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
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Where to buy Easter Egg's in Spain
My 3 year old loves chocolate and loves egg's ( the hardboiled and chocolate variety ) and loves Princesses so I was very excited to find the perfect Easter Egg for her in Iceland. It's a Princess box with a pink chocolate egg sitting in a Princess mug. It also comes with a Princess egg breakfast kit including a princess egg cup and spoon! Perfect ....
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I have to say I love Iceland ... I don't think I ever shopped there in the UK but here I find it an economical and nice place to shop. The staff are very friendly and the food is well priced with lots of special offers ...
They have a fantastic Easter Egg selection with eggs to suit both kids and adults and all sorts of tastes .... don't forget to check them out after Easter too when they are bound to have all the leftover's on special offer!!
That's why mums go to Iceland .... obviously!!!
I have to say I love Iceland ... I don't think I ever shopped there in the UK but here I find it an economical and nice place to shop. The staff are very friendly and the food is well priced with lots of special offers ...
They have a fantastic Easter Egg selection with eggs to suit both kids and adults and all sorts of tastes .... don't forget to check them out after Easter too when they are bound to have all the leftover's on special offer!!
That's why mums go to Iceland .... obviously!!!
Service with a smile ....
Poor customer service drives me mad. I'm no retail expert but I do know that when a customer calls or emails or I meet one face to face that it's important to smile and be nice ... in fact it's a pleasure to do these things because it makes someone elses day and someone else is asking for your advice and opinion.
On Friday I wanted to buy some flowers for my mum so I went to a florist. I didn't particularly like any of the bouquets already made up so I selected several other bunches and asked the florist to make them into one bouquet. The florists face was as black as the sky at that moment ( we've had rubbish weather here on the Costa del Sol) ... really you wouldn't think I was a customer offering her business, money, and asking her to do her job ... no, I felt like an inconvienience! It's going to take me at least 10 minutes she snapped. Oh so sorry to trouble you , I thought. I had a cake in the oven and the clock was ticking so I decided to pop back home to take the cake out and then go back for the flowers. In the car I was fuming at the rudeness of the woman and was half inclined not to go back and find some flowers elsewhere, but I'm not that kind of person and felt that I couldn't be so rude as to do that. So I went back and the florist left her assistant to give me the bouquet which as actually incredibly nice. Just such a shame that her attitude didn't match ( the assistant by the way was lovely ) as I won't be getting anymore flowers from there again .... in case you are wondering it's a florist outside a well known supermarket in the Las Lagunas area ....
This morning I had to go to the bank to transfer some money. 'Good morning' I breezed to the unsmiling cashier .... no response okay ... so I asked her to check the amount in my account ... and got surly look for my troubles!
Really, what is the matter with people these days? Ok, the bank cashier could be having a bad day, she's not working for herself, she's just one of a large company and maybe she hates her job, but then again if she's taken a position working in the front line of customer service she should do her best to be nice to customers ....
The florist however has no excuse .... she runs her own business and if she wants to keep her customers she needs to be nice to them.
End of rant!
On Friday I wanted to buy some flowers for my mum so I went to a florist. I didn't particularly like any of the bouquets already made up so I selected several other bunches and asked the florist to make them into one bouquet. The florists face was as black as the sky at that moment ( we've had rubbish weather here on the Costa del Sol) ... really you wouldn't think I was a customer offering her business, money, and asking her to do her job ... no, I felt like an inconvienience! It's going to take me at least 10 minutes she snapped. Oh so sorry to trouble you , I thought. I had a cake in the oven and the clock was ticking so I decided to pop back home to take the cake out and then go back for the flowers. In the car I was fuming at the rudeness of the woman and was half inclined not to go back and find some flowers elsewhere, but I'm not that kind of person and felt that I couldn't be so rude as to do that. So I went back and the florist left her assistant to give me the bouquet which as actually incredibly nice. Just such a shame that her attitude didn't match ( the assistant by the way was lovely ) as I won't be getting anymore flowers from there again .... in case you are wondering it's a florist outside a well known supermarket in the Las Lagunas area ....
This morning I had to go to the bank to transfer some money. 'Good morning' I breezed to the unsmiling cashier .... no response okay ... so I asked her to check the amount in my account ... and got surly look for my troubles!
Really, what is the matter with people these days? Ok, the bank cashier could be having a bad day, she's not working for herself, she's just one of a large company and maybe she hates her job, but then again if she's taken a position working in the front line of customer service she should do her best to be nice to customers ....
The florist however has no excuse .... she runs her own business and if she wants to keep her customers she needs to be nice to them.
End of rant!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Congratulations ....
As Spanish retailers ( and businesswomen ) for the very popular UK brand JoJo Maman Bebe we would just like to say congratulations to JJMB founder Laura Tenison who recently won the highly coveted Veuve Clicquot Businesswomen of the Year Award at a ceremony in London!
Laura Tenison started JJMB in 1993. Today the company have 27 shops and employ over 300 people.
Congratulations from all in Spain!
Laura Tenison started JJMB in 1993. Today the company have 27 shops and employ over 300 people.
Congratulations from all in Spain!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
IVF in Spain
Well, before you get to the pregnancy and baby stage you need to concieve first. Whilst I conceived very quickly first time round and had a text book pregnancy, I have since had a miscarriage and now find myself in a situation I never thought I'd be in ... with blocked tubes and told our only chances of having another baby is via IVF!
Dealing with infertility or secondary infertility in my case can be quite daunting. IVF is a big new world I though I'd never visit and yet at the same time it's quite exciting too....
While researching IVF I came across a website called ivfspain.com which is run by a fertility nurse called Ruth Pellow who was formally head of the egg donation programme at the centre for reproductive medicine at St Barts in London. Now she resides here in Spain and with her husband dedicates her time to helping British ( and Spanish ) couples who are seeking IVF treatment abroad ( in Spain or Greece ) ... everything from recommending and arranging clinic appointments to picking them up at the airport and arranging hotels.
Ruth is both incredibly knowledgable and incredibly helpful. She called me and patiently answered all my IVF and blocked tube questions, explained the differences between the long and short protocols and about some of the tests we needed to have done.
Sometimes it's just great to be able to talk things through with an expert who is not your doctor and who can offer advice and recommendations.
If you are in a similar position to me or are in the UK and thinking of coming to Spain for IVF then I'd highly recommend contacting Ruth for more advice ...
I'm sure I'll be posting here more about the trails of my IVF journey in Spain ..... so if this is something that has affected you then please do comment here if you'd like to share your experience ... I'd also love to hear from other people who have been through IVF in Spain and particularly any recommendations for either Ceram in Marbella or Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola.
If you'd prefer to email me privately please email samantha@indybel.com
Dealing with infertility or secondary infertility in my case can be quite daunting. IVF is a big new world I though I'd never visit and yet at the same time it's quite exciting too....
While researching IVF I came across a website called ivfspain.com which is run by a fertility nurse called Ruth Pellow who was formally head of the egg donation programme at the centre for reproductive medicine at St Barts in London. Now she resides here in Spain and with her husband dedicates her time to helping British ( and Spanish ) couples who are seeking IVF treatment abroad ( in Spain or Greece ) ... everything from recommending and arranging clinic appointments to picking them up at the airport and arranging hotels.
Ruth is both incredibly knowledgable and incredibly helpful. She called me and patiently answered all my IVF and blocked tube questions, explained the differences between the long and short protocols and about some of the tests we needed to have done.
Sometimes it's just great to be able to talk things through with an expert who is not your doctor and who can offer advice and recommendations.
If you are in a similar position to me or are in the UK and thinking of coming to Spain for IVF then I'd highly recommend contacting Ruth for more advice ...
I'm sure I'll be posting here more about the trails of my IVF journey in Spain ..... so if this is something that has affected you then please do comment here if you'd like to share your experience ... I'd also love to hear from other people who have been through IVF in Spain and particularly any recommendations for either Ceram in Marbella or Clinica Fertia in Fuengirola.
If you'd prefer to email me privately please email samantha@indybel.com
Monday, March 22, 2010
Yoyuba Fuengirola
The Yoyuba is a soft play center in Fuengirola. We went there yesterday so our little one could let of some steam and while it's not the first time we've been I always come away thinking it's a really nice little place and so deserves a bit of a write up!
The Yoyuba is situated on the Camino de Coin near the garden center. It's not a huge place but does have 3 different soft play areas. A baby area ( with all the usual baby play things ... ball pond, little slide, little house etc ) and then a larger area for toddlers upwards with two levels of soft play. There is also another section reserved for older children and presumably adults which has rock/wall climbing and rope climbing.
There is a party area, decent toilets, often someone doing face painting and a bar selling drinks and snacks. ( sweets and crisps really, although I think proper party food can be ordered )
It's Spanish run and very friendly. Sometimes ( not all the time ) there are staff moniteering the softplay but this isn't guarunteed.
The thing with the Yoyuba is that you really have to pick the right time to go, especially with little ones ... The Spanish love this place and so late afternoons it is often heaving and too busy for little one's who just get trampled on in the soft play. Yet if you go around lunchtime or early afternoon it is much quieter and you avoid the parties ( which tend to be late pm ) and so much safer for little one's who can run around with more freedom. We've been on a saturday morning which was fantastic as our little one and her friends virtually had the place to themselves and also yesterday we went at around 3pm which was also perfect as by 5 when it began to get really busy our's were exhausted and ready to go home ....
Price wise it's not bad .... we paid 4.50 for an hour and a half, if you stay longer than that you pay for unlimited time which is 5.50 ... not bad when you consider that for over 3's Kidz Kingdom is 10 euros. There is no pricing per age here, just pricing per time of play. I think there is also a cheaper tariff for just an hours play ....
A great venue for a rainy play date .... just ensure you pick the right time to go! ( Friday pm's are a no no by the way! )
To find out more visit www.yoyuba.com
The Yoyuba is situated on the Camino de Coin near the garden center. It's not a huge place but does have 3 different soft play areas. A baby area ( with all the usual baby play things ... ball pond, little slide, little house etc ) and then a larger area for toddlers upwards with two levels of soft play. There is also another section reserved for older children and presumably adults which has rock/wall climbing and rope climbing.
There is a party area, decent toilets, often someone doing face painting and a bar selling drinks and snacks. ( sweets and crisps really, although I think proper party food can be ordered )
It's Spanish run and very friendly. Sometimes ( not all the time ) there are staff moniteering the softplay but this isn't guarunteed.
The thing with the Yoyuba is that you really have to pick the right time to go, especially with little ones ... The Spanish love this place and so late afternoons it is often heaving and too busy for little one's who just get trampled on in the soft play. Yet if you go around lunchtime or early afternoon it is much quieter and you avoid the parties ( which tend to be late pm ) and so much safer for little one's who can run around with more freedom. We've been on a saturday morning which was fantastic as our little one and her friends virtually had the place to themselves and also yesterday we went at around 3pm which was also perfect as by 5 when it began to get really busy our's were exhausted and ready to go home ....
Price wise it's not bad .... we paid 4.50 for an hour and a half, if you stay longer than that you pay for unlimited time which is 5.50 ... not bad when you consider that for over 3's Kidz Kingdom is 10 euros. There is no pricing per age here, just pricing per time of play. I think there is also a cheaper tariff for just an hours play ....
A great venue for a rainy play date .... just ensure you pick the right time to go! ( Friday pm's are a no no by the way! )
To find out more visit www.yoyuba.com
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 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
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