Homeward Way

Howdy folks! It only took us about a week to get back into our routine here in Dubai, so I thought I'd take this opportunity to catch everyone up while Riya is napping.

At the beginning of August we boarded our flight to Houston on Qatar Airways. Ram's company hooked us up with Business class tickets. (Riya is so spoiled, she doesn't even know it yet!) I've never flown Qatar before but it is super nice. And on our way back we were on the Dreamliner with free wifi and our own cubes. But anyway...

We were dreading the 16 hour journey to the States with our mobile child but Riya put our minds at ease almost instantly. She did not sleep much, which bothered me more than her. Rather she was happy to go back and forth between my lap and Ram's and then loved playtime on the floor. Thanks to my friend Leila for letting us borrow her yoga mat, Riya was all set up!

However, our easy-go-with-the-flow-baby went on strike the minute we were on US soil.  It took her about 4 nights to get over her jet lag but after that, she was not happy sleeping in a pack n play. I can't say I blame her. Who would be comfortable going from a mattress to a 1" mat to sleep on? So we bought her a crib with a bumper, which helped but every night we were plagued by 4-5 wakings and each time taking 30 mins-1 hour to get her to go back to sleep. I had no idea how affected she would be by the change of environment.  But I also think the fact that she was teething and potentially going through a nap transition (dropping 2 naps to 1) made it borderline nightmarish.

Sleep aside, Riya enjoyed meeting family and friends.  Our family and friends were so happy to have Riya home. Riya definitely enjoyed playing with her cousins for the first time and hanging out with all her aunts and uncles.

My mom thought it was a good idea to teach her how to climb stairs! (Thankfully, she's not trying to do that here).

The last time we were in the US I was six months pregnant, so this time around I made sure to enjoy all the beer food establishments I missed out on. I was in Tex-Mex heaven. (Thankfully I sweat out all the extra poundage in St. Maarten for my sister's wedding! More on that in a separate post). Tex-Mex coupled with weekly trips to Target and getting to see friends from all over, made coming home just the break that I needed. Sadly, we didn't get a break from the scalding sun, but having my mom around to babysit and cook made it an even trade.

Riya's just a few days shy from her First Birthday and we are throwing her a party. I cannot believe my baby is turning 1!!! 

Ramadan, take two

This year we decided to stay in town during Ramadan despite my fear that I would rack up fines left and right. Ramadan began at the end of June (we're in the home stretch now!). Every year it moves up a week or two but it always lasts 30 days. I was quite nervous going into Ramadan this year. Dubai by no means is the strictest of the cities, but they definitely take the holy month seriously and expect everyone to do the same, whether you are fasting or not.

Dealing with Ramadan during one of the hottest months of the year is not ideal. All restaurants/cafes are closed until sunset. Very few places are open (Starbucks) but offer take away only. To consume food or beverage in public (which includes your vehicle) is against the law.  So going to the Mall to escape the heat, isn't much of an escape during Ramadan. Of course children are exempt from the "no eating in public" rule, but I've been hearing some troubling stories from moms being told to feed their children in the bathrooms, not in public. Gross.

I'm proud to say that we managed to stay under the radar for the past 3 weeks. Riya and I have been getting extremely bored at home, but we packed in play dates as much as possible with the few friends that are still here over the summer.

I kind of like the quiet that seeps through the city during Ramadan. Its pretty calm during the day and the roads are empty. I'm happy we got to venture out and experience Iftar (breaking fast) and Suhoor (pre-dawn meal). Ram and I stayed up way past our bedtime for this experience (2AM) but it was fun.  Also proof that we're not that old.

One of the most famous tents was booked for the entire month, they said we would have to come at 9pm to get on the waiting list but we wouldn't be seated before midnight. Um, no, thanks! So we went to another popular place for Suhoor at the Atlantis Hotel on the Palm.

Every year many of the hotels build elaborate air-conditioned tents to seat 800-1,000 people. The tents include a la carte menus, shisha, all the fresh juice and tea you want, and live entertainment.  All the tents have a minimum spend of $30-$40/pp but their prices are marked up so high, you easily go way over.

We started the evening at Asif & Dima's place for Iftar. Asif's mom was still in town, so she cooked us an elaborate feast. I'm sad I didn't take any pictures but it was so good. Then at about 9:00pm we headed off to the hotel for Suhoor. (Suhoor doesn't start till 9:30/10pm and lasts until 2am). Already stuffed, we struggled to order food off the menu but managed to meet our minimum by ordering lots and lots of juice and tea. (Alcohol is not served). We also learned a new card game that is commonly played during this time of year. Before we knew it it was time to go home!

Most delicious Morrocan tea I've had

Hard to tell but the entire trunk was made of dates

Next week is the last week of Ramadan and then we are off to the US of A!

Red Beans and Rice

When I got pregnant last year, several people told me to buy a slow cooker.

"It will make meal planning so easy!" 
"You can just set it and forget it!" 
"Its so convenient to have when you have a baby." 

Sold!

After all the hype, I was seriously disappointed when I used the slow cooker for the first time and the dinner was burned 4 hours later.  I'm talking fully scorched. Apparently, we bought a slow cooker that is anything but.

In the past year, I've only used it a handful of times. Every time I pull it out from the cupboard, I say to myself "this time will be different." If the recipe said 8 hours on low, I checked on it after 4 hours. 4 out of 5 times, I was too late.  So this "time saving" "genius of an invention" has been a huge disappointment.

I have a love-hate relationship with this machine

But, I'm not one to give up so easily. So, I decided to give it another chance this weekend. It was the 4th of July, and what better way to celebrate that make some red beans and rice?! The grocery store finally had the good sausage, so I smartened up and bought several packs. Of course they didn't have dry red beans, so we had to substitute with dry kidney beans, but I don't know the difference :)

All the recipes I perused through generally said to slow cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 6-8. So I decided to cook it on high for 4-5 hours given that it was already 3pm when I had this bright idea. Ram dutifully did all of the chopping, so that made my job even easier.

At the 4 hour mark, I was completely prepared to find burnt red kidney beans but was pleasantly surprised to find that it was still cooking! In fact, it took another hour before the kidney beans were completely soft.  And boy was it worth the wait :)

Soaking the kidney beans before cooking time

And voila! Add some Frank's Red Hot and you're good to go:

 



  

Shrimp and Grits

Only after we moved overseas did I realize I married a true southerner. Ram loves all things from the south- fried chicken, iced tea, crawfish, cajun food, and grits. While I keep jambalaya and gumbo in rotation, I have never attempted a dish with grits. So when I came across this recipe for shrimp and grits, I decided to give it a go.

The list of ingredients seemed easy enough. But then again, I live overseas, so alterations were bound to happen. They didn't have the good sausage available, so I had to nix it (I didn't think chicken would work).  And of course they didn't have polenta, so I was stuck with instant grits (lucky me). Ram was less than enthused when I picked it up off the shelf at the grocery store...

But I wasn't discouraged from making our non-diet friendly dinner! I've been really good with my diet and I'm 5 pounds under my pre-pregnancy weight (and counting), so I silenced my inner skinny girl for the night and decided we were going to use the good stuff. You know, real butter and real cheese. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm.

Beverage of choice :) 

Final product

This recipe is embarrassingly easy and took less than 20 minutes, including prep time. I'll definitely make it again! 

Politically Incorrect

Every year I resolve to keep up with what's going on around the world. But I always look to Ram or Facebook to keep me in the loop. Very bad. Very bad, indeed.

Why the resistance? I just can't handle listening to one more robbery, murder or rape story. That's all that ever seems to make the "news." It makes me very sad and personally, I just don't want those thoughts floating around in my head. I already don't want Riya to grow up!

All the tension going on in Iraq right now makes it hard to stay in la la land. Normally, I would be able to rest a little easier by telling myself this is an unfortunate situation but it is happening a thousand miles away. But I can't really say that now, can I?

The Middle East is definitely a region that makes me cautious. It's so unstable and I get so nervous when Ram travels for work. Luckily his extended trip in Cairo is over and he's back home, safe with us.

Ramadan, the holy month for all Muslims, is fast approaching. I wonder how this will affect the state of the war.  Why can't we all just get along??? 

Dog Days of Summer

It's officially summer. This time last year I was 5 months prego with our little darling and look at our 9 month old now! She started crawling a few weeks back and a few days ago started standing on her own! Our world will never be the same.

The past few weeks have been a huge adjustment. I can no longer leave her alone. Not even for a few minutes. My days of multi-tasking (and I am the Queen of multi-tasking) are O-V-E-R. I barely accomplish half of what I used to before and now my work has doubled because I have to clean twice as often (I have a new found hatred for tiled floors). Life with a mobile child is no joke folks.

Riya is at an age now where she can enjoy outdoor playtime, but the weather is not conducive to that (are y'all sick of me complaining yet?!). So what are we going to do all summer long? She's already getting bored with her toys at home. Actually, she's SO over her toys. She wants to play with everything but her baby toys. So I'm having to get creative and come to terms with the fact that we may have to go to those indoor soft play areas (gasp). My inner germ-a-phobe is freaking out...

I've decided to implement a discovery hour a few times a week in addition to music hour to help us get through these next few months.  I hid some of her toys under tupperwear to see if that made it more attractive to her. Girl is smart and figured it out!

I'm also planning to put together a tray of household items like ribbon, spoons, tupperware, etc to keep her entertained. I hope this desensitizes her and I don't end up with a kitchen floor full of pots and pans one day. Wishful thinking, I know...

Here are a few snippets from our week. We have been flying solo while Ram is off galavanting in Cairo enjoying the Pyramids and the Red Sea and what not. Okay, okay, he's actually there for work but he's going to tour the city tomorrow.  Boo...

Had to create a barricade, so I could get ready! 

She wasn't amused for long... 

So serious. 

Soft play. She's a fan. 

Playdate Fun

My first introduction into the world of playdates was a few short months ago. I joined a neighborhood  mom group for babies under 1. They meet twice a month and whoever volunteers, gets to host the play date.

On Monday, it was our turn. Riya and I hadn't been to a playdate in over a month, so I was happy to host and catch up with the ladies. Apparently there were lots of new moms that joined during my absence and the normal 5-6 turnout was quickly turning into 11-12. My anxiety level soared.

I didn't know how everyone would fit nor had I baby proofed! I could just picture everyone tsking their way through my house. I don't want to be the topic of conversation for the next month. I would just die. In all fairness, Riya just started crawling, so I had no reason to baby proof. So the best I could do on short notice was buy a stash of outlet covers. Crisis averted.  (Though some moms took it upon themselves to eyeball every inch of my house and offered unsolicited opinions of what I MUST baby proof. I will save this for another post).

The days leading up to the playdate, I got several texts from moms saying they are new to the Dubai and don't know a soul and asked if they could join. My heart went out to them. I remember that feeling...it wasn't too long ago that I was in the same predicament.

Well, we survived! I don't know how we fit 11 babies in our play area, but we did it! Riya was a good host except towards the end. I think seeing a bunch of babies play with her toys and all up in her space for the first time was a bit overwhelming. I can't say I blame her.

Calm before the storm

The goody table :) 

The back of Riya's head, loll

Only managed to get half the crowd