Daily Blog

Last week, Chelsea Kyle shared on our Facebook page an excellent opinion piece by New York Times columnist, Nicholas D. Kristof, titled Primero Hay Que Aprender Español. Ranhou Zai Xue Zhongwen (First learn Spanish. Then study Chinese.) The point he cleverly, and even bravely, makes is that even though Chinese is growing in popularity as the language of choice for parents who want to give their children an educational advantage, Spanish is the language every child in the United StatesRead More ...

No better place to start 2011 for us than in tierra Azteca–México.  Last week I shared a post from our first weekend in México City and promised to share more, but fell short on that promise because my daughter got a severe cold and double ear infection and I got hit with the flu.  We had to take it easy for days and missed out on many of the sights we were looking forward to having Camila experience:  el ZócaloRead More ...

Happy New Year to all of you! We hope 2011 bring you lots of happiness, peace, love and success! As 2010 comes to an end, both Ana Lilian and I want to thank you for all your support, inquiries, comments and contributions because without it SpanglishBaby would not be what it is today. This has been a year full of awesomeness for SpanglishBaby. For starters, we celebrated our first anniversary with a major redesign which — after a few minorRead More ...

We were finally able to spend a Christmas with family in Mexico after three years of quiet holidays as a family of three in Los Angeles.  Travel is one of the most significant and effective ways to immerse your child in a language and culture.  Aside from the obvious benefits for our girl’s bilingual development, travel to Latin America for us is a matter of connection to the essence of who we are and to the heart of our heritage. Read More ...

In my family Christmas celebration traditions have come and gone, just as they may evolve with any family. My mom has mentioned how before they immigrated from Mexico she and her brothers would celebrate Christmas differently than how it had changed here in the US, but then again a lot changed as they made a life on the other side of the border. The one part of our Christmas celebration that has remained the same throughout our upbringing is ourRead More ...

I have a relative who, every time we visit, says: “Oh, while you’re here, we have do such-and-such! It will be our new Thanksgiving/Christmas/yearly tradition!” And while it is always quite a nice idea, only one of the “traditions” has stuck. What’s more, my husband and I always just look at each other and smile when she says it, because we’re both of the belief that you just can’t say something and make it so—you can’t force a tradition. IRead More ...

We have many traditions in my family: The baby Jesus in the front room, the ornate tree, the nativity scene, tamales, pupusas, pan de chumpe, opening presents at midnight christmas eve, but more than any single thing we do, it’s the feeling of familia that makes Christmastime special for me. Early in December or late in November, my Mami sets up the Christmas tree with los jovenes. Some years it’s with me and my husband, but as we live 500Read More ...

I can’t imagine the Christmas season without music.  I love that holiday music is played almost everywhere at this time of the year.  Music has been an important part of our family celebrations for as long as I can remember.  During our parties, we sing and play musical instruments together, enjoying both the music and the time with our loved ones. My interest in music was fostered from a young age.  When I was in second grade, my school offeredRead More ...