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?

Sedona Begins School

When Heavah and Xavier were young I counted down the days before they began school. It seemed like the day would never come. They were ready and so was I.

In contrast, as Sedona turned 4 I felt anxious and sad that she was only months away from starting preschool. What was I going to do without her? She was nonstop entertainment for her younger brother and I thoroughly enjoy her company. Dona requires so little and gives so much. How was I going to let her go?

I prolonged Sedona's entry into school by putting her on a waiting list. The wait didn't last that long. Two months after the official first day of school, I received a phone call that Sedona's spot was ready. Ugh. Really? But she is my fun kid. She doesn't color on the walls or throw tantrums. Those kind of kids should never have to go to school. They should stay home forever and ever.

Even though I wasn't ready, Sedona was. She could not wait to join the social circle and play on the playground. She shed no tears. That's what I get for raising independent children.

Fortunately, I have a little guy at home to make me feel like an active mom during the day. He does a great job of reminding me that I am still very, very needed. Is it odd to have a 8 month long potty training session? Geez, louise. We go through our day just fine, but I can't quite play ponies or lego like Dona does. Honestly, no one does anything like Dona does.

August Bromley Update

I always feel like I am copping out when I resort to these summary blogs, but what to do? The Bromley household has been busy and in constant motion. These are the noteworthy items:

1. Asa has reminded me that 2 year olds can be work. I forgot because Sedona was the dream toddler (which says nothing of what her teen years will be like, I realize this). He is lovely in many respects but his creativity has made its mark on every inch of this home. If he is missing--ever--every adult in the home says, 'Where's Asa?' in a panicked tone because his absence simply indicates another marked wall or soiled linen.

Asa's personality is unlike any other child in the family. He is overly confident and is pure solid mass. Nothing intimidates him and he holds his own. He goes to great effort to make each family member laugh and he has a very sophisticated sense of humor for such a small kid. Every family member gives him respect and deservedly so.

We are attempting to do potty training this week. It is pure torture. He knows how to do it, but when you ask him if he has to go potty he says, 'Um, nope.' Two seconds later, he reports that he has made a big poop on the carpet, 'Come see...' His cute smile through the whole process makes me almost want to not push at all. Then again, I keep thinking about how this will be the last of diapers and I can't wait to make that milestone. All in good time, all in good time.

2. Sarita started a driving course that should be ending in a couple of weeks. She is giddy with excitement at the possibility of having the freedom to drive. She won't be doing much of it, but when we need milk at the store, she can run and get it. It is a good investment. Plus, I am all about empowering her. Just this past summer she has learned how to swim, learned how to drive, and even started to become computer savvy. She is awesome. Have I mentioned that before?

She goes to her driving lessons everything morn and has to memorize the signs and signals. She asked me to help her learn what each sign means. She has to memorize clear and concise statements like the following:

I told I could be no help because I needed it translated, you know, into real English.

3. Heavah and Xavier started school this Sunday. Although the summer wasn't nearly as bad as I expected, the day could not have come any sooner. The touching game was in constant play, and a few furniture items have been 'antiqued'.

These photos give you some indication of what the steamy hot weather has been like in Doha lately. The whole country is a sauna. Its lovely.

Handsome Xavier - First Grade

Sweet Heavah- Second Grade

(No edge blurring was done for this photo. That is just pure, nasty humidity.)

4. Spinneys has arrived in Qatar. This is big, big, big news. It has been the source of our excitement for about 8 months now. We used to go to Spinneys in Dubai, it was our neighborhood grocery store. One of the big appeals for Spinneys is the secret pork selection. No pork selection here, but it at least has Life cereal.

The opening of Spinneys is extra special for us because it will be across the road from our new house. We are moving from Al Fardan III to Al Fardan I. It is a smart move for us. Al Fardan I has 2 other LDS families there, and a killer pool. The house is more spacious, but doesn't have as many bedrooms. The biggest perk is that Axel could almost walk to work and/or the airport from home. The move will happen in October, cause, well, its been a whole year and we are due for another move...

Old school

Heavah and visited her old school while we were in Dubai. She went to AAG for Kindergarden I and Kindergarden II. The area had changed so much since we lived there. I got lost twice just trying to get to the school. When we arrived, Heavah mentioned that she saw the school in a dream she recently had. She described the dream down to the rug on the classroom floor. Weird. She might have a little of Axel in her.

She also spent some time with her KG II teacher, Ms. Laure. Heavah continually said how excited she was before she saw Ms. Laure. After we left, she said, "She was the nicest teacher I have ever had". She then wrote Ms. Laure 10 different notes describing how much she missed and loved her. Rarely do you get a student/teacher relationship as sweet as theirs. Heavah should know. She just finished Gr. 1 and she has already been to 3 different schools and has had 4 teachers.

Singing and Stuff

Heavah's concert was last week and it involved a lot of singing and dancing. I must say, for as much oil money that is poured into this school (Shell, Exxon, etc. all offer plenty of cash to keep the school top notch), the theater program pales in comparison to Nepal. The most interesting part was what Heavah said after the concert:

"Mom, I must say that kind of singing isn't really my style."

AND

Heavah: Mom, I felt a little strange dancing in circles on the stage. When my back was to everyone I was worried about my butt.

Me: Why would you say that?

Heavah: I just know I have a big butt and I kept trying to squeeze it so it didn't looks so big.

Me: Why would you think that your butt is big?

Heavah: I know I have dad's body, and he has a huge butt.

Those of you who know Axel well are smiling right now.

Xavier and Heavah's school has officially ended and summer has begun! In celebration, I am taking Heavah to Dubai tomorrow. (Xavier got a Wii, so he is content playing many mindless hours of games this weekend.) I was tempted to extend the trip to Thailand. They are giving away flights and hotels. But, I am burnt out of traveling. Yes, I said it. I am burnt out.

Al Fardan Preschool

Preschools in Doha can easily run around 6K a year per kid. I got suckered into sending both Heavah and Xavier to preschool in Dubai, but soon realized that they were not doing long division or quoting shakespeare by the end of the year. I was not going to pay a college tuition for Dona to go to preschool to learn her alphabet and colors. Plus, I adore Sedona and can't stand the thought of being away from her for too long during the day. Golden children do that to you.

In protest to the huge tuition fees, several moms and I formed a preschool coop. It works out great. Six cute kids, all in close proximity, and all Mormon. Each mom has a week- Mondays and Wednesdays-and we have a schedule but really encourage flexibility and the use of our talents as moms. It is perfect and the best thing for Sedona. The kids love it and it really isn't that excruciating for me, when it is my turn.

This week I had the letter 'S'. What a great letter. There are so many easy ways of getting kids excited. We had a superhero day, ate strawberries and soup, and did some serious sponge painting. It was pure three-year old bliss.

Tomorrow I will be doing 'season's. We will plant seeds and make fake snow. It should be a low key day considering that in the evening all the moms will be boarding a plane for Goa, India (except for Michelle who is nauseously gravid. We will miss you!). In many ways the preschool has been great for the kids, but it is especially great for the moms. This will be really true after we arrive home with tanned skins and stories to share.

Namaste.

V-Day (otherwise known as drag your mom and dad to school and eat cookies and chocolate for lunch day)

Valentine's Day is a far more popular holiday overseas than one would expect. In fact, it is embraced so much in the Middle East that I heard Saudi Arabia has outlawed all stores to carry anything red during the month of February (can you confirm this, Jackie?). Doha seems to be fine with the Christian holiday or at least tolerates it.

In the spirit of the day I made homemade cards for each of my children with an indulgent chocolate bar that they could eat before their cereal. They should at least have one day of candy a year, right? (Oh, and Easter, and Christmas, and Halloween, and birthdays, and their sibling's birthdays, and Presidents Day, and MLK day, and Take Your Child to Work day; but that is it, that is where I draw the line).

Xavier was cramming on Valentine's Day morning to get all his cards done. I happened to find the cutest V-day cards on this site the night before. She is super crafty and she saved my butt that morning. Thank you!

Heavah sporting her cool glasses and looking perfectly coiffed

Here is Asa looking delighted with his handmade card. He is also making sure this photo clearly displays that his parents beat him periodically, or at least neglect him from time to time. At least they bought him a friendly bird to keep him company during those lonely times.

We also were encouraged to attend all the classroom festivities. What a delight to watch my children stuff their faces with high fructose corn syrup products in the shape of hearts and lips.
Sedona had a chance to tag along. She is so ready to be part of the school regime. She found herself a seat and charmed all the classmates as best she could. Only big people get to go to school. Today, she sensed she was a day closer.
Xavier's teacher had us write a note to our child beforehand about our love and affection for our child. It was endearing to write in words how much I love my son. It is also a great way to prove that we didn't always make him eat peas and clean his room, sometimes we just gave him loves, which he often deserves.

The day ended with Axel and I making a spontaneous trip to the souq. We ate at a fabulous Moroccan restaurant. Moroccan is a unique mix of spicy and sweet. Where else can cumin and cinnamon taste so good? The atmosphere was romantic and if you closed your eye, you could almost pretend you were in a real, authentic Middle Eastern country. It was fab.

What made the evening even better was when we left the restaurant and we happened upon an impersonator event. We saw Michael Jackson, David Beckham, Mr. Bean, Pavarotti, Princess Diana, Jack Sparrow, and many, many more. It was so surreal. There were swarms of people of many nationalities around these characters. We wandered a bit to see who we could check out, and then began to notice that people were taking pictures of us. We were white, we must be famous.

What could be more romantic than to stand next to Brangelina as people dote on you and your mate? They are the epitome of romance, right?

Best Kindergarten Teacher Ever!

Heavah's KG teacher in Dubai is amazing. Not only did she love my daughter but she also challenged her and kept her overly active mind stimulated. Ms. Laure is the sweetest, funnest teacher and a great friend. Her husband also did some amazing family photos for us before we left for Nepal. Some of the outtakes can be seen here.

I was lucky enough to have lunch with her in Dubai. It was a blast to catch up and I wished we lived much closer so Heavah could maintain a relationship with her. For now, we have to use email and FB.

Did I also mention she is adorable?

The children opening up the gifts Laure sent back to them from Dubai. She is an angel, I tell you!

Ms. Laure also invited us Lebanon this week to go visit her, but we couldn't swing it this time. Here are the photos I promised, Laure! Have a great time without us! We miss you!

Pesky Flu

Guess who isn't going to school next week?  We had the entire week off last week for Eid, and half days since the kids began because of Ramadan.  Homeschool is happening full time for now.  This is just to let you all know that the dumb pig flu is inconveniencing the rest of the world--including Qatar where we hate pigs the most.  Grrrr.....

Off to School

The kids started school on the 25th of August.  I know, I am behind with my blogging.  That is what happens when I actually have to cook my own meals and make sure the kids get out the door dressed and ready for school on my own.  It is a hard life, I know.  

Doha has been impossible to enroll my kids in school.  I have actually been laughed at when I asked if there were any openings the day before school started.  The American School of Doha has a waiting list of 71 children for Grade 1.  It has been a grueling process to say the least.  Doha is obviously flooding with expat kids and not enough schools. 

We finally found a school that was specialized and radical enough that there were some openings.  The kids are now attending The International School of Choueifat (also known as a SABIS network school).  It is a Lebanese school but it has campuses throughout the world (including Phoenix, Minnesota, NY).  The school is well-known for its discipline and high academic standards.  It also expects a lot of responsibility and accountability from the students. 

Heavah is in Grade 2 and Xavier is in Grade 1.  Sedona will be starting Kindergarten 1 after Ramadan in October. ( Children legally have to be enrolled in school by 4 years).  I am not sure how I feel about the philosophy of the school, but since Xavier and Heavah have both been in kindergarten for the past 3 years--and spinning their wheels--I thought I would give it a try.  So far, they love it.  Heavah insisted on learning Arabic again and Xavier is learning French.  They seem to be okay with the tough schedules and high expectations.  As long as they are okay with it, so am I.  

The kids started school only days after we arrived in Doha.  I thought I was so on the ball because I had their uniforms bought and ready to go.  I then realized that I forgot to pack socks.  Why would they possibly need socks in a desert? Now, I know. They wore Axel's socks and rolled them WAY down.  It looked like they had doughnuts on their ankles.  I also forgot shoes for Xavier so he did the unspeakable--socks with sandals.  It was hard to watch them walk to school without either laughing, or feeling like I was a horrible mother. I opted for the laugh.  

I have put my kids in a few schools over the past 3 years (4 schools so far), and I have noticed that there are a lot of opinions about education and how children should be taught.  Some believe children should go to school at 7; others believe they should learn to read by 3; some feel that learning can only be done through play; others believe that discipline is the secret for a future Ivy league child.  I feel like the parent knows best, and ultimately, the real learning is done at home.  I am pretty hands-on with my children's education so I am not that neurotic about the various theories.  My belief is that education should compliment experience, not the other way around.  

Eddie Saves the Planet

This weekend we had the honor of watching a play performed by Heavah and her other primary classmates. It was so educational.

The storyline went like this:

The penguins noticed the ice is melting. WHY, they ask?

Peggy the Polar Bear (my famous daughter) comes to visit them and seemed just as distraught. Why is the ice melting? They are all going to die.

Of course! It's the human beings (mainly the white folk).

The animals will then travel the great earth over--on the last surviving whale--to find out how they can stop the planet from being destroyed.

They went to England to tell people they need to not drive fancy cars anymore. (How was the US missed in this play? How many SUVs are there in England? I don't know. Someone needs to tell me. I have a feeling Eddie might know)

Then they went to the rainforest and found out that the trees were being cut down. Timber!

Their final stop was Nepal. Nepal? What could an Arctic creature possibly think of Nepal? They visited Bhat Bhatenis cause that store is a superstore (the only superstore in Nepal) and all superstores are bad. But with a little education to the Mayor of Nepal, all is well. They will recycle and pollution will stop. (I am not sure how recycling was termed as a problem in Nepal. Nothing in Nepal goes to waste. I can't throw away anything without someone thoroughly looking it over to find another use for it. Not to mention we are down to 18 hours of no electricity A DAY. In fact, my carbon footprint in Nepal could not be smaller.)

In the end, world hunger is solved, pollution in Nepal has ended, and everyone walks to work.

Yippie!!!