Uniforms are nice in that your child wears one for PE days and another for regular days at school. This is easy. No fighting about what to wear to school; the decisions have been made. The self-expression choice amongst wardrobe are saved for the weekends, and then she can wear anything she likes. Faerie wings? Sure! Dresses and funky outdoorsy sandals? Youbetcha!
However, on school days, it also means you need to remember to have at least one ready to be worn by morning every darned day.
I remembered to wash the PE uniform...but not to hang it out in time.
I take solace in the fantasy that I'm not the only mother out there who frantically ironed and then, having had her kid put it on, hairdryered, with one in each hand, the still moderately damp polo shirt before sending her child to school.
Bethy thought it was hilarious.
I thought longingly of the dryers of my USA life, days gone by...of warm dry clothing, socks sticking to staticky blankets, the fibers all sticking up and crackling, cleaning the lint drawer...yes, it's a sad state of affairs when you pine for a dryer.
The sun is doing an admirable job of drying the clothes, really, so perhaps it's longing for autumn that's doing this to me. I have been haunting the grocery store, hoping to secure an orange pumpkin (not one of the dapply green-yellow things that smell like pumpkin, and probably taste like pumpkin, but don't look like pumpkin!) before it's too late. I have not seen one yet, but I am sure we'll secure one for Halloween, Inshallah. (I still can't work that phrase into my everyday speech except jokingly...I am beyond redemption, I suppose.)
Traditionally garbed Arabs at the Dubai Flea Market
Thomas has his costume, and I am on the prowl for one for Bethy. She has, unfortunately, been very specific about who she wants to be this year, and though I could have it in a week from ebay, easy peasy lemon squeezy, as those British kids say, I am afraid I may have to take a photo out to tailors here and have it custom made. Probably will cost us less than the junky costumes I've seen so far for sale in the store. Thomas' outfit was procured at the Dubai Flea Market for all of 10 dirhams (and a lot of sweating in the heat). THIS was a seriously lucky find.
Wait 'til you see it, and no, I'm not telling.
Bethy and I braved the temperatures to go to the first outdoor Dubai Flea Market of the season. We felt dreadfully sorry for the folks who were trying to sell their wares, garage sale style, beneath the palms. Oh, but for a breeze! Of course, it made haggling really easy...everyone was drowning in their own persperation and most people, sellers and buyers alike, wanted to dump the stuff and go home to the air conditioning. And this was before 9:30 am, which is when we fled the scene. Amazingly, it was packed even with the heat! Even in the great outdoors we were surging over one another in search of bargains like restless cattle in a packed compound.The Dubai Flea Market ostensibly goes until 1. Doubt it did that day.
Bethy and I had tried to go to the indoor version during early summer and it was such a mosh pit we couldn't wait to get the h-e-double-toothpick OUT. At one point a woman actually snatched a toy out of Bethy's hand during that indoor one, which startled her so badly she began to cry. At first I thought is was a crazed bargain hunter but it turned out to be an overzealous maid protecting the seller, her mistress', property. The mistress was properly apologetic and sold the toy to Bethy for a dirham. Even waiting in the crunch to get in we were honestly worried about getting crushed. Utterly ridiculous. Never again.
At this version of the Market Bethy was in shopping heaven. She is learning to be good with her money, and had taken Mike's advice to save her allowance from the day before rather then spend it on a bunch of candy. As almost everything is expensive in Dubai, this is a fun exception, and her money goes waaaaaay further at the Market. She bought all sorts of fun girly things for her 17 dirhams, and was given other things outright. I cleaned up on books about Thailand, especially, a new fabulous hat for the races, and some other fun things besides Thomas' costume.
No, I still won't tell you what it is!
Really, you can buy anything at the Market. For instance:
No dryers. Or fans, for that matter. But everything else, pretty much.
Bethy said, after the buying frenzy that netted her outfits for dolls, a toy pet carrier, Barbies, (which she may have but must buy with her own money), sparkly pom-poms, faerie wings, books, art supplies, and stuffed animals:
"This is the best day of my life!"
Well, we sure got our money's worth.
5 comments:
How fun for Bethy and I will look forward to the unveiling of Thomas' costume!
No Pumpkins here either - I will have to BUY them as our tiny little ones can't orange with snow on them. Strange year for growing here - usually I am giving them away by the armloade - like tomatoes in September.
The snow makes me think more Ho...Ho...Ho than Trick-or-treat but I think I can recover in time to do something fun.
Looks like a fun day in the sun :)
What's IRONING? Never heard of it. :)
If that's the way Bethy looks when she dresses her self she is doing pretty good!
Ironing is something you do in total desperation at the 11th hour. Either you're going out or your kid needs dry clothes and you don't have a dryer and the sun hasn't come up yet. :)
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