Hello, my name is Grace and I’m blogging from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Yes, you read that right, I am one of the few blog party goers who’s not from the US or Canada! I’ve been chiming in to this party hosted by 5 Minutes For Mom every year to meet new bloggers and have fun.

Thank you for coming all the way to Dubai! And while you’re here, please have a Basbousa – it’s a Middle Eastern sweet made from semolina flour. It’s one of my favorites!

Photo credit

Wash it down with Arabic coffee:

Photo credit

Jetlag gone? Ok – A peek into my world – we have camels here:

…but not in the city! I actually have a friend who thought these humped creatures roam in our streets! No, they don’t. Dubai is a highly urbanized metropolitan city in the desert.

As for the weather right now, it’s warm but a bit windy, hazy and sandy outside as the season is transitioning to summer (the one you wish you never have to endure!) so I’m glad you all don’t have to see and experience that. But it’s not sandstorm> here everyday – 300 days in a year, we have sunshine with blue skies. Except for the really hot summer months of June-September, it’s beach time every day.

Beach is great but what we really love living here is being able to sleep in our shirts all through the year!

We previously lived in Japan and came here in 2007 when our daughter was three years old. Now, more than 5 years later, she is 8 and we have another baby, a boy, born in October last year.

I write about my life as a working mom, the expat life, family, parenting and travel here so if you are curious about Dubai, do come back. I know someone curious about Dubai who can’t help himself but be daring…sat on top of the tallest building in the world:

Looks ridiculously fake, I know but apparently, it’s true. Tom Cruise sits on top of the tallest building in the world!

I know you still have a lot of partying to do so I’ll wrap this up! Please leave a comment with the link to your party post so I can pop over and visit! You can also get updated about my Dubai life by subscribing to my RSS feed and by email.

Oh before you go and hop on to another blog, I can stamp your passport to prove you’ve been to Dubai, if you like! Thanks for visiting and looking forward to party with all of you!

The awesome twin bloggers Janice and Susan at 5 Minutes for Mom are doing it again this year! This huge, virtual blog party is a gathering of bloggers from far and wide, is where I got to meet a lot of wonderful bloggers and fellow moms so I am excited to meet new friends again!

So…welcome to Dubai, United Arab Emirates! Here’s some camel milk chocolate for you to shake off that jet lag.

Photo credit

Jet lag gone?

I’d like to introduce myself. My name is Grace and I’ve been blogging for 4 years now. I’m an expat mom here in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. I started this blog to update family and friends back home with only about 5 people reading at the start of 2007. I never knew there’s this big, big world out there in the blogosphere!

Now my readers are more than five. I think.

I write about my expat life here, our family life, how it is to live in a cosmopolitan desert sans the glitz and glamor that is associated with Dubai living (it’s not always the case!), the things coming up like tallest building or biggest mall, biggest fountain – Dubai is a city that’s still a work in progress. So many things are happening everyday! Reading my blog, you’ll learn that not everyone who lives in Dubai are rich, there are normal expat families here who did not come here to become rich. My family is a perfect example. We are not more well off here than in Japan but our life is more fulfilling, we are happier having more family time.

In other words, our pastures are not greener, only sandier. Thus the name of this blog. 

Oh, I also write a lot about Japan and Travel – two things that are close to my heart.

Still there?

Prior to my desert life, I lived in Japan for more than ten years as a student, ate a lot of ramen, then worked, ate a lot of sushi,  got married, ate a lot of tempura, started a family and all those usual things that follow that made me drank a lot of sake.

We lived near a 400 year old castle in a valley surrounded by snow-capped mountains in central Japan – Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture. The one thing I miss about our former place is the fresh, cool mountain air and delicious Fuji apples!

We left Japan on January 2007 because we wanted to see camels.

…and the vast desert.

Kidding.

We relocated because of my work and have been living in Dubai ever since. Japan is nice and all – I can’t count how many times I’ve been asked “Why did you ever leave Japan?“.

Well, after 10 years there I feel it was time to explore new places, while we were young! I was offered a job in Dubai and with a bit research, we sold our things, packed our bags and left when our daughter was 3 years old! We love the diverse culture in the UAE and the fact that there is no overtime at work! As an expat mom, I find balance in my career and family time here than in Japan.  Our daughter has learned three additional languages after our relocation here (Arabic, English and French), on top of that, she is happy and that’s the most important thing.

“But isn’t Dubai too hot?”

Oh yeah, it is on the summer months of June-October but otherwise, the weather is perfect with unbroken blue skies, occasional rain and temperature that’s not too hot and never too cold the rest of the year. Also, unbelievable but true, summer in Dubai is more bearable than summer in Japan because of the central airconditioning system in our homes.

We live very near the beach (a merely 10 minutes drive) so sometimes we go there with a beach mat, snacks and just lie on the sand. The babe have other things in mind though, she always wants to go to the water even if it’s a bit cold in December!

Or she likes to collect sea shells when the water is a bit rough in the afternoon.

Well, enough about me! Please leave your name, where you’re from and of course, the link to your blog in the comments section so I can return the favor. I’d love to know you more! Thank you for coming to my party! Have a safe trip back home! 

If you want more pieces of our desert life, you can subscribe via RSS and email or follow me on Twitter, I’m quite chatty there!

** This is a sticky post and will remain on top until Friday, 27th March 2009. Please scroll down for the latest blog entries. Thanks! **

Hey there, you just landed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Yes, you just did. That big thud meant Dubai, just in case you are still groggy. How was your journey? Jetlagged? Well, I hope a little party and the lovely weather will make you feel a little bit better!

That’s my 5 year old daughter up there in the photo, enjoying her favorite weekend activity! It’s March now and we’re back to the beach!

Anyway, an introduction – My name is Grace and this is my party. I mean, this blog IS my party, in fact being the introvert that I am, this is the only party that I don’t mind going to every single day. I’ve met friends and really great people through my blog and through last year’s Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Minutes for Mom and hope to find more!

I seldom post my photo on this blog but since this is a party, I’ll make an exception! Yeah, that’s me on the right. Don’t stare at me too long, I’m shy!

I had been blogging for two years now, after I uprooted my family from Japan and transported them to Dubai, United Arab Emirates because of my work. What’s my husband’s say on this? “A perfect chance to stay at home”. He was a stay at home dad for almost 5 months (he started working after my mom came and rescued him from domestic prison)  and enjoyed every minute of it while I worked for six days a week outside. I still only have one full rest day now but of course, being a mom, is there even a day of “rest”?

I mostly blog about our life here, being an expat and generally what’s happening in Dubai, some stories you won’t find in the news and the much hyped media. Don’t believe everything you say about Dubai, especially the bad ones! We love living here and never regretted our decision to relocate. So far, so good!

Life is exciting, there’s always something coming up, rising, week after week after week! And if there’s nothing exciting in the city, we can always head on to the beach. We live 10 minutes away from it so if we’re not home, we’re probably playing in the sand or swimming.

Oh, and aside from blogging about my second home, I host giveaways twice a week so do check back to enter on Tuesdays and Fridays! Right now, I have a lovely Jade Earth Copper Toggle Wire Bracelet and an organic Bamboo organic baby blanket to giveaway so please enter while you’re here!

I’ll not make this long as I know this is a huge party just like last year’s and there are lots of places (blogs) to go to next. Grab something before you go!

Cake with date slices:
 

Pomegranate juice (go on, it’s really good!):

Thanks for visiting and hope to see you again! *waving hand*

The quarterly Bloggy Giveaways Carnival for January is still on. Have you entered in any of the contests there? Living outside of the US and getting squirmy that more than 90% of the giveaways are only for US residents?

I’ve listed up blogs who are giving away Amazon gift certificates. With the global crisis and all, most blog contest hosts do not ship anything overseas so for non-US residents like me, an Amazon GC is a great prize to win.

I have listed blogs that are giving away cold hard cash (via Paypal) too! If there’s anything I missed, let me know.

AMAZON GIFT CERTIFICATE

• After Graduation – $10
• The Shopping Duck – $10
• Unproductive Reproduction – $15
• Happy Are We – $15
• Monkey’s Mama – $15
• DesignHer Mama – $20
• Kathy Mom of Many – $20
• All Rileyed Up – $20
• Mom of 2 Dancers – $25
• Unexpected Bliss – $25
• Many Little Blessings – $25
• The Homeschool Classroom – $25
• Ginny’s Books – $25
• My Loony Verse – $25
• Stephanie’s Mommy Brain – $25
• A Novel Menagerie – $25
• Worth Walking Toward – $25
• Mourning Into Dancing – $25
• Love Giveaways – $25
• Robyn’s Online World – $50
• A Future Pastor’s Wife – $50
• Bargain Briana – $50 (Note: You have to suggest a tagline to be entered to win the Amazon $50 GC. Get creative!)
• Miss Musing – $100
• Hooked on Houses – Sabrina DVD or equivalent value in Amazon GC

CASH via Paypal

• Beauty from Chaos – $10
• Common Cents Mom – $11.11
• International Freebies – $15
• Life’s a Charm – $20
• The Davis Family – $20
• A Simple Walk – $20
• Beyond the Zoo – $25 via Paypal

Most of the giveaways are open until Friday or Saturday so there’s still plenty of time to enter! Goodluck!

** This contest is now closed. Thank you very much for all your entries! **

** Congratulations to LeeAnn! **

Yesterday’s giveaway for the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival was for mom (or at least for a grownup woman). Today, let’s talk about babies. Do you have a newborn and having problem how to soothe or calm him/her down? Have you tried and heard about swaddling?

I haven’t so this was good education for me, something I wish I knew six years ago! Research have proved that swaddling provides newborns with a feeling of comfort and security like they felt while nestled in the safety and security of the womb. In the USA and around the world, parents are re-discovering that swaddling is an effective technique to settle and soothe their baby.

SwaddleDesigns, specializes in gold standard swaddling blankets. Babies love the cozy comfort and ultra-soft texture of SwaddleDesignspremium cotton swaddling wraps and babies sleep better swaddled with a SwaddleDesigns blanket.

SwaddleDesignswas founded by Lynette Damir, a registered nurse and mother of two young children. While visiting families with new babies, she found that parents struggled with swaddling because they didn’t have the right kind of blanket (most were too small or too thick) and they could not remember how to make a good secure swaddle. Lynette wanted to share her knowledge of proper swaddling because she understood that parents needed help when trying to learn how to swaddle. Lynette designed The Ultimate Receiving Blanket® with 123 Swaddle® instructional tag sewn to its edge. Lynette’s blanket has helped hundreds of thousands of new parents learn how to swaddle to calm and comfort their newborns.

SwaddleDesigns cotton flannel is lightweight, preshrunk, breathable and features beautiful designer colors and prints.

OTHER PRODUCTS THEY CARRY:
Aside from their top of the line Swaddling Blankets, they also have zzZipMe Sacs, Stroller Blankets, Baby Burpies, Baby Lovies (super soft security blankets), Hooded Towels, Bibs and a collection of Organic and Cashmere blankets and other gift sets.

WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS:
One lucky winner can either choose the Ultimate Receiving Blanket® or the Marquisette Swaddling Blanket™.

SwaddleDesigns Marquisette Swaddling Blanket™ is the finest quality open weave, lightweight swaddling blanket with finer threads and higher thread count than muslin blankets.

HOW TO WIN:
Go check out all the wonderful baby product at Swaddle Designs. Pick one item you like for your baby, or your friend’s baby, or your friend’s friend’s baby. For any baby you know that would benefit this wonderful item! Then come back here to tell me which item is that.

Easy peasy, right?

For additional entries:

• Subscribe to my RSS feed(you might be curious about the happenings in Dubai even after this bloggy carnival!)
• Blog about this linking to this post and to Swaddle Designs.
• Submit to any social network (StumbleUpon, Kirtsy, etc) – Click on the “Share This” at the bottom left of this post
• Twitter this giveaway
• Place my button in your sidebar by copying the code in the scroll box



<a href=”http://sandierpastures.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://www.sandierpastures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sandier-pastures-button-dubai-125×125.gif” alt=”Sandier Pastures Button”/></a>

Please put a separate comment that you’ve done any of these so I can enter you properly.

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on 2nd February 2009.

WHO CAN WIN:

Goodluck!

Check out the main list of participants at Bloggy Giveaways and enter to win from hundreds upon hundreds of prizes at stake.

*****

Please check out my other giveaways to win an Embossed Gold Locket necklace from Penelope Poet, a pair of shoes from See Kai Run and a Birthstone Bracelet from Sweet Caroline’s!

** This giveaway in now closed. Thank you very much for all your entries! **

** Congratulations to Reeva!! **

Are you ready? It’s the first Bloggy Giveaways Carnival for 2009 from Bloggy Giveways!

If you’re looking for the perfect Valentine’s gift for your love ones or a Valentine treat to yourself, you’re in luck because for this year’s first quarter of the Bloggy Giveaways Carnival, you might win a beautiful piece from Penelope Poet to wear not only on Valentine’s but the whole year through.

Penelope Poet is the brainchild of Joanne Gouaux, a business minded, web-savvy mom who had a lifelong dream of owning a boutique. When she became a mom decided to take a break from the corporate world and start her own business. Penelope Poet is a celebration of unique and eclectic collection of jewelry and gifts to express many a poetic style that reflects Joanne’s passion.

Penelope Poet is featured in 7×7 San Francisco Magazine in its December Holiday Gift Guide and Summer Fashion Spread in O, The Oprah Magazine. Many items are handcrafted and can be customized and made into one-of-a-kind pieces. Pieces from Penelope Poet’s unique line have been featured in Life & Style Weekly Magazine and in popular shopping sites such as StyleBakery.com, CoolMomPicks.com, SomeoneSpoilme.com and WeddingBee.com.

MY REVIEW:
Joanne sent me a Nashelle Love Charms necklace* and since our first email correspondence, I had been waiting for the arrival of my little package.

Penelope Poet had my necklace personalized with a 6 character limit for each circle and two gemstones of my choice. The first circle has the inscription of my mother and father’s initials and the second circle has all the initials of my many siblings plus my own. Wearing this necklace makes me feel closer to my family eventhough we are scattered all over the world.

Many of my friends were curious and asked me where I got the beautiful personalized and unique necklace and I have to be honest, I am loving the attention.

* They have since changed the style to Nashelle Circle Initial & Double Gemstone Necklace so you can’t find the one in the photo above in their current collection.

WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS:
One very lucky winner will have the Embossed Oval Locket from Penelope Poet (Holy moly, valued at $185!)!

- 14K yellow gold embossed locket
- Locket measures 2/3″ long
- Holds two photos
- 18″ chain length

The locket is classically feminine, dainty and holds two tiny favorite photographs.  It can be worn alone, or layered with other necklaces for a romantic capricious look. With its design inspiration springing from the past, this gold oval locket will be enjoyed now and for years to come.

HOW TO WIN:
Go visit Penelope Poet and take a look at their beautiful rings, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, accessories and unique jewelry and gift ideas and tell me your favorite piece.

That’s it! 

For additional entries:

• Subscribe to my RSS feed (you might be curious about the happenings in Dubai even after this bloggy carnival!)
• Blog about this linking to this post and to Penelope Poet.
• Submit to any social network (StumbleUpon, Kirtsy, etc) – Click on the “Share This” at the bottom left of this post
• Twitter this giveaway
• Place my button in your sidebar by copying the code in the scroll box



<a href=”http://sandierpastures.com” target=”_blank”><img src=”http://www.sandierpastures.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/sandier-pastures-button-dubai-125×125.gif” alt=”Sandier Pastures Button”/></a>

Please put a separate comment that you’ve done any of these so I can enter you properly.

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on 1st February 2009.

WHO CAN WIN:
Penelope Poet currently ships to Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom – so if you’re from any of these countries, you’re in! If not, you can have the precious locket mailed to a friend or relative living in any of these countries, in case you win!

Can’t wait to win? Joanne of Penelope Poet has generously offered a 10% discount on all orders of $100 or more placed until 31st January 2009! Just enter the coupon code SANDIER10 on checkout. Awesome!

Goodluck!

*****

Please check out my other giveaways to win a Swaddle Blanket for Baby, a pair of shoes from See Kai Run and a Birthstone Bracelet from Sweet Caroline’s!

See the main list of participants at Bloggy Giveaways and enter to win from hundreds upon hundreds of prizes at stake.

** This giveaway is now closed. **

Congratulations Charlotte! (#6)

** This giveaway is part of the ongoing Bloggy Carnival at Bloggy Giveaways. **

I first came upon this online art gallery while browsing Etsy and instantly fell in love with her work. Sterling Clark (even her name is so artisty) is the artist behind SterJay Gallery who loves painting florals and architectural designs.

While her present gallery already boosts of really nice artwork, she is flexible.

Everything I do is unique and personal. I am positive that I can make a piece of art designed just for you.”

MY PERSONAL FAVORITES:

WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS:
A 9″ x 12″ print of her Red Poppies painting and a set of notecards!

HOW TO WIN:
Visit SterJay Gallery and take a look around. Then come back here and LEAVE A COMMENT mentioning your favorite. That’s it!

For additional entries:

• Subscribe to my RSS feed
• Blog about this linking to this post and to SterJay Gallery.
• Stumble this post

Please put a separate comment that you’ve done any of these so I can enter you properly.

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on 4th November 2008.

WHO CAN WIN:
Sterling says, “I don’t care where I send my work to!” so, this is open to everyone worldwide, whether you have a blog or not!

Goodluck!

*****

Have you entered in my other giveaways? I am giving away $30 via Paypal (you wouldn’t want to miss that!), a set of cute girl shirts from Your Little Sweet Pea and a hip happiness t-shirt from Fly High Joy.

** This giveaway is now closed. **

Congratulations to Dani!!

** This giveaway is part of the ongoing Bloggy Carnival at Bloggy Giveaways. **

The idea behind Fly High Joy started with a cute, funny color drawing – a drawing of a Joy-Heart figure with arms and legs and socks and cool sneakers jumping for joy with a very joyful expression on the heart face, an outstretched arms & hands.

The vision of Fly High Joy is from Luke and Lisa’s (owners) desire to focus more on JOY in our lives, despite of what is going on in the world at large. What a timely message to give out at this difficult time!

Fly High Joy was created to spread the joy and create new smiles everyday.

It’s not so much about the products themselves, it is more about the JOYful feeling the products give you.

Now, Fly High Joy is not all about their popular plush toys only. They have proceeded to create a line of high-quality, ultra-soft and comfortable designer clothing along with other products all bearing the message of JOY.

Today, how would you like to win a shirt that shouts with JOY?

WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS:
One Women & Teen Girls Designer Short Sleeve Joy T-shirt from Fly High Joy to one lucky winner!

HOW TO WIN:
Visit Fly High Joy and take a look around. Then come back here and LEAVE A COMMENT mentioning your favorite item. That’s it!

For additional entries:

• Subscribe to my RSS feed
• Blog about this linking to this post and to Fly High Joy.
• Stumble this post

Please put a separate comment that you’ve done any of these so I can enter you properly.

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on 2nd November 2008.

WHO CAN WIN:
This is open to entrants with US addresses only.

Goodluck!

Have you entered in my other giveaways? I am giving away $30 via Paypal (you wouldn’t want to miss that!), a set of cute girl shirts from Your Little Sweet Pea and a set of notecards and art print from Sterjay.

** This giveaway is now closed. **

Congratulations to Becky Grayson & Susan!!

** This giveaway is part of the ongoing Bloggy Giveaways Carnival at Bloggy Giveaways. **

Attending a baby shower or having your own little bundle of joy soon? Your Little Sweet Pea is the one stop online shop to find that special item for that special cutie pie.

They have a wide range of products from beddings to cribs, to things for mom, adult beddings and even furnitures. They also offer a special custom room design services to create that dream room for your child.

From the site:

Our mission is to provide a wide variety and high quality baby/toddler items. As an Interior Design Company we focus on keeping up with the current styles and fashions. We strive to provide you with plenty of design options and coordinating accessories for your nursery as well as practical and fun items for your little one.

MY PERSONAL FAVORITES:
Wouldn’t this be lovely? A chocolate room with a tinge of pink.

And this diaper bag? Really nice.

Will a room be complete without this cute clock?

WHAT YOU’LL WIN:
Amy of Your Little Sweet Pea is generously giving away a Girls Blue floral shirt and Girls Pink floral shirt to two winners. Size is 18-24 months.

HOW TO WIN:
Visit Your Little Sweet Pea and take a look around. Then come back here and LEAVE A COMMENT mentioning your favorite item. That’s it!

For additional entries:

• Subscribe to my RSS feed (You might wanna know about the goings on in Dubai even after this giveaway, mind you)
• Blog about this linking to this post and to Your Little Sweet Pea.
• Stumble this post

Please put a separate comment that you’ve done any of these so I can enter you properly.

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on 2nd November 2008.

WHO CAN WIN:
This is open to people with US addresses only, whether you have a blog or not!

Have you entered in my other giveaways? I am giving away $30 via Paypal (you wouldn’t want to miss that!), a hip shirt and a beautiful print and notecards.

** This giveaway is now closed. **

** Congratulations to Karen Haury! A very big thank you to all who entered! **

I first found out about this much celebrated Bloggy Carnival last year and participated. I am amazed with the number of participants! It looks like a big global affair. So much fun. Check out Bloggy Giveaways, now! (This post is up early so you might want to check out the list of entries at the Bloggy Giveaways site later in the day. Mr. Linky will be live at 8:00 am CST)

I know most of the participating blogs are from the US and since I am living outside of the US, shipping a magic carpet or an oil lamp would be a little painful for me (and my pocket) and there are chances of parcels getting lost and getting sucked into the black hole.

What to do? Well, I’ll give you the liberty to shop by yourself (I’m talking to YOU, lucky winner).

WHAT’S UP FOR GRABS:
$30 via Paypal to one lucky winner!

WHO CAN WIN:
Anyone from around the world can enter, whether you have a blog or not!

But you should have a paypal address, though. If you don’t have one, go create a Paypal address. It’s free.

HOW TO WIN:
Just leave me a comment saying what’s on top of your Christmas list. That’s it! 

I’d like to know and the comments would be too lonely with only words that say “great giveaway” or “thanks” or “Enter me!”.

DRAW:
A winner will be chosen at random on 1st November 2008.

Perfect schedule for me since it’s my day off so I can stay at home and spend the whole day doing inny meany miny mo to pick a winner. (read: random.org does the real job)

The winner will be given three days to claim the prize.

Oh, now that you’re here, subscribe to my RSS feed as I will be coming up with more giveaways starting tomorrow!

Other ways to increase your number of entries:

• Subscribing to my RSS feed (You might wanna know about the goings on in Dubai even after this giveaway, mind you)
• Stumbling this post
• Blogging about this giveaway on your site with a link back to this post

Just let me know in the comments that you’ve done any of the above so I can count your entry properly.

Goodluck!

** Do come back again to win a set of cute girls shirts, a beautiful art print and notecards and a hip t-shirt (courtesy of kind sponsors)! **