Newletter - October 2011
Welcome to our first October newsletter. We hope you have been enjoying the sunshine – it’s been a beautiful start to autumn across Spain.
LATEST RECOMMENDATIONS
For mums in Barcelona who want to take some time out this autumn, we’ve had two fabulous recommendations for centrally located spas, both of which are offering something extra for MumAbroad members (check out the offers on the right hand side of the newsletter). Also in Barcelona, we’ve had great recommendations for Suzuki Music & Kindermusik classes whilst in Tarragona Heather has given us a wealth of fabulous recommendations for families living or visiting the area. In Andalucia, our latest additions include CERAM, a fertility clinic based in Marbella, Indigo Relocation in Gibraltar and we’d also like to thank Roundabout Spain for their recommendations on the Costa del Sol including activities for kids and babysitting agencies. Meanwhile in Madrid, Jackie has recommended ‘Shake, Rattle and Roll’ and Tessa has told us about the Atenas Playgroup. Monica has given a fantastic review of a holiday she recently had with her children in La Garrotxa - take a look at the box on the right hand side for more information. New to our online section are IcoBaby, natural and organic products for babies, So Sweet Kosher Sweets which contain no animal fat and The Little Concierge Company for UK families holidaying in Spain.
You can easily access all the latest recommendations from the regional boxes on our homepage.
LATEST INTERVIEWS & MUMS IN BUSINESS
"When my daughter was born the older women were popping in with yogurts and fruit to "keep my strength up", there is one or two I have had words with (normally to do with animal cruelty) but all in all we have been treated wonderfully. I have found though that the foreigners who mix with the locals are the foreigners who stay. They are seen as willing to adapt".
Laura C relocated from Scotland to Sedella, a small Andalucian village and has never looked back. Read her full story here
Meanwhile Lindsay G is a single working mum based in Benalmedena Pueblo, Málaga and talks about why she feels Spain is a good place for women who want to go back to work after having children "I have friends back in the UK who can’t justify spending most of their salary on childcare just to go to work, and I find it very worrying that there is a whole generation of skilled and qualified professional women who are facing such huge financial barriers to be able to carry on their work after having children" Read her full story here
"They say Spain isn’t just sunshine and siestas. But inherently the weather and the relaxed way of life are the two things I enjoy. It’s not about getting a tan, it’s about the outdoor life and the relaxed attitude and way of life here. It’s also about finding like-minded people who thrive off a similar lifestyle" Karen Southall is a journalist based in Coin, Málaga and tells us about her lifestyle and about bringing up her two children there.
We’ve also spoken to Heather, an English teacher in Tarragona who talks about why she believes her daughter will be better off living there than the UK. "There is definitely more emphasis on time spent as a family. We love the sense of community and the way all of us are encouraged to participate in town events, bringing people of all ages together... Children are adored and this has to have a positive effect on their self esteem. We all have more time to do what we enjoy most and stress levels have reduced considerably" Read her full interview here
We have also had a chat to Patricia about her life in Vejer de La Frontera as well as the head of IVF programs at CERAM, a fertility clinic based in Marbella. Read the full interview here
Three of our interviewees are working Mums in Spain - Karen founded and runs Roundabout Spain, an online directory for families living on the Costa del Sol, Lindsay is a Tots-to-Travel representative also on the Costa del Sol and Patricia is the head of ‘Let’s Chat!’, an English Language Academy based in Cadiz. Other new additions are Anna of Indigo Relocation and Saira of Yurts Tarifa & Chilimosa. You can find out more about what they do in our Mums in Business Section
Meanwhile new articles to our Women`s health section include preventing Breast Cancer, information on cervical screening and advice for Migraine sufferers. You can find these articles and other issues related to women’s health here
And we also have some advice and tips for getting a good exchange rate when moving to Spain. You can read more in our Moving to Spain section
Dont forget if you would like to be interviewed or be featured in our Mums in Business section we would love to hear from your so please drop as an email to info@mumabroad.com
SPOTLIGHT ON THE COSTA ALMERIA & GRANADA
The Costa Almeria comprises of 217 kilometres of coastline which runs from Murcia in the North to the province of Granada in the South. Among the tourist destinations on the Costa de Almeria are Vera, Mojácar, Roquetas de Mar and Almerimar. The city of Granada lies around one hour inland from the Costa Almeria and is located at the base of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The population of the city of Granada is estimated at nearly a quarter of a million and of these a growing number of Expats are adding to the census. If you live in this area and would like to add to our list of children`s activities, family-friendly restaurants, day-trips or kids shops please drop as an email to info@mumabroad.com
WHAT´S HOT ON THE FORUM
Thanks as always for all your recent forum posts. Jenny wants advice on where in Spain to spend 6 weeks holiday with her two kids aged 5 and 7, Gladys from South Africa is after opinions on the cost of living in Spain, Summer wants to know about schools in Sitges whilst Sara and Julie are asking for help in re-homing a 2-year old Labrador and kittens. Meanwhile Jane is after toy donations for a special needs school in Pedralbes (Bcn), Anya would like to buy a second-hand foldable buggy and Adri is looking for a piano and clarinet teacher in Sant Cugat. Mumto4 is concerned that her 6 year old son is having problems making friends at school and would appreciate any advice from anyone in a similar situation.
Please keep your posts coming in and don`t forget you can advertize for free any events in your area.
READ ALL ABOUT IT - NEWS ROUND UP
This may come as no surprise to most of you but Spanish researchers have found that young children who sleep for less than nine hours per night and have no bedtime routine do not perform as well in school as their peers, the results of a new study indicate. Spanish researchers looked at almost 150 children aged six and seven from different schools. The children's parents filled out questionnaires on their sleeping habits and their academic skills were assessed by experts Read more
According to a recent study, women are genetically programmed to better resist infections and cancer, and also have a back-up system for fighting disease than men The discovery also suggests that men who regularly complain of ‘man-flu’ may not be exaggerating after all. The secret to women’s stronger immunity lies in a key biological difference between the sexes. Read more
And finally
Women who drink two or more cups of coffee a day are less likely to get depressed, research suggests. It is not clear why it might have this effect, but the authors believe caffeine in coffee may alter the brain's chemistry. Decaffeinated coffee did not have the same effect. The findings, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, come from a study of more than 50,000 US female nurses Read more
That`s it for now. We’re off to get our caffeine fix. Have a great weekend!
Dont forgot to contact us with your recommendations, thoughts and feedback!
Carrie & Rebecca
