Daily 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 ...

¡Hola! It’s been over a month since I posted — my daughter, Lucía, was born on January 29th and needless to say it’s been very busy times! But I’m slowly getting used to my life as a mamá of two and trying to manage it all. I’m still not sleeping much, but they say sleep is for the weak, right?! Anyway, back to business! This week I wanted to share something a little different. I often get asked, “how do youRead More ...

It’s time for our fourth SpanglishBaby LIVE Google+ Hangout and we’d love for you to join us tomorrow. This time around we’re discussing bilingualism and children with special needs. For those of you who’ve never joined a Google+ Hangout, you should know that it’s just like hanging out with a bunch of friends, except that you’re not all in the same room. WHAT: In our fourth Hangout we’ll be discussing the basics of bilingual education and dual language immersion programs as part of Google’s #SpringIntoEducation movement. WHEN: Thursday, March.Read More ...

My second child is approaching his first birthday, and with this milestone comes the excitement of new words spoken and understood. Also, as it relates to our bilingual ambitions, this age is my favorite because success is defined in a measure that is achievable for our monolingual household. It’s cheating, I know, but at almost one year old, my hijo is completely bilingual! Actually, just today, he said “más” and used the sign for more. I was ecstatic! I continuedRead 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 ...

  I have nothing against technology when raising bilingual children. Apps, online games and movies in Spanish are a great supplement in this journey — but they’re just that, a supplement. It is a mistake to think that just sitting your child in front of the television set to watch a show in Spanish or to let them mouse around with a bilingual computer game will expose them to the kind of vocabulary needed to become proficient in the minority language.Read More ...

Saenz Awarded PEN/Faulkner Prize, First Hispanic Winner from Fox News Latino — I was super happy when I heard the news, not only because Benjamin Alire Sáenz is the first Latino to win the prestigious award, but also because we really like his bilingual children’s books and the publishing house behind them, Cinco Puntos Press. Felicidades to all! Challenges and tips for raising bilingual children from NBC Latino by Monica Olivera — Monica spoke to three experts about some of the mostRead More ...

Recently my husband and I decided to go through the process of trying to get our daughter enrolled in a prestigious and private dual language school in our city. I honestly did not imagine having to go through what seems like a rigorous process this early on in her academic trajectory. She is almost three, which means she qualifies for the primary school grade classrooms. We learned that there were a limited of spots (~30) with over 125 applicants! WeRead More ...