Saturday Purchase

An innocent visit to the souq this morning resulted in the purchase of this:



Axel says he has been wanting one forever, and if I let him buy it he will never ask for anything else in his entire life. He also said I could buy a new sewing machine. In our relationship two wrong purchases always make a right.


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Location:Alfardan Gardens 1,Doha,Qatar

Drive to Church

I have been meaning to take photos of the following signs for weeks now. The signs have been placed throughout the city by Qatar Foundation.


I love the backdrop of West Bay, the most beautiful area of Doha. It is also the *only* beautiful area of Doha.





The scenery was fantastic despite the fact that I was using my crappy iPhone 3 camera. It also helps that a storm was imminent. No rain, just a threat. So disappointing.


Happy Fabulous Sabbath Friday!


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When Life Gives You Lemons....

During the winter break Heavah was desperate for things to do. She was also anxious to make a little cash. Economics are dawning on her and she is ready to play the game. After a long brainstorm session she decided to start selling lemonade.

Below you can see her 5 sample cups. She feels one must try the product before he or she commits. She also conducted a focus group to decide what a cup of lemonade was worth. She went from 5 Riyals ($1.50) down to 2 Riyals (.50 cents) per cup--much to her dismay.

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Her final challenge was finding customers. It wasn't until she moved her picnic kiosk to the clubhouse that she really made hard cold cash. 500 Riyals ($150. USD) to be exact. It helps to have wealthy expat neighbors who have a soft spot for cute white girls.

Since the lemonade stand Heavah held a yard sale for all the clothing I was going to donate. She is also brewing up an idea for a cookie business. She is ready to go, but I am not sure I can commit. She plans on visiting the neighbors, providing samples, and taking orders. It is serious business.

Heavah's goal? An iPhone.

That's a whole lotta lemons and cookies. * iPhones in the Middle East are approximately $950. USD. And yet, we are closer to China. Hummm.....

Doha Contemporary Art Museum

I know I have mentioned maybe once...okay, maybe twice...okay, constantly, that we are art starved in our wee little country of Qatar. Apparently someone with real power in Qatar subscribes to my website because it appears that they are actually trying to provide venues for art. I am sure it is the Sheik himself, he loves to read about my potty training woes and how much I love Nepal more than his country. Hello there...while you are reading Mr. Thani...please get rid of more roundabouts and provide more beach areas. Sincerely, Terah

Although the new initiative is noble, and greatly appreciated, I must admit the last instillation of the Doha Contemporary Art Museum kind of missed the mark in my books. Our group was very excited, including my 4 year old daughter. The ardor and fervor gradually diminished after we went deeper and deeper into the cold wearhouse of doom.

There were several confusing exhibits that must be beyond my understanding. I will be the first to admit that contemporary art isn't my absolute favorite, but I think this surpassed the point of taste and entered a world of sheer bizarreness. Due to a strict rule of 'no click, click' (exact words of the security guard) I was unable to get the best photographs. These photos are done on the sly, thanks to my tiny camera and devious ways.

Sedona refused to entire the blade room. Don't you know that sharp edges can hurt? She's my cautious child.

This room was the saw room. The sound was as sharp and piercing as the blades themselves. Each blade was inscribed with Quran verses. This exhibit had some hope for me, I interpreted the blades as a penetrative device that can pierce and allow the words of the Quran to seep within one's soul. No bad, eh? I obviously missed the point completely. In the description, there was no discussion of the Quran at all and instead it represented how technology has developed throughout time, blah, blah...blah, blah...blah, blah blah.

According to Grandma, she is holding his hand, not attempting to reach for anything else as it may appear in this photo.

This one was probably the one that influenced me the most. It was called 7 Jews to 1 Palestinian. I am not sure where they came up with that ratio but the premise is that if you stand in the middle you can not see both sides. In other words, whose side are you on? Why they are in their Calvin Klein underwear, I do not know.

There were many more exhibits like a petrol can home with a video of a man rolling a petrol can with his foot, a military vessel dressed with strawberry and tomato plants, photos of modern depictions of Christ, statues of horses pierced with arrows, a human sized sling shot room, and a car demolition room with the sweet sounds of crushing metal and broken glass.

Sedona was a tad bit traumatized by the entire experience. She was hesitant to turn corners or veer off on her own. She held her daddy's hand the entire time. She spoke of her uneasiness and her desire to leave--like now.

As soon as she came home she described the entire experience in detail to her brothers. Asa was extremely intrigued and demanded to go to the scary place where blood flows from the ceiling. Where else are you going to be able to see that?

Heavah's Special Day

Heavah had a special day yesterday. I am not allowed to write about it because I live in the Middle East, but let's just say she is 8 years old and she was wearing white.

How did I get such a beautiful, mature, and sweet girl? She is remarkable and I am excited to see how her precious little life unfolds. I know I am lucky. Very, very lucky.

The day was perfect and her smile radiated. Days like these are more precious than gold...

Birth Control

A good indication that not much action will be happening tonight...

Kid Mashups

My kids say words that I hope they never correct:

a. hanitizer for hand sanitizer

b. jump-o-line for trampoline

c. bathtize for baptize

Henry Higgins is not allowed to visit until I get my fill of chuckles. Chuckling does a mama's heart good.

Asa's Preschool

The days without Dona have made Asa bored and ready for something new. He has talked about going to school ever since she left. I have tried a daily singing and dancing routine but he was unimpressed. I have completely lost my mothering mojo. I've petered.

Asa started school while all the other kids were still on their holiday break. As he was preparing to leave he kept saying to all of his siblings, 'Say good bye to me. I go to school now.' The first time was calm and sweet. It wasn't until all the kids completely ignored him he yelled, 'SAY GOODBYE TO ME! I GO TO SCHOOL NOWWWWW!!!' Being the youngest Bromley requires a demanding personality. You have to get a proper send off somehow.

Asa was brimming with confidence when he arrived. He told us that when he goes to school he will meet friends, play at the playground, and shoot ghosts. I am surprised he didn't add spin webs and drive batmobiles. Apparently, he is a vigilante in training.

Everything was fine and dandy until Asa arrived in class and realized, um, wait, I don't know these people. The look of horror showed up on his face. There wasn't a Dona, Heavah or Xavier in the entire room. What to do? The fear subsided when he was chosen to be the line leader. All his worries melted away. Leading a bunch of kids is up his alley. The boy likes to be in charge.

Asa is sold on this school thing. Everyday since he has asked to go back to play at the playground (I am told the ghost shootings don't happen until next term). To show his appreciation, he has been fully potty trained. He has also had a smile plastered on his face something akin to this:

Made ya laugh, didn't I?

High Tea with Dona

This week I held an impromptu tea party for my girl who loves all-things-pink. Heavah was too busy outside making serious cash with her lemonade stand (business before pleasure) so it was just the three generations sitting straight and acting proper.

A twirl session was on the agenda. I twirl far too little nowadays. Shame on me.

Sweets were a must. Ours were purchased at the hoity toity cupcake store in the hoity toity mall. Dona doesn't get enough hoity or toity in her life.

The discussion focused on friends, boyfriends (or at least the classification of boys-being-friends), the color pink, and shopping. We clanked our glasses to being a girl.

Sedona was a lovely guest of honor, and she kept the hour lively and interesting. The event was refined and classy thanks to the No Boys Allowed policy, which was strictly enforced by the pint sized girl herself.

We also painted our fingernails a light shade of pink. Grandma was a great manicurist. She has the best nails, hand model worthy. No one was more qualified.

Other than a broken glass and spilled juice, the occasion was flawless. Sedona expressed the need for more tea parties in her life. I couldn't agree with her more.

Nepali Ornaments

Staycation Pastimes

Where else can you see a gigantor carrort? Only Doha, I say.

Our trip to Jordan was botched. We showed up at the airport packed and excited only to find out there was no plane to take us to our destination. The next flight didn't leave until 24 hours later. That was the day we were going to spend in Petra. Going to Jordan and no Petra? Why even bother. Instead, we had a lovely staycation in beautiful Doha.

Asa doing the victory dance 10 minutes before his ball even reached the pins

Part of our fun was spent playing cosmic bowling. Who doesn't love throwing a neon ball down a lane? Asa won for the slowest bowl and grandma won for the most gutter bowls. In fact, the Camilleri gene pool is seriously lacking in bowling skills. We all remained on the bottom of the list with or without a bumper.

We visited the new Cultural Center in Doha. There was a vivid and candid Africa-in-Pictures exhibit. One third of the exhibit displayed landscape, another third displayed poverty and famine, and the rest displayed boobies. Some of the photos were moving, some were shocking, and some were disturbing. You can guess which ones were which.

The Cultural Center also has an Islamic Art exhibit. Two of my favorite works are displayed here with the addition of my two kids for added beauty and quirkiness...

The animal souq was a must during our staycation. Axel attempted to make a strong case for purchasing another pet. Every man needs a parrot according to him. His iPad doesn't need to be fed or pet, therefore it is not a real present. I tried to show him the Talking Tomcat app, but he is not quite convinced.

Skating was a popular activity to pass the time. Grandma attempted to skate for the first time in her life. After admitting this, I was sure the secret Canadian police were going to take away her passport. She made up for it by learning very quickly and only falling once.

Sedona was a close second when it came to picking up the sport. She maneuvered her little body with such steadiness and concentration I couldn't help but constantly squeeze and kiss her, ultimately making her fall flat on her butt. There is pain in cuteness. My children are all just going to have to live with that reality.

Heavah and Xavier were the best of friends on the ice. Xavier is showing some serious skating skills, thanks to his devotion to hockey. Heavah is crippled when on the ice. The idea of falling is catastrophic. For once, she is dependent on her little brother and he took his job very seriously. He's an expert after all.

Just before Grandpa left Doha, he got to see Xay practice hockey at the Villaggio. Grandpa even gave Xay expert advice. Who knew you had to have both hands on the stick at all times? I didn't. I am a useless sportsmom.

Of all the things we did on our staycation, the best part was the grandma & grandpa time. Even floating in the Dead Sea can't compare.