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Supporting The Young Emergent Writer

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Emma is now 6 and in her second year of primary school education. She can read simple books and writes about everything that entertains her imagination, using phonetic sounding.

Although Emma is confident in both her reading and writing, her school and lovely teacher encourage learning reinforcement at home and this is something I really believe in. Having worked for years as a substitute teacher in numerous schools in Northern Ireland and as a special needs classroom assistant for a short spell last year, I know the amazing difference educational support at home can make.

I have always encouraged Emma to appreciate books and the house is coming down at the moment with information books which are appropriate for her age. Her mind is like a sponge and she can retain impressive detail and information about everything, so we are nurturing her thirst of knowledge by always reading with her or listening to her read to us.

Her favourite series is the Wonderwise Collection, which we got from The Book People for £14.99 last year. The series’ 20 books contain a wealth of information regarding the world, the human body, animals and history, all wonderfully presented in a comprehensive and fun way which would capture any young child’s attention. I couldn’t recommend the series enough.

Wonderwise Collection

Imaginative and constructive play should always be seen as part of learning. Emma is regularly getting to review the latest toys, thanks to my blogging, and play leads to reading and learning naturally. She has loved watching The Good Dinosaur before Christmas so when we were offered the latest movie toys from TOMY, I saw them as an opportunity for creative play AND learning.

Good dinosaur

Inspired by the movie and assisted by her speaking dinosaur and cool mask, Emma replayed the story and then created new scenarios. Some of her ideas got transcribed into writing and made for some hilarious stories she read us at bedtime. Using the same theme she loves, we further used the opportunity to work on her  reading by borrowing from the library The Good Dinosaur, The Essential Guide.Emma was able to decipher new information about the characters and the plot and her confidence as a reader grew.

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Her reading confidence increased even more with the latest Dr. Seuss’s book, What Pet Should I Get?, we got to review this January. Nicholas Blincoe reviewed Seuss’s lost and found (some 25 years later!) book manuscript for the Telegraph last August with elation and gratitude and this were exactly our feelings towards this gem of a book too! For an emergent reader, repetition can be reassuring when in the right creative context and Dr. Seuss’s books provide just that! A wonderful new world of possibilities to explore and expand on, combined with the linguistic reassurance of surprising and innovative repetition, would always make for popular reads with young readers. The latest book is pure genius as its open end encourages organically the young reader to expand on possible scenarios and endings for the story and leads to multiples writing opportunities.

What Pet Should We Get?

I left the best writing improvement tool we have found for the last, as I want to take my time and write about it in a bit more detail.

The Night Zoo Keeper and the Spying Giraffes was brought to my attention as a fantastic reading and writing support book and it hasn’t disappointed. Emma has loved having it read and many times, I have seen her “jump” in the story and creating her own imaginary characters and plots, inspired by the great story line.

Night Zoo KeeperThe Night Keeper is a great magical story about an ordinary boy whose imaginary characters come to life in a magical zoo, of which he is designated zookeeper. Tom is the boy next door with whom every single school child can identify but his mission is much more important and intriguing than what is perceived at a first glance. His important mission transpires to be bringing back imagination and play in a land where Conformity has taken rule. A magical tale which will inspire many, many children to look beyond the ordinary and empower them to create their own extraordinary universe and stories.

And this is where Joshua Davidson, the author and manager director of the project is a trail blazer, as he took an excellent book and transformed it into a literacy program. A toolkit which has the potential to bring back creativity and imagination into the classroom and empower entire schools to improve literacy by the magic of storytelling and by children’s enthusiastic involvement.

I hope to see many schools joining in the fun.  I have brought the program to the attention of Emma’s school principal and I hope to see schools in Northern Ireland bringing the fun back into literacy classes with its help.

I truly hope you have enjoyed reading this post and you have found inspiration in how to make learning fun at home for your young children.

Trespass family

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If you read my blog regularly, you know that last year, Trespass invited us to work with them as ambassadors and I got to enjoy their great walking boots.

This time, they asked me to pick a winter jacket and since I had several long ones, I went for Release Women’s Padded Casual Jacket, a shorter one, perfect for school runs and crisp winter days.

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I took my time choosing it as although I wanted a lighter jacket, I still needed it to be able to keep the heat in on blustery days but not overheat me when going into shops in  a rush to grab a pint of milk or bread for the morning.

Using coldheat insulation, the Release prevents your body heat from escaping and locks it between the surface and interior where it can be used to stream you warmth without the need of warmer external temperatures, so it was exactly what I was looking for.

As soon as it arrived, I loved the soft shelling and the weightless feel and couldn’t wait to try it out. I took it for a test drive the very same day, even if it was pouring and it did serve me very well.

I love its bright colour as well and the fact that you can wear numerous accessories with it, making it into a timeless piece for your wardrobe.

Since it is short and light to wear, I will continue to use mine well into the spring. The jacket has been discounted meanwhile to half price so if you like the sound of it, do head over and grab a bargain, as bargain it is, at only £42.99!

I was so pleased with it that when I saw Trespass were heavily discounting children’s winter coats a few weeks afterwards, I did rush to buy Emma one as well, for next winter!

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Emma didn’t have to wait a whole year to put it to good use, last week, when we had close to zero temperatures and snow, the coat did prove warm and excellent for cold and wet weather conditions. The hood is a great size as well and offers additional protection when most needed, making the coat an excellent purchase!

Do check out the Trespass website for their back to school range, their Mary Jane black school shoes are down to £9.99 and all the waterproof children’s jackets are down to half price or more!

We are two thirds a Trespass family now, it is only Alex that remains in need to be kitted out! I do have a strong feeling he will be drawn to their ski range, as he is planning skiing when in Greece this February. Do check our Instagram feed closer to the time for updates :-).

Disclosure: I was sent the Release Women’s Padded Casual Jacket to review but all opinions expressed are entirely my own and truthful.

Brave New Dreams

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Once in a while, the subject of locational change comes into conversation in our household. As you may know, we are a Greek and a Romanian who have been living in Northern Ireland for the past 20, respectively 9 years, with a daughter born and bred here and a son in heaven.

Although we were both raised in countries where summers can be really hot, it is only Alex who misses that aspect. But he misses it so much that he would move back to Greece in a heartbeat, he says. Me…I am not so sure.

For starters, Greece is not my home country so the heart connections with the place are simply not there. There are also aspects that really put me off moving to Greece. There is Emma’s education in English and her being rewarded with a good work place here on account of her local education, a thing that never happened for me, since my degree was obtained in Romania. There is also the serious issue of a suitable occupation for me, not to mention social relationships in a country where all I can ask in the native language is parsley and fish at the local market! I am also aware and can get really distressed over the general attitude towards work in Greece and the permanent partying mode, which is not something I want my child to accept as norm. Life is not only work, it is true, but to fantasise all day about getting out there and having a good time cannot be a healthy thing either.

To date, we have not found a solution which can work satisfactorily for both. Well, except for moving to a place which would meet both the warm weather and the work prospective, that is!

In 2009, when I was only pregnant a couple of months with Emma, we travelled to Australia for a week of travelling and work.

I was left with a deep, deep admiration for the place and the Australians. I loved Sydney, as for all its financial district’s impressive suits, the mood in town was still laid back and friendly and very much family oriented.

I loved the fact that the beach is never far away and you can always go for a dip after work, just like in Greece, but that people still seemed to enjoy working their normal hours and I never heard anyone grumbling about their work load, like they always do in Greece!

Partying is also common occurrence, with families barbecuing and having a good time everywhere, in special and well organised camping spaces but not once making an absolute mess of the place or being loud to the point of chasing their neighbours away.

I loved Australia’s vastness and wilderness; its unusual animals and its friendly folk. Its distance now from all the European power re-shifting and the very worrying threat of an extremist Islamic State make it even more appealing as a place of peaceful residence.

If we moved there, I would not have to worry about Emma and her education, nor her future work prospective.

Although I loved Sydney and I could not fault it, I wouldn’t say no to moving to any of the big cities in Australia, be it Melbourne, Canberra, or Perth.

Although the crisis that crippled the UK financially and lead to the collapse in the housing market a few years back never occurred in Australia, housing is still much more affordable there than here. With houses for sale in Perth starting at 225,000 AUD (£108,494), the dream of a beautiful, brand new, four-bedroom, two-bathroom detached home beckons me strongly towards that side of the world.

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Would you consider relocating to Australia? Which would be the deal makers and breakers for you?

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Tips on surviving Blue Monday

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Blue Monday seems to be a popular theme today with articles published in the Telegraph and rumours in the Metro that Tesco is going to hand out fruit to improve the mood of its customers so I decided to do a take on the subject too.

The not-so-scientific studies that lead to naming this particular Monday as the bluest in the whole year take into consideration the lack of good weather and the level of financial difficulty people find themselves mid-January, with bills pilling up and very little natural light to lift our mood.

How do you make yourself feel better then? By working with your senses to create a holistic sense of well being for yourself, if you ask me!

  1. Sense of smell

We all know that certain smells lead to certain moods so do remember the ones that make you feel better and use them in the house.

Both hubby and I love coffee and there is nothing like the smell of freshly ground, good quality coffee to lift your mood on a Monday morning.

We usually grind our own beans with an electric grinder but recently, we were sent a lovely hand grinder to review and working out for your own pleasure, is, especially on a dull Monday morning, if not exhilarating at least perspective shifting 🙂

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2. Sense of sight

The same company that sent us the coffee grinder did offer us the opportunity to review their aromatherapy diffuser as well.  I have been trying for ages to get Alex light therapy for SAD but those lamps don’t come in cheap so I thought this alternative could do the trick for us.

I bought three different water soluble essential oils which are deemed to not only uplift or calm you but also purify the air in the room.

The diffuser comes with two buttons, one for setting the lights and the other the frequency of the aromatherapy spray.

Emma loved it from the moment she saw it in our room, probably because of the changing, calming lights which can work well as a night light so now I will have to order a second one for our bedroom as she has taken possession over ours!

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3. Sense of taste

In this month’s edition, the UK edition of the Cosmopolitan recommends eating things that do us good like dark chocolate, spinach, mackerel and bananas. I would add to that a small dose of whatever  makes your heart sing! It would do no great harm to your waistline but a whole world of good to your mind and soul!

And yes, that can and should include cake!

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4. Sense of hearing

It doesn’t have to include the purchase of your favourite artist’s new album. Simply blast your iPad with movement inducing YouTube tunes or, if you are an anxious person like me, some relaxation sound clips, to encourage your heart rate to settle to normal levels. The secret here is to do what feels good FOR YOU and not worry too much about your two left feet or falling asleep while listening to those calming tunes.

5. Sense of touch

In The 5 Love Languages, touch is deemed to be one of the ways to show love to your partner. Although this is definitely not one of my love languages, and it may not be yours either, you can still pamper your sense of touch by indulging in a massage, a cuddly blanket or a soft cardigan.

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So, here it is, my take on the Blue Monday. Now, please excuse me, as I head downstairs to brew myself another cup of aromatic, hand-ground coffee, will you?

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Realistic plans and tools for getting fitter in 2016

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Since losing Georgie, I lost my zest for life and last year was all about pure and raw survival. All I managed to do, on a daily basis, was getting Emma up, dressed, fed and the house tidy; dinner cooked and myself washed. I had very little energy for self care due to not sleeping well at night and constant headaches during the day, all because of crippling grief and emotional pain.

Due to the lack of motivation, which led to a crass lack of exercise and binging on comfort food on a regular basis, I started accumulating weight which in a year and a half ended up being almost two stones (10 kilos).

Although this second Christmas was not easy by any means, it did feel a little bit more manageable as it was something I knew I would be able to survive, since I had done it in 2014. I also found myself wishing to decorate the house a bit more, not only to keep a sense of normality for Emma but for my own joy.

Sign that I have started to heal from the enormous emotional trauma of losing my child was also me feeling a tad more energetic and willing to move more. Although I still stress very easily, still have frequent headaches and still cannot work outside the house, I have somehow found the desire to look after myself to be motivating and energising.

So, when in December I was offered two amazing products to try out, which could potentially help me lose that extra weight that has been piling on, I did literally jump at the opportunity.

The first product is my reliable and amazing activity tracker, Polar Loop 2.

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The Polar Loop is a clever wrist band which has a mini computer inserted in its soft and easy to wear wrist band. The Polar Loop 2 needs online registration of personal details like weight height and calculated BMI, in order to assess your fitness levels and prescribe the right amount of daily exercise. It keeps track not only of the time (functioning as a watch) and of your activity levels (letting you know at any point during the day how far you are from achieving your daily exercise dose) but also of the number of steps taken and the calories burned.

Why do I love my Polar Loop 2?

In addition to the features mentioned above, it has a little motion sensor which activates when I have been physically inactive for more than 60 minutes. As someone who sits at the desk a lot, writing blog posts and researching information, many times I become so engrossed in what I do that I forget to move for hours and the gentle reminder of the Polar Loop is what I need to get my body moving and hopefully, gently and gradually, back into shape.

The Polar Loop has a sleep tracker feature too but I haven’t tested it as I find wearing watches, jewelry or any other things that could restrict my movement in bed annoying. I haven’t been a great sleeper for ages,  as I said before and I fear that wearing the loop in bed will lead to more sleeplessness.

If I could swim, I would take my Polar Loop to the pool or in the sea when we go to Greece in the summer, as it is waterproof and can go as deep as 20 meters under the water.

The device needs charging into a laptop or computer every three days or so. While charging, the program syncs and uploads automatically your activity chart into the program you downloaded initially; with its Apple app version, you can keep a close eye of your weekly physical activity, wherever you are.

All in all, I love the device and I would recommend it to anyone who needs to monitor their level of exercise, novice or pro. I do find it is the only fitness motivation I need on a daily basis now; many an evening, I have been known to air pedal while putting Emma to bed, “to get all my steps in”!

The Polar Loop sells for £94.50 on their website and the product was sent to us in exchange of this review.

My second brilliant product, which I will write about regularly over the next few months, is my Slimpod Gold, a 12-week weight loss programme which has already proven not short of miraculous for  me.

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The Slimpod is a short audio clip, of less than 10 minutes, which you get to listen every single night, after you have filled in your Success Log. This is a simple yet very efficient way of ensuring you jot down the three good things you have done during the day to make your weight loss goal reachable.

Why do I LOVE my Slimpod?

I love the relaxed voice and the empowering message I get to listen for 10 minutes each day. For months after Georgie died, I was told to find time daily to do something for myself but i never allowed myself too. This programme ensures I do and I love having the opportunity to unwind and think of positives when I go to bed, as it sets the mood for calmer sleep.

The pod comes with online registration on the Thinking Slimmer website, where you can find a wealth of information, recipes and, what I appreciate most, common sense advice on how to set realistic goals and expectations on your weight loss journey.

But what makes the pod different from any other weight loss programme out there is that it puts the control back into your own hands, or into your subconscious, to be more precise.

Although the information is there, as I mentioned, to support your journey, it is up to each individual to decide the form their weight loss will take. For me, it is a mixture of using my Polar Loop and eating less calorific stuff while always striving to integrate more salad, fruit and vegetables back into my diet and replace the sweets and the carbs. For others on the same journey, it may look like classes at the local gym or a drastic change in their diet.

Sine of my favourite quotes from my daily listening session are:

“Thinking slimmer, becoming slimmer.” The link between mind and body re-established and acknowledged as the only tool for long lasting change.

“Reminding yourself that exercise is every move you make.” Such a reassuring reminder that even the small steps I take to make dinner or load the washing machine count towards me getting slimmer.

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After having felt chronically out of control during Georgie’s illness and in his death, I now find myself attracted to things that re-establish that control and re-affirm the power to change the way I look for now and the way I feel, in time.

I am very grateful for the Slimpod Gold, the opportunity to review it over the next few months and for the ongoing support offered through the amazing group of bloggers that are testing it at the same time.

The Pod sells for £97 on the website and I will be writing weekly updates on my progress here.