Hi friends,

How are you? Here, Norway lifted the traveling ban, and we are soon going to visit our family in Greece. Quite an unexpected surprise, as we had already canceled the whole trip! How are things at your end? I hope you’re coping and that things are getting better <3?

2 YEARS AGO….

In other news, on the 16th of July in 2018, my journey in publishing officially started. This date marked the launch of a Kickstarter campaign for the ambitious plan, of creating together with the public, a children’s book illustrated with street art unique to this project. Facebook reminded me of this photo, which is the very first one I received! That wall, later on, had to be abandoned, and Platon started painting the book cover again from scratch somewhere else, in a more quiet place where he could concentrate on the task (lots of passerby). And to celebrate this…

WIN A COPY OF WHERE AM I FROM?

Participate in a book challenge hosted by Żebbuġ Learning Studio and Little Bookworms Malta. You can find all the details about the competition and take part here. The challenge is open to everyone, all around the world, and it’s very simple :). All the best of luck!

Christine Bartolo is a mother, and trained teacher who also specializes in travel literature, information science, language pedagogy, and storytelling, has to say. She has created Little Bookworms where parents and educators are offered guidance to continue finding joy and connection with their children. These are her words: “Reading with our children is one of life’s little pleasures. However, it is not always as easy as this may sound. Sometimes, being guided on what to read, how to read, and what follow up activities to do with your child is all that you need for you and your child to have an enjoyable experience. Since books offer the opportunity to explore language and because language is essential to human communication, our relationship as parents with our children is enriched. Through books, children also develop their literacy, numeracy, and cognitive skills. The book challenges on social media motivate parents, educators, authors, and children to read and share stories together.“

HAPPINESS STREET BOOK PREVIEW AND READ-ALOUD

Ηere you can watch a video preview of the book, and here you can listen to a read-aloud by the wonderful Angel Greaves. If you’d also like to read-aloud any of my books online for little ones to be entertained during these times, you have my permission. Just tag me, please :). 

HAPPINESS STREET SOON TO BE PUBLISHED IN SPANISH

Due to high demand, this book will also be published in a Spanish edition and in a bilingual English-Spanish edition. Would you like it to be published in more languages? Hit reply and let me know.

FACEBOOK HIGHLIGHT – A VIDEO IN MY GROUP

Here I’m showing on camera two hand-painted drafts I received from the artist Eva Rodriguez, who illustrated a new children’s book of mine titled Sunny’s Magical Headband, and which will be published by Faraxa Publishing in Malta this fall. What you see here is one of her lovely illustrations in full color. If you’re on Facebook, join me there as well as it’s a bit more interactive :). 

PEaCH PROJECT – CAN YOU HELP?

This message if from Rita Rosenback, one of the contributors to the guidebook I curated, and which most of you here have read, How to Raise Confident Multicultural Children. I’m proud to be selected as one of the first volunteers to read and evaluate the first draft of “How to raise a bilingual child“, which upon its completion, will be distributed for free to everyone: “I am participating in an EU-wide, Erasmus+ funded project called “PEaCH – Promoting and preserving Europe’s cultural and linguistic heritage through the empowerment of bilingual children and families”. The first draft of our guide “How to raise a bilingual child” has been sent out to evaluators. We are working on the accompanying videos and the collection of language materials is underway. We are still looking for volunteers to participate in collecting and evaluating language materials in all 24 official EU languages. Interested? Please send an email to rita@multilingualparenting.com and I will send you more information.” 

FROM THE ARCHIVES

The mismatched socks and the multicultural child – “Erik (5 years old) grows up in a home which is a little bit different than others in the small city of Norway that we’ve been living during the last 2 years. His mum (me) is a native speaker in a language that his dad (Roy) doesn’t speak. His dad is a native speaker in a language that his mum doesn’t speak and which she only recently started to decode. There is a third language at home, which is considered the ‘family’ language, and which is Erik’s 3rd language in terms of fluency. Dad grew up in Norway, mummy in Greece, Erik was born in Malta and Nelly, his younger sister (2 years) in Norway.” Read it in full here. 

I wish you a lovely weekend ahead, and don’t forget to take part in the book competition :)!

With my warmest regards,
//Elisavet Arkolaki (aka Liza)

The post Win a copy of Where am I from? + a read-aloud of Happiness Street first appeared on Maltamum.

Thanks

The post Choose the prize of our next giveaway! first appeared on Maltamum.

Who wants to be the FIRST one to own in Malta this brand new Ergobaby carrier?

The competition is on on our Facebook Maltamum page. Like, Share and Comment to take part in our draw.

The Ergobaby Original Sailor carrier will be available in Malta in the beginning of 2016. As soon as we receive it, a random winner will be announced.

The post Win an Ergobaby Original Carrier Sailor & be the 1st one to have it in Malta! first appeared on Maltamum.

To participate simple leave a COMMENT about Maltamum in the comment field or under this picture on Facebook.

BirthROCKS Malta & Gozo is offering to 1 of our lovely mums 1 private birth preparation 8 hour course for her and her birth partner worth €250! The winner will be drawn on Friday 4th December after 12:00.

Good luck to all our expectant mummies

The post Win a private birth preparation course worth €250 first appeared on Maltamum.

I am happy to announce the Thudguard safety hat has just been introduced to Malta and one lucky mum will win it for FREE!

Thudguard® is a soft foam protective safety hat designed to protect your baby’s head while learning how to crawl, walk and play. It is recommended from the 7th month up to 2 years of age and it is endorsed and supported by experts worldwide. Read more about Thudguard Malta here.

To enter this FREE competition submit entries through the application below:

Thudguard hat Malta giveaway.

Maltamum Cardholders receive 3 virtual tickets to the draw vs 1 ticket for the non-Maltamum Cardholders. Read here how to become a Maltamum Cardholder and benefit from exclusive privileges, including a 10% discount on all your Thudguard hats purchases.

The winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted by email and announced on www.maltamum.com .

Good luck!
Liza

The post Giveaway – Win a Thudguard infant safety hat first appeared on Maltamum.

Thank you all for participating and congratulations to the lucky winners!

1) Claire Scicluna wins a maltamum card.

Calire, kindly follow the Step No.1 as seen in the purchase form here, and you will receive your card within the next days.

2) Joanna Manousiadou Santos wins a Blooming Bath by the maltamum card partner Cadeau Unique.

Joanna, you may choose a Blooming Bath in pink, blue, yellow, ivory or mint colour. Kindly contact Cadeau Unique here on Facebook to arrange the details.

3) Alice Gauci wins a Great Swandoodle by the maltamum card partner Cuski Malta in white and blue colours as seen below.

Alice, kindly contact Cuski Malta here on Facebook to arrange the details.

4) Petra Paula Spiteri wins a €25 voucher to spend on natural and organic Bema Baby & Cosmetici baby products at the maltamum card partner Debbie’s Baby Centre.

Petra, the voucher will be valid for 3 months. Kindly contact Debbie’s Baby Centre on Facebook here to arrange the details.

5) Alice Gauci wins a 100% Organic Cotton T-shirt (1-2 years old) by the maltamum card partner Organic Baby Malta.

Alice, kindly contact Organic Baby Malta on Facebook here to arrange the details.

6) Cristina Barbara wins a hand-made kitten doll by the maltamum card partner MyMy sock monkeys.

Cristina, you may choose the colours. Kindly contact MyMy sock monkeys here on Facebook to arrange the details.

7) Caroline Mizzi wins a Great Swandoodle blanket by the maltamum card partner Cuski Malta in pink and white colours as seen below.

Caroline, kindly contact Cuski Malta here on Facebook to arrange the details.

8) Sharon Bugeja wins a hand-made monkey doll by the maltamum card partner MyMy sock monkeys.

Sharon, you may choose the colours. Kindly contact MyMy sock monkeys here on Facebook to arrange the details.

9) JesLark Butler wins a romper-ribbon set by the maltamum card partner La Petite Boutique.

JesLark, kindly contact La Petite Boutique here on Facebook to arrange the details. You may choose the size. The set is available from 1 to 10 years old.

10) Hannah-Marie Martin wins a Bottom Dream soothing nappy cream by the maltamum card partner Blends of Nature.

Hannah, kindly contact Blends of Nature here on Facebook to arrange the details.

11) Tiziana Pane wins a unique, personalized exploding card by the maltamum card partner Salnitroma’s Handmade Cards.

Tiziana, kindly contact Salnitroma’s Handmade Cards here on Facebook to arrange the details.

12) Elena Micallef wins a pack of 5 washable cleansing pads for baby’s bum by the maltamum card partner Cruelty Free Malta.

Elena, kindly contact Cruelty Free Malta here on Facebook to arrange the details.

13) Karen Pace wins a natural oil perfume (for mummies) by the maltamum card partner Soap Cafe Malta.

Karen, kindly contact Soap Cafe Malta here on Facebook to arrange the details.

I wish everyone a great summer! Should you have any questions, contact me on Facebook or send an email at liza@maltamum.com

Love, Liza

The post The winners of the big maltamum summer giveaway competition first appeared on Maltamum.

Wanna win baby and children products for FREE?

Follow this link on maltamum Facebook page

1) LIKE the pictures with the featured items you would like to win
2) RATE maltamum on Facebook and WRITE a public review

One winner will be drawn per item on Friday, July 25th at 12:00 CET.

Good luck

This is a generous offer to our maltamum fans from selected maltamum card partner companies. This competition is valid for individuals residing in Malta and Gozo.

The post Big summer giveaway competition first appeared on Maltamum.

Wanna win a gorgeous Cuski Sweet Dreamzz Blanket?

Simply click LIKE on the Facebook competition post you will find here: https://www.facebook.com/MaltaMum?fref=ts OR leave a comment under this blog post!

Feel free to comment and share!

2 maltamum cardholders will win these two blankets as seen on the pictures.

The Sweet Dreamzz Blanket is an award winning Cuski product. It’s a large square muslin, 120cm x120 cm, made from 100% natural, breathable anti-bacterial bamboo. The perfect multi-tasking item for busy mummies & daddies – unique bright lightshade, swaddle, sarong, nursing cover, scarf, light blanket – 5 products in one!

This is a generous offer from our partner Cuski Malta to our Malta Mums.

*The winners will be drawn at 12:00 CET on Thursday, June 12th.

http://maltamum.com/20-and-15-discount-on-all-cuski-products-organic-cottonbamboo-natural-terry-cotton/

The post FB Competition: Wanna win a gorgeous Cuski Sweet Dreamzz Blanket? first appeared on Maltamum.