A Matter of Choice

You may have seen that some time ago I compiled a '101 list'  a challenge I set myself where I had to complete a list of 101 tasks chosen by myself in 1001 days.  I started this challenge on July 29th 2010 which gives me until 26th April 2013 to get them all done. The first 6 months  were a reasonably slow start but I got a little more into the swing of things during the second half of the first year . I'm now just over half way with 435 days left to go but I have completed 51 things so far.  I've not crossed any new items off now for a couple of months, but mainly because a lot of the items are summer or money related and currently we have neither!  Looking at the list now I realise some things could be a bit more tricky now we have another baby on the way.... the first being 'Watch the sun come up after an all-nighter in Agia Napa'  - hmm maybe change that to 'Watch the sun come up after a night up with a crying baby'    'Go wine tasting' ...

This week, a little later than planned I finally completed the first level of my Rosetta Stone  Greek language course. I started the course back in June so it's taken me a while to get this far.  The plan had been to get to this point by Christmas to be able to start 2012 with level 2 but with the whole house being ill in some sort of  odd relay race it got a bit delayed. Although I often need to push myself to complete a lesson or two, being too easily distracted by faffing around on the internet, reading or sometimes even falling asleep mid lesson (due to early mornings and toddler, I must add not through any fault of the lessons!)   When I do get on and do it I genuinely enjoy it, like most things it becomes much easier when you get into the habit of doing it little and often. As I've progressed through the first level I have attended the online Studio session for each lesson. These really make all the difference to me as it really feels like you are making pr...

As part of my 101 list I decided I would make a list of 101 things that make me happy. I started making the list back in July last year and although most of it came to mind pretty easily I soon got stuck, I was determined that it wouldn't beat me though so I saved it and have been coming back to every now and again.   Of course, now I've finished it I'm sure a load more things will pop into my head that should have gone on the list! I'm also cheating a little and linking this up to 'Reasons to be Cheerful' this week over at  Bod For Tea  as although I've not been the most cheerful person this list reminds me of many reasons to be! Being Mum to Leo Being married to Aaron Sunshine Good friends Losing excess pounds The view from my balcony Photos Good music My parents Dancing Making lists Floating on a lilo Leo laughing Not being in debt Tidy apartment Drinking with friends Weddings Sleeping in late Reading  good books BBQs Talking ...

Today I crossed another item of that great 101 list of mine  as I went parasailing with my Dad! Its something I've wanted to do with him for ages - would have to be us together as there is no way you'd get my Mum or Aaron up there! I had done it once before on my own, many years ago and although I did enjoy it, I felt really really sick! Much to my disappointment I found out that I'm not good on boats (or flying 150metres in the sky) so I was really pleased to be offered a pair of Sea-Bands for review. Sea-Bands are a drug-free way of reliving nausea, travel and morning sickness and they worked. They work by applying continuous pressure  by way of a plastic stud on an acupressure point between the two central tendons on the wrist. I put them on as I got on the boat and felt fine - although they did not get rid of the slight fear as the boat sped up and we were lifted high in the air! Unfortunately I did not get any photos from the air, I guessed I woul...

There is much talk at the moment in real life (well, my real life friends on facebook - does that count?) and in the blog world of the whole 'back to school/end of summer thing'.  I realise this is not going to make me very popular but this is kind of passing me by a little bit..... Summer has been here in Cyprus for a long time, not just due to the fact it hasn't rained since early May (Sorry I did warn you!) but that the schools here break up for the holidays somewhere near the beginning of June and they still haven't gone back yet. (ah now you're glad you are in the UK aren't you!)  For me, as a stay at home mum with a preschooler it makes no difference anyway.  So my summer is here to stay a while longer. This year has been a much more enjoyable summer time, I even have a tan - last year although I developed a bit of one I'd previously got more tanned on week long holidays! Although I have only sunbathed once this year we have spent a whole lot more ...

Although I started my 101 list  last July it's only recently that I've joined forces with Sarsm and the others  and their update posts. As I have already completed several items off my list I decided to do a round up of the things I'd ticked off in the first 6 months . I realised there were quite a few, and now it's June I'm almost a year into the challenge! This year I've ticked off several more so it's still going well. My parents moved over here in March so I made sure their apartment was ready for them and then not long after they arrived I finally got to take them to Cape Greko and Konnos Beach . They also very kindly brought me over a new mobile phone (no.99) I wanted to inspire someone to make their own 101 list, and had achieved that when a friend of mine started his own.  and then of course I later found out that I had inspired more! I wrote a guest post for  The Five F's blog  back in March and I got to 100 followers on my blog! I...

Last weekend I was very lucky to escape the demands of an over heated toddler and have some time to myself at the Home of Holistics in Agia Napa. I've always loved any kind of spa treatment I could treat myself to and was very excited to see in a local magazine that they have just opened a new Fish Spa. It's something I'd only recently heard of via updates on Facebook from friends in the UK who had tried it and Home of Holistics are the only place in Eastern Cyprus which now offer the treatment. My husband was highly amused when I told him what I was going to do as I don't like people touching my feet, I disagreed - well, for a start I don't mind people touching my feet as such just not tickling them.... and they are fish not people! I had been intrigued by the idea of it for a while now and even put it on my 101 list . For those of you who don't know this treatment first originated in Turkey and is practised all over the Far East. It uses Garra rufa fish w...

Since joining up with some Sarsm  and some other bloggers completing their own 101 lists I agreed it would be good to join in with their update posts, and as I haven't done one since I started I thought look back over the things I've done so far. I started my list in July last year, and the first item I completed was to become an official resident of Cyprus . I then had a quite couple of months but ticked off two in one night in October when I sang karaoke on my birthday and went to Car Wash in Agia Napa . I also took Leo to his first Halloween party which was also on the list. In September we finalized our wills, applied for our VAT rebate and Child benefit all in one go, the first two were quite straight forward but the child benefit was hard work - I think I must have been so stressed about it I couldn't bring myself to blog about that one! December was another good month for the list as we had a good friend to visit and not only did we visit the church on th...

On July 29th 2010 I started my 101 list. (a list of 101 things I would like to complete in 1001 days.) I was thrilled to discover yesterday that I inspired Sarah who writes Sarsm's blog to start her own list and she in turn persuaded inspired The Laughing Housewife to do the same. Sarah even made this lovely badge for us. My 1001 days run until April 26th 2013, I'm doing ok I think - the Day Zero website tells me I've completed 31% of the list. I have amended the list a little since starting it and I will possibly do it again once more. I did have some debate as to whether that was cheating but it's my list, and I figured it has to stay achievable.  It took me a long time to write it and I think I threw a few things in there without really thinking about them! I had originally planned to write a blog post about each item, (this was also on the list) but I realised some of them were not that worthy of a whole blog post. I will though be updating my blog m...

Happy Halloween to you all! Yesterday AJ and I took Leo to his first Halloween party. It was a kids party but us being us decided it would be rude not to get dressed up too, any excuse! The party went off very well, there was relatively little destruction and no tears that I can remember, not a mean feat when you consider most of the children there are about 2! The food was great, everyone contributed something and it was all yummy. We took a pumpkin cake, a joint effort between the two of us, I made the cake, AJ decorated it. It also means I get to cross another item off my  101 in 1001 list

Today I have finally finished making my 101 in 1001 list, (to see the whole list and find out what the hell I'm going on about click here ) it's been much harder than I originally anticipated! The start date of my list was July 29th 2010, which was the day I got our  Cypriot Residency forms completed . This means that the 1001 days will be up on April 26th 2013. Sounds like a long way away doesn't it, I wonder how many I'll get done with no panic at the end! What things would you put on your list if you had one? Do you have one already? Leave me a comment and let me know, I'd love to see what others would like to do.

We are now officially Cyprus residents! We have our "pink slips" which for some reason are actually yellow, (I'm guessing that they used to e pink?) and that now enables us to claim child benefit and get medical cards so we can get reduced or free health care and prescriptions as a Cypriot would. Contrary to what I had been led to believe it was a very painless process, although that may be due to having a screaming baby while they were processing our application. At our appointment with immigration Leo was due for a nap and wasn't best pleased about it, he was so loud and so upset that the very nice lady dealing with our application said we could leave our paperwork and just come back later for our forms! I'm quite pleased we have sorted it all out just before my UK trip as when I return to Cyprus I really will be coming home. Not only that but it means I have completed the first item on my  101 list

I first came across this idea over at Toddler Awesome since then I've seen it around several times and after finding the  Day Zero Project  I thought I'd do my own. The Challenge Complete 1001 pre set tasks in a period of 1001 days. The Criteria Tasks must be specific (i.e no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part). I'm in the process of creating my list, you can see it  here.   Any other ideas for me?