A Matter of Choice

I realise it may seem a little late to be sharing summer highlights for my readers in the UK, but for those in Cyprus I'm sure you can understand. Apart from the fact that the sun still shines here and the days are warm (I say warm I mean around 25 to 27 degrees so jeans and duvet weather now)  the summer 'season' runs till the end of October so it's about now that we all take a breath and change gear for the winter.   This year was very different for us as a family, extra work  as I started a part time seasonal job in addition to our other commitments, and for the first time, the boys went to summer school.  I was a bit apprehensive about it and hoped they would enjoy it, although I didn't want to force them to go if they really didn't get on there for some reason.  Our school holidays are very long, almost 13 weeks, so the chance for summer school is good for everyone.  Luckily they really enjoyed it,  so from when school finish...

When you get a new piece of furniture what do you do with the box?  If you are 7 years old the answer is surely 'Get straight in it' Louka was overjoyed to see this big box on the balcony when he came home from school and he threw off his shoes and got straight in.  He lay around in it for a while and then got out for lunch.  I did suggest he could eat lunch in the box but apparently that would be silly.  The idea to paint the box however was much better received. I realise that I hovered over the boys way too much when they used to paint, worried about them getting paint everywhere (on marble floors which are easy to clean!)   or on themselves or who knows what, so I gave him paints, brushes and refused to have any more to do with it.   He asked me what to paint, I didn't give him any suggestions,    (other than 'the box'  as I'm just so easily amused)   He asked me about the colour...

A flashback post today, back to early 2015 Leo was 5 and Louka was 2.  It was quite early in the morning and we were having breakfast outside.   That was quite a rare event, and one of the only times in all the years we've been here that we did that, I assume it just seemed like an unnecessary additional effort especially in the high chair days.  There had already been a pre-breakfast playdough session,  I really don't miss days starting that early with things like that! It may be more than 4 years ago but I remember the morning well,  the breakfast went well.  Leo buttered his own bread (sort of)  and no-one cried or moaned or had any drama - this is why I remember it, it was a rare event! I sat and watched the boys play thinking how lovely it all was, the sun was shining the boys were happy and had been playing nicely together so far all day (remember it was breakfast time but you had to celebrate the little th...

We spent Christmas Eve having a fairly normal day but we took the boys to the park in the afternoon for a chance to burn off some energy and excitement.When we got home the Christmas countdown really began as we started to track Santa and play some festive games together on my laptop. For the third year I produced the 'Snuggle Sack' much to the delight of the boys. This year the boys had new pyjamas, we all had crisps, and chocolates to share, as well as a Christmas story and the boys stockings and our 'Santa Stop Here' sign and a new DVD.   Earlier in the day Leo had said in a random comment that one day he'd love to have a special Hot Chocolate with cream and sprinkles, like he'd seen on a Christmas game. As we sat to watch the film asked if he'd like a special hot chocolate, with cream, chocolate sprinkles, a chocolate stick and a candy cane, you should have seen his face!   He jumped for joy and said 'Thank you, thank you Mummy, I'm so ...

So many people say that Louka is a mini Leo and while I didn't dispute the fact they looked very similar I didn't think they were that close in looks at the same age. Maybe it's because I know my photos so well and I can tell straight away who it is by the background, or maybe it's like having twins - you just know which is which. After thinking we would probably only have one child, it's strange doing it all again, the same yet different. There were many things that I'd thought Id do differently with hindsight when I used to look back on Leo's early years but 'they' are right no two children are exactly the same and therefore there is still something new all the time! Regardless of looks I do see so many similar character traits starting to develop in Louka but also hints of differences and I'm intrigued to see what they are both like as they grow up. Their relationships is great, and I find that fascinating to watch having grown...

Three years ago, not long after we moved to Cyprus I started to take Leo to 'Jingle Jangles' a music group for 0-3 year olds, he was 9 months old and although at first he had no real idea what was going on it was good for him and even better for me!    I was sad at our last session as it was one of the things that kept me sane when I first moved here, and the place where I met two people who I now count among my best friends. This month I got to relive some old memories when I took Louka for the final 3 sessions before the summer break. It was quite surreal to sit down again in the familar circle and 'tick tock' with a 9 month old on my lap again. It was a bit odd being there without the others but I knew a couple of them and of course I know 'Miss Claire'.  Singing all the familiar songs it seemed like only yesterday I was there with Leo. The last two weeks I've taken Leo with me as he has finished school for summer.  He said he didn't rememb...

I'm a big fan of pinterest and forever 'pinning' activites to do with the boys although it's a bit like the recipies I used to rip out of magazines to cook 'one day'.  As much as these ideas are great they so often involve some sort of craft skill, require patience or create mess and they get put off for another day! My biggest problem  excuse currently is Louka being too young, and his nap times being too short, and the fact that even simple activities are too old for him as everything would go straight in his mouth. I got round this problem this week though and the boys and I did our first proper activity together, it went down very well, was easy to set up, cheap and not messy - Yay! Using a selection of random toys and plastic boxes, I made several blocks of ice with hidden surprises inside. I told Leo we were going to play with ice and at first he was confused, I placed all the blocks into a big plastic box and took them outside. He thought it hila...

I've not joined in with many Gallery prompts this year so far except last weeks which was 'Girls' when I wrote about my best girlies who I'll be off to see later today for the first time in years (did I mention I'm quite excited!) Obviously the logical prompt to follow that was going to be Boys and I couldn't miss that one, especially as I'll be leaving them behind while I make my flying visit to the UK! If you'd have asked me many years ago what my preference would be I'd have no doubt said I'd like  girl, especially if I had already had a boy, but I really couldn't imagine it any other way now. I love my boys to bits and couldn't imagine a girly world of pink and fluffy anymore. I never expected I'd know all the engines from Thomas or be so familiar with Bob and Mike the Knight and I hate to admit it but Aaron may have a point - boys stuff is cooler than girls! It's going to be very strange spending five days awa...

Growing up, unlike many children with aspirations to be a nurse/ teacher or similar the only thing I ever wanted to be was a wife and mother, although whether that was down to a lack of imagination or an actual calling is debatable!  Maybe because looking back I don't remember knowing any 'career women' the only women I knew were Mum's, some with jobs, some who stayed at home but with their main focus on the children.  I've had many jobs in my life , mostly ones I hated and I could never come up with anything I actually really wanted to do, always feeling like I was just killing time and doing something because I HAD to. I was 31 years old when I had Leo which is the same age my Mum was when she had me.  I had always wanted to be a younger Mum but I'm now glad I wasn't as looking back I really value the years I had which were firstly all mine, and then mine and Aaron's.  I grew up as an only child and from a very early age was determined I wou...