Marketing La Manzanilla

For those of you who don't know it...I own and operate website about La Manzanilla I built the site about two years ago and I've had success driving traffic to the site and making a little money along the way. I wrote all the copy, took or purchase the photos, designed the site layout and I spend a good amount of time marketing it.

I have, on a few occasions, seen my copy on other people's sites and those people never offer to link back to my site or to give me credit, can you believe it?

Once again, someone has pilfered my work. They have set-up a website using a URL that is so close to mine I'm sure it was done purposefully to take advantage of the brand I’ve promoted. Wonder if they will contact me and ask permission before they borrow my copy. I’m guessing not. What do you think?

Updating my Blog list

As I peruse the blogs about living in Mexico I see several about living in Mexico with kids…it’s not all about you retirees out there.

I have to expand because my favorite blog- Moving the Kids to Mexico- is coming to end. American Mommy, is moving back to the States. They were in Mexico for only a year. She is a remarkable writer, so engaging and open; it’s been a pleasure reading of her family's adventures in a small town on the Pacific coast of Mexico.

So I’m expanding – there’s Que Madre!- a new mother, married to a Mexican and living in Sayulita. Her writing is passionate and quirky.

Then there is One Mexican Time- she’s young (27)- no children and lives the young newly wed life.

Limon Family Blog and The Rosas-Standring Family- through another blog I just found these two. I’ll try them on and see if they can match up to Moving the Kids to Mexico….

Summer, American Style

Not sure what I was thinking. From La Manzanilla I made arrangements for Lyle to have gymnastics and karate classes this summer. Didn’t seem like a big deal, 2 nights a week a couple of fun classes to pass the time.

I’m so organized that I thought he might enjoy a couple of weeks of day camp as well so I booked a week of “mad science” and a week of “adventure quest.” I forgot that he is used to the La Manzanilla school day, 9-12, 3 hours a day 4 or 5 days a week.

US day camp starts at 8:30 and ends at 3:30 and then heap on top of that karate and gymnastics.

We made it through the first week of camp but the weekend was all about banking sleep. Lyle rarely naps but Saturday and Sunday saw afternoon naps close to 4 hours each.

Second week of camp- forget it. He was too tired for karate and gymnastics and by Thursday so grumpy that we had a skip day the last day of camp, opting for an Avatar marathon on the couch.

Poor kid. I wanted to try to fit in lots of experiences he won't get in Mexico, but all I did was wear him out.

Tropical Storm Andres

Well, the first named storm of the season is heading towards La Manzanilla. I’ve been in contact with a few people in La Man but the fact remains we are here in Denver and our house in Mexico is all alone and very likely getting wet. That lovely 12 x 12 opening that is the back of our house is probably seeing lots of rain and water rushing in as I type.


After the storm passes we’ll just have to rely on the kindness of others to go over and check on the house and report back to us. I’ve received emails telling me the electricity is currently out….old time year-rounder’s have generators for these types of occasions.

Next year we need to stay through at least part of a rainy season.

Signed, Nervously awaiting news….

Hellooooo From Denver!

Yikes, what a couple of weeks. We left La Manzanilla on a Wednesday, arrived Denver on Saturday...after a 12, 12, 9 and 6 hour driving day...moved out of our 2400 sq ft house into a 650 sq ft house, went to a fundraising event and closed in the big house all in a week. And of course, I'm still working!

I'm just now recovering from the whole thing and getting my US legs.

Lyle, after begging for months, is enrolled in a karate class. He also has gymnastics once a week, nice activities for an energetic 5-year-old.

We left La Manzanilla two months before school is due to end. Not sure if Lyle is actually going to “graduate” from Kindergarten but we ran out of time at the end and will have to deal with it in September when we get back.

I think I’m going to go ahead and keep blogging over the summer, what started as a promotional thing for La Manzanilla has turned into blogging about being a mom. So I guess it doesn’t matter where we are living, I’m always a mom.

Next week- Sea World- that's right on a plane taking a trip!

Play time…

It’s been nearly 3 weeks and still no school in La Manzanilla, Jalisco!

Thank goodness we live across the street from a family that has lots of kids coming and going. Lyle spends a good part of his school-free day playing with the neighbor kids.

I spend a good part of my day refereeing fighting- “No pelando!” (no fighting) is something I yell out more than a few times a day.

I’ve also discovered that it’s important to always have jicama and cucumbers on hand and a bag of corn for popcorn. You have no idea how much Mexican kids love jicama and cumbers with lime and chili and/or popcorn. Around 3 pm everyday they start asking for “comida?” “do you have anything to eat?” I take out a pitcher of water, glasses and some slices of cucumber and jicama or a big bowl of popcorn and all is good.

Yesterday they were playing “shoveling” and they played for nearly an hour. That's a big pile of sand they are rearranging. Ah, to be a kid again.

Blogging and Playdates.

American Mommy and her family have decided to brave the swine flu come to La Manzanilla. I have really enjoyed meeting her family and, as luck would have it fellow blogger Steve has recently arrived in Mexico and was able to meet us for dinner.

Because we all blog about our lives and families and felt like these were old friends. Such a strange thing to have happen over the internet….although now that I think about it isn’t that how it works for Match.com?

American Mommy’s youngest son and Lyle are really two peas in a pod and they hit it off immediately, when I saw the box of army figurines and the Star Wars Clones Wars movie belonging to AM’s youngest I knew they would be fast friends.

Yesterday, in the afternoon we went over to have a playdate. The boys headed off to watch a movie, I pulled out a book and sat down on the couch, American Mommy’s hubby offered me a glass wine, American Mommy had a conference call after which we chatted about travel adventures with kids in Mexico. Pretty darn similar to our playdates in Denver with parents I’ve know for years.

Tonight we are going a jungle tour together….If you don’t hear from me again it’s because I fell overboard and have been devoured by a Croc!