In Between The Tapas And Tantrums

Oh Look There's Two Of Them!

2010-07-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

The Comical Side To Raising Twins

Click Here To Preview

A Light Hearted Look At The Ups And Downs And So Often Funny Side To Raising Twins As Seen Through The Eyes Of Their Devoted But Very Tired Father!

A mixture of short light hearted stories based around my own personal and amusing experiences of bringing up my own twin daughters.

I hope you also find it an amusing addition to your digital library and will be returning to it over and over again.

Click Here to Download Your Copy Now!

Alan Roy Hocking is also the author of:

"The Beginners Guide To Affiliate Marketing"

“The Five Simple But Essential Steps To getting The Sale”

“A Simple Three Step Formula Guaranteed To Overcome All Sales Objections”

To Preview Any Of These Books

Click Here

Pick Of The Month

2010-03-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

Lasts months best seller and most popular pick of the month in My Zazzle Store was this fun “I Don’t Need Coffee To Keep Me Awake” mouse pad designed especially for parents of twins

I Dont Need Coffee by alanroyhocking
See more Mouse Mousepads

Highest Quality Mousepads

• No minimum order! Save when you buy in bulk!

• Durable cloth cover is dust and stain resistant

• Non-slip backing keeps your mouse moving while the mousepad stays in place

• 9.25" x 7.75" - Perfect size for home or office

Also available:

Custom Made T-Shirts, Inspirational Posters, Birthday Cards, Greeting Cards, Motivational Mugs, Mad Mouse Pads, Crazy Coffee Cups, Funny Fridge Magnets, Kool Key Rings, Ideal Birthday Presents or Thank You Gifts Click Here For More Ideas

Zazzle is the only on-demand retail platform to offer billions of products that ship in 24 hours.

My New Zazzle Gallery

2010-02-18T05:16:00.000-08:00

This week I want to introduce you all to My New Zazzle Gallery

Create personalized gifts at Zazzle.

This year I have decided to concentrate far more on spending quality time with my twin girls Laura and Rebeca who having now turned four, have just become so funny that I don’t want to miss a second of their development, or the joy of having twins.

The ability to combine my love of art and digital photography with my somewhat witty humor and off beat design skills has been fulfilled by opening my own online T-Shirts and Gifts Gallery In association with Zazzle.com

Zazzle is the only on-demand retail platform to offer billions of products that ship in 24 hours.

All custom made one off designs where you can find endless ideas for funny, personalized and unique gifts ranging from:

T-Shirts with fun slogans, Aprons, Badges, Mugs, Fridge Magnets, Cards, Keyrings, Mouse Mats, Postcards, Posters, Stickers, Sweatshirts, Ties, Tote bags, and even U.S. Postage Stamps.

Opening up My Zazzle Store along with my eBooks, Articles and other Website, has enabled me to work at home full time and really enjoy the blessings of having twins.

I would fully recommend Zazzle.com to anybody a little bit artistic and looking for a way of supplementing an income or looking to develop some sort of extra home based income from affilliate marketing.

I will be featuring the best sellers and special offers over the next few months’ right here on this blog and let you all know of any updates or new developments in my store, so keep dropping by or if you can’t wait click here to go straight to my gallery.

See you next week with Februauys’ pick of the month.

Keeping And Breeding Rabbits

2010-01-04T05:57:00.000-08:00

Every one else has had a good laugh at this one so I thought I would share it with you all as well

We are blessed with the joyful opportunity of living on a small Finca in the Campo here in Mijas Costa and really appreciate being able to live the relaxed country lifestyle we live.

One of the greatest benefits for me is being able to raise our children outside of the hustle and bustle of city life and give them a good education in nature and looking after and caring for animals.

As they are twins we tend to get two of everything.

Two dogs, two cats, two chickens etc. So we decided as we are sort of living the good life out here on the Costa del Sol and we have the space we would get a couple of rabbits as well.

My theory was if we got a pair of baby rabbits I could breed them when they matured and not only would my daughters have the experience of watching nature take its course my other thought was purely financial.

Everything on our mini farm has a purpose.

The dogs keep unwanted visitors out while we’re not here. The cats keep the rats and mice away that you always get when you live in the country and have hay and animal feed in the outhouses. And the chickens produce some of the best tasting free range eggs you could ever wish to eat.

As the store where we get all our animals and feed from also sells rabbits I did a deal with the owner that if I took a pair of rabbits when they started breeding I could take the baby rabbits back to the shop and swap them for feed or more chickens etc.

Hey presto, a completely self funding mini farm.

My plan was perfect except that I have no idea how to sex rabbits so when one died within a week of us bringing them home, I quickly rushed out to replace what I thought was the doe before my daughters got home from school only to find out when a friend of mine who does know about breeding rabbits came round the other day that it was actually the buck who had died and for the last ten months I have been waiting for my two females rabbits to breed!

After much laughter and continued leg pulling over the fact that I have been patiently waiting nearly a year now for my first lot of baby rabbits, I am now going out to get a buck rabbit and start the plan all over again.

Will let you know how I get on this time….

The Christmas Fairs in Germany

2009-12-15T04:11:00.000-08:00

Well we all arrived back safely from our week in Germany and apart from the bitter cold that I never get used to, (something to do me with being used to a more gentle Mediterranean climate here on the Costa del Sol) the wedding went extremely well and it was good to spend a week with all the family together once again.

We were staying in a little village called “Wickede” close to “Menden” and I have to say the Germans certainly take their Christmas celebrations seriously there. All the streets were adorned with an array of Christmas lights, Tinsel and Santa’s Grottos on every corner.

I have included some photos at the bottom. If you are looking for something different for Xmas then I would strongly advise a trip to Germany just to do some Christmas shopping, see all the lights and decorations or just to taste the Gluhwien and enjoy the German hospitality.

I have a busy schedule ahead of me over the next couple of weeks with Xmas just around the corner and my twin daughters birthday on the 20th so I don’t think I will be posting any more articles this year but I’m pleased to say that my my e-books have been selling well and I have a few new projects that I will be working on in the new year. One I am already working on is my new Sales Training e-book dedicated purely to Telesales and Telemarketing and the one I am most excited about is an e-book based around my own personal journey of discovery into the Secrets of Successful Internet Marketing and Personal Development Products.

All my books are published by Lulu.com and can be previewed and purchased directly from My Book Store.

The majority of next year’s articles will also be based around Internet Marketing, Online Businesses, Working From Home and Personal Development so keep popping by on a regular basis.

Thank you all for your support over the last two years and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Prosperous and Enlightened New Year.

See you in 2010

Alan Roy Hocking

New Online Holidays and Flight Search Facility

2009-12-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

Firstly a very big welcome into December 2009 and with Christmas just around the corner, the rain in Spain falls not only on the plain but just about everywhere. Three of our regular street markets have been rained off already so things can only get better. Let’s look forward to what hopefully will be a much better year than last year?

Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will have noticed a few changes and some new things in the sidebar and blog layout in general.

The most useful changes I think are the new “Direct Online Holidays, Hotels and Flight Search Facilities” allowing you to search through thousands of cut priced holidays and last minute flight bargains to Spain available direct from hundreds of the top UK Travel Agents and Flight Companies.

I’m also looking for the same facility for all you Golfers out there to be able to search for the best Direct Golf Holidays in Spain and book your Flights, Accommodation and Golfing Direct Online and will be adding that soon as well.

The other change is really the subject matter.

When I started this blog some two and a half years ago now, the main theme was all about the ups and downs and funny side to parenting twins and multiples mixed with a light hearted look at a British expats life on the Costa del Sol. Now that my own twin girls have nearly turned four I really am finding it far easier and therefore have fewer things to write about regarding parenting twins.

Last year saw the introduction of a spotlight on local businesses in Mijas, some news updates from the Costa del Sol and a few travel tips and resort reviews.

As these new subjects have proved to be far more popular with you the reader and not wishing to just let this blog disappear through the lack of posting articles about parenting twins, next year I will be concentrating far more on what I hope will be things of general interest to visitors and all the expats living here in Andalucia.

This will include Local News, things of interest to tourists, more spotlights on local businesses, Travel Tips, Golfing News and better Resort and Hotel Reviews.

All feedback and input is greatly appreciated,

Please send any ideas you have to: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com or leave your comments below.

We’re off to Germany this weekend for a wedding and we’re really looking forward to a week of the cold, snow and of course all those fantastic German Christmas Markets and Gluhwien.

Look out for the full report with photos on my return.

Wishing you all a very healthy, wealthy and prosperous 2010

See you all soon.

Alan Roy Hocking, New Author, Professional Sales Trainer and Independent Marketing Consultant has just released his second e-book “Oh Look There’s Two Of Them” A light hearted look at the ups and downs and so often funny side to Parenting Twins as seen through they eyes of their devoted but very tired father!

For more details and a preview of this e-book and my other e-books visit: My Book Store

Should I Merge My Blogspot Blogs - The Conclusion

2009-11-30T01:37:00.000-08:00

I wrote an article earlier this year asking other bloggers their opinion on whether I should merge my two blogger blogs or not.

Those of you who didn’t read it can read it first by following these links: Should I Merge My Blogs (part 1) and Should I Merge My Blogs (Part 2)

I have to be honest and say I was a little disappointed in the input and feed back I received and eventually made the decision to merge the blogs anyway and learn from my own experiences.

Here is my conclusion for any one else with the same dilemma and who like me is looking for some answers before doing any long term damage to their blogs.

My reasons for merging my blogs were:

1. I didn’t think I would have time to post an article on both blogs every week which would mean one blog would always be lacking content.

2. The Blog that I didn’t update on a regular basis was losing traffic and slipping down in the search engines because it wasn’t kept fresh.

3. There were 50 articles on this blog and 62 articles on my sales training blog so my thought was that I would create 1 large blog with 112 articles on it.

4. I also thought that the traffic I was getting to both blogs would also merge and create a larger high traffic blog that would in turn get a better Google page rank.

My experience was quite the opposite.

My other blog “Simple Sales and Marketing Solutions” is a sales training blog and geared predominantly towards the Timeshare Industry and Timeshare Sales Professionals where I have spent the last twenty odd years of my working life.

This blog “In Between the Tapas and Tantrums” apart from being my personal blog is all about my passion in life. A light hearted mixture of short stories about my own personal experiences of raising my twin daughters on the Costa del Sol mixed with travel tips, hotel reviews and general advice about living in Spain or visiting this beautiful place called Mijas Costa.

What I found when I merged the two blogs together was that my old followers to this blog couldn’t find my articles any more as they didn’t come up on the first pages of Google searches any more and the traffic to my sales training blog hadn’t improved one bit.

I had in effect achieved the complete opposite of what I was trying to achieve and actually lost traffic and readers. I now realise this was because my blogs were targeted towards two very different audiences.

It also made me go back and read an article I had written myself quite a while ago reminding me about my personal reasons for blogging: “Are You Blogging for Fun or Profit?” (Also worth a read if you’re thinking of reasons for and against merging your blogs)

My conclusion is this:

If you have two or more blogs about similar subjects or subjects that will cross over and complement each other and they are being read by the same type of people who find them through similar key phrases or search terms then it is better to merge them and double the traffic to one big blog. But if your blogs are reaching different audiences like mine are and cover different subjects that don’t cross over or complement each other then without a doubt, keep them separate.

What do you think?

Have you merged your blogs only to unmerge them again at a later date, or did you find it worked for you?

Trying To Sell Your Timeshare – Here Are Some Things You Should Consider First

2009-11-01T11:15:00.000-08:00

With the recession hitting hard and everyone feeling the effects, I thought it would be a good idea to re-post an article I wrote a while back regarding Holiday Clubs and Timeshare Resales.

There are many genuine reasons why so many people want to sell or just get rid of a Timeshare or Holiday Club. It could be that when you first brought it you had a young family so you brought a two bedroom unit in the high season and maybe even two or three weeks together, to secure the family school holidays for years to come. If your children are now grown up and doing their own thing with their holiday plans, you might find that you are now holidaying on your own again and out of the school holiday seasons, if this is the case you don't want to be paying the higher maintenance fees on a two bedroom high season ownership that you’re no longer using.

I quite often find that when there is bereavement in the family the remaining partner doesn’t want to continue holidaying alone and when they are ready to start holidaying again the holidays they take will tend to be more group organized activities with other people in the same situation as themselves.

There are also the couples who get divorced and just like everything else they own together, it needs selling or dividing up.

Unfortunately there are also a lot of people who are selling their Timeshare because they were badly advised in the first place, or “closed into buying it” on some hard sell Timeshare presentation and they didn’t buy the right sized unit or on the right resort or even ended up buying it for completely the wrong reasons.

Whatever your reasons are for wanting to sell your Timeshare, let’s look at some things you should consider before trying to sell your Timeshare or Holiday Points System.

1. Don’t expect to make a profit. You might have been told by the Timeshare sales rep who sold it to you that you were investing in property and property always goes up in value. This is true when talking about freehold property. Timeshare is more like buying a brand new car. As soon as you start it up and drive it off the forecourt you’ve lost 50% of its value through the built in marketing costs. The resort will go up in value, but for the people who own a deeded timeshare, not for the people who just own weeks, points or the right to use.

2. Before thinking about passing it to your children make sure they want to continue with the growing debt of a yearly maintenance or not?

3. If you own fixed weeks, you may be able to trade in with your home resort and change into a more flexible system that suits you better if your resort is now selling a points based holiday club or another system, but do expect to pay something on top for the privilege. The marketing company is in business to make money not spend it.

4. When setting your price look at other Timeshares similar to yours either on the same resort or in the same location and set your price accordingly.

5. Always use a reputable resale company that is licensed to do all the legal paperwork through a recognised trustee or you could be left with additional and hidden legal costs.

6. Never pay money up front to register your timeshare with a resale company. A good resale company should work like a real estate agent and only charge a commission once they have secured and completed the sale.

These are just a few pointers. Most importantly, always seek expert legal advice before entering into any type of sales contract and remember. Be realistic with what you’re willing to accept to sell it. You can’t put a price on all those lovely memories, good times and great holidays you’ve had with your family whilst using your timeshare, if you’ve owned it for a number of years; you’ve probably had your initial investment back over and over again.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

See you all next week.

Merging Two Blogspot Blogs (Part Two)

2009-09-28T12:09:00.000-07:00

After over a month now of going backwards and forwards I have finally merged my two blogspot blogs into one.

I wasn’t sure if anyone else is struggling with the same dilemma so I thought I would share my experience and the reasons for my decision here with you all.

This blog which was actually my first blog was started when my twin daughters were born as a sort of hobby and for me to share my experiences of parenting twins with other parents of twins and multiples around the world. I had only just discovered blogging at the time and just thought it was great fun and didn’t really take it seriously at all until after a few months when I realised what a great way for me to share my sales and marketing experience and so “Simple Sales And Marketing Solutions" was born.

I have eventually found it very difficult with a full work schedule and being a hand’s on father of twins to find time for what was back then and still is very much my hobby.

I hadn’t written many articles lately for this blog for a long time and I wasn’t getting much traffic anyway, so I finally sat down as I normally do when I have to make a decision that involves changes and wrote a “for” and “against” list. When the list is finished, if there is more on the “for” side I do it and if there is more on the “against” side I don’t. It’s as simple as that.

This was my list:

Against:

1. The other blog is a business blog based dominantly around timeshare, sales and marketing techniques and the this blog is a personal blog. Would the two mix without watering down the niche I had developed on this blog?
2. Would I need to re-brand the blog and run the risk of losing traffic and starting all over again?
3. This blog was my first blog and passion so there is a certain amount of sentimental tie to this blog.

For:

1. Merging the two blogs into one makes them easier to manage and keep updated.
2. Shear lack of time meant I was posting an article every other week on alternate blogs and not really staying consistent in building a readership on either of the blogs.
3. I can post an article every week on one blog instead of spreading the articles across two blogs.
4. More articles on one blog equals more content equals better page ranking equals more traffic and hopefully a bigger following and readership? (I will monitor that and let you all know in a later post)
5. With one blog I feel I can consolidate and strengthen my personal branding on the internet? (I’ll let you know about that at a later date as well.)

As the “for” list got longer the decision was made and I have to say hats of once again to Google the process was easy, painless and couldn’t have gone any smoother.

The first step was to export the old blog to my hard disk on my computer. This was done by logging into my blogger account clicking on settings on the blog I wanted to export. Click on export and tell them where to save it on your computer.

Step two is to go to the control panel of the blog you want to import into, again click on settings, this time click import from computer and Bob’s your uncle! Over came all my old articles with all the comments as well.

You will be asked if you want to publish the posts individually or publish them all automatically on import. I chose to publish mine one by one as I wanted to check them all first and only publish what I felt would fit and compliment this blog.

Lastly I deleted the old blog so that I haven’t got a problem with duplicated articles. Google keep the old blog for ninety days just in case you have made a mistake and want to re-activate it again at a later date. You can just undelete it, import all the old articles that you saved on your hard disc back into the undeleted blog and your back to square one.

Now it’s just a matter of closely monitoring the changes and see if it was a good move or not?

Have you merged two blogs?

What have been your experiences?

Merging Two Blogspot Blogs

2009-07-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

HELP!

I started my first blog “In Between The Tapas And Tantrums” way back in April 2007 and although I have spent practically my whole life in Direct Sales and Marketing. Computers, blogs and the internet as a whole was and still is very new to me.

Internet marketing still baffles me today and the more I read the less I understand! (My wife blames it on my age, but then my wife blames everything on my age!)

When my twin daughters were born I wanted a way to record the daily challenges and also all the good times that come from bringing up twins and eventually turn them into a book, so when I discovered blogging I thought what a great way to also share my experiences with all the other parents of twins around the World and so “In Between The Tapas And Tantrums” was born.

It wasn’t long before I also saw the opportunity of passing on my sales and marketing knowledge to help others as well and so The site “Simple Sales and Marketing Solutions” was also born a couple of months later.

Now some four years and a bit into it, after letting the two blogs tick along nicely. I’m starting to concentrate on Marketing my Sales Training Blog a bit harder to also promote my newly released e-books to bring in a small but passive income.

This has been my marketing strategy so far:

List my sites with the major search engines, Google, Yahoo and MSN so that I can be found easier.
Be conscious about using good keywords in my articles without forgetting that I’m writing for you the reader and not for the search engines.
I have forty one articles posted on Ezinearticles which do bring a little traffic to my sites.
I joined Ecademy which is very a good business networking site but doesn’t bring much traffic at all to my sites, and I’ve also got a couple of lenses on Squidoo which haven’t brought me any traffic as yet.

I’m not really sure how to use Squidoo to the best advantage so would appreciate any input on how to get some traffic from there, but I have just started “tweeting" on Twitter and along with Twitterfeed I think I have stumbled across an excellent not only business networking tool to promote my websites and blogs, but also a perfect and very easy platform to use to promote myself on a great social network of likeminded people.

My main question is:

Should I merge my two blogs into one?

I’m thinking of importing “In Between The Tapas and Tantrums” into “Simple Sales And Marketing Solutions.” (They are both hosted with blogger)

I very rarely post on this site now as I just don’t have the time and think the Idea of having all the articles on one blog makes sense? Or does it? More content = More traffic? (There are 50 articles on the other site and 62 on this one)

The process seems fairly straightforward but my worry is what happens to the URL’S on the imported articles? Would I lose all the links I have built up on those articles or would blogger keep them under their original URL’s and redirect them to this site?

What would you do?

I would really appreciate some guidance from someone who has merged their blogs and knows the answers.

HELP!

Update On The Development Of My Twin Daughters

2009-05-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

The girls are almost three and a half years old now and so I thought I’d give you all a quick update on their development and how they are changing.

We took them out of nursery and started them in infant’s school this March and what a difference we have seen in just a month and a half.

We were a bit unsure at first and one of the reasons we had chosen to keep them in nursery a little longer although they should have started infants last September was because they had been born a month premature.

Although their birth date made them eligible for nursery last September if they had been born on their natural birth date they wouldn’t have entered until the following school year which would be this September.

Also in Spanish school they won’t accept them until they are fully out of nappies and can go to the bathroom on their own without any help to dress themselves afterwards anyway.

The final deciding factor to move them was that they are quite intelligent and we felt they had out grown the nursery and were starting to get bored.

It’s school policy here in Spain that twins are always placed in separate classes which we didn’t like at first but now we can see the reasons and the benefits. (They can be a bit of a handful for one person when they are together and will always stick together and gang up on you when they want to get their own way!)

By separating them in school they have not only developed their own characters and personalities, they have their own circle of friends and can quite happily function individually without always needing to be within sight of one another.

Another very interesting part of their development is related to the fact that ever since they where born, so that we both got a chance to sleep a little at night I have always looked after Rebeca when she wakes up and Marie has always looked after Laura not realising at the time what a massive influence it was having on their characters.

They way they have bonded to the individual parent and the way they react to different situations is uncanny, but that’s a whole different story that I would like to keep for another day...............

I would love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins, please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Raising twins" in the subject line and I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

Feel free to leave any comments below, all input and feedback is much appreciated.

See you next week.

Scuba Diving On The Costa Del Sol

2009-05-01T06:04:00.000-07:00

This weeks "Spotlight On Local Businesses" sees us take a look at one of the Costa del Sol’s leading dive charters, "Scuba Tours".

Based in Benalmadena Costa, Scuba Tours are the only dive centre on the coast who are located directly on the beach, within a few steps to an entry level dive site.

Working in conjunction with the Sunset Beach Club 4* Resort they can also offer their clients accommodation and course packages with use of the heated indoor and outdoor pools throughout the year.

Being one of the longest running dive organizations in the area, Scuba Tours are renowned for their quality customer service and have an excellent reputation with the satisfied clients and dive schools who come back to dive with them year after year.

They are fortunate that being based on the Costa del Sol which offers the best climate in Europe makes it possible to dive throughout the whole year.

Scuba Tours cover the area of Malaga, including Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Calahonda, where they provide all their clients with a hotel/apartment pick up service in their fully air-conditioned vehicles.

Located in such a privileged position directly on the beach next to the fantastic 'Sunset Beach chill out bar' and in front of one of the finest beach front hotels on the Costa del Sol, Scuba Tours can offer packages to suit everybody's requirements and budgets.

Whether it’s a group of friends just wanting a weekend away diving in the sun or beginners wishing to take part in one of the courses they offer.

They have the facilities to cater for everyone, including the kids!

The hotel has a huge variety of activities to keep the whole family happy, especially the ones who prefer to just sit by the pool and watch, while the others take part in the different diving activities they offer.

Check out the "kids programmes" starting from 8 years old, or the many other courses from beginner to professional levels.

They also offer day excursions for the experienced and the inexperienced.

For full information visit their website: http://www.divinginspain.com/

See you all next week.

Timeshare - A Good Buy or Good Bye!

2009-04-25T06:14:00.000-07:00

There is still a lot of stigma and bad press surrounding Timeshares in Europe and the Timeshare industry as a whole. I find it quite useful and amusing when I want to have a quite drink in my local bar and I’m being pestered by the person sat on his own to start up a conversation to steer the conversation round to him asking me what I do for a living and as soon as I answer “I sell Timeshare” He will normally make his excuses, drink his beer and leave as quickly as possible!

It’s easier than trying to explain that I’ve just dropped in for a quite drink on my way home and don’t really want to talk to anybody.

But is Timeshare really that bad?

I don’t think so, I think it has been badly sold in the past by some unscrupulous companies who were just in it for a quick killing and thankfully for the genuine Timeshare Developers and Marketers, they have now fallen by the wayside or are tied up in the latest Costa del Scam that seems to spring up every year out here.

We also have to take into account that good news doesn’t sell newspapers!

All in all Timeshares can be a very good investment for your future holidays providing you buy in the right resort at the right price.

Here is a brief guideline if your thinking of investing in a timeshare or holiday points system.

Firstly make sure you buy at a resort you don’t mind going back to every year. The resort will normally be affiliated to either Resorts Condominium International R.C.I. or Interval International I.I. which are the major timeshare exchange companies. They will allow you to bank your week or weeks in their "Space Bank" and exchange them for another resort within their system, but they can only work with what other owners give them to exchange so sometimes availability can be low at the more popular resorts and you might not always get your first request.

Take a presentation or bonus week holiday and check out the resorts and facilities before you make your final decision. These are readily available through various marketing companies these days. After all you wouldn’t buy a car without test driving it first would you?

Make sure the yearly maintenance fees are capped or fixed to inflation and always bear in mind that the more facilities like golf or spas your resort offers the more your maintenance is going to be.

Finally once you’ve looked at all the ins and outs and made your choice on a resort you’d like to own at, check out a few of the reputable timeshare resale companies around to see if they have it listed. You can pick up some very good deals at a fraction of the normal resorts retail price.

I’ll be looking deeper into the changing face of Timeshare in Europe and how it affects timeshare owners’ world wide in future articles on this site.

Keep dropping by for regular updates.

Some Changes For 2009

2009-01-03T09:47:00.000-08:00

Firstly a very big welcome into 2009 and as the rain in Spain falls not only on the plain but just about everywhere, with three of our regular street markets rained off already this year, things can only get better so lets look forward to what hopefully will be a much better year than last year?

Those of you who are regular readers of this blog will have noticed a few changes and some new things in the sidebar and layout in general.

The other change is really the subject matter.

When I started this blog some three years ago now, the main theme was all about the ups and downs and comical side to parenting twins and multiples mixed with a light hearted look at an expats life on the Costa del Sol. Now that my own twin girls have turned three I really am finding it far easier and therefore have fewer things to write about regarding coping with twins.

Last year saw the introduction of a spotlight on local businesses in Mijas, some news from the Costa and a few travel tips and resort reviews.

As these new subjects have proved to be far more popular with you the reader and not wishing to just let this blog disappear through the lack of postings about parenting twins, this year I will be concentrating far more on what I hope will be things of general interest to visitors and all the expats living on the Costa del Sol.

This will include local news, things of interest to tourist, more spotlights on local businesses, travel tips and better resort and hotel reviews.

All feedback and input is greatly appreciated,

Please send any ideas you have to: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com

Wishing you all a very healthy, wealthy and prosperous 2009

Alan Hocking, a Professional Sales Trainer and Independent Marketing Consultant has just released his first Sales Training E-Book “The Five Simple but Essential Steps to Getting the Sale” For more details of this and his latest e-books visit: Lulu.com

About New Author Alan Roy Hocking

2008-12-16T06:16:00.000-08:00

Alan Roy Hocking a professional sales trainer and independent marketing consultant, spent his early years in the entertainment business and developed his love of being in front of an audience and working face to face with the public from there, so it was a natural move into direct sales where he could continue to earn a living doing what he enjoyed the most. Entertaining!

After a few years spent selling various products in the U.K. He eventually moved out to Spain and started to work for what was then a relatively small marketing company, selling Timeshare.

It was in Timeshare that he really started his professional sales career and has remained in the Timeshare industry ever since.

The one thing that seemed to stick out during his early sales experience was the severe lack of proper professional initial and ongoing sales training. New recruits would always be given the usual basic product knowledge training, but then mostly, just like he himself had been, they were let loose on the public and expected to sell!

No wonder so many potentially good sales people fail in the early stages!

Ever since then, Alan has made it his personal mission and dedicated himself to studying the psychology behind why people buy, and passing on his knowledge to anyone who chooses to make selling a long term career and really wants to learn how to sell.

His straight forward, easy to understand and down to earth style of teaching and writing is a refreshing new look at the art of closing and has earned him quite a large following of regular readers to his Sales Training Blog: “Simple Sales And Marketing Solutions”.

The constant e-mails, words of encouragement and feedback received from his blog has eventually lead to the launch and the release of his first Sales Training E-Book, “The Five Simple But Essential Steps To Getting The Sale”

For more information on this and his other e-books visit: Lulu.com

I hope you enjoy it

Christmas Comes To Fuengirola As the Crisis Hits Hard

2008-12-09T07:24:00.000-08:00

It was with a mixture of joy and a little sadness that we watched the council turn on the Christmas lights in Fuengirola town the other weekend.

As always they have really excelled this year and it seems each year the Christmas decorations in Fuengirola just get better and better.

Unfortunately, all the hard work the town planners have put in this year into decorating and making Fuengirola full of the Christmas spirit can not cover up the fact that the crisis is hitting the small local businesses hard and you can’t help but notice the effect as you walk through the streets.

Almost every other shop you pass is either already closed or in the middle of a closing down sale.

After closing our own shop a couple of months ago and moving into the street markets to try to lower our overheads and recoup some of our hard earned money tied up in stock, even we have noticed a change in the buying habits of the locals.

With almost three in every four families now out of work and facing Christmas on the dole, it is all too often we hear, “Ooh that’s lovely but we don’t have any money spare to spend on caprichos!”

It seems the only people making any money on the markets are the fruit and vegetable stalls as people try to make their money stretch the month out and at least buy the essentials.

With the experts telling us that it’s not over by a long way and not to expect the economy to recover for at least another year. Isn’t it great that every other advert on the television is showing the kids what to ask mum and dad to buy them for Christmas and just to rub salt in the wounds, they are now telling us that the shut down for analogue television in Spain is just around the corner and if you don’t have a digital television that is set up to receive the new digital signal you will need to upgrade or at least buy a digital receiver or you wont be able to even watch your favourite soaps!

On that note I think I had better close and wish you all a Very Happy Christmas and an even better New Year!

Confortel Calas De Conil – Resort Review

2008-10-12T06:29:00.000-07:00

This week saw us take a quick four day mini break at the Confortel Calas De Conil.

Situated right on the beach front and only 12 kms away from Chiclana de la Frontera, this four star hotel, part of the Confortel hotel chain, is a very popular resort with Spanish families looking for a good value four or five day break for the ever frequent long weekends that we have so many of here on the Costa del Sol.

Although tucked away in a natural and still un-spoilt area of the Costa, The Confortel Calas De Conil is easy to find and Google Maps give very precise directions that will take you right to the front door.

The main lobby, reception and lobby bar is very spacious and offers a panoramic view over the outdoor pool surrounded by well kept gardens which just seem to flow naturally out to the sea and coastline.

Outdoor facilities also include: Paddle Courts, Table Tennis, Mini Golf, Football and Volley Ball areas and a children’s play area next to the children’s pool. There is also a heated Indoor Pool, Gymnasium and Spa all included in the price.

We chose a normal double room which was ample for us and our 33 month old twins with a king size double bed and a sofa bed for sleeping, but there are junior suites and executive suites on offer for larger families but you need to book well in advance as they are almost always taken.

The restaurant offers a varied buffet style menu and the service from all the staff including reception and bars was without fault. We will definitely return again as we found the hotel had everything you need with a young or large family.

A well deserved four star rating and excellent family hotel.

Don’t forget, I would like to turn this site into an open forum for all Parents of Twins and Multiples where we can share our experiences and offer help to other Parents looking for answers to specific problems.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

I would also love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins, please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Bringing up twins" in the subject line and I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

See you next week.

How Different Are My Twins

2008-09-27T13:39:00.000-07:00

I never realised some two and a half years ago when I first started this blog how relevant the title “In Between the Tapas and Tantrums” would become.

My original idea for the title as a completely new comer to blogging was firstly a general look at living on the Costa del Sol, hence “Tapas” and also as a sort of journal about the life and development of my twin daughters, the “Tantrums” part that they would eventually have as a nice sort of log of their childhood and growth and maybe also for them to continue for their own children.

I noticed the other day however, how much the title of the blog summed them both up perfectly!

At thirty three months old they have really started developing into little people in their own rights and how different they are.

Laura is the “Tapas” and could eat for Europe!

Rebeca is the “Tantrums” and never stops’ trying to get here own way and is constantly screaming for attention!

In fact she is so demanding, I think if we hadn’t had twins and Rebeca had been our first daughter we definitely wouldn’t have had any more children!

Our twins are fraternal but I also hear from parents of identical twins how different their twins can be.

What are your thoughts or experiences?

I would like to turn this site into an open forum for all Parents of Twins and Multiples where we can share our experiences and offer help to other Parents looking for answers to specific problems.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

I would also love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins, please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Bringing up twins" in the subject line and I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

Golf Tour Operators On The Costa del Sol

2008-09-06T08:53:00.000-07:00

This weeks spotlight on local businesses here in Mijas Costa is focused on Direct Golf Holidays.

A well established family run business that epitomizes the phrase: “Big enough to cope, Small enough to care”

Husband and wife team Martin and Diane have through their hard work and years of experience become one of the leading Golf Tour Operators in Southern Europe.

Negotiating some of the best deals with some of the best golf courses in the most popular golf destinations means that they can and offer a full service for all golfing fanatics at unbeatable prices without compromising on quality and service.

They also offer excellent rates on: Hotels, Car Hire and Airport Transfers.

Diane says, “Our priority is always aimed towards customer satisfaction and our staff our always on hand to help tailor every package to suit all your personal needs”

Direct Golf Holidays are experienced at coordinating corporate golf events providing private coach transfers, superior hotels, golf tournaments, presentations, Banquet/Gala dinners, promotional materials photography etc...

For more information visit their comprehensive website at:

http://www.directgolfholidays.com/

Don’t forget if you run a local business here and would like to be featured, send me an email to:

tapasandtantrums@gmail.com

See you next week.

Good Family Bars In Fuengirola

2008-08-17T17:14:00.000-07:00

This weeks spotlight on local businesses is focused on a fantastic new family bar situated on the outskirts of Fuengirola on the old road to Coin.

Peña La Cresta is a family run bar with a fantastic atmosphere and ample car parking tucked away just off the main road on the other side of the dry river bed opposite the turning into Mijas Golf and the Matchroom Country Club.

Jesus and Malika with their two daughters and son in-law Sophia, Ursila and Fran are always there to offer a warm welcome and have already built up a very good reputation for their excellent service and varied menu all reasonably priced.

You can choose from the normal traditional Spanish Tapas through to full course meals and birthdays or special events are catered for with ease.

Regular live entertainment on a Saturday with legends such as Mama Paula and Grainne performing unplugged on the open air terrace have brought people flocking in from as far a field as Cerros del Aguila, La Cala and even Calahonda.

So keep an eye on what is becoming a very popular watering hole for locals and holiday makers alike.

All musical or special events are advertised well in advance in the most popular English publications on the coast or just listen to the word of mouth in the other local bars and you’re sure to find out what’s going on.

Maybe I’ll even see you there for a beer one week?

If you have a business on the coast and you would like me to spotlight you on this site drop me a line to: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com

And don’t forget that my first Sales Training Book, “The Five Simple but Essential Steps to Getting the Sale” is available to download right now for the introductory price of only €9.99 at: http://www.simplesalesandmarketing.com/

See you all next week.

Web Designers on the Costa del Sol

2008-07-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

I’m starting a new series to spotlight local businesses here in Mijas Costa so if you own a small business here and would like to be featured on this Blog, send me your details and website if you have one and I’ll do a small write up like the one below and add you to the directory.

I’m pleased to start the series off with a spotlight on my good friend and local Web Designer, Mark Borrow.

After travelling around for a while, Mark finally decided to settle here in Fuengirola and rapidly established himself as a very professional and reliable Web Designer.

His talent doesn’t just stop at Web Design, he is also an expert at Search Engine Optimization, and has helped and advised many local businesses including my own with their internet marketing projects.

His company “Digi Right Productions” offers a full service including:

• Professional Web Design
• Web Hosting and Domains
• SEO and Marketing
• Logos and Corporate Image
• Stationary and Business Cards
• Business and Personal Sites
• Online Shops, Auctions etc
• Computer Repairs, Configuration and networks

To find out more about Marks services visit him at: http://www.digi-right-productions.es/

Don’t forget if you run a local business here and would like to be featured, send me an email.

See you next week.

Travel Tips – Fuengirola

2008-06-23T05:58:00.000-07:00

Fuengirola on the Costa del Sol always has been and still remains one of the more popular holiday destinations for the British tourists.

A lot of time and money has been invested in bringing the town up to E.U. standards and the promenade and beaches are now very clean and even the old “wheelie bins” have now been replaced by discreetly placed metal tubes that lead to even more discreet underground waste collection units.

Apart from the obvious cleaning up, Fuengirola has so much to offer to the discerning British holiday maker from all levels.

The more popular attractions include:

The Mijas Parque Aquatica (Water Park)

The Sohail Castle

And the famous Fuengirola Zoo, rated as one of the best in Europe

A walk along the sea front will find you spoilt for choice for good restaurants, bars and nightclubs to appeal to all ages and for the golf fanatic you will find:

Mijas Golf and Country Club

La Cala Golf and Country Club

Matchroom Golf and Country Club

To name just three all within easy driving distance from Fuengirola.

I will be doing a spot light on Fuengirola in the next week or two with a far more in depth review on the local hotspots and Golf Resorts. See you all then.

Spanish Lorry Drivers Return to Work

2008-06-17T05:42:00.000-07:00

Although an agreement has still not been reached between the Spanish Government and the transport workers, all three Transport Unions decided to return to work today to avoid causing any more disruption the national economy.

They have still not ruled out the possibility of further strikes if an agreement isn’t forthcoming in the near future.

Their basic requirements are, better working hours, a lift on some of the restrictions to compensate for the over inflated fuel prices and a guarantee that there will be no more raising of the fuel prices for the next six months.

It will still be a few more days before everything returns to normal and this morning long queues of Lorries could be seen patiently waiting to cross the border and enter Gibraltar and restock the supermarket shelves.

From Sunday evening, the petrol tankers where back on the roads and some of the major supermarkets like Mercadona and SuperSol where sending deliveries out with a police escort to try and beat the picket lines.

As Shell Tanker drivers in England start their second lot of strikes, it looks like everything is returning to normal here in Southern Spain.

For the F1 fans, Fernando Alonso suggested yesterday that he may not complete his second year’s contract with Renault and there where rumours that he might be looking for a move to join his good friend Kubico in BMW for next year?

What do you think?

Transport Strike In Spain Brings Country To A Near Standstill

2008-06-10T03:21:00.000-07:00

The general Transport strike which started at midnight on Sunday night staged by Transport workers all across Spain has brought the country to near standstill in only two days.

Petrol Stations are closing down one after the other and it seems like there is no diesel anywhere in southern Spain and only a few stations have Unleaded Petrol as panic buying uses up all the reserves in what the Spanish are calling, “Cola por su caso.” Meaning “Queuing just in case”

The Major Supermarkets are also being hit as no deliveries are arriving and again the Public are panic buying essentials like bread, milk and water and the shelves are looking bare and empty.

The strike is being staged mainly by the self employed transport workers in protest over the ever increasing fuel prices.

A meeting yesterday between the government and union leaders that lasted until the early hours of the morning, failed to reach an agreement and talks are being resumed today with the hope of finding a quick solution to the crisis as lorry driver’s start blocking the frontier between France and Spain.

Access to major cities like Madrid and Barcelona are already blocked by the pickets making entry or exit nigh on impossible and I noticed a distinct lake of traffic on the A7 Toll road on my way to Gibraltar today.

What I did notice today were queues in the petrol stations on the A7 Toll road that weren’t there yesterday meaning people are now even venturing onto the toll road and paying the fees in their desperate search for fuel.

Gibraltar is completely dry as far as diesel is concerned and only a couple of pumps with unleaded fuel are operational with the few petrol stations that are still opened being manned by Gibraltar Police to control the queues and stop any fuel rage or disputes breaking out over who was first at the pump!

Keep dropping by for regular updates on this and any other breaking news regarding the Transport workers general strike in Spain.

Buying Flights Online Can Be Confusing, Misleading Or a Complete Rip Off!

2008-05-20T06:56:00.000-07:00

The European Commissioner for Consumer protection, Meglena Kuneva stated on Thursday that one in three consumers booking their flights over the internet are being confused, misled, or totally ripped off.

Both Airlines and Independent Travel firms that sell airline tickets online are said to be using “misleading advertising,” “unfair Practises,” “abusive clauses” and “non-existent discounts.”

The European Commission has analysed some 386 websites all over the EU and Norway, (Eleven in Spain) and found 137 to be in breach of the European rules governing clear pricing, advertising and contracts.

“Since then half of the misleading information has been corrected, but there is still a long way to go” explained Meglena Kuneva.

The companies under investigation by the European Commission have been warned that the situation must be completely resolved buy this time next year.

“Act or we will act” they have been told.

58% of the sites investigated showed misleading price indications, 49% were found to have irregular clauses in ticket sales conditions and 15% were problems with the advertising.

The final price to pay when actually booking the flight tickets is generally higher due to a series of added charges that can vary from so-called airport charges to handling fees, booking fees or priority booking, luggage, fuel etc. that are related to credit card payments.

Spanish airlines Iberia and Spanair have corrected the irregularities found on their websites by Spain’s National Consumers Institute (INC) last September, and Vueling has introduced substantial improvements but still needs to modify some aspects, explains the news agency Efe.

So be warned. When booking your airline tickets to visit family here in Spain or visa versa. What seems to be an unbeatable flight deal could turn out to be no cheaper than booking through your local travel agent and in a lot of cases can actually work out more expensive?

Has any body had first hand experience in this and who was the company involved?

Sony-Ericsson K810i Cyber Shot Review

2008-05-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

Well, after years and years of being a devoted Nokia fan. In fact I think I have only ever used Nokia phones in the past. I have finally been converted to Sony-Ericsson. Or to be more precise the Sony-Ericsson Cyber Shot range of mobile phones.

Any drooling father of twins will agree with me that you just can’t have enough photos as they pass from babies into toddlers.

So many magical moments happen on a daily basis that you just have to have a camera on hand constantly to capture every detail of their development in the early years.

I have a very good 7.1 mega pixel Canon Power Shot digital camera that I brought just before the girls were born for this very purpose but immediately found that although the Camera is excellent and I cannot fault it in its operation, quality of pictures or idiot proof usability, It’s a little bit to large to carry around in your pocket every where you go and so it really only gets proper use on holidays or birthdays.

I also didn’t want to be carrying a phone and a digital camera around everywhere from a purely practical point of view. My pockets are normally full of dummies and small toys anyway!

To this end I have been waiting for Nokia to bring out a Camera Phone that emphasises the digital camera side of things rather than being full up with all the other applications that Nokia are so good at.

My argument was and still is that I always have my mobile phone on me at all times and so to have a good quality digital camera built into my phone would solve all my problems. In fact what I really wanted was a digital camera in my pocket that I could also answer the phone on if it rang!

I have finally found this in the Sony-Ericsson K810i Cyber Shot.

What an excellent camera phone this is. Sony-Ericsson have really got it right with the Cyber Shot range and all the emphasis is on the quality of photos and camera that you would expect from the Sony Cyber Shot name.

The K810i comes with 3.2 mega pixels, Auto Focus and the famous Sony BestPic application as well as the normal various scenes that you find on all the best digital cameras.

You don’t need to download any PC Suites or other applications that always end up slowing down your computer.

To download your photos to your computer you just plug into the USB port and Windows recognises it as a digital camera and downloads your photos as normal.

The photo quality is excellent for only a 3.2 mega pixel camera although I have not tried to blow the pictures up to A4 size yet.

Overall I cannot fault this Camera phone as yet and will do a full review in much more detail when I have had a chance to really put it through its paces.

I have to say at the moment if I ever change phones again it will be to upgrade to one of the newer Sony-Ericsson Cyber Shot ranges with the 5 mega pixel cameras like the K850i or the soon to be released C902 or splash proof C702.

I’m afraid after all these years of devoted use. Nokia have lost me to Sony-Ericsson.

Full Sony-Ericsson K810i Cyber Shot Review with sample photos coming soon…...

Potty Training In Stereo! - The Latest Breakthrough

2008-05-09T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hi to all the other parents of Twins and Multiples,

I wrote an article last month entitled “Potty Training In Stereo!” and as promised here is the latest updates as to our successes and failures.

For the first couple of weeks we seemed to be struggling and it was fairly frustrating when you would have a full day with both of them dry and then the following day we seemed to take a step backwards and went through every pair of pants we had.

Remember twins come in two’s so you go through twice as many clothes and have twice the amount of “accidents” as you would normally have with potty training one toddler in a day so it seems like you constantly have a child on the potty or are clearing up an accident and changing clothes again.

I am a firm believer in educating children using positive appraisal rather than negative disapproval.

That means emphasising, praising and really showing your children how pleased you are in a positive manner when they get things right, rather than scolding and emphasising how annoyed you are in negative manner when they get things wrong.

Although it might not always seem like it, children naturally enjoy pleasing their parents and are far more likely to respond more rapidly to praise than disapproval.

I also believe that when it comes to getting children out of nappies that it’s not something that can be forced and it should just take its natural course.

Your toddler will naturally start to feel uncomfortable wearing nappies especially when they are wet or soiled and will also feel out of place having their nappy changed in the nursery in front of all their friends.

They will also notice when their playmates aren’t using nappies anymore and want to be the same.

We had our major breakthrough on Monday morning when on dropping the girls off at nursery, they immediately removed their own nappies and have refused to wear them in the daytime ever since!

They still wear nappies at night times as at only 28 months old they still haven’t started to wake up to go to the toilet or are able to go all night without a pee yet but apart from the odd accident when they don’t get to the potty in time, fingers crossed, they seem to be completely out of nappies in the daytimes now.

My advice to anyone starting to potty train twins.

Be patient, persevere and at all costs don’t ever be tempted to revert back to the odd nappy for your own convenience as it will only have a negative effect and put you all back to square one.

I will try to compile a list of “tips on potty training” next week and would welcome any tips you would like to add to the comments below.

See you all then.

Hotel Suites Albayzin Del Mar Almueñcar

2008-05-05T03:16:00.000-07:00

As I mentioned last week we managed to grab a quick four day break last weekend to celebrate my birthday and also enjoy a much needed long weekend with the twins.

This time we had booked into the Hotel Suites Albayzin Del Mar in Almuñecar and first impressions were very good. It is easy to find and only a short walking distance to the beach.

We had a three bedroom two bathroom suite which was big enough to live in and would comfortably have accommodated eight adults using the double sofa bed as well, so you can imagine the room we had with just two adults and two toddlers.

Service was very good and the central pool area is really the focal point of the whole complex.

Although the food was good in the poolside restaurant, they only offered a small menu all week with a few daily changes that you had to ask for or you could end up eating the same thing each night.

The only negative side I thought to be letting down the whole complex was a severe lack of evening entertainment. Considering it was May bank holiday weekend there was no entertainment on site at all and the American Bar and Caribbean Bar didn’t even bother opening which is okay if you’re a couple and want to go down to the beach front each night for your entertainment, but not when you’ve got two toddlers that you don’t want to be pushing back up hill in their double buggy at midnight after a couple of drinks!

Has any one else stayed there and what's your opinion?

Buying A Custom Domain Name

2008-04-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Those of you who are regular readers of my Sales Training Blog will have noticed my move last week from the blogspot.com domain to my personal simplesalesadmarketing.com custom domain.

I have been blogging for just over a year now so I’m still very new at it and have read countless arguments for and against buying your own custom domain including the main ones:

“Custom domains are a priority if you want to make money blogging.”

“Nobody takes your blog seriously if you’re still using a blogspot domain.”

So after over 12 months of deliberation and resisting going “professional” in the eyes of all the other “Professional Bloggers” I have finally succumbed to buying my own custom domain but for very different reasons than what I read other people have for not using a Blogger Blogspot free domain.

My first and major reason for the change was because I started this blog for my twin daughters as a sort of chronicle of there lives and as I jokingly put it, so that I can show them exactly what they’ve put me through later on in life when they will hopefully take it on themselves and continue with it for their own children. I therefore wanted something I owned that couldn’t be taken by anyone else and tapas and tantrums just sums them both up totally! Hence the name and my photo “In Between the Tapas and Tantrums”.

Secondly, I have been approached in the past to write a couple of short stories about twins for children’s books and so maybe in the very far future when I eventually retire and can dedicate more time to it I have considered turning a lot of my articles into a light hearted children’s book for twins and multiples which would obviously also be called “In Between the Tapas And Tantrums” So owning the dot com web page seemed a good Idea to tie in with promoting the book later on and even more so if more books followed as a result of the first one.

And so for the pricey investment of $10.00 "simplesalesandmarketing.blogspot.com" has become http://www.simplesalesandmarketing.com/ and “tapasandtantrums.blogspot.com” will soon become “tapasandtantrums.com”

For anyone thinking of buying a custom domain name for whatever reason I brought mine through Google and found the process completely painless and very simple.

I just logged into my Blogger account. From the dashboard I clicked settings and under publishing went to the domain page and followed Google’s very straight forward step by step instructions on buying a custom domain name.

Blogger do have their own help page which also explains the process in a step by step easy to follow idiot proof guide for non computer literate people like me.

The other benefit I found from doing the whole thing through Blogger and Google is that it was all configured for me and set up in a matter of minutes with all my old links still working perfectly and automatically redirected to my new URL

So to close, Hats off to Google and thanks for the continued brilliant service. I should find that any loss in readership caused by the change will return over the next couple of weeks so I’m off on Wednesday for a quick 4 day break and I’ll be back next week with another New Resort review.

See you all then….

Unscrupulous Timeshare Companies On The Costa Del Sol Forced To Clean Up Their Acts

2008-04-19T06:38:00.000-07:00

It seems that the Timeshare Companies here on the Costa del Sol are at last having to clean up their aggressive marketing tactics with the enforcement of the “Unfair Commercial Practises Directive”.

The Timeshare Touts that used to hang around the sea front and bus station in Fuengirola waiting for the next unsuspecting holiday maker to stop and accept one of their scratch cards are slowly disappearing as police are starting to enforce the strict marketing laws laid out in the directive.

The Unfair Commercial Practises Directive brought out around the end of last year and finally being enforced throughout Spain and the Canary Islands as of the end of March this year is an attempt to clean up the entire Timeshare Industry in Europe and give it a much more professional image.

Unlike the many half hearted efforts to get the Timeshare Touts off the streets in the past, this time it seems to be working.

Although the Directive is very in depth and far too long for me to cover all the points here in one article, the important part for residents, regular visitors and more importantly the first time visitors to the Costa del Sol are that you will now be able to walk along the sea front without being approached or stopped every two minutes by someone thrusting a scratch card into your hands and trying to get you to go on yet another five hours of hard sell Timeshare presentation.

In a nutshell the Directive bans all forms of what they class as aggressive marketing tactics and makes all forms of scratch card marketing illegal.

This means that the genuine and legal Timeshare Companies will have to find different methods of getting people to look at their Resorts and products and the illegal Timeshare Companies will slowly be forced out of business.

Good news for all of us.

May I close by saying that as a resident on the Costa del Sol for more than 18 years now I am not against Timeshare as a holiday product and actually like the concept. I see the cleaning up and stricter control of Timeshare Marketing Tactics a welcome change to the tourist industry as a whole and can only see it creating a better image of the Timeshare Industry which can only benefit some of the bigger companies here like: Marriotts, MacDonalds, and Club La Costa Resorts to name but a few.

What are your views?

Children Grow Up Far Too Quickly Don’t They

2008-04-18T06:47:00.000-07:00

It only seems like yesterday I was taking the sides off of the cots and converting them into beds and now we’re thinking about which school to put the girls into.

We have a slight dilemma because they we’re born a month prematurely as with most twins and multiple births and this has effectively put them a year early into the school system.

Our girls were born 1 month premature on the 20th of December 2005 so according to the school year they should move from nursery school to primary school this September. Had they been born on their correct birth date, the 21st of January 2006 one month later they would have only just started this year in nursery and wouldn’t be moving to primary school until September next year.

So for the sake of literally being born 30 days earlier than they should have been, they could be going through their schooling a whole year too early which I feel will make them seem behind their classmates and put them at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to passing exams etc.

In fact if they had just held on 12 days and been on the 1st of January 2006 they would have been in their correct school year.

Here in Spain you can start them into a Spanish Public School at three years old as long as they’re out of nappies and can feed themselves. If you can afford to place them into a private school they will obviously get a lot more personal attention and don’t have to be out of nappies or be able to fully feed themselves.

So the decision was made based on them really being a year to young, to try to get them into a good Spanish Private School where they would at least get more personal attention and therefore we felt have a better chance of catching up with their classmates.

Unfortunately to enrol your children into a good private school in Spain you really have to register them literally from birth so we have luckily been able to keep them in nursery for another year and hope that next year there will be places for both of them in the same school.

So in conclusion if you live in Spain and are thinking about putting your children through Private Schooling make sure you get their names registered for a place as soon as possible as there is in general a two to three year waiting list in most schools or alternatively find a school that takes them from nursery stage right through to leaving age.

We are off on a quick long weekend at the end of this month so I’ll be back with a new Resort Review for you all.

See you next week.

Living In Spain And Working In Gibraltar

2008-04-10T03:40:00.000-07:00

I thought this week I thought it would be beneficial to share with you all some of my personal experiences regarding the employment laws of Expats living in Spain and working in Gibraltar to help anyone else thinking of moving to Spain or Gibraltar and looking for work contracts.

To give you a brief background, I moved to Spain way back in 1991 and worked in various bars and restaurants as a self employed entertainer.

No problems there.

Around 1995 I met my present wife and decided it was time to get a proper job and started working as an employee for a sales and marketing company who I have worked for in various roles and departments ever since.

Around the beginning of this year I was asked to go down to their Gibraltar office to help set up their latest marketing project. It seemed a good opportunity at the time to also go self-employed and sub-contract to the company as an independent consultant which I duly did.

Still no problems as far as the Spanish government and my Spanish accountant and lawyer were concerned.

Unfortunately the problems start in Gibraltar.

Under Gibraltar Employment laws you can not work in Gibraltar unless you are employed under the Gibraltar P.A.Y.E. system, or registered as self-employed in Gibraltar. Either way you must be paying your taxes and contributions into Gibraltar.

That means that as I’m a resident in Spain, registered as self-employed in Spain and paying my taxes and contributions into Spain. I’m allowed to pop in and out of the office in Gibraltar once a week for example, but not to be permanently in the Gibraltar office Monday through to Friday as I would then need to apply to become self employed in Gibraltar as well and pay taxes and contributions in both places!

So my advice to anyone seeking work in Spain or Gibraltar. Do your homework first and make sure you get all the facts by seeking professional advice before you waste your time and money choosing what at first appears to be the simplest solution.

See you all next week.

Potty Training in Stereo!

2008-04-01T14:47:00.000-07:00

Potty training any toddler requires an infinite amount of patience. Potty training Twin girls is beyond anyone’s patience!

Our girls have just turned 27 months and have started the potty training phase.

I’m told by the experts, (Other Mums and Dads who have already been through the potty and toilet training phase,) that girls are generally cleaner than boys and normally quicker to get out of nappies.

Our Twin daughters are no exception to the rule and are already starting to feel uncomfortable in wet nappies and nine times out of ten will now tell you when they need to go to the toilet.

This can bring hilarious results when it just happens to be at exactly the same time as your twin sister and they turn what should be a calm learning curve into a full on fight for the red potty and race from the garden into the house to reach the red potty first pulling their trousers and pull ups down as they're running and inevitably ending up in a heap on the floor on top of each other.

Our mistake was to have purchased the first potty (A light cream coloured one) early on as a toilet training set before we had learned that everything you buy for twins has to be brought in stereo and identical so as not to cause fights.

After searching high and low for another cream coloured potty to match the original one we settled for a cheap red potty which has obviously become the favourite potty and now we can’t find another cheap red one to match that one!

Anyway we are persevering and the highlight of the month was when Laura had managed to do her first pooh in a potty and proudly displayed it to the whole family one by one whilst we all applauded, praising her on her achievement and rejoicing in the knowledge that we had passed the first hurdle when Rebeca swiftly followed suit.

My wife did draw the line however when I rushed to get my digital camera to take a photo of the first pooh in the potty thinking it would be a great photo to keep for when they brought there first boyfriends home!

Sometimes you mums just don't have a sense of humour.

Spain Is Heading For One Of The Driest Springs On Record For Over 60 Years

2008-03-28T15:32:00.000-07:00

A dry spring and long hot summer with restricted water supplies are inevitable if predictions announced by the Environment Minister last week are correct.

Spain is heading for one of the driest springs on record for over 60 years.

At this time of year, the average rainfall is 12.4 litres per square metre but according to ministry figures the average precipitation so far has been just 2.8 litres per square metre.

Most of the major rivers including the Segura in Murcia and Alicante, the Guadalquivir in Andalucía and the Ebro in Catalonia are low on water and national water reserves are only 45.3 % full with water restrictions already in place in Murcia and Catalonia.

According to the European Union, droughts have cost European countries in the region of 100 billion Euros in the last 30 years.

The extremely low water levels experienced five years ago, cost approximately 8.7 billion euros and affected over a third of the land area in the European Union.

So if you’re living on or thinking of visiting the Costa del sol this summer please be diligent with things like leaving taps running unnecessarily and try to use as little water as possible.

Save water, every drop counts.

See you next week.

"In Between The Tapas And Tantrums" Is On Hold For Now.......

2008-03-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

Hi All

It is with much regret that I have to put "In Between The Tapas And Tantrums" on hold again.

Unfortunately the time that needs to be dedicated to helping my wife with the raising of our two year old twin daughters and running my Sales and Marketing Consultancy business full time, doesn’t leave me enough hours in the day or week to even sleep let alone keep two sites up to date and topical on a week to week basis.

I know there are arguments for and against having more than one site and although I can see the benefits in keeping the personal and fun family site running as well as the Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques site, I don’t see the benefit in spreading my readership over two sites although maybe the professional bloggers out there would disagree from a monetary point of view?

I have therefore after much thought and deliberation decided to concentrate all my energy into my Timeshare Sales and Marketing Techniques site over at:

http://www.simplesalesandmarketing.com/

My decision to put this site on hold for now and concentrate on the other site is based purely on demand and traffic stats.

I get more visitors at the "Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques" site at the moment and so I’ll be posting all my future Sales Training and Timeshare News, Views and Resort Reviews over there from now on until I can find more time to run the two sites again.

Thank you all for your continued support and I look forward to seeing you at: "Timeshare Sales And Marketing Techniques" for your regular Sales Training and Timeshare news, and Resort updates in the future.

I would be interested in your personal opinions on this decision. Please leave your comments below. Who knows maybe I should be putting the other site on hold and keeping this one up to date?

What do you think?

See you next week but on my other site!

Simple Sales And Marketing Solutions

The Costa Del Sol - A Golfers Paradise

2008-03-07T05:13:00.000-08:00

Andalucia has become a Mecca for golfers over the past few decades due to its fine weather that makes it possible to play golf the whole year around.

At present, the number of courses is over 85 and it is increasing every year. There are over dozens on the Costa del Sol alone leading to its unofficial nicknamed, the Costa del Golf.

These courses range in complexity from simple 9-hole courses for the beginner to PGA-rated courses like Valderrama in the province of Cadiz.

This concentration of quality golf courses, combined with the sunny and warm winter climate, has made it unrivalled as a winter golf destination for northern Europeans.

Many European players have, in turn, emerged as serious forces at all levels of golf.

When Valderrama was chosen to host the Ryder Cup in 1997, Andalucia received universal recognition as the finest winter golf resort in Europe.

The flood of advance golf reservations that were made well into the 21st century led to a flurry of new golf courses being built.

For a snowbound, frustrated golfer desperate to play in the sunshine, the pull of the Andalucian golf courses is irresistible.

Course owners are re-investing into their courses to improve their quality still further and there are no longer any weak links.

Each course offers its own kind of challenge on perfect fairways and greens.

The general infrastructure from Málaga to Gibraltar has improved beyond recognition and this improvement has now extended around the Mediterranean coast to the Atlantic coast's Costa de la Luz.

The provinces of Cadiz and Huelva offer a number of excellent, quality courses that provide memorable challenges for all levels of golfing enthusiasts.

In the other direction, the provinces of Grenada and Almeria also offer fine courses and services for the golf fanatic. And although the inland provinces of Jaen, Cordoba, and Sevilla are not known as golf destinations, the numbers of courses in these areas are also increasing.

Andalucia is a golfer's paradise and golf tourism is increasing by leaps and bounds.

Come and experience what the region has to offer and remember to book your holiday early!

The Costa del Golf

2008-02-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

The Costa del Sol, often referred to as the Costa del Golf, is a firm favourite with Golf fanatics everywhere. With over 60 quality courses to choose from, the best climate anywhere in Europe, and the added attraction of being only a short haul from most UK airports, it remains top of the list for those seeking golf in the sun.

To wet your appetite, I have chosen a small selection of the more popular courses along the coast

Cabopino Golf Marbella, Opened in 2001 intermingled with umbrella pines and over looking the Cabopino Marina this course has become one of the most desirable in the Marbella area. Not a long course at 5,417 meters but nevertheless a stiff challenge for all golfers

Facilities: Buggies, Electric trolleys, Driving range, Putting-green, Golf lessons, Clubhouse & Restaurant.

Calanova Golf Club, Just minutes from the busy village of La Cala, Calanova’s 72 par course set in natural surroundings offer a course that medium handicap players will find a pleasure yet challenging to play

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Putting-green, Restaurant, Golf Academy, Pro-shop & Clubhouse.

Alhaurin Golf & Hotel Resort, Just 15 minutes drive from Fuengirola. A challenging design overlooking Mijas mountains and the sea offering a choice of two courses. An 18 hole par 72 and a 9 hole par 27

Facilities: Hotel, Restaurant, Bar, Buggies, Trolleys, Putting green, Chipping green, Driving range, Terrace.

EL Chaparral Golf Club, Re-opened last year. Feel the warm sea breeze and savour the perfume of the Mediterranean brush and pine whilst you play this spectacular and challenging course.

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Clubhouse, Trolleys, Restaurant & Hotel.

Lauro Golf, Occupying an extraordinarily beautiful location on a hillside within the Mijas mountain range it is recognised as one of the best courses along the coast offering 27 holes with superb views over the sea and mountains

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Putting green, Golf lessons, Clubhouse & Restaurant.

Santa Maria Golf & Country Club Marbella, Placed amongst the most elite golf clubs on the Costa del Sol the 18 hole course offers players a challenging game in unparalleled surroundings with the 19th century clubhouse epitomising the charm and character of the club.

Facilities: Pro shop, Trolleys, Buggies, Putting green, Tennis, Lawn Bowls, Sauna, 2 Restaurants, Bar, Lounge, Gym, Snooker & Billiards.

La Cala Resort, Located in the golf valley of Mijas, surrounded by rolling hills, is the only resort on the Costa del Sol with three 18-hole courses, La Cala North considered suitable for top players. The South Course, also spectacular., and the newest par 71 course Campo Europa. There is also an executive six-hole par 3.

Facilities: Buggies, Driving range, Putting green, Golf lessons, Clubhouse, Restaurant, Pool, Tennis, Gym, Sauna & Hotel.

Over the forth coming weeks I’m planning on doing a more in depth individual review of some of the more popular golf courses on the Costa del Sol.

Drop by for regular updates.

The Costa Del Sol To Receive £75 Million Boost To Revitalise Tourism

2008-02-20T07:51:00.000-08:00

I was pleased to read the announcement that Spain is to invest around £75 million (100 million euros) in the western Costa del Sol region.

According to Typically Spanish, the country's commerce and tourism minister Joan Clos remarked during a recent visit to Malaga that the funding would go towards revitalising tourism in the area.

Regional councillor Sergio Moreno reportedly added that the funding - which is around £15 million more than had been expected - will be spent on a number of projects over the next four years.

The money is expected to go towards developments in the towns of Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola, Mijas, Marbella, Estepona, Casares and Manilva.

In its recent Holiday Trends 2008 report, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) revealed that around half a million UK citizens own properties in Spain.

ABTA also predicted that Spain will retain its position as the most popular destination for British holidaymakers in the year ahead, with the Balearic Islands set to attract more visitors than any other region of the country.

With the Costa del Sol welcoming more than two million people a year through Malaga Airport, this is a well needed boost to the main income provider for all of us who live on the Andalucian coast and rely heavily on Tourism and Golf.

Maybe its just the time of year but I have noticed a heavy increase in people searching on the internet particularly on Google search for holiday tips, Hotel reviews and Golfing packages so although I’m no way an expert in any of the subjects I thought it would be nice to do a few more Hotel reviews and maybe some golf and spa resorts for all of you who are thinking of visiting this beautiful part of the world some time later this year.

Who knows? If it proves to be popular I’m might even make it a regular feature.

On an ending note the Mijas Costa Race course re-opens it doors this Sunday the 24th and also stages the very popular Mijas cup on Thursday the 28th of February to kick off what promises to be a full seasons calendar of family entertainment for all our horse racing fanatics her on the Costa.

I will be doing a feature on the Mijas Race Course next week.

See you then……..

Teaching Children Two Languages At Once

2008-01-31T07:25:00.000-08:00

I wrote an article a few months ago about multilingual children and the advantages of teaching your children more than one language from the moment they start learning to talk.

So I thought it was time for an update as to how we are doing.

For those of you who didn’t read the original article, I’m English, my wife is German and we live in Spain.

We originally saw that as a golden opportunity for our twin girls to grow up naturally speaking all three languages and so the plan was we would speak only English to them at home, their grandmother only speaks German and school and television would be in Spanish.

However, as my friend likes to put it “We live in a fluid world.” Although we realised that it might take a little longer for them trying to take in three languages at once, it wasn’t until we had received the report back from their nursery that we realised how far behind their conversational skills were compared to their classmates.

We also found at home, speaking to them was a bit like talking to a brick wall which made educating them or reprimanding them nigh on impossible as they would just give a blank look and carry on doing what ever it was you were trying to stop them doing.

We were starting to get concerned that they were maybe behind in other things as well but the nursery assured us that they were up to age on everything else apart from conversational skills.

So about four weeks ago the decision was made to drop English and German for a while and concentrate in bringing their Spanish up to their age level and what a difference we have seen.

Since we have spoken only in Spanish to them they have become different children and now it is a joy to sit and hold a full conversation about what happened in school, what we are going to do at the weekend, etc. and now they will quite happily help with clearing away dishes, picking up the clothes for the washing basket and all the normal things parents talk about with two year olds.

In fact now you can’t stop them talking and the nursery has informed us that they are finding it much easier to mix now that the can converse more easily with they’re teachers and classmates.

We will introduce English and German back into they’re language at a later date but for now we are just enjoying the pure magic of holding a conversation with someone who sees the world through the innocent eyes of a two year old and listening to them as they learn the art of communication.

I would like to turn this site into an open forum for Parents of Twins where we can all share our experiences and offer help to other Parents of Twins looking for answers to specific problems.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

I would also love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins,

please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Coping with twins" in the subject line and I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

Twins And The Terrible Two’s

2007-12-28T05:51:00.000-08:00

As we come to the end of another year with 2008 just around the corner, it’s traditional to reflect upon the past year and look forward to the New Year and all that it brings.

The Twins have just celebrated their second birthday and I’m celebrating surviving it!

And so we enter what I’m told is the worst stage of a toddlers development commonly referred to as “the terrible two’s”

This apparently is the stage where your child really starts to develop into a little person with all the complexity that becoming your own little person brings along with it.

As always parenting Twins just means everything comes in stereo!

Being born on the 20th of December kind of blends Birthday’s and Christmas into one long period of party’s and presents and I don’t think they really realised what it was all about.

For the girls it was just a case of lots of new toys and one of the benefits of being a twin is that you do tend to get spoilt a little bit more than normal by Uncles, Aunts and Grandparents, just because there’s two of you.

I don’t know if other parents of twins have experienced that twins do get treated differently by other family members than normal children?

I would be interested on your feed back on that one, please leave your comments below.

As far as their development goes, we have really noticed some remarkable changes in the last couple of months and will be updating you all on the changes in the New Year.

I will be posting an update on how they are coping learning three languages at once in January when I have a little more time.

They have really changed from being babies into proper little people and will communicate quite clearly what they want and what they don’t want.

This brings the added problem of also seeing what they can get away with or can’t get away with and just how far they can push Mum and Dad.

They have also become very competitive and will constantly fight for my attention.

I would appreciate anyone’s advice on how to gently correct this over possessiveness as life can become quite stressful when you have two 2 year olds fighting for a space on your lap when all you really want to do is relax with a coffee and wind down after work?

I’m also thinking of turning this site into an open forum for Parents of Twins where we can all share our experiences and offer help to other Parents of Twins looking for answers to specific problems.

Please feel free to leave any comments below, all input is much appreciated.

I would also love to hear about your own personal and funny experiences bringing up your twins,

please forward them to me at: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com quoting "Bringing up twins" in the subject line.

I'll feature them here over the forth coming weeks.

Wishing you all the best for 2008

See you next year

Hotel Bahia Tropical, Almuñecar

2007-12-12T14:41:00.000-08:00

Last weekend saw us take the twins for a quick but well needed four day break just up the coast in Almuñecar.

I particularly like Almuñecar for short breaks as it is literally only a 1½ hour drive away from Fuengirola where we live, which I feel is just long enough to keep two 23 month olds amused whilst they are trapped into their car seats and the portable DVD players we normally have strapped to the headrests playing “The Big Bear In The Blue House” are in the repair shop because Dad conveniently fused them the day before we left!

When the rest of the new motorway is finished it will easily cut the drive down to an hour and make it even more attractive to us for our long weekend breaks there.

Although we normally try to book into a two bed apartment on a good quality Timeshare Resort, this time we booked a double room in the Hotel Bahia Tropical.

The Hotel Bahia Tropical is rated a four star and I would certainly agree with that rating.

The service from the moment you book in, to the moment you leave is one of the best I have experienced and the staff really make sure every detail is attended to in the shortest possible time and leave you feeling that nothing would be too much trouble.

I would have liked to booked one of the junior suites but they where all booked well in advance which only confirms the hotels popularity.

Even so the double rooms are more than ample for two adults and two children offering, two double beds and a bed settee that could be turned into a third double bed in one simple movement.

All the rooms including the suites face inwards with the good sized balconies overlooking the pool and gardens and I felt the planning and layout of the whole resort was very well thought out and gave the impression it was larger than it actually is.

The buffet style restaurant offers a good selection of dishes every night although you can order from the a la carte menu if you prefer and the nightly entertainment in the English bar even had me up dancing!

I’m not quite sure why they called it the English bar as there was nothing even remotely English about it although it didn’t bother us as we prefer Spanish bars anyway. It just seemed a strange name.

On the downside to be honest I couldn’t really fault anything other than once again not one of the lifts was capable of fitting a double buggy through the doors, but from experience, we have now overcome that problem by using two single buggies that fit anywhere instead of our twin buggy that you had fold up each time, or carry up the stairs with the girls in it! Not a lot of fun when you’re on the fourth floor!

This is an excellent family hotel, right on the beach with a large park, bar/restaurant and children’s play area on the side and within walking distance of the town centre. We will definitely be returning in the new year.

Should Twins Be Dressed The Same?

2007-10-26T17:01:00.000-07:00

Becoming a parent after you’ve reached and passed “the big four oh” has its own challenges. Becoming the parent of twins at forty plus brings with it all sorts of other challenges and all the challenges arrive in stereo!

It has been just over twenty two months now since the birth of our beautiful twin daughters Laura and Rebeca and I’m still trying to recuperate.

I’m amazed at how quickly their individuality has developed and they really have become just like two sisters who were born on the same day instead of the normal two years apart (Our twins are Fraternal not Identical) In fact they only look like twins when we dress them the same, which in fact is only when they go to nursery and you have to dress them in the nursery school uniform.

I personally believe you shouldn’t dress twins alike and that you should help them to develop their own personalities and individuality to avoid identity problems that could arise later on in the twin’s lives, but that is just my personal opinion and I would love to know what the general consensus is.

The changes that we have experienced in the last two years are just incredible and one of the reasons I started this Blog was to build a sort of development diary to look back on in the years to come.

Rebeca is the more outgoing, boisterous of the two and we often say she should have been a boy. She has no fear and thinks nothing of climbing on the coffee table and making a death defying leap towards the sofa. The harder she lands crashing to the floor the loader she laughs! And she finds it even more hilarious when Laura tries to copy her as she always does and ends up on the floor in tears. She thinks Laura is just being a clown and has done it just to make her laugh.

Laura is the more laid back and reserved one of the two and would rather sit quietly at the coffee table humming a song she learned in nursery with her crayons and colouring books letting her creative talents flow. Although I challenge any artist to be creative when your sister is using your colouring book as their bungee jumping platform!

They are also beginning to chatter away in four languages now. English, Spanish, German and their own! This can be a little difficult to join in the conversation when you’re trying to work out which word belongs to which language but I’ve found the occasional Mmm with some smiling and nodding your head in the right places will normally suffice and seems to keep the conversation going along nicely.

They are at last falling into a good sleep routine and so we are almost feeling like human beings again I think luckily the nursery wears them out. How any body copes with Triplets or more I do not know but I admire them fully.

It’s almost 2am now and both the girls and my wife are sleeping peacefully so I had better stop writing and join them.

If you have any funny, light-hearted, or even spooky stories about your own personal experience of bringing up twins and you would like me to publish them on this site. Please forward them to: tapasandtantrums@gmail.com Qouting “Stories about twins” in the subject line and include any links to your own site or Blog.

Until then, Happy parenting.

Hotel Reviews – Tartessus Apartments, Chiclana

2007-09-30T00:28:00.000-07:00

Although I don’t personally own Timeshare, through my work I have had enjoyed the privileged opportunity of staying in numerous Timeshare resorts over the years.

You do get used to the facilities and quality that a gold crown rated R.C.I. resort has to offer and certainly before the twins arrived, my wife and I firmly believed that when you both work hard you should try to enjoy the best quality holiday time you can afford and always booked four or five star accommodation so I suppose you could say we’ve been spoilt (or lucky) in the past.

Now the twins are nearly two years old, I’ve come to realise that it’s not so much the five star quality that’s important but more the facilities on site that a resort offers to keep a pair of tichy humans that seem to run on Duracell batteries occupied.

As always we had left it late again to book our August holiday and didn’t want two fly with the twins so finding a Timeshare resort on the Costa del Sol with availability last minute in mid August proved impossible.

So I was quite pleased when I was asked to check out a fairly new resort in Sancti Petri, Chiclana and took the opportunity to grab a quick four days holiday with the girls as well. After all the best way to check out a family resort is, take the family!

The Tartessus Apartments is not a Timeshare resort although the apartments are well equipped and on the same lines as many standard R.C.I. resorts I’ve stayed in before.

Laid out very similar to a lot of Caribbean complexes the Tartessus resort offers a large reception area that hosts the comfortable and relaxing lounge with free wi fi internet connection, flat screen television showing sports all day long and is also the centre of the main restaurant and bar.

The bar is open all day long and offers snacks when the restaurant is closed and also serves the pool terrace.

The large pool is the centre piece of the gardens and all the apartments are well placed Caribbean style around the pool with the split level bungalows dotted around further down into the well kept gardens where you will also find the tennis courts and children’s playground.

We stayed in one of the two bedroom apartments which are ample for a family of four and with the supermarket next door and the fully fitted kitchens that include, microwave, cooker, hob and even a toaster you could stay for one or two weeks quite comfortably and cheaply if you are on a tight budget and wanted to eat in every night.

On the downside, the buffet in the restaurant wasn’t very extensive and didn’t offer much choice. We didn’t notice any kids clubs and apart from one night of live entertainment that lasted forty minutes. The rest of the night time fun was provided by the life guards and animators who dressed up in very badly made costumes and mimed to cd’s of the same Disney shows every night.

In conclusion, maybe I’m getting fussy in my old age or I’ve been spoilt in the past but I wouldn’t book there again. If I wasn’t in the Timeshare industry and have the opportunity of using R.C.I. and I.I. resorts without having to own Timeshare, I would probably invest in a good Timeshare to secure my family holidays for the foreseeable future as I’ve never been disappointed with any Timeshare resort I’ve stayed at in the past.

Spain Is Closed!

2007-08-03T02:52:00.000-07:00

Yes Spain is officially closed for August!

No not really, it just seems that way to any British person trying to get any paperwork or official documents sorted out.

All the main government offices and council departments take there traditional month’s holiday in August and with the car loaded up to the roofs, head down to the coast where they will have rented the same apartment or beachside villa that they rent out every year for the big August family summer holidays. The excuse is, it’s too hot to work in August and I’m inclined to agree with them.

This weekend sees the start of “Operation Salida” and anyone travelling by car needs to take extra care on the roads as long tailbacks traffic jams and accidents are common place.

With so many families travelling by road for several hours to get to their seaside destinations, I thought it would be a good idea to remind us of a few precautionary steps we should all consider as we head off on our holidays.

I was pleased to see on the news this morning that the forest fires in Gran Canaria are under control at last and was not surprised to hear that officials believe the fires in Tenerife were also started on purpose.

So due to the high risks of fires everywhere my first plea to everyone is:

1. If you smoke, make sure you have extinguished your cigarettes properly and please, please don’t throw your ash or cigarette ends out of the car window when driving. Most hire cars these days prohibit you from smoking inside anyway so it’s a good excuse for you to stop somewhere for a coffee and smoke, then continue your journey refreshed and with less risk of both fires, and accidents.

2. Be extra careful with the barbeque. Only use in designated areas specially set aside for the purpose of picnics and barbeques and make sure you have extinguished all the ashes properly with water when you finish.

3. Don’t leave rubbish by the roadside especially bottles or glass as not only is this dangerous to our wildlife. I think we all know how quick we can start a fire with a magnifying glass and bright sunlight. A broken bottle or glass has the same affect

4. Drink plenty of water on your journey and take special care of our young ones and old ones. Children and old people tend to dehydrate far faster than you think and if you’re travelling with the family dog make extra stops to let them have a bit of a run. It will do you all good.

5. Lastly, I know we are all excited and eager to get to our destination when we set off on our holidays. Especially if we have the kids in the back asking “Are we nearly there yet” every two minutes. But just for a change, this time why don’t we take our time. Relax, make regular stops and enjoy the experience of the journey as well as the holiday. Think about it? By turning your journey there and back into an adventure as well, you’ve extended your holiday by an extra two days!

While everyone else heads down to the coast, we’re heading inland for a couple of days with the girls and grandma to a little place called, “El Torcal” I’ll post the full review with photos under the Resort Reviews section when I return.

See you all next week

Keep Blogging Fun

Gran Canaries Fire Started By Forester

2007-07-31T13:09:00.000-07:00

Having spent most my working life in direct sales and marketing, psychology is a subject that has always fascinated and intrigued me. But after all my years of studying I still cannot understand the mentality of someone who purposely starts a forest fire and puts thousand of peoples lives at risk not to mention the irreversible damage that is done to our forests and wildlife. When that person is employed as a forester it makes even less sense.

For those of you, who haven’t seen the Spanish news, let me fill you in on the whole story:

Most of Spain and the Canary Islands are under orange alert despite cold winds from the North Pole sweeping over the entire country and keeping the temperatures down. The worst of the summer heat started as it normally does around St James’ day (July the 25th)
And just like every year from July through to the end of September, forest fires are a daily thing on the local and national television channels.

As in most tourist destinations around the world seasonal work is abundant and employment contracts of three or six month’s duration are quite normal to cope with the influx of tourists to the Islands and the mainland. Another area where seasonal work is quite common is in the forestry and fire departments where the higher risk of fires needs more people on stand buy to cope with the regular outbreaks, normally caused by the negligence of the tourists in the first place.

I was amazed to read that the fires that started last Friday, have so far devoured over 2,500 hectares of pine forest on the peaks of Gran Canaria and are still blazing today, were started by a 37 year old forestry agent apparently to protest about his work contract finishing in September.

What did he think he would achieve buy starting a fire that has affected over 50 households already. Where is the reasoning in the mentality of a person who has been given the responsibility of protecting our forests? To then go and start the very thing he was supposed to protect us against as a protest for not renewing his work contract just doesn’t make logic sense. I wonder if he will re-apply for a position in the forestry department when he gets out of prison.

My question is: Do we employ strict enough screening and psychological testing when interviewing people for seasonal jobs that involves civil protection?

Are You Blogging For Fun Or Profit?

2007-07-21T14:25:00.000-07:00

I started this Blog back in April this year as a bit of fun and a hobby that I could mess around with once a week while my twin daughters were sleeping and my wife was working her night shift. I chose the name “In Between the Tapas and Tantrums” because I thought it best summed up how this Blog was born. Living in the “Campo” on the Costa del Sol with a lovely little family bar just down our lane, allows us the privileged position of being able to enjoy a cold beer and some nice Tapas with the girls and grandma at the weekends. The tantrums part comes from the temper tantrums that go hand in hand with bringing up my 19 month old twin daughters hence this Blog is written “In between the Tapas and tantrums” Not a name that is going to get me on the front pages of any search engines is it?

It all started off very light-hearted and I was really enjoying posting the ups and downs of parenthood and even thought what a great thing this will be later on in life for my daughters to be able to read about their lives and the different stages of growing up. I even started writing articles and submitting them to EzineArticles and was really proud when they were accepted and I could see other people enjoying my ramblings as well.

Then it happened. I’m sure it happens to loads of other ordinary folk just like me in very much the same way.

I started reading articles about the dreaded SEO! And about how the dot com moguls and all those professional Bloggers had given up their jobs and were making embarrassing amounts of money from their laptops in the comfort of their spare bedrooms and I was hooked!

I studied SEO at every opportunity I had. When I thought I new enough to start making money from my Blog I set up a new Blog called "Simple Sales And Marketing Solutions”
After all I’ve been in direct sales practically all my life. Sales Training and Timeshare were high on the search terms it had to be a winner!

I became so obsessed I would turn on my laptop as soon as I woke up before I’d even had a coffee, just to see how many people had visited my site and if anyone had clicked on my adverts or not.

I changed the name of my Blog nearly every two days to try to get a better placing on Google’s search pages to get more traffic. I even put “In between the Tapas and tantrums” on hold while I concentrated on building up my sales training site. I did everything that I’d read the professional Bloggers were doing to make money and lost endless hours of sleep trying to come up with the perfect domain name to keep me on the first pages of Google’s search engines.

Guess what? I had become so obsessed and serious about making money from my Blog I’d stopped enjoying Blogging. Of course I was starting to get on the first page of Google’s search but I wasn’t making any money. I think you really need to be established at least 12 to 18 months before you have enough traffic to earn any money from affiliates and adsense.

The moral of my lesson is: If you cease to enjoy what you’re doing. You might as well stop doing it.

I’d started what was supposed to be a light hearted fun Blog, full of ramblings about day to day real life happenings for my daughters to read later on in life and ended up with an obsession about making money.

Luckily I’ve seen my mistake before it devoured me. Don’t let it happen to you. I’m back to enjoy myself so don’t expect me to be too serious in the future. If I make a little bit of money to pay for the monthly internet it’s a bonus. What’s important to me now is that other people get a little bit of enjoyment from my ramblings, and my two girls have something worthwhile to read to their children!

Happy Blogging! See you next week.

Butlins Joins Luxury Timeshare Developers

2007-07-11T01:40:00.000-07:00

I was pleased to read this article on the Daily Mail's web site the other day:

Holiday company Butlins is to introduce a timeshare-style scheme called BlueSkies, it was announced today. The scheme will enable holidaymakers to have an annual break at Butlins for the next 30 years. The company is developing luxury timeshare apartments at its holiday centre at Minehead in Somerset, with building work set for completion in March next year.

For £6,000, owners will be able to purchase 30 years of holidays based, for example, on taking a family away for around a week in May annually.

For their money, owners will get what Butlins describes as "a spacious, modern holiday apartment set slightly apart from the main Butlins resort (at Minehead), full of contemporary design features, positioned right on the edge of the sea and close to the stunning scenery of Exmoor".

Mike Crowther from Butlins, who is leading the BlueSkies development, said: "BlueSkies is holiday heaven for the growing number of people who enjoy the fun and convenience of a UK family break."Second homes and holiday apartments are an unattainable dream for many people as they can be expensive to buy, maintain and manage."We're aiming to create a development that is luxurious, flexible, great value and guarantees a first rate family holiday."

I will freely admit to being for Timeshare in all it's varying guises. I don't always agree with the way it gets marketed by some unscrupulous companies but that's an argument we'll leave for another day, the fact that houshold names like Butlins are now joining the likes of Disney, Marriott's, Hilton and Airtours to name just a few can only add to raising the credibility and professionalism of what, despite all the bad press it still receives, remains to be one of the fastest growing leisure industries in the world.

I believe Timeshare will eventually be accepted in Europe in the same way as it is in the States.I would be interested in hearing your opinions on the subject.

Please leave a comment, or drop me an e-mail with your views.

The Hotel Playa Calida, Almuñecar

2007-07-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

If you’re looking for the normal Costa del Sol bucket and spade type holiday, or you want to be within walking distance of twenty English or Irish bars all offering you English breakfast and the latest sports on sky television, then this hotel is definitely not for you. In fact you might as well stay at home!

The Hotel Playa calida, part of the Playa Senator group of hotels is set a little out of the way in a small cove just past Almuñecar on the Costa Tropical halfway between the Costa del Sol and Almeria, a part of the coast normally over looked by the average British holidaymaker who tends to favour the Costa del Sol as the more well known and traditional destination.

The Hotel Playacalida is ideal for families with younger children who don’t really want to wander too far off site or maybe as a base for touring the surrounding areas. The caves of Nerja are within easy reach and Sierra Nevada is only 90 minutes away.

My first impression of the hotel was how spotlessly clean everything was. A Moorish theme dominates the reception and is continued throughout the entire hotel with an abundance of tropical plants and water features amidst the shiny polished marble floors. The glass and mirrors that are everywhere add to the feeling of space and you would be forgiven for thinking you had arrived in the Caribbean. We found the staff friendly, efficient and they gave the impression that nothing was too much trouble. As this is the beginning of the season I did wonder if they would still be as enthusiastic come September?

We had tried to book one of the family suites but through our own fault of waiting till the last minute as always, all the suites were fully booked. The old rule of waiting till last minute for a cheaper deal doesn’t seem to work any more. Hotels on the Costa are now wising up and following the budget airlines policies of awarding the people who book well in advance so be warned. In the end we were offered connecting double rooms which were more than ample space wise, with two cots for the twins in one room and us in the other. The girls had great fun playing hide and seek and running from one room to another. The only thing lacking was the kitchenette and lounge that you get with the family suites that you don’t get with a standard double room and the sunken round bath but hey, beggars can’t be choosers and all connecting rooms are on the first floor, a massive bonus when you are holidaying with two toddlers even though this time the lifts were big enough to accommodate the double buggy without having to fold it up!. The presidential suites also come with a private pool, perfect for those who are looking for a romantic getaway.

Facilities were good. The two restaurants, bar, shop, hairdressers, spa, theatre, mini club and indoor heated swimming pool are all located in the main reception area on the ground floor. The first floor has the large themed pool with rapids, tubes, Jacuzzis and wet bar all in the centre courtyard whilst rising up to the second floor will find you out on the main outside area overlooking the sea with a panoramic pool giving you the effect that it doesn’t end it just continues out to sea.

All in all an excellent all round family hotel that I found hard to fault the only downside is the

location. Access to a rather pebbly beach, although it was direct was down a very steep cliff path that I would never have got back up again pushing a double buggy. It is rated as a superior four star but if you took this hotel and placed it right on the beach front in Almuñecar it would demand an easy five star rating.

Would I go back again? Absolutely but only for short breaks. It is only an hour and twenty minutes drive for us and that makes it ideal for long weekends but if I was looking for a two week holiday I’d choose somewhere In Almuñecar itself within walking distance of the main promenade and shopping centres.
Was it expensive? Everything you do with twins is expensive but that’s another story…..

The Advantages Of Teaching Your Children Three Languages At Once

2007-06-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

Moving away from England and settling in another country like Spain has distinct advantages when bringing up your children. I remember way back to when I was in school.

Yes I can still remember back that far. Well at least some of it.

Anyway when I was in school there was no such thing as languages until you reached sixth form and then it was French. Take it or leave it. It you wanted to learn another language you had to pass French first then you could choose a third language. I supposed that was because France was the closest country to us. The fact that Spanish is the second largest spoken language in the world made no difference. You had to learn French first and then you could study Spanish if you wanted.

When you move to a European country you suddenly realise how closed minded we Brits are. Most European children grow up naturally with two or more languages depending on where their parents originate from. I can only put this down to Europeans being more liberal and travelling more and eventually settling down in another country other than their native one.

Close friends of ours have a five year old daughter who already speaks five languages fluently. This is because the father who is Italian speaks seven languages and the mother who is Spanish also speaks three languages. What a fantastic start in life that little girl has.

As a good part of my professional life has been spent in direct sales, communication is something that has always fascinated me. I made a point of learning Spanish as soon as I arrived in Spain which was a good job as when I met my wife who is German, she couldn’t speak any English and I couldn’t speak any German. We communicated the entire time in Spanish. I can now speak German and she speaks perfect English but we still talk to each other in Spanish.

So which languages are my twin daughters learning?

Answer: All three.

I’m often asked if they get confused learning three languages at such an early age and the truth is no. You see at this early age our minds are like sponges and will soak up all the information you can give it. What you can’t do is have one person try to teach them all three languages. They have to associate a person or place with a language so, we speak to them in English, Grandma who lives with us only speaks German, The television, school, cousins and every thing outside the house is all in Spanish. Hey presto three languages in one hit.

The immense advantage that multilingual children will have when choosing a career later on in life over their counterparts who are trapped in a single language barrier is unquestionable and with those three languages they can choose to live and work anywhere in the world.

Imagine what you would be doing now if you had grown up speaking three languages?

The Uncanny Psychic Connection That Twins Possess

2007-06-04T14:36:00.000-07:00

There have been countless stories written about the psychic connection between identical twins. Stories like, when one twin hurts itself the other twin feels the pain. Or the twin who had the contractions while her sister gave birth. Even to the extremes of twin sisters who had been separated at birth and when re-united some thirty years later found out they had both married men with the same first name and also called their sons by the same first names.

The majority of these cases seem to be predominantly between Identical twins which are formed when one fertilised egg splits into two and would back up the theory that identical twins are a definitely a part of each other and the true meaning of soul mates. We hear far less cases of a psychic connection between fraternal twins.

My own fraternal twin daughters who although in the early months were very similar to look at and quite often seemed to be sharing some sort of telepathic conversation that I was being left out of, have now at eighteen months old developed into their own individual personalities and are so completely different it would seem impossible to imagine that they share any sort of psychic connection at all.

And yet, all too often when I go to check on them at night before I go to bed they are lying in identical positions. I don’t mean just similar positions i.e. both on their left sides; I mean identical positions even down to the positions of their hands and fingers!

Now that’s spooky!

If they are in different parts of the house and one gets hurt or upset the other one will stop what they’re doing immediately and go straight to her sister to comfort her yet they normally fight like cat and dog when they’re together and yes there are still times when I feel that they are having a telepathic conversation together.

So am I being a little over sensitive and looking for connections, or are my daughters like so many other twins that are psychically connected.

My theory is that if they share a womb for nine months and then grow up together and go through all the changes and development stages that children go through together, there is bound to be a much stronger bonding than if they grow up as normal sisters some two years apart. It remains to be seen whether this bond gets stronger as they grow up or disappears all together in later years. But you can be sure I will be keeping a very close eye on things and reporting any new developments that I notice in the coming months and years ahead.

Surviving All Those Sleepless nights…

2007-05-11T05:40:00.000-07:00

Surviving all those sleepless nights that come with having a new born baby in the house:

So here I am once again in my local watering hole having a quick beer on my way home. You see I have to pass this bar “Peña la Cresta” (A Spanish version of your local labour club) to get to my house because it’s at the end of my lane and that’s the problem, I don’t pass it. I stop and go in. Anyway here I am minding my own business and listening once again to how lucky I am having twins……

“It’s so much easier having two children at the same time because you get through all the stages once, you don’t have to start all over again when the second child comes along. We’d just got Jenny out of nappies when Peter arrived and we had to start all over again!”

Now these types of loose statements always seem to ooze from the mouths of people who don’t have twins and have little or no experience in bringing up twins.

So what’s it really like having twins?

Firstly let me state that I think all babies under 6 months old are just two legged waste producing machines anyway. Lets face it all they do is eat, sleep and produce organic waste. I don’t know of any other man made invention on this planet so efficient in turning white liquid called milk, into a luminous green/yellow nuclear substance that you can smell from as far away as the next village!

Anyway lets look at some subtle differences in having one baby at a time or having twins. Firstly taking a normal new born baby's sleep pattern of around three hours, if we get little Jenny to sleep at say 9pm, we can get to sleep ourselves around 10pm or 11pm at the latest. A quick hours nap and we're up around twelve midnight for the first feed, we get back to bed around 1am giving us till 4am to sleep before the next feed. If both parents share the responsibility, take turns and each get up once you can squeeze almost six hours sleep in a night. Not bad at all.

Now lets take the same night but with twins. A friend at work had Identical twin boys who were completely in sinc with each other. They woke at the same time and went back to sleep at the same time so in that case it would be very similar to the example above, but our girls are Fraternal twins and are completely out of sinc with each other so our normal night would go something like......

Rebeca sleeps at 9pm, Laura sleeps at 10pm, we sleep at 11pm, Rebeca wakes at midnight and goes back to sleep at 1am just in time for Laura to wake up again at 2pm. We get back to sleep at 3am and Rebeca wakes up again at 4am, we get back to sleep for 5am and Laura wakes up at 6am......... Now tell me its easier having twins. The only solution we came up with was that between 10pm and 8am each parent one would take sole responsibility for one child. I look after Rebeca through the nights and Marie looks after Laura.

This has worked for us although I can't remember whats its like to share the bed with my wife anymore as I'm normally getting out when she's getting in, but some 16 months on, we normally only get up once and Laura quite often sleeps right through. What keeps you sane is the knowledge that it does get better but I can't help wondering, when I finally get my first full nights sleep again, am I going to miss those special moments at three O'clock in the morning and the closeness that comes with rocking a baby back to sleep?

Preparing For The Arrival Of Twins (Part 2)

2007-05-06T05:37:00.000-07:00

We were just having a quite stroll in Fuengirola after the weekly pre-natal check up with our gynaecologist when we just happened to pass the local shop that specialises in baby furniture and prams etc. And there in the window on special offer was the perfect bedroom set on display. Of course my wife fell in love with it straight away so we had to go inside and take a closer look. It was solidly made and one of those 3 in 1 cots that convert into a single bed eventually so it would near enough do for life and it came with the matching wardrobe, changing table with cupboard and draws below and two bedside shelf units, and it was reduced to nearly half price. Perfect we’ll have it!

That’s where it all started going down hill and you realise that the world isn’t set up for parents with twins. The conversation went something like:

“We’d like the nursery furniture set you have on display in the window please, only we’re having twins so we’ll need two cots”

“Oh I don’t know if we can do that sir you see it’s manufactured and sold as a complete set I’ll have to ring the factory and find out if they’ll make an additional cot?”

Shop assistant goes to phone and comes back twenty minutes later.

“Yes it’s not normal but we can order another cot separately, it will take six weeks to arrive”

“Luckily we still have six weeks till the birth so let’s go ahead and order it how much is the additional cot?”

“Three hundred and fifty euros sir”

“What, the whole lots only five hundred euros?”

“Yes but that’s in the sale and the extra cot is a special order”

By this time my wife will not even consider any other bedroom furniture and keeps reminding me that it will be cheaper in the long run as the cots eventually turn into beds so I bite my tongue and hand over my credit card.

“Now they don’t come with mattresses sir, I suggest the latest Latex mattress as they’re much healthier for the babies and will last a lifetime. Now as the cots are a special size they’ll have to be made to measure so we'd better pre-order them now, You've only got six weeks after all and you want everything ready for the arrival don't you………………

Preparing For The Birth Of Twins (Part 1)

2007-05-01T05:53:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the Prince and Princess of Austurias on the birth of their second daughter Sophia. Born on the 29th of April by caesarean a day before my birthday making her a Taurean just like myself, Solid, down to earth, dependable and with an infinite supply of patience ( I’m not sure my wife will agree with some of those qualities?) Sophia weighed in at over 3 kilos and all is well with both mother and daughter fantastic news.

Following the build up and preparation to the birth broadcast almost daily on Spanish television reminded me of our own preparation for the arrival of our twin daughters I don’t remember any television crews camping outside our hospital waiting for me to come out and announce the birth, I’m obviously not famous enough yet?.

Preparing for the arrival of any new born baby is stressful enough, but preparing for the arrival of twins has additional preoccupations. Any Doctor will tell you that twin or multiple births are more difficult than normal births. The pregnancy itself runs a higher risk of terminating early and most twins are born prematurely adding to the risks of possible ill health later on.

I read an article the other day regarding tighter control on IVF treatment as the advancement in modern medicine has a much higher success rate these days and more and more twins are being born through IVF treatment so they are talking about restricting the amount of fertilised eggs that can be implanted in the womb from the normal 3 eggs to in some cases only 1 egg at a time depending on the age and physical condition of the mother to be.

Our own daughters were conceived through IVF and arrived by caesarean a month early because of my wife’s seriously high blood pressure threatening to collapse the placenta. They weighed in at only 1 kilo 800 grams and 1 kilo 900 grams and spent their first week in the hospital gaining weight and making sure that their lungs and internal organs were all functioning correctly. Our Doctor told us had he left it a day longer we could have lost one, or both of them so a big thank you to him. When we eventually took them home they weighed in at 2 kilos 100 grams and 2 kilos 150 grams.

Thank God they are now both strong and healthy, beautiful boisterous toddlers who keep me on my toes on a daily basis but the last couple of months before the birth were stressful enough to say the least.

Now add to that preparing the nursery, buying cloths, nappies, bottles and all the normal things you need for a new born baby, only you have to buy everything in stereo, I’m not sure who was more stressed out, Me, my wife or our bank manager!

We were just having a quite stroll in Fuengirola after the weekly pre-natal check up with our gynaecologist when we happened to pass the local shop that specialises in baby furniture and prams and there in the window on special offer was............................

Identical Twins Or Fraternal Twins - What Is The Difference?

2007-04-21T15:31:00.000-07:00

One of the nice things about raising a family in Spain is that Spanish people in general are very family orientated. It’s quite common to find grandparents, parents and children all living under the same roof. What’s more they absolutely adore babies, it’s impossible to walk down the street pushing a pram without stopping every two yards while the next person coo’s and dribbles all over your baby.

Now bearing in mind that most Spanish people are dark skinned, dark eyed, and have dark brown hair, if your baby just happens to be pale skinned with bright blue eyes and wavy blond hair it makes it twice as bad. If they happen to be twins, then it can take two hours just to get past the local park. Quite often when we go to the shopping centre I’ll send my wife on ahead to do the shopping, while I try to navigate the hoards of people who make a b-line straight for the double buggy, stand right in front of you so you can’t move anywhere and start up a conversation.

The conversation normally goes,

“Oh look there’s two of them."

"Aren’t they gorgeous."

"Your so lucky, they’re identical aren't they?"

"How do you tell the difference?”

At this point rather than dispute the fact that they’re not identical they’re fraternal which would normally take up another half hour of explanations, I just say “We named them Rebecca and Laura so we keep Rebecca on the right and Laura on the Left that way we don’t get confused!”

We have never had a problem telling them apart, when they were first born they were quite similar, but then I think all babies look the same when they’re first born. As they have grown, they’ve developed completely different characters and features.

So what is the difference between Identical twins and fraternal twins?

As I understand it, Identical twins are produced when a single fertilized egg by some quirk of nature divides into two embryos that develop within the same sac. They share the same cellular and genetic make up and I believe even their DNA’s are Identical. I have heard of some twins being tattooed so they don’t get mixed up!

Fraternal twins on the other hand are two separate eggs that are fertilized and implant into the womb at the same time. This can be because the mother naturally produces more than one egg when she ovulates, or more often than not these days, two or more fertilized eggs have been implanted in the womb through IVF treatment. They have their own individual cellular and genetic make up, develop in separate sacs and each baby has its own unique DNA. In reality they’re not twins at all, they’re brothers or sisters that instead of being born a couple of years apart like normal, they’re born on the same day. We don’t have a word in English for this so we call them twins. The Spanish call Identical twins Gemelos and Fraternal twins Mellizos so there’s no confusion. A good example of fraternal twins is George Bush's daughters, in some photos its hard to tell that they are even sisters.

I’m often told how lucky we are to have twins (normally by people who don’t have twins) because “you only have to go through all the nappy stages and sleepless nights once”. I’m not so sure about that one, but we’ll look at it in another chapter….

Forthcoming Review on the Hotel Playa Calida, Almuñecar

2007-04-18T13:45:00.000-07:00

Working in the travel and leisure industry as I do has its perks. We’re off with the twins and Grandma next week for a short break in the Hotel Playa Calida in Almuñecar. I’ve had some very good reports from friends who have stayed there before and I’m looking forward to having the chance to review it personally.

It is highly rated as a good all round family hotel so I’m hoping to come back with some very good reports. I tried to book in for the first week of May but it was fully booked well in advance, (that obviously says something about its popularity).

I’m going next week instead and looking forward to a well earned rest, at least that’s what I’m hoping it’s going to be. The first time we holidayed with the girls they were only 8 months old and what an adventure. We’d book into a popular 5 star hotel in Roquetas del Mar, Almeria and thinking of the extra room we needed to fit in two cots (you have to think in stereo when you have twins) we asked for a suite. Everything was fine until we checked in and found out that all the suites were on the fifth floor. Not a problem they all have magnificent views of the sea, Yes a major problem when the only lift in the entire hotel is too small to get a double buggy through the door! We spent the holiday carrying the buggy and two babies up five flights of stairs or we left the buggy in reception, took the babes up in our arms and I went back down again to get the buggy. I was glad to get home for a rest!

Anyway pop by again next week for a full review with photos.

See you then.

P.S. If any one has reviews good or bad on Hotels on the Costa del Sol and would like to share them with us feel free to add them to the comments below. If I get enough I’ll set up a separate page.

Cheers.

Changing the Format

2007-04-15T12:39:00.000-07:00

Those of you who have passed by in the first few days of this site will have noticed apart from me being new to blogging that I’ve also changed the format slightly. The major change is the subtitle.

My reasons behind the changes are simply that after much thought and talking with my wife this weekend I realise that 90% of my spare time is spent helping with the raising of our twins, (The other 10% is spent trying to catch up on missed sleep!) so we felt it would be easier in the early stages and more beneficial to other parents of twins to share our weekly experiences of the one thing we spend most of our time doing, raising the children.

In conclusion, although the twins will be the main subject of this site, I still hope to find time to mix in a little bit of life in general on the Costa.

Thanks for your support, come back soon, I’ll probably change it all again tomorrow!

Happy Blogging.

How To Give Up Smoking Instantly

2007-04-14T12:30:00.000-07:00

My wife and I have been ex-smokers for 17 months now and a friend who is constantly giving up and starting again asked me the other day how did it,

The simple answer is: we had a strong enough reason to give up smoking. Let me explain.

We have both been smoking since an early age of 14 or 15 and to say we were heavy smokers is an under statement! We would get through on average 100 cigarettes a day between us and more if we'd had a bad day, we went from that to zero, cold turkey, with no help, patches, no cravings, no withdrawal symptoms or any other type of miracle cure, so how did we do it?

Simple, as I said before we had a strong enough reason never to smoke again. We didn't give up for our own health, we gave up for our twin daughters health.

It is quite normal, so I'm told for twins to be born early, ours were born by Cesarean at week 36, one month premature and very under weight. Laura was 1 kilo 800 grams and Rebeca was 1 kilo 900 grams. We had already discussed long before they were born that when they arrived we wouldn't smoke in the house, the car, or any closed area where they were likely to be. The new laws brought into Spain on the 1st of January last year prohibiting smoking in public places like bars and restaurants also re-enforced that if we wanted to smoke, it meant on your own in the garden at night-time after they'd gone to sleep. Not very appealing when its raining, but that still wasn't our main reason to give up, When your holding a new born baby that almost fits in your hands, you suddenly become aware of how horrible you smell compared to them and how important fresh air is to sustaining life and all of a sudden you never want to see another cigarette as long as you live!

So in my experience, if you want to give up smoking you really have to have a good solid reason to give up. Your not going to give up just because its the new year, or because you know its bad for your health, or because you promised when a packet of cigarettes gets to a certain price you'll stop because you can't afford it. Believe me we tried all those reasons before and you always finder a stronger reason not to give up.

Forget Nicotine patches, forget reducing it bit by bit till your body can do without the nicotine, its all in the mind, find yourself a good solid reason to give up and you'll never smoke again. The mind is very powerful when you let your mind control your body and not the other way round. I also believe we become more addicted to the habit than the nicotine, so if you can break your routines you'll be able to change your habits i.e.: "If you always have a cigarette with your morning coffee" then change your morning routine and don't have the coffee. believe me when you have twins you don't have time for coffee anyway! before you realise it you haven't smoked all day and you haven't even missed it.

Anyway its Saturday and I have two little bundles of life waiting to play so I'll close now. We'll look at the power of the mind in another posting,

Hope this has been of some use to all the would be non smokers out there.

The Birth Of Tapas and Tantrums

2007-04-12T04:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome to In Between The Tapas And Tantrums a lighthearted look at living on the Costa Del Sol,

This site should have started some two years ago but the arrival of my twin daughters (now 16 months old) and the 12 months previous of preparations and IVF treatment to produce them did rather put things on a back burner for a while.Anyway we are now starting to settle into some sort of sleep routine again, thus freeing up my time a little.

The person who tells you they slept like a baby, obviously doesn't have one, let alone two!

Having lived on the Costa since 1991 and being married to a German wife who has also lived here on and of since she was 4 years old we thought we would like to share our experiences of living, working and raising twins in this wonderful place we now call home.

A short list of the things I will be covering in the coming weeks.

Making the move: Should you uproot lock stock and barrel, or should you try it first?

The E.U. rules for expats: The laws are constantly changing as Spain moves deeper into the european community

Work opportunities: Employed or Self-Employed

Learning the Lingo: Its easier than you think, I learnt in 6 months.

My favorite subject: IVF and Living with Twins (its probably easier learning Spanish!)

This is just a short list to start with that I'm sure will expand as I start to get your feedback.
Please keep calling by as I will be covering the ups and downs that we came through to get where we are now hence the blog's title "In Between The Tapas And Tantrums"

Happy blogging