Mums in Cyprus

Following the success of our Paediatric First Aid and CPR training held October 5th and 7th in Limassol we are now scheduling the Nicosia course.

Dear Mums in Cyprus,

we are planning our first get together in the real world! Please have a look at the proposed options and post your reply to this blog. The objective is to find a time that is suitable to as many of us as possible, and maybe schedule the event in a couple of weeks' time. For logistical reasons the first meeting will be in Limassol, but of course you are more than welcome to join even if you live in another part of Cyprus. Maybe some of you would like to carpool over?

Ok, here are the options:

A morning 9.30/10.00 am with child(ren)
An afternoon 15.30/16.00 pm with child(ren)
An evening 20.00/20.30 without child(ren)

Thanks for taking the time to respond to this little survey!

March is Expo month, at least with regards to children related things. There are four or five exhibitions planned over various weekends in Limassol and Nicosia, some of which have already taken place.

If you wanted to go to just one I would recommend the

You may have noticed a bit less in the way of blogging from me over the last couple of weeks, although this was handily disguised by Christmas the real reason can now be revealed....

Following the success of our Paediatric First Aid and CPR training held last October 5th and 7th in Limassol and April 9+10 in Nicosia, we are now scheduling the Larnaca course.

Kindly let me know by answering to this blog whether you are interested in

Hello again Mamas!

My son is in bed and my husband is working, so I thought I would empty my mind of baby talk!!!!
Breastfeeding is a topic close to my heart, I am the 1st successful female in my family to have been able to breastfeed, which I am quietly proud of! I wanted to do it for various reasons.
1) Best start in life for the wee one!
2) Much cheaper than formula!
3) Great way of bonding with your baby...................
and the list goes on.
I set out to do it for a year and around the six month mark, I thought I would never make it! 
Now my son is 17 months old and I am alas STILL BREASTFEEDING!!!! 
I am now so over it, its untrue but I dont seem to be able to stop! I fear my son is addicted to my boobs! I have stopped feeding him in the night now and only do it around 4 times during the day. I have tried distraction, just saying no and trying to make myself unavailable but he totally melts down, like I am taking away his prize possesion! I feel really guilty but I feel I have done my time, he is healthy, active and intelligent and I want my boobs back!. My husband wouldnt mind a look in occasionally either, instead of just watching my son chow down every day!
I tried to ask a peadiatrician here what I should do and if they had any advice and tips and all I was given was a tin of formula. *WOW* I never thought of formula!!!! DUH!!! My son has never taken to it, I tried everything to make him drink it but he is a BOOB man through and through! He will drink regular milk a little but then immediately comes and pokes my boobs and goes "UGH"! The Dr said that Cypriot women BF for a maximum 6 weeks and said I was amazing for still doing it but this was not the answer I wanted! I have had a few strange looks from Cypriot women when BF in public and I dont feel comfortable doing it anymore, although I have always been really discreet!
Any advice out there would be GREATLY received as I would like to not be feeding by my birthday in March so iIcould possibly get blind drunk for the 1st time since July 2007!!!!!!!!! LOL
Thanks mamas xxx
Naomi x 

I'd like to share here a blog entry I had written for my blog about kids, food & crafts.

In our household on any given day you will hear 3 languages spoken regularly.

I am Serbian, my husband is Cypriot and we met in New York

I'm making it official! Next week I start my 6 week challenge.....

I have a large suitcase  of clothes which do not currently fit and I will  fit back into them in just over 6 weeks.

Four years ago I joined Slimming World and it was the best thing I had ever done. I lost 4 stone in 2 years making me a size 10/12 which I had never been as an adult. ( I was a size 12 when I was 12 years old)  
See, my before and after pics on my profile.

I kept the weight off for a year and then got pregnant.
The day before I had Leo I weighed only 7lb more than I had at my heaviest so it could have been worse but since having him I haven't been back on the SW plan, excuses excuses but Christmas and moving to a new country kind of distracted me!

I had lost about 7lb since November, but I have 2 stone to go.  I know I can do it as I've done it once and it wasn't THAT hard considering.....

So, on Tuesday next week (Tuesday because we have friends visiting for the weekend and it will involve eating out and lots of wine!) I start my plan. I have a new exercise game for the Wii which has a 6 week programme and this week I'm planning my shopping so I have lots of S.World friendly food in the house. 

I miss my SW group in the UK, they are a great bunch of people and it really makes a difference getting weighed and seeing them every week - so this is my equivalent - no cheating or I'll have to post it on here!

 

Well my Mama Friends from MIC!! My family and I are shortly due to be leaving the island!
We arrived on June 25th last year, the same night that Michael Jackson died! Will never forget that day!
Its been a roller coaster ride, which I felt we had just started to smooth out the dodgy bumps, moving on to a smoother ride but alas, fate stepped in and dealt us a new hand in the game of life!
A few weeks ago, I had the worst week of my life and also the best in a way!
On the Monday, my husband lost his job (although he did want to leave anyway, hated it!), on the Wednesday I miscarried our 2nd baby and on Thursday I cried for what seemed like eternity. On the Friday, my husband got a soul saving call and was offered a job for Four Seasons Hotels in Hampshire, UK and thats where we are heading. He had previously worked for FS in California, until those pesky bankers turned the world up side down and my hubby lost his job there!! Hence, thats how we ended up in Cyprus!
When I arrived, I had never felt so isolated in my whole life, coming from California, where I was going to 3 different mums groups, each having around 20 babies of Ethans age to nothing, here in Polis. I think I got Post Natal right then, with Ethan being 10 months old and no family or support network!
I found the local Papa Antonious my place of solace, I would literally fling myself at anyone with a child below the age of 10 or any nice looking "grandparent" looking people! I am sure every time I walked in, they probably thought the looney lady had arrived again!!!
Eventually at the end of last year, I managed to make friends with a couple of local mums and life got back to a little normality! Now, once again, we are on the move!
I met my husband, whilst both working on a cruiseship in 2005. for the next 2 years we had a transatlantic relationship between California and UK, due to visa restrictions. We finally got married in August 2007, got pregnant in November 2007 and my husbands work permit got denied briefly for the USA, so during my pregnancy, we lived in 3 different countries until we made it back to the USA! Everything was great then until Jan 2009, which brings me back to my previous story. In my sons short life of 20 months, Ethan has flown 18 times! I didnt fly once until I was 17!!!
So, with everything we have been through the past 5 years, we are stronger than ever and I am hoping to "finally" grow some firm roots in th UK, where I came from and introduce our son, to his English heritage!
We are leaving on April 26th and I would love to stay in touch with everyone on the site! You ladies really helped me through, one of the hardest times in my life, with your kind words and I will be eternally grateful, for you sharing your personal experiences xx
I hope Carine isnt mad at me for this, but we do have 2 cars for sale now, that we HAVE to sell, so if you know anyone that might need a cheap car, please let me know.
Also I would like to personally recommend 3 places in Polis that I love and am going to miss alot.
First, is Mirafiora restaurant, genuine Italian food and the Art Cafe, the best coffee and cake around!
The other is the girls in The Bodytech Gym Beauty Salon, they do the best treatments, at amazing prices and everytime I go, I feel like I am in a real proper girlie place, with great company! My little piece of me time! 

I don't know and to be honest, I certainly don't care.
My relationship with cockroaches has always been really bad. Give me spiders and snakes anytime, but cockroaches gross me out. Since I became a mum however, it has changed. From total disgust and absolute refusal to approach them, to total disgust and absolute determination to terminate them. I just can't stand the thought of these creatures even coming close to my sons!
So far, in the last couple of summers since the boys were born, we have been successful in avoiding an encounter between kids and roaches. But as they grow older and more curious (our children, not the cockroaches)  I am sure this year will be slightly more challenging.

So you can imagine my delight and infinite joy when I come out of the bathroom - NOT! There it is, the first specimen of 2010, running past my feet into the office room. Aaargh! It's only April, where did the bugger come from?? I quickly grab one of the toy stacking cups lying on the floor and try to capture the creature under it. Initially it looks like a no-win situation, but my killer instinct proves stronger than its futile attempts at getting past me and I manage to trap it, squashing one of its legs slightly in the process. Sooo disgusting! For good measure I place a thick book on top, just in case the cockroach decides to do a runner dragging the cup along. Feeling no remorse whatsoever, eventhough this probably amounts to animal torture, I go to bed. Maybe cruel, but hey.  I do respect all living creatures.  Plants, animals, humans. But that doesn't mean I want to share my home with them all!

This was last night, my husband was at work, and I couldn't face finishing off the job alone. Teamwork I thought, he can flush it down the toilet in the morning! And so he did. Happy end.

We are definitely calling the pest control roachbusters first thing Monday morning. Can anyone recommend a good one in Limassol? As environmentally friendly and toxic free as possible? In the past, we have been known to pour a gallon of petrol down the toilet into the sewerage system (extremely efficient I must say)...but I would of course favour a more save-the-planet approach. Being a parent does change your outlook.

P.s. Did you know that a cockroach can live for up to one week without its head! How can that not be disgusting?