Megan Al Marzooqi, co-founder of Real Mums Group, tells us about life in JVC, her family and the online community that provides so much support to the mums of the UAE.

Please tell us about yourselves/ family?

My name is Megan and I am the co-founder of Real Mums Group and Real Mums Of Dubai along with one of my very best friends Holly. I am married to an amazing man and have 2 beautiful step sons and 2 biological sons. As you can imagine my house can get a little loud, but luckily I seem to thrive on chaos! I have lived in the UAE since I was 15 so it is my home, especially now that I have married one of their men.

Megan: You live in JVC. How long have you lived there and what do you love about it? Please name a few favourite spots i.e. cafes, restaurants, nail bars etc that are in the community – any insights or hidden gems

We haven’t spent a lot of time in JVC until recently to be honest as my husband works in Abu Dhabi so we have been very unsettled going back and forth all the time. Myself and the children are currently spending this term in Dubai though as my son is in a nursery here after loving his summer camp experience. I have to say my favourite hidden gem in JVC is my local salon called Spirals Beauty Salon. It is a lovely little salon, very reasonable prices and has some amazing salon banter and chat. You go in alone and come out with a bunch of new friends and a smile on your face. The best thing is that you are always made to feel right at home and it is a lovely relaxing experience for me every time I go.

The little Choithrams around the corner from us is also a great little gem, each Tuesday they have some great bargains and I can also get a few bits from the UK most of the time.

There is also a little shop called All Days near us that all the maids and helpers in the area love as it has great prices and some authentic food from their home countries.

The best thing in JVC by far is the huge number of parks for the children. They are all a good size, well-kept and have lots for them to do. Our closest park is just a 5 minute walk straight down the road so we spend a lot of time there when the weather is cool.

You are a co-founder of Real Mums of Dubai, the group that is on the tip of most mothers’ tongues right now. Please tell us some more about RMD and where we can find you?

Real Mums Of Dubai is our closed safe circle, mums can request to join and our team then vet to ensure they meet our criteria (being a mum / pregnant and living in the UAE). We had decided that there needed to be a new kind of mummy group, a group that was totally different to the others and that had a totally different approach and philosophy. We believed in the motto “It takes a village” and we were sure that there were other women who felt the same way too. We decided we needed to build our own little virtual village – A place where women would support each other. A safe place where we could vent about daily struggles without fear of being judged. A place where it doesn’t matter where you come from as we all have the same questions that need answering – Where mums with newborn babies could take advice from those mums with older children. We are all mums who are doing our best to raise happy, healthy and well rounded children. Women who know it really does take more than just ourselves to accomplish this. It didn’t take long for our little group to become a rather large village. It is an amazing group of over 10,000 women (villagers) that often puts Google to shame, there is nothing RMD can’t answer. It is full of support, advice, jokes, questions, genuine kindness and fun.

Real Mums Of Dubai: https://www.facebook.com/groups/realmumsofdubai/

Real Mums Group public page to keep up with our events, competitions, and news: https://www.facebook.com/realmumsgroup/

Instagram: @realmumsgroup

Website: http://www.realmumsofdubai.com/

Finally, what advice would you give when buying/renting in Dubai? (as applicable)

1^st – Get yourself a good agent who you trust! That is so important as we have heard of so many people being stung over the years.

2^nd – Don’t go big and go over your budget just to keep up with others. It will back fire and you will regret it. Rent the space you NEED and put the rest of the money into savings or spend it on fun family days.