A Matter of Choice

Since going back to Slimming World at the start of January I've been making an effort to try some new recipes and keep varying my food every day. Although there is an endless choice when it comes to what you 'can' eat with Slimming World, like anything it's all too easy to fall into a habit of eating the same things day in and day out.  I have many SW cookbooks as well as a folder with lots of recipes that I've collected from the magazine over the years, I've actually made very few though! Last week I decided to try a new one out, and I wish I'd made it sooner! Cheesy Meatball Pasta Bake was a massive hit with the whole family and possibly one of the best main Slimming World meals I've ever made! You need... For the meatballs - 500g extra lean pork mince 6 finely chopped spring onions Dried herbs ( I used about a teaspoon each of basil and oregano) 1tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tbsp tomato puree For the sauce - 1 finely chop...

Today I am playing host to Laura, a fellow Cyprus blogger, otherwise known as 'Izzy the Cypriot lizzard' 'Kids Have Fun in Cyprus'  is written by a Mum of three kids, she started blogging due to her love of writing and travelling. They love to find new places to go, long walks, free playgrounds and spending as much time together having fun as they can. She hates to see so many places deserted and uncared for and hopes that the people will try to create more places for the children and bring more creativity and arts for the adults of the future. I'll hand you over... Huge Kids Choices We live in a period were we can make lots of choices regarding how to raise our kids. From the beginning we start programming our children’s life. Choosing a kindergarten, before they are born, then deciding about the school, the language they will study, the sports they will play, the places they will visit and most important the other kids they will see. We are present ev...

'Another sunrise photo?' Yep, another sunrise, another stupidly early morning. I do remember back in England, when Leo was a week or so old so in early June, feeding him in the early hours of the morning and it was just starting to get light and it looked like it would be a nice sunny day. I thought to myself it was lucky it was summer as it would have been so much more depressing in the middle of winter. It's lucky then given how my both my boys are/ have been terrible sleepers and prone to get up VERY early EVERY day that we moved to Cyprus and most of the year I'm greeted by a lovely sunrise each morning. I was also pleased to notice that it didn't feel that chilly when I went out in my dressing gown to get the photo, maybe a hint of spring on the way?

Guess who?? Aaron is always saying how similar the boys look but I struggle to see it, looking at Leo now with his short dark blonde hair it's easy to forget how different he looks now compared to his toddler days. I know the photos are of Leo, but I do wonder if presented with a photo I'd never seen before could I be confused?  If you dressed Louka in one of Leo's old outfits I think I might be! I'm always saying I'm glad I have my blog to look back on at things I've done, but I was quite surprised how little there was about Leo and I in the early days of blogging, what did make me smile though was looking back into the archives for a post written about Leo at the age that Louka is now (15 months) and all I came up with was 'What's the secret to Sleep?'   Some things never change do they! Linking up to Mummy Mishaps - Flashback Friday.

As much as I love the beach and pool you can have too much of a good thing, especially in the height of summer when the temperatures reach 40 plus degrees every day so I am always on the look out for alternative ways to occupy ourselves. There are not a whole lot of options really but one I'd had in mind for a long time is the Thalassa Museum in Agia Napa.  Last year was the first year I thought Leo might appreciate it so back in July my Dad and I took the boys for a look round.Worst way round I thought we'd all appreciate the air conditioning! Leo was really impressed by the model sharks and other sea creatures and enjoyed looking at the main display - a replica of the 'Kyrenia II' a life size exact replica of the ancient vessel of the classical period (400 B.C) There are many glass panels in the floor which he found really interesting and a huge section where a reconstruction of the old shipwreck is displayed underneath.  There is also a documentary shown wh...

Here in Cyprus Epiphany is celebrated on the 6th and it's a big bank holiday so today, January 7th was the first day back to 'normal' after the Christmas and New Year break. Leo woke up refusing to go to school at first but soon got over it when I let him have breakfast in a proper bowl 'like Mummy'  He looked a little shy going in and looked blankly at his teacher when she spoke to him, I understood what she said and helped him out but I guess he's just been used to hearing only English for the last 2 weeks and was confused! It felt strange coming home without him and Aaron went out just after I arrived, leaving Louka and I on our own for the first time in ages. Although it was chilly indoors the sun was shining and it was lovely and warm outside, I hung the washing out, while Louka ran around the balcony and tried to play swing ball with a brush, then we headed inside and I did almost an hour of exercise dancing and cardio boxing on the Wii while Louka d...

When I planned my weeks food yesterday (for the first time ever!) to help with get back on track with Slimming World , I knew there was one place I'd have to go today. Deryneia has a farmers market every Saturday morning, I'd been meaning to go for weeks now but had never got round to it before, always ending up getting a couple of bits at the supermarket while Leo was at school. I chickened out of taking Louka, leaving him at home with Aaron and instead I enlisted Leo as 'my little helper'  Usually one to be a handful whilst shopping he loved our trip to the market, holding my list and reading out what we needed, then finding it on the stalls and choosing the produce.  I gave him the money and he asked the stallholders how much it was and handed it over speaking in Greek to them.  He was given a huge strawberry by one lady so I think that's why he speaks in Greek, he knows they think it's cute and tends to be given things! Maybe it...

It's hard to believe that it was 8 years ago this week that I first walked into my local Slimming World group. I had no idea how it was going to change my life but change it it did (You can read about it all on my Slimming World page if I've not told you it a million times already!) After just over a year I had reached my target weight of 11 stone having lost just over 4 st, and I managed to stay there or thereabouts for well over a year. I was a complete convert, I continued going to my group and it was reasonably easy to stay at target, days on and off plan balanced themselves out and I didn't feel deprived or like I was missing out on anything, in fact it was quite the opposite, for the first time I was wearing heels and skinny jeans and stopping dead in my tracks walking past shop windows as I didn't recognise myself! Then I got pregnant and my initial thoughts of pretty much sticking to the plan throughout the pregnancy soon went flying out the window! O...

365 Project - take a photo a day for a whole year..... DONE! I was unsure whether to commit to taking a photo every day for a year but as I take so many photos I thought it wouldn't be too hard, I was actually more worried about getting round to getting them all up on the blog! Aaron said I'd manage 2 weeks at best which I thought was a bit rubbish and so spurred on by the Queen of 365 - The Boy and Me I decided to give it a go. I've done it (I may have missed one day, I got a bit confused with the numbering somewhere in August but it may just be the numbers rather than a photo missing, I neither know nor care!) and I'd never do it again! From October it started feeling a little like wading through treacle and it seemed so near yet so far till Day 365, to be honest if I wasn't such good friends with TBAM I'd have given up right then but she kept her foot firmly on my backside and I carried on! So, here we go 365 done and dusted and here are the last ...

As a child Christmas Eve was a long day, spent annoying my Mum and being impatient for Santa to come, but in the last couple of years I think I might even prefer it to Christmas day itself! In one of our Christmas books 'Kipper's Christmas Eve'  the dog Kipper asks 'Christmas Eve or Christmas Day?  What's better presents or expecting presents?' I certainly noticed an air of excitement in the house this Christmas Eve now that Leo understands the whole thing and even though Louka is still too young he was picking up on it more so than he could have done last year at 5 months old. In order to stop us all from going crazy we took a late afternoon trip into the local town of Paralimni to see the lights and get some fresh air. I was really pleased we did. In the main square was a merry go round and a free bouncy castle with a tunnel and a slide (which Leo was very pleased to point out to us). It looked like there had been a market and entertainment earl...

Do children have to be taught 'how' to play?, or is it something that evolves naturally? Imagination has never been my strong point and I was forever bugging my Mum by saying I was bored and asking her what I could do. I was never one to play for hours with a box or be creative. I enjoyed my Sindy dolls except after spending an age setting up the house and dressing them all I'd sit staring blankly at them not knowing what they should do next. Leo seems to be heading the same way, at home he is happiest playing the Wii but take him off it and he doesn't seem to know what to do, and I'm struggling to help him. We build tracks but he loses interest as soon as they are built unless I tell him what 'emergencies' are happening or what jobs the engines need to do. He loves to paint but he doesn't know what to paint unless I tell him, He likes to make stuff but unless I see an idea on pinterest I don't know what to suggest, he then wants to watch m...

I've often heard of many people going for a Boxing day stroll, getting out the house for a bit, walking off the excess chocolates, and as a child I always enjoyed going out with my Dad to walk the dogs. As I got older and without the NEED to go out due to dogs I've always given it up in favour of the sofa. It turns out I'm really really not an 'outdoorsy' person and I'm in awe of the fab bloggers who join in with Coombe Mill's Country Kids link up week after week. I hang my head in shame that we are not out half as much and I'm often heard to say it's too cold / windy / might rain,  Boxing day morning looked a bit grim and very windy and I cursed the fact that we'd arranged to meet some friends for a walk but Leo was excited so we went ahead anyway.  Here is a good reason why I should always do that.... By the time we'd got to Protaras the sun had broken through and the wind had died down! The waves were quite live...

Just one week to go.... and he said I'd manage 2 weeks! A Christmassy day out at the maze - after fab days out for Easter and Halloween we couldn't resist a Christmas themed one!   This time we searched for decorations in the maze, and found reindeer hiding in the herb garden with Christmas messages, as well as the secret keys with a letter on each which spelled a word. Agios Vassilis (Santa) came to school!  All the children had their photo taken with him and received a lovely mug, personalised with their name and school year on it. Leo received his letter and 'good' certificate via ' Santa's Cyprus Postbox' , he loved it (although was not too impressed to be made to pose for a photo!) and has proudly stuck his certificate on his bedroom door! Struggling now on Day 352 of the year and resorting to late night photos of the most interesting thing I can see in the room! Leo loving a piggy back ride from his big cousin during their fl...