Salon Bebe - THIS WEEKEND ....

Don't forget the Salon Bebe baby show in Torremolinos this weekend ....

Events include the first ever Baby Olympics ...

Plus there will be lots of stands, a kids play area, a cafe and eating area, baby changing and feeding areas and lots of pampering for mums too!

For more information visit www.salonbebe.es

Lots of Indybel Special Offers on the day!

See You There!

Big Brother Social Workers ....

I heard on the radio today that in the UK there are proposals to send social workers into every home where there is a child under 5 so that they can monitor how well you look after your child and offically rate whether or not you are a good parent.

As a parent of an under 5 ( thankfully not in the UK! ) I find this idea incrediably scarey. I understand that after cases like Baby P social services feel they need to get into homes more but I don't think this is the right way to go about it .... Surely it's going beyond normal civil rights and is an invasion of family privacy ... we have nothing to hide, but I still wouldn't fancy someone going through my fridge and washing basket in order to decide whether or not I was a good parent. And surely good parenting comes from inside as much as from the outside and no amount of poking around the kitchen can really determine how loved and safe a child feels when just cuddling up to mum and dad .....

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.

Apartments for rent in Almeria

My family have two gorgeous apartments available for short or long term rent in Almeria ... if you fancy a holiday or are looking for a pad while working in the area or a great retirement option then read on ....!


lounge flat 5 / glassed and open terrace in both

Fully fitted kitchen and bathrooms in both

* lounge flat 4

*master bedroom flat 4

*Twin bedroom flat 5

The apartments are situated in a recently built residential complex in the beautiful La Envia Golf.

Each apartment is 82 meters2 in total with an additional 7 meters2 of outside terrace.

The terrace is split into two, with a larger 20 meters glassed off to create a lovely sunny year round dinning space. This can of course be opened up in the summer making one huge terrace.

Each Apartment features:

2 x bedrooms ( one double and one twin )

One fully equipted bathroom

Fully equiped kitchen with all utensils, microwave, washing machine and dishwasher

Living room with dining area - Flat screen TV. DVD player in Apt 5, music system in Apt 4 ADSL available in the building. Sky Box in Apt 5 will soon be connected to the community.

Fully furnished and decorated to a high standard

Air conditioning and Heating.

Glassed terrace and open terrace with beautiful views

24h security and the option of a garage if you rent or bring a car

Avaliable for weekly, monthly or long term rent. Renters are also permitted to use the golf course.

Surrounding Area :

The apartments are situated close to Ameria. Approx 2 kms from the lovely tourist town Aguadulce y Roquetas del Mar. Here you will find idyllic beaches, a palm lined promenade and a lovely harbour as well as many shops and restaurants. There is a Carrefour supermarket close to the apartments as well as a huge shopping complex nearby. There is also a wonderful 5 star hotel and spa near the apartments. For those considering a longer term let there are both well reputed Spanish and British schools in the area and a new health center has recently opened avaliable for both residents and tourists....

Rental Prices: ( per apartment )

550 euros per month

300 euros per week

500 euros per month for long term

50 euro per month for the garage ( optional )

Contact :

To find out more or to book please contact

Jacqueline frobert-2@hotmail.com

952 660 261

or Sam samantha@indybel.com

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/