Newsletter March 2011
Welcome to our March newsletter, and for most of us living in Spain, it looks as though Spring has arrived! If you want to get your body ready for summer, don’t forget we have recommendations for personal trainers, gyms, spas and beauty salons in all of our regions. Check out our Just for Mum or services sections for more information.
We’d also like to take this opportunity to thank Keiko’s Dream for their sponsorship of the newsletter for the next 6 months and also welcome Suki to our team, who is taking charge of sales & marketing.
We have been busy expanding the Spain site and also working on our France and Italy sites so if you know of an English-speaking Mum in either France or Italy you think might be able to contribute, please do let us know.
Latest Recommendations
Thank you for all your great recommendations over the past few weeks.
Starting in Catalunya, Teresa has recommended MTC, The European Foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Barcelona where she had very successful acupuncture, Alexandra has told us about Barcelona-based Nutritionist & Dietician Andreina, Uby has recommended another dietician and also naturopath Dorte, thanks to Anella for information on Kindermusik classes now starting in Sitges and also to Elisenda for telling us about Baby Bongo music classes in Gracia.
In Andalucia, Katya gives us information about ice skating classes in Benalmadena, horse riding lessons in Estepona, an indoor soft play centre in Marbella, an‘After School’ club in Malaga and a ‘Mother & Baby’ group in Gibraltar.
Thanks to Clare Rodgers in Mallorca for her recommendations for the toy shop Palacio del Bebe, a waterpark in Alcudia and a nature park in Palma, which is also a birthday party location.
In Valencia, Milena has recommended the cheap and cheerful child-friendly restaurant Chef Macuine and thanks to Gail for telling us about the baby Deli shop in the city.
In Madrid, thank you to Harriet who has recommended Casa Patas to see live Flamenco dancing.
Finally, Vietnam, Cambodia & Laos and India are new additions to our family holidays section - thanks to Doug and Rob & Andrea for their comments on the trips they made. Don’t forget we have holiday recommendations in all our regions. You might want to check them out if you are planning a family break this summer. If you have been on a family holiday in Spain or further afield, do tell us about it.
Don´t forget you can easily access all the latest recommendations from the regional boxes on our homepage.
Latest Interviews and Mums in Business
"The majority of meals in school cafeterias do not provide what I would recommend for your health. You can find an excess of animal protein and refined grains, leaving both metabolic waste, difficult to debug and causing fatigue." This is the view of Barcelona-based Dietician and Naturopath Dorte Froreich, who has given us a fascinating interview about what she considers to be a healthy diet for children, eating when pregnant and also advice on breastfeeding and weaning your baby. Although Spanish children traditionally have had a healthy Mediterranean diet, Dorte believes that unless parents are more careful about what their children are eating there will be a huge rise in diabetic and obese children in the country.
Dorte features in our Interview with the Experts section where you can also read interviews with other alternative practitioners such as Acupuncturist Uby Muñoz, Hypnotherapist Tracy Saunders, Reflexologist Benedicte Taillard, and Life Coach Chantal Ducoeurjoly.
Don’t forget also we`d love to hear from you if you are a Mum in Business. Our latest Mumpreneurs include Sarah, a yoga teacher and caterer in Sant Cugat, Barcelona. Kirstin is based in France but offers workshops and advice over the phone to Mums about relocating to other countries.
Spotlight on Mallorca
Mallorca is Spain's largest & best-known island. Its capital Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. Since the 1950s, the advent of mass tourism radically changed both the city and the island, and also attracted foreigners to work and live there. It's less than a two hour drive across the island but still manages to attract over ten million visitors a year. International families are attracted to the island because of its fabulous climate, cosmopolitan mix of people and growing work opportunities, particularly in the tourist trade. We’ve been speaking to resident parents about their recommendations for Pregnancy & Birth, activities for babies, toddlers & kids, family-friendly restaurants, kids shops and day-trips. Please let us know if you have a recommendation for this popular Balearic Island.
Featured Events
Thank you to those of you who have been contributing to our events section which is currently crammed full with exciting shows & workshops for kids. Among the highlights are Annie the Musical , Peter Pan and The Great Circus Oz all of which are in Madrid. Lazytown returns to Barcelona which is also showing Mama Mia! and The Bremen Town Musicians. Elsewhere you can catch The Cosmpoetica Festival in Córdoba and Pinochio in Mallorca.
Other Events:
- David the Gnome, Barcelona
- Teatralia, Madrid
- Sant Jordi Book sale, Barcelona
- The Painter House Workshop, Madrid
Whats Hot on the Forum
Our latest forum posts can now be viewed on the homepage, and you can choose to view the most popular threads and also all the posts we have placed. In the Costa Blanca, Lindsey is looking for work as a childminder, Kes has a whole load of baby items to sell and is also looking for other mums in the area of Torrevieja. In Catalunya, Joan is looking for a family in Sitges who would like to do a home exchange with her friends in West Ireland, Inge is after a second-hand ladies bike, Solas wants someone to take a whole load of toys off her hands and Flavia would like to meet up with other pregnant mums in Sant Cugat. In Madrid two mums are holding huge house clearance sales and Clared is after information on where to buy organic fruit and veg. Finally, does anyone has advice for Jane, who does not know how to break the news to her 5-year old daughter that her best friend is soon to move? If you can offer advice to any of the above please do so! Don`t forget you can also use the forum to advertize job offers, items for sale and recommendations.
News Round Up
Recent research in Japan has shown that first born children are more likely to have food allergies. Among the 13 thousand children tested aged 7 to 15, it was found that a child's birth order did not seem to affect the prevalence of asthma or eczema but firstborn children were more likely to have hay fever, pink eye due to allergy and food allergies. Read more.
Scientists have discovered that babies can remember melodies they heard in the womb. Music was played to mothers three weeks before birth and they were then tested a month after they were born. The babies’ heart rates slowed at a greater rate when they heard the melody they had heard in the womb, compared to one they had not heard before. Read more.
And
Finally new mums have been warned that it is possible to get pregnant as soon as 3 weeks after giving birth. Women who are breastfeeding are very unlikely to conceive, and most women who aren't breastfeeding won't start producing eggs until 6 weeks after giving birth. Still, it's possible in less time, say the World Health Organization. Read more.
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