't say it was opening in Dubai. If it opens in AD, I think there will be quite the car pool line on Friday and Saturday mornings.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 18:31
I think its one of those things when anything from back home opens here its exciting. Us Canadians are waiting impatiently for Tim Hortons Do they have Craft Barns there? I imagine that's a big craft store like Michael's. So that would be a no. Oh my..The literature my husband brought home from work said there was "world class" shopping there? I don't think the Craft Barn can be considered world class shopping...
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 18:26
I've met the groom in the US and he's met our oldest son. Absolutely spoiled our oldest with affection in the short time he was around. He's a really nice man. DH works with all Emiratis so I've met several and met a few wives and all of them that I have met have been really nice. The groom told DH he would make sure to have a family member stay with me since I won't know anyone and will be away from DH.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 16:22
Missyuae, I knew this would give me a good excuse to go shopping! DH seems to think we'll be done by 8:00pm. I personally think it will go later.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 16:15
A year book should be able to looked back on fondly so the students can remember their classmates and experiences that year. Having the children's head's distorted isn't going to help students remember what their friends look like years from now. If the teacher did one picture distorted that would be one thing, but to mess with all the pictures is another.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 13:31
My mom always froze our bread. She kept it in the original plastic bag and then stored it inside a thick brown paper bag. It kept the freezer burn off the bread and always defrosted well.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 12:06
Let them honk at you. Who cares! Seriously, if I had a dirham for every impatient driver that honked at me b/c I didn't floor it the very second the light turned green, I'd be living somewhere on a tropical island with a drink in my hand a cute guy fanning me with palm frowns. I don't mind driving here and I drive all over the city but I do my best to avoid SZR, it's just not worth the stress level that goes along with that road. Luckily I live in the Ranches and can use 311 and 611 and that helps a lot. I started out by driving on Friday mornings and that made me feel more comfortable. I also never go under a half tank of gas in case I get lost and I leave really early when I'm going to a new place. I also think, "what's the worse that could happen if I take a wrong turn? I'll see a new part of the city that way and learn not to do that again!"
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 11:58
Lillie34, I went to the co-op yesterday too! Made a huge difference on my bill although I still had to run next door to Choithrams to pick up some pork products.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 11:57
How about all the radio ads that call Abu Dhabi Abby Dabby??
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 11:55
Besides, you can get covers in any color of the rainbow so don't worry about what color phone you get.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 10:03
Don't rule out some of your appliances. We left our major stuff behind in TX but we brought small kitchen appliances and they work great on the convertor we purchased. I personally think things are more expensive here than in the states despite not paying sales tax here. We shipped over our boys Pottery Barn bedroom furniture and we shipped our family room furniture (leather couch, recliner, entertainment center, end tables), all the boy's playroom toys and storage furniture. We bought a new master bedroom set here only b/c we didn't have one in the states and DH found one here I really like. I'm homeschooling our boys so I shipped a large part of my teaching things that I used in my classroom in the states. Since we've been here I've bought a Pottery Barn kitchen table and a few storage pieces but otherwise we shipped our stuff from the states. We still have 12,000 lbs in storage back home, LOL, but a lot of that is DH's garage stuff, lawn mowers, washer dryer, books, outdoor furniture. If I could do it over again, I'd bring more of my things. I'd bring more of my decor, more wall decor, more kitchen gadgets. I have lots and lots of Pampered Chef stuff that I didn't ship over and now I regret it. I didn't ship my pots and pans over and regret the junk Ikea pans I'm stuck with now.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 09:50
Diamante, they have food all day long but you can also get breakfast anytime of the day. IHOP always has great pancakes and french toast and they have regular pancakes but they also do speciality pancakes. Check out their site, www.ihop.com and you'll see some of their breakfasts. DH loves their skillet breakfasts.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 June 2011 - 09:45
I see it says it's coming to UAE but did I miss where it says it's coming to Dubai? I love IHOP and Dubai is in desperate need of an "American" breakfast spot, said from this American who could really go for some real pancakes.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 18:36
Palm Aggie, are you a Gig 'Em Aggie??
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 11:14
Are you using Safari? I'm using Safari and keep getting a notice when I log in that Hotmail needs me to upgrade to a different server or else my email won't function properly. All of the suggestions are Microsoft products so I figured it was something with the Microsoft vs Mac thing. Anyway, since I haven't upgraded, my email pictures are coming up with little question marks instead of the picture.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 10:12
Pollydxb, I've never heard of 101. Is it a club or restaurant?
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 09:33
Thank you Izzy. I thought there were some souks on the south side of the creek too. I thought we drove by an Iranian mosque and there were some souks there but then again I was on the BB tour and really turned around.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 09:31
Nicedaynat, we had PC about 2 weeks ago which is why I thought maybe something was dead but this smell has been going on since we moved in back in March. I just checked the window sills and no ants. Kateone, I think the a/c for the family room/kitchen has that on it. In the rest of the house you can hear the a/c fan running all the time but hear the compressor kick on when it cools the room. But in the family room/kitchen the unit shuts completely off after cooling instead of running all the time and there isn't a smell in that area. I'm going to give Saleem a call and have him check things out on the roof.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 June 2011 - 06:43
Thank you DR1958, that's what I was thinking. Our a/c intake for that room is in the powder room. DH got into the ceiling and pulled out the filters and cleaned them. They were dusty but not smelly. The powder room doesn't smell so it's not sucking the smell in from there. I've put bleach in the drain in the floor even though it doesn't smell. I started thinking maybe there was a dead mouse in the ceiling tiles but DH says it's all clean in there.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 June 2011 - 21:36
For the fruits and vegetables are you talking about the F&V market that I see the brown signs for when I'm driving on 311? My favorite thing to do is cook in the crock pot. Less work and great taste. I like to make extras so DH can pack stuff for lunch but then I find out he's buying junk at work in the vending machine. I'm headed to the coop tomorrow to see if I can get things cheaper.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 June 2011 - 19:28
Thank you SD! Now I know where it's at.
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 June 2011 - 19:03
Thank you Claire! I know where the Choithram's is by Safa park but where is the coop?
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 June 2011 - 18:07
Thank you for the ideas! I used to shop at the co-op when we lived in AD but haven't found one here. Is there a good one near AR?
SunDevil
774
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 18 June 2011 - 11:00
Actually, I have heard from someone who works at Bravo that they are coming to Dubai. My god... Andy Cohen, who is the producer, has said there won't be any new Real Housewives franchises after RH of Miami bombed and RH of DC bombed. They have figured out that the public likes the characters on the shows rather than all the new locations.
 
 
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