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!

The Lost Highway Leads to Abu Dhabi

I was THRILLED when I saw the first commercial that BON JOVI was headed to Abu Dhabi! I begged, pleaded, and bribed Kel to get tickets so I could go! Luckily my friend, Heather, also wanted to go so the husbands were dragged along! The drive down to Abu Dhabi (which is the capital of the UAE - a bit of trivia for you nerdy folk) only takes a little over an hour and the concert was held at Emirates Palace sometimes mistaken for the presidential palace. It's a hotel with a golf course and a private beach.

It was pretty easy getting in and out which is surprising because usually things like that here end up way more complicated than they should be.

The stage was set up outdoors with a pit, gap section, and grandstand seating in the back. We sat in the cheaper gap section, but it was great!

Bon Jovi rocked! For 46, he's looking pretty good!

The entrance to the concert.

The Gap standing section.

Jay and Heather.

Some big Bon Jovi fans and two guys in wigs :)

Dylan is ONE!

I didn't think the day would arrive (especially when he was first born and I was getting no sleep), but finally, my baby is ONE! It's cliche, but the time flies. All of a sudden he's up and walking, trying to communicate, and KNOWING when he's bad. He slyly looks up at me just before he yanks the cat's collar or tries to eat my laptop cord. It is hard not to laugh, because the little devil just knows.

We are so thrilled that all the grandmas and grandpas got to celebrate with Dylan in Dubai! We celebrated the American way - burgers and potato salad. And, of course a little cake. He loved it when everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to him and even clapped.

Dylan tore through his presents and was definitely more interested in the wrapping instead of what was inside.

Dinosaur cake made by Grandma Debbie

Clapping since everyone was singing to him

What's in this one??

Ready for the driving range!

Dinner Club Fiesta

The Dubai Divas graciously decided to invite the men along (and my in laws who were still in town) for the second dinner club which featured Tex-Mex. Susan whipped up some fabulous enchiladas and the rest of us provided the typical accompaniments of rice, beans, margaritas, salsa, margaritas, and queso. Did I mention the margaritas? We finished up with a margarita cake (goes great with margaritas) and flan. We decided that our Mexican food was WAY better than anything offered in Dubai. Maybe we should start a take out service??

Amber and Tracy

Carla and Michael

SUV Bliss!

FINALLY we bought a car! It was getting so hard for me not to have one of my very own. We got a Mitsubishi Nativa (only made in Mexico and the Middle East) which is the same, I think, as a Montero. It's a handy little SUV similar to my 4Runner (which I miss terribly) and it's great to have a vehicle to lug stuff around in again. I missed lugging! Kel was definitely happy to see all the baby paraphernalia leave his car!

I immediately put on my Longhorn decal, but sadly haven't seen one anywhere else. I'm remaining positive. I did stalk some people that had a state of Texas sticker on their car. Kel thought I was crazy, but it's nice to know a few fellow Texans that can commiserate on the lack of good Mexican food. Seriously, Taco Bell is sounding like heaven right about now.

Anyway, back to the car...

Dubai's traffic system basically involves a bunch of speed cameras and the black point system which I included a few posts back. There's even a website where you can enter your license plate number to see your fines. (You don't have to pay them until you re-register your car the next year.) I decided to check out the website today to see what it said, not expecting to find anything because I've only had the car about a month. I was SHOCKED to see that I had a fine of 600 dirhams! It doesn't say what it's from, but since I received no black points I guess it was for speeding.

The max speed on the highways here is 120 km/h. In my car, I have a constant dinging when I speed above 120 which DOES NOT stop until I go 120 again. Unless I want to listen to DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING, DING (you get the picture?), I rarely speed. However, there is no minimum speed and many of the highways are 2 lanes, which means you have trucks in the right lane travelling around 80 km/h and the crazies who go 180 km/h in the left lane. I'm stuck in the middle and constantly have to switch lanes. Occasionally, I have to endure the dinging so that I can pass the way overloaded truck and make it back around before the bright white Range Rover with completely blacked out, I mean, tinted windows threatens to run me off the road. I guess my stupid fine came during one of these moments. The date was April 27th...2 weeks after getting the car.

So pretty!

Hook em! I know, it needs a wash, but you try to keep it clean in a land of sand!

Grandma and Jo Anne check out Dubai

On the dunes while on the desert safari
At the Jumeirah Public Beach
Global Village in Dubai Land
Souk Madinat Jumeirah

While we were home for Christmas, my Grandma and great aunt, Jo Anne, came down from Washington to see Dylan (and maybe also me and the rest of the fam). While there, they decided to come and visit us in Dubai sometime in the next year.

They didn't wait long. I picked them up from the airport in early February (wearing jeans AND a pashmina in the cool 70 degree weather)!

In 2 weeks we covered the Arabian peninsula and even fit in some dune bashing. They picked up some great souvenirs, took a few pictures of Dubai and a LOT of pictures of Dylan.

Fuel efficiency? Must not have a 1 year old...

Planes will be now be flying slower for fuel efficiency. Great. Now my 17 hour flight with a toddler will be how long? And that's the direct flight...arrgh.