*I participated in a campaign on behalf of Netflix. As a member of the Netflix Stream Team, I received a promotional item as a thank you for participating. As I'm planning my son's First Communion party in a couple of weeks, I find myself feeling nostalgic and reminiscing about when I was his age and I celebrated this sacrament with my parents and family. Being a parent certainly forces you to take many trips down memory lane as you experience milestones and rites of passage with your own children that you went through yourself. I can recall what a wonderful day it was and how much fun we all had together. My parents had a party for me at a Spanish restaurant and I can still smell all of the delicious foods and hear the music that they played during the party. The adults all sat around the table and talked while the kids danced around and played all around them. This is exactly the image that I plan to see during my son's celebration next month, a happy smiling face … [Read more...]
Take A Stroll Down Memory Lane! #StreamTeam #NetflixKids @Netflix #Ad
Who Says Backpacks Have To Be Boring? @JustPretendKids #Sponsored
*This post was written by me on behalf of Just Pretend Kids. I received complimentary product samples to facilitate this review. All opinions are 100% mine. My seven year-old son loves to carry backpacks. Since he was a toddler, he has always packed all of his toys and his electronic devices and carried them around with him everywhere. Now that he is older, he is very picky about what he uses to carry his important treasures which is why I knew that he was going to fall in love with the Panda backpack from Just Pretend Kids. Their plush stuffed animal backpacks are just perfect for traveling, school trips, sleepovers, and going away to camp. The animal backpacks are happy stand-alone pieces for back to school and their collection of costumes are perfect for capturing the essence of dress-up and pretend play that embodies the magic of childhood. JPK uses quality fabrics for all of their products yet manages to keep them affordable for families on a budget, as most of … [Read more...]
A Whole New Generation Of El Chavo Fans! @ElChavoToys #Giveaway #Sponsored
*This post was written by me on behalf of Jakks Pacific. I received a product sample to review. All opinions are 100% mine. Growing up, most Latino kids knew and loved El Chavo. He spoke our language, made us laugh with his funny antics, and taught us about friendship. It didn't matter whether you lived in New York City or Miami, we all felt connected to his kind heart and his enthusiasm. We also loved the rest of his quirky friends and his many unforgettable catchphrases such as "Eso, eso, eso!" (Thassit!, thatssit!, thassit!) What many people don't know is that El Chavo was also a global phenomenon and is beloved internationally as much as he is here in the United States. El Chavo is the number one family property for Latinos and the most profitable entertainment franchise in the Spanish-speaking world. Today re-runs of El Chavo del 8 are watched worldwide in over 90 countries, including the United States, Latin America, Brazil, and Spain. For those of … [Read more...]
7 Years Bad Luck?
I have been extremely superstitious since I was a little girl. It all stems back to my childhood in Spain being raised by my Grandmother. She would always tell me stories about the region of Spain we were from called Galicia and how it was known for being the land of witches and incantations. Fast forward a few years to my maternal grandmother who was very superstitious and warned us about the bad luck that would befall us if we put our shoes on the table, opened an umbrella in the house, or walked past a black cat. I never fully understood why doing these things was considered bad but I definitely sensed the foreboding and fear in her eyes as she warned us against doing any of them. Now, don't go thinking that I'm a witch or anything because there is always that random reader who reads too much into posts and will go on a rant in the comments below about how they are unsubscribing because I have "wandered into the dark side." Rest assured that this is not the case … [Read more...]
What Are You Teaching Your Kids About Gender?
Being a woman, I have always been very sensitive to words or actions that pigeonhole females into prescribed gender roles. The reason for this has a lot to do with the experiences that I have had academically, professionally, and culturally. No matter how far we have come as a society with regards to tolerance and equality, one cannot deny that there still exist many stereotypes about what women's and men's roles in society should be. From a parent's perspective who is trying to raise two boys, I am even more aware of the messages that my husband and I are sending our sons about gender and equal rights. Unfortunately, however, my husband has been a little more resistant over the years to letting go of some of the "Machismo" that he was raised with in a Latino household. You see, in traditional Latin culture like in many other cultures, boys are raised to be strong and to be providers while women are raised to take care of the home and be the nurturers of the … [Read more...]
When I Was 17…
When I was 17 I felt like the world was my oyster. I had so many plans for how my life was going to turn out and I set so many goals that I wanted to accomplish. As I am sitting here watching a show on television about what entertainers were doing when they were 17, I started to reflect on what I was doing at that age. Suddenly, I was flooded with so many memories of what my life was like then and how the person that I am now is so far away from that young girl. It was my senior year in High School and I was preoccupied with all of the preparations for the events that come along with graduating from the twelfth grade. I had a very light class schedule, since it was my last year, and I took advantage of this to get a part-time job on afternoons and weekends to help me save money to pay for Prom and graduation expenses. Unfortunately, my father was the only one who worked and supported a family of five so he could not afford to pay for everything alone. As a … [Read more...]
