It took 10 years of marriage for my eldest to arrive in my life.  Once she came, I couldn’t get enough of her.  I was content to just sit and hold her, to look at her and her perfect little features, and to feel her softness.  I would spend hours playing with her and singing to her and talking to her about all the things that she would see in the world.  It was a blessed time.

Starting from 5:00 am when my alarm beeps me out of bed, my family is on the go.  First, I shower, pray, and get ready for the day.  Then, I wake the two youngest girls.  They get ready for school, and then we feed the cats and ourselves breakfast and move to the salon to wait for the bus.  At 6:50 am, the bus arrives and off the children go to school.  Next, I leave for work at my nursery in Sharjah, and my husband gets ready and leaves for his office in JLT.  My eldest daughter then leaves for university and stays until she completes her work, projects, and studying for the day.  Usually, the kids arrive home at 3:15 pm, have lunch and begin homework.  I follow around 5:00 pm, and my husband follows around 6:30 or 7:00 pm.  We usually have dinner sometime around 7:00 pm and then we enjoy a bit of time together before it’s time to get to bed.  The next day, the schedule begins again.

Sand and water go together like peanut butter and jelly, and they offer hours of fun for little ones. By scooping, pouring, moulding, and exploring children can benefit developmentally, and enjoy extended independent play. Of course, that makes the beach the ideal playground for a child – not only can they splash in the water and build fairy tale sand castles, but also they can hunt for shells and explore the sea life habitat. However, you do not need to live near a beach for your children to enjoy the benefits of sand and water play. With a few simple supplies, you can set up a sand and water wonderland right at home in your garden or even on your apartment balcony (with supervision, of course).