I had a very annoying song stuck in my head this entire weekend. A VERY annoying song. Which then inspired me to write this post. Here's a list of things that kinda tick me off, just a little.
1. People traveling through an airport who know they will be going through 80 metal detectors and still put their life's savings (in coins) and their phone, and their lighter and their key chain in their pockets. And just to piss me off a little more, they wait until it's their turn to suddenly remember to take all this garbage out.
2. People who walk into a plane and seem so confused as to how to find their seats (probably same people as those in No. 1). Many of whom end up sitting in the wrong seat! I swear sometimes they look like they are trying to break Da Vinci's code or something. Really, its not that complicated.
3. Women that take forever in a public toilet. What takes so bloody long?!
4. People who drive slow on the left lane. I've tried to be proactive and get these people off the fast lane in the past and got into trouble... something about road rage... I had to sign a paper.... long story.
5. Any man who ties a sweater over his shoulders. Ooh la la... man up dude!
6. Complete strangers who think it's OK to plant a sloppy kiss on your baby's face.
7. People who stand in a queue at a fast food joint, and when their turn comes to order, they then decide to study the entire menu to figure out what they want.
8. People who wear shades indoors. Unless you have something wrong with your eyes, you have no excuse. It was never, nor will it ever be cool to do this.
9. Women who tell you that of course they eat chocolate like everyone else... that when they really feel like it, they will allow themselves a piece. A piece! Ah yes, you are so normal.
10. To go back to what triggered this... What is up with the lyrics of today's pop songs?! Seriously, I know I sound like a grandma but have you heard this crap? David Guetta and Akon's hit that goes "I don't know how to describe this girl without being disrespectfuuuuuuuul, damn girl, you're a sexy bitch", or this latest "hit" they keep playing on the radio that goes "take a dirty picture, take a dirty picture (over and over).... send a dirty picture, send a dirty picture". Seriously, how pathetic is that? I used to think Fergie was the only sad case, but nope! And what's worse is that for these songs to have reached the radio, they had to go through a string of really stupid decision makers - the guy who wrote it, the guy who heard it and thought that it would be a good investment, the radio station manager who thought it's worth air time... I'm really hoping things improve by the time my kid grows up, otherwise I will have to force my itunes library on him. I think I will do that anyway, I have great taste.
I can keep going, like people who smoke cigars in restaurants, guys who wear speedos, people who chat on their phones while on public transport... but I will stop. For now.
I'm feeling rather down at the moment. A very integral part of my life has gone astray today. I feel disconnected, lonely and anxious. Why? My kid chewed my blackberry to its horrid death. And I can't even say that it was fast and painless. Nope it was a lengthy and very soggy process. Poor thing. And poor me! Thing is, the incident happened while I was on an outing with Yousef, so I was left for much of the day worrying if something were to go wrong and I wouldn't be able to call anyone. I was literally worrying, what if I get a flat tire? What if I run out of gas? As you can see, I'm not a fix it yourself kinda girl. Dubai doesn't exactly have pay phones on every corner, maybe it does, I wouldn't know. On top of that I suddenly felt like I had something very important to say to about 5 people. And I suddenly felt the need to follow up on a few admin type of things. It was just awful. I tried to get angry at the little one, but the look of happiness and satisfaction he had when I just surrendered the dead phone to him made it all worth it.
SATC is still the best TV show to date. It's hilarious, super clever, it broke boundaries and then there's the fashion. Any guy who says he doesn't like it is either lying (including my husband who always pretends he isn't watching but then sprains his neck sneaking a peak), or is an idiot (after all, it is the holy grail of figuring out what women think and want).
The 1st movie was so much fun (I still cry and laugh at the same parts) so I cannot wait for this. How cool is it that they come to Abu Dhabi (Dubai's bigger sister)! I just hope they don't go too over board with the whole Arabian Nights thing... 47 days to go!
I'm a total genius. Really. This week my son has learnt how to crawl (well sort of, it's what a friend of mine calls 'the wounded soldier'). The problem with this is that he is still very clumsy, so after a few 'steps' he collapses in some way or another. This is not good when the floors of the house aren't carpeted! He also loves to wonder into the areas that I try to barricade off, the little stubborn gremlin that he is. It's been quite exhausting having to follow him around making sure he doesn't injure himself. Also, I like the look of our home. It's still far from complete but I think it's got style if I do say so myself. The idea of child-proofing it bothers me. I don't mind filling in the electric sockets or putting dangerous products out of his reach, but I refuse to put padding on the table corners or any of that stuff. I have a better idea. Instead of baby proofing the house, why not baby proof.. the baby? Ahhhh... how you ask? Very simple. A mini helmet with a chin guard. That's it. I initially thought of creating an outfit out of bubble wrap, but I thought this will hinder his motor skill development, plus my husband would want to 'pop him' all day. Then I thought of a helmet made out of diapers, but that might offend the little guy. Seriously, a mini helmet like those hockey ones with a padded strap along the chin. Why hasn't anyone thought of this before? (if they have, can you please let me know where I can buy one of each color?) That way, I can set him free to explore while I go about my business. Of course I wont leave him unattended (in case my mother reads this), but I don't have to follow him around either. See this is not just for selfish reasons. The boy wants to feel independence. He is finally mobile only to find his mother hovering over him the whole time. This is the same reason we leave home to go to college! Pure genius.
I think I attended a ninja training class yesterday. That's what it felt like anyway.
I'm not exactly an athletic person. I do go through phases of going to the gym for a few weeks at a time, but I haven't had one of these phases since I got pregnant, so let's see... that's 9 months + 7 months... you get the point. I recently started going to a Pilates Reformer class because my back has been aching from carrying Yousef around, and well... I see what women who practice Pilates look like and I wanna look like them. So I started about two weeks ago and I'm totally loving it. I decided to try another class since I'm in the groove, so I went to a Yogalites class yesterday. This is a mix of Yoga and Pilates. I'm not a big fan of the whole meditation, imagining rainbows in the sky stuff (I never understood how to 'not think of anything' or 'keep my mind blank', how is that possible for any woman to do?!) So I never really gave Yoga a chance and I was a little skeptical going into this class. But I was pleased that there was very little of that, and a lot more sweating. A LOT OF SWEATING. It was probably one of the hardest workouts I've done and the way I am sore today proves it. At one point in the session, I started laughing at what was expected of us. At another point, I was literally trying to find a way to sneak out unnoticed. I was that girl who kept losing her balance or having to take a break. And what made matters worse was that there was a 37 week pregnant woman who was doing everything! She's my hero.
When it was finally over, 90 minutes later, I left not knowing what hit me. On my way out I signed up for class number 2.
BTW, both the Pilates Reformer and the Yogalites classes are at the lovely Zen Yoga in Dubai. http://www.yoga.ae
My birthday isn't anytime soon, but when that dreaded time of the year does come by, I would LOVE a cake like this! But there would need to be another normal looking chocolate cake on the side (see how helpful I am, I even give you the flavor), because I wont want to ruin this one. It's too cute to eat! It made me smile so I thought I would share.
Like any new mother, I really wish Yousef came with a detailed manual including a 'troubleshooting' section. Instead, I bought 50 different parenting books, subscribed to every possible baby related website and I often hound all the mothers I know with text messages asking random questions. When Yousef got a fever a few days back, I made use of my resources. But I got even more confused. The mothers said it was completely normal for a baby to get a fever while teething. The books said that fevers are never related to teething. Lovely.
After two days of a relatively high fever and a rash that was spreading across his body, it was time to see the Doctor. It turned out to be a viral infection called Roseola which is quite common and lasts a few days. Phew! I guess this time, the books were right (Doctor said the same thing), not to say that I don't value the advice and tips from the moms out there. Which is why I'm writing this, to let the other moms out there know that a fever (over 38) has nothing to do with teething, so if this happens to your baby, please take him to see a doctor.
According to the Doc, for the first couple of years, babies get on average 6-8 infections, each lasting usually about 2-3 weeks, so I'm now mentally preparing myself.
I have 2 kids and I think motherhood is cool. This is where I get to share things that put a smile on my face, and that hopefully other moms will appreciate.
