Tag Archives: Expat mums in Dubai

mrUsta | Need help with endless list of odd jobs around the house like plumbing, AC repair, plumbing, pest control? | One stop shop to post all your requests

Who are mrUstas for?

#Expats who are new in town looking for reputable service providers to do basic work in villas and apartments like carpentry work, cleaning, pest control, AC repair and so forth.

#Busy mums who need an ‘e-Bay’ like forum to post jobs that they need done around the house.

#Anyone who is looking for something to be fixed.

#Anyone who has dealt with inefficient companies in the past who would like to deal with professionals.

Why?

Since coming back from the summer, I have been swarmed in children’s admin, and like every mum in Dubai, September is always an extremely busy month and no matter how much we organise and prepare in advance we still seem to be ‘fire-fighting’ through the day with chores and to-do lists.

However, I had procrastinated enough.  The Pottery Barn shelves needed to be put up and my air-condition units needed a proper clean after the long summer.  The list never ends and this academic year, I have decided to do little but often.  It was great to discover mrUsta, an online services marketplace that allows customers to find quality service providers (‘Ustas’).  It is an online platform, established in 2014,  where I type in any job that needs fixing in the house, and several ‘Ustas’ start bidding for the job. (top tip: do not put your mobile number into the website as they will all start calling you).

The range of services is huge with over 350+ jobs offered by service providers.  The most popular categories include carpentry, painting, plumbing, pest control services, repair, house cleaning, household appliance repair, instant AC Services, Apple iPhone/iPad repair, and you can even look for a short-term live in nanny, order custom made furniture – the list of available services is endless.  You get a rough indication about the price per hour or per month.

Instructions

#Post a job – do not divulge your mobile number.  This can done via their website or you can download their app.

#Wait for several companies to bid for the work, and you can price compare and then contact them via the website to book their services.

#Or you can scroll down and look for the Usta with the best reviews.

#There is a huge choice of 6,000 Ustas that offer 350+ types of services.

mrUsta experience

We posted a job to help us put up our Pottery Barn bookshelves up and a few photos.  The companies (mrUstas) started bidding seconds after the job was posted with different price ranges.  All companies that sign up to the website must provide a copy of their trade licence and are monitored by the the website, and complaints are taken seriously to ensure only reputable companies can bid for work. We selected a company who sent a team of two men who put up the three shelves and a couple of photos.  The men seemed professional and they took care with their work, and were neat and tidy.  I still watch over any workmen in the home for security reasons.  The company hired charged by the hour, and we booked 2-hours.

The second job we posted was to clean our air-condition units in the villa.  Again, similarly many companies bid for jobs and reviewed the prices and reputation.  The Usta was efficient at booking an appointment and clear about their pricing. They charged on the number of air-condition units in the house.  Each filter was removed, washed and cleaned, and again, the job took half a day with two men.

Loyalty program

mrUsta has also launched ‘The Guild, the very first customer loyalty program for a service provider marketplace in the region.  The Guild rewards customers each time they successfully book and close jobs, amounts other actions taken on the platform with mrUsta credit that can be used toward further job postings.

It is free to join mrUsta, and it is the service providers that pay a fee to the online website.  ‘In the first 6-months of 2017 alone, we’ve created over AED17 million worth of opportunities for our Ustas,’ explained Ibrahim Colak, mrUsta’s co-founder and CEO.

Next on the list, need to re-do my wallpaer.  The list is endless so I am grateful that I am able to just post a job through their app or website www.usta.com 

Creating Memories | Barefoot Dubai Photography Photoshoot – a shoot with Alex Jeffries

I love photography.  I just wish I had more time to capture every moment of my children’s life.  I really believe it is important to organise regular photoshoots to capture the moment, the age and the memory of the family during that period of time because every stage is different.  These days, most of our images ‘die’ on the iPhone – they are never printed, never placed into albums. It makes wonder what I would show my grandchildren and on what format.  Would I scroll through Facebook memories or my iCloud?  For me, I still prefer traditional photos albums because there is something so lovely about sitting around with the different generations of family laughing and reminiscing over old family photos.  It is one of my top priorities to get professional shoots done every so often to have a memories and keepsakes as the days and months rush past.

The world of social media has blasted into the world with many so-called photographers but very few truly have the skills and talent to call themselves professional.  Some clients may not see the difference between a good photographer or a great one but I do.  For me, one of the leading photographers in Dubai is Alex Jeffries, owner of Barefoot Dubai Photography, who captured moments with my family in such a unique way.

As well as beautiful photos, Barefoot Dubai Photography also offers a sleek service that is efficient and professional, and expectations are properly managed. Preparing your children for a photoshoot is tough enough and you need the photography team to deliver as children have also a limited concentration span, and won’t perform as we want.  Alex and his team were extremely patient with the children and he exceeded my expectations capturing some moments that I will always treasure as a mother and wife.

To read more about Alex Jeffries, click on the link.

To find out more or to book a photoshoot with Barefoot Photography www.barefootdubai.com

Fatherhood | Alex Jeffries, owner of Barefoot Dubai Photography, is one of the leading family photographers in Dubai

Photos: Alex Jeffries

I don’t treat the words lightly when I say someone is a great photographer.  In the new age of digital, there are many photographers but not many great ones.  Alex Jeffries is certainly one of the great ones who is technically brilliant at his work and is also a genius in post-production too.  Very rarely do you find a photographer who is good at both.  A man of incredible detail and focus, and his work speaks for itself.  Alex, from Harrogate in Yorkshire has lived in Dubai for 15-years.  He lives with his beautiful wife, Kelly, and their 4- year old daughter Aya, and most importantly with Molly, the cat.  Alex first came to Dubai because of his love for the region when his father worked with the Oman Police with Sultan Qaboos many years ago. Together Kelly and Alex run three businesses: two Photography and one Public Relations. To see Alex’s work click here.

How did you get into photography and when did you turn professional?

I studied Graphic Design at University but from the darkroom days at school I’d always had an interest and a passion for photography. Having a designer’s eye gives you an advantage: you understand typography, composition and know design and layout. I also studied Art History which gives a great understanding of the golden rectangle and how the masters constructed their paintings.

I started shooting stock with istock it was great to be part of the Getty Images family. I stuck with it and my skills grew. They keep you abreast of the global creative image needs and standards, a great grounding.

I also teach. There’s a great reward that comes from it, that you can miss whilst doing other paid work. I’ve taught Adobe Photoshop for many years, firstly in the UK and then here in Dubai at GPP, the local photography education provider and elsewhere in Dubai.

With teaching Adobe software for so many years, I was also invited to become an Adobe partner. This partnership gives access to the latest design and imaging technologies before anyone else and direct contact with Adobe. The relationship and experience gives me and the team great retouching and colouring skill. Additionally I was also invited to be a Coloratti – a collection of the world’s top professional photographers recognised by X-rite who understand the importance and implementation of good colour management. It’s great to be involved with them.

I inherited a great work ethic from my father – I worked incredibly hard and my skills grew in all areas. I began to build the business and jobs started to flow in.

Back to 2017 and I have recently been awarded qualifications by the British Institute of Professional Photography – one of only two Photographers in the region that holds these. BIPP are internationally recognised and respected and its qualifications are a benchmark of excellence. Members must be qualified professionals and agree to be bound by their code of conduct. BIPP qualifications are among the most rigorous in the world, requiring hard work, determination, commitment and lots of creativity.

These days, being a professional photographer you need to wear many hats, it is no longer good enough to pick up a camera and take some good photos. You need to teach, you need to be skilled with colour management and retouching and have design and composition training and you have to be good with Social Media, Strategy and Marketing – it’s great fun.

Now, over ten years later, I run two successful photography businesses www.alexjeffriesphotographygroup.com – that specialises in Hotels, Hospitality and Interiors Photography and www.barefootdubai.com – family photography.

Can you tell us about Barefoot Dubai Photography?

Four years ago, when Kelly was pregnant with Aya, I was thrust into a wonderful world of families, babies, children, mums and dads. It was exciting, and because so many people knew I was a photographer they asked if I would do a maternity shoot, or a family shoot, or a newborn shoot. At that point I told people that we were a commercial photography company not a family one. But the requests kept coming, and so did the stories about family photographers in the city.

It seemed many people were unhappy with what they had seen or experienced, whether it was the quality, the pricing, what was delivered or the shoot packages. There didn’t seem to be much that they were pleased about and I heard so many negative stories.

Our pregnancy with Aya was not an easy one and many times we were told to prepare to lose her. With strength and prayers and an amazing doctor, our little angel Aya arrived at 8 months – her name fitted perfectly as it means “Sign from God’ or ‘Miracle’. Many late nights gave me time to think about this family photography problem that I kept hearing about, so around that time, ‘Barefoot Dubai – photography for family’ was born too.

I put a whole lot of work and investment into the launch and the web site. And all of this strategy and thinking was solely based on customer research and feedback. Consumers expect and demand high standards and they want transparency in pricing, packages and deliverables. So I looked at the whole project with a commercial eye. I wasn’t going to just set up a Facebook page and do a few shoots at the beach. It had to be done professionally and in the right way.

We were the very first family photography company to be awarded membership to the National Association of Professional Child Photographers, NAPCP. Others have now followed, but it was very important to me that people trusted our work, our qualifications.

I thought about the shoot packages – what people wanted and expected from a shoot. The images had to be professional, modern and the style needed to be less posed, more real. People told us that they were tired of being lured into a photographer’s studio with the offer of a cheap shoot, only to be told that their images are going to cost thousands of dirhams. Their images are effectively held to ransom until they pay outdated and ridiculously high prices for them.

We give all the images to clients, in high resolution for print and low resolution for social media, in different colours and styles, additionally all our costs are listed on our website, both of these aspects – we were the very first company in Dubai and the UAE to do this.

We haven’t paid to partner with any hospital, we haven’t rented a space in a mall. We have grown organically and successfully and now are a great photography provider in Dubai, giving families really what they want.

We’ve photographed multiple generations of families coming together, we’ve been invited to palaces in Al Ain and Abu Dhabi, photographed members of the royal family and now have numerous pages of testimonials on the website from happy customers.

Enquiries come in daily from the UAE and all over the world. We worked so hard to build a good reputation and I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved.

You also have Alex Jeffries Photography Group – can you tell us a little bit more about that? (so people don’t get the two confused)

Alex Jeffries Photography Group is our commercial company, we have made great progress in winning clients and building an impressive portfolio. We photograph hotels, resorts, interiors, corporate and food and beverage.

Our client list now includes Apple, Jumeirah and Meraas, owned by Dubai’s ruler – Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, most of the global law firms in DIFC including Herbert Smith Freehills, Clifford Chance and Linklaters, hotel groups including Radisson, Rotana, Jumeirah Group and Marriott.

Can you describe Barefoot Dubai Photography’s artistic style and what is your vision and emphasis to capture the essence of each family?

People want real, natural images, not heavily posed and photoshopped. It is often the shot between the shots that is the best one – if a photographer says ‘smile’, people tend to go rigid and stiff, but when they think the camera is off they relax and smile. These are the images that we like to capture.

Are your family shoots on average indoor or outdoors?

We offer both – no surprise that during Dubai’s fabulous Winters we spend a lot of time outdoors. We take families down to the iconic Burj Al Arab for fun beach sessions, or to one of the beautiful parks for the lush green background. When Summer comes we either head to the studio or to our clients’s homes for relaxed, laid-back sessions.

Do you also do photoshoots for newborns?

Absolutely, and I’m really proud of our amazing newborn shoots and the beautiful images that we capture. This was one of the shoots I had heard so many negative stories about: photographers that had never held a tiny baby before, conducting sessions in a garage, squishing babies into plant pots, even insisting that the parents could not be in the room. All wrong!

Taking a precious newborn baby that is just a few days old from the hands of a new mother is a very special privilege, not something to be taken lightly. It’s an amazing time and we were passionate to get this shoot package exactly right. We’ve photographed the tiniest premature babies, we’ve worked with many sets of twins, we’ve been to tiny studio apartments and the biggest palaces. It’s a magical and lovely shoot. I think we have designed it perfectly.

With our newborn session we go to our client’s home so that they can relax completely – no stress wrestling a new baby into a car and across the city with all the things that you need for changing and feeding. We take very natural, beautiful images, we don’t squish and push a new baby into poses that are uncomfortable.

We encourage parents to be present and to take part – babies need to cuddle mum and dad every few minutes. We take photos with parents too, and other relatives if they are there.

We also advise new parents how to soothe a new baby, how to hold them. You can practice swaddling, you can read all the books available, but until you have that newborn baby in your arms, only then can you really understand what they want and need.

Can you describe to us the process for a typical family organising a photoshoot with Barefoot Dubai Photography?

We’ve tried to make the process as simple and as streamlined as possible. A client’s first point of contact is usually our website which details all of our shoot packages and ways of working. They can send an enquiry through the ‘Contact Us’ page. which we respond to within a maximum of 48hrs.

At this point, I’m aware that issues high on peoples minds are:

#1 Is the photographer professional?

We explain that we are licensed, qualified and insured.

#2 Does the Photographer make great images?

We direct them towards our great portfolio to see examples of beautiful images, these are updated weekly.

#3 What are the costs?

We discuss the shoot package that they are interested in and direct them to the page on the website, they can clearly see one cost and all details, no need for confusion or a hundred emails back and forth.

#4 Is there any feedback from other clients / families?

We show them testimonials from our happy clients – we have many pages of great feedback on our website.

At this point people reserve an agreed date with a deposit or full payment, which is easily done through the website with Paypal or a credit card. We stay in touch as the shoot date approaches and are as flexible as we can be – we know that babies do not always arrive to a schedule!

What’s really lovely is that we see many clients as their lives change and their families grow: we might start with a maternity session, then meet their newborn, then have a 100 day session, then a first birthday cake smash.

For a family with a AED1,500 budget, can you tell us what they would get for that?

Our costs are ‘all-in’ costs. We have a number of packages on the website for 1,499 AED, one of our most popular is the Classic Barefoot session. This is an hour at the beach, park or desert, with 30-40 digital images included in a variety of styles: lovely vintage, vibrant colour and classic black and white.

Your wife Kelly works too, how do you both balance between work and time with your little girl?

As for any working parents, we co-ordinate and plan carefully. I’m present for many nursery pickups and drop-offs and the great benefit of running our own businesses is that we can be flexible and work the diary around commitments.

Aya and I often have sunset swims together and weekends are always planned well in advance. We live near the beach in Jumeirah and we spend a lot of time there and at the city’s gorgeous parks. Family time at the weekend is such a great time to relax and re-charge together.

We have our own little rituals that ground us in busy times: no one is allowed to leave the house without a hug and a kiss (this includes Nanny Grace and Molly the Cat!) and we have a special ‘kiss-cuddle-hug’ moment at bedtime. There’s not an evening that she sleeps without one of these from Dada.

Your favourite place to getaway from Dubai?

When I came back to work in the Middle East and Dubai, I visited Al Ain and grew a great fondness for the Emirate, as did Kelly. In those early days exploring, I shot many photographs of the old doors there and this became a coffee table photography book, published by Motivate.

Al Ain remains largely untouched and we usually visit every month. I enjoy nothing more than exploring a peaceful oasis with Aya in the winter months.

Your favourite piece of art?

I grew a great passion in my early days of Art history study for both the Impressionists and the Pop artists. I love Salvador Dali and visited his museum in Catalonia, I love the Gaudi architecture in Barcelona too. I’m also a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright, his way of working can be seen everywhere today.

Your favourite art gallery in the world?

I’d have to say the Dali museum in Spain, although I’ve yet to visit Andy Warhol’s. It’s not an art gallery but the new Etihad Museum in Dubai is walking distance from our house and has some fascinating exhibits – we have been a few times and I urge everyone with a passion for the history of the UAE to head there.

Your favourite restaurant in Dubai?

I’m constantly shooting in the greatest 5 star hotels and restaurants in Dubai and Abu Dhabi so for my favourite restaurant I’d have to opt for a simple more down to earth restaurant. Ravi’s in Satwa makes great Pakistani street food, we’ve been going for so many years. All the staff know us, we know exactly what to order and it never changes.

What do you do on a weekly basis just to get some downtime?

I ride a motorbike and have a great group of friends who head out to ride very early every Friday morning, usually to Kalba through the mountains to the East coast. It’s a 5 hour trip, great to get some flow and blow away the cobwebs and see the guys.

Additionally I also get up at 5.30 every morning and swim for half an hour in our pool. It really clears my mind and sets me up for the day ahead.

Mums tend to struggle with buying gifts for their husbands, can you tell us your current top 3 presents on your wish list?

#Some Oppo headphones, the best you’ll ever hear

#The book – ‘How will you measure your life’ – Clay Christensen

#El Chapo – DVD Box set

Find out more about Barefoot Dubai Photography 

Parenting | Mindful Parenting with Joanne Jewell | A course where I learnt about my children and myself, and what I hope to achieve as a parent everyday

Joanne Jewell, the creator of Mindful Parenting, is a British-trained child and adolescent counsellor, who spent some of her teenage years as an expat in  South Africa. Her time in South Africa had instilled a desire to explore the world and Joanne together with her husband jumped at the opportunity to move to Dubai in 2007 with their three sons who are now 22, 20 and 16. Joanne came highly recommended to me as a ‘parenting expert’ although it is a term Joanne rarely likes to use about herself.  She feels strongly that parents are the real ‘experts’ when it comes to their own children but her parenting courses are designed to equip and educate parents with knowledge to help them deal challenges with children of all ages.  I attended her course for Parents of Younger Children (Age 4-8 years) and learnt a tremendous amount walking away with practical information empowering me as a mother going forward. The course has given me tools to set my values and boundaries to help be the parent I want to be.  Of course, it takes much practice to make these changes, and still everyday we try to incorporate this connection with our children, and it doesn’t involve any form of time out.

Parents with different parenting philosophies and backgrounds will be able to take away much from the course.  I actually shout less or get less frustrated and connect better with my children. Joanne discusses much over her 5-week course explaining the science behind a child’s brain, what we as parents should realistically expect from our children, about what empathy really means, how to solve problems with your child, how to set boundaries, using effective praise and so forth. The other 9 women on the course also showed me that everyone was facing their own challenges, most not so different from mine, and we all benefitted and learnt a great deal from each other as well as from Joanne.  I highly recommend attending one of her courses, and hope to attend her sibling course later in the year. 

Can you tell us a bit about your professional background?

I changed careers shortly after my 3rd son was born in 2000 and re-trained as a child and adolescent Counsellor.  I then worked in a school in the UK before coming to Dubai and working as the School Counsellor here up until 2015.  I set up the School Counsellors network back in 2008 and am still actively involved in supporting and working with them.  I always ran workshops for parents in the schools that I worked in and these were very popular with both the parents and schools.  My training was child-centered and I also practiced both Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Mindfulness work with the children and adolescents that I supported.  In addition, I am an EFT practitioner, NLP Master and qualified Hypnotherapist.  I bring all of my training and practical knowledge into the support I give to families.  I am also very interested in neuroscience and how using the up to date scientific information we now have can support our relationships with children.

What made you decide to set up Mindful Parenting?

Having spent over a decade working with families it became very apparent that there was a real lack of support for parents – other than medical or clinical interventions which is often not appropriate or relevant, there is very little up to date, hands on, practical education.   I wanted to offer parents affordable, science based education that incorporates the skills of building relationships, coaching and emotional intelligence.  I wanted to offer the type of support I wish I’d had as both a new parent and during the different stages of my children’s lives and development.

Can you describe the different workshops that you have?

I offer workshops for parents of children from birth up to teenagers.  These are split into developmental stages so that we can focus on the skills and strategies that are appropriate for each age group and also have common threads and an ethos that runs through all of them.  “Enjoy Your Baby” is the only workshop which is aimed specifically at mums and focuses on the first year of a child’s life, the significant changes that we experience as a mum, providing us with practical strategies taught in a supportive environment.  We then move on to Workshops for Parents of Toddlers (Age 1-3yrs), Parents of Younger Children (Age 4-8yrs), Parents of Pre-Teens (Age 9-12yrs) and Parents of Teens (Age 13+).  I generally recommend that parents attend the workshop appropriate for their eldest child as I find this to be the most helpful to them.  I also offer a ‘Sibling Rivalry’ Workshop for parents and this is a follow on for any parent who has attended a previous Mindful Parenting Workshop.

Can you describe typical scenarios that would inspire a mum to sign up to one of your workshops?  Is it just for mums who are fed up/exhausted/curious?

Mums and Dads are inspired to sign up for many different reasons, it could be a specific challenge they are facing e.g. behavior, developmental stage, new baby, change in family situation etc.  Many parents choose to attend in order to simply learn more about their children or for self-development or in preparation for an age that they haven’t experienced before.

How many other parents are there in each session?

The maximum number of parents in any workshop is 12, however most workshops are usually between 8-10 so it is a small, very supportive and non-judgmental environment in which to learn.

Do you also offer private consultations?  Who would this be suitable for?

Yes, I do also offer private consultations and these can either be held at your home or at my office in Media City.  These can be suitable for anyone, many parents choose to book a private session to get some immediate help if they are waiting for a workshop to begin, some parents who travel or work away a lot choose them to fit in with their schedule and others choose them to focus on one specific issue that is of immediate concern.

From your workshops and consultations what do you hope each parent will walk away with?

Every parent sets their own goal at the beginning of the workshops so I really hope that they achieve these.  In addition, I hope that they will feel more supported, empowered and knowledgeable about the parent they want to be as well as having the skills and strategies to achieve this.

Where do most of your courses take place, and how do parents sign up?

My courses are currently running in Media City and I am being supported by my good friend Rehana at Babies & Beyond who provides me with a lovely room to host my workshops.  It’s a great, central location with plenty of parking and amazing views!

What are your personal thoughts on time out?

Time out can be a very effective strategy for adults and parents to utilize themselves if they need space to calm down and think what to do next.  Young children, and particularly those below the age of 5, don’t have the capacity to think logically about their behavior, what they did wrong, why and what to do next time.  In order to teach children, the most effective strategies are based in neuroscience and involve us using our fully formed adult brain to connect with our child and help them to calm down so we can then teach whatever we want to teach – usually these are boundaries.  Time out used with children is ineffective as it breaks this connection and therefore misses an opportunity to teach.

When parents recognize certain negative behaviors in their children who might be 9 years old or 16 years old, is there still time to put things right? What suggestions do you have as a starting point?

It’s never too late to change and we know that the brain continues to learn and make connections up to until the day we die.  The starting point is to connect to our child, educate ourselves to understand where our child is developmentally so we can use appropriate strategies to teach them in the way that is most effective for them.   In order to connect, we need to be able to manage our own emotions and stay calm, this allows us to use our logical brain to calm the situation down rather than respond merely with emotion which may inflame the situation.

What are three personal family values that you hope to instill in your three boys?

Integrity, gratitude and compassion are my key values, which means my role is to focus on living by and using these values in my own life as well as in my interactions with them and others.

What is your greatest fear as a mother?

Part of being a mindful parent is learning to recognise our emotions whilst not being overwhelmed by them.  I have often noticed how having children raised my anxiety levels, I also notice that making decisions when I’m anxious is not very useful for me or my children!  I aim to parent from a place of hope and curiosity rather than fear and I believe this has been a positive experience for both my children and myself.

For mothers struggling with two or three children between 4 – 7 years old, can you give them 1 tip to survive the day? 

I remember being this mother and it can be challenging both emotionally and physically – my 1 tip would be to constantly remind yourself that you are a good enough mum and a good enough mum makes mistakes sometimes and learns from them, apologises when she needs to, asks for help when she needs to and takes care of herself as well as her children.

What three things did you learn about yourself when raising your boys?

That I struggle on a lack of sleep!  I learnt that even though I didn’t really know how to be the mum I wanted to be, I could learn how to do it and learning on the job is often the best way.  I also learnt that I didn’t have very effective self-calming or self-soothing strategies so I picked some that I thought would work for me and practiced them every day until they became a natural part of my life – mindfulness really helped me to do this which is why I have incorporated it into my daily life. I also learn that connection was the key to everything – sorry is that more than 3!

 What do you personally like to do as a family?

We love to travel, to cook together, to have pets in the house, to play cards, to talk, to visit nature and watch animals wherever and whenever possible, to learn new things and to always watch Star Wars films as a family!

Favourite holiday destination as a family.

That’s a difficult one as we really have 2 – South Africa, to see the animals and The Maldives to snorkel and dive – again with animals!

For more information www.mindfulparentinguae.net

Dates for next courses click here