Sweeping the gutter?!

So here's an interesting observation about living here in Nicosia that is mind boggling to me...when we first arrived here, I was admittedly icked out by how dirty it felt here.  But after living here for a few months, I came to be OK with the dirt & dust here.  When you go on a walk and attempt to use the sidewalk, there are any number of things in your path...there are trees in the sidewalk (yes, that's right--they built the sidewalk around the trees) which is kind of nice and provides some shade but is also a pain because you have to walk around them...in the street; and the trees make the sidewalks raise up around the roots which often is a tripping hazard.  Another thing to note is that the sidewalks here are tiles and they stop and start at any given point--usually stopping in front of the vacant lots and starting at the next house.  The other thing to look out for and that you often have to walk in the street to get around is the cars parked on the sidewalk!  I used to think this behavior was quite bizarre.  But again, after living here a bit, I realized it's actually a courtesy to the other drivers on the road so they can get by since the roads are wide enough for 2 cars to drive next to each other and not any more than that!

The house across the street from us...note the car on the sidewalk & the gutter (that's clean) vs. the junk on the street and in the gutter in front of our house...oh well!

This is the sidewalk in front of our wall...note the broken tiles around the tree from the roots raising them up & all the junk in the gutter  (& of course our neighbors car on the sidewalk :))

But back to my original thought today.  There are vacant lots all over the place...and they have tons of beautiful yellow flowers in them this time of year after all the rain we've had.  But when it warms up and the flowers die, they are nothing but dirt lots with ruts and trash in them...quite unsightly.  Then right next door to the nasty vacant lot is a house...some are nicer than others but most are pretty modest.  So here's the thing that I haven't yet figured out (or embraced because I don't feel like it).  The Cypriot people sweep the sidewalk and gutter in front of their houses...I mean they sweep up leaves or tree droppings, dirt, dust, flowers, or whatever is there.  The sidwalks and the gutters are spotless...except mine!  I'm tempted to send the kids out there and have them sweep it.  But I wait...until the gardner comes & I'm sure is appalled at our lack of attention to this detail & he cleans it up so nicely for me. 

Yes, people...it SNOWED in Nicosia!!

They were calling for flurries on February 29th but the kids & I agreed that we would "believe it when we see it".  Well, by the time the kids got home from school, the  snowflakes had just started coming down and they were huge!  Ashlee & CJ were going crazy with excitement about it...they've been dying to see some snow.  Then it turned to hail stones the size of little peas.  And then it blizzard-snowed 3 or 4 more times off & on before it finally stopped.  Too bad there was no accumulation.  But how fun for us to see it SNOWING here!  It hasn't snowed in Nicosia for 30 years!!  And apparently this is one of the coldest winters they've ever had here!  As my friend Jenn said, "palm trees and snow...?!?!".  :)  I completely agree...I'm so confused by how cold it's been here this winter.  Don't we live on an island in the middle of the Mediterranean?!  At home, they've had such a warm winter that the cherry blossoms are now in full bloom.  Crazy!



My crazy girl catching snowflakes on her tongue! :)

See the snowflakes in front of the olive tree?

Ashlee showing me the snowflakes on her fleece

Now she's trying to catch hailstones on her tongue!

CJ showing me the tiny ice pellets

See all the little ice pellets on the table?!

The little ways we shape our kids...

I thought I'd share a "life lesson" for me.  Yesterday a friend posted a picture of her new haircut and new color on Facebook.  Without attempting to "teach" anything to my sweet girl, she said to me "that was really nice, Mommy."  When I asked her what she was talking about, she pointed to the comment I had written in response to my friend's new picture...that "I loved the new color and haircut" (& I really do like it).  I didn't realize that my Ashlee was reading what I was typing over my shoulder.  I thought she was only "old enough" to look at the pictures.  What a great way for me to teach my daughter how to lift up and compliment others...her friends, family, and even strangers on the street.  It had enough of an impact on me to hear the impact I had on her, and I had to share it.  I hope you'll think about it when you interact with others in front of your kids...they're always watching and observing and retaining...the good things and the bad (hopefully more good, though).  :)

Sick again...Green Monday and the fort

I'm sick...AGAIN!  Ashlee & I were just sick 2 weeks ago, then got over it, and now it's back again.  I just hope she doesn't get strep throat again like she had.  I'm so tired of having a head cold & don't like it when my kiddos share the wealth or when they're sick too.  The past two days have been so cold and rainy and windy here. It's too bad because Monday was "Green Monday"--the start of Lent and a holiday when Cypriots take picnics out to the countryside (or wherever) and spend the day enjoying being outside.  Apparently, it's tradition for children to fly a kite this day..."Green Monday is associated with an age old tradition of flying a kite. Apart from being a form of entertainment, kite flying has a symbolic meaning in keeping with the start of Lent." Anyhow, the weather here is so strange and it rained and was windy and then the sun peeked out and then went back behind the clouds again on Monday.  I was so stuffed up and achy and didn't feel like going anywhere.  But since the kids were off school and cooped up in the house, we decided to venture out to a new park they've just built not too far from our house.  While we were there, the sun actually came out in full force and warmed me up while I sat on a bench and read my book and the kids enjoyed the swings and just being outside and running around.  I even took off my jacket in hopes of getting some much needed color back in my pasty white arms.  Some other families showed up at the park and set up their own little picnic and even had their kites ready to fly.  We were only there for about an hour, but it was good for the kids to have some time outside and to have space to run.  Not too long after we left and true to Cyprus weather, the sun was gone in a flash behind some clouds and the rain came back in full force.  Too bad for all the people that had planned a nice day outside!

Yesterday, the kids were all home from school for a teacher workday again...I often say "they don't like to go to school for more than a full week at a time here!".  It's ridiculous the amount of time the kids are off school for this holiday or that teacher workday or this celebration.  Anyhow, they were so good and I was feeling so awful.  They never asked if we could go somewhere (which is very unusual) and they built this amazing fort in CJ's room.  I love when they all play well together and just listening to them and the pretend stories they act out...from offices, to moms and dads and kids, to school.  They transformed CJ's entire room into another "home" and best of all, they let me take it easy at home all day.  I can't ask for anything better than that! 

Today, I'm feeling a bit better...I can somewhat breathe through my nose again.  Yea--it's the little things!  But I'm still quite tired.  The kids went off to school today and Colt went to Little Gems (his school) for the entire day until 3:00pm too.  So today, I'm going to take it easy, enjoy the quiet, maybe finish up the taxes, and rest...haha!  I hope tomorrow, I'm feeling even more normal again.