Updated Heritage Journal Series

My Heritage Journal series is getting a facelift and the first new cover is out. I absolutely love it and have to give a huge shout out to artist, Rosa Lopez, for her amazing talent and for helping my series finally be perfect!

The first new cover is for My Mexican Heritage Journal. The series was created for children ages 8 to 14 and provides them with a way to record their family's story and heritage.

It's a great project for kids to work on over the summer or as an elective during the school year. And the stories, interviews, recipes, and memories written inside will make it a family heirloom that your child will treasure always.

If you want to read and see more about the inside of these books, visit my original post. 

The next cover will be My Puerto Rican Heritage Journal. I can't wait for its reveal!

You can purchase your copy of this new journal here:

Holiday Gifting: Owl Aboard Family Puzzle

You know what I absolutely love? Games or activities that make it easy for families to do together regardless of age. I know it's easy to play games with your 8-year-olds, maybe even those who are 7 or 6, but it's a little more challenging when they are 3. 

So when I saw this amazing family puzzle that comes with 20 big pieces for little kids and 40 pieces for big kids (and adults!), I knew I was going to recommend it. It's challenging enough for two people of vastly different ages and experiences to enjoy. 

Putting together a puzzle has so many benefits! In case you didn't know, it can...

• improve short-term memory,
• lower stress,
• develop concentration,
• teach patience and self control,
• develop fine-motor skills,
• reinforces connections between brain cells, and
• so much more!

My mother loved to put together puzzles. When she was alive, she would buy my children puzzles for Christmas most years. We still have some of them. 

My grandmother also enjoys putting together puzzles in her assisted living home. She's been fighting dementia for a several years now, but likes doing puzzles, crosswords, and word searches. They say it is great for her mental health. 

And all my kids love working puzzles. We haven't done many in the last two years since my youngest child, who's now three, became mobile and into everything. We were afraid of losing pieces. He's just recently discovered puzzles, though. The age-appropriate kind, of course. And he loves them, too. 

Which is why I think this puzzle is just brilliant! Big pieces for him to manipulate, and small ones for the rest of us. I'm so looking forward to the moment when my kids open this and realize it's for all of them. 

If this is something that you'd love for your family, you can find it here on Amazon:

Free Download: Thanksgiving Family Recipe Cards

Does your family have special dishes (aside from the traditional turkey and stuffing, I mean) that you make to celebrate Thanksgiving? Do you incorporate your family's heritage and culture in those dishes? For example, do you add a special twist such as jalapeños or chipotle to your sweet potatoes? Those are precious traditions that are unique to your family.

Photo by Jeanine Thurston

Over the years, I've posted about super delicious dishes that my Latina friends prepare at Thanksgiving as a way to honor their heritage. Here are some of them:

• Camotes al chipotle
• Pumpkin Spice Flan
• Pumpkin Empanadas (shown above!)
• Butternut Squash Tamales
• Roast Turkey with Port Wine Guava Glaze

Don't they all sound wonderful? The camotes al chipotle is my favorite and I try to make it a few times during the fall.

But you can see a complete list of the recipes here.

While you are planning your menu for Thanksgiving, why not take the opportunity to turn this time into a teachable moment and spend some quality time with your kids? I've created these free Thanksgiving recipe cards (available in English and Spanish) so your child can write down your family's favorite recipes for the holiday. It would make a wonderful family heirloom or even a lovely gift to share with family.

Thank you for being a part of the MommyMaestra family. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Click here to download

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New Titles in Heritage Journal Series: Guatemala & France

I'm so happy to share that two more titles have been released in my Heritage Journal Series! I had several requests for a heritage journal that explores Guatemalan heritage. So I wrote My Guatemalan Heritage Journal (aff) to help kids explore and document their heritage... and I had a lot of fun researching it.

**And I'm pleased to say that now through August 1st, I'll be donating a portion of the sales of My Guatemalan Heritage Journal to Save the Children for the work they are doing for the asylum-seeking families in Deming, NC.

In addition, I've started working on a series of non-Hispanic titles, starting with My French Heritage Journal. A French version will be coming out soon. And I'm working on Spanish translations of the titles that explore Hispanic heritage. So keep an eye out for these.

As with my other heritage journals, these two books contain:

• a journal cover page,
• "This journal belongs to" page,
• a map for coloring in where in Guatemala/France their family has lived,
• a page allowing children to write where their family has lived,
• a page for drawing or pasting your family's crest coat of arms,
• pages for drawing a family tree,
• a page for drawing or pasting snapshots of family members with lines for titles and captions,
• a page titled "Why I consider myself to be Guatemalan/French" with writing prompts and room to write down thoughts and answers,
• 17 journaling pages with small cultural images and fun facts from Guatemala/France, plus one blank journaling page to be reproduced as often as you like,
• 3 pages to share favorite family memories or stories with space for adding photos or drawing pictures,
• 4 pages for recording family interviews,
• 4 pages dedicated just to photos,
• 1 sketch pad page,
• and a family recipe cover page and actual recipe page.

I loved learning about some of the fascinating facts, crafts, and traditions most closely associated with these countries. For example, in the Guatemalan journal, your children/students will learn about places such as Tikal and Pacaya, as well as products like jade, cacao, and coffee. They'll read about worry dolls and huipiles, then discover the resplendent quetzal.

In my French journal, they'll read about famous landmarks like the Arc de Triomphe and Louvre, as well as the traditional game of boules and the popular Tour de France. They'll also be introduced to French cuisine and famous people.

All these and so much more are found within the pages of these journals. They are here to guide your children as they explore their family heritage and provide a place to record their discoveries. These are designed to be family treasures to be passed down from one generation to the next.

You can find a complete list of all the titles in my Heritage Journal Series here.

And to see some sample pages, take a look at this post that I wrote for the launch of the series.

If you've purchased or plan to purchase any of these titles, I would like to ask that you please, please, please consider writing an honest review on Amazon. Those reviews help my journals show up to families searching for these titles. Thank you!

My Top 8 Family Travel Essentials

The following is a guest post by the lovely Annabelle Humanes of the piri-piri lexicon.

Just like Monica and her family, we love travelling. We love discovering new places. And we love taking our children everywhere we possibly can (like The Louvre a few weeks ago).

Wherever we go, however we travel, there are few things we always take with us. We travel light. We are not ones for packing toilet paper on a trans-Atlantic flight or children's favourite toys (beyond the one item).

A few weeks ago, I shared a few of the things we have never taken away with us and got quite a few passionate pleas for those items on social media. I wanted to share, here, some of my favourite family travel essentials. From medicine to car seats, here are the eight things we take, without fail, on our travels with our two young children.

Travel guide 

I love planning my trips with Pinterest and online travel blogs. I also find using a good old paper travel guide very rewarding. I love reading about the history of the places before or sometimes after our visits. And when wifi is a miss, they come in very handy.

Sat nav (GPS) app 

Whether it is a few kilometres away or hundreds of miles away, we love Waze. It works well in most countries we have visited so far. It is free. It is community-based so information about traffic jams and roadwords tends to be very accurate. You can set your destination when leaving your accommodation (using wifi) and you are good to go for the day. The only downside is that it tends to use a lot of your battery life. Don't forget the car charger.

 

A good old map 

Even though, we use electronic devices to navigate, sometimes a good old detailed map of the area you are staying in can give you ideas for exploring and discovering new things. I love spotting a town with a funny name or a road highlighted in green (natural beauty) and just heading in that direction on a whim.

Bubble Bum booster seat 

Our favourite booster seat ever. It is inflatable, light, folds flat and is approved by the EU safety standards and many other safety agencies around the world. It is suitable from age 4 and avoids having to lug around a huge booster seat. We have been using it for a while now and never had a problem with it.

Trail Wallet 

To keep track of expenses on longer trips, I always use Trail Wallet. Again, it is free and you can enter your total budget, daily budget and any currency you are using. Call me organised if you like but I don't like to come home to a big surprise in my bank account.

Arnica 

In my first aid kit, amongst a bunch of other remedies, there is always a tube of Arnica creme and small pills. Suitable for all kinds of grazes, bruises, it is the perfect go to remedy for children falls, bumps and other minor accidents. I even carry some in my handbag: because toddler!

 A camera 

Of course, I take way too many photos of my family and our travels and not enough photos of me. I bet I am not alone. I am hoping to have solved this partly by getting our eldest her own little camera. She absolutely love it and it is fun seeing our travels through her eyes.

Baby carrier 

Our youngest is still only two years old. We use a baby carrier for him still. It is lightweight, foldable, great for airports and children can be carried on your back for a long time. I would not have been able to fly from Europe to the US alone with two kids without it. I left the stroller at home. Too cumbersome.

What about you? What would you not leave home without? 

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Former linguist. Maman to two little world citizens. Currently living in Germany (via the U.K., France, and Portugal). Annabelle blogs about life as a displaced multilingual mum at the piri-piri lexicon. You can also find her on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.

Book Review: Maya's Blanket

Time for another addition to your family library's Latino children's literature section! Today's picture book is a treasure that celebrates the special bond between Abuelitas and their grandchildren.

"What if the objects we love -- blankets, stuffed animals, dolls, toys -- never leave us?" ~Monica Brown 

Maya's Blanket ~ La manta de Maya

by Monica Brown

illustrated by David Diaz

I truly love this sweet story titled Maya's Blanket (aff), that puts a Latino twist on a traditional Yiddish folk song "Hob Ikh Mir a Mantl." Monica Brown's own multicultural background serves as the inspiration for this book; she's of Peruvian and Jewish heritage.

When Maya was just a baby, her Abuelita hand-stitched a beautiful blanket for her. Maya loved her special manta (blanket) because it kept her cosy and warm every night. As she grows, the blanket gets frayed along the edges, so she and Abuelita transform it into a lovely dress. But then she stains the front, so they turn it into a skirt. Before long, Maya has outgrown it and the skirt must be transformed again....

The story goes on with the beloved blanket changing - getting smaller and smaller - but still useful to Maya as she grows bigger and bigger.

Perhaps your family will be inspired by this book to save and repurpose those special gifts that are gifted or passed down from family members and friends.

What is most touching to me about this book is the special connection that Maya shares with her Abuelita. Their love is so strong that Maya clings to the blanket as it changes form... a symbol of the close bond she shares with her grandmother.

Bilingual families will love that the book comes with full text in both English and Spanish, though some Spanish words (manta, bufanda, etc.) are sprinkled into the English text. There is also a glossary included at the end of the book.

David Diaz' illustrations are, as usual, fantastic. The colors are vibrant, reaching out to pull your eyes into the story. Each page is a visual delight as each character seems to leap off the page.

This beautiful story is can be used to supplement lessons on family, recycling, repurposing, creativity, growth, metamorphosis, transformation, grandparents, and more.

Book Review: Do Families Grow on Trees?

Do Families Grow on Trees?/ ¿Crecen las familias en los árboles?

by Lauren Machta

illustrated by Jodi Hill

Explaining what a family tree is to children can be a complicated thing to do...unless you have this book! Lauren Machta is a Spanish language professional who has written this sweet little story to help children understand the concept of family relationships and family trees. 

The bilingual book comes with full text in both English and Spanish, but there is also an English version and a Spanish one. The simple storyline is sweet and features an Abuelita explaining to her granddaughter - little Eva - how family trees work. She even helps her make their own family tree. 

The illustrations are cute and colorful. The last two pages of the book include a tree template for your child to fill in with his or her own family information. Machta has also created a few downloadable resources on her website, such as a word find and list of interview questions for a child to ask. But while the book is best suited for children probably 5 years old and younger, the resources are more in line with older children who can read and write. 

This is a self-published book, so when you purchase it, you are helping the author. I did notice one tiny little typo (a missing set of quotation marks), but other than this, the story is well written. 

You can purchase on Amazon here.

Happy reading!

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

PreK12 Plaza for Latino Families with Preschoolers

If you are a parent of a preschooler, then there is a wonderful new online resource for you that launched this week! Univision has partnered with PreK12 Plaza to provide this free resource for Latino parents to help prepare their preschoolers for school. Too many Latino children continue to start kindergarten already behind, then struggle to catch up.

This new website includes videos,

games,

eBooks, and more to help children get ready for school in just 15 minutes a day. It covers Math and Literacy skills, and there are also resources for parents.

The whole site is available in Spanish AND English so you can choose the language that works for you.

While this particular site is free, PreK12 Plaza offers a more robust site for parents with children in Pre-K through 12th grade. For a $25/month subscription fee, you get access to hundreds of resources that help your child excel in school. Don't worry, though, if it is not in your budget. You can apply for a Padrino. If your family is selected, you could receive a free subscription to the site.

Go to their site and try a sample lesson to see if you like it...

App Review: Story Bug by Cricket Magazine

When my kids were little, we moved half way across the country far away from family. How I wish I'd had access to an app like this! Cricket Media has discovered a way to eliminate those distance barriers with their latest app, Story Bug. Whether you are a parent who travels far away from home for work, or a grandparent who is looking for opportunities to bond with your grandchild, or a military family that moves on a regular basis, this app makes those special moments with infants and toddlers possible.

Name: Story Bug
Subject(s): Reading
Brief Description: A new reading app that combines video chat with an interactive reader, allowing young people and adults in different locations to read specially curated selections drawn from Cricket Media’s portfolio of acclaimed children’s magazines including Babybug, Ladybug and Click.
Price: Free w/in-app subscriptions
Language: English
Ages: 0 - 6
Device: iOS 

What I like:

This is the perfect app for families! Story Bug allows children and adults who are in different cities, states, or even countries to enjoy reading time together. The app itself is free to download and comes with two free eBooks. Additional books can be accessed via an in-app subscription ($4,99/mo, $14.99/6-mos, $24.99/yr). You only pay for the subscription once and you can add as many family members as you'd like, so even abuelita or Tía María can take turns reading to your nene every day. 

Your subscription gives you access to dozens of books, magazines, and stories from Cricket Media, including Babybug, Ladybug, and Click. More stories are being added monthly.

Since both parties see the same screen, you can read aloud to your child if you are away at a conference, turning the pages at the same time. Both screens even show where the other person is pointing, so you can direct your child's attention to specific images and words. 

You also have the option to upload photos of each user, and these profile pictures appear at the top of the screen, so little children can see the face of their loved one while listening to him or her read the story (and vice versa). 

This is such a great app for early learners and the materials cover critical developmental topics, such as letters, numbers, shapes, colors, and more.

What needs work:
It doesn't appear to be available with their Spanish magazines yet. And it would be especially great if it were available on Android devices, too. 

Disclosure: I received access to this app for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

A Year Full of Blessings Activity {Printable}

NOTE: Printable has been updated for 2023.

Happy New Year from MommyMaestra!

I am so looking forward to this new year and all the wonderful moments I'll be sharing with my family. My biggest wish is to be a better mom. To help my children find happiness everyday and grow in knowledge and self confidence. I want to be the mom they need me to be: always patient, always kind, always loving. And since I'll be trying to help them find the blessings we have each and every day, I'm starting off with this idea I've seen in a million places. To share it with you, I've created a bilingual printable for A Year Full of Blessings Jar.

A Year Full of Blessing Jar

Every time we experience something new, learn something fantastic, meet new people or receive something wonderful, it gets written down and placed in the jar. At the end of the year, we open up all the notes and read about our marvelous year.

To help you create your own, I've designed two images (one in English, the other in Spanish) that you can print up and attach to your own jar. We've used both, one on each side. I printed them on some extra 2" x 4" mailing labels I had laying around. The images are large so you can adjust the size as needed.

Download Your Year Full of Blessings Labels HERE

Wishing your family a wonderful new year full of many bendiciones!

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Popular New Year's Traditions from Latin America
  
  
• Free Download: Letters to the Magi in English & Spanish
  
  
• Día de los Reyes Lesson Plans, Books, Activities

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True Holiday Spirit: My Sons' Gift to their Abuelos

I just got off the phone with my dad. I have a feeling that he has been calling a lot more lately because he knows that we won't be going home to Chicago for Christmas. We missed going home some years ago with very good reasons; living in Tokyo or having just had a baby are good excuses to not travel around the holidays. But this year, it will be bittersweet as my youngest is just 18 months. And my parents remember having the five of us over last year, as a complete family, as if it were just yesterday.

Deciding to stay home for the holidays was not easy. Hubby and I went back and forth about it for the past two months! Travel expenses, a much needed "staycation," and the awful East Coast weather helped seal the deal to stay put. So the boys and I decided to make a really special Christmas gift for the patriarchs of both families. Both my husband's father and mine are not easy to shop for (don't tell them!), but we love them so much we want them to have something super special. Since I had given this type of gift to them many years ago after having my firstborn, I knew this present would be a hit again.

Just as we suggested earlier this year to end your school year with a scrapbook or yearbook, I thought a calendar to show how much the boys have grown over the past months would be a very neat idea. Both abuelos have their own offices and I knew they would display them with pride. A gift that truly lasts a lifetime.

For this project I chose Shutterfly and had my oldest, Diego, help me pick out the pictures and suggest what months we should place them on. He was very cute while choosing the template that has the basic seasonal themes (hearts for February, leaves for November, etc.) because, "Mami, it's a calendar." Jajaja! Right. Although we are mailing the gifts and they boys won't get to see their grandfather's faces when they open their neatly wrapped gift, for now, Diego is the only one of the three boys who understands what it means to give a gift with all his heart.

Nevertheless, even our three year old constantly asks for his abuelitos, and he doesn't quite understand that they don't live in the beautiful house down the block. My job is to always talk to them about the true meaning of Christmas, their extended family whom they adore, and the special things we can do from afar.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday and wish you nothing but the best for 2014!!

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Betty Galvan, is helping her readers "find the positive and seek the benefits" over
at My Friend Betty Says...

Las Posadas y Abuelitas

When I think of Las Posadas celebrations from my childhood, I think of twinkling winter nights and the sound of voices young and old blending sweetly together. I remember how my boots would pinch my feet as I shifted from left foot to right foot, holding my little candle and sheet music, or lifting the small platform upon which the little statues of the peregrinos stood. My breath would make moist clouds rise in the cold air.

When I think of Las Posadas, I think of entering warm homes to the sound of joyful singing, and the smell of chocolate and canela filling up my senses. I remember broad smiles and warm embraces that squeeze me with soft arms, my own stretching - but not meeting - around huggable bodies. 

There is laughter and food, and thoroughly cleaned rooms with little nacimientos carefully arranged on table tops covered in white felt. Tamales are piled high on the table and hot chocolate with canela is served in paper cups.

Today, as the season approaches, I have no Posadas to which I can take my children. The only other Latina I know in town is from Colombia and sadly our paths do not often cross. But I still cling to the memories with the desperation of one who is afraid of losing pieces of her childhood. I remember snuggling with my 'Buelita, and I miss her wide smile, beautiful laugh, and loving arms.

So I create new traditions for my children by telling them about my own childhood and reading them books related to Las Posadas. We fill out activity sheets, create projects, and I ask my children to try recipes that I remember or must recreate, like tamales, Abuelita's chocolate, and even buñuelos. 

But for me the best thing about the holidays is not the traditions, or the gifts, or even the giving. Instead it is seeing my children embraced by their abuelita and grandpa as they walk in the door. It is in seeing the smiles that stretch from ear to ear as they peek out at me wrapped in their 'Buelita's arms. And it is in knowing that these are the moments that they will remember their whole lives, perhaps most bittersweetly when they themselves become grandparents.

This giveaway has now ended and the winner notified. 

A Gratitude Ritual



(Rickydavid/Flickr)


The following is a guest post by Carla Molina of the blog, All of Me Now.

Last year, I jumped on the Facebook bandwagon for 30 days of gratitude in November. Everyday I'd post the things I was grateful for and also what my two daughters gave thanks for before bed. It provided some heartfelt and funny posts.

An old friend commented; she told me I was doing such a beautiful thing for my daughters and teaching them an important lesson. Her words really made an impact. It made me wonder why we only ever gave thanks during the month of November. And so, I ventured into creating a daily gratitude ritual.

We tried different things - giving thanks during a meal, while making dinner, during bath time, in the car - but what everyone naturally gravitated toward was giving thanks at bedtime.

Every night after the girls are snug in their pajamas, I turn out the lights and light a small candle. We each take a turn giving thanks for three things then blow out the candle. Once we've all had a turn, I light the candle one last time and we each make a wish and blow out the candle together. Most recently, my oldest has added her own little touch and, as the candle goes out, she whispers, "Let our wish come true."

There are nights when we're so past their bedtime, I want to skip it so I can get some work done while they sleep. Other nights I simply forget to pull out the candle. But my girls never forget. Every night they ask for it. I think it's a wonderful way for them to go to bed with positive feelings in their hearts.

This year I skipped the 30 days of gratitude on Facebook. It's become a yearlong tradition. And while friends can no longer share in the things we give thanks for, I know our daily practice has a much greater impact on the hearts of my daughters.

How do you encourage your kids to practice gratitude?

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Carla Molina is a freelance writer whose work has appeared on Latina.com, SpanglishBaby, Tiki Tiki Blog and in the soon to be launched Vida Vibrante. A Jersey girl gone New England, Carla is a homeschooling mom passionate about raising her two daughters by example. When she's not taking in a movie or devouring a good book, you can find Carla directing and producing her local Listen To Your Mother show which hits the stage in May 2013. Keep up with Carla at her personal blog, All of Me Now.

A Healthy Self Image Begins at Home

© kmiragaya - Fotolia.com

How many of you have daughters? I have one. And she is smart and beautiful with a mind of her own. I look at her and wonder if I was ever as self-confident as she is now, determined to do great things, knowing she is fully capable of anything she puts her mind to.

But when I look at her, I also worry. I worry about how she will feel about herself in a few years when she enters high school and experiences being compared to others. When media and society begin throwing certain ideas her way, telling her she's not beautiful unless she looks a certain way or wears certain clothes. Whether it be another person or her own mind that takes measure and finds her lacking, I wonder if she will be strong enough to always feel beautiful and proud of herself.

I remember that it wasn't until I was in my late teens when I realized the value of inner beauty. I think it was when I overheard someone say that one of my best friends wasn't beautiful. I was outraged because, of course, I thought she was. But when I started thinking about it, I realized that maybe she wasn't what most people would consider beautiful on the outside, but to me she was lovely because of who she was as a person. I knew she was sweet and kind and joyful. And that inner beauty spilled over and out into her smile, her laugh, and gentle touch.

The reality is that outer beauty is subjective. It fades and changes as we grow. I remember my 'Buelita...actually, she was my great-grandmother on my mother's side. And she was truly one of the most beautiful women I've ever known in my life. She had gray hair, wrinkles, beauty marks, moles and age spots. She was round and huggable. And she is my lesson in life when it comes to beauty.

I tell her story to my daughter. I show her pictures. And I know that my daughter recognizes that beauty is what you make of it. I point out other people we know and ask her questions like, "Do you think [Insert Name Here] is beautiful? Why or why not?"

So it makes me really glad when I see companies tackling this issue, too. This weekend is the 3rd Annual Dove Self-Esteem Weekend. They kicked it off in New York with a silent march to Times Square, which perfectly represents all the noise and distractions that women - moms, grandmothers, tías, hermanas - have to break through to reach girls. "Let's Talk" is this year's theme, encouraging women to start the conversation with their girls.

For so many young girls, anxiety about their looks begins at an early age and affects their self-esteem. It holds them back from pursuing goals, friendships, opportunities, and dreams. According to Dove global research, 74% of girls (ages 10-17) feel tremendous pressure to be beautiful, but only 11% are comfortable using the word beautiful to describe themselves. How horribly sad is that??!?

Of course, everyone has the opportunity to make a difference in a girl's self-esteem, but more than half of young girls around the world say their mother is their #1 role model. As a mother to one beautiful daughter, this reminds me to be mindful of the things I say. And I would encourage all of you to take time to start a conversation about beauty with your own daughters. And try to do it on a regular basis.

You can visit ViveMejor.com (Dove's Spanish site) to download free tools to motivate and inspire a girl in your life. Here it is in English. The Let's Talk Toolkit includes a discussion guide to help moms and mentors start a conversation on beauty and self-esteem. They have one-on-one activities for mothers and daughters (I LOVE THEM!!!), as well as classroom activities.

Let's help our girls develop a healthy self-esteem, valuing themselves because they know they are beautiful.

How do you develop your daughter's self-esteem? Please share your tips with us...

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Dove and Latina Blogger Connect. All opinions, though, are strictly mine.

Abróchate a la Vida

When I was a little girl, I don't even know if car seats were around. Maybe they were, but I certainly don't remember using one. In fact, I have two distinct memories. First, I can remember playing around in the back of our car while my mom was driving in the front. We used to have this game where she would ask, "Quién es la más bonita?" and I would sing back, "Yo!" Followed by "Quién es la más guapa?" ...and so on. But at the very end, she would ask, "Quién es la más fea?" I would scream "Baby King Kong!" and fling myself into the opposite corner, sometimes getting up by the rear windshield to escape my mother's tickling fingers.

The second memory I have is of my 'Buelita, who used to drive a little Gremlin (do you remember those cars??). She could barely see over the steering wheel and had to drive sitting forward to reach the pedals. And in the back, I would sit - unbuckled - pretending to drive using the back of the seat in front of me as a steering wheel.

Now, as a mother of two, I look back on those days with a good bit of horror. I'm so grateful that we were never involved in a wreck, because who knows if I'd be sitting here today writing about the importance of buckling up our kids.

And since those long ago days, I can remember hearing or reading about Latino children involved in accidents, who have died because they weren't wearing a seat belt.

In fact, did you know that:

• Car crashes are the number one killer of children in the US? And every year, more than 160,000 children are injured in car crashes.

• Latino children are less likely to be buckled up than non-Latino children across ALL age groups?

• AND that Latino children are more likely to die in a car crash?

All of this is why I am supporting the wonderful program, Buckle Up for Life, or Abróchate a la Vida, a national, community-based injury prevention initiative supporting the African American and Hispanic communities. They work with local hospitals and churches, to addresses the economic, cultural and, where appropriate, language barriers to motor vehicle safety.

The program was created via a partnership between Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and Toyota, and is the only program of its kind. During a six week program in a pilot city, they saw dramatic results; the program nearly tripled the number of children properly buckled up among the families who participated.

Gloria del Castillo is the program's National Coordinator. She says they saw the need to address the cultural issue, the financial issue, and the educational issue through the program. In addition to safety classes, participating families also receive a free car seat or booster seat, and are taught by certified child passenger safety techinicians on how to properly install them.

Programs are launching across the country and are available in Cincinnati, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Antonio, and are soon expanding to Houston, Las Vegas, Orange County, and Philadelphia.

To learn more about Buckle Up for Life, I encourage you to click here. Nothing is more precious than your child's life. And it doesn't take much to keep them safe in a vehicle.

Un abrazo...

 

The Importance of Family Vacations

Happy Fourth of July!

I promise to spend the rest of this week sharing resources for the next school year. But first, I want to catch you up about our family vacation.

As I mentioned in my last post, we decided to take a break last week for some serious family time. My favorite thing about summer is being able to relax, plan, and play. There's no schedule to keep, no school work to get done. (I might add here that my favorite thing about starting a new school year is getting back on schedule!)

After working so hard this year, I wanted to give the kids a really big treat. I want to be sure and emphasize to them that just because they have to work hard, doesn't mean they can't play hard, too.
 
And this year, my parents decided that instead of the beach, they wanted us to take the kids to - Disney World! (Yay, me!) So despite a rocky start (we lost a day due to plane cancelation - BOO, Delta!!), we had the time of our lives. Rather than try to cram everything in, we decided to just enjoy what we could, and not worry about seeing everything.
 
It was my first time to go. And although I was exhausted every evening and mis pies were barking, I loved it all. We managed to make it to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and the Animal Kingdom. I really wish that we had had time to visit Epcot - it looks like they have some excellent exhibits on world cultures, as well as space. Maybe next time?
 
Naturally, my son's favorite part was Star Tours, the Star Wars ride at Hollywood Studios. But he also went crazy for the T-Rex Cafe where we ate dinner our last night. And, of course, the Lego Star Wars stuff...
 

  

 

 

My daughter preferred the Animal Kingdom. Especially the safari ride, the Tree of Life, and all sorts of little treasures she found along the way...

 

 

 
And my favorite part? What else? The LEGO STORE!!!
 

 

 

The only down side to the whole thing was the heat. Bluh. Next time I'm going in May. Maybe it won't be so sticky and crowded. (Yeah, right.)

 

Bilingual Books to Celebrate Abuelo This Father's Day

  

Abuelo y los tres osos

by Jerry Tello

 

 

Osito y su abuelo

by Nigel Gray

 

El Abuelo (Hablemos) (Spanish Edition)

by Debbie Bailey

A Perfect Season for Dreaming / Un tiempo perfecto para soñar (English and Spanish Edition)

By Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Abuelo vivia solo / Grandpa Used to Live Alone (Spanish Edition)

by Amy Costales and Esperanza Gama

Walk With Grandpa:Un paseo con el abuelo

by Sharon Solomon, Pamela Barcita and de la Eida Vega

   

El abuelo ya no duerme en el armario (A La Orilla Del Viento) (Spanish Edition)

by Molina Silvia

El abuelo cuenta 365 historias/ Grandfather tells me 365 Stories (Spanish Edition)

by Equipo Editorial

El reloj del abuelo/ Grandfather's Watch (Spanish Edition)

Francisco Villanueva