Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Your Chocolate Egg Easter Treats Are Here....
 |
| WH Smith book store next to Johnny Rockets at Marina Crescent. |
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Review: Breakfast at Assaha Village Lebanese Restaurant, Gulf Road, Bneid Al Gar
Great value for money. A lovely, authentic-looking setting with lots of interesting pieces. Our table was supported by an old Singer sewing machine stand. The restaurant is full on weekends mainly due to the price and ambiance. A huge breakfast buffet on offer with freshly baked manaeesh (cheese or zaater pizza type bread to cry for). Even though it is full the staff are still very accommodating and charming. You can order your eggs freshly cooked and the variety of buffet dishes is extensive. Tea, coffee or juice is included in the price.
All my Arabic favourites; fried courgette, shanklish, manaeesh, muhamara and muhallabia. Very happy tummies all round.
A 10/10 although I found the eggs and coffee under par but the overall experience was great.
Friday, February 24, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
Happy National Day Kuwait
LAPA - LOYAC Academy of Performing Arts Announcements
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Taming the Fear of Education
EEK! My 13 year old precious has got to try to defend Israel and its Nuclear Energy Programme at a Model United Nations in March - In a region where Israel isn't even on the maps. Daunting, but I have no doubt she will do her best.
On a higher note today she borrowed someone's phone at school to call me and tell me she just got another A for her mid-term math assessment and 100% on her exam paper. Bam! Diddly Bam Bam! Not bad at all considering she got an E last year but WE (yes that's a capital W and E) did some serious daily revision throughout the summer and consequently she is now rocking it. She's come a long way from the overwhelmed and unsure 12 year old of last year.
I can thoroughly recommend IXL for math it was, and still is, fantastic. Sadly, the other websites were boring or confusing (Khan Academy) or not really working so well (Study Ladder). BBC Bitesize is also excellent for all subjects.
For languages you really must try Duolingo it's truly amazing and is really fun. Download the app to your phone and do it in the car or over a latte in Starbucks.
A good Arabic language site is Busuu.
A few important lessons I've learned along the way:
You can not just rely on the school you need to be very involved.
Kids will mature and get more responsible about their school work as they age.
It is important to be real with your kids. Hard work equals good grades.
There will be a lot of tears and frustration but it does pay off. Seeing my child finally get math was a crowning moment in both our lives.
All kids are good at something. Don't beat them down or they will give up. Encouragement, perseverance and bribes work really well.
Tell your kid to pay attention in class because 90% of what is being taught will be coming in the exams. Teachers don't normally waffle on about unnecessary stuff. If kids can pay attention in class then homework and exams will be a whole lot easier.
Babygirl has just chosen her IGCSEs for next year and depending on her teachers we shall see which subjects she'll need extra tuition in. Sadly, not all teachers have the gift of sharing the information in a way that kids can readily absorb it. And if kids aren't understanding then they will start to tune out and get lost. Watch for those signs. Go through schoolwork with them or Google and find one of the plentiful resources on the web to help them understand (see above).
There are many kids at our school that are getting fantastic grades and they are all different kids with completely different attitudes. Some kids are already very mature, focused and super smart with undoubtedly very bright futures ahead of them. Some need more time.
I'm just so happy my sweety is starting to get it. She still has a long way to go and I don't claim to know it all, far from it, but we have learned some valuable lessons which I've shared with you. If I had a penny for every time my kid said she couldn't do math I'd be a very wealthy woman... albeit grey-haired and still doubling my BP meds.
A big thank you to the fabulous teachers at her school and even the not-so-fabulous ones who have taught my child valuable life lessons. One science teacher who was unavailable for several lessons and when they were there my kid did not understand a thing. But as in life one has to rely on oneself and find a solution. My daughter went to the year head and asked for a new course booklet but requested he write all the correct answers in it (she was unsure if hers was corrected properly and it was incomplete). The year head obliged and gave them out to anyone who asked. My daughter duly learned it from front to back in a few days and got herself a B which was a great lesson for her in taking responsibility, working hard and being independent.
We're getting there.....
 |
Very proud of my daughter and a huge thank you to Mr Kaimakkami who is the most awesome of math teachers.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Review: Fitbit Charge HR From Xcite.Com
I was in awe of my BFF's new Fitbit and when I realised they were on sale at Xcite I hurried along to get me one. At KD 24.900 for the teal blue colour I was well chuffed with my half-priced bargain and couldn't wait to get it on and clocking up steps. Really simple to use, comes with it's own USB charger, syncs with any android phone. I was adding and competing with friends in no time. I was so excited to see my steps reaching the 1000s. I found it very motivating and satisfying. I started notching up the awards in no time. All the while it's measuring your heartbeat, steps. distance, calories burned, hours of sleep, length of exercise time and estimated weight loss. You can also challenge your Fitbit friends, keep track of your calorie intake and water consumption by just adding the details in as you go on your Fitbit phone app.I LOVE IT 10/10 Just ordered another for my 13 year old princess because she keeps asking me if she can have mine.For more details or to buy the Fitbit Charge HR from Xcite.com [link]. Sunday, February 19, 2017
Thursday, February 16, 2017
American Girl Now Has a Boy Doll
Logan Everett, American Girl's first boy character, has gray eyes and brown hair, and wears sneakers and a T-shirt. Logan is also musically inclined — the company will release a drum set as the doll's accessory.
We loved American Girl Store in NY and had a super time [link]. A must visit if you're in the States and have young girls and now boys too who want a boy doll.
Interesting. Having never been in the situation of having a male child want a doll I'm not sure how I would deal with it. But nice to know there are options.
.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Monday, February 13, 2017
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Review: CATS The Musical at Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre, Kuwait
A wonderful performance such a treat for us here in Kuwait. The JACC is a stunning venue.
We had bought four tickets online prior to the day and then I needed to buy a fifth ticket a few hours before the show but had difficulty using the app and selecting a seat. The JACC website was saying there was a problem with my card. We took a chance as there were a few seats showing availability on the app/website and I luckily managed to purchase the fifth ticket at JACC very easily.
A little confusion over door opening times as tickets stated 2pm but we were not permitted into the main theatre until 2.30pm. Even so things went quite smoothly although my friend got directed to the ground level KD 100 seats but couldn't find me and realised she was on the wrong level. She managed to get up to level 2 just in time for curtain up. If they had done that to me I would have stayed down there.
B-level 2 was way up in the Gods and the stage looked very small. We felt that the seats were overpriced and that they should reassess prices if they are to fill the house for every show. And how about a discount outlet for last minute purchases like they do in New York?
The show was fabulous but the sound could have been a bit louder. I'm not sure I would ever pay KD 40 for those seats again and can't see me paying KD60/80/100 for better seats so I really hope they reconsider their prices.
At the interval the queue for the cafe was really, really long and by the time we got our drinks we had to hurry back to our seats. Only to find the doors closed and we had to wait for an appropriate time to enter which I entirely agree with but was a bit miffed that we had missed a part of the show. So I hope JACC can either open another cafe or increase service speed of current one. Also the ladies bathroom queue was pretty crazy too. Not sure if there are alternative loos available nearby but if there are perhaps they are not clearly marked and/or maybe the ushers could inform those waiting on line of their whereabouts.
We decided to have dinner at the Dancing Fountains but could not see it signposted anywhere and when we asked how to get there we were directed by two different security personnel to walk outside along the road for ten minutes to get to the restaurant area. Very inconvenient, we were all wearing heels and the cobbled pavements plus the pebbled areas were torturous. Isn't there a shortcut?
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Abolish Article 153
Abolish Article 153 is hosting a multi-media awareness production on violence against women.
Come watch a live theater performance, hear a story, and share the experience with local activists.
Friday February 10, 2017
7pm-8:30pm
CAP Gallery Rooftop
Help our community grow.
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Al Shaheed Park February 2017 Events & Activities
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)