Pixie Perched on Popcorn

But at least she got off of the counter…

And here is our cowboy. Not just any cowboy mind you, but a Scottish cowboy. One of the things about raising American kids outside of America is that they really do not get all the cultural influences they might if we lived in the US. We aren’t ‘western’ and don’t wear western gear, so they have a good excuse to not be familiar with it, but we do our best to educate them anyway. Well, his school had a western day for spirit week. He had the hat – which is more Indiana Jones than Cowboy, but it works – but he wasn’t sure about a shirt. I pulled this grey plaid shirt out of his closet and he was incredulous… “Mom! Cowboys don’t wear plaid! Scotsmen wear plaid!” I had to go get my tablet and google western wear. He was also unsure about the button down shirt and didn’t want to look like an accountant. It was easier to convince him about the style than the pattern though. He eventually agreed to be a Scottish cowboy, because our country was settled by many Scots, although he was probably only fully convinced when he saw other kids wearing plaid… there was some comment about there being a lot of ‘Scottish cowboys’…

Anyway, I thought he looked quite handsome, no matter what sort of western wear wearing accountant Scots-cowboy he thought he was:

(I even brought him a buffalo… but he said that he didn’t need any props!)

Let’s see…

Pumpkin’s favorite time of day is around noon when Brad comes home for lunch. Pumpkin reeeeeeeallllly missed Brad during the day! I know when to expect Brad walking in because Pumpkin will hear him coming up the walk and will run to the door! He’ll holler for attention and lead him into the kitchen. 

He needs a ton of love before Brad is allowed to have lunch!

And here are a few bit of random wood carvings that my dad made as I told my friend Kim that I’d share with her when I found some. I’m not sure where my carved owl is, and most of the stuff that my dad gave us is put in storage, but I am happy that I have some of the pieces my father made with us. He was always crafting something in his woodshop!

He did some plaques, and also a number of 3D sculptures. This parrot is part of a set and it goes nicely with one of our papyrus pieces and our carved bench (from Egypt):

I also have this flower and horse carving:

One of these days we’ll get back together with our storage stuff again!

Who needs GPS?

How to find a new place in Kuwait:

First, I looked at a contradictory map on a clinic brochure and attempted to compare it to Google Earth online maps. The search function just laughed at me, so I matched up several significant points of reference and convinced myself that I was in the right part of the city. I drew up my own new map. I had NO idea which of several roads were the exact road that I was looking for, because they weren’t labeled on the brochure or Google maps, but I knew it was somewhere in a defined area with mostly known borders.

Got in the car.

Went north on highway 30, which is also Istiqlal street, which is also Fahaheel road... or Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman al-Saud Expressway... depending on where you are and which way you're going and which map you are looking at.

I went past 4th ring road, which is also Salem al-Mubarek road, depending on where you are, and probably what sign you are near, or what map you may be looking at.

The next right takes you to an off ramp, go left for Cairo Street. Right is Baghdad street, except it's not marked as such on the roads, or on my brochure, or called that. At least not that I saw. But it does have two names, online…

Looking for the first major intersection... which has NO street name signs. There’s a park on one side, and some big signs for some ministry on the other. Long sentences. In Arabic. Good luck with that at normal traffic speeds while negotiating the 3 lane circle. I drove straight through…

I turned at the next major intersection, because what the hey! Why not?!? Seeing actual street signs with accurate names to verify my location is apparently NOT the way to do things here. GPS use is for wusses. If it looks good, then turn! Engage psychic GPS. It may or may not have been the 'Amman' Street on the clinic's brochure, and I think it was Harun al-Rahid st… even though I saw no signs with that name… BUT…  so what? It looked like a very promising street. Those other names on the street signs that were clearly NOT Amman or Harun??  I think that they were just trying to confuse me.

One of the next landmarks on the map was some petrol station. Nope. No petrol station. I saw all sorts of little shops and things, but no petrol. Toward the end of the road, was a tall orange building with a pharmacy attached. It looked friendly enough. I made a bet that there might be other nice medical buildings around and took a random turn at that happy orange building… I drove a little ways down the lane and saw another named building that was given as landmark. So, I stopped on the side of the road to look around. I looked up at the building that I was parked next to… and it was my building. Ta-daa!

Later, looking back on Google maps, I see where the petrol station mentioned may be, and how there might be a faster way than going around the block, but I can’t recall having seen it as I drove past…. I’ll try again some other trip.

This is pretty much how I get around here.

When we arrived, our truck was delivered with a dead battery. It was old and needed replacement. The garages nearby did not have what our truck needed. Everybody told us to go to Mishref. Ok, we were very new, but we did know that Mishref is not a shopping center. It’s an area of the city! It’s not huge, and I’m not sure what the boundaries are, but it has got to be an area several square kilometers with shops, schools, neighborhoods, etc. Nobody could tell us road names, but this one guy gave us the helpful directions of waving his hand ‘that way’. So, we got in the car and drove ‘that way’ toward Mishref… and wandered right over to a garage in Mishref that had the type of battery we needed. Ta-daaa!

We found plants the same way. We’d gone shopping with some friends at one point and they said that garden supplies were basically ‘over there’. We got further directions from other folk, who told us ‘Shuwaikh’, which, like Mishref, is an area of the city, not a specific place. Yet, one afternoon after school, Brian needed a pot for science, so we got in the car and drove to Shuwaikh and went ‘over there’. And that’s where the plants were. And a pot.

I’m finding my way around pretty well these days. Just do NOT ask me for directions and expect a straight answer….

One of the challenges

I’ll be one of the first to admit that English is one of the most messed up languages in the world – which is probably why it is so prevalent. Despite the difficulties, it is so flexible that anyone can use it. Close enough is usually good enough! However, it can make it tricky when you are actually looking for something.

I needed corn starch, and looked all over my favorite grocery store for it. It wasn’t with the flour or sugar. It wasn’t with the cakes or other mixes. It wasn’t in the spice aisle. I finally found it on a lower shelf, near the food colorings and flavorings (which were close to the cereals and jams and such, not the baking goods). I almost didn’t see it because it was so close to the floor, the photo didn’t grab my eye (dessert, which is applicable but had nothing to do with the corn, which I was mentally focusing on) and the spelling nearly threw me. Next to this, I saw several other brands… including one with a font that looked as if it were dripping with white blood. I chose this brand because it ‘won’ – it caught my eye. 

One point for Flavor Mills and their Strach, and one point for me for finding yet another kitchen need. Next on the scavenger hunt list: Cream of tartar! Apparently it exists here, but not where I’ve looked.

Also – check out this website on herbs. This is an awesome website!! I went to a garden shop to get some mint (na’na’ in Arabic) to grow in my garden, and the shopkeeper offered other herbs too. I could recognize the look and smell of oregano – my nose was all stuffed up, but it is strong. They called it za’tar, which I know is a common name for oregano, even though za’tar is actually a mix of herbs and spices. They also offered another plant that looked, to me, like sage, but I couldn’t smell it at the time. They called it Marimiyah. I got some even though I wasn’t sure what it was, because… well, why not? I like herbs! I looked it up on this website – which you can search in English and many other languages – and yes, it was indeed sage.

Nabil Foods and other goods

I feel like it’s time for a random expat public service announcement about food, because, well, I like food and happen to be thinking about it.

I’ve mentioned it before, but it is just so darned important that I’m going to repeat it. Crème Fraiche Epaisse – for the non-French speaking types (like me), is sour cream, or maybe a thick sour cream. Whatever. It’s sour cream. If you do not like sour cream, or live in the US where there are whole dairy aisles devoted to this essential delight, then this is meaningless to you, but for those who love/need it, this is vital information!

Kiri – a local variety of cream cheese. It’s pretty good, albeit a bit softer than brands I am used to. Good info to have – you’d believe me if you were to compare the prices of the import stuff to the kiri brand! Kids love it too.

Himbeer – German for raspberry, when strawberry preserves will just not do.

Smart chips and Salsa – we do not eat a lot of chips as snack food, we’re popcorn people, but sometimes we have a craving for them. We’ve tried some of the Smart brand tortilla type chips – no plain ones, like Tostitos, but flavored, nacho cheese or salsa, like Doritos. They are light, crisp, and have no additives or preservatives. The salsa we tried had a very good flavor as well. This is a new find for us, so we’re still forming an opinion, but so far we like it.

One of my favorite local brands – Nabil Food Products . As much as I prefer to cook from scratch, sometimes it is very handy to have ‘ready to go’ foods in the freezer. BUT, there is no reason why these convenience foods have to be full of junk. Here are a few of the Nabil products that we’ve tried.

beef meatballs – beef meat, onion salt, black pepper

Yep, that’s it. No filler, no unpronounceable chemical things. They do not have much spice… salt, pepper, onion…  but I make a simple tomato or bbq sauce and the kids LOVE them.

chicken fillet – chicken fillet, wheat flour, breadcrumbs, corn starch, corn oil, salt

They have other chicken products, like nuggets (which look like processed/pressed nuggets like you’d find at McD’s or anywhere…), but the fillet (and the spicy fillet) is our favorite. It is simply a nice chunk of very good chicken breast meat, lightly breaded. We heat it in the oven. It does not taste or feel greasy, and the meat is moist and tender.

cheese sambousik – halloumi cheese from fresh milk, food starter culture, wheat flour, salt

I admit, I had to look up the food starter culture, but it seems that is what turns the milk to cheese.

beef sambousik – minced beef, onion, wheat flour, black pepper, sugar, salt and water.

Both variety of sambousik require deep frying, which I despise in general, but we decided to try these appetizers… food wrapped in bread is always a big hit. Fried food can be tasty, and a recent article on the CNN website debunked the “Fried foods are always fatty” myth (with an explanation of how frying works, and that proper frying techniques aren’t as bad we think. A very interesting article, btw…), but I hate the smell and mess of hot oil. It keeps our consumption of home fried foods to a bare minimum – I might fry once every 2-3 months. The verdict, both were good. Cheese was the best, especially a big hit with the kids.

We have also tried their chicken tandoori, which are boneless, skinless pieces (pieces, not processed and pressed chunks) of chicken, marinated in tandoori spices, prepared by baking. Oddly enough, the kids thought it was spicy, while Brad and I thought it was terribly bland. It’s worth recommending for the quality meat – it was tender and juicy and it baked well according to the instructions. You’d just have to discover if the spices were to your liking or not. 

Basically, the chicken fillets and meatballs have become permanent residents of my freezer – great to have on hand when I need something fast. They are consistently yummy, and do not give me that ‘omigawd, I am feeding my kids junk!’ guilty feeling. The other stuff, is not quite our type of food, but the quality is good enough to tempt me to try a few other Nabil meats.

I found this Expo advert:

“Since 1945, we at Al Nabil Co. for Food Products are specialized in manufacturing a wide range of chilled cold cuts and frozen food including (beef, lamb, chicken, fish, vegetarian and pastry) for the catering and retail market sector. Recently we started to produce different kind of western desserts such as muffin, English cake & ready meals (Heat & Eat). All our products are Halal and manufactured in accordance to the international standards and specifications, Al Nabil Company has acquired different of international certificates for its products such as quality management system (ISO 9001: 2000), food safety system (ISO 22000:2005), European Food Safety Inspection Service (EFSIS) and Jordan quality mark (JQM).

Stuff we’ve learned so far:

Crème Fraiche Epaisse – for the non-French speaking types (like me), is sour cream. A must have for burritos and other tex-mex. We were able to find ‘tortelas’ (tortillas) easily, yay!, but we had to scour the never-ending dairy aisles – products labeled in all sorts of languages - looking for sour cream, and eventually found a tiny container labeled in French. The ingredients implied it was fermented, so we gave it a try… good find!

The twirly thing on the car door – is a window crank! You silly kids! And sure, you can try it… 

Halloumi cheese, aka squeaky cheese, is good stuff in cooking. I’ve had it before and liked it, cooked, and in tomato sandwiches, but have discovered that it’s pretty tasty cut into chunks and thrown into curry too. Honor says it is better than feta.

Dual voltage – (110v-240v) – is what most of our electronics are after years of living overseas, so we find that need fewer and fewer power transformers.  We were actually looking at a nice coffee/cappuccino machine this weekend. We noted that it had a local type of plug, but figured that we could always get an adapter to take it back to the US with us. Does this make us official expats now?

At least 4 – The number of different shapes of electrical sockets in our home, not counting the ones that might be cable(?). It still takes us a long time to figure them all out! We have figured out the phone, at least. We’re getting there, and haven’t fried anything yet.

21 – Approximately the number of sets of keys on things for this house (some doors require 2 or more keys, and I’m counting that as one set) - doors, cabinets, rooms, etc. The freezer does NOT have a key, although there is a place for one… hmm?

Infinity – Approximately the number of switches in this house. I need a labeler! (and colorful key caps…)

Turnnel – What Brad said when he forgot how to speak English and tried to say tunnel. We teased him, but then later found out that there actually is such a thing. There are handy tunnels all over the place here – rather than go straight through a traffic circle, you can often take a tunnel underneath and miss the congestion. However, there is at least one that we found that does NOT go through where we thought it would. It goes left! We found a turnnel.

Welcome kit – This is a note for those who might be coming this way via the Embassy… and before I go any further, let me say that I think we are lucky to move into a place and have ‘stuff’ waiting for us. Pots, pans, linens, etc. Things to use before our own goods arrive. This isn’t a problem that I am complaining about, just something to keep in mind for folks packing to come here. Most posts provide HUGE welcome kits. Honestly, there will be so much stuff that we usually put most of it back in the boxes and never touch it. Here, the kit is quite the opposite - just the bare necessities and not much extra.  Most is glass/china, not plastic-ware for the littler ones.

Spice bottles – We couldn’t pack out any non-perishables or spices when we left Cairo. Sometimes you can, sometimes you can’t. Anyway, I wish I’d at least kept my spice bottles. You can buy spice in bulk at good prices at the grocery stores.

London Dairy – has good ice cream! We don’t eat a lot of dessert, but we like a nice ice cream at times. No Bryers, but London Dairy was a good trade. Goods are more expensive here, than in the US, simply because of the exchange rate and VAT, but there is an incredibly awesome selection to experiment with - not always the brands we are used to, but we’re learning new brands – and it’s FUN! Ok, maybe for me. Perhaps not all newcomers would agree. But I really like to experiment in cooking, so ‘fun’ is a good word for me to use here. There are even generics (to at least try – some are good, some ‘eh.’; typical).

Hmm? I’ve been compiling this little list, saved as draft in my writer, to turn into a “One Month In-Country” post. I don’t think think I’ll wait a month! Enough’s enough! I’ll just keep this titled, ‘Stuff we’ve learned so far’ and we’ll go from there.

Cheering for cheerleaders

Another event from our busy, busy, busy break last weekend. It's taken me a bit to get this organized because I wanted to link to websites to give proper credit - not difficult, but I've been distracted :)

We just happened to be at the club when a show started on the lawn. This was not a show I was interested in when I heard of it. It was advertised rather simply. Something about cheerleaders visiting. I thought, "So what?"... I am not at all interested in sports, therefore the actual sports, or the related sport and show of cheer leading was not of any interest to me. I'm glad that the military and Embassy brings these various entertainers around, but not all are what we find entertaining. What I wasn't aware of though, was this wasn't just a bunch of pretty girls doing cheers about a sport I could care less for - this was a show troupe, and these ladies truly did put on quite a show.

The event was sponsored by the Armed Forces Entertainment agency, and the Show Troupe are members of the Indianapolis Colts Cheerleaders. Honor was definitely enthralled by the pretty ladies in sparkly, glittery, feathery costumes... all the little girls present seemed to be. A whole squad full of smiling, dancing, real-life Barbies - what more could a little girl want? Brian thought they were great too - especially after he managed to catch one of the small plastic footballs! The show was about an hour(?) long with many songs, costume changes, different types of dance routines, etc. I had fun sitting with the kids and answering their questions - as well as just watching them as they watched the show.

This is a good age for this. I am not from a sports fanatic family. We did not watch any team sports and this has been a fine life-style to continue as far as I am concerned. But I do remember meeting some sports players when I was their age - players with the St. Louis Cardinals in Florida for spring training, and players from the Tampa Bay Rowdies. I'm not so sure WHY it was so interesting to meet these sports players, but it was - and I saw that same excitement with our kids when they met these performers.

One bit of the show that struck me as funny was when the emcee had a bunch of kids up in front and was asking them where they were from. Instead of the state name answers that she was obviously expecting, each child answered with the name of the country they were born in. Most were from America, so eventually, she asked a child - who had answered with yet another "America" - where in America was she from, what state. The child just looked at her. Fortunately mom was in the audience to loudly stage-whisper the answer.

Honor (on the left, wrapped in a towel as she ran out of the pool to come see the show) and a friend watch the show together. All those feathers and sparkles - she was instantly smitten.
Brian sat back with me.
A salute to the troops - Brian liked the Army girls the best. Go Army!
Even 'Tina' showed up. This was one of the many small group or single performer/singer routines included in the show.
They even did actual cheerleader-like stuff.(sort of, it was mostly song and dance)
The ladies gave out flags, as well as T-shirts and toys.

From Whale Ears and other Wonderings

Getting kids up to sing a patriotic song was just one of the many audience-participation things they did.
By the end of the show, the kids were eager to line up for autographs.
Not sure if they knew what 'autographs' actually were before this, but they lined up eagerly to meet the ladies, and were happy to get the signed photos!
Thanks to AFE and the Colts Cheerleaders!

Wandering downtown

Wow. I've been a bit lazy in blogdom lately. Sorry! What it means though is we've just been too busy for me to catch up, in a good way, but I'll try to be better and not disappear like this.

We've been occupied with school, field trips, illnesses, birthday preparations, and even prep and planning for our upcoming move in June. Yes, our tour is coming to an end. Although we've been able to extend it and have been here for quite some time, it still feels like we've been shorted. Honor tells us that we are "Leaving on vacation, but not coming home again." This is going to be a big change for all of us. btw, yes, we do have a clue where we will be going next, but please be patient... I am a bit superstitious and am not announcing anything until I feel super-confident. I don't want to jinx us! In the meantime, we are doing our best to enjoy the time that we have left here in Egypt.

Had to take the kids downtown last week and I snapped some photos on the way (sorry about the lower resolution - I only had my cellphone). Thought I should share some traffic photos as you have not experienced Cairo until you've experienced the roads.
Look fast.. the cars are organized into almost lane-like patterns!
um... pay no mind to the actual lane lines painted on the road.
whoops. Did you blink? Where'd the lanes go?
Horse cart delivery.
Looking up as you drive by, you see some very interesting old architecture in the downtown area. (Look up only if you are not driving please).
Mmm! Fresh bread. I'm always impressed with these bike delivery guys, especially when they are weaving through heavy traffic.. riding a bike with a plank on their heads, piled high with loaves of flat bread. I'm not sure if I could manage, while walking, on flat ground, using both hands to balance!
Beware the pedestrians.. although on this day, there weren't many out - must have known I had my camera (phone) ready.
We have many roundabouts - which I actually really like. Wish we had them in the US in more places.
My explorers.
Random art carved into a wall on a little sidestreet.
Close-up.
Another batch of yummy baladi bread being transported.
Did I mention the need to beware of pedestrians?

Traffic in Cairo is unfortunate. It can sometimes take an hour or more to make a trip that should only take 10-15 minutes. The incidence of accidents and pedestrian fatalities are way too high. Saying that though, it isn't impossible to learn to drive here and it really isn't that scary. Take your time, don't take stupid chances (there are enough people doing that already) and it isn't that bad. You have to drive defensively aggressive. You have to push your way to the lane you want, to the turn you want to make, through the intersection you want... but in general, that's all that everyone else wants to do too, and most are not obnoxiously aggressive about it - they cut you off, no problem, next time you cut them off, no problem... everybody gets there. I think the level of hateful aggressiveness is less than in many other cities I've driven in - say, LA or DC. Yes, some people are real idiots, very selfish and inconsiderate, but I believe they are the minority. I also believe that there have been greater efforts to control traffic taken in the greater Cairo area - with speed bumps, strategically placed barriers, etc. to improve traffic safety, and there are new laws about wearing seat belts and not using a cell phone when driving. If you are coming to Cairo and you are going to drive... adopt a zen driving style. Let go of stress. Never make eye contact - that is a sign of weakness and you might as well stay home. Go with the flow. Expect the unexpected and illogical. Yes it is ok to make left turns from the right lane. Yes people will jump out of buses in the middle of a crowded intersection. You must learn to use your horn - it is not 'shouting', you are communicating and if you do not use it to signal, say, your intention to pass, you may get sideswiped by the other driver who never bothered to look behind/beside himself. Let go of your 'one car per one lane' mentality, and above all, repeat 'No problem' like a mantra.

... now, anyone have any advice about how I can get rid of this 'go with the flow' mentality so I can safely drive in the US again??

Native Americans in Cairo

Very cool that Brian's third grade class had a series of lessons on Native Americans. Of course, he is attending an school with American curriculum - but it is has such an international feel, that except for the English, it can be easy to forget. He has studied other cultures in a variety of multi-cultural lessons, and he has Egyptian culture, and Arabic as a foreign language... easy to forget that he might not be missing out on subjects wholly American after all.

I understand that land use, water, food needs, shelter, trade, religion, etc. are common angles used to view and study any culture - past, present, future - and so the study of Native American history would be useful no matter where you are, but it was still a pleasant surprise to me. Brian was very interested. When he brought home paperwork about a project, he told me, "Mom, I am glad that you do not work any more - you are home in the afternoons now, and I really want you to work with me on this." You better believe that I said I really wanted to work with him too!

Thank goodness for the internet. I sat Brian down with a browser, and sent him off researching items on his selected area of interest - the Great Plains. I only gave him ideas of what he might look for - word and images, but left him to go after what interested him. He jumped right in. I also left him to do his paragraph on his own. It ended up that he and his Dad finished up the writing. Brian and I spent several days designing his 3-D display. He needed to show housing and life in general for Native Americans in past times.

Brian was fascinated by the buffalo, and wanted a buffalo in his scene. The only plastic one we had was a tiny thing. Brian was not interested. The only models we were likely to find around here are the water buffalo - NOT the same thing, and if 'Made in China', even the coloring would likely be way off. I'll never get over the GIANT blue rabbit that Honor once got in a set of plastic farm animals. That mutant creature towered over the biggest oxen in the set!

Brian started his creation with the teepee. We worked together to tie sticks, measure and cut fabric, and paint. Brian researched designs, and we worked together to make it happen. He painted a wolf face to add to the teepee on his own - free hand! I was very proud of him. Brian also painted the background on the scene/poster board and cut out images to fill in a village setting. He made a cochina doll, a hunter, at school.

For a buffalo, I decided to sew one. Fortunately, I hoard fabric scraps for just this sort of an emergency. Brian has never done any sewing, so I did the majority of work on it, but I explained to him how to plan the shape (3d, not 2d - it takes more than sewing two buffalo sillouettes together), and how to sew the pieces inside out, then turn it right side out - ugly seams on the inside. He stuffed the model - which, is not as easy as it seems... for a little toy with skinny legs, it took patience to do it right. He wanted it to stand up, and that took firm stuffing. Then, after a little lesson, he neatly sewed up the closing seam.

Then... the night before he had to turn his project in... Brian got sick! Poor kiddo. He worked so hard. I emailed the teacher a photo of Brian and his finished project... not the same as being there to show off his project and see his classmates' work, but it helped. We turned his work in yesterday, when we went to pick up his homework, and he got to see the other kids' projects while we were there.

Here is a picture of his scene:
.... a close-up of that awesome wolf painting!
... his paragraph....
and one with the researcher and his final project. I am very proud of the effort, time and work that he put into this!

To the (Middle???) East coast

We've been in Maryland and the DC area for about a week now and have enjoyed the time visiting with our friends, shopping, seeing movies, and visiting some of our favorite places. One well-timed event was a dance recital in Baltimore. A friend of our participated and did a very lovely job. It was obvious that she has been working hard.

I have to say though, we thought it very funny to come all the way around the world FROM Egypt, to see Middle Eastern dancing! Of course, it was a variety of dance types, but still, very backwards! It was a great show and you should check out the website: BellyPalooza: the Daughters of Rhea and Friends



and my friend's portion of the show:


Some photos from the show:






The only low part of the evening was we managed to work Honor into a perfect condition to melt-down. She hadn't been eating well or sleeping well, despite having a nap that afternoon. She LOVED the show and was very over-stimulated by it all... but she had to do a lot of sitting still and being quiet. The ride home was just a bit too long and she had a tantrum the likes of which we'd never seen before! She kept yelling "Tell me what to do that is FUN!" She absolutely did not want to just sit in the back seat of the van and ride. Poor baby. We figured food would help a little and stopped at Taco Bell on the way to the hotel - bean burritos at midnight before bed. Well, it worked. We think that our friend's brother has probably decided to never have kids though... sorry!!

Tag the Expat

I found this on a blog "Earth to Danie" and decided to play. Cairo Mama, tag, you're it!

5) Name five things you love in your new country:

- The people are very friendly. Genuine 'proud hosts' - look past the 'grab the tourist dollar' attitude some have, and you can still see the real warmth and welcome.
- The overall atmosphere is relaxed and laid-back
- There is always something interesting to see
- The kids' school is wonderful
- Everyone delivers everything! Whenever, whatever, you want it.

4) Name four things that you miss from your native country:

- Good food - oh for some actual SPICE!
- Traffic laws
- Green lawns to walk barefoot in and CLEAN, fresh air to breathe.
- Quiet

3) Name three things that annoy you a bit (or much) in your new country:

- The people can be possessive and too friendly (There's even a T-shirt, "Go away, I only came to see the Pyramids"). Friendliness is ok, most of the time; but I have missed so much of tour guide presentations because locals want to talk to me, or pick up my kids, or whatever.
- Stop honking your horns!
- Stop littering. If people would stop tossing trash on the ground, the clean-up workers might actually stand a chance of catching up with it all. Imagine...

2)Name two things that surprise you (or have surprised you in the beginning) in your new country:

- How green it is for a desert city.
- How amazingly cosmopolitan it is, and how wide a variety of people live here.

1) Name one thing that you would terribly miss in your new country, if you had to leave it.

- The people.

Gotta spread the word

A new blog friend.... "a babywearing mama of a super-cool son" ...who I wish I'd known while they were still in Cairo(!).. pointed me to a great homemaker helper website, the Fly Lady. I was surprised when I linked on it because I was already familiar with the website, even though I wasn't (yet) a member or subscriber. I've been googling crockpot hints and this site has popped up several times. I think I also hit on it for an albaster cleaning hint, but I may be mis-remembering that. I signed up for the emails and love it already. They are so positive and humorous! Not to mention.. useful.

One feature is a daily email directed at kids. Today's cleaning/organizing challenge for kids was to go through their socks and get rid of those that were no good or too small. What a simple, but great, idea for a kids' organization project. Not too big or overwhelming (unless you are a tired little girl named Honor, she opted out - and it gave us a good chance to talk about fairness - do the work, get paid; don't do the work, don't get paid - fair!), and it was actually a useful job. Not makework. I have had the kids doing work around the house - more so than the housekeeper did, that's for sure - but I am not making them slave. I am trying to keep jobs reasonable and fun for their ages. I feel they are quite capable of doing the work, they just need to get in the habit of doing so (they are), and of understanding that some work we do around the house because that's what families do - ie, work together - and some work will be bonus work. Extra work that will earn a bit of cash. So, where to come up with these 'special' jobs? I think I finally found a source of ideas.

If earning wasn't a big enough lesson, I am trying to find a good way to add in lessons of savings and bills. For one thing, we do not hand the kids cash. We do not usually have them do any shopping locally. Having cash is pretty much a waste for them here. They have no need for it. So, except for lectures(!), how to teach about money value? Well, working. Not allowances. No freebies. Work, for money.

We've started writing down what they earn. Might as well learn 'on-line' banking with virtual cash from the get-go! I am still thinking about the details, but I want to come up with a ledger or spreadsheet - that I maintain, but they can look at - that will show what they earn - a total 'in'. How? (1$ from laundry, 2$ from cleaning mirrors, etc.). What they spend (ie. money 'out'). "Mommy I reeeeallly want this webkinz thing"- so, maybe I order something on-line and give them the invoice when the item arrives in the mail. Brian is also reading well enough that we may explore a bit of comparison shopping. Then, they can subtract their costs from their 'free-to-spend' balance, which might also be a good lesson in taxes and S&H charges! I also want to show them how to set aside a certain percentage (or perhaps just a set amount) per month from their earnings, into a savings account (real ones, so they can see interest too), and know how to watch (be aware of, and not overspend) the balance of their 'free-to-spend' total. I'd like to maintain this on a single sheet - not as a competition really, but so they can see what happens, either way, if they make different choices.

I think I have the idea behind this big lesson down. I just need to find a way to package it for a 7yo and 5yo to see and understand. Preferably off of the computer, a print-out on the wall or something, and even better would be a format that both kids can understand... that's going to take a little more doing, although Honor is pretty handy with numbers, so maybe it won't be too hard to figure something out.

Aiwa, it's Iowa

We are not team sports fans, not in the slightest. We barely pay any attention to college or national games of any kind, and yes, that includes big things like the Superbowl. This means that we do not wear team logo gear of any sort either.
Brian was reading a catalog and found a page of logos for some college sports shirts. It was interesting to hear his commentary. You can tell that he's still not comfortable with States as a part of 'our' America... he was reading the state names, but then asked where the American team was? They're all American. Ohhhhh! I guess it doesn't help that we don't really consider any particular state as 'home'.
Then he said, the Lowa shirt is cool. The Lowa? I looked. Iowa!! Brian said, "Iowa, isn't that Arabic word for yes?" Yep. Ai-wa!
I think that eventually reaquainting the kids with our native culture is going to be an interesting experience!