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Cyprus

let's play, on our island

the kid is alright

   Sunday marked a fun day for kids in Nicosia. Apart from the Flying Away Festival, Little Kickers also had a little something planned at one of the parks. It was a hot and humid day  made bearable by the big old trees and the shade they provided but everyone managed to have a lot of fun. I still feel Georgie is too young to enjoy half of the activities I try to get him involved in but he does seem to enjoy himself. Even if that includes staring at strangers and insisting on throwing all the felt tip pens in the air.      Having said that I am noticing how much he is taking in- I wish I could explain this to him because a lot of the time I feel we’re not communicating. He is beginning to observe and COPY! ALOT! The other day, I gave him a tap on the head with a little box while we were playing and before I knew it- yes, you guessed it- he was whacking me AND THE DOG on the head!      He’s definitely more lively now than he was six months ago but I can’t help but melt like butter every time he puts his arms around me or pats his chest when I hand him a snack.    When he knocked over a stand full of stickers in a bookshop today, I wasn’t even thinking about picking them up. The first thing I said to myself was That’s it! No more kids for me. I swear. Sometimes it’s just so hard but then I think of all those little girls I see and how I still hope one day I will have one too. Who doesn’t want an excuse to put on fairy wings and jump around? (er, what?)    To be completely honest though, I feel absolutely fulfilled with my little dude. I am grateful. I feel lucky. And I love him. So very very much.

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September 10, 2012 by
on our island

Flying Away

    The Flying Away Festival is one of those events I really look forward to. With an impressive number of artists rounded up on a football pitch in Nicosia, it is the perfect place to scour through all the handmade, vintage, artful and beautiful that our island has to offer. I fell head over heels for a teeny tiny music box and cute coasters but it was our friend Mike’s night to shine with a collection of paintings inspired by movies.   His brilliant idea to set up a blackboard with blank lines to fill in for what you want to do before you die attracted a lot of attention. Mine was to go to Graceland (pause for reaction) but i thought the first one was pretty great. I have to ask though: Which one? Personally Christian Bale seems just fine.   We spent a fantastic and creative evening sans Georgie unfortunately but from what I saw the event is kid-friendly with a bouncy castle and little boat rides available for fun so we might return with the little dude tomorrow. The Festival ends on Sunday at midnight so be sure to check it out if you’re in town.

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September 8, 2012 by
let's play

Little Kickers

   I’ve been considering enrolling Georgie in some kind of class. He’s only 18 months so choices are limited but something did pop up in the form of Little Kickers. I’m sure you’ve heard of it. An international brand, it helps instill in little ones self-confidence, co-ordination, control and the sense of camaraderie. The 45-minute class included an abundance of small balls, lots of aimless shoots and a fun game of running back and forth with cones on our heads. No, that wasn’t part of the class. That was Georgie’s version of the class. So how did he do? Well, just as I expected he couldn’t sit still and insisted on doing things his own way and no one seemed to care. I thought he would stick out like a sore thumb but other children were just as active- with their mothers running alongside them- and the coaches were cool about that. What I’m trying to say is it was free time. Kids were encouraged to just be. I like that. I didn’t feel restricted and neither did  my child. It was a Saturday morning spent doing something different and getting active. Thanks for that guys!

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September 3, 2012 by
let's play

homeschooling?

One of the books I’ve been dying to finish is John Holt’s Learning All The Time. I picked up the name after doing a bit of research on the matter of learning. Not the ABC 123 kind of learning but a different kind. The honest kind. The no pressure kind.

Now Georgie’s becoming more and more aware of his surroundings and beginning to need more stimulation, I worry that what I am providing is not enough. I hear about parents teaching their kids to recite the alphabet by the age of two! This scares me. Not just because it’s feckin freaky but also because I secretly feel inadequate and stupid for allowing my child to play with the dog instead of shoving a book up his nose. I’m not belittling anyone here but that just doesn’t seem natural to me. The same way the schooling system doesn’t. Why are we making learning an obligation instead of a basic instinct?

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August 22, 2012 by
on our island

mummy and papa go solo

     Agia Napa was chosen as the perfect location to spend time on our own. Georgie, it was decided, would spend a whole week with his grandparents in the mountains. Two more days than the time we flew to Brussels, which meant I was dreading the separation anxiety attack. Oddly, it never came. Perhaps because I knew he was within distance therefore could see him if I felt like it- and of course, assuming I was willing to drive for three hours. On the third day we did just that. We visited him for the day, which completely threw him off because that evening, after we had left, he threw a couple of tantrums and wouldn’t settle down after his bath. With good reason though. Seven days is a long time to be away from my child. I began feeling anxious, guilty and depressed last night, before we picked him up. I had enjoyed myself thoroughly and was so very proud of finishing two books while lazying around on the beach and snorkeling… but-excuse the pun- I was like a fish out of water.      But somehow I managed to do exactly what I wanted to do. It was truly a relaxing time spent with good friends and nights out. Candlelight dinners and late evening departures from the beach. Boutique hotels and long chats.Movies at midnight and Oreos!      …to papa!    Would you believe me if i told you THIS kept me going all day? Probably my favorite part of the whole week.     Now let’s get back to business. . . easier said than done.

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August 19, 2012 by

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