The Last Update on Mme. F

After finally meeting with the elusive Mme.F, I changed my mind about her. She is a very decent lady, old school, and was willing to cooperate with me regarding Abdulaziz. It turned out "weldi al hais!" was taking advantage of the lack of communication between the teacher and I. Unfortunately, I got the news this week, Mme. F will be leaving and another teacher will replace her!!!! That is the second teacher in two month!!! Way to go LFK!!! What a good school year start you're giving our children!!! Now I have to arrange another meeting with the new teacher "Mme. A" !!! (really considering homeschooling until he gets accepted in another school)

Movies

I'm not a big fan of M. Night Shaymalan movies. I don't go running to watch every movie he directs. I was astonished when one of my girlfriends said "M. Night Shaymalan movies are very philosophical and are not for the regular human mind." Duh! Then what? Only aliens can understand what's the message behind his movies? Or is it only the crazies? In my opinion, M. Night Shaymalan has a short attention span. He focuses on one thing and then drops everything at the end leaving everybody hanging wondering "WTH!", because this is what I feel when I watch some of his movies. On that evening we finished the homework early. We went for our evening walks/biking (which I highly recommend to all the mamas and papas to do with their kids). Then we got back home showered and changed in our jammies had a light dinner, prepared some popcorn, cuddled on our bean bags and throws in fornt of the TV and watched the Last Airbender.

Abdulaziz wants the same Tats ;p

It wasn't that bad although the story was a bit slow and I thought that some scenes were unnecessary, and yes… leaving us hanging at the end wondering if there will ever be a sequel to the movie. Honestly I haven't checked if they're working on an Airbender 2.

My kids really enjoyed the movie. Abdulaziz sat through the whole movie (it's hard for him to sit still), so did Ahmed, he was mesmerized and wanted to watch it again the next day.

Jonah Hex. A western with big guns. It was another evening, the kids in bed and I needed something to take my mind of the daily stress. I liked it. I loved the action and the killing, it suited my mood. I Loved John Malkovich! He plays really good "Love to hate " villain!

Whoever say she's ugly or they don't like her,

are just jealous of her!

and "Chalba I hate her!" ;p

Love him!

Update on Mme. F

I know I'm sounding like a broken record but it is the only thing on my mind these days. I can't think of anything else. This is an update to a previous post I posted last week about my frustrations with the school and in particular the new Homeroom Teacher, Mme. F. Last Sunday I sent her a word, with Abdulaziz, wanting an appointment with her. She didn't send me a reply, and I really thought my son hasn't shown her the note. My poor baby said that he really did but she told him "Later". "Later" What??? Then I send another note and insisting on a reply. I also warned Abdulaziz that if he forgets to give her the note and she doesn't gives me a reply he will be grounded (he is already grounded for this weekend). The first thing my baby had on his mind when he got back home was the note. "Mama I showed her the note and told her mama wants a reply and she told me 'Mish Fa'9ya'." He told me right away. I just couldn't believe my ears. So I called one of his classmate moms just to ask her about this new teacher. "She is an old woman who doesn't have patience with young kids." The mom tells me. The mom was also astonished when I told her that I sent Mme. F a note two times and she refused to reply. I am very stressed and annoyed. I don't know heads from tails from what my son is taking in class. Everything is chaotic and inconsistent from the homework and materials he brings back home. My son comes home complaining about her, calling Mme. F 'an old witch' who yells at him all the time. He hates school, and it is also reflecting on his behavior and really stressing him out. He isn't a happy kid any more. He is frustrated and angry all the time. I'm not going to let it pass. I'm calling the school this morning and place my complaint. Since the beginning I wasn't really enthusiastic about this school year and I was really hoping this year he would get a good teacher with a conscious. Yes, it is my intention to transfer him to another school next year but I'm contemplating of pulling him out and homeschooling him until the other school accepts him starting January or next year. It doesn't make a difference as long as I know my son is getting the education he is entitled to.

Sloppy Joe

I was at Sultan the other day and noticed this

Sloppy Joe sauce. Curious, of course, I picked it up

to give it a try.

1/2 Kg of minced meat, cooked until dry and then added

some chopped onions and garlic. Then I added diced carrots,

and cooked it for few minutes.

After that it chopped Celery and let it cook for a couple

minutes. I added the sauce with a quarter cup of water

and let it simmer for about 10 min.

I used square buns and they were just perfect.

I sprayed them and grilled them.

Some Lettuce, which will add an extra crunch! Then I added about a 1 1/2 Tbs of the SJ mixture.

It was really yummy. I really liked it so did Fahad. They

kids had it for lunch and asked for more for dinner.

Fahad liked the ones I make from scratch better ;p

Wisdom Of the Week

"To believe in yourself and to follow your dreams, to have goals in life and a drive to succeed, and to surround yourself with things and people that make you happy - that is success!" - Sasha Azevedo (entertainer)

Costa... Shelsalfa?

As you know the weather is incredible this week. Fahad and I decided to go for some coffee at Costa and just enjoy the cool breeze, the people and the scenery. Surprisingly it was pretty crowded for a week day. I went to place an order of Chocolate Fresco, Skimmed Latte, Haloumi sandwich and one honey combe chocolate. The waitress took the order and I waited.... and waited.... and waited... finally the guy handling the coffee machine gave me the Latte. The lady who took the order took orders from three other people, who picked up their order and left. I'm still waiting and hoping the staff might wonder why I'm still standing. They just ignored me, until I called out and asked them where was the chocolate fresco and the sandwich. The man quickly mixed the chocolate fresco and gave it to me. More people came by took their order and left and I'm still waiting for the sandwich. "Oh Boy!" I sighed, and as loud as I could I said, "Excuse me! Do I have to wait another twenty more minutes for my sandwich!" The waitress didn't like the way I asked for my sandwich. I was pissed at this point. She brought the sandwich... "Anything else?" She demanded in the most condescending tone. "Yeah... how about a fork and knife?" I was really upset by the service. I went again for a second Latte... The man behind the counter took the order of the women who came behind me while I was still waiting in line. I had to wait 10min, another young lady was waiting for her order and she was obviously upset! "How long do I have to wait for my drink!" she yelled, because lots came and went and her drink was still not ready. "Finally!" she took her drink and left... I was still waiting for mine. I'm usually not loud or rude, but they pushed me into it by their poor service and attitude. We like Costa, we like their coffee their food and the atmosphere, and we like to hang out there, but every since they changed owners the service has become very bad. I counted five staff members while I waited. One who looked to be the manager, was sitting at a near by table chatting with what looked like one of his friends. Two were struggling behind the counter. One was inside what looked like a kitchen/store room, and the last was a harried woman who was clearing the table and washing the china. If the service is going to continue to be this bad.... Starbucks isn't far enough from it and better yet there is Pain Quotidian and Casper and Gambini.

Does this look anything like chocolate?

Fahad didn't like it so I went and ordered another

Latte for him.

Haloumi was good not bad at all. Latte And we shared a chocolate bar between us.

The Cutest Thing!

Where can we find those here?

ya5ttiii 3ala il5daidat!

House of Hunks

House of Hunks is back! So if you follow True Blood S3 you'll know who this hunky wolf is ;p Alcide Hevreaux a character I fell in love with while reading Charliane Harris "Sookie Stackhouse" series. He turns into an ass at the end, still hung up on his old girl friend. Joseph Michael "Joe" Manganiello: born December 28, 1976. Is an American actor. He played Flash Thompson in the Spider-Man film series, and had recurring roles in television on How I Met Your Mother and One Tree Hill. He plays werewolf Alcide Herveaux on the HBO television series True Blood.

Amazing Ad...

We should have adds like this!

The Art of War & Business -

Sun Tzu

Fahad is asking me, "Who are you going to war with??" ;p "Not you sweetie" ;p I'm currently reading the "Art of War, plus, The Art of Small Business". I'm finding Sun Tzu's philosophy on war more interesting than the part on the Art of Small Business in the book ;p No... I'm not going to war against anyone, but it does give you a different perspective about your life and the people around you, and of course how to go about in your small business. Can I call Gelato Italiano a small business? Yes Its true, we only have 1 1/2 shop, but we've been in the market for ten years (al7amedullah w allah yezeed w yebarek) and we cater to restaurants, cafes and hotels, and we also cater to parties ;) Well the book is an eye opener and makes you think out of the box. Highly recommend it to those who are starting a business or already have a small business.

Tried and Tested... For Parents With Rowdy Kids

In the Pic, the new Star chart, color coded school schedule

Kitchen Timer, colored files for every subject.

I haven't posted much this past week. It has been pretty hectic. I'm trying to find balance between work and home. And I'm trying to have the boys find balance in their daily lives (especially now school has started). Ahmed is in Pre KG so there isn't much to worry about him and he is doing very well al7amdullah. "Ana Oktub Frinshi" as he says it, very funny. We call him Ahmed al Sadoun at home because when he is angry he puts his finger to his mouth and yells "Oskut!" Lol! As for Abdulaziz is a whole different story! First two weeks at school they did nothing, actually it was a wasted time because at the end of two weeks we got a letter that their French teacher was leaving for good and is being replaced by a different teacher. Now the new teacher has to start all over with the kids and they have to get used to her. Except their new teacher Mme. F hasn't settled down in the class because till now Abdulaziz comes everyday with something different. For a parent it is very frustrating. This week I'm going to have a meeting with her just to understand what's going on in class. Anyway Back to the main topic…. You have a disorderly boy or girl (my friend has the same complaint about her daughter.) Abdulaziz is all over the place, his things and books and home works. It took us hours to finish work, and that is if he didn't forget them. As a mother it was very frustrating and tiring. I yelled a lot, I punished and grounded. And guess what, none of this really worked. Those of you who follow my blog would know that my kids and I do a lot of projects and work together, even during the summer we studied and revised. You would also know that I'd rather let them run around than take them to an arcade. I'm not partial to video games, not that they don't have the PS3 or the Wii, but their time playing with it is limited. I love reading and I'm trying my best to instill this in them. In the evening when we read and I feel Abdulaziz is getting bored we'd chose the characters and act up the story. It is even easier for him to understand what the story is all about. Iit was and still is hard work. He is brilliant but it wasn't easy to make him take his school work seriously. I had to go to a specialist to help me, because I was out of my mind by the end of last school year. And we had all summer to practice and get organized. Let me tell you again, it isn't easy and not the end of it. It might go on until he graduates, but there is a little semblance of sanity now. Here are some Pointers for parents to follow that might help them: 1- Don't yell (yeah look who's talking). It would not achieve anything except more white hair, losing your voice, high BP and la sama7 allah heart attack and of course don't forget a nervous breakdown. 2- Consistency. It is important to have a daily schedule. Whether it is school day or vacation, my boys sleep and wake up at the same hours. They have their meals and snacks on time too. When we start a project it should be finished, not dropped because he grew bored from it. 3- Sports. It is an outlet to excess energy in every child, and channeling it in something significant is better than not directing it out and getting into troublesome pranks. Abdulaziz is taking Sqaush lessons and if he finishes his home works early he can come biking while I went for my evening walks. 4- Organization. Clean out the clutter in the child's room. Believe me there is clutter. Chose calming colors. Organizing their personal space. Every month I ask them to choose several toys they don't want anymore. 5- Color coding class & subject schedule. As you see in the picture the class schedule is colored. Blue for English, Green for French, Red for Arabic and Black for Islamic studies. Each subject has an individual file similar to the color of the subject. When he organizes his books at the end of the day he knows what he has by looking at the colors on his schedule. 6- Timing. Find a good time to start home works, what works with Abdulaziz is around 4.30 pm. Giving a time limit to finish every home work. I use a kitchen timer. For example he has Arabic, writing his lesson. I give him half hour on the timer to finish it, it will keep him focused and he will finish his lesson before the time is up. 7- Incentive. We started a star chart. Not only for his academic life but also for his behavior, if he gets less than 4 stars he won't get a reward for the weekend and will be grounded. And from 4 stars and above, he gets to chose rewards, like choosing to go to a place and bringing a friend or a gathering with a group of his friends, or choose to eat at a favorite restaurant or go to the arcade.... well what ever he wants.

I hope this will help and good luck ;)

Pure Torture

Can you resist some thing as deliciously looking as this?

This morning I was switching channels to find something interesting to watch while exercising and settled on Fashion TV to inspire me to work harder so I'd look good in all the beautiful clothes ;p Anyway… they featured a photo shoot with a tall boney model wearing skimpy lingerie in beautiful candy color and she was surrounded by jars filled with candy and cookies and stands filled with cup cakes in every flavor and color! And I thought…."God! This is pure torture for her!" But then how would she look so boney and good in her scanty outfits if she didn't go through this torture ;p As the Frenchies would say "Il faut souffrir pour etre belle"

Cookies...

Every now and then I bake some cookies for the boys to take with them to school and share with their friends. I did them in mini size. I didn't want the pre KG to be jumping uncontrollably all around the class room from the sugar and chocolate ;p It is a good opportunity for Ahmed to socialize and share with his friends. Sharing is caring…

I had just a little bit left from the batch at the end so

I decided to make two large cookies...

As you see...Papa Cookie...Mama Cookie

and their babies ;p

Well the baking bug as bit me again. So you might find yummy stuff at the store very soon ;p

New Flavor

M&M Gelato....Very Yummy!

EDO

I think I've already posted about EDO in the past. It is my favorite Japanese restaurant. I just love their food. It is so fresh and filled with flavor, and no matter how much raw fish I have there…I never get food poisoning as I did from other places. Anywho… as I took my first bite of Shrimp Tampura I felt the world turning around. "7aram 3alaik! Why did it take us so long to come back here?" I said to Fahad who was laughing at the expression on my face. Yes, it's been a while we haven't been there.

Negi Mayaki Shrimp Tampura

Chicken Teryaki

Veggie Fried Rice Osaka Rolls & Rainbow Rolls

Shrimp & Mushroom dumplings can't remember the

exact name :)

Of Course no meal is complete without ice cream ;p

Green Tea & Black Sesame ice cream...

It was a meal we really enjoyed.

Diet Update - September

I'm not following a particular diet… I went into a detox diet and I hated it. I do not recommend it to anyone who loves a hearty breakfast and lunch. It was pure torture but I lasted three days, where at the end I was hungry and out of temper. Now I'm watching what I'm eating and exercising. I've renewed my membership and going swimming every other day in the morning before breakfast. Yes…I feel a difference but I still have a long way to go ;) Inshallah, for October I'm going to follow a stricter diet…I need to burn off the fat and peel off the extra calories from my meals. My new incentive is an upcoming short trip with my friend in a couple of weeks and a beach getaway for Christmas with Fahad and the boys, and of course being light, fit and healthy ;p I'm walking 30min. Swimming every other day around 30 - 40 min Cycling three times a week 15 min Light weight twice a week for 15 min I know if I want to see more results, I have to increase my exercising time and eat less food ;p I found out that if I'm tired or stressed I eat more, which I am most of the time since Abdulaziz started school, but that is just a whole different post of its own.

Le Concert

A celebrated conductor of the Bolshoi Orchestra in Moscow loses his post during the Soviet regime when he refuses to fire his Jewish musicians. Twenty-five years later, the man is working as a custodian in the same theatre and helps his wife organize mock demonstrations of communist nostalgia. One day he intercepts an invitation for the Theatre du Chatelet in Paris and decides it is time to bluff his way to a comeback. He agrees to do the concert meant for the official orchestra and rounds up his old orchestra buddies. I loved the humor and the music...I've actually cried at end of the movie!! One of the best movies I've seen this year!