BOXING DAY // HOW MANY SELFIES CAN ONE TAKE, YOU ASK?

You know how Boxing Day is a thing back home?  It's totally not a thing here.  It seems as though stores have been closed for DAYS and some might be closed for many days more.  Which is awesome for shop owners - you know, with extended holidays and all.  But when you're an avid shopper visiting from the Middle East (#weshoptheshop).....who is freezing cold and wants nothing more than to browse/warm-up in your cozy-looking boutique....it's not so fantastic.

Luckily, we're teachers and that equates to being MOSTLY flexible :)  Em and I made the most of our Boxing Day Shopping FAIL.  We were kid-less and men-less and we weren't going to let closed doors ruin our afternoon out.  Nor are we going to let a Team Canada LOSS ruin our Canadian spirit!

Here are some pictures from GAME DAY:

^^^  We opted for drinks and appetizers at Hard Rock when we discovered that nothing else was open.  No Team Canada spottings this time around, but we did have many TEAM CANADA FAN spottings!!!!  It was so exciting to see Canadians out and about in their Canadian Gear.  But not as exciting as it was when it started to snow.  I HAVE NOT SEEN SNOW IN YEARS!!!!!!  I'm sure Em was embarrassed to be beside me because I was jumping up and down and acting truly ridiculous.  I even removed my precious mittens and stopped in the middle of a chilly hill to Facetime my Dad and tell him the great news!

^^^  With our game tickets, we actually get to watch both games scheduled for the evening.  The girls needed some down time and a nap, however, so Em and I sent the boys out and took care of nap time and Canada nails before getting everyone dressed up for the Canada versus USA game.  

^^^  We made two signs for the game - one just for our American friend, Steve, and the other to use post-penalty (it's a Justin Bieber reference).  We didn't make it on TSN this time, but we were quite popular in our section of the rink.  People wanted pictures with our signs and pictures of Steve holding his.  Also, we ran into the TSN camera man who put us on tv two years ago in Malmo AND he remembered us!!!!!!  ALSO, a Canadian couple also in Malmo recognized us too and commented on how much Nory has grown since they saw her in Sweden.  It was SO COOL :)

 ^^^ The girls were fantastic during the game.  Jet chilled on Phil's lap and chewed on her socks for a couple of hours.  She loved looking around - watching the fans and listening to the sounds of the game.  Nory had her own seat (which we paid for, obviously), but she spent most of her time on my lap (which was awesome, obviously).  She got right into TEAM CANADA SPIRIT and we only had ONE potential CRISIS SITUATION, which was quickly averted.  It involved finding LINT on her BLACK PANTS and I'd like to take a minute here to THANK NORY for teaching me to be patient beyond what I ever thought was possible.  HA.  Nory also spent lots of time looking for "FINKEY" the mascot, who we were lucky enough to get into a picture with. 

I took a couple of videos of the girls at the game.  I'm trying to capture more videos of each of them, so here's to me making a conscious effort to do so.

JETTIE AT THE GAME:

NORY AT THE GAME:

I think their personalities come out in full force in these videos.  If you didn't know them before, you know them now ;)  

It's unfortunate that the boys lost, but we're saving the VICTORY AGAINST TEAM USA for the playoffs :)  The girls were left un-phased by the loss and partied until midnight (Juliet) and 1:30 a.m. (Nory).  We're choosing to go with the flow this trip and aren't too bothered by the late night.  That's what coffee is for :)  And lazy day snuggles the following day :)

Getting pumped up for another game tonight.  

GO CANADA GO!!!!!!!

OUR DAY THREE MISSION: TO FIND FISHIES!!!!!!!!!!!!

So to the aquarium we went - to find FISHIES and hide out from the WIND that made the day so darn chilly (#desertfamily).  I would say that we are THE WORST Canadian family around, but I think our low tolerance for cold weather is offset by our entire Christmas vacation being dictated by the World Junior Hockey Tournament.....for a second time...with children.

 
^^^  Here's Nory and I freezing at the tram stop.  With Nory being up since 5:30 that morning and also having a runny nose for what feels like FOREVER, things were starting to take a serious turn for the worst.  Thankfully, tram stops and convenience stores go hand-in-hand.  A lollipop was secured and the day was saved!  Juliet was just as happy as a clam to come along for the journey :)

 ^^^  The aquarium was small, but it was incredibly impressive for the girls.  Nory was so full of glee, that she was all over the place and returned to the same tanks multiple times.  She especially liked the little peep hole that she ventured into with Uncle Steve.  It was hard for Juliet to get out and crawl around because the floors were rough, but she ergoed along and seemed to enjoy it :)

 ^^^   With it being way too cold to continue, we sent Uncle Steve and Auntie Gem on a grocery store mission and we returned home to relax and warm-up.  Both girls napped on the walk back to the flat (WIN!), and then we were able to facetime Nana and Grampy before tackling dinner.

^^^  Em, Jettie and I played chef last night and we rocked out to the Biebs as we cooked.  In other food-related news, Jettie LOVES to eat and she LOVES to sit in a high chair.  It's weird and foreign and I am still in disbelief at how TRULY RELAXING mealtime is with her.  And then there's the NORNADO. 

^^^  Nory would GO CRAZY if she knew what Juliet was up to in these pictures.  But whenever Nory is otherwise occupied, we make sure Jettie gets to play with Nory's big girl toys.  ALSO, we solved the no-bathtub dilemma.  The trick was getting Juliet into the shower first and then Nory followed suit.  Nory couldn't stop laughing at the runaway SLIPPERY SOAP!

^^^  A quick cookie-decorating party before bedtime.  We have dreams of gingerbread houses too and hope to achieve them on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

HELSINKI DAY TWO! :)

With Santa Claus checked off the list, our goal for Day Two was to find dinosaur bones (#familytravel).  Nory has been interested in dinosaurs since the summer and so the phrase "dinosaur bones" got her moving at times when she would rather say NO.  Here are some pictures of the day's adventures:  

^^^  Our first stop was the Chapel of Silence in the downtown core.  Anyone can go in if they need to escape from the chaos of life and just take a minute to themselves.  Well, after some serious hesitation at the front entrance, the lady working there finally said, "BRING IN THE CHILDREN!  It's FINE!"  And so with fingers crossed we went inside and....GUESS WHAT?!  Nory didn't say a PEEP!!!  That being said, the minute we walked out of the chapel she exclaimed, "THAT WAS NOT DINOSAUR BONES!!!!"

^^^  The Museum of Natural History must have known we were coming because they put the dinosaur bones RIGHT SMACK by the entrance!  Nory was thrilled to be able to touch some of the bones (three cheers for interactive exhibits!) and she was just as thrilled to see bones of ALL SORTS.  I strongly dislike MOST museums, but Nory has PERHAPS changed my viewpoint on them...

^^^  The excitement continued once we stumbled upon the wooly mammoths!  I love Nory's excitement and all of her jumping up and down :)  Jettie was happy to clean the museum floors with her fleecy peach pants ;)

^^^  The museum appealed to Juliet too, with all of the ground exhibits :)  In the bottom left picture, Nory is trying to trap creatures using the round pool noodle.  Juliet survived all of the extreme swatting like a pro!  In the bottom right picture, both girls are crawling through a "snow tunnel".

^^^  A picture of the sunset on our walk home...at 3 p.m. :)  It's SO STRANGE having only 6 hours of daylight, but it means we can always catch both the sunrise and sunset :)

^^^  Nory playing peek-a-boo with Jet before bed.  In matching jammies, of course :)

Spring Break (!)

Let's talk about this title.  More specifically, let's talk about that exclamation point that's caged up in brackets.  Because it's a blog first, people!  For the girl who OVER-uses the exclamation point to confine one of those happy line-with-a-dot's in the very title of her long overdue blog post, it's never before seen.  And the reasoning is this:  this is Spring Break (the End of Maternity Leave Edition) as opposed to Spring Break (the End of A VERY LONG Third Quarter Edition).  The difference is HUGE.

Normally, this week would be the best week ever (if you're a teacher, you know!), but I feel like I'm going through some serious mourning period and the whole pizazz of the holiday isn't quite there (if you're a mom, you might know!).  In fact, I've been so upset about returning to work that I haven't really wanted to come around here and talk about what we've been up to.  I felt like sharing our family adventures was akin to tossing a big fat lie into the virtual world, with the underlying theme being heartbreak.

Sigh.

I mean, WE HAVE HAD a glorious time thus far.  WE HAVE.  But, I've had some not-so-glorious moments on my own and it's been difficult trying to keep it together in front of the girls each day.  If only brackets worked on tears.  (TEARS).  Yep, definitely don't have the effect I was hoping for. 

There have been people that have been able to snap me out of it (briefly).  Like Nory and Jet, who have taken the playful approach.  Or Phil, who has taken the MOST SUPPORTIVE HUSBAND EVER approach.  Or Kumari, who has taken the CLEAR AS DAY approach by telling me "no work, no money, Madam".  Gotcha.  When the lady who left her child in ANOTHER country to earn a better living for him has to give advice to the lady who leaves her children for merely ten hours a day........the point is made rather effortlessly.

I start Sunday.

Moving on......

I am writing to you tonight because Courtney and Phil are watching some lame movie that had a typewriter in its opening scene and - according to my long list of movie-viewing rules - I don't view movies that feature typewriters.  So, rather than pretend to enjoy "The Imitation Game" (Oscar movie, ya, ya, whatever), I decided The Pearl Curriculum would be a better time investment ;)

Back to Spring Break (!).  Since I've been on unpaid leave for the last two months, we decided to save our money and have a Kuwaiti stay-cation.  We've taken it upon ourselves to do all things BEACH and discovered on Monday that we could get a week-long pass at the Hilton Resort for a great price!  It's only five minutes away from our house and we've been going to and from ever since.  Nory's especially in heaven and - because we get to come home for naps and sleep in our own bed at night - we've been in heaven too!

Time to end this post with the greatest exclamation points of all, Juliet and Eleanor!  (ELEANOR).  Hmmm.....can't cage that one in either.  But it was worth a try ;)

Her first swim!!!!!

A recently-discovered, jumping-picture PRO!

HAPPY DECEMBER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday my Dad sent me the best message ever - a message reminding me that it was the last day of November and that TODAY marks the start of my FAVOURITE MONTH!  Isn't that the best reminder message of all?  (Thank you Dad! xo)

Here's why I place December on such a pedestal amongst les autres mois:

1)  For some reason, the celebration of Christmas is just starting to become socially acceptable with everyone else.  I don't actually care that I look like a complete wacko during mid-November, but it's so great for the rest of you to join in the fun :)

2)  GOODBYE MOVEMBER!  I'm all about supporting a good cause, but Mr. Parkinstache (as he INSISTED THE STUDENTS CALL HIM) was getting a little much and I'm happy to see a clean shaven face once again.  Our mistletoe can finally go to good use ;)

See ya next year, STACHE!

3)  It's the month of my birthday, my sister's birthday, my niece's birthday, my brother's birthday, some friends' birthdays, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve.................(so much awesome packed into 31 days!!!!)

4)  Traditions return (in heaps)!  Holiday baking, tree decorating, Christmas readings (THE POLAR EXPRESS!!!!), family gatherings, Christmas cards, advent calendars....

5)  Family pictures.  If you're a social media junkie, you would agree that the spirit of FAMILY is captured so beautifully over the next few weeks.  And it's not because people took photography lessons in November.  Or upgraded their camera equipment.  Or that professionals were hired for the job.  It's just the genuine HAPPINESS that comes with building a snowman, watching a Christmas movie or having a hot chocolate in a messy, messy living room that make these sorts of pictures THE BEST.  

6)  People seem kinder.  Don't they?  More likely to let things go, more likely to help out, more likely to show thoughtfulness and consideration.  Door holders are out in full swing.  Smiles are reciprocated.  There's a general sense of JOY that radiates throughout the population and I soak every cheesy moment of it RIGHT UP. 

7)  For this year only, I can say that THIS MONTH may be THE MONTH we welcome our little Goose.  (Although we'd like you to hold off a few more weeks, Honey). 

If you need a little help getting into the holiday spirit yourself (and my 7 supporting statements haven't already pushed you over the edge!), this WestJet commercial is SURE to do the trick!  I can't believe I've never flown with WestJet before.  It's as if we should do it this summer sometime, just because!!!

HAPPY DECEMBER TO ALL OF YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Canadian Thanksgiving. Ah-hem, The Real One ;)

Three cheers for having a sister in Kuwait!  HIP, HIP!!!!!!!

Last weekend, Dana, Phil, Nory and I hosted Canadian Thanksgiving.  Wait - perhaps I should rephrase that.  It was mostly Phil, Nory and I providing a venue for the event and Dana working her tush off in the kitchen - making not one, BUT TWO turkeys, homemade cranberry sauce, and two kinds of stuffing.  I suppose I threw in a few "YOU GO GIRL's, along with some festive decorations.  And I suppose Phil kept Nory occupied and out of the chef's way.  But other than that, it was 100% D. HOIT!  GOOD WORK, DANA!  I can't wait for us to host Christmas together too!  Haha. 

Our Thankful Turkey!  You know you're at a teacher's house when........

Our guests also contributed many DELICIOUS dishes.  From appetizers to mains to desserts......there was quite the spread of food at our place :)  We had leftovers for days and I didn't mind eating the exact same thing every single meal either.  It was simply THAT YUMMY!  

This was only ONE of the tables!  Thank you to Emily for making the sign :) xo

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate this holiday with us.  We are lucky to have found such wonderful family abroad. XOXO.

WAIT. STOP. PAUSE.  

I can't end this post just yet.  I completely forgot to mention.....

Kumari Poppins.  Another GIRL WHO GOES!  Thanksgiving is SO MUCH EASIER to host when the house is spic and span 30 minutes after the final guest departs.......

We love you, K POP!!!!!!  Thank you for making life easy-peezy every chance you get :)

We hope everyone back home had a family, fun and food-filled Thanksgiving, too!  We miss you!

P.S. Do these come in LADIES sizes?

Tonight I had a mini panic attack that Nory would have nothing to wear on Valentine's Day.  I was about to talk to Phil about this issue - and about a last minute trip to the store - when I decided to settle down, act a little more rational and check her wardrobe first.  I put Nory in her crib to play and started pulling out shirts that would be appropriate for this heart-filled holiday.  I stumbled upon the following collection: 

It's safe to say that Valentine's Day is COVERED. 

Onto St. Patrick's Day.  I really don't think she has anything that is green.........

The Holiday Begins!

And we're getting picked up in 50 minutes by our new Omani friend, Haitham!  Yesterday afternoon he invited us to celebrate Eid with his family of five brothers and three sisters!  We are so honoured and EXCITED! 

Wishing all of our friends around the world a happy and safe Eid holiday!

XOXO

The "REAL" Thanksgiving!

Some photos, as promised:

Emily's STELLAR sign!!!!  (Made at the sacrifice of her apartment floor!)

Another Emily creation!  She made many pumpkins of different sizes.  Oh - and check out our napkins!  Imagine - we found autumn napkins at the grocery store!

ADORBS.  Cutest turkey ever!  Alex was the lucky one who took this sweet thing home!

Find your cup!  (A big shout-out to Kate and Matt for giving us the idea!!!!)

Leaves from THE THANKFUL TREE!  We were a THANKFUL bunch!!!!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came to celebrate Thanksgiving with us!  Your delicious food and excellent company made the afternoon a memorable one!

JUST LIKE MAGIC!

Who knew that a 3 hour nap could be so...........TRANSFORMATIVE!

I haven't been sleeping well lately.  I can narrow it down to a few reasons:

1)  Baby P seems to have the "go, go, go" personality of her Daddy.  Or maybe she's just practicing his cool-cat dance moves.  Either way, she's a MOVER!  Whenever I think what the two of us needs is sleep, she thinks otherwise!  KICK, KICK!

2)  Due to my seemingly on-going state of dehydration, I've been drinking water non-stop.  Alas, the only thing it seems to effectively do is keep me running to the washroom all night long!  Like.....hourly.

3)  I'm ACHY!  My back and legs throb like you wouldn't believe.  It's like I've been working with a personal trainer for hours on end.  (And a really SWEET one at that!)

Anyways, the important thing is that this afternoon, I crashed BIG TIME for THREE HOURS!!!!  Phil left the house for ball and the minute he was out the door, I was eyes-closed and comatose!  HOORAY!

Here's the best part:

Immediately after my delightful Z session, I was able to accomplish the following:

*  1 hour on the treadmill
*  the dishes
*  muffin-making
*  a shower - WITH FULL PRESSURE....for the first time in DAYS!
*  a toasted-tomato sandwich

As a stereotypical non-napper, I'm hoping I can convert myself and reap the benefits of these blissful affairs.  WOWZERS they're GOOD!

Yesterday's Thanksgiving event was a success!  I will share some pictures with you another time.

XOXO

Our Turn to EAT UP & GIVE THANKS!

Today Emily, Phil and I are hosting a Canadian Thanksgiving.  Yes, we realize we're a little late.  Or maybe A LOT late.  But HEY - what's Thanksgiving Day without a turkey?!  Ours is coming SPECIALLY from out-of-country, thanks to an EVEN MORE SPECIAL Mr. Alan!

Pictures of the FEAST & FUN to follow!

MR. THOUGHTFUL!

Today one of my students brought me a "surprise" at first recess.  What, you wonder?! A TURKEY SANDWICH, "for Thanksgiving, MISS!"

For THIS little gem, I am SO, SO thankful!

Is it Thursday yet?  I'm EXHAUSTED!  I wonder what Phil will think if I'm in bed - asleep - before he gets home from basketball practice...... 

HEY CANADIAN'S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So - while all of you were enjoying a yummy feast with friends and family, Phil and I were "professionally developing" ourselves at work! Mind you, a "yummy feast" was in fact provided to our staff: box after box of Krisy Kreme donuts, box after box of Dominoes pizza, bag after bag of cheesy nachos, and one massive "Happy Teacher's Day!" cake. Phil indulged in the big spread, but I didn't stick around and went back to my room to do some work and eat some plain shredded wheat with fresh blueberries (WOO HOOO! Haha).

The dietician called last evening. She received my food diary and said that my calorie input is great (about 1600 per day) and that my diet is low in fat, sugar, and sodium. However, she DID mention that I wasn't eating enough carbs. To which I replied, "BUT YOU TOLD ME NOT TO!!!!!" Haha, anyways - I have been asked to 'up' my percentage of carbs from 23% to 40%. A diet plan should arrive in my inbox sometime today, inshallah!

In related news, Baby P was non-stop kicking yesterday. Either she LOVES school like MOI - expressing her excitement for each and every P.D. session OR she HATES school like Phil - saying "GET ME OUTTA HERE!!!" with every kick! Her discontent did, however, continue throughout the evening. So perhaps she was letting us know how disappointed she was that we were HERE (in Kuwait) instead of THERE (in Canada!) with all of you. (We were also bummed).

Well, school is calling! I must get dressed for work! Hope you had a FUN-FILLED family weekend back home! Enjoy all of those delicious leftovers in the upcoming week!

 Love, Linds (and PHILLIP....and BABY P!!!)