Everybody was raving about my newborn son at a recent family + friend’s get-together – and it wasn’t only because some were meeting him for the very first time. The main reason is that he is PRECIOSO (ok, I’m a little biased ) and now he has the clothes for all the world to know!

When I got Latin Baby’s Precioso onesie in the mail, I chuckled because that’s probably one of the terms of endearment I use the most with my newborn son. I used to do the same with my daughter when she was a baby. I don’t even know why that word and not “lindo” or “chulo,” but I must not be the only one if this bodysuit in particular is one of the most popular clothing items, according to Monica, owner of Latin Baby.

The bodysuit is 100% cotton – meaning it’s really soft which is perfect for a newborn. It comes in either light blue, pink or white. The design is available in both bodysuits (sizes newborn, 6 and 12 months) and T-shirts (sizes 2T, 4T and 6T) and for both niñas y niños. They are part of Latin Baby’s “Con Amor” collection which also includes the design “Mi Cariño.”

And, if you’re looking for a baby shower gift with Latino flair, you can also get the bodysuit as part of the online boutique’s Newborn Gift Set which includes a Gordito/a, bib and a gorrito by Los Pollitos Dicen. Another bestseller which you can actually win in the giveaway below!

A Giveaway!!

This giveaway is now closed.  Congratulations to our winner #19: Kristy!

We’re giving away a Newborn Gift Set, like the one pictured above, to one lucky winner!  For a chance to win visit Latin Baby website and come back to leave us a comment telling us what is your favorite product and why.

That’s all you have to do to enter this giveaway.  If you want to up your chances at winning, then click here to learn how to get additional entries.

This giveaway ends Sunday, October 11, 2009 at midnight EST.

For the part that nobody likes, but we’ve gotta have, check out the Giveaway Rules.

{Make sure you’re subscribed to the SBFinds feed via email or RSS so that you can be notified of our weekly Finds, special discounts and more awesome giveaways.}

Why did I not know about Latin Baby on-line boutique two years ago when friends and family were showering me with gifts for the upcoming arrival of our girl?  I would have been such an original if I´d set up my baby registry with them, a site that celebrates our hispanic culture and traditions.

My registry would have included these for sure:

• Del Sol Quilt–OK, I know they´re pricey, but so one-of-a-kind. I would have settled for one!

• Ellaroo Rebozo Wraps–the wrap we had was NOT this colorful or beautiful.

• Baby Tee basket–I would have sweetly demanded (that´s what you do when your pregnant and hormonal) the “Corazoncito” onesie for my Princesa.

• Green and Yellow Beenie set–a crocheted beenie with matching pair of booties.  Who cares if she was born in the middle of August in the dry Los Angeles heat?  She would have looked oh-so cute!  It’s all about the picture, anyway.

Back then I would have never thought of sending out bilingual baby shower invitations, but in retrospect the Latin Baby ones would have been a hit since my shower’s theme was Mexican toys.  Not to mention the Latinita/o baby cake topper!

Could this be inspiration enough to go for the second one?   Not quite.  But now I found a great place for my gift buying!

Latin Baby has been generous enough to offer you a special discount of 25% off everything in their store, excluding the baby quilts, from now until October 31st.  Get a head-start on your Holiday shopping with all the new seasonal products that are already available.  You know you want to be original and at the same time save.  Here’s your chance.
Use dicsount code: SB41009100 at checkout

{Make sure you’re subscribed to the SBFinds feed via email or RSS so that you can be notified of our weekly Finds, special discounts and awesome giveaways.}

Photo by nicotiine

We’re all familiar with the phrase “Tell me what you eat, and I’ll tell you who you are.” I truly believe that food binds us as a family, connects us to our culture, fills us with the tastes and aromas of our heritage and gives us our identity.

As we strive to raise bilingual and bicultural children we commit to surrounding our homes with the richness of our cultures, such as the traditional recipes from our different regions. These platillos are such an exciting and delicious way to teach kids about where our family comes from, learn the names and tastes of exotic ingredients and to pass down the traditions surrounding these dishes.

I know I want Camila to identify with the sabores from Mexico and El Salvador. However, I have to admit I wasn’t born a culinary master. ¡Ni cerca! I do the best I can. My husband will say that he’s grateful I keep them fed, but I just know that he would love for me to regularly make them some chilaquiles, huevos con machaca, enchiladas, pozole or just at least stop being scared of cooking with chiles!

Just one more thing my daughter, unknowingly, is inspiring me to do: learn how to cook…for real. (By the way, I finally made Roxana’s recipe for her suegra’s flan de queso and it was a HIT!)

Photo by thebittenworld.com

So, in lieu of spending recession money on cookbooks, I’ve done research online and found some amazing blogs dedicated to Latin food and its culture.

Here are the ones I’ve subscribed to, bookmarked and am now following on my path to mamá bilingüe y culinaria.

1.- Las Recetas de Laylita–Layla, beautiful mother of two boys, shares in this blog recipes inspired by her upbringing in Ecuador. The site is written in both English and Spanish and illustrated with gorgeous pictures she takes herself. I seriously drool every time I see her picture for the Arroz con Pollo recipe. I’ve promised myself I will make it next week-no excuses! And since Camila has inherited my craving for both plátano maduro and cheese, I’ll be treating us to Layla’s Plátano maduro asado con queso. Yummy!

Photo by LFL16

2.- Canela y Comino–I was excited to discover this one since Peruvian cuisine is one of my hands-down favorite.  The woman behind this blog is Gretchen Noelle. She’s been living in Perú since 2003 as a missionary. Her love for cooking and baking drove her to discover the richness in Peruvian cuisine.  In her words:  “I love the variety of cultures within Peru and I find that variety so often represented in the foods of the different regions…I hope to take you on an adventure through Peru, showing you the many delicious foods found here as well as all the creative things you can do with them.” For starters, I’m betting on the Papá a la Huancaína recipe and, oh yes, the Peruvian Ceviche.

Photo by nicotiine

3.- From Argentina With Love–Rebecca Caro married an Argentinean and now is hooked on the country’s traditional food. She writes:  “Argentine food is food that piques the senses, that fills not just a void in the gut but the void in the soul, too. Many of the recipes were once new and unusual to me, but have become such a part of who I am that I just long for the next time I eat them–in Argentina, at my in-laws’ table.”
The first thing I searched for in her blog was empanadas. I wasn’t dissapointed. She has a series called “Empanada of the Month” where I found all sorts of recipes to prepare these delicious treats. I’m hooked.

Photo by mccun934

4.- A Little Cup of Mexican Hot Chocolate…and More–Here I found traditional Mexican food recipes with a sense of humor. This blogger calls herself “La Traductora” and asks us to “…enjoy a little cup of Mexican hot chocolate together, sharing recipes and stories, never forgetting where we came from or those who taught us to love chilies and cactus and the joy of cooking for those we love.” That’s exactly the vibe you get when you visit this bilingual cooking site. It has recipes for the basics such as tortillas, frijoles, salsa verde and horchata but also ventures into teaching us how to correctly roast a pepper (not as easy as it seems…the trick is in the plastic bag.  I learned the hard way!) and make juicy tacos de carnitas.  Every recipe is prefaced by a funny story or observation that makes this blog a very enjoyable and mouth-watering read.

Photo by nicotiine

5.-Nikas Culinaria–In her site she combines the arts of cooking and photography to create excellent “How-2″ guides for her recipes. I appreciate her attention to detail since I’m a visual person and need to see as well as read/hear directions. Nikas makes it appear easy to prepare the labor-intensive Colombian meals she skillfully makes, such as arepa de huevo.

What are some of your favorite platillos that you want your children to enjoy? Please post a link to a recipe if you have one.

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