Recordando : Remembering

I was never a follower of Selena. As a matter of fact I didn't even own any of her music until last night! Even though I get a huge knot on my throat every time i hear "Como la Flor" or "No Me Queda Mas". And every year I watch the specials on TV honoring her and I can remember exactly where I was when I heard the news of her sudden death. This is probably a tragedy that I will never forget. There were so many great things going for her at the time, her possibilities were endless.

Descanza en paz Selena, nunca te olvidaremos (we will never forget you).

Trying to catch up!

It seems like time is just flying by and I'm running against it! These last few weeks have been extremely busy for me on the home front. Before I start babbling, allow me to give you a little insight as to why things get a little crazy for me and I go MIA. I have a six and a half year old son named Diego, with Asperger's Syndrome (which is associated to the autism spectrum). He was diagnosed officially on Nov. 1 of 2007. I say officially because as parents we always had a doubt and an instinct that told us there was something wrong and that he was simply just not going to "grow out of it". I remember always comparing my son to other "normal" kids and wondering if the things that he was doing were actually going to go away on their own. I would ask my sisters and my mom what they thought since they were mothers way before I was, and all they would say was "no te mortifiques, es niño! ya veras que cuando cresca un poco mas, el va a cambiar" {"don't worry, he's just a boy! you'll see, when he gets a little older he will change"}. Well, time went by and my husband and I worried even more. When Diego started kindergarten, it was absolute chaos. He had been attending Montessori school for the previous years and regular public school had a huge effect on him, so huge, that we realized then we had to do something. We had him diagnosed.

Some of Diego's symptoms are predominantly: Constant movement (hyperactivity), lack of eye contact (at times), impulsivity, frustration and anxiety. For the most part, a lot of these symptoms are controlled with therapy. There are days when you can't tell there's something wrong with Diego and other days when the symptoms are "a flor de piel" (very noticeable). That's just how life is, and believe me, if I could change anything about Diego, it would only be to help him out, because we love him just the way he is. He is extremely intelligent, loving, caring and articulate. He has been the biggest life lesson we've had so far, he has taught us how to be good parents.

So, with all of that said I can finally tell you why it's been crazy on the home front for me. My husband and I were preparing for our second annual IEP meeting with Diego's school, in which we asked for changes to be made. We stressed, prepared ourselves, did some research, stressed some more, did more research, asked a bunch of questions, stressed more... finally we had our meeting and things went pretty well. For those of you who are not familiar with these IEPs and the school districts, let me just say that it's not easy. If you have a child with special needs, the school district will give you what they want to give you and not necessarily what your child really needs! If you don't do your homework and prepare to ask for what your child needs, they will not even mention it to you. No offense to those who work in the education field, I have nothing against teachers at all! If anything, I believe that teachers are the ones who make a difference. I just think that as parents, if you are not prepared to ask for the right things the school district will not provide for you.

My advice, if you are a parent of a special needs child (in a public school) is: Do your homework, by that I mean do some research about your child's special needs. There are so many online sites these days where you could find great information. Don't be afraid to ask questions, if your school turns you down, go to the school district or the board of education. Once your child is set with a good IEP, do some follow ups to make sure he is getting what he needs. Remember that you as the parent know what's best for your child.

And last but not least, perhaps the best advice ever given to me: "When your child is at his/her worst, you have to be at your best."

Here are some helpful links:

http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml?src=a
http://idea.ed.gov/
http://specialchildren.about.com/

XOXOXO
Claudia M.

Simple, Handmade Party Piñata for Kids

Yikes! Sorry this blog has been a little neglected. So much going on - I'm drowning over here! Latin Baby is sucking the life outta me and the LBBC has so much going on right now. Not to mention family trips, house projects and my daughter's birthday.

La niña had the best time the last few weeks preparing for her cumpleaños. She fell in love with the Jungle Book story a few months ago and decided that she wanted a JB party. The last few weeks have been busy transforming our living and dining rooms into a jungle. We used up my entire stash of green construction paper to make leaves for vines and trees. It took so many leaves to transform our house that we started going cross-eyed and by the end, my daughter's colorful rainbow colored leaves had turned into mami's no-nonsense ones that were lucky to get a green vein drawn down the middle.

Since she is the daughter of one former zookeeper and one current bird curator, she has plenty of stuffed animals to decorate the house. Toucans were perched on our mantels and entertainment center; the previously mentioned vines had monkeys hanging from them; snakes, rabbits, frogs and lizards peeped out from around the couch, tables and chairs.

But the best moments of the party were definitely those of the piñata. Absolutely no child's birthday party is complete without one. We had the best (and worst) time making them last week. I was all "Oh, ja! No problema! Easy-peasy!"

PFTHT!

Chihuahua, I had the hardest time making the paper maché balls! Turns out, I don't think I put enough layers on mine and even though we made three, I made the mistake of putting them outside in our greenhouse to dry (away from little deditos, you know?) and it was too cold, so they didn't dry very well. Then, I had the brilliant idea to bring them in and put them on top of the floor vent to let the central heat blow them dry. "POP!" goes the first balloon and the paper maché with it. So I just put the next two close to the vent but not on top. They sorta dried, but not completely before my daughter’s piñata making girl friend arrived. While the kids got busy cutting tissue paper to decorate, I struggled to attach the star points. Long story, short (too late!) we finally reverted to the cardboard box method. There are advantages to having shipping boxes coming out of your ears. The girls had a blast gluing tissue all over the boxes and they went over wonderfully at the party! They may not have been the most beautiful piñatas ever made – but they were to my kids and their friends.

So I’ll share with you a few tips. If you’re ever in the need for a quick birthday piñata, all you need is a cardboard box, tissue paper in assorted colors, Elmer’s glue, a plastic lid (optional) and some tape.

- First, set your kids to work cutting little squares out of the tissue paper. They don’t have to be perfect, but each one should be roughly 2 inches square.
- While they’re doing that cut the tape holding the bottom of the box closed (if there is any.)
- Then squirt a dollop of glue onto a little plastic plate or plastic lid (for little kids it’s easier.) Take your square of tissue and wrap it around your index finger and dip it into the glue so that only a small dollop in the middle gets glue on it. Then put it on the box.
- Cover the entire surface of the box. You can do the bottom, but unless you have a place to hang it from until swinging time starts, any tissue on the bottom will probably get squished. You can add streamers from the bottom of the box, but they will be the first to go (as you can see in the picture!)
- We did two piñatas. For the first one, just use three or four pieces of Scotch tape to hold the bottom flaps closed. Add some newspaper to the bottom and add candy and/or small toys. This first piñata will give quicker and really get the little kids worked up for the second one.
- For the second one, hold the bottom flaps together with ONE piece of packing tape. You’ll be amazed how well this holds and it gives the kids plenty of whacking time.
- To hang it, an adult should use a pair of scissors to poke a little hole in the middle of each top flap, just a couple of inches down from the edge. Cut a short piece of rope about 12 inches long. Fold in, the other two flaps first, then partially close your hole-y flaps and run each end of your rope through the holes and make a knot to make like a purse strap. Now your piñata can easily be attached or removed from your main swing rope line that has been tossed over a high branch in your yard.
- After the kids have had several turns, let the parents in on the action. I’ve never seen so many gringos having such a good time!
- Keep all kids well clear of the area. Even if the box opens and spews its contents, that dangerous, obsessive, little kid with the stick will still whack away. Trust me. Even the kindest, sweetest children turn into swinging monsters once that stick gets in their hands!
- REMEMBER TO KEEP REMINDING THE SWINGER NOT TO LET GO OF THE BAT! M’ija did and it bounced off the head of one of her guests (fortunately she was pretty tough and didn’t so much as sniffle.)
- And lastly, after it’s all over, if you’ve got a giant paper mess in the yard, have a contest to see who can pick up the most paper (girls vs boys works nicely.) You’ll be amazed how a little friendly competition speeds up clean-up time.

For older kids, you can get a little more creative with your tissue paper and make strips of fringed tissue paper that you can carefully wrap around your piñata box in layers, possible alternating colors.

Now, I hope you have all found this giant post helpful!

~Monica

Do You Know Who Ana Dodson Is?

Ana Dodson is an amazing and inspiring young woman.

Born in Cuzco, Peru, Ana was adopted as a baby and brought to America. In 2003, she and her mother decided to return to Peru for a visit. Before leaving, she collected books in Spanish and teddy bears to take to a few of the orphanages that they had planned to visit. One in particular, The Hogar Mercedes de Jesus Molina, deeply touched Ana. And her visit there prompted her to establish Peruvian Hearts, a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of children living in poverty in Peru through nutrition, education and healthcare.

She was only 11 years old.

Today, Peruvian Hearts has successfully implemented a number of improvements and programs to help both the children at the Hogar and in other Peruvian towns. Their goal is to make the Hogar a model for other orphanages. Ana and her organization are making or have already made a lot of improvements to the orphanage building, such as starting construction of a new dining room and modern kitchen, a covered laundry area, and the completion of modern bathrooms so that the girls no longer have to share one outdoor shower.

Peruvian Hearts also raised enough money this past year for their Education Fund, which they used to send all 19 girls at the Hogar to local Catholic schools in order to provide them with the opportunity to go to college, if they so choose.

The organization does not limit its aid to just the Hogar. It is also dedicated to helping other Peruvian children by supporting a Children’s Lunch Program through local schools. These lunch programs provide daily multi-vitamins and warm lunches to over 500 children living in surrounding Peruvian towns.

For a complete list of Peruvian Hearts programs, check out their web site here.

To me, this is an amazing and inspiring young woman and family. And so, to support Ana Dodson in the pursuit of her dreams, the Latin Baby Book Club for the next 6 weeks will be hosting a small book drive for Peruvian Hearts. The books will be part of their Library Project. So between now and April 12th, we ask all of our wonderful readers to please consider donating a new or very gently used children’s book in Spanish. Bilingual books will be accepted; however, they must contain FULL TEXT in Spanish (and English.) Spanish-only books are preferred, though, for obvious reasons.

To reduce the cost, you can mail your book donation as "media mail" from your local post office. Please address your donation to:

Peruvian Hearts - LBBC Book Drive

24918 Genesee Trail Road

Golden, CO 80401

We know that globally, these are hard economic times, and because of this many non-profits around the country are suffering. We’ve chosen Peruvian Hearts for a couple of reasons: Ana Dodson’s selflessness and compassion at such a young age, and to support this young Latina who is trying to improve the lives of other young Latinos in a country suffering much worse poverty than ours – and succeeding. In addition, one book is a small, relatively inexpensive donation, whose value may be powerful and life-changing.

Por favor, consider helping a child through your simple gift.

~Monica

Of Mochilas and Sopa de Caracol

We play children’s music at our place during what feels like every waking hour. I function best when I have some background noise, my boys love it, and very early on I realized that it would be an effortless, fun way to expose them to more Spanish. So most of the children’s music I play is in Spanish, usually until my husband can’t take it anymore and begs me to play anything—anything!—in English.

I’ve tried to build up a collection of non-screechy music that both my kids and I enjoy, but as much as I love José Luis Orozco, Cri-Cri and Suni Paz, you can really only play your selection of children’s CDs so many times before you feel like you just can’t take it anymore. I sneak in some NPR on the Metro and listen to music when I’m alone in the car, but I started to miss the days when I used to blast the music just for the sake of blasting it, the days when I would sing along and dance around the living room for no reason at all, except that the music energized me and made me happy.

Then I had the simplest, most obvious of revelations: My boys can enjoy my music, too. In fact, when I think about the music of my childhood, I think not of the children’s records that I used to put on the record player over and over again, but rather of the folk music my mother used to play, music by the Chad Mitchell Trio and Peter, Paul and Mary. I bought those albums as an adult, because they reminded me so much of my childhood and I couldn’t imagine not owning them. And although my boys enjoy our children’s CDs, I want them to remember my music, too. I want them to hear a song thirty years from now and remember dancing around the living room with their Mama.

Right now we’re very much into Latin music, the catchier the better. Our current (eclectic) playlist:

El Tiburón by Proyecto Uno. This is their absolute favorite, for some reason. You go un poquito más suave and then un poquito más duro, and chant about chocolate and canela.

Mi bombón by Cabas. It’s all about the teléfono going ring-ring and the corazón going ton-ton. Love it.

Limón y sal by Julieta Venegas. This is our mellow song, the one I rock my babies (who are no longer babies) to on the couch or in bed. When I’m old and gray, this I will still remember.

Color esperanza by Diego Torres, the MTV Unplugged version. I’m not too choosy about the song lyrics when I pick songs for our playlists (unless there are any words in the song I don’t want them to learn), but this song is positively uplifting. I first heard it as background music to a Special Olympics video montage and it made me cry. Plus, you’ve got to love the carnaval-style drums in the middle, and Diego busts out with some Portuguese, too.

Cha cha by Chelo. Just plain catchy.

Querida by Juan Gabriel. If there was ever a song that begs to be sung out loud with feeling, this is it.

Sopa de caracol by Banda Blanca. The best thing about this song is you can totally make up the lyrics, and then just shout, “Sopa de caracol—¡JE!” every so often. Cracks them up every time.

No tengo dinero by Kumbia Kings

Anything by Juanes, but especially La paga and A Dios le pido. I’ve made sure that the boys can recognize Juanes on his album covers.

La pollera colorá by Charlie Zaa. Just because I like it.

Mi cacharrito by Roberto Carlos. An oldie but goodie that brings back memories for me.

Pelo suelto by Gloria Trevi. It's pretty much an excuse to shake your head around like a madwoman and get your hair looking as wild as possible.

La de la mochila azul by Pedrito Fernández. Because the boys love their mochilas. And God help me, rancheras are growing on me!

So, what am I missing? Any grown-up music that your kids love? I’m always looking for more ideas.

Entra a Mi Mundo: A Gift for Mothers and their Babies

For mamis of young children that are looking for ways to help develop their children’s imagination and stimulate their curiosity, there are books on the market that center around activities for toddlers… but there is nothing like Come Into My World/Entra a Mi Mundo. Published by Lunita Company, the book contains 365 creative games and activities for children ages newborn to 5 years.

You can use the book by simply flipping through it and picking out activities, but for those mamis who like a little more structure, it is divided into months with a supplies list at the beginning of each and a space for writing down notes at the end. Told from the perspective of a child, each month contains one activity per day that will help him or her discover the world around him and/or develop her inner creativity.

For example, August 4th says…

Let’s make an Emotion Mobile.
Draw or cut out faces expressing different emotions,
such as happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and frustration.
Let’s talk about these feelings. Can you hang the mobile
(away from my reach) for a few days so that I can look at
the expressions and explore the faces?

The authors, Lina Maria Cuartas and Annabel Lugo Hoffman, both have extensive experience with teaching children. Cuartas, who is also the book’s illustrator, is a devoted advocate for underprivileged children, and has taught young children in the U.S., Colombia and in remote villages across the Amazon rainforest. Her first activity book for school-age children, Crezcamos Juntos! (Come Grow With Me!) sold over 25,000 copies in Colombia. Co-author and attorney, Hoffman is also a trained volunteer promoting early literacy for young children. She speaks to audiences throughout the Dallas, TX area about how to prepare children for school.

In addition to beautiful illustrations, the book contains a lovely poems and an Invitation from a Child at the beginning. Here is an excerpt from Entra a Mi Mundo…

Regocíjate en la certeza de que cuando estoy jugando,
estoy aprendiendo. Cuando bailo y canto, estoy aprendiendo
sobre la armonía y el espacio. Al pintar con mis deditos,
estoy aprendiendo sobre colores y formas que desarrollan
mi creatividad. Cuando toco diferentes texturas, estoy aprendiendo
que el mundo está lleno de nuevas experiencias que deleitan
mis sentidos. Cuando pruebo nuevas comidas, estoy aprendiendo
a ser flexible y curioso acerca de la vida.

This book is certainly an asset to any family looking for ideas on how to connect with their children and develop their senses of curiosity and exploration.

To learn more about this book and other products by Lunita Company, you can check out their web site here.

Mundane and Magical

As a "outside the home" working mother of two girls, it's really hard to work in quality time with my daughters, usually I am rushing home thinking about what to cook for dinner and determining what I have in the freezer that can defrost quickly and what vegetable or fruit can I get in the meal so that it's balanced. Then its off to help with homework, coordinate playdates and carpools so that my girls can get to their activities in the event I don't make it out of traffic in time. I rely heavily on my mom friends that work all day at home (and don't get paid) and those that work outside the home and don't get paid what they are worth. They keep me abreast of what's happening in Girl Scouts, who are the better teachers, what happened to the neighbors kids....etc. I mean it....I need them and I try to make sure that I always return the favor.

Tonight was one of those nights, dinner, homework, guitar practice, endless questions and commentaries about subjects that turn my brain into mush and wear my patience thin. However, I bought this awesome book from http://www.scholastic.com/ and it has glow in the dark stars (remember those?) and print outs of the constellations in the sky with binoculars and a booklet with many more details about the planets, stars, meteors and shooting stars. This kit has been sitting on my living room coffee table for about 2 weeks and I still had'nt taken time to share it with them. I wanted some quality time tonight, only because I know that the next 3 days are going to be chaos. So we did, we sat on the rug and identified Casseopeia, Pegasus, Orion and other constellations.

When we went outside, all we could find were the big dipper, little dipper and we think Taurus. My girls were intrigued by the fact that planets are around us and we may be able to see them if we had some tricked out telescope. They wondered if life existed on other planets or maybe even the stars. I tried to incorporate some religious and scientific explanations which may cause them confusion later in life as they attempt to balance the two theories. I don't think that at their ages they can comprehend the vastness of the earth which has so many different people, cultures, languages and traditions, much less the incredible depth of our oceans and the immensity of the universe around them.

I hope to teach them to look at things around them, not just houses, bikes, toys and the color of nail polish. They can look to the sky and be astonished at the magical aspects of the heavens, they can listen to the rustles of leaves and wonder if there truly is a spirit in inanimate objects. One day they may become jaded as knowledge teaches them that there is a logical and scientific explanation for everything. Heck, I am a pretty logical, numbers driven person, believing wholeheartedly in scientifically or numerically supported evidence.

However, I also know that I see magic in the mundane world everyday. I see it in the calm before storms, I see it when birds return to my feeder afterwards, signaling that all is right with the world again. I want them to see the mysterious of their universe, and look for it in the most mundane places. I hope that they will be surprised at the delicate balance that you see in the world, the way the people, places and things all fall into line and support or oppose each other. It may be mundane to write about how other mother's help me and combine it with night viewings of the sky. It's the ole' "it takes a village to raise a child" concept merged with a mama trying to define her version of quality time. But I see it as proof that all is right in the world, it's magical to witness woman supporting each other without trying to define who has the tougher "job". It's mundane to try to teach your kids about the world around them, but it's magical when they connect dots in the sky.

by Limon Partido

Warning: Embarassing Material to Follow...

Is it just me, or do gringos have a lot of hang-ups about toilet privacy?
Situation A:
My husband's in the shower and nature comes a callin'. I don't think twice about walking in for a quick tinkle. Unfortunately, it never fails that every time this happens, my shout of "Don't mind me, I just gotta pee" is met by strangled gurgles behind the shower curtain and a series of complaints. I think that if he could reach the door from the shower to slam it behind me after I'm done, he would.
Situation B:
I'm in a hurry and run into the bathroom for a quick tinkle. Hubby happens to go walking by (or maybe nature is calling him, too) when his footsteps suddenly stop, he clicks his tongue and his laments of "why can't you shut the door?" fade into the distance as his footsteps beat a hasty retreat.
At first, I thought it was just being a mom, but then thinking back on it, I can remember how growing up, if someone had to do their business, they didn't always shut the bathroom door. Maybe we'd sort of shut it - the halfway-closed kinda thing, you know? I'm mostly talking about the females in my family, of course, which leads me to the question: is it being a mom, a woman, or a Latina that makes using the potty no big deal?
Of course, I mean among familia only! I really wouldn't go to my husband's bosses house for a dinner party and just go use their bathroom without shutting the door! Obviously, there would be more than a little shock and embarrassment involved there. And come to think of it, I wouldn't do that at my in-laws, either. Just at home.
But seriously, at home, who cares? Everybody's gotta pee, no? What's the big deal? Maybe part of my deal is that our bathroom has a little wall that runs perpedicular to the door and hides the toilet. Anyone walking by can see my legs, but it's not like they can actually see me doing anything. That is, until my kids come barrelling in arguing and complaining about one another. Sometimes I'm yelling, "chihuahua, get outta here, can't a mami have a little privacy?!?"
But sometimes, in the early morning moments, when the whisper of tired, little feet come dragging quietly in, I'll admit, that on occasion, I have been known to give in and pick up a tiny body and hold it in my lap as they sleepily beg to be held and snuggled.
So, que? What do you think? Is it just me? Would you be embarrassed to death or could you not care less? Do you think it is being a woman? A mom? Or a Latina? I'm curious....
~Monica

In the Blogosphere

Some fun stuff in the Latina blogosphere this week!

For all you blogeras out there, my friend Carrie is trying to compile a list of Latina bloggers with links to their blogs. I was delighted to discovered new blogs that I really like. If you're a Latina with a blog, why not head over there and introduce yourself and list your blog? Carrie's also trying to find a way where we can get to know each other better and keep in touch. Great idea, Amiga!

Also, this week marks the launch of a great new site for mamis that are trying to raise bilingual children. Spanglish Baby is the brainstorm of two amigas, Roxanna and Ana Lilian, who are trying their best to raise bilingual kids. For their opening week, they've teamed up with Victoria's Secret and are giving away a basket of Victoria’s Secret "Sexy Little Things" Noir line of beauty products to one lucky winner each day this week. So córrele to their fun blog and check them out!