Monthly Archives: October 2009

For weeks now, most have been getting ready for Halloween with costumes, decorations, pumpkin patches and carvings and all-around spookiness.  I’ve never been a big Halloween celebrator, but I’m obviously getting into it now that my girl can have fun with it.  Which is really what this holiday is for-just having fun, getting great pictures and over-dosing on all sorts of sweets. In our bicultural home we also have a fondness for Día de los Muertos, which is celebrated onRead More ...

Her original name was not Dora and Latina she was not. More than 10 years ago and after working with outside creators to come up with new ideas, Nickelodeon’s Valerie Walsh Valdes and Chris Gifford were given the opportunity of a lifetime: to develop their own show. This is what they thought up: a show about a preschool girl who has a bunch of animal friends and goes exploring every day. Her name was Tess. But the network’s executives hadRead More ...

Funny coincidence happened last week. I was rummaging through a resale store with my girl and we found some fairy wings that were just her size. She’s at the stage where she’s discovering that dress up is fun. She really had no idea what they were, but she knew she wanted them on. We drove back home and to our surprise found a screener copy of Walt Disney Picture’s newest “Disney Fairies” movie Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure forRead More ...

One of the biggest disagreements my mother and I have had over the years is the amount – or lack thereof – of makeup I wear. Whenever she sees me getting ready to go out – no importa donde – her comment is always the same: “Hijita, ¿no te vas a maquillar un poquito?” Thing is, I have put makeup on, just not tons of it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t like making myself up, butRead More ...

By day, I’m your typical acculturated 30-something. A die-hard fan of “Sex and the City” who goes goo goo gaga for Tiffany´s & Co., and savors a daily dose of vanilla latte. In many ways – pura gringa. At night, I go to a multi-generational home – one that hasn’t changed much since I was born. I was raised by my abuelo and abuela ever since my mom left the tiny country of El Salvador in search of the bigRead More ...

This HBO Latino series features both a dog and a cat that are so, but so cool that they´re bilingual and only need to go by “El Perro y el Gato.” The short episodes focus on simple pre-schooler topics such as manners, vacation, grooming and, the one below, sharing. The hyper active Perro says everything in English and then repeats it to to the ice cool Gato in Spanish.  The cat responds in short phrases which are usually written outRead More ...

This post was originally published on March 26, 2009. Although I believe I already was a supporter of dual language immersion programs prior to the extensive research I’ve done to put together this education series, now that I’ve learned more of its intricacies I can definitely say I have become one of its fervent advocates. Allow me to  tell you why. A well-designed dual immersion program encompasses the “best of both worlds,” as I was told repeatedly by the educatorsRead More ...

Since we launched SpanglishBabyFinds almost two months ago (wow! Where has time gone?) we’ve introduced you to a bunch of products we love and use–or would use–with our own children. Well, it’s time for something for us, las mamás, don’t you think? And, since you know how much I love reading, then you shouldn’t be surprised that what I’ll be talking about today is BOOKS!!! I recently received a box with five books Hachette Book Group put together in honorRead More ...