Last night we were invited to the premiere of Disney’s first-ever celebration of La Navidad: ¡Viva Navidad!

Located in Paradise Gardens at Disney California Adventure Park, Disney’s ¡Viva Navidad! is a Latin-themed holiday street party that’s toda una fiesta con verdadero sabor navideño! From the music that includes Mexican mariachi and samba, to the folkloric dance, colorful pageantry and just overall festive environment that Disney got just right. Of course, the fun is led by The Three Caballeros with a very special appearance by Mickey and Minnie!

I can’t even explain to you how happy I felt when I saw it the first time. I felt I was definitely witnessing a beautiful homage to part of our Latin culture that exemplifies nuestro amor por la vida y las tradiciones. My daughter felt completely identified and was singing out loud to the tunes of “Feliz Navidad” and wouldn’t stop dancing. She even recognized that her Mexican doll looked like the dancers!

Here are two Instagram videos I shot with a sneak peek into the ¡Viva Navidad! street party that’s going on now until January 6 with around six daily performances. In a few days I will bring you an interview with one of the Latina’s behind the creation of  ¡Viva Navidad!, as well as video of the complete street party.

Oh, and there’s also lots of Mexican street food and desserts to enjoy at the Paradise Gardens, to the tunes of Latin bands. How about a Mickey concha?

For many people the idea of “celebrating” death might seem gory and even disrespectful, but for those in Mexico and other countries in Latin America remembering those that have passed before us is filled with joy and a festive atmosphere. Much of the symbolism associated with the traditional Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) holiday celebrated in Latin America on November 1st and 2nd, has crossed over to the United States and is starting to fuse with Halloween due to its proximity in days and its seemingly related themes dealing with the after life.

TO CONTINUE READING HOW DISNEYLAND PARK COMMEMORATES DÍA DE MUERTOS CLICK ON TO READ THE REST OF MY POST ON BABBLE

You know how we all have these things we want to do and places we want to see that we love to obsess about, but have such a hard time actually getting to cross them off our bucket lists? Well, my husband and I promise each other every single year that we’re going to invest in camping gear, learn all about the camping life and venture out to the many idyllic places that surround us in California and are just a short drive away.

Truth is we never quite get around it. With all my work-related travel, Camila’s social life on weekends, international trips to visit family and just a busy lifestyle, camping always seems like too much work and we never quite get around to doing it.

Until a few weeks ago when I said ¡Basta!, enough is enough, and I found a wide-open weekend in our calendar and immediately went online to search for a place to drive to in our Prius V that would be no more than a few hours away. That’s when I found El Capitán Canyon, two hours north of Los Angeles. Since all the planets seem to have been aligned that weekend, I also found an available safari tent waiting for us! Not only was it available, but it turns out it’s meant for people like us that aren’t really campers, but have a need to commune with nature and escape city life. So the term is “glamping,” as in new “glamorous camping” and I love it so!

All we had to do was pack the trunk of our Prius V with food, clothes, dishes, towels for the pool (yes, there’s a pool!), and basic necessities. Everything else was provided, including a private fire pit, picnic table, beds, linens, electricity, towels, and more. So perfect for a last-minute planner like me!

We arrived at night and were greeted by the most star-filled night you can imagine. Camila got her first glimpse of la via galaxia (milky way) and was in total awe. We cuddled next to the fireplace and then got into our comfy beds. Life was perfect right then and there.

We spent two nights just being at El Capitan Canyon and promised to go back with a group of friends next time. The beach is a mile away, so we stopped by to build sand castles before heading back to L.A. through the scenic route that passes by Los Olivos and the picturesque city of Solvang with it’s Danish influence.

My husband loves making videos of our trips and he went the extra mile with this one. That’s just how happy this last-minute glamping mini-road trip made us.

How do you escape from the “everyday” and unwind with your family?

Today, I’m sharing a different kind of app with you. Generally, we prefer to review only apps with a Spanish language option. However, we’re making an exception for Voyager Kids because it is such a fantastic resource for globally-minded kids, like the ones we are hopefully all in the midst of raising.

With four categories (Travel, Learn, Explore, and Play) and tons of fact-filled pages inside each one, Voyager Kids is a wealth of information about animals, plants, landmarks, culture, and travel.

Kids can read about and see breathtaking pictures of countries and regions and then test their knowledge with games. One of the most unique games is called Aviator, in which you choose the correct word for each letter in the “aviator’s alphabet.” This one is a challenge even for some adults!

I particularly love the Travel section for SpanglishBaby families. Even if you don’t have an international trip planned anytime soon, your kids can virtually explore the Wonders of the World and come up with a list of new places they’d like to go. This is a great way to start a conversation about other languages and cultures, using your child’s immersion in the Spanish language and Latino culture as a basis for understanding others.

Find Voyager Kids in iTunes and Barnes & Noble Nook Store

Available for iPad, iPhone, and Nook

Recommended for ages 6 and up

Price: $3.99

Check out more about Voyager Kids on Edissey, Inc.’s website and on Facebook.

I’m still in awe of all the natural wonders Mexico holds. When I was invited to visit La Paz, the capital of Baja California Sur, and was told that we’d be visiting la Isla Espíritu Santos y was definitely excited, but had no idea the beauty that awaited me.

I, along with the group of travel writers I was traveling with, was taken aboard a motor boat run by Fun Baja to explore the Sea of Cortez. Our guide was Juan Beltrán and we were extremely lucky to have him. He embodies the happy and free spirit of the area and his pride for the place he calls home is palpable.

Instead of telling you about our magical day at Isla Espíritu Santos and swimming with the sea lions, I’ll let you watch this video that I took where you will see for yourself how breathtaking this place is and also get to meet Juan Beltrán, Fun Baja tour guide.

And now you know why I’m planning on going back during whale watching season with my daughter and my husband. I felt so guilty they didn’t experience this with me!

Special thanks to La Paz tourism board and Fun Baja Adventures for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

This post is sponsored by Disney Story. To find out more about this brand-new story-creation app - and how it puts the power of storytelling in your hands - click here.

It’s no secret to those that know me either online or “in real life” that I have a true passion for all things México. The five years I spent living in that country solidified my adoration for it. While there I traveled the country as much as I could, but there’s just so much more to explore.

One of the regions I have been aching to visit for years now is Baja California Sur. Living in Los Angeles, it’s almost a given that you’ve at least made it down to Cabo once, but not me! So when I got an invitation from the La Paz, Baja California Sur fideicomiso to join a small group of travel writers and journalists to board Aeroméxico’s very first direct flight from L.A. to La Paz and explore the area for a few days, I pretty much jumped up and down in front of my laptop for a few minutes before I replied.

Not knowing much about La Paz and really only being aware that the Sea of Cortez was the place to be during whale-watching season (October-March), I embarked on this journey with no expectations other than to discover another piece of my México lindo y querido.

What I quickly learned once we landed in La Paz is that this is a quiet, family-oriented, relaxed, up-and-coming beach town. Time really seems to have stopped in this beautiful city that’s also home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world as it faces the Sea of Cortez, coined by Jacques Cousteau as the “world’s aquarium.”

There’s so much detail that I want to share with you about what I discovered in La Paz, the Isla Espíritu Santo and the surf town Todos Santos and why this is such an ideal destination to visit with kids. But a picture tells a thousand words, so for now here are a few pictures with highlights from my trip. Caution: the sea’s turquoise color is mesmerizing and like nothing I had seen before!

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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 we decided to sponsor Brenda, how we “chose” Brenda and how we were able to meet her in her school in a remote pueblo in El Salvador. Your comments were so uplifting since almost every single one of you mentioned you were now inspired to consider sponsoring a child yourself. I totally get that there are so many misconceptions about sponsorship that hold many of us back from considering putting our donations funds into this. I was in that mindset for the longest time and I’m so thrilled that I took the plunge and that led me to discover the real work that’s being done by organizations like Save the Children to make sure underprivileged kids have access to the basics they need to survive and thrive.

I promised to share more about what I learned about sponsoring a child. Click here to check out my Babble Voices post on the 7 things I learned about sponsoring a child. 

Would love your comments here or there.

¡Gracias!

My very active 83-year-old aunt called me a few minutes ago to ask me to accompany her to one of her multiple events. She is from Ecuador and has been living in San Francisco for about 65 years, since she came to the U.S. for college. She got married with an Italian-American guy and had four children. Her children live around the Bay Area and except for one of them, who learned Spanish in college; they speak only a few words in Spanish.

My aunt is from a time when people wanted to melt in and so, even though she and her kids traveled on vacations back to Ecuador, she did not speak Spanish at home and they did not attend immersion or bilingual schools in San Francisco. I grew up in Ecuador and attended a bilingual Spanish-English school there.

After going to college in Brazil, I came to San Francisco for what was going to be a short stay, and 22 years later, I still find myself here with two kids, a house and an American husband. When I first arrived to San Francisco, I lived with my aunt for three months and got a chance to reacquaint myself with her. I remember thinking how much the first 18 years of a person’s life really mark the essence of who they are. Though she has lived in San Francisco for so long and has many American trait — like the fact that she is always on-time as opposed to the Ecuadorian tardiness — her personality and essence are still very Ecuadorian. Aside from the fact that my aunt wants company to the event, I think that she likes to speak in Spanish with me, and likes to tell me about her life and friends from Ecuador, with whom she is still in touch.

Though I have always considered myself a very nationalist Ecuadorian, when I first arrived to the U.S., I wanted to experience everything from the American perspective. I went to live with American roommates, worked for Oracle and interacted with people from around the world, etc… and then married an American from Anglo ancestry.

As the years went by, I began to miss my roots and tried to become acquainted with more Spanish speaking friends. When I got pregnant with my daughter Isabela, who is now 10 years old, I was certain I was going to speak with her in Spanish. I wanted to give her the benefit of being bilingual and hoped that would lead to biculturalism.

After she was born, I stopped working to take care of her. Speaking to her in my own language was so natural to me that I could have not done it otherwise. As I discovered her personality and loved not only the beautiful baby she was, but the personality of the vivacious, caring and creative person she is, I wanted for her to experience and understand my roots and who I was as well.

The second year of her life I went to live for almost the whole year in Ecuador (my husband came to visit every couple of months). Spanish became her first language and the surroundings that I grew up with hers. We returned to live in San Francisco, and I have tried to keep Spanish as the language between me and the kids as much as possible. Even at the park when we’ve met with non-Spanish speaking friends, I have continued only speaking Spanish to my kids (even if I looked crazy).

Because they were fluent Spanish speakers at the time they started school (my daughter and now my son), we decided to put them in a public Mandarin immersion school. To maintain the kids Spanish and their understanding and relationship to the culture, we go to Ecuador for two months every year. My kids love going to Quito, the city I grew up in, and to the same beach area I used to go to when I was a child.

I can only hope that when I get old, my daughter will want to accompany me to some event I may have, but I am sure I that when I call her I will be able to speak with her in Spanish.

{Photo by photon_den}

It’s been two weeks since my family and I got back from one of the most memorable vacations we’ve spent together — a Western Caribbean cruise aboard the world’s largest ship, Allure of the Seas, courtesy of Fisher-Price and Royal Caribbean — and my kids are still talking about it.

We sailed from Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale and after two days at sea, we docked in Labadee, Haiti. It was a great opportunity for me to practice my French with the locals and for my kids to see how important it is to be able to communicate with people in a language they understand. I mean, it’s not like they don’t speak English, but it’s definitely not their first language and the ability to speak French actually got me several discounts in the handicraft market on site.

As I said on my first post about the cruise, from Haiti, we were supposed to set sail to Falmouth, Jamaica, but Hurricane Sandy had other plans and so we ended up spending an extra day at sea since the port there was closed by the government to avoid any potential problems. I was a bit saddened because I had been looking forward to visit Jamaica, if only for a few hours. In the end, though, I was grateful that at least I was not home in Denver, where my friends and family were dealing with the first snow of the season.

Plus, another day at sea meant we got to the opportunity to spend even more time exploring all the Allure of the Seas has to offer to adults and children alike. Check out some of the photos of our adventures within the cruise ship:

On the merry-go-around in the Boardwalk for the 50th time…

Watching one of the endless shows from Chicago to Madagascar, there’s truly something for everyone!

I’m so happy I did the zip line!

Playing mini golf surrounded by the ocean on all sides!

Reading a book borrowed from the library on board. What a view!

Racing on Fisher-Price Power Wheels!

After spending two days at sea, we finally docked in Cozumel, Mexico and took a lovely tour of the city with a very knowledgeable tour guide. The tour also took us to the other side of the island where the kids had some agua de coco and Vanessa picked some conchitas for her ever growing collection. And then, we got to spend a few hours by the water just relaxing. Vanessa was excited to be back in Mexico and our visit gave me the opportunity to talk to her about the immensity and diversity of that beautiful country.

I would’ve never really thought of a cruise as a great opportunity to expose children to different cultures and languages in a short period of time. As I said in my last post, besides the places we visited, the cruise ship was also full of people from all over the world and my kids made several new friends in a trip we’ll be talking about for a very long time.

My family and I just got back from a 7-day Royal Caribbean cruise that took us to Labadee, Haiti and Cozumel, Mexico. (The ship was supposed to dock in Falmouth, Jamaica also, but Hurricane Sandy had other plans.) As you can see from the photo above, we went aboard the Allure of the Seas — the biggest cruise ship in the world! While I’ll attempt to give you a sense of what it was like through a series of photos, I think the only thing that will do justice to our whole trip is for you to experience it yourself.

But before I begin, I want to disclose that this trip was made possible by Fisher-Price and Royal Caribbean. What does one have to do with the other, you might ask? Well, Royal Caribbean has partnered up with Fisher-Price to offer all kinds of incredibly fun onboard experiences to little cruisers. From playgroups with interactive sessions for the teeny ones (ages 6 months to 36 months) to a toy lending program and even a musical birthday party show with the Little People characters, there is something for everyone!

One of my children’s favorite things was Royal Caribbean’s Adventure Ocean youth programs. Although Vanessa was sad to be separated from Santiago because of their age difference, she got over it quickly after she had the chance to experience all the amazing and fun activities she participated in each time she was there. Santiago was in a program called Aquanauts (for ages 3-5 years) and Vanessa was in the one called Explorers (for ages 6-8 years). From science to art to music, there was never a dull moment while my children where a part of the cruise’s youth programs. I must say I loved going to get Vanessa at the end of each session only to find her having the time of her life dancing!

But the aspect I liked the most and which made me feel the most comfortable leaving my kids there — especially when it came to Santiago — was that so many of their staff members were multilingual. As many of you know, Santiago is not yet fully bilingual and Spanish is his first language. As soon as I signed him up for the Aquanauts program, I asked if someone in the staff spoke Spanish and I was so very happy to find out that several of them did! Santiago was quick to make friends with all of them — the Spanish and the non-Spanish speakers alike — but I was glad that he had people there who would be able to understand him without a problem.

Speaking of which, one of MY favorite parts of the cruise was the amazing diversity not only of languages, but of nationalities among both the other guests and the crew. From what I was told, there were 70 countries represented among the crew and who knows how many more among the other guests. My kids heard all kinds of languages aboard the ship during the time they were there and Vanessa always asked what they were. Plus, we met people from the Philippines, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Colombia, Romania, Peru, England, Brazil, Puerto Rico, Japan, Panama, Canada and from a lot of different parts of the U.S. Sounds like heaven for someone raising bilingual and bicultural kinds, ¿no creen?

I have a lot more to share with you about this amazing experience, but I’ll leave it for another post. I don’t want to overwhelm you!