So here is my first blog post!
I thought it would be a good idea to start off by sharing a few things that have been happening around here this past week!
So, the ministry of education announced a two-week online schooling (one more week to go!) to help with the current situation that is happening in Greece….I’m pretty sure it will not be just two weeks! 😒 Kind of feel like I’m reliving that movie “Groundhog’s day” when everything seems to just be repeating itself over and over again until you finally decide to make the best of it ! (ha! ha! ha!)
So, we do what we can! I’m generally a very optimistic person but in the current situation we are all experiencing, there are moments when I get discouraged and I do wish things were different for everyone—but I’m trying to be positive and I constantly remind myself that I should focus on the things that make me feel like myself!
It’s been hard. Especially after the new year, for me at least, I kind of felt that we weren’t going to get out of this just yet……and that brought on lots of stress for me.
So, one thing that I’ve incorporated more around the house is fresh flowers!!             I know, I know…..what the heck am I talking about right??! Here we are living in a situation that we have never experienced and we are trying to navigate through whatever comes our way……..and I’m talking about flowers!!?? 😂
Well let me tell you, they really  DO lift up the mood!
Since last year, I’ve incorporated new practices around our home……like movie/pizza night, candles, a day where I’d bake with my son……just those little things that made our days a little more easy and fun……. and then came the fresh blooms……I just love them around our home! They make any room look a little more brighter and happy!Â
Some of my favourites that I’m finding this season are freesias (they smell amazing!), ranunculus and anemones in so many beautiful colours!
Another proud moment!
For many, many years we would always try to understand, guess…..figure out what it was that really challenged our son when it came to studying. We came to realise, it was never about the studying or the homework……
When he first started elementary school, I knew that he had it in him to be amazing and able to cope in a main stream school……it took time and patience at first but I am forever grateful that our son is able to be at this school. We soon saw how good it was for him to be able to attend a main stream school and we are lucky that from his first year up until now that he’s had a shadow teacher with him helping even more at school.Â
What I didn’t know when he first started school was that he lacked self confidence. I realised later on that he wasn’t sure of himself, he held himself back from participating at school whether it was in saying an answer that he might have known or even interacting with the other kids at school…..one thing that he used to say a lot was that he wasn’t good at anything and that there was no point in trying because he wasn’t good enough…..it broke my heart hearing this and seeing it on his face. Â
We didn’t give up on him…..we gave it our all!! All our love, all the positive words, all the encouragement to get that spirit up!
I remember around that time, this was about 2-3 years ago, I came across a woman on instagram named Ninka Bernadette Mauritson, I swear what this woman was saying really resonated with me and hearing her podcast and her lives on instagram made me realise then that I TOO lacked self confidence in myself and I needed to reconnect with myself first so I can help my child……and that’s how I was able to help my child.
It isn’t about the homework! For us, it’s about raising a happy, confident child that knows within him that he is capable of anything! That’s what we teach our son!
We have learnt to trust our intuition more and our son is the reason that we stop, listen and obverse what needs to be done to move forward.Â
We have come a long way! Every single moment, every thought, every word of encouragement, patience, hugs, kisses, tears…….whatever we have come across, we have found our way and it all has paid off!
He is amazing! He has become the independent boy that we knew he would be one day!
Not only are his online lessons going well, but he has also shown more independence and responsibility on doing more things on his own and this makes us SO proud!
I am sure most parents can relate when I say that in our house lots of deals go down!!
Those little arrangements we make with our kids to keep some kind of peace at home; from screen time to homework to food they might not like…….and the list goes on and on!
The deal I made with Georgie this week was “no homework weekend”!
Since online schooling starts at 2pm, I thought I’d let him do it on Monday morning and this way it’s also a “no checking homework weekend” for the parents too! 😉Â
As I was doing some work, I found him reading a book I had bought him on the Greek heroes of 1821.Â
This year, Greece is celebrating the 200 years of independence and I was glad that even though it was “no homework weekend”, he decided to pick up a book!!
Paris says he’s just like me–when I’m interested in something, it’s like going down a rabbit hole in learning more about it. I think he’s right! 😉
I’m wishing you all a fantastic week!Â
xxx