Mothers on the Verge

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 20:21:00 +0000

Apologies for being incommunicado this week and hope none of you out there are too distraught not to be receiving the usual almost-daily MotV missives. The reason for the silence is that I'm up...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:43:00 +0000

Being an expat, a favorite topic of conversation is 'where I/you want to go next?' or 'When do you plan to go home?' It's a good question. I'm not sure I want to stay in Dubai...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Recommended & the Mahiki dance-off

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 09:27:00 +0000

My GFs and I went to Mahiki last night, great fun as usual but made me feel a bit old; it seems that Thursday night is the playground of the just-past-pubescent. Oh well. Good tunes though, so...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

School trip!

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 10:14:00 +0000

I had a fantastic day yesterday, having managed to wrangle a place for myself on the Small(er) One's school trip - a full day of adventure out in the desert - in the guise of a responsible parent...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Global Male Stereotypes: The Hopeless Romantic

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:25:00 +0000

He seems perfect. A total gentleman, he'll stand up when you enter the room, his eyes aglow with admiration at the sight of your captivating beauty. You'll be showered with compliments and...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Farewell to 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:03:00 +0000

The themes for 2012? Authenticity... courage... self-respect...an open heart... an open mind... empathy... forgiveness. Happy New Year to you all.

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

A thought

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 09:27:00 +0000

Perhaps sometimes a gift can be delivered in the guise of a tragedy. It's just a matter of perception, after all. I suspect that the talent lies in looking beyond the surface to what lies...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

The Dubai Review: Mahiki Dubai

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:30:00 +0000

An outpost of the legendary London nightclub Mahiki opened in Dubai last week. I was meant to show up to the opening but, for one reason or another, I failed to make it. I was also invited to go the...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Bah humbug

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 12:27:00 +0000

This has certainly been one of my more difficult Christmas periods. A lot of reflection, feelings of deep sadness, grieving for what I had but is no more, and fear about what is yet to come. And it...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:26:00 +0000

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 15:25:00 +0000

Merry Christmas to you all. Wishing you all a good day, ideally in the company of loved ones and good friends. :-)

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

The Global Stereotypes Series: the Tortoise

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:14:00 +0000

The Tortoise is not one to ever willingly stick his neck out as he is overly fond of his hard shell and clings to it for protection at all costs. Painfully shy and somewhat reclusive following a...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

An overrated virtue

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:42:00 +0000

Being strong all the time is all very well. It certainly allows a person to salvage a remnant of pride and avoids the danger of attracting pity from other people. But, as they say, pride often comes...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Global Male Stereotypes: the Trophy Hunter

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 17:37:00 +0000

Described in glowing terms by his mates as: "A bit of a rogue...", this wannabe lothario likes his women young, dumb and any flavor of desperate. And preferably in large quantities. Usually...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Happiness is...

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 11:18:00 +0000

A handbag half-filled with sand after a lovely afternoon running around the beach with my three girls. :-) Yes, BB decided to use my bag as a bucket... she's a very creative child...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Global Male Stereotypes: The Man Child

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 07:48:00 +0000

Since the popularity of the Dubai Stereotypes series - which seems to have run out of a bit of steam from my side recently - and in light of my current situation, I am starting a brand new series,...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Life as I know it

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 18:42:00 +0000

My post on bravery seemed to strike a chord with a few people; I hope it helped some of you make a bit of sense of whatever difficult life situations you may be undergoing. Sometimes it's simply nice...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:22:00 +0000

Yesterday's post about bravery sparked some very heartfelt responses. I'm glad that I somehow managed to inspire other people to share their stories of loss. The woman who posted the last comment...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Bravery

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 05:58:00 +0000

I'm feeling a touch introspective this week, as you may have guessed from the numerous posts about my thoughts and feelings in general. A bit too much dwelling on the past rather than focusing on...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

A life less ordinary

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 06:43:00 +0000

Yesterday was a strange day. It started with me coming off worse in a fight with a car park wall (as per yesterday's post) and ended with me hugging a dwarf (a real one, not just a very short...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Overthinking

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 12:43:00 +0000

In one of my posts last week, Anonymous left a comment telling me to cogitate, then decide. This got me thinking about... well... thinking. I've always been guilty of over-thinking. In fact, I...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Incredibly stupid moment #33,214

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 04:43:00 +0000

Getting into a pointless tussle with a multistory car park wall this morning (tight exit, what can I say?) Result: Me nil, car park 1. Over here in Dubai, if you have an accident - even if there is...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Embarrassing moment #2101

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 08:02:00 +0000

Somehow managing to attach my handbag to the back of my dress on the school run this morning. All frenzied attempts to detach myself failed miserably, resulting in my having to ask a (highly amused)...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Contemplation

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 07:52:00 +0000

Sometimes you don't need to know the answers. Sometimes a leap based on simple faith is all the certainty you need.

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.

Codex

noreply@blogger.com (Kate Smith Shanahan) — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:30:00 +0000

I am currently standing on a 26th floor balcony looking out over an awe-inspiring view of Dubai, stretching far across the Gulf. I feel tiny. As I stand here drinking in the sight of the sea, the...

Mothers on the Verge: sublime stuff from New York and Dubai.