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Tips for smoother lockdown living

By MiC Carine 05/04/2020
Lockdown Living

Congratulations to us all…two weeks of official lockdown are behind us

To be exact, it’s been three weeks of stay-at-home since schools closed down. What an achievement! (who would have thought we’d ever have to celebrate such a feat)

By now we will all have adapted to indoor confinement with various degrees of success – however we may define success for ourselves – and with previous comfort patterns no longer relevant, we’ve all had to carve out new parameters for our family lives to evolve in.

If you haven’t yet implemented some of these strategies in your home, you might find a couple of our suggestions useful.

Stop talking about corona virus all the time

Remember the never-ending news cycles about Brexit? Climate change? War in Syria? Migrant crisis? They don’t seem so important to the media anymore now, do they? Yet they all remain out there, none of these issues have suddenly gone away. There’s still more to life than the coronavirus. As much as possible, try to maintain a sense of new-normal in your home. Not just for your own personal mental health, but it helps provide a sense of stability and consistency for your children, no matter their age. We’ve mentioned the importance of limiting our use of social media in order to keep all that negativity and confusion out of our hearts. The same actually applies to the TV news channels, especially the overly dramatic ones. The situation is bad, and it will get worse before it gets better. As far as this virus is concerned, we don’t need anyone telling us over and over again.

Yes, school is important, but there’s more to life than that

If you have the privilege of your children being schooled online, you’re probably already in some sort of a set morning frame. Home schooling is undoubtedly filled with its very own multitude of new challenges…but let’s not get into those…just remember that children across the world are being kept home, a large number of them will fall behind academically, fact. The schools are aware and will adjust the course accordingly. It doesn’t matter so much right now, honestly. Let’s use the time to also teach our offspring the much lacking life skills. How to boil an egg, cook pasta, make a bed, change a tyre, sew on a button, manage our money – the list is endless, and these topics are just as important (if not more so!). Recap on the day, give everyone a chance to say what they liked and disliked, use the info to shape an improved tomorrow.

Everyone needs Me Time and personal space

No matter how much love there is to go around in your household, being on top of each other 24/7 can become ‘interesting’ for any family. Even more so if you haven’t got the added space of a balcony or garden, and/or have multiple children but not enough rooms for everyone to retreat to for a little privacy. Why not assign each member of your household a specific area in your home that’s exclusive to them, a safe space they can use if they do not want to communicate and prefer to be alone? For younger kids this can be a ‘cave’ under the dining room table, a ‘tent’ pitched over the bathtub or anything else that works for you. Time to let them get really creative and respect their choices, however crazy they seem to you.

Once the ‘novelty’ of home isolation wears off, establish a new routine

Who doesn’t love a pyjama day or two (or more)?! Pure bliss. Constant munching and grazing?! Bring it on. Maybe a wineglass, cocktail, beer or two? Or three? Yep. But about that…weeks into the lockdown, this really should stop for the sake of our mental and physical health. A structured day is an important contributor to feeling in control, despite the fact that nothing much is up to us anymore. Once you’ve binged on the new-found freedom from the alarm clock, timetables and to-do-lists (in case you’re not working from home), find a new routine to suit the needs of everyone in the family. The best way to do this is together. Brainstorm, prioritise and decide how to move forward, so that everyone’s basic needs are met. Determine a group hour every evening where one of you is in charge of entertainment and gets to pick the game to play, movie to watch or music to listen to – together.

Bend the old screen time rules and pick your battles

Let’s face it, screen time restrictions that worked in BC times (aka Before Corona) cannot be considered reasonable today. Online schooling already adds a considerable amount of computer hours to our children’s daily lives. Don’t feel guilty about allowing more online entertainment than you would normally – it’s not their fault that the quota is reached so quickly. Instead, maybe (if needed) fun screen time could be used as a positive motivator or reward for your kids’ morning class efforts. If you haven’t done so yet, research new websites, educational games and online courses for them to use productively. The internet is awash with free stuff like never before. Unusual times call for unusual methods, and as soon as our movement restrictions are lifted, the weather will be fantastic for spending entire days outdoors again. Save your sanity for the more important stuff that possibly needs addressing – whatever this may be in your home.

Make it memorable for the right reasons

This staying at home thing has to be considered a marathon in order to shift our mindsets out of a passive mode into an empowered one. You can finally learn Greek! Take that online course! Read that book! Learn to play the guitar that’s been in the corner all these years! Blablabla? Yes, it’s not all rosy. Because if we’re truly honest, when we finally emerge at the end of this tunnel, nothing will ever be as it was in this world. We’re living history, writing the pages of tomorrow’s chronicles, living a bit of the future even. And while the global economy will be redefined, some of us will lose our jobs and have to find new ways to sustain a living. But then again, ‘different’ can also become ‘better’. Give your lockdown a soundtrack and dance.

A note on what to do if nothing works

Should your personal circumstances be of a nature that makes this lockdown period mentally or physically unbearable to you, it is vital to remember none of this is your fault. Do not be ashamed or blame yourself. Please, please find the strength deep within you to ask for help. Take your phone to the toilet or bathroom for a personal moment if you can, and get in touch with these confidential helplines

Cyprus Samaritans phone 80 00 77 73

Domestic Violence phone 1440

Children and Teenagers until 18 years phone 116 111

Teenage Boredom Busters

By MiC Carine 30/03/2020
Boredom Busters

Keeping Busy During the COVID-19 Lockdown: Ideas for Teenagers

After the novelty of not having to get up quite so early for school wears off, teenagers, like everyone else, may get restless.

As the mums of four teenagers between them, fellow MiC mums Viki Michaelides and Claire Pillar (thank you, thank you!) pooled ideas and came up with a few tips, which they offer us in their guest blog below.

Mental health

No apologies for putting this first. Keep your teenagers mentally healthy. Being cooped up is not ideal, so get some outdoor air if you can (remember to get the required form or SMS permission first if you are leaving your house or apartment). Run around the garden, kick a ball around, do pushups or squats on the balcony or improvise table tennis or other soft ballgames.

House party

A fantastic app to hang out online and party on! Available on Google Chrome, Android or Apple platforms.

School lessons

In Cyprus, public and private schools differ in their preparation. Private schools are mostly well set up to offer online lessons with the normal schedule. Make sure your teenager gets up on time and don’t disturb them while lessons are on. Although international GCSEs and A levels have been cancelled, study is still possible. Reassure them if they are heading for university that it is very unlikely universities will not be admitting any new students in the next academic year. It just might be later.

Materials from public schools vary. Check the school website and look for the tab that says “educational materials”.
Have a look at some of these resources available for students:

BBC Bitesize – this goes up to GCSE level

FutureLearn – get a heads up on what you want to study at university

MOOC.org – Massive Open Online Curses lists free online courses

Coursera – has more free online courses from universities

Udacity – tech skills, free for a month

Hair

Now’s the perfect opportunity to try out a new hairstyle as all the barbers and salons are closed. If you don’t want to have an untrained (!) family member trim your locks, try out a virtual new hairstyle here.

Baking

Try out a new recipe. Baking is not only relaxing, but you also get to eat the results!
Here’s a tried and trusted simple recipe from Viki, aptly renamed ‘Quarantine Cake’, as it doesn’t use any milk or eggs (which obviously are more precious now that we can’t just pop out for more whenever we would like!)

Cocoa powder 1/3 cup (optional)
Flour 1 1/2 cups
Cold Water 1 cup
Oil 1/2 cup
Baking soda 1 teaspoon
Vinegar 2 tablespoons
Sugar 1 cup
Salt 1/2 teaspoon
Vanilla extract 2 teaspoons (if you are not using the cocoa powder)

Mix it all together in one bowl, putting the vinegar in last after you have mixed everything into a nice thick batter. Mix the vinegar in and turn the batter out into a cake tin or cupcake cases.
Bake at 180 for 15 minutes for the cupcakes or 45 minutes for a cake. Depending on your oven, it may take longer-it is ready when a knife comes out clean.
Enjoy!!
P.S. This is a very forgiving recipe. You can add chocolate chips or other small ingredients and it will be fine.

Green issues

Thinking about giving up meat or single-use plastic? The Environmental Film Festival is making its festival films available online until the end of March. Catch up with The Game Changers, Fantastic Fungi, The Plastic Problem and much more, right here.

Donate your voice

Not as creepy as it sounds 😉 Common Voice is a project from Mozilla to teach machines how to recognise voices. You either speak some text or listen back to some to see if it’s correct.

People lose their voices in a variety of ways – surgery, stroke, etc. You can volunteer your voice by registering here.
More information is availbale at VocalID.

Volunteer!

There are plenty of ways to volunteer online from your own home:

Help from home – lots of ideas, but please check if they are still current. Categories include Computer & Internet, Crafts, People, The Written Word and Miscellaneous.

Zooniverse – participate in research of all kinds, from classifying galaxies to counting penguins to transcribing manuscripts. Whatever your interest, there’s a Zooniverse project for you.

Volunteermatch – directory of opportunities that can be done from a computer.

Do Something – volunteering ideas just for young people specifically around the Coronavirus crisis.

Amnesty International Decoders – join a global network of digital volunteers helping research and expose human rights violations. Amnesty Decoders use their computers or phones to help researchers sift through pictures, information and documents.

Project Gutenberg – thousands of volunteers digitize and proofread the library of over 60,000 free eBooks.

Missing Maps – help make maps of a disaster zone to inform the relief efforts of organisations such as the Red Cross. Volunteers use satellite images and a drawing tool to mark up buildings, rivers and roads in remote areas that may not have been mapped before. Tutorials are available and there are suitable tasks for beginners.

Project Implicit – a non-profit network of researchers investigating the subconscious way our minds work. Volunteers take psychological tests online to help scientists better understand society’s hidden prejudices and how we might tackle them.

And, lastly, maybe try these from home?

We hope you have found some useful ideas, helping you to #stayhome and #savelives!

 

Welcome to our new normal

By MiC Carine 20/03/2020
You got this

Self-isolation/lockdown day #7

It’s been one full week since our family decided to consistently practice social distancing. No meeting friends for our boys or for us, and no visits to grandma. Effectively no contact with anyone, other than digitally. Food shopping is done with mask and gloves.

We sigh a breath of relief when a day has passed without anyone of us developing a sore throat, cough or fever. We count our blessings all the time and send positive vibes and strength to those less fortunate than us these days.

Who would have ever thought that in our lifetime, we would so suddenly be living in a world so surreal? It’s a bit like watching a ‘virus-infects-the-world’ disaster movie, except that we’re all in it.

Nevertheless, for every Yin there is a Yang, even with this effing virus. There are dolphins in Venice’s canals, ducks in city fountains, clear skies over China, and with pollution-free streets across the world, the previously alarming CO2 emissions have drastically been reduced. Community spirit has vastly improved and people are finding new ways to connect.

Most importantly, this lockdown has gifted us the luxury of time. Time to do nothing. Time to do everything. Time for ourselves. Time for each other. None of that constant rushing around. And you know what else? Statistically speaking, we are apparently still more likely to win in the lottery should we play it, than die from the virus should we become infected.

But yes, it is hard to keep trying to find the brighter side of it all when our world is turned upside down. It is normal to be scared and we must allow ourselves a break to properly process the shock, openly express our feelings and have a really good cry in order to come out stronger. The resulting acceptance of the new normal is key to continuity, one day at a time.

Our children are looking to us for guidance and reassurance. Let’s try not to let that fear of the unknown take over, let’s do everything we can to keep a healthy body, mind and spirit.

While many things seem out of our control right now, we can all still personally contribute to keeping the virus from spreading further and avoid the collapse of our healthcare system.

Stay home. Save a life. Stay healthy.

#flattenthecurve

When our world is turned upside down

By MiC Carine 12/03/2020

Prepare yes, panic no.

If you are feeling torn between options a.) wanting to pretend this Corona virus is just a severe strain of flu, and b.) letting your urge to panic get the better of you, then join the club!

Let’s just be honest and admit it, it is normal to feel scared. Most of us have never experienced life in the times of a pandemic, especially not in the role of parents to our children or caregivers to our elderly relatives.

There is no tried and tested plan to follow. Governments around the world seem to respond in wide-ranging ways, which only contributes to the confusion surrounding the situation. The mad conspiracy theories are not helping either (‘It’s a hoax’?!).

The last pandemic flu to circulate was caused by the H1N1pdm09 virus in 2009, which claimed upwards of half a million lives. Yet most of us here in Cyprus will not have been affected greatly by it, because compared to the way it spread on American continent, the disease was not so prevalent in Europe or Australia.

The 2020 version of Corona virus is unique in many ways. THE single, most important information to ALWAYS remember is that we can have picked up the virus, carry it, not develop any symptoms at all, but still be passing it on to others.

Should the ‘others’ belong to a high risk group, which includes older people and those with underlying health conditions, they will be at higher risk of developing complications from COVID-19.

This pandemic is going to get worse before it gets better. Ironically, accepting that fact has calming effect. China has been suffering since December, and only now are they seeing light at the end of the tunnel. It’s been four months, so we need to realise that the pandemic is not going to pass anytime soon.

With this in mind, we must follow the advice given by the World Health Organisation to delay the spread of the virus and avoid the collapse of our public health system.

If you’re finding it difficult to keep calm these days, take a very deep breath, do not panic and have a look at what we can do to stay healthy and sane:

Let’s stay away from social media

  •     as tempting as it may be to keep scrolling, we should put your phones away and shut out the negativity
  •     try to limit ourselves to checking social media feeds once every couple of hours if we cannot manage longer periods

Let’s use only reliable, trustworthy, official sources

  • for local government announcements it is the Cyprus Press and Information Office 
  • for local news the websites are In Cyprus, Cyprus Mail and KNews (Kathimerini English Edition), they also have apps

Let’s keep informed

  •  for factual statistics of the COVID-19 disease and recovery rate progression, the Centre for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University has developed this map

Let’s not discriminate

  • this virus does not either
  • it goes for anyone of any race, gender, origin or nationality

Let’s not judge or blame

  • remember that we can all become a carrier of this nasty virus without noticing
  • Cyprus is small, and we may personally know the confirmed cases behind the statistics
  • none of the patients are to blame for anything because they didn’t know they caught it

Let’s practice Social Distancing

  • no more handshakes, hugs, kisses when greeting
  • keep a distance from the next person in the supermarket
  • suggest to work from home if feasible in your industry and position

Let’s put our social lives on hold for a while

  • schools are closed for a reason, organising meet ups and play dates defies the purpose
  • postpone those great big Sunday family lunches

Let’s get creative with our children

  • there are tons of articles and posts on the internet, and this one seemed very original 

Let’s not panic

  • we are no use to anyone if we panic
  • unless we have been asked to self-isolate for two weeks, then there’s no need to bulk buy supplies
  • most of everything we need is produced locally, we’re not going to run out of anything

Oh, and let’s work on not touching our face.

It all sound easier than it is? Yes, maybe. But let’s also explain to our children in simple, clear terms that we have a collective responsibility towards each other and the more vulnerable members of our society. What seems like inconvenience now may actually save lives later.

Stay healthy. Stay safe.  Stay sane.

Birth Days now available online!

By MiC Carine 29/02/2020

The much-acclaimed, locally-made labour of love Birth Days – Documentary by the very talented Danae Stylianou is finally available for streaming to buy or rent! If you are pregnant or planning ot have a family, this is a must-watch!

In a country where Caesarean section births account for four times the recommended WHO rate, Birth Days chronicles one mother’s journey as she sets out to pursue a natural birth after Caesarean, to reclaim her own body and regain trust in the maternity care system.

We spoke to Danae about the film when it came out last year for a behind-the-scenes conversation and are so happy that her documentary is now available to everyone online, to view in your own time! (preview trailer below)

In Danae’s words ‘I welcome you in this exciting journey…’

You will not be disappointed. Promise!

It’s beginning to look a lot like…savings!

By MiC Carine 17/12/2019

Bigger, better and more useful than ever – global digital lifestyle brand, the ENTERTAINER 2020 is here and we love it!

The award-winning app turns 18 this year, and proudly presents more merchants for Cyprus, more offers and even more savings.

How does the ENTERTAINER work?

Once you’ve downloaded the lifestyle app on your favourite mobile device, you have it with you wherever you go (no need to lug a massive book around or to remember to cut out & keep hundreds of discount vouchers). It offers you savings on hundreds of venues across the island!

  • You CHOOSE – help yourself to whatever offer you want
  • You USE  – show your ENTERTAINER when you ask for the bill
  • You SAVE – do more for less, enjoy huge savings on all the things you like doing

 

Where can it be used?

The over 1,500 buy one get one free and discount offers are available for use at the best restaurants, attractions, golf courses, spas, salons, bars, nightclubs, gyms, fitness classes, in retail shops and many more venues

What’s inside the app?

  • Food & Drink: An all-time favourite. Help yourself to some of the best dining options, bars, night spots and restaurants in your city. All offers within this category are 2-for-1. You can eat out more without having to worry so much about the cost!
  • Beauty & Fitness: Another massively popular category featuring spas, salons, gyms and more. The offers in this category vary between 2-for-1 and 50% off – go with a friend and you both get to use the spa for half the price!
  • Attractions & Leisure: Great times and fun-filled adventures. This category is perfect for holidays and families. All offers in this category are 2-for-1. Planning on going to Fasouri Waterpark this summer? With just one visit using this app, you’ll get back the money you paid for it!
  • Fashion & Retails: Save every time you hit the shops for a spot of retail therapy. This category offers savings every time you spend a certain amount. For example, spend €150 at Follie Follie and save €75, meaning you get a 50% discount!
  • Everyday Services: Whether you need a car wash, or your pet groomed, you’ll find it here. The offers in this category are from 30% off.
  • Travel: From quick getaways to long vacations, they’ve got it all thanks to free nights and huge discounts (either 60% off or Buy One Night Get One Free on hundreds of thousands of hotels globally).

Get it now at a year-long special discounted price for MiC members with code MIC20!

Which brands are included?

Fantastic new brands for this year include Cinnabon, Sushi La, Second Cup, Hans & Gretel, Umani, The Buccaneer, Limoncello, Estrella, Tokio, Chocolate House, Masterland and Zumita. Returning favorites include Fasouri Watermania, Akakiko, The Spa at Londa, Aelia Wellness Retreat, Rumours Bar, Buffalo Wings and Rings, Gloria Jean’s Coffee, Thymari, Aphrodite Hills Golf plus many more.

If that wasn’t enough…

You can even share your account with family members! They will each get their own login and password, so you can all use the App, meaning you’ll save money together. How cool is that?

The App also features Pings. What are Pings? It means that you can swap offers with your friends. It also means that if you run out of an offer, someone can send you a new one.

Sign up and enjoy exclusive access to ENTERTAINER getaways, which includes discounts of up to 60% and seamless booking through the app at over 550,000 hotels worldwide.

Benefit from our MiC Member discount!

Early purchasers can grab the ENTERTAINER Cyprus + Free Cheers + Free Retail and Services 2020 for just €19.95 (RRP €29.95) for a limited time. Add to that our Mums in Cyprus exclusive 10% discount code MIC20 and pay only €17.95. The perfect Christmas gift!

What’s not to love?

Join one of the largest money saving apps globally with a community of over 3 million users, that saved over $140 million in 2019 alone…because the ENTERTAINER is available in 13 countries across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

ENJOY!!!

Our favourite websites and apps – Episode I

By MiC Carine 25/10/2019

News-O-Matic

Would you like your children to become interested in the world around them (beyond your local community), but find watching the evening news together too daunting? I know we did when our boys were little.

I believe that when kids get to a certain age, we have an obligation to offer them insights into what living in this world is really like. We cannot shield them from the (ugly) truth forever, nor can we pretend bad things do not happen out there. Because if we do, and they find out the hard way, they may be unprepared to process their emotional response to negative events – however small or big, whether it affects them locally or not.

Children talk among themselves at school. Even if we don’t want to burden our own with the sad news that another terrorist attack / plane hijack / suicide bombing has taken place, they may hear it from a classmate in a way that may make them anxious and scared of going outside.

Controlling the narrative of daily life – while we still have the opportunity – is essential to preparing their malleable little brains for the realities that lie ahead, for all things positive as well as negative. But we don’t always know how, so a tool that helps us find the right approach can come in handy.

Enter ‘News-O-Matic’, which our two boys have greatly benefited from over the years.

 

 

News-O-Matic is the first daily newspaper just for kids, which provides an exciting and engaging, always age-appropriate experience for children. As they mention on their website ‘thanks to its unique combination of editorial and technology, News-O-Matic creates innovative solutions to help children become tomorrow’s responsible citizens. It gives young readers a window into the world — and a reason to love reading news.’

 

Totally true! A daily email for parents gives you the heads-up on the issues covered, along with meaningful conversation tips on the topics raised, whether good news or bad.

Here’s a screen shot of that mail from a week ago:

 

You can select the age range and the language (currently available in English, French or Spanish), and they have a version for use in schools. There’s a free trial period, then subscriptions are either monthly, for 6 months or annual. Best money ever spent!

We cannot recommend this enough, and no, this is not a commercial endorsement.

Just try it and let us know how you like it in the comments below, your feedback is more than welcome!

Access the website from here, with the app available on the App Store and Google Play. There’s also a version for Kindle.

You heard it here first 😉

Τα Εμμηνορροϊκά Κύπελλα και η Μητρότητα

By MiC Carine 02/10/2019

Ένα από τα δεδομένα της ζωής είναι ότι το σώμα μας αλλάζει καθώς μεγαλώνουμε, κι όταν γινόμαστε μητέρες, κάποεις από τις αλλαγές μπορεί να γίνουν προκλητικά άβολες. Η έμμηνος ρύση δεν αποτελεί εξαίρεση. Η γέννηση ενός παιδιού μεταμορφώνει τη ζωή σου με τόσους ποικίλους τρόπους, ένας από τους οποίους είναι και ο τρόπος με τον οποίο αντιμετωπίζεις την περίοδό σου.

Για κάθε μητέρα, η επιλόχειος περίοδος βιώνεται διαφορετικά. Λίγο μετά τον τοκετό, πολλές μαμάδες εκπλήσσονται όταν ανακαλύπτουν ότι τα γυναικεία προϊόντα υγιεινής τούς προκαλούν τώρα πόνο ή δυσφορία ή απλά δε λειτουργούν τόσο αποτελεσματικά όπως πριν.

Μερικές μαμάδες ανακαλύπτουν ότι τα συνήθη προϊόντα εμπορίου, ενώ εξακολουθούν να λειτουργούν όντας άβολα, δεν είναι πλέον τόσο αρεστά. Το ότι χρησιμοποιούν ένα προϊόν στο οποίο προστίθενται δωδεκάδες βλαβερές τοξίνες, εκ των οποίων είναι η διοξίνη, τα φυτοφάρμακα, τα εντομοκτόνα και γνωστοί καρκινογόνοι παράγοντες, τις κάνει να νιώθουν ότι δεν είναι πλέον τα κατάλληλα προϊόντα μετά από μια τέτοια καθοριστική εμπειρία του να φέρεις μια νέα ψυχή στον κόσμο.

Επομένως, πώς χειρίζεσαι την περίοδό σου αποτελεσματικά, άνετα και φυσικά κάθε μήνα, ιδιαίτερα μετά τον τοκετό;

Τι θα έλεγες να δώσεις μια ευκαιρία στο εμμηνορροϊκό κύπελλο;

Θα έχεις ακούσει μέχρι τώρα για αυτά τα εναλλακτικά γυναικεία προϊόντα υγιεινής. Στο κάτω-κάτω, είμαστε στο 2019, ακόμη και μεγάλα ονόματα όπως η Tampax τα έχουν συμπεριλάβει.

Πολλές νέες χρήστριες των κυπέλλων περιόδου τα βρίσκουν πολύ άνετα και υγιεινά σε σχέση με τις αναλώσιμες επιλογές –τα συνήθη ταμπόν και σερβιέτες. Τα κύπελλα περιόδου τα απολαμβάνουν κυρίως κοπέλες με βαριά ροή καθώς η χωρητικότητα ενός κυπέλλου μπορεί να φτάσει λίγο παραπάνω από τέσσερα κανονικά απορροφητικά ταμπόν. Πολλές χρήστριες καταφέρνουν να περάσουν μια ολόκληρη ημέρα πλήρους απασχόλησης χωρίς να χρειαστεί να αδειάσουν το εμμηνορροϊκό τους κύπελλο.

Άρα, γιατί είναι τόσο δημοφιλή τα κύπελλα περιόδου;

Ευκολία και άνεση

Παρόλο που φαίνεται μεγαλύτερο από ένα ταμπόν, θα εκπλαγείτε μόλις εξοικειωθείτε με την εισαγωγή κι εξαγωγή, γιατί το επίπεδο άνεσης είναι φανταστικό!

Ενώ πολλές χρήστριες ταμπόν, τα νιώθουν σε κάθε τους κίνηση, αυτά τα μικρά κυπελλάκια περιόδου είναι πολύ πιο ανεπαίσθητα μόλις τοποθετηθούν εσωτερικά. Πολλές φίρμες εμμηνορροϊκών κυπέλλων συστήνουν να τοποθετείτε το κύπελλο σε ένα ορατό σημείο του μπάνιου, κατά το τέλος του κύκλου σας, διότι είναι όντως τόσο άνετο που υπήρξαν περιπτώσεις που ξέχασαν να αφαιρέσουν το κύπελλο όταν τελείωσε η περίοδος. Πάρτε την, ταμπόν…

Επίσης, λόγω του ότι τα κύπελλα είναι κατασκευασμένα από σιλικόνη μπορούν εύκολα να διπλωθούν με διάφορους τρόπους, δίνοντας σας πολλές επιλογές για ομαλή εισαγωγή.

Μόλις γίνει εισαγωγή μέσα στο σώμα, το εμμηνορροϊκό κύπελλο μπορεί να φορεθεί για πολλές συνεχόμενες ώρες, κατά τη διάρκεια τόσο της ημέρας όσο και της νύχτας. Δεν υπάρχει φόβος για διαρροές κι αυτό είναι ένα μεγάλο πλεονέκτημα αν έχεις να φροντίσεις ένα υπερκινητικό μωρό, εφόσον δεν απορροφούν τη ροή, κι έτσι ούτε αφήνουν καμιά αίσθηση ξηρότητας.

Μια Πολύ πιο Υγιής Εναλλακτική Λύση

Τα εμπορικά προϊόντα υγιεινής στην Ευρώπη δεν είναι τυγχάνουν ελέγχου κι αυτό είναι πολύ τρομακτικό δεδομένου ότι γίνεται εσωτερική χρήση ή κοντά σε μια τόσο ευαίσθητη περιοχή του σώματός μας. Πέρα από τις γνωστές τοξίνες που βρέθηκαν στα συνήθη γυναικεία προϊόντα υγιεινής, συγκεκριμένα στα ταμπόν, αφήνουν συχνά πίσω τους ίνες, που δύναται να προκαλέσουν σοβαρές αλλεργίες σε μερικές από μας.

Απ’ την άλλη, τα εμμηνορροϊκά κύπελλα είναι κατασκευασμένα από υποαλλεργική ιατρική σιλικόνη που μπορεί εύκολα να αποστειρωθεί σε ζεστό νερό.

Καλύτερο για το Περιβάλλον

Με το πέρασμα των τελευταίων χρόνων, έχουμε φτάσει σε ένα υψηλότερο επίπεδο επίγνωσης της οικολογικής μας ευαισθητοποίησης εδώ στην Κύπρο, κι αυτό είναι πολύ καλό. Καθημερινά, όλο και περισσότερες εταιρείες φαίνεται να υιοθετούν τη σημαντικότητα της φροντίδας του περιβάλλοντος. Αν ψάχνετε τρόπους να μειώσετε τα πλαστικά απόβλητα, τότε αυτός είναι ένας τρόπος. Αντικαθιστώντας τα αναλώσιμα προϊόντα με επαναχρησιμοποιήσιμα, είναι ένας εύκολος τρόπος να συνεισφέρετε σε μια καθαρότερη χώρα και έναν καθαρότερο πλανήτη.

Καλύτερο για το Πορτοφόλι σας

Η μέση γυναίκα χρησιμοποιεί περίπου 12,000 με 17,000 ταμπόν και σερβιέτες σε όλη της τη ζωή. Δεν πρόκειται να υπολογίσουμε ακριβώς τα έξοδα αλλά πρόκειται ένα μεγάλο ποσό ετησίως. Δεδομένου ότι ένα εμμηνορροϊκό κύπελλο είναι επαναχρησιμοποιήσιμο για πολλά χρόνια, θα χρειαστείτε μόνο 4 με 5 κύπελλα σε μια ολόκληρη ζωή για να έχετε τον έλεγχο κατά τη διάρκεια της περιόδου σας. Έτσι απλά, εξοικονομείτε χρήματα και ξεφορτώνεστε ακόμα ένα πράγμα από τις έννοιες σας.

Αγόρασε Εμμηνορροϊκό Κύπελλο από την Κύπρο

Και τα σπουδαία νέα είναι… ότι έχουμε το κατάλληλο κύπελλο περιόδου εδώ στην Κύπρο.

Το Κύπελλο Green Rays έρχεται σε 3 μεγέθη στοχεύοντας στην βέλτιστη εφαρμογή για κάθε γυναίκα.

Δώρο: μαζί μ’ αυτό το προϊόν παίρνετε ένα διακριτικό πουγκί αποθήκευσης από οργανικό βαμβάκι αποφεύγοντας συσκευασίες που διαλαλούν από μακριά «προϊόντα περιόδου!»

Αν θέλετε να μάθετε περισσότερα για το Κύπελλο Green Rays ελάτε στην ιστοσελίδα μας, κι αν είστε έτοιμη να κάνετε το βήμα, μπορείτε να το βρείτε σε καταστήματα σ’ όλο το νησί.

On Menstrual Cups and Being a Mum

By MiC Carine

One of the facts of life is that our bodies change as we get older, and when we become a mum, some of those changes can be in-your-face uncomfortable. Menstruation is no exception. Having a baby transforms your life in so many ways, and that includes the way you deal with your period.

For every mother, the postpartum menstrual experience can be different. And not too long after the delivery, many mums are surprised to find that their go-to feminine hygiene products now cause them pain or discomfort, or they just don’t work as well as they used to.

Some mothers discover that their traditional tools of the trade, while they technically still work and are not uncomfortable, are simply no longer appealing. Something about using a product laced with dozens of harmful toxins, including dioxins, pesticides, insecticides and known carcinogens, no longer feels right after going through the life-changing experience of bringing a new soul into the world.

So how do you get the job done effectively, comfortably, and naturally each month, especially post-birth?

How about giving the menstrual cup a try?

By now, you’ve probably heard about these alternative feminine hygiene products. After all, it’s 2019, and even big brand names like Tampax have jumped into the fray.

Many new menstrual cup users find them more comfortable and hygienic than the disposable options – the traditional tampons and pads. Period cups are particularly enjoyed by those with a heavy flow as the capacity of a cup can be of more than four regular absorbency tampons. Many users can actually go on a full working day without needing to empty their period cup.

So why are menstrual cups gaining so much popularity?

Convenience and Comfort

While these might look big, especially when compared to a tampon, you will be surprised to find that once you’ve got the hang of the insertion and removal, the level of comfort is fantastic!

While many tampons users feel the tampon at every move, these little period cups are harder to feel once inside the body. Many menstrual cup brands recommend placing the cup in a visible place of the bathroom at the end of the cycle, because it is indeed so comfortable that there have been cases with people forgetting to remove the cup once their period ended. Take that, tampons…

Plus, because these cups are made of silicon, they can easily be folded in various ways, which gives you many options for smooth insertion. Just be prepared to give it some time before you get the hang of it.

Once inside the body, the period cup can be worn continuously for many hours, during the day as well as the night. Leaking also hasn’t been an issue, which is a big plus if you are running after a feisty toddler, and since they don’t actually absorb your flow they don’t leave you feeling dried out, either.

A Much Healthier Alternative 

Commercial hygiene products in Europe are not regulated, and that’s a bit scary given that we’re putting them inside or next to such a delicate part of our bodies. Aside from the known toxins found in traditional feminine hygiene products, tampons in particular often leave behind fibres which can cause severe allergies in some of us.

Menstrual cups, on the other hand, are generally made of hypoallergenic, medical-grade silicone that can be easily sterilized with boiling hot water.

Better for the Environment

Over the past few years, we have really come to a higher level of eco-awareness here in Cyprus, and that’s a good thing. Every day that goes by, it seems like more companies and individuals are embracing the importance of caring for the environment. If you are looking for ways to cut down on plastic waste, then here is one. Replacing your disposables with reusables is an easy way to contribute to a cleaner country and a cleaner world.

Better for the Wallet

The average woman uses about 12,000 to 17,000 tampons and pads throughout her life. I’m not going to do the math, but that adds up to a lot of money each year. Given that a menstrual cup is reusable for long years, you’d only need about 4 or 5 cups in a lifetime to keep your menstruation under control. Just like that, you have one less thing to think about, and you can save some money, too.

Buy a Menstrual Cup in Cyprus

And the big news is…. that we finally have a proper menstrual cup based right here in Cyprus.  The Green Rays Cup comes in 3 sizes aiming to fit every individual situation.

Bonus: this product comes in a discreet organic cotton storage pouch that you can take along without the packaging screaming, “period product onboard!”

If you want to find out more about the Green Rays Cup head over to their website, and if you are ready to take the plunge, you can find it in stores across the island.

Mothers, rise up!

By MiC Carine 13/09/2019

It’s been four months since Mother’s Day, when we marched from Nicosia’s Houses of Parliament to the Presidential Palace in support of our children worldwide as they try to save their planet from irreversible climate change.

We need more action

That was not a one-off happening. With the climate change movement finally gaining traction here in Cyprus, mainstream and social media are dedicating more and more time to the topics of environmental care, raising awareness and helping the general public make informed choices.

New laws can prove highly successful in the fight for a cleaner planet, locally the pastic bag use has been drastically cut by 80% since the introduction of the ban last year. We need more such legislation, and we need it faster. Unfortunately, our elected politicians are failing to achieve our island’s targets set out in the Paris Climate Agreement, and we must speak up to hold our goverment accountable.

Global climate strike week

September 20 to 27 is Global Climate Strike week, with two Nicosia dates for your diary. This coming Friday, September 20, a global protest will mobilise millions of people in over 100 countries onto the streets, demanding action on the climate crisis. Full info on that morning event is here.

The following Friday afternoon, September 27, it’s the Cyprus Climate March, co-organised by Aeriko ιn the Troodos Mountains, AKTI Project and Research Centre, Εcological Movement Cyprus, Federation of Εnvironmental and Εcological Οrganisations, Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Initiative for the Protection of the Natural Coastline, Let’s Make Cyprus Green, Mothers Rise Up Cyprus, Save Akamas / Save Cyprus, Tesura, Young Friends of the Earth Cyprus, Youth for Climate Cyprus, 300000 Trees in Nicosia.

Mothers and fathers, cousins and uncles, brothers and grandmas, rise up!

We all need to stand up, speak up and show up for our children. Do not be put off by words such as ‘protest’, ‘strike’, ‘and ‘demand action’. Activism is not a dirty word and it doesn’t need to be loud, either.

Let yourself be inspired by Youth for Climate Cyprus, who are tirelessly advocating for change here in Cyprus, despite the fact that saving their future shouldn’t be their responsibility.

Join Mothers Rise Up and walk with us!

Click on the links embedded throughout this post for background information on the urgent topic of climate change. Because Greta is right, our house truly is on fire.

‘If not you, then who? If not now, then when?’

Rendezvous in Nicosia! ❣️

Shop Stories: 3 minutes with Bunmi Thrasyvoulou, owner and creative mind behind Bnature Jewelry

By MiC Carine 05/09/2019

Here’s the one question all mothers must face at some point: to work or not to work (by this we mean business work of course, because being a mum is a 24-hour job already anyway).

How every one of us answers this question depends on so many aspects of our lives, be they financial, professional or personal.

Some of us have chosen to work from home and benefit from the developments in modern technology. A lot can be achieved nowadays from a laptop and a kitchen table, and with the right mix of apps designed to run a small business at very low cost, developing a hobby into a money-maker has become achievable like never before.

Here at MumsinCyprus we believe in mum-to-mum encouragement, so this week’s work from home inspiration comes from Bunmi. She’s just like you and me, so we’ve asked her some questions to find out what motivated her to set up Bnature Jewelry.

When and where did the inspiration for Bnature Jewelry come from?

Bnature Jewelry came from the concept of nature and being natural, being comfortable with yourself and the nature around you.

When I look around me, I see nature’s beautiful colours, I hear her sound, I sense her smell.

In all the chaotic things happening around us, the energy in nature keeps you grounded and calm. That is why I like using natural gemstones in most of my jewellery. They are full of energy and are naturally beautiful.

I also have my precious customers in mind and I want to communicate through Bnature Jewelry that :

You are Naturally Beautiful!

BeNatural!

BeBeautiful!

BeYou!

What do you offer on the local market that is unique?

I make handmade jewelIery with materials, which I source widely from my travels and locally within Cyprus. Some of my works are done with pearls and gemstones such as lapis lazuli, jasper, tiger eye, agate, hematite, torquoise, etc. I also offer customised jewellery so you can contact me if you want something special.

I put my heart and passion in what I do. I give to my customers quality not quantity. I offer value for money spent. I am customer conscious and my customers satisfaction is foremost. These are the principles that guide me through all the processes, from sourcing of materials to design, creation of each piece of jewellery, pricing, sales and after sales follow-up.

Moreover, I am keen to continue to increase my knowledge and expertise in jewellery making and jewellery design in order to add more ideas to my creativity.

Has your background been useful in getting started?

Yes. I have always been artistically inclined as I enjoy drawing and painting.

Jewellery making came up as a hobby which I developed later, and I found out my interest in it superceded the other creative inclinations that I have.

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

I was faced with a family decision to move to Cyprus 5 years ago. This decision changed my already planned and organised busy life which I had in Nigeria as a quantity surveyor and in construction business with my Cypriot husband. In Cyprus, out of idleness and boredom, I had to fill in the gap between school run and taking care of home. So I started spending more time with my hobbies, by painting and creating handmade jewellery. Bnature Jewelry came out of this challenge.

What’s your proudest moment so far?

Being able to reinvent myself. Now I wake up every morning with a purpose. I think of my customers. It is for them I create each piece of my jewellery. It gives me joy to see my work being appreciated particularly when customers decide to add them to their collection.

To shop Bunmi’s designs, you can visit her MiC Marketplace online store here.

7 ways to help a struggling reader

By MiC Carine 27/08/2019

Reading and learning difficulties

Reading is defined as a cognitive process that involves decoding symbols to arrive at meaning. In our education system, it is a skill fundamental to learning.

 

The process of learning to read

Before formal schooling starts, children are exposed to language, and pre-reading skills by being spoken, and read to. They understand that print on a page tells the story represented by the picture in a book. They develop speech and vocabulary, learn to play with words by rhyming etc. They identify their names and prominent signage (eg. the McDonalds sign) by colour, shape and pattern.

With the onset of formal schooling, children learn that a shape (letter) on a page has an associated sound. This letter-sound association needs to be explicitly taught, and is of course, different for varying writing systems such as Greek and English.

Sounds are blended together to form words, and words are strung together to form sentences which hold meaning. It is initially labour intensive, using extensive working memory. We see this reflected in the static, stilted nature of early readers.

As skill develops, reading becomes more automatic and fluent. Decoding, blending and allocating meaning, happens in milliseconds for proficient readers. Working memory becomes available for higher order skills such as comprehension, analyzing and inferring information from the text.

Why do some children struggle?

Brain scanning research has allowed us to see what happens in the reading brain. For proficient readers, the areas of the brain that process both auditory and visual information (as well as the pathways that link them) are activated during reading. This explains why a child with an Auditory processing or Visual processing difficulty could have problems with reading. For a child with a difficulty eg. Dyslexia, these same areas of the brain are not activated in reading, resulting in slow, laboured reading that persists beyond the Foundation Phase, often with poor comprehension.

Reading is multifaceted, relying on various skills such as motor, vison, hearing, vocabulary, attention and working memory. When a child has difficulty in any of these areas, it can impact on reading, and subsequently, learning.

Like any skill, some children take longer to acquire reading, compared to their peers. In the early years, the difficulty may be developmental, or may persist requiring a more structured intervention and potentially concessions. Early intervention can prevent a reading problem from becoming a learning problem.

What can I do?

If you suspect that your child is not reading at age level, I suggest the following:

  • Check with the teacher what age-appropriate skills should be in place. Sometimes if you have an only child, it is difficult to know where they should be performing. A teacher has a classroom full of children and will be able to tell you if she feels your child is age-appropriate.
  • Check that your child knows her letter/sound association and can decode unfamiliar words. Often children with reading difficulties are extremely bright and develop coping mechanisms such as memorising whole words. These coping mechanisms generally serve them only in the junior years, and problems become evident when the academic workload increases, and children are required to do more independent work.
  • Mix up the school reader and cover the picture to ensure that your child has not memorised the sequence of the story or is relying on visual cues.
  • Check ears and eyes. Ensure that you get a visual and auditory processing assessment done. Visual acuity checks if your child can see, and a visual processing assessment checks what the brain does with the information received from the eyes. A child with a visual processing difficulty may have difficulty distinguishing between letters that look almost the same, difficulty moving eyes across, or keeping place in the text. A child with an auditory processing difficulty can hear, but may have difficulty distinguishing differences between sounds, struggle to block out background noise or make sense of the order of sounds.
  • Be aware if there is a learning difficulty or dyslexia in the family. Difficulties are hereditary.
  • If your gut tells you that something is not as it should be, seek help.
  • An assessment by a Reading Specialist or Educational Psychologist can give you a wholistic view of your child’s strengths and weaknesses and guide you to professional help.

 

My child has a learning difficulty, now what?

Learning differences are unrelated to IQ and have an impact on an individual’s ability to process, store, or produce information. Difficulties often co-exist. For example, research indicates that 30-50 percent of children with ADHD also have a specific learning disability, and that the two conditions can interact to make learning extremely challenging.

Read, read, read, read. Read material that is:

  • Easy – to build confidence
  • Age appropriate – to keep developing skill
  • Challenging (which you would read to the child)- to engage with your child, develop vocabulary, and maintain a love of the written word.

Be patient. Put yourself in your child’s shoes. Understand that if a task is difficult, he is going to be reluctant to do it. Encourage, support, highlight and develop his strengths.

Children with difficulties CAN SUCCEED. Concessions can be put in place as recommended by an Educational Psychologist. Additional time, readers or scribes can be implemented in order for children to achieve according to their cognitive ability and effort. It is very disheartening for a child to be trying and trying, and his results to not reflect this.

In our reading centre, child-parent-teacher-therapist work together as a team supporting the child with difficulties to get through their schooling with their confidence and self-esteem intact. These children are often out the box thinkers, creative, entrepreneurial, with a very good work ethic. They have much to offer the world.

 

Experiencing the child with learning difficulties

The workshop “Experiencing the Child with Learning Difficulties” will be presented in Nicosia on Sat 7th September 2019 at 9.30am. Presented to parents, teachers and specialists, the attendees undergo various exercises which simulate learning difficulties. In this way, they come away with an enriched level of understanding of children that they parent, teach or remediate.

Topics cover: The process of learning to read, Specific Learning Difficulties and associated learning difficulties (including practical exercises), why difficulties occur, processing, concessions, ways to assist.

For more information and booking   https://bit.ly/32ICA80

You can now win a place to this wonderful workshop by entering our #WednesdayWin competition here! Open until Tuesday, 3 September 2019.

Limited places

Presented by Reading Specialist Angela Charalambous

Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, Angela has a postgraduate qualification in Linguistics and is currently researching long-term efficacy of reading interventions. She established The Workshop Reading Centre in 2005 when she brought the Cellfield reading intervention to South Africa from Australia.  Since then, The Workshop Reading Centre has provided reading assessments, remedial intervention and workshops to children of all ages who struggle with reading.

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