Browsing Tag

parenting

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
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
let's play, on our island

holiday mix

   Life has been good this past week. We headed to the mountains on Sunday, where Georgie will also be spending a week with his grandparents while mummy and papa get some alone time. We found a gorgeous tavern sitting on a mountaintop complete with a treehouse and really good food. I think it’s called Adventure or something. There’s also a paintball field and ice rink. It’s just outside the village of Kyperounda.   The next day we went to the beach and stayed there for three days. I’m not kidding. We were at the beach ALL DAY. With the exception of naps and rest, for the most of our little holiday Georgie was covered in sunscreen and sand. Pity I forgot to be so vigilant with myself- I haven’t been sunburnt in years and now I’m heading into my thirties I’m pretty sure signals bad news for my skin. But thankfully, nothing affected us, not even Georgie’s routine being thrown off. My little dude was in a delightful mood and enjoyed everything. From the different types of food he tried for the first time- salmon sashimi and prawn crackers!- to his very first roller coaster ride and carousel ride. And yes, I was the goofy mummy with her iPhone taking pictures and recording videos that I’ll probably never watch because you can’t actually see Georgie. 

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August 9, 2012 by

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