Al Bahya

Some days we wake up, have cold cereal, shuttle the girls to school, eventually get dressed and spend the rest of the day doing household chores...other days we go on an adventure.

We decided to go check out a "Family Park" in a neighboring town - Al Bahya. I feel like I am getting pretty good at navigating ourselves around - I even threw away my city map. We drove about 15 minutes out into the desert, followed a few signs and ended up at the zoo. For about 8 dollars Hazel, Sully and I were admitted to the park. Picture a small zoo, but with large cats and camels- and an exotic kids petting zoo. The zoo keeper told me to come back on Saturday or Sunday and they have a lot more animals roaming the grounds- the grounds where you walk. You can even pet a baby cougar. We saw zebras, horses, goats, lions, bears, mountain lions, monkeys, ostrich and more.
The kids fed the monkeys some dates, the camels and tortise some grass, and Sully was able to hold a falcon. It was a great place for the kids to be really up close to some animals without the crowds of a huge zoo.
A great day.


A local boys' school was on a field trip that day at the zoo. A really rowdy bunch. Sully pointed and said "I want to go to that school". Sure, I thought, one with zero rules. I guess this is pretty common here - the boys and lack of rules. I think I would have to add lack of parenting.
At one time I was considering hiring a full time nanny/housekeeper, but after watching these women (nannies) with the kids I feel like they're doing the job I should be doing. I mean, it sounds so nice - someone helping 24/7, lunches, breakfasts, ironing, shopping, babysitting, cleaning, cooking etc. But I see the families all together at the park - Mom, Dad, children and nanny, but who is pushing the kids on the swing? Who is blowing the kids nose? Who is taking them to the bathroom? Who is running to the kids when they fall down? The nanny. And then one lady said to me "I change nannies a lot because I don't like my kids to get too close to them. It's not like she's their mother." And I'm thinking - but the nanny does all the "motherly" things...
At the park a little girl fell down after accidentally walking too close to the swings. The nanny walked over and demanded her to stop crying. The child kept crying - she was hurt. If I had to guess she just wanted her mother's arms around her. I do not think nannies are all bad - nor mothers who need help from hired nannies. I'd be afraid of getting stuck with someone who really isn't a caregiver. And maybe I wouldn't be around much to notice if she was or wasn't. With someone doing all my things - maybe I'd just stay at the gym all day long...