Ana’s Blog

It’s been over a week since my daughter and I returned from our trip to El Salvador to visit family and to meet Brenda, the girl we sponsor through Save the Children. Not a day goes by that we don’t talk about her, plan what we’re sending her next, and pray for her and her family. The connection to her has been that deep for both Camila and I. I loved sharing the pictures and the story of why weRead More ...

Out of all the Latino cultural traditions we embrace and celebrate in our Mexican/Salvadorean/North American home, the one my girl now looks forward to the most is the making of cascarones for Easter. Yes, it does have a lot to do with the fact that she gets to smash an egg shell filled with confetti on her mamis head and make a huge mess at it, but who can blame her? This year I’m looking to get a bit moreRead More ...

Today we join in the celebration of International Women’s Day with joy and a great outlook for a future where women across the globe will enjoy the same access to equality and girls can grow up to live to their full potential. However, the reality is that women are still much more likely than men to be poor and illiterate. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said in an article yesterday that, “No country can get ahead if it leaves half ofRead More ...

Some weeks ago I posted an update on my personal Facebook profile sharing how much I love volunteering at my daughter’s kindergarten Spanish immersion classroom. Not even five minutes later I get a text from a very good friend whom I spend a lot of time with teasing me about using the word “love” in the same sentence as “volunteering.” She kept on going that there was no way I could love that and I had to be exaggerating. IRead More ...

Not only is my daughter an only child, she’s also a mom blogger’s only child. You could correctly assume she’s a bit — okay, a lot! — spoiled. It’s just the nature of our life. She gets mom’s and dad’s undivided attention when we’re together, and there’s nothing we want to change about that. As a mom blogger’s daughter who lives in L.A., she’s gone to Disneyland and Disney World as a VIP more times than she should have atRead More ...

The benefits of teaching children two or more languages are immense and really the best gift you can give them. Research has proven that bilingual kids are better multi taskers, they can concentrate and focus better, and they have enhanced literacy skills. Not only is bilingualism beneficial to the brain, but it also opens kids up to wider cultural perspectives and understandings. That said, parents must be motivated and willing to put in the effort and consistency necessary to successfullyRead More ...

I have to admit we live a pretty exciting bicultural vida in Los Angeles. Not only is this city incredibly diverse, vibrant and colorful, but it’s also such a great place to raise kids. Yes, it’s huge, lots of traffic and all that, but I feel it gives kids a wider perspective on life and just so many choices. It exposes them to so many cultures, languages and entertainment options that shape who they are and what they gravitate towards.Read More ...

Last August so many of you commented on my Blogust post to wish my daughter a happy 5th birthday and made your comment count as a $20 donation to Shot@Life. $20 is what it costs to give one child four life-saving vaccines. Those 267 comments from that one post translated into 267 children getting a chance to celebrate their 5th birthday, just like my daughter did. Collectively, the 31 bloggers that participated in Blogust were able to reach our goal of 10,000Read More ...