Monthly Archives: February 2010

February is well known for carnivals, so it seems pretty fitting that we’re hosting the monthly Blogging Carnival on Bilingualism started last year by Letizia from Bilingual for Fun. We’ve grown to really love this idea mostly because we’ve connected with a lot of bloggers from all over the world trying to do the same thing we all are: raising bilingual/multilingual children! This month we’re happy to welcome back the usual suspects, but we’d also like to introduce you toRead More ...

My husband was prepping for a presentation for one of the classes he takes at the local university when I happened to ask him how he felt about speaking in front of a group of people. He said it had gotten much easier with time, but that it would be even easier if he didn’t have to do it in English. That was surprising! I’ve always considered him just as bilingual and biliterate as I am. Both of us attendedRead More ...

Few shows have the ability to get you up and running like LazyTown can.  And that´s the whole point.  The high energy that comes from the music, the colors and the adrenaline-filled pace of the show can be addictive for little girls and boys. The friends at V-me sent me a dvd of the Spanish-language version of LazyTown´s first episode “Bienvenidos a LazyTown” to watch and review.  My girl, now 2 1/2 years, happily gave up her normally scheduled doseRead More ...

“Au revoir,” my daughter finally said to the owner of our neighborhood French bakery recently as we were leaving after getting our fill of the most yummy, buttery croissants and perfectly baked quiche Lorraine. I was beaming. She’s known how to say goodbye in French for a while now, but she always refuses to say it when I prod…I wonder why? We go to the bakery at least once every two weeks, after I pick her up from preschool .Read More ...

Just when you think things are getting better, you find out outrageous news like this one: a bilingual secretary in a public elementary school in North Carolina has sued the school district claiming she was fired for speaking Spanish to students’ parents. According to the article in the Charlotte Observer, the lawsuit states that in 2006, Ana Ligia Mateo was hired as a bilingual secretary for a school with a student body that’s 42 percent Hispanic. Everything was fine untilRead More ...

Valentine´s Day is the day to tell our friends and family how much they are loved.  We are always full of love for this community of parents raising bilingual children and for the love and support you always show us. In Spanish-speaking countries,Valentine´s Day is called either El Día de San  Valentín or El Día del  Amor y la Amistad. This week´s video is from one of the favorite characters in our household:  Caillou, learning about El  Día de  SanRead More ...

My girl is finally at an age (2.6) where she can manage to sit still long enough to be read a book.  I was always jealous of moms who could sit with their baby or toddler and go through a book without having it fly across the room or be torn, chewed on or otherwise destroyed.  We couldn´t even really enjoy storytime at our local libraries because there was just no sitting still for Camila.  Running, screaming, snacks in theRead More ...

Just wanted to share with you the winners of 2010′s Pura Belpré Award. Established back in 1996, the award goes to “a Latino/Latina writer and illustrator whose work best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latino cultural experience in an outstanding work of literature for children and youth.” Author Award winner: Return to Sender by Julia Alvarez – A YA (young adults) novel about the friendship between two children from different backgrounds, one an American citizen, the other one an undocumentedRead More ...