Since it's so damn hot, my friend and I decided to take our boys to Children's City (all INSIDE) so they (and we) could get out of the house. It was pretty cool and Dylan had a fab time. Here are a few of the highlights.

Playing in water - always a good time

Sounded so good we let them play all of 30 seconds!

Giant elephants and the Karate Kid

D even managed to fit in some flirting with an older woman. Here's what he is saying - "Is that a dress? Are you wearing shorts under there?"

And

then

we

came

across

this...

(please study it for a moment and I will then add my commentary).

This is Taylor who is crazy brave wearing both blue and red. He hasn't decided his Crip/Blood affiliation yet. He's only like 6, give him a break! He has time.

The chics are his "friends". Right. We've all heard that before. Girl on the right seriously has to pee and is trying to distract herself by staring at the sun.

This my friends is school in USA.

Oh yeah, and the "American spice" is mustard.

Stay Tuned...

I've been insulted, queried, and bribed about these cake balls. I am making them next week for my bunco night and just for y'all, I am going to post a "how to" complete with pictures!

I will warn you though that once you taste one of my balls (hee hee), you'll be a frosting junkie like me!

On a side note - anyone remember Schwetty (spelling?) balls from SNL?

9 Cans of Rotel and 8 Tubs of Frosting

I know, I know, you're wondering...rotel and frosting, where is this gonna go?

I've enjoyed living as an expat tremendously! Have I changed? Absolutely! If it's possible, I've become more outgoing, apparently fell in love with the exclamation point, and am now a hoarder! The latter makes me a true expat - no longer a rookie. Let me explain.

HEB does not exist in Dubai! Oh how I miss it (and Target)! The grocery stores over here, while well stocked with a variety of items, don't always load up on the Texan goods or other pantry necessities. You can't find a chipotle here to save your life! And, it's quite often hit and miss. You can't bank future success on past finds.

So here's the deal. When you find something that you LOVE, you must buy every single one on the shelf, because quite possibly it will be not be there next time. Frosting, tortillas, and rotel all fall into the stock up category. It's so bad that there are posts on the expat woman forum of ladies looking for certain items. I could have made a fortune selling Betty Crocker frosting on the black market! Cake Balls (thanks Mel!) are a hit here and tub frosting is a vital ingredient. It's not uncommon for me to receive an email from a friend here passing the word that frosting is in stock (of course only after she has stocked up herself!).

So there it is. I hoard. And I am not ashamed.

Anyone for dinner? I'm serving queso with a little frosting on the side.

New Trend in Photography!

I couldn't figure out why everything looked so fuzzy in the viewer. I turned my camera around and discovered the lens was completely fogged up. Yes, it was THAT humid out!

Day to Day in Dubai

Not much of a post, but here are a few pictures I thought you'd appreciate.

Well, if this ain't clearer than mud...

I'm not sure if it's intentional that the workers look like prisoners...the side of Dubai not on those cutesy little powerpoints you get from that person who never emails to see how you are, but forwards you anything that comes through her inbox!

I rarely leave the villa without my camera, but on these occasions I was high and dry. Thanks Heather (she's always prepared) for forwarding these to me :)

Can't think out of the box? Have a kid!

Happily kid free, but have a friend's tots coming over?
Have kids, but they're bored with all the typical toys?

No worries! Here's a list of everyday items you probably have lying around that will provide hours of enjoyment for kids of all ages!

1. Empty water bottle, soda bottle, juice bottle (you get the picture - might want to make sure they're plastic though). They can be thrown (great while in the car) and they have no predictable bounce. Hilarious for kids. Cheap for you! Most importantly - NOT painful if you're "accidentally" hit in the head!

2. Blanket - just leave it piled up on the couch. Fun to pull, chew, hide under, and drag around. This will give you at least 30 minutes.

3. Cat toy (wand with a feather thing at the end) - great to carry around and hit the cat with (especially if your cat doesn't run and hide at the first ear piercing squeal) or you or the other kids or the wall. However, as a responsible mom, proper supervision required.

4. Spatula - nice rubbery type end for chewing or sliding under a piece of furniture.

5. Cell phone - all those little buttons to push AND sounds. Toddler's dream, however, the exorbitant amount of baby saliva could damage your phone (In case this happens, pull all the pieces apart and shake vigorously).

6. Empty spice bottle - perfect size for those chubby little hands. Makes a lot of noise when hit against the wall, table, tile floor, tv (don't tell Kelly).

7. Pillows - you know, those smaller ones at the ends of your couch. Pile them on the floor; they're like magnets for the wee ones. Fun to flop on, roll over, and hide under.

8. All the tubes in your shower - face wash, exfoliating scrub, deep conditioner - forget the duckies in the bath, just throw in the clearasil. It even bobs around in the water. NOTE: you may only use these until the little munchkins figure out how to open the tops. The cleaning up might outweigh the reward of an occupied toddler.

9. Shoes with laces (most fun while on someone's feet) - good to untie and yank on. Option 2: light enough to be carried around and dropped somewhere else (the game is for you to find them) Advantage: your toddler is practicing walking!