Tag Archives: parenting

Is it the holidays yet?

22 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by in Mrs Lady Muck, Parenting, School

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In Muck Towers, we’ve had a really busy summer.  I mean REALLY busy.  We’ve hardly been at home, having stayed with family, friends and then had a proper holiday at the end of the summer before heading back to work, school and everyday life in Abu Dhabi.

So, when the first week of September arrived, I was feeling pretty pleased with ourselves.  We totally hit the ground running – new school uniforms, shoes, name labels, bags, folders and stationary had all been purchased in July, and we were out of the door, good to go.  Smug? Yes I am.  Last year, one child had to go to school in a pair of MY socks, as I hadn’t sorted her out with new ones, and I hadn’t been allowed to forget it. (I wasn’t as bad as my friend who sent her child in with her Dad’s flask of coffee, having mistaken it for her metallic water bottle.   Fortunately the child realized before drinking out of it, but then announced her Mum’s mistake very loudly to the rest of the drop-off crowd.  Thanks, 7-year-old.)

So, yes, back to school 2015 – I nailed it. And that particular friend did too! New school term? Bring it on!

And this week we have a shorter working week in Abu Dhabi, as the Eid al Adha holiday approaches.  As a non-Muslim, you may be surprised to learn that this particular festival has HUGE significance for me.  Traditionally in the Arab world, this is a time when local families come together to celebrate the festival with prayers at the Mosque, and succulent food to share.  My Emirati friends spend time applying henna, preparing special Eid clothes and gifts for each other, and resting up in preparation for visiting their nearest and dearest.

An Emirati Eid family celebration

An Emirati Eid family celebration | photo by Fatema Hassan Ali Al-Dhaheri

As expats, living here gives us the opportunity to teach our children some of the shared caring values that transcend religion.  In the spirit of sacrifice and giving, we are collecting toiletries and food gifts for all of the cleaners and security staff who work in our school.

Donations from our school children for the cleaners and security guards

Donations from our school children for the cleaners and security guards

At home, we’re going through the wardrobes and toy cupboards and giving away things we no longer need to people who can use them.  Even pieces of furniture and random old picture frames are going to www.takemyjunkuae.com who clean them up and pass them on to people who need them.

And for me? Eid al Adha was when our first little Muck entered the world, almost seven years ago.  Through the fog of tiredness, shock and exhilaration, I suddenly had a tiny baby in my arms.  The hospital in Dubai had a festive atmosphere, and a feeling of love and joy in the air, as families were off work and able to be together.  I’ll never forget how grateful I was to have made it through 48 hours of labour, and to be holding my little girl.

Getting to this point was NOT this peaceful

Getting to this point was slightly less peaceful than it may appear

This year, we’ll be at home as a family, NOT doing the school run for a couple of extra days, and catching up with each other and friends who we haven’t seen in far too long.  I might be keen to get the little ones back to school next week, but right now a long weekend together will be the perfect “holiday” for us.  Whatever you’re doing this week – whether you’re celebrating, working, going away or it’s business as usual – have a good one! Eid Mubarak!

Life of Muck

12 Friday Jun 2015

Posted by in Mrs Lady Muck

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As we’re just getting to know each other, I thought I might introduce myself properly.  I’ve had a few questions from my non-English friends about the meaning of “Lady Muck”, as there’s a danger of misinterpretation. Shudder.  I’m a linguist, you know!

I live in Abu Dhabi, where English is the most common language and the language of business, but there are so many different nationalities and dialects here.  Certain phrases don’t translate.

So…let me try to explain.

You’re a “Lady Muck” if you’re a woman and you aspire to be something better than you actually are.  I know! Heaven forbid. (And don’t even get me started on why there isn’t a similar categorisation for men.  Or is there? Feel free to enlighten me please…)

Most people use the phrase with affection (she says, trying to convince herself of this).   OK, admittedly, some people will say it to take you down a peg or two.  Particularly up in my beloved north of England, if you even so much as think of admitting that you actually quite like London, and no, the tube doesn’t bother you that much, and actually it’s quite good fun living there, you tend to get a bit of an * affectionate* eye-roll.  An “ooh la-di-da”.  Get her.

I was born and bred in Yorkshire and that remains to me the most wonderful place on earth.  My roots are there, along with my family, life-long friends and their families.  Pretentious people are few and far between.  What you see is what you get, and most people will tell you what they think to your face, and happily have a cup of tea with you over it.

Muck-kitchen. Baby puree. Questionable hair bands. Food stains.

Muck-kitchen. Baby puree. Questionable hair bands. Food stains.

I once saw a lady driving in the wrong lane as she turned a corner into a carpark.  An old man stepped into the road and banged on her bonnet with his walking stick, giving her and most of us around us the fright of our lives.  When she put her window down, he cleared his throat and announced at the top of his voice: “What do you think you’re doing? You’re on’t wrong side of t’road.  You’re not in FRANCE.  Lady Muck.” And then he tutted his way off.  Brilliant.

I’d love to see him having a few words with some particular ladies I see on the beaches here, who I’m sure have either been  beamed down from another (extremely snooty) planet or who simply shamelessly believe it’s OK to walk around with your nose in the air, with their maids trailing behind them carrying all their things.  (Yes, UK people you read that right.)

I’m proud to be a Lady Muck – and I’m saying this, you understand, with a twinkle in my eye.  I like to take life with a pinch of salt.  Or, in my case, with a pinch of sand.  What are you supposed to do? Stay on the same street your whole life? Cabin fever is something I have always felt.  Itchy feet.  I suppose a life overseas was inevitable for me, as it is for lots of people.

I love the opportunities that expat life has brought.  I’ve worked with amazing people, who have inspired me every day.  I’ve been on yachts, with the wind in my hair and a glass of champagne in my hand.  But I’ve got my feet on the ground and I know how damn lucky I am at that moment in time, and how far-removed from real life this type of privileged behaviour actually is.  So I love it for what it is, and am grateful to get home to my two little terrors and pasta on the floor.

Muck-tastic

Muck-tastic

I love the concept of being a Lady Muck in the positive sense.  I really believe that if you can better yourself, do it.  If you have any idea of what your vocation might be, go after it.  Life is short. Earn some money, keep your nose clean and travel. Meet new people.  Live in new places.  Cut the apron strings and try new things.  Take some selfies and live the high life.  You can’t please all the people all the time.

Let’s just keep our feet on the ground while we do it.

Who am I to criticise? What do YOU think?

Calling Gloria!

06 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by in Childhood, Lifestyle

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Today I decided to update my music on the SD card that lives in my car.  It has been there for over a year, since my much more musically-trendy husband decided it was time to move on from “The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round” and educate our little mucks about different types of music.  Personally I feel quite bouncy on the school run with the dulcet tones of the CBeebies presenters to keep us company, but as we listened to yet another round of Mr. Bloom, I had to concede that he was right.

Going through our iTunes library is a major feat.  We have collated so much music over the years and sometimes it can feel a bit overwhelming.  Then, my littlest girl came into the room pretending to be a cat called Gloria, and that reminded me of the MOST BRILLIANT track by Laura Branigan from 1982.  Which means – and I’m going to let you into a highly classified secret here – I must have been 5 years old when it was on “Top of the Pops”.  I can remember coming home from ballet and dancing like crazy to it in our living room while we watched it.

Every Thursday, 7pm without fail, we would be allowed a can of Lilt or sometimes Coca-Cola (imagine if you actually chose to give your children that now!) and we would watch “Top of the Pops”.  My sister and I would do thumbs up for the songs we loved, and thumbs down for the songs that just didn’t cut it for us (at the highly critical ages of 5 and 3).  In truth, we loved every song, the chart interruptions for live music and the cool 80s dancers on little stages in the crowd.  We loved the hair, the clothes, the amazing make-up…Adam Ant, Boy George and Cyndi Lauper.  At school we scraped our hair into sideways pony-tails on the top of our heads, rolled our socks down and tried to repeat the choreography seared into our imaginations from the previous evening.

When I was bit older, I would carefully cut out the Top 20 chart from each treasured issue of Smash Hits, fill it in and stick it on my wall.  If I wasn’t fast enough to write during TOTP (there was a lot of thumbs up and thumbs down to do too), there was always the Chart Show on Radio 1 on Sundays. If you were really clever, you could tape it and try to cut out the talking, so that you had your very own mix-tape.  In my opinion Yazz was THE most fabulous woman on TV, Madonna was always a favourite, and I felt a bit scared of Billy Idol.  On the odd occasion we’ve had an 80s night (which I swear is not every single weekend in our house …ahem…) I am always able to throw an outfit together. Pink fingerless gloves, legwarmers, safety pins and lots of lace…doesn’t everyone have a drawer full of those?