Listful thanking (and how I had the most embarassing experience of my life on Mother’s Day)

There are days when I ponder the tediousness of life. Days when I sigh and think “How dreary my mornings are! Nothing to look forward to but the same routine everyday.” Cooking. Cleaning. Washing. Ironing. On days like these, I really struggle to read my Bible because then I feel “I should do (insert an activity here) or finish (insert another activity here).“

Happiness is … buying books, books and more books!

         When the hubby is home, it’s worse. He gets up much too early to cook, leaving me feeling guilty in bed. Of course nobody can stay in bed when one feels guilty. So I get up and sigh again … Right now, we’re supposed to be homeschooling. But I can’t wrap my mind around Math or English or History let alone Science. I’m feeling kinda heavy, probably some kind of jetlag related to returning home after a vacation and getting back into the groove of homeschooling little ones.

Art books bought for a total of Dh125!

Also, I’m trying hard not to complain over the gazillion chores that need to be completed today to feed and clothe all family members on time (the hubby’s cycling clothes, for example, need to be washed for his daily ride). So. Today, I went over the events that have occurred since Thursday last week (when we went to Dubai for our annual staycation) and last night (when we went to a birthday party). While watching/reading the news always prompts me to be thankful for what I have, making a list reminds me how blessed we are right now as a family. Mind you, I was so stressed out the day before we left that I almost wished aloud we had no need to travel far to get three free days from household work.

 So. Believe it or not, since May 7, 2015, I

1  Had a conversation with a staff of Medecin Sans Frontier who gave me a copy of their most recent  (2013) International Activity report. (Today, I told the hubby “I didn’t know that MSF aka Doctors Without Borders was so big! He quickly replied “Honey, remember – they’ve got no borders!”)

2  Swam in a swimming pool for the first time in 12 years. And also. Squeezed my bod into a bathing suit for the first time in my life (I used to wear leotards).

There’s the pool where yours truly swam … sorry, posting pics of myself by the pool is a no-no for me

3  Bonded over ice-cream with the hubby’s relatives living in Dubai (They’re visiting us several days from now!)

4  Laughed out loud over the married men chasing a still-sexy, divorced ex-classmate of the hubby.

5  Had a l-o-n-g conversation on the phone with a relative/ex-neighbor whose son bonded with my eldest last summer vacation

View of the iconic Burj Al Arab from our hotel room

6  Attended another church (What a refreshing experience! Lord, I heard your message – I’m on the way to forgiving)

7  Collected free reading material from the hotel where we stayed and from the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair which we visited the day after we returned from Dubai (Yup, we covered more than 1,300 km in 4 days!)

8  Ate at Friday’s again where we enjoyed a rib eye steak.

9  Ordered room service for the children’s dinner so we didn’t have to drive out for dinner (Our feet were so-o-o tired; I can write a post about how I hate shopping in Dubai malls)

10  Met a veteran HSing mom for the second time and had a lovely dialogue with her

The rose that came with the dinner for the kids

11 Was interviewed by someone from a radio station (someday I may post a photo but since I’m technically challenged when it comes to anything manufactured by Apple, you’ll just have to take my word for it)

12  Was unable to buy any clothes despite going to the dressing room five times in two hours at the Mall of the Emirates  … sigh … the hubby was in a buying mood because it was Mother’s Day yesterday!

Just in case you think I live an enviable life – think again! My eighth grader was suspended for two days for bringing a pocket knife to school. He claims he did it in self-defense after being bullied. (His younger brother, who is still being homeschooled, complained “I don’t see how that can be a punishment … he is at home doing nothing!“)

The reason it did not make it to the list is because the suspension occurred on Wednesday. Oh and have I said anything about my sanitary pad’s inadequate service while we were at a party last night? I’ll spare you the details (except to say that I’d recently changed) and just declare that it was the most embarassing experience in my 46 years of existence ….

This photo was actually taken in March. The hubby bought the roses on the way home from the airport. The UAE celebrates Mother’s Day twice, I suppose, because retailers wish to take advantage of the UK’s and the US’ observance of the day.