Loving the Office

Ali (and Mia) both love coming to our office any time they have the chance. Today, after Ali's first day at school, we brought her back to the office as we still had about 4 more hours of work to finish up. Love that she makes herself so comfortable.

In the CEO's office.

She made this sign and posted it on the wall of my office. It got a lot of attention from all the staff passing by. 

Back to School

It's been ages since I have posted anything and have made a commitment to resume blogging. Not only is it great for our family to have a collection of memories in one location and for me to make note of all the cool places we visit; amazing things we do; funny things that happen or just plain ordinary stuff about our family dynamics, but it's also a fantastic tool for keeping friends and family (far and near) up to date on our day to day activities.

So, instead of trying to play catch up from where we left off (over a year ago - yikes!), I am going to start with now / this week.

Excuse the fact that some of our upcoming posts maybe short and sweet but my free time is M.I.N.I.M.A.L. Honestly, I know I am older and I tire more frequently but at the end of each day, when we finally get meals, activities, homework, bedtime, work stuff, home stuff, etc all completed, I can barely stay awake for much else. It's embarrassing as I have been reading the same book since the beginning of summer! Ok, the book probably wasn't the best choice for summer reading as it's nearly 900 pages and more of a 'winter' read.  Still, I highly recommend the book I am reading which is titled Pillars of the Earth. They are even making a film (or TV mini-series) based on the story so I am more eager to complete it before watching it.

So, the subject of my post is BACK TO SCHOOL, which, the kids did this week. After an amazing summer in the US, all three children are back to school. The poor little (except Terence who is now taller than me) things are so exhausted trying to get back into the swing of things. Not only are the early morning alarms and starts to the day a challenge but getting into the rhythm of thinking again is tough for all three. I feel for little Ali the most who has to adjust to a full day in French which we know must be hard as she barely spoke / heard it this summer.

The kids now are in the following grades:

Terence - age 13, grade 8 (middle school)
Emilia - age 11, grade 6 (middle school)
Alexandra - age 8, grade CE2g (equivalent to grade 3 in elementaire)

All of them went to school via the school bus but here are a few snaps I managed to capture of their mornings.

Ali's first day at AFLEC (French School) was today

This is what T often does if he has a few spare minutes before his (and Mia's) but arrives. 

Great Food in ME

Curt and I keep reminiscing over some of the amazing things we tasted while in ME. I don't have any photos as Curt thinks it is strange to take photos of food. It must have been something I have done before. When we were dating and getting together with any of my family members, he would always point out that we would pose for a photo just before digging into a meal. The photo would include all of us and the table covered with food. Maybe it's a symptom of being a child of refugees - we are always grateful for the food on our table and want to remember a special meal(s).

Anyhow, in my last blog post I mentioned some of the amazing eateries in Bar Harbor, Maine but here are a few others:

Fresh - AAAMMMAZING fresh oysters. We are huge fans of oysters and these were so local and so fresh that I could have eaten 100s. They were perfectly cleaned and delish! The part that really stuck out was the cucumber mignonette. Instead of shallots, they added the diced cucumbers to the vinegar mignonette and it gave it even a more summery fresh taste.

Then, when in Maine, one must try their famous lobster rolls. We, unfortunately drove by one of the best hot spots and only realized it later... We will return to the very famous Red's. Instead, we managed to have a delicious lobster roll in Kennebunkport at the incredibly popular roadside shack (taken from their name): The Clam Shack. Others have reviewed the Clam Shack as favorably as we had on that gorgeous, warm summer day in New England when we had the pleasure of experiencing our first lobster roll a la Clam Shack.

I also had some amazing lobster in Kennebunkport at the famous White Barn Inn's restaurant. We nearly stayed at the White Barn Inn but instead stayed in a cute cabin on the Kennebunkport river. This restaurant is quite old and famous. When we walked in they asked Curt his size in order to get him a jacket. It's quite old school even though their website doesn't indicate a dress code. Curt didn't mind as every other man went through the same exercise. Who takes a suit jacket on vacation to the beach (especially in casual America)?

Our meal was really nice but the highlight was their lobster. Described as follows:

Steamed Maine Lobster Nestled on a Bed of Homemade Fettuccine with Carrot, Ginger, Snow Peas and Cognac Coral Butter Sauce 

 When I asked our server if he recommended this dish, he responded, "Madam, it's only been on our menu for 40 years". I took that as a 'yes' and was happy that I did. It was divine and this is what it looked like.

Lasly, probably our most memorable meal was at our favorite Inn: the Camden Harbour Inn. Their restaurant Natalie's was amazing!! We had an incredible Tasting Menu paired with delicious wines and loved every minute / bite of it. I'll post a photo later (when Curt wakes up) as they are on his phone...

Bar Harbor - our stay and activites

 

Above was our sweet little suite in Bar Harbor at The West Street Hotel.

Below is from the outside.

These next shots I took as I loved the local maps on the wall...

 

 All in all, we enjoyed Bar Harbor. I think the special thing here is Acadia National Park and Whale Watching tours. Due to the poor weather we had on our 1 full day, we didn't get to go out on the sunset tour that I had booked. We also skipped the national park as it's someplace we'd prefer to visit with our kids. 

Instead we hit the gym, walked, shopped, ate and chilled. 

I loved this restaurant where we had dinner on our first night: Fathom.

 

Our 2nd night we enjoyed some oysters and a pizza at a restaurant called Blaze. Both nights we ate at the bar... because we could!

We also tried lobster ice cream - yuck. But followed it up with some crazy good local ice cream on Main Street! Yum! 

Then, I bought some of these awesome, locally made (out of wooden buoys) Santas. I collect Santas and loved these! So nice to buy locally made cool things... We found great things in ME which I'll blog about later as I have a big(ger) wish list.

Stop 1 - BAR HARBOR

Curt and I had some meetings planned in the US while the kids were at camp but first I decided to plan a (some what) surprise visit to Maine. Neither of us had been and it was a place I always wanted to visit. It was great to have some 'us' time and not revolving around work or a conference.

The first stop on our trip was Bar Harbor, ME. It was a longer drive (just over 4 hours) from the kids' camp than I had expected. The drive was boring and, as much as we tried looking for wildlife, we saw none.

Our entire vacation throughout Maine was thinking about or talking about the kids and how much they would like so many of the things we were experiencing. To try and ease this frustration, I tried to book hotels and restaurants that we would never take our children to...

 

crossing the sand bar to bar island - only at low tide can you do this and it was very cool.

It was chilly for us... The rain felt great - I have missed that in Dubai...

I took this photo from our room the next morning (during high tide) to try and show the water covering the sand bar connecting us to Bar Island... It's hard to see due to the building across the way.

I found this photo (below) on the Internet that may give a better idea to what exactly this sand bar looks like during low tide. Really, one of the coolest things I have seen...

This is us on our terrace the day we checked out. It was a gorgeous sunny day. Too bad the previous day wasn't as that was the day we were booked for whale watching and unfortunately (or fortunately) due to bad weather, the tour company canceled our trip and reimbursed us.

 

I'm back

I am officially returning to my long lost friend: our family blog. Blogging is like putting your photos into an album. If you take a break, it starts to pile up and suddenly seems like an overwhelming project that you don't know where or how to (re)start. This morning, while running on the treadmill (something I rarely do in the gym but seem to enjoy while on vacation), I thought that I am just going to s.t.a.r.t. Today I am going to begin blogging and I am not going to stress about picking up where I left off but I would start t.o.d.a.y.

It is tuesday, july 30th at 9:28pm in boston, ma. It is 5:28am (on the 31st) in dubai, uae.

Curt is in Cleveland for a meeting and our 3 children, Terence (12), Emilia (10) and Alexandra (7) are all at Camp Quinebarge in Moultonborough, NH.

It's been so hard being apart from ALL of them. They are at camp for 2 weeks. The camp is wonderful and everything you can dream of in an American camp. The setting is beautiful with sweet little cabins, on the lake, amongst the trees with horses and land and an old fashioned camp feel (no electronics, no phones, etc). We were lucky as our friends, Eric and Lesley, have just purchased the camp in late 2012. So, we know the kids are in good hands.

We were lucky to have spent one night at the camp and I nearly didn't leave. Not only did I not want to leave our little ones but I loved being a part of the camp atmosphere and making a difference in all these kids lives and memories...

Ohio State vs Wichita State

Before I blog on about our fantastic time in Roma, I must drown my sorrows for 30 seconds. Ohio State was defeated yesterday (middle of the night Rome time) by the Shockers in March Madness. I am married into a family filled with Shocker fans and must say the defeat tears me apart. The Shockers now move onto the final four why my beloved Buckeyes say farewell. I hoped to see the Buckeyes take the NCAA tournament this year as the first time in my short life but this will not be our year. I will hold my head up high and support my Shocker-in-laws. We will unite and, hopefully, cheer them onto victory and witness a true Cinderella story!

Sincerely,
Once a Buckeye fan, always a Buckeye fan

A short summer update

 It's been forever and a year since my last post... We've had an amazing 2 years (we are on the brink of hitting our 2 year mark of arriving in Dubai). We have all grown so much from this experience and enjoy our life here. We do miss Europe ... tremendously (maybe not Curt) but we are happy to say we are going back to our home and Blue tomorrow morning! Yeah!

This summer has been a great one. First of all, I posted a few photos of little Ali on her last day of school. It was monumental as it was her last day of Maternelle and next year she we will be in CP (1st grade). She is showing off her little book (notes between teacher and mom and dad) that the all the students in Maternelle must carry. She quickly swamped it for a show (could have been Good Luck Charlie, True Jackson, Ali and Austin - ironic? - or Witches of Waverly Place as these are all recent favorites) on an iPhone. The first day of summer is THE BEST!!! For all of us!

We actually pulled them out of school about 3 days early so we could get back to the US and be over jetlag in time for Nana's birthday.  What a journey we had.

2 weeks in Kansas where the 5 of us enjoyed catching up with many McGuigans and Clements. We were sad, however, to see daddy leave us after the Kansas portion of our trip. The 4 of us continued on to our favorite summer spot on Kiawah Island. It was our first vacation sans dad and, even though we missed him, we still had a great time. We were lucky to have lots of visitors (less than normal which made for a much more restful time) from Uncle Jerry, Aunt Lisa - a superstar who helped out a lot so I could go off to the gym, grocery store, and Starbucks each morning, Uncle Attila and also a short visit with the Neiders. Here we are on our summer home's balcony. Our 10th consecutive summer! love it there...

     

Alexandra's birthday

This is a recent video from Alexandra's 6th birthday. We had a small family gathering / celebration at home. I'll include photos from her birthday (as well as from Mia's on the 22nd) in another blog post.

PS Today is Curt's birthday.

Clements Have Been Busy

Good morning from Dubai, UAE. We have been a very, very busy family lately. Just realized that Ali has been going to bed most nights in her clothes (usually comfy beach clothes) as we are out and about all the time. Staying out late and often falling asleep while at a restaurant or during the taxi ride home. Luckily, the kids are on a 1 1/2 week school break due to Eid Al Adha (marking the end of Hajj). Curt and I also have 2 days off of work giving us a 4 day weekend! We decided to just hang out in Dubai and chill out. We never have any down time so it has been (today is day 3) more than enjoyable... Wild Wadi 1 day, dinner at friends, fireworks last night, hanging by the pool (we don't seem to even have time for this anymore), breakfast out, etc.

As most of you have heard, on October 5th, 6th and 7th, we moved out of our Arabian Ranches home. It was a year of ups and downs with that house including a flood, high water bills, a non-helpful landlord, broken A/C units, 1 broken hot water heater, a leak under the house's foundation, limited water pressure, and more. We did have many visitors, great dinner parties, BBQs and fun with friends in that house over the course of the year. But, we couldn't stay on longer as the house had too many major issues and the landlord could not (nor was he willing to) repair these while we were taking up residence.

Here are a few snaps from my iPhone from our move out day. Check out our fantastically stickered moving trucks. I love our new design.

The entire family helped out tremendously with the pack out.



Since we have moved out, we have been staying in a 3 bedroom apartment in the Dubai Marina. We love this area and stayed here when we first arrive to Dubai last Sept 2010. We walk everywhere and are only 5 minutes from school. The kids also get on their (new) bus at 7:15 as opposed to 7am so that too is a benefit.

This is a temporary solution while we pursue finding a new home. We have tinkered back and forth with buying or renting. We have now decided to rent for a year and see what the housing market does. As many of you know that have been here, there are 100s and 100s of homes that are just about to be released (for sale / rent) and this will have a huge impact on the housing market. We want to wait for these to be released and see the prices drop even more - or so we hope...

As of now, we haven't found any decent homes for a reasonable price. We have looked a lot in many different areas. We are happy to hang in our new neighborhood and temporary apartment for another month or so until we find a good solution.

I'll update with some photos since my last post soon. In the meantime, here is a photo of Halloween. There isn't a lot of trick-or-treaters or homes celebrating in our new neighborhood so we went to a friend's home back up in Arabian Ranches to join them on Halloween. We had 8 children amongst all of us as Terence's best mate from Budapest was visiting at the time. It was a successful Halloween and we still have lots of candy left over...

Last night we went with the Bicknell family, Peter and about 990 other Dubai expats to watch the fireworks at the Arabian Ranches golf course in honor of Guy Fawkes. The fireworks were fantastic but a very short show. We have been spoiled with great fireworks this year - 3 sets in Kiawah Island, South Carolina for 4th of July and 1 set in Budapest for St Istvan Day. Compared to those, these were not that great. Still a fun night... Plus, being on that lovely green grass (on the driving range) was a huge treat!

Update on Ali

It has been a very, very long time since I have spent any time on this blog. It is for no reason other than the fact that I have almost no free time. Work is very challenging and rewarding at the moment and if I am not working, I am trying to spend any spare minute I get with our children. Additionally, we have a few new computers so until I feel comfortable with them - they are all imacs - and get any free time on them (as the kids often like to get on and play) you just have to be patient.

This year I scored on mother's days. Back in Budapest, I was applicable for the American, British and Hungarian mother's days. Now, in the UAE, I have been given recognition on the UAE mother's day as well as the French mother's day so I am not at all complaining... Actually, I'm a bit embarrassed and hope Curt get's in a father's day soon even though America seems to be the only place where they may recognize this non-international holiday.

On Sunday (a school day in the UAE), I - and all the other school children's mothers - was invited to school for a little mother's day celebration with the kindergarten. I was so happy to visit and spend time with Ali's classroom. I took a 1/2 day off of work and skipped down knowing it would be great as she has been hinting about the event and practicing her songs for weeks. She is finally settled in nicely into school and finally getting a grasp on the language. It has taken her much longer than Terence and Mia but suddenly it has all CLICKED! I'm so pleased and relieved...

The little show was lovely. Ali's teacher, Anne, and the teacher's assistant, Benedicte, are both wonderful. We couldn't have been luckier with teachers for Ali. They are both gentle, sweet and nurturing. The perfect combination for a scared little kindergartener!

Unfortunately in all my excitement, I got the on / off record button reversed and didn't manage to get the entire show like I had hoped. I did manage to get a short clip which is below. However, first, I put up my 'interview' with Ali from yesterday evening. She is sooo cute!

Now a short clip from her class. Look at how anxious she is while waiting for the signal to hand over my gift. She is watching her teacher and waiting for her to say something about it. I was lucky to be front row on one of her classroom's tiny little chairs... It was a proud moment...

Kids' School Carnaval

On Tuesday, the kids only had a short day as their morning consisted of a Carnaval celebration and all parents were invited to come and watch. It was a gorgeous day and we all filled up their outdoor football field while they paraded around in big circles in full costume, music and style. The theme seemed to be eras in time and our three represented: African tribe (T), Caesar (Mia), and Flowers (Ali). Ok - Ali's was probably a take off of hippies... I didn't think about it until now as I was overwhelmed by how cute she and her entire class looked.

Also, all the costumes were made by the students in school. No stress on the mom's who cannot sew or are creative. It was fantastic!

The two above photos were of Terence - look how much taller he is then all his classmates. He gets mistaken for being older ALL the time.

My Mia, a very happy Caesar! With, by the way, a new hair style that she chose and is slightly struggling with as she wanted lots of layers, bangs, etc. She can no longer pull it back and she is starting to have regrets but I am biting my tongue and not at all doing the 'I told you so' as I am in full support of her decisions and know she will probably remember this experience for a very long time.

Mr. Tribesman

Gorgeous little flower - matched with a boy who was more like a tree / bush.

Listening to Ali's class sing. She actually seemed to know all the words!

Below is Ali with one of her sweet little classmate / friends and me in Mia's classroom.

Enjoy all the videos from the day below.