All at the click of a button

Got a newborn at home? Got other kids too? Need to do loads of stuff but don´t have the hands nor the time to do it. Spain´s great but many of us may be a tad too far to walk to shops and even with car - strapping three kids in and out into their chairs in this heat can be enough to put you off a supermarket shop.

To be honest, the internet has been my saving grace. Mercadona on line is great - just do your entire shop with one hand on the computer and the other holding baby!! Also, the otherday, I needed to buy some books for my eldest daughter - a trip to Corte Ingles or La Canada seemed too much hastle so I ordered the books on Fnac online and they were delivered straight to my doorstep - the cost of the courier was less than the motorway toll charge, not to mention the petrol.

To top it up, I needed to send some presents to some friends when I was in hospital so I ordered them some gifts from amazon.co.uk and everything arrived within 5 days - pretty impressive ehh???

What would life bewithout the internet????

Please excuse typos -typing with one arm only as baby is in the other arm!!

A meal out with 3 kids in Duquesa area

I am typing with one hand on keyboard and holding a baby in another so please excuse any typos!

This is what I love about living in Spain, especially in this area of the costa del sol. The waiters in restaurants are so accepting of kids. They do not generally object to breastfeeding in public and make mums feel so welcome. This makes having a baby so much easier - mum´s can lead a normal life, well normalish!!

Psychologically, it´s great for a mum as they do not feel isolated.

The other day, we went to a lovely chiringuito, (beach bar) near Duquesa, in front of Los Granados. Its called Romeo´s Bahia -I thoroughly recommend it. Really its more of a restaurant than a beach bar and not only does it offer fantastic, fresh traditional dishes such as calamares, gambas pil pil etc.´, but for the less adventurous, they do a great selection of pasta and pizza - all homemade.

For those only interested in a light snack or something quick for kids, there are snacky foods on the menu like hot dogs and chips. And for the healthier option, there are delicious salads including an exotic tropical one.

But why is it so good for kids? Apart from the excellent cuisine, sumptious ice creams and milkshakes and the fact that it is right on an unspoilt Manilva beach, the restaurant has a special kids table.

The table is actually a blackboard and kids can sit round it colouring with chalk provided by the restaurant. So parents can enjoy their coffees whilst their kids are thoroughly entertained.

Hospiten Estepona

Well. I must say that the medical side - eg the gynecologist, surgeons etc was excellent. However the waiting times were pretty horrendous considering you're paying to go private and have pre-set appointments. Thankfully there is a good cafe to will away the hours! The only complaint I have with the set up is the whole 'touchy feely' element - a lack of orientation. Everything is done in a clinical fashion - more time would be appreciated though if nurses would sit down and discuss how to breast feed, how to treat a baby's umbilical cord and all those things that first time mum's need to know. Also many of the staff contradict each other - one nurse told me to ask for a pain killer if I needed one and another told me not to have any. I went in for a c-section and arrived starving at 8am only to be told that I would be slotted in when the surgeon had time. Small things like that would have made a great difference. Also there was nothing said during the pregnancy about anti-natal exercise or breathing - things that I think are essential to a woman who is about to give birth.

Breast or bottle

We mum's are constantly told breast is best. I agree it is the best in most circumstances but it really surprises me how we have a lot of unnecessary pressure on us. I am thoroughly enjoying breastfeeding at present but having had three kids, I am the first to admit that breast feeding is not the easiest thing to get into. Apart from the discomfort of sore breasts, bleeding nipples etc, breastfeeding does mean that you are the sole source of your child's nutrition - this can be a scary thought and can also mean that you have little time out. For those mum's that feel exhausted and need a break a supplement can really help. On the positive side breast feeding can really help to flatten your stomach again (although it is usually accompanied by an insatiable appetite), it is also great not to have to pre-plan journeys and constantly have to sterilise bottles plus it does save us mum's lots of money.

Really each circumstance is different - some mum's thrive on breastfeeding and other's get more tense - really the main thing is for us mum's to do what is best for us and the child. Sometimes adding a bottle can help us to be more relaxed mums and babies easily pick up on our moods.

My husband, presently on holiday - thank goodness - (we have this real estate agency, 'Hamilton Homes' and my husband is a bit of a workaholic) tried to give our baby a top up today whilst I had a chance to go for a swim with my older kids. I really wanted to spend some time with them and this gave me the chance to spend some time with them - something that is hard to do when you are feeding every two hours and burping in between that!!!! As it happened she took only a little and seemed so happy to take the breast when I got back.

Our new baby

Well, after all that worry and bedrest, I am so relieved to be here with my 6 week old baby. For any of you having a baby soon, I really recommend the baby monitor that I have - the Baby Kangoo (Rimax). It is a video monitor and can be connected to the TV. Better still, when placed on the night time setting, you can see your baby so clearly better than if you are staring down at him/her yourself. The monitor whilst pricey was definitely a worthwhile buy - about 140 euros from Leroy Merlin.

Countdown

Well I am on final countdown now. Unfortunately baby is breech so may have to have a cesarian on Wednesday - after two textbook natural births, this outcome was quite unexpected. Although baby may still decide to turn last minute.

Now I am planning everything for Wednesday including trying to finish my website -which will happen first I wander - baby´s arrival or completion of the website.

My girls are so excited and dying to see baby - now we´re finally on the last stretch!

The Spanish Propety Market

On my bedrest, I have given some thought to the present situation of the Spanish Property Market.

True the market now is a lot quieter but there are still opportunities out there. The hit and run investors have left - but there are many people who still come to Spain because they love the lifestyle.

Every market has its peaks and troughs and I believe that this correction is probably much needed. Do we have to look at it negatively?? No, I dont think so, there are still opportunities out there. Buyers just need to do their homework and look out for the bargains. Below are some of my thoughts put on paper.

Should we be nervous?

Recent accounts of the Spanish property market have sent alarm bells ringing through the European Investor Community. Scare mongering stories could actually trigger off a self-fulfilling prophecy whereby anticipation of events will only cause the predicted events to occur.

During the last decade, the Spanish Property Market has seen exceptional growth. However over the last three years the rate of increase has dropped from a 20% increase in property prices per year to around 10% per annum. In any economy there are peaks and troughs. In reality what we seem to be seeing is a market correction and leveling off rather than a drastic fall.

Realistic or Unrealistic?

The price increases that we have seen as of late have been seller-led and have in many cases not reflected ‘true market value’. Numerous private sellers have a preconceived idea of the ‘market price’ for their homes. Unfortunately, many a time these prices are reached through a combination of subjective (eg what their neighbour is selling for) factors rather than sound factual indicators. Market valuations should be objective, based on a simple rule of thumb as that applied by banks (price per square metre in a given area multiplied by registered square metres). In practice however sellers often ignore this rule of thumb and let external factors play a large part in their price setting. Similarly, many developers have jumped on the band wagon of escalating prices and there are thousands of mediocre apartments being sold off-plan at extortionate rates.


Is Correction a good/bad thing for the Spanish Economy?

The correction that we are seeing is not a bad thing. The property market as of late has been growing due to seller expectations rather than real factors. However the increased supply of housing on the Costa del Sol coupled with recent interest rate hikes are forcing developers and sellers to price their properties at more competitive rates.

Despite current market sentiment, Spain is still one of the most attractive destinations in Europe due to its climate, culture and location. There is still a buoyant demand out here, and whilst the demographics of the average buyer has shifted, from speculators wishing to make short term gain, to consumers wishing to live and build a business in the area, the latter is creating a more solid foundation for long-term economic growth.
Much of what we are seeing is a mismatch between supply and demand. Whilst some developers have been building box-like apartments, many of our clients are looking for qualities they would expect to find in a full-time home: storage space, decent sized rooms and parking facilities.

A Buyers Market
Today’s clients are doing a lot more research and are still able to find quality developments and well priced re-sales.
For those of you looking to buy on the Costa del Sol, this just may be the perfect time to look for a bargain. As put by Mark Stucklin, Spanish Property Doctor for the Sunday Times:
‘If you are really willing to do your homework, the market wobble could be a good time to hunt for a bargain – and now is the best time in a decade to drive a hard deal. Remember, smart buyers look at whether or not a property represents value for money, not just how cheap it is.

What is safe to take in Pregnancy

Well its been another weird week. Just as I was getting more energetic and looking forward to enjoing the good weather, I got hit by a terrible bout of flu. I ran a high temperature for 48 hours and struggled to get by on limited remedies that one can take in pregnancy.

Unfortunately antibiotics was the only way to break this virus. I found an excellent site in medication by the way safefetus.com which gives lists of medications or there key ingredients and tells you whether they are safe or not to take in pregnancy.

Well now I'm back on the road to recovery and am taking it very easily indeed. 6 more weeks to go till d-day.

Thankfully I am now recovering at mum's as I had no energy to look after my other two girls too.

Computer Breakdown

I have been unable to update this blog for ages as my hard drive completely went last week. Yes, in fact I was on my way to go and buy a new computer, as my life is dependent on one - supermarket shopping, work emails, holiday forms and cheap phonecalls to name but a few things I use my for. Anyway was about to buy a new one when my Dad called.

He is a computer whiz and somehow managed to salvage my computer - how I just do not know and here I am on my good old trustwothy samsung again.

Just took me a while to get on line again. I tried to connecting to my wireless network at home and after typing in the relevant password, my computer showed that I was connected with excellent signal strength. Despite the latter I just could not get onto the internet or download my emails wirelessly - i had to use a cable connected to the router to be able to get online. This baffled me.

Well, thankfully my Dad came to the rescue again - I think its a bug in the system, it turns out that I put the password in in the wrong letter case and that even though I saw myself as fully connected, I really wasn't.

So all it took was a simple two minutes to re-input the correct network key and voila I am back on line.

What a palava - something so simple takes so long!!!

Which baby name?

I've been on hundreds of sites looking at baby names. Its so hard to decide. I 'm looking for aname pronouncable in English and Spanish, exotic sounding but not over the top. Options have ranged from Ria, Demi to Talia. Decisions! Decisions!

Kids went with their Dad to an excellent horse show in Malaga 'Passionata '. Entertainment here has really improved over the last few years. Last Sunday there was an international day event in Estepona and the standard of the performers was really impressive.

I stayed home this afternoon. Had a great long nap as a pregnant mum should and crashed out for hours. 31 weeks as of tomorrow - time seems to be flying.

Had a look at a tutorial for website design but got side-tracked and decided to research baby names and see what I should take in my hospital bag etc. No rocket science list though - just the obvious - pjs, snacks for labour (although I have never had a snack whilst in labour in the hospital?!), maternity bras, pads, going home outfit.......just pretty normal stuff. I also sneaked a peak at the development of baby at this stage - some quite good websites out there such as baby centre, pregnancy weekly etc .

Which requires more skill - sending a fax or giving medicine to a four year old?

Well, guess what, had achieved loads today - written the reference I needed to do at 5am this morning (crazy I know but I was awake at the time!). Now I'm ready to have a siesta though!!! Kids were at school on time - well fed by their grandmother (as we stayed there last night) and full of beans. Got home, determined to start on the website re-vamp and thought I'd just quickly fax over a reference - 2 second job, only 4 pages to it. Well suprise suprise, I have been battling with the nasty machine for 40 minutes - yes 40 minutes. I have finally succumbed to scanning in the document and sending it via email. Technology these days! Desparately need it to work - desparately drives us crazy. I am just trying to work out what's tougher - getting a fax machine to behave or getting my daughter to down her antibiotics. After careful analysis I think I tend to go with the latter - medicine definitely a harder job. As there are other alternatives for faxes - can email, can send, but if the medicine does not go down my daughter's throat - there are no other easily accessible options. Oooh I do thing these hormones are on the bend, I am now comparing my darling 4 year old with a fax machine. Guess its time to sign off!

Thank Goodness for private health insurance

Just picked up my kids from school to find my daughter had some green liquid leaking from her ear. She is only four - I was quite concerned. Thanks though to my private insurance I was able to saunter into Hospiten Emergencies and she was seen to immediately. They were excellent. They have prescribed her some antibiotics and decongestant to alleviate my poor baby!! Thanks to having my Sanitas policy (part of the BUPA Group), which to be honest with you, I took out as we were agents for it at our insurance offices, I just handed over my card, they swiped it and easy as pie, I do not have the hastle of having to claim back from the company. Everything is done on the spur of the moment.

Doctor gives thumbs up

It was a relief today as the doctor finally gave us good news - what do you know but the bedrest seems to be working - or is it the chocolate cake that my husband keeps telling me to eat???!! Baby is now only a little small for its time - thank God. Well what's on the work agenda for today. Need to complete an employee reference letter, go through a web design tutorial, respond to any emails and write an IT proposal for our new website project. In between, I need to look up some baby names - ummm, pretty tough really, need to look for something exotic yet pronouncable in English and Spanish. So many nice names, so few seem right for my own baby's name. Then I'll collect the kids from school with mum who has the lucky task of driving me today ( bedrest - makes you very dependent). Mum did my shopping too yesterday and bought loads of cute baby clothes from Mothercare. Gorgeous Summer dresses and babygrows etc. I am definitely decided now on the Jane Carrera Pro Pram - I really love the bright colours. The easyfix system makes everything so easy to attach and detach. Pregnancy hormones are going haywire. My husband will go mad if I mention prams again.