I am not a tourist!

Here's a great event for your diary .....

Don’t miss the “i am not a tourist” Madrid on Friday, 6 May. It’s all an expat needs to make the most of life in Spain & it’s free to join!

Whether you have lived here for 10 days or 10 years, make sure you keep Friday, 6 May free on your calendars for this once-a-year opportunity.

“i am not a tourist” 2011 will be an interactive extravaganza of experts and companies specialising in expatriate life, workshops, networking and entertainment. We’ve invited over 40 exhibitors to offer you a helping hand. Have a chat with a recruitment agent, get a word of advice on health insurance or banking, compare international schools and universities, join a group / club or just take the chance to mix with hundreds of like-minded internationals.

Get invaluable information about surviving abroad Attend seminars on landing that perfect job, banking, or setting up a business, and enjoy great entertainment and networking opportunities.

The programme includes a yoga workshop and wine tasting as well as on-stage performances and even a SpeedDate. And don't hesitate to bring your family along; we have set aside a whole room just for them! DKV Globality, Staysure and Clements International proudly sponsor the “i am not a tourist” Fair 2011 and will be there to answer all your questions regarding insurance.

Get your FREE tickets now at: http://www.iamnotatourist.es/.

Feria del Nino, San Pedro

This weekend ( 26th, 27th and 28th of Feb ) there is a children's fair in San Pedro!

Attractions include stands, bouncy castles, fairground rides, workshops, crafts, bar and cafe area, performances, puppets, magic, clowns, storytelling, dance and a cinema!

The fun kicks off every day at 11 and the fair closes at 8pm. Enterance is just 4 euros per person.

The event takes place at the Recinto Ferial de San Pedro / Main San Pedro Feria ground!

Sounds like fun!

Galaxia - New Soft Play center in San Pedro, Marbella

As it was the last week of the summer holidays and the weather was cooling down a bit we decided to check out Marbella's newest soft play last week ... Galaxia!!

Galaxia is a large well equiped soft play with great plans for the future! At present there is a party area, under 3's area with a ball pool, swing and various padded toys and a large over 3's area with a trampoline, slides, bridges and tunnels and ball shooting area.

There is also a great outside play area which is completely enclosed and safe for little ones.

There is plenty of adult seating and the outdoor seating is particularly nice with comfy outdoor sofa's and umbrellas. At the moment Galaxia provide a small mouth watering menu which is set for expansion and will include Sunday roasts in the autumn! A great idea for families wanting to eat a nice lunch in a child friendly setting.

The owners are really friendly and welcoming and really hope the center will become as much a relaxing venue for parents to chill out as an exciting place for children to play. Future plans include a toy shop, dance studio, mother and baby mornings and charity events and there is also a space exhibition center which is open for school trips. Other nice touches include mini toilets and a nice baby changing area.

We really liked Galaxia, the spacy interior, warm welcome and yummy menu mean it's def somewhere we'll be going back too!

Galaxia can be found on the Centro Comercial Guadalmina, just under Supersol. For more info check out the website http://www.galaxiaplay.com/

Family Fun Day in Calahonda for LIVE

We went to this event last Saturday and thoroughly enjoyed it .... it was a really well organised event in a great venue where the children could roam around relatively safely without the risk of running into a road or leaving the park. There were plenty of attractions for kids including a bouncy castle, face painting and fairground games. The stalls were nicely laid out and good quality and the atmosphere was lovely.

We were really impressed by how well organised and well publicised the event was. I hope they made HUGE amounts of money for LIVE and look forward to the next family fun day .....

Battery Park in Torremolinos

Last week we finally made it to Battery Park in Torremolinos .... I say finally because we tried once before but got completely lost ( it's not the easiest park to find ) and then when we finally got there we couldn't go in as we had our dog with us and it's one of those parks which don't allow dogs .... ( not happy about that ! )

Anyway on Friday we followed a friend ( without dog ) and finally got to embark at the park. And it was def worth the wait. The children's play area is fantastic. Divided into 3 sections, there are areas for really little one's, toddlers and older children.... Each area is really nicely set out on fake grass ( did get a bit hot, must be really really hot in the summer ) with a number of 'different' attractions including huge slides, big bowl type swings for several children, large and small trampolines and climbing frames.

A small walk away is an ornate man made lake where you can purchase rowing boats ...

There are toilet facilities at the park ( but only two toilets so be prepared to queue ) and vending machines with drinks and snacks ....

I'm glad we finally got there and think I could now just about find it again ... def a good one for wearing out the kids!

Family Fun Day Out in Calahonda

We were recently contacted about this family day out in Calahonda ... it sounds fab and all the proceeds go to the L.I.V.E charity which supports the children's Orphanage in Malaga ...

Here are the details ... we'll defnitly be going!

Family fun day in Calahonda
Saturday May 15^th
Location - shaded ‘Parque Infantil’, Avenida de España, Calahonda.

There will be lots going on for all the family to enjoy including a bouncy castle, face painting, games and activities, great prizes to win, entertainers and live music throughout the day as well as food and drink.

There will also be a variety of stalls of children-related products to browse as well as a jumble sale and second hand toy stall.

Entrance to the Fayre is free of charge.

If you have prize you would like to donate, jumble or second hand toys to sell or are interested in taking a stand, please contact Nicola Erlich on 616399382 or email info@live-spain.org

All proceeds go to the charity L.I.V.E (www.live-spain.org) which is a local registered charity working with the local Children’s Home in Malaga.

Reiny Season

It must be reiny season ...!

I say this because toddler harnesses and reins suddenly seem to be the 'hot' baby product in Spain of the moment!

I used reins with my toddler and found them to be really useful. There is a period when excitable toddlers find out they can just about walk ( or stumble ) and start to really explore the world. This is great fun for them but when you are out and about it can be a worry for parents ... you need to be able to keep a strong hold on your toddler especially in busy places such as supermarkets, parks and markets ... This is where the simple baby harness comes into it's own. It allows you to keep a hold of your toddler while also giving them freedom to explore their surroundings safely.

In Spain there is quite a negative attitude to reins from the more traditional parents. I think they see them as unneccesary and uncomfortable. Yet while they might have been right in more innocent times, the truth is that in this day and age, as a parent, I want to be able to really keep a hold of my child. It's another interesting culteral difference between Spanish and British parents. That said we are selling reins to the Spanish too, so attitudes are starting to change ...

For parents who don't want to restrict their children too obviously we have recently found a brilliant invention. It's called My First Back Pack and is a toddler backpack which also functions as a harness for parents to hold onto .... toddlers love wearing them and hardly realise they attached to their parents! They also look really cute ....

To buy our Sure Steps conventional toddler reins or My First Backpack here in Spain check out http://www.indybel.com/

Paloma Park Benalmadena

Yesterday we spent a really nice few hours at Paloma Park in Benalmadena. I've always loved this park as it reminds me slightly of when I used to live in London round the corner from Hyde Park.

Paloma Park is great for the kids, there is a big pond where you can feed the ducks and swans ( although these creatures are so massively spoilt for choice that they now tend to turn their noses up at anything but the very best bread! ) chickens and rabbits wonder freely around and are tame enough to feed. There are also other animals in enclosures, a cactus park, another pond where you can remote control steer little boats, and most recently you can hire multi person bikes and little cars for the kids. There is also a massive play area which has recently been added to and improved upon, esp the bit for toddlers ... before it was okay, now it is really nice with new slides, a little house, a sand pit and climbing frames ...
There are cafes in the park and area's for picnic's as well as toilets. So it really is a great park for a day out.

I'm also a fan of Paloma Park because you can take dog's there ( on a lead ) We recently went to Battery Park in Torremolinos with our dog and were a bit cross ( to put it politely ) when we got there and found big signs barring dogs. As any dog lover and dog owner will tell you, a walk in the park with your beloved dog is one of life's pleasures and so it annoys me that a park doesn't allow dogs ... As long as owners keep their pets on a lead and clear up the mess then what's the problem?

Luckily there is no such silliness at Paloma where dog's are welcomed, even by the chickens and rabbits! Which really does make it my number one park for both children and animals ...

Buggy Fit

It can be hard losing those extra pounds after having a baby ... well it's not hard losing the monetry pounds ... prams, cots, nappies and forumula takes care of that quite nicely ... losing the bodily pounds takes more effort unfortunatly ( although shopping does help! )

I was quite intrigued this morning to pick up a leaflet for Buggy Fit ... "the ultimate fitness class for mums and babies" .... I'm past the buggy stage myself at present but thought this might be useful for others looking to get fit and make friends with other mums because that's half the fun of this type of thing ....

Buggy Fit is basically power walking and re-toning ( walking fast with your buggy in other words ) ... the benefits of doing Buggy Fit as opposed to joining a gym are you don't need to pay for a creche or babysitter as baby comes on the walk with you, you get to chat with other mums and your baby gets to socialise with other babies and you can all motivate each other to keep going ....

If you fancy trying Buggy Fit in the Costa del Sol area then contact Sally on 628 679 689 or email sallyelisabeth@live.co.uk

Paramount to build their biggest themepark in Murcia!

Considering that my daughter asks at every opportunity when we will be visiting Disney World ( or land, Paris or America is all the same to her, and the awnser incidentially is not yet! ) I know she ( and I ) will be very excited to hear that Paramount Studios have decided to build their biggest ever theme park right here in Spain.

The chosen destination is Murcia which is not that far at from where we live on the Costa del Sol. Hopefully this is an announcement that really will become a reality over the next few years as it would be a fantastic place to take kids and also be a great boost for the Spanish tourist and leisure industries. I remember hearing talk of an Alice in Wonderland world for the Costa del Sol a couple of years ago that never came to anything ... so fingers crossed for this one!

Here's the article in full ....

Paramount Pictures have chosen the region of Murcia for the construction of the biggest theme park in Spain, which aims to compete directly with Disneyland in Paris.

The project will have the added value of some cinematographic studios which will be the centre of all Paramount’s productions in Europe, according to the Murcian Councillor for Culture, Pedro Alberto Cruz.

Cruz has just got back from a trip to Dubai with a letter from the executive president of Paramount, Michael Bartok, who wants to start the ball rolling just as soon as it has been proven to be economically viable.

Cruz has said that the region of Murcia will become the “Leisure Centre of Spain, with a 2.5km² complex with 15,000 beds in hotels, creating 20,000 jobs, and attracting 3 million tourists to Spain. The amount of money to be invested will be decided next month, and private investors will be offered the possibility of putting their capital into the project.

The project is estimated to be completed within 2 years.

From www.theleader.info

Baby Show comes to Torremolinos ....

Whether you are an expectant, new or seasoned parent in Spain here's a great date for your diary!!

The Salon Bebe y Nuevas Familias show is coming to the Palacio de Congresos Y Exposiciones in Torremolinos this May.

The three day event ( 21st - 23rd May ) will feature a large number of exhibitors, shops and baby experts as well as housing an extensive toddler play and entertainment area, baby feeding area, baby changing area and pregnancy area. There will also be yummy on site catering and the first ever Baby Olympics to hit Spain .... we'll post more about the Baby Olympics later but let's just say it's an event not to be missed and a chance for parents to compete for some amazing prizes!

The event promises to be informative and a lot of fun too ... To find out more or to download a discount voucher for entry check out

http://www.salonbebe.es/

Indybel will have a stand at the Salon Bebe show and look forward to seeing you there .....

Disney on Ice - Review

Well, as I promised last week here is a review of Disney on Ice which we saw on Saturday in Malaga ...

Well firstly I need to comment on the directions ( or lack of them ).... The event was held at Palacio de Deportes in Malaga. Now according to google maps that was at junction 235. The show started at 4 and we went to a nearby shopping center for lunch first aiming to leave at approx 3. Unforuntatly the restaurant we picked for lunch was the slowest in the world and so by the time me and my friend got our two excited toddlers back in the car it was 3.30 ... still the Palacio was only 5 mins down the road, so we should be okay ...right?

Wrong!!

Off we went looking out of exit 235. We actually saw the building on our right and the next exit was 234 ... after a quick debate in the car we decided we are both sticklers for written directions and therefore we should carry onto 235. We realised the error of this when passing 234 and seeing a sign for the palacio. Urrrggghhh .... why, why, why can't google give us correct directions ...

Oh well, we though, we'll just get off at 235 which will prob be correct as well ... right?

Wrong!!

Because, 235 didn't exist. Hmmmm ... thanks Google! 236 existed and we got off there, but it took us all the way into Malaga and then out again in the opposite direction. At this point it was 3.45 and our two toddlers were getting a bit upset that the building with the princesses was now whizzing away from us in the opposite direction! Suddenly we saw a sign for the Palacio and veered off the main motorway onto another ... after 5 mins there were no more signs for the Palacio and we were still heading in the wrong directino. Fantastic signage ...well done Malaga!

With no other option, we headed back to the shopping center where we started, turned around and back to exit 234. Now remember at exit 234 there was a sign for the palacio. Well there were actually two lanes, one signed and one not. Yet our written directions told us specifically to follow the one not signed... we did and arrived. Again, well done Malaga ... great signing! Once we arrived at 4pm parking was an issue .... in the end we chucked the car on the pavement and ran in, arriving at our seats as the first skater hit the ice!

So, with all the getting there drama over, how was the show? Well it was lovely. Obviously the skating was lovely and due to my crash course in skating over 4 years of watching Dancing on Ice, I could appreciate and recognise many of the techniques including when Cinderella did a headbanger!

Basically the show was split into small stories, each one introduced by Mickey, Minnie and Tinkerbell. First up was Aladdin and we saw him dance his way around the market, meet the Genie and finally Princess Jasmine. Next came Snow White who danced around her wishing well, met the 7 dwarfts and had a dance with her Prince .. ... and so on ... you get the idea. Ariel was colourful and my daughter was delighted to see Flounder the fish on ice. There were also thousands of bubbles .... Mulan was striking and Cinderella very funny as the two ugly sisters crashed and bumped their way across the ice and into the audience. The highlight was definitly sleeping beauty and a huge fire breathing dragon who was defeated on ice by the handsome prince. The show ended with all the princesses dancing round Cinderella's carriage which was alight with fireworks.

Each segment was short enough to hold attention, and although it was 6 when we left the stadium the show didn't feel like it had lasted as long as it did.

An absolute delight for both parents and little ones .... a definite 9 / 10 .... one mark deducted for the rubbish signposts!!!

Disney on Ice is still on in Malaga, then in Barcelona from 25th - 28th Feburary, Madrid from the 4th - 7th of March and Seville from the 18th of March ....

The Princess and the Frog

As I have mentioned before, my 3 year old is currently at the age where she is obsessed by the Disney Princessses ... she has all the costumes and shoes and countless books and princessy toys. Actually regarding the costumes I find it incredible how the price differs between the UK and Spain. On a recent trip to the UK I was surprised to find very nice Snow White, Cinderella, Tinkerbell etc costumes in all the supermarkets and they were very reasonably priced from as little as 10 pounds a costume.

Here they only seem to be avaliable in the high end toy shops and the pricing certainly reflects that. I bought my daughter a box set containing a Snow White and Tinkerbell costume at Toys R Us and that cost around 25 - 30 euros. The costumes are not that well made considering the price. For Xmas, my daughter wanted a Cinderella dress. We eventually found one in El Cortes Ingles which was in the sale for nearly 40 euros. Quite frankly we were loathe to part with that amount of money for a 3 year old's dressing up dress but it was her Christmas present and it is a very well made dress ... however compared to what you can get online or in the UK it is ridiculous.

I recently saw boxsets of a characters dress and shoes in the Hipercor for nearly 50 euros!!!!! Incredible. My friend recently started selling fancy dress costumes on a little stall ... I think she'll do really well!!!

Anyway back to my original point ... The Princess and the Frog is the latest Disney movie to hit the screens and my daughter has seen the trailers on TV and is desperate to go and see it. Now I know we live in Spain and we do embrace the language, but I feel that for her first cinema trip it would be nice to see the movie in English. There are a lot of VOS ( orginal sound version ) films on in this area so I presumed that The Princess and the The Frog would be showing somewhere in it's original version, esp as it's half term. But no, it's been out for 3 weeks now and I'm searching and searching all the local cinema's and it's not on ... what annoys me is that they have been showing VOS versions of Avatar for about a month now .... come on ... change the movie!!! If nothing else the cinema's are missing a trick as there are a huge amount of foreign children living here on the coast who would go to see a VOS version of Tiana y el Sapo.

If anyone knows where we can see the movie in VOS in the Malaga to Marbella area ... please do let me know .... otherwise we are going to bite the bullet and see it in Spanish next week, which I know is probably better for us anyway!!!

It's Carnival Time!

One of the things I love about living in Spain is the constant celebration of all things fun ... here life is often one long fiesta ... with street parades, parties in squares and processions being an important part of local life.

This month it's all about Carnival, and being English and bought up in a country where Carnival is not really celebrated, I do find the whole thing very exciting and colourful.

Nowhere is Carnival more excitedly celebrated than the local nurseries! Last year my daughter went as a fairy, this was more my doing as being only 2 she didn't really know what was going on anyway. This year she's very excited and has decided she wants to go as Cinderella ( with a nod to Dorothy by wearing her red ruby slippers! ) Her little boyfriend is going to be Spiderman and the pair of them are very very excited!


All this talk about Carnival made me wonder about it's orgins. I don't want to post essays on the subject but did find some trivia that I thought might make interesting reading ...

Where did the word “carnival” come from?

Hundred and hundreds of years ago, the followers of the Catholic religion in Italy started the tradition of holding a wild costume festival right before the first day of Lent. Because Catholics are not supposed to eat meat during Lent, they called their festival, carnevale — which means “to put away the meat.” As time passed, carnivals in Italy became quite famous; and in fact the practice spread to France, Spain, and all the Catholic countries in Europe. Then as the French, Spanish, and Portuguese began to take control of the Americas and other parts of the world, they brought with them their tradition of celebrating carnival.

In many parts of the world, where Catholic Europeans set up colonies and entered into the slave trade, carnival took root. Brazil, once a Portuguese colony, is famous for its carnival, as is Mardi Gras in Louisiana (where African-Americans mixed with French settlers and Native Americans). Carnival celebrations are now found throughout the Caribbean in Barbados, Jamaica, Grenada, Dominica, Haiti, Cuba, St. Thomas, St. Marten; in Central and South America in Belize, Panama, Brazil; and in large cities in Canada and the U.S. where Caribbean people have settled, including Brooklyn, Miami, and Toronto. Even San Francisco has a carnival!

If you want to read more about Carnival take a look at this site! And if you've got a little one heading off for their first carnival ... enjoy!

Disney On Ice comes to Spain ...

We are going to see Disney on Ice on Saturday in Malaga and I don't know who is more excited ... my little girl or me!!!

All little girls love princesses so it's great that this particular show is called Princess Wishes and features all the favourites including Snow White, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Tinkerbell, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Mulan ... and of course no Disney spectacular would be complete without appearances from Mickey and Minnie!

My little girl has probably only 'got into' the whole princess thing in the last 6 months or so, but she has all the outfits and loves all the stories so I think she is going to love this. We saw a Snow White panto at Christmas in the UK and she loved that ...




As for me, well I was happy to go along with the whole outing, but having seen the Disney on Ice Spanish website complete with video, I have to admit I'm rather excited. The whole extravaganza looks stunning with great music, fireworks, special fx and acrobatics and being a fan of 'Dancing on Ice' I can appreciate that the skating itself looks spectacular too ...

So, one rather excited mummy and daughter! I'll provide a full review next week, but in the meantime check out the Disney on Ice Spanish site and take a look at the video for yourself ... the show starts in Malaga this week and then continues throughout Spain with shows in Madrid and Barcelona as well as selected Spanish cities ... Not to be missed!!!

This month everyone's loving the ....

... Dream Genii Pregnancy Pillow ...

Well, we don't know if midwives are suddenly recommending it, or there's been some sort of article or advert in the press, but suddenly customers throughout Spain can't get enough of the Dream Genii Pregnancy Pillow ... in fact we've sold out, but don't worry new stock has just arrived ... so order yours now to avoid disappointment ....

The Indybel Maternity Fashion Show 2009!

Well, we've talked enough about the Indybel Maternity Fashion Show which took place on 10th October 2009 ... so we thought we really should post some pictures of our fantastic models wearing our Seraphine and JoJo Maman Bebe maternity ranges. Don't forget all our models are REALLY pregnant and have never modelled before ... but as you can see they all look absolutely amazing and so professional! Proof, not that it's needed, that women can and do look wonderful when pregnant!

Gorgeous Tina, who is nearly 6 and a half months pregnant in our pics, models our favourite Seraphine Paula Bootleg Jeans, the Seraphine nightwear range and the Seraphine little black dress range. She also carries the Skip Hop City Chic changing bag ... just one left in stock now!

Here's lovely Stacy from San Pedro who is due on Christmas Day!! Here she's wearing the fab Seraphine Melanie black top which can be dressed up or down depending on the look you are trying to achieve and the ultra comfy JoJo Maman Bebe checked nightshirt. Perfect for cuddling up in front of the TV, wearing in hosptial and padding round the house in the early days with your new baby!

Here's our new 'yummy' mummy Sarah ( mum of two actually! ) modelling our fav baby accessories ... the baby Kangaroo sling, the bebe au lait breastfeeding cover and the fab cuddledry towel. ( which she bought at the show and says she loves! ) Sarah is also wearing our Seraphine maternity jeans and JoJo Maman Bebe white top showing maternity clothes are comfy and versatile just after you've had a baby too!

Sultry Rebecca is expecting baby number 2 in Janary 2010! She certainly has her hands full as her little boy is only just one! Here she's wearing the JoJo Maman Bebe support top with our Indybel lounge pants, a great daytime look for a busy pregnant mum! Then for a more sophisticated look she looks fab in the slinky Seraphine Beatrice cardigan and jeans and finally in the Seraphine reversible skirt and Melanie top.



Marbella babe Louise is due any day now and was eight months pregnant in these pics! She models our favourite winter must have, the Seraphine Tessa shift dress which she wears with Seraphine leggings, creating a funky and cool look alongside Stacy. Louise also wears the Seraphine nightdress which is perfect for hospital visits or lounging at home and finally shows how great working pregnant girls can look even when 8 months pregnant in the JoJo Maman Bebe white embroidered shirt.

Gorgeous Isabel was due yesterday ( no news yet! ) and is 8 months pregnant in our pics with her second baby! Isabel shows how sensual maternity clothes can look, proving yet again that busy pregnant mums really do glow! Here she shows off two looks featuring Seraphine little black dresses and also models the popular Seraphine I love U T shirt and Seraphine Tara Denim skirt. Proof again that all our clothes look fantastic even when you are 8 months pregnant!




For the final group shot all our girls looked fantastic in evening and glam nighttime looks. A big thank you to all of them from Indybel for their commitment, enthusisam and professionalism and for showing how amazing our maternity clothes can look.

All the clothes in these pictures can be purchased from the pregnancy store at http://www.indybel.com/

The Icing on the Cake Spain!

My daughter's birthday is coming up soon and so I was excited to find out about a company called The Icing on the Cake Spain ... which just like indybel was created by a mum in Spain who saw a gap in the market.

The Icing on the Cake Spain specialise in personalised, customised cakes and cake toppers for all occassions. Customers can choose any cake topper and message and The Icing on the Cake will create it for you. They have a large selection of cake toppers already on their site, including all the favourites such as Dora and Hello Kitty, or you can request your own idea and they will find a topper for you! You can even send a photograph to make a personalised cake featuring a picture of yourself or your little one! The Icing on the Cake will then send your cake topper to you in the post and deliver free from Gibrater to Malaga and with a tiny charge throughout the rest of Spain.

And ... if you're worried about a topper being sent in the post then don't be. Last year for Bella's birthday I ordered an In the Night Garden topper from the UK ( sadly didn't know about The Icing on the Cake then ... ) and it turned up in perfect condition despite it's long journey, so I can personally promise that cake toppers do travel well!

The Icing on the Cake website is well worth a browse for anyone considering throwing a party. As well as cake toppers and such delights as edible glitter ( how cool is that! ) they also have sections on party ideas, a cakey blog ( with yummy recipies ) and lots of useful links and recommendations for everything from venues to entertainers to food and drink ...

The Icing on the Cake is run by Ashleigh who is very friendly and helpful and the ideal person to take all your cake stress away!

The Icing on the Cake is not just about birthday cake toppers, the company also supply toppers and cake messages to say Marry Me, Happy Anniversary, Enjoy your retirement, Fancy a .... (!) or whatever you want!

Recently at indybel we've had baby shower clients request cakes and now happily we are delighted to have found The Icing on the Cake as they can also make Baby Shower toppers.

Mum to be's friends can simply email a picture of glowing mum to be and her bump and Ashleigh will make a gorgeous cake or cupcakes featuring the pics.

Now ...what better excuse is there to eat for two?! To find out more about baby shower cakes contact The Icing on the Cake or info@indybel.com ... and of course we can also help plan your

baby shower too!

To find out more about The Icing on the Cake Spain visit

http://www.theicingonthecakespain.com/

Cake and Chocolate Creations

.... and on the subject of cakes ... more cakey news .....

It seems to be toddler birthday party season at the moment. Every week we seem to have another party to attend ( not complaining, all invitations gratefully received thank you! ) and amongst other things I am very impressed by the sheer inventiveness, creativity and levels of bakery that are on display at each party when it comes to the bringing out of the birthday cake!!

Luckily Bella's birthday is not until the end of November so I'm not going to worry about it yet, but I was pleased to see that one of the other mums at the nursery ( and a friend! ) has started her own cake business ...

Vanessa offers such cakey wonders as a princess castle, teddy bear, butterfly, trains, numbers, favourite characters and a selection of cupcakes. You can choose chocolate, lemon or cream sponge and there are even special chocolate only creations on offer such as giant chocolate buttons ( ok, I know this is what Bella would pick! ) and chocolate animals and insects.

Bella was recently invited to Vanessa's daughters birthday, so I have had the pleasure of tasting most of the above first hand and can honestly say it was all delicious and looked fantastic!

To find out more about Vanessa's cakes call

677493280 or 951103407

or email Vanessa@oliverbar.es

Capture the moment ....

Ever since my daughter was born we've been meaning to get some professional photo's done of all of us, ideally to capture her in all her toddler glory before the awkward years set in and she's turned into a stroppy teenager!

So, last week I decided to take advantage of a special offer for mums in Spain put together by Curran Photography in Mijas Pueblo. The offer co-incided with my sister being on holiday here with her newborn, so we decided this was def a good opportunity to get some great pics of all the cousins together.

Curran Photography is a very friendly business run by husband and wife team Justin and Julie. They had lots of toys for Bella to play with which helped her to relax and really she was photographed without even knowing it! There were also a few baby accessories on hand for the baby photos.

As a perk, Susan and Jessica Chruchill from Lavish Artists were also on hand to do hair and make up on the day. This was great fun and a nice pampering experience for us busy mums! Bella also enjoyed having her hair done and her insect bites covered with make up!!
We went back yesterday to see a slide show of our photos and were very happy with the results, which certainly do 'capture' the moment! Subsequently we all spent a lot more than planned on the gorgeous pictures, but hey they are only young once!! As a gift for my parents, my sister and I also bought a lovely picture of the four of us on a wall canvas.

Curran photography also specialise in weddings and commercial photography as well as family pics and will be holding another mums and babies session soon. Lavish artists also work independently doing hair and make up for weddings, celebrations, pampering parties and commercial events such as fashion shows.

Indybel happily recommend contacting either company .... details below!!

Curran Photography ( based in Mijas Pueblo )
653 448 470
info@curranphotos.com
http://www.curranphotos.com/

Lavish Artist
655 277 180
http://www.lavishartist.com/
http://www.hairandmake-upartist4u.com/

Have fun!